The Bride's Matchmaking Triplets by Regina Scott

Author:Regina Scott
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2017-08-24T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Elizabeth stared at Brandon, feeling as if the landing had tilted. She must have swayed with the sensation, for he reached out a hand to catch her arm.

“What did you say?” she asked.

He released her. “I asked you to marry me. I know Little Horn is a far cry from Boston or even San Francisco, but I can see that you genuinely care for Jasper, Theo and Eli. Just as important, they care for you. If we married, we could petition the Lone Star Cowboy League to adopt them.” His voice softened until she could hear the yearning in it. “We could be a family.”

A family. She could be mother to those three darling babies, see them grow into the fine men she was sure they could be. She could stay in Little Horn, deepen her friendships with Louisa, Caroline, Fannie, Annie and Stella. She would finally have a home to call her own.

All she had to do was give up on love.

For he hadn’t offered that. He hadn’t claimed any sort of affection for her. Even now, as he stood on the landing, she could see his struggle. He kept his pleasant smile, like a good minister, but those quicksilver eyes were dark, hurting. He was giving up on love too.

That was simply unacceptable. When Brandon had left her four years ago, she’d thought she’d never hand her heart to another. Her position as a governess had made it unlikely she might meet a suitable gentleman in any regard, and that thought had not troubled her overly much. She’d been willing to become a mail-order bride, with no promise of love, simply to escape the stifling confines of Cambridge.

But to enter into a marriage of convenience with Brandon? It seemed wrong, impossible, something likely to twist her into someone she didn’t want to be.

She must have taken too long to answer, for his shoulders slumped.

“Have I offended you?” he murmured, face so worn she wanted to reach out and stroke the lines from beside his eyes.

“No, of course not.” She brushed at her skirts, anything to keep her hands too busy to touch him. “It was very kind of you, Brandon, but we both know your heart wasn’t in it.”

His mouth quirked, more pain than smile now. “It seemed like the perfect plan for us both. I’ve come to care about the boys, but I’m not in a position to adopt them. A minister must be able to ride out at a moment’s notice to see to the needs of the community. And it wouldn’t be seemly to hire a nanny to live in the parsonage.”

Something poked at her. “So of course you thought about marrying a nanny instead. How very economical.”

He made a face. “Economy wasn’t the reason I asked. I was under the impression you wanted to stay in Little Horn with the boys.”

She did. Outside her aunt’s home, she had never felt so welcome anywhere, until those vicious rumors had started.

“And there are those rumors,” he added as if he had heard her thoughts.

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