Matthew: The Circle Eight (7 page)

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Authors: Emma Lang

BOOK: Matthew: The Circle Eight
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“Hannah?” A voice echoed down the hallway.
She rubbed her eyes and tried to remember what had happened and why she was asleep on her window seat. A yawn grabbed hold of her and wouldn’t let go.
That’s how her new husband found her. The day could get worse, but she couldn’t possibly think how.
C
HAPTER
F
IVE
 
T
he rain had turned the street into a lake. There was no chance the Grahams would be able to leave for home. Hell, Matt probably couldn’t even make it to the livery for the wagon and horses without drowning.
After he had surprised Hannah, she’d disappeared into the kitchen, mumbling an excuse about preparing supper. Of course, that was hours before that particular meal was usually served, so he didn’t know what she was doing except avoiding him.
Olivia had been upstairs, and he’d bet a nickel she’d said something to Hannah. Something not very nice. It was no secret Livy did not want Matt to marry Hannah, but she’d never given him any valid reasons why.
They were all in the parlor except for Catherine, who remained in the kitchen with Hannah and her grandmother. Livy sat in the corner, barely acknowledging anyone while the younger kids played checkers and jacks. The games must have been Hannah’s when she was younger because they were well used, but well maintained. Like everything else in the house.
Matt watched the clouds break up just in time for the sun to set. Fortunately they could stay at the boardinghouse for the night and not have to pay for a hotel or a restaurant. With seven of them, that could get awfully expensive. After paying Reverend Beechum five dollars, there wasn’t any extra money to throw around.
“Mattie?” Catherine snuck up next to him, cuddling against his side as she’d done since she was a little girl.
“Hey there, sprite.” He hugged her close, her blond curls tickling his chin.
“Don’t squish me.” She pushed at his arms. “I came to tell you it’s time for supper.”
Matt got to his feet and tossed Catherine on his shoulder. She squealed, as she always did, and he tickled her with each step. The rest of the Grahams followed him into the dining room. It had been set up for the boarders, so there were plenty of chairs, although mismatched, for everyone.
Hannah stood at the table with a bowl of steaming mashed turnips. Two thoughts flew through his mind.
Turnips were the reason they’d met; and her expression was so full of longing it made his breath catch. She was watching the play between him and Catherine. With Mrs. Dolan as her only family, he knew right then Hannah had never really known the affection of siblings as his brothers and sisters did.
He turned away, uncomfortable with the personal knowledge she’d given him and unsure of what to do with it. Catherine dropped to her feet and scrambled around to one of the chairs.
“This is my seat.” She climbed onto the chair and pointed at the chair across from her. “That’s your seat.”
Matt sat down where she’d indicated while the others awkwardly found a place to perch. Hannah waited until everyone had found a spot before she put the food on the table. It was simple fare, but it smelled delicious.
With the Grahams filling the dining room, there was only one chair empty. Matt started to rise but Hannah shook her head.
“Don’t worry about us. Granny and I always eat in the kitchen. Eating in here would feel strange.” She shrugged. “I don’t mind, really.”
He didn’t know how to respond so he let her leave the room without saying a word. Caleb frowned at him and Catherine kicked him in the shin.
“Ow, why are you kicking me?” He rubbed his leg and scowled at his youngest sister.
“You let Granny and Hannah eat in the kitchen. That’s not very nice.” She crossed her little arms like a forty-year-old schoolteacher.
“Heck, Matt, we could have taken turns.” Caleb joined the blame party.
“I didn’t tell them to eat in the kitchen.”
“She’s your wife. You tell her where she eats.” Nicholas wasn’t prepared for the punch in his arm Olivia landed.
“I’m hitting you because that’s a stupid thing to say. Men don’t have the right to tell women where to eat.” She reached for the food and started filling the younger children’s plates.
“You’d best do something,” Caleb added. “I think Nick is right. She’s your wife.”
Matt pondered what they’d said and realized this was one of the first tests of their marriage. He couldn’t possibly let his wife eat in the kitchen on their wedding day. How was he going to stop her though? He didn’t want to just tell her what to do, but he also didn’t want her to think he wasn’t the head of their new family.
He got to his feet and all six pairs of eyes watched him, some judgmental, others curious, and one downright hostile. Livy and he would have to have a talk when they got back to the ranch. He couldn’t live with that kind of hostility from his sister.
Hannah and her grandmother sat at the kitchen table, talking quietly. When he walked in, they both looked up at him with identical expressions of surprise.
“Are you out of food already?” Hannah started to rise.
“No, nothing like that.” Matt knew there wasn’t room for both of them in the dining room, and he couldn’t leave Mrs. Dolan in the kitchen by herself. Likely Hannah wouldn’t let her eat alone either. He was in a tight situation again and this time it was over something as minor as a meal.
“I’ll be right back.” He went back into the dining room.
All six of them started talking at once but he ignored them and took the empty chair. Then the noise stopped and he allowed himself to snort at the fact that he’d shut them up.
When he returned to the kitchen with the chair, the two women were still watching him. Hannah stared at the chair, then returned her gaze to his.
“You don’t have to eat in the kitchen with us.” She shook her head. “It’s not proper for a guest to be in here for a meal.”
He chuckled. “I’m not a guest. I’m your husband.”
Her eyes widened at the word, and sure enough it made him pause, too. Husband. It almost fell out of his mouth like a stone into a still pond.
“That you are.” Mrs. Dolan pointed at the chair. “Then you’d best sit a spell and have some vittles.”
Matt felt awkward, but he did just that. Hannah hopped up and fixed him a plate from the pots on the stove. She set his plate down on the narrow table and sat back down.
The silence remained as they ate. The only sounds were those of chewing. Mrs. Dolan mostly gummed her food, since apparently a good deal of her teeth were missing.
