New Beginnings Spring 20 Book Box Set

by Hope Sinclair

  Well, at least it usually allowed him to avoid interacting with other people. On this particular day, however, it didn’t.

  “Hi there, Herb,” Peter Green said, approaching his colleague. Herb nodded at him but kept his eyes on his papers.

  “My wife and I wanted to know if you’d like to come have dinner at our place tomorrow,” Peter went on, ignoring the fact that Herb was trying to ignore him. “Her sister just arrived from Maryland, and she’s a splendid gal, a real peach. We thought maybe—”

  “No thank you,” Herb interrupted, looking up from his figures. “I’m busy tomorrow evening.”

  “Busy?” Peter snorted, all but laughing. “You’ve got other plans?”

  “Yes,” Herb answered. “I’ve got chores to do that need taken care of in a timely fashion.”

  “Chores?” Peter chortled. This time he did laugh. “You’d rather do chores than meet a splendid, beautiful, unmarried woman? Surely whatever chores you have could wait until—”

  “They can’t wait,” Herb asserted. “Tell Mary I thank her for the invitation. But I’m sorry. I just can’t make it.”

  Herb forced a flat smile across his face, then looked down at his papers again. Peter sighed loudly as he turned and walked away, leaving Herb to his figures.

  Every once in a while—such as when a female relative or friend visited someone he knew, or when there was a wedding or engagement announcement—Herb’s friends and neighbors tried to match him up with a woman. They thought he needed a wife, a companion.

  But they were wrong.

  Herb didn’t need a wife or a companion. In fact, that’s the last thing he needed! Three years ago when he set out to the settlement of Golden Gorge, outside of Parks, Arizona, Herb set out with his wife and two-year-old son. But, when he arrived in Golden Gorge, he arrived there… alone. The three of them had caught a fever during their journey, and Herb was the only one who survived it.

  Yes, Herb Evans was a widower, and his friends and neighbors thought it was due time that he get on with his life and remarry. But Herb Evans didn’t think that. When his wife and son died, he was heartbroken. His life was shattered. Destroyed. It was the greatest pain he had ever experienced—and he never, ever wanted to experience it again. He did not want to remarry, for if he did, he stood the chance of losing the woman he loved, possibly more—again—and he just couldn’t bear that.

  Herb had tried explaining to his friends and neighbors that he didn’t want to remarry. He didn’t go into great detail as per why, but he told them what he thought was more than enough to convince them. But alas, they wouldn’t be swayed, and they continued to try and match him up whenever—and however—they could.

  Peter Greene was the second person to try and match Herb up this week. Just two days earlier, Mrs. Gallagher, the owner of the general store, slipped a copy of the Matrimonial Times into his order without his knowing. She didn’t charge him for it or anything. She just gave it to him for free, in the hopes that he’d look through it.

  Of course, Herb didn’t look through it. Why would he? The Matrimonial Times was a mail-order-bride periodical, and he didn’t want a bride, of any type. It was useless to him. So when he discovered it in his bag when he got home, he tossed it on the pile of other, more legitimate newspapers he had stacked by the door to dispose of it.

  But when Herb got home from work on this particular evening, he found himself drawn to the pile of newspapers. He had an idea. He knew his friends and neighbors weren’t going to stop trying to match him up with a woman, so he decided to find a woman on his own… through the Matrimonial Times.

  Herb pulled the mail-order-bride periodical from the pile of refuse newspapers and took it over to his kitchen table. He sat down and started looking through it. Mainly, he wanted to get a feel for how the advertisements were written, since he intended to write one of his own. There was something very specific that he wanted, and he was sure he’d have to place an ad to find it, since surely no woman out there would be looking for the same—

  As Herb was skimming the advertisements, his eyes passed over one that caught, and held, his attention and nearly made his heart stop.

  Career woman of 25 seeks businessman for unique marriage arrangement, the ad read. I am not looking for romance or intimacy and, as such, have no desire in starting a family. Instead, I seek a business partner and companion, a man well versed in numbers, accounting, and keeping schedules to help me manage my career and share in my profit. My husband-to-be must move to me, in Carson City, Nevada, and would be thoroughly investigated in the course of our communications.

  Of all the advertisements Herb had skimmed, this one was the most specific, and the most surprising. It was exactly what he wanted, what he never thought he’d find already within the newspaper’s pages. Were he to pen an ad, he would have penned it seeking a woman who wanted a superficial marriage, one that wasn’t based on love, but on the need, for whatever reason, to have a spouse.

  The only thing that Herb found issue with in the ad was the woman’s indication that her husband-to-be would have to move to Nevada. At first, he didn’t like the idea of moving away from Golden Gorge, but the more he thought about it, he decided it wouldn’t be such a bad idea. Sure, he had friends and neighbors here and had a good job, but at night, he went home to an empty house and was reminded of how that house was supposed to be filled with the voices and laughter of his wife, son, and whatever other children they would have had. It wouldn’t be so bad to get away from here, he told himself.

  And with that in mind, he went into his living room to fetch a pen and paper.

