Rebellious Bride (26 page)

“Don’t fret so over her, sir,” Jonathan said, mindful of Rolfe’s concern for his wife. “The baby will slow her down, and she is wise enough to limit her activities when necessary, with a little reminder from time to time.”

“This land and its customs are so different from ours—not that I find them objectionable,” he said with a weary smile. “It’s just that the West takes some getting used to.”

Jonathan gently mopped Susie’s brow with a cool cloth. “I find myself settling into the western way of life more comfortably each day. At first I took offense at some of their ways—barbaric, I thought—but the more I learn of the people, the more respect I have for them. I think your decision to build a cattle empire here was a wise one, and I am glad I accompanied you.”

Rolfe was pleased to hear about Jonathan’s contentment with his new home in Little and with its people. He had thought the transition would be difficult and had almost wondered if the manservant would stay. He attributed Jonathan’s adjustment to his own marriage to Lillian. So much had happened in so little time that he’d never really had a chance to feel homesick or to regret his decision.

Lillian had certainly seen to that and now... Well, now this was his home.

Lil stirred, her soft moan catching her husband’s attention again.

“Take her home, sir,” Jonathan said. “With all she has shown me, I can more than adequately care for Susie.”

Rolfe smiled. He had never heard Jonathan refer to a woman by her first name. But then, he supposed that sponging a naked woman down would allow for such an intimacy. “If you need Lillian, send a message to the house immediately.”

“Yes, sir,” Jonathan said and turned his attention to Susie, who was moving uncomfortably in the bed.

Rolfe helped his sleepy-eyed wife into her coat while she vehemently protested her desertion of her patient. It did little good. He escorted her out the door and into the buggy, the blast of cold air and the dusting of snowflakes on her face waking her to alertness.

“I’ve never left a patient while she was still feverish,” Lil complained, snuggling closer to her husband in the buggy.

“Jonathan is more than capable of caring for her. He listened to all your instructions and will not hesitate to summon you if necessary. What could you do for her that he isn’t already doing?”

Rolfe was right. The poultice had worked more quickly than she had expected. Susie’s chest sounded better, though her lungs were not yet completely clear, and her fever had abated. She actually could do no more than Jonathan was already doing—applying more poultices and continuing to sponge her down. And it was Christmas Eve.

“Will you help me trim the tree today?” she asked, slipping her arm through his and pressing herself against him. “I’ll let you have a gingerbread boy if you’ll help me finish baking the cookies.”

Her teasing delighted him, and for the first time in many years he looked forward to the holiday. “I’ll help on one condition.”

“What is it?” she asked, afraid he was about to restrict her holiday plans.

“That I get two gingerbread boys instead of one.”

Lil laughed and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. “Two it will be.

The tree was trimmed in its holiday finery. Pine cones nestled on its branches, sock angels peeked out from between its needles, white lace stars twinkled from their perches, and a string of cranberries and popcorn wound its way festively around the entire tree. Topping the grand display was an angel. Its satin robe was a bit worn from so many Christmas appearances, but it was cherished by the little girl who year after year had made sure that the Christmas angel, her mother’s favorite, graced the top of the tree.

Pine branches and fat white and red candles decorated the mantel, the thick scent of fresh pine filling the room. A fire crackled pleasantly in the hearth, casting a warm glow across the quiet scene. Gingerbread cookies gazed up from a plate on the table, their eyes wide in amazement as they stared at the two naked lovers entwined on the floor before the flickering flames.

Rolfe’s movements were intentionally slow. He eased in and out of Lillian, relishing every sensitive stroke. He held himself over her, watching her eyelids flutter, listening to her soft moans, feeling her hips rise to meet his.

He lowered himself with his next stroke and pressed his lips to hers. She reached out for more of him, but he lifted himself off her, his movement fluid, eliciting a gentle cry from her.

He lowered himself again, teasing her, only to withdraw shortly afterward. He continued his playful movements, driving them both to the brink of insanity, until Lil wrapped her arms around his neck, kissed him, and whispered that she would surely perish from his exquisite torture.

Rolfe’s smile was wicked when he announced, “We’ll perish together.”

