The Texan's Inherited Family (Bachelor List Matches)

by Noelle Marchand

  “You can start sweeping while I get the supplies. In the meantime...” He slipped past her into her bedroom and returned lugging his mattress, which he used to block off the children’s rooms. “That should slow them down or make them yell for us. Since they slept through the last of the hailstorm, hopefully they’ll sleep through me pounding a few nails. Besides, this won’t take long.”

  He was right and that was a good thing because the rain never let up for a moment while she held the boards in place for him. With the broken windows sealed up, they hurried back toward the front door. Helen suddenly realized Quinn wasn’t behind her anymore. She turned to find he’d stopped halfway up the steps of the small porch. “Quinn?”

  “I’m going to check the fields.”

  Her eyes widened. “Now? Can’t that wait until morning?”

  “I need to know.” His gaze dropped to the porch steps. “I need to know what we’re up against, if there’s anything left.”

  “Oh.” She stared in the direction of the fields as realization washed over her. How could it never have crossed her mind that all of Quinn’s hard work and their family’s livelihood was at stake? What would the impact of this be if the winter wheat crop was indeed lost? She had no idea where they stood financially. She should know. She should have asked. Here, she’d just criticized Quinn for not trying to get to know her, but had she truly taken an interest in anything that mattered to him beyond the children?

  “Helen?”

  She glanced back at him, saw the worry wrinkling his brow and nodded. “Go. I’ll check on the children.”

  He returned her nod then hurried into the night. Helen found the children still sleeping, seemingly undisturbed by the activity around them, so she changed out of her sodden clothes and built up the fire in the stove to replace the heat that had been lost through the open windows. Her teeth had just stopped chattering, when a blast of cold, wet air announced Quinn’s return. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it as rainwater dripped off his clothes and puddled around him. He had to see her standing near the fire, for she’d lit both of the lamps in the living room, but he seemed reluctant to look at her.

  Silence stretched between them. It didn’t matter. The grim look on his face said it all. They’d lost the crop.

  She crossed the living room to meet him at the door. “You must be soaked and frozen through. You should change before you do anything else.”

  She hesitated only a moment before removing the slouch hat from his head and setting it on the hat rack. She felt his gaze on her as she unfastened the metal buttons of his slicker. He caught her wrist and she glanced up to find regret, guilt and even a hint a fear in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Helen.”

  “Why? None of this is your fault.”

  His lips firmed into a straight line. She recognized that look as the one she’d seen on Trent’s face when she’d told him not to wander without her permission—stubborn disagreement. He released her wrist to shrug out of his yellow slicker and hang it on the coatrack. “I’ll put on some dry clothes.”

  When he returned, he sat on an armchair near the fire, so she sat on the footrest in front of him. “Tell me.”

  He ran his fingers through his damp hair and sighed. “It took most of my savings to buy this property and fix it up to the standard it’s at today. I invested what was left in the ground with the wheat I planted last spring. It wasn’t a big crop, but the fall harvest was good. I reinvested much of the profit from that into the winter wheat. It’s gone. All we have is what’s left from the fall harvest.”

  “Will that be enough to last us until the spring?”

  “I’ll only be planting in the spring. We won’t have any real income until I harvest the crop in the fall.”

  “I see.” Her gaze shifted to the fire in the fireplace as she tried not to let her alarm show on her face. “Will we have enough until the fall then?”

  “If nothing else goes wrong, if we’re thrifty, if we have no other major expenses, we should be fine.”

  “That’s a lot of ifs.”

  “Well, one thing is for sure, there won’t be any additions built to this house. At least, not this year. And tonight’s arrangement isn’t going to work. I’ll put the new mattress on the floor out here at night and back in the room during the day.”

  She’d expected as much so she signaled her agreement with a nod even though he didn’t seem to be asking for it. “So we should be fine if...”

  “Pretty much.” He rubbed his stubbly jaw. “I know you aren’t used to dealing with anything like this. I don’t want you to worry. I’ll do whatever is necessary to take care of this family.”

  “I know you will, Quinn.”

  He seemed to soak in her confidence before surprising her by reaching down to squeeze her hand. “Good. My family may never have the fancy things in life, but we won’t ever have to go without the basics like food, clothes or a solid roof over our heads. I’ve kept that promise to myself ever since I got my first job working as an errand boy. I’m not going to break it now.”

  Her eyes widened as compassion filled her heart at the possibility of Quinn as a little boy being hungry or cold. He must have read the questions in her eyes, for he bristled. His jaw tightened as he released her hand. He warded off any comments with the shake of his head. “Forget I mentioned that.”

  She didn’t want to forget it. However, she didn’t want to make him uncomfortable, either, so she lifted her brow and offered a smile to ease the moment. “You may be glad to hear that I know a sight more about finances than I did about housework. My parents may be wealthy but they’re still careful with their money. They make a budget each month that allows them to run the household, factor in all their expenses and set money aside for—” She froze, blinked. “Me. They set money aside for me. Quinn, I’m such a fool!”

  “What? Why?”

