Caleb Read online

  “Please, call me Lily.”

  Margaret looked from Caleb to Lily and gave them a tight smile. “Well, have a nice day.”

  Caleb tugged on the brim of his hat and they continued on their way. Lily glanced at him, but he looked perfectly normal. He didn’t behave as if he’d just made her day a whole lot brighter.

  The soft tinkle of a bell greeted them as they entered the mercantile. Lily headed directly to the stove and held her hands over the warmth.

  “Howdy, Caleb. I see you brought your wife with you again. How are you getting on, Mrs. Fraser?” Patience Farmer placed the duster she’d been using on the counter and joined them both at the stove.

  “Please call me Lily. Every time I hear ‘Mrs. Fraser’ I think of Caleb’s mother.”

  “I can sure understand that. And since all you boys married, it seems to me this town is flooded with Mrs. Frasers.”

  Lily took a quick peek at Caleb’s face, but if he’d been irritated by Mrs. Farmer’s reference to him and his brothers getting married rather unexpectedly, it didn’t show. What in heaven’s name had come over the man? Whatever it was, she was more than happy to bask in the glow of his change in attitude.

  “I imagine you’re right, Patience. There are sure a lot of them now.” He grinned and tugged off his gloves. “I could use a cup of that coffee. Can you fix a cup of tea for Lily? She’s not a coffee drinker.”

  “Well, I sure can. You both sit there and warm yourselves while I get the tea. Caleb, you know where the mugs are for your coffee. I guess your mama is excited about the new baby.”

  “Baby?” they both said.

  “Now don’t tell me you didn’t know that your brother, Gideon’s wife was pregnant before she married him?” She made a tsking sound. “Why, it’s all over town. Such a shame for the poor man to be stuck raising another man’s child.” She leaned in, almost giddy to be spreading bad news. “And Ruby was never married, you know. She lied about that.”

  The woman bustled away, speaking over her shoulder. “You just warm yourselves up at the stove and I’ll be right back with your tea.”

  Lily and Caleb glanced at each other, eyebrows raised. “Did you know she was expecting?” Caleb asked.

  Lily shook her head. “No. Ruby sort of stayed to herself, and she always wore a coat, so it’s not something I noticed.”

  Caleb swallowed that bit of news along with the cup of strong coffee. Gideon’s wife was pregnant when she arrived. Ruby had told them she was a widow, but according to Patience, she was not. He couldn’t help but wonder how his brother was dealing with the news of a child on the way and his wife being a fallen woman. The only time he’d spoken to Gideon since the weddings, had been when he saw fit to lecture him about Desiree. He really should go see him. They were brothers, and brothers supported each other.

  He watched Lily as she and Patience chatted away. Lily’s expressive face indicated her happiness at the opportunity to visit with another woman. A woman who was the town gossip but at least wasn’t trying to cozy up to him. The guilt at how unhappy Lily had been would have ripped him up if he hadn’t already started to correct that. It was actually sad that just a little bit of kindness on his part had meant so much to her.

  This morning when they’d awoken, he’d been pleased to see his wife plastered all over him. Until his erection reminded him that his cock had been out of service for quite a while. Almost a month of celibacy. A record, for sure.

  Hopefully, with them getting along better, and with him doing whatever it was he needed to do to have her trust him, that sad situation would be resolved soon.

  Nick Farmer, Patience’s husband, joined their little group by the stove. He took his ever present pipe out of his mouth and said, “You want to give me your list? I can get started on it while these women waste their time gossiping.”

  Caleb reached into his jacket pocket and produced the list he and Lily had worked on this morning before they left. “Here ya go. And Lily will be wanting to put some things on there for herself.”

  Lily stopped in mid-sentence to stare at him. “I will?”

  “Sure. I know women like all those scented soaps and lotions and things. Just pick out what you want.”

  Good Lord if her eyes weren’t watering again. Had she really seen him as that much of an ogre?

  Once Lily had chosen a few items and added them to the pile on the counter, Caleb again took her arm and addressed Nick. “Lily and I are headed to the hotel our noon dinner. My wagon is at the livery if you want to drive it back here and load the stuff.”

