Lucille would have to put the uneaten dinner aside.
Chapter Fifteen
“They’re here!” Lucille burst into the clinic where Aurora sat wrapping a bandage around a man’s hand. Evan had just finished stitching the injury and had gone to the house. “Wilhelmina is here.”
Filbert looked over. “Well this will be interesting.”
“Oh hush,” Aurora said with a chuckle and finished her last wrap. “There, all done. Filbert, will you please help Mr. Ormond out?” She got up and smoothed her skirts. “I didn’t expect them so soon.” When she lifted her hand to push back an errant hair, it shook enough that Lucille noticed.
Aurora put on her coat and rushed toward the house.
“You’re nervous.” Lucille grinned.
“Of course I am. How do you think she’ll react to the news?” Her gaze scanned the back of her house. “Where’s Evan?”
“Greeting them.” Lucille giggled. “I hope he doesn’t break the news before you are there.”
Aurora gave her a droll look. “Afraid you’ll miss it?” She let out a deep breath and opened the back door.
They rushed to the house and raced through the kitchen to the front room. Aurora stopped for an instant and then hurried to her best friend.
Immediately, she was engulfed in a tight embrace. Both she and Wilhelmina broke into happy sobs. Lucille began to cry and another woman who’d obviously come with her friend sniffed and wiped her own eyes. The men cleared their throats and moved away toward the kitchen while the women continued crying between shrieks of joy and hugs.
Finally, Aurora calmed enough to hold both of Wilhelmina’s hands and look her over. “You look so beautiful. Marriage agrees with you.”
Wilhelmina grinned widely and looked back toward a husky, handsome man. “I am so very happy. Marcus is a wonderful husband.”
Marcus came over and held out his hand. Aurora ignored the outstretched hand and hugged him. “Thank you for taking care of my dear friend.” His smile was shy, but warm.
“Oh goodness, my manners.” Wilhelmina introduced her sister-in-law, Eleanor, and Marcus’ brother, Tobias, to everyone. Apparently, Eleanor’s husband and father remained back at the ranch.
After introductions were completed, everyone found seats. Wilhelmina had yet to release Aurora’s hand. “However did you get along? Evan, I am so thankful to you for taking care of Aurora and Lucille.”
Evan exchanged looks with Aurora and cleared his throat. “Actually, we have some news to share.”
Wilhelmina’s wide eyes met hers. “What happened?”
“Aurora and I got married three weeks ago.”
There was a collective inhalation from the visitors. Wide-eyed and mouth open, Wilhelmina looked from Evan to Aurora and, once again, she squealed in delight and hugged her friend. Unable to stop herself, Aurora blinked back tears. “I wish you could have been here.”
She met Evan’s gaze over her friend’s shoulder. He smiled and, in that instant, all was right in her world.
The men shook Evan’s hand. Marcus and Tobias were obviously close friends as the men then hugged him and began ribbing him about getting married. Aurora noticed that, although it was a light moment, there was a certain dark broodiness about Tobias Hamilton.
Seeming to notice her attention, Wilhelmina leaned closer and whispered into her ear. “He is not quite over their mother’s death. He’s the youngest and, perhaps, that’s why he is grieving harder that Marcus and Eleanor.”
Lucille, having overheard, met her gaze and then stood. “I will make coffee and an extra special meal in celebration.”
“I’ll help you.” Eleanor stood and followed her into the kitchen. “Come, Tobias. I need you to go to the mercantile for a few things.” She tugged her brother to the kitchen leaving the two couples alone.
Evan motioned to the living room. “How about some brandy to celebrate.” Aurora and Wilhelmina allowed their husbands to guide them to sit. Aurora smiled at noting her friend could barely stand to take her eyes from Marcus. “You are truly in love, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” Wilhelmina flushed. “I’m expecting as well.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful. It’s a day of happy news.” Aurora pondered how long before she and Evan would have a child. She hoped it would be a while still as she wanted time alone with him for at least a year.
