“That’s quite all right. I shouldn’t have assumed I would be safe that close to you,” he said, wondering if she would realize how true those words were.
If she did she didn’t acknowledge it because, though she huffed, she glanced at him with concern. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
“Not too much.” He picked his hat off the ground and shook his head to clear it. “Maybe we should stop for today.”
She rubbed her elbow with her free hand. “I didn’t hit the can.”
He extended his hand for his gun. “You don’t need to hit the can. I doubt you’d ever shoot at anything that small. Besides, you didn’t even want to come anywhere near the gun when I first asked.”
“You convinced me and now I want to hit the can.”
Nathan shrugged. “Then hit the can for all I care.”
Her blue eyes narrowed. “You needn’t be rude.”
“Who was being rude?”
“You were getting close.”
He looked down at the Stetson in his hands. “I was about as close to being rude as you were to hitting that can.”
They eyed each other. Challenges were issued and accepted. His arm gave a sweeping motion toward the target as he stepped back. Kate turned. She aimed then shot dead through the middle of the can. It actually came off the nail and tumbled from the fence to land in the dirt.
Kate smiled and turned to him triumphantly. “Well?”
He tilted his head. “Well, what?”
“I hit it, didn’t I?” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Don’t you have anything to say about that?”
He shrugged. “Congratulations?”
She pointed the gun at him. Nathan’s fingers twitched near his gun belt before he stilled them and stepped out of the way. He stared at the gun until she presented him with the handle and not the smoking barrel. He reached for the gun but Kate didn’t release it. He looked up questioningly.
“Thanks for the lesson, Nathan.” A smile danced across her lips before she continued, “It was fun.”
“Whoa. Let’s not get carried away.” He grinned slowly. “I’m just glad shooting me gave you so much pleasure.”
“Oh, it did.” Her eyes sparkled as she pressed the gun into his hand, forcing him to take it as she stepped past him. She suddenly spun toward him. “I almost forgot why I was looking for you in the first place. Since Andrew Stolvins didn’t harvest our wheat, we’ll have to take it to market ourselves. I need you to bring it to Colston. There are two mills close to the town.”
He thought of his lingering concerns about Jeremiah and frowned. “Kate, now might not be the best time. I’m not entirely comfortable leaving you and the children here alone. You see—”
Kate narrowed her eyes at him. “Don’t be silly. I ran this farm just fine on my own for two years. I think I know how to take care of myself and my siblings. Lawson will help out while you’re gone.”
He placed the gun in his holster. “Kate, really—”
“We have no choice, Nathan. We have to sell the wheat. Without selling, I won’t be able to pay the mortgage and the farm will not survive.” She blew out a heavy breath and glanced at the sky. “Nathan, I need you to go.”
“To Colston, right? I actually have a friend who lives there. Mr. Reynolds may help us out.” He slowly nodded. “I’ll go, but I’ll ask Deputy Stone to keep his eye on the place.”
“That is hardly necessary, but thank you,” she said. “You can leave right after the Harvest Dance. That should leave you plenty of time to prepare.”
He tipped his hat up as he watched her begin to walk away. He hesitated for half a second before he called after her. “Kate, wait! When we were in town for the wedding, I saw a man who…” Nathan didn’t know what to say.
“Who what?” Kate asked.
He shook his head. There was no way to warn her without explaining the whole situation, and that dark part of his life wasn’t exactly something he wanted to show to the woman he was trying to impress. Besides, he still couldn’t bring himself to believe that Jeremiah was serious in his threats. “You’ll be careful while I’m gone, won’t you?”
She promised she would, and Nathan prayed that that would be enough.
Chapter Thirteen
Kate sat reading the large family Bible in the living room as she and her siblings waited for their parents to come home. It had been raining since early that afternoon but the strength of the early winter storm had only increased since nightfall. It raged outside, spewing sleet and sometimes even hail. The thunder bellowed like a madman and sent tremors through her little sister’s body while putting a grimace on her little brother’s face.
