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

  Already this morning, one dream, one she’d barely been aware she harbored, had proved a mere illusion.

  Elthia confronted him while he was still unhitching the wagon.

  He spared her a short glance. “How’s Josie feeling?”

  “She’s all better now,” she said with a smile. “It’s amazing how quickly those things come and go in children her age.” She paused. “Can I help you with that?”

  Caleb didn’t bother to look up. “No thanks.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest, hugging herself the way she wanted him to hug her. “We need to talk.”

  He tipped his hat back, meeting her gaze. “I’ve noticed you seem to be right fond of that phrase. And it usually means you have a bone to pick with me.” He released the horses. “Now, I’m tired, I’m busy, and I need a bath. What do you say we save this little talk for later?” Without giving her a chance to respond, he turned and led the horses toward the water trough.

  Elthia had a very unladylike urge to fling a rock at him. How dare he walk away from her again! She might have wronged him, but by George, he still owed her a chance to apologize.

  Well, she’d had enough of his snubs. She’d make very sure he couldn’t turn his back and walk away from her next time.

  Elthia stood outside the bathhouse. The only sounds coming from inside were soft sloshing noises. He was already in the tub then.

  As she reached for the knob, Elthia’s courage ebbed. Then she rallied. This was partly his fault. He’d forced her to pick a time and place where he couldn’t walk away from her.

  This time he would hear her out.

  She grabbed the knob and shoved open the door.

  “Whoever it is, go away,” he called from behind the screen. “And shut the door. You’re letting a draft in.”

  Elthia carefully closed the door behind her. “That better?”

  The sloshing and splashing halted. “Elthia? What in thunder are you doing here? I’m in the middle of my bath, woman.”

  He was clearly irritated by the intrusion, but then she hadn’t expected to be welcomed with open arms. At least she had succeeded in eliciting some kind of emotion. “I know.”

  The watery noises resumed. Elthia swallowed hard and almost missed his next words.

  “Well, whatever you need, take care of it quickly, please.”

  Inhaling deeply, she forced herself to cross the room. The loud tapping of her shoes on the tiled floor marked her progress. By the time she’d crossed halfway, his movements ceased again.

  “Hey now, what are you up to?”

  It took every bit of courage Elthia had to take the final step past the screen. “I told you, we need to talk.”

  A quick, sweeping look gave her a view of wet, bare muscles that heated her cheeks and set her pulse racing. He drew his knees up, whether in deference to her sensibilities or his own she wasn’t sure. She locked her gaze to his, refusing to expand her view to anything lower than the tip of his jutted chin.

  “Of all the muleheaded, single-minded females.” His glare could have blistered ice. “I said we’d talk later. Right now I’m trying to take a bath.”

  She crossed her arms. “And I’ve decided that now is later.”

  His eyes narrowed. “You decided?” With a you-asked-for-it look, he leaned back against the side of the opulent marble tub and stretched his legs out their full length. “All right, talk.”

  Elthia stoically kept her gaze locked to his. “First, I want to apologize for accusing you of stealing. I was wrong.”

  Caleb’s temper rose. So, Lady Privilege had found that misbegotten scrap of paper, had she? Probably tucked away in a book or unnoticed corner of her trunk. Was her apology supposed to make everything okay again? If that’s what she thought, she could just think again. It didn’t pay to trust people. Why did he have to keep relearning that lesson?

  “Next time,” he said, adding a cold edge to his tone, “make sure you look a bit harder before you accuse people of stealing.”

  Elthia shook her head, and he was cynically amused to see that she rigidly focused on his chin. “No, that isn’t… I didn’t find the contract.”

  He sat up straighter. What game was she playing now? “You mean you discovered someone else took it?”

  She shook her head again. “You don’t understand. I mean, I guess someone else must have, but I haven’t discovered who.”

  “Then why did you just apologize?”

  “Because I know you didn’t do it. You’re not that kind of man.” She raised a hand, her expression almost pleading. “I just know.”

  He wasn’t ready to trust her yet. “How touching. You just suddenly decided I wasn’t a thief and liar after all.”

  She grimaced. “I deserve that. I should have believed you from the outset, should never have considered the possibility that you would act dishonorably. And I guess I would have if I’d concentrated more on what I know of you and less on my own insecurities.”

  Despite his determination to hold on to his anger, Caleb was intrigued by the vulnerable determination of her expression. “I think you’re gonna have to explain that last bit to me, darlin,’” he drawled, trying to make light of his interest.

  Her arms crossed over her chest again, but this time it seemed more a defensive gesture. Her expression closed, then she sighed, gave a short nod, and dropped her hands. “I suppose you deserve an explanation.”

  Elthia rubbed her arms as if gathering her thoughts. Or was it her courage?

  She turned away from him then. Was it out of a belated sense of modesty or was she trying to hide her expression?

  “The thing is, I have trouble believing anyone really wants to spend time with me.”

  Was she about to give him some poor-pitiful-me story? “Given what I know of your background, I find that a bit hard to believe.”

  She stiffened. Her face was in profile to him now as she paced. “So you think having money and social standing automatically means one leads a carefree life.”

