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

  “Thanks. Come on in.” Now what had sparked that friendly gesture? Not that he minded—it was a promising turn of events.

  “I’m just getting my brushes and tools put away.” He pointed a brush. “That one of the frocks Granny brought?”

  “Uh-huh.” She fanned out one side of her skirt. “What do you think?”

  He thought she must not have looked in the mirror if she was worried about her appearance. The pale green shade complemented her, and the simple style gave her a wholesome, fresh-faced look. She didn’t seem so out of place here anymore. Oh yes, he liked it just fine. “Looks nice.”

  She rewarded his faint praise with a smile. “Thank you.”

  As he put away his tools, she placed the lemonade on the worktable beside him. Then she wandered farther into the room, setting one of the larger rocking horses in motion with her hand.

  Caleb searched his mind for some way to take advantage of her mood. If he wanted to make real progress on his scheme to woo her, he’d have to get her alone occasionally. Sure, he could do some teasing and flirting, even with the kids around, already had in fact. Casual touches and meaningful looks, handled properly, could do a lot to get her in the right frame of mind.

  But serious sparking required privacy.

  Then he hit on it. “How’d you like to take a walk with me. There’s a spot back in the woods that was a favorite of mine when I was a boy.” When she hesitated, he added, “And there’s some things we need to work out before the judge’s next visit. Might be best if we talk somewhere where the kids won’t overhear.”

  She met his gaze, then gave a nod. “Of course.”

  He flashed her a broad smile. “Just give me a minute or two to get cleaned up.”

  She nodded, and they moved toward the house. Things were falling into place rather nicely. Thirty minutes away from the kids should give him plenty of time to set his plan in motion.

  “Have a seat,” he said, pointing to the bench outside the bathhouse. “I won’t be long.”

  Whistling a jaunty tune as he stood at the laundry sink, Caleb scrubbed the resins and grime from his hands and arms. Getting a good look at his work-stained shirt in the mirror, he stripped it off and gave his upper body a quick sink bath.

  When he stepped back outside, he was smugly gratified by the wide-eyed, impressed glance she gave his bare chest. “Just give me another minute to grab a fresh shirt, and I’ll be ready.”

  Elthia met his gaze, red flooding her cheeks as she nodded.

  Resuming his whistling, he climbed the stairs two at a time. When he returned, she seemed composed once more.

  He offered her his arm. “Shall we?”

  Nodding again, she ignored his arm and stepped into the yard.

  Well, the afternoon was early yet. “This way.” He pointed toward a tree line west of the house. “I told Zoe and Peter we were going for a walk. They’ll keep an eye on the others.”

  They hadn’t gotten far when Poppy bounded up to join them. Elthia stooped to give the mutt a scratch behind the ears, and Caleb frowned over this annoying development. At least when she straightened, she left the dog down on the ground.

  “You wanted to talk to me about the judge’s next visit,” she prompted, breaking the silence.

  “Yes. I’m afraid it’s my fault we weren’t ready for his first visit.” She stumbled over something in the grass, and he grabbed her arm to steady her. “Careful. It’s rough going here.” He casually tucked her hand in the crook of his arm. It felt warm and soft and right there. “Now, where were we?”

  She cast him a suspicious look but left her hand where he’d placed it. “You were saying it was all your fault.”

  He grinned. “That’s right. The judge showed up a day earlier than I’d reckoned on, but I still shouldn’t have put off telling you what to expect until the last minute.”

  She nodded agreement and then wobbled again as her toe caught on a chunk of rusty-looking iron ore half buried in the ground.

  He steadied her, pulling her a tad closer to his side as they resumed their walk. He caught a whiff of her scent, a fragrance sweeter than the wildflowers they were walking past. “There’s no point in dwelling on what’s over and done with,” he continued, jerking his focus back to his purpose. “This first visit was just to check that I’d gotten married by the deadline he’d set. The next visit, he’s likely to want to dig a bit deeper.”

