She glanced around the small congregation and counted six children, including Reverend and Mrs. Bigelow’s boys. And what a joy to see Rebecca Smith and her husband, Eden, here today with their little girl. Of course, Nellie and Zeb had come with baby Henry. Leah caught her sister-in-law’s gaze, and they exchanged smiles.
And then it hit her. While Leah had said good-bye to her only living relatives yesterday, God had graciously, lovingly, given her a new family. A new beginning.
Looking at her husband sitting beside her, Leah threaded her hand around his arm. He glanced her way and gave her hand an affectionate squeeze. So far, this hadn’t been punishment at all, and she truly believed that her aunt and uncle had her best interests in mind when they’d instructed her to join them in One Way after she’d gotten herself in such a mess back home.
Back home … No. This was her home now.
She peeked at Jesse from beneath her pompadour and decorated hat. At breakfast, he’d told her women were plain and practical out here and that she needn’t fuss with her appearance, but Leah wasn’t quite ready to abandon the latest fashions just yet. Her refusal to comply, however, caused her to look a bit silly this morning, although before they left the house, Jesse had said she looked lovely.
She didn’t deserve such a good man, and she knew she had to tell him the truth about what happened in Newport, no matter how much shame and pain it brought her.
And tell him she would. Someday.
The service concluded with “Bringing in the Sheaves.” Zeb accompanied the singing with his fiddle, although it didn’t drown out Mrs. Rigley’s enthusiastic and slightly offkey alto voice. When the believers dispersed, Jesse led Leah around and introduced her to some people she hadn’t yet met.
“Jesse, as a businessman,” Mr. Fields said, his slicked inky-black hair shining beneath the sun, “I have to admit I like the hotel idea that Welton’s proposing. He has a point—a church can meet anywhere. A school, too.”
“Well, Dirk, it’s your vote and your prerogative.”
Leah couldn’t believe what she’d just heard. The statement was hardly that of a man running for public office. Jesse’s character and qualifications for the job far exceeded Luther Welton’s. She’d gleaned that fact as soon as she’d met Mr. Welton. Surely everyone else couldn’t be so fooled.
But even if they were, why didn’t Jesse do his best to convince the man he conversed with and others that he was most suited for the job? And a church and school … they were essentials to a town.
Leah caught something out of the corner of her eye. A woman a ways off, standing outside the boardinghouse, waving a hanky.
“Jesse?” She tugged on his arm. “Excuse me for interrupting, but who is that near Mrs. Rigley’s place?”
He glanced in that direction. “That’s Collette Welton.” He squinted, watching her. “But what she’s doing is anyone’s guess.”
As the last syllable rolled off his tongue, the ground beneath them began to rumble. A thundering off in the distance rapidly drew near.
An earthquake?
Leah clung to Jesse. A collective gasp went up from the ladies. A couple of children whimpered while men murmured among themselves.
A heartbeat later, riders on horseback came into view, seven of them, all galloping at a breakneck pace past the church tree and Jesse’s homestead. They stirred up a cloud of dust that wafted over the gathered believers. Leah coughed despite the hanky she held to her mouth and nose.
“’Scuse me, Leah … Dirk. Seems I have work to do.”
“No, Jesse …” Leah lurched forward as he pulled from her grasp. Despite the heat, a cold shiver shook her to the bones and rattled her mind. Those reckless, rowdy men outnumbered her husband. He could be hurt—or worse.
“Arrest those men for disturbing the peace!” Reverend Bigelow called after Jesse’s retreating form.
“Throw them in jail, and toss the key in the Yellowstone!” Mrs. Rigley hollered.
“Jesse, come back!” Before Leah could go after him, Nellie stepped into her path. The expression on her sister-in-law’s round face spoke volumes. Leah’s shoulders sagged. “You’re going to tell me he’s just doing his job, aren’t you?”
Nellie gave a nod but took Leah’s hand. “He’s a big boy. He can handle himself. Don’t you worry.”