  There was a note of bitterness in her voice he’d never heard from her before. “It certainly stacks the deck in that direction.” He felt the need to push her, to see how much of herself she would reveal. “Why should I believe it worked out differently for you?”

  “Why? Come now, you’ve been around me long enough to see what I am.”

  “And what are you?”

  “You’re going to make me say it?” Her gaze met his briefly, then shifted away again. “Fine. I guess I deserve that. I’m mousy and bookish, and I’m outright clumsy most of the time.”

  She considered herself mousy? Okay, maybe he’d thought that when he’d first met her, but that was before he’d witnessed her fire and gumption.

  “As for my social standing,” she continued, “I don’t do well at society functions and find discussions of the latest fashions or scandals utterly boring. That makes me an oddity among my peers.”

  “Is that why you ran away? Did this fiancé of yours make you feel like an oddity?”

  “No!” The word fairly exploded from her.

  He sat up straighter as he saw the shiver that fluttered her shoulders and the flash of what looked a lot like fear cross her face. What the devil—

  “Sorry.” She took a deep breath. “Very well, I’ll give you the full story, if that’s what it takes.”

  He could see she was dreading what she had to say, and he almost told her to forget about it. But there was also a part of him that sensed she needed to talk, so he held his peace.

  She fidgeted, as if unable to keep still, tracing a design on the screen one minute, fussily straightening towels the next. “Despite my flaws, before Baxter came along I had two different suitors, but in both cases it was obvious that it was a tie to the Sinclares they courted, not me.” She shrugged. “Not unusual in my circle, but it wasn’t what I wanted.”

  She’d been holding out for a love match, had she?

  “My father finally got tired of what he called
my flightiness and decided he would find a suitor for me. That’s where Baxter Dalton came in.”

  She waved a hand aimlessly. “I wanted to like him—it was so important to Father, he was so proud of what he’d done for me. And Baxter was the ideal suitor—handsome, witty, charming. Seemingly everything a girl could want in a man.”

  Caleb felt an unexpected stab of jealousy at her words. Had the man broke her heart? Did she still have feelings for him?

  She moved a bar of soap from one shelf to the next. “At first I counted myself lucky. I knew the large dowry Father offered was the real attraction, but he was so attentive and well-mannered with me. He listened when I discussed my favorite books and gave me gifts of poetry and flowers. I thought that this might be something we could build a real relationship on.” Her hands dropped to her sides. “And for the first time in my life, other ladies envied me.”

  He watched as her hands clasped in front of her with white-knuckled intensity.

  “But I gradually came to realize that Baxter had a dark side, one he hid very well.”

  Caleb stiffened as all his protective urges kicked in. Had the brute hurt her? His hands fisted and his jaw clinched.

  Her gaze met his for a split second, then slid away again. “He never raised a finger against me, never raised his voice to me, but I felt more and more that he wasn’t the gentleman he seemed. I tried to tell myself I was just imagining things.” She took a deep breath. “Then I saw him kick Poppy when he thought no one was around. He said it was an accident, but the look in his eyes when he did it—” She shivered again. “I knew, with every instinct I possessed, I knew if I married him it would not turn out well for me.”

  Her back was to him now, and it said something for her distress that she didn’t hear him climb out of the tub.

  “I spoke to Father, but he thought I was just being missish, that I was imagining things.” She took a deep breath. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been blessed with a very active imagination. It’s been an embarrassment to Father on more than one occasion.”

  How could her father have pressed her to marry a man she feared? No wonder she had trouble trusting people. Caleb grabbed a towel, knotting it around his waist like he’d like to knot it around the neck of that wretched polecat Baxter.

  She was still talking, making fluttering movements with her hands. “But I wasn’t imagining anything. Once my eyes were opened to Baxter’s true nature, I could see plain as day the kind of man he was, and I just couldn’t go through with marrying him. That’s when I took the coward’s way out and decided to run away.”

  Caleb slipped his arms around her. “There was nothing cowardly about what you did. It took a lot of courage to strike out on your own that way.” And rather than providing the refuge she’d sought, he’d all but bullied her when she arrived.

  After an initial start, Elthia relaxed. She placed her hands on his and leaned back. “I’m sorry I doubted you. I know you’re not like Baxter. Even when we disagreed, you were always honest.”

  As he nuzzled her neck, his conscience jabbed at him. That wasn’t entirely true. “Baxter is a fool. His loss is my gain.”

  She turned to face him, staying within the circle of his arms. “Does this mean you forgive me?”

  She looked so vulnerable, so worried. Did his forgiveness mean so much? He removed her glasses and set them aside. “Does this answer your question?” He kissed her fiercely, hungrily. He wanted to leave no doubt just how much he desired her.

  By the time they separated, she was breathless. She blinked up at him with a bemused smile. “Oh.”

  Then she took in the state of his undress, and a fetching flush flooded her cheeks. “Oh,” she repeated, her gaze flying back up to his chin. She cleared her throat. “I suppose I should leave and let you get dressed.”

  He stepped back but gave her a roguish grin. “There’s no need for you to leave.”

  If anything, her blush deepened, but then she lifted her chin. “Actually, there is one other thing I need to tell you before I leave.”

