MC BIKER ROMANCE: Bad Boy Romance: BETRAYED: (New Adult Motorcycle Club Navy SEAL Romance) (Contemporary Military Romance Thriller) (67 page)

Chapter 8

As the days turned into weeks, the shock and grief Victoria and Thomas were working through helped them form a bond. It took a few days for them to talk to each other again. Both were convinced that the grief the other felt was more intense than their own, and they did not feel right bringing it up. However, as they were pulling away from the last of the underground railroad stops Thomas was delivering a message to, especially after hearing the horrors some of the runaways had just left, the pair both seemed to find sudden relief in the other.

Thomas held the reins lightly as Victoria held a large paper map and plotted out the route to the area where they hoped to camp for the night.

“We have not talked about it, you know.”

Victoria, engrossed in the map, responded, "About what?”

“About where exactly you want to go, and about what you hope to do as a single mother.”

Victoria laid the map on her lap. “Oh. That.”

Thomas looked at Victoria. “Do you have a plan?”

Victoria shrugged. "Well, everything so far has felt so spontaneous, I have only thought as far as you helping me get there. I have not thought about what I would do after you come back here.”

Thomas felt a pang as he realized he was not sure he wanted to return. Not when every place that meant anything to him would also remind him of the four people he loved most, and how he had played a huge part in the way they died.

“I was hoping you wouldn’t mind helping me get to this place called Denver, or near there, anyway. I used to teach in England. I suppose wherever I get settled I can try to help teach or tutor, or something like that. Or, if that is not an option, I am a fairly good cook. I could always find work doing that. I hear the miners and prospectors out West are always looking for a woman who can cook or clean. I don’t imagine I will be single for long.”

Thomas looked at Victoria again and could not help remarking with his typical Southern charm, "The prettiest woman in the South moves out West—I am certain she will not stay single long at all.”

Victoria met Thomas’ gaze and blushed at his compliment. She turned away quickly, afraid he would see how much he truly did flatter her. She chided herself that she had no business reading into his compliments—he was still grieving, and his kindness was just a way to make her feel better. However, when Victoria turned away so abruptly, Thomas realized he truly meant what he said, and it hit him that Victoria very well could meet a new husband in this Denver place.

Victoria shook her head. "I am sure it will all work out just fine. I hope I don’t keep you so long that you end up regretting helping me. I already feel like it's my fault—”

Thomas pulled the horses in and stopped the wagon. He turned in his seat to look at Victoria better. “What's your fault?”

Victoria looked down at her lap. “What I mean is, if you had not come to help me in Charleston, you could have made it to Louisville in time—maybe—and then you would still have your wife and daughters.”

Thomas reached out and grabbed Victoria’s arms, forcing her to look at him.

“You needed help, Victoria. You are an innocent party in all of this.” As he said it, and realized what else he was going to tell her, he also realized he was right, and in applying it to himself, he could finally forgive himself too. “Samira and James were working with me. We chose a life of danger, and we put you and my daughters in harm’s way. We had a choice. You did not. Neither did my daughters. I cannot save my daughters. I can, however, help you. You hold no blame. None at all. Do you understand what I am saying to you?”

Victoria stared into Thomas’ face and saw a wall fall down as he forgave himself for his part, and she knew he was right. She was still grieving, and she still felt responsible in a way, but she knew those feelings would pass. As a single tear slid down her cheek. Thomas gently wiped it away.

“You are my family now," Thomas said to Victoria, and he leaned his forehead against hers. "I promise here and now that I will see you safely settled, and I will not leave your side until you tell me to go.”

Victoria felt his breath on her face. His promise washed over her and made her feel warm all over. As butterflies began to dance in her stomach, she opened her eyes to find herself staring right into Thomas’ eyes. She watched him shift his face, and then she felt his lips on hers, a gentle, tender kiss. A seal to his promise, and then he was sitting back upright and tapping the horses to continue onward.

Victoria blinked. What had just happened? Her hands rested on her belly, and she tried to stop her racing heart. She knew Thomas meant nothing seductive with his kiss, but her entire body seemed to sing in its wake. Suddenly overcome with emotion, Victoria turned to the back of the wagon and, climbing carefully over the seat, she excused herself to take a nap. With Thomas driving the wagon, Victoria settled on her bedroll and silently cried herself to sleep, not knowing if she should tell Thomas how she felt, if she should wait, or if she should let him go once he kept his promise.

Chapter 9

Two weeks later, without any further incident, Thomas and Victoria came upon a small homestead where the family informed them they were only a day’s ride from Denver. They would soon see the mountains on the horizon. As they pressed forward to find a spot to make camp, they crested a rise and both of them let their jaws drop as the mountains, snow-capped and majestic, appeared in front of them. Thomas stopped the wagon. Overcome by the majesty of the mountains, he reached out and took hold of Victoria’s hand.

