His Convenient Wife

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  Once they were in the parlor, Stan set Maggie down. “Stay with me,” he whispered and held her hand.

  Thankfully, Maggie decided to obey him this time. Maybe it was because strangers were here. She tended to act better when she was around new people. Well, whatever the reason, he’d take it.

  Harriett stood next to him but not as close as she probably would have if she was happy to marry him. As her uncle performed the simple ceremony, he did his best to repeat the vows when it was his turn. The entire time, he couldn’t help but wonder if this was a mistake, especially when it came time for Harriett to speak and she hesitated.

  If he was smart, he’d call the whole thing off and tell Harriett to go find someone who deserved her, someone she’d want to bring her entire family to see her marry. At one point, he opened his mouth to put an end to it, but caught a good look at her and decided against it. Maggie was right. She was a very pretty young woman.

  Granted, there was no reason he wouldn’t be attracted to her. He had, after all, wanted to marry her twin sister, Rose. But he could always tell the difference between them. Harriett didn’t smile as much. She was more serious and thoughtful. She never did anything without thinking it through first. He didn’t know how else to explain it except that her beauty was subtle compared to Rose’s.

  “You may now kiss the bride,” Harriett’s uncle said.

  Stan blinked, surprised the ceremony was over so soon. He turned to do as her uncle said, but she didn’t even face him. Instead, she said, “Thank you for coming out, Uncle Rick.”

  Stan pretended he didn’t notice the questioning glance her father shared with her uncle. Yes, it was awkward. But what could he do about it? Nothing. So he signed the marriage license with the others, and the entire marriage was official. He just prayed he hadn’t doomed them both to a life of misery.

  Chapter Four

  Harriett offered Maggie a tentative smile as the little girl picked at the potatoes, green beans, and roast on her plate. Harriett had given Maggie small portions since she was so young, but she hadn’t figured that Maggie would be such a picky eater. After a long debate on whether or not to give the girl a couple of cookies she’d baked, she broke down and decided to offer it right away. And so far, that was the only thing Maggie ate. Everything else was shoved from one side of the plate to the other and then mashed together.

  “She’s a picky eater,” Stan spoke up.

  Surprised since he hadn’t said much since the wedding, Harriett looked at him.

  He cleared his throat. “I have trouble getting her to eat much else but bread and biscuits.”

  “That’s all she’ll eat?”

  “Well, from time to time, she’ll eat muffins and cinnamon rolls.”

  She frowned and glanced at the girl. “But those are all bread items.”

  “I know.” After a moment, he said, “I made some bread yesterday. I can give her a couple slices.”

  As much as she hated to do it since the girl needed to eat better than that, she nodded. “That might be best. At least for tonight. But,” she touched the girl’s arm to get her attention, “I need you to try more foods. You need your fruits and vegetables to grow up big and strong.”

  The girl didn’t nod or shake her head. She just stared at Harriett as if she couldn’t figure out what she thought of her. Harriett offered a smile, but Maggie turned her attention to Stan and accepted the two slices of bread he handed her.

  Well, it would take the girl time before she got used to her. Harriett was new, and that meant the girl didn’t know what to think of her yet. Harriett smiled at her again then finished her meal. Afterwards, she washed the dishes, and Stan went out to the barn to take care of the animals, so she had the house to herself for the moment.

  Since Maggie was content to buzz around the kitchen, Harriett allowed her gaze to go to the window while she washed the plates. Through the open barn door, she caught glimpses of Stan as he pitched fresh hay into the troughs. She wished he didn’t have the power to make her feel so weak. She thought when she married him, she would have better control over her emotions. But it took all her strength to remain calm during the wedding and meal.

  She had requested a very private affair for that reason. She didn’t want to encourage any schoolgirl fantasies. But like it or not, her pulse raced whenever he was around, and when he was in the same room, she found it hard to focus on anything except him.

  “I can’t believe I was naïve enough to believe this was going to work,” she whispered, a tear falling down her cheek.

