Texas Lawman Page 7

  Chapter Five

  The general store held a mixed assortment of shoppers, and Sarah felt comfortable in their midst. Several ladies smiled and nodded at her, and two gentlemen tipped their hats in her direction. Living in Benning, Texas, seemed an answer to her dreams. The thought of having a home and family in such a place had long played a big part in her fantasies, and the reality presented itself now as if a gift-wrapped package had been delivered into her hands on Christmas morning.

  All she had to do was answer in the affirmative the next time Brace brought up the subject of marriage, and she could be a part of this community. In fact, she already felt that a comfortable niche had opened for her. And the man who had provided her with a home and the shelter of his position was also the means of her achieving her dream.

  Mrs. Brace Caulfield. The name sounded solid. The man was to be trusted. His home was all any woman could want, and it seemed Brace’s feelings extended to include Stephen in the magic circle of his thoughtfulness.

  Sarah smiled at the storekeeper, Mr. Metcalfe, and handed him her list of necessities, one she had pondered over for long minutes. Unwilling to spend Brace’s money foolishly, she’d crossed off several items she considered to be pure luxury. Now she waited while the man behind the counter brought boxes and bags of supplies to rest before her.

  “Find everything you need?” The low voice in her ear startled her but served to bring a smile of welcome to the storekeeper’s face.

  “Hey, there, Sheriff. Didn’t expect to see you in here this morning.” His gaze fluttered back and forth between Brace and Sarah, and his smile was jovial as the man drew his own conclusions about the couple.

  “I thought I’d see if Miss Murphy found everything she needs. I knew she’d made out a list and I wanted to be certain there was no problem.” Brace thrust his hands into his back pockets and took a stance beside Sarah, his dark gaze touching her as he spoke.

  She felt a flush cover her cheeks and was tongue-tied for a moment. “I think everything’s in order,” she said finally, her voice sounding choked.

  “Let’s see the list,” Brace told the storekeeper.

  “No problem,” the man replied, handing Brace the smudged and altered bit of paper upon which Sarah had made adjustments as she took inventory of Brace’s kitchen.

  “How come you crossed stuff off?” Brace asked the woman next to him, his frown pulling his brows down.

  “There were a few things I thought I could do without,” Sarah said, her voice low, her demeanor stilted. “I don’t want to take advantage of you.”

  His brows rose as if pulled from above by two wires. “That’s not likely, Miss Sarah. You can buy out the whole store if you like. So long as you keep on cooking the way you have, I’ll be glad to fund the venture.”

  As though he’d been granted permission to decipher the crossed-off items, Mr. Metcalfe scanned the list and hastily added the missing ingredients to the pile on the counter. His fingers were busy as he added up the total and inserted the amount in his black book. Boxes were found and bundles were wrapped as Sarah waited, her hands clutched tightly before her.

  Several ladies nearby looked askance at Sarah as Brace spoke of her cooking and his willingness to buy her anything she desired. She lowered her eyes to the floor, unwilling to be privy to their disapproval.

  “Ladies?” Brace called their attention to himself and Sarah and they all stepped closer, the better to hear him.

  “Have you heard the news? Miss Murphy has almost agreed to marry me.”

  “Almost?” one of the women said, her voice rising. “What’s keeping her from snatching you up, Sheriff? You’re a fine specimen of a man, so far as I can tell. If I didn’t already have Howard parked in my kitchen and takin’ up room in my bed, I’d grab you in a minute.”

  Brace laughed aloud. “Well, I’ve been taken, Mrs. Johnson. Sorry to disappoint you. Hopefully, Miss Sarah will set a date right quick.”

  “I think I need to take the supplies back to the house,” Sarah choked out, thoroughly embarrassed by the attention they had drawn.

  “Have you thought about a date?” Mrs. Johnson asked, pursuing the idea like a dog with a bone.

  Sarah inhaled deeply. “A week Saturday.” She quietly spoke the words that would seal her fate. She glanced up at Brace, his mouth agape.

