Rebellious Bride (29 page)

His own fear over the incident had lingered at first, but eventually abated with the passing days. His mind had stubbornly refused to dismiss the sight of Lillian sliding away from him, his hand reaching out to grab her, the feeling of her tender wrist so fragile in his tight grasp. He had worried that her bones would snap or that he would lose control of the horse. It had taken only a few seconds, yet it had seemed like hours before he stopped the buggy and pulled a shaken Lillian into his arms.

Lil hugged her husband, locking her arms tightly around his middle and planting her face firmly against his chest. Her trembling eased with each comforting stroke of his hand down her back. “I feel like a fool,” she whispered.

He kissed her temple and pressed her closer to him. He felt the swell of her belly and the heaviness of her breasts rub against him. An overwhelming urge to protect her rushed through him. “Don’t think such nonsense,” he scolded in a murmur. “You suffered a scare, and you have every right to feel as you do.”

“But your quick actions saved me. I suffered no injury,” she argued.

“Would it have been better if you had fallen from the buggy and been crushed beneath the broken wheel?” he queried and gave her no room to respond. “Nonsense. It is over and done. You are safe.”

She yawned and settled peacefully in his arms.

“Try to sleep. Morning is hours away.”

“Will you hold me?” she asked, her words slurred with the laziness of near sleep.

“All night,” he promised and gently kissed her temple.

“My hero.” Her words were but a whisper as her eyelids drifted lazily closed.

“A hero should have his reward.” He did not think she heard his teasing.

“And you shall.”

