by Barbara Goss
Greta looked up into his eyes. “And you still get to captain a ship...well, sort of.”
Chapter Sixteen
Adam went off to work every day at four in the morning and he didn’t return until eight at night, but Greta noticed he seemed happy with the job, despite the long hours. Thankfully, he had weekends off which he spent with Greta and Bethany.
As the weeks went by, Greta felt a normalcy forming in their lives. She and Bethany looked forward to Adam’s return each evening and delighted in their weekends together. Rhea and Sam visited at least once a day, but Greta was firm with Rhea, and she seemed to back down when tempted to get bossy. Knowing that Adam would back her up on anything gave Greta the courage to stand up to Rhea in a polite way, as he’d taught her.
Both grandparents doted on Bethany and often took her home for lunch or an overnight stay to give Greta and Adam a romantic evening together.
Things were going almost too smoothly, and Greta feared Miles Tanner would act upon his threats, but lately, she’d seen him with Martha Jefferson. She hoped they were courting and he’d forget his words to Adam.
On the eve of Bethany’s fourth birthday, Adam pulled Greta aside after they’d tucked Bethany in for the night.
“I bought Bethany a pony today. I dropped him off at my father’s until tomorrow.”
Greta gasped. Her hands flew to her cheeks. “Really? Oh, she’ll love it. What a great idea, Adam.”
“I can’t wait to give him to her. What do you have planned for tomorrow?”
Greta sat on the sofa and waited for Adam to sit beside her. “I baked a cake today and hid it. I also invited your folks over for dinner. I went into town one day last week and bought Bethany the doll she drools over every time she sees it in the general store window.”
Adam tapped his chin as if in deep thought. “After dinner, we’ll make up some excuse to take everyone to the stables and then we’ll bring out her pony.”
Greta leaned over to kiss him. “Thank you.” She pulled away and said, “Oh, I forgot—you got a letter from the state of Texas today.”
Adam’s eyes lit up. “I hope it’s news of the adoption.”
Greta got up, walked into the kitchen, and returned with the letter. “I hope it’s good news.”
Adam tore the envelope open and scanned the letter slowly, which caused Greta to become frustrated with curiosity.
“Good news?” she asked when she saw him smile.
He passed the letter to Greta. “This will really make Bethany’s birthday extra-special—the adoption has gone through. She’s my daughter now, too.” He pulled his wife onto his lap and kissed her passionately. “We’re a real family now.” He hugged Greta tightly, and she glowed with happiness. She silently thanked God for such a perfect life. She loved Adam with her whole heart.
Both Sutherland families gathered around the table to celebrate Bethany’s birthday. After dinner, everyone moved to the front porch for tea and coffee. Greta went into the kitchen to help Annie prepare the tray—she was anxious to get the refreshments over with so they could move to the stables to surprise Bethany. She was balancing a tray on her way back to the porch, and she stopped by the screen door to get a better grip on the tray so she could open the door when she overheard a conversation that made her freeze in her steps.
Rhea said, “I’m so relieved that you’ve finally gotten the adoption. Now, Bethany can never be taken from us.”
“Now, Rhea,” Sam said, “Greta would never have taken Bethany from us completely. Even if she had married someone else, she’d have always kept us in her life.”
“Still, I worried about it,” Rhea said. “What if she married someone who moved her to another state?”
Adam said, “Will everyone stop worrying? I’ve made certain no one will ever separate you from Bethany.”
Rhea spoke softly, but Greta heard every word. “We were elated when we discovered you and Greta were going to stay married. We hoped and prayed for it to happen. For us, it’s almost as good as having Seth back. And now with the adoption, you’ve put our worries to rest.”
“Good work, son,” Sam said.
“My pleasure,” Adam replied. “Now, where did our birthday girl go?”
Rhea said, “She went to show Annie and Sadie her new doll.”
“I wonder where the tea is?” Adam asked. “I can’t wait to move to the stables for Bethany’s next surprise.”