And together they did, their names captured in a kiss as they felt the world tumble in around them.

Quiet descended on the room while their breathing returned to normal and their heartbeats slowed.

“Merry Christmas, dear wife,” Rolfe said slowly, sitting up and slipping his velvet robe over Lillian.

“It’s Christmas?” she asked, a big smile spreading across her face. She sat up, hurrying into the robe, and then crawled on all fours like a happy puppy toward the tree.

“What are you doing?” Rolfe asked, though he did enjoy the view his wife presented him.

“My gifts. I want to open my gifts. It’s Christmas,” she announced like a child who had waited too long for the special day to arrive.

Rolfe grinned as she struggled with a huge box, beautifully wrapped in holiday colors and trimmed with a giant red ribbon. He had known since its arrival, the week before, that it intrigued and tormented his wife. She had studied it often and though forbidden by him to touch it, he had caught her on occasion gently poking the package.

“Can I open it?” she asked her eyes wide with excitement.

“It is Christmas,” he said. “And you have been patient.”

‘‘That I have,’’ she agreed, a hint of mischief gleaming in her bright green eyes.

Rolfe found her excitement contagious, and his own enthusiasm soared. “Open it.”

Lil wasted no time. Her hands tore at the wrappings, after she had carefully removed the large ribbon, intending to save it as a keepsake. She shook the box open and rifled through the layers of tissue paper. She stopped abruptly when her hands touched plush velvet.

“Oh, Rolfe,” she said and grasped the garment, holding it as she stood. The burgundy velvet dress unfolded in front of her.

“I ordered it especially for you,” he said, pleased that the dress appeared as he had envisioned it, the deep wine color perfectly complementing her fair skin and fiery blond hair.

“‘Beautiful’ doesn’t begin to describe it,” Lil said, running her hand down along the softness of the full skirt and imagining how it would look on her.

Rolfe watched her admire the garment. The waist was slim, the neckline low, the sleeves long. It was a simple design, and one that would enhance her beauty.

“Where did you get it?” she questioned.

“I sent to New York,” he answered and held his hand up, preventing and already knowing her next question. “Susie recommended a seamstress well known for her talent.”

“I’ve never owned anything so beautiful.”

Rolfe took a deep breath and reached for a small box on the nearby table. “I have another gift for you,” he said, walking over to her.

She took the proffered box after draping the dress over her arm.

“Before you open it,” he said, his hand covering hers, “I meant this as a wedding gift, but I couldn’t seem to find the appropriate time to present it to you. I thought today would be most fitting.”

He released her hand, and with shaking hands Lil slowly opened it. Her breath caught, her eyes began to tear, and her hand reached down to touch the ruby and diamond necklace resting on a bed of white satin.

“It belonged to my grandmother,” he said, taking the velvet dress from her and carefully laying it over the box. “I loved that woman dearly and when she bequeathed it to me, I thought how it would take a very special woman to wear her necklace.”

Rolfe lifted the necklace from the box and stepped behind Lil. He slipped the robe from her shoulders, and with no tie to hold it at her slim waist, the robe fell to the carpet at her feet. Rolfe placed the necklace around her neck, the cool gems hugging her chest. “You see, my grandmother had a way about her, always speaking her own mind, always doing as she wished. My grandfather had a devil of a time with her.”

Lil patted the necklace. “Did he love her?”

“Very much,” Rolfe whispered.

“And did she love him?”

“Just as much.”

“Was their marriage arranged?”

Rolfe’s tender laugh caught Lil by surprise. “It was arranged, though I heard my grandmother had a heavy hand in the marriage contract.”

“She picked him.” Lil announced it as fact, as though the necklace had given her a peek at the tenacity of its original owner.

“That she did, and as she often told me, without doubt or regret. My grandfather presented this necklace to her on their wedding day as a symbol of his love.”

Lil turned around in his arms, her hand still covering the necklace. “Did you present it to Bea on your wedding day?”

“No,” Rolfe whispered before reaching down and stealing a kiss from her lips.

His words stole much more. They stole her heart. She wasn’t ready to admit it to him yet. She couldn’t tell him how she felt, how he made her feel, or what life with him meant to her. She wanted to make certain this was real and would last that he was the man of her dreams and that nothing could come between them. Not her work. Not her spirited nature. Not this untamed land.

