by Stella Clark
Jay nodded hurriedly. “Right. Right! Yes, we’ll …” he glanced around, realizing he was still dirty. But she’d already agreed, Jay reminded himself. She couldn’t expect anything more than what she saw now. “Amber, Slade, come on. We’re going for a walk.”
“Where?” Amber pouted.
“To church. You like the church, don’t you?” He lifted her off the ground before setting her back on her feet. When he tried to do the same for Slade, however, the little boy refused to stretch his legs out and Jay was stuck carrying him. He ruffled the boy’s hair before offering Miss Redmond a short smile. “I suppose we should be on our way.”
The walk was a quiet one. Amber clung to his vest, keeping her distance from his bride-to-be. Slade was shy as well, tucking his face away into Jay’s neck. Sweat trickled down his forehead and Jay tried to ignore it. The day was warm, that was all.
“Excuse me?” Their preacher, Mr. Handel, asked when Jay made his request. The short man glanced at the party of four. “This is … sudden.”
“I know,” Jay managed a sheepish grin. But people had to take what the Lord gave them, right? Clearing his throat, he glanced at Miss Redmond. “Do you have a few minutes? I have to get back to work.”
Mr. Handel closed his mouth and slowly nodded. He grabbed his Bible and his wife for the witness before starting the ceremony. The children started playing on the benches as the adults gathered in the front of the chapel. It was only as the preacher began talking that Jay got a better look at Miss Emma Redmond.
She was pleasant-looking, he decided. More so than he had noticed before. Her features were soft and kind with her honey-colored hair that framed her pink lips and light eyes. Blue and gold and green, he decided, reminding her of the river. He’d never seen eyes like those before. The woman was young, but she seemed eager enough for this daunting role. His heart hammered in his chest, knowing he could have never guessed this was how his Wednesday would turn out.
“And now, I pronounce you before God and our witness, husband and wife,” Mr. Handel announced.
Chapter Seven
She had a husband. Emma pinched herself in case she was still sleeping. But it was real. Her heart pounded loudly, echoing in her ears. The man was a stranger, even more than what she had expected. It should have terrified her. But somehow, she wasn’t.
As he walked her through her new home, she studied him. He towered over everyone like a bear. Dark hair that needed trimming, and scruff that meant he hadn’t shaved for a few days. His sleeves were rolled up to the elbows and covered in black smears. Some of it had rubbed off onto her, but she didn’t mind.
And the children adored him. Perhaps that’s why she wasn’t so scared. He was affectionate with them, listening to their stories and letting them play all over him. That had to be a good sign.
“Miss Redmond?”
She realized she had been staring. “Sorry, I … you can call me Emma,” she interjected quickly, flashing a quick smile. “We are married, after all.”
A lock of dark hair curled across his brow and she had the sudden urge to brush it away. “Yes, right. Emma. Then you can call me Jay. I’m sorry, but the livery stable needs me,” he gestured towards the door awkwardly. “I don’t know when I’ll be back. There’s food in the kitchen. Amber can help you find anything. Is that all right?” Jay furrowed his brow.
She nodded slowly. “Yes, yes of course. You’re very busy, and—and it’s been quite a day.” Emma tried to smile. He was nice enough, she told herself. If he was a brother to her former intended, surely he had to be a good man. “Will you join us for supper?”
He scratched his cheek, leaving a black mark next to his brow. “I’m not certain. But don’t plan on it, I suppose.” Glancing around, Jay fixed his shirt. “Amber? Slade?” They grabbed their blocks and came running over to him.
Jay nudged them to stand in front. Squatting down, he squeezed their shoulders. “I have to go back to work. Emma is going to stay here, all right? This is your Aunt Emma. She’s going to play with you. Will you two be good?”
They nodded. Jay kissed the tops of their heads. “Thank you. If you need anything, I’m just around the corner. I …” he trailed off before offering her a final nod. All three of them quietly watched Jay leave.
Once alone, Emma looked at the children and the children looked at her.
