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Yet here stood Nora Underhill, biting her lower lip, gazing up at him as if he alone had the capacity to make her dreams come true. If it had been one of his brothers or Beth suggesting that he marry for the land, he would have told them they were being idiotic. But she had obviously taken a risk by approaching him, and he could only respect her for that.
“I’m not the most patient and tolerant of fellows,” he admitted instead. “You might call me a cynic. I doubt I’d make a good husband. I like things just so, and I can’t abide senseless frivolity.”
“I am not the least bit frivolous,” she assured him, waving both hands so that he caught a glimpse of the entirely frivolous hearts embroidered along her equally frivolous scalloped cuffs. “This would be a simple bargain. You would continue to live as you always have. I intend to stay in my room at the boardinghouse in Seattle. I’m a seamstress, and I should like to keep working.”
A practical consideration, he’d give her that. But any number of things troubled him about this bride bargain, the largest being her motivation. Why would a woman surrounded by bachelors need to approach him?
“And what do you gain from this marriage?” he challenged.
She drew in a breath as if for fortification. “Protection.”
Simon stiffened. “Protection? If someone is threatening you, Miss Underhill, tell me his name, and I’ll put a stop to it. And if you don’t wish to confide in me, I know a dozen men in Seattle who would be happy to oblige. You have no need to sell yourself in marriage to escape unwanted attentions.”
Color sprang to her cheeks, making them as red and round as the apples on the tree Ma had planted their first spring at Wallin Landing. He had to fist his hands to keep from reaching out to touch the no-doubt warm skin.
“That is very kind of you, Mr. Wallin,” she said. “But it isn’t a would-be suitor, I fear. It’s my brother.”
The concept of a brother harming a sister was so far from his reality that he could only stare at her.
“He doesn’t strike me, if that’s what you’re thinking,” she hurried to assure him. “He merely feels strongly that I should be sheltered from the world. And he has the law on his side. You see, my father’s will names my brother, Charles, my guardian until I turn five and twenty, which is nearly a year away. I believe Washington territorial law will allow me to wed without his permission.”
“So you’re running away,” he said, not sure why the thought disappointed him.
“I prefer to think of it as a strategic retreat,” she told him. Her little chin jutted out as if to prove she had some spirit. “Please believe me when I say that only a man of character and conviction can fend off my brother.” She glanced up at him. “You might say I’m buying courage for those one hundred and sixty acres.”
“And at the price of your future,” Simon pointed out, his mind still trying to grapple with the concept. “Even here, divorces aren’t easy to come by. They have to be approved by the territorial legislature. If you marry me, Miss Underhill, you’ll most likely be stuck with me. What if you find another fellow you truly love?”
She rubbed at the fancy embroidery on her cuff. “That’s not likely to happen,” she murmured. “I don’t seem the sort men fall in love with.”
And why not? She had a certain intelligence—she’d certainly thought through her surprising plan. She was industrious—look at her work as a seamstress. She might not be the prettiest member of the Mercer Expedition, but there was something sweet about that round face, those wide gray eyes. Surely any number of loggers and miners would cherish such a wife.
Of course, they didn’t need one hundred and sixty acres.
And soon. By his calculation, if his family was careful, they would just scrape through this winter with enough food for themselves and the animals. By next winter, Catherine and likely Rina would each have a baby. The members of their extended family would only increase from there. He needed time to clear the land and prepare it for spring planting. Winter was coming, and with it the Christmas celebrations. Every day counted. He’d been racking his brain trying to find a way to secure the claim.
Here was Nora, offering it to him. All he had to do was fend off her brother. If the man was half as controlling as she claimed, Simon looked forward to the confrontation. Any brother who denied his sister love deserved to be put in his place.
Still, marriage? Out here, a man took a wife to continue his line and raise children to help in taming the wilderness. It certainly seemed to him that’s what his father had done. But it didn’t fall to Simon to continue the Wallin name. He had four brothers to take care of that.
