“But it’s what is supposed to happen,” Zoe said softly.
“Have we ever done anything that’s conventional?” Quinn asked with a chuckle.
Zoe laughed as she shook her head. “Never.”
“Why should we start now?” Quinn asked as he bent his head and rubbed the bridge of her nose with the tip of his. “I just want you to be happy.”
“I want to make you happy, as well,” Zoe answered, as she leaned into him. She placed her hands on either side of his chest, and Quinn could feel his heart beat harder beneath her hand. He stepped away before he became tempted to go back on his word.
“Get ready for bed,” he instructed. “I’ll unpack our things.”
Zoe looked at him questioningly. “I can do that. Why don’t you get ready for bed?” she suggested.
Quinn smiled. “Now, wife,” he mused. “Are you already challenging me?”
Zoe giggled. “No,” she answered.
“Then get in the other room and get yourself ready for bed. Don’t worry about me. I can handle myself,” he informed her as he turned and walked back to where their trunk sat. He turned and looked over his shoulder as Zoe walked to the bathroom to ready herself for bed. Once she disappeared, Quinn turned to the trunk and began to unpack.
The trunk was unpacked by the time Zoe returned to the room. She was dressed in a new nightgown and her long hair was hanging around her shoulders. Quinn stood up immediately. All he could do was stare.
Quinn’s hands tightened into fists at his side as he tried to focus on something else in the room. He walked toward Zoe and kissed her forehead. “Get to bed,” he said. “I’ll be there shortly,” he said, as he walked toward the bathroom and locked himself inside.
Quinn stood behind the door and took several long, deep breaths. He wanted Zoe, mind, body, and soul, but he had to be patient. He had to stay calm. He marched himself to the bath.
When Quinn emerged from the bathroom the lights in the room were dimmed. He stopped for a moment, unsure of what to make of the darkness before he decided that Zoe must’ve fallen asleep and turned off the lights before she did so. He walked around to the empty side of the bed and climbed in beside his wife.
He lay on the bed and folded his hands behind his head as he looked up at the ceiling. He closed his eyes and willed the adrenaline in his veins to subside so that he could sleep. However, a moment later he felt Zoe stir beside him. She rolled over and snuggled against him, resting her head between his chest and shoulder. He lowered his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders.
“I thought you were asleep,” he admitted softly.
Zoe shook her head. “I was waiting for you.”
Quinn swallowed hard. “Were you?”
“Yes,” Zoe answered as she snuggled closer to him. “I’ve wanted to lay beside you for a long time,” she admitted. Quinn’s heart thundered in his ears.
“Is that so?” he asked huskily.
He felt her head nod in the dark. “I feel safe with you near.”
Quinn smiled. “I’m glad you feel that way,” he said, as he hugged her shoulders tighter. “I want you to feel safe with me.”
“Quinn…did we really get married today?” Zoe asked with a hint of laughter in her voice. “I was there, but it still doesn’t seem real.”
“We did,” Quinn answered. “I know we did because I keep seeing it over and over again in my mind,” he said. “The sight of you walking toward me in that dress. The smile on your face. Those are things I’ll never forget,” he continued.
Zoe’s arm wrapped around his middle. “Sometimes I think of what happened, how we met, and I think of all the things that might have gone wrong.”
Quinn scoffed. “There were plenty of things,” he said. He sighed. “I know when I thought you were my sister, I was the most miserable man alive. The only woman I’d ever felt this way for, might be my sister,” he continued. “It was unbearable.”
“Thank God you finally told me the truth and ended both our misery,” Zoe said, as she raised her head from his shoulder to look at him. “I was so scared that you were pulling away from me.”
“I could never,” Quinn answered. “Even if you were my sister I’d never abandon you. I would’ve taken care of you as a brother should.”
“I’m glad you weren’t my brother,” Zoe answered. “I’m glad because my heart only wanted you from the minute we met,” she whispered. “I love you so much, Quinn. So much that it frightens me.”
“Zoe,” he said gently as he held her. “There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
“I know,” Zoe continued. “I can’t help it. I’ve never loved anyone so much. I’ve never thought about the things I do now. Wanted the things I do now,” she admitted. “Quinn…I wanna have children with you. I’m thinking of what it would be like to be a mother. I’m thinking about you as a father. I never thought about these things before.”
His heart swelled in his chest and Quinn couldn’t help himself. He pulled Zoe up to him and kissed her. His heart continued to race as her lips met his. He was breathless as their lips parted and so was Zoe.
“You can trust me, Zoe,” Quinn said as he closed his eyes and tried to hold himself together. He’d never been so electrified in his life and he was doing his utmost to remain a gentleman. “I know that isn’t easy for you. I know that the disappointments in your life have made that difficult, but you can trust me.”
