Chapter 39

Lily took the fresh handkerchief from Violet. She tucked it into her pocket and gave it a small pat. Newly decorated with delicate embroidery, it had taken her sister a week of work. Truly, an act of love.

“I’m glad you agreed to see Theo. He’s been beside himself for days. If not for Thomas talking with him, I’m sure the man would’ve scaled the house and climbed in through your bedroom window.” Her sister met her gaze. “He cares for you, you know.”

She did know. But that would change when he heard her truth.

Saved from responding by a knock at the door, she took a deep breath and prepared for the upcoming visit. She didn’t expect it to last long. Once he heard what she had to say, he would leave and never return. She only hoped he’d be kind enough to keep her secret.

Violet left to answer the knock, since the doctor still recommended rest for the expectant mother. Lounging on the settee bored Lily to tears but if it helped her body overcome its ordeal and kept the baby safe, she would endure.

Theo stood in the doorway, hat in hand and a smile on his handsome face. Her heart fluttered in recognition and her hands trembled. Lord, but the man turned her insides to jelly.

He met Lily’s gaze. “You look, as ever, lovely. I hope you’re feeling better.”

“I am.” Her voice came out as a whisper, so she swallowed. “Thank you.”

Two steps forward brought him into the room. He looked at the quilt at her feet and nodded. “That’ll do.”

“For what?”

“I hoped you’d consent to go on a short ride with me. I have my buggy outside.”

Her sister had been standing in the doorway but now she stepped forward. “But she’s in no condition to go out.”

The man smiled and met Violet’s concerned gaze. “I checked with Coyote, and he feels it would be the best medicine for your patient. Thomas helped me outfit the buggy so Lily will ride in absolute comfort.” He turned back. “That is, if she’ll consent to go with me.”

What did she have to lose? Telling him they could not have a future together in this room, in her sister’s house, did not appeal. Forever after there would be sad memories haunting the walls. Better to do it elsewhere.

She dipped her chin.

He didn’t wait for more encouragement. Setting his hat on his head, he came close and lifted her in his arms. Her sister placed the quilt over his shoulder as he strode toward the door.

The sun touched her cheeks, and a gentle breeze blew the scent of hyacinths through the air. She wrapped an arm around Theo’s shoulders and savored the moment.

His heart beat against her side, keeping time with her own.

When he reached the buggy, he set her down on the seat with as much care as if she were a newborn babe. A footrest had been added to the rig, and he propped her legs on the cushioned area before settling the quilt across her lap.

“Is that comfortable?” His gaze met hers and in that instant she thought she could swim in their molten dark brown depths. A wrinkle appeared between his eyes. “Is there something you need? I’ll get whatever you want, just say the word.”

She shook her head, realizing she’d left the house without her bonnet or reticule. She had nothing but herself. Somehow, it seemed enough.

“It’s perfect, thank you.”

He went to the other side and climbed in. His shoulder brushed hers and sent shivers up her spine. A flick of the man’s strong wrist, and the horse moved forward.

They did not speak during the ride. She thought he planned to take her to his property, where they had shared such magical moments, but he remained in town. They passed the school, land office, and livery.

The quiet did not bother her. The gentle clip-clop of the horse’s hooves steadied her nerves. Her heart stopped hammering and somewhere near the town cemetery her jaw relaxed. It made no sense to agonize over this meeting. She expected it to be short, but not particularly sweet. Whatever happened, she had already survived a skirmish with her life intact. She would do the same now.

“Are you okay? Cozy enough?” His tone dripped concern. “You’re not getting jostled, are you?”

She laid a reassuring hand on his arm. He felt warm and strong beneath her touch. “I’m fine. And it’s good to be out in the fresh air, thank you.”

Her wrist fared better when her hand sat in her lap, so she removed it from his arm. Doing so tugged at her heart, though.

A ribbon of water appeared before them, and she saw he directed the horse for it.

“What is that?” Trees lined the bank, dripping low to hang over the slow-moving water. The spot called to her, almost as if she’d been here before. It was silly because she had never seen the place, yet it felt familiar. “The water, I mean. What is it called?”

“Medicine Bow River.” He pulled the horse up in the shade of a tree on the bank. The sound of water tumbling over stones and logs filled the air with music. “It’s said to be a holy place, a special spot for the native people as well as the settlers.”

She believed it. The air seemed alive, and she felt stronger than she had since her kidnapping.

