How was it possible to love someone so completely in such a short period of time? If only Jasper could understand that love and be more accepting of Moses.
Emma Jane sighed.
One more reason why it seemed hard to accept that Jasper’s feelings were anything more than one of his passing fancies. His moods seemed to be up-and-down, not at all the steady emotion she felt for Moses.
Jasper’s driving passion to find Daisy had been stronger than any of the emotion he’d expressed toward Emma Jane. And if she was to be completely honest about Jasper, well...
She sighed again.
The last time they’d been stuck here, she’d thought the two of them had developed a strong friendship. They’d talked and laughed, and Emma Jane was certain they’d have a good relationship once they returned to town. When her parents demanded they marry, she believed it wouldn’t be so bad, considering she and Jasper had already bonded.
But this? The constant up-and-down and never knowing if Jasper was going to be friendly or antagonistic?
Which Jasper would she return home to?
The door creaked open, and Emma Jane turned, expecting to see Olivia but instead found Jasper, hair mussed and rubbing his eyes, walking through the door.
“I’m making tea,” she told him, realizing that she’d oversteeped the leaves, but not sure she cared. Perhaps the stronger drink would help her gather her thoughts.
“I thought you’d still be asleep.” He walked to the table and accepted the cup she offered him. “Thank you.”
“What are you doing up so early?”
“I woke up when the wind stopped howling. Couldn’t get back to sleep. Too much on my mind. I’m hoping to beat the bandits back to town.”
That was the kind of devotion she’d hoped for him to feel toward her. The kind of devotion that should have backed up his kiss.
“I’ve been thinking,” Emma Jane said slowly, even though the idea was just coming to her. “I’m going to stay here. You need to get back to deal with the bandits, but I need Abigail to feed Moses, so I’m going to stay with them.”
Time seemed to stand still for a few moments as Jasper watched her. He had to know that she was right. Without Abigail, Moses wouldn’t be able to eat. Why she hadn’t thought of it sooner, she didn’t know, but here, in the stillness of the morning with Jasper preparing to leave, it was all too clear. He’d have to go without her.
“Why do you think I asked you to leave Moses here?” His words were gentle, and while she’d expected some level of argument from him, she hadn’t expected him to sound so...reasonable.
“I need to stay with my son.”
“People will talk if I come home without you,” he rasped.
“I thought you didn’t care about what people said.”
She watched as he flattened his lips, his jaw tightening. He didn’t have an argument she couldn’t counter, and she found, as he appeared to weigh her words, that she no longer cared.
What if people talked? She had done everything to avoid people talking. And yet, it hadn’t changed a thing. In fact, all the painstaking measures she’d taken to silence her critics had only made her miserable.
Well, she was done with that way of thinking. If people wanted to talk because she was doing what was best for her son, then so be it.
Jasper looked at her long and slow. “I don’t like it, but that’s the way of things. People talk, and while I try to ignore it, I know how it hurts people.”
His expression softened. “Like you.” He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “I know I haven’t done my best by you to keep the talk down, but once this business with the bandits is done, I’ll do what I can.”
Yet again, Jasper was putting her off. Now that he was heading back to town, Emma Jane was no longer a priority. Just as she’d suspected, her husband had no interest in her other than being a passing fancy. He’d kissed her because she was convenient to him, not because he’d developed any special feelings for her.
She’d almost been fooled. For a moment, she’d almost thought that he’d developed a level of tenderness toward her. But no. He’d merely sought his amusement with her because there’d been little else to do.
Worse, Emma Jane had been the one to incite the action. Had she not taunted him into holding Moses, they’d have both remained content in their own worlds. The attachment she’d been forming to Jasper would never have happened, and then her brain wouldn’t be so muddled by the kiss.
Spending time with Jasper was simply too dangerous to her heart. So prickly on the outside, he wasn’t a man she wanted to know. But when he lowered his defenses...
Emma Jane sighed. Now that was a Jasper she liked. Could perhaps feel something more for. Except that just as quickly as he let his guard down, the prickles came back up, and that was a man she couldn’t live with.
Their marriage vows had been for better or for worse, but as Emma Jane watched her husband calmly sip his tea, she had to wonder if they really had a marriage at all. Technically, with their marriage not consummated, they weren’t married. Emma Jane had heard that some people in those circumstances were able to get an annulment.
It seemed their reasons for getting married were no longer valid, at least not to Emma Jane. And after spending all this time trying to make things work with Jasper, to even establish a friendship, they’d gained no ground. He was still the same Jasper who refused to see anything other than his own interests.
Emma Jane cleared her throat. “All the same, I’d prefer to remain here. The talk doesn’t bother me so much as the worry over what might happen to Moses.”
Irritation flashed across Jasper’s face. “And you don’t think I care about what happens to the child? I’m not without
