His Brother's Bride (9 page)

Thirteen

Once Cade set off to the back pasture and Adam got settled with his marbles, Emily sat at the desk and ripped open the envelope. Her uncle's handwriting was scrawled hastily across the paper, and she read quickly.

Emily,

I'm advising you that I have put your grandmother in the asylum.

Emily sucked in a breath, her heart beating against her ribs in fear.
Oh, no!

As you know, her health has continued to decline so I am no longer able to take care of her here. You have expressed interest in taking care of the old woman, but you have failed to fulfill our agreement. Until you find the gold, which I might remind you is the reason you were sent there in the first place, your grandmother will remain in the institution. As her legal guardian, I will do with her as I see fit since she is not of her own mind.

If you will bring yourself to continue the search, I will consider handing over guardianship to you. Though, I must admit, I'm growing increasingly irritated by your games.

The gist of it is this: if you want your precious grandmother out of the institution, you must find the gold and quick. I'll not wait an eternity whilst you whittle away your days.

Uncle Stewart

Emily covered her face with trembling hands. Oh, sweet Nana in the institution! Emily had been there once to visit a friend's mother and had seen the deplorable conditions of the facility. And the treatment of the patients was something to be feared! Some had their hands bound about their waists, and some were strapped to their beds and left moaning with nary a soul to comfort them.

Oh, Nana, have they done this to you as well?
She brushed away the tears that had fallen on her cheeks. How selfish of her to become so taken with her life here that she actually thought Uncle Stewart might give up on getting his gold. She'd been thinking only of herself.

She lay her head against the hard surface of the desk and allowed herself a good cry. When she finished, she smoothed the letter and stuffed it back into the envelope. She had to find that gold, that's all there was to it.

Outside the window, Adam picked up a stick and used it as a gun toward the grove of trees. “Pow, pow, pow!”

How could she search the caves when she'd promised Cade she'd not take Adam there again? Besides her promise, she couldn't risk his safety.

Her heart grew heavy at the thought of deceiving her husband again, just when things were starting to go right. The heaviness turned leaden when she thought of justifying the hours she'd spend away from the house. Would Cade grow to mistrust her? How could she keep up such deceit?
Lord, I know it's wrong to deceive my husband, but what choice have I?

Tell him.

But I can't! I can't tell him the truth. That I'd only come to marry his brother because of the gold. He'll never trust me again, and rightly so!

Tell him.

I can't!

There must be some other way. If she could only find that gold, all this would be over with and she and Cade and Adam could go on as if all this never happened. Cade would never have to know, and he would be free to love her, to trust her.

Yes. That was the best thing to do.

But how to search the caves when she had to protect Adam. That was the problem. If she could just solve that, her dilemma would be over. If she could just figure some way to keep Adam safe while she searched the caves.

Mara.

❧

It was late afternoon by the time Emily made it over to Mara's house. She found her friend bent over an onion plant, knees planted firmly in the rich soil. Down the row, Beth stood and stretched, her skirts billowing in the breeze.

Adam ran ahead. “Beth!”

The girl walked toward them, and Mara stood, stretching her shoulders back with her hands on her hips. Her bonnet flapped in a mock wave, and Emily saw the smile that bloomed on her face.

“Emily, Adam, to what do we owe this pleasure?”

“I wanna show Beth my new aggie!” Adam said. The two youngsters ran to a spot under a shade tree and started a game of marbles.

Fear sucked the moisture from Emily's mouth as she thought of what she must tell her new friend. The relationship was too new to be tested in this way. What if Mara wanted nothing to do with her or her rotten scheme? What if Mara told Cade what she'd been up to all this time? Her insides quaked with the weight of it.

As the women approached each other under the hot summer sun, the smile slipped from Mara's face. “What's wrong?” Mara took her arm.

Emily tried for a smile. “Everything's fine. I just. . .I just have some things to tell you. I need your help.” She said the last with all the desperation she felt.

Mara squeezed her hand. “You know I'll do anything I can. Come inside; let's have a glass of lemonade.”

As they entered the house, Emily's stomach churned with doubt. Maybe there was some other way. Sure, Mara was willing to help a friend, but that was before she knew that Emily had married Cade under false pretenses. Before she knew that she'd been deceiving her husband all these weeks. What would she think of Emily when she knew the truth? At the thought of losing her only friend, a heavy weight settled in her middle.

