Chapter Four
“Are you serious?” Jethro leaned forward, his hands planted on the kitchen table.
Nate shoveled a forkful of mashed potatoes and gravy into his mouth. He shrugged and continued eating, trying to ignore his big brother’s ranting and raving. This was never going to be easy, but he’d made up his mind.
“Sadie, what the heck were you thinking telling her it was a good idea?”
“I didn’t tell her anything of the kind. And I shouldn’t even be talking to you about this. Client privilege and all.” She put her fork down beside her plate.
Jethro shot her an incredulous look that made Nate smile. “Nate told me first and it involves him, so I guess that absolves you of any wrongdoing.”
“I suppose it does. That’s if he’s actually going to sign the papers and doesn’t mind you talking about it.” She pushed the meat platter toward Nate. “Here, have some more.”
Nate took another slice of roast beef and dropped it on his plate. “I don’t mind, and I doubt Joy does either. I offered to work for her, normal ranch hand deal, but she wasn’t having a bit of it. Wants to wed me to keep me by her side so I don’t abscond like the others, from the sounds of it.”
Sadie pushed her food around the plate, not eating. “She has had a rough go of it. Her father-in-law seems determined to get his hands on her ranch.”
“Why? He has a huge operation as it is.” Jethro put down his knife and fork and reached for his water glass. “Seems to me like he should leave her alone to do her own thing. Way it’s going, he’ll never have a relationship with that little boy if he keeps it up.”
“That was my question too.” Nate reached for the gravy boat, and smothered his plate. “She has more water than he does though. Better pasture, too, by the sound of things, and I put that down to the way they run the place. But what I figured out was that it’s all a case of jealousy. Her husband was left the ranch by his grandmother on his mother’s side. She never did cotton to her daughter marrying the man she did. Claimed he was a money-grubbing fool, out for what he could get. He and Bradley never really saw eye to eye neither, and now he’s gone, Ryan Mitchell probably thinks he’s going to get his hands on the place.”
“Gotta love family dynamics, especially when property is involved.” Sadie moved her plate away. “Nate, I’d advise you to think seriously about this. And I’m saying it as your sister-in-law, not your lawyer. The contract will stipulate that if you divorce, you get nothing. Everything is in trust for Toby and future children but provides for Joy for as long as she lives.”
“Other children?” His stomach sank.
“Of course. If you have any, that is.” Sadie tilted her head and stared at him. “How much did you two actually discuss?”
“She wants a real marriage then?” Nate’s appetite vanished.
“Of course she does. She’s young, Nate. Joy understands that if she marries again, her husband deserves to be treated like a normal husband. Didn’t she tell you that?”
He shook his head. They hadn’t talked about what would happen if he agreed to her offer. Joy had shown him around the ranch. Talked him through the process of raising beef organically and what she was up to with regard to her prospective produce buyers. The question of living arrangements if he took the job had been left hanging. He’d been too scared to bring it up.
This was going from bad to worse. Getting married to hold onto a job was extreme enough but throwing kids into the mix scared the shit out of him. She knew he was a dyed-in-the-wool bachelor, for fuck’s sake, but still she’d insisted it could work. Even when he told her he didn’t see happy families and wedded bliss in his future.
“She’s a lovely girl, Nate. Dedicated, hard working. She’s in a jam. I guess you have some serious thinking to do.”
Nate dropped his head in his hands and groaned. What choice did he have? Joy’d been adamant in her demands. Marry her or walk away. She’d keep advertising and find someone, he was sure of it. He’d never been so torn in his life.
“Don’t tell me you’re gonna do it.” Jethro dropped his fork on the plate, splattering gravy on the old kitchen table.
Nate watched it flatten out, oozing into the cracks in the timber. How would his life be any better as a husband than it had been as a carefree cowboy?
“Already done it. Told her I’m going to take her up on the offer. I’m getting married.”
*
He’d said yes. As he left after a tour of the ranch and a sandwich and glass of iced tea on the front porch, he’d said yes. Joy had just about passed out with relief.
