They watched him leave the saloon, his stride confident and somehow intimidating.
Leaning one elbow on the bar, her hand supporting her head, Marilee sighed.
“Goodness, now I don’t know whether I should marry him or not,” she admitted glumly.
“Why? You love him, don’t you?” Cara asked with concern.
“Well, yes, in so much as I know what true love is.”
“Are you worried he will discipline you if you don’t do as he says?”
“Certainly, wouldn’t you be? Oh dear, I’m so sorry. Forgive me; I know you’ve been through so much more than what Mead described. However did you tolerate it?”
“I love my husband very much,” Cara acknowledged, feeling her eyes swell with tears. “I guess I’d do about anything for him, even risk my life.”
“Heavens, it must be torture to love someone so much and have them treat you so very badly. If there is ever anything I can do to help you…”
“You can help me by marrying Mead,” Cara stated, brushing away a tear. “At least that’s one avenue I won’t have to worry about.”
“Caroline, whatever are you talking about? Why would my marrying Mead make any difference in your situation?”
Realizing she’d made a devastating admission, Cara quickly forced a smile to her face.
“Why it would do my heart good to see you happily married to a man who loves you to distraction. I can sense he’s a good man, one who would never do you wrong, and it might restore my faith in the entire male gender,” she concluded.
“Oh yes, I see. Still, I don’t believe Mead has ever spoken to me quite so forcefully before tonight. Perhaps I’ve been hasty in accepting his proposal.”
“Nonsense! He’s charming, attractive, and well able to support you financially. He does not appear to indulge overly in drink, and from what I could see, he’s quite the dancer,” she added with a wink. “You’d better snatch him up before some other girl does.”
“You’re probably right,” Marilee concluded. “Until tonight, I had no doubts, but he seems in such a hurry it makes me wonder.”
“Of course he’s in a hurry to make you his. He’s probably worried you’ll change your mind and run off with some cowboy.”
Marilee laughed.
“That would never happen. I know some of the drifters who pass through are handsome, but I’m not the type of women to have her head turned by a compliment or two. I want a man that is honorable,” she insisted.
“Have you been intimate with him?” Cara asked in a whisper.
“Caroline, how could you ask such a thing?” she gasped out. “Mead has been a perfect gentleman!”
“Maybe too much of a gentleman,” Cara teased. “Maybe he needs to take you in his arms and kiss you senseless.”
“Well, he did kiss me like that once,” Marilee admitted, blushing prettily. “Now that you mention it, it made my knees weak and my heart race. That might have been the day I agreed to marry him, but I was not quite myself as Lillian Piersal had drugged me with laudanum until I barely knew my name. Perhaps I should have Mead kiss me like that again, just to be sure,” she drawled thoughtfully.
“I think that’s a wonderful idea. Oh dear, here comes Callie Mae’s husband back from his deputy dog rounds,” she said. “Do you think you could take over the bar? I’ve a headache coming on and if I could lie down for a few minutes, it might abate.”
“Certainly,” Marilee replied, coming around the bar. “Take all the time you need, but I don’t understand the term ‘deputy dog’. What does it mean?”
“Oh nothing, just my head bothering me, I guess. Now and then, I say inappropriate things when I’m hurting. Thanks Marilee. I’ll be back down in a little while.”
Upstairs, Cara flopped on the bed, tossing her arm over her eyes. She did have a tension headache that began when Mead recognized her. Not that she worried he would betray her. Mead would never go back on his word, but she needed to keep a low profile. If Morgan should learn she was in 1880 Kansas, all hell would break loose. Thankfully, he seemed to only have eyes for his wife, a blessing.
In the back of her mind, she knew that should Micah show up unexpectedly, Morgan’s fit would be miniscule in comparison to Micah’s. It just didn’t bear thinking about, not if she wanted the pounding at her temples to stop.
CHAPTER 16
Laurie Dixon was giving up nothing, despite Cara having been at the café numerous times, extending the hand of friendship. The woman wasn’t having it, and after having made the mistake of convincing Laurie she was interested in Matthew, there seemed to be no going back.
