The Unexpected Bride (Mail-Order Bride Book 8)

by Stella Clark

  Then Slade tugged at his arm. “Auntie Emma was mean.”

  “Mean?”

  “Mean people scream,” Amber said proudly. “And she was screaming.”

  His troubled thoughts paused when she said that. Jay tried to read the child’s expression. But she was busy playing with his bandana, trying to unknot it. Emma wasn’t a loud person. “Screaming?”

  Slade nodded wildly. “On the horse! Auntie says—she says—she says it’s like the sky. Lots of clouds! Can we have a cloud horse? Auntie can make them nice. And—and the cowboy. He’s not nice.”

  Jay stood and squinted. The winds changed direction and his despair melted into concern. Emma was a responsible woman who had never left the children unattended. She wouldn’t have abandoned two small children to fend for themselves; she was better than that. If they were saying what he thought they were saying, then Emma was in trouble.

  And he was just standing there, doing nothing for the woman he loved.

  The truth hit him in that moment. It was a punch to his stomach, so strong that he could hardly breathe. She was his wife, and he cared for her. He probably cared more for her than his first wife. Jay loved Emma. He couldn’t lose her. She was possibly in danger and needed his help. Just like he needed her.

  “All right.” Jay scooped the children up quickly. “We’re finding Emma.”

  Both children cheered, obeying as he climbed into the saddle with them. It was a snug fit, but the children didn’t mind as they started down the path. As they hurried without directions, Jay offered a quick prayer to God.

  Glancing into the dirt, he found a trail of hoof prints that rounded their way back towards town. They looked fresh. Jay’s heart skipped a beat. He nudged his horse forward and they’d reached the first building when he heard something.

  “Get off,” a familiar voice cried out.

  “Auntie Emma!” Slade shouted, recognizing her voice as well. Everyone jumped, including the horse. He shifted restlessly, dancing forward several steps before Jay could rein him in. But it was enough to see into the next alleyway where a gray horse was standing next to two people.

  She was there. Before Jay knew what he was doing, he was off the horse and stalking towards them. He thought he heard Emma say his name, but when Jay saw her, he only saw the blood on her lip and the fear in her eyes. Anger ripped across his body as he turned to Bryan Jackson.

  The kid had talked big about everything for so long that everyone had taken him as a joke. This wasn’t funny. He’d made Jay question his marriage, endangered his niece and nephew, and hurt his wife. Jay didn’t hesitate as he swung his right fist at Bryan.

  “Hey!” the kid yelped. “She wanted it!” He tried to fight Jay, but he didn’t have the skills or experience. Jackson soon fell to the floor in a bloody mess. Jay reeled back for another punch when a soft hand covered his hand.

  “Jay, please.” Emma whispered shakily.

  It brought him back to the moment. He could feel his entire body shaking. The tension in his shoulders didn’t go away, however, until he took a step back and reconsidered whether or not he really wanted to kill the young man.

  Bryan Jackson deserved it. The town would agree. Men who acted like that around women had a tendency to try over and over until someone stopped them for good. No one would blame Jay for stopping him. That felt right until he thought of Emma right there.

  He inhaled deeply. Emma still held his hand, rubbing a thumb across the palm. Neither of them was certain if she was doing it to comfort herself or him. Jay forced himself to swallow the rage. Emma was safe, and that was the important thing.

  Chapter Thirteen

  He was looking at the body, but she couldn’t stop looking at him. Everything had happened in such a rush that Emma couldn’t think straight. Adrenaline pumped through her heart and every part of her felt raw. There were spots on her body that felt dirty from Bryan Jackson’s grabby hands. She wanted to lie down, run, and melt all at once. All she knew was that Jay had found her. He had found her and saved her.

  “I found Auntie Emma!”

  “No, I found her first!”

