Married by Christmas

by Karen Kirst

  Her petal-pink lips parted, surprise swirling. But he didn’t get the requested promise because his parents were on the porch already, their jovial chatter trickling through the door.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Why did Caleb suddenly look so intense? He acted as if it was of paramount importance that she assure him she’d seek help in his absence. Surely he didn’t care that much. After all, he’d all but disappeared not long after the sawmill accident. He wasn’t around when her parents died—that he’d attended the funeral had come as a shock—and he hadn’t cared to check up on her or Amy since.

  Rebecca didn’t have long to ponder it because the O’Malleys were filing into her home bearing crates of delicious-smelling food, greeting her and Amy with genuine warmth and fussing over Caleb. While Sam showed Amy and Will the cake—a pound cake layered with strawberry preserves—Mary wrapped her son in a fierce hug.

  Looking distinctly out of his element, he returned the embrace, awkwardly patting her shoulder. Rebecca studied her new husband, suddenly far too interested to see how he interacted with his family. When Mary at last released him, a grinning Nathan clapped him on the shoulder.

  “You look better, brother. Married life must agree with you.”

  Caleb’s hooded gaze skidded to hers, and he shrugged as if in silent apology. “Becca is the best nurse a guy could ask for,” he murmured. Then his eyes glinted dangerously. “She’s not as sweet and innocent as she appears, however. Can you believe she forced me to take a nap this morning?”

  Silence fell. Rebecca stiffened as several pairs of eyes swiveled to her in astonishment. Then Nathan threw his head back and laughed outright. Mary’s smile was accompanied by keen interest, and Sam stroked his chin in deep thought.

  Rebecca shot Caleb a withering look. He arched an imperious brow. Oh, he was going to pay for putting her on the spot.

  Sophie, who was the last to enter, offered Rebecca an encouraging smile. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to them soon enough.” With a little laugh, she placed a hand on her arm and leaned in and whispered, “You’ll have your hands full with Caleb, but I have a feeling you can handle him.”

  Nathan appeared at his wife’s side. “What secrets are you spilling, Soph?”

  “If I told you, it wouldn’t be a secret, would it?” Grinning affectionately, she gently nudged his ribs.

  Curving an arm about Sophie’s shoulders and tugging her against his side, the quiet O’Malley brother addressed Rebecca. “Welcome to the family.”

  Beneath his genuine warmth, concern lurked. He was intimately aware of the turmoil that existed between his brother and her. She masked a wince at the memory of their run-in at the mercantile several months ago. The unanticipated sight of Caleb had sparked the old anger, and she’d uttered hateful things while Nathan looked on in pained silence.

  “Thank you,” she managed, hating that he’d seen her at her worst. And yet, there was no condemnation in his gaze.

  After her parents’ funeral, Nathan had been the one who’d come to check on her and Amy time and time again. He’d gone out of his way to be kind. She’d never forgotten his attentiveness. Or Caleb’s indifference. Not once had he reached out to her.

  Mary joined their circle. “You can’t know how thrilled I am to have another daughter-in-law. You and Amy are family now. I know it will take some time to adjust to the idea, but I want you to know you can come to us for anything. Our home is your home.”

  Her words were so similar to Caleb’s that Rebecca found herself searching him out to see if he’d overheard. Apparently so. He’d moved to the table to inspect the cake, but his head was turned to study her.

  Ripping her gaze away from his intense scrutiny, she mustered a smile. “I appreciate that, Mrs. O’Malley.”

  The brown-haired woman held up a hand. “Please, call me Mary. I apologize for the suddenness of this visit, but I needed to see for myself how Caleb was doing. Doesn’t matter how old your children get, you still worry about them.”

  “And you couldn’t resist marking the occasion of your youngest son’s wedding,” Nathan added knowingly.

  “Can we eat now, sis?” Will piped up from where he stood close to Amy’s chair. “I’m starving.”

  Sophie’s resulting smile was a mix of reproof and indulgence. “Will, mind your manners.”

