Rebecca Hagan Lee - [Borrowed Brides 01] (27 page)

“Is everything ready?” Reese asked as he entered the kitchen of the main house.

“Yes,” Sarah replied. “She thinks we’ve forgotten her birthday.” Sarah lifted the large sheet cake from its resting place on the work table. “All I have to do is take this to the dining room.”

“Good,” Reese said. “David and Faith’s aunt, Temperance, are hiding in my study. They’re part of her surprise.”

Sarah’s face brightened at the mention of her son’s name.

Reese smiled down at his beloved aunt. “And part of yours, Aunt Sarah.”

Sarah wanted to hug him, but didn’t dare display that sort of childish affection for a grown man. She rapped him on the arm with her wooden spoon instead. “You should have told me.” she chided.

“And spoil your surprise?” Reese asked. “Not likely. You take the cake on into the dining room, then spend a couple of minutes with David. I’ll go upstairs and get the birthday girl.” Reese smoothed a stray hair back from Sarah’s face as he moved past her.

Faith looked up from her book as Reese entered the bedroom. Her gray eyes hungrily scanned his face. It had been days since she’d seen him. She missed him. “Hello.”

“Hello yourself,” Reese replied, his brown-eyed gaze soaking up the sight of her. She was wearing a ruffled, flannel nightgown and a quilted bed jacket. Her black hair was loose and falling over her shoulders. She looked wonderful. He moved to the foot of the bed for a better view.

“I haven’t seen you lately,” Faith murmured. “I thought you’d forgotten all about me.” She turned back to the page in front of her, pretending disinterest.

“I’ve been out on the range for the past three days. The snowstorm was hard on the cattle. The newborn calves were in danger of freezing. We had to get them in.” Reese felt awkward standing there in front of her.

“Really? I hadn’t noticed,” Faith lied.

Reese didn’t know whether to shake her or to burst out laughing at her bald-faced lie. How could anyone not notice snow whirling past the windows and a fifty degree drop in temperature? “Well,” he decided to play along. “I guess you’ve been busy.” He sneaked a glance at her to gauge her reaction. “Sewing baby clothes and all…”

Faith glared at him. The baby clothes were still a sore point with her. She’d done nothing but sew on the tiny garments for the past three days. How dare he imply she hadn’t on the one afternoon she decided to read? It was her birthday after all, even if no one on this godforsaken ranch remembered it! “As a matter of fact, I have been very busy. And I’m busy right now…”

“Too busy to join us downstairs for dinner?” Reese asked softly.

“What?” She was startled by his invitation.

“You did invite Dr. McMurphy to supper tonight, didn’t you? Or, perhaps, you’d rather he dined up here with you?”

“Yes. No.” Faith faltered.

“Which is it?” Reese’s tone of voice was harder, almost cutting.

“Yes, I did invite him,” she answered, “and no, I don’t want him to join me up here.” She looked up at Reese. “I’d like to eat downstairs with the rest of you. If it’s all right?”

“It’s fine with me,” Reese told her. “Kevin said it would be all right if someone carried you downstairs. I’m the someone. Take it or leave it.” He glared at her, demanding an answer.

“I’ll take it!” Faith practically bounced up and down on the bed.

“You’ll need this.” He thrust a gray velvet robe at her.

“Can’t I get dressed?” Faith pleaded. “It won’t be too hard if you help me.”

On the contrary, Reese thought, he wouldn’t be anything
but
hard if he helped her dress. Looking at her was bad enough. He cleared his throat. “One thing at a time. The doctor didn’t say anything about letting you dress for supper. Take it or…”

Faith opened her mouth to protest, but a glance at Reese stopped her. “Leave it.” She finished his ultimatum for him.

“Well?”

“I’ll take it.” She removed her bed jacket and took the robe. When she was securely wrapped in velvet, Reese scooped her up in his arms and carried her down the stairs to the dining room.

* * *

“Surprise!” The dining room erupted with joyful shouts the minute Reese walked through the door with Faith in his arms. “Happy Birthday!”

“Oh!” Faith swept her gaze over the familiar faces. The members of Reese’s family were crowded into the dining room, but her one invited guest was absent. Reese lowered her into a dining room chair.

“I don’t know what to say,” Faith began. “I thought you had forgotten.” She looked at Mary, then at Sarah.

“We know.” Mary groaned, looking for all the world like a long-suffering martyr.

“Thank you,” Faith said simply. “Thank you all.”

