by P. Creeden
But when they all sat down for the meal, the flavor of everything was bland and tasteless to her. Nothing seemed right with the world anymore.
When they left for church, they all loaded into the back of the wagon. The ride to Collin would have been silent and solemn, if it were not for the constant prattle of the children and Beth’s songs. The children even brought Brienne out of her state of introspection several times with their questions and hugs. By the time they’d reached the sanctuary, Brienne had resolved to stop letting her emotions rule her. Her grandfather had taught her that rational thought should always overcome what she felt. That even when she was in physical pain, she needed to overcome it and keep working when the animals needed tending. If she could overcome physical pain, surely she could work through the tightness in her chest, just like she’d done when she was mourning her grandfather’s death.
“You see, I’m not always late,” a deep, male voice whispered close to her ear, surprising her and making her jump away from him.
He caught her by the waist as she spun around, and she met Edward’s blue eyes in front of hers. She blinked at him. She’d forgotten the promise he’d made to return to Collin on Sunday for church and supper at the ranch. She pulled from his grip and batted him lightly on the shoulder. “You really shouldn’t sneak up on people like that.”
Her gaze shot toward Henry whose eyes were fixed on her and Edward. For a moment, she could have sworn his expression was pained, before he turned away and started for the rectory, each of the children holding one of his hands. When she returned her gaze to Edward, she found him watching Henry, as well. Then he eyed her playfully. “So, how is the married life treating you?”
She shrugged, suddenly feeling honest. “It’s only been a short time, so I don’t know yet.”
He lifted a brow. “I heard that your marriage was just a business transaction, correct? If things aren’t working out, you could always get an annulment and accept my proposal.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. She really hated the way everyone kept bringing up an annulment as though it happened all the time. As if it wouldn’t make her the talk of Collin, if not Plano, too. “Very funny. If you keep that up, people are going to think you’re being genuine.”
“Maybe I am being genuine.”
She shook her head at him and then turned on her heel and jogged to catch up with Mabel and Beth. When they arrived at the pew, Brienne found Henry sitting at the other end of the pew with the children between him and the empty spot where Cal had saved space for Mabel. Then Evan sat, and Beth settled in next to him. Georgia sat closest to her, when Brienne took the spot next to her, and Edward settled in next to Brienne.
Throughout the service, she found Edward peering at her now and then, occasionally even brushing his hand against hers. Why was he doing this now? She pulled her hand away and kept them both in her lap. There was a time when she would have loved for Edward to show her the kind of attention that he showed her now, but those days were long gone. It had probably been nearly ten years since she’d pushed aside her feelings for him. Instead she longed for Henry to be the one sitting next to her like that. If it were him, she wouldn’t even mind holding hands. But when she peeked down the aisle toward him during the last hymnal when they all stood to sing, she found him looking at her again with that same, sad expression before turning away and ignoring her once more.
Chapter 13
Henry hated the jealousy he felt. He hated that Edward sat directly next to Brienne again, occasionally eyeing her with affection as though he were courting her during the service, as if he wasn’t scandalously showing the wrong kind of attention to a married woman. Henry took some comfort in the way Brienne didn’t fall right into behaving the same way, but then they truly would have been the center of gossip that afternoon if she had. It seemed that half the attention of the gossips in the church were already keeping their eyes on Edward and Brienne, and most likely him, for sitting so far from his wife. That was a mistake he wished he could rectify several times during the service. At least the children kept him distracted.
Once Mrs. Plum finished playing the last hymn, the people in the church began to disperse. Cal Junior tugged on his arm. “See. I told you that you play better than Mrs. Plum.”
“Hush, child.” Mabel tugged on him and pulled Cal Junior closer to her. “Don’t repeat that again, Junior.”
“I think Mrs. Plum plays beautifully. She has a great deal of heart and love for music,” Henry said.
“I wish I could play like you do,” Cal Junior said, looking up at him with wide eyes.
