The Marriage Agreement Read online

  Pioneer Series: Book 2

  The Marriage Agreement

  Ruth Ann Nordin

  This is a work of fiction. The events and characters described herein are imaginary and are not intended to refer to specific places or living persons. The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and also represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher.

  The Marriage Agreement

  All Rights Reserved.

  Copyright 2016 Ruth Ann Nordin

  V1.0

  Cover Photo images Period Images. http://www.periodimages.com/welcome-to-periodimagescom. All rights reserved – used with permission.

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

  Cover made by Stephannie Beman.

  This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without expressed written consent of the publisher/author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  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

  Coming Soon: Groom For Hire

  More Excellent Reads at Parchment & Plume

  Dedication: To Judy Lavik who’s been with me through the years. Thank you for being so nice to me!

  Chapter One

  Omaha, Nebraska

  May 1865

  Laura Rufus adjusted her hat and gave a good look at her reflection in the mirror next to her armoire. Would Jesse Palmer say yes if she proposed? She adjusted the blue hat once more, judging how well it matched her dress. It was a new dress. She’d finished it last week, but this was her first time wearing it.

  Releasing her breath, she took the hat off and placed it on the dresser. She removed the pins holding her hair up then allowed the blonde locks to fall down her back. She brushed her hair. Why was she worrying so much about how she looked? She wasn’t trying to win Jesse over with her beauty. She was only doing this to be a mother to his ten-month-old son, Elliot.

  Just the thought of the sweet baby boy made her heart warm in pleasure. She couldn’t love him more if she’d been his real mother. Poor Elsie died giving birth to him on the wagon trail to Omaha. He had survived, however, despite being born two months early. He was a miracle, and Elsie would be proud of him. She’d be proud of Jesse, too, because Jesse loved Elliot more than some fathers loved their children.

  I’m doing this for Elliot, Laura reminded herself. She set the hat back on her head. She went back to the mirror and studied her reflection again. Rarely did she wear her hair down, especially when she took care of Elliot. The boy made it a habit of pulling anything within his reach, and hair hurt something awful when it was pulled.

  But she thought having her hair resting in golden waves down her back made her look softer. If men had an easier time saying yes to a woman who was attractive, then she needed all the help she could get. Not that she considered herself plain. She wasn’t prone to conceit, but she thought she was pretty. The hair only made her prettier.

  In order to be Elliot’s mother, she had to convince Jesse to marry her. But was he ready to marry again? Elsie had only been gone for ten months. That wasn’t much time. But Elliot was getting older, and the other day when he reached for her while he was taking his first step, she imagined him calling her, “Ma,” and ever since, the image had been stuck in her head.

  She bit her lower lip. Was she being selfish in wanting to be the boy’s mother? Should she let Jesse be free to marry someone else, someone he could love like he’d loved Elsie?

  The internal debate was the one thing that’d held her back from acting sooner. Jesse’s happiness was important, too. It wasn’t just the matter of being a mother to Elliot. She’d also be Jesse’s wife. Well, not really his wife. She’d never take Elsie’s place. No man had been more devoted to his wife than Jesse had been to Elsie. The poor man had been devastated when she died.

  Just thinking about it brought tears to Laura’s eyes. She hated it when people were sad, especially good ones like Jesse. It wasn’t fair they should suffer. She grabbed the handkerchief from her dresser and dabbed her eyes. Her mother often wondered how she could be so engaged with other people’s emotions, and Laura didn’t understand it herself. Sharing in others’ joys and heartaches just seemed to come naturally to her.

  She took a deep breath to gather her composure and tucked the handkerchief into her pocket. Retrieving her drawstring purse, she took one last look at her reflection. She smiled, wondering if she looked pretty enough to make Jesse agree to marry her.

  “There’s only one way to find out,” she said.

  She spun on her heel and left her room.

  Laura had made it halfway to the front door when her mother called out, “Where are you going?” from the parlor.

  Laura paused in mid-step and went to the parlor doorway. “I’m on my way to watch Elliot. I told you about it this morning during breakfast. Remember?”

  Her mother glanced up from the pillowcase she was sewing. “Yes, I remember you saying that, but I don’t remember you saying you planned to dress for church.”

  “Oh, don’t be silly. It’s Tuesday.”

  “Which is why I’m surprised to see you in such a pretty dress.”

  “Yes, well, I wanted to try out my new dress.”

  “You should do that for church, not to go watch a baby who could drool all over you.”

  “Elliot will be fine, Ma,” Laura said. “I made those bibs for him, and they’re thick, just like you suggested.”

  Her mother seemed to relent a bit. “I suppose your dress will be fine, but I still wish you wouldn’t dress up so nicely to go over there. You’d be better off making yourself all beautiful for the men around here who are looking to get married.”

  Laura bit her lower lip. Should she mention she was planning to ask Jesse to marry her? No. Jesse might say no. If he did that, she’d tell her mother for nothing, and more than that, she’d be embarrassed if anyone else knew.

