He groaned her name as he clenched the sheets on either side of her head. She felt his muscles tighten and constrict before he collapsed against her, his body glistening with a sheen of sweat.
His heart hammered against her naked breast, matching her own racing beat. Minutes ticked by as they lay together as one.
Basking in the warmth of his body, she never felt more complete or alive. Hope filled her. She stroked a dark curl on his chest, wrapping it around her finger. Unlike Curtis, she liked touching Cole.
As she slid her hand over the flat of his belly he tensed. Unsure, she stopped and looked at him. Desire no longer clouded his eyes. His expression had turned hard, unreadable.
“Cole.”
Silent, he pushed himself off her and swung his legs over the side of the bed. She touched his naked back. He flinched and moved away from her. He reached for his pants and put them on.
She rolled on her side, confused, still dazed from desire. She tugged the comforter over her naked breasts, suddenly feeling vulnerable. “Where are you going?”
“To my room.”
Confusion clouded her thoughts. “Why? I thought after what just happened, everything was going to be different between us. Didn’t I please you?”
“Yes.” The word sounded as if it were ripped from his chest.
“Then stay the night with me.”
He reached for his boots and shirt. His gaze bore into her. “No.”
A sharp pain stabbed her insides. “But we just made love. You said I pleased you.”
“A marriage isn’t just about physical pleasure, Rebecca. There has to be trust as well. And I don’t trust you.”
Her throat constricted. “But in time, you will learn to trust me.”
He stood over the bed, glaring at her. “I need to go.”
She felt dirty, used. “I thought things had changed between us.”
Cole turned and stalked out of the room, leaving her cold, devastated and alone with her tears.
Chapter Fifteen
Two weeks had passed since their wedding night and the sound of Rebecca’s sobs still echoed in Cole’s mind.
When they’d made love, she’d touched the deepest part of his soul. He’d felt utterly defenseless and it had scared the hell out of him. The unwelcome vulnerability coupled with his raw anger had driven him to lash out blindly at her.
Now that he’d had time to cool off, he regretted like hell that he’d acted so harshly to her. But he’d been unable to breach the growing divide between them.
A knock on his mine office door shattered the silence. Cole glanced up from the stack of papers arranged on a makeshift desk of wood and saw-horses. Little more than a shack, the small structure served as his base of operations. A cold potbellied stove stood in the corner and only one grimy window offered a view of the mine entrance. A lantern on the corner of his desk flickered, supplementing the morning sun’s faint glow.
“Come in,” he growled.
Wade shoved open the door and marched in. His cheeks glowed and his eyes sparkled. “Well, you sound as prickly as a bear.”
“I am.”
Wade closed the door behind him. “If I had such a pretty little wife at home like you, I’d hate having to come into work too.”
“Right.”
Wade had accepted Cole and Rebecca’s marriage without trouble. In truth, the older man had almost seemed relieved.
As far as everyone in town was concerned, Cole and Rebecca’s marriage was the perfect match.
Cole and Rebecca shared a polite and civilized marriage when they were in public. She laughed easily around the children, showering each with affection. They attended Sunday services together and they’d both walked Dusty to school on his first day.
But when they were alone Rebecca became quiet and distant. She kept a plate warm for him each evening, but while he ate in the dim lantern light, she’d bid him good evening, climb the stairs and retreat to her room alone.
They looked like a family, but in truth were not.
“What can I do for you?” Cole said rising.
The sheriff strode over to the desk and set a basket down on it. “Bess sent me. She figured if Mohammed wouldn’t come to the mountain, then the mountain…” he said, letting his voice trail. “She thought you might like lunch.”
Cole forced his shoulders to relax and lifted the red-checked napkin. Inside he found fried chicken, biscuits and two slices of pie. “Thanks.”
“She wants to know if you’re coming home for dinner.”
“Since when did you become Bess’s messenger?”
Wade shrugged. “I reckon I like helping her when I can.”
“She’s sweet on you.”
Wade grinned. “Yeah, I know.”
“You told her that?” Cole liked Bess and he didn’t want to see her hurt.
“I reckon I will sooner or later.”
“Make it sooner.”
Wade shoved his hands in his pockets glancing at the stack of papers on Cole’s desk. “Things moving along well here?”
“Just fine.”
“Everyone’s wondering when you’ll hit a new vein.”
“Hard to say.”
The day after the wedding the town council had agreed to waive all back taxes on the Lucky Star if Rebecca willingly turned over operations to Cole. As her husband, he could have seized control without her permission, but the council’s tax waiver depended on her cooperation. He’d expected her to resist, but without a fuss, Rebecca had signed the papers giving him total control of the Lucky Star.
The substantial savings had been a real boon to the mine, giving him the extra resources to hire additional workers. He was already a month ahead of schedule.
“Folks is also wondering if you’ve forgiven Rebecca for fibbing to you?”
Cole frowned. “Fibbing. She tried to keep my son from me.”
“She’s real sorry.”
Cole thrust out a sigh. “Wade, what the devil are you doing here?”
He picked up a piece of paper off Cole’s desk and pretended to study it. “Just a friendly visit.”
Cole snatched the paper away. “Did Rebecca send you here?”
/>
Wade chuckled. “If she knew I’d come to see you, she’d skin me alive. Naw, Bess sent me. Figured we should talk man to man.”
“About what?”
Wade scratched his chin. “Your marriage. Bess wants to be certain things are going well between you and your wife.”
“Tell Bess to talk to Rebecca.”
“She has, but it seems Rebecca’s been real tight-lipped.”
Pride nudged him. His wife was no gossip. She kept her own counsel. “Don’t worry about Rebecca and me. We’ll survive.”
He snorted. “That mean you’ve forgiven her?”
Cole raked his fingers through his hair. “I understand now why she lied about Mac.”
Wade’s eyes brightened. “That so?”
“I understand that as a woman alone, she was desperate and weak.”
Wade bristled. “Rebecca’s one of the strongest people I know.” He cracked his knuckles and turned toward the window. “You know I had a child once?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“It was a long time ago.” His eyes grew vacant as if he’d returned to a time long ago. “Davie was a towheaded little fellow just like your Mac.”
Cole stood silent, unsure of what to say.
“Lost my son and wife to cholera back in ’61. I reckon what attracted me to Rebecca was she came with a ready-made family.” His eyes filled with tears. “Damn, what I would give to have my wife and son back.”
Cole’s anger drained from him. He stared at the sheriff’s slumped shoulders. He seemed to grow old before his eyes.
Wade sniffed. “So I reckon I know what it feels like to have a child and lose one.”
“I’m sorry.”
Wade pierced Cole with his gaze. “I’d do anything to get my boy back even if it meant lying, cheating, stealing or worse.”
Cole clenched his fingers. “What would you have done if someone tried to keep him from you?”
Wade cocked an eyebrow. “Can’t say. But I do know it ain’t right to blame Rebecca for trying to do what she thought was best for her child.”
A heavy silence fell between them. Cole knew Rebecca loved Mac—it was one of the things he’d grown to admire about her. “I wanted her to trust me.”