She placed the Bible in her lap and closed the covers. Obviously her attempts to cover the storm’s ferocity had failed. Instead, silence filled the small room as they each sat lost in their own thoughts. Kate tried to speak over the storm. “I think we should go to bed.”
Sean frowned. “But Ma and Pa aren’t home yet.”
“They probably decided to stay in town once they saw how bad the storm was getting,” Kate reasoned. “I’m sure they’ll leave first thing in the morning.”
Quiet descended once more as they all sat still waiting for their parents to return. Finally, Kate stood and ushered everyone to bed. The dark loft she shared with Ellie flashed bright in cadence with the storm. A small hand searched for hers on top of the covers. Suddenly she awakened to the sound of someone banging on the front door. She grabbed her housecoat and hurried down the stairs in time to see Sean stumble from his room. She opened the door, only to stare blankly at the man before her.
“Sheriff Hawkins,” she said in surprise. “Is something wrong?”
The man glanced over her shoulder then stepped backward. “Perhaps it’d be better if we spoke outside, Ms. O’Brien.”
She glanced behind her at Ellie and Sean then stepped out the door. The sheriff opened his mouth to speak but his lips moved silently. She struggled to hear. Finally his words whispered past her ear in small phrases filled with words like accident, dead, joint burials.
She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t move. Then his voice grew strident, demanding her attention. He was asking if she wanted help with the children. She said she didn’t know. There had been no time to think. Her breath caught as she’d spun toward the door. What would she say? How would she tell them?
Suddenly there was nothing around her but that wooden door. She tried to back away from it but her hand was already on the knob, turning it. She would have to tell them. She would have to tell them just as the sheriff had told her, quietly and calmly but with a firmness that left no room for doubt.
She lifted her chin and stepped through the door, closing it firmly behind her. She avoided looking into the eyes of her brother and sister, knowing she would have to tell them the unthinkable. She swallowed, then lifted her eyes as courage won out…
Kate gasped and forced her eyes open as she sat up in bed. Dim morning light spilled from the windows and painted the room in soft purples and blues. Ellie’s slow steady breathing countered her accelerated gasps. She pushed her loose hair away from her face and turned to sit on her side of the bed. She forced herself to pull in deep, even breaths. It had been nearly a year since she’d relived that moment in her sleep. Perhaps it was the end of the harvesting that brought it on. The wagon was loaded, and Nathan would leave for Colston the next morning, after the dance that night. It had been a good harvest, and Kate no longer worried about the mortgage. But the knowledge that she’d saved her parents’ farm was cold comfort when she thought of how much she still missed having them in her life.
Why can’t I relive the good moments we had together? Why must it always be that night? She longed for her father. At a time like this, he would have pulled her into his arms and told her not to be afraid. He would have reminded her, in his subtle Irish brogue, to trust in the Lord so He could direct her paths.
Had God been directing her parents’ path the day of the wag
on accident that took their lives? If so, why hadn’t He directed them to wait out the storm in town? She buried her face in her hands as she whispered, “I do love You, God. You know I do. It’s just so hard for me to trust.”
Ellie shifted in the bed. Kate froze then slowly opened her eyes. The girl continued sleeping so Kate pulled in a deep breath, then continued with one last request. “Lord, help me. I don’t know how You can or will but I need You to do something. Prove Yourself. Let me know You’re real. Let me know You care about my future. Right now, it’s just a little too hard to believe.”
That evening Kate stared at herself in the reflection of the only looking glass they owned. Her hair was piled high on her head. A frown painted her face and it was caused by more than just the new freckles that had appeared on her nose from spending so much time in the sun. The first month of her marriage had been over for two weeks and the judge had not made his appearance. She had given up all hope that he would return soon. It looked like she would be stuck with Nathan Rutledge for the long haul. She was frowning because right now that didn’t seem like such a horrible thing.
Ellie peered over Kate’s shoulder into the looking glass. “Your hair is a mess.”
