North Dakota Weddings (40 page)

“You know, for the right guy, I could get into Jesus.”

“Oh, bother.” Amber knew she had failed miserably. Her blame game had cost her the ability to talk to Muriel about Jesus. But she had to try. “This is how it works. If you want to know the Truth, all you have to do is ask God. He’ll show you.”

Muriel chose to hit the B
LEND
button at the beginning of Amber’s spiel and stared at her almost cross-eyed, pretending she couldn’t hear a word.

Someone pounded on the door. Amber shared a look with Muriel.

“You expecting someone?” Muriel asked.

Standing there in her sweats? “Do I look like it?” Amber hurried to the door, hoping that her brother hadn’t decided to pay her a visit. He’d just dropped her off an hour ago. She needed time to process everything.

Opening the door revealed a handsome and familiar silhouette. Her knees went weak.

“Dr. Selman?”

Hair tousled, Amber stared up at him expectantly. Apparently, he’d disturbed her. In her eyes, he hoped he read that she was glad to see him, despite the late hour.

Brandon opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out.
I’m a first-class idiot
.

“Why don’t you come in?” she stood aside, allowing him entry.

“Dr. Selman, what a surprise.” Muriel smiled widely at him and held up a tall glass as if to say “cheers.” Over the rim of the glass she gave Amber an amused look.

He had the funny feeling that, when it came to Amber, Muriel was the expert and Brandon a fossil laid bare.

“Can I get you something to drink?” Amber led him over to the sofa.

“No thank you.” This was more than awkward. “Can we talk?”

She brushed her long hair over her shoulder and glanced toward the kitchen. “Uh…”

Muriel finished her drink then set her glass down. She wiped away a milk mustache. “I hope you don’t think I’m rude, but I’ve got a big day tomorrow. Going to hit the sack.” After she leaned in to whisper to Amber, Muriel disappeared down the hall.

Amber faced him, her expression wary. “What’s this about?”

Brandon stared at the coffee table. “Forgive my intrusion. I didn’t feel I had any choice but to speak to you.”

“And you couldn’t do this tomorrow at the museum?” Amber rubbed her arms. “Must be serious.”

Fortunately, his meeting with the donor went better than expected; even Sheila appeared pleased. But he’d had to shove aside his anxiety over the news he’d discovered mere moments before dinner. Maybe he worried for nothing, but after the dinner meeting, he couldn’t bear to spend the rest of the night speculating. He had to see Amber. “Please don’t take this the wrong way. But I wanted to confirm that you found the artifact today.” Brandon dipped his chin, waiting for her response, and feeling the weight of his question down to his toes. He’d wanted to give her the benefit of a doubt.

Amber pressed her eyes shut. As her lips trembled, Brandon felt a deep ache in his chest.

“No, I didn’t catalog it. I don’t know where it is,” she said, her voice a hoarse whisper.

Brandon closed his eyes, too, cringing inside.

He’d give anything if nothing stood between them. All he wanted to do at that moment was hold her in his arms, but not in the same way he’d done on previous occasions when he’d simply comforted her.

No…he wanted to hold her in an entirely different way.

When he opened his eyes, she was staring at him.

“What do you think happened?” he asked.

Amber stood. “Look, you don’t have to tiptoe around this. It’s about my brother, isn’t it? I told you he’d committed a crime. Then an artifact turns up missing.” She turned her back on him.

He had the sneaking suspicion she was crying again and with what he was about to ask, he wasn’t going to make the tears go away. “Have you told me everything?”

The knot in his throat suddenly grew larger. The last thing he wanted was for her to find out he’d hunted for information about her brother.
Cad
.

She whirled to face him, her eyes surprisingly dry. Brandon felt everything rush out of him. He’d entertained far too much hope for something between them. “I’m not accusing you or your brother of anything.”

Wasn’t he?

Her expression softened. “I met with him tonight. It was the first time I’ve seen him in at least a year.”

Brandon sucked in a breath. Her brother was in town, then?

“I could see immediately that something had changed. He told me that a prison ministry came to visit every week, and that he’d found Christ. Actually, I should say he recommitted his life to Christ.”

Though the news relieved Brandon, the heaviness of the situation pressed against him. He leaned back against the couch, absorbing her words. More than anything, he wanted to believe her. But she wasn’t telling him everything.

He licked his lips. “Amber. What was your brother convicted of?”

A deep frown appeared in her lips and brows. “I’m guessing you already know the answer to that.”

“I’m sorry.” Unable to meet her gaze, he stared down at the rug. “I know that he was caught trafficking artifacts.”

Amber turned and, to his alarm, walked out the front door. Right now, he hated himself. But what choice did he have?

Needing a handle on this situation before Jim returned, he had to resolve this tonight, if possible. He followed Amber, and found her standing in the shadows of the porch, looking at the sky. Clouds skirted the moon, drifting away.

Brandon turned her to face him and lifted her chin.

“Do you want me to say I think Michael stole the artifact?” she asked. “Well, I’m not going to.”

The turmoil in her face cut him deep. He hated to see her hurting. “Your brother’s choices aren’t your fault. They’re no reflection on you. You don’t pay the price for his mistakes.”

She searched his eyes. “If that’s true, then why are you here?”