“You’re pretty,” Amber announced in the silence. “I’m your niece. That means you’re my aunt. That’s what Uncle Jay said. Hello!”
Crouching down, Emma put on her biggest smile for them. She didn’t know what to do with children, but she supposed she would figure it out. They at least looked easy to please. Thomas had written in his letters that both of his children were mostly well behaved and were always looking to make a new friend.
She nodded. “Yes, I am your aunt. You can call me Emma. What shall I call you?”
“Amber!” the little girl shouted her name before giggling. Then she touched her brother as he was spitting on a block. “And that’s Slade. No, Slade. Papa said no spitting on the blocks. Slade! Say hello!”
The blocks were covered in drool. Both children burst into laughter, falling to the floor. They eventually put the blocks back in their basket and moved to other games. Most of them didn’t make sense, but Emma let them choose and it kept the three of them occupied. It was fun to see their imaginations come to life. Both of them were energetic, bright, and sweet.
Soon the entire afternoon had passed away. It was only when she glanced out the window that Emma realized it was growing late. She left the children playing on the floor as she went to see what she could do about food.
After a quick hunt through the kitchen, Emma prepared potatoes, boiling them and tossing in more vegetables as she worked. By the time both of the children were starting to whine, she had put something together for them to eat.
There was food on the table and children around the table.
It was mostly what she had expected. But now that she was here, Emma wondered how she would do this with the rest of her life. Stitching was easy enough to understand, whereas children and learning about a new husband felt very complicated.
“I can do this,” she told herself.
***
Once she was alone after putting the children to bed, Emma cleaned up. It was dark and she didn’t know what to do then. Was she supposed to go to bed on her own? Did you share a bed in a marriage of convenience?
She jumped as the door opened. She and Jay stared as though they were trying to remember who each other was. Rubbing the back of his neck, her husband locked the door behind him. Then he showed the bag in his hands. Her bag.
“Here.”
She accepted it. “Of course. Good, thank you.”
Another moment of silence. Jay finally looked away. “It’s clean,” he noted. “And quiet. Where are Amber and Slade?”
“They’re asleep. It’s late, after all. I … I wasn’t certain when you would be home, but I cooked potatoes. They should still be warm.” He went to the covered pot. “Would you like company?” Emma volunteered.
Jay glanced up. He hesitated before giving a nod. “Sure. I’d like that. How were the kids?” he offered as they sat at the table. Emma offered him a napkin and started talking.
Chapter Eight
“You did all this?”
Jay glanced up to find Emma studying his work table. He thought he had heard her footsteps. A few weeks had passed since they had met and married, and they were learning to live with one another. In one hand she carried a large covered basket. In the other she held tightly onto Slade who was reaching out to him.
“Jay Jay,” he whined.
Moving away from the fire, Jay wiped his hands and nodded to the boy. Only then did Emma let go. Jay ruffled the boy’s hair as Slade ran over and hugged him. “Hey, Slade. What a surprise!”
“Jay Jay!” Slade shouted cheerfully. “Auntie Emma and I made cake. Lots of cake!”
“Cake, huh?” Whe
n he glanced up, he noticed a blush splash over Emma’s cheeks. It made the freckles stand out, even from across the room. Noticing she wouldn’t look at him, Jay wondered how dirty he must be. Only then did he realize he’d left most of his shirt unbuttoned due to the extreme heat. Clearing his throat, he hastily fixed it and tried to ignore his own blush.
This time, when he looked up, she was looking back at him. A smile reached her lips before she glanced away, setting the basket down before studying the work on his table. Jay brought Slade over.
He was working on a little of everything. Her fingers ran over the belt buckles curiously. “These are amazing,” she murmured. “Are they all orders from the town?”
“For the most part,” Jay stammered. His first wife had never cared about his work. Instead, she had complained about him never being home. And when she was home, he was too dirty and too smelly. “I … I just like trying new things.”
