Flint Hills Bride (15 page)

Emily was glad to be excluded from most of the conversation. She had begun to worry about their greeting once they arrived in Council Grove. She had told the sheriff that Anson wasn’t really a fugitive, merely a friend of hers. Jake wasn’t doing his duty as a deputy, merely acting the jealous husband. Perhaps they could get in and out of town without the sheriff learning she wasn’t really Jake’s wife. Yet.

Even that hope shattered a few miles short of Council Grove. Jake, having exhausted Rodney’s entire store of tales, dropped back to ride next to her. “I’ll take Rodney with me to talk to the sheriff, then I’ll find a preacher.”

Her mind was blank for a moment. She wasn’t positive, but she thought it was Tuesday. Hadn’t they left Americus on Sunday? “Preacher?”

“To marry us,” he clarified.

Emily felt the blood drain from her face. “Marry us? Here?”

He answered quietly, “If I take you home first, your mother will want to turn the wedding into a big affair. That could take months to arrange.” He gave a significant glance toward her middle.

Of course he was right. She didn’t want a big wedding, and she certainly couldn’t afford to wait months. Still, she wished things were different.

Jake was watching her, looking slightly worried. Was he afraid she would argue with him? Or afraid she wouldn’t? Lord, if things were different, as she had wished, he wouldn’t be marrying her at all.

He had told her last night that he loved her, but he
was so nice, of course he would say that. She vowed right then to do her best to make him happy. She
was
in love with him, and maybe, if she loved him enough, she could make his love true as well.

She felt a smile tug her lips. “Shall we ask the sheriff to be a witness?”

Jake shook his head, laughing. “He already thinks we’re married, remember? On second thought, maybe you should come with me to his office. He might lock me up if he thinks I’ve abandoned you again.”

“I suppose I should do a little explaining.”

His smile became a wide grin. “I think I’d like to see that.”

She tried to scowl at him, but in the face of his grin, it was impossible. “Couldn’t we just tell him that in light of our earlier…er…problems, we want to renew our vows?”

Emily expected a hasty refusal Instead he agreed, making her instantly guilty. Her story to the sheriff had made Jake look like both a poor husband and an irresponsible lawman. And he was going to let her stick to it.

When they finally reached town and turned down the street toward the sheriff’s office, Emily’s stomach was in knots. She was usually hungry by this late in the morning, and she supposed that could be part of it. But mostly she dreaded facing the huge sheriff again.

She recognized a few men on the street as members of yesterday’s posse. Their curious stares did nothing to relieve the tension. In fact, she noticed more than a few of them moving down the street parallel to them.

“We’re drawing a crowd,” Jake commented cheerfully.

“Shall we invite them all to the wedding?” Her voice sounded a little more sour than she had intended. His response was still a laugh.

In front of the office, Jake swung down and came to help Emily dismount. Rodney had stepped up to the door only to have the sheriff barge through it, nearly knocking the boy off his feet.

“Well, now,” said the sheriff, hitching up his pants. “I didn’t expect to see the two of you around here again.”

“At least we’re together,” Jake offered.

“Mr. Sheriff,” Rodney began.

“Did you find the old boyfriend?” Emily was glad his glare was directed at Jake and not her.

“No, sir,” Jake answered.

Emily wanted to crawl into a hole somewhere. But she needed to straighten things out for Jake. “He really is a—”

“Mr. Sheriff,” Rodney tried again.

“Whatcha doin’ back here, then?”

Emily, Jake and Rodney each tried to answer. It was Rodney’s voice that carried above the rest. “My pa was robbed!”

A gasp went up from the gathering crowd.

“Maybe you three should step into my office,” the sheriff said, waving the others away.

Inside, the sheriff lined up the chairs and seated his guests then leaned against his desk to tower over them. Jake motioned Rodney to speak first.

“Pa—that’s Waller Kraus—he said to tell you that a young blond fella spent the night at our house night
before last and stole fourteen dollars and twenty-seven cents from a tin on our fireplace. I was to describe him if ya wanted.”

The sheriff raised an eyebrow toward Jake.

“It was Anson Berkeley. The boy I was following.”

The eyebrow shifted in Emily’s direction.

She took a deep breath. “He really is a fugitive. I lied to get you to help me catch up with Jake.”

Jake cut in quickly, “I did leave without telling her what I planned.”

