All the Wrong Reasons

Better Left Unsaid

Chapter 11

Colin looked down at his wife and sighed. The woman kept bringing more and more people into his manor. Before he knew it, it would be filled with life and happiness. Those were two of the things Colin had worked on avoiding for a while now. Not only that, but it seemed that everyone loved her.

She smiled and they smiled back. They vied for her attention, but she gave it equally to everyone. Colin wanted her to give some of her attention to him. He wanted her to look at him with a smile, to come to him for comfort as she did earlier.

Nothing was more satisfying than feeling her in his arms. His heart had pounded and her scent had branded itself into his nose. No matter what happened, he would always remember her. He would always crave her. For once in his life, Colin wanted something. Something that made him feel emotions like no other; something that made him feel like he had a family again.

The thought made him halt in his tracks. Is that what he wanted? A family? Looking down, he realized that whether he wanted it or not, he had it. Cassandra was his wife, and Cooper was now his ward. It seemed like Colin would have to take care of a cousin by marriage also. Not that he minded. Oh no, he was happy that Ramsey was in fact a cousin.

Thinking about the man, he glanced up. The trail was empty ahead of him, but he had a feeling that Cassandra's cousin wasn't far away. He had said that she was prone to accidents. Colin had to wonder how prone she was. His arms tightened around her as he began walking again.

Cooper kept his grip on Colin's shirt and never made a sound. Colin's eyebrows knitted together. Why was the lad so quiet? He had been around children a time or two, and they were never this quiet. Usually the word 'why' was used one time to many, but this boy didn't utter a sound as they reached the manor.

Colin shrugged and threw the thought to the back of his mind. It didn't matter at the moment. What mattered was the amount of people and carriages that were in front of his manor. Men were lugging off bags full of supplies and others were lifting off trunks. What in the world could all of this be?

He thought about shaking Cassie awake, but looking down at her face, he decided against it. She had had a long day and deserved her rest. Walking to the doors, he ignored the looks and questions that were thrown at him. He would put her to bed, and then come down to handle this mess.

He got to the stairs and stopped. Looking around, he finally spotted a familiar face. "Ramsey!" he shouted. His wife shifted in his arms and he held his breath waiting for her to settle. To his relief, she just snuggled closer and resumed her sleeping.

Ramsey looked over at him with confusion, but slowly made his way towards him. Once the man got close enough, he glanced down at Cassie with concern. "Is she ill?"

"No, she's not ill. I need you to do something for me though."

"May I ask what?"

"I just need you to watch the lad while I deal with everything."

Ramsey looked down at the kid and smiled. "Would you like to play with me?"

Cooper scooted closer to Colin and shyly nodded his head. Ramsey's smile widened as he held out his hand. Cooper only hesitated for a minute before grabbing it. Colin watched as the two went out the doors. His heart clenched. Would it be like that for him one day? Would he walk out the door with his son's hand in his?

He shook his head to get away from the questions. He knew what was wrong with him. It was this woman that lay sleeping in his arms. Before she came, he didn't worry about his future, and he didn't want the things he did now. He wouldn't change anything though. He was a little bit happy that she chose to stay here with him.