by Kristin Holt
She turned into his touch in a rush of warmth nearly made him tremble.
“I want you. For better or for worse, it’s you and me, Mrs. Taylor. If we can figure this out together, then perhaps we can save Cannon Mining from probable ruin.”
She looked troubled. Not the reaction he was looking for.
“If we fail to reach a compromise, a level of lasting communication with the employees, then at least I’ll know we tried. We gave it our best, and more importantly, I’d like to know I trusted the right person. Josie, I’m willing to trust you, completely, from this moment forward.”
“Why?”
“I’ve given you my name, my ring, my protection. I plan to grow old with you, Josie Anne Taylor. I plan to live a rich and full life with you at my side. You will be the mother of my children.” Emotion clogged his throat and stung his eyes. He finally knew what his wife looked like, and pleasure at her goodness and beauty welled within him.
“I plan to love you. I don’t know when, or how, but I will be madly in love with you— and only you.”
He planned to be in love with her?
He planned to be in love. With her.
He planned to be in love. With her.
So many of the emotions she’d known earlier in the day came rushing back. The amazing realization during his kiss at the wedding that he was her husband. The joyful anticipation she’d felt. She felt it all over again.
Shyness at his intensity, and the fact he made her his entire focus, had her unable to meet his gaze.
“And do you know the best way to fall in love with one’s spouse?”
She shook her head. But if pressed, she knew all it would take, for her to fall utterly and completely in love with him, was a day or two in his company.
“Courtship. Every day. For the rest of her life.” He leaned near and kissed her, a brief and chaste meeting of lips. “And your best response is to to allow my courtship.”
She nodded, awkward and nervous, but breathless too. At the train station when he’d essentially proposed marriage, she’d believed in that moment she could love this man. Now she believed she was already halfway in love with him.
Now she knew so much more about him… his extended family, the burdens he carried in the company, his honest and almost desperate determination to love her and earn her love in return.
How could she resist? And why would she want to?
She could reconcile both views of Mr. Taylor, the charming man who’d looked at her as if she were the only woman in the world, and the businessman who needed what she could give him. A trustworthy, reliable confidant with a view to the world he needed to better understand.
He didn’t only want a solution for his business. The truth was as plain as could be, on his face, in his eyes.
He wanted to love her.
He planned to love her.
She almost couldn’t breathe.
When a man like him made up his mind to do something, to achieve something… he did it. The mere thought that she was the prize he intended to win, that he intended to court her, and eventually win her love, made her nearly dizzy.
Amazing, that he wanted to court her, every day of her life, simply because her love was a prize worth winning. He already had what he needed from her business-wise. She’d married him.that very day, in the eyes of man and God. And marriage was forever.
She’d seen plenty of miserable women, locked in marriages they could barely abide, to men who mistreated them, refused to adequately support their family, and followed insults with injury.
As far as she could tell, Adam Taylor was none of those things.
He wanted to fall madly in love with her.
“I intend,” he continued, “to court you with everything I am, with all that I have on our wedding trip.” His smile melted her heart. “Will you accept my courtship, Mrs. Taylor?”
She melted into a puddle at his feet. “Yes.” She was breathless.
“Yes, Mr. Taylor. Gladly.”
“Now that we’re married, and have begun courting…”
She giggled.
“May I have permission to address you as Josie?”
“Yes. Please do.”
“Will you address me as Adam?”
He brushed light fingertips over the back of her hand, his touch an intimate caress that caused shivers to skate up her limb. “I realize we’ve barely met, but we are husband and wife. Will you do me the great courtesy of addressing me by my first name?”
“If it pleases you.”
He held her gaze, searched her eyes until she couldn’t bear the intimacy any longer and looked away.
“It would please me very much, Josie, if you’d address me as Adam, at least when we are alone. And I thank you for allowing me the honor of using your given name.”
Calling him by name would be easy— she’d never set much store by the rules of the wealthy or socially elite. She’d worked long hours with women of her own station who’d seldom relied on the formalities.
The intensity of his questions, his courtship— it was all too much, too fast. Perhaps a change of subject would be for the best. “Mr. Taylor, Adam, thank you for the kindness you’ve shown me in so many ways. I’d be honored… grateful, if and when you have the time, for your help in relearning my letters.” She swallowed.
Heat warmed her face. “Your gift of stationery was most welcome and very thoughtful. I recognize you have work to do, that this journey to New Mexico will require a great deal of your time over the coming weeks, but I would like very much to be able to write letters to my sister and friends.”
“Madam, I’m honored. I would enjoy nothing more. Consider me at your service.”
His smile, so genuine and full of light and happiness was infectious. She found herself smiling back, the happiness in this secluded journey, the special time they would have alone a gift she’d never anticipated.
She would do all she could to be a pleasant companion. She’d set aside her homesickness, her longing for lost female friends and the gaping hole Lessie had always filled, to ensure her new husband did not regret his choice.
Adam leaned across the small table, sunlight seeming to sparkle in his captivating blue eyes.
