would accepting make her a hypocrite? She hadn’t asked him to leave her anything, so did that make a difference? She didn’t know. She’d had no idea his holdings were so vast. Saying yes would potentially make her a pretty wealthy woman. A part of her hoped he’d come to his senses and change his mind so the matter would be out of her hands, but there was little chance of that occurring. Once Ben set a course there was no going back. His decision that placed her eighteen-year-old self on the path that would become her life stood as testament to his stubborn resolve. She wondered if this was his way of apologizing. He certainly owed her something for putting her through hell, and as he’d plainly stated, she’d be dumb to turn down a gift that would make life easier. Outside of nuns, priests, and Jesuits, no one in their right mind chose to be poor, not even hypocrites.
After going back inside, she washed her cup and set it on the counter. The cabin interior echoed with silence. In the past, it had been companionable. Now something seemed missing and that something was Garrett. His presence drifted in the air like an unseen spirit, as if the cabin had become his, as well. It was an odd sensation, but not an unpleasant one. She felt that if she went to his room and knocked on the door, he’d set aside his book and respond. He’d been a constant companion lately, her partner, and she’d grown accustomed to having him near. In a few days he’d be returning to the place he called home, yet, during the past few weeks, she’d come to consider this cabin his home. They’d shared meals, conversation, passion, and she admitted that in the back of her mind, she worried he’d go back East and decide not to return. If so, she’d mourn what might have been then retrain herself in how to be a woman alone. For the moment, however, she looked forward to tomorrow evening and the night they planned to share.
Later, as she prepared for bed, she opened the door to his room and looked inside. Most of his belongings were still there. In a corner by the wardrobe were the new boots he’d been unable to remove on his own the day she rescued him from the storm, and the memory of that encounter evoked a soft smile. Who knew he’d work his way into her life and heart so effortlessly, and that she’d be changed as a result? Her eyes lingered on the bed. Some women might be comforted by sleeping in their love’s bed while he was away, but Spring thought that pretty sappy—she hadn’t been changed that much. After closing the door, she walked through the silence to her own room.
Chapter Sixteen
The following morning Spring knew she’d spend the day pacing and making herself loco while waiting for Garrett to arrive, so she ate breakfast and rode over to see Regan to pass some of the time.
“I’m in love,” Spring confessed.
Holding the baby, Regan got up from her sofa, walked to the closest window, and looked out.
“What are you doing?”
“Trying to see the pigs flying around.”
Spring shot her a look and laughed. “I will hurt you, you know.”
Regan grinned and retook her seat. “No, you won’t. Congratulations on finding someone who fills you heart.”
“It wasn’t my intention.”
“Love has a way of finding us anyway. Especially when we’re not looking. Have you told him?”
“I have.” Spring described the moment.
“That was so wrong but so perfect.”
“I know.” She could still hear Garrett yell, “Spring! Get back here!”
She spent the next few minutes telling Regan about meeting Garrett’s family, and Vernon’s reaction to Ed Prescott.
Displeased, Regan said, “Let Melody know we don’t marry bigots in this family.”
“My feelings exactly. I understand that newspapers back East don’t paint a true picture of the tribes, but we were on Ed’s land. Vernon had seen that beautiful house, the horses, and still called him a savage.”
“You wanted to do him bodily harm, I take it.”
“Very much so.” And she still did.
Regan looked down at Colton Fontaine and said quietly, “He’s asleep. Let me put him in the crib.”
When she returned, she said, “Colt said you told him the full story about working for Mitch Ketchum.”
“I did. He wants me to forgive Ben, so he needed to know the truth.” She’d shared the details with Regan right after she became Colt’s wife.