  FIVE

  After careful consideration, Sally had decided that the best way to protect herself from what men could do to her was to get a man to protect her. Sure, a man could physically defend her if need be. But that wasn’t the type of protection she was after. She wanted to protect herself to the point that things never even got that far. She wanted to deter men away at the outset—and the best way to do that was to have a husband. That way, if everyone knew she was married, men would no longer approach her (or at least not as many men), let alone get the better of her.

  The more Sally thought about it, she realized that she wanted a businesslike marriage, one that wasn’t two people in love, but rather two people working together. And that’s when she came up with the idea to seek out a businessman to marry. He could use his business knowledge to manage her career, and he could be paid for it out of her profits.

  Now this was a pretty tall order to fill, and it was very… specific. Sally knew the only way to fill it was by placing an advertisement in a mail-order-bride periodical. Hunting out such a thing in Carson City’s social circles was far too complicated, and it was too likely that she’d end up with another scoundrel. She had to broaden her search and make her intentions crystal clear at the outset, and to do so, she placed her advertisement in the Matrimonial Times.

  Sally received several replies to her advertisement. A few of them were easy to dismiss. The poor grammar and sentence structure of four of the letters clearly indicated that they were not written by an educated man. It was fine by Sally if a man chose not to get an education, but the ad she’d placed specifically asked for a businessman, which meant these men weren’t what she was after, and they weren’t trustworthy in any event, since they’d responded in contradiction to her specifications.

  Of the remaining letters she received, one in particular stood out to Sally. It was written by a Herb Evans of Golden Gorge, outside of Parks, Arizona. In it, he explained that he was a widower who had lost his wife and son during his journey to Golden Gorge, where he was to start a career as a bank manager. He said he was very well versed in all the skills she demanded and then some, and that he wasn’t interested in romance either.

  The day after receiving Herb’s letter, Sally replied with one of her own. And she hired a private investigator to look into Herb’s background. She didn’t want to betroth herself to a swindler.


  Over the next few months, Sally and Herb continued to communicate via letters, and the investigator discovered what information he could on his target. He was able to verify everything Herb had said about himself, and he even provided Sally with a photograph of Herb, one that was featured in the Parks newspaper when his bank was recognized with some honor or another.

  Sally was pleased with everything the investigator turned up. She felt bad for Herb for all he’d been through, but was impressed by his credentials, as well as his appearance. He was a very sensible looking man—not too big and brawny, but nicely built and with a powerful presence. He had a handsome face with soft features. Indeed, he looked like the type of man a woman like Sally would marry. So… since everything seemed to be in order, she sent him a final letter to make arrangements for him to come to Carson City.

  Herb was no stranger to travel, and after closing things out in Golden Gorge, he made his way to Carson City to go through with this arrangement. He’d learned a lot more about it over the past few months, and he was confident he’d made the right decision. This wasn’t just his way of getting his friends off his back, this was his way of starting a new life. Love wasn’t going to be a part of that new life—he didn’t want to set himself up for any more suffering—but maybe happiness and freedom could be. He had to admit, it sure would be nice to have a companion in life, a friend, and he couldn’t help but hope that being in a new place would help him get over some of the heartache he still felt, as there’d be less reminders.

  When Herb arrived in Carson City, Sally and Mrs. Sugar were there to meet him at the train station. Sally recognized him immediately from his picture, and he was a bit surprised when he saw her. Because of the businesslike nature of their arrangement, he hadn’t imagined what she would look like—and she hadn’t provided him with a photograph of herself, or very much personal information, for that matter—and he certainly hadn’t imagined that she’d be so lovely. One of the things she hadn’t told him was why she wanted such a marriage. But from the looks of her, Herb could tell it definitely wasn’t because she was unable to find a spouse based on her appearance.

  But no bother. Herb had seen many lovely women back in Golden Gorge, and his friends had tried to match him up with women who were just as pretty. Her looks might have pleased his eyes, but he wasn’t going to let them affect his heart or his thinking.

  “Hello, Mr. Evans,” Sally said. Her voice sounded soft and sweet.

  “Greetings, Miss Sugar,” Herb replied. He tipped his head at her, then at Mrs. Sugar.

  “If you’re ready, we can go back to our homestead now,” Sally went on. “We have supper waiting, and your room is ready. You can rest up today and tomorrow, then on Saturday, we’ll be married after the evening service.”

  Herb had just stepped off of the train, and Sally was ushering him straight into business. He was pleased by this, but also a bit shocked.

  “That sounds good to me,” Herb replied. “I’d very much like a warm meal, warm clothes, and warm bed after my travels.”

  Sally smiled and nodded. Herb was expecting more of a response from her—perhaps a giggle—and he was a little let down that he didn’t get it. There may not have been any room for love in their marriage, but he’d at least expected there to be room for laughter.

  Herb followed Sally and Mrs. Sugar to their carriage, and he hopped on for the hour-long ride back to their homestead. He spent most of the time talking to Mrs. Sugar, who asked him rather mundane things, such as, “How was your journey?” and “Have you ever been through Nevada before?”

  Once they were finally back at the homestead, Herb went to his room to get settled in a bit, while Sally and Mrs. Sugar went off to the kitchen to ready supper.

