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The door banged open and Sawyer strode through, jerking off his worn hat but not slowing until he was at his sister’s side. “That was a foolish thing to do. You could have been killed.”
Jill’s eyes went from hungry to angry. “I’m not even hurt.”
“I was about to see if that is so or not,” Kate said.
Carly introduced Kate to Sawyer.
Kate waited for Sawyer to realize he needed to step back. “Can you tell me what happened?” She examined Jill as she talked.
Sawyer answered though Carly wondered if Kate had directed the question at Jill. “She ran full speed into the street without looking to see if it was safe. The horses saw her and reared in fright. If she hadn’t tripped and fallen, she would have been kicked.” He spoke in a flat tone.
Carly wondered if he was as unfeeling about seeing his sister in such dire straits as he sounded.
Kate stepped aside. “Apart from the goose egg on her forehead, she seems unhurt. I suggest you keep her awake for the next eight or twelve hours to make certain she’s okay.”
Now was the time for Carly to speak her mind. “Kate, can you watch her for a minute?”
Kate nodded, her brows raised in curiosity.
Carly turned to Sawyer. “May I speak to you in private?” Not waiting for him to agree or otherwise, she headed for the door that led to the doctor’s living quarters. With Sawyer on her heels, she crossed the front room and entered the kitchen, sparing a quick glance around.
Last spring, Kate, her friend Isabelle and Sadie, the teacher, had all arrived in town, along with Dr. Baker. The doctor and teacher were to replace those who had left after the devastating fire that had leveled a block of buildings in Bella Creek. Now the three female newcomers were married—all to Marshall men. And Annie Marshall, Carly’s best friend, had recently married Preacher Hugh Arness. Carly had never thought to be joining them in wedlock but her father had left her little choice.
She reached the outer door, was about to grab the handle and head outside, then changed her mind. It would be much harder for him to escape her demands with her back pressed to the closest exit. “Did you offer to marry me only to mock my need?”
He sank back on his heels. “Did you not say there would be a problem in getting married?”
“Nope. Sure didn’t. Said it might be a problem getting the preacher to agree to marry us.”
His eyebrows lifted marginally. Barely enough for her to guess that he wondered what she meant.
“That woman you saw me with earlier is my best friend, Annie. She’s one of the Marshalls. Of course that means little to you at this point but you’ll soon learn that the Marshall family is pretty much in charge of Bella Creek.”
His eyebrows remained arched in question.
“Grandfather Marshall started the town so people would have a safe place to live. Until then, Wolf Hollow was the only town in the vicinity and it’s a rough mining town.”
He nodded, though she wondered if anything she said was making sense to him.
She continued, “Annie married the preacher. Preacher Hugh Arness. Likely they’ll have an opinion about my decision to marry a stranger.” She considered the alternatives and could come up with nothing but asking Hugh to marry them. There was no other preacher nearby and the judge wouldn’t be around until who knew when.
Of course, it might not be a problem if Sawyer had changed his mind. “That is if you were serious about marrying me.” Life had come to a pretty pass when she had to beg a complete stranger to agree to a marriage...or rather, a pretend marriage.
“I’m serious about getting a home for Jill.”
They studied each other.
Carly wasn’t sure what she expected from him but after a moment of silent study, one of the other, she realized he’d said all he meant to say on the matter. “Then we are agreed?”
“I’d say so.”
“Then let’s get Jill and go find the preacher.” She pretended she didn’t feel an uncomfortable tremor in the pit of her stomach. This marriage would change nothing except to have a man in the little bedroom and a child chasing after butterflies.
They returned to the examining room where Kate waited with Jill who now sat cross-legged on the gurney. They both watched Carly and Sawyer step back into the room; both wore curiosity-filled expressions. Carly knew that Kate must wonder what Carly needed to say in private to a stranger, and Jill likely wondered how their conversation would affect her.
“She’s fit to go,” Kate said. “Bring her to Father if you have any concerns.”
“How much?” Sawyer asked.
Kate named a sum and Sawyer pulled the coins from his pocket and gave them to her.
Carly watched Jill. What they planned to do was partly on behalf of this child. Didn’t she need to be informed?
“Let’s go,” Sawyer said.
Jill jumped down and headed for the outer door.
Sawyer caught her arm. “No more running into the street.”
They exited into the empty waiting room.
“Wait,” Carly said.
Sawyer stopped and gave her a hard look. “You’re changing your mind again?”
“I never changed my mind before and I don’t plan to now. But I think we should tell Jill our plans.”
His gaze went to his sister. “Why?”
Annoyance colored her voice. “Because it concerns her.”
Sawyer and Jill both looked at her, one as silently demanding as the other. Carly sucked in air. Fine. She’d be the one to tell the news.
She sat on the bench so she’d be face-level with Jill. “I’m very sorry about your mama and papa. You must miss them very much.”
Jill blinked twice and then grew impassive.
Carly glanced at Sawyer. His expression matched Jill’s. The child had already learned to hide her feelings, had learned it well from someone who admitted to being very good at it.
“Sawyer—” She stumbled a bit at using his name so freely, but seeing as they were to be married... “Well, he wants you to have a home where you’ll always belong.”
Jill’s eyes darted toward her brother. “He’s gonna leave me here, isn’t he?”
