Katie: Bride of Virginia (American Mail-Order Brides 10) by Sylvia McDaniel

He didn't want to make her cry.
    Pulling her in his arms, he whispered against her head, “I know I'm not an easy man to live with and I've made mistakes, but don't give up on me. No, I didn't intend to marry you that day, but I'm so glad I did.”
    How could he convince her his life was so enriched because she was here. And now he couldn't imagine his living without her.
    “I want to believe you. I really do, but it's hard with all of the allegations I keep hearing.”
    “Believe that these last few weeks with you have made me happier than I can remember. Believe that I want us to have children and grow old together. I want you working beside me in our vineyard, making our family business a success. I want you to be my partner for life. “
    When the words came out of his mouth he was shocked and yet they were true. Besides the party, which had been her idea, he'd not included her in the decisions and the running of the vineyard. Maybe it was time to show her how important she was to him. Maybe it was time to court his lovely wife and make her feel a part of the operation.  Maybe it was time to treat her with the respect his wife was due.
    “Come to bed, Katie. Whether or not you sleep with me doesn't matter. I'd just like to hold and comfort you and show you how much I care about you.”
    Tugging on her hand he led her from the kitchen and into the hall towards the stairs and their bedroom.
     

Chapter Eight
     
    K atie awoke the next morning feeling more confused than ever. The Christmas party had been a huge success and the debut of the wine had them giddy over its success. Now if only the orders would come pouring in.
    Last night had been illuminating in so many ways with Katie learning about Eloise's death and the banker telling Daniel about the buyer for the vineyard. So much had happened, but the most confusing of all had been her husband.
    For a man people believed had killed his first wife, he'd been kind and caring last night when she'd learned he had not been the one behind the ad in the Grooms' Gazette, but Frank.
    And yet when they'd gone to bed, he'd simply held her until she fell asleep. She'd been so exhausted, once her head hit the pillow, she quickly slipped off into dreamland where none of the pressing problems of the day were present.
    Somehow she wanted to find out who had really killed Eloise. Sure, her husband must have been in pain at the idea of his wife, pregnant with another man's child, leaving him. But he didn't seem capable of hurting someone he loved. He’d taken care of his cranky mother for the last five years and Katie couldn't help but think anyone who would do that woman, deserved a box of gold nuggets.
    Katie climbed out of bed and stretched. Hurriedly she dressed. The cock had crowed, the sun was up and she was late getting downstairs. The smell of bacon hit her nose as she reached the kitchen. Opening the door, she saw her mother-in-law sitting at the table drinking tea and her husband cooking eggs.
    “Good morning,” he said. “I hope you rested well.”
    “Sorry, I'm late. I slept so hard last night that I overslept this morning.”
    He came around the kitchen table and kissed her softly on the mouth. “You worked so hard on that party, I'm sure you were exhausted.”
    His mother smiled. “It was a good party. I enjoyed it.”
    Praise from his mother? Had the sun risen in the west or had Katie just not totally awakened yet? Was she dreaming. “I'm glad you had a good time, Mother O'Malley.”
    “Well, don't let it go to your head. People still don't like my son.”
    All the revelations from last night suddenly weighed heavy on Katie's heart and she couldn't help but wonder why so many people had attended their event. Was it curiosity or something else? And who had destroyed all the wine bottles last night? It had to be someone at the party. Or could it have been Martha? The woman had disappeared when she'd asked her to stay.
    “Mother,” Daniel warned. “Katie is not