And it wasn’t exactly convenient to marry in Seattle. Even with Asa Mercer bringing his brides, there were still too many lonesome bachelors for every lady. He’d watched Drew fret over courting Catherine, seen James turn himself inside out to please his bride. But Simon wasn’t a man who changed easily. Just ask his family. They’d called him proud, stubborn and downright fussy on occasion.
She must have sensed his vacillation, for she laid a hand on his arm. “Please, Mr. Wallin? I don’t think I could be so bold as to ask a stranger. I know I can trust you. Maddie speaks so highly of all your family.”
Did she? Certainly he admired the feisty redhead who had achieved her dream of opening a bakery. But surely even she would not condone this marriage of convenience.
“Did you ask her about this?” he replied.
She shook her head, eyes solemn. “No. Never. She’d try to talk me out of it.”
He should do the same. Nora trusted in him on the thinnest of connections. And how was he to know she wouldn’t abuse his trust? She wouldn’t be the first to disappoint him.
But she may be the first to truly understand you.
Where had that thought come from? He’d yet to find anyone who shared his views on life. His was the lone voice of reason some days at Wallin Landing. Therefore, he should evaluate this proposal on logic, not emotion.
She was offering one hundred and sixty acres he badly needed and could get no other way. He was offering protection from an overbearing brother. They didn’t have to live together, make a family. He had enough problems with the family he had.
It was all strictly platonic. They both achieved their goals with relatively little effort. What was wrong with that?
Glancing up, he saw that nearly everyone else was busy eating. Not a one realized that two more lives were about to change forever, if Simon could bring himself to agree.
His oldest brother laughed then, his deep voice like the toll of a bell. It had been a long time since Drew had laughed so freely. He’d sacrificed years of his life to raise his brothers and sister. Could Simon do less for his family?
“Very well, Miss Underhill,” he said. “I’ll make the arrangements for us to wed. A lumber schooner is scheduled to arrive in Seattle on Tuesday. Meet me at the Brown Church that morning at ten, and we can travel to Olympia after the ceremony to file the claim.”
She offered him her hand. “To our bargain.”
Simon took it, felt the tremor in her fingers. She wasn’t any more sure of this marriage of convenience than he was.
Had he just agreed to something they’d both live to regret?
Chapter Two (#u8b659ff1-2d32-56d4-8e35-e5d4719ca913)
“Are you sure about this?” Levi demanded Tuesday morning. “From where I sit, girls are nothing but trouble.”
Simon glanced at his youngest brother, whom he’d brought to stand as one of the witnesses to his wedding and then the land claim. Levi’s curly blond hair framed a face that could look remarkably innocent when Simon was sure his brother was plotting mischief. Now his dark blue eyes were narrowed, his hands shoved deep in the pockets of his gray wool trousers.
“I’m sure,” Simon said, shifting on his feet as they stood in the vestibule of the church. John, his closest brother, had gone to fetch the minister while they waited for Nora to arrive. “We need the land. She needs a protector.”
“If she won’t stand up to her own brother, she can’t have much spunk,” Levi declared. “Maybe that’s good. We had enough trouble with Ma and Beth, even before we added Catherine and Rina to the family.”
Until the last year, his mother and younger sister had been the only females at the northern end of Lake Union, where his family had staked their claims. If Simon brought Nora home, the number of women and men would at last be even. That is, until Catherine gave birth.
Still, Simon couldn’t deny that Nora’s confidence seemed to lag where her brother was concerned. Once again he looked forward to putting the fellow in his place. That was his side of their bargain, after all. He knew from experience that his height and angular features could serve to intimidate.
A door to one side of the altar opened to admit John. His red hair flashed in the dim light as he loped down the dark box pews under the arches soaring overhead.
“Mr. Bagley will be here shortly,” he reported as he came to a stop beside Simon and Levi and paused to adjust the starched collar of his dress shirt. “He seemed a little surprised you were in such a hurry. I told him why you needed to get to Olympia.”
“If we don’t make the sailing of the Merry Maid,” Simon replied, “there may not be another ship for a week or more. I don’t want to wait. That’s why I didn’t tell Ma or the others.”
