Nathaniel smiled at his wife who’d only been here just over a week but had already made him look forward to lunchtime each day. She insisted on bringing something over to him even when he said he’d managed fine long before she’d arrived in town and didn’t need to eat a lunch.
Standing from behind the desk, he walked over to take the basket from her hands. “We get together every week or so over lunch to discuss current situations in the town. I forgot to mention it to you that we’d be meeting today.”
Guilt gnawed at him as he noticed her red cheeks. Claire took great pride in being able to provide meals for him and Samuel each day during their shift, but with the others here, she probably wouldn’t have brought enough food.
“Well, there might be enough for everyone.” She moved over by the desk and he set the basket down so she could pull the cloth off the top and take the items out. “I went to the station to say goodbye to Miss Hazel this morning, so I’m afraid I didn’t have time to make as much. I’ve brought some biscuits and cheese, and some oatmeal cookies I made yesterday.”
His hand brushed hers as he reached in to help her lift the plate of cookies out. Her eyes lifted, and even though he was sure it wouldn’t be possible, her cheeks went an even darker shade of red. He was learning quickly how skittish she was if he came too close, and he had to admit he found her innocence refreshing.
He’d spent the past few nights as close to the edge of the bed as he could possibly go so Claire could get some sleep. Ever since the first night, she’d kept herself tucked so far on the other side of the bed, he was sure every muscle must be screaming in pain from being held in one position for so long. He’d decided to try giving her some extra space so she didn’t have to be as tense.
But if she only knew what happened after she fell asleep.
It turned out, his new wife was actually quite relaxed when she was no longer awake. A few times, she’d moved right over to him, putting herself up tightly against him as she slept. In truth, he hadn’t had a wink of sleep since the day she’d arrived. He could sleep on the floor in the other room, but after insisting he was sharing the bed, his pride didn’t want to admit he was the one who couldn’t handle it.
He’d been getting up early each morning to save her the embarrassment of finding herself in his arms when she woke up.
Matthew grabbed a chair from the other room and brought it in for her. The men each put some food on their plates and started to eat. A sense of pride welled up in him as he watched their reactions. Samuel had already been able to enjoy her food each day, but Matthew and Easton were both savoring every bite.
“This is delicious Claire. These biscuits are so fresh the butter can barely keep from sliding off,” said Easton, with Matthew nodding just as enthusiastically.
As they ate, Nathaniel moved the conversation back to what they’d been discussing. “Roger Hastings was known back in British Columbia as a criminal, but no one could ever get the proof we needed. My father and brother were both attorneys working on bringing him to justice, and just when they thought they had the witness they needed to put him in jail, the witness was killed on his way to testify.”
He didn’t want to go into the full details of everything that had happened back in British Columbia before he took his Mountie training and was stationed in Alberta. It was a time he’d rather forget, so he’d tried to push it out of his memory.
“Since there was no proof, he was allowed to go free.” He looked around at the other Mounties to see if he could gauge their reactions.
“I’m just not sure what we can do. We don’t have any proof, and if he hasn’t done anything, we can’t just go and arrest him because of your suspicions.”
Nathaniel knew that Easton was right, but it still frustrated him. Thrusting his hand through his hair, his eyes moved to the corner where Claire was sitting quietly listening to the men talk. She watched him closely, with her brows furrowed.
When he’d seen Roger Hastings step off the train this morning, he’d felt like he’d been punched in the stomach. All the memories he’d tried to get away from had crashed back in, and he knew he probably wasn’t thinking clearly when it came to him. But he wanted to make the man pay for the crimes Nathaniel knew he’d committed.
“What if we had someone go in and try to find some kind of evidence?”
Samuel popped the last bit of cookie into his mouth he’d been enjoying and looked at him. “How would we get anyone into his hotel room without getting caught?”
No one said anything for a moment, until finally Claire spoke up from her corner of the room. “I could get a job as a maid at the hotel. That would give me the chance to get into his room. Molly has started working as a maid there too, so I’m sure she could put in a good word for me.”
Nathaniel slowly turned his head to look at her. “Absolutely not.”
“But, Nathaniel, you said you needed a way to get into his room. I’ve got experience as a maid and could easily be hired to work in the hotel.”
He slammed his fist down on the desk so loud that everyone jumped. “Claire, I said no. And I mean it.”
As soon as the words echoed into the silence of the room, her face fell in embarrassment. She stood up and pressed the imaginary wrinkles from her skirt, then offered a smile to the men. “I should go and let you finish your meeting.” She turned and walked out the door with her head held high. She hadn’t even looked at him before she left.
He briefly clenched his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose as he turned his head to watch her through the window. Why had he gotten so angry with her? He could have just told her it wasn’t safe and left it at that.
Instead, he’d acted like a lout and embarrassed her when she was just trying to help.
“Well, I’d say you’re going to be sleeping outside tonight.”
He ignored Matthew’s comment, his eyes still following the woman walking down the street. He’d only had a wife for a week, and he’d already managed to make a mess of it.
