The Bridal Swap

by Karen Kirst

  “Would you like something to drink?”

  “Maybe later.”

  She sounded dejected. Great. Why did the first person they ran into have to be Ed Wilcox? Pa shouldn’t have told him. Or anyone else, for that matter. But Pa was proud of all three of his sons. He guessed it was natural for a father to brag about his offspring.

  He just wished Ed had chosen another time to bring up the sore subject.

  “I’m sorry about that. The good thing is that not many people know about the store, so I don’t think we’ll have any more questions.” He squeezed her hand. “Remember, we’re here to enjoy ourselves.”

  “All right.” She gave him a small smile, and he knew it was for his benefit.

  Spying his parents, he led her through the crowd to their side.

  His mother leaned forward with a smile. “Kate, you look beautiful. How do you feel?”

  “Wonderful.” She blushed. “Thanks for all your help.”

  “If you’d like, we can go to Clawson’s next week and buy some material. It wouldn’t take long to sew two or three more dresses.”

  Josh thought the suggestion unnecessary. Wasted money and energy, in his opinion. Kate’s wardrobe was of the finest quality. Why would she want to wear homemade dresses?

  “I’d like that.”

  He could tell by her earnest tone that she wasn’t simply placating his mother. She was sincere.

  Nicole appeared then, an eager bounce to her step. With a quick hello to his parents and himself, she focused her attention on Kate. “Do you have a free moment? I’d like to introduce you to some friends of mine.”

  “Would you mind?” She turned to him.

  “Not at all.”

  Her wide smile conveyed her gratitude, her sparkling eyes her anticipation. Josh watched as, arm in arm, the pair wove a path through the throng to the refreshment table, where a cluster of young ladies stood chatting. They welcomed Kate with eager smiles, pressing in close to be introduced to her.

  His mother excused herself to check on the refreshments. His father stared after Kate and Nicole.

  “That gal looks right pretty, don’t you think?”

  “She does at that, Pa.”

  Kate was laughing, pearl-white teeth glinting in the lamplight, her face glowing with happiness. Watching her, his heart yearned to be the one to make her laugh. To bring her joy. To thrill her.

  Whoa! Josh shook his head to dislodge the thought.

  “Kate seems happy here,” Pa continued. “I had my doubts at first, but she fits in just fine.”

  “Yep.” How long would her contentment last, however?

  “I have to commend you, son. You’re handling this whole situation better than most men would have.”

  He let loose a slow sigh. “I’m still trying to figure out my next move.”

  “Trust in the Lord’s guidance,” Pa said. “He has a plan for your life.”

  “I know. It’s just that sometimes I’m impatient for Him to reveal it to me.”

  He felt a tap on his shoulder. “Evenin’, O’Malley.”

  Noah Townsend stood beside him. The same age as Josh, he’d been married and widowed in the past year. A hardworking man, he didn’t come to town often. Josh was surprised to see him.

  “Good to see you, Townsend. How ya been?”

  “Can’t complain. The harvest has been plentiful this year.” He glanced across the room. “I heard you have a lady visitor out at your place. That her?”

  Josh’s mouth tightened. He didn’t like the direction this conversation was headed in. “Her name’s Kate Morgan.”

  “Beautiful girl.” Noah’s tone warmed with appreciation. “You think she’d agree to dance with me?”

  “She’s an adult. You’ll have to ask her.”

  Noah pinned him with a serious gaze. “Am I overstepping my bounds, O’Malley? I know you were engaged to her sister, but if there’s something between you two…”

  Yes, he wanted to say, Kate was off-limits. But he couldn’t.

  He had no claim on her.

  “To the best of my knowledge, Kate’s not attached to anyone.”

  “Good. I believe I’ll go on over there before someone else gets the jump on me. Evenin’, gentlemen.”

