An Unexpected Dilemma Bride_Family of Love Series_A Western Romance Story

by Elliee Atkinson

“So after we leave here, you wanna go to my ranch and fix the fence first or you wanna go to the land and see how it looks?”

  “Let’s go see what that land is all about. We can fix the fence by lantern light if we have to. We can’t properly see the value of land at night.”

  Heath nodded. “Good point.”

  “I hope those eggs are fresh,” Daryl leaned over and mumbled to Heath, seeing Mr. Turner coming from the kitchen with a plate. “You know he’s too old to tell if they are or not. He needs to get a cook.”

  “You’ve gotten rotten eggs here before?”

  Daryl nodded.

  “Well, why didn’t you say something?” Heath asked indignantly, looking with disgust and regret at the plate as Mr. Turner set it down.

  Daryl could tell the eggs were fresh from the way they bounced on his plate. They also smelled delicious. He smiled up at Mr. Turner. “Thank you. This looks wonderful.”

  Mr. Turner nodded once, turned on his heel and went back to the kitchen.

  Heath looked at his friend as he ate. “He didn’t once ask if I wanted anything.”

  Daryl looked up at him and both men laughed.

  CHAPTER THREE

  A SON OF HIS OWN

  A SON OF HIS OWN

  Daryl woke up sore from working on the fence the day before. It wasn’t a new chore to him, but he’d worked quick and hard in order to get it done before nightfall. Surveying the new land he was thinking of buying had taken a little longer than he’d anticipated. It was bad enough he got lost finding it in the first place, but when he and Heath got lost coming back, he felt like an idiot.

  “It was nice land,” Daryl had said on the way back. “I think it would develop nice. A home sitting on the flat plain area with the stream running through the back yard. I think if we took some of the trees down and let the sun into a few spots, it would be helpful. The field looks perfect for plowing. We could grow all kinds of different produce there. I don’t know what you were planning in particular, but I’ve got my ideas. We could probably make the garden big enough to accommodate what we both want.

  Heath didn’t say anything right away and Daryl looked over at him. “Heath? What’s on your mind?”

  “I was just thinking, Daryl. If I… if I court Lily and end up marrying her, what will that do to our plans?”

  Daryl brought his horse to a stop and tilted his head at Heath. “Why should it change our plans?”

  “Well, face it, Daryl, if I get married, I’ll have a lot more responsibilities to take care of.”

  “You already have George, Heath. You’ve adjusted really well to being alone and taking care of him.”

  “If I am married, I will have her to worry about, as well as any other children that we might bring into the world.”

  Daryl shook his head. “You have to stop thinking like a widower with a child. If you court and marry this woman, you will not be alone anymore in the burden of raising children and keeping house. You’ll be able to share it with her and, granted, she’d be taking on the lion’s share of the chores because you will be out making money. With me. And this land development is one of the best opportunities you could ever have to make sure your family is taken care of financially. If we make it big enough, even your grandchildren won’t have to worry.”

  Heath thought about it. “I suppose you’re right.”

  Daryl was seated on the porch of his house, thinking about the conversation from the day before. He had his legs propped up so that his feet were on the railing that surrounded the house. His ankles were crossed and so were his arms. In one hand, he held a small ivory pipe that contained a few tobacco leaves mixed with the sweet herbs he usually smoked.

  Dawn was approaching. He’d just woken up and wanted to enjoy the sunrise. He didn’t come out often and enjoy such a beautiful sight, but… he had a melancholy feeling and knew he needed to be reminded of the beauty of living. Sunrises and sunsets were his favorites. He was too late for the sunset last night, having worked until late into the evening. He’d fashioned a swing to hang from the roof of his porch. He was stretched out on it, looking out over the land toward where the sun would soon make an appearance. The sky had already brightened. The only thing left was to see the sliver of beautiful sun rays as they popped over the mountain and spread like water over the town and the land.

  It was majestic.

  His anticipation grew until he finally saw just a tiny sliver of the sun in the distance. He immediately moved his eyes to the town below. He could see the rooftops light up. The light moved rapidly from one to another, bringing life back to the sleepy town.

  Everyone would be waking up soon.

  Movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention and he turned to look at the door to his barn. He saw a young boy slip through the door, a bundle of carrots in his hand. Daryl smiled.

  If he hadn’t known who it was, perhaps he would have been concerned. However, he knew that it was Johnny Fisher, James Fisher’s son. Johnny was only ten years old, but had the mind of a much older boy. He understood things when he shouldn’t have, going so far as to explain things to Daryl on occasion.

  He stood up and went to the edge of the porch, looking out at the stables. Should he go down there or wait for Johnny to feed, brush and saddle Prince? The boy sometimes led Daryl’s monster horse out to the porch, where he’d wrap the reins around the post until Daryl came out and found him.

  He’d gone once or twice to “confront” the boy with what he was doing, but Johnny never stopped doing it and explained himself each time the same way. He was up early and just wanted to get out of the house. He figured he’d do Mr. Parker, their neighbor, a favor and saddle up his horse.

