Unlawfully Wedded Bride

“I grew up on a cattle ranch in Oklahoma so wheat and I haven’t been much more than nodding neighbors,” he said as stepped up beside her.

She glanced at him in surprise. “You’re from Oklahoma?”

“I guess you thought I was from Texas.” At her nod, he grinned. “I’ll take that as a compliment. But yes, I grew up in Rutledge, Oklahoma, with an older brother and three younger sisters.”

She stopped walking and turned to him with a suspicious smile. “Wait. You grew up in Rutledge. Does that mean your family owned the town?”

“That means my pa owned the land the town was built on. He was a cattle baron and he wasn’t much interested in running a town.” He took off his Stetson and fiddled with its brim. “He wasn’t especially interested in anything else, either.”

“I’m sorry,” she said softly.

“For what?”

“You said ‘he was.’ I guess that means he passed away.”

His confused frown lifted into an amused smile. “I should have said ‘is.’ He isn’t dead. At least, he wasn’t the last I heard.”

“It sounds like it’s been a while since then,” she said as they continued walking toward the end of the field.

He put his Stetson back on. “My folks weren’t pleased when I left for Texas to become a cowboy. I haven’t heard much from them since then.”

“That has to be hard.”

He shrugged away her concern. “A man can get used to almost anything, given the chance. It helped being on the trail. You get so caught up in being busy that it’s easy to forget how alone you are.”

“So that’s what you did before you came here? You were a cowboy?”

He shrugged. “Nothing else worked out.”

He was intentionally being vague and she knew it. She figured since he was living on her farm, she had a right to a real answer. “What didn’t work out?”

He was quiet for a long moment, then turned to meet her gaze. “I met two brothers while I was on the trail. We became really good friends and decided to start a horse ranch. I was in charge of training the horses. I loved it. I thought I’d found my calling. Things were great for a while, then they turned bad—real bad. We lost the ranch. There’s nothing left of it now.”

She bit her lip. “That’s what you meant about God scattering your plans to the wind, isn’t it?”

“Pretty much.”

“What happened to your friends?”

He frowned then tugged his Stetson farther down. “One of them died. The other one didn’t end up being such a good friend after all.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” she offered softly.

He gave a short nod in acknowledgment of her sympathy. “That’s why your advertisement seemed Heaven-sent. I wanted a new life and there it was.”

“You thought it was God’s will.”

“Yes, I did,” he said, then shot her a half smile. “But, as you said earlier, I guess I was wrong.”

She glanced at the fields thoughtfully. “You know, I can’t hear the words ‘God’s will’ without thinking about my parents’ deaths.”

“Why?”

“After they died, I can’t tell you the number of people who tried to comfort me by saying that. ‘It’s God’s will.’ It became almost more of a cliché than ‘He needed them in Heaven.’” She swallowed, then shook her head. “I remember thinking if that was God’s will then I didn’t want it.”

“You were grieving,” he reminded gently. “People think all sorts of things they don’t mean when they’re grieving.”

Yes, but I meant it. She pulled her gaze from the field to meet his. The sympathy there unnerved her. What had she been thinking? She’d told a stranger more than she told her close friends. There was aura of warmth about Nathan that made it easy to talk to him.

It was like the feeling she’d had when they first met: an implicit knowing. It hadn’t made sense then. Now she knew it stemmed from the information he’d received through the letters. He knew enough about her without her confiding even more.

They were both quiet for a while, then Nathan tilted his head to gesture toward the field. “How do you normally bring in the harvest? I guess it’s nothing like herding cattle.”

She smiled. “Probably not. The harvesters are coming in about a month. They have a big machine that goes through the field and cuts the wheat. After that they use another machine to separate the wheat from the hay. They’ll take fifteen percent of our wheat as payment.”

Nathan glanced at her in surprise. “They take fifteen percent of a crop this small? That seems like a lot.”

Kate frowned at him. “First of all, this isn’t a small crop. It’s even larger than the one I planted last year. Secondly, there isn’t much I can do about the cost of the combine unless I want to use a scythe. It would take much longer for me to do it that way by myself. I wouldn’t get it to the market on schedule.”

“I see your point.”

