Page 10 of Sudden Mail-Order Bride (Frontier Brides #1)

The kiss was soft and sweet, a mere caress of lips, but Caroline felt it to her core. Oh the joy, the wonder! This was worth waiting for.

She opened her eyes as he pulled away. The awe on his face told her he’d felt something too.

“I guess that means you’re my sweetheart,”

he said, smile wobbly.

She smiled back. “Guess it does.”

“Just don’t tell Ma,”

he said, turning his horse. “She’ll be insufferable.”

Caroline laughed, and she turned Calico as well as they headed back toward the house to offer their help with the final day of painting. She could have painted the entire barn on her own the way she was feeling. Why, she could have flown right down to that delta and introduced herself to the deer! She was probably still grinning when they reined in near the barn.

The others were already hard at work, but Jeremy’s father gladly poured them a bucket. “Front doors need a coat too,”

he said, eyes twinkling.

Jacob was working on the wall on one side of the door, Jane on the other. Jeremy’s brother nodded at Caroline with approval as she started slopping paint onto the planks of the door. Her shoulders protested, but she ignored them.

“How did the riding go?”

Jane called.

“Caroline acquitted herself brilliantly,”

Jeremy said, so proudly he might have popped a button.

“We went all the way to the drop,”

Caroline said before thinking better of it.

Jane’s eyebrows climbed. “And?”

“And there were deer down in the delta,”

Caroline said, mindful of Jeremy’s warning.

“A nice sighting,”

Jacob said, but he was eyeing her as if he saw something more in her comment.

At least that nudged them away from the subject of the drop. As it was, Caroline caught Jeremy’s gaze on her several times during the morning, and every time the memory of his lips against hers brought a blush to her cheeks.

She couldn’t help hoping. Back home, a kiss was generally a prelude to a proposal. Maybe she’d be less mail-order and more bride soon.

Jeremy bent over their bucket and swept his brush along the sides. “We’re running low.”

“I’ll get more,”

Caroline volunteered, handing him her full brush.

“I’ll help you,”

Jacob said, abandoning his own bucket to pick up theirs.

She followed him into the barn, the scents of hay and horses wrapping around her. Jacob moved to a workbench along one wall, where the bigger vat of whitewash was waiting. They had used a good amount of it so far, but they still had a lot of barn to paint.

“You seem to have taken to riding,”

Jacob said as he bent to dip a smaller pail in the paint.

“It’s not hard with such a gentle horse as Calico,”

Caroline said, watching him begin to fill her bucket. “I don’t know if I’d fare as well on a bigger, faster horse like Quicksilver.”

He wiped the paint off the little pail before setting it aside. “My brother’s horse can be unpredictable.”

He straightened. “So is Jeremy, but he deserves a wife who will be steady and true. Are you that woman?”

Caroline stepped back, stung. “I’ve never represented myself as other than I am. Do you think I lied?”

He cocked his head as if considering, eyes half hidden behind his spectacles. “No. You appear to be honest. But do you intend to go through with this marriage if my brother proposes?”

If Jeremy proposed. So even well-read Jacob wondered.

“I came here to be a mail-order bride,”

Caroline said. “That hasn’t changed.”

“And she shouldn’t have to justify that to anyone,”

Jack said.

Caroline turned to find him coming down the stairs from his room in the loft. He touched the brim of his hat to her, and she managed a smile.

“I was merely trying to protect Jeremy,”

Jacob informed his brother.

“Understandable,”

Jack allowed, moving to join them. “But I’m fairly sure Jeremy can protect himself. Best you head back to work.”

Jacob shook his head, but he handed Caroline the bucket and stalked out.

“Sorry about that,”

Jack said, grabbing a hammer off the workbench. “We tend to watch out for each other.”

“Which is commendable,”

Caroline assured him. “But I’m not out to hurt anyone.”

“I can see that. You’re always willing to lend a hand, and what you don’t know, you’re happy to learn. I hope to find a bride like you one day.”

The chill she’d felt at Jacob’s doubt melted. Yet, if Jeremy was right about the number of women in the area, Jack had a challenge ahead of him to find any bride at all.

“Thank you,”

she murmured.

He nodded as he turned for the door. “Just tell Jeremy it’s time to move things along.”

Maybe she should.

If she was as brave as Jeremy’s oldest sister, she could ask him where she stood. Jane rode astride, like the men. Jane helped guard the cows at night. If a fellow had kissed Jane, she’d probably demand a proposal that moment. Jane might be the one proposing!

But she wasn’t Jane, and pushing for anything in her family or at the academy had meant she was more likely to hear the word no than the word yes.

***

Caroline worked diligently beside Jeremy the rest of the afternoon, casting him the occasional glance. By the time they’d finished for the day, that glance had turned into a frown, as if she wasn’t sure of him.

