His Haunted Heart (15 page)

Chapter Fifteen

Delilah

After recovering from the shock of Porter in our bedroom for the first time, I ducked into the bathroom to change into a peach-colored nightgown, one of the ones he’d bought for me.

It was terrifying business, being married.

I walked into the bedroom and Porter stood at the window. His fingers were pressed to the glass. His face was clenched in a cathartic grimace of panic and disbelief.

“What is it?”

“It’s—I can’t believe it.”

A pulse of anger worked through me thinking that Rebel was down there as June said, looking into our window.

“What is it?”

He didn’t answer, but held his hand out to me while never breaking his gaze from the target of his attention.

I took his hand, clammy and tense, and sidled up next to him to share his vision.

Rebel stood on the center island of the pond, crouched with his hand stretched out toward the water. He spoke and if I had to guess, he was coaxing something or calling someone.

“It’s the spot where I found Marie. What is he doing there?”

My breath hiked in response to what I saw next. Marie appeared in the water, head first, followed by the rest of her body, as though she were being birthed from the pond. Inch by inch, Rebel seduced her from the water with a flick of his fingers. A phantom hand, white and dry, despite the origin of her uprising, rose from the water and reached for him.

“They were in love in life. It must be true in death.”

I watched in eager interest. I’d seen people in love.

He owned her, called her from the depths, and reeled her in from a place she didn’t wish to leave. I could see the despair on her face. Even as she reached, her other hand stayed behind in the water.

He moved closer to the water and for a moment, I thought Porter was correct and that they would exchange some ghost to lover kiss of passion.

But Marie’s hand moved beyond his outstretched one and to something closer to him—something around his neck.

She reached for the necklace.

It was there, around his neck, dangling out of his shirt, the gold shimmering by the light of the moon mixed with the haze that rested on the top of the water.

My mouth opened to tell Porter of my discovery, but he was already gone. I   was sure his heart was broken by seeing them together again. She’d betrayed him in life and she was doing it again in death.

“Porter, I’m sorry.”

“She’s aged. You were right. All this time I doubted you. Most of me believed you, but this…”

“Even more today.” I hadn’t left the window or the scene below. Acid rose in my stomach and threatened to choke me. What had once appeared to be remembrance now revealed some kind of sick control.

Rebel took the necklace out and hung it in front of her with a pendulous motion. Marie bowed her head, her face and body now revealed a lady, maybe sixteen or seventeen at best. Her back and shoulders shook in sadness as he kept the necklace at arm’s length, never letting her have it or even touch it.

He was torturing her.

She wasn’t even allowed to rest in peace.

I moved the curtain open for a better view. I must’ve opened it too much because Rebel’s eyes met mine across the pond and in an instant Marie’s cries turned to anger as she seethed in my direction. Her attentions were now on me and in a movement that resembled gliding she swam across the pond and began toward the house.

But I was safe as long as Porter was with me.

I knew she wouldn’t attack as long as he was near.

I approached the bed. Porter sat on the edge, bent over, head in his hands. He deferred to the stance whenever Marie was mentioned.

“I’m sorry. Her betrayal was unforgivable.”

He shook his head in a disagreeing motion. “I have forgiven her. I just wish it would all end. I don’t want you hurt and I’m sick of the past reliving itself, tormenting us both. I am worthless. I can’t even protect my wife.”

“We will figure this out, Porter. I’m sure of it. Let’s go to bed. Everything will be brighter in the morning.”

He looked up at me. I’d never seen a more pathetic look.

“What if we don’t figure it out? Will you leave me? If you leave—I’ll go with you. I’ll sell everything here and we’ll go wherever you want.”

This man, who saved me from a broken and worthless existence, was now offering to uproot himself to make me happy.

“Let’s go to bed. You’re not thinking clearly.”

He stood and his sheer height took my breath, yet he was the vulnerability in this duo.

“Which side do you sleep on?”

“The side next to you. I’m not particular, Porter. I’m simply grateful for a bed.”

