When she lifted her gaze and smiled at him, he was pretty sure he knew the answer to that question.
The problem was, he’d never been in this position before and had no idea how to even let her know. What if she wasn’t as happy being married to him? She’d never said anything to indicate how she felt, and he’d known from the beginning this marriage was her only option after being fired from her job. It wasn’t like she was coming here looking for a love match.
“I’ve set everything out ready to make our dinner tonight. I’m sure your parents will be hungry after making the trip here. I need to stop at the mercantile on the way home to pick up a few more things, then I’ll be sure to get home and have the place cleaned up.”
Taking her hand in his, he wished he could feel her skin between the gloves they wore. “Claire, that house is almost scrubbed down to the bare boards and honestly, there isn’t another thing you can possibly find to clean. Stop fretting about my parents being here. They’re staying at the hotel anyway, remember?”
She’d been busy for days cleaning the small cabin completely through—twice. And he knew the meal she’d prepare tonight would be delicious, just like everything she cooked. Her nervousness was evident in every movement she made.
“I know. But I want everything to be perfect. I want them to be happy with your choice of wife. Well, not that you really had a choice. It was Miss Hazel who chose—”
“Claire. Stop. Trust me, they’re going to adore you.” He lifted his head toward the train coming around the bend. “And furthermore, I did have a choice. I could have always left you standing on the platform here if I wasn’t happy with who Miss Hazel brought me.”
He grinned at her shocked intake of breath, keeping his eyes averted. But he knew the face she’d be making. He’d come to know her so well in the few weeks she’d been here, he honestly believed he knew how she’d react to something before she even did.
She’d been a breath of fresh air in his life, and he now couldn’t imagine it without her. Tucking her hand tightly into the fold of his arm, he covered it with his own as he smiled down at her. “You know, it’s not too late to run back to the cabin and hide. We could pretend I got called away on duty and won’t be back until after Christmas.”
She tilted her head slightly and shook it, bringing her eyes together into a frown. “No, we’re not doing that. You don’t know how lucky you are to have parents, especially since they want to see you. And besides, I know they won’t be half as bad as you make them out to be. I’ve noticed you tend to exaggerate sometimes.”
Lifting an eyebrow, he pretended to huff indignantly as the train came to a stop in front of them.
Giving her hand a gentle squeeze, he watched as the doors opened on the train. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Nathaniel Herbert! There you are!” His mother’s voice carried over everyone else milling around, reaching his ears from the farthest edge of the platform. He cringed as she announced his middle name to everyone within earshot, including Claire who he was sure snickered beside him.
“Mother, it’s good to see you.” He reached out to put his arm around her shoulders, bending down to peck her on the cheek. She was a short woman, and probably weighed less than Claire. However, what she lacked in size, she made up for in personality.
His father was standing behind her, a stern expression on his face as he looked back and forth between Claire and him. He was sure his mother hadn’t even noticed her yet as she still clung to his arm with her arms around him.
He hadn’t realized how much he missed his mother until he saw her. Just because they might not have been the easiest parents to grow up with sometimes, he did still love them. And as Claire had reminded him, he was lucky to have them.
He’d butted heads with his father more times than he could count, but he still respected the man and knew that he truly did want what was best for his children. Losing Elliot had been hard on all of them.
“Father.” They nodded to each other, and Nathaniel suddenly felt like he was ten-years-old again, desperate for his father’s approval. He still had Claire’s hand clutched in his, and now that his mother had stepped back to get a good look at him, she looked at Claire questioningly.
“Claire, this is Sylvia and Peter Clarke, my parents.” He pulled her slightly forward to stand just in front of him, still holding onto her hand. “Mother, Father…this is Claire, my wife.”
His mother’s mouth opened and for the first time he could remember, she was speechless. His father raised an eyebrow and looked at Claire. Just when Nathaniel was sure he was about to announce she wasn’t good enough for the Clarke name or something else to make her feel bad, he nodded.
“It’s about time. I was beginning to think maybe you’d never get married.”
This time it was Nathaniel’s own mouth left hanging as his father nonchalantly bent down to pick up his suitcase. “Now, we’re going to let you show us to the hotel so we can get settled, then we’ll come over to your house after we’ve had a chance to get cleaned up.”
His mother looked at his father and frowned. “Peter, our son just announced he’s married, after not even having sent word about a possible wedding or anything. And you’re just going to head off to the hotel to get freshened up? I knew you were daft, but you’re even worse than I thought if you believe I’m leaving this spot until I know what happened.”
She put her hand out to Claire, who reached out and took it.
“I’m sorry, dear. I’m sure it’s not the best way to meet your new parents…” His mother shot him an angry look. “But I’m sure you can understand our surprise. Last time I spoke to Nathaniel, he assured me he’d rather end up dying alone than be tied to any woman who thought money was more important than people. And apparently that was the only kind of woman around here to choose from.”
“Sylvia! For goodness sakes, woman, watch what you’re saying.” Peter took his wife’s hand and started to pull her along the platform. They continued arguing, with his mother looking back now and then as his father dragged her toward the hotel.
