Kimberly Nee - The McKenzie Brothers (15 page)

Chapter Twenty-One

Katherine’s heart was still heavy as she made her way to her room to freshen up for supper. As it was Patsy’s day off, Katherine looked forward to a little peace and quiet before supper.

All she wanted to do was lie down for an hour or so. Her thoughts had been a jumbled muck since her conversation with Marie. Try as she might, she could not think of any way to broach the subject of Amy Morrison to Garrett without overstepping her bounds. Perhaps an hour’s worth of quiet, uncluttered thinking would give her the answer she sought.

She pushed open the door to her room and stepped over the threshold, the weight rising from her shoulders as she sank back against the closed door.

Yes. A bit of quiet is —

A long, shrill shriek from down below split the air. Her eyes snapped open and she jerked her head up. It smacked firmly against the door.

Another scream, this one more bloodcurdling than the last, rang out like a shrill bell peal. “Victoria?”

Raw horror dripped from the shrieks, hanging in the air even as the sounds faded. Katherine threw open the door, wasting no time in hurrying to the kitchen.

Garrett was already there, turning toward her. “Katherine, stay where you are.”

Her gaze darted past him, to Victoria, now sobbing into her apron. The cook had covered her face with the white cotton and shook her head, pointing to the kitchen door.

“Victoria, what happened?” Katherine eased her way around Garrett to step up to the cook. “What is it?”

Victoria would only shake her head and point emphatically, jabbing her finger at the closed kitchen door. “There.”

Garrett shoved by them both, closing the gap between himself and the door in three strides. He grasped the door handle and jerked. “Dear God in heaven.”

Victoria smothered yet another shriek, and a terrible coppery taste filled Katherine’s mouth.

She swallowed hard, stepping back from Victoria. “Garrett, what is it?”

He didn’t turn around. “Katherine, both you and Victoria stay exactly where you are.”

“What is it?” she repeated, taking another step toward him. “Garrett? Please. Tell me what is going on.” She brushed by Victoria to cross to him.

He blocked her view, stepping in front of her to grip her upper arms. “No. You don’t need to see this and, trust me, you don’t want to see —
ouch
!” He released her as her foot connected painfully with his shin.

She shoved him aside to look out the door. “What is — oh bloody hell…What is that…that
thing
?”

“Holy hell,” Garrett muttered, throwing his hands balled into fists, crammed into his hips as if that was the only way to prevent him from hitting something. “Now do you see why I told you to stay where you were?”

Why hadn’t she listened? It would take a lifetime for her to blot out the image of the bloodied little body on the doorsill, dark red and shiny as if freshly skinned. That she swallowed relentlessly was the only reason she hadn’t retched yet, but it was becoming more difficult to hold back. “Garrett?
What is that?
”

“I think it might have been a squirrel, but I can’t really tell without the fur.”

“Oh, God. I think I’m going to be sick,” The room had begun to spin about her and she could hear the far off sound of clanging bells. “Is it noon?” she wondered in a syrup-thick voice. “I hear church bells…” Her words faded away as blackness rose up to swallow her whole.

Katherine opened her eyes. Garrett sat on the sofa beside her, arms resting on his thighs, hands dangling between his knees. His profile was serious, brows pulled low and a scowl tugging on his mouth. Her own mouth was dry. “What happened?”

He jumped and his scowl deepened. “You fainted.”

A weak laugh rose to her lips. “Nonsense. I don’t faint.”

He twisted toward her. “Is that so?”

A feeling of idiocy crept over her. How absurd, to argue with what was plainly true. She sat up, leaning back against the sofa’s arm. “Very well. I fainted. Do you fault me for that?”

“Not one bit.”

“So why the angry stare?” She couldn’t explain why she felt so calm. By all rights, she should be an hysterical mess, like Victoria. So why wasn’t she?

Because. There, inside Ravenswood, she was safe. As long as Garrett was there, she was safe.

Wasn’t she?

The stealthy chill worked its way up along her spine and her certainty wavered a bit. “Mr. McKenzie?”