Her pulse quickened as he brought his lips ever nearer her own, making his intention understood. He dropped his attention to her mouth then slowly met her gaze once more.
“Mrs. Taylor, Josie, I would very much like to kiss you.”
With newfound bravery, Josie found it easy to reply. “Please do.”
Chapter Seven
When Josie finally pulled away it was a case of self-preservation. She needed to breathe, didn’t she? Adam’s kisses were almost too much to take and as she looked at the handsome, tousled man beside her, catching his own breath, she wondered if it was possible to fall in love so quickly.
She didn’t know what to say after the way his kisses set her afire, so she latched onto the first thing she thought of, a continuation of her previous subject.
“I…” she cleared her throat, wanting nothing more than to turn to him once more. Let him kiss her senseless again. She’d had no idea kisses could make her feel that way. “I attended perhaps two years of school, total. That’s why I don’t write very well. Our father died when we were young, and our mother passed away by the time we were about ten. Lessie fought hard to keep us together, but we were in the factories, working, by age eleven. She sometimes sent me to school and she worked, then I would share with her everything I learned.”
Adam focused on her with flattering intensity. His very interest thrilled her, made her feel special.
So why was she sharing her lack of education with him as if it was the most naturally thing in the world? Was she trying to push her new husband away? Humiliate herself?
His attentiveness made her feel all prickly inside. Her head was still spinning from his kisses. Maybe she should excuse herself and go to bed before she said anything else.
“Would you li
ke me to write your correspondence for you? You could dictate, if you wish, and I’ll merely act as scribe?”
And then he had to go and say that, his kindness overwhelming her… melting her, as did her reaction to him. She must’ve given away some of her uncertainty for he hurried to speak. “But if you’d rather, my dear, I’m happy to allow you all the time you need to write your letters yourself. I’ll assist you in any way I can, including allowing you peace and quiet to do it on your own.”
“Thank you, Mr. Taylor.”
“Adam.”
She nodded. Swallowed. “Adam.” Her voice lowered to a husky pitch.
He shivered, drew in a shaky breath and stared at her mouth. “I’ll give you lessons if you wish. Penmanship. Spelling. I’ll give you anything you wish. Anything.”
Her eyelashes fluttered. “I think I’d better go to bed now.”
Her kisses, her touch, everything about her was amazing. He was anxious to take her in his arms and kiss her some more, but… this was a special woman, his wife. The woman he planned to court every day, every moment possible, for the rest of his life. There was no need to rush. He didn’t want to frighten her away.
He couldn’t help a smile. In his opinion, he’d made very good strides toward warming her up to him. He’d known the courtship would have to come after the wedding in their unconventional relationship, and he’d looked forward to it, but now that he knew more about her, understood the deprivations of her childhood, had enjoyed her kisses, he anticipated the courtship even more.
He could hardly wait to introduce her to the dressmaker who’d joined them for this segment of the journey. But first, he really ought to show her around the car, given it would be their home for the coming week or so. The train swayed gently as it headed south toward Salt Lake City. She’d likely be steady enough on her feet.
He stood and offered her his hand. “May I show you about our temporary residence, Josie?”
She stood, a bit unsteady, and gripped his hand.
“In the front of the car, two small chambers allow for the staff’s privacy. Each contains two berths.”
“Berths?”
“Beds. Small but adequate and comfortable.”
He took her by the arm to steady her and opened a door into the front lavatory. “Facilities for the staff.”
Her eyes rounded at the taps on the sink, and the half-size tub. Cramped, but more than adequate to allow an adult to bathe. At least the size of the tin tub she’d bathed in occasionally at home.
Windows ran the length of this section of the car, with heavy draperies pulled back and secured to allow in daylight and display the scenery. “The draperies can easily be shut if the sunlight is too strong or for privacy when in cities, whenever you wish. All you need do is ask and I’ll gladly shut them, or open. Your choice.”
Several upholstered soft chairs made up a conversation area opposite the dining table. He pointed out the desk secured in a nook. A lamp provided illumination during the dark hours.
He couldn’t resist showing her the stationery he’d prepared just for her.
He opened the drawer and brought out a sheet of cream-colored, textured writing paper, with her name imprinted across the top. Mrs. Adam Taylor. His preference would have been to commission stationery with her monogram or own name, as her letters would be highly personal, but upon accepting the Hadley sisters’ offer, he hadn’t yet know whether Lessie or Josie would become his wife.
Perhaps the next order of stationery supplies would meet his preferences.
“Do you like it?”
“Oh, yes.” She fingered the heavy paper, admired the envelope he offered. “Thank you for your kindness and generosity.”
“You’re welcome.” He didn’t want to resist the urge to touch her with husbandly acknowledgment, so he didn’t. He kissed her brow as if it were commonplace because he wanted it to become just that.
He knew from experience the desk chair was exquisitely comfortable. With both hands upon the leather backrest, he nodded at the drawers. “You’ll find pens of every sort. Pencils, rules, everything you might require.”