She glanced up at the sky, realizing she’d gotten distracted. “Speaking of time, I’d better get back to my chores.”

“Can I help?”

“You can rest or go explore the farm by yourself.” He looked frustrated by her statement but she pinned him with a look. “No working. Doctor’s orders, remember?”

He caught her arm before she could turn away. “Before you leave, you should know I’m planning to go to town tomorrow to find out what needs to be done for the annulment. You might want to come with me in case there’s something that can be done right away.”

“That sounds fine. I have some supplies to pick up from the mercantile anyway. You can take care of the paperwork. Just come get me when I’m needed, and we might be able to finish this matter then and there.” Strangely enough, she couldn’t make herself smile at the thought.

As she walked away from him she realized she’d taken a dangerous step by finding out so much more about Nathan. He wasn’t a stranger anymore. He was a man she could sympathize with. He had feelings, hopes and dreams that deserved respect. She was going to crush one of those dreams when she signed that annulment, but it couldn’t be helped. She’d forget about the man she’d known for a few days. He’d forget about her and move on just as easily. That’s all there was to it.

Nathan hit his Stetson against his leg impatiently, then leaned against the wall of the cramped waiting room of the only courthouse in a fifty-mile radius, fidgeting uncomfortably as the cut on his back started to itch. He hoped that meant it had already scarred over but he couldn’t be entirely sure since he couldn’t actually see the wound.

The note Doc had given him said to change the dressing every day but he hadn’t done that because he couldn’t reach it. He knew he was supposed to ask for Kate’s help but he couldn’t get himself to ask. He’d be long gone in a few hours anyway so it hardly mattered now.

He’d considered getting a job in Peppin, but that would mean seeing Kate and knowing she thought of him as nothing more than a mistake. Perhaps he should contact Davis Reynolds. The Rutledge and Reynolds families had been neighbors in Oklahoma. The Reynolds main crop had been cattle but they’d also maintained a beautiful herd of horses. As a teenager, Nathan had sneaked away to the Reynolds’ farm to watch the ranch hands work with the horses. Eventually, Davis had recognized his passion, taken Nathan under his wing and taught Nathan everything he knew about raising horses.

Nathan’s father had never gotten along with Davis and was chagrined to watch the man encourage what he called Nathan’s goofing off. He’d begun to restrict Nathan’s freedom more and more. The less freedom he had, the more he’d yearned for it. He dreamed of wandering the open plains as a cowboy. He’d longed for the chance to combine the skills he’d developed with horses with the knowledge that had been drilled into him about cattle.

When the Reynolds family had sold their ranch and decided to move to Texas, Nathan traveled with them. They parted ways not long after passing the state line. Davis made Nathan promise to send word if he ever needed anything. Now it looked as though he needed a new future—again. He’d be willing to settle for a new job.

He looked up as a small man with spectacles perched on the end of his nose stepped into the waiting room. “Who’s next?”

“I am,” Nathan said. He walked into the office to find shelves of books lined the wall while a large mahogany desk stood in the middle of the floor.

“Sit right down there,” the man said before sitting behind the desk. “What can I help you with?”

Nathan sat, placing his hat on his knee. “I’d like to receive an—” His throat closed as he tried to get the word out. Clearing his throat, he tried again, “I’d like to find out how to receive an annul—annulment.”

The man sat up in his chair. “Do you mean a marriage annulment?”

Nathan’s affirmation was low.

The man took off his spectacles to clean them on his shirt. “Well, how about that? I don’t remember the last time someone asked for one of those.”

Nathan shifted his hat to his other knee.

Placing his spectacles back on his nose, the man peered over them. “I sure hope you aren’t leaving some little lady high and dry.”

He smiled ruefully. “No, it’s kind of the opposite.”

The man laughed in an almost cackling sort of way. “Well, how about that? Run you off, did she?”

He cleared his throat nervously. “Well, not exactly.”

“I wouldn’t take that from my little woman,” the man said between laughs, then, taking a gasping breath, continued. “You shouldn’t give up on one of those little spitfires. I’ve heard tell they’re mighty fun to tame.”

Nathan shifted in his chair, causing his hat to fall to the ground. He picked it up and placed it back on his knee. “So do you think you can give me one?”

