The Widowed Bride (Mail-Order Bride Book 7)

by Stella Clark

  The woman nodded, her face breaking out into a hopeful smile. “Oh, I shall. In fact, you and your husband must join us next Sunday for supper.”

  Before Jake could escape the church with his wife, she wound up getting them invited to Sunday meals for the next two months. How had this happened? Some were friends, some were acquaintances, and some had tried not to speak with him even when they made their purchases. He had a feeling that things were changing. And who knew? Maybe it could be good.

  Soon enough, they headed home. Jake stepped inside the house and considered some housework but found everything tidied. So he went to the garden, finding only a little weeding was necessary. After that, he studied the scriptures at the table until supper was served.

  Jake glanced up from the delicious potatoes, finally realizing there was silence. Virginia was moving the food around her plate listlessly. He furrowed his brow. Usually she found stories to regale the two of them during supper. Now, he heard the wind rustling the curtains.

  “You’re quiet,” he pointed out. “Don’t you have any stories you’d like to share? We talked to plenty of folk today.”

  “Hm? Oh.” She tried to bring a smile to her face. “I apologize. I don’t think I feel well. The dishes are washed. Could you please cover the pan when you’re done? I think I’m going to retire for the evening.”

  Surprised, he didn’t know what to say and watched as she pushed her chair back. Her movements were slow and deliberate as she pushed her food back into the pan untouched and set her utensils down in the sink before disappearing into the room.

  When he went to join her later, Jake paused to listen, wondering if she was growing ill.

  She breathed deeply in the bed, already asleep. The woman was curled up, facing the wall. In the candlelight, he found her curls hiding her face from him. He hesitated. Tension gripped his insides, but he didn’t know why. Was something wrong or was he being paranoid?

  He blew out the candle. He could think about that in the morning.

  Chapter Eleven

  Their first week was focused on adjusting to live around one another. Their second week was spent learning how to adjust to the constant company, and the next two weeks were spent in creating a rhythm. Virginia woke early in the mornings to prepare breakfast, and Jake worked in his garden. Then they headed to the shop, organizing and selling goods. In the evenings, he’d run the final numbers while she took home anything they could no longer sell to have supper ready by the time he went home.

  After supper was cleared, Jake turned his scripture study into reading lessons with her. Neither of them was quite certain how that came about. She was struggling with some words, and he decided he was comfortable enough to spend more time together. Before they knew it, it was something that they both looked forward to during the days.

  “Cor—corun—oh, is it Corinthians?”

  He grinned at her when she offered a sweet smile that she usually reserved for customers. “You’re guessing, aren’t you?”

  “Everyone knows there is a First and Second Corinthians in the Bible,” she pointed out.

  Jake narrowed his gaze. “Are you certain it’s not Chronicles?”

  That made her hesitate, her brow furrowing. Virginia bit her lip and turned back to the page, trailing a finger across each letter. “C-O-R … That’s Cor, isn’t it? Not the ‘ch’ sound. That has an H,” she pointed out before offering a winning smile. “I’m certain. It’s Corinthians.”

  “All right,” he put up his hands in surrender with a smile. “I believe you. Set the bookmarker in and we’ll start there tomorrow.”

  Still smiling, Virginia obeyed and closed the book, looking at it carefully. She traced the faded gold letters, proud to finally being able to read passages herself. It changed the way one saw the world once they could read everything in it. While it was a struggle, she could do much more now than she could before. “Tomorrow, then.”

  It triggered a yawn in Jake. Leaning back, he stretched his long arms out. “Ah! Yes, I think I’m ready for tomorrow. It’s been a long day. And there’s yet more to do tomorrow. I’ll need to stop by the stables again, and perhaps the bakery before it closes.”

  Hurriedly, she stood to match him. But her eyes skirted the evening sky, sparkling through the windows. There had been something she had thought about the other day. Virginia had been looking for opportunities where they might try something different. Where maybe he might consider her in a different light. “Indeed. Although, I thought I might watch the stars for a while. Just on the porch. Would you like to join me?”

  Jake appeared to consider it and that raised the hope inside her heart. “No, I’d best turn in. And you should as well. Soon.”

  “I only thought,” she swallowed hard, “it might be nice to sit. Do something new, and just … talk. We haven’t really had a chance to do that. There’s just so much to do at the store.”

  The hope faded when she saw the look on his face. Immediately Virginia realized she had gone too far. “Yes, the store,” Jake nodded carefully. “That’s what we need to concentrate on. While we’ve found a way to live with one another, I shouldn’t have to remind you what this is really about.”

  A chill seeped in under her bones. She clutched the book tighter to her chest as she tried to erase the unease with a smile. “Right. Of course, no, I—I know. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean …” Heat drenched her face as Virginia turned away, too abashed to continue coming up with excuses.

  He wasn’t interested in them, anyway. Jake blew out a loud breath and marched towards the bedroom. Their door slammed and she jumped. The undercurrent of the conversation stung, blasting away all hope. Biting her lip hard, Virginia stood there as she breathed lightly, too scared to do anything more until she felt certain Jake wasn’t coming back out to yell at her.

