Love Her Softly

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

Emma didn't move from the bed much at all the rest of the day. She was miserable and heartbroken. She needed to speak with Liam but he was gone—he'd ridden out after storming from the cabin.

And now she was alone.

She had thought about going back into town and living there until Liam returned—but she couldn't make that trip until her ribs healed a bit. She would never stand the pain of walking or riding that long journey on the bumpy road.

And, she wasn't sure she should leave. If she left and Liam returned, what kind of message did that send him? Emma didn't want to cause him any more pain.

No, she was his wife. Her name was now Emma McIntyre. And she would do what a wife was expected to do. She would keep the house up and wait patiently for her husband to return.

Emma was imagining what might be said between, when suddenly the cabin door opened and Patrick stepped in. That familiar unease swept through her.

Liam was not around. Patrick had already attempted to get rid of her once. Would he do it again? Or would he attempt to hurt her?

"Don't be scared of me," Patrick insisted as he took off his gun belt and coat and hung both on a hook by the door. "You're my daughter-in-law now. That makes us family."

Emma hadn't thought of it like that. Patrick stoked up the fire and glanced toward the kitchen. "Are you hungry, Emma? I probably should have come in and made you something earlier. I'll admit I'm new to thinking about somebody else—that's something my son and I have in common."

Emma frowned. "Liam is a good man...."

"I know that," Patrick assured her as he pulled several potatoes from a bin beneath a cabinet. "But he isn't used to thinking about someone else before he makes decisions. Don't pretend you aren't bothered that he went on that job today."

Emma merely looked down at the blanket covering her legs. Patrick sighed. "Today was a bad day. You were both thrown into something that you weren't quite ready for and both of you handled it poorly. But you have a month to rest, heal and think about things. I'm sure when Liam comes back, you'll both be back to being the happy, smiling couple I saw at the dance."

Emma felt herself smiling despite her own doubts. She really truly wanted Patrick to be right.

Patrick smiled, his leathery cheeks wrinkling more deeply. "Now, allow me to whip you up some supper. I ain't much of a cook but I can fry a mean potato and I can heat up beans. I hope that'll suit you."

Emma nodded, feeling more comfortable with the man's presence than she had moments ago. Surely he was no danger to her—not any longer. "That sounds good to me. Thank you, Patrick."

Patrick shrugged off the gratitude. "Don't mention it. I owe you a hell of a lot more than one lousy supper."

***

The next morning found Emma even more sore than she'd been the day before. She knew she needed to get up and move around. Patrick had slept in the barn the night before and hadn't yet been in the house. Perhaps Emma could cook him breakfast as a thank you for cooking supper for her.

She wanted to ensure that their relationship wasn't stuck in the past and tainted by his mistake. He truly seemed sorry for what he'd done and she understood that in his own way, he honestly had thought he was helping his son by sending her back to her father.