“Different coming in here without pails of milk and baskets of eggs,” Meg said to Suzanne.
“I can imagine, my dear,” Suzanne said as she pulled Meg over to the counter. “I’m waiting for the delivery from Archer Ranch right now, and not at all sure who’s going to bring it.”
A pang of guilt struck Meg. Who would do what had been her job for years? And she hadn’t even had the opportunity to train anyone, or tell them what to do.
“I can see what you’re thinking, Meg. Whoever they send, I’ll help them, teach them about the billing. Don’t worry.”
Meg cast a grateful look Suzanne’s way, glad that she’d read her mind.
As James and Sam approached, Suzanne said, “So, have you told him our idea?”
“I have, and he can tell you himself what he thinks.”
Sam shifted from one foot to the other, his cheeks a little pink, Meg noticed.
“Suzanne, I’m feeling pretty bad that I’ve gotten everyone I know into a bad situation. Everyone’s going to end up pretending if we do this.”
“Do what, Sam?” Meg said, confused.
Suzanne smiled at her husband and turned to Meg. “We had talked casually before you came along about the possibility of Sam telling his mother that the mercantile was his business. That way, he’d be married and have a business.”
“Oh, goodness.” Meg looked at Sam as he shuffled his feet, staring at his shoes. They’d beaten Meg and Sam, coming to the same conclusion that it might work for everyone. They hadn’t even had the opportunity to suggest it first.
“And now that you’ve come along, Meg, with your experience here at the mercantile, we are very comfortable with the idea. We trust you implicitly, and the inventory and ordering of supplies has been done for the month. It’s a good time.” James shoved his hands in his pockets, obviously pleased with his proposal as he rocked from heel to toe.
“I’m quite flattered,” Meg said. “Sam, what do you think?”
Suzanne came around the counter and put her arm through Sam’s. “I’ve heard you say a few times that you feel bad, but please don’t. We’ve offered, no strings attached. It actually sounds fun, really. Something different, anyway, and think of the celebration when we all pull it off.”
“Meg, you think we can do this?” Sam smiled gratefully at Suzanne.
“Of course, I do. In for a penny, in for a pound…and it looks like we’re all in for a pound,” Meg said and her eyes twinkled when everyone laughed.
She meant every word of it. If she was going to make this work out and please Sam and his mother, she was going to do whatever it took to make it happen. And the mercantile was the best of their available options…actually, as far as she knew, it was their only option.
“Good, then. It’s settled.” Suzanne walked Sam over to the small office behind the mercantile’s main room. “It won’t take long for me to show you two how to keep records, and that’s all you’ll need to do.”
“You…you aren’t staying with us?” Sam had turned an odd shade of pale.
“The store will be closed on Sunday, the first day she arrives,” Suzanne said, glancing at James. “And on Monday, we can be close by. We thought maybe Tuesday and Wednesday we’d take the girls up to Tucson for a last little vacation before school begins the following Monday. The back to school fair is this Saturday and we’ve decided to close up as so many will be at the fair. Can you believe it’s time for school to start again? Time has flown by.”
James leaned against the doorway to the small office, his tall frame filling it. “So that would leave you alone for only two days. I believe you said she’s only staying a week, Sam?”
“Yes, that’s right. That’s what she said. So if we can all just survive for a week, I suppose that won’t be too bad.”
“There, Sam, see? It’s all going to work out perfectly.” Sam turned to Meg, not appearing to be convinced at all that it would work out—perfectly or otherwise.
“Thank you, James and Suzanne. I am truly grateful and will find a way to repay your kindness sometime.”
“Think nothing of it.” James clapped Sam on the back as he led him out into the main room. “If you two have some time now, I can show you around the store and Suzanne can go over the books with Meg. It seems to be pretty quiet today.”
“That’s a fine idea, James.” Suzanne moved a chair over to the desk and motioned for Meg to sit down. “Just for a couple of hours.”