“What are you thinking?” Evan kissed her temple as he handed her a glass of brandy.
“That I don’t wish for children right away. I want to spend more time with only you, just us for a bit.”
He lifted a brow but didn’t say anything as Marcus lifted his glass. “To your marriage, may you have many happy years, my friends.” They all drank to the toast. The sweet, strong liquid flowed through her mouth and warmed Aurora.
“Now, let’s talk about your plans,” Wilhelmina prompted as Marcus and Evan discussed town politics.
“I help at the clinic and spend time with Gemina at the mercantile. She is teaching me to sew and make clothes.”
“That is wonderful,” Wilhelmina said with a broad grin. “I hope the town gets a seamstress soon. A dress shop is sorely needed.”
Aurora nodded. “I am thinking we should write Lady Price and ask about her recruiting women who would like to come out here and make a good living. In the process they could meet a husband. There are so many men here without wives.”
“What a brilliant idea. Let’s do so right away.” Wilhelmina let out a happy sigh. “I am so glad to have you near again, dear friend.”
“How far is it to your house from here?” Aurora began calculating how often they could visit. Weekly would be her choice.
“About two hours or so while it’s snowing. In the spring, it’s a lot shorter of a ride. We live about ten miles from town, not very far at all. However, with the storm, it may as well have been thousands of miles.”
“Two hours.” Aurora repeated. “We can see each other weekly, I hope.”
“I think it’s very doable,” her friend agreed.
“Please stay tonight. We have spare rooms.” Aurora looked to Evan to ensure she had not overstepped.
“We will not take no for an answer. All of you must stay,” her husband immediately echoed her invitation.
Marcus looked to the kitchen. “Wilhelmina and I will. I will let Tobias and Eleanor decide if they will as well. I suspect Tobias will want to return. One of his dogs was injured and we are keeping an eye on it.”
“You should get some liniment from the stables. I helped Gerald make up a strong batch.” Evan motioned to the brandy and Marcus held his empty glass up.
Chapter Sixteen
Although the weather grew less frigid and the sky became more blue than gray, Aurora was lonely after Wilhelmina, Marcus and Eleanor left. Lucille, who was the more outgoing of the two, had gone to meet a group of ladies for bible study and tea. Aurora remained behind as she had cleaning and cooking to do after having guests for two days.
With Evan at the clinic, the house was too quiet. Aurora opened the front door, taking in the view of the long road that ran through town and the backdrop of snow-capped mountains.
A young man hurried toward her, his wide smile showcasing a wide gap between his front teeth. “Mrs. Jones.” He waved a handful of letters. “Mail finally came.” He hurried to her and handed the correspondence over. “Jim Hardy, ma’am,” he said lifting a hand to his dirty hat. “I’ll be on my way.”
“Thank you,” Aurora replied to the young man who hurried away.
There were several letters from her mother which she put aside, knowing what they contained. Different attempts to convince her to return at once with detailed descriptions of how horribly she was being treated by their acquaintances. The only one she was interested in reading would be the one written after her mother found out the reason for her leaving.
With a sigh, Aurora realized, in spite of the negative aspects, she was a little homesick. Not enough to cry about it, but it
saddened her to think of her house, family and friends back east. Although in the future, she hoped they’d come visit or she would go there, it would never be the same.
There were two letters for Evan, one address in fine penmanship, definitely a woman. The name on return address was a Kathryn Martin from Boston. Aurora studied the letter and then held it up to her nose. It was perfumed.
Interesting.
Deciding it was best to be busy and not dwell on things, she dusted and then went out the back door. She’d see if help was needed at the clinic. If nothing else, she could straighten things out there.
The clinic’s back door was open. The air just outside it was mixed with medicinal and herb fragrances she’d come to associate with Evan.
“Have you lost your mind? Why would you marry a total stranger?”
The unfamiliar voice prompted Aurora closer and she peeked in. A man with dark blond hair stood with his broad back to her.
