The Romantic Ruse (Historical Christian Romance)

by Barbara Goss

  “I have to get ready first,” she said kissing, his nose. “Be patient.”

  By the time she'd reappeared from the dressing room, Gus was filled with more love than he’d ever thought possible. His love seemed to grow even more when he saw his bride standing there before him in a sheer, white, lacy nightgown.

  “Do you like it? Mandy sat up all night making it from bits and pieces.”

  She sauntered over to Gus and gazed up at him with bright and wide eyes. “I love you, August Tanner,” she said, practically in a whisper.

  Gus pulled her closer than he’d ever held her before. He didn’t have to be careful now; she was his. He kissed her passionately, and with his hand on her bottom, pulled her closer. “I hope I can make this night so special, you’ll remember it forever.”

  “I have a feeling that we'll both remember it forever,” she whispered.

  Gus kissed her as passionately as he could, squeezing her close, pulling her exactly where he’d wanted her for a while now—onto their marriage bed.

  Afterward, he held her close for several moments, before he pulled away, just far enough to look into her eyes in the moonlit room. “Lily, Harley never—”

  “I tried to tell you.”

  Gus held her close. “It wouldn’t have mattered, but for some reason, knowing I'm the only one makes me feel overjoyed. And here I thought I couldn’t be any happier than I already was.”

  “Harley lied to you. He thought you’d turn your back on me because of it, but you didn’t—well, maybe you did at first, but you proved your love for me by accepting me regardless. Do you know how happy that makes me?”

  Gus smiled. “Twice I proposed to you, and each time you were snatched up afterwards. I’m not taking my eyes or hands off you for the rest of our lives.”

  “Is that a promise?”

  “It is.”

  One week of marital bliss later, Gus and Lily returned to the ranch in time to welcome Charles and Emma. After a happy reunion, especially for James and Emma, Charles explained that he had some unpleasant news. They all retired to the sitting room to hear.

  “Dad is dead,” Charles said after they’d all been seated. “He had some kind of seizure, stroke, or something.”

  Lily cried for several moments. “Did he ever forgive me?”

  “He did. He seemed pleased with the increased business my ideas brought in and he forgave you everything. I’m sorry that we couldn’t wait for you, but the funeral was three days ago. We are all invited to the reading of the will, though.”

  Lily glanced quickly at Gus. “How soon can we leave for St. Joseph?” she said.

  “James, can you watch the ranch a bit longer?” Gus asked.

  “Hey, it’s free room and board; I’ll be happy to,” James said. “You guys go.”

  Lily had never cooked or cleaned a day in her life except for what she shared with Mandy at the cottage. She felt relieved when Gus woke up before her and made breakfast for everyone. She worried about how she would manage the role of rancher’s wife when she’d been coddled by servants her whole life. Gus's house was large, and she wondered who would clean it, and cook meals fit for a man like Gus, who'd worked as hard as he did every day.

  Enough of that. She'd have to push those worries aside for now, in order to concentrate on properly mourning her father and packing for their trip to St. Joseph.

  The attorney seated them in his office and read some boring legal rules and stipulations before getting to the interesting part.

  “'To my son, Charles," he read, "I bequeath half of my store, and my home, including all furnishings.'” The attorney nodded at Charles. "'To my daughter, Lily, I bequeath half of my store, my horses, and my carriage. To Jerome, my faithful servant, I leave the sum of five thousand dollars. The rest of my money should be split equally between Charles and Lily.'”

  After signing papers and receiving more instruction from the attorney, the four of them left. Riding back home in the Brewer carriage, Lily fretted, “What will I do with half the store?”

  “If you own half that would be great for business! The women love having Emma in the store, but as part owner, that would beat all,” Charles said enthusiastically. “You and Gus can have our home, since we’ll be moving into Father’s house.”

  Gus turned Lily to face him. “What about Hunter’s Grove? What about our ranch?”

