A Headstrong Woman

by Maness, Michelle

  “Well, at least there will be someone to look after you now,” her dad was the first to speak. Alexandria looked up at her father to find him watching her calmly. She was thankful for his quiet strength; she had depleted her own this morning.

  “Welcome to the family, Jonathon, I’ve always thought a lot of you,” Shirley said quietly.

  “Congratulations,” Anna added.

  Alexandria let out the breath she had been holding and looked to her sister. She read hurt in her sister’s eyes but no accusation. Alexandria burst into tears. The stress and strain of the day had been too much. She had expected anger from her sister, for Anna to hate her even; Alexandria wouldn’t have blamed her. Her mom and dad she had expected to accept it, they both liked Jonathon, but Anna, she knew she had hurt her sister whether Anna was showing it or not. Alexandria lurched to her feet and ran from the room.

  “Excuse me,” Jonathon said to the others as he followed her. He caught up with her in the parlor, where she stood, arms wrapped around herself, staring out the window.

  “Tell me why you’re so upset,” Jonathon gently pulled her around to face him and into his arms.

  “Anna’s being so brave but I know this must come to a shock to her and I know I’ve hurt her terribly,” she poured her heart out to him.

  “Anna knew our plans, Alexandria. She admitted to overhearing the conversation and asked me about it.”

  “She knew?” Alexandria pulled back and frowned at him. Anna had been subdued but Alexandria had chalked that up to the situation with Simon.

  “Yes.”

  “She gave no indication… I should have told her myself.”

  “It wouldn’t have mattered, Alexandria,” Anna said from the doorway. “Had you turned Jonathon down it wouldn’t have changed the fact that Jonathon sees me as a friend and no more. It hurts to watch someone you care for marry another, however,” Anna paused as though considering her words carefully, “I’ve let go and made some realizations. You and Jonathon are good for each other, Lexie, and good friends. I wish you both the best of luck,” Anna told her sister as she crossed the room.

  Jonathon released Alexandria and stepped back as the sisters hugged.

  “When did you get so grown up?” Alexandria asked on a tearful laugh.

  “The past few days,” Anna replied with a rueful smile. The two hugged again as their parents entered the room. Tears streaming down her own face, Shirley joined her daughters and the men smiled over the women’s head as if to say: ‘Women, what do you do with them?’

  “Might I have a word with you in private?” Clay asked of his new son-in-law.

  “Yes, sir,” Jonathon agreed and gave the three ladies a wide berth.

  “Clay, son; it’s Clay.”

  “Yes, sir… I mean, Clay,” Jonathon followed his father-in-law from the room. The two men moved outside and strolled across the yard to an empty corral away from prying ears.

  “First off, I want to thank you for all the help you’ve been to my daughter,” Clay said to the younger man.

  Jonathon wasn’t certain how to answer but attempted to. “I made a promise to Elijah that I would, but over the past several months your daughter has come to mean a great deal to me, sir,” Jonathon shared and watched Clay.

  “You love her?” Clay’s gaze met his head on and never faltered. Jonathon smiled as his mind quickly touched over the past several months and his own realization that he did indeed love Alexandria.

  “Yes, sir,” he answered without hesitation.

  “I kinda thought so. And again, it’s Clay,” Clay smiled at his son-in-law.

  ***

  Alexandria helped Anna pack and the three ladies chatted easily among themselves. Alexandria was so relieved that Anna didn’t hate her that she felt almost giddy.

  “I wonder what Dad wanted to say to Jonathon,” Alexandria mused as she folded one of Anna’s shifts.

  “Man stuff, I’m sure,” her mother answered. “Your dad likes Jonathon, I suspect that accepting him into the family is going to be easy, I just hate the circumstances of your marriage.”

  “I figured that was how you and dad would feel,” Alexandria admitted not finishing the thought that it had been Anna she had been concerned about.

  “He’s a good man, Alexandria, it doesn’t take a person long to see that, and I don’t want to meddle, I mean, I’m not even certain where things stand between you two,” she started hesitantly.

