“How can you know that?”

  “Know what?”

  “That he cares for me?”

  “A man can tell when another is sweet on his wife.”

  She doubted Matthew held any affection for her. Most days he acted as if he barely realized she was there, and other than the few times he’d carried her for one reason or another and holding her hands at the church when they married, he hadn’t touched her. “I don’t think Matthew holds any ill will toward me but I don’t think he’s sweet on me in the least. He tolerates me, I think, and the longer I’m here, the more I wonder if I made a mistake coming to Montana.”

  “Now don’t be thinking like that. I can tell you for a fact he’s head over heels for ya. I’ve known him since the day he came squalling into this world and I’ve been around him long enough to read every expression on his face. He cares for you, Julia, he just has a poor way of showing it. Most men do.”

  He moved closer to where she sat and gave her a smile. “Don’t lose faith him in, girl. The things he’s had to deal with are enough to break most folk but he’s still here and trying and I’m sure he’ll come home sorrier than he’s ever been in his life.”

  He headed to the kitchen and Julia leaned back in her chair and blew out a breath. She wasn’t sure she believed everything Abe said but the notion of going home wouldn’t leave her thoughts. Doing so would require sending word to her father for funds to make the trip and how would she tell her friends? Leaving them would be painful, but leaving Matthew would be unbearable. Despite his inattention to her, her heart fluttered every time he walked into the room. She’d never been in love but she’d been sweet on enough young gentlemen to know what she felt for Matthew was unlike anything she’d ever experienced before. Leaving would break her heart but if what Cora said was true, staying was pointless because no matter how much she willed it so, Matthew would never love her.

  Someone had decorated the town. Pine boughs filled every window, ribbons and candles adorning them, and every person he saw had a smile on their face. That, along with the constant snow flurries, brought back so many memories he wasn’t sure how he survived them anymore. The pain was still raw, even after all these years.

  Seeing that tree in the house had felt like a punch to his gut, as if the universe was in constant need to remind him how he’d failed his family, and inadvertently, caused their deaths. His reaction to seeing it had been fueled by raw pain but it paled in comparison to seeing that look of fear on Julia’s face. Her tears made that wound he’s never been able to heal split wide open again.

  He should have never yelled at her. He should have walked away and calmed down but the thought of those wolves tearing into her had put a fear into him unlike anything else ever had. He’d been so close to losing her.

  Thinking of those wolves made the anger return and every harsh word he’d spoken to Julia echoed inside his head again. He knew he had to make things right between them but he didn’t know how. Words seemed useless but he owed her an explanation, even though the thought of telling that story made him sick to his stomach. He’d do what he had to do to make things right, but first, he had to tell the sheriff about those wolves showing up again.

  Quinn’s office was dark when he stopped in front of it. He turned to look down the street in the direction of his house. He didn’t want to bother him at home, so he let himself into the office and left a note on the desk for him. Knowing Quinn, he’d be by to check on things before he turned in for the night anyway and really, beyond telling him what happened, there wasn’t anything the sheriff could do other than let the nearby ranchers know what had happened. Julia had escaped unharmed but that didn’t mean everyone would and the thought of someone else losing a loved one was unacceptable. He’d come back tomorrow after breakfast to make sure Quinn saw the note and ride to every ranch and farm on the prairie himself if he had to, to tell everyone personally to be on the lookout for that pack of wolves.

  When he’d left, he crossed town to the mercantile. He had no idea how to apologize to Julia but most women liked gifts, so he looked at nearly everything the Weston’s had on the many shelves and tables. He was about to give up when he spotted a shelf with decorative round tins, the labels on them printed with flowers and a foreign language.

  He picked one up and removed the lid to peer inside of it.

  “It’s imported all the way from overseas.”

  Matt glanced at Cassie Weston as she stopped beside him. “Have you tried any of them?”

  “Only one. I didn’t care for it. I prefer coffee to tea.” She cocked her head to one side. “But I can tell you those other ladies from down south sure do like them.”

  “Do they?”

  “Yes. They’ve bought nearly all I had. Those four containers are all that’s left until I can get more ordered. They’re all different, too. Who knew tea came in such varieties.”

  Matt picked up every tin. The others would just have to wait for more. “I’ll take them all, then.”

  Cassie smiled and pointed to a tea service on the next shelf over, the white teapot and cups adorned with dark pink flowers and green vines. Small saucers and plates trimmed in the same dark pink color fit perfectly on a white tray.

  “If she makes her tea in your coffee pot, she’ll more than likely taste coffee and not the tea.”

  The price tag on the set was laughable but after the way he’d treated his new bride, he would have paid double. He nodded and said, “I’ll take it.”

  Cassie’s eyes widened. She’d clearly not believed the mere mention of the set would be enough to sell it and he knew from now on, she’d try to hand-sell him everything in the store.

  He followed her to the counter and paid, nodding to Mrs. Peterson as she walked up to the counter and was watching Cassie wrap each piece of the tea service when the bell above the door rang. They both looked up. Seeing Cora standing there staring at him was the perfect ending to an already disastrous day.

  She turned on her heel and rushed back outside, the door slamming in her wake.

