“No.”
“Did you mean what you said or was it just a slip of the tongue?”
When she didn’t respond, Adam reached out with two fingers and lifted her chin. Though her head came up, she refused to raise her eyes to his.
“Hannah, don’t be embarrassed. It warmed my heart to hear those words fall from your lovely mouth.”
After a long moment, she dared to peek up at him through her lashes. He truly sounded as delighted as his smile indicated.
“Listen to me. I love you.” Adam cupped her cheeks with his hand, and she couldn’t resist closing her eyes and leaning in to his caress. “There’s no use fighting it. I’ve tried but I can’t deny the truth. I know I’ve only known you a week, but I love you with all my heart. Dare I hope what I heard you say was the truth? Do you—can you—feel the same for me?” The hope in his beautiful blue eyes dissolved her resolve to be upset with him.
“You know I do.”
Adam’s whole face brightened with a huge grin. Hannah smiled in response to his boyish enthusiasm. He pulled her into his embrace, and she leaned her head up as his lips found hers. All too soon, he pulled away, but this time he held on to her, cuddling her against his chest.
“I never knew it could feel so good to love someone,” Adam whispered against her lips. His breath carried the scent of the coffee he’d recently drunk.
Thoughts of betrayal to Jamie and his displeasure with her behavior invaded her happiness. With a heavy sigh, she leaned her cheek against Adam’s warm chest, and his heart raced beneath her ear. Adam’s hand left her waist, and tingles coursed down her spine as he slowly caressed her back.
After a moment of enjoying their closeness, she pulled herself free of his embrace, feeling the need to put some distance between her and Adam.
“Is something wrong?”
She hated the concern that stole the happiness from his gaze. “There’s something we need to talk about.”
“Fine, but first I want to hear you say it again.”
“Say what?” she asked, knowing good and well what he wanted to hear.
“Hannah, please, I need to hear the words. . .to know you meant it.”
She tilted her head back, looked deeply into his eyes, and flashed him a dazzling smile. “I love you, Adam. . .whoever you really are.”
“What if I’m some horrible person?” he asked hesitantly, then looked away.
Hannah cupped his cheeks with her hands and forced his gaze back. “It matters not. It’s you I love and not who or what you are, though I can’t believe there’s anything all that dreadful in your past.”
Adam’s grip tightened on her waist. “I love you also, Hannah. So much, it hurts.”
“Me, too, but we must talk about some other things—important things,” she said, with a measure of dread.
“All right then. Come on.” He took her hand. “Let’s go outside and walk for a while.”
“Do you think it’s safe?”
Adam shrugged. “I don’t know, but I can’t stand being cooped up inside any longer. We’ll stick close to the trees and use them for cover.” Hand in hand, they followed the creek as it wound its way across the heart of Reed Springs.
“I’ve been remembering some things.”
Hannah looked up and caught Adam’s gaze. “I’m pretty sure now that the brown-haired woman I keep seeing is my mother. I see her in a kitchen, wearing an apron, and she has flour all over her hands. The dream is so real, I can even smell her fresh bread. The man. . .I don’t know. He could be my father, but he seems younger.”
“Perhaps, he’s your brother or a friend.”
“It’s possible. But there’s more. . .something about some information.”
“What kind of information?”
He shook his head. “I’m not sure, but I think I was supposed to deliver something to someone important—I just wish I could remember.” He squeezed the bridge of his nose with his fingertips.
Hannah scooted closer, hooking her arm through his. “It’s coming, Adam. Just give it some more time. You’re beginning to remember.”
“I’m just impatient. I know that there can’t be anything serious between us until I figure out who I am.”
“It’s serious already, don’t you think?”
He cocked his head and smiled, drawing his fingertips down her cheek. “Yes, my angel, but I mean I can’t ask your father for your hand in marriage until I know.”
Hannah’s heart jolted, and she placed her hand on his chest. “You want to marry me? B–but what if you never remember?”
