by Caroline Lee
“It’ll be a little cramped, I think, but we’ll fit. You’ll see it tonight; it’s a few hours outside of town.”
“Oh.” If the idea of being out on the range bothered her, Wendy brushed it off. Molly had always admired how flexible the younger girl could be. “Well then, if it’s cramped, we have all the more reason to appreciate you and your wife and family allowing us to stay with you.”
Ash’s grin was more wry this time, and he flicked his eyes to Molly, as if wondering why she had introduced him as her employer. She flushed slightly in embarrassment. “Actually, I’m not married yet.”
As his words registered, Wendy’s eyes widened, and she turned to her older sister for confirmation. When Molly looked away, sure she knew what her sister was thinking, Wendy gasped. “Margaret Murray! You mean to say that you’ve been living in the middle of nowhere with an unmarried man?” She’d used Papa’s scolding tone of voice, and Molly flushed further at the thought of her much younger sister chastising her in public.
Ash came to their mutual rescue, though, preventing both sisters further embarrassment. In one easy movement, he looped an arm around Molly’s waist, and pulled her close to his side. “Sorry for the confusion, girls, but your sister left out something important.” He leaned down just slightly to kiss her on her temple, and she couldn’t help the sigh that escaped her lips. “After we load your luggage onto the sleigh outside, we’re heading to the church, where Reverend McCullough is going to marry us.”
Wendy’s mouth made a small “oh” of surprise, and for once, she didn’t have anything to say. Molly was momentarily pleased at the way her sister had been shocked, until she heard Annie’s little grunt of frustration. The little girl was peering up at the two of them towering above her, and knew something important was going on, but couldn’t understand.
Molly stepped aside enough to put a little distance between her and Ash, and then caught Annie’s eye. She pointed to Ash, and then herself, and then to her left ring finger. “Ash and I are going to be married.”
The little girl’s confusion turned to excited delight; she squealed and threw her arms around her oldest sister, and then Ash. Molly could tell that he was momentarily stunned by Annie’s enthusiasm, but with her clinging to his legs, there was little he could do besides pat her head affectionately.
Wendy had overcome her surprise, and her smile was broad. “Well, then, that’s lovely.” Molly just managed not to roll her eyes at how grown-up her sister was trying to sound. She figured that after getting little Annie and all of their trunks across country, the girl was allowed to pretend to be a little more grown up than she really was. Molly promised herself that once they were all settled, Wendy would have a chance to go back to being a girl for as long as she wanted. “The baby and I would be delighted to go to the church with—”
“Naaah!” Annie’s wailed ‘no’ interrupted Wendy, and all of them turned to the little girl. Molly understood her youngest sister’s distress, though, and her voice was gentle when she corrected Wendy’s use of the old nickname. “Annie is not a baby.” She’d unconsciously made the signs for ‘Annie’, ‘no’ and ‘baby’, and the little girl nodded emphatically.
Suddenly, Ash inhaled sharply, and Molly saw a look of comprehension, and pity, flash through his gray eyes. It was gone immediately, though, replaced by a softness she couldn’t quite identify. He pointed to Annie, and made the sign for ‘no’—how had he understood that?—and then pointed to his ear. “Annie can’t hear, can she?”
Molly felt her throat thicken, and had to look away, for fear that Ash would see the love brimming uncontrollably in her eyes. How could a man so large, so masculine, be so gentle and understanding? He’d seen and understood Annie’s difficulties, and had even thought to include her in the realization, by using signs the little girl could understand.
He must have misinterpreted her reaction, though. “Did I say something wrong?”
Oh God, how she loved him at that moment. “No.” She cleared her throat with difficulty, but still didn’t look at him when she shook her head. “You said something perfectly right, thank you. Annie can’t hear.” She finally glanced up at him, to see the worry lines across his forehead fading. “She lost most of her hearing when she was young, but she can often understand us by watching our lips. And she uses signs, and can write quite well.”
Ash nodded and smiled at Annie, who was beaming back. “You said she ‘wasn’t well’, but I’m glad she’s not sick. Just tiny. As long as we keep her bundled up, she should be fine.” Thinking of the serviceable coat she’d made the little girl, Molly only nodded.
