Sweetbriar Cottage

by Denise Hunter

  Maybe . . .

  No. Do not do that to yourself. He’d only forgotten about them. Of course he had.

  Their little trek in the mountains had no doubt set him behind. His horses had probably suffered for their neglect. He had his hands full, and like her, he was likely not quite recovered. Buried as the papers were under the newspapers . . . out of sight, out of mind. She wouldn’t allow herself to think otherwise.

  She’d take care of it herself. It was the least she could do. She’d brought him nothing but trouble, after all.

  The end of their marriage—her fault.

  The bungled divorce—her fault.

  Their near-death experience—yeah.

  She would definitely take this chore off his hands. She’d run the papers to the attorney’s office today and get the thing finalized, as she’d promised to do a long time ago.

  She lifted the sections of the Gazette and pulled out the papers. A pen sat nearby. Her heart worked overtime as she flipped to the last page.

  Blank. His line remained blank. He hadn’t signed.

  She expelled a breath. Great. Just great. Now she was going to have to hunt him down. Have to don that fake smile and pretend it didn’t hurt like the dickens to see him again.

  She stuffed the papers into her bag. She’d handle it. Handle it all and with a smile. Just as soon as she found her stupid phone.

  She rooted around between, behind, and under all the cushions, her hands now trembling at the thought of seeing Noah again. The façade she’d always worn was getting harder to hold in place.

  Don’t be silly, Josephine. You can handle five measly minutes with the man.

  Coming up empty, she dropped to the floor and lifted the sofa skirt, peering underneath. Heavens, he really needed to sweep under here.

  Her eyes lit on a familiar flat object. There. She reached for the phone and pulled it out just as the door snapped open.

  Paws clicked quickly across the floor. Josephine sat up in time to intercept Shadow, who all but knocked her over in his excitement. She petted the dog, turning her face just as he swiped her cheek with his tongue.

  “Hey, buddy.” Her eyes shot to Noah, still standing on the threshold. He seemed like a giant from her place on the floor.

  She extricated herself from Shadow and scrambled to her feet. “Hi, Noah.”

  His brows collided like thunderclouds. “What are you doing here?”

  “I, uh, came for my phone.” She held it up as if needing proof. “When you didn’t answer the door, I thought I’d just . . .” Let myself into your house, invade your privacy. Wreck your world. She winced.

  Shadow nudged her hand with his cold, wet nose, soliciting more attention. She ducked her head as she ruffled the dog’s fur. “Sorry,” she said to Noah. “Guess I shouldn’t have barged in.”

  When she couldn’t avoid it any longer she straightened, meeting his gaze.

  His eyes were fixed on hers as if taking her in. She wished she could tell what he was thinking, but today his tawny eyes were keeping all their secrets. A long, tense moment stretched like an overinflated balloon.

  She didn’t breathe until he turned to shut the door. He faced her again, tucking his hands into his pockets. His eyes were tight at the corners, but his mouth lifted in a thin smile.

  “Did you check the forecast before driving up?” he asked.

  It took a moment for his meaning to sink in. When it did, her laugh held more air than humor. Hard to believe it had been less than two weeks ago that she’d shown up here with those stupid papers. Pathetic how suddenly desperate she was for an unexpected snowstorm.

  “No worries.” She smiled and tried to mean it. “Fifty-five and sunny. Zero chance of snow, and zero chance of getting stuck with an unwanted houseguest, you’ll be happy to hear.”

  Shadow’s sniffs were loud in the sudden quiet. He meandered over to her purse, nose twitching.

  Noah’s eyes followed the dog. Something registered in them as they locked onto her purse and, no doubt, the familiar document sticking out of it.

  Her mouth went dry, and her bones melted a little. She strolled to her purse on wobbly legs, lengthening the distance between them. Needing space.

  She grabbed the papers and held tight to her smile as she faced him. “Yeah. I, uh, found these on the table there and thought I’d run them back to town. I was going to come find you in the barn. Get your signature. You saved me the trouble though, so that’s great.”

