Maybe Ridge did too, and would make her a fool for trusting so quickly. Yet believing in something seemed better than this yawning, lifeless hole inside that tried to swallow her.
After several beats of silence, Ridge cleared his throat. Shadows filled his eyes. “I don’t know what you expect of me. Hell, I don’t even know what to expect myself. But I vow never to raise my hand to you in anger. Our marriage will be one based on respect, not fear.”
She nodded but wished with all her heart she could unlock her words and tell him that she could take anything, as long as he didn’t hurt her.
But of course, she just stood there like some mute.
“I’m sure you have a lot of questions. I built a house for you just outside of town. I hope I thought of everything, but if you need something else, I’ll get it. I’d like to take you there after you’ve rested and we’ve discussed the wedding plans. Would you like that?”
Her nod brought a gentle smile to his face that revealed a flash of white teeth. Josie was right—he was handsome. She’d be tongue-tied too, if she could remember how to form words in the first place.
Ridge sauntered toward the door, his gait loose and easy. “You don’t seem to recall, but we’ve met once before—in Fort Worth. It was dark, though, and you were having quite a tussle with a drunk bent on spending time with you.” He swung around with a teasing grin. “I’d like some advice about where to best wallop a person with a shoe for maximum damage.”
Surprise swept through her. She studied him, wracking her brain. The mention of the shoe jogged her memory. When she’d gotten off the train, she’d gone the wrong direction and wound up on that dark street in the clutches of that disgusting drunk.
So Ridge had been her savior. He’d handled the inebriated fool with ease.
She covered the space between them and reached for the paper and pencil on the table. She wrote: “Thank you for coming along and freeing me from that wretch’s hands. He terrified me.”
“You certainly didn’t look scared. Just mad as a soaked cat.”
“Looks are often deceiving. What were you doing in Fort Worth?”
“Picking up schoolbooks for the teacher. The freight haulers are on strike and we had no other way to get them here.”
Images of her old one-room school crossed her mind. She’d loved being a teacher. Until…
She grabbed hold of the table, her legs wobbly.
Ridge steadied her. “Anything wrong?”
“I’m just a little tired.”
“Then I’ll leave you to rest. Josie will come get you soon.” He gently kissed her cheek and left.
Adeline stood rooted to the spot, her hand covering the place his lips had lightly pressed. Tears gathered in her eyes. Twenty years old and no one had ever kissed her before—not on the cheek, or hand, or lips.
The sensation of his warm mouth on her skin would be enough for a whole new type of dream.
Ridge Steele had made a contract with her, and he seemed a man committed to keeping his word. Still, she’d watch him carefully. Some men lied. Tomorrow she would stand at his side and become his wife, and she’d brave every bit of adversity thereafter planted next to him—come rain, come shine, or come the hereafter.
Because that’s what a good woman did. God so help her, she wouldn’t let others ever define her again. Despite being locked away, she was decent and good.
* * *
Midafternoon, Ridge sat with Adeline in the hotel lobby. Luke and Josie joined their conversation, and he was grateful for their help because he didn’t know beans about weddings. Or, more importantly, silent brides.
Adeline sat with eyes lowered, hands clutched in her lap. He admired the curve of her delicate jaw, the sweep of her dark lashes, and a determined tilt to her chin. Despite her silence, timid was not a word he’d use to describe her. Adeline Jancy had strength.
After a little small talk with Josie and Luke, Ridge turned to his prospective bride. “This is your wedding, Adeline. What do you want? Would you like it in the church?”
Panic crossed her green eyes. She gave him a definite shake of her head. No.
“All right. The church is out, and frankly I’m relieved. We’re not formal people.”
“Ridge, how about up on the bluff overlooking the town?” Luke suggested. “Quite a few marriages have happened up there, and it’s a beautiful spot.”
Hope formed on Adeline’s pretty features, and she nodded.
“All right, the bluff it is. Noon tomorrow?”
Adeline agreed.
So far so good. A list formed in Ridge’s head. Find a wedding ring. Dig out his best suit. Polish his boots. “I’ll make arrangements with Brother Paul.”
Another question—this one quite delicate—would require some stealth. When they rose, Ridge pulled Josie aside. “Does Adeline have a dress? The small trunk I carried up to her room wasn’t large enough to hold much more than a few changes of clothes.”
“Relax. This isn’t our first wedding to see to.” Her furious whisper told Ridge she was offended at the notion that she and Luke would let Adeline be embarrassed. “Luke and I bought her a dress. It’s in our room.”
“How was I to know that?”
“We’ve overseen how many marriages in this town?”
“Quite a few I suppose.”
“And how many brides appeared without a dress?”
Ridge frowned, a little perturbed by her tone. “None.”
Josie’s eyes narrowed. “I rest my case.”
“I apologize, Miss Josie. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with my bride.” He hurried to put Luke between them. Josie should’ve been the outlaw, he thought sourly.
Soon he and Adeline were in a borrowed buggy and riding between the cliffs out to where three homes dotted the prairie beyond. They were spaced wide, room for more between them in the future. “Town was getting overcrowded, so some of us built out here. I predict more will come.”
During the short drive, he told her about the twenty acres of land he’d staked out around their place.
“It’s not much to look at right now, but next year I plan to plant fruit trees. Peaches grow pretty well here, and we can have a garden. I dug a well on our property, and the water is sweet.” He glanced at her and found her green eyes dancing, a smile on her lips. Happiness filled him that she was satisfied with such pitiful offerings.
Adeline grabbed her paper and pencil lying on the seat and scribbled. “Can I have a cow and some chickens?”