“It’s my business, Emmett. Don’t go making more of it than it is. I’m married now. Not much can be done about it.” Evan’s reply made Aurora take a step back.
It was his older brother. She remembered Evan telling her about Emmett, a doctor from Billings.
Emmett grunted. “Why’d you do it?”
“I wanted to help. She needed a husband and, to be honest, I wanted a wife. I didn’t think it through.”
“What about Kathryn?”
Aurora’s stomach pitched at hearing the woman’s name. It was horrible to remain by, silently, but she strained to hear Evan’s reply.
“Let it go, Emmett.” Evan sounded defeated.
“Not much to be done now. I came to fetch you so we can go see about the land Elias is purchasing.”
Aurora didn’t remain to hear anything else. Instead, she rushed back to the house and sank into one of the dining room chairs. What did it mean? Had Evan planned to marry Kathryn Martin?
Her sniff seemed to echo in the empty room and she blinked away tears. If she’d cheated her husband from marrying the woman he loved, it could affect their marriage forever. He’d come to resent it and grow bitter.
How selfish had she been not to have asked if he cared for someone else or, specifically, what he sacrificed to marry her. How awful that in her haste to marry and get away from Milford, she’d not even considered Evan’s family.
Tightness formed in her chest until she could barely breathe.
What would happen after Evan read the letters? She couldn’t fathom how he’d feel seeing letters from his love, knowing they would never be.
What about her? Now that she was aware of Kathryn, it would be impossible not to constantly wonder how long it would be before Evan told her.
A few moments later, Evan came in. Behind him, walked the older brother, His direct gaze met hers. Emmett Jones was handsome, but aloof. He didn’t smile, nor did his gaze warm upon being introduced. Instead, he nodded his head and said softly, “Pleasure to meet you, ma’am.” Then he went directly out the front door.
“My brother can be a bit on the gruff side,” Evan told her. “We’re going out to my younger brother’s ranch to see some land the three of us purchased. Elias is impatient about wanting us to decide how to divide it up.”
Other than his gaze moving to the front door through which his brother had gone, Aurora didn’t notice any difference in his manner toward her. “When will you return?”
“Probably tomorrow. I’m sorry about supper. I know you cooked. I’ll get something to eat at Elias’.”
“How far is it?” Aurora didn’t actually care that much to know but, for some reason, she wanted to delay Evan. The internal struggle between telling him about the letters and waiting for him to return leaned more toward waiting and being there to see his reaction upon reading them.
“Half a day’s ride. Not too far. I’ll take you once the weather is more suitable for travel.” He went toward the front door, stopping to pull a thick scarf from the coat pegs and wrapping it around his neck.
“Be safe,” Aurora said. She moved closer, unable to keep from looking to where the correspondence lay upon the table where he’d get gloves.
Evan leaned forward and lifted her face. “Is something wrong? You seem anxious. I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon, don’t worry.” He pressed his lips to hers and pulled her against him. “I’ll miss you tonight.” His mouth traveled from her face to just behind her ear where it lingered. Tingles traveled from the spot warming her body and she lifted her arms and wrapped them around his neck.
“I am going to miss you, too, Evan.” She brought his face to hers and pulled him down for a much deeper kiss until his hands roamed down her back.
A throat clearing made them jerk apart. Emmett stood with his hand on the doorknob. “Ready, Brother?”
Evan had the audacity to chuckle. “Just saying our goodbyes.” He winked at Aurora and her face burned. She was sure it was bright red.
“I can see that,” Emmett replied, his deep chuckle worsening her embarrassment.
After the men walked out, she hurried to the window. The brothers walked side-by-side talking. Both were comparable in height and attractiveness, although Emmett was a bit taller and broader of shoulder. She wondered if Elias looked like Emmett and Evan. Although she had seen the picture of the three of them, it had been taken a while back and she didn’t know what Elias looked like today. Three attractive men, back east they could take society by storm. Although, truth be told, she found Emmett intimidating. Of course, she supposed her opinion could change after getting to know him.