  Stop babbling, Josephine. She locked her lips down tight.

  His face was inscrutable, his posture still and rigid. His head tipped back, narrowing his eyes ever so slightly.

  She tore her gaze away, not wanting to get lost in those amber pools again. Next time she just might drown.

  Her hands trembled as she rooted blindly through the newspapers on the table, finally coming up with the pen. She held both out to him, somehow unable to take a single step. To close the distance between them.

  Her eyes made it as far as his top shirt button. “You, um . . . just need to sign it, and then I’ll be out of your hair. I assume you had the chance to read it over.”

  Her arms grew heavy, gravity tugging. As if she held a five-pound weight in each hand instead of pen and paper.

  “Oh, you want me to sign it, do you?” There was an edge to his voice.

  Her eyes snapped to his. Got caught in his gaze where a storm seemed to be brewing. He took a step, then another. His eyes pierced hers as he closed the distance between them, all masculine grace.

  She held her ground, her heart thrashing against her ribs, her smile faltering on her lips. She tried to dredge up something to say. Something light and sassy to break the tension.

  Nothing. She had nothing.

  He stopped an arm’s length away. Snatched the document from her hand. Held it from the top with both hands.

  The ripping sound was loud in the quiet of the house. An endless moment later the halves fluttered to the rug.

  Her jaw slackened. Her eyes locked on his again. Speech seemed like an impossible task when she couldn’t even breathe.

  “I don’t want a divorce,” he said. “Got that?”

  A chill swept through her from head to foot. Something fluttered in her belly. She couldn’t seem to get control of her mind. Her mouth. Her muscles. In fact, her whole system seemed to be shutting down.

  Something shifted in his face. A shadow moved across and his jaw muscle twitched. And then his eyes warmed. She couldn’t have torn hers away if she’d tried.

  “Something happened out there, Josie.” The rough texture of his voice sent a wave of gooseflesh over her skin. He took another step closer. “And I don’t even know if you remember, but . . . I told you I love you. And I meant it.”

  Her heart turned over in her chest. Her eyes burned. With hope.

  He cradled her face. “I don’t think I ever stopped.”

  Melting. She was melting.

  But the voices came back, taunting her. Her past intruded, filling her with shame even as her eyes filled with tears.

  She struggled to hold them in place. “But I don’t . . .” She couldn’t squeeze the rest past her constricted throat.

  He drew his thumbs down her heated cheeks. “You don’t what?” The tenderness in his voice was her undoing.

  Her throat released a gurgle. A tear slipped out. “I don’t deserve another chance.”

  His features softened. The intensity in his eyes unraveled her. He wiped the tears from her face. “But, oh, baby girl. I want to be that person . . . the one who loves you no matter what. Completely. Unreservedly. Unconditionally. I don’t think I could stop even if I wanted to.” His words choked off as his eyes filled with tears.

  Something inside her, something tight and aching, unfurled like a fragile ribbon. There was no doubt she still loved this man. But somehow, knowing he loved her in spite of everything she’d done . . . It only made her love him more. Made her want to be the protector and guardian of his hea
rt. If he was giving her another chance, she would be oh so careful with it this time.

  “Oh, Noah.” Such a love was a gift. One she had neither the desire nor the ability to refuse. “I love you too. So much.”

  He drew her close, a ghost of a smile in his dewy eyes. His breath whispered across her lips before they met hers. He kissed her softly, reverently, his hooded eyes never leaving hers.

  He slayed her. He always had. There was no numbness here. Only pure, sweet love. And a passion that left her breathless and aching.

  He deepened the kiss, clutching her tightly as if never letting her go. Her heart skittered across her chest. Her lips parted on a breath, and he began a soft exploration, as if reacquainting himself with her.

  She scarcely heard the plunk of the pen as it hit the floor.

  She pressed against him, her hands trembling against his face. He tasted like Noah. Like heaven. The musky smell of him filled her senses, the familiarity of it leaving her raw and desperate for him.

  Noah, her heart cried out in relief. In joy. It welled up in her, demanding release. A whimper caught in her throat.

