The Unexpected Wife (16 page)

Mathias quickly positioned the two wood sticks on the leg and tied them into place. He looked up at Abby. “Okay, let go.”

She released the dog, who started growling as she sat up on her uninjured haunch. Then barking and growling more she hobbled over to a dark corner and sat down.

“What do we do now?” Quinn said.

Abby wiped her hands on her skirt. “For now, we’ll just get her a bit of water and then we’ll just leave her be. Later tonight, maybe we can bring her a bone to chew on.”

“Is she gonna be okay, Abby?” Tommy said.

“I think she just might. She just needs time to heal now.”

Tommy wrapped his arms around Abby’s legs. “I love you.”

Her heart clenched. Tears pooled in her eyes.

Feeling Mr. Barrington’s gaze on her she looked up at him. She’d never seen a more handsome man.

“Marry me,” he said quietly.

A
bby looked up into Mr. Barrington’s face. Emotion had deepened the lines around his mouth and eyes. “Are you sure, Mr. Barrington?”

“Very.” His voice was strong, without hesitation.

Her breath stopped as her heart pounded in her chest. She glanced at the boys who stared up at her with expectant eyes. She truly wanted to say yes, but for the first time since she arrived, she was afraid.

Mr. Barrington took her hand in his, drawing her gaze back up to this. “We’ll build a good life, Abby Smyth.”

No words of love. But she’d not expected any. He was giving her all he could.

A thousand questions collided in her mind. Did
she really want this? Could she be the kind of wife he needed? Was she strong enough to live in Montana? She’d dearly wanted a sign from the heavens to confirm this would work. A crack of thunder. A gust of wind. But there was nothing. In the end, she realized marrying him now required that she take yet another leap of faith. “I think marriage is an excellent idea,” she said softly.

He grinned and suddenly his face looked years younger. “Good.” He picked up Quinn. “Let’s find the minister.”

Surprise tightened her muscles. “You want to get married now!”

He shrugged. “There’s no such thing as long engagements out here. Besides, it’ll be a few months before we get back to town and find a minister. I’m not waiting.”

Giddiness collided with nervousness. They’d been at a stalemate since she arrived and now everything was changing so fast. “You’re
really
certain about this?”

The deep intensity of his gaze made her feel as if she’d been caressed. “Very.” He held out his hand to her.

Abby took his hand. “Let’s find the minister, Mr. Barrington.”

He squeezed her fingers. “Don’t you think it’s time you called me Matthias?”

She smiled. “Matthias.”

Grunting his approval, he led her and the boys in search of the reverend.

The next few hours were some of the happiest in Abby’s life. For the first time since her parents had died she felt as if she had found her place in the world. She’d never felt more at peace.

As she watched Matthias talking to Reverend Brown, she realized suddenly that this marriage wasn’t simply a matter of convenience for her anymore. She loved Matthias Barrington with a power that shook her very core.

She understood and accepted now that he would never love her as he had Elise. But she felt in her heart that she had enough love for them both. She would work harder than ever to see that her new family thrived.

The wedding ceremony was simple. No fancy dresses, no special flowers or wedding bands. It was just her and Matthias standing side by side under the shade of a tall tree in front of the reverend with the boys and the townsfolk gathered around them.

Mrs. Clements dabbed a handkerchief to her eyes as she watched the two clasp hands. “I knew I had
a knack for matching people up.” The older woman leveled her gaze on Holden. “It’s a gift, pure and simple.”

Holden paled a fraction and took a step away from her.

Matthias cast Abby a sideways glance and winked. “It will be good between us.”

No words of love, but she held on to the knowledge that her love would be strong enough for them both. “It will be good.”

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today,” Reverend Brown said.

The words drifted over her head as she stared at Matthias’s profile. The thickening stubble already covered his square, tight jaw. His hair drifted over the top of his collar. Likely, when he’d married the first time he’d been clean-shaven and worn a suit.

“Do you, Abby Smyth, take Matthias Barrington to be your lawful husband in sickness and in health, till the grave separates you?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

Matthias squeezed her hand, yet she noted his hands felt cold. He was nervous, she realized. Did he believe he was making a mistake?

“Do you, Matthias, take Abby,” Reverend Brown said. “To have and hold, in sickness and health, until death separates you?”

He lifted his chin a notch. “I do.”