  Lily thought carefully. Being a storeowner excited her because she wanted more out of life than just being a rancher's wife. Like Sadie from the saloon had said, the town women are jealous of saloon girls because their own lives are so boring, having one baby after another, and doing housework from dawn to dusk, and Lily knew she didn’t want that for herself. She also worried that she’d not be able to please Gus in her role as a rancher’s wife, since she didn’t know one thing about housekeeping and chores.

  She looked up at Gus. “Couldn’t we live here?”

  Gus felt tired, homesick, and anxious all at once. “Our home is Hunter’s Grove; I thought you knew that when we married we’d live there.”

  “I know, but part owner of a store! A career is something I’ve always wanted, and now I'm a storeowner! I grew up in that store and always wished I would own it one day. The truth of the matter is that I don’t know how to be a rancher’s wife.”

  Charles intervened then, saying, “Let’s just all think about the whole situation, and we can discuss the pros and cons of it later over a pleasant lunch at Pierre’s.”

  Later that night, in the bed that Lily had slept in her whole life, she cuddled up to Gus as she usually did, but he stiffened, and turned away from her.

  “Gus?” she whispered, but he didn't answer her.

  “It’s about staying here, isn’t it?”

  Still no answer.

  “Can't we talk about this, Gus, please?”

  “Talk?” he said, sounding tired and defeated. “What is there to talk about? Being a storeowner is all you’ve ever wanted. That’s all there is to talk about. I can’t take that dream away from you, but I also can’t live here, and I don't know where that leaves us.”

  “You could at least give it a chance. Maybe you’d like it.”

  Gus groaned. “I’m a rancher, that's what I do. I don’t know how to do anything else. It’s taken me years to build my ranch to what it is today, and I can’t just up and leave it.”

  Lily tried to think of an argument, but she couldn’t. What it came down to was she had a decision to make. Either she chose Gus, whom she loved dearly, or she chose store ownership, which was her lifelong dream.

  “Gus, my mother once told me to never let the sun go down on an argument. We can discuss this more tomorrow. Can we at least kiss goodnight?”

  Gus turned to her. “There is no argument, Lily. You're staying here to fulfill your dream, and I’m going back to my ranch.

  "Good night.” He kissed her briefly on the lips, and turned away.

  Lily struggled to relax enough to fall asleep, but the problem they faced continued to burden her. She decided that they’d talk it over some more in the morning and come to a mutual agreement. Wasn't love supposed to conquer all?

  Secure in her plan, Lily drifted slowly off to sleep.

  When she awoke, Gus’s side of the bed was cold and empty. She felt that black cloud hanging over her again, like something bad was about to happen. It was a feeling she couldn't shake. She threw on a day dress, brushed her hair, tied it back with a ribbon, and hurried down the stairs.

  Panic set in when she realized Gus had left for his ranch in Kansas without even saying goodbye.

  Or had he?

  As Gus rode out of St. Joseph, he sighed with relief. St. Joseph was nothing like Hunter’s Grove. The city had traffic with pedestrians milling all about, and so much horse dung in the streets the women had to hold their dresses up to cross them.

  Even so, he couldn't shake the feeling that he’d left half his heart in St. Joseph. He loved Lily too much to stand in the way of her ambiti
on, and really, he couldn’t blame her for it—what woman in her right mind would trade being a storeowner in a big city for being a rancher’s wife, where her sole duties were to have babies, milk cows, and do housework?

  If she went with him, she'd be giving up her servants, and her whole way of life, and his love for her wouldn’t consider taking that away from her. It never crossed his mind when he married her that she’d ever want to go back home.

  As he and his horse trudged along, he began to feel more and more as if he’d recently lost part of his own body. Had he been selfish in refusing to live in St. Joseph? He never had—nor had he ever wanted to have—servants, and he hated the city. He would never consider doing anything other than ranching; it was all he ever knew.

