His Brother's Wife (12 page)

The very thought of it
made his chest ache. For the first time in months he woke not
dreading the day. Knowing he'd see her smile at him was enough to
make getting out of bed worth while and damn his soul if he didn't
enjoy looking at her.

He just wished trouble
didn't follow in her wake.

He wasn't sure when, but
he knew it was coming. When Jesse realized she wouldn't be marrying
him, all hell would break loose. The people in town would gossip
about her until they fabricated tales that would make her name a
legend in these parts and the fight with Ben would only fuel those
rumors. What Ben would do beyond this point was up for grabs too.
They'd had enough problems with the man as it was. This compounded
their troubles.

Rafe's blood surged
through his veins just thinking about it. Thinking of Ben daring to
lay a hand on his brother. To say something rude enough to make
Grace slap him for it.

The whole situation was
nerve wracking and he clenched his jaw to keep from yelling. Grace
shifted in the seat beside him and he glanced at her out of the
corner of his eye. Her knuckle was bleeding, scratches gleaming
like small beacons on the back of her hand and the sight angered
him like nothing had in months.

Starting a fight with Ben
had been stupid on her part, especially with all the trouble the
man was causing them but one thing remained unchanged. Idiotic
behavior or not, Grace Kingston was a problem he’d didn't mind
having.

* * * *

The setting sun turned the
sky into streaked shards of purple and indigo. It would have been
beautiful had Grace’s mood not been so black. Rafe sat beside her
all the way out of town with his back stiff, his eyes on the
horizon, and his jaw clenching every other minute.

Mad wasn’t how she would
describe him. From the looks of him, he was furious. What about
exactly, she wasn’t sure.

She cleared her throat,
smoothed her wrinkled skirt and repeated, “It wasn’t our fault,
Rafe.”

He didn’t even blink.
Grace stared at his profile, taking in the small laugh lines around
his eyes. A days worth of stubble lined his jaw and even smelling
like a horse barn, seeing him standing outside her cell at the jail
house, she’d wanted to weep.

The entire ordeal had been
vexing. Violence wasn’t something she was used to seeing, or being
involved with, and Rafe showing up had seemed like a godsend at the
time. Now, seeing the mood he was in, she wasn’t so
sure.

“It was his fault, Ben’s I
mean. He really is a foul man.” Still Rafe said nothing. Grace
frowned. “And Jesse was just defending me, is all. You shouldn’t
hold him responsible.”

When Rafe sat there
staring at the road, not even acknowledging her, Grace huffed out a
breath. “Well, aren’t you going to say anything?”

“No.”

At least he wasn’t
ignoring her. “That man insulted me, Rafe. He deserved everything
that happened to him.” Still, he stared ahead without saying a
word. “Please say something. Anything.”

He glanced at her and
said, “Fine. Be quiet.”

Grace pouted at his
dismissal. Long minutes ticked by before she sat back in the seat
and stared straight ahead.

The rest of the trip was
made in silence.

When they reached the
house, Rafe pulled the wagon up to the back door. He climbed down,
came around to help her down much in the same fashion as he’d
placed her in the wagon and started hauling the things from the
mercantile inside without a word. Grace followed behind him
quietly.

She lit the stove once
inside, throwing glances at Rafe as he carried in bags of flour and
sugar, boxes of canned vegetables and meats and never once looked
her way. When he was finished, he left, the back door slamming in
his wake.

From the kitchen window,
Grace watched him guide the mule and wagon to the barn. She turned
to find Jesse making his way through the kitchen and smiled at him.
“Are you all right, Jesse?”

“I’m fine.”

He didn’t seem to be in a
mood to talk to her either.

Frowning, Grace carried
her packages upstairs to her room and combed and re-pinned her
hair. She spent the next half hour preparing a light meal for them,
taking Jesse a plate to his room for him. She ate alone with a
single lamp glowing on the kitchen table.

Rafe hadn’t bothered to
come in.

She cleaned her dish and
covered Rafe’s plate with a towel, setting it in the oven to stay
warm before looking out the window toward the barn. A light glowed
behind the closed doors and she wondered what he was doing. He
couldn’t still be mad, could he?

Grabbing Jesse’s coat from
the peg by the door, she slipped it on and went outside. The air
was cool, the wind chilling her in an instant.

The doors on the barn were
heavier than they looked but with a few hard tugs, Grace was able
to open them enough to squeeze through. The light was dim inside
the building. It took several moments before her eyes adjusted and
she could see anything.

The barn looked like any
number of others she’d been in. It smelled much the same, too. The
animals were quiet and Grace could hear Rafe’s voice. He was
talking softly, or singing, she couldn’t tell.

She walked along the stalls, looking at the animals as she
passed them. When she reached the last stall, she found Rafe
spreading straw. He
was
singing and
either didn’t realize she was there or he was ignoring her. She’d
put money on the last. He was getting very good at pretending she
wasn’t there.

Clearing her throat, she
waited for him to acknowledge her. When he did nothing but grab
more straw, Grace said, “Are you going to spend the rest of your
life not speaking to me?”

“As if that would be
possible.” He turned his head to look at her. His face was in
shadow from the low light in the barn and his hat. “You aren’t
exactly the type of woman who lets a man not speak to her.” He
straightened and faced her. “What do you want?”

Grace opened her mouth to
answer but nothing came out. She wasn't sure why she’d come looking
for him except for the fact he hadn’t eaten. “I fixed you supper.
It’s getting cold.”

He raised an eyebrow at her. “You fixed me supper?” He
grinned and crossed his arms over the top of the pitchfork he was
holding. “You mean you fixed
Jesse
supper and
there was enough left over for me.”

