Percy's Unexpected Bride (Dalton Brides, Book 7)

by Kit Morgan

  “He normally sits next to Nate whenever we come to Walt and Gwen’s to eat,” Libby explained. “He chose to sit next to you instead. That tells me something.”

  “It tells me that someone else was already in his seat,” Adele sighed.

  “Oh stop, both of you,” Lillian cut in. “Adele, what you need is a good night’s sleep, and Libby and I need to get our children home to bed. Please don’t worry about this anymore tonight.”

  Adele sighed again. “I’ll try not to, but it won’t be easy.”

  “Don’t worry about a thing,” Libby said. “Percy can be a pill at times, but all in all he’s a good man and he deserves a good woman.”

  “And we think you could be that woman,” Lillian added. “Won’t you let us help you?”

  Adele looked from one face to the other, saw the hopeful gleam in their eyes, and smiled in resignation. “Very well, but I’m not going to guarantee anything. I can’t make the man fall in love with me.”

  “Mail-order brides don’t come out here and fall in love at first sight,” Lillian said.

  “Well, some do,” Libby countered. “And usually the men catch up.”

  “I can handle that,” Adele said. “In fact, I expected it – that whomever I married, I would hope to love in time.”

  Libby shrugged. “So it would be no different with Percy. You’ll grow to love him and he’ll grow to love you.”

  “Yes,” Adele agreed. “So long as we stay married.”

  “You will,” said Lillian with a nod of her head. “You’ll stay a Blue if it’s the last thing we do!”

  Adele laughed at the silly rhyme. “I’m too tired to argue with you. Could you show me to my room now?”

  “Of course, Mrs. Blue,” Libby said with a smile. “I’d love to!”

  “Are you going to rhyme things the rest of the night?” Adele asked with a smile.

  “Probably,” said Libby as she took her by the hand and led her from the kitchen.

  As tired as she was, Adele continued to smile as they went up the stairs. She hoped that what the women told her about Mr. Percival Blue was true— good grief did she just rhyme? For if it was, she would not only gain a husband, but a wonderful family to boot. She was going to be praying awfully hard tonight before she went to sleep.

  *

  Percy sat on the porch of his small cabin and stared at the stars. A three-quarter moon lit the sky, and for a moment he wondered if Adele would enjoy seeing it. The sky here was brighter than any he’d ever seen, and he liked to sit and stare at the cacophony of stars before he turned in.

  Turn in. Bed. Alone. But with a word he could change that forever. He could keep Adele as his wife and start a family.

  But should he? He wasn’t the one that sent away for her, nor should he be the one responsible for her. And yet he was. That bothered him to no end – that this situation had been foisted on him, with no regard for his desires or plans. It was patently unfair.

  But he also found he rather liked it. Maybe because it wasn’t a horse or a dog he’d been told to fetch and take care of, but a woman. The thought of being sent to retrieve and protect her made him feel … valiant? Yes, that was a good word – valiant. Chivalrous. Maybe it was because he’d watched Benedict and Hank go through something similar with their wives, and had seen it turned out well for them.

  There was a major difference, though – they’d had the freedom to choose. Percy felt like he’d been tricked into the position he was in now.

  “What’s the matter, can’t sleep?”

  Percy looked up. It was Justin. “I was just planning to turn in.”

  “I don’t think I’d be able to sleep, knowin’ a pretty gal was up at the main house. ‘Specially if I knew she was mine.”

  Percy said nothing, just shrugged.

  “I’m just sayin’, is all. I don’t understand what all the fuss is about.”

  Percy rubbed his face with his hands a few times. “I know, but … I didn’t get any warning.”

  “Ya gonna keep her?”

  Percy was about to say “no,” but a twist in his gut gave him pause. “I … haven’t really decided.”

  Justin sat. “I ain’t askin’ ‘cause I’m interested. Though I could be if’n I thought on it long enough. I’m just wonderin’ why yer not.”