Chapter 9
She leaned back against the outside of the cabin wall and looked up into the starry sky. Her shawl was keeping some of the chill out, but she’d need something warmer once winter arrived for good. The first flakes of snow had slowly started falling just after Nathaniel left to work his overnight shift. Each of the men took turns staying at the station in town in case any trouble arose.
Now she was sitting out on the front step, enjoying the peacefulness of the slow snowfall. It seemed like the world around her was becoming softer and more peaceful as the white puffs tumbled to the ground.
When he’d arrived home earlier, he’d tried to smooth things over with her. And truthfully, she wasn’t as angry anymore. But she was hurt that he’d dismissed her help so quickly and embarrassed her in front of the other men. She’d only made the suggestion because she’d thought it might show Nathaniel she had more to offer as a wife than merely cooking his meals and washing his clothes.
Every time he tried to apologize or bring up what happened, she’d quickly changed the subject, not wanting to talk about it. Things had been going so well with him until today, she hated to let something like this ruin it.
Her head turned toward a sound in the open field on the other side of the road. Leaning forward slightly, she squinted to see what could be crunching its way on the newly fallen snow.
Laughing quietly, she shook her head as Rocky stood in the field, pawing at the ground to get to the grass underneath.
As though he could hear her laughter, he lifted his head and watched her for a moment, before going back to grazing. He didn’t seem the least bit concerned about her sitting there watching him. Something about the animal being right there was soothing to her, knowing she wasn’t alone.
“Mind if I join you?”
Nathaniel’s voice startled her. She’d been watching Rocky so closely she hadn’t even heard him walk up from behind the cabin.
She sat back and pulled her shawl close again,
keeping her eyes averted. “Of course. It’s your house, so you’re welcome to sit anywhere you’d like.”
He sighed and pushed his hat back slightly before sitting beside her on the step.
Rocky watched them, so she kept her focus on him. But out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed Nathaniel’s black pants and red jacket as he leaned forward to rest his arms on his legs.
“Claire, it’s your house too. And if you’d rather be alone, you have every right to tell me to leave.”
She swallowed, trying to get her racing heart back under control. Sitting this close to him made her entire body react. Even if she was annoyed with him at the moment, she couldn’t deny she enjoyed having him near her.
“I thought you had to stay at the station tonight? I wasn’t expecting you back until morning.”
“I am. But I was out walking around and keeping an eye on things when I saw you sitting out here. Knowing you’re upset with me, I had to come and talk to you.”
Her cheeks heated slightly as she looked at him and laughed nervously. “I’m not upset.”
One of his eyebrows raised. “You barely said two words to me all evening. And I’m sure this is the first time you’ve even looked at me.”
She lifted her gaze to look at the stars again. She’d never seen them shine as brightly as they did here in Cougar Springs, and as she watched, a bright light streaked across the sky. Gasping with delight, she quickly forgot her anger and whipped her head toward Nathaniel. “Did you see that?”
He’d been looking at the sky too, but brought his eyes down to look at her. Smiling, he nodded. “A falling star. You’re supposed to make a wish.”
They sat in silence for a while, both watching the night sky for more stars moving across the inky blackness. “That’s Ursa Major. It’s one of the biggest constellations in the sky, also called the Big Bear.” He lifted his fingers to some winking lights in the distance, moving slightly closer so she could see where he was pointing. “If you look just there, you can see what makes up the back end of the bear. It’s the big dipper. There’s the ladle…” He made the shape with his hand. “And there’s the handle.”
She followed his hands, finally seeing the formation. “I see it.” Her words came out in an amazed whisper as she kept her eyes on the beauty above her.
The snow was slowly swirling from the sky, mesmerizing her as it reflected in the lamplight from the cabin behind her. There wasn’t a breath of wind, so each flake gently tumbled straight to the ground.
“I’m sorry for being so harsh today at the station. I didn’t mean to be insensitive.”
She really wasn’t mad, and now started to feel slightly embarrassed for how she’d reacted. She couldn’t bring herself to look at him. “It’s fine, Nathaniel. I shouldn’t have stepped in where I didn’t belong anyway.”
He reached his hand out and took hers. “It wasn’t that at all. I appreciate you wanting to help. But you need to understand why I was so adamant against you going near that man. Roger Hastings is dangerous, and I can’t have you around him.”
She turned to look at him, trying to ignore the tingling spreading from his hand all the way up her arm and into her chest. “What did he do to you?”
His blue eyes held hers for a moment, and she worried he was once again not going to tell her anything about his life. But finally, he looked out across the field to where the moonlight shone just bright enough to make out Rocky scratching against a tree.
“He killed my brother.”
Gasping, she clenched his hand and pulled it up to her chest. “I thought you said he was a counterfeiter? How come he didn’t go to jail for killing your brother?” Her thoughts were jumbled as she tried to imagine the pain he’d felt at losing someone he loved.
