The Marriage Agreement Page 17

  She continued the rest of the way to the mercantile, too numb to really feel anything. She barely noticed the other people, and at one point, she almost stepped in front of a horse and its rider. Quickly stepping back, she waited for the rider to pass then crossed the street.

  By the time she reached the mercantile, her nerves had settled…somewhat. She was still shaken up by the encounter, but the walk had helped to calm things down.

  Up ahead, she saw Jesse shaking Ralph Lindon’s hand. By the looks of it, Ralph had taken over half the potatoes, which was better than Jesse had thought he’d do.

  “Nice doing business with you,” Ralph told him.

  Jesse gave him a nod, and as Ralph headed into the mercantile, Jesse turned to her and showed her the money he’d just received. “I did better than I expected,” he said, a wide smile on his face. “I figure I’ll sell the rest of these potatoes to the restaurants. But first, I need to pay the bank to reduce my loan with them.” He paused, took a good look at her, and asked, “Are you alright?”

  How much did she want to tell him? The past week had been so much like a fairytale. She’d been wrapped up in the thrill of being with Jesse, exchanging kisses with him during the day and making love to him at night. Without Fanny around, there’d been a whole new side of him she’d never seen before. Since Elsie’s death, he finally seemed happy. And now he’d made money from his hard work.

  What she wanted, more than anything, was for him to be happy. After everything he’d been through, he deserved it. If she told him about her father, it might cast a shadow on their newfound joy. And what would it change? It wouldn’t make her father accept their marriage.

  “Laura?” Jesse asked, caressing the side of her face.

  Forcing a smile, she said, “I’m fine. Just tired. Elliot was up early this morning, and the lack of sleep is finally catching up to me.”

  “It is a long way into town,” he replied. “Why don’t I go to the bank and then we’ll go home? I can go to the restaurants another time. The potatoes will keep.”

  Since it was easier to do this than to tell him about her father, she agreed and let him help her into the wagon.

  “I almost forgot to ask,” he said once he was settled on the bench beside her and Elliot. “Did your mother say when she was coming out to our place?”

  After a long moment, she finally said, “She would like to come out on Tuesday, but she can’t guarantee it. There might be something more pressing to deal with.” No doubt, her father would forbid her to see Laura again, and who knew how her mother would respond?

  “Well, if she can’t make it out Tuesday, maybe we’ll have her over another day,” Jesse replied then released the brake and headed for the bank.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Whatever you’re making, it smells good,” Jesse said on Tuesday as he came into the kitchen.

  Laura, who’d opened the oven door to check on the meal, glanced over at him and smiled. “It’s pot roast. One of my mother’s favorites.” She closed the door and straightened up. “It should be done in a half hour.”

  “Just in time for her to get here.”

  “Well, yes…unless something else comes up.”

  “I’m sure she’ll be here. You shouldn’t worry yourself over nothing.”

  Feeling a bit mischievous, he went over to her and wrapped her in his arms. He lowered his head and kissed her neck, knowing full well it would arouse her. He wouldn’t have done it if Elliot had been in the room, but she was all by herself, and that meant Elliot was taking a nap. That being the case, he saw no reason why they couldn’t engage in a little fun.

  She let out a low moan and pulled him closer to her. He brought his lips to hers and kissed her. It’d been awkward to show her affection right after they had consummated their marriage. While he knew he had her permission to make love to her when they were in bed, he hadn’t been sure if she’d welcome such advances during the day. But as it turned out, she had, and the more he touched and kissed her, the more responsive she became to him.

  He brought his hand to her breast, and she, in turn, delighted him to no end when she reached down between them and rubbed his erection. Granted, it was the middle of the day, but he was so hard that he didn’t think he’d be able to concentrate on the meal if he didn’t take care of more urgent needs first. She didn’t protest when he picked her up and carried her to their bed. Nor did she mind when he removed their clothes. In fact, she further encouraged him by taking his penis in her hand and stroking him. He didn’t think he’d ever get over how wonderfully uninhibited she was in the bedroom.