“One thing I do know is that I have a faith in God. I’ve caught myself praying on several occasions over the past few days, and that feels so right. I know I believe in the good Lord. I’m certain He brought us together, and I trust He will help me to remember my past so we can be together always.”
“I’m so glad to hear you say that. I believe the same.” Hannah’s heart raced. She knew the time had come to share her secret, but she dreaded it fiercely. “My situation may be even more difficult for Him to work out than yours.”
Hannah turned and walked a short distance away, summoning her courage. She finally turned back toward him. “You believe me when I say that I love you, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do,” he responded with a nod as he gazed deeply into her eyes. “But what’s wrong?”
“Oh Adam,” she whispered, as tears coursed down her cheek.
He walked to her, framed her face with his hands, and wiped her tears with his thumbs. “Shh. . . It’ll be all right. Just tell me what is wrong, and we’ll sort it all out.”
“I don’t see how.” She twisted her hands. “Oh, I should have told you sooner. I. . .I’m promised in m–marriage to a man I hardly know anymore.”
Thirteen
As if weighted down with cannonballs, Adam’s hands fell to his sides. He squeezed his eyes closed while his mind tried to absorb what Hannah had said. He moved away from her and leaned back against the tree, his hand covering his aching heart. Promised in marriage? How could she return his kisses and profess her love to him when she was pledged to another man?
It couldn’t be true. This must be some kind of horrid prank.
Jolted back to the present, he realized Hannah had been calling his name. He looked up just in time to see her squeeze past him. Adam called to her and reached out, but grabbed only a handful of air. “Hannah. . .wait.”
She ran toward the house. He pushed away from the tree he’d been leaning on and kicked into a run. Each quick step he took jarred his side, but he ignored the pain. In a matter of seconds, his long legs enabled him to catch up with her. He grabbed hold of her arm and jerked her to a stop.
“Stop—please.” Holding his side with his free hand, he desperately fought to catch his breath. He leaned against the stair railing, sucking in sharp gasps, and he pulled Hannah into his arms. Her tears bled through his clean shirt and into his chest bindings. She put her arms around his waist and continued to sob.
“Shh. . . I told you—everything will work out.” He held her securely in his embrace.
“I don’t see how it can.”
“I don’t either, but I do know God wouldn’t have brought us together like this if He didn’t have a special plan for us.” Adam brushed his hand down Hannah’s back. “People don’t fall in love when they first meet. It isn’t normal. Trust me, angel. It will all work out.”
Adam didn’t know how long they stood there together, his arms wrapped securely around her, offering comfort, and he receiving comfort from her. He dashed a prayer to God, asking Him to work a miracle.
Hannah finally relaxed. “I’m so glad you know. I’ve been so afraid to tell you. At first it didn’t matter, but each day as my love grew, I became more hesitant to mention it to you.”
“Don’t ever be afraid to tell me anything.” Adam leaned his chin against Hannah’s head. “It’s better to know what you’re up against—it’s easier to fight it if you know.�
�� That sounded like good advice—if only he could believe it. How could he fight an arranged marriage when he didn’t know a thing about himself? He swallowed the lump in his throat. “Tell me about this man you’re promised to.”
Hannah pressed her cheek against his chest as if she needed a greater sense of security to broach the subject, and Adam tightened his grip on her, glad none of the servants were nearby. “You know how I told you that my family’s closest friends live here. My father and Lucas Reed are old friends, as is my mother and Heather Reed. When I was born, Jamie showed a lot of interest in me. He carried me around and made toys for me, and our parents all thought it darling. Well, our mothers put their heads together and decided to arrange a marriage. It’s Jamie, the eldest of the Reed sons, whom I’m promised to.”
Jamie. Now he understood the significance of that name. “Why don’t they live here?”
Hannah ducked her head. “It’s a sad thing—Cooper, Jamie’s younger brother, has disappeared from the college he attended in England. The Reeds sailed to England to see if they could track him down or find some clue as to what happened to him.”