“Are you sure?” Meg whispered to Suzanne once the men were out of earshot.
“I am, truly. James and I always like to help, and as I said, I trust you. You could run the store on your own, if needed, you’ve been coming here for so long. What I don’t quite understand, and no one’s been willing to ask, is why it matters so much that he not disappoint his mother. He’s never struck me as someone who’d worry too much about that. He’s always been confident, his own man.”
Meg peered through the doorway at Sam, who was paying rapt attention to James’s explanation of the small boxes of hardware.
She turned back to Suzanne and patted her pockets, feeling the paper that might hold some answers to that question. Or at least an inkling.
“I don’t know yet, but trust me. If there’s a way to find out, I will.”
Meg’s smile faded as Suzanne stood and looked past her, over her shoulder and her eyes grew wide. “Meg, I don’t know how to tell you this…”
Suzanne’s voice trailed off, and Meg’s heart thudded in her chest as she turned around and looked straight into the eyes of her father.
Chapter 15
Meg had been completely positive that she was making the right decision when she wrote to Sam, so her reaction now was disconcerting to her. Her palms began to sweat and her heart just wouldn’t go back to a normal rhythm.
“Hello, Nutmeg,” her father said. He’d taken off his hat and held it in front of his chest, his dark hair with gray at his temples combed neatly.
“Hello, Papa,” she said, encouraged that his tone was calm and that she saw no fire in his eyes—at the moment, anyway.
“Good afternoon, Suzanne.” Beau nodded to Suzanne, who smiled in return, but kept glancing at Sam and James across the room.
Beau followed her eyes. “Ah, I see your…Mr. Allen is here.”
Sam looked up from the array of hardware James was describing and his eyes moved from Meg to Suzanne and rested on Beau. Meg felt a sense of relief as he excused himself from James and came to her side. She knew her father had a huge heart and was just big and blustery when things confused him, but she was glad she wouldn’t have to face it alone.
“Hello, Sam.” He held out his hand for Sam to shake. Sam took a quick look at Meg and reached out, giving his new father-in-law’s hand a hearty shake.
Meg felt a little spark of hope in her chest and she smiled. “Papa, what brings you here?”
“Oh, I saw Sam’s buggy outside and was hoping that you were here. Haven’t talked to you since the…well, since yesterday. Seems like it’s been much longer. I’ve missed you. We’ve all missed you.”
“Oh, Papa, I—”
Beau held up his hand, quieting her. “Please, Nutmeg, I really came just to speak with you for a moment. Sam, might it be all right if I take my daughter next door to the Occidental? Maybe for a cup of tea?”
“You don’t need to ask my permiss—” Sam started, but Beau cut him off as well.
“It would be proper, as you’re her husband.”
Sam appeared incredibly uncomfortable and turned to Meg for an answer to that question. She smiled and turned back to her father.
“I would be happy to join you,” she said, and Suzanne let out a whoosh of breath from behind her.
“We won’t be long,” Beau said as he held out his arm and escorted Meg out the door.
Meg took a quick look back before the door closed, and smiled as she saw James, Suzanne and Sam all in a row, their mouths open and eyes wide.
Neither spoke wh
ile they entered the Occidental, Sadie equally as surprised to see them together as her twin sister had been if the look on her face was any sign.
She looked questioningly at Meg as she followed Beau to his regular table, and Meg shrugged. Anybody’s guess would be as good as hers as to what was going to happen next, but she followed along, actually a bit anxious to find out what he was going to say, knowing it would have great impact on her future. Would she be able to see her sisters? How upset was he, really?
After her father had pulled out her chair and scooted her in, he sat down across from her and laid his hat on the chair next to him.
“What can I get for you two,” Sadie said, and Meg could tell she was trying to sound light and cheerful, belying her furrowed brow.
“Meg?” her father said as he placed his napkin in his lap.
“I’ll just have tea, Sadie, and a piece of your delicious berry pie, if you have any. Papa, would you share it with me?”
