Amy marveled at the way that Thomas insisted on preparing every meal by her side; and she simply had to admit that, though she’d never breathe a word of this notion to him, Thomas’ culinary skills exceeded her own.
“What is the meaning of this?” she asked him one day, talking between bites of a succulent Texas steak that he had prepared for dinner. “My dear departed husband, God rest his soul, didn’t even know the difference between a ladle and a lentil.”
Thomas laughed.
“I do love your way with words,” he praised her.
More than willing to share her own gift—one that involved a love of reading, teaching and learning—Amy read to Thomas each night by the fire, reciting classics such as Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” to “Les Miserables” by Victor Hugo and explaining their deeper meanings and contexts to a fascinated Thomas.
“I cannot thank you enough, Ma’am, for introducing me to all of these wonderful books,” he told her one evening, clutching her hands between them in front of a raging fire, “Oh, I did my share of reading in school, to be sure, and Ma read me her poetry; but we never did peruse the classics. And I love the way that you interpret each story, coming up with so many bright ideas about each and every one of them.” He paused here, adding as he leaned forward to erase all distance between them, “You’re a whole new world, my lovely—one I long to explore.”
Amy froze, setting her beloved copy of “Pride and Prejudice” aside as she discovered a gentleman even more handsome and captivating than her beloved Mr. Darcy—and, she had to admit, far warmer and kinder.
“And did I mention more handsome?” she mused now, admiring the way that Thomas’ carved, bronzed face shone radiant in the light of the fire—along with the long silken mane of golden hair that likened him to an angel.
With very good reason, she figured.
She did not resist as he covered her lips with his, his full soft lips massaging hers in the sweetest of kisses.
For a moment the couple lingered close, their lips smacking together as their arms clasped between them and he drew her closer to him.
Sinking contently in his big, strong arms, Amy relaxed and succumbed to the feeling of being loved and cared for; their bodies writhing together as his hands ran down the length of her work weary back like warm water, coaxing and massaging as she allowed herself the luxury of truly being loved.
“Heaven help me Amy, but I’m falling in love with you,” he whispered against her lips, adding as he cradled her to him, “Suddenly I don’t remember much of what my life was like before you came along.”
Amy froze, pursing her lips as she struggled to conjure an image of the man who had given her the child now growing in her belly.
Then, after summoning only a fading, scratchy image of her late husband, she excused herself and retired to bed.
*****
He hated himself.
Again.
Standing once again at the center of his prized rose bed, Thomas paused in his morning duties to once again reflect on a romantic evening gone awry.
“I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that she loves me too. I can see it in her eyes, I can feel it in her kiss,” he mused, adding with a sigh of deep frustration, “I can give her everything that my world has to offer: the love of a good man who—in her eyes at least, I ain’t no judge—is passing good looking as well. A beautiful home. Good food and roses.” He paused here, adding as he kicked some errant dirt beneath his feet, “Even so, every moment I’m with her, I’m competing with a ghost. I can never be her first husband.”
He fell silent then as he felt her behind him; her presence haunting him as always as the wild Texas winds blew fierce around them.
Turning slowly to face a (for once) silent Amy, he spread his arms between them as he declared, “Amy, I swear I had no intentions of hurting you last night, or of being too forward. As I have told you, you are never forced to do anything with me that you are not prepared to do.” He paused here, adding as he lifted his chin to proud effect, “I do need to know, however, just where I stand with you Darlin’. Are we business partners here at the ranch? Are we the best of friends?”
With these words he stared deep into her eyes, which at this point reflected no discernible emotion; making no move to walk closer to her, even as his heart reached out to her.
“Are we in love?” he entreated her, voice barely above a whisper. “Tell me the truth, Amy.”
In lieu of offering Thomas a verbal reply, Amy ran forward into his arms; letting loose a deep, heartfelt sob as she sank resigned in his encompassing embrace.
“Yes,” she released on a belabored breath, clutching her new lover closer than close.
