The Bride Price (29 page)

“Don’t come near my wife again, do you
understand me?” Jamie didn’t wait for a response as he took off
after Sophie. “Sophie, stop,” he yelled.

“No,” she yelled back.

“Stop,
baby.” He’d almost caught up
with her just before she reached the house, when she stopped
suddenly and grabbed her head. “Baby, you need to relax,” he warned
as he grabbed her waist from behind, kissing her neck and giving
her a squeeze.

“No.” She tried to pull out of his arms but
he had her firmly in his grip.

Jamie laughed. “You’re not going to relax,
sweetheart?”

She pushed at his arms. “Don’t ‘sweetheart’
me, especially when you’re laughing at me.”

“Sophie, I’m not laughing at you.”

She turned to face him and poked him in the
chest. “Is this how it’s going to be? A man looks sideways at me
and you go off the deep end because you think he’s competition? I
won’t be competed for Jamie.” She went for his chest again but he
grabbed her hand quickly before raising it to his lips.

He wrinkled his brow. “I was defending your
honor.”

“I can do that myself.”

He pulled her closer. “But then I’d have
nothing to do.”

She dropped her head into his sternum.
“Jamie, stop teasing, this is serious. I don’t want to be someone’s
trophy.”

“Sweetheart, look at me.” She didn’t respond,
so he lifted her chin with his fingers. “You’re so much more than
that and I know you know that. Where is this coming from?”

“I don’t know. I’m sorry.” Her palm settled
on her forehead. “My head hurts and I just feel overwhelmed with
everything right now. I want to cry, or rage, or laugh, and the
emotion changes on a dime. It probably doesn’t help that you and
Richard are acting like a couple of fighting cocks. And he’s
injured.” She smacked his chest. “You should have a little more
compassion.”

“I think I know what’s going on.” Grabbing
her hand, he pulled her towards the house, through the front door
and back to the library. “Sit here, please.” He gestured to one of
the high-backed chairs.

“What are you doing?”

“I’ll be right back,” he said
mysteriously.

Her head throbbed from all the exertion, so
she rested it against the high back of the chair and closed her
eyes. She heard Jamie come back into the room but didn’t look
up.

He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Are
you all right?”

She smiled and opened her eyes. “Yes, my head
just hurts. Why? Do I look that pathetic?”

He chuckled. “I have something for you. Have
a look.”

She turned her head and on the little table
between the two chairs, Jamie had set down a pot of tea with milk.
Next to it was a chocolate bar. Sophie squealed in delight.

“Chocolate, Jamie? Where did you get
chocolate?” Milton Hershey was only about six years old at this
point in history, which meant Hershey, Pennsylvania wouldn’t exist
for several decades. Taking a bite, she let out a sigh. “Ohhh, this
is amazing.”

“Mary helped me put this together. They had a
few blocks that they were going to melt to drink and she let me cut
a piece for you. If your head wasn’t bothering you, I’d have
brought red wine instead of tea, but I didn’t want to take any
chances. Now, enjoy your treat. I’m going to get something for your
head, I’ll be right back.”

Sophie reached out and grabbed his hand.
“Jamie, this was very thoughtful. You have no idea how much I
needed this.”

“Once a month it’s the same thing, baby, so
I’d say I did know.” He leaned down and gave her a lingering kiss.
Leaving her to her chocolate, he went off to find something for her
headache, returning with an ice-soaked cloth and gently laying it
over her head.

“Thanks.” Sophie closed her eyes.

They spent the next few hours talking about
their wedding and their future. The future they had already
experienced and the one on the horizon.

“Dinner is served,” Daniel said from the
doorway.

Jamie stood and helped Sophie from her
chair.

After dinner, the couple spent time with
Christine and the Wades in the parlor. Sophie was amazed at the
bond already forming between Jamie and Christine, and it brought
back memories of how he and Alex had been extremely close. Not just
because Luke was his best friend. She had become a sister to him,
right alongside Emma and Hannah, and it seemed as though Jamie was
adding another one to his family.

When it was time for the evening to come to a
close, Sophie walked Jamie out. She had a feeling Christine knew he
would probably sneak back in, but she never said a word. As they
stood on the porch, Jamie pulled Sophie into his arms and kissed
her. “How’s your head, love?”

“It’s much better. I think the chocolate
helped.”