  Before long, he was making love to her, and when they were done, Laura pulled the pocket watch out of her dress and gasped.

  “What time is it?” he asked.

  “One. My mother could be here any minute. I don’t know what came over me. There’s so much to do to get things ready.”

  He reached for her and pulled her back into his arms. “It’s not your fault. I’m the one who carried you in here and had my way with you.”

  Giggling, she kissed him, and he couldn’t resist the urge to kiss her back. There was so much life in her, so much enthusiasm and joy. And he loved being consumed by it. After the dark days following Elsie’s death, it was a refreshing change.

  “I have to get dressed,” Laura told him between kisses.

  “I’ll help.”

  “Help? All you did was take my clothes off.”

  He laughed and cupped her bottom in his hands, pressing her intimately against him. “You were the one touching me in a certain place. You should know by now that when you do that, I’m going to make love to you.”

  “I thought this time you’d show some restraint,” she teased.

  “Nope. I’ll never be able to show restraint when you play the seductress.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her and grinned.

  She let out a frustrated sigh. “As much as I want to keep doing this, I can’t. I really need to get dressed.”

  “Alright. I’ll be good.” He released her and got up so he could grab his clothes off the floor. “Besides, waiting will only build up the anticipation before we do it again.”

  She smiled in a way that indicated she was looking forward to being with him as much as he was looking forward to being with her.

  Once they had cleaned up and dressed, he helped her finish getting the meal ready, figuring since he had delayed her progress, the least he could do was make it up to her.

  At ten minutes past the time when they were expecting Laura’s mother, Laura peered out the window and said, “Maybe she isn’t coming.”

  “Sure, she is,” he replied. “She’s probably just late.” He went over to her and kissed the top of her head.

  He had hoped his words would reassure her, but he could tell by the pensive expression on her face that she wasn’t convinced.

  Elliot let out a cry, letting them know he was awake. Laura turned to his room, but Jesse stopped her. “I’ll take care of him. You just try to relax, alright?”

  After he gave her another kiss, he went to his son. He had just finished changing the boy’s diaper when Laura called out that her mother had made it. He chuckled. He had no idea Laura could worry over something as simple as when her mother would get here.

  But then, maybe there was more to it than that. Maybe she worried her mother wouldn’t show up because her mother still didn’t approve of their marriage. If that was the case, then it was especially good that her mother had decided to come.

  He picked Elliot up and took him out to the porch where Laura was hugging her mother.

  “I’m so glad you came,” Laura said.

  “I wouldn’t miss this for anything,” her mother replied. “I’m sorry I’m late. The boy at the livery stable is new, and he hooked the buggy up to the horse wrong.”

  “Next time, we can come get you,” Jesse offered.

  “Oh, well,” Mrs. Rufus glanced at Laura, “I don’t want to impose. You two have this swe
et baby to worry about. Next time, I’ll go to the livery stable early.”

  “Well, lunch is ready,” Laura said, taking Elliot. “Let’s eat.”

  Laura hurried into the house.

  “I think she’s worried the pot roast is getting cold,” Jesse said as he held the door open for her mother.

  He expected her mother to go into the house, but, instead, she hugged him. “Thank you for making my daughter happy,” her mother told him before she released him. “A mother couldn’t ask for a finer son-in-law.”

  Touched by her kind words, he almost didn’t know how to respond. That was the first time he’d heard anything positive from someone else’s mother. Finally, he managed, “Thank you. Laura’s been a real blessing around here.”

  “Are you two going to eat, or are you going to keep talking?” Laura called out from the kitchen.

  “We’re coming,” Jesse replied. “After you,” he told Laura’s mother.

  She smiled and went to the kitchen, and he followed, knowing that this was going to be a mother-in-law he would enjoy having around.

