Her Heart's Desire NH2 Read online

  Her

  Heart’s Desire

  Ruth Ann Nordin

  Her Heart’s Desire - Smashwords Edition

  Published by Ruth Ann Nordin at Smashwords

  Copyright © 2012 by Ruth Ann Nordin

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Smashwords Edition, License Notes:

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold. If you would like to share this book with another person, please do. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Cover Photo images Dreamstime. www.dreamstime.com All rights reserved – used with permission.

  Cover made by Dara England: http://mycoverart.wordpress.com/

  Ruth Ann Nordin Books

  http://www.ruthannnordin.com

  Dedicated to my husband, Tony. You are still my heart’s desire after twelve years of marriage.

  Table of Contents

  List of Ruth Ann Nordin’s Books

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  New Book Coming Soon:

  Mitch’s Win (Includes Chapter One)

  Other Books by Ruth Ann Nordin

  Regency Collection

  The Earl’s Inconvenient Wife

  Her Counterfeit Husband (coming soon)

  Nebraska Romance Collection

  Wagon Trail Bride (coming soon)

  Her Heart’s Desire

  A Bride for Tom (novella)

  A Husband for Margaret (novella)

  Eye of the Beholder

  The Wrong Husband

  Shotgun Groom

  His Redeeming Bride

  Isaac’s Decision

  South Dakota Collection

  Loving Eliza

  Bid for a Bride

  Bride of Second Chances

  Virginia Brides Series (Historical)

  An Unlikely Place for Love

  The Cold Wife

  An Inconvenient Marriage

  Romancing Adrienne

  Native American Romance Series (Historical)

  Restoring Hope

  Brave Beginnings

  Bound by Honor, Bound by Love (coming soon)

  A Chance In Time (novella)

  Other Historical Romances

  Falling In Love With Her Husband

  Meant To Be (time travel: from present to past)

  Contemporary Romances

  With This Ring, I Thee Dread

  What Nathan Wants

  Suddenly a Bride

  Christian Sci-Fi Thriller

  Return of the Aliens

  Chapter One

  Omaha, Nebraska

  April 1867

  As soon as Sally Larson saw him enter her friend’s house, she fell in love. Rick Johnson. That was his name, and she decided right then and there that she’d one day be Mrs. Sally Johnson. How she was going to make this happen, she didn’t know. At the moment, Rick was hoping to court her good friend, Ethel Mae Jordan. But Ethel Mae confided in her that she did not return his affections. So, there was nothing stopping Sally from pursuing Rick. All she needed to do was convince him that he’d be happier with her than with Ethel Mae.

  Ethel Mae motioned for Rick to sit in the chair which was across from the couch where Sally rested. “I hope you don’t mind that my friend, Sally, is here,” Ethel Mae told him as she poured him a cup of tea. “Here. I’ll take your hat.”

  Rick handed her the hat and smiled. “No, I don’t mind. It’s nice to meet you, Sally.”

  He said her name! Sally thought she might swoon. She loved the sound of his voice, especially when he spoke her name. The word seemed to roll so easily off his tongue, almost like he’d spent his whole life saying it. And he was gorgeous. In fact, she was certain that in all of her nineteen years, she’d never seen a better looking man. Dark brown wavy hair parted neatly on the right side, brown eyes, and the hint of a dimple on his cheeks when he smiled. He wore a nicely pressed brown suit that fit just right on his broad shoulders and tall, slender frame. She’d love nothing more than for him to pick her up and carry her right over the threshold to their new home.

  “Do you want more tea, Sally?” Ethel Mae asked her.

  Blinking away the images of their future wedding day, Sally forced her gaze off of Rick. “Yes, please.” She lifted her cup while her friend poured the hot liquid into it.

  “Before you came, I was telling Sally you recently moved to town,” Ethel Mae said.

  “Oh?” Rick asked.

  Ethel Mae put the teapot down on the tray which rested on the table between the couch and chair. She sat by Sally and picked up her cup. “Yes. I was saying you came from Vermont.”

  Sally turned her attention to him. “You didn’t come out west because of the Homestead Act, did you?”

  “No.” He shook his head. “I wouldn’t know the first thing about raising crops.”

  Ethel Mae laughed a little too loudly, a nervous habit Sally recognized. “Farming can be tricky, I suppose, but Sally’s parents maintain a farm just north of here.”

  “My family came out here two years ago from New York,” Sally explained. “My father found out about the Homestead Act and decided to try his hand at farming. We didn’t know anything about it until we got here.”

  He took a sip from his cup and said, “Then your father is a braver man than I am.”

  “Oh, I don’t know if he was brave,” Sally began, holding the cup in her lap. “He was sick of being in a crowded area. We had neighbors on either side of our house, and the street we were on was a busy one with horses and people passing by all the time.” She shrugged. “It was the land that appealed to him. Still does, in fact. He prefers to wake up in the morning, step outside, and see nothing but open land and the endless sky. He says it’s the best decision he ever made.”

