Journey of the Bride (6 page)

She chuckled, reaching up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind his ear. His anger held no sway over him.
“
What do we care about proper?
”

“
I care!
”
he snarled.
“
This is not how I would have done this. It should have been slow and in a bed, dammit!
”

Courtney pursed her lips together and her brows knit as one.
“
Why does it matter?
”
She leaned into him, noting how he trembled at her touch and loving that. Was it possible he felt an attraction toward her as she did him? Was it possible they might one day love one another? Was there a possibility that this marriage hadn
’
t been a mistake?

Her thoughts were dashed away with his next words.
“
At the end of the week, when Paul visits again, you will leave. I don
’
t want or need a wife. Understand?
”

She pulled away from him as if he
’
d slapped her, her hands falling to her sides, her eyes drifting to the floor and her shoulders sagging in defeat.
“
Yes,
”
she whispered in a broken voice.
“
I understand.
”

“
Good.
”
He nodded, a movement she only saw out of the corner of her eye.
“
Get dressed and follow me. I
’
ll show you where you
’
ll sleep the rest of this week.
”

Courtney le Brush had never been one to cry over a man, but that night, as she lay in the bed Brandon had shown her to, tears fell from her eyes. She had wanted so much for this to work out. It wasn
’
t going to though. In her heart, she knew that was true.

For the first time in her life, she felt her heart break in a million tiny pieces.

Chapter One

It always happened when she saw Paul in town. Of course it did. Courtney hated the feeling that washed through her, the enormous wave of sadness that swept through her. It didn
’
t help that he gave her a look of pity before turning away.

Like her, Paul had thought things would work out between her and his brother, Brandon. Courtney had married Brandon after answering an ad Paul had placed in the town paper. She was no longer married to the man though. After a single night of sex, he
’
d pushed her away, telling her to leave his place as soon as Paul returned.

That had been over a month ago. She
’
d counted the days since she
’
d left the ranch. In the week she
’
d remained at the ranch, she had cooked and cleaned for Brandon and his hired hands, but she hadn
’
t spoken much. She
’
d done her duties and left it at that. Looking at Brandon had been the hardest part, for the more she watched him working with his men, his horse, the cattle, the more she fell in love with him.

He was a kind-hearted person, she knew. It was just that she was here after he
’
d had his heart crushed before. She was a sore reminder of what he
’
d lost, she knew. She would never be to him what he
’
d become to her.

She shook her head. That was the past. She had her father to think about. He was the reason she
’
d agreed to the marriage in the first place. Her father had informed her that they were broke. Even though he had no suspicions against the man, Courtney was pretty certain it was the doing of Talbert, the accountant her father insisted on working with.

According to her father, Talbert was a respectable man with only the best intentions. According to Courtney, Talbert was a sleaze of a man who looked at her like she was something to eat.

She hated the man. He disgusted her, repulsed her. Every time he touched her, she felt like bugs were crawling across her skin.

It was nothing to the way Brandon had made her feel. He had looked at her like she was something to be claimed, with heat in his eyes, passion, desire. It drove her wild. Then, when he
’
d touched her, it had burned with the same intensity, but at the same time, she felt protected, cherished, and
—
to be honest
—
loved. He
’
d possessed her, but he
’
d thrown her away as if she disgusted him, or he disgusted himself. She had never known which it was.

In the end, it didn
’
t matter. He didn
’
t want her, had sent her away the first moment he could. While she
’
d been willing to make things work between them, he hadn
’
t. He just wanted her gone, so when Paul returned to the ranch to visit, she
’
d packed her bags and left.

It had been a miserable ride, spent with her face in her hands, crying as soon as the ranch was behind them. She
’
d felt sorry for Paul, who
’
d driven the wagon, as he sat looking uncomfortable and just as miserable. She
’
d apologized profusely when he dropped her off at her father
’
s house.

“
It
’
s alright Miss le Brush. You love him.
”
He smiled at her.
“
You didn
’
t have to, but you did. He
’
s a fool not to have seen it.
”

He was right, of course. She had fallen in love with his brother. She hadn
’
t expected it, and now she wished she could drive the memory of the man from her mind. Life at home had returned to pretty much normal.

Her father had never even noticed she was gone. According to their butler, Gerald, he
’
d spent most of his time in his own room, wallowing in self-pity. When he had come out, it had been to sit in the library and read the paper while drinking a scotch or to eat a meal in the kitchen. Either time, his gaze was vacant. He was only a fourth of the man he had been.

Seeing him herself, Courtney had to admit Gerald was right. His only joy seemed to come in the form of Simon Talbert, the very man who Courtney was sure had sent him into the state he was in.