  “I’ll wear this dress to church on Sunday,” Laura promised her mother, thinking that would be the safest way to go.

  Fortunately, the tactic worked, for her mother nodded and turned back to her pillowcase.

  Breathing a sigh of relief, Laura headed out to the livery stable. Her father had purchased a buggy shortly after they arrived in Omaha. Over the past few months, it’d come in handy, especially since she used it to go out to Jesse’s farm. Sometimes, her father or mother would take her out there. Amanda Larson, her friend, had even taken her on occasion. But on some days, like today, she was allowed to go by herself. She’d purposely chosen a day when she’d be alone to make her proposal.

  The ride out to the farm went faster than she’d expected. On most days, it seemed to take forever to get to where she wanted. It was only when she was nervous that things happened much too fast for her liking.

  When the buggy pulled up to the barn, she took a deep breath, hoping to stop the anxious butterflies that wanted to wreck havoc on her poor stomach. But they only fluttered with greater intensity.

>   “I can do this,” she whispered, gathering what little courage she could. “If he says no, it’ll be alright. I can still see Elliot.” And who knew? Perhaps Jesse would say yes at a later date in the future? Anything was possible.

  She swallowed and set the brake. Jesse was usually in the barn this time of day, so she decided she’d go there before seeing Elliot. Yes, she could wait and ask Jesse after she was done watching Elliot, but she’d rather get this over with. There was no way she’d be able to concentrate otherwise.

  She made it to the barn door and searched for Jesse, but he wasn’t there. She only saw the goat, cow, and two horses. She’d been at this farm long enough to know that if two horses were in the stall, then it meant Jesse wasn’t in the fields. And if he wasn’t in the barn, then he had to be in the house.

  Well, she’d go in there and ask to speak to him alone. There was no sense in having Mrs. Shaw, his mother-in-law, watch her make a potential fool of herself. Steeling her resolve, she lifted the hem of her dress and strode across the lawn to the single-story home. She recalled Mrs. Shaw arguing with him over his initial plan to make a sod house.

  “A house made of dirt is no place to raise your child,” she’d said. “You either make a real home for my grandchild, or I’ll send word for someone back in New York to take me and him back.”

  So that was why Jesse borrowed money from the bank to purchase lumber.

  When she reached the bottom step of the porch, she heard Mrs. Shaw and Jesse yelling. She paused. Maybe now wasn’t a good time. Yes, they often argued. That wasn’t unusual, but there was something different about this particular fight.

  For one, they were doing it in the house. Mrs. Shaw rarely made it a point to be in the house. She often stayed in the little cabin Jesse had made for her. So when they did fight, it was usually outside or in the barn. As for the other thing, Laura sensed desperation in Jesse’s voice.

  “You have no right to raise a child out here by yourself,” Mrs. Shaw said with a huff.

  “I have every right to raise him. He’s mine,” Jesse barked. “Now, you get on out of here. I thought I made it clear you’re not welcome in this house.”

  “Don’t take that tone with me. I’m his grandma, and Elsie was my daughter. I have the same rights to him that you do.”

  “No, you don’t. He’s my son. My son! This land will one day be his, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.”

  Something in Laura snapped, and she hurried up the porch steps and to the front door, hoping she’d gotten there just in time to prevent anything bad from happening.

  ***

  Jesse Palmer glared at Fanny, his mother-in-law, who stared at him with cold determination in her eyes. “Elliot’s staying with me, and that’s final.” Turning his attention to the old coot’s brother, who was holding a gun, he added, “I can’t believe you came all the way out here from New York to get involved in this. Get out of my kitchen. I got to make some lunch for when my son wakes up from his nap.”

  “You see how he is?” Fanny asked her brother, gesturing to Jesse. “He has no respect for his elders. No respect at all!”

  “You have to earn respect to get it,” Jesse replied through clenched teeth.

  Predictably, Fanny gasped as if this was the worst thing anyone could say to her.

  Laura burst into the room, and when she saw the gun in Burt’s hand, she shrieked.

  “Don’t mind him,” Jesse told Laura. “He’s not going to use it.”

  “How do you know that?” Fanny asked, hands on her broad hips.

  “Because he would have used it already.” He snapped at Burt, “Put that thing away.”

  Burt hesitated but finally did.

  “What are you doing?” Fanny demanded, slapping his arm. “You got to get Elliot so I can take him back home. That’s why you came all the way out here.”

  “No, I came out here to make sure the boy is in good hands,” Burt argued. “You said Jesse was hurting him.”

  “Jesse’s done nothing of the sort!” Laura spoke up then hurried over to Jesse. “Why, Jesse’s been nothing but kind to him. Elsie would be proud.”

  “You can’t believe anything she has to say,” Fanny said. “She’s in love with him.”

