The Marriage Agreement

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  “Sure, but first, I’ll take you to that friend of mine who has those fence supplies you need.”

  With a nod, Jesse put the catalogue back on the counter. It’d be nice having Joe around, even if it would be for a brief time. He just hoped Laura wouldn’t be upset with him for inviting him to stay with them for a week.

  ***

  Laura let out a gasp and ran out of the house to welcome Joe. “I didn’t think I was ever going to see you again,” she greeted as she gave him a hug.

  With a chuckle, Joe hugged her in return. “I come back and forth between here and Omaha almost every year.”

  Pulling away from him, she asked, “You do?”

  He nodded. “I’m most familiar with the wagon trail routes around here. It’s why I get sent to lead the journey out here as often as I do, but there’s talk about putting in a railroad station in Omaha. I expect things will change after that.”

  “Really?” She tucked a stray strand of blonde hair that had fallen out of her bun then crossed her arms. “How so?”

  “Well, trains can get people from place to place faster than horses can. Trains can run day and night without getting tired, and as trains get more popular, the price of tickets will come down, making travel more affordable.”

  “You think there’s going to come a day when people won’t be taking the wagon trails anymore?”

  “Yes, and it’ll probably be here sooner than we think.”

  It was hard to imagine such a day coming, but since Joe did this for a living, he knew this stuff better than she did. Noting that Jesse was putting the horses and wagon away, she turned back to Joe. “Will you be staying here?”

  “Only for a week. Is that alright?”

  “Yes, of course.” She smiled and gestured for him to join her in the house. “Come on in and make yourself at home. Do you still drink coffee?”

  “All the time. It’s the only thing that keeps me going on most days.”

  Laughing, Laura said, “I got into the habit of drinking it. I’ll get you a cup.”

  “Jesse said you two married so you could take care of Elliot,” Joe said as they went into the house.

  “Yes, I wanted to be a mother to him. I had been coming out a couple times a week to take care of him, but being a mother is much more rewarding.”

  “How old is Elliot?”

  “Eleven months. Almost twelve.”

  “Already?”

  Amused, she nodded. “I know. I can hardly believe it, either. And what’s more, he’s curious about the world.”

  “I don’t blame him. I’m the same way. It’s why I like leading the wagon trains.”

  She led him to the kitchen and motioned for him to sit while she grabbed three cups, figuring Jesse would like one when he joined them. As she poured them, she glanced over at Joe. “What will you do if trains take over your job?”

  Joe shrugged. “I hadn’t thought that far. I’ve worked on the rails, putting down the tracks. It was good work, but it doesn’t allow for a change of scenery.” He glanced around the room. “Where’s Elliot?”

  “Oh, he’s taking a nap.”

  “I should lower my voice so I don’t wake him.”

  She waved his comment aside. “It’s time he got up. I don’t like it when he sleeps too late. He’ll never go to bed early if he does that.”

  “I really hope I’m not imposing by staying here,” Joe said as she gave him his cup. “I don’t want to intrude, especially since you and Jesse are married.”

  She felt heat rise up to her face. Did he sense she was attracted to Jesse?

  The front door opened, and she fully expected Jesse to come into the kitchen. But it was Fanny who barged in instead.

  “What are you doing here?” Fanny blurted out. “Coming to take Laura out of here, I hope.”

  Laura was sure her face turned bright red. Joe’s eyes widened in surprise, and she could only guess what he was thinking. Why didn’t Fanny ever keep her mouth shut? It seemed all she ever did was embarrass people.

  “He’s visiting,” Laura said once she found her voice.

  “Yes,” Joe added, glancing at Laura, his eyebrows raised. “I’m getting ready to lead a wagon train further out west.”

  Fanny let out a humph and plopped down in the seat next to him. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to take her with you.”

  “Fanny!” Laura snapped, slamming the other two cups on the table.

  “Oh, don’t act so innocent,” Fanny shot back. “I see the way you’re eyeing Joe. You want him. You’re giving him the same smile you gave Jesse when you set out to seduce him.”

  Laura sharply inhaled. “I am not!” She glanced at Joe. “I don’t think of you that way.”

  “I know you don’t,” Joe assured her.

  Laura relaxed, but only a little.

  “It’s no secret you don’t mind other men’s wives,” Fanny said, turning to face Joe. “I remember how infatuated you were with Richard Larson’s wife.”

  Now it was Joe whose face went red. “I didn’t do anything about that.”

  Laura recalled how in love he’d been with Amanda, but he was right: he’d never done anything about it. “Fanny, it doesn’t matter what people feel. What matters is what they do.”

  Fanny let out a snort and glanced at her. “Don’t let him fool you. I overheard him telling Amanda he’d wait for her outside one of the hotels so they could run off together. He’s not as innocent as he claims.”

  Laura expected him to deny it, but he didn’t.

  Instead, he said, “That was a long time ago.”

  Laura noted the embarrassment in his expression. He hadn’t been proud of himself for doing it. It was obvious he regretted it.

  “That’s enough,” Laura told the woman. “I won’t have you treating my guest in such a way. If you can’t have the common courtesy to be nice, then you can go back to your home.”