Why should she be sure? He’d kissed her and called her his sweetheart, which was pretty close to admitting he was hers and she was his.

But she wasn’t his. Not really. Not until he uttered those fateful words: Will you marry me?

And she agreed.

As they cleaned their hands at the side of the barn before dinner, the others having gone ahead, those words trembled on his tongue, begging to be released. He’d praise her beauty, her commitment to her family, her kindness. He’d take her in his arms and press his lips against hers. They’d only had a moment at the drop. This time could be deeper, richer.

But what if he hadn’t done enough to convince her to stay? What if she agreed with Ma that they still needed time to know?

What if she said no?

What if he stopped fretting and just plunged ahead?

Beyond her, a movement caught his eye, and he blinked. Someone was heading toward the open door of the barn. He only caught a glimpse of the fellow. His hat was pulled down over his hair, but the black leather duster didn’t belong to any of his brothers, and he couldn’t recall seeing one on any man who attended services.

A chill went through him. He put a hand to Caroline’s arm. “There’s trouble. Fetch Jack. Tell him to bring his gun.”

Joanna would have demanded to know what was happening. Jane would have demanded to stand with him. Caroline lifted her skirts, wide-eyed, and pelted for the house.

Jeremy drew in a breath and squared his shoulders. Was this the same fellow who’d first camped on their land? Was he armed? What did he want? Just entering the barn without permission immediately marked him as a danger. Was he after the horses? Hoping to steal equipment he could sell?

Jeremy crept up to the door. A shame he hadn’t brought his revolver with him. He could do with a weapon at the moment. The only option at hand was to grab up a half-full bucket of whitewash.

The inside of the barn was dark on the best of days, with only the doors and two windows along the sides for light. They kept lanterns to a minimum because of the danger of fire. Most of the horses had been let out to pasture to graze, but he spotted Calico waiting patiently in her stall. Nothing else moved along the straw-strewn dirt floor, but something rustled in the hayloft, something that sounded a lot bigger than a mouse.

He glanced toward the house. Jack strode across the yard, Pa puffing alongside. Both carried rifles. As they reached him, he realized Caroline was right behind them. His muscles tensed.

“Best you go back to the house,”

he murmured to her as she drew up alongside him. “It might not be safe out here.”

“What’s happened?”

Jack interrupted, shifting the gun.

Jeremy had to tear his gaze away from Caroline to answer him. “A stranger entered the barn. I don’t know where he came from or what he intends. I can’t spot him now, but the other doors are closed, and there are noises coming from the loft.”

“Cover me,”

Jack said.

Pa positioned himself at the side of the door, rifle trained into the barn, and Jack slipped inside.

Jeremy was more concerned with the woman standing so pale in front of him. “Please, Caroline, go back. If anything happened to you…”

From inside the barn, Jack’s voice rang out. “We know you’re in here. Come out now, before someone gets hurt.”

The sound of the rifle cocking cracked like thunder. Pa took aim.

“Don’t shoot!”

a voice cried. “I didn’t mean any trouble.”

Caroline’s eyes widened once more. She shoved past Jeremy. He whirled to stop her, heart leaping into his throat, but she ran into the barn.

“Don’t shoot!”

she cried, echoing the stranger. “That’s my brother!”

***

She could hardly believe her ears, and yet, there was Ned, clambering down the ladder from the hayloft. She ran and threw her arms around him. Was he thinner? His face more worn?

He certainly smelled of the saddle and dusty roads. It was all she could do not to wrinkle her nose as she released him.

“Are you all right?”

she asked. “Where have you been?”

He took off his low-brimmed hat with one hand and rubbed the back of his neck with the other. His honey-colored hair hung limp around his face. “Sorry to worry you. I had to go away on urgent business. As soon as I got back, I went straight to the lodging house. I read the note you’d left with Mrs. Potts, and I lit out for Washington Territory to find you.”

Away on business? He and his friends were more likely to be found gambling with dice behind the house.

A dozen questions crowded her tongue, but he clearly didn’t want to elaborate in front of an audience. His gaze kept darting around as if he wondered which of the men was going to open fire first.

She patted his shoulder, raising a puff of dust, then turned to smile at Jeremy, his father, and his brother. Jack had his eyes narrowed and gun still trained on her brother. Mr. Willets had at least lowered his rifle. And Jeremy was watching, tense and coiled, as if ready to jump in and rescue her at the least provocation.

“I’m sorry he scared everyone,”

she said. “Mr. Willets, Jack, Jeremy, this is my brother, Ned Cadhill.”

Ned nodded respectfully. “Sirs.”

Jeremy’s father nodded back. “Pleased to make your acquaintance, son.”

Jack said nothing, but he lowered his rifle too.

Jeremy came forward and offered his hand. “I’m Jeremy.”

Ned took his hand and pumped. Hard. “So, you’re the man who took my sister away.”

