Martha (The Marriage Market Book 5)

by Stevie MacFarlane

  Clara boxed his ears.

  “There, see what you can hear now,” she crowed, jumping from his lap when his hands flew to his ringing ears.

  At the last second, he caught the back of her skirt and reeled her back to him, plopping her on his lap once again.

  “That wasn’t very nice or ladylike either,” he complained, shaking his head and cupping first one ear and then the other while making sure he didn’t lose his grip on her. “You’re quite the little hellcat, aren’t you? Oh, you look all prissy and refined, but underneath that prim exterior, you’re full of temper and fire. I’m not sure I like that,” he informed her.

  “Yes, and what you like is of paramount importance to me,” she snorted with a smile. “I am not overly fond of you, in case you’re wondering.”

  “I sort of got that impression when you tried to deafen me,” Lucas replied shortly.

  “Good, then we understand each other. Martha!” she screeched at the top of her lungs.

  “Oh hell no,” Lucas yelled back as the sound reverberated in his ears. “What will it take to shut you up?” he demanded pitifully.

  “A gag possibly,” she replied crisply, “but then that would constitute assault and I could have you arrested. Although technically you’ve already abducted me, so I don’t know what difference it would make to you. I plan to see Marshal Hadley as soon as you release me and press charges.”

  “Maybe I won’t release you,” Lucas grinned. “Maybe I’ll keep you right here for the entire night,” he continued, using one hand to cup her cheek.

  Clara swiftly bit him.

  “Ouch! Damn you’re a mean one,” he sighed, shaking his injured hand.

  “A mean what?”

  “A mean little woman. Hell, I’ve seen Comanches with more manners.”

  “Then why don’t you go and find a little Comanche woman to hold prisoner and leave me alone?” she asked with a glare. “Martha, are you all right?” she screamed.

  “Will you be quiet?” he bellowed.

  “No.”

  “All right, I’m going to shut you up the only way I know how,” he warned, tipping her back. “And if you bite me, I swear I’m going to bare your backside like a Comanche Moon and set it on fire.”

  His actions followed his words and he leaned back in his chair, moving her until she was positioned in his arms. For the first time she showed a touch of real fear as his head lowered, his eyes staring into hers.

  “You mind my words, little woman,” he ordered. “One little bite and you’ll pay for it over my knees. Do you understand?”

  Clara nodded and clamped her lips together over her teeth.

  Lucas smiled. Then he kissed her. Tentative at first, he just brushed her lips with his. With a sigh, she let her body go limp as though she expected him to ravage her on his desk. He kissed her again, this time more firmly before pulling back and looking at her flushed face.

  “My, you can mind on occasion,” he remarked softly. “That’s good to know.”

  Again he lowered his head, this time claiming her lips, yet still wary of revolt. She tasted of tea and mint; it reminded him of hot summer evenings back home. He held her closer, taking advantage of her submission and slid his tongue along the seam of her lips until she gasped. Gently he plundered her mouth; risking losing his tongue didn’t seem so important at the moment.

  “Yes, sweet tea”, he whispered against her mouth. Feeling a shiver go through her, he thought she kissed him back, but couldn’t be sure. “Clara,” he groaned. Hesitation evaporated and he took her mouth for his own, shaping it to his and dragging a response from her. Yes, she did. She did kiss him back. He was elated.

  Sure she was trouble, but he was up to the task. Lifting his head, he looked at her face and smiled, until he saw a single tear trail down her cheek.

  “What’s the matter? Have I hurt you?” he asked, suddenly full of concern.

  “You’ve ruined me,” she said softly with a sniffle, her lip quivering.

  “I’ve barely touched you.”

  “It doesn’t matter. You brought me here, to a saloon, made me sit on your lap and now you’ve taken my virtue,” she accused.

  “I only kissed you, for God’s sake. How is that taking your virtue?” he demanded, sitting her up straight.

  “I’ve never kissed a man before. My reputation is ruined. No man will want me now,” she insisted.