  She worried with her bottom lip. “Dig deeper?”

  Caleb nodded. “Well sure. He’s gonna want to see if our marriage is working out and how we’re doing with the kids. The judge takes his job very seriously.” He ignored the four-legged tumbleweed trying to tangle up his feet. He wanted her focus on him, not on defending her mutt.

  “I see.” She pushed her glasses up higher on the bridge of her nose. “So how do we go about setting his mind at ease?”

  They reached the tree line. The change from the heat of the sun’s glare to the relative cool of the dappled shade was very welcome. The cloak of privacy was an added bonus.

  Caleb tilted his head, pretending to consider her question. “We shouldn’t have trouble convincing him we can and want to take care of the kids. He seems more than halfway to believing that already.” He paused, rubbing the back of his neck. “The happily married part, though, that may take a bit more work.”

  Her suspicious look returned full force. “What do you mean?”

  He tamped down the stab of guilt for the way he was leading her on. After all, he was doing this for the kids. “Well now, if he wanted to learn how we get along, he’d likely question the kids and our neighbors about how we act when we’re together.”

  Her chin thrust out at a haughty angle. “There’s nothing wrong with the way we act when we’re together.”

  Caleb shrugged. “Not if we wanted to convince him we were brother and sister. But that’s not what we’re after, is it?”

  She yanked her arm away and rounded on him. “What do you mean? This is supposed to be a business arrangement, remember?”

  “Of course, and I’m not suggesting anything different.” He reclaimed her arm and started walking again. “Come on. The spot I want to show you is just a little way ahead.”

  Elthia knew he was up to something, she just wasn’t sure what. She’d go along a bit longer, both down this trail and in this conversation, just to see where they led. But if he planned to try any hanky-panky, she’d set him straight soon enough.

  The quickening of her pulse was solely due to the exertion of the walk, not anticipation.

  A few moments later the trail ended at the rock-strewn banks of a gurgling stream. There were several large stones embedded in the channel, and the water danced its way past them with a musically pleasing sound.

  “How lovely.”

  Caleb shook his head, reaching for her hand. “Oh, this isn’t what I wanted to show you. Come on, it’s just a little farther.”

  He drew her along the creek bank, chivalrously lifting branches out of the way and helping her over fallen logs. Elthia was so busy watching her steps it wasn’t until he stopped and stepped aside that she became aware of her surroundings again.

  Then she caught her breath. It was beautiful! The stream emptied into a large pool before continuing on its way farther on. Willows bowed at the water’s edge, the tips of their ropelike branches brushing the glassy surface. Wildflowers bloomed everywhere, filling the air with perfume and using an errant breeze to flirt with the honeybees paying them court.

  Over to her left, a trio of turtles sunned themselves on a half-submerged log. Poppy broke through the underbrush just then, and his barking sent them all diving into the cover of the water.

  “Well, what do you think?”

  Caleb’s question drew her gaze back to him, and she smiled. “It’s wonderful. I can’t believe such a precious bit of paradise is just a few minutes’ walk from the house.”

  He nodded. “I know.” He took her arm and began walking along the edge of t
he pool. “When I was a kid, I used to spend a lot of time in these woods. This pool became my own private swimming hole in the summertime.”

  Elthia felt both envy and sympathy. This would be a great place for a child to play. But it would have been more fun if he’d had someone to share it with. Had he ever brought Suzannah here?

  He halted in front of a large stone formation that jutted out into the water. But when he made as if to climb up on it, she held back. The boulders looked wet in spots, and she wasn’t sure she could keep her footing, especially in these cloddish shoes.

  “Come on,” he urged. “The part that looks out over the water makes a great perch. We can sit there and rest a spell.”

  “I don’t know. These really aren’t climbing shoes.”

  “I promise not to let you fall. Trust me.”

  She met his gaze and slowly nodded. “All right. But let me take these shoes off. I think I can climb better in my bare feet.” She sat on an outcropping from the natural pier.

