The Pregnant Bride's Trouble Read online

  She was alone apart from Andrea. This wasn’t something that she should be going through when her husband wasn’t there for her. She could feel the loss strongly now, more than ever.

  Dean smiled and pressed his hand over hers.

  “Don’t worry about it. It’s an easy thing to do. You will be doing lots of it and lots of work soon.”

  “You’ve never forced a human being out of your body, have you?” Bryony shot back.

  “No, I haven’t. But my ma did,” Dean said proudly. “She had ten of us.”

  Bryony whistled.

  “I bet all of you were walking before she was.”

  Dean chuckled.

  “That we were.”

  He began to shovel more food into his mouth. Bryony picked at hers. She needed to eat, but her appetite had left her. Now all she could think of was finding a good moment to pretend that she had a headache, just so she could go home. Dean was overbearing and a bore, and Bryony had a feeling he was asking her for something she wasn’t prepared to give.

  All through the meal, Bryony had been aware of someone watching them. Most of the people in the restaurant had watched her when she entered. In the two weeks since she had revealed to Lee that she was pregnant, Bryony had got used to the idea that she was about to become a mother. Had become relaxed enough to tell others beyond Andrea, and the news had circulated quickly. She didn’t need to wear so many layers, which was refreshing. Lee had told her it wouldn’t be good for the baby to swaddle it up like that or to squeeze her bump into a corset. Bryony had given up on a corset a long time ago, but now was wishing for it back. Her back was in pain.

  It was going to be a relief once she stopped carrying what felt like a sack of potatoes under her dress.

  But while everyone else had gone back to their meals, one pair of eyes had stayed with her. Bryony could feel them boring into her, almost like a physical imprint. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Lee sitting at a table by the window, watching the two of them. His expression was blank, but Bryony could see the dark look in his eyes. He was angry.

  Angry about what? He couldn’t be angry that she was accepting a dinner invitation from someone, could he? There was no claim at all over her from anyone, least of all Lee. But in the last couple of weeks, Bryony had wished that there was.

  In spite of the loss she could feel where Andrew had been, it had surprised her when Lee seemed to fill in that void. They had started talking properly, Bryony opening up more. Lee was more than she expected.

  Her infatuation for him had suddenly deepened. She knew it was wrong, when Andrew was not yet gone a year, but she couldn’t help herself. Lee had snuck into her affections and he wasn’t leaving.

  From the look in his eyes as he watched her with Dean, Lee was certainly not leaving right now, even though his food had long been eaten.

  “That doc is giving me the creeps,” Dean grumbled.

  Bryony jumped.

  Dean was glowering at Lee, whose expression didn’t change.

  She swallowed and folded her hands in her lap.

  “How so?”

  “He keeps staring at you.” Dean scowled. “We’re just having dinner. It’s like he’s imposed himself as a chaperone.”

  Bryony had no objection to that. She had wanted a chaperone in the beginning, but Dean had told her it wasn’t necessary. So, she had managed to persuade him to have dinner in a public place. Then there was no worry about having Dean trying anything. Whether she was pregnant or not, Bryony wasn’t going beyond a dinner. Although she wished she had different company, wished she had never accepted the offer but what others had she?

  “We don’t need a chaperone,” Dean went on. “We’re grown adults, aren’t we?”

  “That doesn’t mean I don’t need someone to keep an eye on me,” Bryony pointed out. “Doctor Lambert is my doctor and he’s just making sure that I’m all right, for proprieties sake.”

  Dean snorted.

  “He doesn’t need to fret over you so much.” He reached over and took Bryony’s hand off the table, kissing her knuckles with a glint in his eyes. “I’ve got you now.”

  “You haven’t got me, Dean. This is just a dinner.”

  “You think that’s all I want from you?” His eyes flared and his jaw clenched.

  This had taken a bit of a nasty turn. Bryony tried to tug her hand away, but Dean’s grip tightened.

  “I don’t like the way this is going, Dean.”

