Heart and Hand: Gold Sky Series

by Carter, Rebel

  “Oh.” Julie frowned but resolved to keep her spine straight. She was used catching eyes often in New York, but that was where everyone knew her and her family. Her parentage was often the topic of hushed whispers.

  She bit her lip at the thought of experiencing more of the same in Gold Sky.

  “It’s just—” Peter swallowed hard and looked around. “I don’t want to offend the sheriffs, but you’re very, well, you’re the prettiest woman in town.”

  “Oh.” Julie smiled and looked down at her feet at the unexpected compliment. “Thank you, Peter.”

  “Mr. Barnes and Mr. Wickes are very lucky,” Peter added, tucking his hands into his pockets. “But don’t tell them I said that,” he said with a furtive look around.

  “I promise to keep it between us. Our secret.” Julie winked at him, causing Peter to blush once more. When they arrived at the chapel, a pretty little white building with a shining bell in its steeple, Julie felt like she couldn’t breathe.

  The moment she had anticipated since Forrest had proposed marriage to her months before was finally here.

  Peter rushed up the stairs ahead of her and opened the door. Julie forced away the images of a romantic and intimate wedding from her daydreams. There was no music or fanfare of any kind, but none of that mattered, because the wedding was one of her own choosing. Julie stepped into the chapel with what seemed like the entire town only a step behind.

  She froze just inside the doors of the chapel. Two handsome figures at the back of the church drew her eye, one with hair like burnished gold and the other with chestnut brown. The men were dressed simply but nicely with Will having changed into a freshly pressed suit alongside Forrest. Will’s hair was also washed and neatly pulled back, and Julie sawthat she was right. He was handsome when he wasn’t glaring, though the intensity of his gaze on her was something very similar to a glare, save for the fire it ignited in Julie’s belly.

  Desire, she thought, registering Will’s heated look. And Forrest looked at her in the same manner, his summer sky eyes shifting to something deeper. She swallowed hard, catching sight of the pastor standing between them.

  Peter hung back, slipping into a pew by the back door while she continued toward Forrest and Will on numb feet. She was aware of the chapel filling behind her, of the low murmur of voices and footsteps filling the space, but she didn’t dare look away from her men.

  “Pleased to meet you, Pastor,” Julie greeted when she stepped closer to them. The pastor gestured for her to stand in front of him, between the two grooms.

  “Looks like we have a full house,” he said, eyes sweeping over the rows of full pews behind her. Julie cautioned a look at the packed chapel and swallowed hard. Her nervousness must have shown because Forrest took her hand and at a sharp nod from him, so did William.

  “Hi,” Julie whispered to them finally, unsure of what else to say.

  Forrest broke into a smile. “Hello, sweetheart.”

  Will cleared his throat. “Julie.”

  “No need to worry,” Forrest told her with another easy smile. “Just getting married.”

  “Oh, is that all?” Julie asked, earning her a smirk from Will.

  The pastor opened his Bible with a grin. “I’ll just get us started then, shall I?” Julie gave him a slight nod and tightened her grip on the hands that held hers. It was a bit easier to contain her nervousness while the pastor addressed the crowd with the two men on either side of her. Though if Julie were honest, the ceremony passed her by in a blur and she only managed to refocus when her turn came to slip a gold band on each of the men’s fingers with a soft but sure “I do.”

  She was surprised when Forrest and Will produced their own rings, one for each of her hands, both of them distinct in their own way. Forrest’s was a classic choice of white gold with scrolling filigree and a carat diamond at its center. William’s was smaller though no less special, a rose gold band with three little emeralds along the center.

  “I now pronounce you wife and husbands. May you cherish one another for all for your days.”

  There was only one matter of business left and it had Julie blushing. The kiss to seal it all up with a pretty bow. She wasn’t sure what she expected, perhaps a chaste peck, which Will provided easily enough, moving forward to kiss her quickly and far more gently than she had suspected.

  What she hadn’t anticipated was the passion of Forrest’s embrace, and she nearly fainted from the force of his lips against hers, but she recovered quickly and opened her mouth to him so that he could deepen their kiss. His arms were tight around her, hands holding her firmly so that he was able to dip her without incident in front of the cheering and whooping crowd.