  Noah pulled back, his knowing eyes searching hers. He thumbed away her tears. “Don’t cry, baby girl.”

  She prayed this wasn’t a dream. That she wouldn’t wake up in the hospital, brain fuzzy, to beeping monitors and fussy nurses, the word ex-husband rolling off their tongues.

  Please, God.

  She took a slow blink and swallowed hard. Got her emotions under control. Her heart was like a jackhammer in her chest. “You really still love me?”

  “Is that so hard to believe?” His lips tilted in a tender smile, his eyes fastened on hers, filled with love and so much more. “I fell for you the moment we first met. You stole my heart. And I don’t ever want it back, Josie.”

  She felt a pinch in her chest. Her lip trembled as her vision went blurry again.

  He swept another tear away, smiling tenderly. “Stop that now. You’re giving me a complex.”

  Shadow nudged between them, wanting in on the moment. Noah smiled at the dog’s persistence, finally dropping a hand to appease him. Shadow wedged in closer, and the scattered papers crinkled under his paws.

  The papers that had started all this. The papers Noah had resolutely rejected.

  “We’re still married,” she said in wonder. Somehow it was only now sinking in.

  “We’re still married, Mrs. Mitchell.” Noah’s smile spread to his eyes, the emotion there making her insides melt. “For always.”

  She was Noah’s wife. For better or for worse. It was a position she’d never take for granted again.

  She cupped his face, reveling in the smoothness of his cheek. Then she rose on her toes and brushed her lips with his, savoring the softness of his kiss. The strength. Oh, how she’d missed him. Missed this. The very thought that he was hers again nearly made her come undone.

  “For always, Noah Mitchell.” As she drew away, the smile that curved her lips was neither planned nor calculated. It was merely impossible to restrain because it was born from the joy bubbling up from within.

  Epilogue

  Sunlight filtered through the leaf-laden trees in a glorious golden haze, dappling the spring-green lawn. Josephine’s eyes fastened on the object of her affection, standing in the middle of the yard—a little boy with black hair and tawny eyes.

  He turned just then, and those eyes brightened as they lighted on her. “Mama!”

  He came running, his pudgy little legs working hard, and she knelt down just in time. He barreled into her, all thirty pounds of baby-soft skin and rugged boy. She chuckled as she stood with him, so filled with love she was nearly bursting with it.

  His round fists clutched at her shirt as other arms—thicker, stronger arms—wrapped around from behind, enveloping them both.

  “Good morning, sleepyhead,” he whispered in her ear.

  Her eyes popped open, and a familiar pair of tawny eyes smiled down at her.

  Noah.

  He was lying beside her in their bed, propped up with his elbow, his other arm curled around her waist. His hair was damp, one wet strand falling rebelliously over his forehead.

  His smile made her besotted heart skip a beat. “Breakfast is getting cold.”

  She stretched, the remnants of her dream floating away. “Mmm. What time is it?”

  “Almost ten.” One brow hitched up. “And we even went to bed early, young lady. I waited as long as I could.”

  She smiled at his boyish impatience. He loved taking Mondays off with her and never wanted to waste a minute of them.

  “Don’t move,” he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “You’re getting breakfast in bed this morning.”

  The bed shook as he left it, and Josephine enjoyed the retreating masculine form of her husband.

  She slipped into their bathroom to take care of business and returned a minute later. Sliding beneath the covers, she propped herself against the headboard with pillows. Noises came from the kitchen: the hum of the microwave and clatter of dishes, followed by a loud clang.

  She winced. “Need some help, honey?”

  “Nope. You stay right there.”

  A lot had happened in the four months since their reconciliation. They’d had a small ceremony to renew their vows. She’d wanted a fresh start, wanted their friends and his family to know she was serious about their new beginning.

  His parents had taken time from their retirement travel to return for the informal ceremony. His family had been understandably skeptical about their reconciliation, but they were coming around. They were important to Noah, and she was determined to earn back their trust.