  “A week Saturday?” he repeated, then quickly gathered his senses. “Sounds like a good idea to me. I’ll talk to the minister today and see if he can manage it.”

  “I’ll guarantee it,” another voice chimed in. From several feet away the minister’s wife put in her two cents worth, and as far as the townsfolk were concerned, that cinched the matter.

  Sarah bit her tongue. She’d really done it this time. Her penchant for speaking before she thought had launched her into wedding plans almost before she had thoroughly digested the idea. This wasn’t at all the way she’d thought it would be arranged.

  Mr. Metcalfe leaned across the counter. “I’ve got some lovely dresses, ma’am. You come back without the groom and I’ll show them to you. We need to get you all gussied up for the wedding.”

  Blushing furiously, Sarah gathered what supplies she could in her arms and looked beseechingly at Brace. “I could use a hand,” she said.

  “You got the wagon here?” he asked, and at her nod he hoisted a box to one shoulder and then picked up the remaining box with his other arm. Someone opened the door for them as they left, and Sarah made her departure with haste.

  Brace loaded the supplies in the back of the wagon and hoisted Sarah up onto the seat. “I’ll follow you on my horse and carry things in for you,” he offered, and turned away before she could thwart his plan.

  The drive back to the house was short, and Sarah barely had time to sort out her thoughts before Brace’s horse was beside her near the back door. He dismounted and approached her with outstretched arms. “Let me help you,” he said, his eyes aglow with a light she recognized.

  Her hands clutched at his shoulders as he lifted her down, and he held her for a moment in midair, looking into her eyes with a strange expression.

  “What?” she asked quickly. “What’s wrong?”

  “Absolutely nothing,” he answered. “I just wish you’d chosen to accept me last night. Then I’d have been able to properly appreciate the occasion.”

  “Properly? How’s that?” she asked, her toes reaching for the ground.

  “Like this,” he said softly, lowering her to stand before him and sliding his arms to encircle her waist. He bent his head as she lifted hers and their lips met in a kiss that seemed oddly familiar and yet startlingly new. It was a possession she could not fault, for the man was to be her husband, and his embrace offered her a peek into the unknown world of marriage. Yet she was a novice at this game, and he seemed to expect much of her. She was floundering, with no notion of how to respond.

  His hands were touching her everywhere they could reach—from the nape of her neck to the fullness of her hips, from the width of her shoulders to her waist, then slipping around to the front of her dress, gliding carefully over the lush curves of her breasts as if he had already laid claim to the soft flesh beneath her clothing.

  “Brace?” Her voice was hushed, the tone filled with apprehension as she spoke his name.

  “Don’t worry, sweetheart,” he murmured. “I don’t expect anything from you now. Not until that ring is on your finger. Just a kiss or two will satisfy me today. But a week Saturday you can expect a revelation to take place in your life. You’ll be Mrs. Brace Caulfield, and I’ll make you mine.”

  “Don’t say that,” she protested. “That’s what Lester told Sierra. That he owned her, body and soul, and she must always bow to that fact.”

  “That’s not what I mean,” Brace told her. “I’m saying we’ll belong to each other as husband and wife, that my first thoughts will be for your happiness and well-being for the rest of my life. That you’ll belong to me in a way that defies description. We’ll
be as one person, one soul, with all the same wants and needs and expectations.”

  “I didn’t know you were so eloquent,” Sarah said, leaning against him fully. He was tall and strong and held her with arms that promised fulfillment of the words he spoke.

  Perhaps Sierra’s experience of marriage had been because of Lester’s foul behavior. Maybe this wouldn’t be the disaster Sarah had feared. Brace and Lester were nothing alike. It was not fair to tar Brace with the same brush, just because he was a man and was, no doubt, given to the same desires as other men.

  “I’ll make you happy, Sarah,” he promised, his mouth against her forehead. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you content. We’ll raise Stephen as our own. Whatever is involved in getting custody of the boy will be our first priority.”

