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If the eager look on Cade’s face was anything to go by, he was more than ready for dinner when he came through the back door less than an hour later. Glory was alone in the kitchen, mixing dumplings in a bowl to put atop the beef stew she’d readied.
“How’d you get that cooked so quick?” Cade asked, leaning over her shoulder to peer into the kettle simmering on the back of the stove.
“I had beef canned up from a side Mr. Clark bought from the neighbor, Mr. Bradley, last fall. I only had to add a Mason jar of vegetables to it and heat it up good. I’ll put dumplings on top in just a minute and cover it tight. We’ll be ready to eat in about twenty minutes.”
She cast him a dark look, hands on her hips. “At least we’ll be ready to eat if you get yourself out of my way so I can get these dumplings on the stew.”
He laughed and backed away from the iron range, the sound of his humor a bit rusty as if he hadn’t found much to amuse him of late. He watched her from his stance by the table, and when she’d completed her task and then clapped a cover on the bubbling stew where dumplings floated on top, she turned to him.
“You spend a lot of time keeping an eye on me, McAllister.”
“Not near as much as I plan to in the future, Miss Glory. And that’s something else we have to get straight.” His jaw set and a stubborn gleam warned her that the man was putting on his cloak of arrogance again.
“I agree with what you said about Mr. Clark. I feel the same way he did. It looks to me like I’ll be here for a good while and I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to be living here without us being married. The people in town will be talking about you. And that’s something we don’t want happening. Buddy and Essie don’t need any bit of gossip going on about you.”
“Can we talk about that later on?” Glory asked quietly. “Maybe tonight?”
Cade nodded a reply, apparently willing to do as she asked. “I want to tell you something I’m thinking about, Glory. I’m going to look at horses at your neighbor’s place later on. He’s got a fine crop of mares and foals in his fields, and a number of mares about ready to drop their foals. I’d like to make a deal with him.”
“There’s no money available for new horses,” she said firmly.
His grin was quick. “That’s where you’re wrong, ma’am. I’ve got more than a bit put aside and if the fella is reasonable, I think I can make a deal with him.”
“You’re going to invest in my farm?” Her look was skeptical.
“Yes, ma’am. That’s exactly what I’m going to do. I can’t make a success of this place without putting money into it.”
“And will that make it yours? When you’ve invested in it? Are you planning on the deed being in your name?”
“Not now, Glory. We’ve got other things to be concerned about. Just know that as long as you and the children live, this place is your home. Nothing I ever do will change that. We’ll be partners here, all four of us and any more young’uns who might happen along to join us once we get married. Buddy will someday own this place, just as his father planned for. But in the meantime, you and I have to come to an agreement.
“We need to talk about this marriage thing. Like I said before, I don’t want the folks hereabouts talking about you or spreading gossip.”
“Why worry about my good name? Won’t they gossip about you, too?” she asked, tilting her chin and glaring at him, her heart pumping rapidly from the anger he seemed to inspire in her.
“Women always manage to be the topic of gossip, Glory. Men can get away with most anything, but the woman ends up paying the piper. You know that as well as I do.”
“I haven’t done anything wrong, Cade. I think the folks in town consider me to be a decent woman.”
“You’re certainly that, Glory. But you’re a good-looking woman, too, and I won’t have you being the topic for folks’ gossip. We can fix the problem easily with a marriage between us. I’ve done a lot of traveling around over the past few years, and most of the time I’ve been looking for a place to settle.
“I wonder if it wasn’t the hand of fate that led me here to this town. It was almost like hearing about you from the sheriff and him bringing me out here to meet you was meant to be. I know you came as a surprise to me, for I certainly wasn’t looking to find such a perfect spot to settle, with a couple of young’uns and a pretty woman living here. Getting married just seems like a good idea, Glory. For I’ll admit I’m attracted to you in a mighty way. I’m hoping you’ll agree with me, for it seems like the time is right for us to do this.”
“I’ve often wondered myself how I came to knock at the back door here that day over three years ago,” she said. And then she looked up at Cade, her eyes shiny with a glaze of tears.