  Realizing she was rambling, Sally stopped and retrieved a cookie so she’d have something to put in her mouth. She didn’t want to lose his interest because she said too much. Her brothers often chided her for talking too much, especially her brother Tom who said he couldn’t imagine any man who wanted to sit and listen to a woman gab all day. And Sally could talk all day long.

  Ethel Mae patted Sally’s hand. “I’m glad your family came out here. We wouldn’t have met otherwise.”

  As Sally chewed the cookie, she nodded her agreement and tucked a stray strand of her blond hair behind her ear. Her gaze kept going to Rick. How could her friend resist someone as attractive as him?

  After Rick took a drink from his cup, he set it down on the table. “My true love is the United States Constitution. I’m afraid nothing will ever pull me away from it, though I have all the respect in the world for farmers. They have to face
harsh weather and bugs.”

  Sally shuddered. “Like a swarm of locusts devouring crops.”

  “Exactly,” he replied. “That’s not for me.”

  After a moment of silence fell between them, Ethel Mae told Sally, “Rick is the new judge at the courthouse.”

  “Oh, I heard we got a new judge,” Sally said, wondering why Ethel Mae didn’t mention that Rick was the one who took Judge Williams’ place after his untimely death. “Is that why you moved to Omaha, Rick?”

  “Yes,” he replied, setting his elbows on the arms of the chair and clasping his hands in front of him. “Also, it didn’t hurt that Judge Townsend is an old friend of the family. There were no positions open where I lived, so I came out here.”

  “What do you think of Omaha?” Sally asked.

  “It’s fine. I certainly can’t complain about the people I’ve met.”

  His gaze went to Ethel Mae, and Sally’s smile faltered for a moment—but just for a moment. He’d only met her. Surely, she had to give him more time to get used to the idea that he was going to marry her instead of her friend.

  “Well, Sally is one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet,” her friend said.

  “I’m sure she is. She wouldn’t be your friend if she wasn’t,” he replied.

  Ethel Mae offered Rick a nervous laugh as her gaze darted in Sally’s direction. Her eyes met Sally’s, and Sally recognized the silent plea she was sending her. Ethel Mae was trying to divert Rick’s attention off of her but didn’t know how, and as Sally sat there, she didn’t know how to do that either. Well, at least not without boring him with talk of her family, the farm, or the weather. But he was a judge, so maybe she should pursue that angle.

  Clearing her throat, Sally directed her gaze to Rick and asked, “What made you decide to be a judge?”

  Granted, his answer was bound to bore her and Ethel Mae to no end, but it was far better for them to be bored than for him to be. If he was bored, then he might never want to talk to her again, something she desperately wanted to avoid.

  “It was something I was always interested in,” Rick said with a shrug. “I don’t recall the exact moment I knew I’d be a judge, but when I was a child, I made it a point to memorize the Constitution.”

  “You did?” Sally asked, surprised someone would want to do that.

  “I did that and read letters our Founding Fathers wrote.”

  She was amazed at his dedication. A man who could pursue his career with such vigor would be a most excellent husband. While the three of them continued to make idle chitchat, it became apparent how much Rick wanted to court Ethel Mae. He’d lean forward in interest if she said something and gave her a wide smile each time he talked to her. Granted, he was kind and polite to her, but Sally didn’t want the formal friendliness he extended to her. She wanted him to respond to her with the same enthusiasm he showed Ethel Mae.

  Rick checked his pocket watch and sighed. “I’m afraid I have to go back to work.” He swallowed the rest of his tea and stood up.

  A plan formed in Sally’s mind, and she jumped up. “Thank you for the lovely visit, Ethel Mae. I must be going as well.”

  Ethel Mae glanced at her with furrowed brows but didn’t remind her that she was supposed to visit with her for the entire afternoon.

  “I’ll speak to you again soon,” Sally told her friend, hoping she understood the subtle hint in her message.

  Ethel Mae’s eyes lit up with understanding. “Oh, yes. Well, then soon it will be.”

  Sally joined Rick as he followed Ethel Mae to the front door. She had to be careful in how she talked to him. The slightest wrong word might make him suspect she was planning to snag him from her friend, and there was no way he’d willingly court another woman—at least not this early in the game.

  Rick took his hat from the coat tree and placed it on his head. Smiling at Ethel Mae, he asked, “May I visit you on Saturday?”

  Ethel Mae gave a slight wince. “I’m not sure what my parents have planned for that day. Can I answer you at a later time?”

  Though he looked disappointed, he said, “Of course.”

  Sally retrieved her bonnet from the coat tree and put it on, pulling the strings loosely under her chin. “Are you heading straight for the courthouse?” she asked Rick.