“I know.” Kate released her hair from the fancy hair-style she’d attempted. She met Ellie’s gaze in the mirror as she fished the hairpins out of her curls. “Why aren’t you dressed?”
“I can’t reach the buttons.”
“Turn around then.” Kate turned from her task to help her sister.
“I don’t understand why the buttons are in the back.”
“I sew them that way to make things difficult. Didn’t you know?” she asked.
“I would be perfectly happy wearing my day dress rather than this scratchy old thing.”
Kate buttoned the last hole then turned around to survey her sister. “You look lovely.”
Ellie couldn’t seem to figure out whether to take that as a compliment or an insult. The girl smiled mischievously. “No one there will care a fig about what I wear except Mrs. Greene, but everyone will be watching you and you haven’t done a thing to get ready.”
“Yes, I have.”
Ellie sent her a disbelieving look and plopped on the bed with her skirt inching up past her knees. She frowned and managed to pull her skirt down to the proper length.
Kate lifted her chin. “I’m nearly ready.”
“You plan to go with your hair undone and your petticoats showing in the back?”
She glanced behind her and sure enough Ellie was right. “No.”
“Then I suggest you hurry up.”
Kate looked at her sister sitting so properly on the bed strewn with clothes. Before her eyes her ten-year-old sister was ever so slowly shedding her tom boyish ways and turning into a young lady. She still preferred her old bloomers to her new skirts but there was a beginning to be a perceivable softening to her sister’s demeanor. Kate decided Ellie would turn into a proper young lady yet. She sensed it would probably happen gradually over time. She wouldn’t rush the girl but vowed to enjoy the process.
Ellie frowned. “What?”
“Nothing,” Kate responded with a smile. “Fix my dress back there, will you?”
Downstairs, Nathan leaned back onto the wall near the front door as he waited with two very impatient gentlemen.
“Aren’t they ready yet?” Sean asked from his seat near the fireplace.
Nathan glanced toward the stairs and shook his head. “I don’t think so.”
Lawson frowned. “What takes them so long anyway?”
He shrugged. “They have more to put on, I suppose.”
“What do you mean?” Sean asked.
Nathan glanced toward the two boys with the answer on his lips, then paused to take in their freshly scrubbed faces and pressed shirts. He shook his head. “Never mind.”
Lawson shifted on the settee. “At this rate, the dance will be over before we get there.”
“I don’t think they’ll let that happen.” Nathan laughed. “Besides, if I know anything about women it’s that the longer they take the more it’s worth the wait.”
Sean looked at him. “What is that suppose to—”
Lawson’s low whistle cut him off.
Nathan followed Lawson’s gaze then straightened from the wall. Kate moved toward the bottom of the stairs and paused to say something to Ellie as she pulled on her gloves. She looked so beautiful in her pale green dress with its rounded neckline and fitted waist.
Kate turned to find them all watching and met their stares with a curious look. “Shall we go?”
“Yes, please,” Sean moaned and walked out the door.
Lawson turned to follow Sean but paused to hold the door open for Kate, then glanced back at Nathan with a laughing gaze. The boy’s smirk plainly said, you are in so much trouble.
Ignoring him, Nathan caught the door to allow Lawson to precede him. Ellie hung back to frown at her shoes. Seeing the problem, Nathan knelt down to fix the button on her shoe. He paused to look up at her. Tapping her nose gently, he grinned. “You look very pretty, Ellie.”
She looked at him seriously for a moment before chancing a small smile. “It’s not too fussy, is it?”
He shook his head. “Not at all.”
“Good.”
He stood and waited for her to exit the house before closing the door firmly behind them.
Kate pulled her skirts toward her as she slipped through the doorway of the crowded hallway leading to the hotel’s small ballroom. Glancing to the right, her gaze faltered as it landed on Nathan. Ever since that night with Delilah he seemed to be behaving differently toward her.