“I decided that sometimes we don’t need to know everything ahead of time, Cade. Sometimes things just work out right for us if we do our best and make our own way in life. It was right for me to marry Mr. Clark and care for his children three years ago. Maybe it’s right for me to marry you now and let you take over with caring for the three of us. We sure could use a man’s strong arms to do the heavy work here. Some days I get mighty weary, Cade. And lonesome, too, to tell the truth. I don’t know about attraction, like you said a few minutes ago. But I like you and I think you being here would be good for the children, especially Buddy. But just so you know, I’m not much for fancy love words or flirtin’, if you know what I mean.”
“You don’t have to worry about that sort of thing, Glory. As long as we like each other, we’ll have a good beginning. I hope you’re at least pondering marriage. I know you’ve been unsure of it, but I’d like to think you’ve kinda made a decision today, looking at the future with us a married couple, making a family here. You’re a woman needing a man to tend to things and I sure won’t mind doing that very thing. Living with you won’t be a hardship for me, Glory.”
He stepped closer to where she stood and his arm slid around her shoulders, tugging her closer to him. His other hand moved slowly to rest against her waist, and for a moment she felt enclosed, captured by his big body in front of her, the stove behind. She tilted her head back, and without a pause he bent to her, his mouth touching hers carefully, brushing the tender flesh with a kiss of promise. His words were a whisper.
“One thing you need to understand, Glory. When I’ve said the words in front of a preacher, I won’t be sleeping in the bedroom at the back of the house. You can choose where, but you’ll be next to me and I’m thinking we’ll both fit into your bed.”
His breath was fresh, his words spoken softly, as if he would not chance the children hearing him. And then he kissed her again, less of a testing caress, more of a demand for her mouth to welcome his, to return the brush of lips, to accept the promise of intimacy to come.
Glory had never known a man’s touch in such a way, for as a young girl, she’d been protected, though she had known young men and even danced with several while her parents looked on. But none had strayed beyond friendship. She’d never been offered the kisses of a man courting a young woman. She trembled beneath his hands—not with fear, for she did not distrust Cade, but with uncertainty. His hands were careful of her, not gripping her tightly, and she knew he would release her if she demurred and stepped away from him.
“Cade?” Even to her own ears her voice sounded wary, uncertain. And from Cade’s grin, she suspected he was aware of her flustered state.
“I won’t hurt you, Glory. I’ll never do anything to cause you pain or give you reason to fear me.”
She nodded. “I’m not afraid of you. I just feel … sort of shaky right now. I think you’d better go sit down at the table and let me get supper on.”
His grin did not depart from his lips as he obeyed her, pulling out his chair and then watching as she found plates and silverware to set the table. She unwrapped the last of the bread, a loaf she’d baked two days ago that was almost stale. It would be time to set a batch to rise in the morning.
She cut the bread and placed the slices on a plate, then found a fresh jar of jam in the pantry. “Our meal will be a little sparse, I fear. I’ll make up for it tomorrow though,” she said as she finished putting the food together and carefully lifted the lid of her big kettle on the stove.
The dumplings had risen to the top of the kettle and she touched one with the tip of her index finger, testing it for firmness. “I think these are done. I’ll call the children in to eat.” And in all her fussing and fluttering around the kitchen, she’d been careful to keep her eyes averted from him, as if she dared not meet his gaze.
Cade felt a wash of desire sweep through him. Not the carnal lust he’d felt in the past for a woman when he’d gone through a long dry spell without a female body to hold close in his bed. This was different, for she appealed to him to the depths that craved a woman of his own.
It was a yearning he’d never experienced, Cade had never thought of any woman in such a way until he’d met Glory, for his job had always come first with him. But it seemed that the way to achieve his goal now was to enter into a marriage. Living here was looking better all the time.
The children came to the table and he watched them closely. Saw the smile Essie shot in Glory’s direction, noted the gentle touch of Glory’s hand on Buddy’s shoulder as he settled into his chair. They were secure in her love and it showed.
The four of them sat around the table, the steaming kettle of stew in the middle, and Cade bowed his head. He hadn’t prayed in a long time, only shot small petitions upward as he thought of those he’d loved in his lifetime. His mother and stepfather, still at home in Oklahoma, the friends he’d left behind when he set out to find his own niche in life. But the prayer he offered for their food came easily to him and he spoke the words he’d often heard his stepfather say before meals back home.
