He continued to move his thumb over her cheek, while his other hand held her tight to him. His black hair hung in waves from working outside all afternoon and the corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled down into her face.
“I don’t think that’s what I’m suffering from.”
Her cheeks burned even hotter as his head lowered and his lips met hers. His fingers slowly moved from her cheek and around to the back of her neck, then tangled up into her hair. Just as she was sure her legs were about to collapse, there was a loud bang behind them. She jumped back, bringing her fingers up to her lips in shock as she looked toward the noise behind Caleb.
“Sorry to interrupt but since you’ve left me to carry the finished benches in by myself, I was having a bit of trouble.” Colt stood grinning in the doorway beside the first bench he’d loudly set down. “Don’t suppose you could tear yourself away long enough to give me a hand with these desks, so we can get up to the house and eat?”
Caleb sighed loudly and shook his head. “You’ve got no sense of timing.” But he followed Colt to the door as the other man laughed loudly.
Fae just stood there watching, and when Caleb turned around to look at her before stepping outside, giving her a wink, she had to lean against the wall to keep from falling. If she’d ever doubted it for a moment, she knew now after that kiss, that she was hopelessly in love with her husband.
Chapter 16
Fae smiled as she neatly folded the letter she’d received from Harriet and placed it back into the envelope. She hugged it to her chest as she closed her eyes and thought about her friend, and everything she’d shared with her. Even though she was beginning to be truly happy and believed she could have a good life here, Fae often missed the other girls and Madam Wigg. They’d all been such a big part of her life, it was hard to just let go of the heartache when she wished she could see them again.
The bell above the door jingled loudly, announcing a customer. Fae’s smile fell as soon as she saw Martha Pembrooke come walking into the store. “Hello, Mrs. Pembrooke. What can I help you with today?”
She hadn’t seen either Martha or Clarence in the store since the night of the town meeting, so Fae had started to think they might start making the hour drive to Hastings, the next closest town, to pick up their supplies. And while Fae hated the thought of losing any business, she hadn’t been upset to think she wouldn’t have to deal with this woman again.
“Well, even though I know you don’t have the choice of items I need, I’d like to see what you have for sturdy fabrics. We thought it was time to have some new uniforms made for the children in the Pembrooke School, of course all supplied by us. It’s our way of showing our appreciation to the families who’ve chosen to give their children the best possible future by sending them to our school.”
Fae took a deep breath to calm her anger. She wasn’t going to let on that anything the other woman said was bothering her. If they wanted to give their students brand new clothing to wear to school, that was their choice. And Fae was going to just ignore the comment about those children having the best possible future.
She came out from behind the counter and walked over to the shelves where they had their fabrics stored. “These are the strongest fabrics we have, so they would be best suited for skirts or pants, and jackets if needed. And we have a nice white cotton fabric that would work well for shirts.” She pulled them all out and set them on the cutting table for the woman to look at.
Martha’s face was in a subtle sneer as she looked them over, lifting them up and rubbing them between their fingers. The door to the store opened and one of the young farmer’s wives who sold eggs to them once a week came in, giving Fae a smile and a wave.
“I’ll be right with you, Mercy.” Turning back to Martha, Fae waited to see if she’d made up her mind. “I can pull some of the others down to look at if you’d like.” She honestly didn’t think anything she showed the woman would be good enough. Or at least not that Martha Pembrooke would let on anyway.
“I see you’ve got yourself quite the fancy dress to be wearing out here. I didn’t think your husband had received the money from his father’s estate yet, so I’m surprised he bought you something so extravagant.” Martha looked at Fae with a sideways glance, letting her eyes move up and down the dress she wore.
“Well, I made this one. It’s one I designed myself.” Fae couldn’t help the momentary pang of pride as she saw the flash of jealousy in the other woman’s eyes. She’d spent the last few days and evenings working with the material Caleb had given her, so excited to finally get to use such fine fabric for one of her dresses.
“Hmmm…yes, now that I look at it closer, I can see it is handmade. Shame, but I suppose it’ll do for folks like you.”
Fae clenched her teeth tight to keep from saying anything she’d regret as the woman turned back to look at the fabrics laid out before her.
“I’ll let you browse, Mrs. Pembrooke, while I go and pay Mercy for her eggs. Excuse me.” She resisted the urge to push the woman into the table of fabrics as she made her way past her. There was a time when she’d have likely done that, but Fae was now a grown, married woman so she had to act like it.
Her hands trembled in anger as she looked in Mercy Brown’s basket of eggs to see how much she owed her.
“Don’t listen to that horrible woman. Your dress is absolutely beautiful, and I’d give anything to have one like it,” Mercy leaned in and whispered to her as she placed the money in her hand.
Fae smiled at the young woman who had to be around the same age as her. “Thank you, Mercy. And if you ever need a dress made, just let me know and I’d love to help you.”
As Mercy turned to leave the store, Fae took another deep breath to strengthen herself to go back to Martha. But before she could, a man she didn’t recognize came through the door, tipping his hat to Mercy as he passed.