  Anna knew her mother wanted a private audience with Alexandria and found an excuse to leave.

  “You know, Lilly’s been down for her nap for a while now. I’d like to say bye before I leave, if you two don’t mind, I’m just going to go check on her,” she was already leaving the room.

  Alexandria knew her sister was being polite.

  “Tell me dear,” Shirley patted the edge of the bed beside her, “is your marriage to be in name only?”

  Alexandria felt her cheeks color. “We discussed it and we both want a family,” she answered honestly. “We didn’t discuss timing so I don’t know what to expect really.”

  “Do you care for him at all?”

  Alexandria considered her mother’s question carefully.

  “I do. We’re good friends and can talk about most anything, even things we shouldn’t,” her cheeks were slightly pink as she remembered their late night discussion and kiss. “And I am attracted to him. He kissed me right after we returned from Jasper and it was kind of nice actually,” she felt a bit like a schoolgirl. She didn’t mention their other kiss, the one that had shaken her to her core.

  Her mother smiled. “Maybe his proposal stems from more than a desire to help you,” Shirley suggested.

  “I hope not!” Alexandria, her face horrified, jumped to her feet. “I like Jonathon, love him as a friend even, but I’m not in love with him and I don’t want to hurt him.”

  “Calm down, Alexandria. I didn’t say that he does but would it really be so terrible if he did?”

  “Mom, there is nothing worse than unreciprocated love as I am sure Anna can tell you.”

  “Maybe there is,” Shirley suggested, “lost love as Jonathon would know having already lost someone he cared for and loved.”

  “Mom, maybe he’s attracted to me, but I don’t think he loves me; I hope he doesn’t,” Alexandria insisted.

  Shirley sighed. “I’ll be praying for both of you.”

  “Thanks, Mom,” Alexandria responded.

  “You’ll be fine. I love you, Alexandria.”

  “I love you too.” Alexandria returned her mother’s hug.

  ***

  After Alexandria’s parents had left, Alexandria asked Millie to watch Lilly while she and Jonathon talked with the men and informed them of their marriage. They started with the men who were currently in the bunkhouse. All took it in stride with one exception. Sparky had stalked away and was leaving the barn as they were entering. His face was set in a grim line.

  “Will he be okay?” Alexandria worried.

  “He will be after he blows off some steam,” Jonathon’s heart went out to the younger man. A few minutes later they were riding at a brisk pace for the range. Alexandria cast a worried glace at the sky when a low ominous rumble sounded from overhead.

  Jonathon looked at Alexandria’s lightweight riding habit and grimaced. He had changed after his conversation with Clay and was dressed comfortably with his duster in place. Alexandria’s choice of clothing was certainly beautiful but not at all helpful in a downpour. Hoping to beat the rain, he urged Raven into a canter. They had spoken with the men and were just about to start for the house when the bottom fell out. Jonathon borrowed Rusty’s blanket and promised to see that it was returned. He dismounted and reached for his wife.

  She slid to the ground obediently and offered no protest when he remounted and reached for her to settle the blanket around her. Alexandria leaned against him for the ride back, glad to let someone else see after her for the moment. She couldn’t remember the
last time she had been so exhausted.

  Alexandria felt as though she were melting into Jonathon and chastised herself. She shouldn’t feel this way; they had an agreement, not a real marriage, even if they had talked of a family. But she couldn’t help herself, wrapped in Jonathon’s arms as she was she felt safe and cherished. It was an illusion, she knew. Jonathon didn’t love her any more than she loved him. She would do well to remember that too, she thought dismally. Once was enough for having your heart broken. No sense in foolishly allowing it to happen again. She shuddered slightly, Jonathon’s arms tightened around her, and Alexandria sighed. Marrying Jonathon might prove to be the biggest mistake she had ever made so why did being in his arms feel so right?

