Chapter Fifteen

Cora

It seemed a little untoward to plan a wedding reception within days of a neighbor’s funeral. The rest of the Travis family wouldn’t be deterred. Charlotte and Laura were a flurry of activity. By the time the day arrived, Justine had two new dresses, courtesy of Charlotte.

The girl even deigned to wear the simple muslin dress a few times for the supper meal. Justine was slight, and the dress accentuated her delicate frame. Cora could imagine Justine with long hair and growing into a lovely young woman. The notion filled her with happiness.

Henry joined them for evening meals several times, riding over in the late afternoon. It was clear that Nick enjoyed having a growing number at the dinner table. He insisted that Henry come to the wedding party.

“I’m not your family or anything,” Henry said.

“Right. I have to invite my two brothers, but I want to invite you. See the difference?”

While Cora didn’t possess the sewing skills that Charlotte had, she managed to alter some clothes for Henry. It seemed that everything the boy owned was frayed or threadbare. The evening of the festivities, Henry looked respectable in Nick’s old clothes, despite Cora’s mediocre handiwork.

Dinner was held in Seth and Laura’s home. Laura and Charlotte had prepared a fine meal and decorated the downstairs with ribbons and garlands of spring daisies. The festivities spilled out to the candlelit porch and terrace.

After dinner, Silas took out his violin and played. Though Cora could hear nothing, she saw how the music made people smile and sway gently as they listened. She took in the sight of happy faces, lit with soft candlelight. Seth and Laura, Will and Charlotte, sat at the table and talked about cattle drives with Nick.

She’d paid attention for a short while, as Will tried to convince Nick that a cattle drive was no place for a woman and child. Nick insisted that if she and Justine wanted to go, he’d watch them like a hawk. He wouldn’t let any harm befall them. They continued to argue as Cora watched some of the Travis ranch hands play horseshoes.

For a short while she watched the match, but her thoughts went to Justine. It had been a while since she’d caught a glimpse of the girl. Scanning the chairs lining the perimeter of the porch, she found Justine sitting near Silas. Cora let out a soft huff. She always felt just a little better when she got her eyes on the girl.

Justine gazed with a rapt expression on her angelic face. Sitting still as a statue, she kept her attention fixed on Silas. When he finished his song, he gestured for her to come near. She shook her head, but he wasn’t deterred. Slowly and with an awkward smile Cora had never seen, Justine approached Silas. He held out the violin, offering it to her, but she shook her head.

After a few moments of back and forth, Silas persuaded the girl to take the instrument. Justine took the violin and held it as if it were made of crystal. For some reason, this made Silas laugh. He leaned back, his belly shaking and slapped his thigh.

Cora couldn’t make out the conversation, but when Silas leaned forward, she was able to see him better.

“It won’t bite you, girl.” he said to Justine.

She smiled and after studying the instrument for a few moments, handed the violin back to him. Silas tucked it under his chin and began to play once more. Justine sat on a nearby chair and watched. Cora had never seen the girl so absorbed or transfixed. Her attention was utterly riveted on Silas.

Nick came to her side and took her hand. “May I have this dance, Mrs. Travis?”

She smiled, half-expecting him to tell her that he joked, but he tugged her to her feet.

“You don’t need to hear the music. Just follow me, Cora.”

He pulled her closer, setting his hand on her lower back, and keeping his gaze on her. She’d danced a hundred times before, but not once since she’d lost her hearing. No one but the two of them danced. A bloom of embarrassment burned inside her.

“I feel silly,” she murmured, looking away. “And I hate feeling silly. Everyone will know that I’m doing something I’m not capable of doing.”

He lifted her chin to direct her gaze back to his. “No one thinks you’re silly.”

“Do they know about me?”

“They do.”

Her face heated. “Because I made a mistake?”

“I told them.”

She let out a breath of relief. Her shoulders sank, and she smiled, feeling foolish.

“Why would anyone think you’re silly, Cora?”

A thousand and one reasons flooded her mind. There had been a time where she’d thought highly of herself, perhaps too highly. She’d been vain and foolish. Her world revolved around dresses and soirees. She lived to go out with her father and mother in the evenings, to see and be seen at all the elegant parties and theater events. The illness had snatched it all away and sometimes she felt the loss so keenly it was as if it had just happened.

He pressed her hand, awaiting an answer.

“First of all, I promised myself to a man I didn’t really know,” she said.

“He lied to you. That’s not your fault.”

She went on, undeterred. “And I hear nothing. I’ll never hear your voice. If we’re blessed with a child, I’ll never hear its cry.”

“There’s nothing silly about that.”

“It doesn’t seem to bother you.”

“And that’s what really troubles you, isn’t it?”

She nodded.

He smiled and tugged her deeper into his embrace. They danced, a two-step to the music she couldn’t hear. As they moved together, she began to feel the cadence.

“There you go, Cora. Now you’re in step with me.”

“One day, you might wish you had a wife that had all her faculties. One that wasn’t broken, or missing pieces of herself.”

He cupped her jaw and brushed a kiss across her lips. “Every day I’ll thank God for blessing me with a miracle.”

She shook her head.

“Don’t you argue with me, Cora. Your Boston boys might put up with a contrary female, but here in Texas, men don’t tolerate sass.”

Her face heated.

“And I expect you in my bed tonight.”

She gave him an innocent look. After one, single night in his bed, she’d retreated to her room.

“That story you gave me about Justine having bad dreams was nothing more than a bunch of hogwash. I know, because I asked her. She claims she hasn’t had a single nightmare since she came to Texas.”

Cora bit her lip, deciding it best to remain silent. Nick shook his head, his eyes darkened with desire.

“Tonight,” he said. “And every night after.” He stopped dancing, pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head.