  That cinched it. Sarah wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted her face fully to his. “You couldn’t have said anything to make me happier,” she told him. “Stephen is important to me.”

  “I know that.” Brace bent to kiss her again, and his lips claimed hers with a warmth and possessive need she responded to without hesitation. Even if the bedding that was to come was as Sierra had described, it would be worth it, she decided. Selfish as it sounded, even to her own hearing, anything that would gain her legal control over Stephen made this choice worthwhile.

  Brace hadn’t said he loved her. In fact, just the opposite. But there was, in the hidden depths of Sarah, a spark that threatened to burst into a flame. She was filled with the knowledge that this man was the right choice for her, that she loved him freely and without restraint. He was all that was good and honest and forthright. If he failed to love her, she could live with that lack. He liked her, he cared about her well-being and, best of all, he would be a good father to Stephen.

  After ten days, ten very busy, exciting days, the house began to fill early on that designated morning. Ladies from town, led by the minister’s wife, invaded Sarah’s kitchen, carrying bowls and platters laden with food.

  “I understand the wedding’s at noon,” Mrs. Johnson said importantly, as if she’d been gifted with that knowledge by the groom himself. And so she had, Sarah thought. For Brace had told her last night that to tell Mrs. Johnson something was to alert the whole town—at least the female half. Yet she was a most likable woman, and her joy at the forthcoming ceremony was genuine.

  Now the ladies bustled around her kitchen and dining room, laying out the pristine tablecloth Sarah had washed and ironed in preparation for this day. They unloaded silver and plates from the dresser and set the table, adding dishes from their own homes to complete the display. The stacks of plates were enormous, Sarah thought, and said as much.

  “Everyone in town will be here,” Mrs. Johnson answered, her words placid, as if it were a known fact that no one in Benning wanted to miss seeing their Brace wed.

  “Folks were talking about you living here,” she confided to Sarah, “but I let them know that there wasn’t any hanky-panky going on. I said you were a good girl, and Brace was simply biding his time till you gave in and married him.”

  “Thank you,” Sarah told her, and meant the words. That the people in Benning should think badly of Brace would wound her dreadfully, and she was thankful for the staunch support of some of the womenfolk.

  “Still, I’m glad you decided so quickly to make this thing legal,” Mrs. Johnson said.

  “He swept me off my feet,” Sarah told her, the words having meaning for the first time in her life. For indeed, the tall, dark man had literally taken her by storm, and she felt a sense of fate intervening in her life, so certain was she of his promises and the security she and Stephen would find here in this house with Brace Caulfield.

  “What every woman wants,” another lady said with a laugh. “A man who knows what he wants and knows how to get it.”

  “He’ll be getting it sooner than you can snap your fingers,” a third woman said with a knowing grin. “And I’ll warrant our Sarah will be well loved. Brace is a good man, and he’ll take care of her.”

  Sarah felt hot through and through. These women spoke so boldly, so knowingly, about intimate matters, and she was so much in the dark about such things that their words sounded almost like a foreign language. She simply knew that their predictions made her warm and flushed, and her hands rose in an attempt to conceal the blush that covered her cheeks.

  She’d chosen a white dress from the general store, with the help of several of the ladies who’d been out shopping that day. It was soft and frothy, with a full skirt swishing around her legs, and a bodice that sported a sweetheart neckline and embroidery on the sleeves. It fit her like a glove and made her feel like a bride, a fact that had finally come home to her as she dressed in her bedroom early in the day.

  Now, surrounded by the phalanx of supporters who by the merit of being womenfolk were thus firmly grouped together in this venture, she entered the parlor, where Brace and Stephen waited. The tall, youthful minister stood beside them, and with one long finger he beckoned Sarah forward to stand next to the two males who would make up her family, Stephen in place between Sarah and Brace.

  Mrs. Johnson, chosen as a witness, stood beside her, and Jamie took up his place next to Brace. The deputy was excited about his role in this endeavor, and his eyes shone with excitement.

