CHAPTER 3

 

“Maybe I should ask how much longer until we get to your ranch?”

He smiled. “Not long. You’re already on it.”

Her jaw dropped. “But there are no buildings. Where is your house?”

“Oh, in another twenty minutes or so you’ll see it.”

“How big is your ranch?” Hundreds maybe thousands of people live within twenty minutes of New York City. Ginger said Catherine couldn’t live this far from town, but I’m looking forward to it. She realized if she was living this far out in the country, Richard wouldn’t be likely to find her, should he come looking, though she couldn’t fathom why he would come looking since he’d tired of her charms.

Letting her go would save him money. He wouldn’t have to keep up her house and her servants, but she also knew that he was rich enough the amount he paid for her upkeep was a pittance to him. Besides wouldn’t he be more interested in his new mistress rather than come after his old one?

Something in the back of her mind, a memory perhaps, told her he would never let her go until he was good and ready and maybe not even then. That was it. He’d paid her parents for her. He believed he owned her and he never gave up the things he owned. Never.

“Big enough that the tour of the property I want to take you on will be an overnight trip. That’s the reason I don’t want to bring Lissa. She wouldn’t be comfortable and wouldn’t want to sleep alone. That’s my fault. I’ve let her sleep with me when we are camping…at least since her mother left.”

Adele looked through her eyelashes. At the mention of his wife, his mouth closed and his jaw clenched. Not that she blamed him. Though she never would have wished harm to the woman, at least she wasn’t around to make Edward’s life miserable any longer. Still Adele knew Edward wasn’t over Catherine, he either still loved her or felt guilty because she left in the first place. Neither boded well for Adele winning his affection.

As the wagon turned onto another road, Adele saw a small bunch of buildings. One was very large and red. She thought the structure might be the barn. The next largest building was two-stories and painted white. As the wagon got closer she saw the windows had green shutters.

In addition to the large buildings a long one-story building also with green shutters, a variety of small structures were situated on the property.

“Tell me about your land. I see a lot of buildings but I don’t see any people.”

“It’s after lunch, so the men are probably working in the corral with the horses for the Army or out riding the fence, looking for places that need repair.”

“Oh, that explains it. Now, I can identify the barn and the house, but what are the others?”

He pointed at each as the wagon closed the distance to the house. “We have a chicken coop, icehouse, smokehouse, and bunkhouse. Next to the barn is a corral where we break horses, if we need to. Sometimes we get an Army contract for green-broke horses.”

She furrowed her eyebrows. “What does green-broke mean?”

“That the horse tolerates a saddle and rider. It’s ready to be trained to do whatever the Army needs.”

Adele cocked an eyebrow. “I’ve obviously never ridden a green-broke horse. The only animals I ever rode were very well-trained and reliable mounts. That’s not to say they were slow, because they weren’t. They were, in fact, quite spirited.”

One side of his mouth lifted, as did his eyebrows. “Spirited, you say? Well, I’m glad, because the only horse on this ranch that isn’t spirited is Lissa’s pony. And you’re much too big for a pony.”

The mental picture of her on a pony made her laugh. “You’re quite right. I’m afraid I’d break the poor pony’s back.”

“Lissa wouldn’t let you ride her, even if you were no larger than she is. She’s very protective of her pets.”

“How long ago was that? I mean since your wife left?”

His mouth flattened. “Eleven months ago.”

She put her hands in her lap and her gaze on him. “I’m sorry that happened, but if it hadn’t, you wouldn’t have sent for me. So to be completely honest, I’m glad. Because otherwise I wouldn’t be here, and I’m very glad to be here.”

Edward looked at her, eyes narrowed. “You are? But you don’t even know me. Was what you left so bad that you’d become a mail-order bride?”

She shook her head. “It wasn’t bad, but I was no longer needed, and I decided I want children of my own. You can give them to me, and Lissa is the icing on the cake. I accepted your offer because of her.”

He lifted his eyebrows. “You did? But I thought you wanted children of your own.”

Adele gazed at him. “Now that we are married, Lissa is my own. She’s my daughter, whether she accepts that fact or not. I will always treat her as if she was born to me.”

He gave her a small smile. “I’m very glad to hear that. I know she’ll be difficult to begin with, but you have to have patience. She’ll come around the more you include her in things. Let her help you make cookies. Start teaching her to cook, to sew, and to embroider. Whatever you do, teach her. She’ll start to warm to you and miss her mother less, since Catherine never included her in anything.”

“Thank you for the instruction. I’ll take your advice. I want to spend time with her, anyway, and teaching her to do things is a good way for us to get to know each other.”

“Exactly.”

He pulled to a stop in front of the house’s side door.

“Mrs. Underhill is off today so this is where we’ll likely find Lissa…bothering Cookie for some treat. But we don’t have any right now. I didn’t pick up anything at the bakery.”