  His stomach a hard knot, he watched Townsend approach Kate, singling her out from the rest of the group. Her expression revealed her initial surprise, quickly masked by polite acceptance. Good manners instilled from birth, he thought, wondering if she truly wanted to dance with the man or had agreed because politeness dictated it.

  He watched as the pair joined the other couples on the dance floor. When Townsend took her in his arms, Josh felt ill. A sour taste coated his mouth. Heaving a sigh, he turned away from the disturbing sight.

  “Want something to drink, Pa?”

  “No, thanks. I believe I’ll join that group of old married men over in the corner. Catch up on the latest gossip,” he said with a wink.

  Josh made his way to the makeshift table in the corner near the door and helped himself to a Mason jar filled to the brim with sweet tea. He took a long chug of the full-bodied brew, his gaze once again drawn to the couples whirling to the music.

  Kate moved with grace and elegance. Although she was surely unfamiliar with the rustic, enthusiastic music, she followed Townsend’s lead without a single misstep. She was a natural.

  Josh noticed she kept her gaze downcast, but that didn’t deter Townsend. His mouth was moving a mile a minute and, on occasion, his words elicited a laugh from Kate. He wondered what the widower’s motives were. Surely he wasn’t already in the market for another wife!

  At last the song came to an end. Straightening, he started forward only to stop when another man—Carl Howard—intercepted the couple leaving the dance floor. The music started up again, and Josh watched with dismay as Howard led Kate into a lively number. A glance around revealed a number of single men focused on his date.

  The acid in his stomach churned with frustration. He wasn’t a dancer. Never had been. He hadn’t planned on asking her to dance. It hadn’t occurred to him that he’d be standing on the sidelines watching her whirl away the night with every young buck in town.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Her toes ached. Her throat was as dry as the Sahara. And if she had to dance with one more stranger, her cheeks would surely crack from the strain of her pasted-on smile.

  Where was her supposed escort? Irritated and confused, Kate glanced surreptitiously about for the tall man with short, tousled hair the color of wheat. Yet there was no sign of him.

  Why had he agreed to bring her, only to abandon her?

  Feeling a light touch on her sleeve, she whipped her head up, expecting to see him. But it wasn’t Josh. Masking her disappointment, she greeted Megan with a simple nod. She couldn’t bring herself to smile.

  “Kate! You sure are a popular dance partner!” Her skin was flushed, eyes bright with excitement. “Are you having fun?”

  She couldn’t bring herself to spoil her friend’s mood. “The music is wonderful.”

  “I believe you’ve cast a spell on all the single men below the age of forty, Kate Morgan. You’re the belle of the ball!”

  All except one, she thought. “You’re exaggerating. And what about you? I haven’t seen you sitting out any of the dances.”

  She shrugged. “I’ve known most of these men my whole life. It’s not exactly romantic to dance with someone who used to sneak frogs into my lunch pails.”

  “I noticed Tom has hardly left your side. Where is he, anyway?”

  “Getting us something to drink.” She glanced over her shoulder. “He’s a good man. A good friend.”

  “A romantic friend?�
� Kate dared to ask.

  “Not exactly.” Her lips quirked. “Josh tells me I read too much. That I have fanciful notions of what a man should be.”

  “Do you agree with him?”

  Tilting her head to the side, she considered the question. “Yes and no. I do know I don’t wanna settle for less than God’s best. He knows my heart. What or who will complete me. Does that make sense?”

  Kate nodded, thinking it made total sense. She’d settled for less than God’s best when she’d allowed Wesley to take her virtue. And now she carried around with her the shameful realization that no honorable man would want her for his wife or the mother of his children.

  Megan peered closer. “Has all the dancing worn you out? There’s some empty chairs against the wall. We can sit and rest awhile if you’d like.”

  “No, thank you.” The heat was suddenly too much to bear. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to step outside for some fresh air.”

  She turned away before Megan could protest, shouldering her way through, gaze locked on the door and the darkness beyond.