“Now, allow me to show you the rest.”
“There’s more?”
He chuckled at her delight. “Of course there is.” He led her around the stout, highly polished bar with taps, bottles of various liquors and crystal glasses. Grandfather had enjoyed the best bourbon and while Adam and Richard drank rarely, they hadn’t had the heart to remove or change the way the private car was stocked.
Adam opened a door. “This is the bunk Richard and I shared when traveling with Grandfather.” He stepped out of the way to allow Josie to see the two beds, one stacked above the other. They remained made up, a nice convenience when traveling with children.
“My parents slept on the sofa.” He indicated the full-size couch near the bar. “The couch folds out to make a bed and draperies are hung on that rod for privacy.”
Josie seemed to take it all in, in awe of the details. “I see the curtain rod— ingenious. But what are those pipes?” She indicated the heating system of pipes that flowed along the baseboards and beneath cabinetry.
“Hot water flows through them for radiant heat. We may need to turn it on while in the mountains or overnight. Do let me know if you’re chilled.”
She smiled— so lovely. He wanted to do all he could to see her smile, often.
“And this is the master suite.” He opened the door and ushered her inside. “It will forever be ‘Grandfather’s bedroom’ in my mind, as until his death, it always was. When we traveled without him, of course, we’d use it. It’s by far and large the most comfortable of all the beds.”
He watched Josie take in the blue damask bedspread, matching decorative pillows piled high at the polished dark wooden headboard, and the complimentary draperies at the windows. A closet made up a segment of the wall separating this compartment from the bar.
“Grandfather did enjoy his conveniences.” Adam opened another door and showed her the lavatory inside. A sink with hot and cold water, and a mirror with good lighting for shaving. “I vaguely remember my grandmother styling her hair before this mirror once when Richard and I traveled with them as children.”
“It’s lovely. All of it.”
“Later, soon, I’ll tell you about my grandparents’ love story. They had one of the greatest loves in the history of the world.”
She must have thought he exaggerated, but this was no fictional tale.
“I’m glad you like it, Josie.” Now seemed the best time to approach the subject he knew he’d have to address before time to retire. “As you’re my wife, I’d like for us to share this chamber, and this bed, for the whole of our journey.”
Chapter Eight
He wanted her in his bed, and he wouldn’t apologize. Nor did he see the wisdom in sleeping in separate beds.
As if Josie lost her footing, she nearly stumbled and clutched the post on the corner of the bed’s foot board. Her expression registered shock, discomfort, and what he didn’t want to acknowledge as fear.
“But with so many beds… I could sleep in the little room with bunks. No one would have to go to the work to make up the couch.”
“Josie.” He took two shallow steps closer. He didn’t want to frighten her, but he also needed to understand her.
“Wouldn’t you be more comfortable… alone?”
“I’d be more comfortable with you beside me.”
“You’re a large man. You need room. I’d crowd you.”
He took her shoulders in his hands, urged her to look at him. “There is no shame in sharing a bed, Darling. We’re well and truly married.”
“I— I understand that. It’s just—” She winced, looked away, anywhere but at him.
“Yes, Josie?”
“It’s just that I’m…”
He waited, his heart pounding, wanting to see their marriage begin well, but completely out of his element. How could he soothe a likely virginal bride when he�
��d never attempted the like before?
“I’m not sure what the stewards will think of us…” A blush had stained her cheeks and the curve of her ears. Absolutely charming.
“They’re well aware we married today, before God, fully legal according to the Territorial government. You’re my wife.”
“I know that. I do.”
A most uncomfortable explanation crowded his thoughts. “How do you view marital relations?”
“I… I’m not sure. I don’t suppose I’ve viewed them. Ever.”
He shouldn’t laugh. He really shouldn’t. But he did smile. And tipped her chin up with the gentle nudge of his knuckle. “Mrs. Taylor— you’re my wife. The order of things is most unusual, with the marriage coming before the courtship and without an engagement period, but I promise you the courtship has begun.”
The rapid pulse point at her throat thrummed in its haste. He wanted to lean down and press a kiss there.
“I’ve already told you I intend to fall madly, deeply in love with you.”
“Y-yes.”
“You haven’t told me whether you’re hopeful you might one day come to care for me. Do you suppose you will one day love me in return?”
Now his heart raced. Had he pushed her too far? Expecting declarations of affection this early seemed ridiculous. Absurd. Risky.
“I…” Josie trembled. “I am hopeful.”
Relief, sweet relief. “Wonderful. After all, I am most sincere regarding every vow I made in the church this afternoon.”
“As am I.”
“Good.” He kissed her lips, a quick, chaste kiss that illustrated his intention to touch her often, kiss her frequently, and ensure she became comfortable around him… eventually.
He’d like to hurry that part along, if he could.
Knowing they were alone, that the well-trained stewards would provide them complete privacy, Adam looked his wife in her dark brown eyes and spoke his heart. “I won’t rush you into consummation, Mrs. Taylor, Josie— but I won’t lie and say I don’t mind waiting.”