“But only because he knew I’d follow.”

The sheriff waved his hand to end the argument He directed his gaze at Emily. “Are you at least his wife?”

She and Jake answered at once. “No.” “Yes.”

The sheriff grunted. “Do you two ever agree on anything? Which is it?” Before they could both speak again, he pointed at Emily. “You first.”

“We aren’t married. I wanted—”

Jake interrupted. “But we’re going to be.”

“Did I ask you to talk?” growled the sheriff.

Rodney’s young voice filled the room. “What about the man what stole Pa’s money?”

The sheriff sighed. “All right. You—” his finger pointed at Jake “—tell me the whole story, I mean about the robbery, and you two be quiet.”

Emily listened while Jake related what they had learned from each of the farms they had visited the day before. She produced the picture from her reticule at an appropriate time. The sheriff’s glare silenced any words she might have added.

Finally, with both the sheriff and Rodney satisfied,
they rose to leave. “You run over to the café and get some grub, boy,” the sheriff told Rodney. “Tell ’em I sent ya. I’ll round up one of my deputies to ride home with you. He’ll visit with your pa and your neighbors, and we’ll see what we can turn up.

“Can’t make no promises, though. Most likely, someone’ll catch him in the act and put a bullet in him.” The last was obviously intended to reassure Rodney that justice would eventually be served.

“What about you two?” asked the sheriff, tossing a huge arm over Jake’s shoulder and another over Emily’s. “I’m not sure I should let you run around loose. You’ve proved to be a mite disruptive.”

“We’re going to get married,” Jake said without hesitation.

The sheriff laughed. “Is that a fact? I think I’ll tag along to make sure.”

He withdrew his arms to open the door. Emily flexed her shoulders, hearing a satisfying pop, and followed Jake outside. And stopped in her tracks.

A crowd of people waited for them. They were a quiet bunch, but she detected a murmur of disappointment at seeing them emerge. Were they hoping at least one of them had been arrested?

She felt the heavy arm go around her shoulders again and discovered the sheriff had stepped between her and Jake.

“Folks,” the sheriff boomed. “These two young people are gonna get married.”

“Ain’t they already married?” asked one observer amid the murmurs of the rest.

“Appears not. Somebody get a parson.”

“Which one?”

The sheriff turned to Emily. “Do you prefer Catholic or Protestant? We ain’t got a real big choice.”

“Protestant,” she said past the lump in her throat. She truly wished she had held to her earlier lie. She would much rather get married quietly, without the help of this overbearing sheriff. She tried to look past him to see Jake’s reaction, but the man was too big.

“Four o’clock,” boomed the sheriff. “Give the ladies time to whip up the usual.”

“The usual?” Emily’s words were lost as she found herself thrust into Jake’s arms. She clung there trying to sort out what she had missed. The crowd gave a hearty cheer and dispersed in several directions. Their horses were led away by one stranger, her bag and Jake’s saddlebags carried off by another.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“They’re making the arrangements,” Jake whispered.

“You two go get some dinner. The preacher’ll find you to discuss any details. You need a dress or a Bible to carry or anything like that?”

She stared at the sheriff. It was Jake who answered. “I think we can find everything she needs. Let me feed her before she faints.”

“Faints?”

“She had to…skip breakfast.”

The sheriff’s wide face broadened into a lascivious grin. “Did she now?” He slapped Jake on the back so hard they both nearly fell over. “That’s a boy.” He chortled then grew serious. “You marry her, ya hear? Don’t try to duck out on her again. I’ll tell the liveryman not to let you have your horse, or any other, if I have to.”

“That won’t be necessary, sir,” Jake said.

To Emily’s immense relief, he led her away. By the time they were outside the restaurant, she was feeling more her old self. “Is the whole town invited to our wedding?”

“That’s what I understood.”

“Will the sheriff bring a shotgun?”

“Count on it.”

“Oh, Jake.” She turned into his arms. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” he whispered. “I’m marrying the woman I love. The details don’t really matter. Besides, I wouldn’t mind sharing the event with the whole world, or even a town full of strangers.”

He took her arm and led her into the restaurant, helping her out of her coat and gloves. The waiter hurried to direct them to the table they had occupied the day before. Emily, her back to the huge fireplace, watched Jake’s face as the waiter hurried away.