Caroline drew herself up as the two disengaged. “Don’t you go blaming Jeremy. I took myself away, after you left!”

His easy grin popped into view. “I was just teasing, sis. Though you could have told me you were planning to be a mail-order bride before you left that note.”

He nodded around again. “Glad to meet you all. Thank you for taking care of Caroline when I couldn’t.”

“Your sister is a breath of spring and a blessing to everyone she meets,”

Jeremy’s father said, his words bringing heat to her cheeks. “Dinner should be on the table shortly. You’re welcome to stay.”

Jeremy’s father led Jack from the barn.

“I have a horse in the woods,”

Ned said with an apologetic look to Jeremy. “I don’t suppose I could use a stall?”

“Use whatever you need,”

Jeremy said. “You heard my father. Any family of Caroline’s is welcome here.”

“I’ll join you all shortly, then,” he said.

Caroline broke away from Jeremy to face her brother squarely. “And don’t you think of leaving again! This time, I’ll have help to track you down!”

He grimaced. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Good.”

She took Jeremy’s arm and let him escort her from the barn.

“Remind me never to get on your bad side,”

he said as they headed for the house. “Then again, I didn’t know you had a bad side.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her brother making for the trees across the field.

“I suppose everyone has a bad side,”

she said as Jeremy held the kitchen door open for her. “It just takes more to bring it out in some. And Ned is very good at bringing mine out.”

“Is that why you didn’t tell him about answering my ad?” he asked.

She stepped into the warmth of the house with a sigh. “No. I didn’t tell my father either. They both seemed to think it was fine for me to stay as I was, keeping house for them. I wanted something of my own, someone who would want me for me.”

There, she’d confessed it. She slanted him a glance.

In answer, he stepped closer, breath brushing her cheek. “Nothing wrong with that. I’ve wanted the same. Sometimes, I think our families don’t really know us or at least appreciate us for who we are.”

“That’s it exactly,”

she said with a sigh.

His hand came up to stroke her hair, and she wanted to lean into the touch. “I see you, Caroline. You’re sweet and helpful and you look for the best in every situation. You make me want to be the best.”

“As far as I’m concerned,”

she murmured, feeling as if he’d reached down to touch her heart as well, “you are the best.”

He lowered his head. “No, I’m not. If I was, I’d be questioning your brother instead of mooning over you.”

She didn’t mind the mooning one bit, but his reminder brought the world crashing back in. Whatever her concerns about a future with this man, she had to deal with her brother first.

“Don’t worry,”

she told Jeremy, starting down the corridor for the dining room. “As soon as I have a chance, I’m going to ask questions until I’m satisfied.”

She didn’t have an opportunity as everyone gathered for dinner. Mr. Willets must have had a word with his wife, because another chair had been added to the table as if in expectation of Ned joining them.

He came in just as the others were seating themselves, setting a battered valise dirtier than his clothes inside the dining room door. He’d removed the travel-worn duster, and he must have dunked his head in a water barrel, because his hair was damp and slicked back from his now-clean face. Still, the hint of stubble along his jaw made him look more like an outlaw than a caller.

Caroline hurried to introduce him to the rest of Jeremy’s family. He nodded to Jacob, Jason, and Joshua and bowed to Jane and Jenny. He winked at Joy. But he smiled at Joanna as he was seated next to her across the table from Caroline and Jeremy.

“I see they spoke the truth when they said the West boasted a number of prairie roses,” he said.

“You apparently missed the stories about thistle and tumbleweed,”

Joanna countered. But she swiped a stray curl back into place before passing him the bowl of potatoes.

“It must have been a long ride from Cincinnati,”

Mrs. Willets said as she kept the platters of ham and biscuits moving. “What roads did you take, Mr. Cadhill?”

“Whichever led West,”

he joked. “These have to be the finest rhubarb preserves I’ve ever eaten, Mrs. Willets. You’ll have to give Caroline the recipe.”

Apparently he thought she’d still be doing his cooking. She sliced into her piece of ham hard enough that the knife squeaked on the porcelain.

“Why, Caroline is an excellent cook in her own right,”

Jeremy’s mother said with a fond smile her way. “She made us the most delicious pie just the other night. But your brother is right, dear. We should exchange more recipes.”

Caroline hastily swallowed. “I never wrote anything down. I just did what I’d seen my mother do. No one ever complained.”

They hadn’t praised the food either, but she hadn’t expected them to. She’d just enjoyed cooking, trying new things, and feeling like she was doing her part to support her father and Ned.

“No reason to complain,”

Ned put in. “Caroline succeeds at everything she sets her hand to. I’m sure you all noticed.”

They all nodded and beamed, as if she were the best thing that had ever happened to them. Warmth seeped into her, and she dropped her gaze to her plate.

Her brother was being very nice, but he wasn’t fooling her. She couldn’t wait to get him alone and learn the truth about why he’d left and why he’d returned.