His Brother's Bride Read online

  “But that’s where the gold is buried. I can’t take Adam to the caves anymore, and I thought perhaps. . .”

  Mara tucked in the corner of her lip. “You want me to look after Adam while you search.”

  “Yes.” She took her friend’s hand and let the desperation she felt in her soul shine in her eyes. “Please, Mara. Just in the afternoons. I’ll be back before you get supper on, and he won’t be any problem, I promise.”

  “I know he won’t be any trouble; Adam’s a fine boy.” Mara looked away, and Emily knew she was weighing her options.

  “It won’t take me long to find the gold, if I can just focus on that. Then all this will be over. Nana will come here, and Cade. . .Lord willing, Cade will find himself falling in love with me too.” The tears that blurred her vision slipped quietly down her face. Her insides froze with Mara’s indecision, and, at the same time, she felt gooseflesh tighten her skin.

  Mara sighed deeply. “All right, I’ll do it.”

  Emily embraced her friend, gratitude welling in her.

  “I’ll do it, Emily, but I still think what you’re doing is wrong.”

  Emily squeezed Mara’s shoulders. “You won’t regret it, I promise.”

  Fourteen

  Cade watched Emily scrubbing the dishes through the open kitchen door. Her fine shoulders tapered down to the narrowest of waists, and, for just a moment, he wondered how her waistline would look thickened with the pregnancy of their child. Heat rose up in his gut and coiled around, loosening a pleasurable sensation. His heart thudded against his ribs at the thought. Emily with child. With his child.

  Just as quickly, his gut clenched tightly, almost painfully. He remembered the way Ingrid had died after birthing Adam, and fear rose up in him like a whirlwind.

  He rubbed his face with roughened hands. Emily was not with child, he reminded himself. He would face those fears when the time came, and he knew—trusted—that time would come.

  Though she’d behaved mighty strange this evening, he knew things would work out between them. It was painful, putting the past behind him. Putting Ingrid behind him. But in truth, her face had dimmed more each day, replaced by Emily’s vivid features. And each day, he looked forward to coming home to Emily, looked forward to her smiles and tender glances.

  Yes, his heart had opened to her, despite his reluctance, and he found his gaze swinging toward her more and more. Even now, his hands itched to touch her. He stood up, draining the last of his coffee and took it into the confines of the kitchen. In the sitting room, he could hear Adam playing with the toy soldiers he’d given him on his last birthday.

  When he approached Emily, he reached around her, setting the cup in the water.

  She jumped, clearly not hearing his approach over the sloshing water.

  “Oh!” She gave a stiff laugh. “I–I didn’t hear you.”

  Maybe he should back away, but the way her face softened, the way her lips curled up so sweetly made his body move closer as if it had a will of its own.

  His hands found her shoulders and slid slowly down to her waist. As his hands came around her, the longing for her welled up in him so strongly, his breath caught in his lungs. His hands lay against her abdomen, and despite the fear he’d felt moments earlier, he knew a fierce desire to see Emily carrying their child.

  When she lay her head back against his chest, he nearly groaned. Oh, how he wanted this woman as his true wife. How he wanted them to be a real family—he, Adam, and Emily.

  He nestled his face in the curve of her neck and felt her shiver. There was nothing in their way now. He was ready to let go of the past and give their relationship a real effort. It was what God intended, he was sure, and what he himself had come to desire above all else.

  He turned her in his arms, and when her hands clung to his biceps, he hardly noticed the dishwater that seeped through his shirtsleeves.

  He lowered his head toward her and tasted her lips. His heart filled with something sweet and hot, and when she moved her lips tentatively against his, he felt a joy well up in him that belied all reality. He wanted to lose himself in her, had already done so—

  A twitter of laughter pulled him reluctantly from a world that contained only the two of them. He turned toward the sound.

  “Yer kissing Mama.” Adam giggled again. “Beth said kissing’s ucky, and her ma and pa do it all the time.”

  This time the giggle came from Emily.

