His Brother's Bride Read Online Free PDF Page B

shopping. It wasn’t until Mara had extended the invitation that Emily had realized she was lonely for adult company. A friendship would be like a balm to her soul.
    That next week, Emily finished up the supper dishes while Cade repaired a chair on the sitting room floor. She could hear him driving in nails and knew Adam was probably sitting beside him, taking in everything Cade did. She admired the relationship between Cade and Adam. The boy watched his pa so closely and imitated everything he did.
    Emily dumped the dishwater behind the house and gathered up her sewing. Even as she dropped into the sitting room chair, her eyes felt heavy with weariness. Her busy days were catching up with her. Trying to run the house, look after Adam, and search for the map were taking their toll. She’d barely gotten started on the garden, and she knew she’d have to focus her efforts on that soon.
    She threaded the needle and grabbed a shirt of Cade’s from the little pile.
    In front of her, Cade drove a nail into the arm of the chair.
    â€œCan I try, Pa?”
    Cade shook the arm to test its strength then turned the chair. “Here, hold the nail like this.”
    Emily peeked up from her stitching. Cade molded the boy’s fingers around the nail’s body then picked up the hammer. “Put your other hand here.” Adam put his hand on the hammer, though Cade didn’t let go. Together, they drove the nail into the wood.
    â€œI did it!” Adam said.
    Cade set down the hammer and squeezed his shoulder. “I reckon you did.”
    â€œLook, Emily, I did it,” Adam said.
    Emily smiled. “You’re growing up. Before you know it, you’ll be as big as your pa.”
    The proud smile on the boy’s face was a picture that made Emily want to chuckle. Her gaze found Cade’s, and they exchanged a smile. He looked away before she had time to enjoy the private moment. It was the most attention he’d given her since that fateful first night of their marriage.
    She poked the needle through the fabric and pulled it out the other side. It was strange, their relationship. Cade cared for Adam and gave him affection, and the boy clearly adored his pa. And Emily had grown to care for Adam even in the short time she’d known him. Adam was starting to return her hugs and search her out when he did something he was proud of.
    But Cade and Emily—their relationship was hardly a relationship at all. It was more as if they were acquaintances who shared a house. They said “good morning” and “pass the potatoes” and “good night” and little else. And yet, they were husband and wife.
    Each night as she lay in bed waiting for sleep to come, she thought of Thomas and how different her life would be if he were still alive. They’d have shared their lives in a way that she and Cade hadn’t. He would’ve shared her bed and given her a passel of children.
    Stop it, Emily, it does no good to think of what cannot be changed.
    â€œWhy you making a chair, Pa? We have enough already.”
    Adam leaned over Cade’s shoulder, almost smothering him with his closeness. Most men, she suspected, would have nudged him back. Cade just kept working as if it didn’t bother him.
    â€œIt’s for Mr. and Mrs. Stedman. They need another chair, and I remembered we had one in the attic just needed a little fixin’.”
    The attic. Why didn’t I think of that? Emily had searched all over the house for the map, and she’d come up with nothing. But the attic would be the perfect place to look. Didn’t folks keep things from past generations in attics? There were probably trunks of old things up there, and surely she’d find the map among the relics.
    â€œâ€”over there, did you?”
    Emily felt Cade’s gaze on her and raised hers to meet it. She’d not been paying a lick of attention. “I’m sorry, what did you