Even as he cradled his beloved with strong loving arms, Thomas shook his head in a show of blatant confusion as he considered her cryptic answer.
“Yes,” Amy repeated, adding as she drew back to grace him with a soft beneficent smile, “Yes, we are ‘partners’—the roses that we grow are beyond beautiful, and I love this land just as much as my own. Yes, we are friends—you understand me in a way that no one ever has, not even my husband. You perceive me as smart and funny, not just pretty. You actually listen to me when I speak, and you encourage me to share what I know and teach you things. Most men, they cannot be taught.”
With these words she seized his sumptuous lips in a passionate kiss; conveying her love in an affectionate gesture that he returned with the greatest love.
“And yes, I do love you,” she declared in a whisper, adding as she took his chiseled face in her loving hands and memorized every flawless feature with the gentle stroke of her fingertips, “More than I can say, Thomas. And I promise never again to run from you. Never, my darling.”
She gasped as a besotted Thomas fell to his knees before her, clutching her hands in his as he bent low to kiss her slippered feet.
“I love you,” he returned with a sob, adding as he stared up at her with adoring eyes, “And I promise never to leave you. Never, my darling.”
With great reluctance the couple pulled away from one another and returned to their work; pausing throughout the day to steal kisses, share jokes and secret smiles, and hold hands even as they tended the roses that both so adored.
Taking things a step further, Thomas gathered a rich assortment of fresh golden blooms, radiant as they shone in the light of a bright Texas sun, and gathered them in the form of an ebullient bouquet; holding the luminous arrangement behind his back as he approached her with a teasing smile.
“I have a surprise for you, my lady,” he told her, adding as his hand sprang forth with his ebullient nature made gift, “Although their beauty does not rival your own, I do hope that you’ll still accept and enjoy them.”
Staring at the bouquet with wide eyes, Amy let loose with a sharp gasp as her gaze focused on its fresh golden beauty.
“So I take it you like the bouquet?” Thomas asked with a chuckle. “I sure am glad, Darlin’.”
His eyebrows shot upward as she took the flowers from his offering hand, clutching their stems with unseeing tightness as she let loose with a low sharp moan.
“So it seems you REALLY like the bouquet,” her suitor observed, adding as he cocked his head in what seemed a show of keen curiosity, “Its beauty, in fact, seems to have stunned and left you speechless beyond the point of reason.”
Doubling over with a loud, sharp shriek, Amy gasped as she kept a fierce hold on the erstwhile stems of her rich rose gift.
“Now Amy,” Thomas observed, softening his next words with a gentle smile, “You don’t have to exaggerate your enthusiasm for my benefit—the roses are hardly culled from real gold, you know….”
“Could you shut your dang smooth talkin’ mouth for 10 seconds or so? I’m in pain here!” Amy bellowed, adding as she dro
pped her flowers sharp to her side and grabbed her bulging stomach with clutching hands. “The baby is coming! Now, if not sooner!”
Gasping outright, Thomas rushed forward to scoop his wailing lady up in two sheltering arms and run for the house with feverish steps; not stopping until he had lain her trembling body in the sheets of her soft bed.
“I’m going to run into town and get Doc Adams, the man that delivered me into this world and has taken care of our family for years,” he told her, identifying the kindly silver haired physician who had brought him into the world as well as helped to ease his parents’ transition out of it. “Don’t move from that spot, Amy!”
Rolling her eyes heavenward, his irritable patient pitched her head backwards and let loose with a howl that betrayed her pain.
“Rest assured I won’t,” she promised him, adding as she shook her head from side to side, “I mean, where would I go exactly?”
Thomas thought a moment, then nodded.
“Right, good point,” he answered, adding as he raced for the staircase, “I love you!”
*****
In all of his years practicing medicine, Dr. Calvin Adams had never seen a patient in greater distress; one whose obvious degrees of pain and exhaustion were painful to regard.
