Once Upon a Mail Order Bride - Linda Broday Page 0,71
fingers creating lazy circles on his chest and stomach. Her gaze drifted to the chest of drawers and the big secret he was keeping from her. She took a deep breath. If she couldn’t ask now, would there ever be another time? “Ridge, I was cleaning in here a day or two ago, and I found something of yours that puzzled me.”
He pinched his brows together in thought. If he was pretending not to know what she meant, he was doing a good job. “What was it?”
“A tintype. Of you and a fancy woman. It was on your chest of drawers. Who is she? Were you married before?”
His expression closed off to her, and he rolled over to sit on the side of the bed, head in his hands. “I wish you hadn’t found that.”
Fear rose in her throat. “Were you trying to keep it hidden?”
“Not exactly. That picture was taken a long time ago.” Ridge raked his fingers through his hair, still not looking at her. “I thought I’d left all that behind me.”
Questions rose and barely came out through stiff lips. “Who was she? Your wife?”
“No. Suzanne and I…we were engaged once, but she broke it off. At first, she had thought the idea of being a preacher’s wife exciting, a departure from a life she found dull and boring. But soon enough, she decided it would have taken too much work to make me into the kind of man she preferred.”
“That’s horrible. She must not’ve loved you at all.”
“The sad truth is that her position in society meant a lot more to her than I did.”
“But you must still love her. Else why keep the tintype?” She would’ve burned it long ago if it had been her. Addie rose and threw on her gown.
“I tossed it into a drawer when I unpacked here, and it must’ve gotten caught in the folds of one of my shirts. I found it on the floor a few weeks back and tossed it on top of the chest without giving it a second thought.”
“Yet you kept it,” she said softly.
Ridge gently pulled her down beside him and took her face in his hands. “Suzanne’s nothing to me. I don’t think of her, dream of her, or wish for a life with her.” He let out a gruff bark of laughter. “It’s you I want.”
Addie threaded her fingers through his. “Are you happy, Ridge? With our life, that is?”
“Very happy. You were the one I was meant to marry, not Suzanne Dickerson.”
“I’m glad.” She shot him a careful glance. “I confess I was jealous when I saw the tintype.”
“You have no need for that. I’m not going anywhere.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Besides, she’s married to another man now—a rich man with money to burn. And I wouldn’t trade what I have for all the Suzannes in the world.”
“I’m sorry I tested your patience. You must’ve gotten tired of waiting.”
“No, sweetheart. I wanted to give you all the time you needed.” The gentle tone of his voice, his touch, brought tears to her eyes.
How blessed she was to have found him.
Tenderness spilled over to the slow way he tugged the gown Addie had just put on over her head. “You’ll have no need for this.”
No, she wouldn’t. “Roll over,” she requested. It was her turn to take charge. Once he complied, she massaged his tight back muscles all the way down to his waist. Then she worked on his nicely formed butt, kissing, stroking, loving every inch.
“Aww, you have magic hands, my love.” Flipping over, Ridge pulled her down to him and began to explore her body once more. Soon Addie grew breathless and ached for him again, and the rapids of pleasure they were sure to ride.
* * *
Ridge rose before dawn and saddled the horses, taking care not to wake Bodie when he went into the barn. He stuffed leftover ham, cheese, and bread into the saddlebags, then went inside to make coffee. When it was boiled, he carried a tray up to their bedroom and set it on a small table. He stood looking down at his sleeping wife and the peaceful expression on her face. How truly fortunate his life had turned out. He couldn’t have asked for a prettier or more caring wife, and now he had confidence they matched in every way, including the marriage bed.
The bounty he’d been given flooding over Ridge, he kissed Addie’s tempting bare shoulder. “Want coffee first, then