Adam’s mind struggled to absorb all she’d said. He had to figure out a way to combat this unknown competitor. “So are they coming back here? Or are you just supposed to leave the home you love so much and live in the city you dislike? Or will he marry you and then just leave again?”
Hannah closed her eyes, as if his words hurt her. He pursed his lips, frustrated with the bitterness he’d allowed to seep into his voice.
“Didn’t I tell you they were returning soon? That’s why I’m getting the house ready. Everyone will return in the next few weeks to prepare for the. . .the wedding.” She half-choked on the last words.
“So, you plan to marry a rich man?” Adam relaxed his hold on Hannah, but didn’t release her. He didn’t bother to hide his disappointment. How could he compete with a wealthy businessman and landowner? He had nothing to offer her—except himself.
“No, Adam.” Hannah reached up and cupped his cheek with her hand. “You’re the only man I want to marry.”
Her sincerity touched him deep within, and his anger focused on the people who would force her to marry a man she didn’t love. He reached out and touched a lock of hair that had escaped her cap. He rubbed the soft, golden strands between his fingertips. “Are you sure? You’d marry me not knowing anything about me?” A little laugh escaped his lips at the ridiculousness of his question, and he looked away. He didn’t dare hope she’d answer yes. Women needed security, a place to establish roots.
She grabbed his upper arms and shook him, drawing his gaze back. “I know all I have to. You’re a kind, gentle man who loves God, and you love me. What else do I need to know?”
“I can’t even give you a last name,” he whispered, his voice husky and his throat tight.
“You will, you’ll see.”
He gently set her back from him. He couldn’t do it. It wasn’t fair to her. “No, Hannah, I can’t marry you until I know for sure. If I’ve done something illegal, I may have to go to jail, and I won’t put you or your family through that kind of embarrassment.”
“But I just said it doesn’t matter to me.” Her shoulders drooped, and her eyes held the confusion he knew her heart felt.
Adam wanted to pull her back into his arms, then run off and find a minister who could marry them right away. Instead, he crossed his arms over his chest. “But it does matter to me. I can’t ask you to take my name until I know what it is. And there’s the matter of your intended, who needs to be dealt with.”
“How can you be so unreasonable? If you truly loved me, it wouldn’t matter about your name.” Hannah turned and stomped off. Then she stopped and spun back toward him, tears coursing down her cheeks. “How can you stand there and say you love me—want to marry me—but then say we can’t be together. I don’t understand. So you’re going to reject me. . .again?”
He swallowed hard, hating that there was another valid reason for pushing her away, but he had to voice it. “What if. . .” He caught her wounded gaze and sent what he hoped was an apologetic look. “What if I’m already married?”
Her chin wobbled, and tears glimmered in her sad eyes. She turned and ambled away, looking utterly defeated.
He felt as if someone had stabbed him in the heart, but he didn’t know what else to say, so he kept quiet and let her go. If he gave her time to collect her thoughts, maybe she’d come around and see that he was right. There were too many unsettled issues standing between them for them to consider a future together at this time. He walked out onto the piazza and leaned on the railing. The last twenty-four hours, his first active day since he’d acquired his injuries, had been exhausting—both emotionally and physically. Maybe if he gave Hannah some time alone, she wouldn’t be so upset. He flicked an ant off the rail and heaved a heavy sigh.
Perhaps taking a walk in the gardens would help.
Probably not, but what else did he have to do?
He wandered through the gardens, enjoying the flowers’ sweet scents and the feel of the sun on his face. He walked the paths, wondering the whole time if he was making a mistake where Hannah was concerned. But how could a gentleman—a man of honor—do any less?
He had to know his past before he could have a future with Hannah.
A horse’s whinny pulled him out of the garden and toward the barn. He needed something physical to do, no matter how small. Perhaps he could groom a horse or two. As he approached the barn, he noticed Israel walking toward him leading a handsome dun. The animal limped slightly, and its front legs were scraped and bloody. What had happened to the poor creature?