“One what? Annulment?”

He began to grow impatient. Isn’t that what this whole conversation is about? “Yes, an annulment.”

The man removed his spectacles to wipe away his tears of laughter. “No. I don’t think I can.”

Nathan shot to his feet, then wished he hadn’t when a searing pain ran across his back. Had he just broken the cut open? “What do you mean you can’t? Why can’t you?”

“Sit down, sit down. No use getting all excited about it.”

Eyes narrowed, he carefully sat in the chair, ignoring the pain.

“I told you it’s been a while since we’ve had to give one.”

“Yes.”

“Well, I’ve plumb forgot how it’s done.”

Nathan looked at him incredulously. “You’ve what?”

The man shrugged carelessly. “I can’t remember for the life of me.”

“But you’re a judge. You can’t forget things like that,” Nathan protested.

“I’m no judge. I’m just his assistant.” The man leaned forward conspiratorially. “I mostly hand out forms and tell folks to come back later.”

“His assistant?”

“I declare, there’s an echo in here.”

“If you’re his assistant then where’s the judge?”

“He’s seeing to a case north of here, then he’ll visit his family near Abilene. He has a pretty little daughter who had twins, can you imagine? Then his older son settled about ten miles from there—”

Nathan held up his hand to still the flow of words. “So how do I get my annulment?”

“Well, I don’t rightly know. You see, even if I could trouble myself to remember how to do it, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to make it legal. I suppose the only thing you can do is wait for Judge Hendricks.”

“How long will that be?”

“Not sure.”

“Any guesses?”

“I’d say about a month. He may decide to go an extra thirty miles and see his cousin. Then you’re looking at two months, easy.”

Nathan’s jaw slackened. “Two months?”

“Maybe more. You see, there is always a chance someone else will call for a judge. There aren’t many in these parts so he does a lot of traveling.”

Nathan sighed. “So no one really knows when the man will be back.”

“Oh, I know he’ll come back. I just don’t know when.”

“That’s what I just s—never mind. I don’t suppose there a chance another judge might travel this way?”

The man paused thoughtfully, then shook his head adamantly. “Probably not, seeing as this town has a judge.”

Nathan frowned as he stood. “I guess you’re right. I have no choice but to wait.”

“It was a pleasure doing business with you.” The man shook his hand.

Nathan walked out the door, barely hearing the small man call out, “Who’s next?”

What was he going to do? Two months. Two long months!

After Kate’s refusal he’d been able to put aside … well, to put aside Kate. After all, this was just one part in a long string of things that had gone terribly wrong. He’d dusted himself off from the latest fall in the dirt, literally; he fingered the sore spot on his head, and he’d told himself he’d just have to find something else.

For two whole months he would be reminded of everything that he’d thought he’d have. Every time he looked into Kate’s eyes he’d have to remind himself that there must be something better or brighter waiting for him. There must be some reason that yet another dream, another hope had been deferred and had become only that—a dream.

“Rutledge, wait!”

Nathan paused and turned to find the sheriff hurrying toward him as fast as he could amble. “Sheriff Hawkins,” he acknowledged in greeting.

“Rutledge, I have an idea,” the man said eagerly. “Come with me.”

The sheriff turned and headed toward the jail. Not again, Nathan thought as he followed the sheriff into the stone building. Upon entering it, his gaze was immediately drawn to the jail cells in the back of the room. He swallowed, then quickly glanced away. His eyes landed on the little thief from a few days ago, prompting a wry smile. It was almost as though the child had never moved because he sat in the same off-to-the-side chair. He still wore the same sullen look of disinterest that unsuccessfully hid his obvious curiosity about what was going on around him.

The sheriff sank into the wooden chair behind the desk and motioned Nathan to sit down. “I’ve been bringing the boy here during the day and home with me at night but it unnerves the missus some. I was thinking on what I could do for the boy and it hit me.”

Nathan waited as the sheriff let the tension build.

“You and Kate should take the boy.”

“What?” Nathan exclaimed.

“You and Kate should take the boy. He could work in the fields and sleep in the barn with you. You two would only have to feed him and steer him in the right direction.”

