His Brother's Wife (32 page)

Jesse's horse was still
saddled and he busied himself with removing it and putting the
animal back into his stall. He righted the grain bin, tried to
scoop as much of its spilled contents up as he could, and checked
on all the animals when he was finished, made sure they had food,
plenty of water, and then he stood there staring at nothing in
particular as the night wind whistled against the wooden
walls.

The terror hit him then.
The words the doctor said screaming inside his head. He couldn't
breathe suddenly and crossed to a bale of straw, sitting down
hard.

How had everything gone so
wrong? Jesse hated him more now than he had when he came back home.
Ben's claim of having the letter was still there, even though the
man couldn't produce the proof his pa signed the management of the
property over to him, and Grace…

He scrubbed his face with
both hands. Grace was the only thing that made the rest of his
crazy life make sense. If he lost her now…

Reaching into his pocket
he pulled the small silver ring he'd found in his mother's old
keepsake box out. The ring was modest, nothing fancy or valuable,
but it had a small blue stone that was almost the color of Grace's
eyes. He'd seen his mother wear it on many occasions. The old
keepsake once belonged to his grandmother, passed down to his
mother when she wed his pa. Giving it to Grace seemed right and
he'd planned on dong that before Jesse walked in on them. He'd been
willing to put his heart on the line one last time and look what
happened. He laughed bitterly. Just his luck.

Now, he wasn't so sure he
should. With Jesse's venom running so deep, he wondered what the
kid would do if he went ahead with his plans of marrying Grace.
Maybe they'd all be better off if he just let Jesse have his way.
Maybe he should leave. He'd solve a lot of problems if he
did.

The thought left a bad
taste in his mouth the moment he thought it. He was through running
from his problems and regardless of what Jesse thinks, he needed
him. Ben will walk right in and take everything their family had
worked for if he wasn't there.

And Grace would have to
marry another.

He sighed and stood,
pocketing the ring, and made sure the animals were all settled
before making his way back to the house. He could hear voices
coming from his room and waited another twenty minutes before
sticking his head in the door. The moment Grace turned to look at
him, the heaviness in his chest lifted.

She smiled, her eyes
sparkling as she gazed up at him. He realized then that she did
love him. It was there on her face, in the look in her eyes, and in
that smile she bestowed him with every day.

Grace loved him and he'd
be a fool to let her go. Jesse would hate him regardless so it made
little difference what he did. He gave Grace a smile of his own,
vowing to himself to do everything in his power to see she spent
her life happy. But first, he had to ask her to marry
him.

He just hoped Jesse didn't
do something stupid when he did.

Chapter Thirty

The moment Rafe smiled at
her, Jesse stood and stomped from the room. Grace sighed. "He'll
never forgive us, will he?"

"He'll forgive you." Rafe
crossed the room and sat in the chair by his bed. "Did he say
anything?"

"Plenty." Grace readjusted
the blankets. "He said he understands why I fell for you but once I
realized what kind of person you really were, I'd leave like all
the rest." Rafe raised an eyebrow at that but didn't comment. "But
he's wrong. I know what kind of man you are, Rafe
Samuels."

"Do you?" he asked, his
voice pitched low.

Grace raised her hand and
Rafe took it, kissing her palm before wrapping it tightly between
his own. "Yes. You're kind and loving, loyal and strong. Any woman
would be lucky to have you."

He looked at her, a
question in his eyes. Grace smiled and tightened her fingers around
his hand. "I'm lucky to have you." She stared him in the eye. "That
is if you still want me."

"Always."

He leaned down to kiss
her, a lingering brush of his lips that caused her heart to race
with anticipation. The tip of his tongue teased the seam of her
mouth and when she opened for him, the taste of him forced a moan
from her throat. "You're very good a this."

Rafe laughed. "You think
so?"

"Yes. I didn't believe
Jesse when he said you purposely set out to woo me just to prove a
point but with kisses like that, I'm beginning to
wonder."

He grinned and smoothed a
hand over the top of her head, mindful of the stitches the doctor
had put in. "How do you feel?"

"I'll be fine once
everyone stops asking me how I feel." The bruises on his face were
getting darker and Grace reached for his face. He flinched but
smiled when she looked at him. "Did you let Jesse do
this?"

"Maybe."

"Letting him hit you won't
erase his anger, Rafe."

"I know." He sighed. "What
do you suggest? I'm not sure taking him over my knee is the best
way to handle him."

"I haven't a clue," she
said. A door slammed upstairs and Grace stared up at the ceiling as
if she could see Jesse. "I can't stay here in your room." She
turned her gaze back to Rafe. "Jesse's upset enough as it is. If he
thinks you're in here with me all night, it'll only make things
more difficult."

"I'll sleep in the parlor
tonight. I don't want to move you yet."

Grace nodded, knowing he
wouldn't be swayed in his decision. He had that stubborn set to his
mouth. She'd seen it too often not to know it by now.