  A second later, Forrest set her on her feet with a wink and a wave to the crowd. Julie struggled to not sag forward in a swoon, and Forrest’s arm proved to be the only thing holding her up. Thankfully, Alice was there to press a vial of smelling salts into her hand.

  Thank God she had brought them after all.

  Chapter 4

  “Mrs. Wickes-Barnes?”

  Julie sipped her champagne and swayed along to the band playing beneath the darkening sky. A makeshift dance floor had been put together for reception festivities, and she smiled, taking in the scene that seemed to encompass the entirety of Gold Sky’s population. Unaware of the woman at her elbow, Julie took another sip of her drink, about to step forward for her own turn on the dance floor when a delicate cough caught her attention.

  “Ahem.” A woman cleared her throat and stepped in front of Julie with an apologetic look on her face. “Mrs. Wickes-Barnes? Er, Barnes-Wickes?” The woman appeared to be in her mid-forties, with auburn hair and too sharp eyes that put Julie on guard. There was something in the other woman’s stare that resembled the always assessing and calculating look of the Four Hundred.

  Julie took a hesitant step back from her and wished Forrest, or even Will, would materialize at her side. It dawned on Julie, after another moment of staring silently at the woman, that she had been addressing her. She cleared her throat and forced herself to smile.

  “I apologize. I’m not quite used to the name or being called a missus just yet.”

  “No troubles. I can see how it could be a mite overwhelming.” The woman extended her hand to Julie. “I am Mrs. O’Hare, by the way, wife of the Mayor. I thought this was the perfect opportunity to introduce myself to you, but I should have anticipated you might be a tad shocked from this whirlwind. Stepping off a train and finding yourself married to our two lawmen can be nothing but intimidating for a gently bred woman such as yourself. I hear you are to be our new school teacher?”

  “I am.” Julie cheered at the mention of her work as a teacher. She had studied for years to be ready for her own classroom, after all. “And I am quite eager to get to work with the children.”

  “What a relief to hear. Our last school teacher absconded in the middle of the night. Too hard on the poor dear, you see.” Mrs. O’Hare gave a little sigh before pinning Julie with a sharp look fit for New York’s finest ballrooms. “A refined lady such as you might find that it will be too much work. Your life was quite comfortable in New York, wasn’t it?” She arched an eyebrow at Julie, who reluctantly nodded at the question.

  “I thought so.” Mrs. O’Hare sighed in an almost resigned manner. “It would be such a shame for you to travel all this way only to fail at the post.”

  Julie held back a frown. Mrs. O’Hare’s glittering eyes and tone indicated it would not be a shame.

  “I promise you, Mrs. O’Hare, I am made of sterner stuff than that,” Julie replied, doing her best to keep her tone cordial. She decided that she didn’t like Mrs. O’Hare one bit, but the occasion offered her little recourse. It was her wedding, and Julie didn’t suppose such an event allowed for the bride to be unfriendly. On account of that, she worked to keep a happy face on despite Mrs. O’Hare’s less than pleasant demeanor. In a week’s time, she would take pleasure in proving the woman wrong on her assess
ment of Julie’s ability to teach.

  She returned her attention to the beautiful outdoor reception the town had put together for her, for the three of them. All of the restaurants had put forward their best food and there was no shortage of delectable bites spread over several tables. The saloon had brought out a nice selection of spirits for the townsfolk, and her cake was an amazing collection of pies and other sweet treats the church’s women had baked. Lanterns and pretty flower and ribbon garlands swung in the light spring breeze from the trees overhead.

  The night was charming in its simplicity, and Julie had been charmed by the kindness and welcoming nature of the citizens of Gold Sky. At least until Mrs. O’Hare had introduced herself.

  “I hope that you are.” She smiled at Julie, but the gesture was far too calculating to be genuine. “Lord knows you’ll need to be practically iron-forged if you expect to last a month with your, ah,” Mrs. O’Hare gave a little laugh, “husbands.”