Beau smiled and nodded. “That’s an offer I can’t refuse. And tea for me, too, please.”
Meg watched Sadie retreat to the kitchen behind Beau, and covered her smile with her hand as she saw Sadie hold up crossed fingers before she went into the kitchen.
Beau let out a sigh. “I suppose you wonder why I’ve asked you here.”
“I have been a little curious, yes.” She rested her hands in her lap, inwardly smiling at his obvious discomfort.
“Well, I’ve had some time to think about all of this. Actually, I’ve had some help thinking about it, too. Everyone in the house seems to think I’ve lost my mind. I haven’t heard the end of it. Even Maria thinks so.”
Meg smiled at the thought of their long-time housekeeper shaking her finger at her father and rattling off both Spanish and English. If anybody could get through to her father since Meg’s mother had died, it would be Maria.
“Oh? And what do they think?”
He cleared his throat and took a sip of water. “Well, they all seem to think that this is exactly what you want, and that I should ask you myself.”
“It is, Papa. It’s what I’ve wanted for a long time,” Meg said, her hands in her lap and her gaze steady on her father.
Their eyes met, and Meg held fast, refusing to look away. This was her life, hers and Sam’s, and she hoped to help her father understand that.
“So I’ve been told. More than once.”
“And you’d like to hear it one more time? From me?” Meg said.
“Yes, Meg. I need to hear from you why you wanted to leave our home. I thought you were happy. I know I haven’t been quite myself since your mother died, but I thought we all were doing all right.”
“Oh, Papa, is that what you’ve been thinking,” she said as a lump formed in her throat. It hadn’t even occurred to her that he might take her decision personally. “I love my family, and I miss you all, too.”
“Then why?” He reached across the table and took her hand in his.
Meg’s stomach dropped at his gesture. She hadn’t practiced for this, not even in her daydreams. “Nobody seemed to notice, but I’ve been in love with Sam for a long time. And when he advertised for a bride, I figured it was my only chance, as you forbid me from seeing suitors.”
He sat back in his chair, his surprise evident. “I did this?”
“No, not exactly. Well, maybe. Oh, I don’t know.” She laughed as she knew she wasn’t making any sense, and relief washed over her as he laughed, as well.
He held both his palms up at her. “Fair enough. I agree that I was…less than open to discussion about you having suitors. I have to admit, it was a big surprise.”
“A surprise? Papa, I’ve been of age for years.”
“Nutmeg, I think that I’ve lost the years since your mama died.”
A flash of her mother’s beautiful smile swept by her eyes as her father twisted his wedding ring on his finger, a habit she knew was provoked by her mother’s memory. As tears prickled behind her eyelids, she said, “I feel the same way, Papa, but it’s time.”
“I swear, last weekend you were outside playing in the mud with Hank and your sisters. At least I still think of you that way.
Meg’s heart tugged at the sadness in her father’s eyes. “I understand, Papa, but life has gone on. I’ve grown up. And I love Sam. He’s a good man, and I’m happy.”
Beau sighed. “I have to admit, as he’s been Hank’s friend for so long, I can vouch for that part. He definitely is a good man. And if this is what you want…”
“Oh, Papa. Thank you,” Meg exclaimed, just as Sadie delivered their pie and tea. She looked up and Sadie winked at her, likely having heard the last part of their conversation.
Beau smiled as Sadie returned to the kitchen. “Can you explain to me why he’s done this? I don’t understand why he needed a bride. I suppose I hadn’t been paying attention to that, either.”
“No, it appears you weren’t, as usual. If it didn’t involve the ranch—”
He held his hands up again in surrender. “I understand. But I am sorry, so can you fill me in now?”
Meg told him what she knew—that Sam’s mother believed he had a wife and a business, and he, for some reason, didn’t want to disappoint her and tell her the truth. And that the only way he could keep her happy was to get married. She also explained the plan they’d made about pretending to own the mercantile.
“Woo-wee, you two are going to have a big challenge there,” he said and whistled.