  The children’s voices stirred Emma from her daze. She turned to the street. They were safe after all. Relief loosened the tension in her shoulders. Emma wanted to go to them but first she turned back to Jay. He was still breathing hard. But he looked at her then and brushed his fingers against the edge of her jaw. His brow was creased, but she knew he wasn’t glaring at her.

  “I’m all right,” she assured him just as he touched the arm she had tucked up against her ribs. She had noticed the dirt and some bruises but had forgotten about that limb. When he touched her wrist, Emma gasped as blinding pain tore through her.

  He shook his head. Dark hair fell across his forehead as he turned back to the body and then back to Emma. Like herself, he was still thinking. “Doctor,” Jay managed. “I’m taking you to the doctor.”

  “But the children,” Emma shook her head. “And the picnic—and supper—Jay, I didn’t mean to leave them.”

  They started towards the children and she bumped into him several times, the shock still wearing off. After the fourth bump, Jay looped an arm around her waist. It was a soft touch for such a strong man.

  It was different than Mr. Jackson’s grip in many ways. Mostly in how Jay respected her and how well she realized they fit together. “The doctor is down the street,” he said softly when they reached the children. “We’ll stop there, and I’ll tell him …” Jay didn’t have to finish it.

  “Auntie Emma!” the children chorused.

  Emma managed a smile, her uninjured hand squeezing their legs. “Are you all right? I’m so sorry I left you.”

  Though she planned to walk alongside the horse with Jay, he dropped his hand from her waist. “May I? I need you to hold onto the children,” Jay added after a moment. His voice was rough and low. Slowly she nodded, allowing him to lift her into the saddle.

  The children talked eagerly, telling her of what had happened after she was taken away. Amber and Slade had attempted to follow after their aunt but had quickly grown distracted with a rabbit. Both children were uninjured, untouched, and happy with their adventure that day.

  Her eyes closed as she offered a short prayer of gratitude. She could still feel her heartbeat moving faster than ever before. Every time she looked around, Emma expected the cowboy to pop up and whisk her back to the shadows. Just thinking about his hot breath on her neck made her shudder.

  “Emma?”

  She avoided his gaze, clutching the children tight and not wanting to worry him. “I’m all right.”

  They reached the doctor’s place. Amber and Slade ran to knock on the door as Jay tied the horse to the post. Then he turned to Emma and hesitated. When he raised his hands to her, they both noticed the drying blood on his knuckles. His eyes met hers and she nodded without hesitation.

  That was enough for him to wrap his hands around her waist, lifting her back onto the ground. She didn’t shudder.

  Dr. Hunt ushered them in, telling the children to find his cat on the piano and inviting Emma and Jay take a seat in the next room. “So you’re the new Mrs. Marsh. I’ve been wanting to meet you. I’m sorry it’s under these circumstances.”

  “As am I,” she offered a tight smile.

  “She was attacked,” Jay cleared his throat, diving right in. His eyes drifted towards the children before pointing to her arm. “It might be broken.”

  The doctor immediately noticed his hand. “And it looks like you might be bleeding.” He hesitated and glanced between them. She shifted uncomfortably, wondering what it was until he asked his probing question. “Mrs. Marsh, who were you attacked by?”

  “Not Jay,” Emma supplied, noticing his concern. Jay glanced at her before glancing at his hands. He flexed them carefully. She could see one hand was already swelling and worried about him not being able to work at the forge. This was all her fault. Swallowing, she turned back to the doctor. “It was B
ryan Jackson. Jay rescued me. I don’t know how, but he found me and—and well …”

  Jay sighed. “I beat him. He’s lying in the alley by the saloon.”

  Seeing that the doctor hesitated, Emma tugged at the shawl she had pinned to her blouse. She tore it off and shifted her blouse to reveal her aching shoulder. Both men shifted uneasily at the bare flesh but there was no reason to be shy. She was in front of a doctor and her husband, after all. It was this one or her ribs. She could tell the latter would be the most painful, but she could tell the ones on her shoulder would look like fingers. Fingers too small for Jay.