Following slowly behind, Nathaniel clenched his eyes closed briefly. When he looked down at Claire, he laughed quietly. Her eyes were so wide he was sure she hadn’t blinked since his parents stepped off the train. Leaning down, he whispered in her ear, “Well, I did warn you.”
Chapter 14
“Nathaniel, your parents are lovely people. I don’t know why make it out that they were so bad to grow up with.”
She was sitting by the fire, repairing the skirt on her dress she’d been wearing when she arrived. This was the first time she’d had a chance to work on it, but she wanted it done so she’d have something nice to wear for Christmas. Every day for the past couple of weeks had been spent hunched over the dresses she was making for Andrea and Annie until Nathaniel would come home and she’d have to hide them away. She was sewing them all by hand, like she’d always done, so they were taking a great deal of time.
He’d just come back through the door after getting some wood to stoke the fire for the night. Shaking the snow from his shoulders, he stomped his boots and came over to the fireplace.
“Well, I suspect meeting you had something to do with that. They both seem to be quite taken with you.” He threw a few logs into the fire, then set the rest on the ground.
“I get the impression they’re just so glad you’re married, I think they’d have been happy with anyone.”
He stood up and went to the doorway, pulling his jacket from his shoulders. “I don’t think so. My father claims to be able to judge a person on first sight, and if he doesn’t like you, he’ll let you know it. I have no doubt he likes you.” He smiled at her as he sat in the chair across from her, watching her move her needle through the fabric.
She loved the routine they’d formed, spending the evenings together, sitting by the fire and just talking. He’d taken her outside a few times, pointing out other constellations in the sky that he’d learn
ed about over the years. It turned out he’d had a love of stars and anything in the sky since he was a boy, and she could see how much he enjoyed sharing his interest with her.
She still wasn’t sure how he felt about her, but she knew in her heart she was in love with this man. There was no other explanation for how she felt when he was around her, and even when he wasn’t for that matter. She just hoped that when he found out what she’d been doing to look for evidence, he could forgive her. In hindsight, maybe she should have thought it through more carefully, but at the time she’d had to act fast.
Now she was involved, and she intended to see it through.
Every time she’d gone there for a fitting with the girls, Roger had been there. He would sit in the adjoining parlor, waiting for them to finish. So she’d never had any opportunity to find anything.
She was almost done with the dresses, and when she gave them to the girls in a couple of days, it would be her last chance to get a good look around. If she didn’t find anything, at least Nathaniel would hopefully never need to know what she’d done.
But if she did, she’d have to tell him so he could use the evidence against Roger.
“You know, I was thinking.” She lifted her eyes to him. He was leaning back in his chair, arms crossed over his stomach and his legs stretched out in front of him. Her heart tugged as the lopsided smile crossed his face. “We didn’t really get to have a wedding reception or anything. And you have this dress you’d worked so hard on, until it got ripped, that you never really got to wear.”
She stared at him in confusion, waiting for him to continue.
“Well, it turns out, I’m on shift the night of the Christmas Ball at the resort. They’ve asked me to stay around in case they need me for anything. So maybe you could put on your dress and join me.”
Was he asking her to the Christmas Ball?
She dropped her hands into her lap, her sewing forgotten for the moment as she looked at her husband. He looked so handsome sitting there waiting to see if his wife would go to a dance with him, she had to smile.
But suddenly, she realized if she went to the ball, there was a good chance Annie or Andrea would speak to her. Or worse yet, Roger.
He was watching her with a puzzled look on his face, so she knew she needed to answer him. “Of course, I’d love to go with you.”
She only had a couple of days to figure out how she was going to avoid seeing any of the Hastings family at the Christmas Ball. However, if she did manage to find something to put Roger away, she was almost certain she wouldn’t be going to the ball anyway.
Because she had no doubt in her mind, Nathaniel was going to be angry with her.
She just hoped he could forgive her knowing she was doing it for him.
“I just wish Nathaniel had simply sent us a letter to let us know what he was thinking of doing. He had plenty of time to tell us before you would have arrived. Honestly, it’s as though he didn’t even want me at his wedding.”
Claire smiled at the woman beside her, hoping to soothe some of her hurt. She could tell Sylvia was truly disappointed Nathaniel hadn’t bothered to let them know about his marriage.
“I think everything happened fairly quick, so it likely just slipped his mind. And our wedding wasn’t anything exciting, really. We just went into the church and were married within minutes of me arriving.”
The snow crunched under their feet as they strolled along the street. Sylvia had asked Claire to take her around the town today while Peter had to do some of the work he’d brought with him. The air was crisp, and the skin on their faces had a bright red glow as they wound around the little town.
Sylvia slowed down her pace, so Claire turned to look at her.
“Do you love Nathaniel?”
Claire instantly stopped, staring at Sylvia in shock. How was she supposed to answer that question to Nathaniel’s mother?
The shorter woman smiled at her innocently. As they stood on the edge of the street, with tourists and residents walking all around them, Claire could get a good look at the woman who’d raised Nathaniel.