Greta jerked to attention and brought the tray in. “Bethany was showing Annie her doll, so I grabbed the tea tray.”
“Is Bethany going to join us?” Adam asked.
Greta poured the men coffee and tea for herself and Rhea. “Yes, she’ll be out in a minute.”
While they drank their refreshments, Greta couldn’t help but wonder if Rhea, Sam, and Adam had cooked up the whole sea voyage just to get her and Adam together so they wouldn’t ever lose Bethany. Did Adam really love her or was he simply doing his duty to his family? He’d offered to adopt Bethany fast enough—why, they’d hardly settled in before he’d suggested it. She had a heavy feeling in her stomach at the thought that she’d been used by the Sutherlands.
When the last cup hit its saucer, everyone stood. Adam said, “I want everyone to come out to the stables to see the saddle I bought the other day. It’s rather unique.”
Bethany stroked the hair of her new doll. “Can I stay here and play with Annabelle?”
“Is that what you’ve named your new doll, Bethany?” Greta asked.
“Yes. Do I have to go, too?”
Adam picked her up and boosted her onto his shoulders. “But sweetheart, I want Annabelle to see the saddle, too.”
They all moved to the stable. Adam nodded at Greta, and she opened a stall and brought out a small, black pony. She delighted in seeing Bethany’s eyes light up.
“Is that a baby horse, Mama?”
Adam set Bethany down near the animal. “It’s a pony and he’s all yours. What will you name him?”
Bethany gasped and reached out to pet the pony. “He’s mine? All mine?”
Greta knelt down and hugged Bethany. “Your papa got him for you. What will you name him?”
“Raven,” Bethany said. “He looks the same color as the bird that we see in the yard all the time, and you told me it was a raven, Mama.”
“That’s a perfect name!” Adam said. “Raven, it is.”
That night, Adam made sweet love to Greta, dispelling all the doubts she had about his marrying her and adopting Bethany just to keep the family together. Adam was the perfect lover; he was sweet and gentle, and he loved her with such emotion that Greta let all of her worries fly away...until morning.
As usual, Adam rushed around in the dark to dress for work, but he was always as quiet as he could be so he wouldn’t wake her. She always woke up though, and she made sure she got a kiss and a hug from him before he left. Once she’d heard him gallop away, she laid down and went back to sleep.
Once Greta rose and dressed, her fears returned. She pressed her fists into her temples and vowed to not doubt her husband’s love or motives. How silly of her. She had something bigger to worry about—she’d missed her monthly again. It was the second one, but she thought it might just be late due to her worrying. She vowed to stop fretting and enjoy what she had: a perfect family.
Greta was in the stables grooming a horse when she heard someone gallop down the lane toward the house; it was too early to be Adam. She dropped her tools and left the stables to see Martha Jefferson rein in and slide off her horse.
Greta was confused. She knew who Martha was as she’d gone to school with her. Greta also knew she was being courted by Miles Tanner. She hurried to greet Martha, wondering what she could possibly want with her all the while.
“Hello, Martha. What can I do for you?”
“I came to warn you.”
Greta tilted her head in confusion. “Warn me? About what?”
“It’s Miles. He’s been acting strangely. He’s never
gotten over the fact that you didn’t get the annulment. I thought I could change his feelings.” Martha sighed. “I really care for Miles, but he’s still stuck on you. That was bad enough to deal with, but now he’s threatening all sorts of craziness.” Martha cringed. “He’s scaring me. First, he threatened to kill Adam.”
Greta felt her heart do a flip-flop, and she let out a gasp.
“Now, he’s threatening to kill you. He said if he can’t have you, no one else will.” Martha wrung her hands. “I don’t know what to do, so I thought it best to warn you that he’s planning something horrible.” Martha cupped her hand to her mouth and whispered, “He said it wouldn’t be the first time he’d killed someone.”
Greta was so stunned, she couldn’t speak for a moment. “Do you think he is just talking...I mean, that his threats are just a way for him to vent his frustration?”
“They could be. I haven’t known him long enough to judge, but his threats scare me.”