Nathan stared at the sheriff in disbelief. “We can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

Nathan glanced at the boy, who tried not to appear to be listening to the conversation. “It just isn’t right. The boy should have a home if he doesn’t already. Surely someone will want to take him in.”

“Yes, but not everyone would be a good influence on the boy. He’s been a thief and a drifter. All I’m asking is that you let him work as payment for the things he tried to steal. It will be a good lesson for him.”

Nathan leaned across the desk to speak in a low tone. “If he’s a thief, wouldn’t he be a bad influence on Sean and Ellie?”

“No, those kids are strong. Their ma raised them right. Look at it this way, the O’Briens will be three good influences. Wouldn’t three good influences cancel out one bad one?”

Nathan sat back in his chair, wincing just a tad when his back made contact with the wood. If the boy and I harvested half of the field, Kate wouldn’t have to pay fifteen percent off that. That would be a fair amount of money saved. The boy needs someone to turn his life around. Who knows why he’s on his own?

Nathan glanced at the boy, who’d dropped all pretenses and was eagerly listening to the conversation about his future. He couldn’t be more than a year or two older than Sean. But by God’s grace, life could have dealt him such a blow.

Nathan looked at the sheriff, who waited tensely for an answer. Two months, Nathan reminded himself. All I can offer is two months, and no more. Nathan’s voice was low, hopefully too low for the boy to hear, as he said, “If Kate and I take him in, it can’t be forever, understand?”

“Of course,” the sheriff complied. “I’m just asking you to show him how to do good, honest work. Give him some sort of skill so he’ll have something to fall back on other than stealing.”

“And you’ll look for a real family for the boy?”

“Yes.”

Nathan blew air past his lips then shook his head before he stood. “I’ll try to convince Kate but if she says no …” He shook his head again.

“I understand,” Sheriff Hawkins said, rising quickly to shake his hand. “Thank you.”

Nathan strode toward the door then turned to look at the boy still watching from his seat. “What’s your name?”

“Lawson,” he responded clearly.

“Lawson what?”

The boy’s hazel eyes watched him carefully. “It’s just Lawson.”

Nathan looked at him for a moment, then nodded. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Chapter Five

Kate carefully took inventory of the small pile of goods Mr. Johansen deposited on the counter. Something was missing. She checked her copy of the list. “Were you out of corn meal, Mr. Johansen?”

“No, I gave it—” The tall Norwegian lowered his thick blond eyebrows as he surveyed the counter. A grin bursted across his face. “I lost it. I will find it. When I come back, I will count the eggs you brought for me. I will be back in half a minute. Do not leave.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll be right here,” she said then smiled when the man was quickly distracted by another customer. It looked like this was going to take a while. She placed her elbows on the counter and rested her chin on her hand as she watched Mr. Johansen conclude his business with the other customer and turn toward his storage room.

She wished the smell of those lemon drops behind the counter wasn’t so strong and tempting. Her stomach let out a small rumble, reminding her she hadn’t eaten since early that morning. Suddenly a tanned arm came to rest next to hers on the wooden counter. She tensed as a too-familiar voice called, “Johansen, grab me a few packs of that tobacco while you’re back there.”

Mr. Johansen glanced over and paused. His gaze bounced warily between Kate and the man beside her before he nodded. “I’ll be right back.”

Kate straightened and slid farther away from the man, hoping he’d take the hint. He didn’t. “Kate O’Brien, why do you have to go around looking so pretty?”

She kept her gaze trained on her egg basket. “Andrew Stolvins, why don’t you find some nice girl to settle down with and leave me alone?”

“How can I think about another girl when you’re around?” He leaned sideways onto the counter to get a better look at her.

She dodged the hand that reached toward her, then turned to pin him with a cold gaze. “Don’t.”

He stared at her with predatory green eyes. “You’re going to have to start being nice to me again.”

He looked entirely too satisfied with himself. She narrowed her eyes. “What are you talking about?”

“It’s amazing what you can find out in a small town if you ask the right questions,” he said nonchalantly. “For instance, I heard your financial problems are so bad that you’re going to lose the farm if this harvest isn’t enough to stop the foreclosure.”

“That’s none of your business.”

