Leah looked to each side of her horse to see identical twin boys, big, strong, sturdy boys of about seventeen, with handsome faces, dark skin, and brilliant blue eyes.
“I’m Slade,” said one, eyes twinkling.
“And I’m Cord Macalister. Welcome.”
“We work for Wes. Actually we keep the place going better when he’s not around,” said Slade.
“Wes has an awful habit of interfering with us. Would you like to see the house?”
“Or the fields? Or the town? Sweetbriar’s not much, but i
t’s what we have to offer.”
“Can I help you down?”
“I’ll help too.”
“Wait a minute!” Leah laughed. “You’re going too fast for me. Yes, I’d like to get down, and yes, I’d like to see the house, but no thank you, on the town. At least not today.”
Cord walked around the horse to stand beside his brother and they were indistinguishable from each other.
“Allow me,” Slade said, arms extended.
“And me,” Cord added.
Their humor was infectious and Leah allowed herself to be helped down by both young men and they did it with ease and grace, as if they often, together, lifted women from horses.
“It’s not much,” Cord said. Or was it Slade?
“But we did the best we could. Justin told us so much about you that we wanted to make the house nice.”
“Bud and Cal had a few things to say about you too.”
“You met them then? They’re safe?” Leah asked.
“Safe!” Slade snorted. “Except that at first we thought they were breeding bulls and almost put them out to pasture, I reckon they’re safe enough.”
Again laughing, she started toward the open cabin door.
“Wait a minute, aren’t new brides supposed to be carried over the threshold?” Slade asked.
“By their husbands they are,” came a deep voice from behind them.
They all turned to see Wesley.
“You two weren’t planning to volunteer to carry my wife, were you?”
“No sir,” both boys echoed with wide eyes. “Never even crossed our minds.”
With a laugh and a shake of his head, Wes came forward. “Get out of here and get back to work—and stop flirting with my wife,” he shouted as they scurried off, after they’d given big winks to Leah.
“Nice boys,” Leah said.
“Huh!” Wes said with a snort. “They’re the bane of this town. Every woman they see falls in love with them, and then spoils them. Their father and I are the only people who give them any discipline. Now, about that carrying.” Bending, he swept her into his arms.
“You know how this custom started, don’t you? The Romans captured their brides and had to forcefully carry them into their houses. Are you a reluctant bride, Leah? Am I going to have to drag you into my bed tonight?”
She took him seriously. “I’m afraid not. When it comes to…that, I don’t seem to have much resistance.”