Stolen Little Thing (Little Thing Series Book 1) by Sasha Gold

face him, thinking he might kiss her, sweep her into his arms, declare his deep, abiding love, but he simply glanced around the foyer. He startled her, hollering several times for Consuelo or anybody else, and then smiled sheepishly when no one answered. It was his way of letting her know the house was empty.
    Inside, the house lanterns were lit, the stairway illuminated by white tapered candles. Esme studied the grand house. It was her home now. Made of Texas limestone, it was larger and by far more elegant than Simon’s clapboard house.
    They ascended the stairway side by side. A shiver of apprehension flitted across her shoulders.
    “Scared?” he asked softly.
    Esme shrugged. “This is the first time we’ve been alone. We haven’t discussed what sort of marriage this will be, our living arrangements and so on.”
    Halfway up the staircase, Luke stopped her. He looked at her with an air of disbelief. “Living arrangements? Did you think that we would have separate rooms?”
    “Or perhaps even separate houses since we have two.”
    The quiet of the house filled the space between them until the grandfather clock striking the hour disturbed the stillness. Luke slipped his arm around her waist, pulled her next to him and began climbing the stairs once more. She had no choice but to move with him.
    “Is that what you thought when you accepted my marriage offer, separate rooms, separate houses?”
    Embarrassment scorched her skin. She wished Loretta would come back to give her the answers to questions Esme hadn’t thought to ask.
    “Of course, I knew we would consummate the marriage,” Esme lied. “Some day. If you wanted.” Her words sounded ridiculous to her ears.
    Luke muttered curses under his breath. “Some day? I’ve never wanted anything so much in my life. For years, I’ve wanted to be with you. Half the county would have lined up to horsewhip me if they’d known what was going through my head back when we were just a little older than kids. I’d hoped those thoughts would go away with time, but when I didn’t see you anymore they just got worse.”
    He ushered her into his bedroom where her belongings had been moved sometime during the day; trunks lined the wall some of her dresses were in them, some were hanging in the armoire. She went to cross the room, trying to keep her distance, and whirled around to face him.
    His eyes flashed with the intensity she remembered from his early days when she saw him collared by the sheriff after one of his brawls. This was not the response she’d thought he would give her when she had imagined discussing their future.
    After the ceremony, she’d watched her husband talk with everyone but her. With one group of ranchers, he discussed beef prices, and with an elderly neighbor couple he had argued good-naturedly about various hay harvests and milo strains. It was after the third time that day she heard her husband brag about how many head of cattle he would be grazing come summer that Esme decided they would need to get a few things straight between them. For example, where she fit into his life. How could he be angry with her when clearly she was the slighted party?
    Esme bit her lip. “Our first fight. We just got married and we’re fighting just like my mother and father when they’re together.”
    “This isn’t a fight.” Luke growled. Esme’s eyes grew wide; her hands drew fistfuls of her taffeta dress. Luke drew a deep breath and held it for a moment before releasing it slowly, keeping his gaze on her. “You can’t go live at Simon’s.” His voice low and measured, he added, “Esme, you and me, we belong together.”
    Esme gave a tentative smile. Warmth filled her heart. His words eased the tension in her shoulders. “Luke, I didn’t know.” She paused to search for the right words. “I wasn’t sure what you felt.” She spoke in a soothing tone, an attempt to calm her agitated husband.
    He stalked to the window and took candles from the sill,