  “Actually, I’m starving, too.” Nathan rubbed his flat belly and adopted a pitiful air.

  Rolling her eyes, Sophie merely laughed. “I guess we’d better feed these men before they pass out from hunger,” she told Mary, clearly comfortable with her mother-in-law. But then, as the O’Malley’s neighbor, she’d grown up with the three boys and had been a part of the family long before it became official.

  Rebecca wondered if she’d ever feel that way. She knew Sam and Mary, of course. Growing up in a small town like Gatlinburg, you saw the same faces at church every Sunday, passed those same people on Main Street. That didn’t mean the Thurstons and O’Malleys had been particularly close. While she, Adam and Caleb had been friends, they hadn’t spent that much time at the O’Malley place. Mostly they’d roamed the countryside or hung out at Adam’s parents’ home.

  Snapping out of her musings, her mother’s training took over and she set out to be an amenable hostess. As her table wasn’t large enough to accommodate everyone, Amy, Will, Nathan and Sophie carried their plates to the settee and chairs grouped before the fireplace. That left Rebecca with her husband and parents-in-law. It wasn’t as uncomfortable as she’d feared, however, as the focus was entirely on Caleb. Between bites of roasted chicken and biscuits, he answered their questions regarding his injury with an air of long-suffering. Seated directly across from him, she watched him surreptitiously. When the conversation turned to their farm and dairy business, she caught flashes of keen interest beneath his carefully bland features. Why was he acting as if he didn’t care when it was clear—at least to her—that he did?

  When there was a lull in the conversation, Rebecca ventured a question of her own. “How is Kate?”

  Nathan snorted. “Huge.”

  “Nathan O’Malley,” Sophie scolded, although laughter filtered through, “that is not nice.”

  Married to Caleb’s oldest brother, Josh, Kate was due to deliver their first baby shortly after the new year. Rebecca didn’t know the sophisticated young lady from New York very well, but Kate had always been sweetly kind whenever they’d crossed paths.

  Mary sipped her coffee. “She would’ve liked to come today and welcome you, Rebecca, but she’s been having pains on and off the past three days and the doctor advised her to stick close to home.”

  Caleb wiped a cloth napkin across his mouth, looking uneasy. “She’s not in any danger, is she?”

  “Childbirth always carries a certain amount of risk,” Mary conceded, “but she’s healthy and strong.”

  “She’s tiny compared to Josh,” he countered. “What if the baby’s too big?”

  Sam clapped his son on the shoulder. “Your ma didn’t have a bit of trouble with you three. You weighed the most.” He smiled at Rebecca, eyes twinkling behind his spectacles. “He was over nine pounds.”

  Rebecca managed a weak smile. The talk of children had her squirming in her seat. Please, Lord, don’t let their attention turn to us, the newlyweds.

  One thing was clear—Caleb cared about his family’s well-being. Rebecca wondered how he dealt with the long absences, how he coped with the worry that surely must accompany not knowing what was happening back home.

  “My sister wants three boys and one girl,” Amy announced into the silence. “I think three girls and a boy would be better, though.”

  Nearly choking on her tea, Rebecca set the cup down hard enough to send liquid sloshing onto the saucer. Heat surged and waned in her cheeks.

  Fork poised above his plate, Caleb
looked stricken.

  * * *

  Rebecca wanted children?

  Caleb felt sick. He wasn’t fit for fatherhood. He wasn’t fit for any kind of relationship. Hurting people was what he did, what he excelled at. No child deserved to be saddled with a father like that.

  Across from him, Rebecca sat in frozen misery. This final thing he’d stolen from her, this dream he’d destroyed, was the cruelest one of all. She would’ve made a wonderful mother.

  Appetite gone, he lowered his fork and addressed his father. “Any reports from the sheriff yet?”

  His answering frown, along with Nathan’s suddenly alert form, drove thoughts of babies from Caleb’s head. “Something happened. What is it?”