“That’s good then. Fine.” A lump rose in her throat, but she forced it down. “I’ll phone Sadie and let her know. She already has my instructions for the contract, so it won’t take long to get ready.”
Nate stood at the side of his truck, as if waiting for her to say more before he left. Joy held her tongue.
“So when, I mean, how do you want to do this?” he finally asked.
For weeks, ever since she’d talked over this idea with her lawyer, she’d had a plan in her mind. Now her mind was a blank. “Soon. I’ll talk to Sadie and get back to you.”
He gripped the door handle on his old truck. “Do you want me to come out and, you know, get started on things? Start fixing stuff and giving you a hand?”
“Sure. That’d be great. I’d appreciate it.” She needed to stop her heart from racing so fast or she wouldn’t be able to string two sentences together. Joy focused on her breathing, reaching for calm, but it wasn’t any good. It was so close to being a done deal and she was scared witless. She’d have a man by her side once again, but that meant he’d be sharing her bed too. Was she ready for that kind of intimacy? Letting someone in Bradley’s bed almost felt like having an affair, like cheating. He’d understand; of course he would. If nothing else, the two of them were practical when it came to the ranch.
Nate opened the door and slid into the driver’s seat. “I’ll see you in the morning. Bright and early.”
Joy watched him drive away then she collapsed in the rocking chair. Oh, Bradley. What if I’m doing the wrong thing? With Nate Hansen, of all people. What was I thinking?
The following day, Sadie called as Joy tried to get the kitchen in order. “I’ve written up the contract. Do you and Nate want to come in this afternoon and sign it?”
White noise bounced inside her ears. Joy swiped her tongue around her lips, desperate to get moisture in her suddenly dry mouth. “Together?” It all seemed too personal somehow. Ridiculous, considering he’d be in her bed before too long.
“Sure, why not? That way we can all discuss points you may not agree with then and there instead of going back and forth between you. You do want to get this done immediately, don’t you, Joy? I don’t mind waiting to give you more time if you’re not sure about this. Your call.”
Joy closed her eyes, leaned her forehead on the wall beside the telephone table. A few deep breaths and she replied, “No. No, it’s okay. I’ll make sure we both get in.” She turned around, tried not to look at the dirty marks on the corner of the wall where Toby ran his fingers as he toddled around the house. So much to do and no time. This was the best decision, for all of them.
“If you do it just after lunch, you’ll have time to go over to the courthouse and get a license. Judge Petersham is in session today but not tomorrow or the next day. He’ll be out of town until Monday next week.”
“Oh.”
“Right. So if you want to get married today…”
Today! Joy slid down the wall into a heap on the floor, her head bent over her knees, her stomach churning. Things were rushing too fast.
“I’ll be a witness for you if you like. I’m sure Jethro would love to be there, too, to see his brother married.” Joy heard a shuffle of papers as she tried to absorb the words Sadie threw out. “You don’t have to, of course. You can get a couple of strangers from the court clerks if you’d prefer, but I know you’re keen to get thi
s finalized so Bradley’s father will leave you alone and you can concentrate on getting things done at the ranch. Get your life back to normal.”
Things would never be normal again. From the moment the doctor had given them the bad news about the cancer attacking her husband’s body weeks shy of her giving birth, her life had ceased to be anywhere near normal.
“Today. We should do it today.” Why did it feel as though she were preparing to do battle all over again? Nate said he’d marry her, take on the role of husband and father. She was saving the ranch. Wasn’t this what she wanted?
“Only if you’re sure, Joy. I have to caution you one last time as your lawyer. Are you certain there isn’t any other way you can do this?”
Oh, gosh, I wish there was. “No. No, there isn’t. I have to go ahead with it, or I may as well give up, and you know I refuse to do that. I made a promise to Bradley and I intend to keep it.” She swallowed and straightened her back. “We’ll see you about one o’clock.” Joy struggled to her feet and hung up the phone. She had to go and tell Nate that today was the day. Better to get it over and done with, like ripping off a dressing. The faster, the better. Less time to think about it, the less pain it inflicted. Hopefully. And less time for him to change his mind.
