Rocky Mountain Wife (8 page)

Tears gathered behind Claire’s eyes as Josie opened the door and two of her closest friends tumbled in, bringing with them the late spring sunshine and sparkling cheer.

“I brought my wedding dress.” Lucy hugged the garment to her, wrapped in a sheet. “You and I are the same size, so it should fit. It’s probably fancier than you were planning on, but John and I were so happy together. I thought if you wore it, some of that happiness might rub off on you.”

“Oh, Lucy. I couldn’t.” Claire spotted a lacy ruffle peeking out from around the edge of the sheet. “I wouldn’t trust myself with it. What if something happened to it? What if I tore it or spilled something on it?”

“It’s just a dress.” Lucy shook off the sheet, revealing a lovely lawn dress of cream fabric and lace that made everyone’s breaths catch.

“You would look beautiful in this dress. Besides, it goes great with this bonnet I brought.” Georgia Rossi opened the hatbox she carried and pulled out the most exquisite little hat, trimmed in lace. She held it up proudly. “This can be your something new.”

“And I’ve brought something old. It’s the cameo my mother wore at her wedding for your something borrowed.” Josie carried her bundle into the parlor and unwrapped it on the coffee table. The sunshine spilling through the front windows glinted on the treasures. “Here’s a sapphire necklace Noah gave me after our marriage, so that can be something blue.”

“And I have a penny for your shoe.” Lucy pulled a copper coin from her pocket. “C’mon, let’s go upstairs and fuss over you.”

“I can’t believe you’ve done all this.” Claire’s heart filled, touched by her friends’ thoughtfulness.

“What other choice did we have?” Georgia asked with a wink. “We missed out on Josie’s wedding. We aren’t about to let that happen again.”

“Susannah couldn’t be here, since she had to work,” Lucy explained, leading the way upstairs, her pretty skirt flouncing as she went. “But she sent along something borrowed.”

“She sends her love,” Josie added, bringing up the rear as they trouped up the staircase and into the small hallway. “Oh, hello, Mrs. Kline.”

“Hello, dear girls.” Ma’s smile of greeting crinkled up her face, making her look adorable. “How wonderful of you all to make it.”

“It was wonderful of you to invite us over.” Josie winked, laying her lovely things on the bureau top.

“Yes, we wouldn’t want to miss this for the world.” Lucy spread out her wedding dress on the bed.

“My, isn’t that lovely? It’s just what Claire needed. Well, I’ll get out of the way and let you girls take over.” Happily, Ma scooted across the room, pausing to pat Claire’s face. “I’ll be right downstairs, but something tells me you have all you need.”

Claire’s throat tightened. She wanted her mother to stay, but Ma was already tapping down the hallway.

“Now, sit down here and let me do your hair,” Lucy ordered, pulling over a chair to face the beveled mirror. “You aren’t going to get married in braids. Not while I’m alive and breathing.”

“Braids are practical. I wear them every day,” she argued lightly, settling into the chair reluctantly.

“This isn’t just any old day,” Georgia corrected, unwrapping Susannah’s something borrowed—a fragile, breathtaking pair of crocheted lace gloves. “This is the day your life will change.”

“Not as much as you might think.” She almost felt ashamed. Her friends had come full of celebration and hope for her marriage, but the truth was far from that. “Nothing will change. Well, except that Joshua’s name will be on the property deed. This is strictly a marriage of convenience.”

“Well, that’s a shame.” Georgia wrinkled her nose. “I got a good look at that man. A good look. He is a sight for sore eyes.”

“No argument from me,” Lucy added saucily and winked. “He looks like he has a nice everything. And I mean
everything.”

Claire blushed, ignoring the slight tug as Lucy unplaited her braids. How did she admit that she’d noticed that same thing?

“And did you see the size of his hands?” Lucy asked. “And his feet. What? Everyone knows what that means—”

“I certainly don’t,” Georgia interrupted and blushed primly, although her eyes sparkled. “He was in town this morning buying corn and wheat seed, and I watched him through the window. I had to get a good look at the man marrying our Claire, didn’t I?”

“Absolutely,” Lucy agreed, reaching for the brush. “I eyed him up real good myself, and I approve. If I were Claire, I’d do it with him.”

“What?”
Claire nearly fell out of her chair.

“Sure.” Lucy didn’t even blush as she parted Claire’s hair. “If I were you, I wouldn’t hesitate. So what if it’s a convenient marriage? Why not have convenient sex?”