  Her husband stared darkly at her shoulder. “I need to tell the sheriff.”

  Dr. Hunt sighed. “You had best bring him back here. He’ll need to hear my opinion,” he pointed out when Jay hesitated, “and you need to get those hands taken care of. Go see my wife in the kitchen. She should have a piece of raw meat you can set against them on your walk to the jailhouse. In the meantime,” he motioned to Emma.

  Jay hesitated as though he had just realized he would have to be leaving Emma alone. She didn’t like the sound of being apart from him either, but she nodded anyways. “I’ll be fine,” she assured her husband. “Just hurry back.”

  ***

  While he was gone, the children played with the cat and Emma learned it was a sprain, not a broken bone, in her wrist. She was given ointment for her bruises and split lip. What she needed most was rest, Dr. Hunt told her.

  Jay returned soon with the sheriff. They talked as Jay’s swollen and bloody hands were taken care of. Fortunately, their story was believed.

  “He won’t be bothering the town again,” the sheriff assured them. “Kid could hardly walk straight on his way out, but he heard it straight from me—he can’t step back in this here town again. Everyone knows what kind of yellow-bellied crook he is. Don’t worry,” he directed this line to Emma. “You’ve seen the last of Jackson.”

  Clutching her bandaged arm, Emma nodded. “Thank you.”

  “We’re grateful,” Jay added. Then his voice turned softer. “I think it’s time we all went home. Does that sound all right?”

  “It sounds perfect,” she confessed, shifting uncomfortably before stepping closer to Jay.

  His arm reached around her waist again as the two of them gathered the children and the horse to return home. After the children were tucked into bed and the doors were locked, Jay and Emma sat down beside each other in the front room.

  Emma didn’t want to go to bed, but she didn’t know what else to do. Jay joined her there wordlessly, not wanting to leave her alone. They stared ahead, accepting the inevitability of the night. But still neither of them moved, not having the energy and not wanting to disturb each other. They eventually fell asleep with her head on his shoulder.

  Chapter Fourteen

  It had been a week since the incident. Jay didn’t know what else to call it, and they hadn’t talked about it since. All he knew was that the next morning, he carried her to bed and told the children they were going to have a quiet morning. No work, no school, just a quiet day as a family.

  “Can we eat it?” Amber pleaded when the doctor’s wife, Marie Hunt, dropped off a fresh rhubarb pie with some more ointment. “Please? Please?”

  Jay nodded. “Just don’t make a mess.” When he glanced back in the bedroom, Emma was still asleep in bed. She had dark circles under her eyes and the bandage around her arm intimidated him. Returning to the kitchen, Jay cut the pie and kept the kids busy for a while more.

  It was only when the sun began to set that Jay returned to the bedroom to gently nudge Emma awake. Every time he touched her now, he worried that it would remind her of Jackson. But she offered him a smile and his concerns faded.

  “You should eat something,” he whispered. “It’s suppertime.”

  She glanced out the window and inhaled sharply. “Why didn’t you wake me? I’m sorry, I don’t …”

  Jay shook his head. “You don’t need to apologize for everything. Besides, you need your rest. Come on out, the children have been asking about you. Once we get some pie in you, I’ll let you come right back to bed.”

  Following him out of the room, she ruffled her hair with her uninjured arm. Emma stumbled and bumped into Jay. “What about the forge, Jay?”

  “Family is more important.” He shook his head and helped her grab a bite to eat before she returned to bed. Amber and Slade felt the tiredness sweep over the house as well, so everyone was in bed before the stars were shining.

  ***

  It took a few more days before everyone started back to normal.

  His thoughts turned to Emma more often than usual. She was a strong woman, a strong and beautiful young woman who Jay couldn’t take for granted. He needed to do better by her. This woman, this wife of his, deserved so much more. She deserved to feel safe, to feel loved, to have everything she ever wanted. Almost losing her had made him realize that he needed to do better. Jay just hoped what he had would be enough.

