Raine’s suggestion of using Allouette, the white mare, had been inspired. The horse was perfect for Emma.
She climbed up onto the horse again, but instead of getting down, she took the reins in her hands and gently urged the mare forward with her heels. When she reached the edge of the yard, she didn’t stop, but continued walking the horse forward.
“If I didn’t know any better,” Jonah yelled out to her, “I’d say you were trying to get away from me.”
Emma looked back over her shoulder and smiled. She still looked a little unsure with her current circumstance, but she pulled her reins to the right and the horse obeyed the easy command. She beamed.
“You can stop now,” he said.
She didn’t.
Emma slowly maneuvered the reins to one hand and reached down to rub the mare on the neck, then transferred the straps back into both hands.
“All right, Miss Foster, you’ve had your fun,” he called more loudly than before.
She was getting too far away for comfort. “Seriously, Emma!”
The horse and inexperienced rider disappeared from view behind the house. Jonah ran up on the other side of the yard, but short of crossing through the little creek that poured into the pond, he could not reach her.
Luckily, he’d kept Perseus saddled to ride alongside her later in the lesson to help her feel more comfortable. Apparently, she didn’t need it. He mounted his horse and quickly cantered around the house and over the wooden bridge until he caught up to her.
Emma pulled tight on the reins and Allouette stopped.
“Leah went to all this trouble,” she motioned with her chin to the area in the field that had been decorated for the wedding, “for me?”
And Henry.
“Let’s head back. I still need to teach you how to brush her down and put away the tack.”
It took a while, but she was finally able to turn the horse all the way around.
When they reached the stables, Jonah jumped down and tied Perseus to the hitching post. “I’ll be right back for you, boy,” he said with a good rub to the side of his neck.
The horse nickered in appreciation.
Emma swung her leg around like he’d taught her to do and lowered herself to the ground. He was glad he was standing behind her because when she turned to face him, she fell against his chest.
“I’m sorry. I guess my legs are just a little wobbly with all the riding we’ve done over the past couple of days.” She gently pushed herself away. “Is my body supposed to hurt like this?” she asked innocently.
Jonah laughed more loudly than he’d intended. “She admits it at last.”
She looked at him, apparently still expecting an answer.
“Yes, you should be very sore.”
“Oh, good. Because I hurt…everywhere.”
She smiled up at him and he thought the world was going to stop for one brief moment.
How did she keep doing that?
“Come on in, Miss Foster,” one of the twins called from the middle of the pond. “The water is wonderful and it’s not that deep. See? I’m standing.”
Leah had lent Emma a bathing costume that looked an awful lot like one of her belted dresses on top and a pair of men’s trousers on the bottom—except for the frills gathered on her legs between her knees and ankles with a bow. And she’d helped her pull her hair back away from her face with a ribbon.
“Are you Levi or Taggert?” Emma walked to the edge of the pond and dipped her bare toes inside the cool water.
They’d told her how hot it had been all summer long here in Kansas and how lucky they’d been to avoid a lot of the drought conditions that were prevalent throughout the western more part of the territory. Living close to two big rivers definitely had its advantages.
“I’m Tag,” he responded.
She looked at him. Even though they were just fifteen years old, the twins still measured a good foot taller than she, so she figured if she just waded half way out to where Tag stood, she shouldn’t get anything wet past her knees.
She could do that.
Male laughter reached her ears and she looked up to see Jonah, Noah, Lucas, and Raine, their sixteen-year-old cousin, walk out of the bunkhouse and toward the pond barefoot and wearing nothing but frayed denim trousers.
Emma’s mouth went dry. Jonah’s slender abdomen was chiseled into six smaller compartments. She’d never seen a man without his clothes on before. He was beautiful.
Casually, she placed one foot after the other, getting a little deeper in the water. She could not take her eyes off of Jonah. She liked watching him move and was amazed that he wasn’t as sore as she felt. Another step forward and the floor disappeared from beneath her. She sunk. Water engulfed her.
Her arms reached out for something, someone to help her. Panic gripped her chest. She had no idea what to do. She’d never been swimming before. Her eyes snapped open under the murky water and she looked around. To her surprise, she glimpsed Levi standing on the pond floor with a smile on his face, then he seemed to just jump and he flew up toward the top.
She had to try. She pushed off the bottom with her feet. It seemed like it was working until her head connected with something very hard. Everything went dark.
Chapter Eleven
“How were we to know she couldn’t swim?”
Emma opened one eye and then the other. An umbrella of people looked down at her. Jonah’s was the first face that came into focus and she attempted to sit up. Her head hurt, so she lay back down and closed her eyes.
“Well, that was about as fun as I’d expected,” she said with a snort.
Everyone laughed.
“Aw, she’ll be all right,” Noah’s voice assured the rest.
Emma opened her eyes again. The small crowd had dissipated and she could feel the warmth of the fading sun on her face. She tried to sit up again. Jonah placed his hand on her back and helped her upright.
“Don’t do that again,” he whispered, leaning forward until his forehead touched hers.
“What happened…exactly?” she asked.
He pulled away to look her in the eyes. A smirk formulated on his lips.