“Toby. Let’s go see Nate.” The sounds of toys hitting the floor in his bedroom told her exactly what he was doing. His latest trick was to throw all of his toys out of the closet which left her another job to deal with. Most nights she pushed them back inside and closed the doors on it.
Her little man sat in the middle of his room, surrounded by toys. “Toby Mitchell. How many times have I told you not to make so much mess? Your momma doesn’t have time to do this every day.”
He grinned at her, a line of dribble trickling down his chin to his damp shirt. Another tooth was on its way by the look of things. At least he wasn’t complaining yet of the pain. A wet shirt was nothing in the scheme of things.
“Come on, munchkin. Let’s go see Nate and tell him the news.”
He held up his arms. “Nate. Stupid chick’ns.”
She laughed as she swung him onto her hip. “Yes, stupid chickens.”
Chapter Five
Nate stood beside Joy, his gaze firmly on the judge. His palms sweated, and he resisted the urge to look at his bride-to-be. Her shallow breathing rang loudly in his ears, matched only by his own ragged breaths. Seemed they were both feeling the pressure of their decision.
“Nice to see you in front of me for something other than fighting, Nate. This pleases me greatly.” Judge Petersham smiled. “Now, young lady. Mrs. Watson tells me you two are getting married today and I’m the lucky man to perform the ceremony.”
Joy nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“Are you sure about this, both of you?”
“Yes, sir.” Nate gave Joy a quick glance and waited for her to answer.
“Yes, Your Honor.”
Nate reached out and took her trembling fingers in his, gave them a quick squeeze. When he went to let go, she held him tight.
“Seems to me that you haven’t been widowed very long, Joy. Don’t you want time to grieve your husband before you go getting married again? Make sure you’re doing the right thing?”
“Your Honor, if I may.” Sadie stepped forward and smiled at the judge. “Both Joy and Nate know what they’re doing. I’ve counseled them both, and I’m happy that they’ve considered what they’re about to do. I will, of course, be there for them along the way. Not only as a sister-in-law but as an advisor to Joy, just as Bradley Mitchell wanted.”
The judge rubbed a hand over his chin. “Well, if you’re all sure. Would hate to see things go wrong for these two youngsters if they’re caught in the moment, so to speak.”
“I’m marrying Joy today, sir. I’d appreciate it if you could get started.” The pressure on Nate’s fingers intensified as the judge opened his Bible and started to speak.
White noise droned in Nate’s ears as they stood through the ceremony. “Do you, Joy Mitchell, take Nate Hansen as your husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, ’til death you do part?”
“I do.” Nate had to strain to hear her quiet reply.
“Do you, Nate Hansen, take Joy Mitchell…”
He cleared his throat and risked a quick look at Jethro, who held Toby. His brother smiled serenely, and Nate tried to relax.
“I do.”
The judge looked up from his Bible. “Do you have the rings, Mr. Hansen?”
Nate turned to Jethro, who handed Toby over to Sadie and reached into his pocket for the ring they’d taken from his grandmother’s jewelry box in the rush to get to the courthouse on time. It’d been Jethro’s idea to take the ring stashed in the attic. “You may as well use it, Nate, instead of spending money you don’t really have. That’s if Joy wouldn’t mind.”
Nate had agreed. His bank balance wasn’t that great. Now that he wasn’t drinking so much it was at least in the black, but still, the few hundred dollars he’d managed to save less the cost of a new ring wasn’t much. What money he had he wanted to put toward repairs to help out Joy. “Thanks.”
He reached for the ring and hoped he was right.
*
Joy held out her hand and gasped. Of all the stupid things to do. She’d forgotten to take off Bradley’s ring. She pulled at it, struggling to slip it over her knuckle without bringing attention to herself. Joy remembered all too clearly the day that ring was slipped on her finger, the vows she’d shared with Bradley. Emotion clogged her throat and she fumbled.