  “My dowry. It’s quite extensive. I need to remind my parents to send it. Our marriage happened so fast and I’ve been so busy that I forgot about it completely. I guess they did, too.” She grinned up at him. “I do believe that solves our problem, Quinn.”

  “A dowry?”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Please, tell me I didn’t lose you all the way back there.”

  “No, it’s just...I don’t want us taking any handouts from your parents.”

  She straightened her back and lifted her chin. “It isn’t a handout. It’s the money my parents have been saving for me since I was born. When we got married, what’s mine became yours. So legally it belongs to you, too. We have every right to use it, especially if it’s to help take care of the children.”

  He paused, seeming to consider this. “Well, I reckon if it already belongs to us, it’s all right, then.”

  She opened her mouth to argue, only to close it upon the realization that he’d agreed far easier than she’d expected. Finding him watching her with a slow smile tugging at his lips, she lifted her chin. “Why are you laughing at me?”

  “I’m not laughing.” The statement was ruined by his chuckle. “I’m just coming to the realization that I married a woman with some fire in her bones. I wasn’t really expecting that from you since you’re so—”

  “Prim, proper and perfect?”

  “Yeah.” He smiled at the reminder of the interaction that seemed so long ago now, though it had only been about two weeks.

  “Well, I don’t know about that. However, I suppose I can get fired up about certain things—like my family.” She wanted to add, And I might even be able to get fired up over you, if you’d let me, but didn’t dare. She’d already pushed him too far too fast during their conversation before the storm. That didn’t mean this was over. She wasn’t giving up. Somehow she’d get to know her husband, secure her place in his heart and tell him the truth. Right now, however, they had another obstacle to overco
me. “I’ll write to my parents about the dowry. In the meantime, we’d better finish cleaning up if we want to get any sleep tonight.”

  * * *

  Helen was so sure her dowry was the answer to all their problems. Quinn understood that their problems went deeper than that. Or rather, higher. He glanced up at the sky that was still gray and foggy after last night’s thunderstorm. Quinn slapped the reins to urge the team down the field. The pressure of the plow caused the matted remnants of his wheat crop to give way to moist brown dirt beneath it, covering the signs of what he suspected might very well be God’s punishment for Quinn’s impetuous decision to kiss Helen.

  He also had a feeling the effect of that kiss on his relationship with Helen would not be so easily or neatly buried beneath the surface as the ruined wheat was. Something essential had change between them. There was a new awareness...connection...openness... He wasn’t entirely sure how to describe it, but he was certain that it was going to get him into more trouble. He couldn’t afford that. Financially, Helen may have found a way to ease things for their family. Spiritually, Quinn figured he had a lot of work to do to get back on the Almighty’s good side. Otherwise, it would all come to naught in the end.

  “God, I’m sorry for kissing her.” He frowned, realizing that wasn’t entirely true. He might as well be honest since God knew his thoughts, anyway. “Well, let’s just say that I’m sorry kissing her made me go back on our deal. I repent. If You’ll forgive me, I’m more than willing to go back to our agreement.”

  “What agreement?”

  Quinn choked on air at the sound of Helen’s voice. He turned to find her trailing after him with Olivia on her hip while Trent lagged a good distance behind, hopping across the upturned mounds of dirt in a game of his own making. Quinn suddenly realized he was no longer holding the reins, so he rushed around the horses to grab their bridles. He gathered the reins and tied them to the plow before turning to face his wife. “You shouldn’t sneak up on a man working with horses. It’s dangerous.”

  “I’m sorry.” Her lashes lowered innocently. “I would have spoken sooner if I hadn’t heard what you were saying.”

  He squared his shoulders as he sized her up, sass and all. She looked unapologetically feminine in a purple dress with little lacy black bows down the front. Her hair was half up and half down, which seemed to fascinate Olivia, since the girl’s tiny fingers were tangled in the shiny brown locks. The wonder on the child’s face told him Helen was in trouble. He stepped forward just in time to stop Olivia from giving a mighty yank to the hair in her grasp. “That was a private conversation between me and God.”

  “About kissing me.”

  Quinn stared down at her, then cleared his throat nervously. “Did you need something, Helen?”

  “Dinner is ready, but I need you to answer my question.” She narrowed her eyes and stepped even closer. “What agreement do you have with God and how exactly does it concern me?”

  He ought to just go ahead and tell her. In fact, it would probably make things easier for him if she knew. Maybe she’d stop thinking the future could be any different than the present. Since he’d promised to stop ignoring her, it would be great if she could stop being so frustrating, attractive and inquisitive. “I’ve always done my best to be a good man, to fear the Lord, to make as little trouble for myself with the Almighty as possible. The children came and I found out that it wasn’t enough. I wasn’t enough. I needed something that I had no real hope of getting on my own. I asked God for a helpmeet. He gave me you—and because I knew I didn’t deserve you, I promised in exchange that you would be here for the children and only for the children. I went back on that promise by kissing you.”

  He gestured to the desolate field around them. “You see? All of this is my fault. It happened because I was weak. I gave in to...”

  “Temptation,” she finished for him.

