Comanche Vow

She turned, and then blinked when she saw him. “Nick.”

They gazed at each other for a moment, and he realized how often they got caught in one of those quiet, awkward stares.

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

“No.” He shifted his stance. She looked ghostlike in the flickering light, her pajamas shimmering against creamy skin.

“The horses aren’t sick?“

“No.” He glanced at the scuffed, turned-up tips of his boots. He was dressed to go out, yet he hadn’t told her why. But running into Elaina at this hour stunned his senses, dulling his brain. She wasn’t wearing a bra, and he could see the faint outline of her nipples. He hadn’t meant to look, but his eyes had strayed in that direction. And now he was examining his feet like a tongue-tied teenager.

“I’m having trouble falling asleep,” he said finally, lifting his gaze. “So I’m going to sit on the porch awhile.”

“Can I join you?” She pushed a wave of hair off her shoulder. “I can’t sleep, either.”

He wanted to say no, that he preferred to be alone. She was an elegant, silk-clad distraction. He was sexually attracted to his brother’s wife, and that made him uncomfortable, even though he had vowed to marry her.

“It’s been cold at night,” he warned. “And windy.”

“I don’t mind. I brought a winter coat.“

“All right.” Why argue the point? She must need a gust of fresh air, too.

He leaned against the wall while she darted into her room. When she returned, her silky pajamas were covered with a big, bulky sheepskin coat. Nick couldn’t hide an amused smile.

“You expecting a blizzard?“

“You said it was cold.“

“Yeah, I guess I did.”

Once outside, they sat in weathered pine chairs, the sky a vast shade of midnight. A maze of trees landscaped the yard. Some were shedding leaves and others were bare, tall and gray in the moonlight. The porch light cast a shallow glow, and Nick turned to look at Elaina.

Her collar was turned up, and her hands were tucked snugly in her pockets. The wind blew with a furious howl, tousling her copper-tinted hair.

Nick inhaled the chilly December air, and to keep himself from staring at Elaina, he focused on the sky. “There’s a few stars out.”

“Yes, just a scatter.” She angled her chair toward his with the scrape of wood against wood. “Do you do this often?”

He shrugged. “Often enough, I suppose. Sometimes my mind just won’t shut down, and that makes sleeping impossible.”

“I know the feeling.”

Her face was a blend of shadow and light, her voice quiet. She removed her hands from her pockets, and he glanced down and saw the diamond on her finger. Was he supposed to buy her a new ring or suggest she continue to wear the one Grant had given her? There were no rules to follow. Nothing he could count on to make this situation easier.

But Nick realized he had to do it tonight. He had to ask Elaina to marry him. Two years had passed, more than enough time for him to fulfill his vow.

They gazed at each other in the silence, and the moment turned soft and quiet. Moonlight shone in her eyes, tiny flecks of gold in all that impossible blue. He imagined touching her cheek, her hair, the delicate column of her neck.

Nick frowned. If he lost himself in lust, in the heat she made him feel, this proposal would be even more difficult.

“Elaina, there’s something important I need to discuss with you.”

She watched him, waiting for him to continue.

He did, after another second of nervous silence. “You know that my brother asked me to take care of Lexie, to teach her about being Comanche. But before he died, he talked to me about you, too.”

The light in her eyes flickered, and Nick saw a flash of pain, a woman missing the man she had loved. “What did he say?”

“Grant wanted me to protect you.” Pausing to breathe, he let the words settle. “The way a Comanche brother would have done in another century.”

Her voice quavered. “I don’t understand.”

Yes, you do, he thought. Deep down you do. You know what a Comanche marriage exchange means.

Nick glanced at the sky, at the scatter of stars. “When Grant was dying in my arms, I vowed to take his place, to become your husband and Lexie’s father.” Shifting his gaze, he looked directly into her eyes, felt his own sting with the memory. “I’m proposing, Elaina. In the name of my brother, I’m asking you to marry me.”

Four

Elaina couldn’t breathe, couldn’t get air into her lungs, couldn’t still her runaway heart. “I…” She twisted her wedding ring, felt her fingers tremble. “Are you sure that’s what Grant meant? I can’t believe he would…” Expect me to marry his brother, she thought, live with a man I barely know.

“He was dying, but he knew what he was saying.” Nick leaned forward. “I vowed to follow the old way, and that means you’re my potential mate. You were my brother’s wife, and now he’s gone. It’s my responsibility to take his place.”

“This doesn’t make sense,” she said, fighting the confusion. “I thought Grant loved me.”

“He did. And that’s exactly why he couldn’t bear for you to be alone. He needed to know that there would be someone in your life after he was gone. Someone he trusted.”

Battling the heaviness in her chest, Elaina couldn’t grasp a response. She couldn’t think clearly.

As she twisted her ring again, Nick continued. “Our union won’t be based on love. I don’t expect you to love me. That’s not what this is about.”

“It’s based on an ancient tradition that doesn’t fit into a modern world,” she countered, struggling with the idea that her husband had given her to his twin. “Marriage is sacred.”

“And so is this vow. I promise to treat you with kindness and respect. And that’s all I expect in return. That’s all Grant was asking of us.”

She moistened her lips, wishing she had a glass of water. Suddenly her mouth had gone dry.

“I can’t force you to marry me, but I implore you to consider it,” he said.