  She quickly wiped it away. She would make it work. She had to make it work. She’d already committed herself to him—to Maggie. Yes. This was about Maggie. She did this to be the girl’s mother, not to be his wife even if it was the same result. How she hoped that, in time, she wouldn’t be so vulnerable.

  She rinsed a dish and set it on the rack, forcing her gaze on Maggie instead of Stan. Maggie was humming and standing on a chair. “Are you trying to get taller?” she asked.

  The girl stared at her for a moment as if she hadn’t considered it but then nodded. “Tall like you.”

  Harriett chuckled. “I won’t ask what you were really doing. But yes, you’re almost as tall as me when you stand on the chair. Be careful, though. You don’t want to fall off and hurt yourself.”

  The girl played quietly for a couple minutes then said, “Go to barn.”

  “Who? Me?” Harriett asked, surprised she’d want her out there.

  “Want Pa.”

  Oh, of course. That made sense. But that would require Harriett to go out there with her. Harriett couldn’t let the girl see Stan by herself. Not at her age.

  And as much as she hated to admit it, she wanted to see him, too. There wasn’t a day that went by that she didn’t want to see him. Too bad he never felt the desire to see her. She’d been cool to him, intentionally pushing him away so she wouldn’t have to be vulnerable. But she was already vulnerable anyway, wasn’t she? Like it or not, there would never come a day when she didn’t love him. The only difference was that she couldn’t avoid him anymore. Not when she was married to him.

  She finished washing the last dish and placed it on the rack to dry. “Alright. Let’s go see your pa.” The girl ran for the door, but Harriett stopped her. “Wait. I’m not ready.”

  Even if this wasn’t the kind of marriage she’d hoped she’d one day have with Stan, she wanted to look presentable. She went to the small mirror in the parlor and tucked her hair under her hat. The girl made an attempt to head on out, but she managed to keep her in long enough to put their coats on. She considered putting a pair of mittens on the girl as well, but Maggie made a third attempt for the door, and she gave up. It wasn’t that cold outside. The girl would manage without them.

  “You have to hold my hand,” Harriett insisted before the girl could dart down the porch steps.

  She held the girl’s hand and waited for the girl to stop trying to run away from her.

  Harriett shook her head. “You’re as restless as my sister Rose. She has a hard time sitting still when there’s something interesting going on.”

  As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she wished she hadn’t said them. Maybe that was what Stan liked about having Maggie around. Maybe Maggie reminded him of Rose. But as soon as the thought came to mind, she disregarded it. That was silly. He took Maggie in because she was his friend’s daughter. That was all.

  Clearing her throat, she smiled at Maggie. “I’m not trying to be mean. It’s just that you have to learn to stay with me. I don’t want to lose you.”

  When she knew Maggie wasn’t going to try to dart away from her again, she walked with the girl across the lawn. The evening sun had graced the sky with magnificent shades of pinks and yellows. The land spanned around her in all directions with cows grazing the yellow grass. Only patches of snow rested on the ground. Soon there would be no more snow left.

  It was perfect, just like she’d always hoped for when
she imagined her future. She daydreamed of coming out to visit her husband in the barn after supper. Only in those daydreams, he’d kiss and hold her. This time, however, there would be no kissing or hugging. No, not in this marriage.

  They reached the barn where Stan was pitching hay into the horses’ feeding troughs.

  “Papa,” Maggie called out in excitement. “Sugar! Sugar!”

  Harriett let go of the girl’s hand so the girl could run over to him.

  Glancing down at her, Stan smiled. “Did you want to give the horses their sugar cubes?”

  She nodded and ran for the stepstool that was near a row of hooks. She reached for a sack and took it down. Harriett couldn’t help but smile at the girl’s unbridled enthusiasm. If there was ever a person born for this kind of life, it was her.

  “She likes to give the horses their treats,” Stan said.