  He felt the color rising in his face and he glanced toward the house. “I reckon I should have told you all of this before. I just didn’t realize how high the stakes were.”

  She was quiet for a long time—a really long time. At least, it seemed that way while he was waiting in silence. When she spoke, her words were not at all what he expected to hear. “Quinn, you need to read the Bible.”

  Everything within him froze. His heart pounded in his ears. “What makes you think I don’t read the Bible?”

  “Pretty much everything you just said.”

  Stay calm. Just because she figured out you haven’t read the Bible doesn’t mean she’s figured out that you can’t read at all. He swallowed hard. He’d gotten quite adept at tuning out preachers over the years. A habit he’d picked up from so many Sundays trapped in the pew during the fire-and-brimstone sermons his grandmother’s favorite minister had preached. Still, he made the only claim that might help at the moment. “I go to church.”

  Helen touched his arm. “I know you do, but that doesn’t replace the need we have as believers to read the Word for ourselves. Why don’t you?”

  He carefully picked his words. “It’s a little hard for me to understand.”

  She nodded. “That King James English can seem a bit antiquated at times, I will give you that. I have an idea, though. How about we read it together?”

  How about let’s not? He gritted his teeth to keep those words inside. “I don’t think so.”

  “Please, Quinn. You need to hear the truth about God. He isn’t anything like what you described. He isn’t trying to punish you. He loves you. I can prove it to you with the Bible. Besides, I haven’t been as connected to God lately as I should be, so this would benefit me, too.”

  He rubbed his jaw as he considered her words. Was it possible that Nana and her minister had been wrong? He didn’t like to think so. Nana hadn’t always been the easiest person to live with. However, she’d been pretty much all he had growing up with his mother dead, his father and brother gone, and the teasing he’d received for being slow at school leaving him without many friends. Her opinions had been the deciding factor in his life. Was he supposed to abandon all of that because Helen said it was wrong?

  Then again, if he was being honest, Helen wasn’t the first one to make him question his perspective on God. The few times he’d paid attention in Peppin’s church, he’d heard things that hadn’t lined up, either. He’d just attributed it to the difference in denominations. What if it was something other than that? Something more important?

  “Quinn, what do you say? We can read the Bible this evening after the children go to sleep. Although, it would be nice if we included them in it once a week.”

  Oh, boy. She had it all planned out now. However, that bit about the children gave him an idea. He watched her carefully to see if his words aroused any suspicion in her. “I suspect you might be able to make it more exciting if you read it out loud like you do those adventure books.”

  “Then that’s what I’ll do.”

  He took a deep breath then nodded. “I suppose we could do it, then.”

  A slow smile blossomed on her lips and she threw one arm around his neck in a hug. He started to wrap an arm around her waist to pull her and Olivia closer—then settled for just lightly patting her back. Until he was certain what the truth was concerning God and His expectations, he’d better play it safe. He didn’t want to get his hopes up that God wouldn’t mind him caring for his wife. He just hoped he hadn’t set himself down the path to destruction concerning the reading problem. If Helen found out the truth about that, even God’s approval might not be enough to make this marriage work.

  Chapter Ten

  The boarded-up windows left the kitchen and living room about as dim as Helen felt that evening. In her resolve to find love with her husband, how had it never occurred to her that they weren’t connecting spiritually? Her parents had often talked about how praying together had been one of the things t
hat had helped draw them closer during the first few months of their arranged marriage. They’d also encouraged her to read the Bible every day, which was a habit she’d somehow lost after she’d moved to Peppin. Hopefully, all of that would change now.

  Reece’s heavy sigh drew her attention as she checked on the batch of dinner rolls baking in the oven. “Did everything go well at school today, Reece? No trouble from Jake?”

  “Nah. He minds Miss Etheridge because their pa told her to spank Jake if he gives her any trouble.” He made one final mark on his slate then glanced up at her. “I’m done. Will you check it for me?”

  “Certainly.” She added a pinch of salt to the pot of stew then left it to simmer on the back burner of the stove as she looked over the list of math problems. “You’re doing great, honey. Look at the third one once more, though.”

  He glanced up with a sheepish smile after going through the steps again. “I forgot to carry the two, but I fixed it.”

  “Excellent.” She gave in to impulse and kissed him on the forehead. He ducked his head a second too late to hide his smile. Helen glanced at Clara, who was working on her penmanship. The little girl must have been satisfied with her efforts, for a little smile curved her lips even as faint lines of concentration stretched across her forehead. Trent and Olivia imitated their older sibling by drawing on their own slates. Trent’s strokes were slow and deliberate. Olivia’s were pure abandonment.

  “What?” Clara asked.

  Helen blinked, realizing the older two were looking at her curiously. She grinned. “Y’all are so cute.”

  Clara giggled.

  Reece groaned and made a face. “I’m not cute.”

  “Oh, yes, you are.” She slipped into a nearby chair then leaned forward and lowered her voice to capture all of the children’s attention. “In fact, I think you have about three seconds before the cuddle monster attacks.”

  All of their eyes widened. Clara and Reece exclaimed as one, “Cuddle monster?”