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  He let her body slide all along his as he slowly lowered her to the ground. She couldn’t believe he would be so forward in a public place. “Max!” She looked around to see if anyone had noticed, but no one seemed to be watching them.

  He grinned at her impishly, picking up her carpet bag and carrying it inside for her. “Will you need your trunks tonight, or will this be enough?”

  She nodded to the bag. “I made certain everything I would need was in there.” There wasn’t much she’d need in the next twenty-four hours, so the small bag would be more than enough. There were three trunks in the back of his wagon, though.

  His lips dropped to her ear as he whispered, “Including your wedding dress?”

  She nodded. “Yes, it’s in there.” She hadn’t chosen a pretty white dress and veil for this wedding as she had for her first. She wanted everything to be as different from her first marriage as it could possibly be.

  He took her to the front desk and helped her check in before turning to her. “I will be here to escort you to dinner at six. Will you be ready?” He eyed her skeptically as if he had experience with women who weren’t on time.

  She nodded, noting that it was three in the afternoon according to the clock on the wall. “That sounds perfect.” She would have time to bathe away the grime from travel and dress in one of the two dresses in her carpet bag. “I’ll see you then.” She was thankful to have so much time to herself to get ready for her first real outing with him.

  Max leaned down and kissed her cheek, his lips lingering just a hair too long to be proper. “I’ll hold my breath until I see you again.”

  Harriett grinned as she walked toward the stairs, frowning as she started to climb them. Max had assured her they would have a room on the first floor of his home when she’d explained about her leg injury. Of course she hadn’t told him how the injury had occurred simply that she had fallen down a flight of stairs. She didn’t add that her husband had pushed her.

  The bellboy let her into her room and she requested a hot bath be brought up. He hurried away, saying he would take care of it immediately.

  She pulled the two dresses out of her bag and hung them up carefully. She didn’t want them covered in wrinkles when it was time to wear them. After she’d hung them she sat on the edge of the bed for a moment. Max had been everything she’d hoped for, but different than what she’d expected. Somehow she’d expected a smaller man that she would feel more comfortable with, but Max was huge. He had long arms and legs covered in muscles and a thick neck. It was obviously from hard physical work every day.

  She wasn’t sure why she’d expected Max to be as proper about everything as Arthur had always been, but he was as different from her dead husband as a man could be. Arthur had never kissed her on the cheek in front of people, let alone rubbed her entire body against his.

  She blushed, even though she was all alone in her hotel room. She had enjoyed the feel of Max’s body against hers. She had been surprised by the spark of pleasure that had shot through her at his touch. And her cheek was still tingling from where he’d kissed her earlier. How would she react when he actually kissed her good night? And would he be angry if she responded to his kisses?

  Arthur had never wanted her to respond to him. The one time she’d kissed him back, he’d used his belt on her bare back, telling her she was acting like a whore and she needed to be modest.

  She bathed quickly and brushed her waist-length hair dry before slipping into the bed and taking a quick nap. She hadn’t slept well at all on the train, whether from the constant motion or worrying about meeting Max she didn’t know.

  When she woke it was five minutes before six and she rushed as fast as she could to be ready. Arthur beat her when she wasn’t ready on time, and in the back of her mind she was afraid Max would do the same thing. She had to be ready. After a moment she deliberately slowed down. She didn’t want to be late to meet Max, but she needed to prove to herself he was a different man from her late husband before she married him.

  She didn’t leave her room until ten after six, moving slowly down the stairs, her leg stiffer than it had been in years. She was halfway down the stairs when she caught sight of Max, leaning against the front desk watching for her. She searched his face for signs of anger, but saw nothing.

  When he saw her stiff movements, he took the stairs two at a time and swept her up into his strong arms. He hadn’t been joking about the amount of work he did in his lumber camp. His arms were steel bands around her as he carried her down the last of the stairs and set her on her feet. “Your leg is hurting you. Are you sure you want to go to dinner?”

  She smiled, grateful that he wasn’t angry she was late and was instead concerned about her. “Moving around will make my leg feel better. It’s only this bad because I wasn’t able to stretch it as much as I should have on the train.”

  “If it hurts too much, just let me know. I can carry you.”

  She blushed. “It’s not proper for you to carry a woman you’re not married to.” She couldn’t let go of her ideas of propriety, even though they were much different in the West and he didn’t seem to mind.

  “I don’t much care about propriety. You’ll find few people who do out here. It’s a different place than back East.”

  She took the arm he offered her and walked along slowly beside him toward the restaurant next door to the hotel. “Thank you for helping me back there.” She had never imagined she would thank a man for picking her up and carrying her in public.

  He smiled and nodded. “I couldn’t let you be in pain when I could help you.” He stared down at her as they walked. “You’re more beautiful than I expected.”

  She blushed. “Thank you.” She looked up at him. She had really expected a plain looking man, and although not handsome, Max’s strong features and rugged looks were appealing to her. “I like the way you look too.”