Her eyes were just as blue as his, but her hair was a dark brown with slivers of gray forming around her temples. She had the same lopsided grin he did, and the familiar sparkle he always had in his eyes when he was teasing her.
“It’s a simple question, Claire. You came here to marry a stranger, but now that you’ve been here awhile and had the chance to get to know him, are you happy with your choice?”
Claire recognized kindness in the woman’s eyes, and suddenly she didn’t worry about what she should say. She knew she could tell her the truth.
“I’m very happy with my choice. Coming here was the best thing I’ve ever done. I honestly can’t imagine my life now without Nathaniel.”
Sylvia stood watching her, and Claire realized she was waiting for her to say more. Swallowing hard, she looked past the other woman and watched the horse and buggy that was going by on the street. A young couple were riding in it, the woman laughing about something he was telling her.
“I do love Nathaniel. I think.” Her eyes found their way back to Sylvia’s whose squinted together in confusion.
“It’s just that I’ve never really had anyone to love before, except for my friend Rose. The feelings are just so new to me, and I’m not sure if it’s real or not. I haven’t said anything to him because I don’t know how he feels about me.”
Sylvia reached out and took her hand, holding it between hers. “Oh, I’ve known Nathaniel his entire life, and I can assure you, he’s in love with you. He might not realize it himself yet, but I have no doubt. A mother knows.”
Before she had time to ask her how, Annie rushed across the street toward her, waving her hand in the air. “Claire! I was hoping I’d run into you. What time will you be coming around tomorrow to do a final fitting with the dresses to make sure they fit?”
Horrified, Claire looked at Sylvia who was smiling at Annie. Not wanting to be rude, she knew she was going to have to introduce them. Her stomach churned as she realized she was introducing Sylvia to the daughter of the man who’d killed her son.
“Annie, this is my husband’s mother, Sylvia.” Motioning toward Annie, she continued. “Annie is a friend of mine who’s been staying at the hotel. I’m helping her and her sister to make some dresses for the Christmas Ball.”
Looking at Annie, she smiled. “I’ll be there first thing in the morning to make sure we have time to fix anything if it doesn’t fit.”
As Annie made her way down the street, Claire felt Sylvia looking at her but couldn’t bring herself to face her.
“Nathaniel never mentioned you were doing work as a seamstress.”
“It’s not really a job. I’m just doing a favor for a friend.” She desperately wanted to tell her not to say anything to Nathaniel, but how could she ask his mother to lie for her?
She was starting to feel uncomfortable under the knowing look Sylvia was giving her. “Is everything all right, Claire? You look like something is troubling you.”
Finally, she looked back and smiled, before taking the woman’s arm in hers and starting to walk. “Let’s keep going. Maybe we’ll get the chance to see Rocky.”
Knowing he’d be interesting enough to possibly make Sylvia forget everything else, Claire had never hoped to see a wild animal more than she did now.
Chapter 15
“I guess it will do. It’s not anywhere near as fancy as the dresses I’m used to, but since there’s nothing else to choose from, I’ll have to wear it. It’s not like anyone of importance will be at this silly dance so it won’t matter who sees me anyway.”
Claire fought the urge to reach out and rip the dress right down the seam. If not for the endless hours she’d spent piecing this dress together for Andrea, she just might have.
Andrea’s dress was made of the deepest blue satin Claire had ever seen. She’d made the sleeves tight to the girl’s arm, and the skirt flowed out beautifully around h
er. As she moved, light reflected off the small specks in the fabric, giving it a shiny appearance.
“Andrea, you know that dress is perfect on you. Stop being so mean.” Annie was standing to the side wearing her own dress, waiting for Andrea to move away from the mirror.
Annie stepped forward. “Let me have a turn in the mirror so we can get this over with.” Claire put her head down to pretend to look at the pins she was holding so they couldn’t see her grinning at Annie’s lack of enthusiasm.
The door to the other room slammed as Andrea stormed out, and Claire lifted her eyes again to smile at Annie. “Don’t listen to anything Andrea says. Honestly, that dress is without a doubt nicer than anything else she has. She just doesn’t know how to say thank you.”
“I’ve heard worse than her, so you don’t have to worry about me. Now, what do you think about your dress?”
Annie still hadn’t looked in the mirror, but when she finally turned around, she made a soft gasp. Her dress was a lighter blue, with a row of white lace all around the top. The skirt showed off her slender waist, then billowed out behind her. She was breathtaking.
“I’ve never looked like this before, Claire. How can I ever thank you?” The words came out in an awed whisper.
Claire’s insides clenched as guilt arose again. This woman had become her friend, and seeing her standing here now so happy and excited made Claire feel even worse for what she was doing.
The thought crossed her mind that things were much simpler when she didn’t have so many people to care about. She didn’t want to hurt her friend, but she also wanted Nathaniel to have justice for his brother.
“Annie, how is your mother feeling now? Have the hot springs done anything to help her?” Claire had only seen their mother a few times, and the woman seemed to be sullen and withdrawn. She wondered if their father ended up in jail, what would happen to them all? She didn’t think Mrs. Hastings could take care of anyone.
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