She took a seat on the sofa while she waited for Mara to fetch the lemonade. How would Mara react? There was no way of knowing, especially since she really hadn't known her all that long. But even so, she felt their bond of friendship was strong. And Emily had already gone over all her options. This was the only one she had. The safest one she had. She had to find that gold without Cade knowing about it. If the thought of losing Mara made her sad, the thought of losing Cade just when things were coming along sent prickles of terror through her. No, she must do what she'd come to do.

Mara entered the room and set down the lemonade. Emily took a long sip and complimented Mara on the taste.

“Enough small talk, Emily. What's going on? You look as if you're being chased by a band of renegades.”

Emily tested Mara with a glance, then fastened her gaze on the glass in her hands. “I have some things to tell you that will surprise you. I'm afraid what I say will be a bitter disappointment to you. And I'm afraid you'll think me a horrible person.”

“Nonsense.” Mara squeezed her arm. “Nothing you can say will make me think that. We all do silly things sometimes. Believe me, I should know about that with all the shenanigans I've pulled.”

Emily remembered some of the stories she'd heard about Mara. Stories of things she'd done and said before she became a child of God. Maybe she would understand. With trembling hands and a quaking spirit, she told Mara the truth. All the way from her uncle finding the map to her agreement to marry Thomas in order to have access to the farm. From finding about Thomas's death to accepting Cade's proposal; then her refusal to search for the gold and her uncle's news that he'd put Nana in the asylum.

Throughout the story, Emily carefully avoided Mara's gaze, but when she mentioned that her grandmother was now in an asylum, she heard Mara gasp. It was all the encouragement she needed to meet her friend's gaze.

Mara's sky-blue eyes were widened, her delicate skin drawn. “That's awful,” she whispered.

“I know what I've done is wrong, but I only did it for Nana's sake, don't you see?”

Mara's gaze found her lap. “I understand why you did it, truly.” She met Emily's gaze. “It was wrong, mind you, what you did to Cade, using him that way.”

“I know. I know.” Guilt bore into her stomach, filling it with a week's worth of shame and embarrassment.

Mara brushed a smudge of dirt from her skirt. “Well, there's only one thing to make this right.”

Oh, thank You, Lord, she understands! If I only find the gold, all this deceit will be over and done with.
She felt a deep urge to hug her friend.

“You must tell Cade, of course,” Mara said.

Emily settled back into the sofa, feeling her the skin on her face sag with disbelief. No. No, she couldn't do that. He'd never forgive her, never trust her, couldn't Mara see that?

“No,” Emily said, but the word came out a croak.

“Emily, you have to. You can't go on deceiving him anymore. It's not right. God is displeased with—”

“Don't you think I know that?” The words were too loud, and she immediately regretted them. Especially when Mara shifted uncomfortably.

“I'm sorry,” Emily said. “I have no aught against you.” She grabbed Mara's arm, desperate for her friend to understand. “Cade is finally starting to care for me. After all these weeks, he's tender with me, and he's treating me like his wife.” She looked down. “Well, almost.” The heat she felt in her face left no doubt Mara understood.

“Still, Emily, it's lying.” Mara shook her head and looked away. “You have no idea who you're talking to. I'm the queen of lies. Or at least, I used to be.”

“I've heard stories,” Emily admitted, berating herself for listening to the gossip.

“They're all true, I'm sure, every last one. I shamed myself time and time again, and believe you me, I made no friends in doing so.”

“But you got Clay.”

She gave a brittle laugh. “That was God's work, rest assured. I began our relationship under pretense, just as you have done with Cade.” Her face filled with color. “He needed a housekeeper and caretaker for Beth, and I pretended I was up to the task.”

“How is that pretense?” Emily knew Mara to be a fine homemaker and mother to Beth.

“Oh, Emily, you've no idea how I've changed since then. I was raised in the lap of luxury with nary a thought for anyone other than my own self. I'd never cooked or cleaned, and certainly never fed hogs.”

A smile sneaked up on Emily's face as she tried to imagine Mara doing those things for the first time.

“It was a disaster, I assure you. Oh, I was able to hold it together for awhile, but eventually things came crashing down around me. Clay found out the truth, and I was caught.”

“This is different, though. I'm doing this for Nana. I can't allow my uncle to leave her in the asylum!”

