Chase the Wind by Cindy Holby - Wind 01 - Chase the Wind Page B

Molly came to his aid by heart ily pounding on his back. Ian chose that moment to come back into the room. He had on a pair of pants that Jonas had loaned him. They sagged dangerously low at the waist, and the hem hit him at mid-calf. The sight of him standing there clad in only the pants made all three of them burst into laughter again. Ian looked down at himself and tugged the trousers up to a decent level. He grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around himself and sat down at the table.
    “I believe you promised me another bowl of soup,” he said to Molly when the laughter had subsided a bit.
    “Yes, I did.” Molly hastily filled his bowl. She gathered up the wet clothes and went to make good use of the remaining bathwater. In no time she had the muddy pile clean and hanging over the stove to dry.
    Faith sat at the table listening as Molly and Jonas pressed Ian for the story of their adventure. He filled them in briefly on their his tory and got to the evening’s escape fairly quickly. Her mind wan dered back to their afternoons on the riverbank when they were sharing their dreams. The next thing she knew, she was in Ian’s arms and he was following Molly down a hallway to a room. Molly turned back a bed and set a candle on the stand. Ian safely depos ited her on the mattress and pulled the covers up over her. He gently kissed her and blew out the candle.
    “Where are you going?” she asked sleepily. “Stay with me.”
    “I will when we are man and wife,” he replied.
    “When will that be?” Faith yawned.
    “As soon as possible,” he said from the door. Faith was asleep before he closed it.
    Faith awakened the next morning to the sight of Ian leaning over her. He had a daisy in his hand and had been using it to tickle her nose.
    “Are you going to lie here all day?” he asked when she finally focused her eyes. She rubbed the end of her offended nose and tried to ignore him. “Come on, sleepyhead, it’s your wedding day, or did you forget?”
    “It depends.” She yawned. “Exactly who am I marrying today?”
    Ian lowered his face so that it was inches from her own. “Ian Duncan, him and no other. Perhaps a sound beating would help you to remember.”
    Faith reached around to rub her backside. “I believe I’ve already had one, from the way I feel,” she mumbled.
    “Not even a full day in the saddle and you’re already complain ing.” Ian shook his head. “It looks like I’m going to have to toughen you up.” He pulled her up from the bed. “Come on. The day’s awasting.”
    “Ian, do you think they could still be after us?”
    “I don’t think Mason will be after what you did to him. However, I wouldn’t put it past him to sic the law on us. At least we don’t have to worry this morning, since Jonas has the only ferry on this part of the river.”
    “I found something out last night about my mother.”
    Ian came and put his arms around her. “What?”
    “Melvin Taylor murdered her.” Ian looked down into her face. Tears were brimming in her eyes. “He said he should have killed me along with her, that he had pushed her down the stairs because her money had run out. He was paid by my mother’s family to marry her because she was with child. I don’t even know who my real father is.”
    “Perhaps the fact that you know he’s a murderer will keep him from pursuing us.” Ian didn’t want to add that it might also make Taylor want to kill them. “Your mother must have been very spe cial, to have raised you the way she did.”
    Faith wiped her eyes on a comer of the oversize robe she was still wearing. “She was, but she was always so sad. I guess now I know why.”
    “Is there no one you could ask?”
    “No. Her family was all taken in a flood. I have no one.”
    “You have me, Faith. We’re both orphans, but we have each other, and that’s all I need.” Ian gently kissed her, then stuck the daisy in her hair. “Now get dressed. We need to find a preacher.”
    Faith quickly