As he bit his tongue to hold back his shoptalk, Emma studied him. “That’s incredible,” she said finally. “I wish I were talented enough for something like that. All I can do is fix your socks and shirts. All of your work … it’s beautiful.”
“Oh.” He swallowed, not certain how to respond to that. “But sewing and stitching are important. This place smells, and it’s hot.”
She shook her head, cutting him off as she went back to the picnic basket. “Don’t be ridiculous,” Emma told him while clearing a spot on the table for the food. “I’ve heard good things about your work. Right, Slade?” She turned to the boy who was playing with a buckle Jay had given him. “Isn’t Jay wonderful?”
“Yes! Jay Jay is fun,” Slade nodded. “And me!”
Emma laughed, ruffling his hair as he hugged her. Amber was in school, which left him with Emma during the day. It had caused Jay some worry about them adjusting to her, but he soon realized it wasn’t necessary. The children adored Emma.
She looked up at him as Jay wondered again about this strange miracle worker. “See?” Emma pointed out. The way her eyes met his made his heart leap. “Well said, Slade. I thought we would join you for the entire meal,” she added as she gestured. There were two servings on the table that day. He stared, wondering why she would want to join him in such a stuffy shop.
“Is this all right?” Emma hesitated when he didn’t respond. “I thought perhaps you might like some company. You said work was slowing down, and …”
Realizing his mistake, Jay shook his head. “No. Yes! I would. Like your company, that is.” He swallowed. “I’d like that just fine.” Noticing he only had one chair, however, he glanced around. “We should have another chair in the stables.”
Before he could move, Emma put up a hand. “I can get it. I know you don’t have much time, so please, start eating.” His wife smiled and waved to him and Slade before excusing herself.
Jay considered waiting for Emma before eating. But his stomach growled, soon winning the battle. He picked up his fork and dug in. Another delicious meal. The life he had now was stranger than anything he could have imagined. And yet, he was glad of it.
There were still rough moments and pain. Everything was still an adjustment. But everyone was moving forward. The house had never been cleaner, and he’d never been so well fed. Jay could hardly describe how grateful he was to have Emma. She was unlike anyone he had ever known.
He was halfway done eating, lost in thought, when he realized she hadn’t returned. Bouncing Slade on one knee, Jay glanced at the empty plate.
“Come here,” he muttered to Slade and they walked over to the livery stable. As they entered, Jay heard Emma’s familiar laughter.
They turned the corner and Jay stopped at the achingly familiar scene. He wanted his chest to open wide for breath since the scene before him looked so innocent. Too innocent. Emma was there, still laughing, as she talked to a young gentleman. His last wife had done that before, too. Days before running off with the man that had made her laugh.
It took Jay a moment to think before realizing he knew Bryan Jackson, the cowboy from the Royale Ranch. The young man was handsome and confident, offering a dimpled grin and frequent winks to the ladies.
Jay watched uneasily. It felt like history was repeating itself, but he didn’t know what to do. After all, they weren’t in love. He tried to convince himself that he didn’t really care. He just needed help with the children. He swallowed, wondering how careful he had to be to make sure his second marriage didn’t end like his first.
But this time, Jay realized, it would be worse. There were the children. A lump formed in his throat as the doubts gnawed away at him. He had to stop, he told himself. Stop telling himself that the future was full of possibilities and stop considering the future with Emma. It was just a marriage of convenience.
Chapter Nine
“You’re real sweet,” Bryan leaned over his horse to give Emma another dashing smile when she finished laughing at his joke. At least, that’s what it looked like he was trying to do. All she could see was how much it looked like he wanted to bite her, chew her, and swallow.
Her throat constricted as she forced a smile. “You’re too kind.”
“Just honest,” he winked.
Taking a step back, she dropped her gaze to look at the horse. That’s why they were really talking, after all. It was beautiful, with a gray coat and white spots. She cocked her head to take another good look at the animal and wished he would stop staring. “He really is beautiful.”