“Look, Faith!” Joy bounced up and down next to Faith’s chair. “Sarah made you a birfday cake!” She pointed to the large confection of flour, eggs and sugar. “And we all got you presents. Can we open them now? And eat the cake?” Joy’s eyes sparkled greedily.

Faith glanced at Sarah, then down at her young sister. “We probably need to have supper first. The cake will spoil your appetite.” It was hard to contain her own excitement. She hadn’t had a birthday cake since her sixteenth birthday. She looked up at Reese. “Where’s Doctor McMurphy? I thought he was here.”

“That was a ruse to get you downstairs.” Reese couldn’t help the frown marring his handsome face. “I hate to disappoint you, but the doctor sent word he’d been delayed. He said not to wait supper on him. He’ll be late.”

“Then I guess we should start.” Faith was hurt by the hostile tone in Reese’s voice. Some of her delight in the wonderful birthday surprise evaporated.

“Thank goodness!” David announced from the doorway of the dining room. “I’m so hungry I could eat a bear!”

“David!” Faith exclaimed, excited once again. “This is a surprise! How did you get here?”

“By train,” David replied. “Reese sent for me.”

“How is everything in Richmond? Is everything settled? How are my aunts? How is Aunt Tempy?”

“Why don’t you ask her?” David stepped aside to reveal Temperance Hamilton.

“Aunt Tempy!” Faith cried, tears of joy shimmering in her eyes. “Oh, Aunt Tempy…”

Temperance ran to her niece and hugged her tightly.

“How did you get here?” Faith wanted to know.

“I came with David.” Temperance smiled, smoothing Faith’s hair away from her face. “Happy Birthday, darling.”

“You came with David? Reese sent for you?”

“Of course,” Tempy told her. “How else?”

Faith looked up and found Reese.

“Surprise,” he said.

A lump formed in Faith’s throat. Tears slipped down her cheeks. She tried to thank him, but words failed her. She simply gazed at him, her love for him shining in her eyes.

Reese stepped forward and took her hand. He raised it to his lips and tenderly brushed her knuckles with his lips. “Happy Birthday, Faith.”

The last of the supper dishes had been cleared away and most of the gifts presented to the birthday girl before Doctor Kevin McMurphy entered the dining room.

Faith glanced up as he stepped inside the doorway. “Doctor Kevin, I’m so glad you made it! We waited to cut the cake.” She extended her hand toward him. “Come in, come in. There’s someone special I’d like you to meet. Reese surprised me by sending for her.” Faith took Kevin’s hand in hers.

Reese glared at the couple from his vantage point halfway across the table. The room was full of people standing together in little groups, laughing and talking. Celebrating. Reese sat at one end of the table. Alone. His good mood had deteriorated with Kevin’s entrance. He had another present for Faith, but he wanted to give it to her when he could be assured of some privacy. Reese shifted in the hard chair and angrily tossed back the remainder of his brandy.

“Aunt Tempy,” Faith called over the noise of the group. “The doctor’s arrived. I want to introduce you.”

Temperance was laughing at something Mary said when Faith called to her. She turned. Her laughter died on her lips when she saw the man standing next to Faith. Tempy’s face whitened in shock. Blood roared through her brain. Her knees trembled. The cup and saucer slipped from her fingers and shattered against the hard floor.

Tempy opened her mouth. Her lips formed his name. “Kevin.” Then, like a flower gracefully bowing to a strong wind, she swayed. Seconds later, Temperance followed the cup and saucer down to the hard floor.

“Aunt Tempy!” Faith shouted, jumping to her feet.

“Mary, Mother of God! Temperance!” Kevin gently pushed Faith back into her chair. “Someone get my bag. I need some smelling salts.” He hurried to Tempy’s side. “Step back,” he ordered David, Mary and Reese, who hovered over her. “Give her some air.”

A few seconds later, Sam arrived with Dr. Kevin’s medical bag. Kevin uncorked a vial of smelling salts and passed it under Tempy’s nose.

Unnoticed by the crowd gathered around Temperance, Faith left her chair and worked her way through the group to stand at Reese’s side.

Tempy’s eyes opened. She looked up into Kevin McMurphy’s dark blue eyes and smiled. “Am I dreaming?” she asked. “Kevin, is it really you?”

“In the flesh.” Kevin helped her sit up, then assisted her to her feet. She leaned against him. He curled a protective arm around her.

“Aunt Tempy?” Faith moved to stand in front of her aunt. “Are you all right?”

Tempy looked around and saw the concerned faces, but her gaze drifted back to Kevin. “Too much excitement,” she murmured, embarrassed.