Abby took comfort that he’d not made the promise lightly.

“So by the powers given to me by the territory of Montana, I pronounce you married. Matthias, you can kiss your bride.”

Matthias faced Abby then. He stared down at her, his eyes filled with a mixture of happiness and relief. Nervous for her first kiss as a married woman, she stared at his full lips and remembered that the last time she’d kissed him she could almost taste the fire in him. Her body tingled, eager for his touch.

Matthias bent his head and touched his lips to hers. It was meant to be a chaste kiss. Abby’s body exploded with fierce desire. She wrapped her arms around his neck. He banded his arm around her waist and pulled her against his body. The kiss deepened and she was aware of the hoots and hollers of the crowd. Dear Lord, she was making a spectacle of herself. And she didn’t care.

Matthias broke the kiss, glancing toward the crowd as if he were willing them to vanish. “Later, Mrs. Barrington. Later.”

His rich husky voice was full of promise and Abby ached for what was to come.

The townspeople wouldn’t let them slip away.
Weddings were too rare out here and the crowd intended to squeeze every bit of enjoyment out of it. The men toasted the couple. The women all had bits of advice for Abby.

Through it all, Abby waited with growing impatience for the time she and her husband could be alone.
Her husband.
She smiled each time she thought about the two words.

She looked up several times and found Matthias staring at her. The intensity of his gaze left her breathless and made her all the more impatient for the day to end.

Toward the end of the day, Abby slipped away to steal a quiet moment by a stand of cottonwoods near the creek. She knelt down and dabbed her handkerchief into the cool waters. Wringing it out, she pressed the cloth to her face as she heard people approach. Hating to give up her precious moments of privacy, she stayed hidden behind the cottonwoods, believing they’d soon leave.

“They look like a happy couple,” the woman said.

The man grunted. “She’s breathing. That’s all he cares about right now.”

“I’d say they are a love match,” answered the woman.

“Love.” Genuine laugher bubbled in the man’s
chest. “Doreen, Barrington’s a smart man. He ain’t got no choice but to marry if he’s going to keep his ranch. A wife is as essential to a man out here as a plow.”

The woman snorted. “Well, Hyrum Winters, when you climb into bed tonight and are feeling lonely, don’t be asking me for comfort. Drag your hide out to the barn and nestle up to that fancy new plow of yours.” She flounced off.

“Now, Doreen…” Hyrum said, following her back to the party.

Abby’s gut clenched as the rancher’s stark words tumbled in her head. She rose slowly, tucking her damp handkerchief back into her cuff. Mr. Barrington…Matthias had married her because he cared about her and not out of economic necessity. Forcing herself not to dwell on the doubts that stalked her, she returned to the picnic.

Much later, when they’d accepted more advice than they’d ever need and tucked the boys into the wagon, they stood side by side under the night sky staring at the thousands of stars. They were so close, yet not touching.

Lord, how she loved this man.

She took his hand in hers. His fingers felt warm, so strong. He dropped his gaze to hers. His eyes gave no hint of his emotions.

“I promised myself that I would not do something but I have,” she said.

He rubbed his thumb against her palm, but still he said nothing. Finally, he asked, “What’s that?”

She pursed her lips. She had never been so afraid in her entire life. “I have fallen in love with you.”

He brushed his knuckle against her soft cheek. “You are a fine woman, Abby Barrington. And I will do right by you.”

Disappointment sliced through her. She’d wanted him to tell her that he loved her. She wanted him to banish the worries she’d harbored since the first. But Matthias wasn’t the kind of man who made false promises.

She drew in a deep breath. “I know you can never love again. And truthfully, I have made peace with that.”

He cupped her face in his rough hands. “Abby.”

Her mind was rambling. “And it’s not like we don’t have love in our marriage. I do love you and well, you have a certain respect for me. So I think it’s quite possible that our marriage will be successful.”

He tipped her chin up to face him. He stroked the underside of her jaw. “I think we’ll have a fine marriage.” He leaned forward and kissed her on her lips. He tasted of salt and a hint of whiskey.

She ran her tongue over her lips. Lord but she loved touching him. She nestled close to him, wrapping her arms around him. Being in his arms felt so natural, as if they’d been together a lifetime.