Mara squeezed her hand. “Of course you can't. But as hard as it will be, you must be honest with Cade.”

“No. I won't do it, Mara.” Didn't her friend understand how delicate Cade's feelings for her were? If he found out how she'd tricked him all this time, it would ruin things for sure. Her eyes stung with tears. “Yes, I married Cade for all the wrong reasons. But I've come to love him. And finally, after all these weeks, he's beginning to care for me too.” Emily stood and walked to the window, letting the sunlight warm her skin.

There was only silence behind her, and she wondered if Mara was beginning to come around. The thought sent hope bubbling to the surface. She turned.

“I know it's not right, but I just need to get this over with. I need to find the gold and give it to my uncle, then I can get my grandmother back, and Cade won't have to know about any of it.”

“All this aside, the stolen loot belongs to the bank, Emily. Giving it over to your uncle is stealing.”

Emily blinked. “What else am I to do, Mara?”

“Why did you come to me, Emily?” Mara asked quietly.

In her rush to tell the story, she'd forgotten to tell Mara about Adam. “Awhile back, Adam and I got lost in a cave, and Cade became very worried. He forbade me from taking Adam into the caves anymore.” She walked to her friend and knelt at her feet.

“But that's where the gold is buried. I can't take Adam to the caves anymore, and I thought perhaps. . .”

Mara tucked in the corner of her lip. “You want me to look after Adam while you search.”

“Yes.” She took her friend's hand and let the desperation she felt in her soul shine in her eyes. “Please, Mara. Just in the afternoons. I'll be back before you get supper on, and he won't be any problem, I promise.”

“I know he won't be any trouble; Adam's a fine boy.” Mara looked away, and Emily knew she was weighing her options.

“It won't take me long to find the gold, if I can just focus on that. Then all this will be over. Nana will come here, and Cade. . .Lord willing, Cade will find himself falling in love with me too.” The tears that blurred her vision slipped quietly down her face. Her insides froze with Mara's indecision, and, at the same time, she felt gooseflesh tighten her skin.

Mara sighed deeply. “All right, I'll do it.”

Emily embraced her friend, gratitude welling in her.

“I'll do it, Emily, but I still think what you're doing is wrong.”

Emily squeezed Mara's shoulders. “You won't regret it, I promise.”

Fourteen

Cade watched Emily scrubbing the dishes through the open kitchen door. Her fine shoulders tapered down to the narrowest of waists, and, for just a moment, he wondered how her waistline would look thickened with the pregnancy of their child. Heat rose up in his gut and coiled around, loosening a pleasurable sensation. His heart thudded against his ribs at the thought. Emily with child. With
his
child.

Just as quickly, his gut clenched tightly, almost painfully. He remembered the way Ingrid had died after birthing Adam, and fear rose up in him like a whirlwind.

He rubbed his face with roughened hands. Emily was not with child, he reminded himself. He would face those fears when the time came, and he knew—trusted—that time would come.

Though she'd behaved mighty strange this evening, he knew things would work out between them. It was painful, putting the past behind him. Putting Ingrid behind him. But in truth, her face had dimmed more each day, replaced by Emily's vivid features. And each day, he looked forward to coming home to Emily, looked forward to her smiles and tender glances.

Yes, his heart had opened to her, despite his reluctance, and he found his gaze swinging toward her more and more. Even now, his hands itched to touch her. He stood up, draining the last of his coffee and took it into the confines of the kitchen. In the sitting room, he could hear Adam playing with the toy soldiers he'd given him on his last birthday.

When he approached Emily, he reached around her, setting the cup in the water.

She jumped, clearly not hearing his approach over the sloshing water.

“Oh!” She gave a stiff laugh. “I–I didn't hear you.”

Maybe he should back away, but the way her face softened, the way her lips curled up so sweetly made his body move closer as if it had a will of its own.

His hands found her shoulders and slid slowly down to her waist. As his hands came around her, the longing for her welled up in him so strongly, his breath caught in his lungs. His hands lay against her abdomen, and despite the fear he'd
felt moments earlier, he knew a fierce desire to see Emily
carrying their child.

When she lay her head back against his chest, he nearly groaned. Oh, how he wanted this woman as his true wife. How he wanted them to be a real family—he, Adam, and Emily.