She squeezed his hand, and they looked at each other.

“Thomas...”

He put a finger to her lips. “Before you say anything, may I?”

Victoria nodded silently.

“I promised to bring you here safely. I promised I would stay until you tell me to go. Initially, I promised this to honor James. Then I told myself I was helping you to honor my wife and my daughters. Then I told myself I was doing this because I owed you for trying to help me. However, as I look at those mountains, and I realize tomorrow could be the first day of a new life for you, maybe without me, I know I don’t want to leave you.”

Victoria tilted her head to the side, her hair now loose and uncovered, blowing in the light breeze, and asked, "What are you saying, Thomas?”

Thomas took both of her hands in his and scooted closer to her on the seat. “Victoria Bramwell, I want to know if you would do me the honor of becoming Mrs. Thomas Bramwell. Would you allow me to remain with you for the rest of my life? Somehow in all of this, you have become the center to my life, the lighthouse in my stormy seas. If I cannot remain by your side, as your husband, I will be lost.”

Victoria looked at their clasped hands, and she pulled herself closer to Thomas. Impetuously, she quickly leaned forward and kissed Thomas. As their lips met, both were almost overcome with desire for the kiss to continue and expand. Breathless, they pulled away and gazed into each other’s eyes.

“Is that a yes?” quipped Thomas.

Victoria sat facing forward and scooted to sit right next to Thomas. As she withdrew her hands to loop one through Thomas’ arm, she leaned her head on his shoulder, and replied, "Yes, Thomas.”

Grinning widely, Thomas signaled the horses to move forward, and the pair found the future suddenly full of hope, excitement, and best of all—love.

A Young Bride’s Heart

Chapter 1

Naomi sat quietly outside Faith’s room trying to collect her thoughts. She was soaring on the elation that Faith’s operation had been a success. But the debt that the family had incurred to pay for it, and her father Nathan’s condition, promised to drag her down from the clouds and into the abyss.

The debt shouldn’t be a problem as far as the hospital was concerned. Their father was well respected in the community, and well established. As far as the hospital was concerned, he would pay for Faith’s care. And he would have, had he long enough to live.

Not even Faith knew of his condition. But Naomi did, as did her father himself. She had known since he had first began coughing up blood. He had tried to deny it at first, to hide it. But Naomi was sharp and cunning and he had not been able to hide it from her for long.

When he had first admitted his condition to his daughter, Nathan had had full faith that Naomi could care for the business and what was left of the family. The children’s mother had died in childbirth during the birth of their son, Matthew. Matthew was too young yet to care for the business or the family. But Nathan knew how smart Naomi was. He would leave the family business to her when he died and she could care for her younger sister and brother.

But everything had changed when Faith had fallen ill. The clothing shop did well enough to support them and provide just a little something extra. But there was no way that they could pay for Faith’s medical bills and still stay afloat.

It was a point of contention between Nathan and Naomi. She wanted very much to plan for how to take care of everyone now that the family was in so much debt. But he would not hear of it.

He had been at peace with his death when he had known that he could leave everything to Naomi and that she would be able to care for her brother and sister. But now that they had been saddled with the extra debt of Faith’s illness, everything had changed.

If he hadn’t been dying, it wouldn’t have. He could have continued to run the clothing shop, maybe taken on a little more business, and the money would have been no problem.

But Naomi was a woman. Smart as a whip though she may be, she was still a woman. It didn’t matter how smart or able she was. People would still judge her more harshly, be less likely to bring her their business, and they was no way that she could keep the business afloat. Sometimes he cursed the fact that she had been born a woman. But mostly he cursed the fact that she had been born into a world that judged her as being less because she was a woman.

He didn’t know how to help her. He didn’t know what to do. And so he refused to talk about it altogether.

*****

Naomi stood silently, grasping Matthew’s hand firmly, as the rain beat a steady rhythm on the umbrella that she held over them. Faith had been too ill still to leave her bed and join them.

She stared at the mound of dirt standing next to the gaping hole in the ground as the pastor spoke. He spoke first of what an honorable, God-fearing man that Nathan had been, and then he segued seamlessly into a bit about how the faithful had a place in Heaven and had no worry.

His words washed over her, never piercing through the veil of her consciousness. The faint presence of Matthew’s hand in hers kept her loosely tethered to the earth. She knew that the sermon was over when she felt Matthew squeeze her hand.

She looked down at him. She searched for the words to say to him. He was so young. Much younger that herself and Faith. She and Faith had never expected a younger sibling. Matthew had been a surprise. They had both been extremely protective of him from birth.

Naomi found that she was unable to find anything gentle to say now, at their father’s passing. Matthew saved her the trouble by speaking first.

“Do you think that Pa still worries about us?” he asked. Naomi glanced at the casket and the mound of dirt.