  “We got word this morning that Shane and the search party stumbled upon the gang five miles north of here. They engaged our guys in a gunfight. Hugh Galloway was shot in the shoulder. He held on until they could get him back to town, though. Should be fine.”

  Caleb’s temples throbbed. “Do they know for sure it’s the same gang that murdered Tate?”

  “They saw a woman fitting the description you gave,” Nathan said somberly.

  The sound that had spooked him last night couldn’t have been them, then. “They all got away?”

  “Shane was outnumbered. They had to fall back or risk more injuries.” His father’s perceptive gaze sharpened. “That doesn’t mean we won’t get them, son. It’ll just take a little longer than we’d like.”

  Frustration simmered in his gut. He should be out there searching, too. Tate deserved justice. “I need some fresh air.”

  Pushing to a standing position, he hobbled over to where his crutches were propped against the wall.

  “We haven’t had cake yet.” His ma twisted in her chair to look at him. Beside her, Rebecca was silent, gaze lowered to her lap. She looked miserable.... Just what a new bride ought to be, he thought sarcastically.

  “You all go ahead.”

  He’d reached the steps when the door opened and closed behind him. Still shoving one arm into his heavy wool outercoat, Nathan held Caleb’s duster out to him. “Don’t wanna get pneumonia on top of everything else, do you?”

  Heaving a sigh, Caleb laid his crutches against the nearest post and slipped into the long black duster. Then, navigating the steps, used the crutches to slowly round the side of the house and cross to the narrow stream at the edge of the forest. His brother followed, of course.

  Side by side, they stood staring at the crystalline water trickling past. Finally, Nathan spoke. “I don’t like that particular look in your eyes, little brother. I’ve come to know it far too well over the past few years, and I’ve come to despise it.”

  “You can’t be serious. What look?”

  Silver eyes narrowed in exasperation. “You’re planning on going after them yourself.”

  “You weren’t there,” he bit out. “You didn’t see an innocent man’s life cut short before your very eyes.”

  Scraping a hand down his face, Nathan relented. A little. “I know you want justice for what they did to Tate. And to you. But going off alone when your leg isn’t healed isn’t only reckless, it’s just plain dumb.”

  Caleb winced at the word reckless. It was a label that would follow him for life, he supposed. “This isn’t some snap decision, Nate. I’ve given it a lot of thought. I’ll admit the leg pains me, but I’m confident I can ride without reinjuring it. I can always rest along the way.”

  “You think taking them on by yourself again is the wisest course? Timmons had men with him, and someone still got hurt.”

  “Give me a little credit. I’m going to join the search party, not charge into enemy camp like a crazy man.”

  Lips pursing, Nathan pondered that. “And what about Rebecca?”

  “She’ll be pleased as punch to see me ride outta here. Probably throw a party.”

  “I’m not so sure.” He shook his head. “I was watching her watch you throughout the meal. There’s something there, brother.”

  “Yeah. Loathing.”

  “No. Something else. I think you have a chance to make something of this marriage if you give it some effort.”

  “Look, you may as well know that Rebecca and I have already decided how this union is going to be. I’m going to give her as much space and distance as she wants. And believe me, she wants a lot. She made me promise this would be a marriage in name only. I’m to spend much of my married life alone on the mountaintops.”

  The sorrowful expression on his brother’s face was too much to bear. Balanced on the crutches, he held up a hand. “I don’t have time to discuss this right now. I’ve got to get packing if I aim to go with Shane. I have to find out when they’re heading out again. The sooner those criminals are behind bars, the better.”

  “You’re leaving?” Becca demanded behind them. Startled, both men swiveled to stare at the angry young woman in blue wool. Her narrowed eyes spewed jade sparks. A pine-scented breeze tugged strands, which she ignored, across milk-white cheeks.

  Nathan jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “I’ll, uh, just go on inside.”

  Looking as if she’d chewed glass, Becca waited until his brother had disappeared to close the remaining few feet separating them. “When were you planning on telling me? Or were you going to leave a note?”

