A Bride for Gavin

by Lynn Donovan

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Introduction

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Appreciation

  Newsletter and a Free Gift for You

  Humble Request

  Copyright

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are all products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, organizations, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.

  The book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. All rights are reserved with the exceptions of quotes used in reviews. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage system without express written permission from the author.

  Proxy Bride Series

  ©2020 Lynn Donovan

  Cover Design by Virginia McKevitt

  Editing by Cyndi Rule

  Beta Reader: Amy Petrowich

  More about this series can be found on Amazon.

  Introduction

  Teaching was Emma Grace Humphries’s passion, and she willingly devoted her whole life to it. Then in one afternoon she is out; replaced by a man and given twenty-four hours to leave her classroom and her home. With no family or friends, she turns to a matchmaker who agrees to put her up until a husband can be found.

  Gavin Sallee’s parents died, their last words were to take care of his two younger siblings. Desperate to keep his family farm and his siblings together, he turns to a matchmaker for a bride. The only option seems to be a proxy bride from Ohio who is also in a desperate situation. So, he signs the marriage certificate and sends for his new wife.

  Emma Grace has no idea what she’s getting herself into but signs the marriage certificate and leaves for Kansas. Can Emma and Gavin make their marriage work for them? With the farm on the line, secrets revealed, and Emma’s life in jeopardy, will Gavin and Emma open themselves to a real marriage?

  Find out if Emma Grace is the right Bride for Gavin.

  Chapter One

  Seward, Kansas - 1868

  Steam filled the train depot platform, engulfing the people in the familiar white fog. Emma Grace Sallee stared out the small window next to her seat, trying to find her husband. She had no idea what he looked like. Hopefully, he would have a sign with her name written on it. If not, she would just look for a man who was looking for his wife whom he’d never met, either. They didn’t even exchange photographs. All she had was a marriage certificate with his signature: Gavin Garret Sallee. She wasn’t even sure how to pronounce his last name.

  He had nice handwriting, though. If she had graded the certificate for penmanship, he’d have received an A+ from her. But of course, this was not a writing assignment nor he one of her students. This was the man she married before leaving Franklin, Ohio. He was younger than her by about four years. At twenty-four and desperate, those four years was the least of her worries.

  The certificate in her borrowed carpet bag served as proof she was married so no one would question why she traveled to Kansas without a chaperone. There had been no ceremony, no flowers, no pretty dress, and no music. It was her last and only hope for a decent life. Since she had been released from her teaching job so that a male teacher could take her place, she had few options. Diligent attempts to apply for another teaching position proved futile when the school board to which she applied discovered she had been released. No matter what she told them, or how she spun the circumstance of her dismissal, it was assumed she had done something unbecoming of a lady to get herself released.

  Quite the opposite was true. She’d followed the Franklin’s school board rules to the letter. She wore demure, modest clothing, she didn’t publicly socialize, and she never accepted a gentleman’s invitation to court or even to have tea, thus remaining a single woman. It was simply her gender for which they wished to replace her once a male applicant had presented himself.

  She had no family in Franklin, no friends either, due to never socializing, and certainly no escort. It was only by the good graces of an elderly woman known as Granny Fagan who professed to be gifted with a talent from God to match couples, that Emma Grace didn’t end up trapped in the saloon doing unspeakable things to scrape out a living. If that could be called living.

  Granny Fagan, the matchmaker with whom she had overstayed her welcome, handed her the certificate, already signed by Mr. Sallee, and a letter explaining his circumstances. He was twenty years old, but Granny Fagan insisted their age difference was no problem. It was a proxy bride arrangement. Sight unseen, she married a man by signing a certificate. Done. Married.

  She bought her train ticket in the name of Mrs. Gavin Sallee, with the money Mr. Sallee had sent along with the signed certificate. That was her legal name now. The next day she boarded the train with her chin held high and utter terror in her heart.

  Next stop, Seward, Kansas. Marriage.

  A few people stood and moved toward the door of the train car. Emma Grace slowly gathered her carpet bag and reticule. She smoothed the skirt of her schoolmarm demure gown and took her time to stand. Fear, as heavy as a rain barrel, weighed her down. She swallowed, patted her hat to be sure it felt in place, and stepped out into the aisle with the other passengers. Not many were getting off at the Seward depot, but enough that she could lag behind them and be the last to exit this car.

  The line moved forward and so did she. Finally, she stood in daylight. As tired as she was from the thousand miles on the train, all she had to do now was descend these few steps and start a new life. Her eyes roved over the sparse people. Where was her husband? Should she call out his name? Gavin? She imagined herself calling and him raising his arm. I’m here!

  She wouldn’t dare call out his full name. She had no idea how to accurately pronounce it. She scanned the people. All who were there, milling about the platform, connecting with the passenger they had come to meet, paid no attention to her. Except one. A tall young man in a worn but clean suit. He stood with hopeful eyes directed straight at her. That had to be him. Gavin Garret Sallee.