  “Well, that’s her opinion,” Cade said. “And besides, you’re not to be sneaking up on folks like that.”

  “Why do grown-ups like to kiss so much, Pa?” His wide blue eyes stared back at Cade as guileless as a dove.

  “Why do—well, they just do, is all.” By the heat coursing under his skin, he felt sure Emily must see a rising tide of red on his face.

  “Beth said grown-ups kiss a long time, like you’s just doin’ with Ma. But when Ma kisses me, it’s just a little one. Why’s that, Pa?”

  He shifted away from Emily and rubbed his neck. “I think you’ve been talking to Beth too much is what I think. Go get your nightshirt on, it’s your bedtime.”

  “Aww.”

  “Get on with you now.”

  “Yes sir.” Adam slumped away, his toy soldiers in hand.

  Cade dared a glance at Emily. Her eyes brimmed with mirth, and her still-damp hand covered her mouth.

  “You think that’s funny, do you?”

  “Mhmm.” She giggled again, and the sound of it tweaked his funny bone. He reached out and poked her in the ribs where he knew she was ticklish.

  She jerked away.

  “Well, if you’re gonna be laughing anyway, I say, let’s give the lady a real reason.” He dodged toward her again, hands outreached.

  She bolted around him and out the kitchen door, squealing like a little girl. He scrambled after her, joy lighting his insides, mindless of the chair he overturned in the process.

  ❧

  Emily nudged the horse, and he jolted into action. In front of her, Adam squeezed his marbles tight in his little fists. He was eager to go play with Beth, but Emily was dreading going back to the caves.

  After last night’s embrace and the tickle fight that had led to another embrace, the very last thing she wanted to do was go behind her husband’s back again. He was falling in love with her, and the thought brought a warm, stirring sensation in her middle that was goodness itself. She already loved him more than life. She looked at the boy at her side and felt her insides turn to mush. Her son. She so loved the way he nudged the hair from his eyes with the jerk of his head. The way his blue eyes turned dark and stormy when he didn’t get his way. Yes, he was her son in every way that counted. And, Lord willing, Cade would soon be her husband in every way that counted.

  If she could just get this gold found. She nudged the horse again, making him pick up the pace. Last night she’d had an awful dream about Nana. She had been strapped down to her bed whilst all the doctors and nurses stood laughing around her. Emily’s heart beat heavily in her chest. It wasn’t true, she knew that. But what was going on at that place so far away? Was Nana crying her name in the night as she had in her dream?

  Lord, help me find that gold and fast! I can’t bear for Nana to be there any longer.

  After she left Adam with Mara, she rode back toward the area the map indicated. It seemed futile to search in the cave she’d been in before. Hadn’t she dug up practically every scrap of dirt in there?

  She rode past the cave’s entrance for awhile and around a grove of trees where an open meadow ended into a cliff wall. She looked down at her map, and her heart surged. Was this oblong circle on the paper the meadow? If so, the cave where the gold was buried would be in that cliff wall across the way. She wished the markings were clearer, but the water damage had smeared so much of the map.

  Her breaths came in gasps as s
he trotted the horse across the open field. Please, Lord, let this be it!

  Reaching the other side seemed to take forever, but when she did, she rode along the face of the cliff looking for an opening. The wall was jagged and tall, jutting out this way and that and covered with weeds and bushes. Tumbleweed had blown up against the face of the cliff and lay trapped against the rocky surface. The cliff went on for quite a distance, varying in height, but her heart sunk as it began to grow shorter and shorter until it was barely over her head.

  Then she saw it. Behind a scrubby bush, no higher than a dog’s back, and nestled in the rock wall was a little black hole.

  Fifteen

  Emily stabbed the shovel into the dirt once more and pulled up a small pile of ancient earth. She wished the map had been more specific as to the whereabouts of the buried loot, but she was certain she was at least in the right cave. A whole week had passed without finding the gold, but Emily was certain she would find it soon. This cave was much smaller than the one she’d searched before. Only one open chamber and two short tunnels.

