The Unexpected Bride (The Unexpected Sinclares Book 1) Read online

  Caleb shrugged. “Stopping him from adopting strays would be like asking a river to run backward. I figure I might as well fix up a few pens so he can keep the nuisances out of the way.”

  Elthia wasn’t fooled. He might grouse about all the animals Alex took in, but he didn’t really begrudge the boy his passion.

  How had someone as warm and giving around children as Caleb Tanner managed to go so long without starting a family of his own?

  As she turned to leave them, a tiny, not-to-be-subdued voice inside her whispered how lucky a woman would be to have him as the father of her children.

  That evening, after the children were all down for the night, Elthia felt too restless to go to bed. She headed downstairs with the vaguely formed intention of searching the bookshelves for something to read.

  Instead, she found herself at the front door. Almost before she knew it, she’d stepped out onto the porch, where Caleb sat on one of the steps, whittling by the light of the nearly full moon. Would he welcome her intrusion?

  His hands stilled as he looked back up. The lock of hair dangling over his brow gave him a younger, less assured look. He studied her face for a long moment, then nodded a greeting and focused back on his work.

  Elthia crossed her arms over her chest and gazed out over the front yard. “The children are tucked in for the night.”

  He nodded without looking up. “That’s good.”

  She should go back inside. He obviously wanted to be alone.

  She took a step closer to him. “Do you think having Judge Walters visit yesterday helped or hurt your case?”

  He shrugged, still concentrating on his task. “Hard to say. The old codger doesn’t give much away. But all in all, I think we still have a fair chance with him.”

  “That’s good.” She rubbed her arms and took another step.

  Still not looking at her, Caleb shifted position, opening the way for her to sit next to him on the step if she wanted to.

  She decided she did.

  Angling her knees so she could watch him work, she took great care to make sure no part of them touched. That edgy awareness she’d felt yesterday in the kitchen was back, only it seemed intensified now by the velvety shadows of the moonlit night.

  He, on the other hand, seemed barely aware of her presence.

  Elthia tried to focus on his hands, tried to discern what he was creating with his knife and piece of wood. It looked like a toy flute or whistle of some sort. A trinket for one of the children?

  She dropped her hands to hug her knees. “Did you know Peter likes to whittle?”

  He did look up at that. “Liked to whittle, you mean. Annie mentioned in her letters that Peter had taken an interest in woodworking, something she knew I shared.” He rubbed the side of his jaw, his expression troubled. “But he seems to have lost interest since he’s come here.”

  Elthia shook her head. “I don’t think so. I saw him working with a knife and a piece of wood at Granny Picket’s this morning. But by the time I came out of the house, he had it put away.”

  She saw his jaw tighten and a flash of emotion flit across his face before he lowered his head.

  “There’s another thing you should know,” she said hesitantly.

  He glanced up again, meeting her gaze. Then he looked toward the road. “If you’re going to tell me Peter doesn’t like me much, don’t bother. I’ve already figured that out.”

  His words were gruff, almost uncaring, but Elthia’s heart softened. Instinctively she knew Peter’s rejection had hurt him. “Peter thinks you don’t want him, that you don’t want any of them.”

  Caleb froze for a moment as her words landed with the force of a fist to the gut.

  Peter felt he wasn’t wanted here? He’d tried so hard to make sure none of the kids felt that way, felt the same sort of rejection he had all those years ago.

  Trying to rein in his frustration, he swung around to face her. “What in the world would give him a dang fool idea like that? I’m working my ta—I’m doing everything I can to keep these kids with me.”

  Elthia placed a hand on his arm. “I know that.” Her tone and expression were obviously meant to be reassuring. “And I think a part of Peter sees it as well. But for some reason he thinks your sisters forced you to take them in, that you’d give them up in a minute if someone else offered.”

  Caleb groaned. “He must have heard part of my conversation with Annie.” He tightened his grip on the knife handle. “The last thing I wanted to do was make any of them feel unwanted.”