“The twins. And me.”
She furrowed her brows, not understanding the meaning of his words. “I saw Levi under the water.”
“Yes. And Tag was standing on his shoulders to make you think the pond wasn’t as deep as it was where they were.”
She should have known. She liked the twins. They were fun and full of life. She would just have to be more aware next time, so they wouldn’t get the best of her.
“And me. You didn’t come up and Leah told me you couldn’t swim, so I jumped in after you. I hadn’t expected you to be on your way up and your…” he smiled at her sheepishly, then looked down at the ground, “your head connected with my elbow.”
Emma laughed. “Of course it did. It is dangerous being around you, cowboy.” She pushed at his chest and her fingers caught fire. His bare skin was warm to the touch and firm.
Jonah looked down at her hand and took it into his.
“Miss Foster. Emma, I—”
The clinkety-clank of the dinner bell sounded as Lottie called everyone in for supper.
Jonah stood up and threw a bath sheet around Emma’s shoulders. He reached down, took her by the hands, and lifted her to her feet. She wasn’t at all sure the chill that swept through her was from being wet. And when Jonah briskly rubbed her arms through the towel, her legs became a little like Millie’s preserves.
“I don’t know how you ladies think you can swim in a getup like that. There’s just too much material to be able to do much of anything.” Jonah dropped one of her hands, but kept the other tucked neatly in his own.
Emma couldn’t help the disappointment that settled in her gut when he didn’t finish what he was going to say. She knew that he had reservations about taking Henry’s place and wondered if she was being unreasonable in her expectations. Maybe she should just try
to sell them the part of her dowry the Deardons wanted, the Oregon property.
“Let’s get you dried off and changed for supper. I mean…”
He cleared his throat. Was he actually blushing? It had to just be the brilliant pink hues of the new sunset reflecting off his face.
“I’ll walk you into the house and you can retire to your room to dry off and change for supper.”
Lord help her, she was falling for Jonah Deardon. She looked down at their intertwined hands. He’d stepped in front of her to open the door and her gaze trailed his strong arm up his shoulder to his corded neck. Jonah was handsome and kind, though a little rough around the edges, but she liked that about him and she realized she didn’t want him to marry her simply because she possessed the land he needed. She wanted more.
They stepped up into the kitchen. Jonah let go of her hand and Emma stepped toward the hall.
“I have something for you,” Leah said, catching up with her and linking her arm with Emma’s. Emma didn’t miss the sparkle in Leah’s eyes.
“What are you up to?”
Jonah threw a clean white button down shirt over his shoulders and grabbed his boots. The wedding was scheduled for tomorrow and they hadn’t even talked about it. He had no idea what was going on in that pretty little head of hers and he still hadn’t decided what he was prepared to do. Emma Foster certainly was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, but he hardly knew the woman. Did it matter?
He scrubbed his stubbled chin with the backs of his fingers. It was time for a shave, but it would have to wait. He walked out of the bunkhouse and sat down on the steps, shirt still undone, and pulled on his boots.
The kitchen was filled with the delicious aroma of a pot roast that had been cooking most of the day and Jonah’s mouth started to water. He hadn’t had a lot to eat for lunch and his stomach now reminded him rather loudly just how hungry he was. He sat down at the table where Lucas, Noah, and most of the children had already been seated.
He glanced up to see Emma standing next to Lottie near the stove. His heart lurched forward and he had to focus on keeping his breathing slow and steady. She caught his stare, but didn’t look away. She smiled. Her wet hair had been brushed and braided down one side of her face and was accented by branches of tiny white flowers.
Uncle Jameson opened the back door and walked inside. The twins followed, heads bowed. They walked up to Emma and muttered something Jonah couldn’t hear, then quietly took their places at the table, but Jonah didn’t miss the smirk that passed between them.
Emma joined them with two loaves of bread cradled in a kitchen cloth in her arms.
“Miss Foster made her first bread today,” Leah said with a smile and a wink at Emma.
After Jameson took the loaves from her arms and set them on the bread board to cut, Emma found her seat next to Jonah and sat down, a satisfied grin on her face.
“Congratulations,” he whispered next to her ear.
“Thank you,” she said with a brief glance in his direction. Her yellow dress added depth to her eyes.
They enjoyed the meal and were just finishing up when there was a knock on the front door.
“Excuse me,” Aunt Leah said as she stood and left the room.
A few moments later, she returned with a young girl with ringlets and ribbons in her hair. Raine pushed his seat backward and stood, wiping the corners of his mouth with his napkin.
The twins giggled, but their delight was cut short with one look from their father.
“Sarah,” Raine said in a slightly cracked voice, “what are you doing here.”
“Jameson,” Leah looked at her husband, “the Millers wanted to say thank you for driving those buffalo off their farm and they’ve sent a bottle of Marion’s finest preserves.”
Sarah Miller rushed over to Uncle Jameson and handed him a jar, decorated with ribbon and a material topper. She turned to leave.
“Father,” Raine said quickly, “may I be excused?”
Uncle Jameson nodded and set the preserves down on the table next to the last few slices of Emma’s bread loaf.