Greta said, “Yes, they scare me, too.”
“Just what happened between you two? Had you courted? Kissed? Did you make him promises?”
Greta shook her head slowly. “No. One day he just walked up to me on the walkway and asked if he could court me. I told him I was legally married, but that I was thinking of having the marriage annulled. Then, he saw me coming out of the attorney’s office one day, and I told him I’d filed for the annulment. He asked if he could court me when the annulment was final. I told him he could. Whenever I ran into him after that, he always asked me if I’d gotten the annulment yet. That’s all that went on between us.”
“And so what happened that you didn’t let him court you?”
“My Proxy husband, Adam, came home, we went on a voyage together, and fell in love. We’d never formally met each other before then, and when we returned from our trip, we cancelled the annulment, and we’re very happy together.”
Martha nodded. “Now, I understand. Miles said he waited all that time. You must have been gone quite a while.”
“Several weeks, yes.” Greta hesitated to ask but curiosity got the best of her. “Did he say whom he’d killed?”
“It was a fair gunfight, he said.”
Martha mounted her horse. “I didn’t know what else to do. Warning you was all I could think of. I tried to talk sense to him, but he won’t listen. He’s obsessed with you, Greta. I’m not going to let him court me anymore. I broke it off with him last night.”
“I’m sorry, but thank you for the warning.” Greta fretted as she watched Martha ride down the lane. Was she telling the truth, or was this some scheme Miles had cooked up to get even with Adam?
Chapter Seventeen
Adam came home from work, kissed and hugged Greta, and they put Bethany to bed. Greta was nervous yet impatient to get Bethany to bed while Adam read her a story, wanting to go downstairs to tell Adam what Martha had told her earlier that day.
Finally, the story ended, and Bethany’s eyes sagged with fatigue. They listened to her prayers, kissed her goodnight, and left the room.
Greta took Adam’s hand and practically dragged him down the stairs and into the sitting room.
“What’s going on?” Adam said with a chuckle. “If the house is on fire, shouldn’t we bring Bethany with us?”
Greta gently pushed Adam onto the settee and sat beside him. “I had a visitor today.” She told Adam exactly what Martha had told her.
As she spoke, Adam’s eyes widened.
When she finished the tale, Adam frowned and brought a fist down on his knee. “Dagnabbit! I’ll call him out before he can hurt anyone.”
“No!” Greta cried. “What if he kills you? Bethany and I need you. Please don’t do that.”
Adam grabbed his wife’s shoulders, “I have no choice. A man has to protect his family. That man is crazy.”
Greta felt tears stream down her face. “No!”
“Sweetheart, there are things a man has to do. No one is going to get away with threatening to kill my wife.” Adam rubbed his chin. “Let’s see…tomorrow is Friday. As soon as I return from work tomorrow, I’m going straight to his place to challenge him to a shoot-out for Saturday morning.”
Greta burst into tears, and he held her in his arms and kissed her head. “Darling, I know what I’m doing. Isaac and I used to have pretend shoot-outs all the time. I’m as fast and accurate with a gun as I am with my cutlass. Don’t worry.”
Greta lifted her head and looked into his eyes. “I couldn’t bear it if—”
“I’ll be fine. And I won’t kill the bully; I’ll just shoot the gun from his hand.”
“Have you done that before?”
“Not for real, but I know I can do it. God will be my shield. I have faith.” Adam stood and pulled Greta up to stand in front of him. He put his hand under her chin and lifted it so he could look into her eyes. “Tomorrow, you’re to stay in the house with Bethany. Don’t go anywhere, and don’t let anyone inside.”
“But your mother promised to take Bethany on a picnic tomorrow.”
“All right then, let my mother come and get her, but tell her to keep Bethany at her house, and I’ll pick her up on my way home. You are not to go anywhere. All right?”
Greta pouted but finally said, “All right.”
“I’ll see if I can get off a few minutes earlier from work. If I can do my paperwork while I steer the boat, maybe I can get off fifteen minutes earlier. I’ll ride home faster, too. Now, don’t you worry.”