But she did worry. Lord, please, protect him!
And in that moment, Leah got a taste of what it felt like to be a sheriff’s wife. But, even more, she glimpsed what life in One Way would be like if Luther Welton became the law in this town. A renewed sense of purpose sprang up inside Leah, and she knew what she had to do.
Somehow, some way, she had to make sure Jesse was reelected on Tuesday morning.
But how?
Chapter 9
If Welton was sheriff, we wouldn’t be standing in this jailhouse right now.”
“Yeah. A man can’t have no fun while you’re the sheriff, Jesse Waite.”
He ignored the men’s griping. He’d caught up with five of the miscreants involved in the horse-racing incident this morning and had just fined them for disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, and endangering the lives of One Way’s citizens.
“You were menaces to society. Folks were out and about with their young children. Someone could have been hurt … or killed.” His words clearly did little to impress the men. They stood in front of his desk like misbehaving schoolboys.
Jesse handed each man his ticket and hefty fine, then he scheduled the court dates. “You can pay me now or wait and argue your side in front of the judge when he comes at the end of the month. If your case isn’t dismissed and you don’t pay your fine, I’ll get the marshal involved. Understand?” Jesse returned their holsters and firearms. “Now, get out of here.”
Jesse followed the rowdies outside, his gaze trailing them as they swaggered back to the saloon. He glanced at Leah, standing off to the left. She’d been waiting patiently on the boardwalk until he finished his business, looking fetching in her cream-colored dress. A straw hat decorated with feathers was pinned to her poufy hair that was supposed to be fashionable. Jesse didn’t know much about that, but he knew his wife looked pretty—pretty enough to show off here in town.
He gave her a smile. “All done.”
“Good.” She appeared happier than Jesse had seen her yet. “How about if we go on a picnic—just the two of us—this afternoon?”
“I’d like that.” He hadn’t done that in years. Sounded like just what he needed after a morning like this, too. He offered his arm. “A picnic.”
But it was more than that. A romantic outing was just the place to give Leah her wedding present. Who knew … maybe he’d get a kiss in return.
Her hand in Jesse’s, Leah walked beside him along the Yellowstone River. Could this day get any better? A handsome man, a basket filled with Mrs. Dinsmore’s gift of fried chicken and biscuits, and a prairie stretched out before them—it seemed like the perfect Sunday afternoon to Leah.
They crossed the river on the cable-drawn ferry as the sun hit the middle of the sky. Reaching the opposite shore, they hiked into the Badlands and spread their blanket at the foot of a butte.
“How did you enjoy your first church service under a tree?” Jesse stretched out his legs in front of him.
“I enjoyed it—until the horse race. If I were a betting woman, which I’m not, I’d say Luther Welton was in on that practical joke to disrupt our fellowship.”
“You’d win.” Jesse arched a brow. “If you were a betting woman.”
Leah grinned and unpacked their picnic lunch as patches of long grass stirred on a gentle breeze. A hawk soared above them and landed on a high, rocky ridge. “It’s barren out here and yet peaceful … pretty.”
“At night, it’s wickedly dangerous, with bears and wolves. See to it you never get stranded on this side of the river.”
“I’ll make sure I don’t.” She passed the chicken and biscuits to Jesse before making a plate for hersel
f.
Jesse prayed over their meal, asking God to bless Mrs. Dinsmore for her kindness. Then he dug right in. “This tastes a lot like my ma’s chicken.”
Leah took a bite, tasting a peppery seasoning. She liked it. “I don’t know much about your family. How long ago did your mother pass away?”
“Going on ten years. She developed a fever, and consumption set in. Her last days were the worst of my life. All we could do was watch her waste away. Pa took it the hardest. He was so overcome with grief, he left southeastern Montana for the silver mines out west.”
“And you stayed here.”
