One of the men glared at him. “Excuse him, ma’am. Vern never did have no manners. We got everythin’ waitin’ at the inn. Bess Simmons is there.”
“Sure, of course we’ll be there,” Wesley said.
“See you then!” they called as they turned to ride away.
“Now will you put me down?” Leah demanded.
Wesley turned back to his wife in his arms and for the first time he seemed to look at her—but the glance was broken after only seconds.
“Oh Wesley,” Kim began to cry. “That was so humiliating to me. I should have been in your arms. They should be giving us this party.”
Wes nearly dropped Leah as he ran to comfort Kim. As Leah steadied herself against the wagon Steven, above her on the seat, laughed nastily. “Haven’t you learned how to fight with tears? My sister’s an expert at it.”
Leah ignored him as she walked to the back of the wagon to check on the animals. It was there that Wes found her.
“I think you better ride with me,” he said tightly.
She glared at him. “If you’re trying to save my reputation, you needn’t bother. I’m sure your friends will be prepared for anything when a Simmons is involved.”
She turned away toward the cow, but Wesley grabbed her arm and pulled her to face him. “I don’t give a damn if you don’t care for your own reputation but I’ll not have it said that Kimberly has broken us up. She’s innocent in all this and I’ll not have her name dirtied further.”
She jerked away from his grasp. “I should have known that you were concerned only for your dearest Kimberly. So for your Kimberly I’m to play your wife for the night? The idea repulses me!”
He gave her a hard look as his voice lowered. “I will tell you this only once: Don’t you ever again say anything against Kimberly. She has suffered a great deal because of you and if our spending one evening together will help keep her name clean you’ll do it if I have to break some of your little bones. Tonight we’ll be a loving couple, do you understand that?”
&nb
sp; “Perfectly,” she said through clenched teeth.
Wesley turned on his heel and left her, and as Leah looked up, in the distance stood Kimberly, smiling prettily and confidently before she swept away in a swirl of silk, Wesley trotting along after her.
“Damn, damn, damn!” Leah cursed under her breath as she angrily adjusted the cow’s harness.
“My little sister does have a way of getting men,” Steven said from behind her.
Leah ignored his ingratiating tone and blinked back tears. She would not cry!
“But then you have your own way of interesting a man,” Steven said as he touched her arm. “Those friends of Wesley’s were surprised to see a Simmons looking like you. Ol’ Wes was lucky that night when you climbed in bed with him. Of course he wasn’t so lucky when he had to marry you. Men marry women like my sister but women like you were made for only one thing—love. Now I could give you—.”
He didn’t finish his sentence because Leah grabbed the cow’s feed bag and slammed it into the side of Steven Shaw’s smirking face.
“Bitch!” he yelled, rubbing his face, but Leah was already running to the front wagon where Wesley sat waiting for her. Without a word, she climbed into the seat.
Damn them, she thought. Damn each and every one of them. Steven thought she was a whore, Wesley threatened her with violence if she didn’t obey him, and Kimberly smiled and drank brandy like a sailor. I’ll do what Wesley wants, she seethed to herself. Tonight I’ll be the most loving wife this side of the mountains. We’ll leave Virginia with everyone thinking we’re so in love that Kimberly couldn’t come between us. I’ll save Miss Shaw’s reputation, but I wonder if she’s going to like the process.
Chapter 7
Leah didn’t speak to Wesley for the rest of the ride to the inn. Even though she knew what she wanted to do, she wondered how in the world she was going to stand him long enough to pretend to be his wife. And, too, Leah began to wonder just how Wesley’s friends were going to treat her. Already one of them had made a comment about her being a Simmons. Would they treat her as Steven Shaw did?
As they neared the inn, Leah steeled herself because ten men were waiting for them. The wagon hadn’t rolled to a stop when all ten of them rushed forward, each pushing the other for the privilege of helping Leah from the wagon.
“Welcome, Mrs. Stanford.”
“Wesley doesn’t deserve someone as pretty as you.”
“Clay says you like to weave. My sister sent some drafts for me to give you.”
“And my mother sent you some flower seeds.”