  Percy swallowed hard. Was he interested in Adele? She was pretty enough and had kept her head (for the most part) when she found out he hadn’t a clue who she was or what she was doing at the station. “Well … I need more time to think about things.”

  Justin smiled. “I hope I ain’t speakin’ out of turn here, but I’d say ya have at least a little shine in your eyes for her. I would.”

  Percy looked at him in the moonlight. “Are you sure you aren’t interested?”

  “What would I do with a woman? Ain’t got no house, and only a cowboy’s income to live on. I ain’t fit to have a wife.”

  “You’re more fit than I am,” Percy grumbled.

  “What do ya mean? You’re part of this huge spread, and got all yer kin right here. Way I see it, the only thing you ain’t got is a wife. At least spend a little time with her before you go off and hand her over to someone else.”

  “She wouldn’t be the first we’ve made arrangements for, Justin. You know that.”

  “I know, but … I just got a feelin’ about this’un, Percy. I think she’d be good for ya.”

  Percy was tempted to glare at him, but didn’t. He and Justin had become friends since the cowboy showed up on Dalton’s proverbial doorstep looking for work over a year ago. Percy liked him a lot. He especially liked that Justin spoke his mind and did it in order to help, not hinder. “What do you suggest?”

  “Just what I said. Spend some time with her. You might like it.” With that, he stood and sauntered off toward the bunkhouse.

  Percy watched him go, then stood and went to the door of his cabin. He took one last look at the stars, and made a decision. He’d take Justin’s advice, take the time to get to know Adele. Specifically, he’d give himself one week. If after a week he had no feelings for her, he’d get the annulment with a clear conscience, and she would become Hank and Benedict’s problem. He’d be able to tell them that he’d tried. Besides, it could take his family at least that long to locate a suitable replacement husband for her.

  Yes, the more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. This way everyone would be happy, and his brothers would stop bothering him about marriage and children and why wasn’t he the proud possessor of both?

  Percy smiled and went inside. He was going to sleep well tonight!

  *

  Adele couldn’t sleep, and not for lack of trying. She’d expected to pass out the moment her head hit the pillow, but thoughts of the day – not to mention her new husband – made it impossible.

  She sat up in bed and stared out the window. The night sky was bright, and she marveled at it. The moon illuminated everything - what a beautiful sight! She got out of bed, went to the window and pushed aside the lace curtains. “Oh my …”

  She glanced at the various other buildings until her eyes came to rest on two men sitting on some porch steps. If she didn’t know any better, she’d say one of them was Percy. She could tell by the way he sat. Funny, she hadn’t even spent a day with him, but knew how he leaned slightly to one side when he spoke, how his hands tapped on his knees when he wasn’t doing anything else with them. She’d seen him do that at the restaurant, on the wagon drive out to the ranch, at supper … okay, not for long at supper, but it counted.

  “Oh Percy,” she whispered. “If only you’d give me a chance …”

  Of course, she could take Libby and Lillian’s advice and do what she could to make him want to hang on to her. Otherwise she’d find herself being driven to the nearest town for an annulment. But his whole family seemed to think he needed a wife.

  In fact, she recalled Gwen saying something about their parents, but she couldn’t recall what. Adele hadn’t s
een them yet and wondered how often the family gathered as a large group for supper. Maybe they’d only done it tonight because of her arrival. No matter, she was sure she’d meet them eventually … if she was around long enough to.

  Adele turned from the window and stared at her bed as a new thought struck. What would she do if Percy decided he did want to stay married to her? Good grief, she hadn’t thought of that! For one, she was a terrible cook – her mother had done all the cooking, and hadn’t bothered to teach Adele much. She always figured she could learn once she started courting, maybe continue her lessons after she was married. Her parents had wanted her to marry a local boy and stay close.

  “What if we’d met in Beckham?” she said to herself, turning back to the window. The men were gone.

  With a heavy sigh, she crawled back into bed and lay down. No matter which way things went, she’d have plenty to worry about. No matter who she married, she would still be ill-equipped for domestic duties. How was she going to learn what she needed to in so short a time? Would Libby or Gwen offer to teach her? There’d been talk of Bonnie’s cooking at the table, and Nate had asked when it was going to be Bart and Bonnie’s turn to host the next family supper.