“Convenient sex?” Georgia wrinkled her brow. “I’m not sure I would like that.”

“Real love comes around once in a blue moon,” Lucy continued on, talking around a few hairpins she’d stuck in her mouth. “A girl could wait forever to find true love again, especially in this town. I say, why not grab a hold of that man and hang on for the ride?”

“That’s what I did with Noah,” Josie confessed, coming around to hold shanks of hair for Lucy, who was busy twisting and pinning. “Look how well it turned out for me. I have to admit, before we were married we did it. What can I say? I wanted the man. Noah is just so—”

“Upstanding?” Georgia offered hopefully.

“Simply delicious.” Josie turned pink. “And now we are blissfully in love.”

“When you think about it, it’s the best of both worlds.” Lucy tucked the final pin into place. “You girls know what I mean when I say you get used to certain pleasures as a married woman. Men have needs, too. Why not invite him into your bed? There’s no harm in mutually satisfying each other. If I had someone who could satisfy me, I would drop my drawers for him in a second.”

“You would,” Georgia teased, and they all laughed.

“That’s not going to happen with me and Joshua.” Claire felt she needed to be clear about that. She didn’t want to mislead her friends, or maybe she couldn’t admit how close to the truth they’d gotten. As much as she couldn’t let herself want the man, her body had a mind of its own. “I already had the love of my life. Besides, Joshua isn’t interested in me that way.”

“You just keep telling yourself that,” Josie advised. “Maybe one day, maybe even you will believe it.”

Claire sighed. She wished she could tell Josie that she was wrong.

Lucy came over with the dress. The instant Claire stepped into the bell skirt and slipped her arms through the dainty lace sleeves, she felt like a princess. Her friends oohed appreciatively as she buttoned the bodice. When she caught her reflection in the mirror, her jaw dropped. She didn’t look like herself at all.

“You’re exquisite,” Georgia breathed, moving in to pin the cameo on Claire’s collar.

“Breathtaking.” Lucy fussed with a few strands of Claire’s hair, curling them around her fingers. “Joshua Reed isn’t going to know what hit him.”

“He’ll be in love with you on sight if he isn’t already.” Josie gave a romantic sigh as she stepped in to drape the necklace around Claire’s neck. “I’m hoping you’ll find love again.”

As her friends chattered encouragingly, speculating whether Joshua was already smitten with her, Claire did her best to smile. Inside, her heart broke. She remembered another wedding day full of excitement and hope and buoyant joy. Anticipation had buzzed in her stomach. She’d wanted to be Clay’s wife so badly. Sweet love for him had filled her heart, brimming over.

All the grief in her heart ached now, squeezing hard like a fist.

“Joshua is here!” Ma’s voice sang up the stairwell. “He’s just pulling up.”

“Good thing, because she’s just about ready.” Lucy leaned in, setting the little lace hat carefully on Claire’s head and pinning it into place. “I like a man who’s prompt. It means he’s courteous and responsible.”

“Either that or he’s just eager to marry our lovely Claire.” Georgia unfolded one of the lace gloves.

Claire took it, shaking her head. “He’s eager for the land. He’s been working on it for days.”

“I hear you’ve been working on it with him.” Lucy stepped back, studying Claire’s reflection in the mirror. “That’s it. You’re absolutely perfect. Oh, look at you in that dress. It brings back memories.”

“Of you and John’s wedding day.” Claire knew. She tugged on the gloves and stood, smoothing the dainty skirt. Love lost was agony, and the cruelest part was that life went on. The world turned without mercy, untroubled by deep, crippling loss. She clasped her hands together, wishing she knew what to say or how to feel. She just couldn’t get rid of the hollow feeling in her stomach.

“Clay would understand,” Lucy whispered in her ear. “He would want you to do what’s best for Ivy.”

“I know.” Tears burned behind her eyes.

Love was the reason she was marrying a stranger. Love for Ivy, for Clay and for the love that still lingered in this house from times past. She took one last look at her reflection in the mirror. The elegant dress and accessories definitely made her look like a bride, but she did not feel like one. Not at all. Her palms went damp beneath the fine lace of the gloves, and her stomach fluttered nervously.

She did not want to do this. She did not want to become anyone’s wife but Clay’s. But she gathered her courage, thanked her friends and headed downstairs. In the foyer, she gave them each a kiss on the cheek. She’d known them for so long, and as much as she’d always treasured their friendship, she’d never appreciated them more than now. Lucy’s eyes shone with both sadness and hope. Georgia swiped a tear from her cheek and smiled. Josie glowed with happiness.

