Page 97 of On the Mountain

“That wasn’t what I said.” His voice began to grow irate.

“Well, okay, something like that.” She shrugged him off.

“I thought she was going to New Westminster. That was the plan.”

“Well, in light of everything it seemed the best thing for Anna would be to stay right where she is. Besides, it was what she wanted.”

His eyes darted to her again, and for the first time the anger on his face eased slightly. Then it was back in full force when he turned back to his sister. “Why marriage? Why not just leave things the way they are?”

“With our influence she can move up the social ladder. That can’t happen as your servant, but as your wife instead.”

He still didn’t look convinced as he ran an angry hand along the back of his neck. “Don’t you think you should have consulted with me first?”

“Why? To have you come up with every plausible excuse as you are now.” She sighed heavily and told her brother, “It was apparent you were not going to allow her to obtain work elsewhere, and both you and Anna disliked the idea of her coming to New Westminster. So, that really left little choice.”

His eyes reamed his sister out, but he said nothing. He stood silently for several minutes, brooding inwardly Anna was certain. At any moment she expected him to explode. She played with the idea of speaking up, but was far too frightened. Besides, she didn’t know what she would say. Kathleen was right. She was running out of options.

Anna didn’t even know why she agreed with his sibling. She knew he would dislike the idea and never agree, but looking back, she figured she had been so desperate to stay that she was willing to agree to anything

. Admittedly, she would love to be his wife. But as she stood there and watched the fury dance across his face, she realized that what seemed a good idea in her mind, was not such a good idea in reality.

Her only flicker of hope was he would be willing to leave things the way they were. Anna grasped on to that chance and prayed he wouldn’t come out of this foolish stunt not wanting anything to do with her anymore.

He moved suddenly, taking the steps two at a time before snatching her arm in his grip and startling her out of her thoughts. “Come on, I want to talk to you.”

Anna’s eyes widened in fear and she looked over his shoulder at his sister for help as he dragged her around the porch to the side of the house out of sight and earshot of his siblings. As he spun her around and glared down at her, she wanted desperately to say something but fear sealed her tongue.

“First of all, I don’t appreciate being manipulated, lied, or plotted against. In particular, by my own family.” His eyes were raging as he glared down at her. He still held her arm in a forceful grip, and he apparently noticed for he released it instantly and took a step back then paced angrily in front of her. “Second, if I ever choose to marry it will be of my own accord. I will choose the bride and I will do the asking.”

She nodded vaguely and wished she could run. The back of her eyes burned and she feared she would break down in tears right there. With eyes glistening she stared at him and waited for the words that were to inevitably follow. Words that would send her away forever.

Wade stopped pacing to look down into her face. His brows dipping slightly. Then shoving his hands deep in his pockets, he turned on his heel and resumed pacing. “Kathleen may be correct on one account. Marriage to me would ensure you a certain status level in social circles. It means damn nothing to me, but unfortunately it does hold a high degree of importance in our culture.”

Anna could care less what social status she held. If he was the poorest man on earth, she would still have agreed to marry him.

“More importantly, you would be able to remain on this land. What I told Kathleen was that I may own that mountain, but it belongs to you. Marriage to me would ensure you would never have to leave your beloved mountain.”

Her chin dropped and she tried not to remember the horrible events that occurred in the village. It would be a long time before she could look at it with peace in her heart again. He reached out and raised her chin. “What happened up there was not the mountain.”

She knew what he meant, but Anna still could not erase the dark cloud hovering over her heart whenever she thought of home. Her eyes glistened again, and she closed the lids tight hoping he hadn’t seen. He sighed heavily and dropped her chin. “I suppose I’m not getting any younger. Hell, I’m old enough to be your father. You need a husband more your own age. Someone to grow old with.”

Staring at the ground, she nodded vaguely, but inwardly disagreed with him completely. Where her heart was concerned, age did not play a factor. It was the man inside that counted. Not the outward shell. Not his social status. Never before had she ever felt such love for another human being. Even what she felt for her parents compared nowhere close to the ache she felt deep inside for Wade.

“Truthfully though, I haven’t met any other woman in all my years who could take to the range as easily as you do. You’re a rare breed that I believed long ago didn’t exist.” He looked out over his ranch and said, “This land means more to me than anything else. With Kathleen in the city and Prescott not sharing the same passion, there has always been the fear in the back of my mind that after my death, this land would be sold. Any offspring of my own would guarantee it remains in my family.”

Anna wasn’t entirely sure where his trail of thoughts was leading, but at that moment she wished ardently it was she who would bear his children. She blushed hotly from the image of them in the act of creating offspring.

“Well?”

Confused, Anna looked up into his eyes. He was watching her closely. “Do you want to get married?”

She felt her heart do a ridiculous flip, then come down hard to reality. Anna had to remember to use caution where her heart and Wade were concerned. “Whatever you want.”

He actually chuckled. “Apparently, that doesn’t seem to fit into Kathleen’s equation.”

Since his temper had eased some, Anna thought she would chance it and offer his original plan. “We could just leave things the way they were.”

Wade nodded slowly and Anna wasn’t sure how to feel. She would have loved dearly to become his wife and the mother of his future children, but not if he didn’t want her. Being able to stay and remain his servant was only bittersweet.

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