  ***

  From the safety and warmth of her parent’s buggy, Anna watched people hurry down the wet boardwalk and momentarily let the world pass her as a mere bystander. It was an unusual role for the usually active social butterfly. The weather had quickened the pace of the pedestrians but Anna found that it suited her mood. She wasn’t angry with her sister but nonetheless; she couldn’t shake a sense of melancholy either.

  A tall figure, seemingly oblivious to the heavy rain, caught Anna’s attention. The gentleman was perhaps as tall as Jonathon and almost equally as broad through the shoulders and as narrow through the waist. As he came closer she noted that his hair was as dark as Jonathon’s, but straighter. His gaze, when it met hers, revealed soft gray eyes.

  Anna abruptly dropped her eyes. The man looked a lot like Jonathon and she couldn’t resist peeking up from under her lashes as he pulled alongside the buggy. The gentleman winked; one corner of his well-formed mouth pulled up in a grin. Anna, a deep scowl on her face, jerked back further into the buggy. The audacity of the man! A stranger winking at her! Despite her inner ravings at the man she sneaked a peek at the man’s retreating back and shook her head. The man either bore an uncanny resemblance to Jonathon or she wasn’t dealing with things as well she thought. Either was possible, she admitted to herself. Her parents emerged from the dry goods store and Anna forced a pleasant smile to her face as they climbed into the buggy. Best to keep her less than sound mental status to herself, she decided.

  Chapter Twenty

  Jonathon rode straight into the barn with Raven and dismounted before reaching for his wife. They saw to the horses and then dashed to the house. Alexandria frowned when Millie’s conversation with a decidedly masculine voice reached her ears. She stepped into the kitchen and peered curiously at the man at her table and Jonathon hurried around her. The man at the table stood and embraced her husband.

  “Ted!” Jonathon smiled.

  “I think Montana agrees with you, that or the local ladies,” Ted’s gaze came to rest on Alexandria. He moved to stand in front of her and took her hand in his before kissing the back of it.

  “You must be Mrs. Morris. I must say, Jonathon said you were beautiful but his words don’t do you justice,” he greeted her.

  Alexandria’s cheeks stained a flattering shade of pink as she searched frantically for an appropriate response.

  Jonathon stepped in, “Ted, let me properly introduce you. Alexandria, this is Theodore Stewart or Ted as most people call him. Ted, Alexandria Stewart, my wife,” Jonathon introduced them.

  Alexandria looked Ted over and noted the strong facial resemblance the two men shared and their similar builds. Ted’s eyes, however, reminded her of her light gray, wool winter mantel that hung in her chifferobe upstairs.

  “Wife? When did this occur?” Ted’s face lit with delight.

  “Today,” Jonathon smiled back.

  “Congratulations, I guess this means I’ll have to find another beauty to pursue, mores the pity,” Ted grinned. “So tell me, are all the ladies out here as pretty as your wife?”

  “I wouldn’t count on that,” Jonathon placed his hand possessively on Alexandria’s lower back. Alexandria was afraid that her cheeks were going to be permanently stained pink by the time the two were through with their outrageous flattery.

  “I did see one striking beauty in town. A rather curious creature it would seem, she openly stared at me,” Ted related, “or at least she did until I met her gaze.”

  “If she has met your brother she likely thought you were him. Jonathon has more than one or two admirers around here,” Alexandria finally found her tongue.

  “He’s always been blessed in that respect,” Ted laughed.

  “Blessed? Don’t you mean cursed?” Jonathon muttered.

  “I consider it a blessing indeed,” Ted smiled.

  “Come have a seat, Ted. We were about to have dinner.”

  “That sounds wonderful. Travel has always whet my appetite,” Ted smiled as he patted his flat stomach.

  Lilly had been sitting quietly and watching the exchange.

  Alexandria smiled and turned to the brothers, “I think Lilly is a bit confused. Ted is Jonathon’s brother, just as Anna is my sister. Now that Jonathon and I are married that makes him your Uncle Ted,” Alexandria explained.

  “I wanna brother,” Lilly said suddenly.

  Alexandria felt her cheeks grow quite red.