Rhea picked Bethany up right after breakfast. “I’ll have her home by two o’clock.”
Greta bit her bottom lip. “Um...I have some errands to run. Can you take her home with you? Adam said he’d pick her up after work.”
“I’d love to,” Rhea said as she led Bethany to the front door. “She can help me bake some cookies.”
Greta spent most of the morning pacing the sitting room. What should she do? She couldn’t risk Adam getting shot. Of course, she didn’t want to get shot herself either. Miles sounded a bit crazy and full of ridiculous notions. He could be like a dog—all bark and no bite—or he could be dangerous. He sure had Martha scared.
She still wondered if Adam really loved her or if he’d just gone along with the plan his parents had set up for him to keep Bethany in the family. He seemed sincere, and he was affectionate, but he didn’t often tell her that he loved her. When they’d first realized their feelings, he’d told her, and again, on their consummation night. She wished he’d say those three magic words more often. Now that she thought about it, she didn’t tell him she loved him much either. Why were those words so difficult for them to say?
She felt Adam knew that she loved him since she’d admitted to fondness for him since she was thirteen. Why had she told him that? She thought about how he’d settled so well in Texas and had even found a job. Was that the way he showed his love?
Greta had confided her doubts to her grandmother one day, and Tilde had said that men do more showing than telling when it came to love. She supposed her grandmother was right, but she needed more than that. Maybe it was because she’d lost her parents at such an early age, but she needed more assurance.
She envisioned the gunfight and Adam, who’d never been in one before, getting killed. Miles had already killed a man in a shootout, according to Martha. Adam was no match for Miles since his gunfights had all been pretend ones with Isaac. It gave Greta a sick feeling in her stomach. She had to do something.
Greta saddled a horse and rode into town. She headed for the lumberyard, but she was told that Miles had quit his job over a week before. Greta thought it a strange thing for him to do.
She knew he’d been living in a small flat over the barbershop. Greta stopped in front of the place and tied her horse. She walked up the flight of stairs and knocked on the door of Miles’s flat.
Miles answered the door. He froze when he saw her in the doorway.
“We need to talk, Miles,” she said.
He grabbed her by the w
rist, pulled her inside, and slammed the door shut. “No talking. I’ve had enough talking from you. You broke your promise.” He spoke between his teeth and acted like a madman, and that made Greta shiver.
Greta hoped that if she answered calmly, he’d relax a bit. “I never promised anything. I said I’d allow you to court me when my annulment was final, but it was never finalized.”
“You’re coming with me.” He grabbed his gun belt from the wall and put it on.
Greta tried to pull away and run, but he had her tightly by the arm.
“You are going nowhere,” he snarled. He dragged her down the stairs, put her on his horse, and jumped up behind her, his gun barrel poking her in the back. Miles galloped around behind the businesses in town and headed for the woods.
~~~~****~~~~
Thankfully, Adam managed to get out of work that day by explaining his hardship to the night captain who agreed to work a double shift so Adam could leave. The man claimed he didn’t mind since he needed the extra money.
Adam rode directly to the lumberyard to challenge Miles Tanner to a shootout. He was disappointed to learn Miles no longer worked there. Adam found out where he lived from Miles’s former boss and headed for the barbershop. When he got there, he reined in his horse and froze—Greta’s horse was tied to the post.
“Dear Lord,” Adam prayed.
He pounded on the door of Miles’s flat, and the door flew open. He searched the place but neither Miles nor Greta was there. He ran down the stairs two at a time and looked for some trace of where they might have gone. The tracks in the dust showed that he had gone behind the buildings and into the woods.
Adam jumped on his horse and followed the tracks, but he was shocked when he met Miles, slowly trotting out from the woods.
“Where’s my wife?” Adam yelled at Miles as he approached.
“In a safe place,” Miles replied calmly. “We made a deal. She said she’d annul your marriage if I didn’t kill you.”