“I love it here.” She spoke the truth. “It feels like coming home.”

He gave her a gentle smile. “I hoped you’d say that.”

They did not speak for several minutes, and that, too, felt right.

Theo stretched an arm along the back of the buggy seat. He removed his hat and placed it beside him. She waited while he ran his free hand across his temple, brushing his hair off his face. The man was getting ready to talk and she had no plans to stop him.

Let him speak.

Then she’d tell him her secret.

And then he could drive her back to Violet’s where they would part ways. Her heart broke considering it but there could be no other outcome.

“We need to talk. That’s why I brought you out here.” The deep timber of his voice sent butterflies flying low in her belly. She wondered if the baby felt them, too.

“I know.”

He nodded. They both gazed at the water. It seemed easier that way. Looking at him only showed what she’d almost had—and what she was about to lose, so she kept her face turned to the river and concentrated on breathing.

“That day you saw me talking with that woman—”

“You don’t owe me any explanations.”

He sighed. “It’s not a matter of owing. You need to understand that I know what it looked like, and I realize it must have hurt you, but honestly, there’s nothing between me and her. I don’t mean to badmouth the woman but every eligible man in town knows she’s looking for a husband.” He turned to face her and waited until she met his gaze. “I’m not interested in being her husband, Lily.”

Maybe she should press him to take up with the eager female. He deserved a wife and family, and aside from the ear-splitting giggle the woman might not be bad.

“I don’t understand why you think you need to tell me this.” She tried to harden her heart, but it didn’t cooperate. When he looked at her with tenderness, the way he did now, she wanted to throw her arms around his shoulders and bury her face in his neck.

“Remember when we agreed to be friends and tell each other the truth, always?”

A lump formed in her throat. She remembered. She nodded, blinking to keep from crying.

“Well, I haven’t been completely truthful with you, even though I said I would be, and I even said that I think women might not like the truth but they should hear it anyway.” He ran a lazy finger across the top of her shoulder and turned to her. His gaze locked hers in its grip, the intensity searing into her soul. “This is the truth Lily: I’m in love with you. I know it hasn’t been years of courtship but out here we don’t have time to waste. Besides, I knew the minute you got off that stagecoach, all ornery, wearing that black stripe across your pretty face.” He grinned. “You reached into my chest and grabbed my heart with that first scowl.”

Her mind spun. His eyes, so dark and lovely. His voice. The words, a jumble in her head.

“I don’t understand.”

“There’s only one thing to understand, honey. Do you love me, too? That’s all that matters.”

She swallowed. Time to come clean. There was more to understand than that.

“I’m pregnant.”

His brows lifted. A fast glance toward her belly, then his gaze met hers again.

“Do you love the man?”

She shook her head. “No.” Her mouth felt dry. “I love you.”

It took a moment, but a slow grin spread across Theo’s face. He leaned close, and she felt his breath on her cheek.

He placed a gentle hand on her neck and pulled her even closer. “Will you marry me, Lily?”

Her breath caught in her throat.

“But the baby, Theo.”

The man’s shoulders went up, then dropped. He shook his head and gave her a sweet smile. “I want lots of ’em. The sooner we hear the patter of little feet in that house, the better.”

“Really?”

A nod. “Really. And I hear you’re setting to buy the claim that butts up on mine. I can’t let you spend your money. I think you should save that, but I have enough for us to lay claim to the parcel so we can increase our holdings. How does that sound?”

“Like Heaven.” She remembered the trip out here, when the trail felt littered with bones, and she’d been sure they travelled the road to the underworld. “I don’t know what to say, Theo…”

He leaned in and claimed her mouth. The world tumbled in flashes of light behind her eyelids and the feeling of floating through time and space stole her breath. She placed her injured arm on his shoulder and pressed herself to him as best she could. It didn’t feel nearly close enough but there would be time for closeness in their future.

When they broke apart, Theo leaned his forehead against hers. “I’m going to make you the happiest woman in Wylder, Lily.”

She touched his lips with hers. “You already have.”

The End.

***

A word about the author…

Sarita Leone loves happy endings—in life and on the page.

When she’s not busy writing her next novel, this adventure-loving yoga teacher likes to hike, travel, and dance beneath the stars. She studies languages, enjoys making a mess in the kitchen, and never says “no” to fun.

Finding pockets of peace everywhere she goes, this author plans to make every moment of this journey count.