The humor of the situation finally hit her. “It looks like you’re really stuck with me, Jake. The sheriff’ll never let you escape.”

“Do I look like I want to cut and run?” He was smiling, too, his green eyes sparkling. “I’ve imagined you as my wife since I was eighteen.”

Emily laughed, trying to remember what she had been like at thirteen. “And before that, darling?” she asked, trying to sound flirtatious and overdoing it.

“Before that,” Jake said, leaning toward her and taking her hand. “I thought you would have made a wonderful little brother.”

“You say the sweetest things.”

The waiter arrived in time to see the couple holding
hands and smiling at each other across the table. He let out a heavy sigh of contentment as he put plates of steaming pot roast and vegetables in front of them.

“It’s on the house,” he said in a suspiciously choked voice before hurrying away.

E
mily soaked in a tub of hot water, the hotel had provided. When she and Jake had finished their meal, they had learned that Emily’s carpetbag had been moved into the room she had occupied for a short time the day before and Jake had been assigned the room across the hall. Jake, however, had been informed that baths were available in the back room of the barbershop, with a strong hint that he also visit the front room.

Emily squeezed out the sponge and watched the water trickle into the tub. In just a few hours she was going to marry Jake Rawlins. Every time she thought about it she wanted to laugh hysterically. A month ago—a week ago!—she wouldn’t have believed it.

Her baby would have a name, and a good name at that. And more important, it would have a daddy. Jake was incredibly handsome, kind, far kinder than she deserved, and she knew she loved him. He even acted as if he loved her, too, though she wasn’t sure she could believe it.

The water was growing cold, and she reached for
the towel, wrapping it around herself as she stepped from the tub. Someone had built a roaring fire before she had been shown to the room and it still sent out an abundance of heat.

Emily applied a second of the four towels the maid had left to her hair as she took a seat before the fire. A moment later a soft tap sounded on the door.

“Who is it?” she called.

“It’s me, Hannah. Don’t worry about being decent, honey.”

“Hannah?”

“The sheriff’s wife.” The woman had opened the door a crack and peered inside.

Of course the sheriff’s wife would expect to barge right in. Emily tried to give her a smile and found it wasn’t at all hard when it was returned in such a pleasant way.

Hannah stepped inside and closed the door, revealing an arm laden with garments. “Abel, that’s my husband, said you were about my size.”

They eyed each other critically then both realized at the same moment what they were doing and laughed.

“This was my wedding dress,” Hannah said, holding it by its wooden hanger. It was white with a sprinkling of pale pink roses and dark pink trim. She shook it out before slipping it onto a peg on the wall. “And a few underthings.” These became a huge pile over the back of a chair. “What else do you need?”

Emily, still clad only in a towel, shifted uncomfortably in the chair. “Are you sure you want to loan me those? I mean, you don’t have to just because your husband…” Oh Lord, what had she been about to
suggest? That the poor woman disobey her huge, domineering husband? “You could tell him I refused.”

Hannah looked genuinely disappointed. “You don’t like them?”

“No, that’s not what I meant.” She rose and walked across the room, clutching the towel in place. “I mean, surely you don’t want to loan all this to a stranger. And if your husband gets upset—”

“Abel?” Hannah laughed incredulously. “He never gets upset. He’s just a big ol’ softie.”

Emily blinked her amazement.

“You will wear them, won’t you?” Hannah asked eagerly.

Emily smiled. “Yes, I’d love to wear them.”

“Good. You rest now. I’ll come back at three and help you dress and fix your hair.”

Emily stopped her just before she opened the door. “Why did your husband decide on four o’clock for the wedding?”

“To give us time to cook, of course. There’ll be a big potluck dinner at the opera house and dancing. We need an excuse to celebrate.”

“But it’s only five days until Christmas.”

“Exactly. Five whole days to wait.”

In a moment Emily was alone again. She finished drying her hair and slipped into clean drawers and a shift from her bag. She crawled into the bed and tried to rest, but found her mind too cluttered with random thoughts.

Her mother was missing her wedding. She would soon belong to Jake. Anson had escaped and was
probably even now stealing from someone who had offered him help.

No matter where her mind wandered, it always came back to the thought of spending the night with Jake. Of course, she had spent the night with him last night. But tonight would likely be different.

