A Husband Returned: Men of Wicked Sorrow, Book One
Page 28
Those months had come and gone, and he had finally decreed that planting time was upon them. He had even offered to help her, and although she was certain she could have done it herself, she appreciated his assistance. Years of neglect had left the garden plot overgrown with grass and weeds.
Yesterday, they had cleared the area of all the debris and turned over the soil. Today she’d spent planting okra, beans, peas, and squash. She would be planting more over the next several days.
Tonight, the bath felt heavenly. So much so, she thought with a smile, that Nathan had insisted on joining her.
He sat behind her, his legs opened so she could sit between them. Her back rested against his chest, and his hands cupped her breasts possessively. He toyed with her nipples seductively, fanning the flame of arousal deep within her.
It was time. She’d been waiting, wondering, worrying. She had wanted to be sure that her suspicions were correct, and she knew now that she could no longer question it.
“Nathan?”
He plucked at her nipple and planted a slow, leisurely kiss against her neck. “What is it, love?”
“I have something to tell you.”
He heaved a heavy sigh, but his tone sounded teasing. “What else do you want to grow besides tomatoes and corn?”
She smiled to herself, reached for his hand, and pulled it down to her stomach. She rested it there, splayed their fingers wide, and whispered, “We are already growing something.”
He caught her earlobe between his teeth. “Isn’t it a little early to say that? You just planted the seeds today.”
“No, my love. Something else. It’s a seed that you planted months ago. Before the shooting.”
“What?”
He stiffened behind her, and she pressed their hands more firmly against her midsection. “Here. Your seed is growing here.”
Nathan moved faster than she could have guessed a man could do, splashing water everywhere as he climbed around her and knelt before her. His hair was wet at the ends, his mouth open, his eyes wide and frantic as they tracked over the expanse of her naked body. It gave him a wild appearance that excited and pleased her at once. She reached out to smooth a damp, reassuring hand over his beard.
“What are you saying?” he demanded hoarsely. Hopefully?
“I am carrying your child.” Never had she thought she would be blessed to say the words, but it was true.
“I thought . . .” he stammered. “You said . . .”
“I know.” She cupped his cheek. “I thought so, after the many times we had been together and I never quickened with your child. But now . . .” She shook her head with all the amazement in her heart. “It’s happened!”
“Rye. My love.”
She found herself suddenly in his arms, her breasts pressed against his chest as he cradled her close. He held her for long moments before pushing her back far enough to take a long look from her head to her only slightly curved tummy.
“When?” he breathed.
“The end of summer, I think. I doubt Ethan knows much about babies, so I’ll have to see Doc Parker or find a midwife.”
“A child,” he whispered, with a small, wondrous shake of his head. “I had put it from my mind,” he murmured, almost to himself. “I thought it wasn’t to be. We had each other.” He looked at her with such love in his eyes, her breath all but deserted her. “It was enough.”
She gathered him in her arms, pressing so tightly against his body that she was sure she could feel the beat of his heart. “God works in mysterious ways. His ways are not ours, as Reverend Samuels always says, and we may never understand why now and not before.”
“You have made me speechless.” He gave her a tender smile.
She returned the expression but let her face settle into something more serious. “I have realized that suffering always precedes great rewards, and perhaps now He has blessed us with the most amazing gift of all.”
Nathan held her close, stroking a wet hand down her spine and all the way to her backside. He did it again and again, soothing and reassuring and caring all at once.
“I fought my happiness for so long,” he said against her hair. “Growing up as Jordan Fairchild’s son, I wasn’t prepared for anything other than struggle and misery. I knew nothing more.”
He leaned back far enough to bend down and take her mouth with his. The kiss was slow, tender, loving, and Mariah had never felt more treasured. “I took war as my punishment,” he continued. “Jordan trained me to believe that I deserved nothing better. That made it too easy to push you away and treat you unforgivably. And still, you stayed with me.” Amazement colored his tone.
“Because I love you,” she said softly, and she was the one to initiate a long, lingering kiss this time.
“And I love you,” he answered. “My wife. My love. My Mariah.”
Nothing in their lives had ever been truer. She knew it clear through her mind and body, all the way to her soul. More than that, she understood how the wedding that she’d once believed should never have happened had actually been divinely inspired. The husband—the man—for whom she’d longed so fervently was now hers in every way. The future she’d once feared had become theirs but now in a loving glory.
“Nathan?”
“What is it, my love? My life?”
Her heart swelled and she smiled. “Make love to me.”
And he did.
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Also by Wynne Roman
Other Books by Wynne Roman
Wycked Crush, Wycked Obsession Book 1
Wycked Rumors, Wycked Obsession Book 2
Wycked Escape, Wycked Obsession Book 3
Wycked Trio, Wycked Obsession Book 4
About the Author
Reading and writing have always been a part of Wynne Roman’s life. She was that odd child who went to the library during summer vacation, and she read romances before she realized that’s what they were.
As Wendy Douglas, Wynne published two historical romance novels, Shades of Gray and The Unlikely Groom, with Harlequin Historicals. After a long hiatus from publishing, she returned to writing with the indie series about the rock band Wycked Obsession. Now she’s returned to her historical romance roots by becoming a Glenfinnan author with the Men of Wicked Sorrow series.
Wynne was born and raised in northwest Iowa but spent most of her adult life in Anchorage, Alaska. She currently lives near the Texas Gulf Coast with one very spoiled dachshund and an assortment of fictional characters who make her life impossible at times but very, very interesting.