He barely heard her words and gave no thought to her sleepy declaration. He held her as he had promised, his main concern at the moment her safety and a plan to see that she remained safe.

~~~

Lil initiated a flurry of activities the next morning, urging Rolfe and Jonathan to hurry with their duties so they all could be off to town. It was Wednesday, her day to help at Doc’s office, and she looked forward to it—not that anyone waited until Wednesday to see her. Those who needed or preferred her immediate attention simply dropped by the house.

Jonathan often offered his assistance with visiting patients, but Rolfe was another matter. Once the patients caught sight of him heading for the house they were off in a flash. Being mostly women, and pregnant ones at that, they were easily intimidated by Lord Sherborn’s impressive size and appearance.

Lil pretended that their visits were purely social, but she was well aware that her husband was far too intelligent to believe such tall tales and remained silent only because it pleased his wife to attend to patients.

“Aren’t you ready yet, Jonathan?” Lil asked, stopping her pacing of the foyer and checking the watch attached to the pocket of her white blouse. “It’s almost ten o’clock and I promised Doc I’d be there exactly at ten.”

“I am almost finished,” he answered. “Wouldn’t madam be more comfortable sitting with her feet up while she waits?”

Lil ran her hand protectively over her round belly. “Madam is fine the way she is. Actually, madam could just hurry along off to town and meet you and Rolfe there.” Lil walked with a spry step to the door, tired of waiting and hoping to make it out before anyone could stop her. Luck unfortunately eluded her.

“Lillian!”

“Damn,” she mumbled beneath her breath and turned with a wide smile to face her husband. “I was going to see if the buggy was ready.”

“I’m sure you were,” Rolfe said, his brow raised and his glance decidedly doubtful. “Jonathan will see to the buggy.

I will be finished in five minutes, and then we shall leave... together.”

Lil felt a powerful urge to stamp her feet like a small child and demand she be allowed to leave right now, this very minute. She refrained from demonstrating such childish behavior and instead plopped herself down on the seat of the mahogany hall tree.

Rolfe and Jonathan took themselves off to finish their respective jobs, leaving Lil to pout in the foyer. Ever since the carriage accident Rolfe had made certain she didn’t travel anywhere alone. He accompanied her at all times.

Jonathan often joined them, sitting in the front seat so Lil was sandwiched safely between the two men. Sometimes it irritated her to be treated like a child. Other times she found Rolfe’s presence comforting. The strange thought puzzled her. She had always been independent and had never minded solitude. Now, however, she desired her husband’s presence more often than not.

“Ready,” Rolfe announced, returning to the foyer.

Lil jumped up, and the baby protested her sudden movement with a sharp kick. She grabbed her side and winced.

Rolfe rushed over to her, his arm instantly going around her. “Are you all right?”

Lil nodded and smiled up at him.”The baby always kicks me when I move too fast.”

Rolfe ran his hand over her stomach. He had felt the baby’s strong moves on several occasions, but he still marveled at the wonder of it. Bea had kept a discreet distance from him and had never allowed him to experience any part of her pregnancy. Not so with Lillian.

“He’s warning you to slow down.”

“No, no, no,” Lil argued. “He’s tired of me sitting around doing nothing, and when I finally do move he lets me know it’s about time.”

Rolfe found humor in the way his wife always managed to turn things around to satisfy herself. “That’s debatable. Shall we sit down and discuss it?”

Lil moved out of his arms in a flash. “I’m late,” she said, tapping her watch.

Rolfe feigned disappointment, though his eyes hinted differently, taking on that sensual quality that Lil found all too appealing. “You tire of my presence?”

His question jarred her, though it was issued in jest. She hurried over to him, her hand going to his chest to lie flat against the hard muscles beneath his white linen shirt. “I like it when you’re close by... .” She faltered briefly before proceeding. “I’ll never grow tired of your presence.”

He had meant only to tease her, yet her eyes had widened in concern and she trembled slightly. He took her hand and pulled her closer to him. “Nor will I grow tired of yours.”

He bent down as she raised her head, and they captured each other’s lips in a breath-stealing kiss, and lingered together, each refusing to relinquish the other.

Jonathan cleared his throat for the third time before the two broke apart. “Lady Sherborn is expected at ten.”

“Then we’d better be off,” Rolfe said, his breath a bit labored, but his smile content.

Lil kept up a steady flow of conversation on the short ride to town, although she did most of the talking. By the time they arrived in front of Doc’s office Rolfe’s and Jonathan’s heads were swimming with instructions she had issued.

“I will return for you later this afternoon,” Rolfe said after helping her down from the buggy. “If you should need me for anything send word to the bank or to your father; I’ll be at one place or the other. Jonathan will also stop by Doc Talbert’s office from time to time throughout the day.”

“I’ll be just fine,” Lil assured him. “I have much work to keep me busy here, and Holly promised to come by and help me.”

Rolfe leaned down, placed a husbandly kiss on her cheek, and whispered, “Endeavor to behave.”

“Don’t I always?” Her smile taunted him as she returned his kiss with a playful peck to his cheek. She disappeared like a flash into Doc’s office, a final wave of her hand signaling her quick good-bye.

Rolfe wasted no time. He had business to attend to. Serious business. He headed straight to Holly’s place, catching the sheriff and Holly as they walked down the front path of her boardinghouse. “Sam, we need to talk.”

“Lil?” Sam asked concerned.

“Yes.” The brief yet significant response brought the results Rolfe desired.

“Let’s go to my office,” Sam suggested. “No one will disturb us there.”

“Is Lil at Doc’s?” Holly asked.

“Yes. She mentioned that you would join her there,” Rolfe said, wanting to make certain his wife had reliable companionship for the day.

Holly smiled her delight. “Good. I hoped she’d arrived. I’m looking forward to spending some time with her.”

Rolfe didn’t hesitate to issue Holly instructions. “If Lillian should need me—”

Holly’s smile broadened as she interrupted him. “I’ll send for you.”

“You’re worried,” Sam said as soon as the two men crossed Main Street, heading for the jailhouse.

“I’m deeply concerned as well as puzzled,” Rolfe said as he followed Sam inside, quietly closing the door behind him.

Sam took the swivel chair behind the desk and pointed to the wooden one in front. ‘‘Sit yourself and tell me what ails you.”

Rolfe deposited himself in the chair and got straight to the point. “Accidents ail me. And don’t tell me you haven’t given this last one some thought yourself.”

“Damn right I have,” Sam admitted. “You set me to wondering, and after that buggy ‘accidentally’ lost a wheel, my mind really got going.”

“But,” Rolfe said, considering the same question as Sam and voicing it, “who the hell would want to see Lillian injured?”

Sam rubbed his chin. “That’s what I can’t figure out.”

“From what I can gather, Lillian has no enemies in Little.”

“Asked around, have you?”

Rolfe leaned back in his seat, his fixed looked compelling. “When my wife’s life is threatened, I make a point of finding out anything I can that will help me protect her.”

“I’m glad Lil married you.” He paused a moment. “Except for one minor problem.”

“Which is?” Rolfe asked, not caring for Sam’s accusatory tone.

“The accidents didn’t start until she married you.”

Rolfe contained his annoyance, allowing for the fact that Sam was Lillian’s father. “I have given the idea thought. Considering my wealth, we can assume I’m not after Lillian’s fortune.”

Sam had to laugh. “Lil and I never had much material wealth.”

“What you and Lillian share make you far richer than you both could ever imagine.”

“I love my daughter very much, and I am delighted that she’s having a baby. Are you?”

The first part of the question hit Rolfe hard. He wasn’t about to admit to Sam that he loved Lillian. When he was ready, the first person he intended to hear that declaration was Lillian. He chose to address the second part of the query. “I couldn’t be happier that Lillian is carrying my child.”

“I wanted to hear you say it for myself,” Sam explained.

“That leaves us with a missing piece to the puzzle—if there is one.”

“Why? Do you think I’m off the track?”

“Don’t know,” Sam admitted honestly. “I’d like to dismiss the whole thing as a series of unfortunate accidents, but I find myself doubting that theory.”

“I doubt it as well, and I worry over Lillian’s safety.”

“That’s our main concern at the moment,” Sam added.

“Any idea how you wish to handle this matter?”

Rolfe pushed forward in his seat. “I intend to stay close by Lillian’s side. When matters dictate otherwise, I intend to see that she isn’t alone, but with someone I trust implicitly.”

“Guess that’s me,” Sam said, his grin spreading.

“You are at the top of my list. Jonathan and Holly follow. I thought perhaps one of us could manage to be around her at one time or another.”

“She’ll catch on eventually,” Sam warned.

“I’ll handle that problem when it arises.”

From the determined set of his features, Sam had no doubt Rolfe would. ‘‘That takes care of protecting Lillian. Now how about finding out why she needs protecting?”

“My thoughts precisely.”

“Any idea where to begin?”

Rolfe spoke directly. “That’s the difficult part.”

“Why?”

“I can’t determine whether the accidents were meant to frighten, injure, or kill.”

A shudder ran through Sam. “I don’t like the sound of this. It’s almost as if you’re waiting for the next one to occur.”

Rolfe was dead serious when he answered, “I am.”