Zoe hugged him. “I want you to trust me, too. I know I made mistakes, but I won’t anymore,” she stated.
“I know,” Quinn replied. “I trust you already, Zoe. I trusted you all along, that’s why finding out about Victor was so difficult for me. I’d already given you my trust, and as a lawman, that wasn’t something I gave easily.”
“I’m sorry I betrayed that,” his wife answered.
It was something spectacular to think of Zoe as his wife. She wasn’t just the woman he loved anymore. They belonged to each other and there was no one else in the world to stand between them.
“Get some rest,” he encouraged. “It was a long and eventful day. You must be tired.”
“I’m not,” Zoe answered. “I don’t think I could sleep even if I wanted to,” she admitted.
Quinn smirked. “Neither can I.”
“So what do we do?” Zoe asked nervously. Quinn swallowed hard.
“We can stay just as we are and talk until one or both of us fall asleep,” he suggested.
“Quinn?” Zoe whispered as she raised her head to look at him. He could see her face in the soft light that peeked through the spaces in the curtains.
“Yes?” he asked as his throat thickened.
“I don’t want to talk.”
A moment later their lips met once more.
Epilogue
The coach was taking forever to reach Shaniko and Zoe could hardly stand it. They were going home to their friends and the Red Stallion, and she couldn’t wait to see what had happened in the months they were away. She was also eager to share the news of their marriage with their friends.
Zoe looked at the ring on her finger as the horses trotted toward town.
“Sit still,” Quinn said beside her. His eyes were closed and she thought he was sleeping as she stretched over him to look out the window.
“Sorry,” she apologized. “I just can’t wait to get home.”
Quinn opened his eyes and smiled at her. “Neither can I,” he said. “However, it won’t make us get there any faster if you keep trying to lean out the window to see how close we are.”
Her husband chuckled and Zoe smacked at his arm playfully. “I didn’t think it would. I just wanted to see how much closer we were. I wanted to know if the town was close yet.”
Quinn glanced out the window. “Maybe another hour or so,” he stated as he looked back at her. The coach was once again only occupied by the two of them. Zoe couldn’t believe their luck to have the space all to themselves once again.
“How do we always manage to
get a coach to ourselves?” she wondered aloud.
“I paid for it,” Quinn answered. Zoe looked at him in shock.
“You did what?” she asked in disbelief.
“I paid up for all the seats in the coach,” her husband stated. “I know you hate being cramped, so I made sure you wouldn’t have to be.”
“You did that?” Zoe continued to question him.
Quinn smirked at her. “You thought we were just lucky?” he mused.
Zoe shook her head. She should’ve known better. “I suppose I did,” she admitted. “I thought we were just fortunate.”
“We are,” Quinn said, as he turned his head and looked at her. He took her hand. “We just had to pay for privacy,” he continued, as his eyes gazed at her.
Zoe looked at her husband in wonder. He’d done so much for her in the time they’d known each other. He did things she didn’t even know about, such as their first trip by coach. “You really are something, Quinn Mortensen.”
“So are you, Zoe Mortensen,” he answered with a smirk. “You know, I really like the sound of that,” he mused. He pulled her to him gently and placed a kiss on her lips. Zoe kissed him lightly.
“So do I,” she answered.
There was a time when Zoe would never have been comfortable expressing her feelings the way she did now. She settled against Quinn’s body as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she thought of how her life had changed. She couldn’t stop showing her love for him. She held his hand whenever she could. She rested against him when circumstances allowed and she kissed him as often as she could.
“How are you feeling today?” he asked her as the coach continued on.
“Very well,” she answered. “Much better than last week.”
“Good. You’re finally over that bug,” Quinn commented lightly. He sounded half awake and half asleep.
The past two weeks Zoe had suffered from a stomach ailment. Initially, she thought she might be pregnant, after all, it had been months since their wedding day and it was natural that it could happen. Unfortunately, to her and Quinn’s disappointment, the doctor told her it was just a stomach ailment that was going around and that she would get over it in a few days. Zoe closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.
Knocking on the coach door roused her and Quinn. Zoe forced her eyes opened as she tried to gain her bearings. It took her a moment to realize that they had arrived. They were back in Shaniko.
The coach door opened and Quinn climbed out. He turned to help her down after him and then moved to get their trunks from the back of the coach.
“Miss Zoe!” Wiley called as he rushed toward them. He was practically running as he approached and Zoe found herself smiling as she watched him.
“Hello, Wiley,” she said.
“Welcome back Miss Zoe,” Wiley stated eagerly. “It’s good to have yah back.” He peeked behind her. “Where’s Mr. Mortensen?”
“He’s getting our things,” Zoe stated as she looked behind her.
“How are things at the saloon?” she asked.