  Now, he wanted to do something for her. Another picnic, one further into the grove. He didn’t want all of her memories there to be terrible. There was too much beauty and light for that. So he closed up shop early that day, stopping by the mercantile and café on his way home.

  “Jay!” Emma beamed when she saw him walk through the door. Slade peeked out from the chair he was hiding behind. Whatever game they were playing was forgotten as he entered. “You’re home early,” she studied him carefully. “Are you all right?”

  “Of course.” He nodded, showing off the basket. Her eyes widened and Jay was glad to see that the dark circles around her eyes had faded. “We’re going on a picnic.”

  Amber arrived from the bedroom and the two children shouted in excitement. Emma removed her apron and joined him in the hallway. Her injured arm swung lightly to the side. “Is everything all right?”

  His eyes widened. “Yes, yeah.” He nodded, wondering why she was worried. “I thought we could have a night where you don’t have to work. Where none of us do. Just a—a night for us to enjoy. As a family?”

  After a moment of studying his face, Emma smiled. “That sounds lovely.”

  They took a horse and wagon down the road. Emma’s knee nudged his twice on the way, making his heart flutter. Once they reached the grove, the blanket and food were laid out. Everyone ate eagerly, enjoying the meal he had splurged on. Everything was picking up for them, after all. The work, the money, everything.

  “So? What’s the occasion?” Emma spoke up as the children took off running. Jay’s heart skipped a beat as he looked up to find her scooting closer to him after moving aside his plate.

  He glanced at his hands, finding his stomach in a knot. “What do you mean?”

  Shrugging, Emma scooted even closer, careful with her injured arm. “Delicious food and no work? We used a horse and wagon to drive here. Something must be on your mind.”

  Kind, beautiful, and too sharp to deceive. Jay felt the back of his neck burning up at her curious stare. He tried to remember the words he had been spending the last week trying to put together. “Well, I … I wanted to talk. To you.”

  “You can talk to me whenever you like.”

  “I know,” he chuckled as she cocked her head. “But I wanted to … to really talk.” Taking a deep breath, Jay put out his hands. She stared at them before putting hers in his. “This started as a marriage of convenience. A rather unexpected one.” He cleared his throat and squeezed her hands lightly. “After my first wife left me, I didn’t think I would love again.

  “There wasn’t a part of me that wanted to make that mistake again. Especially with Amber and Slade, I wanted to take every precaution. But last week …

  “It reminded me that I was being a coward,” Jay admitted, glancing at her hands. They were beautiful and thin and sprinkled with freckles. And they were easier to look at than her face. He swallowed, trying to use the right words. “Remember that sermon? The preacher was right. God was rig
ht. Marriage is a—a sacred bond and I haven’t done right by you. But I want to. Now, more than anything. I love you, Emma.”

  He heard the sharp inhale but couldn’t convince himself to look at her. Everything was out there before them. Now she knew she held his heart in her hands.

  “Come here.” Emma tugged them to their feet. “Look.” She gestured to the children attempting to catch a frog. “They’re precious. You’ve been wonderful with them.”

  Jay didn’t know what to say. Perhaps she was just trying to let him down easy. His eyes studied the children as they laughed. They didn’t care if they never caught the frog. They just had fun trying. Finally, he gathered the courage to look at Emma

  She was looking at him with the biggest smile he had ever seen.

  Now that she had his attention, she touched his cheek. “That first day when I saw you with them,” Emma explained softly, “I knew you were a good man. You’ve done nothing but prove yourself a hundred times better every day. I’m sorry I didn’t have the courage to tell you before. I love you too, Jay.”

  His cheeks hurt before he realized it was because of how wide he was smiling. Both of them stood there, grinning at each other. The despair and the doubt were gone. All that was there was the lightest feeling of dancing on clouds.

  Jay could hardly believe it. He wanted to sing and dance and shout. But more than anything, he wanted to hold his wife. Scooping her up, the two of them sealed their words with a kiss.

  The End