She pulled away from his kiss and whispered the only words that could come close to declaring her love. “Make love to me.”

“With pleasure, Lady Sherborn,” Rolfe answered and lowered her to the carpet.

~~~

Christmas Day was a flurry of activities and snow. Jonathan insisted on remaining at Susie’s side. Her congestion was all but gone, and her fever had dropped considerably but still required a constant vigil to see that it remained so.

Holly arrived at the Sherborn house early, basket in hand, ready to help with the Christmas feast. Friends and neighbors dropped in throughout the day to wish Rolfe and Lil a happy holiday.

Doc arrived when the food had been spread on the table and a seat was quickly added for him. He insisted on offering a toast to Jonathan. He commended his diligence, his excellent care of Susie, and his thoughtfulness for staying with her so Lil could spend the day with her family and friends. Everyone heartily agreed with a resounding cheer.

Rolfe closed the door, after a final wave to Holly and Sam. He turned to his wife and smiled. “The last Christmas I remember having this much fun was when I was a young child.”

Lil tiptoed up to him and whispered as though imparting a secret. “It’s not over yet.” She took him by the hand and led him into the parlor and pushed him down to sit on the sofa.

“Lillian?”

She shushed him with a finger to her lips and bent down, reaching for something beneath the tree. Then she hurried over to him and plopped down on the floor beside his legs. “You didn’t open your present from Saint Nick.”

Rolfe watched as she placed a small box on his knee. The wrapping was plain, but a tiny sprig of pine decorated the top. He felt like a child, anxious and bewildered. He reached out, snatched the gift, and tore the paper, saving the sprig of pine.

His wide eyes betrayed his pleased surprise as he lifted a silver pocket watch from the box, its worn surface declaring its age.

“It belonged to my grandfather,” Lil told him. “My grandmother gave it to him on their tenth anniversary. My mother left it to me when she died.” And as if attuned to his doubts she added with a smile, “I wrapped it and left it at my father’s house, afraid you would peek at your gift and spoil my surprise.”

Rolfe’s throat tightened. “Are you sure about this, Lillian?”

Her decision to present him with such a treasured keepsake had been made easily, without an ounce of doubt. “Yes, Rolfe. I want you to have it. You’re my husband, the father of my child. It belongs to you and no one else.”

Words failed Rolfe, though not for lack of a response. His tongue held back what his heart urged him to openly admit. Their exchange of such cherished gifts meant much. Slowly they were feeling their way with each other, taking a step closer to conceding what their hearts already felt.

His hand caressed her face. His eyes held hers. His soft tone barely whispered above the crackling of the flames.

“Thank you, Lillian.”

Lil turned her face into the palm of his hand and kissed it, then laid her head on his leg. “It was a wonderful Christmas, wasn’t it?”

“Wonderful,” Rolfe agreed, stroking her silky hair.

Silence filled the room, and Rolfe’s thoughts drifted to the coming year. Life would quiet down now. With the baby on the way, he wouldn’t be surprised if their marriage took on a familiar and comfortable routine. All would go well. He had no doubts. None. Absolutely... well almost absolutely none.

“What made me think she would settle down? Tell me, Jonathan. Tell me how I could actually have harbored such an idiotic thought,” Rolfe said, pacing the entrance foyer.

Jonathan remained silent, understanding that Lord Sherborn expected no answer.

Rolfe’s pacing became more fretful. “I almost had myself convinced—no, ‘fooled’ was more like it—that Lillian would slow down. But has she?” Rolfe threw his hands up in the air. “No, she hasn’t. Spring is nearly over, bringing her delivery time closer, and where is she? She’s off delivering a baby—a baby—while she herself is heavy with child.”

Both men’s thoughts lingered on Rolfe’s last statement.

Lillian was not heavy with child. She was actually carrying her precious bundle quite well. Her shape had grown rounder, but not overly so. And her health couldn’t have been better. She seemed to have more energy than ever before.

“I was under the misconception that women slowed down during their confinement,” Rolfe said, stopping in front of Jonathan.