“It does seem like it could be tough to do, but we’ve been studying about each other, to make sure it seems like we’ve been married for a long time.”
“So, Hank tells me this isn’t a ‘real’ marriage…I mean…”
Meg felt heat rise in her cheeks. “My private life is—”
“I guess I just meant…well…might you come home afterward? After she leaves?”
Meg’s brows scrunched together. That thought hadn’t even occurred to her. She intended to be Sam’s wife, with him eventually realizing that they were perfect for each other and have a family.
“No, that is not a possibility,” she said, sitting up straighter in her chair as she finished the last bite of the berry pie.
Her father smiled, set his fork down and signaled to Sadie for the check. “All right, young lady. I won’t get in your way.” Beau paid the bill and held out his arm once again for Meg and they walked back over to the mercantile.
The tension in the room eased as Meg closed the door behind her, her father needing to head to an appointment.
Sam walked to her side, his curiosity plain to see. “Well?” he asked. “How did it go?”
“It appears that we don’t have an enemy, but not exactly a supporter, either. Not yet, anyway, but he isn’t going to argue.”
Sam wiped the sweat off his forehead with his handkerchief. Meg’s stomach clenched at his concern, and she was again convinced that this was the best idea she’d ever had. If, she thought, they could actually fool his mother.
Chapter 16
As Meg pulled herself up into the buggy, she thought her nerves might just jangle her to bits and as Sam untied the reins from the post, she knew he couldn’t have gotten much more sleep than she had.
How had this day come so fast? Mrs. Allen’s stagecoach was due in less than an hour, and although she and Sam had practiced many times—he’d called her a taskmaster at one point, although he was laughing at the time—they still didn’t know all that much about each other.
It had taken time for her to familiarize herself with the house, for one thing. She knew it wouldn’t do for her to fumble for things if her new mother-in-law needed something, or heaven forbid wanted to help her cook. What if she hadn’t known where the potatoes were? Or the flour? Or the pots? So after her first tour, she’d spent extra time just searching through cupboards and drawers so she’d at least have some idea of the contents of what was supposed to be her house.
As the buggy bounced toward the train station in the rutte
d dirt road, she hoped it would make a difference. She very much wanted this to be a success, and although she hadn’t made any inroads as to why it was so important, she had found out that Sam had a brother—a very successful brother who was a doctor—and had an inkling that that piece of information might have something to do with this ruse.
Sam held the reins tightly and stared straight ahead, his lips a thin line. They had a bit of a drive ahead of them, so she pulled out the paper with her questions and answers on it and said, “Could you go for another round?” She waved the paper in his direction as he turned and groaned.
“I don’t think I can do another one. I don’t mean that it isn’t interesting,” he said quickly, turning to catch her eye.
Meg laughed. “Interesting isn’t the purpose right now, I’m afraid. Let’s just do a few more.”
“All right, shoot,” Sam said. He held the reins in one hand for a moment and rubbed his eyes. “I’m sure I know everything by now.”
“Oh, I don’t think so. Let’s try this one. What is my favorite color? That’s easy.”
“Red?”
She tapped his arm playfully and said, “Sam. You know that one. What color was my wedding dress?”
“Oh, purple.” He rubbed the back of his neck and turned to Meg. “Maybe I’m just nervous. I did know that one.”
She looked at the list again. With Sam’s mother arriving shortly, it probably was too late to learn anything new, and they’d practiced as much as they could. She slowly folded up the paper and returned it to her pocket, hoping for the best.
“We’ve been so busy I haven’t really gotten a chance to hear much about your mother. That would be helpful, too.”
Sam pushed his hat back on his head. “Hm, what to say about Mother.”
Meg waited patiently. It wouldn’t do to push him. If he’d wanted to tell her much more than he had, he would have already. But now, when meeting his mother and beginning their charade was imminent, it was worth asking one more time.
“You know that I have a brother and that he’s a doctor.”
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