  “Sure thing, Caleb.”

  Lily never stopped talking as they strolled from the mercantile to the hotel, passing other shoppers on the boardwalk. He merely nodded at some folks, and stopped to introduce her to others. Each time he made sure the person knew he was happy to have a wife. In fact, with the way things were going this morning, he had started to believe it himself.

  His wife was a pretty woman, with a sparkling personality. In the short walk, he’d discovered that people seemed to take a liking to Lily right away. Her eyes were bright, she couldn’t seem to stop smiling.

  And he felt like a worm.

  It sure hadn’t taken much to make her happy. This was how he was used to women responding. Thoughts of her thanking him in various naughty ways crossed his mind. He tamped down those visions. First he had to gain her trust. What he was doing so far seemed to be working.

  They took seats at a small table near the front window of the dining room. Caleb groaned inwardly when Nancy Fuller sashayed out of the kitchen and headed to their table. “Hi Caleb. There’s a nasty rumor going round town that you got married. I know that can’t possibly be true.” She gave him her familiar sweet smile.

  Goddamn, was Lily invisible? Didn’t Nancy see her sitting right here next to him? Now he was starting to get mad at the behavior of these women. You would think with the men outnumbering the women in Colorado that there wouldn’t be so many single ones in Angel Springs. A lot of the women supported themselves with jobs in town since the men all worked the ranches, so he guessed they could be fussy about whom they married.

  Funny how he never questioned that before. Just took the availability of all the females as a boon.

  “Yes, I did. I’d like to introduce my wife, Lily.”

  Based on the look Nancy gave them, meeting Lily was no surprise. She’d known he was married all along. “And here I thought you were saving yourself for me.” She gave a little pout.

  “We’d like to order dinner.” He gave her his best smile, but she obviously didn’t care for his refusal to acknowledge her statement.

  “What do you want?” She sighed and pulled out a small pad and pencil.

  “I’ll have the steak.” He turned to Lily who stared at the menu. “What do you want, honey?”

  Nancy placed her hand on her hip. “The fried chicken is good.”

  “Not as good as Lily’s,” Caleb said.

  Biting her lips to keep from smiling, Lily said, “I’ll take the steak, too.”

  Nancy grabbed the menus. “Be right up.”

  Lily folded her hands in her lap. “Caleb, what are you doing?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Not that I’m unhappy, but you seem very different from the last time we were in town.”

  Indeed he was very different. He’d found as the morning went on, he was proud to introduce Lily. He saw the looks in the men’s eyes when they strolled the boardwalk. She was a fine looking woman. If he had to spend the rest of his life with only one, it helped that she was a looker.

  But that wasn’t the only appeal Lily held. Once she relaxed, he found her funny, smart, and curious. She’d asked him questions about his childhood all the way on the trip to town. She was interested in what Patience Farmer told her about the town and its people, and enjoyed all the little tidbits he’d added as they passed the stores. Who owned what, and any gossip he knew the ladies enjoyed.

  Could it be p
ossible that his decision to begin to act like the gentleman he’d always believed himself to be had been the only thing necessary to make her happy? He thought back to their arguments and realized they’d all stemmed from Lily not feeling wanted.

  Well, truth be known, she hadn’t been wanted. But he certainly hadn’t helped by letting her know that. “I meant it when I said we should start over. I don’t like fighting all the time.”

  “Me neither.”

  He placed his hand over hers. “Good.”

  Nancy stood behind them and cleared her throat. “I have your meal.” She slammed the plates down on the table. Lily and Caleb grinned at each other, then tucked into their food.

  They finished off their dinner with chocolate ice cream, a real treat. As they left the dining room, Caleb steered her toward the front desk in the hotel.

  “Hey, Caleb. Is this the new missus?” Thomas Bartle, who’d manned the desk for as long as Caleb could remember shifted a wad of tobacco from one side of his mouth to the other.

  “Lily, I’d like you to meet Thomas Bartle.”