She had him there. But her question uncovered the deeper truth of why he’d really come. He wanted to see her, be with her, make sure she was safe. At that moment, looking into her pale eyes, then down to her soft lips, he no longer cared about the artifact, the museum, or her brother’s crimes. How many times had he thought about her lips? How many times had he wanted to kiss…

Before he knew it, his lips were pressed against hers. He lingered against their softness, while she wrapped her arms around his neck. Heart racing, he drew her closer. Her slight form fit perfectly against his frame.

“Dr. Selman.” She whispered against his cheek. The way she’d said his name sent shivers over him.

He kissed her again then whispered in her ear. “Will you finally call me Brandon?”

S
itting on the porch swing, Amber nestled against Dr.—oh wait, Brandon’s shoulder.

Encircled in his arms, she rocked with him.

“I haven’t felt this free in years,” she murmured, “because I was holding on to resentment and bitterness. Then to see him tonight? I still can’t get over the change.”

Brandon kissed the top of her head. “I want to hear all about it.”

“His last year in college with a double major of archaeology and museum studies, he needed additional funds. Someone approached him about an artifact. Before he knew it, he was neck deep in moving antiquities and kept at it even after graduating. My understanding is that it started small and mostly stayed that way, but there was one big item—and that’s when he got caught. He served three years.”

Amber thought of Michael’s warning—straying from God only a little could lead her far from Him. But she had a feeling that God had a hold of her and was drawing her back. “I had planned to follow in his footsteps with my studies, then because of what happened, I ended up transferring to the University of North Dakota. I was confused about what to study. I didn’t want to be reminded of Michael, but I’m drawn in the same direction he was. I was away at school when Mom and Emily went to see him in prison—that was a year ago. On their way, they were killed in an accident. Under the circumstances, and with police escort, Michael was allowed to attend the funeral. I blamed him.”

Brandon squeezed her tighter, and she closed her eyes, feeling safe in his embrace.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered.

Amber sat up to look at him. “I know he’s changed.”

“I believe you.”

Studying his face, she ran her finger over his brow and down his cheek. She knew the museum struggled. Brandon worked hard to secure new donors, kept minimal staff, and utilized volunteers and interns. She recalled Michael’s question about employment at the museum. There wasn’t any way she’d feel comfortable asking Brandon to hire Michael—even for the lowliest position.

“I’d like you to meet him.”

He rubbed his thumb over her lips then kissed her again. Amber melted into him, overwhelmed with the joy inside. She’d only dreamed that he could care for her this way.

When he ended the kiss, he drew back and gazed into her eyes, his expression serious. “As much as I hate to say this, there’s something you need to know.”

Oh no. Was her world crashing again?

“I want to believe that your brother is innocent. But I have to answer to others. The last thing I want is to bring the police in, especially now when the museum is close to gaining accreditation.”

“But?”

“I know from experience that the missing artifact could very well be at the museum but has either been stored already or somehow got mixed up with the remaining artifacts. We have to finish the cataloging tomorrow. If the wedding vase doesn’t turn up, then I have no choice but to call the police.”

Brandon and Amber worked the next day to process the artifacts, but the job was meticulous and time consuming, and they did not finish. He could tell she was tired and, he admitted, he was starting to see two of everything. They needed to break for the day. Brandon would come back and finish, even if it took him all night. Then if he couldn’t find the missing piece, he would double-check everything previously cataloged. Reporting an item stolen when it was simply misplaced would draw unfavorable attention to his fledgling museum. But given the proximity of Michael McKinsey, he had every reason to be concerned and couldn’t wait too long.

He sucked in a ragged breath. Whatever he did or didn’t discover tonight would be the deciding factor.

But…however much he believed he was following the correct procedure, it was difficult to determine if he was being reasonable or not because of his feelings for Amber.

When she’d first arrived that morning, there was an awkward silence; then she appeared to understand the importance of remaining professionally detached. Still, to say it was difficult was an understatement. Every time she smiled at him from across the room, he wanted to cover her lips with his. Every time she sighed, he’d wanted to take her in his arms.

The tragedy was that she’d be leaving in a mere two weeks. How could he stand for her to be away from him? How did she feel about him? Really?

Unfortunately, he’d spent his adult life avoiding relationships to focus on his career. This was new territory for him. When on unfamiliar ground, one needed to tread slowly and carefully. But he was definitely not getting younger. Neither were his elderly parents. If he was going to give them the grandchildren they hoped for, moving slowly was out of the question.

Children with Amber?
His heart skipped a beat.

Bent over a box, he felt a touch at his temple. Pulled from his thoughts, he stood tall and caught Amber’s gentle smile. What would she think had she read his mind just now?

“Sorry. I couldn’t help it. It seems like hours since…” She trailed off, blushing.

“I know. I’m finding it difficult to work with you, too. I think you should call it a day. It’s getting late. ”

“It’s only five.” She looked down, her lashes shadowing her beautiful eyes. “I know what you’re trying to do. You haven’t called the police yet, have you?”

Subtly, he shook his head. “I have to make sure it’s not here. I have no reason to think it was stolen other than…”

“Other than my brother.”

“But after what you’ve told me about him, I don’t believe he’s involved. If there’s been a crime here, why would the thief steal only one item if he’d found a way into receiving? I don’t need another scandal….” For the first time, he realized he’d never told her of his own past.