  He immediately turned serious when he heard both hesitation and regret in her tone. “I’m listening.”

  “We spoke once, after… after that night in the barn, about the possibility that I might be carrying your child.”

  His hand paused on the buttons of his shirt, and he came around the screen. Joy stabbed through him at the thought that she was even now ripening with his child, that he would soon see her cradling his baby in her arms. “You mean—”

  But she shook her head. “I discovered this morning that I’m not carrying a child.”

  A keen sense of disappointment sliced through Caleb.

  Then the sight of her lip-chewing dismay brought him back to his senses. He kissed the tip of her nose. “Then we’ll just have to try again.”

  He pulled her to him for another resounding kiss. “Now you’re too much of a distraction. Go on with you so I can finish dressing.”

  As he watched her leave, he vowed he’d do everything he could to keep her safe and happy.

  That night, Elthia had just finished dressing for bed, when she heard the bedroom door open. She knew without stepping out from behind the screen that it was Caleb and not one of the children. “You’re ready for bed early tonight,” she called as she pulled the brush through her hair.

  “You could say that.”

  The smile in his voice imbued the words with meaning that heated her cheeks. The sound of him preparing for bed set her stomach fluttering. If only she hadn’t started her cycle this morning—would he have invited her to share his bed?

  She set the hairbrush down as she heard the creak of his mattress. Perhaps, in a few more days, she could—

  “Elthia.”

  She stilled. “Yes?”

  “Are you ready for bed yet?”

  Something in his tone set her flesh to tingling. “Uh-huh.”

  “Then how about a good-night kiss?”

  A good-night kiss? Her heart raced at the thought. Something to warm her before she slipped into her lonely bed, something to sweeten her dreams.

  “I’d like that.” She stepped from behind the screen.

  Caleb sat up, his back propped by a pillow. The covers were drawn to his waist, leaving him splendidly bare above. But it was his heated, appreciative expression that held her attention.

  “Well,” he said, his smile taking on a hint of challenge, “what are you waiting for? Haven’t changed your mind, have you?”

  Tossing her head, she returned his smile and sashayed across the room. “Not at all. Just taking a minute to enjoy the view.”

  When she reached the side of the bed, she lifted her face for the promised kiss. Instead, he plucked the glasses from her nose and set them aside. Turning back, he stroked her cheek. “There now,” he whispered huskily. “Much better.”

  The kiss he gave her lasted only a few seconds, before he leaned back with a frown. “This isn’t working.”

  Had she done something wrong? “What is it?”

  He shifted and patted the space beside him. “You’ll have to climb up here so I can hold you proper. In fact, I believe I’m going to insist you start spending all your nights up here.”

  Elthia hesitated, torn between the desire to do as he asked and the knowledge that tonight was not the night for them to give way to their passions. Had he forgotten her condition?

  His expression softened, and he reached for her hand. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. Goodness knows the way you look standing there right now, you could tempt a saint. But trust me. I won’t do any more than kiss and hold you tonight.”

  Biting back a sob of joy, Elthia realized that he had really and truly forgiven her. Shedding her inhibitions, she scrambled up into Caleb’s enormous bed and flung herself into his arms.

  Settling into his embrace, she felt a stirring of hope that perhaps, someday, she’d win his love as well.

  CHAPTER 22

  Elthia awoke slowly the next morning,
relishing memories of the night before.

  After that wonderfully hot, frustratingly short kiss, he’d wrapped an arm around her and drew her head to his chest. She’d fallen asleep to the lullaby of his heartbeat. And when she’d awakened during the night, she’d still been wrapped in his arms.

  But not any longer.

  Elthia came fully awake as she realized she was alone in bed. She sat up and spied Caleb across the room, buttoning his shirt. Remembering his moodiness after that other special night, she shivered and hugged her knees. Was this something she’d have to look forward to after every intimate interlude?

  But when he looked up, the smile on his face was warm and teasing. “Good morning, sleepyhead. Miss me already?”

  She pushed away her gloomy thoughts and made a face at him. “It’s not even light outside yet. Why are you up so early?”

  He shook his head in mock despair. “Haven’t made a sunrise lover out of you yet, have I?” Crossing the room, he kissed her forehead. “Go back to sleep. The kids won’t be up for a while yet. I’m just trying to get a head start on my chores. The barn raising put me a little behind.”

  She propped her chin on her knees. “Caleb?”

  “Hmmm.” He picked up his boot and sat back on the bed.

  “I’ve been thinking.” She ignored his eye-rolling groan. “Now that we’re agreed you didn’t take the contract, we have a puzzle on our hands.”

  He shoved his left foot into a boot, giving her a sideways glance. “You mean, what actually happened to it?”

  She nodded. “Exactly.”

  He pulled on his other boot, then turned to face her. “You’re absolutely certain you didn’t just misplace the blasted thing?”

  “Absolutely.”

  He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then snapped his fingers. “I’ll bet your mutt got hold of the thing and carried it off.”

  She rapped his shoulder. “He did not! Poppy might be capable of such a thing,” she conceded. “But there’s no way he could have gotten to it. It was in the bottom of my trunk.”