His Convenient Wife Page 3

  “I’ve given it a lot of thought,” she slowly began as she lifted her gaze to look at her father, “and I want to do this.”

  He didn’t say anything for a long moment, and she was sure he was going to forbid her to marry Stan. But then he relented. “Alright. I trust your judgment. If this is what you think is best, then you should do it.”

  Relieved he wasn’t going to make this difficult for her, she smiled. “Thanks, Pa.”

  With a nod, he gently took her by the arm and led her back to Stan who was still holding Maggie while he was talking to her brother.

  ***

  “I don’t miss living on the farm,” Jacob said. “I had enough of dealing with animals that don’t mind or hoping the weather cooperates while I try to grow a crop. It’s much easier to manage a store.”

  Stan was ready to reply when he saw Harriett and her father heading back over to them. He shifted Maggie in his arms, more from unease than anything else. And Maggie had settled down enough now where her eyes were starting to drift shut. After all the running around she did, she was finally getting tired. He sure wished she could have worn herself out before Harriett got to town.

  But if she hadn’t, then Harriett wouldn’t have agreed to marry him. And truth be told, it was hard to raise a little girl all by himself. He needed help. He just wished he wasn’t getting it under these conditions.

  Harriett’s father extended his hand. “Welcome to the family, Stan.”

  Too bad Stan didn’t know what Harriett had told him. Her father had to have known she’d refused his proposal in December. No doubt, this change of events came as a shock. And Stan didn’t even want to know if it was a good or bad one. He shook her father’s hand and cleared his throat. “Thank you, sir.”

  “We’ll have to have you and Maggie over for supper sometime,” her father said then turned his attention to Harriett. “I suppose we best get back in the mercantile and pick up more things. Won’t your ma be surprised when we tell her the news.”

  Harriett nodded then told Stan, “We’ll come by your place tomorrow afternoon. Probably around one or two?” She glanced at her father.

  “That’s fine,” her father replied.

  Stan indicated his agreement and waited until they said good-bye before he returned to his wagon. Maggie was tired, so he ended up placing her in the back of the wagon, tucking her safely in so she could have an undisturbed nap on the way home. He thought to glance over at Harriett but figured she’d already be in the mercantile. Besides, he wasn’t sure if he was making a mistake by marrying her or not. While he couldn’t blame her for being so matter-of-fact about their marriage and setting down boundaries, it’d stung all the same.

  He settled into his seat and released the brake. It wasn’t too late to go into the mercantile and tell her he changed his mind. But he couldn’t take care of Maggie by himself anymore. When he adopted Maggie, he had no idea how difficult it’d be to raise a child. Perhaps if he could have afforded a ranch hand, it would have been easier, but he was still getting established. He needed to take Maggie everywhere with him unless his mother or one of his older sisters stopped by. And he was tired of asking for their help.

  Marriage was the easiest solution. Plus, it’d give the poor girl a mother, someone she needed more than anything. With a sigh, he urged the horses down the street. When he adopted Maggie, he took on the responsibility of doing what was best for her. What was easy or best for him didn’t factor into the equation.

  As he passed the mercantile, he dared a glance in its direction and saw that neither Harriett nor her father was in sight. And he didn’t know if he was relieved or disappointed.

  Chapter Three

  “Jacob told me you agreed to marry Stan. Is it true?” Rose asked later that day as she sat on Harriett’s bed.

  Harriett folded one of her shirtwaists and put it into her carpetbag, not bothering to look at her sister. “I’ve made up my mind, and no one’s going to talk me out of it.”

  “I didn’t say I was going to talk you out of it,” Rose commented. “I just want to make sure it’s something you really want to do.”

  Ignoring her sister who was studying her reaction, Harriett turned back to the dresser and pulled out her undergarments. “Why would I agree to it if I didn’t want to do it?”

  “Because you love him.”

  Harriett shoved her undergarments in the carpetbag with more force than necessary. She forced herself to relax then finally met her sister’s piercing gaze. “I’m well aware that he’d rather be with you. But I’m not doing it for him. I’m doing it for the three-year-old girl he adopted. She needs a mother, and no other woman has agreed to marry him.”

  “I checked, and it turns out he never asked anyone else.”

  Harriett hesitated to reply but managed, “I thought he did.”

  “No. He didn’t even send for a mail-order bride.”

  “Well, those ads aren’t placed as much as they used to be. Omaha has more than enough single women these days.”

  “Maybe, but the fact that he didn’t ask anyone else is a compliment.”

  Harriett frowned. “Did you come here because you want me to marry him, or are you trying to talk me out of marrying him?” Because when Rose started talking, Harriett could have sworn her sister was opposed to the idea.

  Rose shrugged as she fiddled with her cameo. “I want you to be happy, regardless of the reason you’re marrying him. However, there is hope since you’re the only one he asked.”

  “You think he asked because I look like you? You think he’s going to pretend I’m you?”

  “We may look alike, but we’re complete opposites. I would never marry someone because he had a child he needed help raising. I’m not duty-bound like you are.”

  “I know. You married Kent because you love him.”