“I’m looking for Caleb, is he around?” The man’s voice was harsh and he looked like he hadn’t had a bath in quite a few days. Something about him made her skin crawl.
“No, he’s not here at the moment. He had to run into Hastings to pick up a shipment. Can I help you?”
The man laughed sharply as he lifted his hat off his head to scratch it. “I don’t reckon you can do much, little lady, unless you can pay me the money he owes me.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Fae could see Martha leaning over to listen to the conversation. Although the way the man was hollering, she was sure people on the street would be able to hear it anyway.
“Well, he’ll be back in another two hours or so if you want to come back then. I’m afraid I won’t be much help.”
He squinted his eyes slightly and stood swaying in front of her. She realized then that the man was clearly under the influence of alcohol. “You his new wife?”
“I am. And I’m going to have to ask you to leave if you can’t keep your voice down. I have other customers.” Her voice sounded stronger than she was feeling.
He just laughed and leaned against the counter. “Well you’re a might prettier than I’d have ever thought he’d end up with. Of course, since it wasn’t even his doin’ to get you here, I guess it’s his pa who had the good taste. You’re a looker, that’s for sure.”
As he spoke, her stomach began to knot as she tried to understand what he was saying. Not only was he making her uncomfortable with his comments about her looks, but it was obvious there was something else he was talking about. And that was the part that was making her suddenly feel sick. She needed to get him out of the store.
“I beg your pardon, sir? If you’ll just give me your name, I’ll be sure to let Caleb know you were here. He can find you when he gets home.”
“Name’s Silas Banning, ma’am.” He whipped his hat from his head and bowed dramatically, almost toppling over on top of the counter. Behind him, Martha stood watching with interest.
“I ain’t goin’ anywhere ’til I get my money. I know he said it’d be a good six m
onths ’til he’d have the money from marryin’ ya, but the thing is, I’ve got myself in a bit of a pickle and I need the money now. I figure since he’s got this fancy store, he could take a little outta’ the coffers and pay me off earlier. It’s not like’n he’s planning to keep the store anyways. ’Sides, I’ve been more’n patient with him owin’ me this long, just on his say-so that he’ll have the money once he’s stayed married for the six months.”
Even though his speech was slurred, Fae could hear every word as clear as a bell, echoing in her head. She swallowed, trying to get rid of the sudden dryness that had taken over her throat.
“What are you talking about, Silas? If you could just explain it so I could understand, maybe I could help you.”
She didn’t want to hear it. Not really. Because in her heart she’d already figured it out with a gripping agony that was ripping through her chest. And to make it even worse, Martha Pembrooke was witnessing every cruel word that was spoken.
“I dunno’ all the fine details. Just that Caleb was marryin’ ya and had to stay married for six months to get his money. Wasn’t even him who sent for ya, it was his pa. You can go ask that fancy lawyer of his, I think his name’s Nolsand Forrso or somethin’ like that.”
Martha came over to stand next to the counter, staring with wide eyes at Silas. “You mean, Nelson Ferris?” Martha was almost giddy with excitement as she turned to look at Fae. “His office is in the backside of the doctor’s office.”
Fae was trying to get her head to stop spinning and she just wanted everyone to leave. “I’m going to ask you all to leave. I need to speak with my husband, so as of now, the mercantile is closed for the rest of the day.”
Martha’s mouth dropped open in indignation. Obviously, she’d planned on staying and getting as much juicy gossip as she could. But Fae was done.
“I ain’t goin’ nowhere…” Silas tried to argue again, but Fae walked around the counter and grabbed his arm, dragging him to the doorway. She didn’t care how much Martha was enjoying this display, she needed them to all get out.
“Get out. Both of you.” She pushed Silas out the door, then took Martha’s arm and gave her a little shove to get her onto the front stoop.
“Get your hands off me, young lady.”
But Fae didn’t hear what else she had to say because she promptly slammed the door in her face. As soon as she turned the lock, Fae leaned against the glass and brought her hands up to her face. Tears started to fall as she heard the words again that Silas had said.
The old man might have been drunk and not thinking about what he was saying, but the way he’d spoken the words left little doubt in her mind. Caleb had never really wanted to marry her. He only planned to stay married long enough to get his inheritance.
Everything from her first week they were married now made sense. And she’d given herself to him freely, naively believing they could build a true marriage together.
Her insides swirled as she tried to think straight. She needed to talk to the lawyer to find out just how much the old man had been telling the truth.
No matter how much she didn’t want to hear the answer.
Chapter 17
Caleb whistled as he pulled on the reins, bringing the wagon to a stop in front of the storehouse on the side of the mercantile. He couldn’t wait to get inside and show Fae the fabric he’d picked up for her in Hastings. Now that the work at the school was close to being finished, Caleb planned to spend as much time with his wife as possible, and during the hours bouncing along the road today, he’d also come to the conclusion it was time he told her how he felt about her.
Even though he’d been against it in the beginning, he now realized his father had done the right thing. He’d couldn’t remember a time when he’d ever been as happy as he was with Fae.