The firestorm that had swept through the countryside had been devastating. It had taken so much from them all. But no disaster was strong enough to take what truly mattered. Love was stronger. Friendship was stronger, too.

“I love you, Claire.” Ma opened the door. Her eyes pinched with understanding, for she too knew the pain of loss, but her nod was encouraging.

“Good luck, Claire!” Georgia called out.

“Best wishes,” Lucy said.

“It’s going to turn out just fine,” Josie reassured her. “So go marry that man.”

Claire’s throat tightened. A lump settled above her windpipe so she couldn’t speak. She nodded, stepping onto the porch with shaky legs. She swore she felt a brush on her shoulder, the warmth of a reassuring touch that was so familiar to her she was surprised Clay wasn’t standing there beside her. Her heart wrenched. Was it her imagination, or had Clay somehow reached out beyond the grave to reassure her? Was something like that even possible?

Joshua stood beside his buckboard, which was freshly polished and gleaming in the mid-morning sun. He wore a black suit, which might make some men look somber, but on him, it gave him a polished look. The rugged rancher had tamed his dark hair today, and it fell neatly to his collar. His Stetson was tipped upward so she could see the angular lines of his face. The look of him, a solitary man with the vast roll of prairie behind him—well, he looked lonely.

She nearly stumbled, knowing that emotion too well. The long nights lying alone in the bed she used to share with Clay. The emptiness in the house after she’d taken Ivy to school. The lonesomeness of knowing there was no one to count on in that connected, dependable way.

She chastised herself for knowing so little about Joshua. She didn’t know why he was alone, or why he was content to settle for a shell of a marriage with no hope of closeness or intimacy. Sympathy for him gathered in her chest, making it easy to smile at him. They would be lonely together.

“Are you ready?” That’s all he said.

When she nodded, his hand caught her elbow. His touch, so different from Clay’s, was dependable all the same as he helped her onto the seat. Her head was spinning a little.

“Are you all right?” Concern deepened the notes of his pleasant baritone. “You’ve gone as white as a sheet.”

“I’ll be all right. This is turning out to be harder than I thought.”

“The prospect of marrying me would give any woman pause.” A corner of his mouth hooked upward wryly. “You’re doing what no other lady has dared to do.”

“I can’t imagine there wasn’t one or two along the way who would have liked to marry you.” She watched him circle in front of the horses to the other side of the buckboard. A breeze fluttered against her, playing with the lace trim on her bonnet.

“Not a one.” He sounded sure of it as he hopped onto the seat beside her. The cushioned seat dipped beneath his weight, pitching her toward him just slightly. He gathered the reins, unaware of the figure he made with the sun at his back and the angle of his Stetson tossing a shadow across his face.

The woman in her noticed.

Far, far too much.

Maybe it was because of what Lucy had said about his very large hands and feet, but her gaze slid downward completely of its own accord, sliding down the breadth of his remarkable chest, along the flat plane of his abdomen to the fabric stretched slightly across his—

Good Lord, Claire, stop it!
She whipped her eyes upward before he could notice what she was staring at. The buckboard surged forward, drawn by one of his horses, and she had just enough time to wave at her mother and friends standing on the porch before they were out of sight. The prairie winds blew hot against her even hotter face.

“Truth is I’ve never been much of a family man.” He admitted, staring straight down the dirt lane. “I may have thought about settling down once, but the lady said I wouldn’t make a good husband and moved on.”

“Why would she say something like that?” Curious, she studied him. Straight posture, set shoulders, tense jaw. Whoever that woman was, she’d hurt him.

“She said I’m as approachable as a rock, and I wasn’t going to change.” He reined the horse onto the road that would take them into town. “She wasn’t wrong. I’m better off alone.”

“I see.” She felt sorry for him. She wondered if he knew about the wince of hurt that passed across his face or the slight strain in his voice that betrayed him. “Why are you better off alone?”

“I’ve always been that way, at least since I was four years old.” He shrugged, like it was no important matter. “I used to fall asleep every night in the orphanage, dreaming up what I wanted my new parents to be like. You know, the ones who would show up looking for a child, see me and instantly want me just the way my ma and pa had. By the time I was thirteen, I realized no one was going to want me. Life’s been easier since I figured that out.”