“Are you sure you don’t want to lie down a while?” he asked, squeezing the hand of the stricken soul who now kneeled motionlessly next to a convenient bed.
Jumping to his feet with a sharp grunt of protest, an indignant Thomas Wyatt balled his fists at his sides as he considered these patronizing words.
“I’m absolutely fine, thank you very much,” he informed his concerned physician, adding as he made a broad gesture in the direction of the bed before them, “And, for that matter, so are Amy and Amelia.”
Letting loose a mighty shriek that would do her mother proud, the blue eyed, porcelain skinned baby Amelia jumped in the sheltering arms of her mother, who opened her eyes to regard her beloved with a sweet, gracious smile.
“This isn’t even your baby,” she reminded him as she reached forward to take his hand in hers, “Yet you stayed here by my side as we brought her into the world together,” she paused here, adding as her eyes widened in what seemed a show of sheer wonder, “And you didn’t even pass out cold!”
Thomas laughed, bringing her hand to his soft lips for a warm, affirming kiss.
“As far as I’m concerned, Ma’am, you both belong to me now,” he told her, adding as she met these words with arched eyebrows and a side eyed glance, “While still remaining strong individual types, of course. And, furthermore, I belong to the two of you as well. Although I never shall venture to replace your daughter’s father, in your memory or her heart, I aim to be the very best father and companion that I can be for our odd little family here.”
Amy frowned.
“Father and…companion?” she repeated, adding as those feathered eyebrows shot up to an all-time high, “Could you perhaps think of a better word to define your relations with me, Cowboy?”
Thomas pursed his lips; getting the sinking feeling he’d just said something wrong—and how.
“Partner?” he suggested.
Amy shook her head.
“Nope,” she insisted, pursing her own pearl pink lips in a show of distaste as Thomas shuffled his feet beneath him. “Try again.”
Thomas paused; keen awareness dawning in his eyes as—fully and finally—he caught the lady’s meaning.
“Husband?” he suggested. “Could this be the word you are looking for?” he paused, here, adding as his azure eyes flew wide with the dawning of awareness, “You mean you’re finally ready to become my bride?”
Without awaiting Amy’s reply, an elated Thomas turned to the doctor who in all likelihood just gave birth to the first of many babies in this house and told him, “Hear that, Doc? You’re my witness. This fine lady here just said she’d marry me.”
Then without hesitation, the groom-to-be dropped to his knees beside the bed. And this time, the doc noticed as he gathered a gurgling baby Amelia in his arms, Thomas looked once again like he just might faint as he took Amy’s hands in his.
“Miss Amy,” he declared, adding as he stared deep into her eyes, “I love you so true, more than life itself. Would you do me the honor of becoming my bride?”
Amy smiled.
“Thought you’d never ask,” she cooed with a playful wink, adding in a softer, more sincere tone, “I would be honored, Thomas, to be your bride.”
Surging forward across the bed, the couple’s lips collided in an impassioned kiss; one whose ardent tenderness seemed binding in nature. Thomas seized Amy’s mouth with the fondest ardor, his full soft lips massaging hers as they murmured with contentment.
For just a moment Amy felt their surroundings dissolve around them; leaning hard into Thomas’ kiss as they drew closer together.
Then suddenly she remembered that they were not alone. Eyes flying open in a single smooth flourish, she broke their kiss as she pointed a not so subtle finger in the direction of their family doctor.
“Sorry,” the couple mumbled in synch, averting their gazes to the physician who now shaded Amelia’s eyes as he let loose with an affectionate chuckle.
“You certainly do have two insane parents,” he informed a gurgling Amelia, adding with a wink, “And I do believe that I’ve never met a more fortunate child.”
*****
Five months later
For the occasion of her second wedding, Amy had no desire to revisit the wedding chapel that served as the cornerstone of her provincial hometown. That chapel, she believed, would always be a special place for her and Vance; a place where memories lived.