  “That’s utterly ridiculous. Of course a man would want you, any man would want you. You’re adorable,” he snorted incredulously.

  “No, they won’t. I’ve been irreparably tarnished, and it’s your fault,” she informed him. “You just don’t understand how these things work. You think you can grab a girl, kiss her and everything will be fine. Well it might be for you, but not for her.”

  “This is Seattle; there are two hundred single men for every girl. Believe me, the fact that you’ve been kissed—”

  “And abducted,” she added sourly.

  “All right, kissed and abducted, won’t make a difference.”

  “Yes it will. No man will want to marry me now,” she said sadly. “I’ll end up a lonely old spinster,” she lamented, another tear sliding down her cheek.

  Lucas laughed. He couldn’t help it; she was impossibly endearing. Off all the women in Seattle, she was the least likely to have trouble finding a husband, providing they could put up with her temper. No, Miss Clara Webster was about as likely to remain a spinster as he was to start preaching sermons at the church.

  They were quiet for a while. Most of the yelling and screaming from next door had stopped. Now all they could hear was Martha crying a bit and Ethan’s deep voice speaking to her, but they couldn’t make out what was being said.

  “It’s deplorable, you know,” Clara whispered.

  “What is?”

  “Listening to private matters that don’t concern us.”

  “It does concern me,” Lucas hissed back. “Whether you know it or not, what you ladies have been secretly planning concerns me a great deal. It’s my livelihood you’re plotting to destroy.”

  Clara kept quiet.

  “Well, at least it’s over now,” he sighed.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Ethan has straightened her out good and proper. I doubt there’ll be any more meetings over there. No more talk of marches and banners, or hanging posters all over town,” he said with relief.

  Clara smoothed her skirts down.

  “You can let me go now. I’ll ride home with Martha.”

  “No, I believe your friend will be embarrassed for a bit and Ethan will want some time to comfort her, now that he’s blistered her bustle. We should wait a while longer. Then I’ll take you home. I can send someone for a carriage from the livery.”

  Clara remained perched on his lap, quietly looking around his office. Her silence made him uncomfortable, as if there was something he wasn’t grasping. The back of his neck began to sweat as she picked and smoothed a few wrinkles from her skirt. Twice she opened her mouth to speak, then clamped it shut.

  “All right, little woman, out with it,” he ordered.

  “What are you talking about?” she asked.

  Lucas tipped her chin up and stared into her owl like eyes. They were full of innocence, but he wasn’t fooled, not for a moment. She’d boxed his ears, bit him and now she was sitting so sweetly calm, obviously hiding her thoughts and emotions.

  “It’s not over, is it?” he asked, taking her hand.

  “Not by a long shot,” she answered, grinning. “You think because Ethan has ordered Martha not to have any more meetings the whole temperance thing will just go away? It won’t, not when there are women like me, dedicated to putting an end to places like this one.”

  “Who’s going to help you?” he asked with a snort.

  “Martha’s not the only one involved. I think you know that if you’ve had your ear stuck to the wall for the past few weeks.”

  “The Jordon men will step up and s
o will Blackthorn. Marshal Hadley will as well. I believe I’ll send a telegraph to Clayton Ferguson and let him know just what his fiancée’s been up to. That only leaves you and Jane. Dr. Martin will not take kindly to your plans. He’ll be the one patching everyone up when violence erupts.”

  “I’m perfectly prepared to manage on my own,” she informed him stiffly. “I still have Mary to help even if the others back out. More women will soon join me. You know it’s true. That’s why you’re so afraid of me.”

  Lucas snorted.

  “The day I’m afraid of a little woman like you is the day I take all the whiskey off the shelves and start selling tea and cakes,” he promised with a laugh.

  “I don’t see what’s so funny.” Glaring at him haughtily, she pulled her hand away. “You’ve ruined me, now I’ll ruin you.”

  “You are not ruined,” he snapped. “How many times do I have to tell you? “I’ll marry you myself if it comes to that.”

