“Why not?” He lifted the cloths off her hands and tossed them onto the table. “If you’re going to stay here, your Assembly of Elders is sure to find you a husband. If not Foley, there will be someone else ready to marry you. I don’t want you to get the idea that the someone else is me.”
Pulling away and standing, she snapped, “I don’t want to marry anyone. Especially not you.”
Wyatt grabbed Rachel’s arm and whirled her to face him. Shock shone in her eyes, and he knew his mouth was twisted with fury. He pulled her to him, so tightly that he could enjoy every inch of her soft curves beneath her gown’s thin fabric.
“Good, because I don’t want to marry you. I want this from you.” His mouth covered hers.
An explosion, as powerful as the storm above them, coursed through him. When she curved her arms up around him, he caught her elbows and held her hands away, taking care not to touch her ravaged palms. As eagerly as if he had never kissed her before, his lips explored hers. When he drew her back down to the sofa, leaning over her so he could delight in her so close to him, she did not resist. Why would she? The soft eagerness in her eyes had told him that he was doing exactly as she longed for him to do.
With a strangled gasp, Rachel sat up, moving away.
His hand against her cheek gently turned her face back toward him. “What’s wrong?”
“You know what’s wrong. No matter how much I wish otherwise, while I’m considering marrying Mr. Foley, I shouldn’t share these delicious kisses with you.”
“You aren’t married to him yet.” He pressed his lips to her neck, and she quivered.
“No.” She drew away again. “I can’t let you seduce me into doing something that could persuade Merrill that I can’t be trusted to make my own decisions.”
“Honey, you’re deciding to be with me here.”
She shook her head, and her soft hair brushed his face. He wanted to pull it around him so he could breathe in the very essence of her. “You don’t understand.”
“You’re right. I don’t understand why we’re talking when we could—”
“Stop.” She raised her hands between them.
Did she realize that he would not draw them away, for that would hurt her? Did she realize how desperately he longed to press her back onto the sofa and make love with her?
“Rachel …”
She put the tip of one finger to his lips. When she winced, he knew even that slight motion had brought her pain. Before he could scold her for being silly, she said, “If Merrill decides that I’m unable to make reasonable decisions, he’ll insist I marry Mr. Foley right away.”
“He can’t force you to marry Foley.”
“You wouldn’t say that if you really understood.”
He seized her shoulders, keeping her from standing. “Tell me. Tell me the truth, so I can understand why you’d acquiesce to his demands.”
She put her hands out to push him aside. A soft whimper burst from her lips. Instantly, he grasped her wrists, holding her hands up away from both of them.
“Tell me, honey,” he said. “Tell me so I know what’s scaring you so much.”
“This is scaring me. This longing for you that I can’t control.”
“Because you’re supposed to marry Foley?”
She shook her head. “This has nothing to do with him.”
“Then what is it?”
“Kitty Cat.”
“What on earth does the kid have to do with this?”
She raised her earth-brown eyes to meet his gaze. In them, he could see her craving for his kisses and caresses. He did not need a mirror to know that the same yearning shone from his.
“Everything, Wyatt. This wanting you—an outsider to River’s Haven—is wrong!”
“That’s your Assembly of Elders preaching, not you.”
“But it’s wrong!”
“Are you going to repeat it enough so you’ll believe it?”
She looked away.
“Rachel, answer me,” he ordered softly.
She flinched as rain struck the window. He looked past her. He had forgotten all about the storm as he fought the tempest trying to control his every thought.
“Once the rain is past,” she said, “you should leave.”
“Why?”
“I’ve told you why.” She came to her feet.
He stood and put his hands on her shoulders. “You haven’t told me anything. All I know is that you’re frightened. What are you frightened of?”
“Of losing Kitty Cat.”
“Why would you lose her?”
“Merrill thinks I’m more concerned about Kitty Cat than I am about the Community.”
“Of course you are.”
