Page 49 of A Dangerous Heart
Isaac let one hand settle on the curve of her cheek. He leaned in, aware of his brother watching and the preacher. Right. There. His lips met hers in a soft, tender kiss.
He intended only a quick brush of his lips against hers, but the moment they touched, he felt a jolt like lightning buzz through him and heard her quick intake of breath—like she’d felt it too. The unexpected sensation had him stepping back. He released her, their hands dropping awkwardly between them.
Merritt and Ed were there along with the preacher’s wife, offering congratulations. But he felt off-kilter, relieved when Clare said they should get back to Ben.
He’d married Clare.
Now he could only hope he hadn’t made things worse.
Clare raised a hand in a parting wave to Merritt and Ed after leaving the parson’s house. Her other hand rested in the crook of Isaac’s elbow as he drew her down the boardwalk toward Doc Powell’s office. All around her, the day awakened like any other, but Clare felt out of sorts. The sun spilled over the small town of Calvin, warming the wooden buildings that lined the main street. The scent of freshly brewed coffee wafted from a nearby café, mingling with the earthy aroma of horses and hay.The chatter of townsfolk blended with the rhythmic clapping of hooves on the dirt road. But part of her was still back at the preacher’s parlor.
She’d felt the tension in Isaac as he recited his vows, right through their linked hands. She’d been waiting for him to call the whole thing off, even as she’d wrestled with her own conflicting emotions. Was this a mistake? Tying herself to a man who didn’t really want to be married? Should she run farther from Victor’s grasp? She hadn’t come up with an answer to her whirling thoughts before the preacher had pronounced them “man and wife.”
And then…
Isaac had kissed her.
The thought of his kiss made her misstep. Isaac steadied her with his hand beneath her arm and sent her a questioning glance. She smoothed her skirt and tried to smile, hoping he would ignore the blush she knew was scorching her cheeks.
Perhaps he was as discomposed as she was, because he kept his silence. Which left her to stew as they continued walking.
She hadn’t realized how deep her feelings for Isaac had grown until the moment his lips had touched hers.
She wanted more than a marriage in name only. She’d come to care for the man who protected everyone else but couldn’t protect his own heart. He’d given up his own comforts so she and the boys had a place to live. His honor and loyalty to his family ran deep. If she could win his heart, that would be her greatest treasure.
She sighed. It was out of the question. She knew it. The marriage was for the boys’ sake. That was the deal they’d struck. She wouldn’t, didn’t dare, ask for more.
Maybe she didn’t deserve more.
Lost in her thoughts, Clare failed to see that a woman and her boy were passing too close. Isaac instinctively drew her into his side.
“How about we have the café pack a breakfast basket before we head over to the doc’s?” Isaac said. “Ben will be hungry.”
Oh, she hoped so.
A short time later, Clare had a wicker basket packed with food over her arm as Isaac ushered her back onto the boardwalk.
She hadn’t missed the surprised and then curious looks they’d garnered during the short time they’d been inside the café.
A dozen people saw you get off the train in Calvin with the boys in tow. All it will take is a few questions to find out who you left the train station with.
Isaac had warned her about tongues wagging in town. It wouldn’t be long before everyone knew they’d married, even though neither of them had breathed a word.
Her stomach knotted. Was she putting the McGraw family in danger? Putting them right in the crosshairs of Victor’s sights? She knew he would come looking for the boys. Had prayed the change of trains would throw him off the scent.
Had she done enough?
It wasn’t only Clare and the boys in danger now. It was Tillie, Jo, Kaitlyn, all of them.
She’d thought there would be a relief in taking Isaac’s name. In having someone other than herself to rely on.
But as the preacher’s words had rolled over her, she’d felt a fierce protectiveness for Isaac rise up inside her.
Had she made the right choice?
“We should see about those boots,” Isaac said as they passed the general store.
She started to protest, but he raised one eyebrow in challenge. “He’ll be up and around before you know it. And winter’s coming on. He’ll need them.”