  Noah had gone back to Mitchell Home Improvement. He’d missed working with his hands, and it seemed the attic renovation had sparked the idea of expanding the family business. His brother was happy to have him back, and now Noah was officially running the room-addition portion of the business.

  He’d sold the ranch to Mary Beth, lock, stock, and barrel, and he and Josephine bought a house on Mulberry Lane just outside of town. It was a tidy bungalow with a lovely front porch and huge trees shading the property. Copper Creek rippled by, just beyond the fenced-in yard.

  At the thought of their spacious yard her dream rushed back with startling clarity. The little boy with black hair and amber eyes. It was the second time she’d had the dream—the first time had been before she’d even suspected she was pregnant.

  Her hand drifted over her flat belly, and she couldn’t stop the smile that curled her lips. She’d intended to tell Noah last night after their late supper, but then he’d kissed her in the kitchen over a sink full of dishes, and one thing had led to another. By the time she’d caught her breath, her limbs were weighted with fatigue, her eyelids too heavy to hold open. That was happening a lot lately.

  Noah entered the room, balancing a tray full of food in his hands. “Breakfast is served, m’lady.”

  Shadow followed on his heels, watching the tray with hopeful eyes. He let out a little whimper.

  Noah gave him a look. “You had yours, Buster. Go lie down.”

  Shadow pouted a moment before skulking off to the foot of the bed, where he plopped down on the rug with a heavy sigh.

  Josephine’s stomach twisted with hunger at the savory and sweet scents of bacon and maple syrup. “Mmm. Smells delicious.”

  She’d been ravenous all week. She’d only taken the pregnancy test the day before, but it already felt as if she’d been sitting on the news for a month. She couldn’t hold it back another minute.

  Noah started to set the tray on her lap, but she laid a hand on his arm. “Wait. Can you set it on the nightstand for a minute?”

  His eyes toggled to hers, questioning, but he did as she asked.

  The bed sank as he lowered himself beside her, searching her face. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling okay?”

  “I’m fine. I just—”

  What if Noah wasn’t as happy about the baby as she was
? Her hands tightened on the bedsheets, and her gaze fell to her lap, her old insecurities rising.

  They hadn’t planned for this. In fact, they’d talked about waiting a year or so until the new part of his business was more established and they were in better shape financially.

  He took her hand. “What’s wrong? You’re scaring me.”

  She met his eyes, trying to wipe the worry from her expression. “Everything’s fine. At least, I think it is.”

  “What is it then?”

  She bit her lip, hoping against hope for a positive reaction. “Well, honey . . . it seems I’m . . . pregnant.”

  His eyes widened slightly. His lips parted. A long moment stretched between them as his mouth worked. “Pregnant?”

  She nodded slowly, searching his eyes for some clue as to his feelings.

  Then his lips began a slow, beautiful curve as happiness flashed in his eyes. His arms swallowed her in a hard, tight hug. “You’re pregnant!” he all but yelled into her ear.

  She laughed, filled with equal parts joy and relief. “That’s the gist of it, mister.”

  “Wow.” He pulled back. “How long have you known?”

  “I took the test yesterday.” She settled against the pillows and savored the pleasure on his face. Her own face was flushed with joy. It was so much more fun sharing the secret than it had been keeping it. Especially when it put such a big smile on Noah’s face.

  “That’s why you’ve been sleeping so much.” His gaze sharpened on her face. “Wait a minute, how are you feeling? Are you doing okay? I shouldn’t have woken you up. Food. You need to eat.” He reached for the tray.

  She laughed. “This mother-hen side of you is mighty cute. But I’m perfectly fine. Just a bit tired at times.”

  He settled beside her, the worry fading as a look of wonder drifted over his face. “I’m going to be a daddy.”

  “You’re going to be a great daddy.”

  “And you’re going to be a great mama.” His gaze raked over her face with such tenderness it made her eyes sting. Then his hand slid over her waist until his palm lay flat against her tummy.

  “I hope it’s a little girl,” he whispered. “With blond hair and blue eyes and a great big heart.”