“Who’s Bethany?” Cade asked, his gaze bouncing between the two other men. “And who does she belong to?”
“Hey, don’t look at me,” Zack said, throwing his hands in the air and following Cord.
“Your brother will tell you when he’s ready,” Joe said as he started toward the stairs. “Come on inside. We’ll get your stuff later.”
Addie looked up at Cade’s stunned face. Confusion wrinkled his brow and concern filled his eyes. “Cord. With a baby?” he murmured and then a smile broke across his face. He looked down at her and took her hand as he headed for the stairs. “Oh, baby, this I gotta see.”
Chapter 38
Outside the sliding glass door, warm rays of June sunlight bathed the open meadow behind the Brody’s remodeled home. The trees that surrounded the property were dark green against the achingly blue sky and birds tweeted happily as they darted from one location to another. Watching the pastoral scene, Addie brushed her hands over her ivory dress. Nervous flutters of excited anticipation danced in her stomach, but she couldn’t stop smiling.
Her worries about moving in with Cord had been for naught. Always hoping to find Cade again, Cord had prepared for his brother’s eventual return with new construction that would benefit everyone. The modifications he’d made to the house had enlarged the original building’s main rooms and added two separate wings that allowed them each to have their own house-sized apartments. It gave her and Cade a private space to live and grow as a couple and Cord room to get to know his new baby daughter, as well as a common area where they could all meet as a family.
At the moment, Addie stood in the shared dining room waiting for Veta and her sister to return with information about the proceedings and how much longer she had to wait. Zack’s mother, Janice, had volunteered to help with the planning for their big day and, in the process, had become like a second mother to Addie. When Helga and her husband arrived a week ago, she and Janice had joined forces and helped iron out the final details with far less stress than Addie had expected.
She was thankful for their help since she’d only had three months to bring this June wedding together, and when she’d called to tell them the good news, her friends had been ecstatic.
“They’re getting married, aren’t they?” Lana had asked in the background when Addie had called Veta last March.
“Yes,” Veta replied with a cheerful note and Lana had squealed like a giddy schoolgirl.
“I knew it,” she’d shouted. “I knew it!”
“Yes, yes. As you can hear, we are both very happy for you, Addie. You deserve it…” Veta was clearly shooing her sister out of the room before she whispered, “He does make you happy, right?”
A little pang struck her heart at the concern in her friend’s tone. “Of course, he does. Cade’s wonderful.” She lowered her voice, mimicking her friend’s. “I’ve never been this happy, Veta.”
“Never?” Veta knew all about Addie’s last major relationship and its tragic end.
Addie shook her head as she replied with heartfelt conviction, “Never.”
Cade had proposed in early spring and they hadn’t wanted to wait too long—after spending the months since Christmas making sure of their decision to be together, they hadn’t wanted to waste one more day. But they’d also wanted a celebration, and Cade insisted she deserved the white dress, flowers, and a walk down the aisle.
Her smile widened as she remembered the day he’d finally popped the question. They had gone horseback riding, and Cade had picked out a gentle mare named Shiloh to be Addie’s mount. They’d traveled far into the hills for a riverside picnic on a sunny spring day and she’d had no clue what he’d been planning.
Everywhere she’d looked that afternoon, the pale green of new growth caught her eyes and as they rode, her heart had soared like the eagles overhead. Once they stopped to lay out their meal, she’d enjoyed the loud gurgle of the river as they’d eaten and chatted before packing up. All through lunch, Addie had tried to remain cheerful, but Cade had seemed distant and preoccupied.
Did I do something wrong? she’d thought as she gathered her gear, suddenly nervous. It had been several months since she’d been attacked and in all that time, she hadn’t felt comfortable enough to have sex again.
When it had come up a few months earlier on New Year’s Day, Addie had felt ridiculous for being too apprehensive to be with the man she loved.
“I’m sorry,” she’d cried on his shoulder after pulling away from Cade’s ardent lips.
Cade had only smiled sweetly, love and understanding in his eyes. “It’s okay, sweetheart. We’ll get through this together,” he’d said quietly.
“But I—”
“Shh.” He’d pressed a finger to her lips. “I can wait until you’re ready… I’ll always wait for you, Addie. It doesn’t matter how often or how long.”
He’d held her that night instead, but her guilt for denying him had remained and it hadn’t taken long for her to wonder if maybe her new aversion to intimacy bothered him more than he let on? She’d asked herself that question more than once in the months leading up to their picnic, but she’d been too afraid of his answer to ask.
As their picnic in the hills came to a close and his peculiar behavior had continued, Addie couldn’t help but, once again, question his mood. Why does he seem so…odd?
“Is something wrong?” she’d finally mustered the courage to ask as he checked their saddles in preparation to ride back to the house.
He glanced over his shoulder. Surprise and then some other expression crossed his face. “Why do you ask?”
Her shoulders tightened when he didn’t deny there was a problem. “You just seem…” She shrugged. “I don’t know, like something’s wrong.”
He sighed and turned toward her. His beautiful blue eyes clouded with concern and it frightened her. He looked as