  “How do you do, Mrs. Fraser? Leave it to Caleb to get a fine looking woman like yourself.” Thomas grinned at Lily, then turned his attention to Caleb. “So whatcha gonna do about all them ladies you’ve been courtin’? Lots of broken hearts out there.”

  Feeling her tense, Caleb placed his hand over Lily’s hand resting on his forearm. “Those days are over, Thomas. Got a wife now.”

  “Well, good for you, son. I wish you both the best. You should bring the missus to the dance at the Grange Hall this Saturday. Gonna have a different fiddler. Someone new to town. I hear tell he’ll keep your toes tapping”

  He looked at Lily. “Would you want to go to the dance?”

  “Oh, I would love to. I haven’t danced in ages.”

  “Then we will see you Saturday night, Thomas.” He snapped his fingers. “I wonder if you can do me a favor?”

  “Sure. Want a room?” He grinned and winked. Lily’s gasp had Caleb thinking of all the pleasurable things they could do to each other in that room. Not yet.

  “No. We’re headed back to the ranch. Do you have an envelope?”

  “Sure.” Thomas fumbled under the desk, and after shuffling a few things around, produced a wrinkled envelope. “Here ya go.”

  Caleb reached into his pocket and pulled out Desiree’s necklace. He dropped it into the envelope, licked the edge and sealed it. Handing it to Thomas, he said, “Can you see that Desiree at the saloon gets this? I know she comes in to eat once in a while.”

  “Sure enough.” He took the envelope and placed it under the counter. “I expect her in tonight, as a matter of fact. She always comes in when the dining room special is fried chicken.”

  “Thanks.” Caleb tugged on the brim of his hat and placed his hand on Lily’s lower back, directing her toward the door.

  Once they stepped outside, she stopped and looked up at him. “Thank you. You’ve made this a wonderful day for me.”

  He touched her soft cheek. “You’re welcome.” He kissed her gently on her forehead. “Let’s go home, Mrs. Fraser.”

  She nodded and swiped her eyes.

  Lord above, she was crying again.

  Chapter Twelve

  Lily took one last look in the mirror and twirled around, pleased at how her skirt billowed out, showing the lace of her new petticoat. The garment was also new, she’d sewn it in only three days, devoting all her time to the task, except for the normal household chores she had to perform to keep the house tidy and Caleb fed.

  The yellow flowered calico fabric she’d brought with her had turned into a lovely dress. The long sleeves puffed out at the top, then fit snugly against her arms before ending at her wrists. Lace edged the cuffs, the hem, and the bodice. After pinning her mother’s brooch at her neck, she swept her hair up with two fancy combs, and let the mass of curls cascade down her back. She was pleased with what she saw in the mirror.

  Despite her objections, Caleb had returned to work, but only put in a few hours a day. Their undeclared truce between them had continued since their return to town. Peace reigned in the Fraser household and Lily found a great deal of enjoyment in falling asleep and waking up in Caleb’s strong arms. He hadn’t pushed her to have sex, but his kisses were becoming more demanding

  She would have felt more comfortable allowing him to proceed further except for the conversation they’d had at bedtime the night they’d returned from town.

  Nestled in Caleb’s arms, he drew circles on her shoulders as he spoke. “As much as Gideon irritates me with his annoying habit of constantly pointing out my faults, I do have sympathy for the wife he got stuck with.”

  She stilled and asked, “What do you mean?”

  “Well, according to what Patience said, and she is the town’s biggest gossip, Ruby was not a widow.”

  Lily looked up at him. “Does that matter?”

  “It does since she’s got a baby in her belly. Who knows how many men she’s been with?”

  She eased herself out of his arms and sat up. “You assume because she’s pregnant that she has been with a lot of men? Maybe she loved one man and he died, or abandoned her.”

  Caleb snorted. “Doesn’t matter. No man wants another man’s leftovers for a wife.”

  If only Ruby’s reputation were at stake, she would pursue it, but since she had her own secret, she let it drop. If they continued this conversation, she might blurt out what she wanted to hold close until she felt Caleb cared enough for her that he wouldn’t toss her out. But her heart pounded as she nestled back into his embrace.