  ***

  It was in the middle of the night when the fire consumed most of Jesse’s crops. Had it not been for his neighbors and the fire department, the damage would have been worse, but even so, the burnt fields that greeted him as the sun rose told him everything he needed to know. All the work and time he’d put into the crops had been wasted.

  The experience was surreal. He kept thinking he was locked in a nightmare, and if only he could wake up, it would all be over. But no matter how many times he tried to will himself awake, he was stuck in this awful state of despair mixed with panic.

  “I’m really sorry this happened to you,” Mr. Larson told him as the others gathered their things to leave.

  Jesse wanted to answer, but he couldn’t. All he could do was stare at the fields that had, only yesterday, been abundant with crops that he was going to sell for a good profit. And now… And now…

  Mr. Larson took off his hat and wiped the sweat from his brow. “I talked to the others, and we’re going to chip in to help you out. This obviously wasn’t your fault.” He paused then asked, “Do you have any idea who might’ve done this to you?”

  Jesse’s first thought was that one of Fanny’s relatives—her brother, perhaps—had done it out of spite because he had sent her back to New York. But then he dismissed the idea. No one would have had time to come all the way out from New York yet. It hadn’t been that long for Fanny to be back home.

  “Jesse?” Mr. Larson asked.

  The head of the fire department came over to them as his men got their horses ready for the trip back to town. “I know this is little consolation at a time like this, but thankfully, we were able to save the buildings and animals. It would have been worse if Jimmy Parson hadn’t told us what was happening.”

  “And had it not been night when it happened, who knows when we would have noticed it?” Mr. Larson added.

  Yes, that was true. Jesse glanced at the barn, the animals, and the two homes. Had the Larsons and Jimmy Parson and his family not summoned the others to help, who knew what shape things would be in?

  He should take comfort in that. Those were the things he owed money on. To lose them and still owe money on them would be far worse. But how was he supposed to make his loan payments without the crops? The potatoes weren’t enough to see him through the entire winter and next spring. He had depended on all of the crops to see him through.

  And it’d been an ideal summer. Plenty of rain. Plenty of sunshine. The winds hadn’t been too harsh. Who knew if next summer would be as gracious?

  “Thank you for coming out to help,” Laura said as she approached. She’d pitched in to help with the rest of them, and the exhaustion on her face and her disheveled appearance only emphasized how long the night had been. “Everything happened so fast. I don’t know what Jesse and I would have done if we had to fight this alone.”

  She was right. The fire had swept through the fields at such a fast pace they never would have been able to limit the damage if they’d had to do this alone. But still… Jesse’s gaze went to the fields. All those months of hard work were gone. All gone. And there was nothing he could do to get them back.

  How was he supposed to keep the land if he couldn’t make his loan payments? He had a wife and child to support. It wasn’t just him. If it was just him, he might be able to handle this, but he had Laura and Elliot to think about. Finally, the surreal feeling was beginning to dissolve, and in its place was a growing sense of panic. He hadn’t felt so hopeless since the night Elsie had struggled with her labor. Nothing he’d done could have helped her. All he could do was watch as things went from bad to worse.

  “I think he’s in shock,” Mr. Larson told the fire chief.

  The fire chief glanced from Jesse to Laura. “We’ll leave you two alone. If you can think of anyone who would have done something like this to you, it’s important you tell the sheriff.”

  Laura frowned. “You think this was intentional?”

  “We found a box of matches,” the fire chief replied. “We’re saving it for evidence. We’ll give it to the sheriff when we get to town.”

  “Can I see it?” Laura asked.

  With a nod, he dug it out of his pocket and handed it to her. Jesse finally took his eyes off the fields so he could look at it. He didn’t recognize what was left of the design on the charred box of matches, but Laura did since she put her hand over her mouth and gasped.

  “You know who did it?” the fire chief asked.

  She blinked a few times as if to ward off some tears. “My father buys these.”