Bryan Jackson’s arm slid around the horse’s back, awful close to where her hand had been. “We could always go for a ride.” That’s when it struck her what felt so strange. This cowboy, however young and charming, reminded her of her landlord. There was something about the look in his eyes and the way he smiled that made Emma want to run far away.
She stiffened and glancing around, realized were not alone. Relief danced across her shoulders. Jay was there, watching them with that stern expression as he held Slade in his arms.
“Jay!” Emma yelped and cleared her throat. “There you are. I-I’m sorry. I couldn’t find the chair, and …” she didn’t know what to say, but she motioned vaguely towards Jackson.
The cowboy waved. “Howdy, sir. Bryan Jackson. Just putting up my horse.”
Her husband gave a short nod. “I know.” Then he turned to her. “Nathaniel must have moved the chair.”
“Oh.” Emma hesitated, suddenly wondering if his brow was creased more than usual. “Well, that’s all right.” She had looked forward to lunch with her husband, but perhaps another day. She started for the door, but propriety stopped her from walking through it before addressing Jackson one last time. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Jackson.”
She led the way back to the forge, everyone quiet. Jay’s plate was empty, already used. Had she been gone that long? Emma sighed, wishing she’d thought through her plan a little more carefully to spend the afternoon with her husband.
“I’m sorry,” she volunteered again. “Would you still like to join me?”
Her husband glanced around the forge. “I’m done.” Jay gestured to the chair. “Go ahead. Maybe next time.”
She wanted to protest. She wanted to tell him no, that’s not what was supposed to happen. They were supposed to sit and talk together. Instead, Emma swallowed. She accepted the chair but had lost her appetite.
Twiddling with the fork, she watched Jay show Slade how to use some of his tools. Jay made a good father, a good protector. Emma found herself studying him as usual. There were few men like Jay. He was careful in everything he did, taking care of his work and his family.
After all, he had taken her in. There had been no reason to commit to such a delicate and binding decision. They had hardly known each other’s names. It was only a week ago that she had learned he had even been married before her.
“Can I go to school?” Slade asked, wondering again where Amber was.
Jay fixed his sleeves. “Of course you can. When you’re older, like your siste
r.”
“Why?”
“Because we’re having too much fun with you,” the man chuckled, opening his hands up for the boy to toss the belt buckle. “And you’re too young. When you’re older, you can go.”
Slade tossed it, but it only went a foot out. “Why?”
Emma held back a small smile as she watched Jay search for an answer. “That’s just the way school is, Slade. You have to be old enough to be ready to go. It’s like getting a horse ready. You need a saddle before riding him.”
“Why?”
It wasn’t her favorite game, the Why game. But she was patient, just as Jay was. He was incredibly patient. Patient and kind and intelligent. Always smarter than he liked to admit, she had noticed, like he wasn’t always sure of himself. That was nonsense, of course. He was a very clever man. Just looking at his work proved that true. She was lucky to have him.
“Emma?” She jumped and looked up at her husband. Jay rubbed his neck. “I said I should get back to work. There’s a few things I need to finish.”
“Oh.” She stood, realizing how foolish she had been. “Yes, of course. I shouldn’t have stayed so long. I’m terribly sorry.” Clearing her throat, she scrambled to put everything back in the basket.
He noticed her plate. “You’re not hungry?”
At most, she had taken three bites. Emma swallowed, not certain of how to answer that. “Well, I-I’ll eat later, I’m sure. But we had best be going home. Will we see you for supper?”
The man’s gaze trailed out of the forge and through the doorway. It took him a minute to answer her question. “I’m not sure,” he answered finally. “Perhaps don’t plan on it. Slade? Behave for Emma. You’ll be nice to her, won’t you?”
“I’m very nice,” Slade nodded automatically.
“Be safe,” Jay added to Emma as they headed towards the door. When she glanced back, he was fixing his shirt and rubbing his cheek. Another smudge. It made her smile as her stomach did a flip-flop. He looked so handsome in the middle of the forge that she could kiss him.