Aurora bit her bottom lip. She should have told Evan about the letters. He’d not changed toward her since the discussion with his brother, if anything he’d seemed genuine when saying he’d miss her.
Upon looking to the table by the door, a soft gasp escaped. He’d taken the letters. Was that the reason for his ardent attention? To distract her?
“Confound it!” she exclaimed and whirled to find something to throw. Not able to do so since everything was either too heavy or seemed valuable, she stomped to the kitchen.
Cooking something delicious would settle her nerves.
Lucille sat back after eating. “You outdid yourself. I didn’t expect to come home to a banquet.”
“I was anxious. You know about the letters. The more I think about it, the angrier I get.”
“I think he may have grabbed them up and put them in his pocket. If he took them on purpose, it may be that he feels it’s better to read those type of letters when alone.”
It was hard, but Aurora kept from kicking Lucille under the table. “I’m not convinced he didn’t kiss me as a form of distraction.”
She stopped speaking at Lucille’s droll look. “The two of you kiss like that every morning when he goes to the clinic. It’s as if he’s leaving for war and you won’t see each other for months. It ruins my breakfast.” Lucille laughed at Aurora’s shocked expression.
Her friend stated the truth. They made love almost nightly, could hardly stop touching afterwards. Sometimes, she woke to Evan reaching for her and, eventually, his warm body would cover hers as she couldn’t stop from giving in. She loved his kisses and caresses. And she would never tire of the how his eyes darkened after roving over her whenever they were in the same room.
“Despite that, he could have said something.” Aurora knew she was being stubborn and, perhaps, annoyed that he’d not read the letters in front of her so she could see his reactions.
Chapter Seventeen
“Your wife is beautiful,” Emmett stated in a flat voice. “It’s good to see you are compatible.”
They rode alongside each other in silence for a long time. Finally, Evan looked to his brother. “I think I’m in love with Aurora. Not sure when it happened, but I can’t imagine my life without her.”
“Sure it’s not just physical?” Emmett chuckled. “Seemed to me you two get along very well in that department.”
“We do,” he admitted honestly. “I don�
��t know if it’s normal for a newly married couple to find it hard to keep from touching each other. But I tell you, Brother, I can barely make it through supper most nights.”
The brothers laughed. A short distance away, Elias chased after a large herd of cattle. Evan had always admired the youngest brother’s abilities with a horse and cattle. He was a natural in the saddle, not one to shy away from strenuous work. Although Elias was lean and not as tall as he and Emmett, he made up for it with abilities neither of them would ever possess.
The youngest leaned sideways in his saddle, his rope arm outstretch and he hit a cow on the rump. His dogs ran in perfect unison with man and horse driving the cattle to a corralled area.
“Seems too cold to have cattle out and about,” Emmett muttered. “What is he doing?”
“Looks like there’s some sort of shelters put up that were not there before.” Evan pointed in the direction of the corrals. Long, covered shelters housed bales of hay and long troughs that he assumed held water. “It still freezes at night.”
“I trust he knows what he’s doing.” Emmett urged his horse to a trot, no doubt anxious to help Elias and test his cattle driving abilities. Evan laughed when, upon arriving to the herd, several cows separated and ran off in the wrong direction.
Elias yelled profanities at his brother then shook his head and continued working. He ignored Emmett, who chased after the cows.
Later that day, the brothers ate inside Elias’ kitchen. Although a bachelor, the youngest managed to maintain a well-stocked kitchen and had become quite adept at cooking.
Elias’ blue gaze met Evan’s. “So you’re married, huh? I had to hear about it from someone else. Seems you’d have let me know. Being we’re family and all.” Although his brother didn’t show it, it was obvious by the gruffness in his voice that there were hurt feelings.
“I’m sorry, with the storm and everything, there just wasn’t the opportunity. Then there was a matter of urgency…” Evan hesitated, unsure of what to say that would smooth things over with Elias.
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