He didn’t answer, but rose to move around the sofa, where an array of decanters stood on the small table. One of the crystal bottles held a liquor that very nearly matched the golden brown of his eyes. That was the one he lifted. When he came back around, it was to press a crystal glass into her hand. “Brandy. Drink it. I think you’ve earned it today.”

Patsy hovered behind him, a worried frown on her face. She looked back to Garrett.

“I don’t want a drink.”

“Take it. It will do you good,” he said, crouching down to meet her gaze.

It was pointless to argue, so she accepted the glass and took a swallow. The brandy burned a fiery path down her throat and hit her belly, where it then exploded in a rush of heat. She fought down her rising gag as she handed the glass back, sputtering, “Thank you. I think.”

“Mister Garrett, shall I pour some more?” Patsy asked softly.

“No, thank you. I think that’s plenty. You should look in on Victoria.”

“Yes, sir.”

Katherine sank into the arm of the sofa. She was in the library now, and grateful to not have come around in the kitchen. In fact, she wasn’t at all certain she’d be able to set foot in the kitchen again.

Her head still ached and she reached up to rub her forehead. “How is Victoria?”

“I sent her to bed with a cup of tea and a shot of whiskey. I think she’ll be recovered by morning.” Garrett gave her a smile as he bent over to brush his lips over her forehead. “And you are doing the same.”

He reached over her, over the sofa to deposit the glass on the table. “Well, that settles that, then.”

“Settles what?”

“After supper, you and I are going to pay a visit to an old friend of mine. Judge Adler.”

She was dumbfounded. What on earth could a judge do They had no clue as to Gerald Sanders’ whereabouts. What purpose would a judge serve?

“Why?”

“Because. We need him to perform a wedding ceremony. Ours.”

Katherine could only stare up at him, not so certain she’d heard him correctly. “What?”

He nodded. “You need the protection of marriage, Katherine. I am offering you that protection.”

“But, why? Why would you do such a thing?”

He smiled. “I told you I like sleeping beside you. What better way to ensure that does not change?”

She wasn’t entirely certain how she should feel about that. It seemed a silly reason to marry a body. But, he was right. She
did
need the protection of marriage. A perfect solution.

And then she thought of something else. If she was to marry Garrett, Amy Morrison would no longer be a threat. Her heart rose a tad at the thought. Garrett would be hers then. Perhaps then, the day would come when he would —

When he would what?

She wouldn’t let herself finish the thought. “Garrett, are you certain?”

“Absolutely. We’ll leave right after supper.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

“Don’t look so frightened, Katherine. It’s a wedding, not an execution.”

Garrett’s playful words broke in to slow the wildly tumblin

g thoughts bouncing about inside her skull, and she blinked herself back into the present.

They stood, facing one another, in Judge Adler’s parlor. The judge’s wife stood to her left, beaming as if she was Katherine’s mother. The judge, however, was
not
smiling. This was no doubt the result of the supper now cold on his table.

Still, he agreed to perform the wedding. What Garrett said to him would forever be a mystery, but she didn’t care as her hands lay warm in Garrett’s. It no longer mattered that her virginity was gone. In a few minutes, he would be her husband and no one would ever know differently.

“I’m sorry,” she smiled up at him, “I’ve never done this before.”

“Neither have I, but I’m not shaking.”

“That isn’t funny.”

“May we?” Judge Adler broke in sharply.

“Of course.” Garrett cleared his throat, forcing his grin into a more grave expression.

However she couldn’t control her smile, even as she bit down on the inside of her cheek. Mrs. Adler sniffled. From the corner of her eye, Katherine saw the silver-haired woman dab at her eyes with a lacy handkerchief. Was she actually
crying
over the wedding of two people she barely knew?

It was the oddest wedding, even in her limited contact with weddings. However, all thoughts fled from her mind as Garrett eased the cool gold ring onto the fourth finger of her left hand. “With this ring, I thee wed.”

An icy fingertip drew down along her spine, but the chill wasn’t at all uncomfortable. Her blood pounded in her ears as Garrett gently squeezed her hand before releasing it. However, her heartbeat sped up as Adler intoned, “In the giving and receiving of a ring, and by the joining of hands, I pronounce that you be man and wife together.”