Why did he sound so
bitter? Grace sighed. “You really are a bullheaded man, Rafe
Samuels.”

“And you’re a troublesome
piece of baggage a man could do without.”

For some reason, his quiet
statement stung. She still couldn’t see his face clearly and the
tone of his voice revealed nothing, but his words cut her more
deeply than they should have. She straightened her spine and
clasped her hands in front of her. “Your hospitality has not gone
unnoticed. If my presence here is such a nuisance, I’ll
go.”

He laughed. “Go where? You
have no money, remember?”

Grace shrugged her
shoulder. “I'm sure there are a number of men in Willow Creek that
are unmarried and looking for a wife.”

He stilled to the point
Grace wasn't even sure he was breathing. He stared at her for long
minutes, his gaze boring into her as an unreadable expression
crossed his face. He turned his back on her without saying a word,
lifting the pitchfork again before digging more of the straw
out.

“You don’t like me very
much, do you?”

“I don’t know you well
enough to form any kind of opinion of you, Grace. All I know is
what I see.”

“And what’s
that?”

He turned again and leaned
the tool against the wall before tugging at his gloves. “You’re
obviously someone who comes from money. Your clothes are too fine a
material to not have cost a small fortune. The way you talk tells
me you’ve had private schooling and your haughty manner… well, I’d
bet a years profits you’re used to ordering people around, not
being told what to do.” The smile on his face was smug and Grace
wanted to slap him just to wipe his knowing smirk away. “How close
did I get?”

“So the fact I come from
money is enough for you to dislike me, is that it?”

“Never said a thing about
not liking you, Grace.”

She ignored the soft lilt
to his voice when he said her name and the way her stomach seemed
to flip just hearing it. “No, but its obvious you
don’t.”

“And what makes you think
that?”

Grace lifted her chin a notch. “You can go hours, a full
day even, without speaking to me or looking in my direction, for
one. You’ve made up your mind about me by appearances alone and you
refuse to acknowledge me unless you have to.” He shrugged his
shoulder and leaned toward the railing, propping his shoulder on
the top board. “You are a pig headed, rude, rude man, Rafe Samuels,
and I don’t think I like
you
very much.” He
had the nerve to laugh at her. Grace definitely wanted to slap him
now. “I’d watch myself if I were you, Rafe. Ben Crowley laughed at
me too and we both know where that led us all.”

At the mention if Ben’s
name, the mirth vanished from Rafe’s eyes. He took a step toward
her and the look he cast her sent a shiver up her spine. “Stay away
from Ben, Grace. He isn’t someone you want to get involved
with.”

“I was trying to stay away
from him. He approached me. What was I to do? Walk
away?”

“Yes.”

“Being purposely rude to
the man was a bit uncalled for don’t you think?”

“No. This isn’t the big
city. Rules of etiquette don’t apply here. Besides, slapping the
man seems pretty damn rude in my book.”

“Oh, well in that case,
the next time someone implies I’m earning my keep around here by
warming your bed, I’ll just let them believe it's true. I mean
really, what harm can come from people thinking you’ve a whore
living under your roof.”

“None I can think
of.”

Grace gasped. “I beg your
pardon?” Her fists clenched as she straightened her spine. “You may
have no qualms about people thinking you’re shacking up with a
whore but I do! My reputation is in jeopardy as it is without the
townsfolk thinking the worst of me.”

“Why do you care what they
think?”

“Because I do! And so
should you. You’re responsible for Jesse whether he wants to
believe that or not and having people think the worst of his family
will be harmful to his well being.”

Rafe laughed and let
himself out of the stall, closing the door behind him. “Jesse could
care less what people think. If he did, he wouldn’t have sent off
for you.”

“What is that suppose to
mean?”

“It means, he knew people
were going to talk the minute you got into town but he didn’t care.
He ordered himself a bride and rode into town to collect her, the
town be damned. Unfortunately for us, instead of some meek woman no
one would remember, we got a ridiculous looking peacock with flame
colored feathers in her hat, strutting the town and accosting men
for insulting her. This isn’t Boston, Grace, and no one here gives
a damn about your sensitive feelings.”

Grace felt his hurtful
words like a slap to the face. She realized in that moment that he
really didn't fancy her at all. That made the whole ordeal more
vexing. His animosity was clear. Rafe Samuels didn't like her, just
as she'd thought. Her hopes of a future with him were dashed in an
instant. Her heart broke an moment later.

Her head pounded as blood
rushed past her ears, the back of her eyes burning as tears filled
her eyes, and she turned on her heel, presenting Rafe with her back
before leaving the barn.

“Damn it, Grace, I’m
sorry.”

Grace wanted to run to the
house but refused to let Rafe see how upset she was.

He was right on her heels,
his hurried steps following her across the yard. He grabbed her and
jerked her around to face him. Irritation still gnawed at her gut
and the moment she saw his face, she lashed out and slapped
him.

She had a moment of regret
at her actions before she remembered what he’d said and the urge to
slap him again was great. She refrained from fear of what he may
do. “You are a despicable man, Rafe Samuels. You’re mean-hearted,
loathsome and downright ornery. There’s no wonder Jesse can't stand
to be in the same room with you. Do you even think of anyone
besides yourself?”

“I said I was
sorry.”

“Well, that you are.” She
jerked from his grasp. “I’ll be leaving in the morning." She
ignored the shocked expression on his face. "I would hate to cause
you an instant more of worry or embarrass you in some way so I’ll
put my things by the bedroom door. You can pick them up there
unless you expect me to carry them down myself.” She blinked away
the tears in her eyes. "You can take me into town first thing in
the morning after I've told Jesse this marriage arrangement is
over."