“Shh, sleep, Jules.”
With a tired sigh, Julie nodded and buried her nose against Will’s collarbone. Sleep finally swept over her. Never in her wildest dreams had she anticipated being sandwiched between two men on her wedding night, but she wouldn’t trade this for the world.
This felt right.
Chapter 6
When Julie awoke, it was to an empty bed. She sat up and frowned at her unfamiliar surroundings. The once cozy and thoughtful room wasn’t quite as intimate as Julie remembered when she had fallen asleep between her husbands the night before. She bit her lip, wondering where they had gone so early, or perhaps not so early.
The sunlight streamed into the room, making Julie wonder exactly how late she had slept in. She had always been an early riser, but the previous day and night had more than worn her out.
Padding to the window, Julie winced, seeing where the sun was in the sky. It was high, not quite noon but very nearly.
Good Lord.
No wonder they had left her sleeping, she thought. It was only logical that her husbands, the only lawmen for miles, needed to attend to their civic duties in Gold Sky while she continued to sleep. They had done her a kindness by letting her rest, she told herself, trying not to feel stung at waking alone.
Glancing around the room, she was grateful to see that her trunks had been brought up to the bedroom and now rested at the foot of the bed. She paused, seeing that her wedding dress and undergarments had been folded and put in the chair by the window. The attention they had paid to her things dulled the ache of waking on her own. But no matter how she tried to tell herself it was all right, there was a sharpness in her chest.
Yes, as a girl, she had read romance novels by the bookcase, and yes, that had created a rather picturesque idea of the intimacies of marriage. But that had been when she was a mere girl, enthralled by the romance story of her parents' love.
She was a woman now, and this was...well, this was what she supposed everyday life was like. Yet for all that, and all the unknowns of what this morning would bring, Julie had never dreamed it would bring an otherwise empty bed.
"You must get a hold of yourself," Julie whispered. There was a reason her husbands were absent. She knew it. There was no sense in turning to dramatics.
At least not yet, anyhow.
Julie dressed and opted for a simple plait for her curly hair, which was still a bit wild from the previous night’s festivities. At the thought of what had happened in the bedroom, she blushed. The memory warmed her from the inside out, which at least served to push back the chill left by her husbands' absence.
Once she was dressed and presentable, Julie made her way out of the bedroom and set off for the stairs. She was grateful when she found them without any problem, but she hesitated, looking back at an open door she had passed.
She stepped closer to the open doorway and peeked in to see the bones of the library Forrest had told her about. Five empty bookcases sat in a group by the door, but not much else save for a writing desk, which puzzled her.
If her husbands were in possession of the land and wealth they spoke of, why was the house, beautiful as it was, so empty?
Further exploration revealed several other bedrooms, all of which were empty save for a bed or table here and there.
Feeling much like the heroine of La Belle et Bete, she hesitated, unsure if she should keep looking. Thankfully, the faint smell of cooking caught her attention and she abandoned her route for the kitchen. She wasn’t alone in the house, and there was food to be had. She could continue her wanderings after breakfast.
When Julie hit the bottom of the stairs, she heard the bang of a skillet against a stove, accompanied by a muffled curse. Letting her nose lead her, she wandered through a formal dining room and pushed open the door to the kitchen. The sight that greeted her made her clap a hand to her mouth to stifle a laugh.
The kitchen looked like the scene of a small war. It was, in a word, chaos. Numerous bowls and utensils lay scattered along nearly every available surface. A smashed egg smeared the side of one cupboard, a real feat, and a fine sprinkling of flour covered the table at the center of the room. The flour tracked along the soapstone counters that butted up to the large iron stove Forrest currently hunched over.
How the flour had managed to cover everything, Julie didn’t know. The only clean items were an almost ready silver tray that held a pitcher of orange juice, silverware, and an empty plate. She grinned, watching Forrest angle the skillet in his hand as he worked on whatever was meant to fill said empty plate. Julie cleared her throat, causing Forrest to jump.
“Julie!” He looked surprised to see her and gave her a sheepish smile. “You weren’t supposed to be up yet.” His blond hair was anything but neat and looked like he had been running his hands through it.
“I’m not? It looks to be past ten,” Julie replied, walking into the kitchen to survey the other bits and bobs scattered around Forrest.
“Just after,” Forrest replied, finally turning toward the plate with the skillet. He held a spatula in the other hand, and Julie watched as he slid his creation onto the plate.
“Crepes?” she asked with an excited smile.
“You said they were your favorite.” Forrest dropped the pan onto the stove with a grimace. “I just didn’t anticipate the things being so finicky. Planned on surprising you with breakfast in bed.”
“Forrest, that’s so thoughtful.” Julie reached out and put a hand over his. Her heart soared. She had known there was a reason, and here it was: a surprise breakfast.
He grinned at her as he spooned chocolate onto the crepes. “Would have been if I hadn’t burned over a dozen before now.” Forrest nodded at a pile of his morning’s trials and tribulations, making her giggle. He pointed to a seat. “Sit down, and I’ll bring this over to you.”
Julie slipped into her seat without a word. She was happy to know that she hadn’t been forgotten, at least by Forrest.