  Gus arrived home finding himself alone again. Was his decision to leave rash? he wondered. Did he make the right choice? How would he ever manage to live without Lily? He felt guilty for leaving her the way he had, allowing his anger to cause him to break the promise he'd made on their wedding night, that that he’d never leave her again.

  He’d think of a way to solve this; he just had to.

  Chapter 21

  Lily felt the cold, empty bed beside her and sighed. Working in the store was quite interesting, and she had to admit she really liked it, but she missed Gus terribly. Why couldn’t he have resigned himself to living here? If he really loved her he could at least try to like it in St. Joseph. Couldn't he?

  She sighed. Deep down she knew that Gus belonged on his ranch.

  She came down for breakfast to catch Emma and Charles kissing. Seeing them happy together made her feel even more alone.

  “Good morning,” Emma said cheerfully. “I bet I can make you smile,” she challenged.

  “I bet you can’t,” Lily replied.

  Emma and Charles exchanged looks. “I bet she can,” Charles added.

  “We are going to have a baby in seven months,” Emma exclaimed. “We’re so excited.”

  Rather than smile, Lily burst into tears.

  “Aren’t you happy for us?” Emma asked, sounding concerned. “You’ll be the baby's Aunt Lily.”

  Between sniffles Lily replied, “Is that really good news? You’ll be having a baby every two years from now on, and your life will grow dull and boring.”

  Emma laughed. “Whoever gave you that idea? We'll love having children. We’ll be a proper family then. Having children isn’t a curse, Lily—it’s a gift.”

  Charles put his arm around Emma. “This house will ring with so much laughter, and we’ll have little Charleses and Emmas running around—we'll have so much fun with them! And Emma can still be involved with the store since we’ll hire a nurse maid.”

  “You’ll lose your slim figure,” Lily said.

  “For a few months, but then I’ll be back to myself again.” Emma seemed to search Lily’s face carefully. “What’s really eating at you is missing Gus, isn’t it?”

  Lily nodded.

  “He’s your husband; your place is at his side, you know,” Charles said.

  “I know. But he refuses to give up his ranch, and I've already expressed my desire to stay here and work at the store. I just can’t see myself as a rancher’s wife. The thought scares me, besides. I know I'm bound to fail and then he’ll be disappointed in me. I feel like I’d be more successful here than there. But I miss him so much.”

  “The store?" Emma said. "You’d rather give up your one, true love for a store? Are you planning to live your life alone then?” Emma frowned at Lily. “I think you need to give this plan of yours some more thought.”

  “I miss Gus so much," she reiterated, “but the thought of my doing housework, running after children, and becoming a shrew is terrifying.”

  “It doesn’t have to be like that. You recited the vows and married Gus, and now you're willing to toss all of it aside for half ownership of a store?” Emma shook her head in puzzlement. “I don’t understand your thinking, Lily.”

  “You’ll still get half the profits even if you live in Kansas,” Charles offered.

  Emma stood. “We’d better get going or we'll be late for church. Are you coming with us, Lily?”

  Lily thought about being left in the huge house, all alone. “Yes, I’m coming,” she said.

  The sermon that day touched Lily’s heart. It seemed as if the minister had known her story and was preaching to her directly.

  He said that the husband should be the head of the household, and the minister touched on sacrifices that must be made in life in order to bring happiness to those we love. He spoke about change, and how, when we're unhappy, we need to make changes and relinquish control of our lives to God. "Let God handle your life," he said. "Pray and ask for guidance."

  Lily hadn’t much experience in prayer, but she had remembered the minister once suggested she should talk to God as she might to her earthly father. Lily had never been able to talk to her earthly father, but she had always wished she could.

  Given her current situation, it was more important than ever before that she be able to speak to her Heavenly Father.

  When Lily got home, she went straight to her room and knelt at her bedside in prayer, where she poured her heart out to God. She asked Him to guide her, as she hadn’t a clue how to proceed with her life.