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “But it’s not supposed to be that way. We are all supposed to care about each other in River’s Haven.”
Going over to the table, he swore as he picked up the cloths and threw them back at the bucket of warm water by the stove.
“Wyatt, try to understand.”
“I would if you’d explain.”
Tears filled her eyes but did not overflow on her cheeks. “If I lose Kitty Cat, I’ll be all alone.”
“You have your brother and the whole Community here and the village of Haven.”
“If I lose Kitty Cat, I’ll be all alone,” she repeated. “You’re going to leave as soon as The Ohio Star is repaired. You’ve got your life on the river. My life is here with Kitty Cat.”
“But I thought she’s only been with you for three or four months.”
“In that time, she’s filled my heart with such joy that I can’t begin to describe it.”
Something twinged in him. Envy? That was ludicrous! He was glad the kid and Rachel had found each other. They needed each other, just as he needed his free life on The Ohio Star. So why did her words refuse to stop resonating in his head—She has filled my heart? Why did that ache of longing and loss resound within him like thunder?
She gazed at him with those soft eyes and those delicious lips, and he wondered why he was fighting the truth. He wanted her to want him. He wanted there to be a place in her heart for him, so she would be waiting here, happy with her life of raising K. C., whenever he passed this section of the Ohio. Rachel would be here, eager and loving and responsive to his touch.
There was a broken-down pier in the river below River’s Haven. He imagined her standing there, the wind sifting through her hair as his fingers longed to do. As The Ohio Star rounded the bend, he would see her waiting for him and the passion that would be hotter than the fire in the boat’s boiler.
But would she be willing? She had said she did not want to marry anyone in this community—or anyone else. That suited him perfectly, just as she fit within his arms perfectly. No marriage, no ties, just a shared need that would be satisfied each time he held her. Would she be willing to agree to such an arrangement?
“Rachel—”
The door opened, and K. C. rushed in along with windswept rain. As Wyatt closed the door, the little girl shook water from her hair and ran to hug Rachel. K. C. gave Rachel a quick squeeze before turning to throw her arms around his waist. Words exploded out of the little girl as she tried to tell him about everything she had done since she last saw him.
He listened to K. C. but watched as Rachel sank down to the sofa. As K. C. looked at Rachel’s blisters and cooed as if she were the mother and Rachel the child, he said nothing. The arrangement he wanted to offer Rachel could bring them both what they wanted. He could not ask her when the child was here and listening, but he would ask her at the social. It could be the perfect setup, for she would not lose the child and he would not lose her. All he had to do was convince her to agree.
Twelve
The morning of Merrill’s latest wedding ceremony dawned as hot as midday. Fog clung to the river, warning that the day ahead would be so humid drawing a single breath would be a challenge.
Rachel took one look in the mirror and
gave up any attempt to arrange her hair. She tied it back with a ribbon, letting it fall down her back. The wisps about her face curled as tightly as Kitty Cat’s hair.
Smoothing her brown skirt that was edged with dark brown velvet, she smiled. The skirt was split to reveal the cranberry plaid petticoat beneath it. The same fabric decorated the lapels of the close-fitting jacket she had closed with velvet-covered buttons over her favorite white blouse.
Going out to the main room where her brother was pacing, she laughed. “Merrill, you look as nervous as a bridegroom at his first wedding.”
“It never gets easier.” He gave her a grin. “Miss Page wants everything to be perfect.”
“It will be.” She straightened his bow tie that was the same black as his double-breasted coat and trousers. She handed him his gloves, laughing again when she saw how his fingers trembled. “Would you like something to drink before the ceremony? Miss Page wouldn’t be pleased if you swooned in front of your guests.”
“Maybe that’s a good idea.”
“I believe there’s some wine in the cupboard. Pour a glass to settle yourself down.” When shouts came from outside the cottage, she saw people gathering in the middle of the common area. She gave her brother a kiss on the cheek before adding, “It sounds as if your guests are waiting for you.”
