Authors: Sylvia McDaniel
A Hero's Heart (29 page)
She was in heaven, and she was in hell. The last three weeks had stretched forever without him. Beside him now, she longed to seek the comfort of Wade’s touch. Yet she remained distant, touching him only when the wagon jostled them together.
“Did you find your brother?” she asked, curiosity overcoming her reluctance to speak.
“Nope. I found something much greater,” Wade replied.
Considering his need to find Walker, his statement seemed odd. What could mean more than his family member?
They rode among hills green with pine trees and oaks, golden with fall foliage. But Rachel couldn’t appreciate the beauty of this new land. Her mind was focused on the man beside her.
No matter what he showed her, no matter what he said, she didn’t need any more heartache than he’d already caused. She must move forward, yet she couldn’t seem to picture life without Wade. No matter how hard she tried, he appeared in every thought she had about the future.
She scolded herself. Today would be their final chapter, an ending without a proper beginning. In fact, everything about their courtship had been entirely improper. Yet somehow it had felt so right.
After thirty minutes of bouncing over bad roads, she asked, “How much longer?”
He kept his gaze fixed on the road. “That’s why I said we had to hurry. It’s at least an hour from town.”
“Can’t you give me a hint about where you’re taking me?” The need to end this ride filled her voice with frustration.
He looked at the road ahead. “Patience, Rachel. It’ll be worth it, or at least I hope you’ll think so.”
She crossed her arms, trying to calm her unsteady nerves. With each passing mile she wondered, if he made some sort of attempt to crawl back into her bed could she resist him? She didn’t know if she had the strength to withstand him. One touch, and she could be lost to the sensations only Wade evoked.
He shifted nervously as their gazes met. “Did you have any trouble the rest of the way?” he asked.
She glanced at him, eyebrows lifted with disdain. “Mary and I did just fine. We’re talking about opening up a boardinghouse.”
“Oh,” Wade said, with a strange catch in his voice.
They rode for the next few minutes in silence. She sat beside him, her emotions warring, wondering if this trip would ever end. Wondering if she would ever feel like the girl who’d left Tennessee.
Pulling on the reins, he slowed the oxen. “We’re almost there. It’s right around this bend.”
Rachel shot him her best imitation of a bored expression, trying to restrain her curiosity. “Good. I need to get back to the children and Mary.”
Wade clucked to the oxen, and they trudged around the bend. She tried not to appear eager, yet she couldn’t help but crane her neck to see what lay ahead.
As they turned onto a narrow dirt lane that had recently been cleared she noticed a rough wooden arch over the road. Closer, she read the sign: Love’s Last Gamble.
They passed beneath the painted words before jolting down the dirt road. “What’s this?” Rachel asked puzzled.
Ignoring her question, he pulled the wagon to a stop in a lush meadow sprinkled with pine trees. In the background, the hills gleamed golden in the autumn sky.
He set the brake, jumped down and helped Rachel alight. They walked side by side, not touching, away from the wagon.
“Remember that four hundred dollars you paid me before I left?” Wade said, looking across the countryside.
Rachel stared at him, baffled by his question. “Yes?”
“After I left that morning, I spent the next week following you and the children.”
She gasped as she realized, Wade had been close by.
“I tried to leave.” To go find my brother. But Walker didn’t seem important. As I kept vigil over you, I realized you and the children had become my life, my family.
He turned to face her, his eyes clouded with anxiety. For the first time, she felt as if she were looking into the very depths of Wade’s soul, that he was offering her, this brief glimpse, but seemed terrified of what she could see.
“I suddenly knew that a brother that I hadn’t seen in sixteen years couldn’t take the place of the love I had found with you.”
Rachel felt her heart stop. He had returned for her after all! Time hung suspended as she tried to gather her wits.
“Finally one morning, after being miserable all night, I realized I wanted you and the children to be with me always.”
“Oh, Wade!” Rachel said, her voice barely above a whisper as she realized what he could say next.
“I have a lot of price, Rachel. I kept trying to make you think there was a better man for you because I had nothing to offer. Even though I loved you, and giving you up nearly killed me, a man has to provide for his family. That’s when the four hundred dollars you’d shoved down my shirt suddenly came in handy. I realized what I could do with the cash.”
He took a deep breath, picking up both of her hands in his. “I love you, Rachel and want to spend the rest of my days with you by my side. Will you please be my wife?”
Tears clouded Rachel’s eyes. She wrapped her arms around him. “I’d given up hope of ever hearing you ask.”
“I’m not rich. But I promise I’ll be by your side until my dying day.” Wade’s eyes overflowed with love.
Whatever reservations Rachel might have had disappeared. If she knew one thing about Wade Ketchum, his word was better than gold. “Do you really think all that matters? I love you, not your possessions. Of course, I’ll be your wife.”
“You deserve a man who can provide better for you,” Wade said as he turned to glance out at the land. “I couldn’t ask you to marry me without being able to give you a home.”
“That doesn’t matter to me.”
“But it did to me.” He paused. “This land isn’t much, but it’s a start. I love you, Rachel. I’ll never leave you again.”
“I couldn’t stand it if you did,” she said. “I need you by my side each day. Wherever you go, I go.”
Wade wrapped his arms around her, his lips brushing hers for a kiss that promised so much more.
“What about Walker? Will you ever look for him again?” Rachel asked when she could get a breath.
He nuzzled her neck, trailing kisses to her lips. “No. I’ll always wonder about him, but I have my family now.”
His mouth lowered to hers in a kiss that took Rachel’s breath away and left her blood pounding. All thought receded, fading into the flush of passion Wade evoked. Until this moment, she had no idea how much she’d missed the strength of his embrace, the taste of his lips.
They broke apart, his breathing ragged. “Are you still in a hurry to get back?”
“Not now!” A giggle escaped her lips as he held her close. “Wade, why did you name our ranch, Love’s Last Gamble?”
“Because this was my last gamble, and I did it for love.”
“I like that.”
His kiss claimed her. “Take me to heaven the way only you can.”
Rachel sighed against his lips. “My pleasure, Mr. Ketchum.”
The End
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading
A Hero’s Heart
. This was my second historical romance and in 1996 was a finalist in the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious Golden Heart Contest. Originally, it was published through a major New York publisher back in 1999. But times change and now it’s only available as an ebook.
Authors really appreciate it when you leave a review. If you feel so inclined, please leave a review of
A Hero’s Heart
. Reviews from readers have the power to make or break a book.
Thanks so much for reading
A Hero’s Heart.
Be sure to check out some of my other Western Historical romances.
Sylvia McDaniel
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About Sylvia McDaniel