“She’s had a long day and a tiring journey,” Reese said. “It’s probably exhaustion.”

“That’s a possibility,” Kevin agreed, amiably. “But more than likely it was seeing me again.”

“Again?”
Reese asked.

“You know each other?” David asked.

“Oh, yes.” Kevin hugged Tempy close. “Once, long ago, I married the lass.” He smiled down at the woman cuddled against his side. “And I intend to repeat the procedure, as soon as possible.”

Temperance blushed, looking younger and prettier than her forty-one years.

Kevin bent and lifted her into his arms. “For now, I’m taking her to her bed. Which one is it?”

“I’ll show you,” Mary volunteered, leading the way.

“But her husband was Kevin O’Malley!” Faith protested.

“Well, lass,” Kevin paused to explain, “so was I. In another lifetime.”

“What?” Reese demanded, following Kevin halfway out of the dining room.

“I’ll explain it all later,” the doctor promised. “Right now, we have some catching up to do.” His handsome mouth curved into a tender smile as he gazed down at Tempy. “Don’t we, love?” He nodded a dismissal in Reese’s direction and proceeded up the stairs with Temperance cradled in his arms.

“Well, what do you know!” Charlie exclaimed, amazed by the sudden turn of events. He plopped down in his seat at the table.

“What
do
you know?” Reese returned to the dining room and looked at Faith.

“Only that Aunt Tempy eloped with a Kevin O’Malley when she was sixteen,” Faith told them. “My Grandfather Hamilton caught them in Baltimore, put Kevin on a ship bound for England, then sent Aunt Tempy to stay with relatives until the scandal died down.”

“Kevin has been spending a lot of time with you, lately,” Reese reminded her. “Did you tell him about your family? Did you know he was your aunt’s long lost beau?”

Faith stared up at him. “No!”

“Did you suspect it?” He stood over her. His hands imprisoned hers on the arms of the chair.

“How could I?” Faith countered, wondering why Reese had decided to interrogate her. “She only mentioned him once or twice. She knew him as Kevin O’Malley, not Doctor Kevin McMurphy. Why are you questioning me? What difference does it make to you?”

“Not a bit,” Reese admitted. “But it might make a lot of difference to you. You might decide to change your mind about…
things
.” He emphasized the last word, forgetting the curious friends and relatives gathered around, forgetting everything except this unexpected wrinkle in his well-laid plan.

“What things?” Faith demanded to know. “Why should it make a difference to me? It’s fine with me as long as Aunt Tempy is happy.”

“Why don’t we discuss this later?” David, suddenly understanding the drift of the conversation, smoothly interrupted.

Reese ignored him. “Kevin mentioned marriage.” He leaned closer to Faith to emphasize his point. “That means settling down. It means your beloved aunt might be my closest neighbor. It means you might want to visit her someday.”

“Well, of course, I’ll want to”—Faith stopped, suddenly remembering—“visit.” The word died on her lips. If Tempy decided to marry Kevin and stay in Wyoming, visiting would be out of the question. The contract explicitly forbade Faith to venture anywhere near the Trail T, Reese, or the baby. She sat back in her chair, stunned. She might lose Tempy as well as the baby. “Oh, no!” she whispered.

“Isn’t it wonderful?” Mary asked, reentering the dining room. “Two romances on one ranch. First, Reese and Faith, and now, Temperance and Doctor Kevin!”

“It’s just grand,” Reese retorted dryly.

He couldn’t help but think about how Kevin and Temperance were spending their private minutes alone. He wanted to do the same thing. He wanted to swing Faith up into his arms and carry her off to bed. Sleep was the last thing on his mind. And he sure as hell didn’t feel like celebrating.

“I think it
is
grand,” Mary repeated. “Two weddings and a new baby coming. All in one year! We should celebrate. It’s Faith’s birthday! It’s time to...”

“Cut the cake,” Joy said loudly. “I want some birfday cake. Weese, you promised!”

He looked pointedly at Faith. “Ask your sister, sprite,” he advised Joy. “It’s her birthday and her cake.”

Joy turned her hopeful expression on Faith. “Can we please cut the cake? I want some birfday cake.”

Faith hesitated, but she couldn’t disappoint Joy or the other children who had waited patiently to taste the sweet dessert. “Why not?” she capitulated. “Sarah, if you’ll pass me a knife, I’ll do the honors.” Sarah handed her a knife. “Do you think we ought to save a couple of pieces for Dr. Kevin and Aunt Tempy? Or, wait for them to come down?” She asked Reese.