  Just as she was about to leave the building, a hand caught her wrist. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  Kate would know that voice anywhere. She slid her gaze up to his face. Judging by his expression, he wasn’t any happier than she was at the moment.

  “I’m going outside for some fresh air.”

  Josh quirked a sardonic brow. “You do look flushed. Must be from all that dancing.”

  How dare he sound perturbed! She tugged on her hand, and he released it. “Isn’t that what people are supposed to do at a barn dance?”

  Folding his arms across his chest, he narrowed his gaze. “My assumption was you’re supposed to spend time with the one who brought you.”

  “Hah!” Jamming her hands on her hips, she glared at him. “And my assumption was the one who brought me wouldn’t abandon me to a procession of strange men!”

  His lips parted in surprise. She didn’t give him a chance to reply.

  Stomping out into the night, Kate strode the length of the wooden structure and turned the corner, too angry to be intimidated by the darkness. Crisp air brushed her heated skin. Crickets chirruped. Muted music and laughter passed through the wall at her back.

  Glancing up, she gazed at the fat, pearlescent moon, floating in the blue-black expanse. Not a cloud marred the view. Hundreds of stars twinkled above her.

  A wide clearing bordered the Fosters’ barn. Then the forest took over. The shadows were so thick there, the trees merged together.

  “Kate.” Josh had rounded the corner and was advancing toward her. He held a kerosene lamp aloft, the golden light sharpening the planes and angles of his face. He looked wary. And a bit sheepish, which wasn’t like him. Josh was ever-confident, unwavering, a pillar of strength.

  He set the lamp in the grass. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have left you to fend for yourself. I assumed you were enjoying the attention.”

  “Enjoying the—” she huffed. “If that’s your attempt at an apology, you’re not doing a very good job.”

  “What?”

  “You honestly think I like being passed around like that?” Pivoting, she swung away from him.

  He seized her upper arm, halting her retreat. “That’s not what I meant—”

  “Why didn’t you ask me to dance?” She whirled back. “I gave you a chance to back out, remember? But no. You insisted on coming. Why?”

  He grimaced. “I’m sorry. I should’ve explained before now that I’m not much of a dancer. I enjoy the music, but I’m horrible at keeping time. I tend to botch the steps, and I’d hate to put either of us through the embarrassment.”

  “Oh.”

  The strains seeping through the wall changed tempo, the instruments strumming a sedate, melancholy tune. The air between them stilled, stretching taut with unvoiced awareness.

  In one smooth movement, Josh slid an arm around her waist and tugged her against him. His voice a mere whisper against her hair, he said, “There aren’t any spectators out here. And I really would like to dance with you, Kate. Will you do me the honor?”

  Overwhelmed by the moment, she could only nod.

  His large hands spanning her waist, they swayed as one to the sweet melody. Back and forth, feet barely moving, they danced beneath the stars.

  Light-headed, Kate rested her cheek against his chest. His heart beat steady and sure beneath her ear. Josh held her reverently, as if she were made of fine porcelain. He was good at this. Making her feel cherished. His solicitous nature led her to believe he cared for her. Just as you believed Wesley cared. You were wrong then, and you’re wrong now.

  Easing back, his blue eyes, aflame with need, hungrily roamed her face. “I want to kiss you again,” he breathed.

  “Did you kiss Fran?”

  He reared his head back. “No.”

  “But you wanted to.” She didn’t know why she was bringing this up now, but Fran hovered like a ghost between them. “Of course you wanted to.” She grimaced, pulling away. “You asked her to marry you.”

  He didn’t try to stop her retreat. “It’s complicated.”

  “No, it’s not. You fell in love with my sister and wanted her for your wife.”

  Presenting him with her back, she rubbed her palm over her heart in a vain effort to stop the stabbing pain that truth inflicted.

  “That’s what I thought, too,” he said quietly. “Until you came.”

  She didn’t move. Couldn’t. “What are you saying?”