  “See that?” Fanny gestured to Laura, her gaze going back to Joe. “That’s how I’m treated around here. I’m constantly pushed aside. Whatever happened to people respecting their elders?”

  “To get respect, you have to earn it,” Laura replied through gritted teeth.

  Fanny snorted. “That’s high and mighty talk for someone who slept with a man before marrying him.”

  “I did no such thing!”

  “Then why did you tell your father you did?”

  “Because he wouldn’t have let me stay married to Jesse any other—”

  Laura stopped as soon as she remembered Joe was still there. Why was she doing this? All the times she used to watch Jesse argue with Fanny, she had wondered why he insisted on talking to her when she provoked him. But now she understood. Fanny brought out the worst in people. And worse, there was no way of dealing with her.

  Taking a moment to regroup, Laura smoothed out her skirt and turned back to Joe. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault,” Joe softly replied, compassion in his eyes.

  She swallowed the lump in her throat, grateful he understood. Well, he probably knew how things were with Fanny, especially since she’d come out and given him a difficult time about Amanda. Fanny, it seemed, gave everyone a hard time.

  “Fanny,” Laura began, “if you can’t say anything nice, then you need to leave.”

  Fanny didn’t look the least bit pleased, but, thankfully, she rose from the chair and stormed out of the house.

  Relieved, Laura sighed. “I don’t know why I thought things would get easier with her.”

  “I remember what she was like on the trail,” Joe said then took a sip from his coffee. “She made everyone miserable. It’s sad that hasn’t changed. But,” he shifted in his chair, “I have changed. I’m not here to ask Amanda Larson to run off with me.”

  With a smile, Laura sat down. “I didn’t think you were.”

  Joe took another drink from his cup, this one longer than the one before. “Is Amanda happy?”

  Laura nodded. “Richard�
�s been good to her.”

  “I thought he’d be. I’m glad the two are together. I really am.”

  “I believe you, Joe. You don’t need to keep telling me that.”

  The door opened again, and this time Jesse was the one who entered the house. Laura released her breath. Good. It wasn’t Fanny coming back for another argument.

  “Would you like some coffee?” she asked Jesse as she rose to her feet.

  “A cup sounds good,” Jesse replied.

  He glanced between her and Joe, and she could only guess what was going through his mind. Surely, he knew there was no romantic spark between them. No, of course not. Neither she nor Joe had ever shared any kind of attraction for one another. Not any of the time on the trail, and certainly not now.

  Though Joe had accepted Amanda’s marriage, there was still the hint of longing in his tone when he talked about her. Maybe Jesse sensed she and Joe had something in common. They both wanted people they could never have. It was just that she was married to the object of her unrequited love.

  She handed Jesse his cup. “I’ll make more for supper,” she told the men, noting there wasn’t much left in the pot. “Speaking of which, I was thinking of making fried chicken and mashed potatoes.” She knew Jesse liked the meal, so she glanced at Joe to make sure it was fine with him.

  “That sounds good,” Joe told her.

  “Joe,” Jesse began, “do you mind if I talk to Laura alone for a moment?”

  “No, I don’t mind.” Joe finished his cup and handed it to her. “I’d like to sort out the fencing material. Might as well make myself useful.”

  Laura grinned at his joke but waited until he was gone before turning to Jesse. “Is everything alright?”

  “I was going to ask you the same thing,” Jesse replied. “I offered to let Joe stay out here for a week. I didn’t think to ask you first. I’m sorry. I need to remember that I have a wife, and I need to take her wishes into consideration. That is, your wishes.”

  She smiled. “I like Joe. I don’t mind it if he stays for a week. In fact, he’s welcome here whenever you want to invite him over.”

  “That won’t be often. He stayed with me for a couple weeks last year while I was building the houses.”

  “I remember.” Since he was shifting from one foot to the other, she asked, “Is there something else?”

  “Well, I thought I’d let him sleep on the couch in the parlor.”

  “That’s fine.”

  He paused, tapping his fingers on the cup. “I didn’t tell him we have the kind of marriage we do. I told him we married so Elliot could have a mother, but I didn’t go into any of the details.”

  “It’s none of his business,” she replied, not sure what kind of response he wanted. “I didn’t tell him about how things are between us, either.”

  “If he sees your bed in Elliot’s room, he might think that’s odd. It’s not something a normal married couple would do.”

  “He hasn’t been in the bedrooms to see what’s there or not there.”

  “Good. I was hoping he didn’t.” He paused then asked, “Do you mind if I put your bed in my room until he leaves? That way, if he happens to go by the rooms, he won’t think anything strange is going on?”

  Surprised he should be concerned about something so silly, she chuckled. “You know, it’s not a crime that we’re not really husband and wife.”

  “Yeah, I know, but I don’t feel like going into explaining the situation in case he asks about it. The topic would go to Elsie, and I don’t feel like bringing her up.”

  Her smile faltered. “Is it still painful for you to think about her?”

  “Sometimes. Having Joe here is great. I really could use his help with the fence, and he is a friend. But he was there when she died, and he arranged her funeral, as rushed as it was. I would have an easier time with things if the conversation didn’t have to go in that direction.”

