Now to just get her to say yes to him.
Cole shook Sam’s hand and told him that they would be back in the next few weeks for a few more goods, gathering up the reins. Cole could not help the grin on his face, nor would he. He was dying to tease her about it and find out why she had said as much, but he would be patient and let her tell the tale.
Cole drove the wagon away from the boardwalk flanking the building into the main road headed out of town. As they headed out from the hustle, he finally broke the silence. “Would you care to explain, Mrs. Hale,” he said, teasing her. He waited for a few moments and finally reached up and pinched the fabric on the back of her bonnet, pulling it off her head.
“There, so I can see my bride.” Cole grinned widely at her surprised expression. He had been wanting to see her lovely face and now it was the face of his wife. He practically laughed at how the cards had been laid in his favor.
Elizabeth was surprised and dismayed when her bonnet came flying back, suddenly, revealing her when she wanted to hide the most. She had silently sat there as he had accepted the congratulations on their “wedding” with quite a bit of gusto. She had told him to court her, hadn’t they skipped a step or two? It was her own fault and for a silly reason!
“Oh!” she exclaimed and reached up quickly, the packages dropping into the foot well of the wagon, as she realized she had been uncovered deliberately by a grinning Cole. She could no longer hide behind her bonnet.
“Stop it,” she said abruptly and turned away. She could feel her cheeks heating up and knew it had nothing to do with the sun or the heat. Elizabeth heard him chuckle and noticed he was pulling the wagon off the dirt road.
They just sat for a moment in silence and finally Cole reached down for the packages. Gathering them up, he put them between the two of them on the bench seat as if to give Beth space. He couldn’t help how surprised and happy it had made him at the same time for her to claim him as her husband.
“Beth, look at me,” he beseeched. “Let’s talk about this. It’s not the end of the world and I won’t hold you to it unless it’s what you want.” Actually, it was pretty well a done deal but she did not have to know that, he thought.
“It’s just kinda ironic since we were just discussing us this morning about me courtin’ you,” he said trying to placate her if she was upset or embarrassed. His “bride” could be a prickly one! he thought, laying his hand on her shoulder. When she didn’t turn towards him, he pulled on her, forcing her to face him.
“I am sorry about the signature,” Beth finally said, mortified. “I just didn’t want him to decline the charge or for you to have to leave our things in the wagon. I’m a little embarrassed and he kept saying that I was your wife and had me sign it. So I did. That’s it,” she said and realized she was wringing her hands regardless of how sore they were still.
She could feel the heat of his hand burning through the fabric of her sleeve. She was embarrassed but not sure if she was more so at the fact that she had been caught claiming to be his wife or the fact that she had been inwardly anxious to sign her name as his.
“Don’t apologize,” Cole said gently. “You told me to court you and marriage is kinda my end goal- you know? I really like the idea of you signing your name as mine. Honestly, it made me proud to say that you were my wife to Sam. Thank you for that,” he said as he let his hand drop gently from her arm and clasped her hands.
“I liked it more than you know,” he said gently as he looked at his tanned hands against her small, white ones. They were so different but so alike in some ways, too. She was perfect for him. She just had to realize that, too, he thought.
He noticed that she had yet to look him in the eye and saw how flushed her face was. “Beth, look at me,” he said. As he met her eyes, he could see that she was struggling inwardly to say something or explain something. He could see her eyes looked panicked and the last thing he wanted was for her to run from him like she had her family.
“Beth, you know I won’t push you. Relax. I promised you freedom and you have it. Now let’s get going and talk about something else. What is in the bags? I thought I smelled something awfully tasty and I’m a bit hungry,” he said, letting it drop and picking up the reins once again.
Time, he thought. She will need time and it will have to be what she wants or she will bolt. His Beth was like a wild mustang. She will have to be loved, respected, taken care of as well as broken before she would allow herself to be owned. Time, patience, and caring would be at the forefront of his mind in their dealings with each other.
Grateful for the change in conversation, Beth grasped at the opportunity to tell him that she had picked up some pickles for them to snack on as well as a treat for later on. Opening the package, she handed him one as she took a bite of the crisp, but sour morsel. She pulled her bonnet back onto her head to protect her face once again and partially to hide within the fabric from him. Eating her refreshment, she noticed that both of them had grown silent and the sounds of the animal’s feet as well as the crunch of the gravel road under the wheels filled the space between them.
Elizabeth sat in silence for quite some time, just enjoying the scenery that she did not pay attention to the first time they had rode out from Fort Worth as she was fleeing the nannyhouse. Had it been only a few days?
So much had changed in the last few weeks of her life and it was invigorating and slightly terrifying. Shaking her head, she studied the open landscape. An occasional surprise would spring up that would gain a smile from her. A patch of wild flowers, rabbits in the tall grasses and other creatures that were new to her.
At one point, she heard a strange rattling sound that Cole quickly informed her to freeze and not move if she ever heard that noise at the homestead. Apparently there was a deadly snake that lived in the area that rattled prior to its bite! Terrifying! She did not like snakes, whatsoever.