“I made it my business.” He smiled smugly. “You see, I just bought the wheat combine and thresher from Mr. Fulsome. If you want your wheat harvested, you’ll have to go through me now. I’m raising the rate three percent on each farm. I know you can’t afford that so I’m willing to negotiate. What are you willing to bargain?”

Her fingers clenched the handle of the basket tightly. “I’m not bargaining with you. I’ll pay the same rate as everyone else.”

“How do you plan to pay me? You don’t expect me to accept these, do you?” He chuckled, then snatched one of her precious eggs from the basket. He held one in the air to inspect it. “They look like they’re worth a pretty penny but appearances are deceiving, aren’t they?”

“Put it back.”

He tossed it back and forth between his hands but his gaze never left Kate’s eyes. “What’s it going to be, Kate?”

The egg slipped from his clumsy grasp. Kate gasped and reached out for it but Nathan appeared from behind her to beat her to it. The egg landed safely in his cupped palm. He stepped between them to carefully deposit the egg in the basket, then turned to face Andrew Stolvins. “Is there a problem here?”

Andrew glared up at Nathan. “This doesn’t involve you.”

“If it involves Kate, it involves me.”

Andrew shifted to stare over Nathan’s shoulder at Kate. “Is that how it is now?”

Nathan answered for her. “That’s how it is. From now on, you’ll leave her alone. Is that clear?”

A tense moment passed in silence before Mr. Johansen emerged from the back room. The store owner apologized for taking so long. Andrew grabbed his tobacco and left. Kate let out a sigh of relief. Mr. Johansen looked perplexed but shrugged. “I guess I will add that to his account.”

Kate waited while Mr. Johansen totaled her order, then applied the credit for the eggs. She paid him for the rest and was finally ready to go. Once Nathan had her purchases settled into the back of the wagon he turned to meet her gaze seriously. “Do you want to tell me what just happened in there?”

“I’d rather hear what happened at the courthouse.”

He nodded. “That’s fair enough. You can tell me about that fellow and I’ll tell you about the judge while we eat lunch at the café.”

“I’m not paying for lunch at the café when I have food at home.” She covered her stomach as it growled in protest. It would take at least another half hour to get home and it was already long past one.

Nathan grinned. “It’s my treat. I may not be a cattle baron but I can afford to pay for one meal in the café while I’m here.”

She didn’t like the idea of him paying for her but perhaps this was his farewell lunch. He’d order the food, tell her what he’d learned, they’d sign the paper he must have folded away somewhere and finish the meal. He’d make a quick exit. It would be amiable and painless. They’d go their separate ways, which was exactly what she needed.

At first Nathan did exactly as she’d planned. He ordered. After that he didn’t seem inclined to talk about his meeting right away. Instead, he asked about the man in the store. Kate sent him a quelling look. “First tell me what happened at the courthouse.”

He shook his head. “I’d rather wait until we get our food so we won’t be overheard.”

“Oh,” she breathed, then took a sip of her water. She didn’t need privacy for her explanation. The whole town knew the story he wanted to hear. “That was Andrew Stolvins. He courted me for a while two years ago, after my parents died.”

Nathan’s brows rose with interest. “He doesn’t seem like the kind of man you’d want as a suitor.”

“He was new in town. I was young and vulnerable. Andrew seemed like a nice, stable young man, so when he asked to court me I said yes.” She shrugged. “Like you, I was convinced I was following God’s will. For the first time in the six months since my parents’ deaths, I was hopeful. I thought my life was finally turning around.”

Nathan’s gaze filled with concern. “That isn’t what happened, is it?”

She shook her head. “I found out that Andrew wasn’t the man I thought he was. Or, rather, Sean and Ellie spied on him enough to find out the truth. Andrew didn’t want me. He wanted my inheritance.”

She paused as their food arrived and waited until the waiter left, to continue. “When I found out, I broke off our relationship. It’s lucky for him that I did, since my inheritance was hardly anything more than an expensive mortgage on the farm.”

Nathan pulled the napkin away from his cutlery. “Why is he bothering you if you didn’t have what he was really after?”

“My siblings weren’t shy in telling the town what type of man Andrew really was. It hurt his reputation but it hurt his pride more. He’s gone out of his way to make my life difficult since then.”