  But no, he never yelled. The man never raised his voice to anyone. Virginia felt the nerves begin to strangle her so she set the book down and hurriedly swept out of the house. She needed fresh air. Just as she used to do in her first marriage, the young woman stepped out of the house to look at the stars. There were so many of them in the night sky, twinkling to say hello. To say everything was fine.

  What had she been thinking? Virginia scolded herself as she sat on the steps, craning her neck up. Everything had been going so well. Why did she now want something more? There had been so much time spent trying to build up the courage to invite him to do just this that she hadn’t thought about how he might respond. Somehow, she’d set her hopes much too high.

  The emotions inside her were in utter and complete turmoil. Hurriedly, she wiped away a stray tear, trying to laugh it off. She was just being silly. Everything was silly now. It made no sense. Her first marriage with Samuel had not been a happy or united front. They had never communicated well, and he had preferred to shout and throw things. He had never cared for her and paid little heed to what she did.

  Here with Jake Benson, everything was vastly different. They had a cheerful home and an exciting shop. He taught her to read and they kept each other company in the quiet moments. They usually got along well. There was no shouting, nothing being thrown, and little discomfort.

  But somehow Virginia had found a way to be as miserable as before. The peace she had thought would come here was not available. Not as she found herself watching her husband from afar, wishing he saw her as something more. The days began to pass them by. No matter what she invited him to do, Jake managed to keep to his stubborn nature and wouldn’t do anything more with her if it didn’t relate to work. Her frustration grew, but she forced herself to bury it away. She just wanted him to take her seriously

  So, she tried to think of other options. There had to be something she hadn’t tried. Perhaps, she decided, if she tried harder, something might happen. More smiles, more hard work, more learning, more everything … perhaps they could both be happy and be happy together. Perhaps.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Virginia? Virginia, where—”
Jake squinted as he saw the curls bounce behind the fabric section. Then she stood up on her toes and he could see her face. He waved and hurried over.

  “I’m still counting the yardage,” she furrowed her brow. “We came up with mismatching numbers yesterday. Is something wrong?” Her fingers moved smoothly and speedily along her yardstick, only glancing down when she needed to. He’d have to ask her to show him how she did that sometime. It always took him twice as long.

  He glanced back up, trying to think. “Oh yes. I mean no. The Connells wanted to check about Sunday’s supper. I thought we were going to see Preacher Thomas this week?”

  Virginia shook her head, offering him a charming smile. “That’s the Sunday after this one. We’re with the Connells this week. I’ve already promised to bring them their eggs along with a pie.”

  That made his heart skip a beat. Or rather, his stomach. “Butterscotch?” he asked hopefully.

  “Sure,” she giggled. “I can make a butterscotch pie. Tell them I said hello.”

  Tipping an imaginary hat, Jake nodded and returned to the counter. The mayor and his wife talked for another minute, added a few peppermints to their purchase, and left. As the rest of the customers wandered about, he took the time to refill the peppermints. Virginia had been right. By placing them closer to the counter, more people purchased them as a last-minute decision. He wondered if he could try that with the honey or ribbons as well. He would run out of peppermints before the next batch’s arrival, otherwise.

  He found his gaze wandering back towards her, curious about what she might be up to. From behind the counter, if he stood against the wall, he could just see Virginia as she leaned over the cloth bundles. Her hair looked more curled than usual, he decided. She looked very nice.

  For a shopkeeper, anyways, he added after a moment. Because that’s all she was. All they were. Together or separate. Jake took a deep breath and raised his gaze upwards, towards the attic and towards God. There were so many thoughts going on inside his head that he didn’t know what to do about them. Like too many voices crying for attention. The less important ones needed to be cut out so he could focus on the main ones. Like God and Libby.

  Shaking his head, he pulled the ledger back out. Flipping to the back, he glanced at the payments he’d been able to make on the loan. They were looking all right, but he was still far behind on his payments in general. They were wanting him to make up the difference, and Jake knew what a tough banker Werner could be. He had already refused any further offers of leniency. Scratching his head, Jake tried to think of other options. But he was running short of any new ideas.

  “Jake?”

  He jolted, lifting his gaze to find Virginia studying him. “Oh, Virginia. I didn’t see you there.”

  She shook her head. “No, you didn’t. Is everything all right? You looked troubled.”

  The woman was observant in more ways than one. He shook his head since she had more than enough to worry about. They both did. But he thought if he could keep this off her plate, then she could keep that charming smile on her face. For the customers. “No, don’t you worry about it.”

  “So, there is something,” the woman noted as she made her way around the counter to reach his side. They both leaned one arm against the counter, looking at each other thoughtfully. Her light eyes, the color of sweet chocolate, swept over him. “Jakob, just know that I support you. Whatever it is, we’ll handle it together. Loans and troubles, I’m here for it. I’m here for you. And I care …” She took a deep breath, as though she were swallowing the words.

  Cared about what? Jake shifted, more curious than he wanted to admit. The girl had paused like she didn’t want to continue. And she’d turned away. Surely they’d put everything behind them, hadn’t they? The two of them were a partnership. He meant to put that into words but couldn’t seem to open his mouth. When he did speak up, the curiosity won. “What were you going to say?”