  “Sooner or later I’m positive that you’ll get one, in the meantime, how about an uncle?” Ted noticed the discomfort of his brother and the new bride. Lilly looked thoughtful, then smiled and nodded. The meal passed pleasantly as the two brothers caught up and Ted shared some of his and Jonathon ‘misadventures’ as he called them, from their youth. Alexandria had taken to her brother-in-law by the end of the meal and couldn’t remember the last time she had laughed so much.

  “It just occurred to me to ask what you’re doing here,” Jonathon commented to his brother.

  “You didn’t get my message?” Ted looked confused.

  “What message?” Jonathon frowned.

  “That the farm sold and I would be arriving today; would have arrived this morning if not for a delay in the town of Jasper.”

  “You sold your farm?” Alexandria asked Jonathon in surprise.

  “Yeah, I had already decided to stay out here before I proposed,” he confessed. Alexandria sat quietly trying to digest this as the men continued to talk. Ted excused himself and Jonathon pulled Alexandria into the parlor to speak with her.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. I just thought…I guess I felt that I had made it impossible for you to return to your own place and your family but you had already decided to stay here.”

  “Do you feel better knowing that?”

  “I guess, I don’t really know,” she admitted. She wasn’t certain what she was feeling about anything at the moment.

  Jonathon chuckled and caressed her cheek. “I suppose that I should get my things from the bunk house.”

  “I’d nearly forgotten that you hadn’t,” Alexandria admitted.

  “Alexandria, we haven’t discussed sleeping arrangements. If you prefer, I will make one of the spare rooms into my own,” he offered. Alexandria frowned. She hadn’t fully considered sleeping arrangements. She didn’t know if she was ready for intimacy but feared that separate rooms would make the transition more difficult and uncomfortable. Still, it would be unfair to suggest they share a room and bed but not intimacy. Then again, she had no particular desire to send Jonathon to his own room in front of his brother.

  “What would your brother think?” Alexandria asked with a frown.

  “Doesn’t matter, this is our private business.”

  “I…I don’t think I care for others knowing the state of our marriage,” she admitted.

  “I can either sleep in a room of my own if you wish or…” he attempted a smile, it came out more closely resembling a smirk, “keep my hands to myself.”

  Alexandria looked at him dubiously. From the conversations she’d had with her mother and a couple of her married friends that sounded improbable, unless of course he wasn’t attracted to her. The thought made Alexandria feel physically sick.

  “I…” she paused t
o swallow hard. Before she could form an answer, Ted spilled into the parlor.

  “I nearly forgot that I’d brought some of your things,” Ted informed his brother. “Want me to bring them in?”

  “First, I need to bring in the things I already had with me,” Jonathon admitted.

  “I’ll help,” Ted offered and followed his brother to the bunkhouse. A few moments later, the two men, their arms laden, returned.

  Jonathon, his gaze direct, looked to his wife.

  “Lead the way, Alexandria,” he left the decision of where he was to sleep to her.

  Alexandria turned on shaky legs and entered the house to climb the stairs. A million fractured thoughts raced through Alexandria’s head as she made the short climb to the top of the stairs, she would have been hard pressed, however, to make sense out of a single one of them.

  She paused momentarily at the top of the stairs, her eyes going from her own room to the room that had been Elijah’s. She squared her shoulders and marched into her room. Her gaze fell on her bed and she swallowed hard. Alexandria shook her head and hurried to make room for her husband’s things; she avoided his gaze as she did so. Ted turned to go for the things he had brought as soon as he had emptied his arms.

  Jonathon turned to his wife and smiled at her. Her trust was touching; her wide eyes were disconcerting. He wanted to kiss her; that seemed foolish, however, when he considered the pact he had just made with her. Impulsively, he leaned forward and brushed a light kiss across her lips before leaving the room.

  Alexandria bit her lower lip and frowned after her husband. They weren’t off to a great start on this business of him keeping his hands to himself, she thought darkly. No, he hadn’t touched her, he had kissed her, technically he had kept his word; her frown deepened. This could get very sticky, she realized.