Rugged and Relentless (41 page)

“Home or husbands.” Braden started talking again. “You have to be protected, and either one will do. There aren’t any other options, and each one of you will need to make her choice.”

“They’ll choose their husbands in their own time, Lyman.” Creed’s snarl jerked Evie’s attention back to the man who blocked her path. “Marriage is for life, and, as you’ve so aptly illustrated, a woman can never be too careful about what sort of man she chooses to give her hand—or her heart—to.” Blue eyes, blazing with heat, stared into her own as he said this last, making Evie almost believe Creed urged her toward caution rather than reprimanded Braden for being unworthy of Cora.

Either way, she fought a sudden, strong urge to hug him. Or bake him a pie, which was just as good and far more proper. “Thank you.” She then rose on tiptoe to peer over Creed’s shoulder.

The man unbent enough to champion them about not rushing to the altar, but he showed no sign of moving.

“Braden Lyman, you’re no longer allowed to give any suggestions, offer any opinions, or make any demands regarding our safety,” Evie declared. “Of all the men in this town, you’ve demonstrated that you, who should care for us and cherish Cora, Lacey, and Naomi the very most, instead value us the least. We aren’t burdens to be given away.”

“That’s not what I—”

“Do. Not. Say. Another. Thing.” Creed spoke as though each word was a sentence, a proclamation unto itself.

Lyman obeyed.

“We’ve arranged for Mrs. Nash’s brother, Mr. Lawson, to move into the study below stairs. After last night, we all agree we’d feel safer with the added protection, and he’s the only male relative any of us boast in town.” She didn’t tell them to assuage their concerns, merely to inform them of the decisions they—the women—had already made. “With the babe so close to term, it’s wise to have him nearby in any case. These are the measures we’ve taken for our own security and to maintain propriety.”

“Why did you four …”

Evie didn’t listen to the rest. She spun on her heel and walked the few steps to where her sister still sat in her chair, shock freezing her in place. “Cora-mine”—she whispered the old nickname, the play on Coraline’s full name—“you’ll not be courted by the others. It’s too soon and wasn’t the plan.”

“No,” Lacey assured her. “We won’t put about word that your engagement has ended. No one need know. Creed won’t mention it, and if Braden does, he knows full well we’ll move Mrs. Nash and her brother to another house. He’s said more than enough, and it’s time he learned to keep his fool mouth shut.”

With that tirade, Evie knew she’d been right about the strength of the friendship shared among the four of them. Even though they’d faced Lacey in a sort of fight the very day before, she stood ready to deny her own brother for their sakes.

“There’s nothing for him or Creed to keep secret.” So strident were the words, Cora might have been marshaling troops. Or, perhaps, the formidable reserves of a woman’s strength. “I’ll not discuss it now beyond saying this: Braden can deny me as many times as he likes within the hearing of the four of you.” Here, she gave a nod to include Creed. “Because we know that the truth of the matter is the engagement stands.”

“Now, Cora,” Braden tried again. “See reason. You need to marry another man to be safe. It’s the only logical thing.”

“I’m nothing but logical, my love.” Bitter determination tinged the endearment. “You proposed, kept me to a long engagement, accepted my dowry, and invested it in this town.” She gave a strange laugh, ruefulness mixed with determination as she looked at her fiancé. “You didn’t think of that, did you, Braden? That I can sue you for breach of promise? That Lacey holds your estate and would support my suit?”

Evie sucked in a breath.
Lord, please don’t let my sister force a man to wed her. Please look after her tender heart, and don’t let her determination and the memories of the man who used to be her beau ruin her future. Please
…

“None of you thought of it, but I considered that this might happen. The other three placed an ad, Braden.” Now Cora drew a deep breath. “But I knew, if worse came to worst and you became bullheaded, I could always point out one unchangeable truth. Out of all of us, I’ve already hired my husband. … You.”

“Me?” Braden snorted, as much to keep the howl of despair jammed back in his throat as to sound amused. “I hope you realize how fortunate you are, Cora, that I’ve released you from a bad bargain without asking to see the bill of sale.”

Stubborn, brilliant, beautiful Cora. She waits for me to reclaim her, and when I refuse, she rolls up her sleeves and comes for me instead. God, grant me strength to keep pushing her away until she stops pulling me close
.

“Joke all you like.” She folded her hands in her lap. “But I’ve not released you from our bargain and have no intention of doing so. You might as well resign yourself to your fate and make a wise decision—for a refreshing change—to be pleasant about the situation.” The smile she gave him looked nothing like Cora. It looked like something with no heart wearing a tragic mask of Cora’s smile.

Braden wanted to throw it away and bring back the real thing.
But I can’t. Until she accepts that I’ve cast her aside and demand she weds another, she’ll never leave Hope Falls. Cora won’t be safe until they go back East. I have to make her believe. I have to make it even worse
.

“A man can’t be bought, darling. Everyone knows that.” Braden raised his arms and nestled the back of his head in his stacked palms, as though bored. “We’re too smart for such a practice. Men use commodities and make the most of them. We aren’t the goods to be made use of. The world runs on that truth, and the four of you need to accept it.”