  “You can clearly have children, and I want lots of them.” Dean spoke on as if Bryony hadn’t said anything. “And you look really beautiful when you’re pregnant. If I have anything to do with it, I’ll make sure this is a permanent state.”

  A permanent state? Bryony was beginning to panic now. She tugged harder and pulled her hand away. She needed to get out of there. If only she could run. Bryony put her napkin aside and stood.

  “I think I’m going to go home now, Dean.” She said loudly and clearly. While she didn’t want people knowing their business, Bryony did want witnesses.

  Most of all, she wanted Lee to step in and to her aid. It was a foolish fancy, but that’s what her mind was saying. Bryony felt like a complete fool. She shouldn’t have accepted this dinner date. Clearly, Dean was thinking there was going to be more going on.

  She tried to move away, but Dean grabbed her wrist, pulling her hard enough so she collided with the table. Cutlery and crockery clinked loudly, causing the whole place to fall silent. Bryony wanted to sink to the floor.

  “You’re not going anywhere, Bryony,” Dean said with gritted teeth.

  Bryony was scared. And Dean’s fingers dug into her skin. She could feel his sharp nails scraping at her.

  “Will you let me go, Dean?”

  “No.” Dean stood up, towering over her. He brushed his sandy hair out of his eyes and leered at her. He didn’t seem to notice, or care, that he was making a scene. “I know what I want and she’s standing right in front of me. You’d be a perfect mother for my children, Bryony.”

  Bryony heard a few gasps. This was bordering on a scandalous conversation, and Bryony wished she wasn’t part of it. She tugged at her wrist.

  “Just because I can have children doesn’t mean I’m going to give lots of children to anyone,” she snapped. “Not even to you.”

  “Yes, it does.” Dean pulled her toward him, but Bryony resisted. His eyes narrowed. “You don’t get a say in this.”

  “She does get a say.”

  Bryony almost burst into tears when she heard Lee’s voice behind her. She saw him striding toward them, his face as dark as thunder. There was something in his eyes that had Bryony’s heart stumbling. She tried to go to him, but Dean pulled her back against him.

  “Get lost, Lambert,” he snarled. “My woman and I are having some private time.”

  Lee snorted.

  “I’d hardly call it private when everyone can hear what you’re saying. Now let Miss Dinsdale go.”

  Dean chuckled. Bryony cringed at the sound.

  “Want her for yourself, do you? Tough she’s taken, she’s mine.”

  Bryony barely saw Lee move. One minute, he was standing in front of them, bristling angrily. The next, Bryony was standing on her own and Dean was on the floor, on top of a broken table, unconscious. Lee stood over him, massaging his knuckles.

  The whole restaurant was staring at him and so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.

  Bryony couldn’t believe what had just happened. Surely, they could have handled this without violence. And she had never seen Lee act like this. What was going on with him? She looked up at him, hands on her belly as her baby started kicking and rolling around, causing her to bite her lip.

  “Did you have to do that?”

  Lee turned, his eyes darkening as he glared at her. He shook his head.

  “It was either that or let him keep his hands on you. But if that’s what you want, I’ll leave you to it.” To Bryony’s horror, he turned and strode toward the d
oor. “Goodnight, Miss Dinsdale.”

  This evening had taken a very bad turn. And an embarrassing one. Bryony hadn’t wanted to become a spectacle. And she didn’t want to deal with Dean anymore. Ignoring the whispers around her, she hurried out after Lee.

  6

  Lee knew he shouldn’t have done that. This would get him into trouble. But he had spent his meal watching Bryony practically get pawed by Dean, who seemed to have no shame. That wasn’t what Bryony deserved. She had to have been mad to accept a dinner from him... or desperate!

  Lee knew about Dean. He was someone who hadn’t made it a secret about what he wanted in a wife. He wanted someone who could give him children, as many as she was able and who would do all his work. There would be no concern for her health and her sanity. Lee had seen several women give birth multiple times, when they were worked to the bone, it often didn’t work out for them. They didn’t need to go through such a traumatic time so much just to satisfy their husband. Dean only wanted a chattel, nothing more.