~~~

“I don’t understand it, Holly. It confuses me,” Lil said, wiping down the window of the medicine cabinet. “Sometimes the urge to be near Rolfe is so overpowering that I search him out. Then when I find him and he’s close by, I’m content. It’s crazy.”

Holly folded the freshly laundered linens on the examination table, helping Lil clean Doc’s office. “I don’t know what to tell you, Lil. I don’t know what it feels like to carry a child. The good Lord never blessed me with any. But I do know what it’s like to be in love, and part of that all-consuming emotion is the need to be with the person you love.”

Lil stopped wiping the cabinet. “Are you telling me I’m in love with my husband?”

Holly shook out one of the white linens. “That’s for you to decide. I’m telling you how I felt about my husband... and how I now feel about your father.”

Lil grinned like a child who had just learned of a secret she already knew. “Are you telling me you love my father?”

Holly blushed like a young girl admitting to her first love. “Yes, I love your father.”

Lil threw her hands to the heavens. “It’s about time one of you admitted it.”

Encouraged by Lil’s enthusiasm, Holly continued. “I love being around Sam. He makes me laugh, and he makes me mad at times, and he makes me feel things...” Realizing what she was alluding to in front of Sam’s daughter, Holly blushed deeply.

Lil smiled and walked over to her, speaking low as though the subject were forbidden and wicked. “Rolfe makes me feel things too.”

Holly giggled. “I honestly thought it had been too long for me and that I had forgotten how to... to...”

“Make love with a man?” Lil offered.

Holly nodded. “It had been so long that when Sam first touched me, I...”

Lil understood Holly’s reluctance and helped to ease her worries. “We’re talking about Sam as a man now, not as a father. So tell me, what kind of lover is he?”

Holly laughed at Lil’s boldness. “I have to remember that you’re not like most women.”

“Rolfe reminds me of that all the time. Now how about an answer?” Lil waited.