  Once, Daryl had scolded him for using his own carrots when he knew his family was starving most of the time. The answer Johnny had given him almost broke his heart and left him not knowing what to do. “Nah,” Johnny had replied. “We have plenty of food. It’s just Papa eats so much of it and rations the rest out to us. It usually doesn’t end up being much for five people.”

  Daryl forced himself to hold his tongue. It wasn’t his business, he told himself.

  However, deep inside, he felt like it was definitely his business and he should do something about it. He stepped out into the damp morning grass and walked the short distance to the stable. He pushed open the door and poked his head in. “Johnny?”

  “G’mornin’, Mr. Parker!” Johnny called out, appearing just beyond the door to Prince’s stall. “I was just tending to your horse, sir, so you don’t have to.”

  “I won’t be going out until this afternoon, though, Johnny, so go ahead and finish brushing him and I’ll give you a coin or two as payment. Come up to the porch when you’re done to collect your money.”

  Johnny’s face brightened up. “Thank you, Mr. Parker!” he exclaimed enthusiastically.

  Daryl just nodded and backed out of the barn. He closed the small door behind him with a smile. The boy was so helpful. He wondered if Johnny was like that with his own farm and family. Probably not. From what he’d seen, Johnny could barely tolerate his father’s drunken rants and his mother’s weak powerlessness against it.

  Should he do something? Was there anything in his power to do? The child was not his. He had no say so in anything that happened to him. The few times he’d talked to Esther about changing her situation, she had gone into crying fits that took him hours to calm her from. He didn’t like seeing her that way, but she made him feel responsible for things that weren’t his responsibility.

  He watched as Johnny hurried across the lawn to come up on the porch. He would sit for a while, and they would drink some lemonade or fruit juice and talk. Daryl didn’t mind listening to the young boy. He sometimes had very interesting things to say, things he’d learned in school. It reminded Daryl of George and how he would read to his father.

  He watched Johnny talk excitedly about the size of elephants and the value of their tusks, imagining that was what it was like to
have a son of his own.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  THE HOFFMAN FIRE

  THE HOFFMAN FIRE

  Lily crossed out the last sentence she wrote and moaned impatiently. “Oh, Laura, I’ll never say the right words. What if he doesn’t feel the same way? I’ll feel like a fool!”

  “You’ll feel more of a fool if you continue on the way you are. You need to know his intentions. I say go for it. I think you should take advantage of it.”

  “Are you implying I’m not getting any younger?”

  Laura laughed at her sister. “My dear, if I was suggesting that, I would be saying the same thing about myself, seeing as how I am aging at the same rate you are.”

  Lily smiled at her. “One of the few things we have in common.”

  Laura threw herself on the bed and bounced there on her bottom, holding herself steady with one hand behind her and one in front of her. “So tell me, tell me, tell me. What is he like? How often have you spoken to him? Have you seen him outside of the women’s washing area?”

  Lily laughed. “So many questions all at once. Let me catch my breath.”

  Laura gave her a strange look. “Catch your breath from what? You haven’t been running or even walking. You’ve just been sitting there, trying to write a love letter to a man you barely know who might not even like you back in return.”

  “He does, Laura. He does.”

  Laura snorted softly. “How do you know that?”

  “I just know, okay! I can tell by the way he looks at me.”

  Laura sighed heavily, turning over onto her stomach and lifting just her calves and feet into the air. She crossed her ankles and got a dreamy look in her eyes. “Oh, to be in love. I know it will happen for me someday.”

  “Your problem is that you have too many courting you, if you ask me, and you show no interest in any of them.”

  “Most aren’t worth my time. I can be happier on my own. I don’t want to be miserable and married to a man who is only waiting for me to die so that he can find the woman he really wanted.”

  “What an incredibly negative way of thinking,” Lily looked up at her sister, her pen standing in mid-air, about to touch the paper. “You really should learn to be more positive. Maybe then you’d catch a husband.”

  “You haven’t exactly caught yours, Lily,” Laura pointed out. “And you’re the most positive person I know.

  “Well, I do try. I have potential,” Lily said softly, looking back down at the letter she so desperately wanted to write.

  Laura gasped and sat up again. “I have potential!” she cried. “I’m not that old yet.”

  Lily just shook her head. “You won’t for long if you don’t do something about it.”

  “Something like what? I go to the festivals and stuff. I talk to people all the time. How am I supposed to get a husband?”

  “I gotta say, it’s harder than it looks,” Lily replied in an amiable voice. “But only because in these parts, there are more men than there are women. So it’s kinda hard to tell whether the man is just desperate to snag a woman and taking his first option or if he truly cares about you. If he really cares, he will make a good husband. If he doesn’t care, he will be brutal and mean and probably a drunk. Like that Mr. Fisher from across town.”

  Laura shuddered. “That man gives me the shivers. He is always looking at me like he wants to devour me. I don’t like that. It makes me want a husband more than anything.”

  “I understand. Me, too. But I think this man is going to prove to be the best for me. He will take care of me.”

  “That’s if, of course, he is willing.”

  “Of course,” Lily laughed.

  “When do I get to meet him?”

  “Well, he comes by the washing area once a week, sometimes twice. I don’t know if he comes more, but he surely is there when I go.”

