Page 42 of His Perfect Bride
Sage ducked her head and retreated several more steps, but not before Jackson saw the rosy stain on her cheeks. She finally turned and raced across the barn, sidling past Caleb and out the door into the night.
As soon as she was gone, Caleb shifted enough to watch her as she crossed the yard. When he was obviously assured that she was safely ensconced in the cabin, he closed the barn door. Without a word to Jackson—or even a glance his way—Caleb stalked toward the mound of hay against one wall.
He split the pile into two heaps before tossing a pillow and blanket onto each. Still silent, he turned out the lantern overhead, casting the barn into darkness.
From the tension that seemed to be radiating from the young man, Jackson guessed Caleb wasn’t too happy about the kiss, which was only natural. After all, Sage was Caleb’s family now, and he likely felt responsible for her.
At the crackling of hay, Jackson could tell the fellow had dropped into what was apparently his bed for the night.
With only a faint outline in the darkness to guide his way, Jackson shuffled to the second hay pile, blanket, and pillow. He lowered himself, draped the blanket over his length, then situated himself on the pillow.
When he finished, a heavy silence settled over the barn except for the distant honking of migrating geese. He had the feeling it was only a matter of time before Caleb said something. And he was right.
A moment later, the young man’s tight voice broke the darkness. “With that kind of kissing, you better be planning to marry Sage.”
Marry Sage? Jackson pushed up, letting his blanket fall away. While thoughts about Sage had filled his head to capacity lately, he hadn’t stopped to consider what the future would hold for them. After all, they hadn’t known each other very long.
She’d insisted she wanted to remain a lady’s maid and had even claimed she wanted to be a spinster. While he hadn’t believed she would do either, he hadn’t made plans or considered the possibility that he might be the one to take her firmly out of the lady’s maid and spinster categories by marrying her for himself.
“Well?” Caleb’s tone held a threat that hadn’t been there earlier in the day.
Jackson stiffened, preparing himself for a fist into his stomach. He’d learned today that Caleb had once been a knuckle-boxing champion. Jackson had learned to proficiently wield both a knife and gun during his early days in the wilderness of Rupert’s Land. He’d needed to for self-preservation. Even so, he didn’t want to get into a fight with Caleb.
“I don’t intend to hurt Sage.” He couldn’t promise he wouldn’t kiss her again. With the way his blood was still heated and pulsing through him at double the speed, he guessed he would need to kiss her again.
But how could he take that liberty when he wasn’t ready to offer her more? It wasn’t fair to lead her on and to take kisses when he wasn’t able to offer her a relationship in return.
No, he couldn’t. He had vowed to Augusta he would respect Sage, and stealing kisses would only fuel his consuming desire for her. With the way his mind worked, he was already having a hard enough time keeping proper boundaries in place.
“She’s been hurt by one man,” Caleb said. “She doesn’t need to be hurt by another.”
Jackson didn’t want to hurt her, not even in the tiniest amount. “I’ll be careful.”
“Then don’t kiss her again until you’re willing to marry her.” Caleb’s statement was less of a suggestion and more of a command.
Jackson blew out a tense breath. Would he ever be willing to get married? He’d once thought he was ready with Meredith. But since calling off their engagement, he’d decided that he didn’t deserve happiness or a future with Meredith or anyone, not when the men he’d killed on the bridge hadn’t gotten happiness or a future.
The terrible images flashed through his mind again. With a shudder, he reclined into the hay, drawing the blanket up to his shoulders.
“If you kiss her again and don’t marry her,” Caleb continued, “I’ll track you down and make you do it.”
“Fair enough.” In his mind, Jackson could see the rationale behind everything Caleb was saying, and he agreed. If only he could convince his heart to follow suit.
Fourteen
Sage couldn’t look at Jackson without thinking about their kiss from last night. As she walked hand in hand with Willow along the short section of beach toward the steamboat, she kept her gaze from straying to him. He’d already boarded and was standing on the top deck next to the pilot house and Jonas, the captain of the steamboat.
Jackson was studying a new whistle that Jonas had installed, as engrossed in the new device as he was everything that fascinated him. He was probably trying to figure out how it worked, as curious as always, his mind busy, his thoughts preoccupied.
She was glad he was distracted so that she didn’t have to face the full effect of his intense gaze as she drew near.
Besides, she’d wanted to focus on Willow and the little time they had left. They’d lingered in bed in the early morning hours because Willow had been sleepier than usual now that she was with child. They’d whispered and laughed and cried together about everything. They’d also plotted and planned for how they could save more money to send home to their family. Between the two of them, they might have enough to pay for two ship passages. But they weren’t sure if they should split up the rest of the family or wait until they had enough to send for everyone all at once.
Finally, they got up and made breakfast for the men, who’d already awoken and were doing chores. Even though Willow seemed more tired than usual, she was decidedly healthier than she’d ever been in Manchester, her breathing issues all but gone, only surfacing on rare occasions.
Sage hadn’t told Willow about the kiss with Jackson. Since it was so new and so delicious, she hadn’t been quite ready to talk about it, had wanted to tuck it away and remember it at her own pleasure.
And pleasure it had been.