“He’d been suspected of illegal activity for years, but no one could prove anything. Until finally a man named David Tompkins was caught using counterfeit money. He agreed to be a witness in a case against the man behind the operation in exchange for a lesser sentence. David was staying at the jail under their protection until the case could be heard. They thought it would be safe for him there.”
She waited for him to continue, not wanting to interrupt the memories he was reliving.
“When it came time for the trial, David was shot on his way into the courthouse and my brother, his attorney, was shot at the same time. They were never able to catch who did it in the panic that broke out after.”
Her heart broke as she watched the pain reflected in his face. “But you’re sure it was this man, Roger?”
He nodded, then turned to her. “I was younger than my brother by eight years. And just about to go to school to be a lawyer like the men in my family are expected to do. He’d confided to me how frustrating it was to not be able to go out and catch Roger Hastings when they all knew he was involved in counterfeiting. He was determined to help put him away.”
His thumb had absently begun to rub against her own, and she looked down at their hands entwined on her lap. “You said you were going to be a lawyer. What happened?” She lifted her eyes back to his and her breath caught in her throat when her eyes met his.
“After what happened, I wanted to catch the men who were doing things against the law. I couldn’t be a lawyer and just wait for the chance to try putting them away.” He shrugged slightly and gave her a sad smile. “And I wanted a chance to catch the man who killed my big brother.”
Their gazes were locked, and she could feel every emotion he was remembering. Before she knew what was happening, his hand reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear. His eyes followed his hand as he brought his fingers back, softly brushing along her cheek.
He swallowed, and she held her breath as his fingers moved lower and caressed the skin of her jaw. The hand still holding hers, gently tugged, pulling her closer and her heart pounded loudly in her ears as his head moved toward hers. The large hat he wore when he was on duty cast a dark shadow, but she could see the brightness of his eyes just before his lips touched hers.
The kiss they’d shared when they were married had been quick and without emotion. The way he was kissing her now was different. His lips moved over hers slowly, and his fingers gently caressed her skin, moving up into her hair and stroking down the back of her neck. Everywhere he touched left a trail of heat.
When he pulled his head back, he looked down into her eyes. At some point, she’d leaned right into him and was now pressed right up against his chest. His slightly lopsided smile spread across his face as his fingers came back up to rub her cheek. “I hate to go, but I have to get back to the station.”
She was having a hard time getting her senses back as she struggled to sit upright. Her cheeks started to burn again as they pulled apart. He stood and pulled her up, still holding her close to him.
“You know, I’d never really believed wishing on a falling star would actually come true. Until tonight.”
He let go of her hand and pulled his hat down slightly as he winked at her. She watched as he walked back down the street toward the station, lifting her fingers to her lips. She hadn’t even had a chance to say a word, and was still struggling to get through the daze she was left in.
As she turned to make her way back inside, her eyes met Rocky’s who was standing right on the edge of the road. The snow was falling around him but he was just standing completely still. He tilted his head to the side watching her. “Rocky, you, silly animal. You shouldn’t be standing around spying on people.”
Behind him, another star shot across the sky. Smiling to herself, she hugged her shawl tightly around her shoulders and spun around to go into the warmth of the cabin.
She had no doubt her own wish had come true too.
Chapter 10
He looked down at her sleeping face, resisting the urge to reach down and touch her. After the night outside on the step, when they’d shared a kiss, something had shifted in their relationship. The following night, she’d let him know she was ready to make theirs
a true marriage, and his heart clenched at the memory of her vulnerability.
But at least now, he could get some sleep at night. She wasn’t staying on the far side of the bed, and was always tucked up tightly to him as she fell asleep.
He walked back into the kitchen and sat at the table, careful not to make any noise that would wake her. Since the day she’d arrived, she’d worked tirelessly to make the small cabin into a home. Now there were curtains on the windows, tablecloths covering the table, and the kitchen area almost sparkled it was so clean and tidy.
Every night, he went to bed filled up with the most delicious food he ever remembered eating, even growing up in a home with cooks and servants.
Looking down at the letter he’d placed on the table, he picked it up and read it again. His mother had written to let him know that they’d be coming to Cougar Springs in a couple of weeks to spend Christmas there. She’d been suffering from some sore joints and had heard about the remarkable healing powers of the hot springs, so decided she’d give them a try while visiting with her son.
“Nathaniel, why didn’t you wake me? I’m mortified that I fell asleep. I was only going to rest my eyes for a moment.” She squinted her eyes slightly like he’d noticed her doing often.
“I figured you might have had one of your headaches so I didn’t want to disturb you.”
She’d been walking straight to the stove, quickly trying to tie her apron behind her. But at his statement, she whipped around. “How do you know I’ve had headaches?”
He put his hand out and took hers, pulling her over to sit on his lap. He laughed deep in his throat as she gasped loudly. Even with everything that had happened between them, she was still a bit shy about showing affection openly.
“As a Mountie, I’m required to be able to read people based on more than what they’re saying. I’ve noticed the times you’ve been squinting, rubbing your temples, and the bridge of your nose. But I figured you just didn’t want to tell me for some reason.”
Bride for Nathaniel Page 4