  If she and Percy made a go of it, would everyone come to their house? Adele paled at the thought. They’d eat her cooking and never come again! How could she win Percy over with burnt toast and coffee – which was pretty much all she could make at this point?

  “Oh Mama, why didn’t you teach me how to cook when I was younger?” she moaned into her pillow. “He’ll never want me …”

  Unless she learned a few things, and fast.

  Her mind made up, Adele turned onto her back and looked up at the ceiling. First thing tomorrow, she’d ask the Blue and Dalton women for any help they could give her!

  Eight

  The next morning Adele awoke to the smell of frying bacon and potatoes. The lovely aroma reminded her of the promise she’d made to herself the night before, that she’d ask for help.

  Before she’d fallen asleep, she’d realized how little she knew about any domestic chores, not just cooking. Her family hadn’t been rich, but they were still well-off; they’d had servants. She even still had money in the bank back in Beckham, and wondered if it was safe to contact Elizabeth Miller and have her wire it to Texas for her. But what if the men who had abducted her found out and used it to follow her to the ranch? So far the only one outside of Texas who knew of her whereabouts (she hoped) was Elizabeth. She was the one that made the arrangements, gotten her to the train station and sent her off ...

  Enough – she didn’t want to have to think about that right now. Instead she got up, got dressed and went down to breakfast.

  When Adele entered the kitchen Gwen was just dishing up plates for two children. The little girl must be Savannah, she thought, the boy Bart and Bonnie’s son Jedediah. “Good morning.”

  Gwen looked over her shoulder at her. “Good morning! Did you sleep well?”

  “I had a hard time falling asleep at first, but once I did it was fine.”

  Gwen turned and set the plates on the table. “All right, you two, try not to make a mess.” She looked at Adele. “Go ahead and have a seat, and I’ll fix you a plate.”

  “Thank you,” Adele said as she glanced around the kitchen. “Have you been up long? I’m sorry if I overslept.”

  “A few hours. I get up and fix Walton his breakfast, have some myself, then get a few chores done before Savannah wakes up. As you can see today I have two little ones.”

  “Oh dear, then I’ve really overslept.”

  “Don’t worry about it. You were very tired after your long journey.”

  “I was. I’d appreciate it if you woke me when you get up tomorrow – I’d like to be able to help out.”

  “Well, that’s very nice of you to offer. I’ll take you up on that.”

  Adele put her hands on the table and stared at them as Gwen poured her a cup of coffee. “You could help me out as well.”

  Gwen put the cup on the table as her eyebrows raised in curiosity. “How so?”

  “Well, you see … I’m afraid my skills at running a household are minimal. I can tell a maid what to do, but …”

  Gwen laughed. “But doing any of it yourself, you have no experience, right?”

  Adele nodded as she blushed with embarrassment. “I’m afraid so. My mother never taught me how to cook because … well, for years we had one, not to mention a maid. After my parents died I had to let them go. I didn’t think I could afford them.”

  Gwen set a plate of food in front of her, poured herself a cup of coffee and sat. “I remember you telling us last night that they died in a fire. Was it recent?”

  “Just a few months ago. I’ve had to fend for myself the last month. My cooking skills are limited to toast and coffee, and knowing when the local café opened. And I’m not even good at toast. When it was just me it didn’t matter, but if I’m to be married…”

  “I see,” Gwen said sympathetically. She took a sip of her coffee. “One, you’re already married. Two, if anyone knows about a lack of skill when it comes to cooking, sewing, cleaning and various other wifely duties, it would be my sister Libby and me. We were pretty helpless as new brides.”

  Adele ignored her first point and went straight to the second. “How did you learn?”

  Gwen shrugged. “Bonnie taught us. She knows how to do everything.”

  “I know I can’t learn much in the short amount of time I’ll be here, but at least I could learn something, couldn’t I?”