  She hated that her relationship with Mara was strained each day when she dropped off Adam, but she rested assured that when everything worked out, Mara would see Emily had done the right thing.

  She stopped her digging, noting that it must be growing late. She walked the short distance outside the cave to check the sun’s position. She should leave now if she wanted to get home in time to get supper on.

  She stooped down to enter the cave, wishing the ceilings were a bit higher so she could straighten fully in the main room. She would finish this hole before she left. Just a few more shovelsful, then she would get Adam.

  She struck the earth with the shovel once, twice, then three times. She should go a few inches deeper, just to be certain. She hurried, not wanting to take the chance that Cade would return home before she did.

  On the last thrust of her shovel, she heard a solid thump. She stopped a moment, wondering if her ears were playing tricks on her in the echoing confines of the cave. She struck the dirt again. Thump. A rock? No, she knew very well by now the way the shovel clanked, not thumped against rock.

  Her heart accelerated. Oh please, Lord, let it be! She removed more dirt and held the lantern above the hole. Something was buried under there. Hopefully not a big log. She ran her fingers ran along the surface and felt chills snake up her spine. This was no log. It was smooth to the touch, with straight grooves across the surface. A chest.

  She sat back on her haunches, her hands trembling, her insides churning. It was late; she had to get Adam and go home. She straightened as much as she could under the damp ceiling. It would take too long to dig out the chest tonight. She would have to wait until tomorrow. The thought nearly killed her. She’d waited so long to find it, and now she had to leave it here!

  She dusted off her skirts. Well, there was no help for it. Besides, the gold had been here for ages, it certainly wasn’t going anywhere.

  As she left the cave and rode to collect Adam, she gave praise to the Lord. Soon this would be over, and she and Cade and Adam would be a real family at last. Cade would never have to know the ugliness that had brought her here to begin with.

  Later that night, when the house was quiet and she was alone in her room, she pulled her diary from the bottom of a drawer.

  Dear Diary,

  I have found the gold at last. I am so excited that this ruse is almost over. I wish I could give Nana a hug and assure her she’ll be in my care soon, but alas, that is impossible. It’s all I can do to wait until tomorrow. The gold is buried in a chest, and though I have yet to unearth it, I could see its rounded top buried a foot or so under the ground. I’m so thankful to Mara for watching Adam for me.

  Diary, my heart beats rapidly even now as I think about finishing this job. I can hardly wait for it to be done so I can focus solely on my husband and child. Oh, to be a regular farmer’s wife! I will be so relieved not to have this dreadful search hanging over my head.

  ❧

  Emily took the eggs she’d collected from her basket and, one by one, cracked them into the skillet. They sizzled and smoked, their yolks staring up at her like the bright sun dawning outside. A course of energy had flowed through her veins all night and every moment since she she’d awakened. Chores had been done in record time; she could not wait to get back to the cave. But wait she must because Mara had plans this morning and couldn’t watch Adam.

  She would just have to bide her time until the afternoon; then she would go to that cave and unearth what she was sure was the gold. Part of her couldn’t believe she’d found it so quickly. For that she was so thankful to God! Soon, her uncle would have his gold, she would have Nana, and Cade would have the wife he thought she was.

  A niggle of guilt coursed through her at the thought of Cade. Don’t be silly. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. It would be a disaster for him to find out now. It would ruin everything.

  She flipped the eggs, letting the underside cook just a moment before scooting them onto a platter. She checked on the biscuits and saw they had a few minutes left to cook. The ham was already on the plate and the table set. She’d just—

  Cade’s arms circled her waist, and she jumped. Turning her head, she saw Cade’s clean-shaven jaw only inches from hers. Her heart did a happy jig. “You mustn’t sneak up on me like that.”

  “Can’t help myself.” The smile in his voice sent shivers up and down her arms.

  She tried for an indignant voice. “Oh, and why is that, Mr. Manning?”