He chose the other side of the bed. I thought I might fall faint from the sight of him. I would never get tired of seeing Porter and knowing that he was my husband. We lay face to face, one of his arms under my head and the other lazy on my waist. His hands were always on my waist when underneath it all I wished for them to be somewhere else entirely.

“You said something to me earlier and I didn’t answer you properly.”

I traced a pattern on his chest with my finger. I’d said lots of things to him earlier.

“What did I say?”

“You said you loved me.”

I raised up on my elbow and looked down on him, now on his back. My hair gave me some protection until he pushed it behind my back.

“I said that.”

“Did you mean it?”

“I don’t say things I don’t mean, Porter.”

He paused. The atmosphere had changed around us. The curtains were drawn around the bed and even in the pitch black, I knew he could sense the smile in my words.

“Say it again.” His demand came with a tightening of his arms around me.

I waited a breath—then two. This felt different, like saying those words would surely tangle me up further in his grasp.

“I love you, Porter. I think I have since the moment you walked into my home.”

A bloated silence filled the space after my confession. A little part of me died along with it. I’d dared to hope for his heart-filled response, but got nothing.

“I love you, Delilah. I have since you made me hide against the tree so you could climb the ladder.”

I laughed, louder and more boastful than I thought possible. “I still owe you for that. You never called in your favor.”

“I want to call it in now. Would that make me horrible?”

Before I could answer, his lips were on mine and I was under him, the weight of his body feeling like heaven.

No, making me his didn’t make him horrible at all.

~~

The next time I saw Porter was at breakfast. He’d given me the morning to myself, which I appreciated.

All night, despite how tired I was, I thought about Marie and Rebel and that necklace, the one that seemed to call her from the grave.

I would do anything in my power to release us both from the hold they had on us. The life I’d always wanted hung above me like a charm to keep a child’s attention—a beautiful thought, but never attainable.

Chapter Sixteen

Porter

I reached over her sleeping body and opened the curtains. Though it was dark in our cocoon, I’d stayed lying silent next to her just listening to her breathe in and out. I’d had to contain my chuckle several times as she made noises when she turned left or right. I half-expected her to wake up in a panic. It was only the second time we’d slept together and the first time for everything else.

The sun came through the curtains and gave me a whole new perspective on my wife, now truly my wife.

“Delilah, my love, it’s morning.”

I laughed as she pulled her hair over her face, shielding her eyes from the morning.

“I have some things to tend to. I thought maybe you’d like some privacy this morning.”

She froze in place. Maybe the events of the night before were finally catching up to her waking consciousness.

I moved some of the hair from her face and saw that I was right. Her blush was furious and I’d put it there.

“Come on, you didn’t forget that easily, did you? If not, I need to remedy that.”

“I remember it all.”

She murmured the sentiment, but I’d heard it.

“Good. I’ll get dressed and you can take your time coming down. Unless you’d rather me bring you something to eat up here?”

“No!” was her ardent reply, which made me laugh even harder.

“Would you send me off like this? Without even a morning kiss?”

Then my timid yet courageous wife surprised me more than I ever knew possible. She sprang from the covers, without a fleeting attempt to cover her bare skin and threw her arms around my neck. For what seemed like the most glorious morning hours, she kissed my face from forehead to chin and back again.

“Will that last you awhile?”

One side of her mouth tipped up in a devilish smile that had me rethinking the entire concept of breakfast.

“I could always stay here and help you get dressed for the day.”

Her eyes turned downward. “Maybe another time. Just give me this first morning alone.”

I sighed. “If you insist.”

“Thank you.”

She lay back down on the bed while I got out and got dressed. I was well aware that her eyes never left my form as I did.

“Getting your eyeful?”

“You would leave me without a peek?”

“I guess not.”

Before I could turn around, I heard the door to the bathroom shut and the water turn on. I took the liberty of bringing down the sheets myself, wanting anyone else tasked with the chore. June wouldn’t dare say a word. It was my mother who I’d worried about.

Downstairs, I decided to pay Rebel a visit and make myself clear if I hadn’t the day before. When I entered the stalls, I found the place immaculate with sacks of food stored and fresh water for all of my horses.