  “You think I would have you, after you’ve manhandled and threatened me?” she asked in shock.

  “I think if I had more time to spend kissing those pouty lips you might,” he teased. “Why don’t you just admit you’re attracted to me and save us both a lot of fussing?”

  Clara rolled her eyes and tried to jump off his lap. He wasn’t ready to let her go.

  “You’re obviously worried no one will offer for you, so I’m offering now. Marry me. I’m leaving for Texas in a couple of weeks. My brother is getting married. We can make it a double wedding, or we can marry here and the trip will be our honeymoon. You can meet my family.”

  “You are insane,” Clara breathed.

  “To marry you? That’s possible,” he said, grinning, “but I do think you’re mighty cute. With some time and attention, you might even make an adequate wife.”

  “Adequate?” she screamed in indignation.

  “Of course, you do have a few annoying habits, like screaming and biting,” he said thoughtfully as he stroked his chin. “But I’m sure I can break you of them. Never met a filly yet who couldn’t be trained.”

  He watched her face grow redder and redder, her body stiffened and it was all he could do not to roar with laughter. Lord, she was fun to tease. Right this minute she was madder than a wet hen.

  “Take me home,” she finally managed from between clenched teeth.

  “Aw, and we were having such a good time,” he sighed.

  “No, you were having a good time,” she hissed. “I’ve been humiliated, insulted and carted about like a sack of grain. You’ve threatened to strike me and kissed me against my will. Isn’t that enough for one evening?” she demanded.

  “I would never strike you, except on your bottom of course, and then only if you deserved it. As far as insulting you, I’ve offered marriage, which should more than make up for a few stolen kisses and some teasing.”

  “There is only one reason I would marry you, Mr. Armstrong,” Clara stated vehemently when he rose with her in his arms.

  “So you’re considering my proposal?” Surprised, he set her on her feet, but kept his hands on her arms.

  “No, I am not, but if I were, it would be to make every second of your life a living hell!”

  “I’ll take that,” he replied with a grin. Leaning down, he wrapped her in his arms, leaned over her and kissed her with passion. “Let’s go, we’ll announce our engagement when we get there.”

  “You are a sick man,” she replied shaking her head as he wrapped her in the horse blanket and ushered her to the door with a hand on her back.

  “Actually, Miss Webster, I’m quite taken with you,” he admitted honestly.

  “Well, you should be taken somewhere, but not with me,” she retorted. “Possibly an insane asylum could help you, or at least keep you away from normal people.”

  “Do you think Ethan is normal?” he asked as he escorted her around the back of the building and down the boardwalk toward the livery.

  “I guess so,” she replied warily.

  “Yet he spanked your friend tonight, hard enough to have her pleading for him to stop and then most likely kissed her senseless.”

  “That’s different. They’re engaged and have known each other for a while.”

  “So now that you’ve agreed to marry me, if you give me any trouble, I can paddle your little bottom?”

  “I have not agreed to marry you,” she gasped, as he helped her into the carriage, “and no, you can never do that to me. Besides, that was not a serious marriage proposal.”

  “We’ll see.”

  Chapter 9

  The house was blazing with lights when Lucas pulled the carriage in behind three others.

  “Hmm, something’s going on here,” he remarked as he set the brake and climbed down.

  “I don’t need your help,” Clara insisted sharply.

  “Nonsense,” Lucas crowed, reaching in and pulling her out. “A gentleman always sees a lady to the door.”

  “Gentleman,” she replied with an eye roll.

  “Come along little woman,” he said, tucking her arm through his and hauling her toward the front porch. “That’s the doctor’s carriage, and Ethan’s horse is tied to the hitching rail.”

  “Are you always so nosey?” she demanded, trying to keep him from entering the house when she opened the door.

  “I wouldn’t call it nosey, so much as interested.” Grinning he placed a hand on her back and ushered her through the doorway. He was right behind her. Plucking the blanket from Clara’s shoulders he set it outside on the porch and closed the door.