  Elthia moved her hand to his shoulder. “You had no way of knowing what Peter overheard or how he’d react. But now that you do know, maybe the two of you can find a way to work it out.”

  “Thanks for telling me.” Caleb resumed whittling, taking some of his frustration out on the wood.

  After a moment, Elthia stood and uttered a soft good-night before she headed inside.

  As soon as the door closed behind her, Caleb ceased his work. The small whistle he’d been carving snapped in his hand, and he flung it out into the darkness.

  How could he have been so blindingly unaware!

  He’d only thought Peter was having a tough time adjusting to his parents’ deaths. He should have known what the boy was going through. Hadn’t he lived with similar feelings for years after his own parents’ deaths?

  The knowledge that he’d been responsible for making Peter feel unwanted made him want to howl in frustration.

  Made him want to drive his fist through something.

  Made him want to beg the boy to forgive him.

  He couldn’t do any of that. But maybe, like Elthia had said, he could help make it right, now that he knew what was wrong.

  Elthia.

  How in the world had she managed to unearth this source of Peter’s pain in just a few short days when he hadn’t gotten anywhere near it in two months? How could a woman who seemed so out of place here, seemed such a disaster in the making, have turned out to be just what this family needed to make it whole?

  And what would it do to this family when she left in three months’ time? The kids would be devastated all over again.

  Of course he would miss her too. Getting her riled was the most fun he’d had in ages. Must be that red hair of hers. An unbidden thought of what life would be like if they truly had an “until death do us part” marriage brought a smile to his lips.

  Not that he really needed her. After all, with six children to raise, he wouldn’t be lonely. Anyway, it didn’t matter what he wanted. It hadn’t mattered to anyone in a long time.

  No, he wasn’t thinking about his own druthers. It was for the sake of the kids that he couldn’t let her go.

  He had to find some way to change her mind.

  But what would be a strong enough motive for her stay? She was mighty fond of the kids, but was that enough? If this had been that governess job she talked about, she’d have left after three months. It wasn’t like they were her own flesh and blood.

  He went very still as his mind jumped to the next logical thought. If there were a child of her own flesh and blood, that would be something to hold her here.

  He hadn’t been as unaware of her glances and edgy awareness as he’d pretended. If tonight was any indication, wooing her wouldn’t be a trial for either of them. Not that he planned to force anything on her. Any steps they took down the path toward a physical relationship would be by mutual consent.

  His conscience twinged, but he resolutely ignored it. After all, she was a big girl; she’d even been engaged once.

  He stood and dusted the shavings from his pants.

  Despite his carefully detached reasoning, a heady bolt of anticipation flashed through him. A satisfied smile curved his lips as he considered carrying out the seduction of his wife.

  Granny Picket arrived two days later, bearing an armful of clothing. Elthia had just stepped out on the porch to greet her when Caleb appeared from around the corner of the house.

 
; Elthia watched as he strode forward to relieve Granny of her burden. “Here, let me take that for you.”

  The visitor gifted him with a haughty frown. “No need to treat me like a helpless old woman, boy.”

  Caleb shot her a cheeky grin as he took the clothing. “Not an old woman, Granny, but a lady.”

  Elthia hid a grin as Granny cackled and gave him a coy smile. Was the old woman actually flirting with him?

  Granny spied her. “Howdy, Elthia. I did like you wanted. Made some pretty good trades, if I do say so.” She looked over her shoulder. “Don’t dawdle, boy. Bring those on into the house so I can show your wife what I brung her.”

  Caleb sent Elthia a questioning look, but she just smiled and turned to open the door. The three of them trooped to the parlor, where Caleb dumped his load on a sofa. “Would one of you like to explain to me what’s going on here?”

  Elthia tilted her chin up to compensate for her feeling of sheepishness. “I asked Granny to find a couple of ladies willing to trade some of their clothes for some of mine.”

  Caleb frowned. “You didn’t need to trade your things. If you wanted new clothes, I could’ve bought them for you.”