Levi wrinkled his nose. “You’ll have to pay for that.”
“I’ll survive,” Simon predicted.
John, always the peacemaker, held up his hands. “We’ll help you explain the situation to her. She’ll have to admit your intentions were good.”
Simon had confided his and Nora’s unusual bargain to his two youngest brothers. John in particular had put up a fight at first, but Simon had convinced him of the necessity. He wasn’t sure his mother and sister would be so easily swayed. He was only glad Nora would remain in Seattle and not have to face them.
The main door to the church opened then, and sunlight pierced the shaded vestibule. A vision of loveliness floated in on the light, bountiful curves outlined in a green as bright as spring. Simon blinked, bemused.
The door closed, shutting off the light. Standing beside him was the woman who’d asked him to marry her. Nora’s thick hair was carefully bound in a coil at the nape of her neck, and a cloth hat of lavender silk sat on her head, a white feather pinned on it with a green glass broach. Gone was the embroidered dress from yesterday. Today’s creation boasted a sleeveless green overcoat embroidered with darker green leaves and scalloped along all the edges over a white wool bodice fitted to her form. It was as impractical as it was beautiful. Simon found himself staring.
“Everything ready?” she asked, setting a carpetbag on the floor by the door and draping a gray wool cloak over it.
He managed a nod. “Yes. The minister will be here shortly, and the ship arrived right on schedule.”
Beside him, John cleared his throat, then nudged Levi aside to take Nora’s hand. “Let me be the first to wish you happy. I’ll soon be your brother John.”
“Nora Underhill,” she said with a curtsy that made her skirts poof out around her. “We’ve met before. I attended the weddings when Miss Stanway married your oldest brother, when Miss Fosgrave married your brother James and when my friend Maddie married Michael Haggerty. You were all there.”
“Funny,” John said with a charming smile. “I thought I’d danced with every pretty girl at the receptions.”
“You did,” Levi said, earning him an elbow to the gut from John.
Nora’s cheeks brightened in a blush, and Simon fought the urge to scold his brother. The youngest boy in the family, at eighteen, Levi had been spoiled by their doting mother and was only starting to realize he needed to take responsibility for his words and actions.
“I didn’t mean anything by that,” he muttered now, rubbing his ribs. He nodded to Nora. “I’m Levi. Thank you for marrying Simon. Somebody should.”
Simon shook his head, but her blush deepened. “Your brother is doing me a favor,” she murmured.
Simon was just glad to see Mr. Bagley hurrying through the door at the back of the church. A slight man with a head of bushy hair and an equally bushy beard over his chin, he nonetheless managed to exude a certain sense of propriety as he stopped before the altar and motioned them forward.
“Mr. Wallin, Miss Underhill,” he greeted with a look over his spectacles. “I know you are both of age. Are there any legal impediments to this marriage?”
“None,” Simon said with a look to Nora, who shook her head.
Mr. Bagley nodded. “And are you both in agreement to wed?” His look shot to Nora too.
Simon held himself still. If she had any reservations, now would be the time to state them. “Yes, Mr. Bagley,” she murmured, her face paling.
The minister nodded again. “And are you certain you must marry now? I believe I heard your brother and his wife will be arriving soon. Surely you’d prefer that he give you away.”
He made it sound as if Simon was dragging her to the altar. She positively squirmed; Simon could see her finery quivering. He was going to lose her, and while that might not have seemed such a bad thing when she had first made her bold proposal, now he was determined to win his family those acres.
He took her cold hand in his. “Nora has agreed to be my wife, Mr. Bagley. I don’t care who gives her away or who attends this wedding.”
The minister positively glowered over the top of his spectacles. “This is highly irregular, Mr. Wallin. I see your own mother and sister declined to attend. Is there some reason this wedding must be so rushed?”
Nora flamed, pulling her hand from Simon’s. “No, no reason. Really. I...” She glanced at Simon, her eyes pools of misery.