He’d gotten my point, and that was the main issue.

I took my time going back to the house, giving my wife the time she needed to take care of herself.

Somehow everything had solidified the night before without words.

I had to figure out how to protect her and get rid of the woman who had never owned my heart. And the next time I was in town, I had to get rid of Rebel. My lawyers would know how to take care of expelling the contract between our families. If nothing else, I would offer him a decent sum of money. If I’d learned nothing else from marrying Delilah, it was that money could buy so many people here in The Rogue, where the green in people’s eyes wasn’t just from the reflection of the lily pads.

I found myself near the back of the property and I could see Delilah in the window of our bedroom, brushing her hair. She turned to the right and inspected her face.

I couldn’t even remember what the scar looked like anymore.

I didn’t see anything but her eyes, the roundness of her nose, the long length of her neck and how much she loved my mouth there.

My legs made the decision for me. I was drawn to her like a mosquito to blood.

There was no point in resisting.

I met her at the foot of the stairs.

“Hungry?”

“Yes.”

I folded her hand in my arm. There was no mention of anything scandalous at the dinner table and if my mother had a notion as to the night before, she didn’t give anything away.

“I was talking to June this morning about finally moving to the mother-in-law house.”

I nodded in agreement. That was the original deal.

Delilah spoke up. “Do you have to?”

“Well, I don’t have to, but it’s the usual protocol. I stayed for a bit to make sure you were eating and taken care of. I knew Porter would be gone soon after your wedding. But I think it’s time to go.”

There was a sadness I hadn’t taken the time to consider in my mother’s eyes.

“If it’s okay, I’d like you to stay here.”

Even Delilah looked shocked to hear her claim.

“Are you sure? Porter?”

I didn’t say anything right away, so Delilah defended her claim. “Porter, when you are out of town, I’ll be here alone. I’ve been alone all my life.”

“I’m fine with it if it makes you happy, love.”

“There.” She patted my mother’s hand. “That settles it.”

June and my mother sat silent. June’s fork was still halfway to her mouth.

Delilah went back to eating her eggs as if the world hadn’t just tilted a little in her favor. We listened to June’s latest stories and I told the women at the table some of my old stories. It was a delight to see Delilah ask questions and gasp at the parts that were old news to the others.

“Can we take a walk? I feel like I need some air.”

“Of course. Let’s go out the back.”

As soon as we were out of sight, I pressed her against the nearest tree and kissed her until both of us were breathless.

“I thought you said you’d last the morning?”

“I lied. I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of you.”

She dragged me away and until the late afternoon we walked around the property. She smiled all the way, asking questions and making observations.

“May I ask you something?”

She stopped but looked the other way.

“You can ask me anything, Delilah. I thought we’d moved past this.”

“Can I see my sisters? Can we invite them here? I have to know.”

“If that’s what you want, but I have some conditions.”

She seemed surprised. It was unbelievable to me that after everything we’d come to know about her family that she would still have anything to do with them.

“I have to be present and you are not to be alone with them at any time. I won’t budge on that issue.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.”

I heaved out a weighted breath. I hadn’t realized it, but her approval of me as a husband was something I strived for.

“Thank you. We can send a formal invite or we can go to your old home.”

“No. I don’t want to go there. Everything changed last night, Porter. I knew that I loved you, but…”

I stopped her at a bench by one of the large cypress trees and pulled her down beside me. “But what? What else changed? Did I do something?”

She smiled. Blood rushed to her cheeks and neck.

“What I mean is, there is now the possibility of a child. My thinking has changed. This morning, do you know why I protested your mother leaving?”

“Because you didn’t want to be alone.”

“Because I didn’t want to be alone, and if one day there is a baby, I’ll need help. I can tell you everything there is to know about how to not be a mother, Porter. In terms of being a good mother, I haven’t the faintest idea.”

Not being able to stand the small distance, I closed it and dragged her over to my lap. She was my undoing, heart and soul. I was right, she had tomorrow in her eyes all along. “We will do this together, Delilah, if there is to be a child. If there isn’t, I will just spend the rest of my days loving you and that will be enough.”