  “You think he keeps track of when you’re there?”

  Lily nodded, blushing. Laura smiled.

  “That’s very sweet. Tell me more about him.”

  “He’s tall and handsome and perfect,” Lily sighed.

  Laura rolled her eyes. “That tells me nothing, only that you, my sister, are smitten. But if that’s what you like, that’s what you like. I can’t wait to see him.”

  “Maybe he has a brother you can talk to while he and I are talking. That way we can all get together and no one would be left alone.”

  “I don’t know, Lily. That sounds like a long-shot. What are the chances that a nice man has a nice brother and we all get along famously?”

  “I’m going to ask him anyway,” Lily said in a determined voice, giving up on her letter and kicking back in her chair, stretching her short legs out in front of her.

  “That’s the way boys sit,” Laura said.

  “You know, for being a woman in your twenties, you don’t know about more progressive things, do you?”

  Laura looked at her, confused. “No, I reckon I don’t, since I’ve never heard of what you’re talking about.”

  “It’s just that I believe women should have more rights, that’s all. We shouldn’t have to cow-tow to the men. Why do they always get to make the most important decisions?”

  “I doubt any women before our generation even cared to. And the ones who did spoke whether it was their place or not.”

  “And were probably hanged for it, truth be told.”

  “That may be the case. And that’s probably why so many women are reluctant to share their feelings now.”

  Lily contemplated that. “That does make sense. Well, times are changing. I think it’s time for women to stand up for themselves. I’ll lead if I must.”

  “I’m sure you would, my dear. I’m sure you would.”

  “Do you think anyone would listen to me?”

  Laura thought about it for a moment. “I think so. You’re not the only one who is willing to stand up and talk about it. There are other women, too. Eventually, things will be right for women in this country and around the world. But for now, my dear, until you see the change you want, you keep fighting for it. Okay? I won’t stand in your way.”

  Lily looked at her with great compassion. “You are a wonderful sister.”

  “Thank you, I love you, too. So you are going to ask him if he has a brother.” She said it more as a statement than a question. With Lily, it wasn’t really a question anyway. She would ask whether she had permission or not.

  “If he does, I wonder what he is like.”

  “Well, he could be tall, like his brother. Or short, like their father. He could have blond hair and blue eyes or he could be a brunette like me.”

  “You are not helping so far. You have no inclination as to what his brother looks like?”

  Lily looked at her sheepishly. “I… I’m afraid not, Laura, I’m sorry. I never thought to ask until now if he even had a brother. I’ve only met his mother once because she came to the washing area the same day and I heard them talking. He didn’t mention a brother at the time, but that’s not what they were talking about anyway. They were talking about some land he was planning on buying and developing. Come to think of it, the mother did mention someone named Daryl. Maybe he is Heath’s brother.”

  “I still don’t know, Lily. Is it right for two sisters to date two brothers?”

  Lily guffawed. “Whatever do you mean? Why not? Silly girl. Of course it doesn’t matter. The only way it would matter is if the same man was courting us both.”

  “Oh no. That wouldn’t work. I am much too possessive.”

  Lily continued to laugh. “You think you are possessive? We come from the same lineage, my girl, and that means we both have that fire inside us. That keeps us going. It keeps us from giving up when things go wrong. I know papa had it. I know Mama had it. I know I have it. I’m certain you do too.”

  Laura nodded. “Sometimes I feel like I am on fire. Especially when I get a new idea.”

  Lily nodded back. “Yep, you’ve got the Hoffman fire, sister dear.” />
  CHAPTER FIVE

  JUST LIKE BROTHERS

  JUST LIKE BROTHERS

  Daryl looked out over the field through narrowed eyes.

  “Looks like you’ve got a few strays here, Heath,” he said. “Did the fence break again?”

  Heath came up alongside him on his horse and looked at the cows roaming the pasture. Daryl could tell he was counting heads. After a moment, Heath shook his head. “No, no strays down there. Don’t know where they would have come from anyway. No one around here is breeding cattle. It’s all farms with wheat and all that green stuff.”

  Daryl laughed. “That green stuff keeps us nourished, my friend.”

  Heath gave him a sarcastic look. “Doesn’t mean I gotta like it.”

  Laughing some more, Daryl pushed Prince to move further down the hillside.

  “I’m gonna bring Lily up here,” Heath said. “I know she’s gonna love it. This is the best scenery in Louisville.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Daryl challenged. “I’ve got a pretty view from my place, too. Especially on that hill I showed you last time you were there.”

  “Last time I was there,” Heath guffawed. “You’ve shown me that hill overlooking your land so many times in past years, I could sketch it from memory.”

  Daryl raised his eyebrows. “You can draw? You want to sketch that for me? I’ll hang it on my wall. In fact, I’ll build it a frame and then hang it on the wall.”

  Heath chuckled. “I don’t know how to draw. But if I could, I’d sketch it from memory, that’s how many times you’ve taken me there.” He reiterated his point in an amused tone. “And that’s partly why I said this is the most beautiful scenery in Louisville.”

  “Because you knew I’d object.”

  Heath nodded. “Because I knew you’d object.”

  “Well, aren’t you a great friend.”