“I shouldn’t keep them waiting.”
“Or your bride either.”
He chuckled and picked up his silk top hat.
“You look beautiful!” cried Kitty Cat from behind her.
Rachel turned and smiled. For once, the little girl’s gold hair ribbon on the top of her head was not askew, and her white stockings beneath her lacy dress had no holes. The gold sash around the light green dress that was hemmed with wide white lace still had its perfect bow at the back.
“You look beautiful, too, Kitty Cat.”
The little girl twirled about, nearly tipping off her toes.
Catching her and steadying her, Rachel said, “Try to keep this beautiful until at least the wedding ceremony is over.”
“What’s it like?”
“Haven’t you been to a wedding before this?”
Kitty Cat shook her head. “Never. What do I have to do?”
“You and I have to be quiet like all the other guests.” She tied the ribbons of her brown velvet bonnet under her chin. “Merrill and Miss Page will repeat their vows to love each other during their marriage. Then they’ll kiss to seal the promise of their marriage.”
“Kiss?” Her nose wrinkled. “That’s disgusting.”
“You may think differently when you’re old enough to marry. You’ll like when your sweetheart kisses you.”
“Like you like kissing Wyatt?”
Rachel gasped and looked up, hoping that Merrill had left the cottage. He was standing only an arm’s length away, and his frown was fearsome. He had heard every incriminating word Kitty Cat had said.
“Rachel?” asked the little girl. “Are you all right? You look sick.”
“I’m fine.” She came to her feet and gave the little girl a gentle shove toward the door. Not taking her gaze from her brother’s fury, she said, “Go out to the common area and find two chairs for us.”
Kitty Cat glanced at Merrill and faltered. “Rachel, I can—”
“Go! Now!”
The little girl rushed out of the cottage. Through the window, Rachel could see her running across the grass toward where the guests were talking and laughing. She wished she could flee with Kitty Cat, but she looked back at her brother, trying to steel herself for the explosion she knew was coming.
He stepped past her and closed the door. She understood why when his voice rang off the low ceiling as he demanded, “Is it true? Have you been kissing Colton?”
She would not lie. “Yes.”
“How could you break every principle we live by?”
“I haven’t. A single kiss—”
“So it’s been just one kiss?”
Rachel stepped back as the door opened and a man called, “C’mon, Browning. You don’t want to be late for your own wedding, do you? Might give your bride the idea you aren’t interested any longer and she should be looking for someone else.”
Merrill stiffened, warning that the jesting words bothered him. Maybe he did not believe that Miss Page would be any more faithful to him than she had been to her previous husbands. He glanced at Rachel, and she wondered if he was trying to shift his anger onto someone else. Fury darkened his eyes, and his mouth worked, but he said nothing as he walked out of the cottage with his friend.
She dropped to a seat at the table. Holding her face in her hands, she shuddered. How could she have been so stupid? Merrill would not allow her to do anything to get them banished from River’s Haven. For the first time, she wondered what he might do to prevent that.
Rachel sat rigid through the wedding. She kept trying to relax her shoulders because she wanted to keep folks from getting the idea that she did not approve of her brother marrying Helga Page. Keeping her arm around Kitty Cat, she listened as Mr. Carpenter led Merrill and Miss Page through their vows. They were similar to what would be spoken in any church, but there was no mention of “until death do you part.” Instead they pledged for one year from this day to be true to each other and love each other as a family within the family of the Community. A kiss sealed the promise, and flower petals were tossed on the newlyweds as they walked back down the aisle, hand in hand.
She waited for Merrill to look in her direction, but he did not. She blinked back hot tears. He had been angry with her before, but he never had shut her out of his life like this.
Kitty Cat tugged on Rachel’s dress. A thread snapped.
“Be careful!” Rachel cried.
The little girl’s smile crumbled, warning Rachel that her voice had been too sharp. The people around them stared. Taking Kitty Cat’s hand, Rachel edged past the other guests, excusing herself as she mumbled something about making sure the food was perfect for her brother and his bride.