  Later that day, Lily joined Charles and Emma for Sunday dinner. Charles flashed Lily a sympathetic smile, and said, "I have a suggestion: why don’t you take some of the money you have coming—it’s quite a bit—and sell your half of the store back to me? Take the money and set up a store in Hunter’s Grove. I’ll give you all the advice you need to set it up.”

  Lily’s mouth dropped open. “I could! I could have a career and be with Gus, too!” She stood and walked around the table and threw her arms around her brother. “Charles, you are so smart. Thank you!”

  “I know how miserable you are without Gus, and I sat in church this morning thinking about it. Then the idea suddenly hit me,” Charles said.

  “I've prayed on it, too, and I think I’ve just received my answer God's already leading me.” Lily hugged her brother once more and said, “Let’s get this settled, fast, so I can go back to Gus.”

  Two weeks later, Lily received a surprise as she was packing for her trip back to Hunter’s Grove.

  Emma entered her room waving an envelope. “Mail. For you!”

  Lily took the envelope and held it to her heart when she saw Gus's name in the return address.

  “Well, open it already! What does he say?”

  Lily sobered and stared at the envelope. “I’m afraid to open it, Em. What if he wants a divorce? What if he doesn’t want me anymore?”

  “Not opening it won’t change what’s inside, silly.”

  Lily slowly ripped the envelope open and read. As she continued to read, she felt her frown turn into a wide smile.

  “I take it from the look on your face that the news isn't bad?” Emma said.

  “He wants me back. He said he’d hire a maid to do all the housework. He is so generous and thoughtful!” Lily held the letter to her heart. “And he misses me!”

  “Little did he know you were coming home anyway.”

  “And don’t you tell him! A maid is the perfect solution. I had a small dose of what it was like to clean and cook when I lived with Mandy and I failed miserably at it. Maybe we could hire a cook, too, with the money I’d earn from the store.”

  “And you can live happily ever after,” Emma crooned, holding her hands to her heart. “What about babies? How will you control that?”

  “After much soul-searching I’ve decided I might like to have one someday. The thought of a little human that’s half me and half Gus seems heavenly— especially if I can hire someone to help.”

  Lily’s stage pulled into Hunter’s Grove on a Sunday morning. She felt glad because Gus would be in town at church at this hour, which meant she’d see him sooner, and they could ride back to the ranch together.

  She walked from wher
e the stage left her off to the Morton home. She heard music, growing louder as she neared the barn, which fit her mood, seeing as it was one of the happier- sounding hymns. Ironically, the song fit what she’d heard from her minister, back on the Sunday that changed her life:

  Stand up, stand up for Jesus, stand in His strength alone;

  The arm of flesh will fail you, ye dare not trust your own.

  Put on the Gospel armor, each piece put on with prayer;

  Where duty calls or danger, be never wanting there.

  When the song ended, she entered the building and searched for Gus. She found him sitting in the back row, where they’d sat that one Sunday, trying desperately not to touch each other. The seat beside him was taken. She stood, unsure of how to proceed, when James caught her eye. He nodded at her, and said, “Mr. Hammond, would you come up and lead us in prayer?”

  Mr. Hammond stood, and Lily smiled at James—Mr. Hammond was the man who had been seated beside Gus. Lily went to slip into the seat beside Gus. Mr. Hammond had already begun the prayer by then, and Gus was following along with his eyes closed.

  Lily reached over and put her hand in his.

  Gus jerked and then opened his eyes, which grew wider, and more amber than ever when he saw it was her. He whispered her name.

  “I’m home,” she whispered back, “home to stay.”

  “Are you sure?” Gus asked as they rode home.

  Lily nodded. “This is where I belong. I've never been surer of anything in my life.

  “I’ll hire a maid, a cook…whatever you want—”

  Lily silenced him by putting her finger over his mouth. “Maybe until I can learn. I do want to be a rancher’s wife, but I'm just afraid of failing.”