Raine grabbed Sarah’s hand and together they ran out of the kitchen toward the front of the house.
“Kissy, kissy, kissy,” little Cole, the youngest of the Redbourne boys, called after them.
“Cole Redbourne,” Leah chastised, “mind your manners, young man.”
“Yes, ma’am. Sorry.” He hung his head, but raised his eyes to look at his brothers across the table. Ethan and Rafe, the two just older than he, both nodded at him and he smiled.
Jonah found that he enjoyed the dynamics of the Redbourne family, so different from his own. He and his brothers had grown up without a mother, and had lived with a father who was always so distracted and focused on the ranch that they rarely ate their meals together, let alone spent time with him doing anything but work. He was grateful for the relationship he had with his brothers. They had always been close and had stuck together through it all.
Sitting here with the Redbournes was certainly a refreshing change and by the looks on Noah’s and Lucas’s faces, they felt the same way. Too bad Henry couldn’t have been here to see it.
“Emma, I understand that you play,” Leah said with a hand on her back. “Would you mind playing something for us?”
Emma shot an accusing look at Noah, who simply shrugged his shoulders and smiled.
The whole family filed into the living area, except for the twins, who were left to clear the table and help Lottie with the dishes.
Jonah sat on the floor next to the fireplace. Cole and Ethan sat at his feet and Hannah climbed up onto his lap. He could get used to this.
Emma sat down at the beautiful piano sitting against the wall that separated the living area from the entryway. She stared at the empty music rack for a few moments before her fingers set down on top of the keys and the most beautiful melody stemmed from the instrument.
She continued to surprise him.
When Emma finished the elegant piece, she turned to see the smaller children gathered around the piano bench on the floor. Jonah enjoyed the light that came into her eyes at their attention.
“Let’s see,” she said, “if you’ll recognize this one.”
Her hands started jumping off the keys and immediately Hannah shot into the air and starting singing the lively song along with her. The others laughed. The song seemed familiar somehow, and the music grew louder with each new person who joined in.
“You are very talented, my dear,” Leah told Emma when the spirited song concluded.
“Thank you. I really do love to play. I’ve missed it.”
Jonah casually pulled himself up off the floor and sneaked outside for some fresh air. Memories of his childhood rushed into his mind. His mother had often gathered him and his brothers around the piano and they’d sung songs and picked at the keys for what had seemed like hours. He remembered his father smiling and laughing. He’d done that a lot. Until she left.
Jonah sat down on the steps and looked out over the vast lands that made up the darkened horizon and leaned against the porch railing. He closed his eyes, listening.
He remembered all too well the fire that had consumed their mother’s piano after their father had reduced the instrument to kindling with his axe. From that day on, music had been banned from the Deardon household.
It’s time to let it go. To move on.
He’d held onto his grief, his anger toward his mother and resentment of his father, for way too long and it was stopping him from having a life worth living. He wanted a fresh start and marrying Emma was a step in the right direction.
The music stopped.
The front door opened. Jonah didn’t need to turn around to know that Emma stood behind him. He could sense her somehow.
She sat down next to him. He didn’t look at her at first. Didn’t know what to say or where to begin.
“Is everything all right, Jonah?”
He liked it when she used his
given name.
“The wedding is tomorrow,” he said quietly.
Silence.
Emma slid her hand into his. Her touch sent a jolt up his arm.
“I’ve been thinking about that. I know you’ve lost a lot and I don’t want to be the cause of any more sacrifices on your part. I’ll sell you the land, Jonah. Grandfather’s gone and over the last few days you’ve taught me that I can do hard things. I can learn how to take care of myself.” She pulled her hand from his. “I release you of your family’s obligation.” Her eyes affixed to her hands, which were clasped now in a washing motion.
Jonah didn’t know what he’d expected her to say, but that was not it. He looked at her and she met his eyes. In that moment, he realized why he’d become so protective of her. Why he wanted nothing more than to be near her.
He loved her.
The revelation surprised him.
“Emma, I…” He pushed himself up from the stairs and strode a few feet into the yard.
“What is it? What’s bothering you?” she asked, placing a hand on the back of his shoulder.
She’d followed him.
He spun around and without another thought, pulled her hard into him, capturing her lips with his, pleased when a soft moan vibrated in her throat. His arms encircled her completely and he pressed her more fully against him.
Her arms entwined around his neck and her fingers combed the hair at his nape before gripping it firmly with an attempt to pull him even closer. He groaned at her touch. No longer could he bear to think of letting her go, of allowing her to leave him. He wanted her. Needed her. He moved his hands beneath her arms—which dropped to his hips, her thumbs threading his belt loops—and he held her head firmly between his hands, his thumb running the length of her jaw and caressing her cheek. He drank in the sweet pleasure her lips allowed.
They parted ever so slightly and he rested his forehead against hers. When at last he pulled away enough to look into her face, her hair was slightly mussed and her mouth was swollen with desire.
“Finally,” she whispered so softly he wasn’t sure he’d heard her correctly.
The Deardons Complete Mini-Series Page 7
