"I now pronounce you man and wife." The deputy closed the book in his hand. "Mr. and Mrs. Sampson Coulter."
Mrs. Sampson Coulter.
The name echoed in her mind as the weight of it settled on her. She was no longer a Hampton, but a Coulter. Bound to this man and his family she had yet to meet.
She wasn't sure exactly how to feel about the change. But she couldn’t go back now.
Sampson's warm hand settled at the small of her back. She hated to pull away to gather Ruby, and he saved her the trouble as he reached for the basket, then resettled himself at Grace’s side. “Shall we go upstairs?”
Before she could answer, her father's sharp voice cut through the room. "Coulter. A word."
Sampson paused, and when he spoke, his voice came out measured. "Can it wait? I'd like to see my wife and…daughter settled first."
The worddaughterbrought a flutter to Grace’s stomach. Never mind that he’d just called her wife. This would take so much getting used to.
Her father's eyes flashed. "We’ve work to do.”
The challenge in his expression couldn’t be denied. He was testing Sampson's loyalty. This wasn't a battle worth fighting, not when they needed to keep him appeased.
She touched Sampson's arm. "It's all right. I'm going to put Ruby down for a nap anyway. You do what you need to.”
Uncertainty flicked in his eyes as he searched her face. She tried to convey without words that she understood, that she knew he was doing his best to take care of her.
After a long moment, he nodded and spoke softly. "I'll be up soon. And I'll make sure to keep quiet so I don't wake Ruby."
She gave him a small smile of gratitude before taking the babe in her basket. As she left the men behind and climbed the stairs, a part of her appreciated the solitude. She needed a chance to absorb all that had happened in the last hour. To fully comprehend that she had become a married woman.
But as she entered their room and shut the door behind her, a wave of loneliness spread through her. The space felt too big, too empty without Sampson's steadying presence.
She couldn't let herself grow accustomed to relying on him. In the end, it would always be only her and Ruby. Like it had been her and Mama, together but alone.
Sampson might be her husband in name, but she knew all too well what that meant—provide financially, and nothing else. Not companionship. Certainly not love.
Her own father had been nothing more than a peripheral figure, flitting in and out of their lives as he pleased. She couldn't let herself be disappointed when Sampson did the same.
With a sigh, she settled Ruby in the center of the bed, stroking a hand over the baby's dark downy hair. "Looks like it's just you and me, sweet girl."
Ruby cooed in response, blinking up at her with those innocent blue eyes. So trusting.
Together, they would be fine. She could be content. Happy even. And she would make sure Ruby never wanted for love.
* * *
Sampson’s bones ached from the bitter cold as he rode the bay lead gelding down the rocky slope in the darkness. The chestnut maneuvered beside them, with the pair still hitched together.
He’d delivered the blasting powder to the location Jedidiah specified, several hours west of Missoula. The man had wanted the powder left in the wagon, so any horses could be hitched to move it if the need arose. Which meant Sampson rode the team back instead of driving them. The sun had long since set, and it would be well after midnight before he reached Missoula Mills.
And Grace. His wife.
The thought of her spurred him onward, despite the exhaustion that dragged at him. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, that Jedidiah had ulterior motives for sending him off so abruptly after the wedding. The man was as cunning as a fox and a thousand times more ruthless.
Would he try to take Ruby away? Force Grace to leave with him? Sampson had to get back to them, had to make sure they were safe.
At least the location Jedidiah had ordered Sampson to take the blasting powder was in the opposite direction from the Coulter ranch. Sampson had been pretty sure this project didn’t involve his family, and the location he’d been sent to tonight was one more confirmation.
Jedidiah had said something about wanting to prepare for a new mine up in these mountains, though he hadn’t given any details. And Sampson knew better than to ask questions.
If only he had it in him to shoot both Mick and Jedidiah outright. That had been his original plan when he first went after Mick McPharland—to make the man pay for what he’d done to Sampson’s family. For stealing a wagonload of sapphires and burning down his brother Jonah’s cabin.