“Perhaps this is a good time to start her lessons. I can teach her to make cookies.”

“I leave that up to you. I thought you might like a bath before anything.” He set the brake and jumped down from the wagon. Then he came around to her side held his arms up toward her.

“I would like a bath, but I don’t want to take it when any of the men might walk in.” She looked down at him. “Well, I guess you wouldn’t go through all the trouble of marrying me to let me die getting off the wagon.”

He chuckled. “No, I don’t suppose I would.”

She stepped down to the top step and then leaned forward with her arms outstretched to reach his shoulders.

Edward caught her just as he had at the preacher’s home, with his hands just under her bosom.

She had the same sensation of wanting his hands on her body. She’d never felt this way with Richard.

When she was on the ground, she looked up into his handsome face. “Thank you. I appreciate you not dropping me.” She quickly lowered her gaze and ran her hands down her coat for something to do with them. She really did want a bath. The trip was so long even her wool coat was wrinkled. But Lissa came first.

“Nervous?”

She took a deep breath. “Does it show?”

He smiled, took her hand and put it through the crook in his elbow. “Just a bit. I’ll come back for your bags.”

Her stomach tied in knots as she looked at the door. She hadn’t expected it to open and stopped abruptly when it did. Then thinking Lissa would come out, her eyes widened when a grizzled old man ran out.

“I’m gonna kill her. That child is a menace.” He ran up to Edward. “She needs to be spanked, Eddie. You have to stop letting her do as she pleases.”

With that, the man stomped off toward the bunkhouse.

She lifted her brows and gazed up at Edward. “Eddie?”

“That’s Cookie and he’s known me practically all my life. That’s what he called me when I was a kid.”

She tilted her head. “What about his complaint about Lissa? Is he correct?”

Edward let go of her hand and ran a hand behind his neck. “Probably. I’ve been lax in discipline since her mother left.”

She widened her eyes. “You’ve been letting her run wild for a year? Edward, what were you thinking? Even I,” she thumped her chest with a hand. “Who haven’t had children know you must have discipline for the child to grow into a good adult. I had lots of younger brothers and sisters…” She suddenly remembered she was supposed to be a governess. “And, of course, the children I’ve governed for the past seven years. You must give them rules, and consequences if they break those rules.”

He frowned and then shrugged. “I’ll leave that up to you.”

Her hand flew to her throat, resting against her bare throat since she was still wearing her wedding dress. “Me? I don’t usually make the rules. I just uphold them.”

Edward lifted a brow, and one side of his mouth quirked up. “Now you get to make them, too. I’ll back you up, whatever you decide. I know she needs it, but I can’t bring myself to chastise her when she feels she lost so much.”

Adele sighed. “She was very close to her mother I take it.”

He shrugged. “That’s the thing I don’t understand. Catherine didn’t have much time for Lissa. I had no idea what Catherine did with her time who she spent her time with until it was too late. I trusted her implicitly. A mistake I won’t make again.”

Adele understood the pain behind his position, but still felt like she’d been slapped in the face. She ignored it because he didn’t know anything about her any more than she did him.

“I suppose you have the right to feel that way, but I will never cheat. I’m your wife, for better or worse. Of course, you’ll have to wait and see for yourself that I am worthy of your trust.”

He cocked a brow. “We’ll have to wait and see about that, now won’t we. Let’s go inside. You may get to make your first rule depending on what we find.”

“You should know right now that I don’t believe in spanking children.” She remembered all too well her own father wielding his razor strop on her backside. Adele would never do that to a child.

“Good, because I don’t, either.” He opened the door, and smoke came rolling out.

“Oh, my God, it looks like your house is on fire.”

“Lissa! Where are you?”

“I’m here, Daddy.”

She sounded so small.

Adele fanned her face, pulled a hankie from her sleeve and covered her mouth. She recognized the acrid scent and coughed.

Edward ran through the smoke into the kitchen.

Adele followed him, her nose and mouth covered with her hankie.

Whatever was on the stove was burning.

Edward grabbed Lissa from the chair she stood on and ran outside.

Adele looked around, found the sink, put on her gloves and pulled the burning skillet off the stove. When she got it into the sink, she pumped water inside. Steam combined with the smoke making it nearly impossible to see, but Adele made her way to the door and hurried outside, propping the door open with a piece of firewood that was stacked on one side of the porch.

Edward turned as she stopped by him and Lissa. “Thank you.”

She waved him away. “It was no trouble. We’ve all set pots on fire.” Adele looked down at Lissa. The little girl cried with her arms wrapped around her father’s waist and her face buried in his side..

“Hello, Lissa. My name is Adele and I’m your father’s new wife. You and I will be learning how to cook together. We can even make cookies. Would you like that?” She’s the spitting image of her father…thank God.

Lissa gazed up at Adele, her dark blue eyes wide. She nodded and then turned her face into Edward’s leg.