She shouldn’t dwell on it; it might ruin her high opinion of Jake. She tried to turn her thoughts to arriving home in time for Christmas, but her concern for her welcome there interfered with the joy of the image.

She was too pent up to rest. Oddly enough, her first thought was to go to Jake. He was probably in his room across the hall by now. A few soft words from him would reassure her.

She shook her head at her own foolishness and went to stand by the window. Snow was falling again, coating the roofs and tree branches, mixing with the mud on the street. She felt a wave of homesickness and supposed that accounted for her wandering thoughts most of the afternoon.

She stayed where she was, watching the light snowfall accumulate here and there until she heard Hannah at the door. The older woman’s chatter quieted Emily’s nerves, and she soon found herself seated in front of the small mirror while Hannah arranged and rearranged her hair.

Finally, after what seemed like an excruciating amount of time, Hannah helped her into her cloak and took her downstairs where the sheriff waited to take them to the church.

“Where’s Jake?” she asked when they started off without him.

“My deputies were to see him to the church,” the sheriff answered.

“Deputies?” She wanted to ask if they had come equipped with leg irons.

“All but Hank. I sent him out with the Kraus boy. He’ll likely be back in time for the party, though.”

The sheriff, she learned, was not only planning to give her away, he and his wife were going to stand up with them. “I’ll see this done proper,” he told her with a laugh.

The moment she stepped through the door a whining organ began to play. Hannah thrust a bouquet of dried flowers into her hands and whispered, “You wait here about five seconds.” Giving Emily’s dress and hair a last adjustment, she turned and began slowly down the aisle.

“Five seconds,” whispered the big man, clearing his throat.

Oh my. The sheriff was actually nervous. Hannah was about halfway to the front before Emily registered two things at once. Jake stood beside the pastor, waiting for her. And the church was completely packed.

She fought the urge to giggle.

“Has it been five seconds? I forgot to count,” whispered the sheriff.

Emily shrugged and tugged his arm. Together they started down the aisle, much faster than Hannah. They had nearly caught up with her before they reached the front. Emily was grateful to be handed over to Jake and have the ceremony begun.

The pastor had promised them at dinner to keep the
ceremony short and simple, and he was true to his word. In less time than it had taken Hannah to fix her hair, Emily found herself being introduced to the crowd as Mrs. Jake Rawlins. To her astonishment, several women were weeping and sniffing into their handkerchiefs.

Jake’s very public kiss was brief but sweet and filled with promise. Emily wanted nothing more than to escape with him. Instead, the sheriff and his wife whisked them off to the opera house where they stood at the door and greeted the well-wishers.

When everyone was assembled, Jake and Emily were directed to the buffet table and encouraged to take some of everything. Several women seemed to be watching closely, noting, evidently, whose dishes they sampled and whose they passed up. Emily tried to take at least a taste of everything that Jake didn’t.

They were then seated at the front of the room surrounded by the sheriff and his wife. Emily, feeling too nervous to eat, did her best to anyway. She remembered Christian and Lynnette’s wedding dinner and didn’t want to invite any jokes about keeping up her strength.

When Jake finished eating and declined the invitation to get seconds, Emily hoped again for a chance to escape. Instead, the sheriff stood and offered a slightly embarrassing toast to the new couple, which Jake took good-naturedly.

A band struck up a number, and Jake and Emily were thrust onto the dance floor. The dance was far too fast to allow for talking and, though a few couples joined in, most seemed content to stomp and clap and
watch the young couple. As soon as the music ended, Emily whispered breathlessly, “Can we go now?”

“Aren’t you having fun?” His grin made her want to punch him.

Three toasts and four dances later, they made their escape. The sheriff drove them the short distance to the hotel with half the town running along behind. Once through the doors, Emily breathed a sigh of relief.

The hotel clerk followed them inside. “I’ve moved your things into Room three with the lady’s, Mr. Rawlins,” he said breathlessly. He went behind his desk to search for a key.

Jake took a step toward the clerk. He seemed about to protest. “That will be fine,” Emily said quickly, gaining a surprised glance from Jake.

The clerk smiled pleasantly and handed over a key. He brushed past them and hurried back to the party.

Emily and Jake started up the stairs. “You were going to ask for separate rooms, weren’t you, Jake?”

“Don’t take offense, Emily. I didn’t want to rush you.”

