Chapter Seventeen

Cora

When Cora woke the next morning, she was alone. A note from Nick sat on her bedside. He wrote that he’d woken up early and was in the barn. A warmth bloomed in her chest, both at the sweet note and the small sketch of a heart beside his name, and the memory of the prior night.

Her body felt sore. A faint streak on the sheets made her draw a sharp breath. It was to be expected, yet the sight of it filled her with the realization of a new chapter in her life. She was now, officially, Nick’s wife. For better or for worse. The way he’d looked at her last night as he cupped her face made her shiver with pleasure. His gaze burned with possessiveness and raw desire. She’d never imagined her husband might look at her in that way.

She dressed and looked in Justine’s room, but the girl wasn’t there. Cora went downstairs, checked the rooms, but found no one, so she set off for the barn, concern starting to enter her mind. The door was heavy, and she struggled to open the latch. After a moment, it opened. Henry appeared with a smile, wishing her a good morning.

Stepping inside, she took a moment to allow her eyes to adjust to the dim light. Before she could see properly, Nick wrapped his arm around her from behind and spun her around to receive his kiss. He set her down and grinned. She recovered from her shock, then turned back to scan the barn. Henry busied himself grooming a horse, and Justine sat on a chair, pointedly ignoring both her and Nick.

Nick turned her to face him. “Don’t you worry about Henry and Justine. I can kiss you whenever I want.”

She blushed and laughed. “All right.”

“Besides they’re too busy bickering to notice us.”

“They are?”

Justine scowled. “Silas lent me an old violin last night. I tried to play it this morning and Henry said it sounded like a dozen cats dying a slow death.”

Henry stopped brushing the horse and shook his head. “That’s not exactly right. She started playing and it sounded pretty bad. Then she asked Nick if the barn cat had her kittens yet. So, that’s when I said the momma cat was probably moving her kittens as far away as possible on account of Justine’s screeching.”

Cora stared in disbelief, not just at his teasing of Justine, but that he’d spoken so many words at once. Since his father had died, Henry had spent more nights in the small cabin than not. He’d coped with his father’s death and the departure of his younger siblings with a quiet, brooding melancholy. Nick responded by keeping the boy very busy.

Henry was part hired ranch hand and part newly-adopted family member. His teasing Justine was novel. It was also the first time she’d seen him smile.

Justine, on the other hand, glowered. “And you said it sounded like cats dying.”

Cora laughed, but put her hand to her mouth when Justine glared at her. “I’m sorry, Justine. I wish I could hear you play. I’d give anything to listen to you make music.”

Justine’s scowl softened. Cora noticed the small, dark case on the ground. She crossed the barn and knelt beside Justine. She ran her fingers over the case.

“My father played the piano,” she murmured. “Sometimes, I think I can still hear him.”

Justine set her hand on Cora’s shoulder. “I’ll play for you later. If you like.”

“I would like that, very much. If I can’t hear you, at least I can watch.”

“I’m not allowed to play in the barn. Nick made me put it away. He said it’s too dusty here and Silas wouldn’t want his violin to be played in a horse barn.” She directed another fierce look at Henry, but he’d resumed his work and appeared to ignore the girl. Cora noted the small tug at the corners of his mouth.

Cora smiled and rose. “I’ll make us some breakfast.”

Justine followed her back to the house and set her violin in her room. She came to the kitchen and made biscuits, while Cora made bacon and eggs. They worked side by side. Cora always cooked twice as much as she thought they’d eat, but with each meal, she understood more about the appetites of a man and two growing children.

When the meal was ready, Justine went to the back porch and rang the dinner bell to summon Henry and Nick. Over breakfast, Justine and Henry’s feuding resumed, when he asserted that she ate more than any girl he knew. Justine flushed and looked to Nick for help.

“Can’t you make him stop?”

Nick grinned and shook his head. He slathered butter on a steaming biscuit and winked at Cora. “Haven’t you noticed the color of Justine’s hair?”

“What about it?”

“She’s a redhead. Just like my lovely wife.”

“So?”

Justine’s expression softened. The hard look in her eyes gave way to a look of satisfaction and she nodded at Cora. A tacit understanding hung between them. It was a silly notion, that as redheads they shared a bond, but that was what had brought them together in the cold, Boston train station. Their shared trait held them together as they made their journey to Texas as their friendship deepened.