“I’m sorry, Kitty Cat,” she said when they were walking across the grass toward the river. The food would be served closer to the water where it would be cooler and the children could swim in the cove. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”
“Is something wrong?”
“How can anything be wrong when we’re at a wedding?”
Kitty Cat frowned again, and Rachel guessed her good humor had sounded too forced.
“Come and help me arrange the tables,” Rachel said.
This time, as they walked down the steep riverbank, the little girl smiled.
Rachel was also smiling by the time they had taken linen towels off the many dishes that had been set on the tables. Shooing away flies, she listened to the musicians tuning up. The Community boasted a ten-piece orchestra and a marching band twice that size. She was not certain why there was a marching band, because the only place they performed was in the common area.
As the members of the Community swarmed over the food like another cluster of flies, she looked for her brother and Miss Page. Helga, she must remember to call her now that Miss Page had married Merrill.
“Congratulations!” she said when she found them among the crowd around the tables. “May your year together be everything you hope for.”
Merrill’s eyes were still dark with anger, but he kissed her on the cheek. “I hope you’ve taken inspiration from this ceremony, Rachel.”
“Weddings are always inspiring.” She glanced through the crowd, not wanting to chance Mr. Foley overhearing her and getting the idea she had decided to marry him.
She saw him at the far end of the long collection of tables. He was spooning food onto a plate held by Miss Turnbull, his ex-wife. She was nearly as tall as he was, and her luxurious blond hair surrounded a face that was the match for Mr. Foley’s strikingly good looks. No one had been surprised when they had announced their plans to marry. Rachel recalled that they had been sitting with Miss Turnbull’s fami
ly at the wedding.
“My weddings,” cooed Miss Page, bringing Rachel’s attention back to her newest sister-in-law, “are always inspiring.” She kissed Merrill lustily.
Rachel hushed Kitty Cat, who was making a disgusted sound. When Merrill laughed and tweaked the child’s nose, Rachel was astonished and pleased. She hoped her brother’s good mood would last past his wedding day, and he would be more accepting of Kitty Cat.
The musicians began playing, and Rachel twirled Kitty Cat about until the little girl was laughing so hard she could barely stand. As the adults danced, many of the children frolicked at the water’s edge. They shouted and splashed each other and anyone who came too close.
The joyous voices along the river bottom faded as a man appeared at the top of the riverbank. A hush spread across the guests as if the fog were returning. They turned as one when the man shouted Rachel’s name.
Merrill swore under his breath and stamped to Rachel. Taking her by the arm, he growled, “I thought you knew better than to invite him.”
“I didn’t invite anyone.” She jerked her arm away. Squinting into the sunshine, she tried to see who stood on the top of the bank.
“So he just came uninvited?”
She rubbed her arm and glared at him. “Merrill, how can I know if he came uninvited when I don’t know who’s up there?”
“You know it’s Colton!”
She laughed as the man stepped out of the sun’s glare and his silhouette solidified. “Merrill, you’re looking for trouble where there isn’t any. That’s not Wyatt. That man isn’t tall enough.”
“Then who is it?”
Instead of answering him, she walked through the crowd that seemed frozen in shock. After joining the Community most members had little interaction with anyone outside it.
Kitty Cat rushed after her, for once, silent. Rachel almost wished the youngster was tossing questions at her. It would be better than this preternatural quiet.
She reached the slope of the riverbank just as the man was sliding down the last few feet. In amazement, she said, “Reverend Faulkner, this is a pleasant surprise.”
“Good day, Miss Browning.” He smiled. “And to you, Miss Mulligan.” As Kitty Cat preened at being acknowledged by the minister, he continued, sounding as disconcerted as the residents of River’s Haven at his arrival, “Is something going on? I saw the crowd and wasn’t sure if you were here. Then, when I shouted your name, I saw you and your brother.”
Moonlight on Water Page 14