“Just fine, Miss Zoe. I told yah that I’d take care of it,” Wiley said. “I’ve done my best to make the decisions yah would’ve if yah were ‘ere. I hope you’ll be happy ‘bout ‘em when yah see what I’ve done.”
Zoe smiled at her barman. “I’m sure I will, Wiley,” she answered. She stepped closer. “There’s something I need to tell you,” she said, unable to contain her elation any longer. She held out her left hand to him and showed him the ring that sat on her finger.
Wiley looked at her with eyes as large as saucers. “Miss Zoe…”
“Mrs. Mortensen now,” she corrected as she smiled brightly.
“Mrs. Mortensen,” Wiley said as he tried to suppress a squeal. “Why didn’t yah tell me before? I could’ve done somethin’ special for yah.”
“We wanted to keep it quiet until we got back,” she admitted as Quinn stepped beside them. He looked at her.
“You told him?” he questioned.
Zoe nodded. “Yes,” she admitted. “I couldn’t hold it in.”
Her husband smiled. “It’s all right. Everyone will know soon enough,” he added. He extended his hand to Wiley. “Good to see you again, Wiley.”
“You too, Mr. Mortensen. Congratulations,” Wiley added. “I wish yah both all the happiness.”
“Thank you, Wiley,” Zoe replied.
“Let’s get everything to the saloon,” Quinn suggested.
Wiley helped Quinn get the trunks on the back of his wagon. They boarded soon after and the trio rode the short way up the street to The Red Stallion.
It was evening, and the saloon was half-full of people waiting for their dinner, and to have some fun. A chorus of welcomes erupted as the patrons and employees alike noticed them.
Zoe smiled brightly. Her joy was bubbling inside her, begging to be released. She wanted the world to know that she was now Mrs. Mortensen, but she waited for her husband to share the news before she let the cat out of the bag.
Quinn escorted her inside while Wiley got help from one of the other men to take their trunks upstairs.
“Where should I put Mr. Mortensen’s trunks?” Wiley asked hesitantly.
Quinn smiled. “In Zoe’s room,” he answered. His response caught the attention of the porter and he looked at them questioningly. Quinn continued to grin. “I guess now is as good a time as any.”
Zoe watched as her husband marched to the bar and got the bell she kept behind it. The bell was used to notify the patrons when it was near closing time. Sometimes it was too loud for them to hear her voice, but the bell sounded with enough force that everyone could hear. Quinn rang it three times.
The room became quiet as everyone turned to look at Quinn. He stepped out from behind the bar and reached for her hand. Zoe took it and came to stand beside him.
“Ladies and gentleman, I’d like to present my wife, Mrs. Zoe Mortensen,” he declared. The saloon erupted. They were instantly inundated with compliments and well wishes. Hoots and hollers came from every direction as the barmaids rushed forward to embrace Zoe and give their congratulations.
“Drinks and food on the house for everyone!” Zoe exclaimed, which only made the cheers louder. Quinn laughed beside her as he pulled her close.
“Are you trying to turn this into one of your events?” her husband questioned as he whispered into her ear.
Zoe smirked. “No. I’ve already got plans for that,” she mused as she looked at Quinn adoringly.
“Is that so?”
“That is so,” Zoe replied. “I’ve got it all planned out. Once things settle for us, I’ll send out the invitations and get the plans underway.”
Quinn shook his head at her. “You do love to plan events.”
“I do,” she answered sweetly. “What better reason to celebrate than the fact that I have you as my husband?”
“I don’t know if I should’ve married you,” Quinn said suddenly. “I think you’re going to spoil me with all your flattery,” he joked.
“You better get used to it because there’s plenty more where that came from,” Zoe stated, as she smiled at him.
The room was in an uproar and Zoe was lost in the midst of it, as Quinn stood beside her, basking in being the center of attention. It was the first time since he came to Shaniko that Quinn embraced the limelight. Usually, he sat in the back and watched, but today he was right at the heart of the matter and he seemed fine with that.
Zoe’s eyes glanced over the room as she continued to enjoy the celebration. Then, a face in the corner of the room caught her attention.
“Pope?” she said aloud as she peered through the crowd at the familiar face.
“Where?” Quinn asked as he heard her speak. He looked in the same direction she was looking. Sure enough, standing against the wall with an approving smile on his face, was Pope. He nodded to them and tipped his hat before he turned toward the door. Quinn moved to follow him.
Zoe was left alone for sev
eral minutes before Quinn returned. He was smiling brightly when he returned to her and she wondered what Pope said to make him smile like that.
“Where’s Pope?” Zoe asked. She glanced toward the door but the man didn’t appear.
“He’s gone,” Quinn answered.
A Western Tale 0f Love And Fate (Historical Western Romance) Page 27