  The steam dissipated around him. Two smaller heads appeared at his side. A boy and a girl. From her four-plus years teaching all ages, she would say they were first and second graders, perhaps four, or maybe five, and six years old. They held the lone gentleman’s hands. Were they his children? HER children, now that she had married him?

  He didn’t look old enough to have two school-age children already. In fact, he didn’t even look old enough to shave. Her stomach lurched. The letter requesting a proxy bride stated he was twenty! That couldn’t be him!

  She lifted her eyes to look further among the people. Perhaps her husband had been delayed. She descended the steps and looked along the train’s length for where her luggage would be off loaded. She’d go wait by it until her husband arrived. She turned and hurried down the length of the cars.

  “Emma Grace Sally!” The man with the children called. She stopped abruptly. Sally! That’s how it’s pronounced. Turning slowly, their eyes met, and the young man rushed up to her. “Are you Emma Grace Humphries… um, Sally?”

  She glared at the two at his side. They were precious, but they looked worried, scared even. Children this young should not be worried. She smiled at them like s
he did on the first day of school after summer break when the very young ones started school for the first time. “Yes. I’m Emma Grace… Sallee.” She hoped she pronounced it right. The married name did not roll off her tongue yet. If she’d known how to pronounce it, she would have been practicing on the train. Lord knew she had plenty of time for it.

  “Oh, good.” He closed the gap between them. “I’m Gavin Sallee. These are my siblings, Cole and Lily.” He chuckled. “We are sure happy to make your acquaintance.”

  Siblings? Not his children? Not her children? “Pleased to meet you as well.” She nodded. Should they shake hands? Awkwardly, she put out her gloved hand. Mr. Sallee took her proffered gesture of greeting and firmly gave it a shake. Little Cole put out his hand. Emma Grace smiled at him and shook his hand, then Lily’s.

  They were so precious, even if they were not her children. Actually, they were her brother- and sister-in-law, even though they were so young. But why would Mr. Sallee be dragging his brother and sister along with him? He didn’t mention anything about his parents passing or being incapable of caring for their younger children. His letter only mentioned he needed a wife to help him with a farm he had inherited. Inherited! Perhaps his parents had passed on.

  Why wasn’t he clear about his circumstances. She’d seen this in her classroom. The girls could write lengthy, flowery prose all day long for their writing assignments. The boys struggled to expand on details beyond straightforward, simple facts.

  “So, my trunk is down there, somewhere.” She took control of the situation. They couldn’t stand here at the depot all day. She needed to learn more about her new life and see where she was going to live. Was she needed to help raise these siblings as well as manage the farm? It certainly looked that way.

  “Yes, I brought the wagon. Oh, and here’s your wedding band.” Mr. Sallee handed her a gold band. She stared at it in his thumb and finger. He already wore a similar band. She peeled off her left glove and held her hand out flat. He put the ring on her finger. It was a little loose, but not bad. Mr. Sallee gently moved the young ones to walk that direction. She walked beside them, fidgeting with the ring that felt so foreign, until she saw the grouping of trunks and crates.

  She hurried to where the luggage stood and identified hers by the blue ribbon she had tied to the handle to make it easy to locate. “This is mine.”

  Chickens squawked in a crate. They seemed glad to be off the train, or hungry. Emma cleared her throat. Mr. Sallee turned to look at her.

  “This is mine, too.” She pointed at the crate of chickens, then squatted to open a small door on the crate and lifted a burlap bag that the chickens had pecked to pieces. It was empty. She closed the little door and stood to remove the ribbon from the trunk. Looking at the little girl, Emma offered it to her. Lily’s eyes lit up with joy as she took the ribbon and promptly placed it under her blond hair and held the two ends above her head, turning to Emma Grace for help. As Emma tied it with practiced hands, she spoke to Mr. Sallee, “Could we purchase chicken feed? I have some of the money left over from what you sent for my travel.”

  He nodded. She completed the task of tying the bow and smiled at the girl, uh, Lily. “It’s pretty. Blue’s a good color for you.”

  Mr. Sallee took hold of her trunk, pulling it behind him. He lifted the crate with his free arm. The chickens squawked and flapped. Emma smiled, but when she turned to the children, she noticed they looked uncomfortable, lost even, no longer holding Sallee’s hand. Emma pulled her other glove off, tucked them in her reticule, and reached out to the children. Lily promptly took hold. Cole looked at her proffered hand for a moment, then, reluctantly, latched on.

  They walked together to a mule and wagon. The mule sighed, making her lips vibrate. Was she anxious to get back to her stall and feed? So were Emma’s chickens. Did he have a chicken coop? Surely a farm had accommodations for three more chickens.

  Emma Grace’s husband lifted her trunk into the back of the wagon, and then the chicken crate. Next, the two little ones were lifted into the bed. He turned to Emma Grace.

  Was he going to lift her in, too? She backed away. Hoping for a chance to talk on the way home, she needed to sit at the front… with him. They were married, now, after all. His jaw muscles bulged. “Before we go any further, I have a confession.”