It was never quiet at meals at the Graham ranch, and he hadn’t realized just how much noise people made when they chewed. He tried to think of something to say to break the silence but the longer it went on, the worse it got. He probably should have stayed in the dining room.
“You two need to sleep in the room at the top of the stairs tonight,” Mrs. Dolan announced as she noisily smacked her lips on the last bite. “It’s got the biggest bed.” She winked at Matt.
His stomach flipped at the idea that she wanted them to use a big bed and flipped a second time when she winked at him. Matt was no fool—he knew Hannah and he needed to live as man and wife in all ways, but he sure as hell hadn’t expected her grandmother to think about their having sex.
Matt made the mistake of meeting Hannah’s gaze and saw all of what he was feeling, as well as something he’d hoped not to see, panic and fear.
It had been a long wedding day, and he knew it would be a very long wedding night.
Hannah wanted a hole to open up right there in the floor and swallow her. She knew she was blushing and looked like a complete fool, but she couldn’t help it. Granny had no business talking about the bedroom or the size of the bed. She knew Hannah had next to no knowledge about men or bedding them.
It would be a disaster. What was she thinking? It already was a disaster. And she’d wondered how her wedding day could get worse.
After meeting Matt’s gaze and seeing the same discomfort in his face, she wanted to weep. It would be bad enough to share a bed with the stranger who was now her husband, but to know he didn’t want to be in the bed ... that was ten times worse.
He obviously didn’t want to share a bed with her. Yet he’d married her, for better or for worse. Apparently the worse would be arriving right around bedtime.
She didn’t taste her food but mechanically chewed it anyway. Granny had taught her never to waste food so she did as she had always done—obeyed. Matthew ate heartily, finishing off what was left in the pots and peering around for more. She didn’t want to tell him again to go back to the dining room, but any remaining food would be in there.
Actually, they were lucky to have the food supplies they did. Making two meals for the Grahams had practically used up all of the food stores they had left. Somehow Hannah would have to find a way to restock the food before she left for her new home, or convince her grandmother to come with them. Coffee, some dried jerky, and a few biscuits were not going to last long.
Hannah got to her feet, ready to do something where she didn’t have to think so hard. She started to clear the dishes and Matthew stood up.
“Oh, no, you are not going to clean up after us.” He took her by the elbow and walked into the dining room. His hand felt warm even through the material of the dress—it was an odd but very pleasant feeling. “Who’s on dishes today?”
To Hannah’s surprise, his brother Nicholas got up.
“Who’s on water duty?”
Rebecca got to her feet.
“Good. Both of you will clean up just like if you were at home. Becca, they have a pump in the sink so you don’t have to go outside, but you should get to heating the water now.” He turned his attention to Nicholas. “Don’t break anything.”
It was astonishing to think all of these children, including the boys, took turns at chores such as dishes and fetching water. Hannah truly hated doing dishes and to have that particular chore done by someone else lifted her spirits entirely. The Grahams were a unique family, that was for certain.
“You have five minutes.” Matthew shepherded Hannah out into the hallway. “When they’re ready, show them where everything is.”
Hannah wasn’t used to men who took charge. After all, she’d lived with her grandmother. There were no strong male figures in her life. She wasn’t sure if she should enjoy someone else taking control so she didn’t have to, or if she should wrestle it back from him. This was their wedding day, after all, and it would likely set the tone for the rest of their marriage.
“Matthew, I um, want to say something.” She met his gaze, then immediately looked down. It was hard to believe she had a husband who was so tall and so doggone handsome. She couldn’t be assertive with that gorgeous visage in front of her. “Um, I wanted to thank you for asking your, well, telling your family to help with chores.”
Not exactly what she’d planned to say but Hannah was tripping over her own tongue.
“They’re your family now, too.” He continued to stare down at her. She could feel his gaze as if it were a physical touch.
“Yes, but I don’t know how I fit in with all of them. I hope they won’t think I’m lazy because I’m not doing the dishes.” God knew her relationship with Olivia was off to a bad start.
He chuckled and put his finger under her chin until she met his gaze. “I don’t think there’s a person in the world who could say you were lazy. You’ve been working nonstop since we arrived.”
She felt herself falling into his eyes. They were very green in the low light of the hall. It was as if they’d stepped into another place, without their entire noisy family only feet away. His thumb grazed her lips and a skitter of heat slid down her body. Her stomach felt funny and her woman place grew warm and tingly. Hannah could hardly catch her breath.
“Are you going to kiss me?” she blurted.
He smiled and leaned down, his lips slowly approaching hers. She didn’t want to close her eyes and miss it, but the closer he got, the more she fell into a whirlpool of unfamiliar sensations. His lips were softer than anything she’d felt before. Just a brush against hers, and then the second pass was a true kiss.
A small moan sighed from her throat as the second kiss turned into a third. Her body was throbbing to the frantic beating of her heart. Hannah didn’t want to even take a breath for fear of interrupting the most erotic moment of her life.
His arms closed around her and she was pressed up against him. Oh my. He was hard from head to foot, harder than she’d expected. Matthew was a man who worked for a living, covered in muscle, with callused hands and a firm grip.
“Oh, yuck. Kissing already?” Nicholas’s voice broke the spell between them.
Hannah jumped back, her hand pressed to her lips, still wet from her new husband’s kisses. Her heart was about to jump right out of her chest, and he appeared completely unruffled.
“What do you want, Nick?” Matthew’s voice was as controlled as the rest of him.
“Don’t know where the soap is.”
“I’ll show him.” Hannah didn’t run, but she walked as quickly as possible out of the hallway, away from an amazing experience she’d been completely unprepared for. No one had told her that a kiss could turn her into a quivering pile of foolish. No one said her entire body would catch fire just by touching his, with clothes on even!

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