  He circled to face her. “Our time together was brief. I got to know her facade, not her heart.” Sliding a finger beneath her chin, he tipped her face up, forcing her to look at him. “Family is everything to me. Marrying her meant the start of my own, a partnership for life. All this time, what I thought was love was simple longing. Do you understand how it feels to want to belong to someone?”

  His question scraped raw the wounds inside. Her eyes smarted with tears. “I do.”

  “I’m drawn to you, Kate.”

  “Y-you are?” He wouldn’t be if knew the truth about you, an ugly voice inside her head said accusingly. No! Dread slithered through her. Josh can never find out.

  “You’re the sweetest woman I know. Intelligent. Honest. Above reproach.”

  Honest. Above reproach. The words reverberated through her brain like continued striking of a gong.

  After his ordeal, of course he would place an even higher importance on these particular qualities. He couldn’t know she was neither of those things.

  “I’m not—”

  A movement on the edge of her field of vision registered a split second before Josh was hauled backward. She heard the crack of bone striking bone as a balled-up fist connected with his face.

  “Josh!” she screamed, her mind scrambling to make sense of the scene being played out in front of her.

  Landing hard on the ground, he rolled away before the man’s boot could find its target. He scrambled upright and rushed his attacker. They fell in a heap not far from her feet, limbs flying, grunts terrorizing the night.

  The stranger’s hat went flying. One look and Kate knew his identity. Tyler.

  Cold fear constricted her lungs, slowing her blood flow, making her heart flounder. Help! She had to get help!

  Her feet like lead, she hurried to find someone—anyone—who could stop Tyler from harming Josh. What if he had a gun? she thought frantically.

  A group of men had congregated near the wagons. “Please! Come quick!” she yelled, chest heaving.

  “What’s the matter, Miss?”

  “Josh. He’s being attacked!”

  They ran past her, warning her to stay put. Instead, she stumbled after th
em, skidding to a stop at the corner of the barn. God in Heaven, please let him be all right.

  All she could see were Josh and Tyler scuffling in the grass near the tree line.

  More men were streaming from the barn, passing her and crowding around the dueling pair, blocking her view. Nathan rushed past, shouting at her. “Go inside, Kate! Find Ma and stay with her!”

  Megan appeared at her side. “Nathan’s right.” Putting an arm around Kate’s shoulders, she urged her to leave. “It’s safer inside.”

  “But what if he’s hurt?”

  “Josh can hold his own. Besides, look at all those men,” she said soothingly. “They’ll have it broken up in no time.”

  Kate reluctantly allowed herself to be led away. Sam and Mary met them outside the door. Once she explained what had happened, Sam insisted on taking the women home. Upset, but not willing to argue with her hosts, she found herself sandwiched between the two on the bench seat of their wagon.

  As Sam led his team away from the Foster farm, she craned her neck in an attempt to see any sign of Josh. Mary patted her knee. “He’ll be just fine, dear. Don’t you worry.”

  “She’s right,” Josh’s father echoed. “By now I’d wager they’ve got Matthews under arrest, and Josh is giving his account to the sheriff.”

  Adrenaline pulsed through Josh’s body. He fought to free himself from the hands restraining him, preventing him from finishing what Matthews had started. His enemy lay prone on the ground, face in the dirt, hands tied behind his back. Unlike Josh, he wasn’t struggling.

  “Calm down,” Nathan growled in Josh’s ear. “Unless you wanna join him in the jail tonight.”

  Chest heaving, he closed his eyes and concentrated on slowing his breathing. His pulse thundered in his ears. His jaw ached from that first blow, and he suspected he might have a busted rib or two.

  He twisted his head around to skewer his brother with his gaze. “Where’s Kate?” he grunted.

  “Safe.”

  Sheriff Timmons strolled over. His hand resting near his gun handle, he leveled his gaze at Josh. “You boys can let him go now.”