Rebecca (Angel Creek Christmas Brides #15) - Lily Graison Page 0,48

her hair away from her face, his hand lingering on her cheek. “You’re the woman I love. The woman I asked to marry me. The woman who said yes.” A tear slipped down her cheek at his quiet words. He brushed it away and leaned down to brush a soft kiss to her lips. “And I’d really like to know who she is. How did you end up here?”

She licked her lips and inhaled a deep breath. “I was running from someone and ducked into a crowd of people waiting to board the train so they wouldn’t see me. Another girl there thought I was part of the group she was traveling with and tugged me toward the train. A man with tickets handed them all out and the last one, he handed to me.” Her voice cracked, and she cleared her throat before saying, “Can I have another drink of water?”

He nodded and held the glass as she drank. When he lowered it, she picked at a stray string on the blanket again. “I just got on the train to get away from the man chasing me and…” She sighed and met his gaze. “I wasn’t lying when I said I was no one, Caleb. I grew up in an orphanage and was kicked out when I turned eighteen. I’ve lived on the streets for the past two years, stealing whatever I could to survive. I was running from the baker I’d stolen a loaf of bread from and that train ticket … it was my way out. I had no idea where Diana Hale was going. It didn’t matter. Anywhere had to be better than Charleston so I stuck the ticket in my bag, took a seat, and … here I am.”

He stared at her for long moments, then said, “What’s your name?”

“Rebecca.”

“Rebecca what?”

She shook her head. “I’m just Rebecca. No one ever cared enough to give me a name beyond that.” She sighed again and tried not to cry.

Rebecca. Caleb thought knowing who she was would change things, but it hadn’t. He still wanted her. He didn’t care who she was or where she came from.

She opened up after that, telling him everything there was to know about her. Knowing she’d been living on the streets, he couldn’t blame her for taking that ticket. He probably would have too had their situations been reversed. Self preservation forced her to make decisions a person normally wouldn’t have to deal with. How could he fault her for that?

“Do you hate me?”

The question got caught on a sob, more tears leaking from her eyes. He brushed them away and shook his head. “I could never hate you.”

She sniffed and blinked tears away. “I didn’t mean to lie to you, Caleb. I had no idea what I was going to do when I got wherever it was Diana was going so when you approached me at the stagecoach station I just went along with it. I hadn’t planned to do more than get a good night's sleep and something to eat but then thought, why leave? What harm would it do to let you keep on thinking I was Diana Hale? So I stayed and said nothing. I’m so sorry, Caleb. I wanted to tell you so many times but I was scared…”

“Scare of what? You know I’d never hurt you.”

She took a stuttering breath. “I was scared you’d send me away.”

Her voice cracked and the sound broke his heart. He pulled her into his arms, holding her tight. She cried as he held her, her constant apologies heartbreaking to hear.

How had she survived so long on her own? Where had she slept? Had she’d gone hungry often? The questions kept coming, but he never asked them. There was time for that later.

Her tears finally dried but he didn’t let her go. Her arms were wrapped around his waist, her fingers clenched in the fabric of his shirt and he liked the feel of her so close.

“Where did Diana go?”

He kissed her forehead and pushed her hair over her shoulder. “She’s at the boarding house.”

“What happens now?”

“That depends.”

She leaned back to see his face. “On what?”

“On if you’re still going to marry me or not.”

Her eyes widened as she sucked in a quiet breath. “You still want to marry me?”

“More than anything.” He smiled down at her and brushed a soft kiss against her lips. “I love you. That hasn’t changed just because your name is something other than what I