  “You sure picked a handsome man for this crazy arrangement of yours,” Mrs. Sugar said as she and Sally collected the plates and utensils for the meal.

  “Hush now, Mother!” Sally hissed. “He might hear you.” For someone who no longer blushed in her career, Sally’s face was as red as a beet at this moment.

  “I’m just pointing out what is obvious,” Mrs. Sugar came back.

  “Well, there’s no need to do that,” Sally retorted. “Yes, Herb is a good-looking man, which makes my commitment to him all the more believable to any man who’d try to come after me.”

  Mrs. Sugar raised her eyebrows and took a deep breath. Clearly she was aware of the advertisement her daughter had placed, and of the unconventional relationship she was after—and of course she didn’t necessarily approve of it. But she was a woman of strong faith, both in her daughter and in her Heavenly Father, and she believed that what was meant to happen would happen in the end, whatever that was.

  “If you say so, dear,” Mrs. Sugar sighed. She handed Sally a loaf of bread. “Now go put this on the table.”

  SIX

  “I’ve put my financial records, schedule, and other business information in the back room, the one across from your bedroom. I figure you can use it as an office, and that entire section of the house—including the water closet—can be yours,” Sally explained.

  As far as dinner conversation went, this wasn’t necessarily the most exciting. But no less, it was very informative.

  “Whenever I must travel, you’ll be expected to travel with me,” Sally continued. “I’ll need you there to manage me and stand as my husband, to remind people that I’m married.”

  It had been years since Herb had enjoyed a meal of this nature. He was never good at cooking, and he’d eaten mostly thin, bland soups since his wife and son died. But this meal was a hearty one, and it had more flavor to it than anything he’d ever had in a restaurant. It took everything he had in him to pay attention to Sally over the satisfaction he was feeling.

  “Thirty percent of what I make will be yours,” Sally further explained. “And all of your expenses will be paid. Naturally, you’ll be expected to act as a Christian husband would, as far as other people are concerned, which means… you won’t… you can’t… you shouldn’t…”

  “Don’t worry,” Herb interjected, swallowing hard. He was able to sense what she was getting at. “I won’t take up with other women.”

  “Thank you,” Sally replied.

  “I’d be a fool to,” Herb added with a chuckle. “Such a thing would give away the nature of our marriage for sure. What man that ever truly had your heart would step out on you?”

  As soon as he said that, Herb felt his face get very warm. He bowed his head and looked away from Sally. He couldn’t believe that he’d said what he’d just said, and he felt a little vulnerable for saying it. But when he looked over at her again and saw that her face was red as well, he felt a little more at ease… and a lot more intrigued.

  As Mrs. Sugar looked on at the pair, she, too, felt intrigued, and she felt a satisfaction even stronger than the one Herb felt in his stomach. There’s hope yet, she assured herself. As businesslike as Sally had acted, something personal had nonetheless taken root between them. It was obvious, it was happening right then, at this very moment—and Mrs. Sugar couldn’t help but wonder how it would grow and blossom.

  But Mrs. Sugar wasn’t the only one who could sense that something personal was there. Sally and Herb could both sense it too, and neither one of them welcomed it. This was a business arrangement, there was no room for feelings. So that’s why, once dinner was through, Herb had no problem saying that he was tired and wanted to go to sleep, and Sally had no problem telling him goodnight and going on her way, back to her room to work on her stories.

  The next day, Sally and Herb went on to try and avoid each other. They both were quite committed to ensuring that things remain businesslike and were doing their best to establish boundaries. But every time they got together—for meals, to discuss their wedding, or to go over the rules of their arrangement or business—that personal thing that had taken root between them continued to grow and get bigger. Neither of them wanted to admit it, but they both started to question whether things could
, in fact, go as planned. Mrs. Sugar also questioned that, which made her feel as though her prayers were being answered.

  Regardless of what was thought or wondered, Sally Sugar and Herb Evans were indeed married on Saturday evening following regular service, as planned. The ceremony was very unceremonious. But at least it wasn’t entirely dishonest. When taking their vows, Sally and Herb were sincere when they said they promised to “love” each other. They may not have meant to promise each other romantic love, but no doubt, they could easily agree to share a friendly, Christian love with each other, the kind of love one has for a friend, for his brothers and sisters in God’s Congregation.

  Yes, this friendly, Christian love is what they vowed to each other. But within just a few days of saying, “I do,” both Sally and Herb Evans started to feel the kind of love actually intended by the vows they had taken. And now that they were married and working together as business partners, it became extremely difficult for them to avoid each other as they’d done in the two days prior to their wedding. The very nature of their partnership necessitated them being together, and being together often—and being together often made that personal thing between them blossom.

  Still, they both had very compelling reasons not to admit what they were feeling, and the both managed to convince themselves that they could actually pull this sham off without getting invested. They continued to pretend their marriage was nothing more than business—though business couldn’t explain why each was kept up at night by thoughts of the other, or why they both woke up eager each morning. Those things were because of the feelings they had for each other, which became impossible to avoid when Herb accompanied Sally to her storytelling one evening.

  On this particular evening, she had chosen to tell a story she hadn’t told in a long while.