He grew quiet as if
thinking hard about something. He stared at her for long minutes
before leaning over to give her a soft kiss. "I'll let you get some
sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

Pulling the door shut when
he left, Grace stared into the darkness of his room contemplating
the things Jesse told her. His contempt for his brother was
something Grace wasn't sure would ever be healed. Jesse was hurt
and scared more than anything. Being left alone after his father
died with no one to take care of him had damaged him more than he
wanted to let on and he was taking that fear and anger out on Rafe.
Her being there, and the circumstances as they were, only
complicated matters.

Her heart felt heavy. As
much as she loved Rafe she couldn't be the cause of destroying what
little bond he and Jesse had.

She would have to try and
make Jesse understand her feelings or leave her heart on the
Samuels ranch and find another to marry. The idea caused her chest
to ache but she had little choice now.

Either Jesse came around
or a relationship with Rafe was doomed.

* * * *

Someone yelled loud enough
to wake the dead. Grace sat up and listened. Then sighed. Jesse's
voice boomed through the house again, followed by Rafe's. The
morning battle had begun.

Four days after the
accident in the barn and the two brother's were still at it. Jesse
couldn't seem to let it go and Rafe only let him scream at him for
so long before he started yelling back.

The usual topic of every
fight? Her.

Pushing the blankets away,
she stood, holding onto the bed post until she felt stable enough
to walk. The woozy-headed feeling she woke with most mornings
wasn't as bad today. She hoped it meant she was getting
better.

She grabbed her dressing
gown and slipped it on, tying the belt securely before making her
way to the door. The yelling grew louder as she ventured into the
hall.

They were at the foot of
the stairs and neither looked at her as she started down. When she
stopped on the bottom landing, Rafe finally saw her.

"You shouldn't have come
down those stairs alone, Grace."

Jesse pushed his way in
front of Rafe and scowled. "Stop telling her what to do, Rafe. She
don't have to listen to you."

Grace reached out to place
her hand on Jesse's shoulder to steady herself. "What's this all
about?"

Jesse snorted and rolled
his eyes in Rafe's direction. "Him still insisting I can't marry
you."

Grace's head started
throbbing the moment the words were out of his mouth. She looked to
Rafe, saw the frustration on his face and knew it was up to her to
make Jesse understand.

Looking the teen in the
eyes, Grace tightened the hold she had on his shoulder. "As much as
you don't want to hear it, Rafe is right. I can't marry you." Jesse
stiffened under her hand and her chest ached at the look on his
face. "I know you think this is the right thing for you but it
isn't right for me. I'm sorry, Jesse, but I won't marry you.
Ever."

His face turned red, his
eyes becoming glassy with unshed tears and when he turned to look
at Rafe, Grace knew something had shifted inside of him.

When he turned back to
face her, the anger in his gaze shocked her. He pulled away from
her, his eyes narrowed. "You don't want to marry me? Fine. Don't."
He blinked the tears away, his facial features hardening. "I want
you out of my house, Grace. If you won't marry me then I'll be
damned if you marry him." He threw a glare at Rafe before facing
her again. "You can just marry someone else in Willow Creek or go
back to Boston for all I care. I just want you gone."

He stomped off, leaving
Grace and Rafe staring at one another. The backdoor slammed and
Grace jumped, then closed her eyes. She didn't open them again
until Rafe touched her cheek.

She leaned into his touch.
"I didn't think he'd react this badly."

"It's not you, Grace. He's
mad at me. He has been since the day I came home." Rafe kissed her
on the forehead and lingered, his lips brushing her skin. "He's
just trying to hurt me, not you."

"I know but my being here
is only making the rift between you two larger." She looked up at
him and knew what had to be done. The pain in her chest ached
stronger just thinking about it.

She'd been nothing but a
constant sore spot between them since she arrived. Staying on was a
mistake. She knew that now. Her own selfishness is what made her
prolong her stay. Her wanting Rafe to the point she ignored Jesse's
feelings. She was ashamed of herself the moment she realized
it.

Blinking away tears, she
took a step back, out of Rafe's grasp. "I can't stay here, Rafe.
Not with him this angry."

His hands dropped to his
sides. "He'll be fine Grace. Just give him time."

She shook her head. "I
can't stand hearing you two fight knowing its my fault."

"We were fighting before
you ever stepped foot off that stagecoach in town. You leaving now
won't change that."

"No, but at least the
things you fight about won't be because of me."

They stood there for long
moments, neither saying a word. The backdoor opened and closed and
someone said, "Hello," startling them both.

Rafe left her by the
stairs. Grace heard him speaking to someone and a few moments later
he returned, the doctor, Evan Reid, in tow. She smiled at him when
he nodded his head at her. "Good morning, Doctor."

"Please, call me
Evan."

"All right," Grace said.
"Would you like some coffee?"

"No thank you." He lifted
the small black bag in his hand and smiled. "I was out this way and
thought I'd stop in and see how you were doing. You're well, I'm
assuming?"

Rafe turned and left
without a word and Grace watched him go. The tension in his
shoulders told her their conversation was far from over but for
Grace, it was. She knew what she had to do and as much as it killed
her to think it, it had to be done.

She looked at Evan, heard
Abigail and Sarah's voices in her head again as they told her to
hitch up with the doctor when he arrived in town and wondered if
she could leave Rafe, and the ranch, and ever be happy.

A small voice in the back
of her head asked if she had a choice in the matter.