  Before Elthia could respond, Granny spoke up. “Smart girl, your wife. There are now at least four women in Foxberry who think kindly of her. And now she won’t be showing everybody up when she goes to church of a Sunday.”

  His demeanor remained stiff for just a moment, then he flashed a crooked smile. “You’re right, my wife is a smart lady.” He gave them a short bow. “Appears I’m no longer needed here. You ladies have a nice visit. I have work to do.”

  As Elthia helped Granny spread the dresses and accessories over the two sofas, she wondered if she’d inadvertently hurt Caleb’s pride. It was so hard to read him.

  Granny stepped back and swept her cane over the display of clothing. “Well, there they are. What do you think?”

  Elthia studied the five dresses, pleased with what she saw. They were all in very good shape, two of them looking brand-new. They were simple with none of the fancy ruffles and trims of the gowns she’d given in exchange. But the colors were crisp and the fabric much more durable. These would serve her purpose nicely.

  “Thank you, Granny. These are just what I was looking for.”

  “And see here.” Granny pointed to three bonnets spread on one end of the sofa. “You can use these for working outside.”

  Elthia lifted them one at a time. The first was a wide-brimmed affair of woven straw. The other two were poke-fronted, cloth sunbonnets.

  Granny reclaimed her attention, pointing to the floor near the sofa. “These are yours too.”

  “These” were two pairs of sturdy, mannish-looking, lace-up shoes. They looked heavy and decidedly uncomfortable, but Elthia figured they would probably be more sensible for trekking across the open countryside than the shoes she’d brought with her.

  “Granny, I don’t know how to thank you. This is so much more than I expected.”

  Placing both hands on her cane, Granny gave a self-satisfied smile. “Glad I could help.” Then she pointed to an empty spot on one end of the sofa. “Mind if I sit for a spell?”

  “No, of course not.” Elthia moved the dresses to make more room. “Can I get you some tea or coffee?”

  “No thanky, gal. Just sit here and visit for a spell.” Granny looked around as Elthia took her seat. “I always liked this room. Has a real welcoming feel to it.”

  “You’ve been here before?”

  Granny glanced at the portrait on the far wall. “I used to pop in now and again when Cora was alive. I haven’t been here since she died, though, nigh on four years ago.”

  Elthia leaned forward, her interest piqued. “You knew Caleb’s Aunt Cora?”

  Granny nodded. “Yep. Cora was a fine woman. God-fearing, kindhearted, and smart as a whip at book learnin.’ Too bad she didn’t know anything about how to raise a child.”

  Elthia straightened, prepared to be outraged on Caleb’s behalf. After all, she knew something of being placed in the care of an irresponsible relative. “What do you mean?”

  The older woman waved a hand. “Oh, she didn’t mistreat him. Cora kept him fed and decently dressed and saw that he had proper schoolin.’” She looked back up at the portrait. “But she was more at home with her books and her writing than with folks.”

  The look she gave Elthia was full of meaning. “Cora wasn’t one for hugging or holding. There was no doubt she loved the boy, she just didn’t do much to show it.”

  To Elthia’s way of thinking, that was preferable to the smothering attention she’d endured at the hands of Cousin Melba.

  Caleb’s brusqueness, though, his I-don’t-need-anyone’s-help attitude, made more sense now. No wonder he seemed to keep everyone at arm’s length. “How old was Caleb when he came to live here?”

  Granny gave a regretful sigh. “Six.”

  So young! Elthia’s breath caught in sympathy for the lonely little boy of all those years ago.

  “His momma died a year earlier,” Granny continued. “When his daddy died, the kids got split up. Caleb wound up here in Texas with Cora.”

  No wonder he was so determined, so passionate about keeping the children together. Then the significance of Granny’s words hit her. “You said here in Texas. Where did he come from?”

  “Up Indiana way.” Then Granny abruptly changed the subject. “Caleb didn’t tell you about Suzannah, did he?”

  Elthia, still dwelling on the way Caleb’s life had been turned upside down at such an early age, merely shook her head. At least she had been near her home and visited with her father and brother often.