  “Yes,” he said as he opened the door.

  “I’m going in that direction,” she said. “Mind if I join you?”

  “No, I suppose not.”

  Refusing to let his lack of enthusiasm get to her, she waited until his back was turned and mouthed the words, “I’ll be back,” to her friend who nodded. She followed Rick out of the house and pulled the brim of her bonnet further out so it shielded her eyes from the sun.

  After her friend shut the door, Sally joined Rick and strolled down the side of the dusty street. Rick motioned for her to walk on his other side. “If a horse comes by too fast, the dust won’t get on you,” he explained.

  “Most riders don’t race through here,” Sally replied as she went to his other side.

  “Not most. But why take the chance?”

  “You’re right. And thank you.”

  He shrugged. “It’s common courtesy. There’s no need to thank me.”

  Maybe not, but she still appreciated his thoughtfulness. Taking a deep breath, she decided to put her plan into action. “I notice you’re quite taken with my friend.”

  His face grew pink. “I’m sure she’s noticed, too.”

  “Do you plan to ask her if you can court her?”

  “Yes. I thought I’d visit her a couple more times, see how things go, and then ask. I don’t want to seem too eager.”

  Pretending to be relieved, she chuckled. “That’s good because you have to be careful in how you approach things.”

  His steps slowed and he gave her a good look. “I do?”

  “Of course.” She slowed down to meet his new pace. “Have you ever courted a woman?”

  “No.”

  “Then I’m glad I happened to be visiting my friend when you stopped by.” Granted, Ethel Mae asked Sally to come because she knew Rick was coming over, but he didn’t need to know that. Choosing her words carefully, she continued, “My friend is wonderful. You will be very happy with her.”

  His smile widened and he opened his mouth to speak, but she decided to beat him to it.

  “The problem is, my friend prefers men who aren’t easy to get. I hate to tell you this, but you’re a little too excited about courting her. She’ll see that and wonder why.”

  “It should be obvious why I’m excited about it. She’s beautiful and kind and—”

  Sally yawned and held up her hand. “But where’s the challenge? Does she have to fight for you? Does she have to wonder if you love her or not? You understand what I’m saying, don’t you? It’s all too easy.”

  His eyebrows furrowed. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

  “All I’m saying is that women like to know that the man could have had someone else but chose them. You’d be more desirable to her if you feigned interest in another woman who feigned interest back.”

  He laughed and shook his head. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

  Her heart sped up. He wasn’t falling for it! She had to use another tactic, and the sooner she slipped something else in, the better. Turning wide eyes in his direction, she sweetly asked, “Doesn’t it?”

  “No. If Ethel Mae is interested in me, she should want me even if no one else does. I should attract her on my own merits, not because some other woman is interested in me or because I’m interested in another woman.”

  “Hmm… You really don’t understand women then, do you?”

  Looking uncertain, he said, “Well…no.”

  “Not only am I a woman, but Ethel Mae is my friend. She likes a challenge.”

  He stopped walking and turned to face her. She also stopped, met his eyes and clasped her hands behind her back. Putting on what she hoped was a charming smile, she wai
ted for him to respond because if he responded the way she wanted him to, then her plan was all set.

  After a glance around them, he returned his gaze to hers and asked, “So what do you recommend?”

  Good! That’s exactly what he was supposed to say. She counted to four so she wouldn’t sound too excited. “Ethel Mae is my dearest friend in all the world, and I want to see her with a man who’ll treat her right.” That man wasn’t him, but he didn’t need to know that. “I propose that you pretend to be interested in me.”

  He shifted from one foot to another. “I don’t know. It seems rather devious to me. I could see making allusions to another woman to pique Ethel Mae’s interest, but it wouldn’t be right since you two are friends.”

  Drat! Running through a list of possible arguments, she finally settled on the one that seemed to make the best comeback. “But Ethel Mae might not believe you unless she sees you paying attention to another woman. Granted, it would be me, and she’s bound to experience some jealousy.” More likely relief. “However, when you admit your undying devotion to her, she’ll know you are hers, and I’ll back out graciously while still being her friend. There will be no hard feelings since I am only pretending to enjoy your attention.”

  “I’d have to think about it,” he replied, looking unsure.

  Sighing, she realized she wasn’t going to get anywhere with him, at least not today. What she needed to do was talk to her friend, and fortunately, her friend would be more agreeable to the arrangement. “Alright then. But if you should change your mind, let me know.”

  Resuming their walk, he said, “It is kind of you to want to help.”

  “I want to see my friend happy. She’d do the same for me if she were in my shoes.”

  Laughing, he shook his head. “It’s a strange way to help someone.”

  Stopping in front of the mercantile, she thanked him for walking her to her destination and entered the building, ignoring the few patrons in the store. Peering through the window, she waited until he was further down the boardwalk before she left the store.