Bride by Arrangement by Karen Kirst

Author:Karen Kirst
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2016-08-29T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Weddings weren’t supposed to be sad. This one wasn’t. The bride and groom were ecstatic, almost giddy with joy as they repeated their vows. When Hannah’s father, Reverend Taggart, proclaimed them husband and wife, James Johnson swooped in to claim a kiss. Hannah blushed scarlet, her sweet smile poignant and tear-inducing.

Hannah Taggart Johnson had a healthy baby, an adoring husband and a new business venture. Grace hoped she recognized and cherished those blessings. Not everyone was so fortunate.

She hated feeling sorry for herself on a day like today, but Grace couldn’t help the sorrow rendering her heart sore and heavy. Not so long ago, she’d boarded a train, uncaring who was waiting at her journey’s end. The name Noah Burgess had meant nothing to her. The prospect of a loveless marriage hadn’t bothered her, so intent had she been on escaping the city and her brother-in-law, and procuring a husband who could provide protection.

She risked a glance at the handsome, stoic man seated beside her. Noah in his cowboy gear was enough to make her breathless, but gazing upon him now, in a tailored navy suit that hugged his muscular build and complemented his fair hair and sun-bronzed skin, had her struggling with foolish yearnings.

Spending time with the man described in Will’s letter had skewed her outlook. He’d gone from being a vague concept to a flesh-and-blood human being. Noah had turned out to be a man of contrasts...strong and implacable on the outside, hurting and lonely on the inside...a tough, hardworking, honorable lawman who held her hair while she was sick, read to her beneath the moonlight, tended to two little girls’ needs without complaint. She wasn’t thinking practical thoughts anymore. Time and distance had dimmed her worry about Frank, making way for more fanciful ideals. A marriage for protection’s sake wasn’t enough anymore.

As Hannah and James walked the grassy aisle hand in hand, eager to embark on their life together, Grace acknowledged she wanted love. She wanted affection. And she wanted it with Noah.

Bowing her head, she closed her eyes for a brief moment as the truth suffused her with the wonder of first love. Here she was, a twenty-six-year-old widow with children, discovering authentic love for the first time in her life. What she was feeling wasn’t grounded in false reality. Unlike Ambrose, Noah hadn’t tried to impress her or woo her with flashy gifts. Quite the opposite. He’d repeatedly warned her away, listing his weaknesses. Told her point-blank he didn’t want her.

“Constance? Time for refreshments and cake.”

His low, rich baritone washed over her, and she relived those moments in his cabin when she’d dared explore his scars.

It’s Grace. Not Constance.

Opening her eyes, she saw that the guests were leaving the chairs set up in Daniel and Leah’s garden and meandering to the multiple tables on loan from the hotel, all of them covered in white tablecloths and set with rose-emblazoned china dishes. Three tables beneath the trees held trays of sumptuous meats and vegetables.

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