  Gold Sky’s first disapproving guest had Julie nearly rolling her eyes at the woman’s attempt to make her feel awkward. She had been a debutante of the Four Hundred and a colored woman in command of respect and position in high society, where women who looked like her were only seen fit to cook and clean. Never mind the fact she had been at the focus of the society pages for months. And lastly, but most importantly, she was a Baptiste.

  There was nothing she couldn’t endure.

  If Mrs. O’Hare wanted to make her feel small or embarrassed, the woman would have to get creative.

  “Blessedly, the Lord has seen fit to equip each and every one of us for the journey ahead,” Julie countered with a tip of her champagne flute. She cleared her throat and took a step away from the other woman. “If you’ll excuse me, Mrs. O’Hare. I need to refresh my drink, but it was so good to meet you.”

  “Certainly. Eat, drink, and be merry, of course,” Mrs. O’Hare called after her with a barely concealed smirk.

  Julie gave the woman a small wave goodbye but kept her feet moving until she stood in front of the makeshift bar set up for the reception. She didn’t usually indulge in more than a single glass at an event, but tonight called for multiple glasses. More glasses than she presently had hands for, if she hoped to calm her nerves at what would follow the dancing and music of the reception.

  “Mrs. Barnes-Wickes!” the barkeep greeted her with a grin. He reached for her glass with a knowing smile. “A refresher?”

  “Please.” Julie smiled at him, thankful for a kind face after her encounter with Mrs. O’Hare. She leaned forward on the bar with a little sigh and wondered who else among the guests held the same opinion as Mrs. O’Hare.

  “Name’s Rhodes, ma’am,” he said, placing the champagne flute back in her hand. “I must say that that I can’t tell you how happy I am, how happy my whole family is, that a woman like you will be teaching in the school.”

  Julie paused, surprised at his comment, but she inclined her head. “Thank you, Rhodes.”

  Rhodes leaned toward her, elbows on the bar top. “They say your mama was,” he said, and paused, looking away before his eyes darted back to meet hers, “well, that your parents met in the War.” He drummed his fingers on the bar, eyes intent on Julie’s face, while the meaning of his words hung in the air.

  She cocked her head to the side and looked at him with new eyes. “She was,” Julie said, answering Rhodes’s unanswered question.

  “Same as my ma.”

  “Really?”

  “Well, she didn’t marry a fancy Union soldier from a high society family, but close enough.” He smiled and shrugged. “Makes me feel proud to have you teaching my girls all the way out here.”

  Julie smiled. “I’ll do my very best by them, sir.”

  “Oh, don’t go calling me sir. Belle of the ball does no such thing on her wedding night.” He tossed a towel over his shoulder with a wink at her. He lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “And ignore Mrs. O’Hare. She’s mean as a snake, always has been and always will be.”

  Julie snorted, taking a sip of her champagne. “I came to that very conclusion, but thank you for the warning. I’ll heed it.”

  Rhodes chuckled at her and moved to take another guest’s drink. A guest whom Julie hadn’t been introduced to yet. The realization that she was well and properly alone struck her. She was unable to recognize anyone at the reception—well, save her husbands.

  Where had the men disappeared to?

  It didn’t take her long before Forrest’s large form caught her attention. He was on the dance floor and, curious about her new husband’s dance skills, she made it to the edge of the crowd to see him spinning a woman with a practiced hand. Julie sipped at her champagne and forced down the spike of jealousy stirring in her at the sight of Forrest dancing with another woman.

  It was a celebration, which called for dancing. A dance meant nothing, not when he’d married her only an hour before.

  Although...what kind of reception had the groom dancing with anyone but the bride?

  Julie almost groaned at herself the moment she entertained the thought. She was not the type of woman who was prone to jealousy. She was level-headed, not one to fly into dramatics, but here she was nursing a glass of champagne while she contemplated how strong a force it would take to send the woman in Forrest’s arms off the dance floor. Who was she turning into

  Perhaps it was the drink, not that it mattered. She had no intention of putting a pause on her imbibing, at least not until she was calmer. A sip later, Julie’s cheeks had warmed pleasantly enough and she was eyeing the bar when Forrest appeared in front of her.