  Elthia bent over to unlace her shoe, but Caleb was quicker.

  He took her foot in his hands. “Here, let me do that.”

  She leaned back, studying his bent head. Would she ever understand him? Earlier, she’d suspected him of some very adult scheming. But his pride in this place, his eagerness to show it off, put her in mind of a boastful little boy. Every time she decided he was one thing, he changed to something else.

  He set her shoes aside, and she drew in a sharp breath as his hands skimmed up her right calf to just below the knee.

  Shaking loose from her surprise-induced paralysis, not to mention the prickling gooseflesh, Elthia yanked her skirts down, forcing his hands away. “Just what do you think you’re doing?”

  He sat back on his heels. “Why, just helping you off with your stockings.”

  Though his expression would have shamed a choirboy, he no longer reminded her of an innocent youth, boastful or otherwise. “No thank you. I’ll take care of my stockings myself.”

  He held his hands up, palm outward. “Of course.”

  She quickly slipped off her stockings, trying to regain her composure as she did so. But her traitorous memory kept replaying the shivery feel of his hands on her leg.

  As she stood, he held out a hand. “Ready?”

  Still distrustful of his just-being-helpful smile, she allowed him to take her hand and help her climb up the rock.

  Once they reached the top, he led her to the far edge. “This was my favorite diving spot,” he said, looking over the edge.

  She followed his gaze, peering into the blue-green depths. The bottom dropped off deeply here. She imagined a fearless boy, taking a running start, then as he flew off the edge, tucking his legs, grabbing his knees, and landing a split second later with a satisfying splash. In her youth, she’d watched Harm perform that stunt dozens of times. But Caleb would have had no audience to applaud his efforts or to yell indignantly when his splash was more generous than expected.

  He took her elbow. “Let’s sit and rest our feet a spell.”

  Letting their legs dangle over the edge, they sat in companionable silence. The lapping of the water, the buzz of the insects, and the occasional trill of a bird were the only sounds.

  Caleb leaned back, bracing himself with his muscle-corded arms, his face raised to the sun. Her hand itched to reach up and brush back the lock of hair that had fallen across his brow.

  She straightened abruptly, appalled at the direction of her thoughts. Time to refocus on the supposed reason for this walk.

  “You say you’re concerned about our ability to convince folks we’re happily married. As long as we remain civil, even friendly to each other, I don’t see that anyone’ll be able to find fault.”

  Caleb shook his head. “You don’t understand. Judge Walters just has to get a whiff of something not seeming quite right, and he has the power to whisk the kids away from me.”

  She tucked a tendril behind her ear. “So what do you suggest we do? Act like lovestruck adolescents when we’re in public?”

  He grinned. “We don’t have to go that far. All I’m saying is we should act a bit more married when we’re around others. I can put my arm around you once in a while or give you a peck on the cheek. You can give me a hug or fuss with my shirt collar. You know, the little things married folk do for each other.”

  “I don’t—”

  “Remember, I said act like a married couple. We’ll know it’s not real. Or don’t you think you can pull it off?”

  Perversely, his reminder that their marriage was a sham stung rather than reassured her. “Of course I can ‘pull it off.’ That’s not—”

  “Good. Let’s try it.”

  “What?” Surely he didn’t mean—

  “I’ll put my arm around your waist and give you a kiss. Just a quick one, mind you, the kind you give when you’re not alone but you can’t resist the urge to show a bit of affection.”

  “But I—”

  He held up a hand. “No, really, I think that would be best. Trying one of those deep, passionate kisses that you feel all the way down to your toes would be overdoing it. Because you only do those in private, and after all, we’re just doing this to convince our audience we’re happily married.”

  “Will you please let me finish a sentence?”

  He held up his hand. “Sorry. What did you want to say?”

  Elthia took a deep breath. His words had conjured up images she was trying hard to suppress. “I’m not sure this is such a good idea. We did agree to keep this arrangement businesslike.”