  “I honestly don’t know. Hadn’t figured that out yet. I’m new to this whole marriage thing, ya know.”

  Her nostrils flared. “At least you’re honest. That’s something, I guess,” she scoffed.

  “Why does it matter? I thought you’d be happy,” he said, bewildered.

  “Happy? You think I’d be happy about you going after the ruthless men who shot you?” She threw her hands up. “About you putting your recovery in jeopardy? I spent endless hours worrying you might die from that bullet wound.” Pursing her lips together, she shoved wayward strands behind her ears. “You can’t simply disregard all of that and place yourself in danger again.”

  Her hands were suddenly on his chest—not shoving, but applying pressure nonetheless. Enough pressure that his crutches slipped on the damp earth sloping downward to the stream’s edge. Time seemed to slow. What she’d done registered on her face, and she clutched ineffectively at his shirtfront. When that didn’t stop his backward motion, her arms snaked around his waist, which only served to knock them both off balance. The crutches went flying.

  “Caleb!” she gasped.

  One second he was upright, the next he was gazing up at clear blue sky, prickly grass an uncomfortable pillow for his head and hard, cold earth beneath him. Becca was sprawled atop him, mouth agape.

  At her priceless expression, laughter erupted deep in his chest. The rumbling, rusty sound surprised them both.

  “Caleb, your leg—”

  “Is fine,” he assured her, still smiling. It stung, but she didn’t need to know that.

  “What’s so funny?” she demanded, balancing herself with one hand on his shoulder and the other on the ground near his ear.

  “The Rebecca Thurston I used to know would never have done that.”

  “It’s not Thurston anymore, remember.” Her voice dropped an octave, lower lip trembling. “And that girl is long gone.”

  “Hey.” Wrapping an arm about her waist, he tried not to let the sweet scent clinging to her skin distract him. “I happen to like the new you. You’re a strong, confident woman.” Not to mention so beautiful he found it difficult to think.

  Tears welled in her eyes. When she attempted to wriggle away, he locked both arms about her. “Not so fast. Tell me what’s wrong first.”

  “Our clothes are getting dirty.” She sniffed, indignant.

  “I don’t care.”

  “Someone might see. We look ridiculous.”

  “Again, don’t
care.”

  “You enjoy being difficult, don’t you?”

  “What I don’t enjoy is seeing you miserable,” he responded, unoffended. Being difficult came naturally. He wouldn’t deny it.

  “Caleb,” she warned, pushing against his shoulders. “Let me up.”

  He held her fast, quickly becoming mesmerized by her lips hovering above his. Then he noticed the rogue tear tracking down her cheek.

  “I will as soon as you tell me why you’re crying.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  He was going to be stubborn about this. She could tell from his mulish expression and the determination burning like stars in his eyes.

  Where his hand cupped her side, his thumb caressed a spot beneath her ribs in a back-and-forth motion that was both soothing and searing. She was incredibly aware of the unleashed power in him, a strength that made her feel safe and yet also lured her closer. The disturbing thing was he didn’t even have to put forth any effort. Caleb just had to simply be. This was what had spooked her all those years ago when she and Adam were still together, the reason she’d distanced herself from Caleb.

  The fact that he was now her husband complicated things considerably.

  “None of this was supposed to happen. You getting shot and winding up here. Us being forced into this farce of a marriage. It’s not fair.”

  “I learned a long time ago not to expect things to go my way,” he said softly. “As much as all this stinks, I’m confident you can handle it.”

  The admiration in his voice stunned her into admitting what was truly bothering her.

  “I don’t want you to join the search party.”

  Why the prospect of Caleb facing down that gang filled her with such foreboding, she wasn’t ready to examine, but she had to convince him to stay until his leg healed. While her desire for separate lives hadn’t changed, when he did leave, she wanted to say goodbye with the knowledge he could take care of himself. That he was completely recovered.