Shotgun Bride (24 page)

Kathleen put the scissors down and massaged her forehead.

“Are you feeling ill?”

She looked over at Henry. Not physically ill, but emotionally torn apart. “I’m fine.”

Henry leaned back in his chair and quirked a brow. “You haven’t been fine since you were kidnapped. Are you still afraid?”

“Perhaps a little.”

“Why don’t you tell me about it?”

Kathleen did. She told him about her family’s murder, her journey to New York, her life in the sweatshop, and the surprise of her inheritance. She didn’t leave out any details about the subsequent attempts on her life, her forced marriage, and all that transpired afterward. Henry’s eyes grew wide as he frowned and listened without interruption.

“Now, I don’t know what to do. Mike deserves better than I’ve given him. I may not have wanted to marry him but later I made a conscious decision to be his wife. Made a commitment and broke it. What does that make me?”

“You had quite a scare. I’d say it makes you human. We all make mistakes. Make hasty decisions that we regret later. Do you know how your husband feels about this?”

“He told me to do whatever I needed to do.”

“Have you decided what you need?”

She waved a hand around the room. “I’ve wanted this and a family. Material and sketches aren’t very good company.”

Henry chuckled. “Sounds like you want to go home.”

Home.
She did have a home. And a husband. “I do.”

“I can hire seamstresses but I can’t hire what’s inside your head. How about you mail me your designs. I’m sure your husband won’t mind. We can work out a commission.”

Kathleen grinned. Henry’s offer was perfect. “I need to send a telegram. Pack.” She paused. “What do I say to him?”

“Men don’t like talking. Show him how you feel.”

Heat tickled her cheeks. She did know how to do that.

Mike stood on the sidewalk, hands shoved into his pockets, and his pulse racing like a runaway train. Kathleen was on that stage. He could see the dust rising in the distance. His fingers curled around the slim golden band in his right pocket. Would she wear it? Or would she give it back to him?

He had taken it to Denver with high hopes of asking her to come home. Jimmy had put a swift stop to that. Then she’d told him about her dreams. The sparkle in her eye and the excited tone of her voice had kept his mouth closed.

His biggest regret was that he didn’t inspire that kind of excitement in her. Didn’t stir her pulse to a raging river like she did his. And he didn’t have the faintest idea how to change any of it.

The telegram in his vest pocket had only asked if he’d pick her up on this day. Nothing more.

When the stage stopped, Mike tugged the door open and all the air in his lungs escaped.

Kathleen took his offered hand and stepped down to face him. This was a different woman than the one who went away. She wore an air of confidence instead of weary acceptance. Her deep-green dress fit snug and emphasized her delicate curves instead of loose, worn clothes. But the most striking, and disturbing, change was evident in her eyes.

He had been able to read her every mood. Tell when she was frightened, hurt, or angry. Not so now. The wary and distrustful girl had been replaced by a harder, more cautious woman who hid her emotions. All innocence had fled in the face of death and danger.

Mike wished he could take her back to a time before she’d suffered the trauma of kidnapping, drugs, and killing in self-defense. “Welcome home, Kathleen.” He slipped the ring onto her finger. A slight smile curved her lips as she gazed at her hand.

“Umm. Thank you.”

Well, she didn’t take it off.
“I’ll get your luggage.”

“I have two bags.” She pointed out her old worn bag and a larger, newer suitcase.

Two bags?
Mike grinned as he tugged them down. Maybe she intended to stay a while. “I brought the wagon in case you needed to purchase anything in town.”

“Do you have any food?”

“If you’re hungry, we can stop at Aunt May’s.”

“No, I mean . . .”

He paused at her hesitation. “What do you want?”

She fiddled with her skirt.

“Just say it, Kathleen.”

“I wondered if you’d show me my land. In all this time, I still haven’t seen what everyone fought over.”