  “You’ve got a good heart, Harriett. I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

  “I won’t get hurt. I could only get hurt if I fooled myself into believing he cared about me, but I know he doesn’t. I’m prepared for a marriage of convenience.”

  Rose grimaced. “That sounds miserable.”

  “It won’t be. I’ll be content.”

  Harriett finished packing her things and looked at her sister. Rose meant well. She always did. And Harriett understood she wanted the best for her. But these silly fairytales of true love and a happily ever after didn’t work for everyone. Sure, it worked for her. She married someone she thought was a pauper who turned into a prince, and he whisked her off to his mansion in the countryside filled with servants and all the horses she could ever want. Even the dresses she wore for every day activities were better than Harriett’s Sunday clothes. And better yet, she had love.

  But Harriett wasn’t Rose. She couldn’t expect things to work out the same way for her. The best she could do was avoid being a spinster. If she’d only had other offers, she might not have agreed to marry Stan. With a sigh, she closed her carpetbag and set it on the floor by her bed.

  She sat next to Rose and took her hand in hers. “You’re the only person who truly understands me. Growing up, I often felt like a person from the outside looking in while everyone else enjoyed the activities.” She smiled. “Had it not been for you, I probably wouldn’t have joined in and enjoyed them myself on occasion.”

  “You’re shy. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

  “No, there’s not. But shy girls don’t get asked to court. When an opportunity presents itself, they have to take it, even if they have to make sacrifices.” She squeezed Rose’s hand. “This is a sacrifice I’m willing to make. Stan might not love me, but I know he’ll be faithful. Once he commits himself to something, he does it. And there’s a little girl who needs me. I can’t turn my back on her.”

  Blinking back her tears, Rose returned her smile. “I hope it turns out better than you think.”

  “I know you do,” she whispered.

  “Well, you know you can always talk to me, no matter
what. Just because you’re getting married, it doesn’t mean we’ll stop being the best of friends.”

  “We’ll always be closer to each other than anyone else.”

  “Yes, we will because we’re twins, and twins have a special bond no one can break.”

  Chuckling, Harriett nodded and stood up. “I promised Ma I’d help with supper.” She headed for the door and glanced back at her. “I don’t suppose you can stay?”

  “I’m afraid not. Kent is bringing over a potential client and his family, and I need to be there to help entertain them. But I do want to be at your wedding.”

  “Don’t. It’s a very small, private affair.”

  “You’re my sister. And besides, we just went on and on about how close we are. I have to be there.”

  This wasn’t going to be easy. Harriett figured Rose would want to attend, which was why she didn’t run out and tell Rose when she agreed to marry Stan. Swallowing, Harriett met her sister’s gaze. Of all the things they had shared and would share, this wasn’t going to be one of them. “I’d rather you didn’t come to the wedding,” she softly said, knowing even before she saw Rose wince that she’d hurt her.

  “Why not?” Rose asked.

  “Because Stan wanted to marry you. It’s bad enough knowing what kind of marriage I’m going to have without you standing next to me and knowing he wishes you were in my place.” When Rose opened her mouth to speak, Harriett quickly added, “Please do this for me. I won’t ask anything else from you.”

  After a long moment passed between them, Rose nodded. “Alright. I’ll honor your wishes.”

  Relieved it was that easy since Rose seldom gave up when she wanted something, Harriett relaxed. “Thank you.”

  Harriett offered a smile, hoping to smooth things over as best she could, and to Rose’s credit, she returned the smile, though it didn’t reach her eyes.

  Turning from her, Harriett opened the door. “I better go help Ma.”

  Uncharacteristically silent, Rose followed her sister out of the bedroom. Harriett would have to make it up to her sister. She wasn’t sure how, but she’d find a way.

  ***

  Stan knew Harriett had said she didn’t want a big to-do about the wedding, but he dressed in his Sunday clothes. He’d already made her feel bad in the past. The least he could do was show her the respect due to her now. He adjusted his tie. For the hundredth time, he wondered if he should have invited his parents over. But then he decided it was best that he didn’t. He was a grown man, and a grown man didn’t need his parents’ permission to get married.

  And since this was happening so suddenly, it wasn’t like he had time to warn them. As soon as he got home yesterday, he fed Maggie some of the bread he’d picked up at the bakery and took her along as he did his rounds along the property. He realized one of his calves went missing and spent a good hour finding it and rescuing it from a group of bushes it’d gotten stuck in. Thankfully, no harm came to it, and the mother was relieved to get it back. Things could have been a lot worse. One time he found a calf that had tried to cool off in the shallow end of the pond and got stuck in the mud. He didn’t find it until two days later, and by then it was too late.

  But he saved the one yesterday, and it was a huge consolation that he wasn’t a complete failure. In better spirits, he returned to the house and did the rest of his chores, a bouncy Maggie following him. By the time he was done, the sun had set and it was time to make supper.

  He thought about going to his parents at that point, but by then, he was afraid of what they’d say. It was a foolish thing he was doing. All through the night, he couldn’t sleep because he went over all the reasons he shouldn’t marry Harriett, the most notable one being how he’d rejected her at the picnic. He’d been so in love with Rose at the time, he hadn’t even noticed how much Harriett cared about him. It wasn’t until a couple months later he realized how he must have seemed to Harriett. Like a cold, heartless—

  He stopped himself before he finished the sentence. Even if the admonition was only for himself, he didn’t need to think that kind of language.