  He nodded slowly. “I see. You don’t trust yourself to be able to keep the actions and the emotions separate. I hadn’t realized that would be a problem for you.”

  Elthia drew herself up, irritated by his condescending tone. Did he consider himself irresistible? Did he think she had no emotional control? “Of course I can keep them separate.”

  He looked skeptical now. “Are you sure? I can’t have you falling for me. We have an agreement, remember?”

  Oh, he was insufferable. How could she have ever felt sympathy for him? “Don’t worry,” she said through gritted teeth. “There’s absolutely no danger of my falling for you.”

  He shrugged. “Well okay, if you’re sure. Let’s give it a try.” He slipped his arm around her waist and drew her closer.

  Elthia’s pulse jumped, and she stiffened.

  He touched a finger lightly to her chin. “You’ve got to relax and pretend to enjoy this if we’re going to fool anyone.”

  She nodded, swallowed hard, and then tried to relax.

  He gave her an approving smile. “Better, but I can see we’ll have to get a bit more practice in before you’re entirely comfortable. Now, lean against me.”

  Reminding herself they were only acting, she fitted herself more snugly to his side. She was acutely aware of his closeness, of his hand at her waist, of the lingering scent of paint and something disturbingly masculine that clung to him. Deep inside her, a butterfly woke and began to flutter its wings.

  Caleb, however, seemed as unaffected as he’d claimed he’d be. There was nothing at all distracted or soft about him. “No, no,” he chided. “Don’t lean on me like a broom propped against a wall. Pretend you like me, that you can’t wait to get me alone so we can cuddle proper.”

  “Mr. Tanner, really!” Was he laughing at her?

  “Like I said, we’ll just have to get in some practice to get comfortable with it.” He raised a brow. “Now, are you up to trying a kiss? Just a little one?”

  She felt that butterfly flutter again, but she did her best to ignore it. It was time to take the offensive. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were trying to take advantage of me.”

  Her accusation only served to earn her a brow-drawn frown. “For goodness’ sake, I’m only talking about a peck on the cheek.”

  She suddenly felt foolishly prudish. “Very well.”

  “That’s good,” he said. “You sit just like
that, pretending you’re nervous or upset, and I’ll try to coax a smile from you.” He leaned over, using his fingers to turn her face.

  The kiss he gave her was just as he’d promised, no more than a peck on the cheek. It was the caress of his warm breath on her skin, the gentle stroking of his finger against her jaw, that caused her to draw in her breath.

  CHAPTER 15

  Elthia placed a hand on his arm, whether for support or to hold him near, she wasn’t sure. He didn’t pull back immediately.

  “If that doesn’t work,” he said, his voice huskier, more seductive, “I could move from your cheek to the tip of your nose, like this.” The butterfly inside her started moving faster now.

  He did pull back this time, shifting and drawing up one knee.

  She blinked, trying to figure out what just happened to her. It was several seconds before she could meet his gaze.

  He waved a hand. “You see. We should be able to handle such tame displays without becoming affected.”

  She pushed on her glasses as she returned his smile with a nod, praying he wouldn’t detect the slight tremble in her hands.

  “Okay, now you give it a try.”

  She froze. “What?”

  “Your turn.” He tapped his cheek. “Just a little peck, right here.” When she hesitated, he raised a brow. “What’s the matter? Surely all this playacting isn’t bothering you?”

  “No, of course not.”

  “Well then.” He tapped his cheek again.

  “Oh, for goodness’ sake.” She quickly leaned over and placed a light peck on his proffered cheek.

  Caleb shook his head. “Elthia darlin,’ you gotta do better. It needs to look like you want to kiss me. Let’s try again. And remember, you’re pretending to be a loving wife.”

  Enough was enough. “You must think me an absolute simpleton. I know not all married people are so demonstrative in public.”

  “True, but not all married folk are trying to convince the rest of the world what an ideal match they are.” He eyed her with a challenging gleam. “Of course, if you don’t think you can remain unaffected…” He let a shrug finish his sentence.