She took his hand and drew him into the room, giving him a smile she hoped was more teasing than shy. “You’ve made quite a sacrifice for me, Jake. I think this is the least I can do.”

He closed the door behind them and turned to light the lamp on the wall before he answered. “Do you feel like you’re making a sacrifice, Emily?”

Her already tense nerves wound a little tighter. What sacrifice was she making? Did he think she still
cared about Anson? She shook her head, uncertain what he was asking.

He stepped closer, his voice low. “Is making love to me a sacrifice?”

“No,” she whispered. “More a…gift.”

He touched her cheek lightly, making her tremble clear to her toes. “A gift? Perhaps. But Emily, I had hoped you would want me as much as I want you. It should be something we share.”

They hadn’t yet removed their coats, and Emily suddenly felt unbearably warm. She stepped away and slid the cloak from her shoulders, tossing it over a nearby chair. He had been standing too close, anyway. In another second she would have wanted him to kiss her.
He
seemed to want to talk.

“Something we share,” she murmured thoughtfully. She certainly enjoyed sharing Jake’s kisses. But the rest…

Jake turned from her, perhaps reading the skepticism in her eyes. He removed his coat, tossed it over the back of the chair next to the door then put his gun belt over it. He walked to the window and stood looking out on the dark street.

She hadn’t wanted to hurt his feelings. “Jake,” she said softly. “I will share whatever you want. But let’s remember, I’ve done this before.”

He turned toward her, his face unreadable. She shouldn’t have mentioned Anson, even indirectly. Before she could decide how to correct the mistake, he spoke. “Emily, I don’t care about the past You’re giving me your future, and I’m giving you mine. That’s far more important than anything that’s gone before.”

He took a step toward her, but only one. Emily started forward, too, but stopped. He seemed to have something more he wanted to say and was perhaps as aware as she that it was easier to talk with some distance between them.

“I slept with you in my arms last night,” he began after a moment. “It felt right to have, you beside me. But I can’t do that again without wanting more.”

“I know,” she said quickly. “I don’t expect—”

A raised hand silenced her. He went on quietly, “I want what we share tonight to reflect all the love I feel in my heart, but you see, Emily, I’ve never done this before.”

She stared at him. When she realized her mouth was hanging open she snapped it closed. She had hoped that most married men stayed faithful to their wives, but she had assumed that all single men sampled whatever was available. Unless…

She swallowed a lump in her throat. Perhaps he had no interest. That was, of course, a shock, but after a moment of reflection, she decided she could live with that. “It doesn’t matter, Jake,” she said.

He smiled at her. She still wasn’t sure if she understood.

“You have to accept the blame for my inexperience,” he said.

“Me?” Lord, had a childhood prank of hers caused some injury? She felt herself growing light-headed.

“Every time I had the opportunity I would end up comparing the woman to you. None of them ever came close. All these years, you are all I’ve wanted.”

Emily took a deep breath. “I don’t know what to say. I feel more guilty than ever about my own past.”

He moved toward her quickly, taking her arms. “I don’t want you to feel guilty. I told you so you’d be patient with me.”

She had to laugh. “Jake, there’s nothing much to it. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

To her relief he grinned at her. “I didn’t say I was completely ignorant. I got the usual speeches from both my mother and my father. Of course, if I remember right, they pretty much contradicted each other.”

Emily giggled. “You got speeches from both your parents?”

“I was an only child.”

It felt so good to laugh with him again. She threw her arms around his neck, thinking of him more as her old friend and less as her new husband.

His mind had evidently taken a little different turn. “Let’s start with something simple,” he whispered, “like a kiss.”

Shivers shot through her body. Whether it was from his breath on her ear or the tone of his voice, she wasn’t sure. Suddenly she was aware of the closeness of his body, the pounding of her own heart. She drew away enough to make her lips accessible without being aware of doing so. One moment, her face was buried in his shoulder, the next, it was rising to meet his kiss.

Desire uncurled in the pit of her stomach and flooded her senses. All she could taste, all she could smell, was Jake. All she could hear was her own blood humming with his. All she could feel was Jake pressed against her body.

Or almost. She realized she was pushing so close
to him he had to shuffle one foot to keep his balance. Her own knees were less than steady.

He broke the kiss and grinned down at her. “I think we did that pretty well, don’t you? What shall we try next?”