“Where’s Will?” she asked after a moment.
“Had to go into town to make sure no one burned it down last night.”
Julie laughed at the thought, but Forrest only gave her a dispassionate look and continued to slice fruit.
“Oh, my word. You’re serious!”
“As the day is long. The people of Gold Sky are good folk, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be rough around the edges when they’re excited, and last night we put on a big celebration for the lot of them.” Forrest placed the tray in front of her. At the center of it was a plate with a crepe stuffed with chocolate, strawberries, bananas, and a sprinkling of sugar over the top.
“I hope everyone was able to contain themselves.”
Forrest took the seat across from her. “I haven’t gotten word back from him, so I’m assuming they did.”
Julie picked up her silverware and gave the breakfast in front of her an appreciative hum. “Thank you for this," she said, reaching over and squeezing Forrest's hand. "I can’t believe you remembered me writing you how much I love crepes.”
“Remember just about everything you ever sent us,” Forrest told her with a shy smile. He ran his thumb along the back of her hand. "Got your handwriting memorized. I could pick it out anywhere."
Julie felt a warm pleasure sweep through her that was as strong as anything she had drunk the night before.
“I remember everything you sent as well. However, I fear I'm not as familiar with your handwriting as you are with mine,” she frowned, chewing.
"How do you mean?"
“You said Will had been writing me along with you. I never noticed the change in penmanship or tone, and ah, now I’m not sure who wrote what.” Julie bit her lip and cautioned a look at Forrest, who nodded, considering her words as he leaned back in his chair.
“I can help you figure that out if you like.”
In the time that Julie had written to the men, she had somehow never separated them from one another. Even after understanding the particulars of
the proposed marriage arrangement, the two men had always felt like one to her. Forrest's offer to help was tempting, but it felt like cheating. Like she would be giving up on the hard work of getting to know her husbands as they were and in their own time.
Besides, there was no time quite like marriage to get to know her husbands, right? Julie cut into her crepe, her eyes fixed on her plate, smiling.
“Might be fun to guess on my own,” Julie said, taking a bite.
“Plenty of time to figure it out.” Forrest reached over to touch her hand once more. “I’m sorry you woke up alone. I wanted to have this done as a surprise for you.”
Julie swallowed and gave him a nod. “It’s all right. I understand.”
“No, it’s not all right. Your first night with us...like that.” Forrest shook his head. “One of us should have been there with you. Meant for it to be me, but you've witnessed my prowess in the kitchen. I'm just glad I didn't burn the house down around you, little bird.”
Julie smiled at the nickname. “I’ll hold you to that, sir." She gestured with her fork and at her rapidly disappearing breakfast. "Though if you continue to cook me breakfast like this, then I might just be persuaded to forgive a great deal."
Forrest laughed, and the two settled into companionable conversation while Julie continued to eat her breakfast, a delicious offering from a first-time crepe chef. Forrest looked pleased when she finished her meal in record time.
“Would you like to send the telegram you mentioned yesterday?” Forrest asked while they worked together to put the kitchen back in order.
“That would be lovely. I know my family is anxious for word and I haven’t been able to send anything decent in nearly two weeks. My father is probably driving my brother and mother insane with worry at this point."
Forrest nodded and held an arm out to her. “We can do that, and after I’ll take you around town for a proper tour.”
Julie took his arm and followed him toward the front door, but she paused in the foyer, having caught sight of the sparsely decorated parlor and sitting room. The rooms held nothing more than the bare essentials, and she bit her lip at the recurring theme.
Unable to keep her curiosity in check for a moment longer, she turned and said, “Forrest, I meant to ask you about something I noticed this morning.”
“What’s that?” Forrest closed the front door behind them and led her toward the waiting wagon. She only spoke once she was seated on the bench.
“Well, the house is lovely, but it's just that it’s...” Julie bit her lip and stared off into the distance, feeling awkward about asking after the furniture and furnishings. She didn’t want to appear as if all she cared for were material items but she was curious as to why the house was minimalist at best. Not at all what a new bride expected to be presented with.
“The house is a bit Spartan in comforts…” She let her voice trail off and looked toward Forrest to gauge his reaction.
“Ah, that.” Forrest nodded, easing the wagon into motion. “We wanted to wait for you to arrive so you could have your say in how the house and furnishings were arranged.”
Julie blinked at Forrest’s answer. “Really?”
He nodded, eyes on the road in front of them as he urged the horses on. “If I learned anything from my Pa it was that a happy wife meant a happy life. Felt like you would be more particular about how things in the house looked, so we only got what we needed until you arrived. If you want, I’ll take you by the mercantile to pick out whatever you like. We also have a few craftsmen in town if you’d like something more custom.”
“You’re offering to take me shopping today?” Julie asked in shock. Her father and brother had never hidden their distaste for shopping. They much preferred for others to do their shopping for them.
Forrest leaned back on the wagon bench with a chagrined smile. “I suppose I am. Is that something you would like to do today?”
“As a Baptiste, I think I should tell you that shopping is in my blood,” Julie told him with a lofty smile.
“Then I look forward to seeing you exercise your skill.”