  Her father? Jesse hadn’t seen her father since the day they married. He had assumed her father had given up and was going to leave them alone. Why, after all this time, would he burn their crops?

  “Does your father have a reason to do this?” the fire chief asked.

  “My mother was out here yesterday for lunch,” Laura said, tears in her voice. She took a deep breath then added, “I thought he didn’t know, but he must have found out. But even as angry as he must have been, I never thought he’d do something like this.” She gestured to the fields.

  “Who’s your father?” the fire chief asked.

  “Donald Rufus,” Laura whispered.

  “I’ll let the sheriff know. It would help if you and your husband came down to the jailhouse later today. The sooner we get this matter resolved, the better.”

  Laura nodded and handed the box of matches back to him. Then she wiped her eyes.

  The fire chief thanked them and headed back to his men.

  Mr. Larson turned back to them. “The others and I will figure out how we can help you two. You’re not in this alone. Jesse, my family still owes you from the time you helped us with Amanda while we were on the wagon trail. Don’t be too proud to accept our help, alright?”

  Since Mr. Larson was waiting for a response, Jesse nodded. Mr. Larson seemed satisfied with that, so he went to his horse.

  Even with their help, he didn’t see how it’d be enough. Had it not been for the debt, it would have been, but he had payments he wouldn’t be able to make once November came. Just how was he supposed to do it? Of all the things he’d anticipated, he hadn’t once imagined someone would set fire to his crops.

  He didn’t know whether to give into his fatigue or his panic, but after a couple of minutes of slipping between both feelings, he gave up on the panic. No amount of panicking in the world was going to bring back the crops. All the fight left him, and he sank to his knees. With a groan, he leaned forward and put his face in his hands.

  If he’d stayed in New York, he might still be working in the factory, but Elsie might have survived the birth and he wouldn’t be facing an overwhelming amount of debt. Staying in New York would have solved so many of his problems. But even as he let the feeling sweep over him, another—a stronger—feeling worked its way to the surface.

  Laura. If he hadn’t come o
ut here, he wouldn’t be with her. He had loved Elsie. A part of him always would. He was thankful for the time he’d had with her, and he would always be grateful to her for giving him Elliot.

  But he also loved Laura. He couldn’t imagine his life without her. And they had a future together. A future out here. Deep in his heart, he knew things had worked out the way they were meant to. There was a reason she’d been on the wagon trail with him. There was a reason she’d offered to help him take care of Elliot in the aftermath of Elsie’s death. There was a reason they had developed a friendship that had eventually led to more.

  Elliot was supposed to be here. Fanny was supposed to go back to New York. And Laura was supposed to be his wife.

  Laura put her arms around him and leaned into him. That was so much like her, too. She was always there to do whatever she could to offer him comfort and support. He didn’t know how things were going to proceed from here, but he knew Laura would be with him through it all. For better or worse, they would get through this together.

  He straightened up so he could hug her. He buried his face in the nape of her neck and took comfort in knowing she was the one thing he could depend on in this life.

  “I’m sorry, Jesse,” she whispered, tears, once more, finding their way into her voice. “I saw my father that day I went to town with you, and he warned me to stay away from my mother. If I had any idea he would do this to you, I would have told you. But I didn’t, so I pretended nothing was bothering me. You were so happy that day, and I didn’t want to ruin that for you.”

  “It’s alright,” he whispered. Even if she had told him about her father that day, he never would have guessed her father was going to burn the fields, either. Up to now, her father hadn’t given him any reason to suspect it.

  She clasped him tighter to her. “It’s not fair. You’ve had so much sorrow in your life, and now this has happened. You deserve to be happy, Jesse. That’s all I ever wanted for you.”

  He lifted his head so he could look at her. Wiping the tears from her cheeks, he said, “I am happy. I have you, and I have Elliot. I’m just scared I can’t keep paying on the loan. If I can’t do that, the bank will take over the property, and I don’t know where we’ll end up.”