Courtney noted that Talbert appeared more often than he had in the past, visiting her ill father and going over facts and figures to
“
make up the money they were down
”
as he put it. She sneered at the thought, a trait she
’
d picked up in Brandon
’
s presence. It was unladylike, but she didn
’
t care. She honestly couldn
’
t stand Talbert and wanted him out of her home and away from her father.

Of course, her father didn
’
t agree with her, so when Talbert was visiting, she retired to her room, stating she had other matters to care for. Most of the time, it worked. Other times, her father forced her to stay and entertain Talbert while he retired.

Those were the moments she hated the most, being alone with Talbert. When he touched her, it was hard to hold back the sneer of contempt she had for him, and she didn
’
t bother trying to repress the shiver of disgust that rippled through her body.

Despite her thoughts of him, he wasn
’
t a repulsive-looking man. He was rather a handsome man with his blond hair cut close to his head and his cool blue eyes. He always dressed rather smartly in a suit complete with a tie, but his looks did nothing for her. Behind the cool blue of his eyes, Courtney always suspected was a conniving man, waiting for his moment to strike, waiting for his moment to reveal his actual plan. She always got the feeling he only said a third of what he thought and that the words he said weren
’
t based on the real thoughts swirling in his mind.

A snake in the grass. That
’
s what he was. Something to be shot as soon as it was seen, lest one might feel its bite. Courtney had no intention of his biting her, but the more time passed, the more she realized it might happen anyway.

That seemed to be what her father was pushing for anyway with his wanting to leave her and Talbert alone for a bit each time he visited like now.

She sat in her favorite chair in the library, pretending to read her book
—
Shakespeare, of course
—
even though she was really watching Talbert, who stood next to the window, his hands tucked neatly behind his back, which faced her. He seemed to be ignoring her, but she knew he was thinking of several things while pondering his words. It was his ability to stay silent and process his thoughts that made her father love him and her distrust him.

In her opinion, the longer he stayed silent, the longer he had to plot and plan. Her father just saw it as a sign of intelligence. He thought things through and didn
’
t do anything without first considering all aspects of the problem.

Brandon was the complete opposite. He thought on his feet and always responded with a brashness that Courtney had come to admire. She sighed, thinking of the man, wishing she were back at the ranch, cooking the luncheon meal and tidying the kitchen. Life had been good at the ranch. No one held her to standards she was afraid to fail. All they cared about was a good, hot meal twice a day and a decent breakfast in the morning paired with a good, strong coffee.

It had been a simple life she
’
d grown to love in the week she
’
d spent there. It was the life she wanted to return to now. Instead, she was stuck here, pretending to like Talbert and society
’
s rules and etiquettes for a woman of her stature. Of course, society didn
’
t know that the le Brushes were poor because
—
or so Courtney honestly believed
—
of the snake, Talbert.

“
My dear Miss le Brush, are you even reading?
”
Talbert said after several minutes of silence. It was then Courtney realized her folly. She
’
d forgotten to turn the page every once in a while.

“
I was for a bit,
”
she admitted.
“
Then my mind began to wonder as I realized the silly predicament Romeo and Juliet put themselves in.
”

“
What do you mean?
”
Talbert turned toward her, his hand on his chin as he thought over her words.

“
Well, think about it. They are just kids. Their individual families have been fighting for years. They meet one another and supposedly fall in love with each other, but when then Juliet comes up with a half-planned idea to fake her death in order to bring their families together. However, Romeo doesn
’
t get the word, so he thinks she
’
s really dead and kills himself, to which she wakes, sees him death and kills herself.
”
She shook her head.
“
If you
’
re going to plan such a scheme, one really needs to have some idea of including all the pawns within the plan before executing such.
”

He nodded, although Courtney could tell from the look in his eye that he was just agreeing with her. While he may have known the plot and the story, he wasn
’
t thinking of such. No. He was plotting something else entirely based on what she had said. The idea didn
’
t comfort her in the least.

“
The thoughts and schemes of children,
”
Talbert told her.
“
Do you think they would have acted with more sophistication had they been older?
”

That was a question Courtney couldn
’
t answer. She didn
’
t know the answer to such and had never thought of it before. It didn
’
t matter in the end. Shakespeare had made them the ages they were and plotted the story he wanted, and the kids died in the end. That was Shakespeare
’
s way. Everyone died.

“
Enough of dead writers though, Courtney,
”
Talbert said after a few moments of silence had passed.
“
I came to speak with you about another matter entirely.
”

“
Miss le Brush, please,
”
she said, returning her attention back to her book.

“
Excuse me?
”

She looked up at him. His face was red and there was the stirring of anger in his voice at her words.
“
My name is Courtney le Brush, but you will address me as le Brush, as everyone else does, please.
”