Though this was all a part of his mission here, finding the gold would be an easier chore to tackle once he was living in the house. Being settled here was a good feeling, he decided, and he had much to be thankful for, not least of which was the meal before him. One of many meals he would eat here with Glory and the children, who seemed fated to be a large part of his life.
It was not a surprise that the sheriff paid them a visit the next day, for Glory had expected him to be at her door, checking up on Cade, looking in on her and the children. He was a good man and she knew he felt a sense of responsibility for her, after having dropped Cade into her life as he had.
“Have you read the papers Mr. McAllister gave you, Mrs. Clark?” he asked her.
Glory nodded in reply and smiled. She’d been pleased by the facts laid out in the legal documents she’d perused. Cade appeared to be all he’d promised, honest, diligent and possessed of enough ready cash to invest in the farm as he’d promised to do.
“Have you reached any sort of arrangement between you?” the lawman asked, turning to Cade, but asking the question of both the man and woman before him.
“We’re still on speaking terms, so I suspect we’ll iron things out before long,” Cade said with a grin.
“For now, he’s sleeping in the barn and working on fencing and such,” Glory said.
Cade nodded. “I’m thinking about fencing the pasture. I figure with Buddy’s help and a posthole digger, I can put in enough fencing to keep the animals closed in. We’ll see how it goes.”
“I’ll check back with you, McAllister. Just wanted to make sure that Mrs. Clark had read your credentials and was aware of your plans.”
It seemed that the man’s life was an open book, Glory decided. The sheriff was prone to trust him, and so, she decided with surprise, was she.
Glory finished her chores in the kitchen and went to the porch, settling on the small rocker there. She’d used this chair when she snapped beans and shelled peas while she rocked back and forth, watching the comings and goings of Mr. Clark.
And now it looked as if Cade would be a fixture on the place, and she could keep track of him while she did her busywork. She wouldn’t guarantee anything about a wedding in the next few days, but she was leaning in that direction. And more than willing to let him have his way with the stock and the pasture. As for herself, she had enough to do. Her garden was coming in well, the peas ready to pick, the carrots showing above the ground and her beans blossoming, promising a good crop.
She’d planted three long rows already, for her father had told her years ago that planting beans every two weeks would give them beans for the whole of the summer. And so Glory had done as he’d instructed in those long-ago days of her youth. Every two weeks until mid-July, she planted beans and every two weeks once they were ready to pick, she had a crop to cook or can up in jars.
Her father had taught her well and she’d listened, planting and hoeing, weeding and picking the harvest of vegetables her mother put up in blue Mason jars. Now she canned her own food, thankful for the upbringing she’d had back in Pennsylvania.
She looked up, wrenched from her thoughts as Cade walked to the porch and sat on the steps. “I want to thank you, Cade. I appreciate your working with Buddy and spending time with him in the barn and with the animals.”
Cade rose from the steps and walked to stand before her, his hands touching her shoulders. He bent low, turning her face to him. His lips pressed softly against her cheek, then brushed the tender lines of her mouth, a kiss of comfort.
“You’ve had a tough time of it, Glory. If I can, I’ll make things a bit easier for you.” His grip on the fragile bones he held within his grasp was light, but the warmth of his palms was welcome and Glory fought back tears as she rose to stand before him.
“I don’t mean to be weepy, Cade. I’m usually pretty well in control of myself, but something about having you here, maybe just having a man about the place, seems to give me comfort.”
But it was more than comfort that she sought, for she had to admit to herself that Cade made her feel like a woman. A desirable woman. A woman who welcomed the touch of his hand on her cheek as he spoke. “If I can give you comfort of any sort, I’m pleased, Glory,” he said softly.
Her voice broke then, and she swallowed hard before she was able to speak. “I had three years here as Harvey’s wife, Cade. He slept down the hall, gave me my own room and lived up to his word. He’d said when I met him that he wasn’t looking to sleep with me, for he’d had a good marriage with the mother of his children and didn’t want another woman in his bed. He was good to me, treated his children well and gave me free rein with his house. I couldn’t ask for more.”
Cade swallowed, his wondering put to rest. For even though he’d thought from what she’d said early on that her marriage to Harvey Clark had not been one such as he sought with her, she had given him words now that told him without doubt that she’d not slept with the man.