Wendy dismissed the interruption of Annie’s sign ‘language’. “Well, we’d be pleased to join you at the church. I thought Molly would never get around to marrying, and it’s nice to know that we’ll have a place of our own here in Cheyenne, among family.” She suddenly looked shy, more like a thirteen-year-old than a moment before. “I’ve always wanted a brother.”
Ash smiled, and turned slightly to beckon Nate over. “Well, let me introduce you to the rest of the family.” The young man straightened up hesitantly, and as he crossed to them, he kept his gaze on the floor and his hands shoved deeply into his pockets. Molly wondered at his reaction to her family, and at the look of frank appraisal in Wendy’s eyes.
“Wendy, Annie, this is my brother, Nate Barker.”
“Brother? But—”
Molly firmly interrupted Wendy before she could further embarrass Nate. She remembered how the girl had thought the young man was a servant. “Nate is Ash’s brother, Wendy.” She spelled out Nate’s name for Annie, along with the sign for ‘brother’.
Ash continued the introduction. “Nate, this little imp is Annie Murray, and her lovely older sister is Wendy Murray.” Wendy blushed slightly at the compliment, and couldn’t meet Nate’s eyes. Molly wondered what she’d been thinking about the young man, to cause her such embarrassment.
For his part, Nate just nodded curtly to both girls. Annie smiled brightly up at him, and waved to say ‘hello’. The little girl’s sweet welcome drew a small smile from Nate, and Molly breathed a little easier, hopeful that her sisters and Ash’s brother would be able to get along.
Ash himself broke up their meeting. “I know you girls must be tired, but we’ve got to get back to the ranch by this evening. How about Nate and I load up these trunks and bags, while you refresh yourselves? Then we’ll head over to the church.”
And suddenly, Molly couldn’t think of anything else. She was going to be married. Today. To Ash. Her heart sped up, and her stomach tied itself in knots, and it wasn’t entirely due to the lingering kiss Ash left on her lips.
In a few minutes, she’d be married to him.
Chapter 12
Ash kept his arm tightly around his new wife for the entire ride home. He couldn’t believe how complete she made him feel, snuggled up beside him. And she was his, all his. He wanted to grin, but the wind had turned, and his face was cold enough without opening his mouth. Still, he couldn’t help pressing the occasional kiss to Molly’s hair, breathing in her delicious scent—she managed to smell like cinnamon even now—and thinking about their wedding night. He felt like a kid again, nervous and excited to be with his first woman. But Molly wasn’t any woman, she was his wife.
The ceremony had been short and to-the-point; he’d known he could count on Reverend McCullough to marry them without a lot of fuss. Molly’s sisters had stood beside her—Annie beaming and Wendy looking a little worried—and Nate stood next to him, looking uncharacteristically somber. The Reverend didn’t go into any long homilies, but just had them repeat their vows. Molly stumbled a bit over the “as long as we both shall live” part, but Ash had only grinned slightly. She had the right to hesitate, the whole marriage was hasty. But he had every intention of spending a lifetime making her realize it was a smart decision.
The only surprise during the wedding ceremony had been on Molly’s part, when Nate handed Ash the ring the ol
der man had bought at Bullard’s the day before. It was just a thin golden band, and the look of awe on Molly’s face when he’d slipped in on her finger had made the price worthwhile. She lifted her hand to peer at it, and when she’d turned to him, she had tears in her eyes. He knew she hadn’t expected a ring, and her surprise made him smile. What was it about the woman that made him feel like smiling so much?
He supposed that he was a man in love with his wife.
After the ceremony, they went over to one of the small restaurants in Cheyenne for a wedding dinner. He’d met the owners once or twice, but was surprised at the amount of effort they’d put into the meal, all for the newlyweds’ sake. The wife clucked over Molly, and admired her ring, and gushed over how much easier their lives would be now that they’d found each other. Molly, for her part, declared that the slices of cake the woman brought them after their meal of turkey and dressing to be some of the best she’d ever had. Ash figured that was pretty high praise.