  “What do you mean, ‘short time’? Aren’t you planning on staying? Savannah, finish your potatoes.”

  “Yes, Mama,” the child answered, and dug in.

  Gwen smiled in satisfaction and turned back to Adele. “You are married to Percy – that has to count for something.”

  “Yes, except that he’s said he’s going to have the marriage annulled. If he does, then I won’t be around for much longer.”

  “If he does, and that’s a big if.”

  “Yes, and that’s the problem. Seems to me I have a 50/50 chance of staying.”

  Gwen sat back in her chair and tapped her fingers on the table. “So what we need is a way to improve your odds.”

  Adele chuckled. “Maybe you ought to talk to Libby and Lillian. They were saying something along those lines last night.”

  Gwen’s eyes lit up. “That’s a good idea. We could each pick something to teach you. I myself am pretty good at sewing and all of us can cook, even though Bonnie is still the best. But she’s not here right now.”

  “When will she and Bart be back?”

  Gwen laughed and shrugged. “Tomorrow, the next day, who knows …”

  “Do they always take off for days at a time?”

  Gwen shrugged again. “It all depends on how much work needs to be done around here. Work for the ranch usually ties into it somehow.” She looked at Adele’s untouched food. “You go ahead and eat while I figure out what to teach you today.”

  Adele watched her get up from the table and smiled. “You don’t know how much I appreciate this, Gwen. I’m afraid I don’t know much of anything.”

  Gwen gave her a half-hearted smirk. “Trust me, Libby and I weren’t any better off than you. Just ask our husbands.”

  *

  After breakfast Adele helped Gwen clean up the kitchen and do the dishes – that was elementary enough. They took the children into the parlor, got them settled with some toys, then Gwen brought out the mending. Adele cringed when she saw the basket full of clothing. “I’m going to warn you,” she told her teacher. “This will be my first time.”

  Gwen laughed. “You have to start somewhere. We’ll get this done and by then someone will be knocking on the door. Somebody always is.”

  “You mean your sisters or sisters-in-law come to visit you each morning?”

  “Yes, though they don’t always come to my house. Sometimes I go to theirs. We kind of rota
te. But this week it’s my house because we had the family supper here.”

  “So whoever hosts a family supper is the house of the week?”

  “Something like that. We started about a year ago – it was Hank’s idea. He thought it would be nice to have an all-family supper at a different house each week, share the responsibility. It’s been a lot of fun and my folks love it.”

  “Your parents live here too?”

  “Yes. They weren’t here last night, as Father hasn’t been feeling well this week and doesn’t want any of us to catch his cold. But don’t worry, you’ll meet them once he’s feeling better.”

  “I’d like that,” Adele said as Gwen threaded a needle and handed her a shirt. She showed her how to mend it and, after two shirts, moved on to socks. Before Adele knew it, it was late morning and they were halfway through the basket.

  There was a knock at the door, and Gwen went to answer it. “About time you got here,” Adele heard her say.

  “I would’ve arrived sooner.” Adele smiled, recognizing Libby’s voice. “But Hattie made a mess and it took me a while to clean it up.”

  Hattie came into the parlor and giggled. “Well, hello there,” Adele greeted her. “How are you?”

  Hattie plopped herself down next to Jedediah, grabbed his toy and smacked him on the head with it. Jedediah wailed and shoved Hattie over.

  “Jedediah!” Gwen scolded as she entered the room. “That wasn’t very nice!”

  “Considering Hattie clobbered him with his toy first, I’d say it was in self-defense,” Adele stated.

  Libby came in behind Gwen. “Hattie!”

  Adele watched as they comforted, then separated, the whining children. Savannah ignored the ruckus and continued playing with her doll. “I bet they can be a handful when they want to.”

  Libby stood, hands on hips. “Yes, and to think I’m having another one.”

  Adele glanced at her belly. “You are? When?”

  “We just discovered it ourselves a week ago,” said Libby. “I’m guessing I’m due in about seven months.”