  Laura’s face went red. “I am not!” She looked at Burt. “I’ve been coming out here to help with Elliot. Jesse needs to be in the fields on most days, and she,” she pointed to Fanny, “is too old to take care of him all the time.”

  “If that’s true,” Burt began, directing his attention to Jesse, “then you won’t mind me checking on Elliot and making sure everything’s alright.”

  Jesse really didn’t think it was any of Burt’s business what was happening with his son, but if Burt saw everything was fine and left, it’d be worth it. Then next time Fanny claimed he was doing something to hurt his son, no one would believe her.

  “Fine,” Jesse said. “But only on one condition. After you see he’s safe, you’ll leave and take Fanny with you.”

  As he expected, Burt cringed. No one wanted Fanny around. Elsie had been the only one who’d been able to tolerate her, and she was no longer around to keep the woman in line. Lord knew Jesse hadn’t been able to do it, no matter how much he tried. And did he ever try! Fanny was impossible to talk to. The best thing anyone could do was pawn her off on someone else. Well, now it was Burt’s turn. Jesse had paid his dues.

  “I can’t leave a baby without a woman to take care of him,” Burt said. “As a working man, I know it’s impossible to rear a child while providing for a family.”

  “Then I can step in and watch Elliot after Mrs. Shaw leaves,” Laura replied.

  “A baby needs more than someone to come out here a few times a week,” Fanny argued, her expression growing dark.

  “I agree.” Laura cleared her throat and straightened her back. “That’s why I’m willing to marry Jesse. Then Elliot can have a full-time mother.”

  Jesse wasn’t sure he heard right until Burt asked, “You’re willing to marry Jesse?”

  Fanny shot Laura an accusatory look and spat, “And you dared to say you weren’t in love with him.”

  Laura opened her mouth to argue, but Burt stepped between them. “Fanny, leave us alone. We got to talk about this.”

  Fanny frowned. “Why can’t I be here for this talk?”

  “Because you’ll only interrupt us, and I need to make sure I do what’s best for Elliot.” When she didn’t seem the least bit happy about the matter, he pressed, “You had me come all the way out here to see to the baby’s welfare. So let me see to it.”

  Fanny opened her mouth as if to argue, but then Burt gave her a look that convinced her to shut it and leave the room. How Jesse wished he had that gift. If he had, she wouldn’t be so impossible to deal with.

  Burt motioned to the kitchen table. “Sit and we’ll talk about this.”

  Laura shot Jesse an anxious look, and for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out what she was thinking. Whatever prompted her to make such a ridiculous offer? Marriage? To him? Coming to help with Elliot was one thing, but he couldn’t ask her to give up a future with a good man for Elliot’s sake.

  After the three sat down, Jesse cleared his throat. “No one expects you to marry me,” he told her.

  “Why not?” Burt asked before Laura could respond. “I think it’s a good idea. I love my sister because she’s kin, but I know she’s not an easy woman to deal with. She never was. She was the youngest of fifteen children and spoiled rotten because of it.” He lowered his voice and directed his gaze to Jesse. “No one wants her to go back to New York. You’d be doing me and everyone back home a huge favor if you’d marry this pretty young lady over there.” He gestured to Laura as if she wasn’t sitting right there listening to everything he was saying. “A baby would do well with a mother. God knows Fanny’s not only too old to do the job herself, but she’d only make the poor boy miserable. At least with this lady for a mother, he’ll have a chance at a happy life.
”

  As much as Jesse hated to join in and pretend Laura wasn’t right there, he answered, “Laura should marry a good man who’ll love her. The last thing she needs is that old coot bothering her all the time.”

  “But I made the offer,” Laura spoke up. “I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t mean it.”

  Jesse finally turned his attention to her. “You have a good heart. You’re the kind of person who’ll do anything for anyone. It’s one of your best traits. But I don’t want you wasting your life out here.”

  “Hold on,” Burt interrupted. “It’s up to this lady to decide what she wants to do, and she’s made it clear she wants to be a mother to Elliot. This is the best way to handle things. If she marries you, then my sister can’t cry her grandson isn’t being cared for. And Jesse, do you honestly want to be stuck with Fanny all day long because you have no one else to care for your boy while you’re working?”

  At this, Jesse’s ears perked up. “You’ll take Fanny back if I take a wife?”

  Burt shook his head. “Heck no. I wouldn’t take Fanny back if the devil himself was coming after me to do it. No one wants her.”

  Jesse scowled at him. “Then what good does marriage do me?” Remembering Laura was sitting next to him, his face softened. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it the way it sounded. Any man would be happy to be with you. It’s just that I’m not looking to get married.”

  “You don’t understand what I’m saying,” Burt told Jesse before Laura could reply. “With Laura here all the time, you won’t need Fanny to come in here when you need to do some work. Laura will be here to take care of Elliot for you. Your time with Fanny can be shortened. It’ll make things more doable.”

  “More doable? Why don’t you take the old coot and lock her in a room at your home? That’d be even more doable.”