  Harriett turned her gaze in his direction, once again struck by how incredibly handsome he was. Clearing her throat, she forced her gaze off of his. What had she been thinking? She was just asking for trouble by coming out here.

  “She asked to come out here,” she forced out, and despite her best effort, she rushed the words out.

  “I have no doubt she did.”

  Maggie ran over to him, so Harriett dared another glance in his direction and was both relieved and disappointed to see he was no longer looking at her. Instead, he placed his rake against the trough and picked Maggie up. He carried her to one of the horses, which ignored the hay in favor of sniffing the bag.

  Harriett watched as Maggie fed the horse. The other two horses snorted in protest so he took Maggie to the other stalls and let her feed those, too. Harriett couldn’t help but smile as she watched them. The two worked well together, and it was obvious that Stan loved her as if she was his own child. It was a very endearing quality he possessed. Harriett’s smile faltered for a moment. Why couldn’t he love her? Why did he have to fancy her sister instead?

  When the horses were satisfied, he put Maggie back down. “Go put the sack on the hook.”

  Maggie hurried to obey then he took the rake and continued to gather hay for the horses. “I’m almost done,” he told Harriett.

  “Oh, you don’t have to hurry,” Harriett said. “I think Maggie will want to stay out here for a little bit longer.” Even as she spoke, Maggie was hurrying back over to him. She laughed. “There’s no doubt she’s taken a liking to you.” And who could blame her? It was hard not to want to be near him. How Rose managed it, Harriett could only guess.

  “She’s used to doing everything with me,” Stan said while Maggie watched the horses eat. “She tends to follow me all over the place.”

  “Do you mind if I take her out to see my parents tomorrow? I’d like to ask my ma for advice on getting her to eat more than bread.”

  “That would be fine.” Done with his chore, he set the rake by the wall and turned those heart-melting eyes her way. “I can keep her out here while I complete the chores for tonight. I know you didn’t bring much, but I figured you’d want to get your room set up before bedtime.”

  “My room?” she dumbly asked.

  “I assumed you didn’t want to sleep in mine,” he softly replied.

  Her face grew warm, and she found herself, once again, averting his gaze. “Of course not. We only got married for Maggie’s sake.”

  “Right.”

  She couldn’t be sure, but she thought she detected a slight note of disappointment in his voice. Pushing the notion aside, she asked, “Which room is mine?”

  “The one next to Maggie’s. There’s only three bedrooms in the house.”

  Three bedrooms. And two of those were bedrooms he had hoped his and Rose’s children would stay in. She didn’t want to think of the plans he had made when he built the house. She knew he built it with Rose in mind. But things hadn’t turned out the way he’d hoped. And now he was stuck with her instead. Just as he’d been stuck with her at the picnic the day she bid on him. It was such a stupid thing for her to do. But not nearly as stupid as marrying him. There was no doubt about it. She was a glutton for punishment. She might have set up the restriction that they would only share a marriage of convenience, but it did little to protect her from the desire to be loved by him.

  She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Well, I better put my things away. I’ll tuck Maggie in when you two return to the house.”

  Then, without waiting for him to reply, she hurried out of the barn.

  ***

  As Stan watched Harriett leave the barn, he opened his mouth to apologize, to say that he regretted the times he had rejected her in favor of her sister. But he didn’t know if that would make things better or worse, so he opted not to say anything. He wasn’t trying to hurt her, but it seemed that no matter what he did or said, he ended up hurting her all the same.

  If he had asked her to come to his room, she would have assumed it was only because he wanted a woman in his bed. If he told her she could have the room next to Maggie’s, she would assume it was because he had no interest in her that way. No matter what he did, he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He had no idea this whole thing was going to be so difficult.

  Turning to Maggie, he asked, “Are you ready to go in yet?”

  “No. Want horse,” she said.

  “It’s too late. I’ll take you out for a ride tomorrow, alright?”

  “Now.”

