Moontide Embrace (Historical Romance) (34 page)

Liberty tried to look away from him, but he held her
gaze. She had the feeling that she had just been stripped
naked. How cleverly Judah had found out what he
needed to know. Shame weighed heavily on her shoulders
as she slowly rose to her feet. Unable to look into his
eyes, she murmured hurriedly. "I have your cloak in my
room. I'll just go and get it for you now."

Judah's eyes followed Liberty as she moved with con
trolled grace across the room. "Tell me about her?" he asked, without looking at Bandera.

"Tell you about who? Liberty?"

"Yes."

"What do you want to know?

"Does she have many suitors? Is she committed to
someone?"

"I suppose there are several gentlemen who admire her
kind of prettiness. There are some I can think of who would like to have Liberty committed to them. Why do you want to know?"

"My mother says Liberty is having a hard time holding
Briar Oaks together. She says Liberty is too proud to ask
for help."

"Well, we don't like to talk about it, but times have been better. What about me, Judah?" Bandera allowed
her eyes to move over his tall frame. If anything, he was
even more handsome than when he had left. There was an
arrogance about him, a light of indifference in his tur
quoise eyes. "Did your mother tell you how hard my life
has been since your grandfather threw Sebastian out of his house."

His lips thinned. "No, she didn't mention it to me. Surely you do not expect my sympathy? I have a very long memory, Bandera."

"Oh, that. Sebastian and I were just playing a game.
Everyone took it far too seriously."

"Have done, Bandera. I didn't come here tonight to talk about you or Sebastian. I want you to leave when Liberty comes back. I have something I want to say to her."

"Surely you don't expect me to leave her alone in your company?" Bandera's eyes grew round with speculation.
"How did she come by your cloak anyway—and why would you think I had it?"

"Forget about the cloak. You need have no worry
about leaving your sister with me, Bandera. I can assure you my intentions are very honorable. I intend to ask her
to marry me."

Bandera jumped to her feet. "If you think I am going
to stand by and watch my sister become mistress of Bend
of the River you are much mistaken, Judah. I will not have it, do you hear me? I will not have it!"

Judah looked at her lazily. "I don't see that you have
any choice, Bandera. If Liberty will have me, I will most
certainly make her my wife. As far as her becoming mistress of Bend of the River, that is another matter. Bend of the River belongs to my grandfather to dispose of as he chooses."

"Is this your way of getting back at me, Judah?"

A smile curved his lips. "I had thought of a hundred ways to make you suffer for what you did to me, but I
find the hell you have made for yourself by marrying my
cousin is far worse than anything I could have planned for you."

"She won't have you." Bandera's voice was rising in
volume. "Perhaps you have heard that Liberty is called the 'ice princess.' No man can get close to her."

Judah merely stared at Bandera. It had been no ice princess that had thrilled him with the mere touch of her
hand.

Bandera got up the courage to move over and sit beside
Judah. "My sister isn't warm-blooded like me. I remem
ber a time when you liked me a great deal."

He reached out and caught her face between his hands.
"Yes, I once thought I saw something in you that was rare
and lovely. I found I was mistaken."

Bandera stared into his eyes, wishing she had been the
woman he had imagined her to be. If she had married
Judah, she would not have been bored. "I know why you
are doing this," she whispered. "I remember that your
grandfather once told you that you could only inherit
Ben3 of the River if you married Liberty. You want Bend
of the River, and that's the only way you can get it!"

Judah smiled down at her. "If it will make you feel
happy to believe that, I will not try to change your mind."

Liberty stood in the doorway with Judah's back velvet
cloak draped over her arm. She felt an ache in her heart at seeing Bandera in Judah's arms. She resisted the urge to turn away and seek the comfort of her room.

Her legs were stiff as she forced one foot in front of the
other. "Here is your cloak, Judah," she said, advancing into the room.

Judah released Bandera and came to his feet. "I would
like a private word with you, Liberty." His eyes went back
to Bandera. "I am sure your sister will leave us alone."

Liberty shoved the cloak at Judah. She had no wish to
be left alone with him. She knew he would question her
about the night of the masquerade ball. Her shame was great enough without having to admit it to him.

"The hour is late, and I am going to bed," she said, turning on her heel, but he was too quick for her. He rushed forward and caught her by the arm.

"No, Liberty, you will stay, and your sister will go to
bed."

"Judah"—her eyes were begging him for mercy—"I know what you want to ask, and I don't want to talk about it."

His eyes looked deeply into hers. "Do you know what I
want to say, little one? I doubt that you do." Judah
looked over Liberty's shoulder and watched Bandera si
lently leave the room, her face a mask of fury.

Taking Liberty's hands in his, he led her to the warmth
of the fire. "Your hands are cold. We do not want you to
become ill."

Liberty sat on the edge of the sofa, wishing she could flee. Judah was too near, and she couldn't think straight.
Why was he looking at her so strangely?

Gently, he reached out and touched her hair. "You have
grown up behind my back, Liberty. When I left, you were
so young —I come back, and you are a lovely woman."

