His Brother's Bride Read online

  The door opened, and her husband entered. She absorbed him with her gaze, trying desperately to read him.

  He approached the bed. “Doc’s gone.”

  She nodded, her heart pummeling her ribs. The edge of the bed sank as he sat carefully, slowly. A strand of his dark hair hung alongside his stubbled cheek. How could she lose this man, her beloved Cade? Her eyes stung with tears.

  “How’s your leg feel?”

  She was taken back that he still cared enough to ask. “It’s not paining much really.”

  “Good. Doc left more medicine for you when you need it.”

  The room grew so quiet she could almost hear her fearful heart beating.

  “I have some things I need to tell you,” he said.

  She nodded, unable to speak past the knot that clogged her throat. She must be strong. She mustn’t make him feel guilty for his decision. It would only make things harder on him, and she deserved everything she got. She sat as straight as she could against the pillows and steeled herself.

  “Last night,” he said, “we searched for you for a long time. Adam couldn’t find the cave in the dark, and Clay and I. . .well, we did the best we could.” He clenched his jaw.

  Emily wondered where he was going with this. Her gaze took in his precious face, and she wanted so badly to touch his cheek one last time.

  “When we quit for the night, I went back to the Stedmans’ and asked Mara some questions. As I said before, I know everything about the loot and your grandmother. About your uncle’s plan to get the loot back through you.”

  He met her gaze just then, and she was shamed by his knowledge. She tucked her chin, and her gaze found the worn quilt. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

  He was quiet so long she wondered if he were going to speak again. Finally, he did. “After that, I came back home. I was angry and I couldn’t sleep. I got to thinking maybe the map was in your room someplace, and maybe I could figure out where you were.”

  She shook her head. “I took it with me.”

  “I know. I didn’t find the map, but I found some other things.”

  She met his gaze, and his blue-green eyes flickered with something she couldn’t identify.

  “Your uncle’s letters and. . .and your diary.”

  Her heart did an awkward flop. If he read the letters, he really did know everything. But her diary had private thoughts. Thoughts about him. Her face flooded with heat as she recalled specific things she’d written about her husband.

  “I read all the letters—enough to know the sort of man your uncle is.” His jaw clenched again, and she wondered if the anger she saw was directed at only her uncle or at her too.

  Then he took her hand, and she thought her heart might up and quit right then. What was that shining in his eyes? Dare she hope that—

  “I did read a few pages of your diary, and I’m real sorry for poking around in your private things, but. . .” His eyes narrowed with fervency. “You have to understand how confused I was. I was so angry. I felt used. I thought you’d been pretending with me—”

  “Pretending?” Her heart caught.

  He looked at their joined hands. “I thought you were just using me to get at the loot. That everything was a lie. That your feelings for me were false.”

  “No. No, that’s not true.”

  He looked at her then. “I know that now. And I can’t say as I’m really sorry about reading your diary either. Because if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have believed the truth.”

  Her blood fairly burned with the velvety heat that flowed through her. “I’m not either.” And she realized she meant the words. Who cared if he’d read her innermost thoughts if they’d proven her feelings true?

  “I was going to tell you something last night, if you recall.”

  She remembered the embrace they’d shared before she went off to the cave. Tonight, when Adam’s in bed. . .I got some things I want to tell you. It seemed so long ago, like so many things had gone wrong between then and now. Yet, here her husband was, sitting inches away from her with the same gleam of love in his eyes.

  He wet his lips, and she noted how dry her own throat was. “When I married you, as you know, it was to be a marriage of convenience,” he said.

  His gaze sought confirmation, and she nodded.

  “At the beginning, I fought any sort of relationship between us. I guess I was afraid after losing Ingrid and all.”

  “That’s understandable.”

  His gaze locked on hers, a promise shining in their depths. “Somewhere along the way, I told God I’d put my fear aside. And after that, my heart didn’t stand a chance.”

  A smile tilted his lips, and she felt it all the way to her heart.

  “I love you, Emmie.”

  She felt her own lips stretch in a smile as joy filled her heart. How could it be, with all the mistakes she’d made, that this man loved her anyhow? She’d lied, used him, risked his son’s safety, and still he loved her and wanted her.

  Her heart full to overflowing, she blinked back tears. “I love you, Cade. So very, very much.”

  He leaned toward her then, his lips grazing tenderly over hers, and heat swept through her. Would her pounding heart ever grow accustomed to her husband’s touch? She couldn’t imagine such a thing. Especially when he touched her cheek so gently.

  He broke the kiss, and she almost pulled him back in her arms.

  “I want us to be a real husband and wife,” he said.

  Warmth bathed her face at his meaning.

  “I want us to be a real family. The three of us. . .and your grandmother, Lord willing.”

  Her heart clenched at the thought of Nana. It seemed so hopeless. How could she get Nana back now? The gold would have to be returned to the rightful owners, and rightly so. Her uncle would remain Nana’s legal guardian, and after she’d failed to deliver the gold, he would leave Nana in the asylum to spite her.