Creed made a low warning sound deep in his throat, but Braden ignored him. Now wasn’t the time to explain the ploy to his odd ally. Now was the time to make sure it worked.

“You took my money; I took your hand. That’s an exchange of goods.” Cora pointed out the simple business. “That makes you a commodity I found to be worth a certain amount. Of course, you used to be far more pleasant, so it seems I made the common mistake of overpaying when I signed over my dowry. But all that is past, and we move onward.”

His sister and hers tried, unsuccessfully, to hide chuckles at Cora’s assessment that she’d overpaid. But it was no laughing matter.

Can’t they see it’s true? I’m no longer worth what I once was. No longer worthy of her
. “Such naïveté for a budding businesswoman.” Braden tsked. “It’s not a matter of whether or not my worth matched your dowry, little Cora. Dowries are merely incentives. You know what incentives are, don’t you?” He raised a brow.

“Lyman, I might let her sister get to you.” Creed breathed the threat.

Braden knew that his friend was letting him know where he was headed. And, more importantly, that it was despicable enough to be effective.
Good
.

“When the goods are not up to par or don’t match to the value
being exchanged, something is added to make them more desirable. It’s commonly accepted that women, in and of themselves, lack any particular value. Thus, the invention of the dowry to persuade men to part with their freedom. It helps even out the trade, so to speak. Your dowry was compensation for my sacrifice in taking you.” Braden twisted the knife.

“Is that so?” The travesty of a smile took on the fine gleam of a sharpened knife.

“You’ve seen enough of the world now to begin to understand.” He sliced away at every sweet memory they shared as he reduced their love to dollars and nonsense.

“I’m beginning to see that you admit you were compensated, and I’ll hold you to the job. Better yet, I’ve been learning to get the most for my money.” That sharp smile edged to the faces of the other three women as Cora spoke. “Since you seem so certain you’ll be unhappy with me as a wife, I see no reason we should both be miserable. So I’ll be happy. Which means you’ll have a lot of work to do to pass muster from here on out.”

“Cora, stop this.” It had gone on far enough. “Lacey will return your dowry, plus interest. You’re free to find another.” He managed to say the words without wincing and ruining it all.

“I know I could be free.” The smile vanished, leaving a grim, tight line in its place. “But you won’t be. I won’t accept my dowry in return, even if Lacey would give it to me. Which I’m certain she wouldn’t, as her heart is set on having me for a real sister. Isn’t that true, Lace?”

“Absolutely.” Lacey nodded. “It’d be a shame for Braden to lose everything he owns in a lawsuit over such a thing.”

“Send for the lawyer, Lace.” He wasn’t playing this game. “If I lose, I lose. But I’d rather lose my money than my life.”

Because that’s what will happen if anything happens to Cora while I’m trapped in this bed. She has to be safe. At any cost
.

     THIRTY     

I
t’s not worth it!” Lacey protested but knew she could only blame herself. Whether it was a matter of speaking before she thought or a simple case of packing everything she owned—and quite a few extra purchases to supplement her possessions before traveling west—Lacey Lyman created this entire mess.

And it looked like she’d have to unpack all of it. Today. For no good reason but a persistent need to make other people happy.
Or, at least, not unhappy with me
, she acknowledged. Unfortunately, that admission didn’t make her any happier with the task before her. And behind her. And in the next room over …

“It’s more than worth the effort.” Cora started to open a crate. “The rain won’t let up anytime soon, and we aren’t equipped to handle another day of so-called ‘courting weather.’”

“I’d thought yesterday couldn’t get any worse, after that confrontation with Braden.” Naomi’s mutter made Lacey wince and look at Cora, afraid of her friend’s reaction to the reminder.

“It didn’t.” Cora’s lips tightened. “But while Creed kept Braden alive, I accepted a few things. I expect Braden to adjust to his situation—proverbially lay in the bed of his own making. So I can do no less when it comes to my own circumstances.”

“You don’t have to stay with him.” Evie dropped a box with a satisfying thud. “Wait until you’re ready then find someone new. There’s no rush for you, sis, and you don’t deserve the way you’ve been treated. Leave Braden to his own miserable griping.”

“In any other case, I’d say my brother should get far worse than his own way.” Lacey unlatched a trunk and began rifling through paper-wrapped packages. “But this time, it’d serve him right to have things his own way. There is no greater punishment than losing Cora.”

“Yes, there is—being outwitted and trapped in the engagement. For me, I deserve the strain of hearing how little he wants me. He threw me over in the letter telling us he’d lived, but I dragged Evie out here with me anyway. I came for myself more than I came for Braden, and now I’ll pay for it.” Cora moved to the next pile. “I just plan to make him pay more.”

“Then you should have Mr. Riordan drag my brother’s bed in here so Braden can make himself useful. Make him dig through trunks and crates in search of a tiny little box of cribbage pegs.” Lacey shut the lid of the trunk she’d just searched. “Honestly, I never imagined being courted would take such work!”