Mike’s heart sank. She hadn’t come to see him. To work things out. She’d come to claim her inheritance. “Sure, but we will need a few supplies.”

“And some bedding.”

“Yeah.” So, she planned on staying out there not at his place. Heart heavy, he started down the street.

“Wait.” Kathleen went to the door of the stage and reached inside. She lifted out the rifle he had left for her.

He sighed. That wasn’t his best day. He should have handled things better. Included her in his plan, not left her stranded with three dead men and a lot of pain and anger.

“Here’s your rifle back.” She patted her skirt. “I have a derringer now.”

“That’s only one shot and not very accurate.”

“I know, but it’d make somebody stop and think first.”

“Maybe. Why don’t you keep the rifle?”

Kathleen stopped. “You think I still need it?”

“I hope not, but it’s better for shooting critters. You don’t want to get close to a skunk.”

“I could just come get you.”

Not if you’re miles away.

The sun hung low in the sky as Mike halted the wagon. Most of the ride had been quiet with only bits of conversation and Kathleen fidgeting in the seat. She acted nervous as a cornered coon.

“This is the start of your land.” He gestured to the expanse before them. “It’s a little hard to show you around in a wagon.”

“Where’s the house?”

“Over yonder.” He started the horses moving again. “I haven’t been here since Ben died so I don’t know what you’ll find. It’ll need a lot of cleaning up and this time of year the weeds may have taken over.”

He paused. “So, what are your plans? You going to stay here?”

“Well, I, um, do you like this dress?”

Mike snapped his gaze to Kathleen. What was wrong with the woman? She never avoided letting him know what she thought before. That was one of the things he liked the most about her. No subtle hints or making him try to guess what she wanted. “It’s beautiful.”

“No, really. From a man’s perspective, what do you like to see on a woman?”

“Nothing.”

Pink tinged her cheeks but she didn’t flare up on him. “We can’t walk around naked. Look at it, and tell me what you like or don’t like.”

And he did. Slowly. Letting his gaze drift in a deliberate study and his lips curved up. She looked damned good in the dress.

“The only change I’d make is to take it off of you. Did you design it?”

“Yes. And I want to continue with designing. Henry had a brilliant idea.”

“You like this Henry fellow, don’t you?”

“Yes, he’s the first person who hasn’t tried to steal from me.”

A mule might as well have just kicked him in the gut. Did she still believe he tried to take her property from her?

“He has two brothers in the business. One in California and one in Illinois. Together we can have a big impact on the fashion world in the West.”

She clutched his arm, sparing only a brief glance at Ben’s old house, as he tugged on the reins. Weeds, tall as him, surrounded the place.

“Henry suggested I mail him my work. Meet once in a while when we need to. What do you think of that?”

Mike dropped the reins. She was going to stay? Work from here? The knots in his gut relaxed.

“I think that I like this Henry.”

She curled her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his. Before he had a chance to recover from his surprise, she broke contact and grinned.

“So, you wouldn’t mind a wife that had a job?”

“Nooo.”

The next kiss went through him like an arrow and he returned it with fervor.

“He also told me something else.”

“What’s that?”

“Men don’t like to talk much.”

“He’s got that right.”

“Why don’t you help me out of the wagon? I have something to show you.”

Mike hopped out and swung Kathleen down but didn’t let her go. He dipped his head for another kiss. She laced her fingers through his hair, knocking his hat off. Before he completely lost reason, he backed away.

“What do you need to show me?”

She placed her palms on his cheek. “Maybe we should talk first.”

He groaned.

She smiled. “Do you want me for your wife?”

“Yes.”

“Good. I want to be your wife. You see, I love you, Mike. I don’t know why I ran, but I did. It was a bad habit and I thought it easier to avoid problems. I was wrong.”

“I don’t need an explanation.”

She arched her brows and flicked his shirt open.

“Get the blankets.”

Mike did. And Kathleen spent the night showing him just how much she loved him. In oh-so-many ways.