  He gave her a deep bow. “May I have the pleasure of this dance, wife?” he asked, extending a hand toward her.

  Julie blushed when she saw the townsfolk all around them watching with interest. She almost bolted from her new husband, but the scrutiny of so many Gold Sky citizens forced her to stand her ground. If she couldn’t manage a single dance with Forrest, how was she going to survive more intimate quarters? Steeling herself, Julie closed her eyes and tossed back the remainder of her champagne with a long swallow.

  “Let’s, husband,” she answered feeling bolder from the champagne in her belly, and slipped her hand into Forrest’s. She turned and handed her empty glass off to the first person who offered to take it with a murmur of thanks.

  Forrest laughed as he led her onto the dance floor. Julie frowned and gave him a pointed look. “What’s so funny?” she asked with an indignant sniff.

  “I don’t think I’ve seen anyone drink that fast since the war.”

  “A little liquid courage never hurt anyone,” Julie replied with a smile.

  “And why, little wife, would you need liquid courage to dance with one of your husbands?” he asked, leading her through the familiar steps of the waltz.

  Julie laughed at the question. “For the reason that I have two husbands. I feel that one would be intimidating enough, but two?” She shook her head and blew out a long sigh that had Forrest chuckling. “I don’t know how I’ll survive it.”

  Forrest leaned close, lips grazing her ear. “Don’t worry, darling. We’ll be gentle.” He gave her a squeeze that promised more and raised her temperature to downright feverish.

  She swallowed hard but said nothing, her mind already skipping ahead to what Forrest’s words meant for her as a new bride. Daring to glance up at him, she saw he regarded her with the same intensity as when she had first entered the chapel. His eyes skirted along the low neckline of her dress as they continued to dance. At the song’s end Forrest pulled her close to him.

  “I think it’s almost time we retire for the night.”

  “Oh,” Julie breathed. Her hands were still in his and he raised her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss there.

  “One more dance is in order. It would be a shame for more people not to see what a beautiful little bird you are in this dress.”

  Julie blushed at his praise. “You like the dress?”

  Forres
t nodded. “Very much, Julie. But you would be beautiful even without it.”

  “Thank you,” Julie replied, feeling suddenly shy despite Forrest’s scintillating promise to be gentle with her—well, that he and Will would be. She turned her flushed face away, lest her imagination serve to scandalize her in the middle of the dance floor any further, when she noticed Will walking onto the dance floor. A pretty blonde woman in a richly appointed dress was on his arm, and Julie bit her lip in annoyance at the still too sharp teeth of a certain green-eyed monster trying to claw its way out of her.

  God, she was going to exhaust herself if she kept this behavior up! Perhaps the two glasses of champagne hadn’t been the best of her ideas.

  Forrest noticed her frown and tugged her closer to him. “No frowns tonight.”

  Julie gave him an embarrassed look at his keen observation. “I...” She looked back toward where Will guided his partner through the dance, a happy grin on his lips. That single smile stung far more than she wanted to let on. Though it was their shared wedding day, Will hadn’t looked at Julie with half as much mirth in his eyes.

  “Who is she?” Julie finally settled on asking.

  Forrest shrugged. “Rosemary Stanton,” he said, as if that explained anything. Julie arched an eyebrow at him for further explanation.

  “She does a little of this, and a little of that. Writes for the newspaper,” Forrest continued on.

  Julie would have said more but when her eyes unexpectedly locked with Will’s she abruptly turned her eyes back to Forrest. If he noticed, he said nothing, a mercy Julie was thankful for. They remained in comfortable silence until the band neared the end of their set, and he leaned close to whisper in her ear, “It’s time to go home, darlin’.”

  “Really?” Julie asked in surprise. She scanned the still lively crowd with a frown. The citizens of Gold Sky didn’t show any signs of winding down the celebration. “It’s still early yet, Forrest. Wouldn’t it be improper to leave before we see to the reception’s end? Why we still ha—”