He nestled his face in the curve of her neck and felt her shiver. There was nothing in their way now. He was ready to let go of the past and give their relationship a real effort. It was what God intended, he was sure, and what he himself had come to desire above all else.

He turned her in his arms, and when her hands clung to his biceps, he hardly noticed the dishwater that seeped through his shirtsleeves.

He lowered his head toward her and tasted her lips. His heart filled with something sweet and hot, and when she moved her lips tentatively against his, he felt a joy well up in him that belied all reality. He wanted to lose himself in her, had already done so—

A twitter of laughter pulled him reluctantly from a world that contained only the two of them. He turned toward the sound.

“Yer kissing Mama.” Adam giggled again. “Beth said kissing's ucky, and her ma and pa do it all the time.”

This time the giggle came from Emily.

“Well, that's her opinion,” Cade said. “And besides, you're not to be sneaking up on folks like that.”

“Why do grown-ups like to kiss so much, Pa?” His wide blue eyes stared back at Cade as guileless as a dove.

“Why do—well, they just do, is all.” By the heat coursing under his skin, he felt sure Emily must see a rising tide of red on his face.

“Beth said grown-ups kiss a long time, like you's just doin' with Ma. But when Ma kisses me, it's just a little one. Why's that, Pa?”

He shifted away from Emily and rubbed his neck. “I think you've been talking to Beth too much is what I think. Go get your nightshirt on, it's your bedtime.”

“Aww.”

“Get on with you now.”

“Yes sir.” Adam slumped away, his toy soldiers in hand.

Cade dared a glance at Emily. Her eyes brimmed with mirth, and her still-damp hand covered her mouth.

“You think that's funny, do you?”

“Mhmm.” She giggled again, and the sound of it tweaked his funny bone. He reached out and poked her in the ribs where he knew she was ticklish.

She jerked away.

“Well, if you're gonna be laughing anyway, I say, let's give the lady a real reason.” He dodged toward her again, hands outreached.

She bolted around him and out the kitchen door, squealing like a little girl. He scrambled after her, joy lighting his insides, mindless of the chair he overturned in the process.

❧

Emily nudged the horse, and he jolted into action. In front of her, Adam squeezed his marbles tight in his little fists. He was eager to go play with Beth, but Emily was dreading going back to the caves.

After last night's embrace and the tickle fight that had led to another embrace, the very last thing she wanted to do was go behind her husband's back again. He was falling in love with her, and the thought brought a warm, stirring sensation in her middle that was goodness itself. She already loved him more than life. She looked at the boy at her side and felt her insides turn to mush. Her son. She so loved the way he nudged the hair from his eyes with the jerk of his head. The way his blue eyes turned dark and stormy when he didn't get his way. Yes, he was her son in every way that counted. And, Lord willing, Cade would soon be her husband in every way that counted.

If she could just get this gold found. She nudged the horse again, making him pick up the pace. Last night she'd had an awful dream about Nana. She had been strapped down to her bed whilst all the doctors and nurses stood laughing around her. Emily's heart beat heavily in her chest. It wasn't true, she knew that. But what was going on at that place so far away? Was Nana crying her name in the night as she had in her dream?

Lord, help me find that gold and fast! I can't bear for Nana to be there any longer.

After she left Adam with Mara, she rode back toward the area the map indicated. It seemed futile to search in the cave she'd been in before. Hadn't she dug up practically every scrap of dirt in there?

She rode past the cave's entrance for awhile and around a grove of trees where an open meadow ended into a cliff wall. She looked down at her map, and her heart surged. Was this oblong circle on the paper the meadow? If so, the cave where the gold was buried would be in that cliff wall across the way. She wished the markings were clearer, but the water damage had smeared so much of the map.

Her breaths came in gasps as she trotted the horse across the open field.
Please, Lord, let this be it!

Reaching the other side seemed to take forever, but when she did, she rode along the face of the cliff looking for an opening. The wall was jagged and tall, jutting out this way and that and covered with weeds and bushes. Tumbleweed had blown up against the face of the cliff and lay trapped against the rocky surface. The cliff went on for quite a distance, varying in height, but her heart sunk as it began to grow shorter and shorter until it was barely over her head.

Then she saw it. Behind a scrubby bush, no higher than a dog's back, and nestled in the rock wall was a little black hole.