Page 25 of Texas Glory
Amelia began to work the brush free of Cordelia’s hair and smiled softly. “No, I don’t think you do understand. I was promised to Dallas. A few days after we were married, he realized that I loved Houston, and that Houston loved me, so he gave me an annulment.”
“I wish he’d give me one.”
Amelia began to brush her hair. “I’ll never forget what he said to me that night … when he let me go.”
Cordelia didn’t want to know anything more about the man she’d married, certain she knew all she needed to know. He had a temper worse than any she’d ever seen, that ignited like a piece of kindling.
Yet she remembered earlier in the day how he’d banked his temper when his niece had tugged on his trousers. The lemon drops. His unwillingness to let Boyd speak for her during the ceremony. Against her will, she heard herself ask, “What did he say?”
“ ‘I don’t need love, Amelia, but I think you do, and if you find it with a man who dreams of raising horses, know you do so with my blessing.’ ” Amelia stood and handed Cordelia the brush. “I’ll leave you with a little secret. Dallas does need love—more than any of us. I know your marriage hasn’t begun under the best of circumstances, but I think if you give him a chance, he will worship the ground you walk on.”
His elbows digging into his thighs, Dallas stared blankly at the low fire flickering within the hearth in his office. He remembered the day he’d married Amelia. He’d seen disappointment in her eyes, a touch of sadness, but there had also been hope and trust.
He thought about the day she had married Houston. She had glowed with love and happiness.
He hadn’t expected the woman he married today to glow, but neither had he planned to fill her with raw fear. What had he been thinking to marry a woman he’d never met? He’d arranged to marry her as though she were little more than a carefully selected brood mare. He couldn’t blame her for being offended, wary, and frightened.
“I fixed the door,” Houston said.
Without turning his attention away from the fire, Dallas merely nodded. “ ’Preciate it.”
“You scared the hell out of Cordelia … again.”
Dallas grimaced. “I know.” He sighed deeply. “I know how to bed a whore. I’ve got no earthly idea how to go about bedding a wife.”
“You didn’t seem to have any problem when you were married to Amelia.”
Dallas glanced up at the anger reflected in his brother’s voice. He’d offended someone else without trying. “You know as well as I do that we never got that far. With Amelia getting kidnapped on our wedding night and you getting shot when we rescued her, I barely had the opportunity to kiss her. I never saw her standing in front of the fire in some flimsy gown that was little more than shadows. Cordelia has legs that go clear up to her shoulders.”
Houston gave him an understanding smile. “I know all about shadows.” He cleared his throat. “Look, Dallas, this is none of my business, but there’s no law that says you gotta bed her tonight. Knowing her pa, she probably didn’t have much say in this marriage. What would it hurt to give her a couple of days to get used to it?”
Dallas stood. “Yeah, I’ve been thinking the same thing. It’s getting late. Did you and your family want to stay here tonight?”
“ ’Preciate the offer, but there’s a good moon tonight and a clear sky. We’ll be fine.”
Dallas followed his brother from his office and stood at the stairs, waiting while Houston walked through the front door. Dallas glanced up. The stairs had never before seemed so high. As he began to climb them, he started running apologies through his mind, trying to find the right one, the one that would undo all the damage he’d unwittingly inflicted on his wife’s peace of mind.
When he reached his bedroom, he tapped lightly on the door and waited an eternity for her to open it.
Cordelia peered out at the formidable man standing in the hallway. She opened the door farther, giving him access to the room, offering him access to her. She watched as his Adam’s apple slowly slid up and down.
“Be ready to ride before dawn,” he said gruffly and turned toward the stairs.
Stunned, Cordelia stepped into the hallway. “You mean to ride a horse?”
He stopped walking and stared at her. “What the hell else do you think we ride? Cows?”
She shook her head. “No … I just … I have something to wear. I’ve just never … ridden a horse.”
She thought if she released a deep breath, he’d fall over and tumble down the stairs.
“You’ve never ridden a horse?”
“Father said it was too dangerous. I always traveled in my coach.”
“There is no way in hell my wife is going to travel around the countryside in that red contraption. I had your brothers take it with them.”
“Oh.” She pressed her hand to her throat, trying to think of something to say.