  He didn’t know how he was going to make it up to her. There must be a way. She couldn’t hate him too much if she was willing to help him raise Maggie. So that meant there was hope.

  After he was done getting ready, he checked in on Maggie who was, thankfully, playing nicely in the parlor. She didn’t often behave so well. Maybe she sensed this was an important day and was willing to give him a break.

  “Ride horse?” she asked, jumping up from the chair.

  “Not yet,” he replied. “You want some bread to eat?”

  “No. Want horse.”

  He sighed. “I can’t. I told you your new ma will be here soon. We need to be ready for her.”

  “Don’t want ma. Want horse.”

  “We’ll ride a horse after she comes here.” He picked her up and carried her to the kitchen. “You need to get something to eat.”

  He glanced out the window. No sign of Harriett yet. After he put Maggie in a chair, he went to a shelf to retrieve a plate, but before he made it to the breadbox, she was already running out the kitchen door. With a groan, he closed the breadbox and ran after her. Granted, the girl was only three, but she was hard to keep after. And the older she got, the more determined she was to do what she wanted. He hoped Harriett knew how to get her to behave because his efforts had been in vain. Maybe it was something women were better at than men.

  By the time he caught up to Maggie, she’d made it to the bottom porch step. And—of course—Harriett had shown up just in time to see that he had as much control of the little girl at his home as he did in town. This wasn’t the kind of start he wanted for his marriage. It was bad enough they were already getting a shaky start, given their past. But now Harriett was going to think he was completely incompetent.

  Pushing aside his embarrassment, he headed over to the wagon her father was leading onto the property. When Harriett said she wanted to keep it simple, she wasn’t kidding, and he was glad he decided not to invite his parents. The only two people with Harriett were her father and uncle. That was it. And that meant this was going to be quick. It was something done out of necessity rather than desire.

  Maggie wiggled in his arms, but he refused to put her down in case she ran off again. Maybe a quick wedding was for the best. He doubted Maggie could stay good if it was long and drawn out.

  “She’s pretty,” Maggie said, pointing to Harriett.

  “She’s going to be your mother,” he replied. “And yes, she’s pretty.” He patted her back, relieved that doing so helped her settle down. At least for now.

  The wagon came to a stop, and her father set the brake. “How are you doing, Stan?” he called out.

  “Fine, sir. And you?” Stan asked as he approached the wagon. He fully expected to help Harriett down, but she turned to her father and had him help her instead. He stepped back so he wouldn’t get in their way.

  “Good,” her father replied and smiled at him.

  Stan relaxed. He’d sensed the older man’s hesitation about the marriage yesterday, though he hadn’t come out and said anything to him about it. Today, however, he seemed to have put any reservations he had aside. That was a good sign. Maybe things would turn out better than Stan hoped.

  “I’m Judge Johnson,” her uncle said after he got down from the wagon and extended his arm in Stan’s direction.

  “I know, sir.” Stan replied, shaking his hand. He cleared his throat. “My sister, Emily, said you married her and Isaac.”

  Her uncle nodded. “Yes, I did. But that was a long time ago.”

  “It doesn’t seem like it was that long ago to me,” her pa argued, his tone playful.

  “It was. We’re getting old,” her uncle told her father, who shook his head. “Don’t deny it. You can’t stay young forever.”

  “I can do my best,” her pa insisted.

  Stan glanced at Harriett, wondering what she wanted him to do. Did sh
e want him to walk over to her? Did she want him to take her carpetbag? Did she want him to say something? He was at a total loss on how to properly act. He had the sinking sensation he was a failure as a husband, and he wasn’t even married yet.

  “Well,” her uncle said, taking her carpetbag from the wagon, “now that we’re here, we should get the blessed event underway.”

  Though Stan didn’t think ‘blessed’ was the right word, he didn’t argue. He didn’t know if it was good or not that no one except for Harriett had called this exactly what it was: a marriage of convenience and nothing more.

  Her uncle turned to him. “Do you want to do this on the porch or inside?”

  “Oh, um,” Stan looked at Harriett, “whatever she wants.”

  “Smart man,” her uncle replied with a chuckle. “That’s the secret to a good marriage. Listen to the wife, no matter what.”

  Harriett’s face grew pink, but she cleared her throat and gestured to the front door. “Inside is more expedient.”

  Yes, but outside was probably more romantic. Stan forced the thought aside. This wasn’t a romantic event. Had he been smart enough to pay attention to her at the picnic, this whole thing might be different. And besides, it’d be easier to keep track of Maggie if they were inside. Perhaps that’s what Harriett was thinking.

  Stan led them to the house and through the front door, and it suddenly occurred to him how simple the house looked. There was nothing feminine in the whole place, even though he had a daughter to take care of. His mother had offered to help decorate the place, but he refused, thinking if it was his house, he should do it. And so far, he’d been too busy to worry about it. Well, maybe Harriett would make it more comfortable.