Honestly, Henry hadn’t been able to get the piano he’d seen in town out of his mind. He wanted to purchase it and bring it to put in the parlor at the ranch, but as he peered over at Edward and Brienne and found them leaving the rectory together, he remembered that his position in the home might only be temporary.
And that hurt him more than he thought it would. It had been something he’d been trying to prepare himself for all week, but it still didn’t feel like he was ready. Especially after last night. If he could have every night like that with her for the rest of his life, he felt that he could become happy in a way he didn’t even believe possible before coming to Texas.
Mrs. Plum grabbed hold of his arm before he could follow the rest of the family toward the doorway. She smiled up at him and tugged him away from the crowd. Once they were alone, she leaned in toward him. “I’ve been thinking. If at all possible, would you be willing to give me a few lessons on how to play better? I took lessons as a child, but coming out west, I wasn’t able to continue. Otherwise, I’m mostly self-taught. After hearing you play last week, I see that I’m still lacking.”
“I don’t believe you’re lacking at all. The most important part of playing music is to enjoy what you do, and you seem to have joy in abundance.”
She smiled. “You are truly a kind man. I don’t think that Brienne could have wished for a better husband.”
Heat rushed to his cheeks. “I don’t know about that. But if you really feel the need to improve, we can make arrangements for a couple lessons per week, and we’ll start with tuning your piano.”
Her eyes went wide. “You can do that, too?”
“Yes, and I’ll teach you how.”
She grabbed his hand in both of hers. “Thank you so much. If you’re not busy tomorrow afternoon?”
“Certainly,” he said, giving her hands a squeeze. “I’ll be by after dinner, around two o’clock.”
“Wonderful.” Her smile couldn’t have been brighter.
When he left her there, beaming, he was reminded of what his father always said. The best way to ease your own anxieties and troubles was to ease someone else’s. In this situation, it was more than true. He was happy to have made Mrs. Plum happy. It had helped him forget his own troubles, at least for the moment. People still milled about in the rectory, talking to one another and making weekly arrangements as Henry passed them and pushed through the double doors of the church. He stepped into the muted sunlight, wondering if it might rain. Off to the side of the porch of the rectory, beyond the bushes, Brienne stood with Edward. She faced Henry but didn’t see him, and her brows were furrowed as she frowned.
Henry stepped forward, wanting to break up their moment, to give Edward a piece of his mind for how he’d acted during the service, but he didn’t know if it was his place. Instead, he froze.
“That behavior was uncalled for. You shouldn’t have acted that way. During a church service, on Sunday, and with a married woman.” Her hands clung to her hips.
Henry blinked. His heart suddenly felt light in his chest. There was no need for him to have words with Edward if Brienne was going to do it for him. A small smile tugged at his lip.
“But isn’t your marriage just a formality? You don’t truly want to be married to that Yankee stranger, do you?” Edward reached for Brienne’s hand, but she pulled away.
Henry’s hands fisted, and his jaw tightene
d.
“That’s rich, coming from you. Are you really going to be prejudiced against Henry for being a Yankee when everyone in Collin treated you poorly just because you had family up north? And besides, Henry isn’t a stranger. He’s my husband. And as long as he’ll have me, he’ll remain that way. I made vows, and I’ve never broken a promise.”
Tears stung the backs of Henry’s eyes. His heart broke in pieces as it flooded with so many emotions that his head spun. Brienne had just said the words that he’d wished Anna would have said to his best friend, Robert, in Baltimore. Why couldn’t she have kept that promise? Why did Anna and Robert both have to betray him? But Anna wasn’t Brienne. And more importantly, Brienne wasn’t Anna. Brienne was strong in both her body and her spirit. Brienne wouldn’t let any man push her around and treat her poorly, as Edward had done during the service. And now, Henry knew that she wouldn’t let anyone speak of him poorly, either.
“But I told you my feelings for you were genuine,” Edward pleaded, his voice almost a whine.
“Makes no difference. I’m a married woman, and I have great affection for my husband. If you came to Collin to try to put a wedge in between us, then I think it’s best if you make your excuses and decline joining us for supper tonight.” Her hands had moved from her hips to across her chest.