  “You’ve got the ring, right?” Brace whispered loudly, and was obviously reassured by Jamie’s fervent reply.

  “It’s the only thing I’ve heard from you for three days. Nag, nag. Don’t lose the ring. Make sure you keep it on you all the time. Don’t let anything happen to it.”

  Around them, the menfolk laughed at the exchange, and Jamie turned to direct a glare at them. “You don’t know what a pain he’s been for the last week or so. Can’t get his head out of the clouds.”

  At that, someone began to clap, and soon the room resounded with the sound of hands offering their blessings on this union.

  The minister gathered his small cluster of participants together and opened his book of prayers. The ceremony was short but meaningful, and Sarah listened to the words as if they were pearls of wisdom coming from the young preacher’s mouth. She responded at the appropriate times and heard Brace’s deep voice tremble as he promised to love, honor and cherish her.

  He would keep his vow. She knew it from somewhere deep inside her, where all such important knowledge resides, where her own decision to marry the man had been made. And when the minister pronounced them man and wife and instructed Brace to kiss his bride, she was swept into his arms, almost crushing Stephen in the process, and offered a kiss that blended affection and respect and a touch of impatience, all in one. The crowd responded with shouts and clapping, then gathered around to offer their individual congratulations.

  “Are we really married now?” Stephen asked in an undertone.

  “We certainly are,” she replied, bending a bit to answer him.

  “I like being married, Aunt Sarah,” he confided. “I’m glad we chose Sheriff Caulfield.”

  Sarah was silent, her heart too full for words, aware that, were it not for Brace, she and Stephen would not have remained together to share this day.

  She couldn’t have asked for more, couldn’t have wished for a happier wedding, Sarah decided. And definitely could not have wanted a more handsome groom, or been more pleased with Stephen’s acceptance of the whole ceremony. He’d expressed his joy to her the night before, assuring her that Brace would be a fine choice, and hugging her with the full strength of his boyish arms. Barely showing signs of muscle, long and gangly, they had wrapped around her waist and he’d squeezed her tightly.

  “I sure love you, Aunt Sarah,” he’d said soberly. “Thank you for finding me a brand-new daddy, somebody who’s gonna love me.”

  She almost wept now as she watched the boy clinging to Brace’s hand, his eyes looking upward to the warmth showered on him by the man who’d become his hero. This alone made the whole thing worthwhile, Sarah decided. Having Stephen wit
h her was somehow fulfilling her debt to Sierra—not that she really owed her twin anything tangible, except for the acceptance of the tie that bound them together, even after death.

  Plates were filled and chairs occupied as the townspeople took their places all over the house. Sarah found herself on the stairs, Brace by her side, greeting a whole line of those who offered their best wishes and bestowed their blessings. Later she ate little, but was instead sustained by the joy of the moment.

  The ladies cleaned up the remains of the food, doling it out and leaving a generous supply for Sarah’s use, then joined their families for the walk home. Those who lived farther away had brought wagons, and laughing children piled into the backs as the community of friends took their leave, Sarah and Brace in the doorway to bid them farewell. She waved and smiled for long moments, then slumped against the man whose arm encircled her waist.

  “Tired, sweetheart?” he asked bending to her. His mouth brushed her cheek and she smiled.

  “A little. Just happy, mostly.”

  “Are you? Really?” he asked. “You don’t feel like you got talked into anything? I didn’t rush you too much?”

  She shook her head. “No. This is what I chose to do.” She looked up at him, her tone earnest as she confided her thoughts quietly. “You know, last night, when I helped Stephen get ready for bed, he thanked me for marrying you and giving him a new daddy.”

  Moisture glittered suspiciously in Brace’s eyes as he absorbed that statement. And then he swallowed and looked away. “I can’t tell you how much that means to me,” he said. “And how about you? Are you happy to be Mrs. Caulfield?”

  “More than you know,” Sarah told him.

  “I hope you’ll still be happy tomorrow,” he said, kissing her again, a chaste touch of his lips on her temple.