He chuckled. “Well, I’m glad. I’m going to
leave now,” he said a little louder than necessary but then
whispered, “I’ll see you later.”

She giggled at the wolfish smile on his face
before waving goodnight and then making her way inside. She said
goodnight to the Wades and went upstairs to get ready for bed. She
and Christine spent some time talking as they assisted each other
out of their hoops and corsets.

Christine said goodnight and was ready to
walk out the door, when she turned and whispered, “I left the front
door unlocked.”

“You did? I do declare, Miss Christine, you
are a very, very naughty friend! And I
love
you for it.”

Christine laughed and Sophie gave her a hug
before she left.

* * *

An hour later, Jamie walked into Sophie’s
room and found her pacing. “What’s wrong?”

She threw herself into his arms. “I thought
you’d be here much sooner. I can’t believe you made me wait this
long. Just what were you doing?”

“Shhh, sweetheart, someone will hear you.” He
chuckled softly. “I have something to show you, but you’re going to
have to let me go.”

She kept her hands around his neck and looked
at him. “I’m not ready to yet.”

“Oh, really? So, you’re not the teeniest bit
curious to see what I brought you?” He raised an eyebrow at
her.

“Kiss me first and then I’ll tell you.”

He smiled down at her before kissing her
breathless.

“You are so very good at that, James William.
Now, what did you bring me?” He pulled a pair of pants from behind
his back.

Sophie took them from him and held them up to
the light. “You brought me pants?”

“Not just any pants, Sophie. Breeches.” She
looked at him in confusion, so he continued, “I thought you might
like to go riding in a day or so, and these will be thin enough to
hide underneath your skirts so you don’t have to ride sidesaddle.
Just don’t wear your hoops and I think they’ll work.”

“Oh!” She threw herself back in his arms
again. “You are the most wonderful, fabulous, unbelievable,
incredibly gorgeous man I have ever known.”

“That’s all you can come up with to describe
me?” He lifted her hand and kissed her palm. “I’m
disappointed.”

Sophie giggled and settled herself in one of
the chairs in front of the fire.

“Wait, Ten-Cow, I have an idea. Stand up for
a sec.”

Once she stood, Jamie moved the chairs to
face each other and then gestured for her to sit again. After she
took a seat, he lifted her legs and laid them on his lap. He began
to massage her feet and was rewarded with her sigh.

Sophie sunk further in her chair. “What made
you think of the breeches?”

“Well, when Samson is better, you’re going to
want to ride, and I thought of that movie you made me watch,
remember, where this girl had, like, a fake leg to put over the
pommel?”

Sophie laughed. “The Anne Hathaway one.”

“Yes. I can’t imagine you riding sidesaddle,
so if you have pants, maybe we can fake it.”

Sophie smiled. “I did it, you know.”

“Did what?”

“Rode sidesaddle.”

Jamie’s eyes widened. “Shut the front
door!”

Sophie laughed as she shared her experience,
even the part when Richard came to her rescue. Seeing Jamie’s body
tense, Sophie smiled. “You have to give him credit for that one. He
could have been hurt pulling me from Samson. Even if he was a total
tool in the end, he still came to your wife’s rescue.”

“True.” Jamie ran his finger across the top
of her foot. “How do you think this time travel thing
happened?”

“I don’t have any idea. I just remember
feeling your tears on my hand, and then saw a few strange things.
Then I’m freezing and being carried into the parlor by Richard.”
Jamie gave her ankle a squeeze and Sophie raised an eyebrow. “Do
you remember more?”

Jamie frowned. “The library seemed to
disappear, replaced by a huge expanse of land and then I felt pain.
When I woke up, I was in the home of a farmer and his wife and they
informed me I had been shot.”

Sophie pulled her feet from his lap and rose
to her feet. “What?” she shrieked. “Where? Show me!”

Jamie stood and pulled his shirt aside.
Sophie frowned when he turned slightly for her to see the jagged
scar across his side. She ran her fingers over the puckered skin.
“How did I
not
notice that before?”

“Strategery.”

“Okay, Will Ferrell. Seriously, baby, how did
this happen?”

Jamie sighed and took his seat again. “All I
can remember is pain
before
I blacked out. What I can’t
quite figure out is if it came from here, as in this time, or home.
It was weird.”

“Very weird.” Sophie sat and leaned forward.
“ How did you come up with Emerson?”