  “Maggie, I’m tired. It’s been a long day.” And the awkwardness of having Harriett with them didn’t help matters any. “I’ll take you out tomorrow.”

  She crossed her arms and jutted out her lower lip. Usually, he’d think the action was cute, but this evening, such wasn’t the case. It only emphasized how unruly she was. When Harriett brought her out here, the girl had been holding her hand and walking—walking!—with her.

  Every time he’d taken Maggie to the barn, she ran, and by the time he came in, she was usually climbing a stall door or trying to feed the horses. He didn’t think it was possible, but in a mere couple hours, Harriett already proved how much better she was at parenting than him.

  He motioned to Maggie to leave the barn with him, but she held her ground. Finally, he picked her up and carried her out. Maggie opened her mouth and screamed that she wanted to ride the horse tonight.

  He gritted his teeth and stopped in the yard. “Please don’t scream,” he told her. It was bad enough Harriett saw the girl running away from him in town. If he had to put up with this humiliation, too, he didn’t know if he could sleep through the night. “Your new ma is in the house. Do you want to make her sad?”

  After a moment, the girl shook her head. Relieved, he said, “Can you be good when we get in there? For her sake?”

  The girl looked at the house, at the barn, at the house, and at the barn again. He had no idea what she was debating, but whatever it’d been, it was worth it since she nodded and quieted down, brushing large tears from her eyes.

  “Thank you,” he said, relieved.

  He set her down and tried to hold her hand so she’d walk the rest of the way to the house with him, but she darted off for the front door. Oh well. She was quiet, and right now, that was probably the best he could hope for.

  Once he entered the house, he set his coat on the hook by the door and put his boots on the mat. As soon as he turned, he realized Maggie had zoomed right through the kitchen with her boots on, tracking traces of snow and dirt on the floor he’d cleaned earlier that day so Harriett wouldn’t think he was a slob.

  Despite his exhaustion, he hurried after the girl and found her in Harriett’s room, tugging on her dress. “Want horse ride,” Maggie said.

  “What?” Harriett asked, turning from her carpetbag, which was on the bed.

  “I promised her a horse ride tomorrow,” he said, hesitant to enter the room but not wanting the girl to keep tracking her dirty boots all through the house. After a quick debate, he went in and picked her up, greatly relieved when she didn’t sc
ream or cry. “She wanted to go tonight, but it’s late. I’ll put her in bed and let you finish unpacking. Oh, and don’t worry about the floors. I’ll clean those up.”

  He turned to head out of the room when she called out, “I could take her to bed right now. That way you can clean the floors right away.”

  He glanced back at her then glanced at Maggie. “I don’t want to make more work for you.”

  She offered him what seemed to be a hesitant smile. “I used to take care of my little brother and my nieces and nephews. It’s no work at all. The only thing is,” she turned her gaze to Maggie, “will she let me?”

  He didn’t see why Maggie wouldn’t but decided to ask. “Maggie, you mind if your ma tucks you in bed tonight?” Since Maggie shook her head, he let Harriett take her. “Thank you. I’ll be sure to clean up the floors so you won’t be able to tell where she was.”

  She nodded and took Maggie down the hallway.

  He watched as Harriett took her into the small bedroom. Harriett was an attractive young woman in her own right. If only he had been smart enough to figure it out sooner. At this point, he had the nagging suspicion he wised up too late. With a resigned sigh, he headed for the stairs so he could clean the floors.

  Chapter Five

  The next day after breakfast, Harriett bundled Maggie into her winter coat then tucked her hair and ears under the hat. Maggie proceeded to pull the hat off her head and threw it to the kitchen floor. With a sigh, Harriett picked it up and caught the girl before she could run out of the room.

  “It’s cold outside,” she told the girl as she placed her on the chair. “You need to wear this.”

  “Don’t wanna.” She crossed her arms and shook her head.

  “I didn’t ask if you wanted to. I’m telling you that’s what you’re going to do.”

  “Hate hats.”