Satisfaction and anticipation filled him as he looked down at her. His hands lifted to her again, palms cradling her face, his gaze captured by the fine wash of color that stained her cheeks. The length of his fingers felt the fragile line of her temples, his fingertips brushing the wispy curls that framed her forehead. She was lovely, her skin finely pored, her lips curving a bit in a smile that trembled. Whether because of the desire he made no attempt to conceal from her, or perhaps her own awakening, she closed her eyes.
“Look at me, Glory.” His voice was harsh, and he rued the passion that roughened his words, for he would not have her think him angry.
Her lids fluttered and she opened her eyes fully, brushing aside his hands as she attempted to step away from him. But he would not have it, and his hands once more gripped her shoulders, his touch careful but firm.
It was more than he could resist. Not just the soft lips that parted as if she would speak, or the yielding of her body as she allowed him to take her weight against himself. He bent to her again, and his mouth claimed hers, his indrawn breath holding the womanly scent of her, his heart beating faster as the feel of her breasts against his body brought him to arousal. His kiss was damp, his lips open against hers, and his hands were taut, sliding down her back, pressing her close.
Her hands pressed against his shirt, as if she would gain some bit of room between them. Whether she recognized the thrust of his arousal, or perhaps was frightened at his ardor, she inhaled sharply and turned her head to the side, catching her breath, even as a whimper escaped her lips.
“I’ve frightened you.” His words were heavy with regret, for he’d told her he would not harm her or give her cause for alarm. And unless he missed his guess, she was about as near shedding tears again as a woman could get without the waterworks being turned loose.
“I want to ask you something, Glory. I hope you won’t think I’m being crude or trying to embarrass you, but you strike me as a girl who hasn’t had much to do with men. Do you know what happens between a man and woman, how they join their bodies together after marriage?”
She trembled against him, yet he must speak, must know the full extent of her knowledge or perhaps ignorance.
“Has no woman explained to you what is involved in the process of giving yourself to the man you’ve chosen to marry?”
Her eyes filled with tears again as he spoke and she shook her head.
But at least she had answered him, and for that he was thankful, for he’d begun to fear that this was to be a one-sided conversation. “My mama told me one time when I asked her about babies and such that men are usually pretty adept at that sort of thing. She said that all a woman must do was to obey her husband.”
Damn. “And didn’t she tell you that a man’s pleasure is a direct result of the response of his wife?”
Her breath huffed out. “I’d supposed that the room would be dark and things would happen naturally. Mama said that if I married a man who truly loved me, I wouldn’t have anything to worry about.”
He shook his head and held her before him at arm’s length. “I’d say you’ve got a good bit to learn, Glory. Your education will be more involved than I’d thought.” Cade smiled down at her and posed a question. “Have you never dallied with a young man in the moonlight?” He paused as she considered his words and then she flushed becomingly and shook her head.
“I wasn’t left alone with any of the young men who came around back home in Pennsylvania. My pa said I was too young for such shenanigans. When I had a gentleman friend come to call, which only happened a couple times, we sat in the parlor and looked at my mama’s photograph albums and sorted through picture books about Europe and Greece. It was for sure we weren’t allowed to be left alone.”
But it seemed Cade was not finished with his subject, and he continued speaking, his tone soft, his words coaxing. “We won’t be doing much of what we’re speaking about anyway, Glory. Not right away. Certainly not until we’re married and even then we’ll take our time.”
She felt a hot flush cover her cheeks. “Please, Cade. I don’t want to talk about this.” Her voice broke and he bent to her.
“Glory, I sure wish your mama had explained things to you a little better.”
“I was sixteen when she died. And I’m sure, given the chance, we’d have spoken of marriage. But as it turned out, I’m probably about the most ignorant female you’ve ever met.” Her chin tilted upward and her eyes narrowed as she spoke. “I’m not ashamed of not knowing. I’m just embarrassed.”
He kissed her cheek then, careful not to infringe, and she looked up at him, anger touching her words.