  “Glad to hear it.” They stepped into the restaurant and followed the maître d who took them to a small table off to the side. He held her chair out for her and waited for her to sit before he took his place across from her, immediately taking her hand and holding it in his own. “I’m so happy you’re finally here.”

  Her eyes met his hesitantly, but then her face split into a smile. “I am, too. I’m sorry I made you wait so long.” She suddenly was no longer certain why she’d made him wait. She wished she’d agreed to marry him a year sooner so they could have already started their lives together. Now that she’d met him she knew that he was nothing like Arthur, and she really had nothing to fear.

  “None of that matters now that you’re here.” His eyes looked into hers as he said the words, making her feel like she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

  Her eyes fluttered down to her menu and she chose a steak before closing it. “Tell me about your family.” She was amazed at how intimate it felt to be in public with him this way.

  He shrugged. “I’ve told you most of it. My parents live back East. I came out with my sister, her husband and their girls about ten years back.”

  “How old are their girls?”

  “Oldest is Rose. She just turned sixteen. The youngest is five. The rest are spaced out in the middle of there somewhere.”

  “Do you see them a lot?” She took a sip of the water the waiter had put in front of her.

  “Usually, at least on Sundays. Sometimes more than that. What about you? Are your parents still alive?”

  She shook her head sadly. “My father died of a heart attack a couple of months after I got married. Mother seemed to lose the will to live after that. They were childhood sweethearts and just seemed to belong together.” She hadn’t seen either of her parents since her wedding day. Arthur hadn’t allowed her to travel to her father’s funeral, probably worried she wouldn’t return.

  “I’m sorry. No brothers or sisters?”

  “No, I was a surprise baby. Mama was in her forties before she had me. They didn’t expect to ever have children and I cam
e along and shocked everyone.” She grinned as she explained it to him.

  He laughed. “That does seem to happen sometimes.” He gave their orders to the waiter and turned back to her. “What made you decide to open your business? Did you need the money?”

  She shook her head. “No, I had plenty of money after Arthur died. My parents had left everything to me, and so had Arthur. I didn’t want to stay in New York where I’d lived with him, so I moved to Beckham. I liked it there, but needed something to do to keep busy. I wasn’t interested in the social scene, so I started my business. It was fun matching up women with men who needed them.” And it had been fun making a difference in so many women’s lives. She still wrote to almost every woman she’d placed.

  “So what made you answer my letter?” He eyed her curiously. “Did you answer any of the other letters you received?”

  “I’m really not sure why I answered your letter. It was the first one I opened after starting the business, and I never had the desire to answer any others. I probably should have given your letter to any number of women who came to see me over the years, but I wanted to keep you for myself.” Her eyes met his. “I guess I was selfish that way.” She wondered if he wished she’d handed his letter off to someone else so he could have been married sooner.

  “I think you made the right decision.” He took the hand he was still holding and brought it to his lips. “I’m so glad you’re here with me now.”

  “I am too. I can’t wait to meet your family and see your house.” And be your wife, she added silently to herself. She realized then her fears about being married to him were disappearing rapidly. What it was about him that made her so comfortable she didn’t know, but she was glad to be marrying him and not someone else.

  “I hope you’re not disappointed.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t think there’s any way I could be.” Their food arrived and they applied themselves to it. She watched him eat, noting that his manners weren’t as impeccable as Arthur’s had been, but they certainly weren’t bad.

  After he’d paid for dinner, they walked slowly back to the hotel. She was surprised when he tugged her into an alley between the two buildings. She looked up at him under the light of the full moon. “What are you doing?” She had expected to feel panicked the first time she was completely alone with him and not in sight of anyone else. Instead, her quickly beating heart was due to her excitement at being hidden from other’s view.

  He slid one arm around her waist, and used his free hand to tip her chin up. “I told you I was going to kiss you good night.” He pulled her to him, her body pressed against his from thigh to shoulders. His hands moved up and down her back in a way she should never allow until they were married, but she didn’t try to stop him.

  Her eyes widened and she stared up at him in surprise. She couldn’t believe he was being so forward. “I thought you’d kiss me in front of the hotel.” For some reason, she didn’t insist he take her there now, instead she leaned against him, enjoying the way his body felt against hers.

  He shook his head as he slowly lowered it toward hers. “If I kissed you there, you wouldn’t let me kiss you the way I want to.”

  “How do you want to kiss me?” she asked. Was there a way to kiss other than the way Arthur had kissed her? How many ways could there be?

  “Like this.” He lowered his head and pressed his lips against hers his tongue automatically tracing the seam of her lips for entrance.

  She rested her hands on his shoulders and tilted her head to the side to give him better access to her mouth. She knew she shouldn’t enjoy a kiss like this, especially without being married to him, but if it made her a wanton, then she didn’t care, because she liked kissing him and she wasn’t going to stop because someone told her it was the wrong thing to do. She only hoped he wouldn’t think less of her for it.

  His tongue in her mouth was a strange sensation, but one she found out very quickly that she enjoyed. She stroked the inside of his lip with her own tongue, his actions making her feel bold. He groaned deep in his throat and pulled her closer to him, pressing her body even more fully against his.