He tightened his hold around her and she could feel his arousal pressing against her. “I promised myself the last time I touched you that I’d never do it again. No matter how tempted I was. I didn’t want to take, when I couldn’t give back.”

She laid her cheek against his chest. His heart beat fast. “We are wed now.”

“You deserve a proper wedding night in a real bed,” he said gruffly.

She didn’t care about fancy beds. If he’d said he’d loved her, the night would have been perfect.
Say you love me.
“A blanket under the stars suits me just fine.”

He dipped his head and kissed her fully on the lips. She wanted him so much that she could barely breathe.

When he released her, she found that her knees were weak and that she could barely stand. He took her hand in his and scooped up several blankets from the back of the wagon.

They checked on the boys and confirmed that they were still sound asleep, and then hand in hand walked the twenty paces to the old oak tree. There
the ground was smooth and covered with a thick coat of grass.

Matthias spread out the blanket as Abby watched. Her body tingled with anticipation. She tried to imagine what it would feel like to make love to him now that she was his wife. Would the passion still be the same?

He sat down on the blanket. He tugged off his boots and took off his gun belt and set them both by his right hand. He looked up at her. He patted the spot next to his. “Have a seat.”

With the other bundled blanket in her arms, she took her place beside him. She stared up at him, suddenly unsure of what to do. This moment felt nothing like the wild abandon that had possessed them that night in the barn.

She supposed this was her cue to undress. Primly, she unlaced her shoes and set them on the ground beside her. She reached for her stockings.

Matthias’s calloused fingers pushed her hands away. “Let me.”

The smoke and heat in his voice had her looking up. A fire burned in his eyes that took her breath away. This night promised to be as erotic as the last they’d shared.

Abby moistened her lips as she set the blanket
aside and leaned back on her elbows. She held up her leg for him.

Slowly, Matthias’s hand slid up her leg over her knee to the top of her stocking. He traced the band with his finger then slowly pulled the black stocking down over her slender leg. Her breathing grew shallow. Her heart raced.

Reaching for the buttons of her skirt, he deftly unfastened them. Eagerly she lifted her hips, so that he could pull her skirt over her hips. The cool evening air ruffled the soft fabric of her chemise.

She felt wicked, indecent.

Matthias’s eyes glowed with dark passion as he straddled her hips and stared into her eyes. Quickly, he pulled his shirt off. Moonlight glistened on his muscled chest and flat belly covered with a mat of thick, dark hair.

He kissed her lips and then the hollow of her neck as he cupped her breasts.

When he lifted his head and reached for the buttons of her bodice, she slid her hand up his naked chest. His heartbeat was rapid and strong, his breathing shallow and quick. “Your heart is racing.”

“I want you.” He unfastened the tiny buttons that trailed down between her full breasts. He pushed open the folds of her calico bodice top and
tugged it off her shoulders. The crests of her full breasts rose in white mounds over the top of her corset and thin chemise.

He kissed the top of each breast then moved back to her mouth. His tongue explored the soft folds of her lips.

She slipped her hands through his thick hair, savoring his taste and the feel of him.

In his arms, she felt as if all was perfect and right in the world. Her hands slid down his back to his buttocks then traveled around his belt and reached for the thick buckle. Her fingers fumbled with the buckle until it came loose. She unfastened the top buttons and eased her hand downward.

He hissed in a breath as if he had been scalded. “You’re making me crazy.”

She chuckled. “Good.”

He stared down at her, the moonlight slashing across his rawboned face. He possessed intensity in his gaze that made her skin burn.

He covered her body with his and kissed her on her mouth. This time there was no holding back. They both began tugging and pulling at what remained of the other’s clothes until they lay naked under the blanket.

He kissed her again, this time pushing his thigh
between her legs. She opened her legs wider, wanting to feel him inside of her.

Matthias kissed her naked breast, suckling it until it was a hardened peak. Abby swallowed, digging her fingers through his hair.

He pressed the tip of his erection at her feminine center. She grew moist and the desire inside of her nearly drove her mad. She lifted her hips, ready to accept all of him.

The passion stripped away all barriers and in one smooth thrust he pushed into her. Her moist hot body wrapped tightly around him.

“Abby.” He whispered her name. His voice was so hoarse she barely recognized it. “Abby. Abby.”

She understood the intent behind her muttered name. He was making love to
her.
There was no one else here but them.