Beth noticed the sun was going down quickly but they hadn’t arrived at the house yet. They were rolling along slowly with the livestock and it was taking quite some time. She was grateful that the heat was dissipating from the glaring sun, but seeing it set … the landscape took on another view completely.
As the moon rose in the sky, shadows crossed the ground and the night was lit by stars everywhere you looked. Great clusters illuminated the darkness and it was stunning to see. She had never gazed upon anything like it back home and here the stars twinkled all around. Beth removed her bonnet and leaned back on the bench as far as her corset would let her, angling her neck to get a better view of the night sky.
“Why don’t you quit wearing the corset like I told you? It’s hot and you look completely uncomfortable, Beth,” she heard Cole say quietly in the darkness and did not bother to answer him. Hearing him sigh, she smiled almost mischievously. He could be easily irritated as well as her, apparently.
Beth thought inwardly that he might be right. After all, who would notice and see her. It’s not like she had a fleshy figure. She had always been slim and the layers that women were forced to wear, it would never be an issue. The sun had been growing increasingly brutal during her travels, each day growing warmer than the last.
Finally arriving at the house, she watched as Cole leapt from the wagon. She found herself fascinated with how he moved in his jeans and unconsciously found herself staring, once again. She noticed that the house was dark, just as it had been several days ago when they first arrived, but this time it was different.
This time it felt like coming home.
Beth was more than pleased to see Cole pass up unhooking the horse to come to her side and help her from the wagon. It was flattering, to say the very least, to be put as a priority in someone’s life and he made her feel that way. Placing the sides of her hands on his shoulders, as to avoid direct contact with the tender skin, she felt his hands grasp her waist as he gently helped her to the ground. No more hiking one leg up and over indelicately, hoping not to hang her skirt of the edge of the wood.
&nb
sp; No, this time it was graceful, sensual and intense being helped down by the dusty cowboy she had ridden home with. His eyes caressed her face as she gained her footing. Beth noticed that he hesitated in releasing her, his hands warm and possessive –then suddenly gone. She found herself reaching for him once again, after he released her and turned away.
Cole had helped Beth down from the wagon. Her small waist fit perfectly in his hands. He could feel the whalebone and her body underneath the layers, and itched to peel them from her in the moonlight. He stood there, waiting for her invitation… just anything from her giving him the okay to kiss her and finally stepped away. It was the hardest thing for him to do. He could barely pull his eyes from her luscious lips that silently begged to be tasted, but he did so and was silently proud of his willpower. If someone had told him to break a limb, it might have been easier than stepping back from her in the moonlight.
Cole turned away, cursing himself silently for being honorable because, right now, he wanted to be so very dishonorable with her. He wanted to lose himself in her and strip her down in the grass.
“Someday, you will have to decide what you want from me. Go inside and I will take care of this, Beth,” he said harshly and winced hearing exactly how it sounded and her murmur of acquiescence. He found himself plodding up to the doorway, unlocking it for her and returning to the wagon, grabbing a crate of hens in each hand. Walking off, he took them to the henhouse out back to free them.
Not sure what caused the sudden change, Beth reached into the wagon and picked up the packages. She didn’t plan to stay out here and have him snap at her, especially undeserved. They had a spent a good day together. She had embarrassed herself and he had not teased her mercilessly as others might be tempted to. Beth wanted to help but felt he must not want it, plus she wasn’t one hundred percent sure how to aide him. She clutched the packages and stepped onto the plank decking, harshly, to mimic his attitude. After three loud stomps, she realized how childish it was and gave up. Ladies did not stomp, her mother had always told her. He probably couldn’t hear her as she saw him round the corner with the crates in his hands.
Beth stepped alone into the dark house and was honestly miserable. She was frustrated at his display of frustration towards her, embarrassed about the debacle at the mercantile store and, frankly, dismayed at how her body was betraying her each time Cole looked at her or touched her. Cole had been so blatant in his pursuit of her, looked so pleased at her claiming to be his wife- to see this sudden turnabout was very disconcerting. Beth decided that she would stay away from him. It would give her time to decide exactly what she wanted and give him space to get over his attitude.
Eleven
She was lonely.
Beth’s idea to give Cole breathing room backfired in the worst way. It seemed that he was avoiding her at every turn and she spent the last few days trying to occupy herself and keep busy but failing miserably. Cole had not returned to the house and was gone from the barn each morning when she went searching for him. Every evening for the last few days had been spent alone and hungry. Good thing I learned how to start a fire in the fireplace, she thought, just wish I could cook more than bacon and beans. She cringed at the small pot over the fire. The first day Cole did not show, she had made a pot of beans and awaited his arrival. At dark, she had walked to the barn to see he had not returned.
Where was he?
The first day he was gone, she didn’t think much of it and figured he was off huffing somewhere after the snapping last night. She had not seen a temperamental side of him and he could be as hardheaded as she was it seemed. Cole had been quite blatant in his pursuit of her. Was he now going to make her chase him?
The second day she noticed that there was a large urn of milk on the front porch waiting for her and a few eggs. Beth put the eggs on the counter, unsure how exactly to cook them and took the milk gratefully. She knew butter was made from milk and had seen photos of urns in catalogs. How hard could it be to make butter?