Jamie grimaced. “Guess what I was listening
to all night?”

Sophie leaned back in surprise. “No!
Seriously? Tonic? Wow, you really are a glutton for punishment. My
poor, precious sweetheart. Have you remembered everything now?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m remembering
more every day. You’ll have to fill me in on the rest.”

Sophie smiled. “It’ll be my pleasure.”

“Do you miss our life?”

“I miss aspects of it.” Sophie slipped her
feet back onto Jamie’s chair. “I miss Emma and worry about how
she’s handling life without us. I miss Alex, but at least I know
she has Luke. I miss air conditioning. Actually, I
really
miss air conditioning. But with you here, I have everything. I
guess I’m comforted knowing Emma will be taken care of by Alex and
Hannah.”

Jamie rose to his feet. “Let’s go to sleep,
sweetheart, you need your rest.”

She followed him to the bed and climbed under
the blankets. She rolled to face him when he joined her. “I love
your hair.”

“You do?” He chuckled. “You always were a
sucker for the hair bands.”

“Ah, so true.”

“Which do you prefer?”

“I like them both, but I think I like the
longer look right now.” She stroked his cheek. “It suits you. I
have to admit, though, if you want to shave the beard off and go
back to the goatee, I won’t be hurt.”

“You don’t like my beard?” He rubbed his
whiskers in mock offense.

“It’s not that I don’t
like
it, I just
prefer your face clean shaven. You have such a gorgeous face, why
hide it under all that hair?” She leaned over to kiss him.

Jamie cupped her face and reluctantly broke
the kiss. “You need to sleep, sweetheart. I want your head to heal
quickly.”

She ran her hand down his chest. “Are you
sure sleep is what you want me to do? I can think of several other
things that would help my head heal.”

“I’m sure you can.” Jamie kissed her and she
pulled his lower lip into her mouth and gave it a little nip.
“Sophie, you’re going to drive me crazy.”

“That’s the plan.” Her fingers traveled down
his chest. “I’ve missed you so much. Are you really going to deny
me?”

Rolling her onto her back, he kissed his way
down her throat. In the distance, shouts and an alarm of some form
sounded. He raised his head to get a better listen. “Sophie, did
you hear that?”

Rapid footsteps moved quickly down the
hallway.

“The shouting and the running? No, I didn’t
hear anything.”

CHAPTER
TWENTY-THREE

A firm knock sounded and Sophie groaned as
Jamie jumped off the bed and went to stand behind the door. “Come
in.”

“Jamie, Sophie, come quick. There’s a fire in
the stables.” Christine poked her head inside.

Sophie flew to the window. “Oh,
no
.
Samson!” She quickly threw on the pair of breeches Jamie had
brought earlier.

“How did Christine know I was here?” Jamie
whispered.

“Who do you think left the front door
unlocked?”

“Door?” Jamie swore. “I climbed up the
trellis, onto the roof, and through the window at the end of the
hallway. Next time, clue me in would you?”

If Sophie weren’t so worried, she would have
laughed. Jamie had already donned his shirt and boots, so they met
Christine at the bottom of the stairs and ran to the stables.

Richard’s barn and one side of the arena were
completely engulfed in flames. Although the Wades’ stables appeared
to be untouched, there was a small breeze, and they were all
concerned it would carry embers to other structures on the
property.

Sophie and Jamie arrived to find everyone
working quickly to get all of the horses out and the fire under
control. Without thought, Sophie ran into the barn and straight for
Samson’s stall. Jamie took off after her. “Sophie, no!”

Samson panicked, smelling the smoke. He pounded his
front hoof on the ground as he threw his head around with a snort.
Sophie was about to swing open the stall door when Jamie caught up
to her. “Sophie, don’t. He’ll bolt.”

“But he’s scared, Jamie, I just want him out
of here.”

“I know, honey, but let’s be smart about
this.”

Jamie let himself inside the stall, grabbed
his handkerchief and secured it around Samson’s eyes. Sophie put a
halter on him and Jamie pulled him out the barn doors. Leading him
into an open pen further away from the other buildings, Jamie
removed both the halter and the handkerchief and then jumped out of
his way. As the horse reared and paced up and down the large area,
Jamie kept his body between Samson and Sophie as they made their
way out the gate. Sophie didn’t want to leave him and fought to
stay.