  Matt blew out a breath and said, “I’ll be back for that in a few minutes, Cassie,” before heading across the store and out the door. As much as he’d dreaded the thought of talking to Cora, it was time to set things right.

  Chapter Eight

  It was obvious the happy laughter she’d spent years enjoying at Christmas weren’t to be this year. Julia turned away from the window and sat down. Staring at the tree Matthew had tossed outside only made her more miserable, and for the first time since arriving, she was truly homesick for everything she’d left behind.

  She missed her father and even Bess, cranky as she was at times, and longed for the familiar comforts of home and the sound of ocean waves lapping at the shore. She wanted to taste salt on the breeze again as the sea spray filled the air with the scents of the ocean.

  She missed the parties and laughter and her friends.

  She missed the warm hugs her father gave her.

  She missed feeling wanted.

  Julia stared into the fireplace, watching the flames dance across the logs as they popped and hissed, so lost in thought she didn’t hear the door open until it shut. She sat up thinking it was Matthew but slumped back into her chair when she saw Prudence hanging her cloak up.

  “Why is there a tree laying in the front yard?”

  Looking back at the fire and blowing out a deep inhaled breath, Julia said, “Because Matthew didn’t want it in the house.”

  Prudence was quiet for so long Julia thought maybe she’d left as quietly as Abe always seemed to do and turned her head to see. Prudence was still by the door, a peculiar look on her face. “What?”

  “You brought a tree in?”

  “Yes.” Prudence acted as odd about the tree as Matthew had and it made little sense. Did they not celebrate Christmas in Montana as they did in South Carolina?

  As she stared at Prudence, her conversation with Cora whispered back through her mind again and the question that had been tugging at her conscious ever since then reared its head. “Why did you send away for Matthew a bride?”

  Prudence’s head snapped up. “Who said I did?”

  “Cora.”

  The sneer that crossed her face was all she needed to see to know Cora had been right about one thing. Those two did not get along. “Why do you dislike her so much?”

  “Who said I did?”

  “Your face.”

  Prudence snorted a laugh. “Fair enough.” She crossed the room and sat down in the chair opposite Julia. “Cora is a spoiled daddy’s girl who always gets what she wants. That store of theirs was built just for her and she’s always had to be the best-dressed in town and has a hissy fit if anyone outshines her in any way. Call it jealousy if you’d like, but she’s always rubbed me the wrong way, as she does many folks. I’ve never really liked her, especially after she set her sights on my brother when they were both in school and she was determined to have him. Lord knows she’s gone out of her way to see that he was hers by any means possible.”

  Julia took in the new information and looked back at the fire. “Does Matthew love her?”

  Prudence laughed loudly at that. “Heck no.”

  “Cora said they were engaged.”

  Prudence rolled her eyes. “I just bet she did.” She shook her head and leaned forward in her seat. “Listen to me. Matt’s a nice guy, he always has been, but he has never loved Cora, nor has he ever asked her to marry him.”

  “But Cora said—“

  “—I can only imagine what Cora said.” Prudence leaned back again and crossed her feet at the ankles. “Cora whined about never finding a suitable husband in a town as small as Angel Creek to anyone who would listen and my good-natured brother tried to reassure her she’d not end up a spinster. He made the mistake of teasingly telling her he’d marry her himself if she hadn’t done so by her twenty-fifth birthday and the girl took it to heart. She’s turned down every suitor who’s come knocking on her door because of it. Whatever she told you, don’t believe a word of it, because I can assure you, Matthew does not want her.”

  Julia wasn’t so sure about that. “I don’t think he wants me either.”

  “Nonsense.” When she said nothing in return, Prudence said, “Is everything okay?”

  Julia gave her a tiny smile and nodded her head. “Yes, everything is fine.”

  “Liar.”

  Prudence shifted in her seat moments before Julia saw her out of the corner of her eye. She was leaning forward, elbows propped on her knees.

  “I can tell something is bothering you, Julia, so talk to me. I know we’re practically strangers, and I’d never presume to be as close to you as those friends you traveled across the country with are, but I’d very much like to be considered your friend. You can talk to me about anything. I promise it won’t leave this room.”

  Julia had wanted desperately to talk to Ruby and the others about her troubles but the more she thought about it, the more she realized they couldn’t help her. They knew nothing about her husband—but Prudence did. She probably knew him better than anyone else in the entire town.

  She sat up straight and stared at her hands. “I think I made a mistake in coming out here.” For the third time that day, tears filled her eyes. She blinked them away. “I think it might be best if I went home.”

  Prudence’s lips drew into a harsh line. “Stop talking nonsense. You are home.”

  “Then why do I feel like a guest?”

  “I don’t know. Why do you feel that way?”

  She flicked a quick glance to Prudence’s face before looking away.

  The things she wanted to ask were so personal she would have had a hard time talking about them with her friends. Mentioning them to her husband’s sister? Mortifying.

  “Your face is turning red.”

  Julia laid her hands on her cheeks, heat crawling up her neck before burning her entire face. Just the thought of talking about intimate things with someone else was embarrassing.

  “Wait a minute.” Prudence slid to the edge of her chair. “When you said you didn’t think Matthew wanted you, did you say it for a specific reason?”