  “Martha, are you all right?” Clara asked, rushing to her friend who sat on the settee next to Ethan.

  “I’m fine,” Martha assured her, taking her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

  “What’s all the ruckus about?” Clara asked in a quiet voice, her eyes wide with curiosity.

  There was yelling coming from the direction of the kitchen as well as the study. Both doors were closed, but it was not hard to tell tempers were heating up.

  “Dr. Martin is in the kitchen with Jane, and Mr. Ferguson has Ellie in the study,” Martha replied worriedly. “I don’t think things are going at all well,” she continued.

  “That’s putting it mildly,” Mary interjected from the stairs where she was sitting halfway up.

  “Maybe we should go in and see if we can’t calm them down,” Clara suggested. “I could go and talk to Jane—”

  “Maybe you should both stay out of it,” Ethan offered, putting his arm around Martha and tucking her close to his side.

  “I’m sure it doesn’t concern you,” Lucas added, looking at Clara with a stern expression.

  “You have no room to talk,” she snapped back. “You’re the most interfering man in the entire Northwest Territory.” Heading toward the kitchen, she was brought up short when he snaked an arm around her waist.

  “Let’s sit a spell over here by the fire,” he said sweetly as he tugged her with him. “When did Ferguson get here, Ethan?”

  “Shortly after we arrived.”

  “Guess that saves me from having to send a telegram.”

  “Guess it does. I believe Sam took care of that matter. He and Hugh were leaving when we got here. It seems they have a few things to discuss with their wives. I think the only one still in the dark is Duncan, but that will be remedied soon.”

  “Good. Nice to know we’re all of the same mind,” Lucas said earnestly with a nod. “When’s the wedding?”

  “As soon as it can be arranged,” Ethan replied, stroking Martha’s hair. “There will be no more delays,” he continued softly.

  “Where will you live?”

  “I have a two story cabin near the lowest camp. It should not be a problem for Martha to get back and forth from town on the days she is working in her shop.”

  “You’re not making her give it up?” Clara asked in awe.

  “Of course not. My wife will be free to do as she chooses, within reason,” he added. “Sh
e will be my bride, not my prisoner.”

  “But I thought—”

  “You were mistaken. Most anything that will make my Martha happy will make me happy as well. She loves to make pretty clothes. That is good. I will have the best dressed wife in town,” he said, smiling proudly.

  Suddenly the conversation from the kitchen escalated in volume and they all sat frozen in their seats.

  “Jane, I can’t believe you would do such an irresponsible and foolish thing. How could you arrange for the children to be accompanied such a great distance by a total stranger? Have you lost your common sense? Do you have any idea of the dangers in making such a risky decision?”

  “Don’t you yell at me,” Jane shouted back. “I’ve been away from them far too long as it is.”

  “I’ve offered, many times, in fact, to bring them here.”

  “Yes, at your expense. I cannot accept that. The children are my responsibility and I’ve gone and done what I thought was best. I needed to wait until I could afford to pay their fare on my own.”

  “Why?” he bellowed.

  “Well, because we don’t have an understanding.”

  “A what?”

  “An understanding. You know about our future, the children’s future,” she replied, storming into the parlor.

  Dr. Martin looked around the room at the interested faces and ignored them

  “I have no idea what you are talking about,” he stated crossly.

  “Thomas, I came out here in response to your request. I know we have been mainly doctor and nurse, but I thought as some point we would be more ah… intimately connected,” she finished with a red-faced huff. “In other words, you have not mentioned marriage or any permanent relationship, so I thought it best to make my own arrangements.”

  “And just what would those arrangements amount to?” he demanded, crossing his arms over his chest and scowling fiercely.

  “Well, I thought the children and I might take a place in town. The Jordons will want the house back eventually and it seems the brides are leaving one at a time. There will be no need for me to stay here with no one to chaperone,” she finished, her voice trailing away.

  “So, without consulting me in any way, you’ve arranged your future? Has it ever occurred to you I was waiting until you were free to leave this house before I spoke?”