  Virginia’s curls bounced as she turned back to him. She opened her mouth and then closed it. The tension built between them, and he took a step forward. Then Virginia smiled and reached out her hand. “There’s ink on your cheek,” she murmured, her brow furrowing in concentration.

  He bent down to meet her, surprised at her cool touch. As she rubbed his cheek with her thumb, he wondered if this was the first time they were actually touching one another. Not in the way of a shrug or brush of the arm. Not in the polite manner of guiding her across the street or up the steps. But touching one another like … he swallowed. Her eyes looked so big now that he was closer. Had she always had freckles on her nose?

  Virginia stopped moving to look at him. As she held his cheek in her hand, she bit her lip like she wanted to say something. To do something. Jake wondered what it was.

  He didn’t have to wait long. The young woman leaned up and pressed her mouth against his. Jake’s heart made a funny skip. Their lips met first gingerly and then eagerly. As he tried to process what was happening, he found himself wondering if she really tasted like sunshine or if he was just imagining it. How did someone really know what sunshine tasted like?

  Then Libby came to mind and Jake realized what was happening. Dread filled his heart at the betrayal of his beloved late wife. Something was wrong. The tender moment ended as he reeled back, shaking his head as though to reject what had just happened. It couldn’t have. It shouldn’t have. Jake shook his head in disbelief.

  “I—we shouldn’t,” he stammered.

  When he looked up, Virginia’s cheeks turned bright red and she turned away. She wiped her face and then clutched her hands tightly. “I—I didn’t mean to … I’m sorry, Jake.”

  “Just … go.” He took a step back into the wall. The chalkboard knocked him against the head, but he caught it before it fell. Grabbing the board with both hands, he glanced at her again. This time he avoided looking at her eyes.

  He thought he heard her sniff. “Of course, I’ll … I’ll start on the pie. I just—goodbye.” Then she hurriedly picked up the basket of old goods and headed for the door. Virginia’s head was bowed as she went. A knot filled his stomach. Something told him she had been wiping away a tear.

  Guilt began swimming in his stomach. “Virginia.” He set the chalkboard down before heading towards the door. “Just wait.” The words were too late. He walked past Roger, who was coming in, to look for the young woman in the street. The young woman who was his wife. He hadn’t meant to shove her off like that; he hadn’t intended to be rude.

  She was gone. Unease churned his insides as he tried to figure out who he needed to apologize to. Libby or Virginia. Libby and Virginia. Roger. Someone. No, Libby. That’s who. Her beautiful face came to mind, especially the pout she teased him with whenever he grew too distracted. And he’d definitely been too distracted. The church stood just down the street and he wrinkled his nose. That’s not what he needed.

  “Hey,” Roger started as Jake turned back into the shop. “Do you …”

  But he waved his hand. “In a minute.” He needed a minute in the attic to think.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Virginia kept her head down to hide the tears from passersby. The light bubbling feeling that had kept her feeling so happy dissipated when Jake had stepped back. Every time she blinked she could see his ghastly expression. He looked so hurt, so upset. That wasn’t what she had expected.

  What had she expected, then? She didn’t know. Just not that. After all that time, after days and days together, she had thought things were getting better between them. He’d almost joined her for stargazing just the other night. And in the mornings, he’d started asking her about the constellations that she looked for in the sky.

  Everything between them had been going so well. Or so she had thought.

  Shaking her head, Virginia tried to toss the frustration away. It was too soon. She was too desperate for his attention, too eager for his affection. The poor man was still in love with his first wife. Just because she had moved on from her first
marriage didn’t mean he had. He’d told her before he wasn’t interested in anything but a marriage of convenience. Why did she think that would change?

  Her cheeks heated up again just thinking of that moment. She could feel her heart pound. It had been so nice. His lips had been warm and almost inviting. Though Virginia had hardly been kissed before, she thought she had done it right. And it had felt right to her. Up until the very moment he’d pulled away.

  She shook her head, trying again to get that pained look out of her mind.

  Dust swirled around her boots as she walked along the lane, carrying the basket of eggs as she went. The idea of another quiche had come to mind when he’d told her they would most likely be taking them home. She hadn’t made one since that first morning. Baking another one for him had sounded promising but now, she didn’t know if she had the energy.

  Sighing, she glanced up.

  This wasn’t her house. Virginia glanced around, realizing she must have missed a turn. Or she had made too many turns. It was difficult to tell. Swallowing, the young woman went around in a circle as she wondered where she had wound up.

  San Paulo wasn’t a very large town, nowhere the size of Philadelphia. But it was still big enough to get lost in if one didn’t know all the streets. And she had yet to explore much since her arrival. All she needed was to go from the house to the store or the church, both of which were in the same direction. This street looked similar to her own, but clearly her house was not here.

  It was not her day, Virginia realized. Sighing, she hefted the basket up and decided to try retracing her steps. Surely it wouldn’t be too complicated. How far could she have gone in such a short amount of time? She could only have been walking for a few minutes. Back around one corner, and down a block, but that didn’t look familiar either.