And then, legally husband and wife, they’d climbed into the sleigh, Ash slapped the reins against the patiently waiting draft horse, and they headed home.
At first, Wendy had chatted amiably about Cheyenne sinking behind them, and the stark whiteness of the surroundings, but soon she settled into silence, broken by the occasional question. The girls were snuggled between trunks on the back of the sleigh; Molly had made a cozy little nest out of blankets, and both were wearing their fine blue wool coat and cloak that she’d made them. Nate was riding beside them, as always. Ash would rather be riding too, but he hadn’t been able to ride as much as he’d like since he busted his arm. Besides, if he were riding, it’d be harder to hold Molly.
She took his hand in both of hers, nestled against her legs under the blanket, and he traced the calluses on her palms. He liked that she wasn’t afraid of hard work, and was looking forward to expanding their home with her. With one rough fingertip, he circled the simple gold band around her ring finger, and felt her shiver. He hoped it was from desire, not cold, but he freed his hand to wrap his arm around her again. She sighed, and pressed her cheek to his shoulder. She’d said little since they’d picked up her sisters, but as the normally taciturn one, he didn’t mind her silence.
Her sisters were a surprise. Annie was… well, Ash couldn’t think of any other word than ‘adorable’ to describe his youngest sister-in-law. He’d never had much use for the weak and useless of this world, which was why he admired Molly so much. Even when Nate had shown up all those years ago, starving and bedraggled, the kid had seen that he’d need to impress Ash if he wanted to stick around. But there was something about Annie, something precious and shining, which made Ash want to protect her. He’d been expecting a sickly little thing, and yeah, Annie was frail. But she was sweet and trusting, and Ash had taken one look into her bright eyes, and knew that she’d become part of his family.
Hell, being married was changing him already.
Wendy reminded him of her older sister, but she seemed more flighty. He’d turned around once or twice to see her nose buried in some book, and remembered that Molly told him the girl loved to read. Wendy was the one who’d come up with most of the language of signs that Annie used, and she was the one who’d taught the youngest sister to read and write, even without being able to speak. Ash wasn’t so sure he liked Wendy’s talkative nature, but as long as she was willing to work, he figured he’d put up with it.
He wasn’t so sure about Nate, though. It seemed like his brother had taken one look at the girl, and raised his hackles. And she’d been ignoring him since they’d been introduced, but Ash caught her staring at his brother once or twice, looking curious.
He’d pulled Nate aside after the wedding, on the way to the restaurant. “She say something to you, kid, that got you riled?”
His brother had shaken his head, but Ash didn’t let up. If there was tension between the two of them, it wouldn’t be pleasant to be snowed in all winter in the same house. “Then what’s got you so quiet? Is it because she didn’t believe you’re my brother?” He winced. “Is it the Indian thing?”
Nate’s chuckle was forced, harsh. “When isn’t it ‘the Indian thing’?” He sighed, and shoved his hands deeper into his pockets. “She’s the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen, Ash, and she knows I’m not your brother—”
Ash’s voice was as firm as his hold on the kid’s shoulders when he said “You are my brother, Nate.”
The younger man sighed again and nodded. “You know what I mean. She can tell I’ve got Indian blood, and there’s no chance somebody as smart and pretty as her would notice someone like me.”
Ash hadn’t known what to say to that. His kid brother was probably right, as much as it pained him to admit it. Wendy might not be as prejudiced as the rest of the world, but not many respectable women would give Nate a second glance. He sighed too. It would probably be better if Wendy wasn’t interested in his brother; they were practically family now.
There wasn’t anything he could say to make Nate feel better. Instead he pulled his brother into a hug, and after a moment, felt the kid hug him back. As if Nate knew and understood Ash’s loss of words, the younger man just mumbled “Congratulations on marrying Molly.”
And now, the kid was much quieter than usual. Luckily, he had the long ride back to the ranch to think things over, and Ash was pleased to see that by the time they got home, his younger brother seemed to be more like to his usual self.