“I’m young and ignorant, Cade. Are you sure that you want to marry me?” She bent her head and the slender form he held between his hands seemed fragile, as if she was too delicate, perhaps unfit for the life she’d chosen here on the farm. “I fear I won’t be very good at this, Cade McAllister, for I’m not willing to do all the things marriage requires of a woman. Not right now, anyway. You ought to find a woman better equipped for marriage than I.”
He merely smiled, even as laughter tapped at the door of his dignity and begged for release. But he would not allow it. He was determined to coax her to the point of speaking vows before the minister in town. She might be unaware of what was involved in being his wife, but she was smart enough to recognize that she needed him. Needed a man to protect her and the children she’d taken responsibility for.
“Glory, look at me.” His touch was careful on her arms, and he’d captured the length of her body between himself and the wall of the house next to the back door. He’d not put a match to the kerosene lamp over the table and the room was lit only by the soft glow of the black iron range, but he didn’t need a bonfire to make out her face.
“Just promise me you’ll be thinking about visiting the preacher. We can make it as private as you want, just you and me and the young’uns. The sheriff made sure of my reputation back home and I’m willing to put my money into this place. I’ll be good to you and I think you know the children like me. I can’t see any reason to put it off.”
She looked up at him and her eyes sought his in the dim shadows. “I’ll think about it, Cade, but I’m not making any promises yet. And in the meantime, you can sleep in Mr. Clark’s bedroom, but I’ll have no more of this kissing business. I need a clear mind and I won’t have you confusing me with foolishness.”
He smiled at her, nodding his agreement as she set the terms of their arrangement. “It’ll be just like you want, Glory. I’ll give you a week to decide. That should be long enough to make up your mind.”
She turned from him and he released her readily. “It’s time for Buddy and Essie to be getting ready for bed. I promised to read to them for a bit first.” She opened the screen door and went to the kitchen table, reaching up to lift the chimney from the lamp that hung there. Cade scratched a match against the surface of the stove, then touched it to the wick and Glory lowered the chimney into place.
“Buddy? Essie? Are you ready for our reading?”
From the parlor both children answered her and made their way to the kitchen. Buddy carried a book with him and placed it on the table before the chair Glory occupied on a regular basis. Essie scooted her chair around so that she could sit as close to Glory as possible.
“Would you like to listen, Mr. Cade?” she asked politely, swinging her feet as she waited for Glory to take her place beside her.
“Sure thing. I heard a bit last night, when I was sitting on the porch. I’ve read this book myself. My mama had a copy of it at home and she read it to me before I was old enough to enjoy it for myself.”
“Charles Dickens wrote a bunch of books,” Buddy said, taking his place across the table from Glory. “I already read two of them, and Glory said I have to write a book report about the one I’m reading now.”
“She’s done a good job of teaching the pair of you, I’d say,” Cade told the boy. “I’ll warrant you’ll do well in school. I’m going to look for a horse for you to ride back and forth. Mr. Bradley has a dozen or so mares and geldings he’s willing to sell. Maybe you and I can go over there tomorrow. If you’re gonna ride the horse, I’d say you ought to have some say in which one we get for you.”
“Can I do that, Glory?” Buddy looked beseechingly at his stepmother and Cade thought he held his breath as he awaited her answer.
“Sounds like Cade’s got things lined up, Buddy. If he wants to get you a horse, he can call the shots, I’d say.”
She opened the book, sliding the bookmark from its place and setting it on the oilcloth as she tilted the volume to catch the glow of the lamp overhead. “If we’re going to read a whole chapter, we’d better begin,” she said, glancing at Cade as he sat down in the available chair.
His grin was aimed at Glory as he settled back to listen. And for the next half hour her audience was held captive by the story of an orphaned boy and the trials inherent in his life without a family of his own.
Glory reached the end of the chapter and slid the bookmark into place, closing the volume and brushing the cover as if she would deny any speck of dust a resting place there. “Time for bed,” she said quietly, and both children pushed their chairs back and headed for the stairway in the hall. Buddy picked up a lamp from the table in the hallway and walked ahead of his sister up the stairs.
“Will you be coming up, Glory?” Essie asked, looking back over her shoulder.
“In just a few minutes,” Glory answered. “Your clean nightgown is on the bed, Essie. Make sure you change your underwear, Buddy. I put the clothes basket in your room, so be sure you use it.”