  His hand flatted on her sides, shooting hot darts straight to her belly, and she sucked in a breath.

  “I’ve got me a beautiful woman in my kitchen; how am I supposed to keep my hands to myself?” If she was about to take offense at his answer, it was forgotten when he planted the gentlest of kisses on her temple. Immediately, heat flared in the spot his lips touched.

  Somewhere in the house, she could hear Adam singing, but her eyes were only for her husband at the moment. The green in them had come out to play, as his boyish lashes drooped lazily over them.

  He turned her in his arms, and she could feel his thighs pressed up against hers. Fire kindled in her belly and spread rapidly through her limbs.

  He tipped her chin up.

  “You are some woman.”

  The words brought more pleasure to her heart than she’d felt in a long time. She feasted on them like a starving animal and was hungry for more.

  His thumb moved tenderly across her chin, and she wondered if he knew he was causing a riot inside her. Oh, how she loved this man. How she longed to be loved by him.

  “I have some things I want to tell you, Emmie,” he whispered. His breath fanned the curls loosened beside her face, and the movement sent shivers across her scalp.

  She wondered what it was he wanted to say. She wished she could just drag the words from his mouth, but she had to be patient.

  She was vaguely aware of tromping on the stairs and knew Adam would be coming down for breakfast. Cade must’ve heard it too, for she felt him withdrawing.

  His hands moved down to her arms. “Plenty of time for this later, I reckon.”

  Disappointment turned the fire in her belly cold, and her legs felt as wispy as smoke.

  Behind her, she heard Adam scooting his chair out from the table. She smothered a sigh.

  “But tonight,” her handsome husband said, “when Adam’s in bed, and I’ve got you all to myself, I got some things I need to tell you.” His eyes promised so much. Love and—dare she hope—the fulfillment of their marriage vows. She was suddenly so grateful she’d made the decision not to tell Cade about the gold.

  She nodded, mesmerized by the intense look on his face. “I’ll be here.”

  When he left the kitchen, she started getting breakfast on the table, and despite the delay of Cade’s words, she knew she ha
d reason for that extra spring in her step.

  She almost croaked when Adam asked if they were going over to Beth’s again today. When she said yes, Cade had looked at her and said, “Sure are spending lots of time over at the Stedmans’.”

  She buttered her biscuits to busy her hands. “We’ve become fast friends,” she said, hoping he wouldn’t disapprove. “But I always finish my chores first.”

  She waited while he finished a bite of eggs. “I think it’s good you’ve become friends.”

  She breathed a silent sigh of relief and quickly changed the subject to the coming harvest.

  The day dragged by so slowly, Emily thought she’d go mad with the waiting. She kept herself busy with her chores, especially the garden. She picked the ripe tomatoes, mopped the floors, wiped down the doors, and made two loaves of bread.

  At last, it was time to take Adam to Mara’s. She trotted the horse through the meadow, taking the shorter route. The shovel thumped against the horse’s side, and Adam bounced in front of her.

  When at last they reached the Stedman ranch, Emily whisked Adam down from the horse and hurried to the door. She knocked, her limbs trembling with anticipation. When several moments went by, she knocked again. Maybe Mara was around back tending the garden. She was just about to check when the door squeaked open.

  “There you are,” Emily said. “I was just about—Mara, what’s wrong?” Her friend’s face was flushed, her nose an uncomely shade of red, and her eyes look glazed.

  Mara put a hand to her head.

  “You’re sick.” The realization left her both sympathetic for her friend and worried that she wouldn’t be able to watch Adam. But then, there was always Beth. Perhaps. . .”

  “I’m so sorry,” Mara said. “I’m not up to watching Adam today.”

  “Of course you’re not. You need to be in bed.” She wanted to ask about Beth, but felt ashamed to be so selfish. Still, she could have that gold in her hands today!

  “I’d have Beth watch him, but she’s at the McClains’ today helping Sara. I’m sorry, Emily.”