  Her eyes darted from him to the children in the wagon, and back to him. Oh, Lord, what was he about to say? Had he changed his mind? Would he send her back to Ohio? She couldn’t go! This was her last hope. He could not renege! She swallowed. “A… confession?”

  “Yeah.” He would not look her in the eyes. “I lied.”

  She stiffened. “About what?” These weren't his siblings? He really did have two children?

  “I’m not…” He lifted worried eyes to meet her at last. “I’m not twenty years old.”

  Terror punched her in the gut. She knew he looked younger than what the letter stated. His eyes dropped to the ground. He shuffled the toe of his boot in the dirt, then looked up. When their eyes once again met, Emma Grace felt a wave of compassion. Desperation was as evident in his chocolate brown eyes as she felt in her heart. But if she was about to find out she’d married a child, she didn’t know what she was going to do.

  “How-how old are you, Mr. Sallee?”

  “I—” He swallowed hard. “I’m seventeen.”

  “Seventeen!” She spoke too loud. Looking around, praying no one heard what she had said, she covered her mouth and forced herself to breath normally. “You are only seventeen?” she whispered.

  He quickly added. “I’ll be eighteen Thursday.”

  “Oh. My. Gawd!” She uttered without thinking. Her throat went bone dry, and she could feel the blood drain from her head. She staggered, bumping against the wagon. Mr. Sallee reached out to steady her.

  “Are you all right?” Gavin examined her as if he didn’t understand her outburst.

  “No! I’m not alright!” She scowled at him. How dare he falsify his information. This was a disaster! She was not four years older than her husband, she was… seven years older than him, well, six. After all, his birthday was Thursday. She rolled her eyes.

  She had students his age! She had legally and forever bound herself in marriage to a boy who could have been one of her students!

  But he wasn’t.

  She tried to reassure her runaway mind. He was legal age to marry. The difference in their ages was embarrassing but not illegal. Besides, she’d signed the certificate. She was truly his wife!

  She sighed. Whatever would she do?

  She looked across the depot yard at the ticket office. Could she go back to Ohio? Have the marriage annulled?

  The train whistle blew. She gasped and nearly jumped out of her hide. The sudden jolt of fear released her tears. They rolled down her cheeks. “Oh, my good gracious, have mercy on my soul!” she muttered.

  Mr. Sallee slid his hands in his pockets and stared at the ground. He acted like one of her students who had been caught cheating. “I know this isn’t what you might have thought you were getting into, but if you’ll just hear me out. I can explain.” He lifted imploring eyes to meet hers.

  She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Her tongue was frozen in shock. She glanced at the ticket office, then back to Mr. Sallee. She had very little money left. Her savings was all spent from the year she had stayed with the matchmaker. The remains of the funds Mr. Sallee had sent was all she had left, but was it enough to buy another train ticket? And where would she go? She had no home, anywhere. No job. Nothing. This marriage to a stranger in Seward, Kansas was her last and only hope for a respectable life. Her eyes darted to the two little ones anxiously waiting in the wagon. Her heart melted by the fear on their faces.

  She swallowed hard. “You say you’ll be eighteen Thursday?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Why had he called her ma’am? She grimaced with her eyes drawn tightly closed and swallowed again. “Mr. Sallee” —slowly she opened her
eyes and looked into his— “I am… not in a position to walk away from this… arrangement.” Her mind wheeled for a solution. She had none. “I have no other choice. What you did, falsifying your age, was… was wrong.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I know.” He looked appropriately shamed.

  “Let’s get a few things straight.” She glanced around to be sure no one was gathering information for the fence-line gossip. The last thing she wanted was to start her life in Seward, Kansas under the scrutiny of the gossip mongrels. She’d had her fill of lies and deceit in Franklin and this was just one more lie imposed upon her that made her life burdened with socially unacceptable details.

  She bent one finger back, counting off her demands. “Stop calling me ma’am. I’m your wife, not your teacher.” She bent another finger. “This is a marriage of convenience, nothing more.” Another finger. “And why do you have your siblings? What happened to your parents?”

  A smile slowly curled on his mouth. “I’ll explain everything on our ride home.”

  Chapter Two

  One year earlier…

  “Son, take care of the babies.” Abigail Sallee’s death grip on Gavin’s hand relaxed and fell away to the dark yellow, sweat-soaked outline of her body on the sheet. Her words were barely more than a sigh before she slipped into fever-induced unconsciousness.

  Gavin Sallee gulped. “Doc!” He shouted even though Doctor Sylvester Savage was merely on the other side of the bed, tending to Gavin’s father, Riggins. Known to everybody as just Doc, the man rushed around the bed and eased Gavin aside, leaned over to press his ear against a wooden tube with flared bells on each end that aided him in listening to Abigail’s heart. Gavin stumbled to his feet, looked toward the hearth where his five-year-old brother and three-year old sister clung to each other.

  Their tears were dry now, but the trail was still visible on their rosy, chapped cheeks. His heart lurched. Should he hold them, the way Momma did when they were frightened?