As he hopped down from the wagon, he glanced up to the step of the mercantile, hoping he’d see her come out to greet him. It was quiet in town today, so he was surprised she hadn’t heard him. But he’d ended up getting back a lot sooner than he’d said, so maybe she was just busy and didn’t realize it was him outside.
He went to the back of the buckboard and undid the rope to start carrying the freight in to the storehouse. He lifted the first box and set it on the platform beside it, then turned to get the next one. Just as he was about to pick up another box, Martha Pembrooke raced over to him waving her arm in the air.
“Oh my goodness, Caleb. There’s been quite the uproar around town. I hesitate to even mention it, but your poor wife threw me out of the store, and just a little while ago I watched her storm off to Nelson Ferris’s office.”
His stomach sank as he tried to catch up to what Martha was saying as she gasped for breath. He came around from behind the wagon and grabbed her arm. “What are you talking about, Martha? Just spit it out and quit pretending you care about anyone but yourself.”
“Mr. Bailey! Get your hands off me. Honestly, between you and your wife I’ll be lucky if I don’t have bruises all over me by tomorrow.”
With his teeth clenched tight, he shook her to make her listen. “If you don’t tell me what’s going on, you’re going to have a lot more than a bruise. What happened with my wife?”
Martha forcibly pulled her arm free, then backed away, no longer looking like she was enjoying the excitement of whatever news she had. “Well, some man named Silas something-or-other came into the store today and told your wife you owed him some money. The man was clearly inebriated. He proceeded to tell her that you weren’t even the one who’d sent for her, and that in six months you would get your money and wouldn’t need her anymore.” Her voice rose higher as she spoke, once more getting enjoyment from the show she’d witnessed.
Caleb had heard enough. He pushed Martha out of the way and didn’t even look back to make sure she hadn’t fallen to the ground. At this point, he almost hoped she had. He had to get to Nelson’s office to talk to his wife.
As he raced around to the front, he almost ran into Fae standing by the steps of the mercantile. Her red-rimmed eyes stared at him in stony silence, telling him without her needing to say a word that she now knew everything.
“Fae, please. Just let me explain. It’s not what you think. Yes, everything you’ve heard today is true, but I promise, everything changed after meeting you. I might not have been the person you corresponded with, but I’m the one you’ve gotten to know. And I had no intentions of ending our marriage now after the six months were up.”
He knew his words were stumbling as he somehow tried to keep the tears from falling down her cheeks. His heart ached for the pain he’d caused her. She deserved so much more than what he’d done to her.
He reached out, placing his hands on her arms, but she pulled back. “I can’t trust anything you say, Caleb. You never wanted to be married to me, and only did it so you could get the money. The part that hurts the most is that you let me start to care about you knowing full well once you had your money, I’d be sent on my way. I gave everything to you—my trust, my honor, and even my heart. You knew that after we shared our bed, we couldn’t even get an annulment. The only choice I now have is to be known as the woman whose husband left her. What you’ve done can never be forgiven.”
“Fae, listen. Once I took you to my bed, I never had any intention of letting you go. You have to believe me.”
Her gaze never moved, and he desperately wanted to pull her into his arms and wipe the tears, but he knew she was pulling even further away with every word she spoke to him.
“I don’t believe anything you have to say.” She turned and walked up the steps to the store, stopping at the top before she opened the door. Without looking back, she held her head up straight and spoke. “I’m going to stay at the boardinghouse tonight. I’m kindly asking you to stay away from me until I can pack my things. Mr. Ferris is giving me my share of the money, and I’ll be leaving tomorrow.”
Caleb watched her walk inside, knowing there was nothing he could say to fix this.
Once more, he’d proven that he’d never be anything more than what everyone believed about him. He wasn’t the type of man to be married and make a woman happy. He was, and always would be, a failure and a low-life.
And Fae deserved so much better.
* * *
He sat watching out the window as the stagecoach pulled up beside the platform at the boardinghouse. He remembered standing and watching in this same window just a few short weeks ago when it had pulled in and he’d watched Fae step out. Even now he could remember how his breath had caught as he’d watched her face lit up with excitement as she looked around the town. She’d been beautiful, and at the time he’d realized he would never be good enough for someone like her.
How he’d let himself forget that so quickly, he’d never understand. He guessed Fae just had a way of making everyone feel like they were worth something.
But now, she was standing there looking sadly toward the mercantile while the driver put her trunk onto the top. He saw Winnie come running up as fast as her legs would take her, with Delia and Owen on her heels. Obviously, word had reached them that Fae was leaving, and they were coming to say their goodbyes. He watched as they all hugged until the driver called that it was time to leave. She looked one more time toward the mercantile and his heart stopped beating for a moment. He was sure her eyes met his through the window before she turned to let the driver help her inside.
He pushed his hand through his hair and looked down, unable to stand the pain in his chest as he watched the woman he loved get in that stagecoach and ride out of his life forever. He heard the driver call out and the rickety coach start to move down the street, the steady clip-clopping of the horse’s hooves getting quieter until he couldn’t hear them anymore.
Suddenly, a sharp knock sounded on the door. Before he could even yell for whoever it was to go away, it opened, and Colt stood there looking like he was ready to strangle someone.
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