The grin left the driver's face. "Yeah. Sure. That'll be fine. Fifty even. And you don't say nothing about it to my boss. Wayne here an' me – we're just tryin' to make a little extra money."
"I'll go get it," Allie murmured, anxious for the men to be on their way. She hurried back inside to her bedroom, rummaging in her bottom dresser drawer. The money was safely stashed in the false bottom of the drawer. She lifted it up and took out the fifty dollars, holding the coins tightly in her hand for an instant before she replaced the false bottom over the rest of her savings – and the money that belonged to Brandon. She stood up and headed for the door. It was a lot of money to part with. She'd already wired the payment for the wire and nails, weeks ago. She hadn't counted on having to pay any more. Fifty dollars! But the driver had almost gotten away with his trickery. If Brandon hadn't been there, she wouldn't have known any better. She'd have paid whatever the driver had asked, in her ignorance.
Allie walked back through the house to the front porch and handed Brandon the money. He jingled the coins thoughtfully for a moment before handing them to the driver. When he glanced into the other man's eyes, the tension stretched between them.
"We'll be needing more supplies in the future," Brandon said quietly. "Are we going to have any trouble with that?"
"N-No sir. None at all." The man stepped back, anxious to be away.
"Good."
The boys finished unloading the rest of the supplies and the driver climbed up into his seat and took the reins. He slapped them and clucked to the horses. The wagon lurched forward toward the larger town of Woodward, several miles to the east of Spring Branch, to drop off the rest of the merchandise at the mercantile and hardware stores.
Allie and Brandon watched the wagon lumber down the road and around the bend.
"Thank you," she said softly.
He turned to put his arm around her. "We're going to have to be careful with the money to make this work out." He was thoughtful, not looking at her. "Especially now that the barn's gone and has to be rebuilt…"
She prickled at his words. "You think I haven't been?"
He shook his head. "No. I didn't say that. I'm glad I was here to keep you from paying too much. That's all."
"I didn't know about the cutters." Her face burned with embarrassment and she looked down.
Brandon lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Let me help you, Allie. That's what being married is – helping each other."
After a moment, she nodded. "I'm not used to having help from anyone." She swallowed back the lump that had formed in her throat quite suddenly. Brandon skimmed her shoulder with his left hand, a gentle caress. In his touch were things that were impossible to speak; all the regrets for the years without her; the tenuous hope for their future; the dreams that he was a part of now, with her – because of their marriage, and the protection that came with that.
A piece of Allie's soul ripped apart. The independence she had struggled so hard to hang onto was leaving her. It would take some getting used to, for both of them.
But it was sweet, too…so sweet, to know she wasn't alone any longer. She didn't have to do it by herself. Brandon was here now, to share the good times as well as the rough days ahead.
He pulled her to him, and she put her face against his neck, breathing the masculine scent of him. She wanted to drown in his embrace; safe, strong, and reassuring. She finally had someone to lean on, the man she'd loved forever. Her dream was here, alive and real, and holding her as though he'd never let her go.
She felt dampness on her cheeks, and Brandon's caress had turned comforting.
"I'll be all right, Allie," he whispered. His hand stroked her neck, settling on her back. He kissed her forehead, and she reached up to smudge away her tears.
"I'm sorry." It was so ridiculous to be crying, yet she couldn't seem to stop. She was making a fool of herself, but her tears hadn't surprised him at all. And he was whispering in her ear – all the words she'd waited half a lifetime to hear.
"You aren't alone anymore, Allie. We can do this, together."
She nodded against him.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Owen give Brandon a wave of understanding as he led the boys toward the end of the cabin to stack the supplies together.
"About the money," she sniffed. "I've – I've paid for everything; the cattle, and the wire. But the gloves and hammers, and the cutters, I hadn't thought of."
Brandon chuckled. "That's because those things wouldn't occur to a woman."
She slanted him a sharp look and he smoothed her hair back from her face. "Now, before you get mad, Allie, think of it in reverse. A man might go buy material and thread, but forget the needles and buttons. It's just the way our minds are different – no more than that." He fell quiet, hesitating, it seemed.
She moved out of his arms to look into his eyes. "What's wrong?"