  Bryony deserved so much more than that. From the sound of it when she attempted to leave, Bryony had figured it out. But Dean was determined to keep hold of her.

  Lee would be damned if Dean made himself the father of Bryony’s baby through marriage.

  “Lee! Wait for me!”

  Lee was halfway across the now deserted street. He turned and saw Bryony running after him. His natural reaction was to go to her, just to stop her running in her state. He grabbed at her and held her up as Bryony half-leaned into him.

  Holding her but not able to do anything else killed him.

  “Go back inside, Bryony,” he said gruffly. “You shouldn’t be out here, running. Not in your state.”

  Bryony snorted.

  “I don’t care right now.”

  “But I do.”

  Bryony straightened up and glared up at him. She looked beautiful when she was angry.

  “Do you?” she demanded. “Do you really care? Because you wouldn’t have done what you did if you did care.”

  “You would prefer to be pawed by that miner, would you?” Lee sneered. “He’s been wanting to get his hands on you all through the meal. I’m just surprised he lasted that long.”

  Bryony flushed.

  “I could have handled it,” she stuttered.

  “You want to be married to that fool?” Lee’s heart sank. “I thought better of you, Bryony.”

  “I’m not getting married to him!” Bryony pushed him in the chest. “I’d already decided that. He just asked me for dinner, and I thought it would be a nice evening out, that he was being polite. I had to take it... clearly, it was a mistake, but I wanted to feel like someone wanted me for the first time since I declared I was with child.”

  Lee listened to this with growing surprise. Was that how Bryony thought of herself? She really didn’t think she was any worth? She really had no idea.

  “You think you’re not wanted?”

  Bryony snorted and gestured at herself.

  “Men don’t find this attractive except men like Dean. I just wanted to feel wanted, for once.”

  This time, Lee couldn’t help himself. He reached for her, cupping her face in his hands. Then he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

  “If you don’t think you’re wanted, you’ve been looking in the wrong place.”

  Bryony’s breathing quickened. She was staring up at him with wide eyes. Her pupils seemed to be getting bigger. Then Bryony grabbed his head and tugged him down. Her kiss was slightly frenzied, but Lee didn’t care. Wrapping his arms around her, he took control of the kiss, doing what he had wanted to do many times in the past weeks since she had arrived.

  He shouldn’t be doing this. Not in the middle of the street. But if it was the only time he got the chance, Lee didn’t care.

  It was hard to pull away, but Lee managed. Bryony’s eyes were half-open, her mouth swollen, and her cheeks flushed. She swayed toward him, but Lee stepped back, dropping his hands and clearing his throat. Then he saw a savior just behind her, in the shadows.

  “Pastor Foster.” He coughed and tried to speak normally. “Would you mind escorting Miss Dinsdale home?”

  “Of course.”

  Sean appeared out of the darkness and moved up beside Bryony. Bryony blinked, coming out of her trance.

  “Lee?”

  Lee wanted to go back to her. But he shouldn’t. He backed away, before turning and hurrying off. It took a great amount of effort not to run.

  7

  “I’m glad you decided to come back out to me, Bryony,” Dean said as he and Bryony walked through the tents in the mining camp.

  Bryony side-stepped a group of men going the other way. She hadn’t planned on coming down to the mines, but the pains in her belly and back had been getting worse. Walks normally eased the pain, and she had found herself by the camp. Seeing Dean and knowing she couldn’t get away as he approached her, she decided that setting things straight between them would be best. She knew a lot of the miners and the majority of them were decent blokes. The married ones were oddly protective of her, so Bryony knew she would be relatively safe.

  “I can’t stay long, Dean.” Bryony kept her distance from Dean as he tried to touch her shoulder. “I just wanted to apologize for how the evening ended last night.”

  Dean snorted.

  “There’s nothing for you to apologize about. I don’t know what that doctor was thinking. He was acting like he had a claim on you.”