“No, sweetie. That isn’t what he has in mind at all. You see I have a very nice home that needs a—” She couldn’t bring herself to say a man. “A family. You need a home. I need a family. So your brother and I are going to get married and we all get what we need.”
Jill stared, her brown eyes intense but Carly couldn’t tell if she approved of the idea or found it loathsome. “Is that okay with you?”
“What kind of home you got?”
“I live on a ranch with my father. We have horses and cows—”
“Puppies and kitties?”
“Not at the moment.” Carly promised herself she’d get one of each as soon as possible. “We had a dog but he died during the winter. He was old.” Carly missed him and hadn’t considering replacing him yet. It was time to think about one now. Every child needed pets.
“I’d have to work?”
“You’d have chores. We all would. It’s how families operate.”
Jill nodded. “That’s what Mama said, too.” She nodded. “Okay.”
Sawyer cleared his throat. “Seems we’re all agreed.”
“Then let’s go find the preacher.” Carly led the way out of the doctor’s house. She turned left, marched past the schoolhouse where Jill would soon be attending, past the town square with trees budding and flowers pushing up through the sod. They turned by the church and went to the manse where Hugh had his office. The three of them stood at the doorway. It felt strange to be coming to this entrance. Carly always went to the door that opened to the kitchen. She knocked.
Hugh opened the door, a smile driving deep dimples into his cheeks. “Carly, go round to the kitchen. Annie’s there.”
“I’ve come to see you.” Remembering the other two, she corrected herself. “We’ve come to see you.”
Hugh’s mobile face sobered and a hard look replaced his smile. He surely must wonder why Carly had brought a man and a child to his office.
“Then by all means come right in.” He waved them toward the pair of chairs facing the desk, realized he needed another chair and snagged one from against the wall.
They sat. Carly to the right, Sawyer to the left and Jill in the middle. Hugh took his place across the desk from them.
Carly had always liked Hugh. He was darkly handsome with a quick smile and those lovely deep dimples in his cheeks. And single-minded. He’d come to town to find his missing son, Evan, and hadn’t given up until he’d rescued the boy. Not unlike Sawyer’s situation. Surely he’d see the similarities and it would make him eager to help.
Hugh directed his gaze toward Sawyer. “I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure.”
“Hugh, this is Sawyer Gallagher and his sister, Jill.”
The men shook hands, Hugh unmistakably curious. Then he offered his hand to Jill and she solemnly took it.
Hugh returned to a seated position. “Now what is it I can do for you?”
Carly and Sawyer glanced at each other, turned back to Hugh and spoke at the same time.
“Marry us.”
Hugh sat back, shock and surprise making his mouth fall open. He sucked in air. “Marry you? To each other?”
Carly nodded.
“How do you know each other?”
“We don’t. First time I saw him was this morning after I had tea with Annie.”
“I see.” He tented his fingers and tapped the ends of them together. His gaze was serious and not exactly affable. “Then may I suggest that this is rather sudden? Perhaps you should wait and get to know each other better.”
“Why?” Carly and Sawyer asked at the same time.
Sawyer continued, “We know what we’re doing.”
Hugh shook his head. “You know nothing about each other.”
Carly made a derisive sound. “This from a man who advertised for a mail-order bride.”
Hugh had the grace to look embarrassed. “I would have wanted a few details before I actually tied the knot.”
“I know all I need to know,” Sawyer said, his voice calm. “Like she said to Jill, we need a home and she needs a family.”
“She does?” Hugh didn’t have to sound like this was unexpected news to him. Even if she’d never before mentioned this need. The truth was she’d never considered such a thing before, but thanks to Father’s ultimatum, it had become imperative.
“Does Annie know of your plans?”
“Not yet.” Carly hadn’t had time to inform anyone.
“Do you mind if I ask her to join us?”
Annie knew why Carly had to do this. She would support Carly’s decision. “It’s all right by me if it’s all right by Sawyer.”
“I’ve no objection.” He sat still and patient. As if it didn’t matter that he was about to marry a stranger.
Carly eased back until she pressed to the wooden chair. She slowed her breathing and did her best to appear as unconcerned as Sawyer.
Hugh hurried from the room. They heard his murmured conversation with Annie though they could not make out the words. Heard her surprised response, then the pair returned, Hugh carrying a chair for Annie. He put it beside his own.
“You want to get married?” Annie asked, her voice and expression full of shocked surprise.
“I told you I would.”
“Yes, but I didn’t think...” She shook her head. “I didn’t think it was possible.”
Carly chuckled, seeing the humor in this situation. “I told you to pray I’d find a husband.”
“Yes, but—”
“Is there a problem?” Sawyer asked.
“We know nothing about you,” Hugh said.
“There’s not much to know.”
Carly needed to prove that she had found out the essentials. “He’s twenty-three. Been working on ranches or cattle drives since he was fourteen. Guess that qualifies him to work on the Morrison Ranch. His parents are dead. Jill is his half sister and her mother is dead, too. He came to Bella Creek hoping to find a cousin and her husband but they’ve passed on.” She sat back, feeling quite triumphant.
“Cousin?” Hugh said. “And who might that be?”
His tone carried just enough doubt for Carly to know he wondered if Sawyer made up the information. She had never thought to ask and she really should have.