“Together?”

Most men in The Rogue and even in the cities took little effort in raising their children, but my father was involved in my care from the beginning. I intended to do the same by Delilah. She hadn’t brought the child, or future child, into the world on her own. I’d be damned if I left her to raise it by herself so I could pursue other things.

Even if I never worked another day, we were set for life and even our children would be set for decades.

“Yes, together.”

“I’m getting ahead of myself. I just woke this morning with the aftereffects bearing down on me.”

Before I could assure her any further, I heard June calling me from the house.

“Come with me.”

She fidgeted and pulled her infamous nose move. “I’ll just stay here a little longer. You’d better go see what’s the matter.”

I ran to the house and listened for a half an hour about how the bacon June had gotten from the butcher wasn’t up to par. Apparently, there was some long-standing quarrel between the butcher and her. By the time she finished bludgeoning my ears with her rant, I’d gotten a headache.

“And I ran into that God awful father of hers too. He tried to get me to buy a roast for him, saying he’d left his money at home.”

I shook my head, bringing myself back into focus.

“He spoke to you? How did he even know who you were?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“What did you tell him? You didn’t give him any money, did you? I don’t want him harassing you.”

She pounded the cleaver she was using into the butcher board and pointed her finger at me like she’d done when I was just a boy. “Let me tell you, Porter Jeansonne, I don’t let anyone run over this family and I’ll be damned if I ever give a thing to that man or his family that treated that sweet girl like dirt. I’ll make a roast out of him before he gets a dime.”

A proud smile grew on my face. My wife was loved and respected in my home. Even if I did have to go to work, I knew that Delilah would be safe.

Now, if I could only keep Marie away from her.

“Thank you, June. You know you’re like a second mother to me.”

“That counts with you too, you know. I see you actin’ a mess around Delilah like you did the other morning and I’ll…well…you don’t mess with the woman who makes the soup. You get my drift?”

I tucked my smile back and nodded. “Yes ma’am.”

“Speaking of, where is the girl?”

“Outside.”

“She’s spent enough time alone. And you’re in my way.” June shoved me out of the kitchen. I decided to give Delilah a few more minutes alone when a knock resounded at the front door. I rolled my eyes at the sight. Delilah’s older sister, I didn’t recall her name, stood outside, assessing the paint job on my house, using her fingernails to chip at the boards beside the door.

We were so foolish, thinking of inviting people who obviously had no concept of basic manners.

I would consider this their last visit, invited or not.

I thumped my head on the door just for good measure before opening it.

“Hello…”

“Adele,” she finished for me. “It’s no wonder you don’t remember our names. The wedding was handled in such a rush. I missed seeing my sister the next day.”

My mind conjured a name for this family member that my manners wouldn’t allow me to utter.

“Once I met her, I couldn’t stand to be away from her one more second. I’m sorry I swept her away from the family so quickly. Please, come in.”

She propped her tattered umbrella by the door and didn’t bother to wipe her feet. June tried in vain to scurry from sight, but Adele had already made herself at home. “You there. I’d love a good cup of tea or coffee. I’m sure you have some made. I’ve come through all this weather to see my dear sister.”

The sun peeked out from the clouds to call her on her blasphemy.

“Delilah is in the garden. Let me go get her. You wouldn’t want to exert yourself any further.”

“Yes, please. I’ll just take a seat by the fire.”

A hand over my mouth covered my snicker. I tramped outside to find Delilah and give her enough time to prepare her questions and concerns to her sister. She wasn’t by the bench where I’d left her, and like the first night that I couldn’t find her, a swirl of panic began to tornado in my gut. Fast-paced walking turned into running and mild-mannered yelling her name grew into frantic screaming of her name. My mind went to the pond and I scanned the surface, sure I’d find her and already harboring the guilt of two lives.

“Porter, I’m here.”

I barely restrained myself from running to her. She was on the back porch and by the shock on her face I assumed she’d heard me calling out for her.

And it was then that another cry caught my ears.

I turned to see Marie, rising from the pond’s blurry surface, mouthing words unheard, with her eyes fixed on Delilah.