Wedding night or not, the two of them had to spend some time in the barn, with the animals. Nothing major had happened, but most of the horses were anxious for some exercise. Ash always felt badly when he left them like that, but with only the two of them on hand, it often couldn’t be helped. He and Nate spent the rest of the afternoon calming the animals, and making sure they were forgiven for leaving them alone for so long.
Molly spent the time showing the girls around the house, although he supposed that didn’t take long. The restaurant owner had sent them a bundle of leftovers, complete with extra cake, and by the time they came back from the barn, the womenfolk had laid it all out on the table.
Nate’s smiles were back, although a little strained whenever he noticed Wendy looking at him. He teased Molly and Ash about their marriage throughout the meal, and made them all chuckle, even Annie, when she understood the jokes. Ash figured she was probably giggling at Molly’s blushes, more than anything, and even he couldn’t remain ‘sour-faced’—as Nate said—through it all.
But more than the teasing, Ash’s mind was on the upcoming wedding night. He and Nate had helped Molly prepare for her sisters the day before, so he knew that she knew she’d be sleeping in his room tonight. The thought aroused him more than he’d guessed possible. Why, it was becoming downright uncomfortable to sit here and exchange heated glances with the woman. With his wife. If he didn’t get her into that room and her clothes off soon, the heat between them might just ignite the pine plank table.
Apparently he hadn’t been as subtle about it as he’d thought. Wendy must have seen the looks he’d been giving her sister, because she offered to clear the table, with a teasing glance at Ash. Annie jumped up to help her sisters, and Ash was just thankful to have a few minutes to stay seated.
It was later than he’d realized when the kitchen was cleaned up from supper, and both girls were yawning. Nate started yawning too, entirely unconvincingly to Ash’s eye, and bid them all goodnight. Molly shooed her sisters up the stairs to the loft, but Annie broke away at the last minute. She ran across the room and threw her arms around Ash’s neck, and he was surprised enough that he couldn’t do anything but hug her back. She placed a kiss on his cheek, and made a sign that Molly had shown them all meant “good night”, and then with a little blush, ran back towards the loft.
Ash watched her climb the stairs bemusedly. He could probably crush her with only one hand, she was so tiny. And without hearing, and little speech, it would be easy to dismiss her as useless. But she made him feel protective, an
d he liked the way she had opened her heart to him already.
He listened to the quiet murmur of Molly’s voice drifting down from the loft for a moment longer, and then retired to his room. He got ready for bed quickly, and then removed his boots and flannel shirt and sat on the edge of the bed to wait for Molly.
When fifteen minutes had passed and she still hadn’t shown up, he started to pace, ignoring the cold floorboards against his bare feet. Maybe she wasn’t coming? Maybe he’d misinterpreted her heated glances, or the way she’d prepared the loft for her sisters? Was it possible she didn’t understand how much he needed to feel her in his arms? He groaned, and raked his fingers through his hair.
And then, just when he’d figured he’d run out of patience, and was planning on heading up to that loft and carrying his wife down to his bed, the door opened, and she slipped through.
He stopped and stared. She’d obviously used the privacy of the loft to perform her ablutions and change into her nightgown and robe, but she was carrying a dress and petticoats over one arm. Her robe was a faded red, and tattered around the hem, and was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. She was just stunning, her curls falling down around her shoulders, those light eyes filled with a desire he’d hoped to see. The longer he stood and stared, the more amused she became, and he watched the dimples he loved slowly appear on her round cheeks.
He couldn’t stand it anymore. He had to hold her. In one quick movement, he crossed to her, wrapped his good arm around her, and lowered his lips to hers.
The kiss was nothing like the one they’d shared at the altar—had it only been a few hours ago? It was hot, and explosive, and when they came up for air, Molly realized that her robe was pooled on the floor behind her, and he was doing a tolerable job of undoing the buttons of her nightgown with only one hand. Then Ash placed a line of kisses across her jaw and down her neck, and found a sensitive spot below one ear, and she decided she just didn’t care. She twined her fingers in the hair at the base of his neck, and held on for dear life.