Nate covered her hand with his. “Take a moment and stop stressing. It’s okay.”
She lifted her head and looked at him through her tears. The last two years since the diagnosis had taken their toll, but she’d stood tall and strong up until now. Removing the ring was the last straw. She’d wanted to do this in private.
“Leave it on, Joy. I don’t mind, honestly. We’ll just add another one to your finger. Okay?”
How could anyone be so understanding? Maybe she’d misjudged Nate, listening to the gossip around town. This didn’t sound like the man her sister moaned about last year, the unreliable man who didn’t care about anyone but himself.
“Are you sure it’s okay?” Her voice wobbled.
“Course it is. It’s only a ring. And if it means something to you, who am I to insist you take it off? Do that when you’re ready, and if you never are, so be it.”
She managed a smile. “Thank you, Nate.” She held out her hand so he could slide his thin, gold band on her finger in front of the broad gold and platinum one.
“This one was my grandma’s.” He gave her a smile. “Hope you don’t mind, but I thought something old had a nice sound to it, and Jethro used our momma’s wedding ring when he married Sadie.”
“That’s lovely, and I think it’s perfect that you decided to use it.” It fitted snug against her other wedding ring. “I didn’t even think about…”
“Shh now. It doesn’t matter.” He ran his fingers over her knuckles to stay her protest. She’d apologize to him again later.
They repeated the judge’s words, and Joy waited for the final sentence, the one that would save her, give her another reason to crawl out of bed every morning. “By the power vested in me by the state of Montana, I hereby pronounce you man and wife.”
“Momma, up.” Toby held his arms out to his mother.
“And child, of course. We can’t forget this little man.” The judge smiled and shook their hands. “Let’s get the paperwork signed and you two are good to go.”
“Thank you, sir. Much appreciated.”
“You’re welcome, Nate. I wish the two of you much happiness and good fortune. Makes this jaded judge happy to see two young ones trying to make a go of it.” He turned and left, and Nate turned to take her hand. She hadn’t expected him to agree to this. Yes, he had a reputation, and yes, he wanted a job. But he didn’t have to take on her and Toby to get it. He could’ve fought more o
r walked away. But he did what she wanted anyway. That had to count for something, in her mind.
Sure, anyone could’ve agreed with her crazy idea to get a ranch they didn’t need to put a dime into, but if that were Nate’s plan, he wouldn’t have tried so hard to talk her out of the wedding.
This would solve her immediate problem, but a lifetime was a long time to live with a stranger. Especially one like Nate Hansen with a reputation for not lasting more than a week. How long would it be before he decided he wanted time out?
Jethro grabbed Nate’s arm. “You want to go and get dinner, celebrate your wedding?”
Nate looked to her for an answer. She shrugged. Should she be celebrating?
“Come on, Joy. You’ve got what you wanted, so why not have a drink and something to eat? My treat.” Sadie looped her arm through Joy’s and walked her out of the courthouse to stand in the late afternoon sun. “How about we go somewhere child friendly and have an early supper. Your choice, the pub or restaurant?”
Chapter Six
“You folks celebrating tonight?” The waitress led them to a table near the window.
“Yes, ma’am. I got married today.” Nate blurted the words out as if testing them on his tongue and gave Joy a quick smile.
No going back now. Her plan had worked. Wise decision or not, the jury was still out on that.
“Congratulations, Nate. Never thought I’d see the day, to be honest.” The waitress handed them menus and waited for them to decide on their meals.
“I’m going to get a bottle of champagne. Joy, you’ll have a glass, won’t you?” Sadie smiled across the table.
“Maybe one, thanks.”
“Nate? Would you prefer champagne or beer? It’s not every day you get married.” Sadie reached over and patted his hand. “I’m glad you two found each other. I have a feeling things will go very well for both of you.” Moments later, the waitress was back with a bottle of chilled champagne.
The Convenient Cowboy Page 3