  It was several hours before she’d fallen asleep.

  Pushing that to the back of her mind, she left the bedroom and came to a complete stop. Caleb stood there, one knee slightly bent, his hands on his slim hips. He was dressed in new denims, a white shirt, black leather vest, a string tie, and dress boots. His hair was still damp from his bath, with the perpetual locks falling over his forehead. He gave her that slow, lazy smile that did amazing things to her insides and wreaked havoc with her breathing.

  “Well don’t you look pretty,” he said as he extended his hand.

  “You clean up pretty well, yourself, cowboy.” She took his outstretched hand and he tugged her close. “I know you’re looking forward to this dance, but if you wanted to skip it and find other ways to entertain ourselves we can. Another game of strip chess comes to mind.”

  A burst of heat flooded her body, making the room seem unusually hot. Lord, but she wanted to drag him into the bedroom and set up the chess board. Her clothes felt unbearably tight and her nipples had swollen to rock hard pebbles.

  He looked down at her chest and chuckled.

  She managed to find her voice. “No. I really prefer to go to the dance.” She licked her dry lips.

  He winked and held out his arm. “Whatever the lady wants.”

  The sound of lively music greeted them a good block away from the Grange Hall. Numerous wagons and buggies parked scattered outside the long, flat building. Lily’s stomach fluttered with excitement. It had been months since she attended a dance. Fred hadn’t liked dances, was willing to escort her to church picnics, lectures, and such, but rarely did she get him to take her to a dance.

  She huffed. He always used his mama as an excuse. Said he didn’t want to leave her alone in the evenings. Honestly, when she thought of their time together—wasted time as far as she was concerned—she wanted to kick herself for being so amiable. Had she made some demands on the man, she might have discovered his true nature sooner.

  Caleb hopped down and reached for her. This time he didn’t wince when he swung her to the ground. Hand-in-hand they entered the building. The noise grew even louder. Several couples twirled around the dance floor to the music of two fiddlers. A large table had been set up against the wall with plates of cookies, cakes, and pies, along with several punch bowls.

  It didn’t take too much effort to figure out which one held the
spirits. The men gathered around one particular punch bowl, joking and laughing, and dipping their cups. A few ladies sat on chairs against one wall, looking expectantly at the crowd, most likely anxious for a dance partner.

  Before they took more than a few steps the woman they’d met in the street the first time they went to town walked up to them, a smirk on her face as she eyed Lily. Dismissing her as unimportant, she turned to Caleb. “I saved the first waltz for you.”

  “Good evening, Bonnie. I’m afraid my wife has already claimed that dance.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Very well, I’ll take the second waltz.”

  Caleb rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, you see, Bonnie, this is how it is. Lily is my wife. I brought her to this dance, and plan to dance only with her.”

  Bonnie’s jaw dropped. “Surely you’re joking? Caleb Fraser will only dance with one woman?”

  “Yep.” He wrapped his arm around Lily. “Now if you will excuse us, I see my brother across the room, and would like to speak with him.”

  Lily wanted nothing more than to kiss him silly in front of all these town folks. Lord, he’d meant it when he said he wanted to start over. She glanced sideways at him as they made their way across the room.

  And realized she’d fallen in love with her husband.

  Caleb chuckled to himself as they headed toward Gideon and a very pregnant Ruby. The look on Bonnie’s face had been hilarious. The one on his wife’s face made him want to hustle her back into the wagon and head for home. There had to be some reward for offending ladies he’d been quite fond of at one time.

  As they reached the other end of the room, he slapped Gideon on the back and nodded at Ruby. “Nice to see you here.”

  “I don’t know that we’ll stay long. Ruby gets tired easy.”

  Well, apparently Gideon had no intention of hiding his wife’s pregnancy. Brought it all out, right there to his face. He admired his brother, but grew uncomfortable knowing that Ruby had lied to them all about being a widow. But, as a preacher, Gideon most likely ‘turned the other cheek’ and forgave her. He was a better man than him. He wouldn’t like the fact that some other man had been there first.