The idea of the creamy goodness on the remaining bread wrapped in a cloth was appetizing and would be a tremendous change from the stupid beans she was sick of. Beth found the churn inside of the large pantry that had hidden the larder hatch.
Pulling out the churn, she poured the milk inside and happily started pumping the handle like she was born to it, or so she thought. After a few churns, she pulled off the lid and stared at the white liquid inside. Must not be enough, she thought and began churning once again. Checking it repeatedly, uttering a few choice words, Beth grabbed her new gloves and yanked them on in frustration.
She had been thinking about warm bread and butter for the last ten minutes and now wanted it with a passion. Angrily, she grabbed the slender pole of wood and began churning viciously. Beth churned until her arms throbbed and wretchedly yanked off the lid expecting to see golden butter staring at her.
Letting out an unholy epithet, she stepped away from the large wooden churn and kicked it angrily. She wasn’t sure what hurt more, her toe that had smacked head-on with the heavy wooden contraption or her pride that here was yet another thing she could not do! The milk inside looked no different whatsoever from when it had been first poured inside.
Beth grabbed a metal cup, determined not to waste the liquid and filled it. It was deliciously cool and rich sliding down her throat, definitely different from the milk she had back home. Deciding she would leave the milk in the churn, she would try for butter again later, once her arms had recovered. Beth snacked on the few precious apples instead and tried to eat one of the figs off the tree only to find it was not ripe yet. She could still taste that horrifically bitter bite that had made her reel in disgust. Shaking her head at the thought, she grabbed another cupful of milk. She wondered how Cole was faring on his own.
Cole was frustrated at Beth and their situation. He wanted her, that had not changed at all, but she was confusing. She would tell him to court her, then back away. Beth would initiate a kiss and then sidestep any further advances. She would tell a perfect stranger that she was his wife and then vehemently not want to discuss it or the implications that came with it.
He regretted snapping at her but he needed to put distance between them so he didn’t say something he would regret. His father had told him he was impulsive and a hothead, but he thought he had mellowed with time.
Apparently not.
Here he was panting after a desirable young lady like a dog in heat, his body burning with desire from just her looking at him. It was crazy to think that they could mesh as one so soon after meeting when any other woman had not rung his bell like she had.
So he gave them time…time to decide what each wanted or needed. Was this right? Was this what he needed? Did he need a wife? Did he need Beth? After the first day of being alone and camping out under the stars, thinking of her constantly…it was a decided “yes”.
He missed her.
It was as simple as that. He was watching the house from afar and had not seen her stray from the house much. He woke early one morning and put a container of milk on the porch for her along with a bowl of eggs he had collected from the hens they had purchased. He noted later that they were gone and he hoped she had liked the fresh cream off the top of the urn as well as maybe some fried eggs. He sure had! He had fried up eggs for breakfast over a fire and ate a rabbit that he had caught later in the day, wondering if she would like roasted hare or if she would pass out like the description of the plucked chicken.
Laughing at the imagery in his mind, he missed her terribly.
Cole knew his choice and was unsure of Beth’s, but he was determined to sway the decision one way or the other. He had spent several days watching the house, avoiding the talk that they needed to have. He rode into town, with the idea to purchase a bolt of cloth for her and decided against it. Could Beth even sew? He knew most ladies from the big city bought their clothes from a seamstress or designer. Maybe a few flowers for the yard for Beth would please her. It was a long ride in
and he spent it deep in thought of what made women tick.
Arriving at Sam’s small shop, Cole perused the shelves while Sam chatted amicably with another customer. It had been a week since his last visit, a long week avoiding Beth. At hearing their conversation, Cole froze. The two were discussing a telegram that was sent from Sam’s store to Indianapolis.
Could Beth have sent a letter home? If so, what had it said?
Beth had given no indication that she ever wanted to return and the idea of her sending a message home shocked him. He knew she had mailed a letter to May, but did she send one to her parents as well? He listened intently to the young man’s derisive tone that he used towards Sam and decided it would be a good time to butt in.
“Hey Sam, when you are done with him- I could use your help getting my wife a wedding present. She took a fancy to you and really liked your shop,” Cole announced loudly, interrupting the two of them. He took great enjoyment at seeing the annoyance on the stranger’s face… the stranger, he assumed, was Elias Barney by the subject of their conversation. His Elizabeth.
The slim, dark-haired man turned a cold eye towards him ever so slowly. “When he has completed his business with me, I am sure he will be more than happy to sell you something, my good man. Until then? Polite society, as well as I- demand that you wait your turn. Now, as I was saying, you sent a telegram from my fiancée to Indianapolis and I demand to know where she is located. Do not make me contact the police,” he threatened ever so calmly.
Elias Barney had come for his Beth! Cole would not back down from the slick-haired man that oozed snake oil and deceit. The man seemed like a crook and he was surprised to find that this was Beth’s doctor she had been engaged to by her family. Apparently the name was known, but not the person – or so he hoped. The idea of a loving family bartering off their child was a common practice that confused his mind. He hated the idea and always felt that a person should have a say in their life. Cole had been raised that way and it worked well enough for him.
Beloved Texas Bride Page 11