Instead, and as suited their usual style, she and Thomas did things their own way; choosing to marry in the center of their rose field.
“This is the same place where you repeatedly insisted that you never would love me,” he reminded her.
Amy rolled her eyes.
“Go on and rub it in Cowboy,” she chided him, even as she reached forward to kiss him senseless for what had to be the tenth time. That day.
On the morning of their wedding, Amy wore a lush ivory calico concoction that consisted of a polonaise—one boasting a yoke front and back trimmed in ruffled lace—and a frothy bustled full length skirt with a flounced trim and a lengthy cascading train; one that also came lined with the finest lace. She carried a dew glistened bouquet of radiant golden roses, picked from her own garden; additional floral adorned the strands of her free flowing reddish gold hair, in the form of fresh grown baby’s breath that completed her ethereal look.
The beams of a brilliant Texas sun guided her tender footfall as she made her way between fresh blooming rows of golden roses; the most splendorous of which stood tall and proud at the center of the garden.
It seemed odd, she figured, to compare her very masculine figure of a future husband to a rose; yet as she beheld the manner in which his flowing blond hair and bronzed face both shone in the light above them, and the way his crystalline eyes came aglow the moment he saw her, she knew full well that the comparison fit.
Briefly dragging her gaze away from the subject of her keen attention, she beamed at the assembly of family and friends gathered to witness their nuptials that day.
Her smile shone especially bright the moment she saw Amelia, herself adorned in a charming lilac print calico dress with a lace collar, puffed sleeves and full skirt. A matching floral headband on top of her still bald head completed the adorable look.
Holding Amelia was a glowing Aunt Grace, herself wearing a puffed sleeved, high collared dress of lavender calico as well as a snide smile; one that just seemed to scream, “I told you so.”
Finally Amy’s gaze returned to the man of her heart; one dressed resplendent
and much in the fashion of a frontier groom.
Wearing a sleek cotton yoked shirt with a banded collar and stamped metal buttons, along with a black paisley vest with matching jacket and trousers as well as a smart bolo tie, Thomas looked every inch the handsome dashing bridegroom; one who held out his hands to her as she joined him at the altar.
The couple stared deep into each other’s eyes as their attending pastor—a short, balding gentleman who appeared just a bit out of place at the center of a field but smiled gamely all the same—began to state the classic and conventional vows of matrimony.
Then, as there was nothing remotely conventional about the two of them and their most peculiar romance, they said vows all their own—because they could.
“My darling Amy,” Thomas addressed his new wife, tone warm and sincere. “When I ordered myself a mail order bride, I well imagined a woman that reflects your beauty and grace. I never imagined someone of your incredible spirit and amazing intelligence. You are an exquisite human being, Amy, and I look forward to spending the rest of my life with you and Amelia.”
Amy smiled.
“My dear Thomas,” she returned, clasping his hands tight between hers. “When I answered your ad for a mail order bride, I was darned and determined not to fall in love with you—and the sole reason I use the word darned, mind you, is because my aunt and daughter are present. Yep, my convictions ran pretty strong. Darned strong, as a matter of fact,” she paused here to acknowledge the laughter of the crowd, adding in a softer, more serious tone, “I never imagined that I could fall in love again; but when a woman meets the perfect man—one who is kind, handsome, intelligent, hardworking, and endlessly loving—what else can she do?”
“Well, I know what you do,” he told her, adding as he swept his new wife up in his strong arms and pulled her closer to him, “You marry him.”
Amy thought a moment, then nodded.
“Well if you insist Cowboy. I’ll do just that,” she assented, adding as she waggled her eyes in something of a playful tease, “As long as you agree to give me one of those kisses for which you really should be famous. Then another. Then another. And if you fancy, you can keep on kissing me, for the rest of our lives.”
Romance: Detective Romance: A Vicious Affair (Victorian Regency Intrigue 19th England Romance) (Historical Mystery Detective Romance) Page 76