He’d always been kind in the past but lately there seemed to be a bit more motivating his actions. She would catch it every now and then in the tone of his voice or the way he looked at her. Something seemed to have subtly shifted in their relationship and she wasn’t entirely sure what to do about it. She had decided the safest thing was to avoid him whenever possible.
Their eyes held for a moment longer as she stepped past him. Moving away, her lashes drifted down and up, then biting her lip she glanced back in time to see Nathan shake hands with the sheriff. He met her gaze again and he pushed from the wall. Her eyes widened and she stepped into the main room that was crowded with dancers. She moved toward the punch bowl then felt Nathan’s hand on her back. Steeling herself against his warm gaze, she turned to face him with a smile.
“Are you enjoying yourself?” he asked.
“Yes, thank you. Actually, I was looking for Rachel. Have you seen her?”
He turned to scan the room. She reached for a cup of punch and took a cooling drink as he faced her. “She’s dancing with Deputy Stone.”
She nodded and took another sip.
“Would you like to dance?”
“What?” she asked, using the excuse of the noise of the hoots and hollers coming from the dance floor to stall for time to think. Dancing with Nathan would be a very foolish thing to do. It would, however, be rude not to dance with him at least once, she reasoned.
Nathan leaned closer to say, “Would you like to dance?”
“Well,” she began, then set her cup back on the table. “Yes, I would. Thank you.”
He guided her through the crowded room to the dance floor. She felt as though everyone was watching to determine the familiarity of their relationship. She allowed him to take her hand. She placed her other hand lightly on his shoulder, then followed him as he led her into a fast waltz. She glanced up to find him frowning. “Relax.”
“I am relaxed,” she said, though she knew she was lying through her teeth. Rather than focus on her partner, she allowed her mind to wander. Although the waltz was still considered a controversial dance in other towns, Peppin had accepted it long ago. Town protocol demanded that the dance was never done slow enough for a person to do much more than move his or her feet, thereby avoiding any complications.
She grimaced as she stepped on Na
than’s toe. When she glanced up apologetically his smile was so painfully polite that Kate vowed to redeem herself. She forced herself to relax and allowed Nathan to lead her carefully across the floor but a moment later the song came to an end. He stepped toward the punch bowl but she stayed where she was. “Let’s dance another set.”
The music began again. This time it was a quick two-step and she missed the first step. She tilted her head up to frown at him. “I do know how to dance, I promise.”
He grinned. “Prove it.”
She allowed herself a smile and placed her hand in his once more. This time they moved easily into the dance. Kate pushed all the doubts from her mind and allowed herself to truly relax in his arms. He led her through the steps simply and naturally obviously feeling at home on the dance floor. The longer they danced the easier it was to move in sync with each other. When she could no longer contain her curiosity she asked, “Where did you learn to dance like this?”
He laughed. “I have three sisters. Who do you think they practiced with?”
She would have responded but the music stopped for a split-second then began at a faster pace. They were caught off guard for an instant but quickly caught up. Suddenly Nathan angled his steps, causing her to step sharply to the left then right. Kate’s eyes flew to his as she smiled in delight. He grinned then slowly turned her under his arm while they two-stepped. Once she faced him again she didn’t falter but instead moved right back into the dance.
“Do you believe me now?” she asked with a triumphant smile.
“Maybe.” He smiled and her heart skipped a beat. Wait, no. The music skipped a beat then continued even faster. This time they were ready for it and easily moved into the faster step. She twirled under his arm without missing a step. The music picked up its pace again.
Her eyes widened as she glanced over her shoulder at the ragtag group of musicians. She barely had time to place her feet before it was time to pick them up. She heard someone let out a whoop and looked over to find the deputy grinning ear to ear as he and Rachel danced. Kate’s laughter blended with Nathan’s low chuckle. Finally, the music made by a lone fiddle, harmonica, banjo, washboard and other makeshift instruments swirled to a halt.
Unlawfully Wedded Bride (Love Inspired Historical) Page 14