  “I thought not.” Granny leaned forward, folding both hands on top of her cane. “Well, he’ll no doubt call me an old busybody for speaking of her to you, but I think you need to know.”

  Elthia knew it wasn’t right for her to sit here listening to gossip about her husband, but she couldn’t quite work up the resolve to put an end to it. “Who is Suzannah?”

  “She was the girl Caleb was engaged to marry six years ago.”

  Elthia felt a jolt of something uncomfortably like jealously. “What happened?”

  “Suzannah was a beautiful girl with shining blue eyes and a face pretty enough to shame the angels. She had spirit and zest and a knack for making a body feel good to just be around her. All the lads were after her, but she set her sights on Caleb. Problem was, Caleb wanted to settle down and raise a family and Suzannah wanted to see the world. Course, being young, they figured they could work it out between ’em.”

  Elthia shifted in her seat, suddenly feeling dowdy and dispirited. Was that the kind of woman Caleb preferred? No wonder he hadn’t been overjoyed with who he’d ended up with.

  “And did they?” Elthia asked.

  The older woman suddenly looked every bit of her age. “The day before the wedding, Caleb got a note from Suzannah, explaining that she loved him but she just couldn’t spend the rest of her life in Foxberry. She’d run off with a tinker who’d been passing through town and who promised to show her the world.”

  How could a woman who claimed to love him have betrayed him so ruthlessly? “That faithless hussy!”

  Granny nodded. “And a coward to boot, slinking off in the night like she did.” She sighed. “Strange thing was, after she left, Caleb turned into just the kind of man she’d wanted him to be. He left Foxberry. Started going from town to town, wherever he could find carpentry work. He didn’t settle back down in one place again until he found out those kids needed him.”

  Using her cane for leverage, Granny stood. “I’d best be getting back home.” She pointed the cane at Elthia. “People have been walking away from Caleb most of his life, one way or t’other. Sure glad he’s got you and the kids to count on now.”

  Elthia’s stomach clenched in guilt. Her leaving in three months wasn’t the same kind of thing, her mind protested. It wouldn’t be a shock or surprise. It was what he wanted
too.

  So why did she still feel so wretched?

  After Granny left, Elthia carried her new clothes upstairs. As she put them away, she couldn’t stop thinking about what Granny had told her. The thought of a six-year-old boy, newly orphaned, without a lap to cuddle up in, without someone to kiss away his childhood hurts, without loving arms to comfort him when he felt sad, brought a lump to her throat.

  What a lonely childhood that must have been.

  The fact that he might have been heartbroken over the desertion of his fiancée, that Suzannah might have been the love of his life, she refused to think about at all.

  CHAPTER 14

  Caleb put a hand to his back as he straightened. He’d spent the past hour putting finishing touches on the final two pieces in his current order. The extra effort he’d made these past few days had paid off. He ought to be ready to take it all to town by Friday, right on schedule. Not bad considering all that had happened recently.

  As he cleaned his tools, he mulled over Elthia’s unorthodox plan to get herself a new wardrobe. He’d had the impression she had money of her own, but maybe he’d been wrong. Had she been afraid to ask him to buy clothes for her or just too proud?

  He had vague memories of his father giving his mother money periodically. Pin money they’d called it. Should he do the same for Elthia? He sure couldn’t go on having her trade her things to his neighbors for the necessities he should be providing.

  He just wished she’d come to him to start with.

  “Hello.”

  As if his thoughts had conjured her, Caleb looked up to see Elthia standing in the doorway. She was wearing one of the dresses Granny had brought, and he was surprised by the change it wrought. Gone was the high-class socialite. She’d been replaced by a shy-faced, small-town girl. There was something about her expression, a softness that hadn’t been there before.

  He most definitely approved.

  “I hope I’m not interrupting your work.” She fidgeted with a fold in her skirt, as if uncertain of her appearance. “Zoe made some lemonade, and I thought you might like a glass.”