Like a lightning flash, a blaze of recognition zigzagged across Adam’s mind. A loud gasp escaped his lips. He could see the horse rolling toward him as clearly as if it were the day of the accident. That horse was the one he stole in Charleston so he could make his getaway. The very same horse that had fallen and rolled over him.
“Israel, where did you find that animal?”
“Down in the southernmost field. I done saw ’im two days ago, but he wouldn’t let me get near till now.”
Adam patted the horse’s neck and walked to his other side, not surprised to see a slice in the animal’s hide where the lead ball had grazed him. The roll the horse took had coated the injury with a layer of mud, which probably helped it to heal. “This is the horse I was riding the day I was injured.” He moved to the front of the horse and stooped. “See here.” He pointed to the animal’s knees. “He stumbled and fell to his knees, and I flew over his head. Then the horse turned a flip, going down the hill, and rolled over me.”
Israel shook his head. “The good Lord was’a watchin’ over you, I’ma thinkin’.”
Adam nodded his head. “I do believe you are right. Let’s take this guy into the barn. He deserves a good meal and some tender loving care.”
Israel put the horse in a stall, unsaddled him, and then gave him some fresh hay. While the horse ate, Adam combed its mane and tail, then brushed down the dun’s hide. Tomorrow, he would take the horse to the creek and wash him off. The animal probably saved his life as much as Hannah had.
Somehow, he’d have to get the horse back to Charleston and to his owner. The saddle had B. R. engraved in the pommel. Perhaps the tavern owner would know whom it belonged to. Adam swallowed hard. A man could spend years imprisoned for horse stealing. He doubted the fervent need to get away from the men who sought to capture him would be considered much of an argument in the eyes of a judge. Just one more reason he shouldn’t put too much hope into a future with Hannah.
❧
Hannah slumped in the buggy seat, exhausted from her physical labors and the mental and emotional turmoil of the day.
“Looks like some folks is at yo’ place.” Chesny held her hand over her brow to block the setting sun and sat up straight, looking past Simeon.
Hannah, too, looked toward her home. As the fiery orange orb of the sun ducke
d behind the large Madison barn, her gaze came to rest on a group of people moving in the shadows. She recognized her father’s tall, stout form. “They’re home! Hurry, Simeon!”
A few minutes later, the buggy pulled to a quick stop in the yard. Hannah didn’t wait for help, but instead jumped out into the arms of her father. “How’s my Hannah girl?” Richard Madison twirled her around in a circle as he’d done every time he returned home from a journey.
“I’m fine, Papa. How was Charleston? Did you bring me anything? Where’s Mama?”
“Whoa now, slow down a bit. You sound just like you did when you were a girl.” Her father pushed her back away from him, and his wide grin narrowed into a scrutinizing stare. “You look different. Did something happen while I was gone?”
“W–what do you mean?” Could it be true people could tell someone was in love just by the way they looked? Hannah steeled her features into what she hoped was a natural expression.
“I don’t know.” He shook his head and smiled. “I suppose my little girl’s just growing up.” Her father turned and said something to one of the workers as Michael approached.
“You’ve sure been keeping scarce lately, sis. I’d think you’d be over at Reed Springs enough when you marry that you wouldn’t need to spend every day there now.”
“Feeling a little neglected?” Hannah threw her arms around her brother’s trim waist and looked up into his handsome, tanned face.
“Perhaps just a bit. You’ve been gone so much I was halfway surprised you didn’t sleep over there, too.” Michael grinned and tweaked the end of her nose.
She loved her brother and cherished his rare hugs, but her thoughts were on another man—a man whose arms she wished she could stay in the rest of her life.
Fourteen
The next morning the whole Madison family was once again seated around the old wooden table in the dining room, enjoying a special breakfast of beef steaks, omelets, biscuits and gravy, and spiced apples. Hannah smiled to herself as she watched her father swirl his coffee around in his cup. It was a habit that she always enjoyed watching. She often teased him about swirling his coffee because he drank it black—it wasn’t as if he was trying to mix it up.
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