Julie laughed, and it seemed her good cheer was more than suited to the task of squashing her earlier trepidation at waking alone in bed. Not even the direst of situations, Julie decided, would be capable of wiping the smile from her face as she sat next to her husband under the warm morning Montana sun.
* * *
It took no more than two steps into the sheriff's station for Julie to realize that she had been terribly wrong about her earlier assessment at having obtained unpenetrable happiness and mirth. And the reason for such a realization stemmed from three happenings.
First, the enticing smell of bacon and coffee. Second, the grating sound of Rosemary Stanton’s laughter peeling through the air like a bell. And finally, the fact that Will laughed right along with her.
Separate, the three small occurrences were innocent and commonplace, but together they formed a trifecta worthy of making Julie see red. Instantly the good feeling and joy she had felt with Forrest on their morning ride into town disappeared.
“Will.” Forrest nodded at the other man and then gave Rosemary a perfunctory nod. “Rosemary.” His hand dropped to the small of Julie’s back as he guided her into the room.
If not for that steadying hand, Julie might have stepped back out of the station at the image of her new husband enjoying a cozy breakfast with another woman. Too bad her other husband didn't waste a moment to shut the door behind her, heading off her exit.
She arched an eyebrow, wondering if he had sensed her discomfort and done it on purpose, but Forrest only met her look with as guileless a gaze as she had ever seen, so she turned away from him with a swish of her skirts.
She had received enough instruction from Lady Pim on how to act aloof and unaffected, and the lessons were, in Julie's estimation, her most prized bits of knowledge.
Chin up. Eyes cool. Breathing even.
A hint of a smile.
With a straight back and steady step, Julie ventured further into the office, but her seemingly unconcerned eyes swept over the breakfast setup, and it was all she could do not let her discomfort show on her face.
Thank the God above for Lady Pim and her Tsarina-like demand for debutante perfection. Julie was secure in the knowledge that her face revealed none of the turmoil she felt at seeing Will and Rosemary sitting at a table so small it looked meant for one, with their breakfast plates pushed right up next to each other...just like their knees were.
But there was no hiding her displeasure when she had noticed the single rose that lay across one corner of the tiny table.
It seemed Will had a thing for roses and women. How lucky for her and Rosemary, she thought.
Julie took in a fortifying breath before she turned back to the couple and inclined her head in greeting, saying nothing. Tucking her hands behind her back, she followed a step behind Forrest, who had sat down in front of the telegraph machine.
“Do you know what you’d like to send them?” he asked her.
“No...well, not completely.” She removed her gloves and gestured toward the empty desk to the left of the room. “May I have a few minutes to get my message together? It won't be but a moment.”
“Of course, little bird.” Forrest hopped to his feet as she took a seat at the desk. She gave him a grateful smile when he set a pad of paper and pencil in front of her.
Julie thanked him and picked up her pencil, all the while careful to keep her eyes away from the couple still eating their cozy breakfast together. If she let her gaze linger on them for too long, she would lose hold of the jealousy sitting in her stomach. She had never felt this possessive of anyone, but she supposed it was a natural enough reaction upon seeing one’s new husband enjoying what looked to be an intimate occasion with another woman.
Julie had just pressed her pencil to paper when Rosemary spoke.
“A telegram? What might the emergency be?”
“No emergency.
Just sending word to Julie’s family back east,” Forrest answered from where he stood fixing coffee at the station’s stove.
Rosemary made a sound that bordered on disbelief. “A telegram all for that?” she asked.
Julie put her pencil down and looked up with a sigh. She suddenly wished that she hadn’t been so eager to send the telegram first thing. “They haven’t heard from me in over two weeks,” she explained.
“Two weeks is hardly anything to quibble about.” Rosemary took a prim sip from her cup and gave Julie a smile that didn’t quite reach her pale blue eyes. “You’ll learn that living out here on the frontier, but then again I shouldn’t be surprised with a city girl like you wanting things quick, fast, and in a hurry.” She laughed at her little joke and it was all Julie could do to not throw her pencil at her.
Instead, Julie gave as charming a smile as she could manage. “If you say so,” she replied. She had learned long ago that the most effective way to best a catty woman was to simply agree. It left them nowhere to go without fully exposing the meanness of their words.
She felt a flash of triumph when she noticed Rosemary’s mouth press into a thin line. Julie wanted to look at Will to see what his reaction was to her seeing him having breakfast with Rosemary, but she avoided looking at him for fear of giving herself away.
Already the words she had thought she’d heard him mumble to her the night before seemed to be slipping away from her in the bright sunlight of the day.
Put simply, it hurt. Badly.
Turning her eyes back to the page in front of her, she focused on steadying her breath. She had only written down the first few words of her missive to her parents when Rosemary interrupted her with a little laugh.
“I hope I haven’t put you out this morning, Julie Anne.”
Julie’s eyes snapped up to the other woman. “Whatever do you mean?” she asked.
Forrest ambled over then with a cup of hot coffee in each hand, watching the women interact with interest.
Rosemary gestured at the small breakfast set up in front of her and Will. “Well, with breakfast, dear.”
Heart and Hand: Gold Sky Series Page 8