  “I understand,” she softly replied. She should have expected Joe’s visit to bring up unwanted aspects of the past. “I’ll get Elliot up, and then you can move my bed into your room.”

  “Thank you.”

  Noting the relief on his face, she gave him another smile. This was one of those times she wanted to hug him, to let him know it was alright to be human, to open himself up to being comforted. But they didn’t have that kind of relationship. Even if they had a solid friendship, there was that gap between them. She didn’t know if he was aware of it, but she was. There was only so much she could do with him, and she would abide by the silent boundaries they had agreed to when they married.

  Chapter Fourteen

  It was with nervous excitement that Laura went to bed that evening. She had no idea what to expect, except that the beds weren’t together, signaling this marriage was going to continue as it had been. Which was exactly as it should be. There hadn’t been any expectations that more would ever come from the marriage.

  It was easier, however, to remind herself of this when it was daytime. Now that it was night, she had to go to bed, and there was no escaping how close she and Jesse would soon be. From the parlor, she heard Jesse and Joe discuss the plan for working on the fence the next day.

  Laura slipped into her bed and closed her eyes. Maybe if she pretended to be asleep, things wouldn’t be quite so awkward. She wouldn’t have to say good-night to Jesse or try to think of some other way to ease the tension. He could simply come into the room and get into his own bed. Then soon, he’d be asleep, and when morning came, she could leave the room first. After that, things would go back to normal.

  Feeling much better about this new plan, she kept her eyes shut. Even when she heard the doorknob turn, she didn’t dare open them. She heard Jesse shuffle into the room, and despite her better judgment, she dared a peek at him.

  His back was turned to her, and in the dim light coming through the window, she saw that his shoulders were slumped. Did he always come to bed this way, looking as if life had dealt him one hard blow after another? It wasn’t that he put on a brave face during the day. She could see how much sorrow had weighed him down. She just hadn’t been aware it’d taken this kind of toll on him.

  What he really needed was for someone to show him he wasn’t alone in the world, that the weight of the world didn’t have to set squarely on his shoulders. But would he welcome such comfort from her? She wasn’t Elsie.

  He removed his shirt and denims, which only left him in his undershirt and drawers. Her skin warmed. She hadn’t seen his bare legs before, but they were just as strong as his arms. She waited for him to put on nightclothes, but he only got into bed.

  She quickly shut her eyes before he noticed she’d been staring at him in the most impure manner possible. She swallowed, her heart racing as she waited for him to call her out, to let her know he knew full well that she’d been watching him the entire time. But thankfully, he didn’t.

  She was surprised he wasn’t wearing more at bedtime since she was in the room with him. She had chosen to wear a nightgown that covered her from her neck to her ankles for this very reason. This wasn’t the kind of marriage where either of them should be indiscreet. In fact, the very fact that they were in the same bedroom made a good case as to why they should both be appropriately attired.

  Unless, of course, he had no attraction to her and assumed she had no attraction to him, either. If that was the case, the lack of clothing would probably not matter. Which only reinforced the fact that she was the only one who had these feelings.

  Disappointed, she rolled onto her side so she was no longer facing him. Then she opened her eyes and stared at the wall in front of her.

  She didn’t know if she’d ever be able to sleep tonight. Even with her back turned to him, she was too aware of him. If she knew how to suppress her feelings, then this whole thing wouldn’t be so difficult.

  ***

  Somehow, she did manage to drift off to sleep. But, at some point in the night, something woke her. She rolled onto her ba
ck, trying to figure out what it was. Elliot didn’t make it a habit of waking up in the middle of the night. Maybe it was Joe. He could be getting a cup of water in the kitchen.

  In the other bed, Jesse let out a distressed cry. Shocked, she bolted to her feet and ran over to him. He was struggling to get out of his sheets, which had wrapped around his body during the course of the night.

  “Jesse?” she whispered. She sat next to him and shook his arms to help wake him from his nightmare. “Jesse?”

  His eyes flew open, and he searched the room as if he didn’t know where he was.

  “It was bad dream,” she said. “You’re safe in bed. It’s alright.”

  He finally looked at her, and she could tell a part of him was still trapped in the nightmare. She brushed back the blond strands of hair from his forehead then traced the side of his face, briefly noting the stubble along his jaw. The action was meant to soothe and comfort, but something in his eyes told her it was eliciting a different kind of response, one that caused her heart to race in excitement.

  She was quickly approaching a threshold that, once crossed, would change the way things currently were between them. And while she might welcome the change, she didn’t think he would.

  Clearing her throat, she removed her hand. “Are you feeling better now?”

  He blinked, and in the next instant, the flicker of desire was gone from his eyes. He rubbed his forehead and nodded. “I’m fine. I was dreaming.”

  “It must have been a terrible dream.”

  “It was. I haven’t had it in months.”

  She waited to see if he’d tell her what the dream was about, but since he didn’t, she decided she wouldn’t press him to find out. “Well, it’s over now.” Unsure of what to do next, she glanced around the room then lowered her gaze back to him, her face warm when she realized he was still watching her. “Do you think you can go back to sleep?”

  “I think so.” He swallowed then released his breath. “Maybe.”