“I’m sure that he does,” she said. Matthew squirmed as a troubled look came over his face.

“But if he worries, then how can he be in Heaven?” he asked.

“What do you mean?” Naomi asked.

“Well the preacher sad that the faithful don’t need to worry. But if Pa worries about us, don’t that mean that he’s not faithful? And if he’s not faithful, don’t that mean he’s in hell?”

“
Doesn’t
that mean, not don’t,” Naomi said. She cared more about gaining herself time to think of a response, though she supposed she should start caring about his pronunciations. After all, with both their parents gone now, the job of educating her siblings would fall to her. The ploy gained her very little time in any case.

“
Doesn’t
that mean he’s in hell?” Matthew asked. Concern painted his young features.

Naomi’s features softened with compassion.

“Of course he ain’t…I mean, he’s
not
in hell,” she said. Matthew remained unconvinced.

“But the preacher man said that those in heaven have got no worry,” he said.

“Well, that’s true,” Naomi said. She tried to think quickly before speaking again. “But maybe he’s not in heaven.”

Horror painted Matthew’s features.

“But then that means he’s….in hell?” he said quietly.

“No! No, no,” Naomi said quickly. “It just means that he’s sort of…between.”  Matthew relaxed a bit.

“Like a ghost?” he asked hopefully.

“I…” Naomi almost contradicted him until she saw the hope in his eyes.

“Yes,” she said with a tight smile. “Like a ghost.”

Matthew tightened his hand around hers.

They walked home, hand in hand, the rain beating down on their umbrella as they walked.

*****

Naomi put Matthew to bed and made her way to Faith’s room. She knocked and waited for a response.

“Come in,” Faith said listlessly after a moment.

Naomi pushed the door open and made her way to Faith’s bed. Neither of them spoke for a long moment.

“How did he look?” Faith finally said flatly. She stared at the opposite wall rather than looking at Naomi.

Naomi felt a strong urge to yell, “
Dead! He looked dead, alright?! He looked DEAD!”
She shoved the urge down as far as she could.

“Good,” she said. “Dignified.” Faith turned and looked at her, pain written across her features.

“I think I killed him,” she said miserably.

Naomi was caught completely off guard, all of her defenses shattered.

“That isn’t true!” she said.

“Then
what?
” Faith asked bitterly.

“He…he was already sick,” Naomi said, hanging her head. “He was dying.”

Faith sat in silence, her jaw hanging open.

“What are you saying?” she finally asked.

“I’m
saying
that he didn’t die suddenly. And you didn’t cause this. He’s been sick for a long time. And he knew. He knew he was dying.”

Neither of them spoke for a long moment. Faith was the first to speak.

“He knew he was dying,” Faith said numbly.  Her eyes filled with tears. “Why didn’t he tell me? Why didn’t he tell Matthew?”

“He didn’t want to be a burden,” Naomi said. “To either of you.”

*****

Naomi did her best to keep the business afloat. But as her father had known, it was not meant to be. Within a year Naomi was forced to admit defeat and close the doors for good. She felt numb as she locked the doors for the last time and walked away from the now empty building.

She felt lost, unsure of what to do next or where she could go from here. To make matters worse, Faith had taken ill again. What little money they still had would be enough to support them only for a short while. It would come nowhere near paying for Faith’s treatment. Naomi missed her father fiercely. He would have known what to do.

When she reached home she trudged through the door and shut it quietly behind her. She followed the sound of Matthew’s voice to Faith’s room, where he sat reading to her from the family Bible. She leaned in the doorway and watched them.

Faith seemed more asleep than awake. It struck Naomi how much older Matthew seemed now than he had a year ago. She closed her eyes for a moment and listened to him as he read.

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.”

She sighed as she opened her eyes. She wished that it were that simple.

Matthew, now aware of her presence, gently shut the Bible and turned toward her. Faith grasped his hand for a moment.

“Thank you,” she mumbled before drifting back to sleep.

“You’re welcome,” he said, giving her hand a squeeze.

He set the Bible down on the nightstand and he and Naomi slipped out of the room, shutting the door gently behind them.

“It’s done?” he asked. Naomi nodded.

“It’s done,” she said.

“Hard to believe,” he said with a small shake of his head. “Always thought I’d be takin’ over the family business when I got old enough.”

Naomi said nothing.

“What are we gonna do now?” he asked her. Naomi forced a smile.

“Now, now,” she said. “You’re too young to be worryin’ over such things.” Matthew shrugged.

“Maybe,” he said. “That don’t stop me from worryin’ though.” Naomi gave him a level look.

“
Doesn’t
. It doesn’t stop me from worryin’,” he corrected himself.

“I know,” Naomi said with a sigh. “We’ll figure something out.” She hoped that she sounded more convinced than she felt.