  After a moment he tore his mouth away, standing with his forehead pressed to hers panting. “We have to stop or I won’t be able to.”

  She stared at him with wide eyes, shocked that he was able to make her feel so much with just a kiss. She realized then that their wedding night was the least of her worries. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  “I’m not.” He took a step back from her. “I can’t wait until tomorrow night.” He gave her a meaningful look.

  She smiled, happy that he was pleased with her and didn’t think less of her for kissing him back. “I’m glad I’m marrying you,” she told him honestly.

  He took her hand and pulled it through his arm, walking her back to the street and to the hotel. He leaned down and kissed her cheek, whispering softly, “I’ll see you in the morning. I’ll come for you at ten.”

  She nodded. “I’m going to have Higgins give me away if you don’t mind.” She knew it wasn’t the right time to bring up the subject, but she wasn’t sure when the right time would be. Certainly not right before the wedding.

  He frowned but nodded. “You two seem very close.”

  She shrugged. “He’s been my butler since I was sixteen. He’s like family to me.” There wasn’t another man besides her own father she would want giving her away, and that was part of the ceremony that mattered to her.

  “That’s fine then.” He brushed another quick kiss across her cheek and walked away.

  As he left, she realized he seemed sad about something. She wondered what his problem was.

  Chapter Three

  Harriett’s second wedding day was as different from her first as a wedding day could be. She had no maid with her and had to fix her hair by herself, but with the butterflies floating around in her stomach she was relieved no one else was there. She was afraid she would have been short-tempered, which wasn’t in her nature at all.

  They had decided to marry early in the day, mainly because Harriett hadn’t wanted another evening wedding. So much emphasis had been put on her last wedding day that she didn’t feel like she’d put enough on the idea of what happened once she was married. This time the marriage that was after her wedding day was her primary focus.

  By the time Max was there to pick her up, she was fully dressed and ready to go. She sat in the lobby of the hotel, waiting on one of the couches provided for guests with her bag beside her. Instead of the long white gown she’d worn for her first wedding, she wore a pale pink dress and a poke bonnet with netting. It wasn’t her first marriage, so she didn’t feel comfortable wearing white, and she didn’t want anything to be like her previous wedding.

  Max smiled down at her, taking her hand and helping her to her feet. “You’re the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen,” he said, his voice husky with emotion. His eyes searched her face through the pale pink veil covering it.

  She smiled up at him. “You don’t mind that I didn’t want to wear white?”

  He brought her fingers to his lips before leaning down to pick up her carpet bag. “Not at all.” His voice dropped to a whisper right beside her ear. “I’d have been happiest if you’d worn nothing at all, but that would have shocked our guests.”

  Harriett blushed as she followed him out to the buggy, surprised that he’d said something so bold to her before the wedding. If he was this bold now, what would he be like once they were married?

  On the drive to the church, she asked him about the ceremony, which she’d had nothing to do with planning. “You know, I’m not sure. My sister handled it. I told her we wanted a morning wedding and the church should look pretty.”

  Harriett stared at him in amazement. “How many guests will be there?” Did he have any clue what was going to happen at their wedding?

  He shrugged. “Probably a lot, but I really didn’t ask her.”

  She let out a short bark
of laughter. Arthur had been very particular about what he’d wanted from their wedding and everything else they’d done in the year they were married. He’d chosen her clothes for her and chosen what hairstyle he wanted her to wear. He’d even chosen who she could have stand up with her at the wedding, and she’d accepted it all as normal.

  When they got to the church, he helped her down and with a quick shake of his head when he saw Higgins waiting for her, went to the front of the church while she remained at the back with Higgins. She knew he didn’t understand her closeness with the man who had been her butler for the past ten years, and she really wasn’t willing to explain it all. Eventually he’d have to know the whole story, she knew, but for right now, he needed to accept that she needed some things a certain way.

  Higgins looked down at her as the music started to play. “Are you sure you want to do this?” His eyes looked worried as they searched hers.

  Harriett nodded slowly. “I care for him, and I want children.” She put her hand on his upper arm to reassure him. “He’s a good man, Higgins.” She wasn’t sure if she was reminding him or herself as her heart pounded, trying to jump out of her chest.

  He nodded warily. “I certainly hope so. I’ll be around if he isn’t.”

  “Thank you.” Harriett had relied on Higgins for so long, she couldn’t imagine her life without him. He had become a second father to her, and she loved him as such. She only hoped she could make the adjustment from leaning on her butler to leaning on her husband.

  Slowly, she walked down the aisle of the crowded church, clutching Higgins arm a little too tightly through his suit jacket. Once they reached Max, they stopped, and she waited as Higgins put her hand in Max’s. When the preacher asked who gave the woman in marriage, Higgins hesitated for a moment before answering, “Apparently, I do.” His voice was gruff and emotional as he said the words, and Harriett saw a tear in the corner of his eye. She smiled at him reassuringly before turning her attention back to Maxwell.