chuckle.
She felt those words to the soles of her feet. What would she do? She had millions. One day, her life would get sorted out, Darrin would get what was coming to him, and Esther would inherit her late mother’s estate. It was so extensive that even she didn’t know exactly how much money was involved. How would her husband react to that? Surely, it wouldn’t matter so much . . .
“I know what you’re thinking,” he teased. “But don’t worry about it. We’ll have rich kids, but what you inherit won’t affect us. Not a bit.”
She recalled what he’d said, that he didn’t want to be Mr. Esther Marist. She ground her teeth together and forced a smile so that he wouldn’t realize she’d lied to him about her background.
“Not a bit,” she agreed, and turned suddenly back to the potatoes she’d been cooking, to test them.
* * *
They ate lunch quietly. Butch was still recovering from the fact that a woman as beautiful as Esther could love him, when he had few possessions worth anything and he was missing an arm. She was young and gorgeous. She could have had any man she wanted, but she wanted him, imperfections and all, because she loved him. He felt like floating. Except there was the guilt. She was so young. She’d run away from a frightening man and apparently she’d had no experience of men, young men. She clung to Butch because he was the first man who’d been kind to her. But that wasn’t love. It was gratitude. He wondered if she knew the difference. He felt guilty, as if he’d pushed her into a relationship before she had time to experience life without the burden of her mother and her mother’s lovers. And he’d failed to protect her. They both wanted a child, that was true, but what if she came to her senses too late, after she was pregnant, and she didn’t want Butch or a baby anymore? His own worries tormented him.
Esther saw that he was worried. She wondered why. He’d seemed so happy the night before. She flushed, remembering their shared passion. It had been a revelation to her. Butch hadn’t said that he loved her, although she’d certainly said it to him. Could he still be grieving for the fiancée who’d thrown him over, who’d had his child in her body but refused to bear it? Men were strange to her, even at her age. Often they seemed to love women who mistreated them. Was he missing his fiancée and regretting his hasty marriage to Esther?
She withdrew into herself, talking as naturally as she could and smiling, but the tension was growing as Butch, too, succumbed to his own tormented thoughts. It moved them apart at a time when they should have been growing closer together.
* * *
After that day, Butch went to bed only after Esther was asleep, and got up before she was awake. She felt inadequate. He didn’t seem to even want her anymore, which reinforced her fears that he regretted marrying her.
She went to work every day, and they carried on impersonal conversations, talking about everything under the sun—except themselves.
They were starting to cook supper one night a couple of weeks later when there was a knock on the door.
The sheriff’s deputy she knew from the restaurant came in past Butch and tipped his hat to Esther.
“I’m afraid I have some bad news,” he said quietly.
They both stared at him.
He drew in a breath. “We did a search on Cameron and found that he had an outstanding warrant, so we arrested him. I should have told you sooner, but we’ve been busier than usual.” He paused. “So Cameron made a phone call this morning, and two well-dressed attorneys from Aspen came and bailed him out of jail.”
Esther’s heart tried to jump out of her chest. “Oh, dear.”
“The attorneys mentioned that they were also representing a Mr. Darrin Ross and that he was planning to have Miss . . . excuse me, Mrs. Matthews here, arrested for pushing her mother down a staircase.”
“I didn’t,” Esther said quietly. “What about the coroner? He said that my mother was thrown down the staircase. I can hardly lift a ten pound bag of dog food, much less a grown woman!”
“I mentioned that. The attorneys said that the coroner had a change of heart and amended his autopsy report.” The deputy smiled gently. She did look so frightened.
Esther’s eyes closed. “If he can have me