  “Wipe that frown off your face,” he said. “I have an idea.”

  Hope stirred inside her and she searched his eyes. “What is it?”

  He shook his head and gave her a tender smile. “Not now, sleepyhead. There’ll be time for that later. You need to get some rest—doctor’s orders.”

  “But, I want—”

  He held a finger over her lips, and she couldn’t resist kissing it. His eyes took on a new look she hadn’t seen before. She decided she rather liked it.

  “Don’t you go doing that, woman.”

  “Why ever not?” she teased, fighting another yawn.

  “Save it for about. . .” He looked pointedly at her splinted leg. “Oh, about six weeks.”

  She groaned, but he broke it off with a quick kiss. “Doctor’s orders.”

  Epilogue

  Emily struggled to remove the wedding veil from her elegantly styled up-do. It had been a long, wonderful day. And it wasn’t over yet.

  “Here, my darling,” Cade said from behind her. “Allow me.”

  She smiled at her husband’s reflection in the mirror, taking in the breadth of his shoulders under the crisp, white shirt. His suspenders already dangled from his waistband as if he couldn’t wait to shuck the fancy clothes.

  “Did I tell you what a beautiful bride you are?”

  “Only a dozen times or so.” She smiled, content to let him remove her veil. It had been thoughtful of Mara to plan a real wedding for them. Especially for Nana’s sake.

  As Cade worked the pins out, he bit his lip in concentration. As if reading her thoughts, he asked, “Is Nana settled for the night?”

  “Mhmm. She’s looking better, don’t you think?”

  He handed her another pin. “She’s filling out, that’s for sure.”

  “She needed to.” Just thinking about how Nana had looked when she’d stepped off the stage with Cade was enough
to bring tears to her eyes. It had taken months, even with the attorney Cade had hired in Denver, but Nana was home at last.

  “It must’ve been pretty bad at the asylum,” he said.

  With the veil finally removed, she placed it on the bureau and turned to face him. “Have I told you how thankful I am for what you did?”

  “At least a dozen times,” he said with a humble smile. “Thanks be to God that the judge saw reason and gave us guardianship of her.”

  She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest. “Using Uncle Stewart’s letters was a brilliant idea.”

  “I don’t know about brilliant, but it worked. His own words were the best proof of his disregard for her.”

  He tipped her chin up for a peck that lengthened into a satisfying kiss. So much so, that it almost distracted her from the news she’d been waiting to share.

  When she pulled away, he caressed her with his gaze. “Something wrong?”

  “Not wrong, no.”

  He tilted his head. “What is it then?”

  She soaked in his gaze, eager to see the change that would come over him when he heard the news. “I do have something I need to tell you.”

  He waited, albeit impatiently if his antsy fingers were anything to go by.

  She’d only known for sure for a couple weeks, but somehow, waiting for today seemed right. Suddenly, she giggled.

  “What? What is it?”

  She put her fingers over her lips. “I never thought I’d say this on my wedding day, much less be thrilled to do so.”

  “What?” His brows drew low.

  “I–I’m in the family way, Cade.”

  She wished she could forever preserve the expressions that danced across her husband’s face. She reveled in each emotion with him.

  Finally, he lifted her up off her feet in an airborne embrace and whooped so loudly she feared he’d awaken Adam and Nana.

  “Shh!” She swatted him on the shoulder but couldn’t hold back the bubble of laughter that welled up in her.

  When he was finished whirling around, he let her slide down him until her stockinged feet reached the planked floor. Then his gaze swept over her face in a reflective, serious way.

  “I wonder sometimes,” he said, “what Thomas would think about all this. You were to be his bride, after all.”

  She gazed at her husband’s precious face, from his clean-shaved jaw to his sea-green eyes, and had trouble imagining herself married to anyone but him. Even her dear friend, Thomas.

  “I’m your bride now,” she whispered. She let the desire she felt for him blaze from her eyes and was quickly rewarded with that expression she was becoming so wonderfully familiar with.

  “Thank you, Ma’am, for that timely reminder,” he said, taking her into his arms once more.

  About the Author

  DENISE HUNTER lives in Indiana with her husband and three active, young sons. As the only female of the household, every day is a new adventure, but Denise holds on to the belief that her most important responsibility in this life is to raise her children in such a way that they will love and fear the Lord. The message Denise wants her writing to convey is that “God needs to be the center of our lives. If He isn’t, everything else is out of kilter.”

  Dedication

  Dedicated to Colleen Coble and Kristin Billerbeck, my awesome critique partners and superb writers in their own right. You are my eagle eyes, my encouragement, my sounding board, my traveling buddies, and my dear friends. Love ya!

  A note from the Author:

  I love to hear from my readers! You may correspond with me by writing:

  Denise Hunter

  Author Relations

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  Uhrichsville, OH 44683