Simon had too much experience with people arguing with him to quail before the minister’s annoyance. He drew himself up to his full height, dwarfing everyone else in the room. “You have the information for our marriage certificate, Mr. Bagley. We are both of age and willing to wed. If that’s not enough for you, I’ll go to the justice of the peace. Assuming Doc Maynard is still in the law’s good graces, he can marry us.”
Nora gasped, John took a step back and Levi grinned as if applauding Simon’s boldness at challenging the renowned minister.
Mr. Bagley tugged on the bottom of his plain blue waistcoat. “See here, sir. I will not have the members of my congregation married by that charlatan. Besides, you should know that it will do you no good to claim land in Olympia for your wife if the state does not consider you legally wed.”
“So,” Simon returned, “marry us.”
For a moment, the minister met his gaze, his eyes narrowed as if he would see inside Simon. He could look all he liked. Ma always said Simon had been born with an iron rod for a spine. He did not bow, and he did not bend. If the minister thought he could cow him, he had better think again.
Mr. Bagley shook his head as he lowered his gaze to his book of prayer. “Very well. But this is highly irregular.” He shook out his arms and began reading the ceremony. Her hands still visibly trembling, Nora bowed her head and clasped her fingers together.
Simon only half listened. He was too relieved to have won. His mind immediately began working out crop yields, considering directions to draw the furrows, determining which crops to plant depending on when he cleared the acreage. Once he dealt with Nora’s brother, there would be no impediments to his work, except the cold winter weather and Christmas.
“Simon Wallin.” His name as well as the tone of Mr. Bagley’s voice made Simon meet the clergyman’s gaze. The minister’s eyes could have been arrows over the silver of his spectacles.
“Wilt thou have this woman to be thy wedded wife,” he demanded, “to live together under God’s ordinance in the Holy Estate of Matrimony? Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep thee only unto her as long as you both shall live?”
Love and comfort her? Live together, forever? That wasn’t what Simon had intended. He wasn’t offering Nora a home or a place in his life.
“Mr. Wallin?” Mr. Bagley prompted sternly.
Nora dropped her gaze, shrinking in on herself as if she’d been struck. She must be wondering why he didn’t speak. She’d just heard him declare he’d be married or else. She’d laid out the terms of their bargain. She wasn’t expecting undying devotion. He wasn’t offering anything more than to protect her from her brother. And he gained the land his family needed.
“I will,” he said. But the twist in his gut belied the confident words.
* * *
Nora nearly collapsed in relief. For a moment there, she’d feared it was all a horrid joke. He’d turn and shout, April Fools’! even though it was early December. Her life had been like that.
But this marriage would put an end to that life. No more must she please her brother and Meredith. She drew in a deep breath as the minister asked her the same question, then she firmly said, “I will.”
Mr. Bagley took both their hands and held them together. She could feel Simon’s calluses rubbing against her skin. Could he feel the nicks and scratches from her sewing? Did he care?
The minister gave them more vows to say, all about plighting and giving troth. She wasn’t entirely sure what troth was. Then Mr. Bagley released them to hold out his hand, gaze on Simon.
Simon frowned at him.
“The ring?” he prompted.
Nora glanced at Simon. Her groom shook his head. “No ring. That isn’t required for a legal marriage.”
Mr. Bagley’s mouth thinned a moment before he drew back his hand and continued with the ceremony. She supposed if she had been terribly in love she might have minded that she would carry no ring on her finger. But as it was, she just wanted to get this over with.
Finally Mr. Bagley came to the end.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” he declared, his voice ringing in the nearly empty church. Nora sucked in a breath. It was done. She was married. Charles had lost his hold on her. Forever. She was her own person at last.
Then she noticed Simon’s brothers waiting, watching.
Had she forgotten something?
“Is there more?” she asked the minister.
Mr. Bagley glanced between them. “I believe it is customary for the husband to offer his wife a kiss.”
Nora swallowed, her stomach fluttering. She’d never been kissed, but all the girls in the boardinghouse floated in with bemused smiles after saying good-night to their chosen beaus. Still, Simon wasn’t a suitor. She hardly knew him. Did she want him to kiss her?