Edward reached out toward her and took hold of her elbow. He yanked it toward himself, his voice full of venom as he said, “Surely you must be kidding. I remember the affection you had for me. You can’t have that kind of affection for him?”
Henry had heard enough. He stepped forward boldly, satisfied to push his cane aside—happy that he’d gained the strength to do so. It clattered against the wood of the porch. Brienne’s eyes went wide as she saw him approach. Henry took hold of Edward’s hand and wrenched it away from her elbow. “I’d ask you to please keep your hands off my wife.”
Edward blinked in surprise at Henry, his mouth dropping open. He was a good four inches taller than Henry, but rail thin along with that height. Henry was shorter, but muscular, and even more so after a week of being on the ranch. If this situation came to blows, Henry was ready for it. Edward shook his head and blubbered. “I... I...”
Henry set his jaw. “Maybe you should listen to my wife and make your excuses to Georgia. I’d really rather not have a cad like you in my new home.”
A red blush filled Edward’s cheeks as he must have realized that Henry had heard at least the last portion of their conversation. The taller man ducked his head, muttered, “Pardon me,” and made his way toward the wagon where Georgia and the rest of the family waited.
Henry met eyes with Brienne, once again struck by their beautiful green hue. Her cinnamon scent wafted to him, and he remembered how breathtaking she was with her hair down the night before. Her cheeks were flushed. He reached out a hand and lightly touched the elbow the cad had grabbed hold of. “Are you okay?”
She nodded slowly, her eyes still filled with something akin to fear. But she’d never once shown that kind of fear to Edward, even when he’d taken hold of her elbow. She’d only narrowed her eyes at him in anger. Even if Henry hadn’t stepped in, it wouldn’t have surprised him if she would have decked the man, herself. So why did she show fear now? Why were those fearful eyes fixed on Henry? Was she afraid of him?
Then it struck him. She realized that he’d heard what she’d said. That he’d heard her confession. She feared the same thing that Henry had been fearing. Rejection.
Henry let out a slow breath then he took hold of both her hands in his. They were limp and didn’t have the usual strength she put into them. They were also cold, chilled by the autumn breeze. He squeezed them in his own hands, lending them his warmth. “I have great affection for you, too, Brienne. You are my wife, and as long as you’ll have me, you’ll stay that way. I made vows and have never been one to break a promise, either.”
Tears sprung to her eyes and spilled down her cheeks, but she smiled at the same time. She shook her head. “I never expected you to say that. You don’t have to.”
He laughed and pulled her closer, wiping the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs. Then he held her face lightly. “I often do unexpected things. And I did need to say that. I wanted to. It’s the truth.”
She blinked again, more tears spilling over her cheeks.
She’d never looked so beautiful as she did in that moment. He drew closer to her, tilted his head, and kissed the tears from her this time, one cheek, then the other. Her eyes went wide while his hands slipped to cradle the back of her head. His heart pounded in his chest as he pulled her in and lightly kissed her lips. The warmth he felt there invited him to deepen the kiss, and he did. He’d never thought that he’d be blessed enough to find love for the second time, but he had the feeling this time it would be better and longer-lasting.
About the Author
P. Creeden is the sweet romance and mystery pen name for USA Today Bestselling Author Pauline Creeden. She loves a good mystery and grew up watching Colombo, Perry Mason, and Murder, She Wrote. Books have always been a focal point of her life, from Nancy Drew and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to thrillers like John Sanford.
Animals are the supporting characters of many of her stories, because they occupy her daily life on the farm, too. From dogs, cats, and goldfish to horses, chickens, and geckos -- she believes life around pets is so much better, even if they are fictional. P. Creeden married her college sweetheart, who she also met at a horse farm. Together they raise a menagerie of animals and their one son, an avid reader, himself.
If you enjoyed this story, look forward to more books by P. Creeden.
In 2018, she plans to release more than twelve new books!
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