“At first, since Nellie needed looking after because Pa returned to mining. But then my baby sister insisted on some education, so I found her a boarding school in Billings and I joined the army so I could pay for it. The next year, Pa was killed in an explosion.” Jesse leaned back against a tall, smooth rock, his gaze far off. “It was hard, but we made it.”
He blinked, and the past vanished. A smile spread across his face. “After I served my term, I came back here, bought land, and decided to homestead. Nellie returned soon after I did. She met Zeb and got married.”
Leah’s life had its share of heartaches, too. “My father died when I was three, so it was just Mother and me.” She didn’t add that her father was an abusive drunk.
“How did you get by?”
“Mother managed to get a job teaching school, and she inspired me to earn my teaching certificate, too.” A familiar sorrow cast a pall over her. She swallowed hard. The last thing she wanted was to spoil their day with her tears.
“I’m glad you’re my wife, Leah.” Jesse’s deep voice cut through her pain. “You, me, your aunt and uncle, Nellie, Zeb, and baby Henry—we have a good start to a fine family.”
She had to agree. Blinking off her pitiful background, she handed him a bottle of sarsaparilla and opened another for herself. Then she held it high. “A toast to our new life together?”
“Hear, hear.” Jesse took a swig from his.
She giggled. While it was hardly a prestigious beverage, and she wasn’t sipping from crystal stemware, the ritual carried the same celebratory effect.
After they finished eating, Jesse pulled a folded checkered handkerchief from his shirt pocket. “I’ve failed to do a lot of things since we met. But I want to make this right before any more time goes by.”
His sudden solemnity claimed her breath.
“I neglected to give you a wedding ring the night we took our vows.” He unwrapped the cloth and revealed a smooth gold band. “This was Ma’s. The day she died, she gave it to me to give to my bride. Will you wear it? If you’d rather, I can buy you one of your own.”
His mother’s ring. How precious. “Thank you, Jesse.”
He slid the simple band onto her finger. “I thought long and hard about what a man’s got to do for his woman about as soon as I decided I needed a wife. So I’m going to make you a promise that goes beyond the wedding vows we took.” Jesse cupped her face in his strong hands. “I promise you that I’ll do all I can to make you happy, to lead you in a stronger relationship with the Lord, and to provide for you the best I can.”
“This ring will always remind me of those words, Jesse. It’s as beautiful as your promise.”
“As beautiful as my bride.”
Beautiful? No one, other than Mother, had ever called her that. A shyness came over her, her face flaming.
“You’re the heart of my homestead—our homestead.”
Our home—for her to care for. And a man who seemed to care for her.
“And that home needs a bathtub.” He released her and relaxed against the butte again, his tone lightening as he snatched another chicken leg from the basket. “Tomorrow morning, we’ll head on over to the general store so you can pick out the one you want. While we’re there, I’ll order some lumber and the window for your new bathroom.”
“Jesse, I will adapt without a tub and indoor bathroom. You don’t have to go to such lengths to please me.”
“I want to. Your happiness is important to me.” He wiped his hands on a napkin then reached for her hand and kissed her fingers. His whiskers tickled, but the warmth of his lips ran up her arm and straight to her heart. How amazing that his kindness affected her so.
Charming, sweet, and sensitive, this man was quickly becoming the center of her world. At this moment, his happiness ranked high on her list of priorities as well. Leah appreciated such qualities in her new husband, but how long would it last? Months? Days? Weeks?
And how would he react after she told him the details about her past—a past that included an arrest and jail time?
Jesse couldn’t recall a finer afternoon as he and Leah strolled back to the house—and not only because of the nice weather, either. She’d removed that frilly hat of hers and tucked it under her arm, and the sun brought out golden strands in her walnut-brown hair.
“Jesse, I’ve been thinking. Would you show me around the barn?”
He couldn’t help his wide grin. “Didn’t Nellie take you inside yesterday?”
“No, we never got to it, and I’ve been thinking that if this is our homestead, I need to contribute more to it. Since I’m not teaching, I’ll have time on my hands, and I can help with the animals and such when you have to work late.”