  Her face burned hotter.

  “Lord have mercy.” Prudence blew out a breath and mumbled something under her breath. “Has he—”

  “—I don’t think he wants to be married,” Julia interrupted. “At least, not married to me.”

  “That’s ridiculous, Julia. If Matt didn’t want to marry you, he wouldn’t have. He’s a good guy but he’s also pig-headed and strong-willed. He doesn’t do anything he doesn’t want to do. Trust me, if he married you, it’s because he wanted to.”

  Cora was halfway down the street when Matthew stepped out onto the wooden sidewalk and he had to jog to catch up with her.

  She darted into her family’s store and he barely got his hand on the door before she slammed it shut. “May I come in, Cora?”

  She was furious. Her face was red, her mouth set into a hard, straight line and the look in her eyes should have killed him where he stood. She narrowed her eyes, hissing, “Nothing you can say will make what you did all right!”

  “And what did I do?”

  Her jaw clenched. “You said you’d marry me, Matthew! That if I reached twenty-five and had not done so, that you’d marry me.”

  He sighed and rubbed a hand down his face. Shuffling footsteps to his left drew his attention. Cora’s shouting had drawn onlookers.

  “If you wish to talk this out, then open the door, otherwise I’m going home.”

  She sneered at him and said, “Back to her?”

  “Open the door, Cora.”

  She looked like she was going to refuse but swung it open a moment later and stormed into the building, slinging her reticule onto a table filled with scarves.

  Matt shut the door behind him and was quiet for long minutes as Cora paced the width of the building, her jaw locked tight. When she finally looked his way he said, “Prudence sent away for a bride.” He cringed the moment the words were out of his mouth. “That’s not an excuse, it’s just the way it happened.”

  Cora laughed but there wasn’t anything humorous in the sound. “I know she was the one who did it. Mrs. Peterson told me last week she’d overheard the entire conversation those men had about sending away for wives, and when she told me Prudence had been there, I knew she did it just to spite me.”

  Knowing Prudence, she probably did, but he didn’t say as much out loud. “I didn’t know anything about it until Julia’s trunks arrived at the house. I was in the process of having them sent back, thinking it was a mistake when Pru showed up and told me I couldn’t, that they weren’t at the wrong address. That’s the day she told me she’d sent away for a bride and that Julia would be there the following week so it was too late to send word for her not to come.”

  “But you showed up at the church—“

  “—Only to tell her I couldn’t marry her.”

  “Then why did you?”

  Because she was the prettiest thing he’d ever seen. Because she took his breath away when she set those green eyes on him and smiled, and he’d felt like the luckiest man in the entire world when she crossed the room and took his outstretched hand.

  But he wasn't about to tell Cora that.

  He scratched at his beard. “She was hundreds of miles away from home, Cora. She was alone except for her friends, penniless for all I knew. What would have happened to her had I refused?”

  She crossed her arms over her chest and turned her head to stare at anything but him.

  “I couldn’t leave her stranded here, Cora. It would have been cruel to promise her a home and marriage and then turn her away after she’d traveled half the country to get here.”

  “But you didn’t promise her.”

  “No, but my name was on that request, and to Julia, it was me who sent for her. She still thinks I sent away for her.”

  Her head snapped back around and her mouth opened as if she was about to say something but she closed it with a snap.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  He shoved his hands into his coat pockets. “I did what I thought was the decent thing to do, Cora. I know you’ve been turning down suitors.” To her credit, she blushed. “And I know you’ve been holding out in hopes we’d marry—“

  “Would you have?”

  Not by choice.

  “Had Julia not shown up, would you have married me?”

  “I’m a man of my word, Cora.”

  Her shoulders fell, her arms going slack at her side. “Then yes, you would have.”

  Her lip trembled a moment before she turned and walked away, stopping at the counter that ran along the side wall. “I’ve always loved you, Matthew.”

  He felt gut-punched at her softly spoken words. “I know you have.”

  She turned her head, tears swimming in her eyes. “You never loved me though, did you?”

  He didn’t answer. He’d hurt her enough. She didn’t need to hear the truth from him. His actions were proof enough. Had he loved her, he would have married her years ago.

  She picked up something from the counter and crossed to where he stood, grabbing his hand and laying it in his palm. “This just came in yesterday. It’s the nicest brooch we’ve ever had. I think it would make a lovely Christmas gift for your new bride.”

  The corners of her mouth turned up into a smile but he could tell it was strained. He closed his hand over the brooch and leaned down, placing a kiss to her cheek. “You’re a good woman, Cora. You’ll make a fine wife to someone one day.”

  She nodded, those tears in her eyes falling and he reached up to brush them away but she stepped back and swiped at her cheeks with both hands, smiling when she looked back up at him. “It’s late. I should be getting home.”

  Matt nodded and held up the brooch in his closed fist. “I’ll be by later in the week to settle with you for this.”

  She waved a hand in the air, dismissing his words. “Consider it a wedding gift.” Her smile widened as she met his gaze, the sadness still in her eyes telling him the smile was forced. “I hope she makes you happy, Matthew.”