kiss she’d ever shared with Richard was a light peck on the cheek when the pastor married them. No matter what happened in the future, she didn’t think she’d ever again experience anything as exciting as that one kiss.
Clint was debating whether to ask her about her husband and her marriage. Since Mrs. Nelson told him about their “convenient” marriage, he’d been wondering if she’d been in love with her sister’s husband before her marriage. He didn’t think kissing her was the best decision he’d ever made, but unless he was imagining things, she’d kissed him back. Of course, she could be suffering from loneliness. Clint knew all about that particular emotion.
They ate in silence for several minutes before Clint turned to face her. “Amelia, Mrs. Nelson told me you hadn’t been married long when you lost your husband.”
She was surprised Mrs. Nelson told him about her marriage. “That’s true. Richard had serious injuries when he came home from the war.”
“Mrs. Nelson also said he was your sister’s husband and the girls are your nieces.”
“That’s true.”
Clint set aside his plate and picked up his coffee. He silently considered his next question. It really wasn’t any of his business, but he wanted to know—he had to know. “Did you love him?”
Amelia didn’t need to think over her answer. She gave him a truthful response. “I loved him like a brother. I was crazy about the girls, and I wanted them to stay with my family. My sister and I discussed the possibility of me marrying Richard before she died. We all wanted to keep the girls with the only family they had ever known.” She hesitated, unsure of what she should reveal, but looking into Clint’s eyes, she wanted him to know how she felt. She had never been in love, but she thought she was in love now. “Of course I was sad that he died, but I didn’t . . . well, I didn’t think I could ever love him as a wife should love a husband.”
Clint was relieved to hear that she wasn’t pining for a lost love. “Your marriage was one of convenience?”
Amelia nodded. “I don’t regret making that decision.”
She tried to recall bits and pieces of a conversation they’d had one night. “Did you tell me you had never been married?”
Clint smiled. He didn’t think she would remember their conversation. “No, I’ve never been married.”
Amelia took a drink of her coffee as she tried to gather the courage to ask her next question. “Have you ever been in love?”
Clint thought about her question. He’d never stayed in one place long enough to develop a meaningful relationship with a woman. Oh, he’d met some nice women, and even shared intimate relationships, but he’d never considered marriage. “No.” He wanted to add not until now, but he thought it was too soon to voice his feelings. He intended to court her properly before he declared his love. He was curious about the nature of her relationship with Richard. It seemed logical that as man and wife, they would have shared a physical relationship, but Mrs. Nelson had implied that was not the case. She’d admitted that she loved her husband like a brother, but that didn’t indicate they’d shared intimacies. Even if they had shared a loving relationship, Clint knew it wouldn’t prevent him from wanting her. But he didn’t want a brotherly love. He wanted much more.
Chapter 8
The afternoon Clint reined in at his ranch, Amelia’s fever spiked again. He carried her inside and put her in his bed. He hurriedly started a fire to get the room warm before he tried to get her to drink some water. He needed to ride to town to see if his mother was with the doctor. If the doctor was well, he’d bring him back to help Amelia, but he wanted to make sure she was resting peacefully before he left. He intended to stop by Amelia’s ranch to see if Casey was still there. If so, he would ask him to come sit with her until he returned. Clint was curious to find out what kind of man he was, particularly if Amelia was considering marrying him.
He looked around the house to see if everything was in the same place as the last time he was there. Everything looked exactly the same. After he made some coffee, he carried a cup to Amelia. She seemed to prefer his coffee more than water. He was just about to tell