“Or maybe just keep me company while I do it.” Arm around her waist, he gave her a squeeze. Her smile told him she didn’t mind his suggestion.
In the yard now, they made for the long, low barn, and Jesse felt more encouraged with every step. Leah was already making his bare-bones house into a home. If she was interested in livestock, he’d make sure she got what she wanted. A real homestead needed a woman’s touch, even outside the house and yard.
“The only animals on the place now are my horse and some barn cats. But I’ve been meaning to put time into this place—just needed a reason to.” And a wife to be that reason. “I plan to plow up a garden spot next spring and get you a dozen hens and a rooster. Cow, too.”
“What other animals could we have—that I can take care of?”
“Anything you want.” He grinned, thinking back to their banter during her “tour” of the town on Leah’s first day in One Way. He was going to make this woman happy if it was in his power to do it, and she seemed happiest when they were lighthearted. He opened the walk door, and they entered the barn, the scent of clean straw greeting them. “Hogs are nice.”
She broke out in a tinkling little laugh. “Too much work for you. You’d have to plant dozens of rosebushes to cover the smell.”
“How about mules?”
“You have enough stubborn females on this homestead.”
“Ducks?”
“Even this city girl knows better—”
Mice scampered past them and Leah shrieked, flinging herself into Jesse’s arms.
He was more than happy to wrap her in a protective embrace. “Well now, I’ll definitely get some more mice.”
“Oh, you!” She pushed away from him, giving him a good-natured shove. “I’m not afraid of mice. They just startled me.”
“Whatever you say.” He chuckled. He picked up her fancy hat, which she’d dropped to the straw-covered floor, blew the dust off it, and handed it back to her.
Reclaiming it, she cautiously stepped around, peeking up to the loft and the cats batting their paws at the dust motes in the air. Jesse followed close by.
“Leah, honey, stop right there.”
She whirled on him. “Trying to scare me again? You’re as bad as a ten-year-old schoolboy.”
“No, there’s a snake just a foot ahead.” Jesse moved her behind him then reached for the hoe hanging on the wall. He hooked the hoe underneath the snake and carried it dangling from the tool and toward the door. Leah followed him as he dumped the creature in the grass behind the barn. “It’s just a bull snake. Harmless. Probably after those mice. Sure you want to go back in?”
She squared her shoulders. “I’m sur
e.”
Jesse admired her gumption … and wouldn’t it figure she’d lead the way back into the barn, too?
“What else is in here that I should know about?”
“Tack room’s to the left, where I keep my saddles and bridles and such. Feed room’s on the other side.” He replaced the hoe, then he took her hand and walked her around the barn. “This stall could be for a cow. I put my horse, Patriot, in the other one when the weather’s bad.”
“I like horses, but I don’t know much about them. You’ve got a farm wagon, I see.”
“Nothing fancy. Front and backseats, a long wagon bed. Comes in handy when I need lumber or supplies.”
Or to transport his family as it grew …
“Jesse, let’s go to the house. We can sit on the porch and watch the sunset.”
“I prefer watching mice and snakes if it means you’ll jump into my arms again.”
“Jesse Waite!” She smacked him playfully with her hat. “You mind your manners and come along.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He grinned.
As they walked across the yard, Jesse explained some particulars to her so she’d be safe whenever she ventured outside in the future. She was an intelligent lady, and he had every confidence that she’d learn quickly. And her new interest in the homestead proved that she’d fit right into his life.
But could she learn to love him?
Only time would tell.
Chapter 10
The persistent ringing of Leah’s alarm clock awakened her the next morning. She turned it off, yawned, stretched, rolled over …
And stared at the snoring hound in bed next to her. Not quite the face she wanted to see the minute she opened her eyes. She’d much rather stare into Jesse’s handsome face.
The Convenient Bride Collection: 9 Romances Grow from Marriage Partnerships Formed Out of Necessity Page 12