Her face flushed red, and her tongue flicked out to
moisten her lips, catching his attention. "Don't," he said, tracing a pattern across her cheek. "Don't ever be embar
rassed with me, Liberty. I want to be your best friend."

She looked at him, puzzled. "I have always considered
that you were my friend."

"What would you say if I told you that I wanted to be
more than your friend?"

She held her head up proudly. "I would say you had
discovered what happened between us, and you have decided to make me your mistress."

He leaned his head back against the sofa and laughed
delightedly. "There is still a trace of Liberty the minx in
you after all. I half feared you had lost some of your most endearing qualities."

"Did you really think I would become your mistress,
Judah?"

He could hardly contain his laughter. "No, not my mistress."

She looked past him to the clock on the wall. "I feared
you would be angry with me . . . when you learned...”

"I should beat you. Do you know what a fool I felt when I discovered last night that you were the one—"

Liberty placed her hands over her ears. "Do we have to
discuss this? I do not feel up to your recriminations."

He took her hand and held it in his warm clasp. "All right, no recriminations, but at some time in the future
we will talk more about this. I have many unanswered
suspicions about the two nights in question."

She peeped at him through her long lashes. "Are we
through talking?"

Again he laughed. "No. I have something very impor
tant to ask you, and I don't want you to say anything until I have finished."

"All right              "

Judah felt his heart skip a beat, knowing how impor
tant her answer would be to his future happiness. He was
as deeply in love as some untried schoolboy. He wanted to
take her in his arms and voice his feelings, but when he
gazed into her troubled blue eyes, he stood up, knowing he needed to put some distance between them.

"Liberty, I want you to be my wife."

For one joyous moment she thought Judah had asked
her to marry him! "What did you say?" she asked, fearing
to learn she had misunderstood him.

He took her hand and pulled her up to stand beside
him. "I have just asked you to do me the very great honor
of becoming my wife."

She gasped as excitement robbed her of breath; then she waited tensely for him to tell her that he loved her.
But no—he loved Bandera. Slowly the joy seeped out of
her and reason prevailed. Judah, being the gentleman he
was, wanted to offer her his name because he felt she had
been dishonored.

Stubborn pride allowed her to raise her chin and meet his eyes. "I thank you for the offer. It is one of the nicest I have received, but I must decline."

Judah released her hand. "Do you care for someone
else? I seem to remember you once telling me that you
cared about someone. Is that why you won't marry me?"

"No. I just do not want to be your wife." She closed
her eyes for a second, hoping she could get through this
without crying. "Will you go now, Judah?"

"No, not until I have some answers. Why will you not
marry me?"

Liberty held on to her composure, hoping he wouldn't
discover how much she loved him. "You have not given
me a good reason why I should become your wife."

Judah drew in the breath he had been releasing. "Don't
you know that after Saturday night you may already be with child-my child?"

A tear escaped from Liberty's eyes to roll down her face. "I . . . do not hold you responsible. I knew what I was doing."

"I
am
responsible, Liberty, and I do not want a child of
mine growing up without a father."

"How do you know I do not . . . that there have not been other men?"

He laughed at the adorable expression on her face. "Let
us just say that I have vague memories of a night in Zippora's cabin when I was the first to be with you."

Her face burned, but she met his eyes. "What about when you left. Perhaps I was . . . free with my favors."

"Oh, little one. Your innocence shines forth in your
eyes. I know you so well, probably better than you know
yourself."

"Judah, I do not want to get married. Don't you see, I
have obligations and people who depend on me. I could
never ask a man to take on my problems. Besides, we don't . . . love one another."

He reached into his breast pocket, withdrew a handker
chief, and wiped her tears away. "Liberty, I want to be your husband, and by God, I will be!"

"I need to think," she said, turning away. "Everything is
happening too quickly."

"There is no time to think. There is a war at your back
door. I don't have time to pay court to you and to try to win you. If you will agree to marry me, I want you to
come to Bend of the River with me tonight. A priest is
waiting there to join the two of us in marriage."

Her heart was beating in her throat. More than any
thing she wanted to be Judah's wife. "I cannot," she said
aloud.

"Liberty, what can I say to make you change your mind?"

She raised her head proudly. He had given her all the
wrong reasons as to why she should become his wife. "I
will not change my mind, Judah."

Judah could see her slipping away from him. "I suppose you have had many offers besides mine."

"I have had a few."

His eyes racked her face. "I was told that you are called
the ice princess.' "

She smiled ever so slightly. "I have heard that."

"Liberty, if you will marry me, I will allow you to remain the ice maiden if you desire it."

"Why are you doing this, Judah?"

He thought about telling her that he loved her and
wanted her as his wife. He ached to tell her how she had
fulfilled him and how, even now, he wanted to take her in
his arms and carry her up to the bedroom. But something
stopped him from exposing his true feelings. "I know
about the trouble you are having keeping Briar Oaks from
the moneylenders. In all modesty, I admit that I have more money than I know what to do with. As your husband, I could help you save Briar Oaks."