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“That house was much too grand for me and too noisy, as well. I love my family, but sometimes living with them is akin to being in the middle of a small riot.”
“You won’t find any rioting around here,” she wryly replied. “We live a very quiet and peaceable life.”
“Except for the occasional midnight excursion into the stews, of course.”
She winced. “Except for that. Sorry.”
“Don’t be. I know what I’ve signed up for, and I don’t regret it.”
That sounded rather depressing. “I didn’t mean to pull you into any of this, Braden. It’s not fair to you.”
He reached across and took her hand. “As I recall, I rather thrust myself into the situation—over your firmly stated objections.”
She toyed with his wedding ring. When Braden had insisted on wearing one, it had touched her more than she cared to admit. Her first husband had never worn a wedding band. At the time, it hadn’t bothered her. Now, though, she realized how much Braden’s gesture meant to her.
Are you saying Roger is now simply your first husband, already relegated to the past?
Samantha closed her eyes, feeling the burn of remorse deep in her chest.
Braden gave her hand a gentle tug. “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?”
She opened her eyes to see nothing but acceptance in his extraordinary jade-colored gaze.
“It’s just that I feel Roger’s ghost everywhere,” she burst out, “and I don’t know what to do about that. I do know that it’s an utterly horrible thing to say to you.”
“There’s nothing horrible about it. You need to stop feeling so guilty, Samantha.”
She sighed. Her emotions were in such a tangle.
“From what I know of Roger Penwith,” Braden added, “he would want you to be happy, would he not?”
More than anything, Roger had always wanted her to be happy.
“Yes, and I do want to be happy in our marriage, Braden. But I need to find Roger’s killers. I don’t think I’ll be able to move on fully until I do.”
He squeezed her hand before letting it go. She immediately missed his touch.
“We’ll do that together,” he said, “and we’ll find the children, too.”
She mustered a smile. “I believe you, and I want you to know how grateful I am.”
“It’s my pleasure.” His expression grew thoughtful. “There are a few things I need you to know, too. The first is that I love you.”
His simple declaration hit her squarely in the chest. She drew in a deep breath as a lovely warmth cascaded through her.
“You do?” she whispered.
He smiled. “Yes, and because I love you, I’m prepared to wait until you know what you need from me. And until you’re ready to love me back.”
Her eyes began to prickle. He was the mostridiculouslywonderful man.
“I’m already at least halfway there,” she admitted.
“I want you to be all the way there and to arrive in your own time. Until then, we carry on as always, taking care of those who need us. All right?”
“Yes.” She crinkled her nose. “I am sorry it’s so awkward, though. Ours is not exactly a conventional marriage.”
“You’ll find that we Kendricks manage awkward and unconventional quite well.” He settled back in his chair, once more facing the fire. “And that leads me to my second point. I am not without a past, either. I don’t believe in ghosts, but I’ve found that memories can haunt you just as effectively.”