Without waiting for permission, Garrett leaned in and caught her lips in a gentle kiss. What started out as a chaste traditional sealing of the covenant quickly became so much more as the kiss deepened. Katherine reached for him, gripping his forearms as she parted her lips and his tongue caressed hers.

When he drew back, he was grinning. Mrs. Adler let out a particularly loud sniffle as her husband closed his Bible. “Now may I finish my supper?”

Threading his fingers through Katherine’s, Garrett turned away from the judge. “Of course. And now we are even. Until the next card game, that is.”

They were at the parlor threshold when Mrs. Adler snapped, “Is
that
why he was able to drag us away from our table? You lost a wager?”

Katherine snorted in her attempt to smother her laughter, and it was even more difficult to do as Garrett murmured, “So much for the tears of overwhelming joy.”

The Adlers were still arguing as Garrett guided her back to the waiting coach. Twilight had come and gone while they were inside, and now stars smattered across the midnight blue sky. A balmy breeze kissed the air as she settled in beside him.

He eased an arm about her shoulders, tugging her against him as he bent down. “Tongues will wag, Madam McKenzie. Shall we make them wag now, or enjoy a bit of peace and tell them in the morning?”

As he spoke, his lips grazed hers. She didn’t pull away, but shook her head. “Let them wait.”

“Then wait they shall.” Another brush of his lips against hers. Then he grew more serious, his mouth closing over hers in a deep, slow, teasing kiss.

When he pulled away, she looked down at her hands, one atop the other, folded on her lap. The gold ring on her fourth finger glinted in the fading light. It was unusual and lovely, two hands holding a heart, above which was a detailed crown. “This is beautiful, Mr. McKenzie. Where did you get it?”

“I think it would be acceptable for you to call me Garrett now,” he chided, sliding his hand beneath hers to thread their fingers together. “As for the ring, it’s a Claddagh ring. And that particular one has been in my family for years, dating back to before the first McKenzie left Claddagh to seek his riches across the ocean.”

“I’ve never seen one before.” She brought it closer. Despite its age, and the network of fine scratches, the gold still shone. Unease rose. “I shouldn’t have this, Mr. McKen — that is, Garrett. You should keep this somewhere safe.”

“Of course you should have it,” he corrected, catching her hand once more. “This is its intended purpose. Kat. My mother likes to think of herself as subtly sneaky and gave it to me as a reminder that I needed to think about settling down. Since you are my wife, it’s only fitting you wear that ring.”

She didn’t know how to respond. Somehow, she didn’t think this sort of marriage was what his mother probably had in mind when she handed down the Claddagh ring. It didn’t seem the sort of marriage anyone would consider appropriate for a cherished heirloom such as a wedding ring. “But — ”

“No
buts
.”

“Bu — ”

He bent forward and silenced her with a kiss. It began gentle and innocent, but then he eased an arm behind her to draw her up onto his lap. Gentle and innocent became smoky and wicked as he wrapped both arms about her to crush her close.

The rest of the ride home was blur of steamy kisses and Garrett’s teasing caresses. Upon alighting from the coach, Katherine found herself swept up in his arms, and he proceeded to whisk her through the front door, through the entry, and up the stairs. From the corner of one eye, Katherine saw Patty in the parlor doorway. The maid’s eyes were wide with shock and her jaw hung slack. Garrett must’ve felt the horrified stare on his back, for he broke the kiss long enough to call down, “I don’t suppose I have to explain why my wife and I are not to be disturbed until further notice.”

“
Wife
?” Patty gasped.

Garrett didn’t reply and Katherine didn’t scold him. How could she, when her lips were already occupied? Instead, she tightened her arms about his neck as he nudged open the door to his chambers and spirited her straightaway to the bed.

He covered her body with his, whispering, “My beautiful wife,” as his lips came down to claim hers, then proceeded to make love to her as slowly and gently as possible several times over. Afterwards, as the sun broke over the horizon, they both drifted off to sleep.