  Bryony gulped. She hadn’t forgotten the kiss Lee had given her, one she had managed to steal off him. It had been wonderful, sending her pulses flying. Watching him walk away had been incredibly difficult, sending her into tears against Sean’s shoulder. The pastor had taken her home and sat with her until Bryony calmed down, but Bryony couldn’t stop thinking about that kiss. About what he had said... and then about how he had run away from her.

  “No man has a claim on me.” She said evenly. “I told you, I’m not considering anyone for marriage until after I’ve got used to having a baby around.”

  “Aren’t you concerned about the baby being considered a bastard?”

  Bryony gritted her teeth. She hated that word.

  “This child was conceived in marriage, so they won’t be considered anything but legitimate. Understand?” she practically growled the last word out.

  Dean took half a step back, looking a little bewildered. But then he recovered quickly and gestured at Bryony’s belly. It was feeling incredibly heavy and Bryony wished she could give birth now; everything would feel a lot lighter.

  “What will you do with the baby once it’s born?” he asked.

  Bryony blinked. What a stupid question.

  “Keep it and raise it, of course. What else?”

  “Give it to an orphanage.”

  “What? I wouldn’t do that to my child.” Bryony shook her head. “That is not up for negotiation with anyone.”

  Dean sighed. He sounded like he was talking to a child who wasn’t understanding the situation.

  “You do realize, Bryony, that when we marry, I will want children of our own. I don’t want someone else’s brat hanging around. It certainly won’t be wanted in my life.”

  Bryony was horrified. Last night’s protests and refusal to have anything more to do with Dean had gone completely over his head. He was still under the impression that he and Bryony were meant to be together. This was meant to be telling him to back off, but Dean was still firm in the belief Bryony had come back to him.

  This had been a very bad idea. Now Bryony wished she could run.

  “Who said we were going to marry, Dean?” she demanded. “Because I never said I would.”

  “But I did.” Dean smirked. “We’re compatible. Nobody else will want you. And you can have children, which is what I wanted in a wife. Compatible.”

  Bryony gasped.

  “We are not compatible in any way. And I would never throw my child away for a man. Never.” She shook her head and
backed away. “I think you were sorely misinformed. I came here to tell you to leave me alone. Nothing more is happening between us.”

  She cried out when Dean grabbed at her and pulled her back, spinning her around. He tried to kiss her, but Bryony pulled her head away, Dean kissing her cheek instead. It was a fierce kiss, one that hurt.

  “I think you’re staying with me,” he growled, grabbing her chin and making her look at him. “You can have children, and I want you to have my children. There is no argument about it.”

  Bryony slapped him, using his surprise to push him back. The pains in her belly were getting worse.

  “I told you that I wasn’t looking for a husband just yet. And I wouldn’t marry you, anyway.”

  “You wouldn’t?” Dean’s lip curled in a sneer. “You’d prefer the doctor?”

  “At least he knows when to back off.” Bryony wasn’t discussing Lee, not when she had no idea what was going on. She backed away as Dean advanced on her. “Leave me alone, Dean.”

  Dean chuckled.

  “I don’t think so, Bryony. I think you need to realize how serious I am.” He grabbed at her, but Bryony jumped away. “You and I are going to the church. Pastor Foster will have you as my wife before the end of the day.”

  “No!”

  Bryony could hardly breathe with the pains in her stomach. She pushed Dean away as hard as she could as he reached for her again. Then she ran, ran toward the mines. They had been on the fringes of the camp. If she had gone toward the town, she wouldn’t have made it. Her only chance was to find someone who would protect her from Dean and take her to Lee. These twinges were getting worse, almost to the point that Bryony could hardly walk. The pain had her in tears.

  She could hear Dean shouting after her, but Bryony kept moving. She didn’t hear the warning shouts as she got near the mines. Men were running out and toward the camp as the sound of falling rock came to her ears. Bryony looked up. Rocks were tumbling down the side of the hill.

  A rockslide. And it was coming straight for her.