Cora’s breath caught in her throat. This unlikely group of people were her clan now. Family brought together not because of blood, or in the case of Justine, physical similarities, but because they cared for each other. Even Henry, who delighted in tormenting Justine, did so because he cared for the girl.

She sipped her tea, hiding her smile behind her teacup, as Nick counseled Henry on how to avoid the wrath of a redhead. Henry pretended to listen in earnest. Cora was certain he was simply planning more teasing comments.

After breakfast, Henry and Nick rode to the Tarrant ranch. Nick had offered to buy what was left of the herd and pay the boy for grazing rights. They set off to ride the property lines and do a rough accounting of the animals.

Justine began clearing the breakfast table, but Cora shooed her away.

“You helped cook. That’s enough. You may go back to your reading if you like.”

Cora tidied the kitchen, and set a roast in a low oven. Soon, the aroma wafted through the downstairs rooms. Nick offered to hire a cook and housekeeper for her, but Cora found she enjoyed preparing meals for her small family. Back in Boston, she’d learned to cook for herself out of necessity. She made meals that she ate alone. Enjoying food around a table filled with others felt entirely different.

Since she’d arrived, she’d cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom. She scoured the pots and pans. She’d arranged the utensils just so, and made lists of pantry items and supplies the family needed.

In the afternoon, she sat at Nick’s desk in his study and penned a quick letter to her brothers, telling them that she was safe and well and married in Texas. She hadn’t wanted to write them, but Nick insisted. Out of respect for his wishes, she told them how she’d undertaken the venture with the help of a bridal broker. She made no mention of her change in plans, or how she hadn’t married her intended, but a very different man.

She shuddered to think that she might have married David Tarrant. How different her life would be if Nick hadn’t found her. After she folded the letter for her brothers, she took out a fresh piece of paper and wrote a letter to Miss Petit. Cora didn’t want to alarm the woman, but felt she should explain how her circumstances had changed.

When she finished the two letters, she found Justine standing on the porch, playing the violin that Silas had lent her. Justine swayed as she drew the bow back and forth. Her eyes held a soft, unfocused look. She pressed her lips together with grim determination.

When Justine stopped and lowered the instrument, Cora clapped.

Justine smiled and bowed.

“We can order you some music,” Cora said.

“I’m not very good.”

“Don’t say that. I might not be able to hear you, but I can see how much you want to play. I would imagine in the beginning, that’s the most important thing.”

Justine nodded. “Maybe.”

“Go on. Play some more. Don’t let me keep you.”

Later that night, when she and Nick retired to their room, Cora spoke of Justine’s newfound interest. “It’s clear that Justine’s schooling has been more than adequate. Still, she’s only thirteen. I’d like to purchase books and music, and do what I can to help her with lessons.”

Nick unbuttoned his shirt, letting his gaze wander over her. “All right. Maybe you can do something for Henry too. Colter Canyon has a school, but it only goes up to fifth grade. If he’s going to manage a ranch, he’ll need to know his three Rs.”

Cora tugged her hairpins free. “I can see the two of them, sitting at the dining table, arguing over arithmetic.”

“Justine would argue with a haystack. She won’t let up about the litter the barn cat’s expecting, trying to talk me into a kitten.”

“Will you let her keep one?”

“Sure. That’s not the problem. She wants it to sleep at the foot of her bed.”

“Oh, dear. A cat in the house. I don’t know about that.”

Nick shook his head. “The other day she wandered the pasture, looking for baby rabbits.”

“Rabbits?”

“Henry had been going on about all the baby rabbits he’d seen hopping around.”

“He should stop telling her stories. We’ll go into her room and find her asleep, surrounded by Noah’s Ark.” Cora smiled as she slipped out of her clothes and into a gown. When she glanced up, she found Nick eyeing her as he came to her. He slipped his arms around her and pulled her against his chest. For a long moment, he did nothing more than hold her.

Gently, he cupped her chin and stroked her jaw with his thumb. “You’re a beauty, Cora. You’re the one I’ve always dreamed of. I love you with all my heart.”

She blushed and nodded. “I love you, too.”

With her hand resting on his chest, she felt the growl rumble beneath her palm.

His lips curved into a smile. “You’d better.”