He reached down and patted her back. “Lissa, what do you say to the nice lady?”

Keeping her face on Edward’s leg she shook her head.

Edward looked up, shrugged and then gave her a sheepish smile. “She’s a little shy.”

“It’s all right. We have a long time to get to know each other. Before we get too much more involved, I need to clean the kitchen and then I need a real bath whether anyone comes in or not. I can’t stand it any longer. Do you have a bathing room or just a bathtub? I want to know where to carry the water and I’d rather know now than wait with a bucket in my hand to find out. Those metal handles are too hard on my fingers.”

“We have a bathing room. If you’d clean up the mess I’d appreciate it. Mrs. Underhill is off today. Thank you. This upheaval was not how I anticipated the two of you to meet.”

Adele laughed and waved a hand toward the kitchen behind her. “No one could have anticipated this mistake.”

He chuckled. “No, I suppose not.” He looked down at his daughter. “Lissa, what were you doing at the stove?”

She let go of his leg and backed up a step then she started swaying back and forth, holding her hands behind her. “I was helping Cookie.”

“Cookie walked out madder than a wet hornet. So, what were you really doing?”

“He wouldn’t let me help. So, I got a chair and helped, anyway.” She looked up at her father through her lashes. “I guess I didn’t do so good.”

Edward frowned. “What were you trying to cook?”

“Bacon.”

Edward closed his eyes, and his mouth formed a thin line.

Adele would bet he was counting to ten.

When he finally opened his eyes, he frowned at his daughter. “You know better than this. What in the world got into you? Do you realize you could have burned down the whole house?”

Lissa’s lip quivered and large tears rolled slowly down her cheeks. “I’m sorry, Papa. I was just trying to help.”

“Those crocodile tears won’t work on me this time, nor will they work on Adele.”

“That’s right.” Adele nodded and folded her arms across her chest.

“And, seeing that Adele will now be responsible for your education, including the reprimands, she’ll tell you what your punishment is for this mess.”

Adele narrowed her eyes and mouthed coward before turning her attention on Lissa.

“What do you think your punishment should be, young lady?” Adele put her hands on her hips. “Your papa told you what might have happened and he didn’t even mention that you might have been killed. So, what should it be? And don’t say none or be too easy on yourself, because that attitude will only make it worse for you when you hear the real reprimand.”

“I…I guess I should go without supper and…and go straight to bed?”

Adele put her right elbow in her left hand and then placed her index finger on her chin. She tapped her finger. “It’s just a quarter past two now and a long time until bedtime. I think that’s a good punishment. What say you, Papa?”

Edward nodded. “It is indeed. Go to your room. We’ll come tuck you in at bedtime.”

Lissa gazed up at her father, smiled and took his hand. “I don’t really have to go to bed now, do I, Daddy? She’s not my mama. She’s—”

Her father dropped her hand. “You will go to bed now. I told you I would abide by Adele’s decision and she’s given you a reasonable punishment.”

 Lissa had no more tears. She turned and stalked into the kitchen.

Edward shook his head. “She’ll make it very hard for you to like her, but she really is a good girl down deep. Give her a chance.”

Adele smiled. I remember my brothers and sisters and how they acted. I know exactly what Lissa will do. “I intend to give her all the time she needs. I’ll smother her with love, but I won’t put up with her antics. You said you’d back me up, and I expect you to keep your word. She’ll work to pit us against one another.”

“I said I’d agree with you, and I will. You’ll just have to trust me.”

She lifted a brow. “I guess we’ll have to trust each other. Now, if you’ll show me the rest of the house I’d appreciate it. Then I’ll get after the kitchen. The smoke should have dissipated by the time we return.”

He grabbed her bags. “Let’s walk around to the front door.”

She nodded and walked beside him like they were an old married couple.

“Tell me, what did your wife look like? Lissa appears to take after you. She has your beautiful deep blue eyes and golden streaked dark hair. You’ll have to beat the boys off with a stick when she gets older.”

Edward sighed. “I know. Lissa doesn’t take after Catherine in any way, thank God. I don’t know how well I’d do if she looked like her mother. Catherine was very fair with pale blonde hair and cornflower blue eyes. She was tall and slender.”

“In other words, she was the direct opposite of me.” Adele laughed. “I guess that’s a good thing. You won’t be calling me her name when you’re angry. And since I’m very opinionated, that’s liable to be often.”

“It’s true, you are very different from her, and I’m glad of it. I happen to like coppery red hair and beautiful light green eyes.”

Adele’s face heated. “Thank you. That’s nice of you to say. You remind me of my husband.” Though Richard wasn’t really my husband, Edward actually does remind me of him, with his dark hair and blue eyes. What if Richard comes? Will Edward see the resemblance and then wonder about my feelings for him? Feelings that I know will grow. I’m already attracted to him, and he treats me well, so far, but I must keep my heart protected. I don’t want heartbreak as I had with Richard.