“Tea’s ready,” Faye said as she looked into the bedroom from the doorway, probably checking to see if Violet was in a safe place. Faye had changed so much since arriving at the ranch. Gone was the frightened young woman ignoring her frail infant that day. Now, a more confident woman loved and cared for her baby, and herself.
And hopefully him too.
“Please sit down,” Rusty requested as held the chair out for Faye, but not scooting it up to the table yet. After she was seated, he remained standing, rubbing his clammy palms against his trousers. He took a deep breath to fortify his nerves and then sank down on one knee beside Faye’s chair.
The surprised grin on Faye’s face was priceless.
“You think you know what I’m about to do?” Rusty teased.
“I hope so because I’m ready to answer.”
Rusty took a deep breath, started to speak, but then stopped to take another breath. This was a very serious, life-altering decision. He looked up into Faye’s twinkling eyes. Was this the right decision for both of them? Faye was young compared to Rusty, but the spark of attraction lit between them right away. He was confident their love would grow into a stable marriage.
He held out his hand, and she placed her hand in his, squeezing it with anticipation.
“Miss Faye Longoria. Because I’ve fallen in love with you—and Violet—I’d like to ask for your hand in marriage. Will you marry me?”
“Yes, because we love you too,” Faye squealed as she leaned forward to give him a long kiss.
“When can we wed?” Faye asked, practically dancing in her seat.
“As soon as the addition is finished.”
“Addition to what?” Faye asked, confused by his words.
Rusty stood up and pulled the piece of paper from his pocket. He unfolded it and laid it on the table in front of Faye.
“Marcus and Isaac are adding rooms onto the back of this cabin for our wedding present. They plan to have most of the work done in three weeks, at least the exterior portion. Here’s the new floor layout. What do you think of it? Any suggestions?”
Faye spread the paper out flat, keeping her hands on either side of the paper. Rusty pointed out the new walls with his finger.
“The kitchen will stay where it is, but a dining room, another bedroom, and a back enclosed porch will be added to the side and back of the cabin. What do you think of the layout?”
“That will more than double the size of the house,” Faye said as she traced the lines on the paper with her finger, then looked up around the cabin to visualize how the changes would look.
Maybe this wasn’t a good idea to talk about the addition right now. Faye was more excited about the cabin remodel than his proposal.
Faye pushed out of the chair and hugged him around his waist. “Again…when can we marry?” She turned her face up to his for another kiss.
“Are you more excited about having a husband or a home?” Rusty halfway teased Faye.
“Definitely marrying you. I would have been happy in your little cabin, but now I’m ecstatic that it will be expanded. Can we set a date yet?”
Rusty laughed as he smoothed the wayward tendrils of her hair with his finger and slid his knuckles across her smooth cheek. He liked touching her.
“Wanting to get out of your sister’s house? Looking forward to a little peace and quiet?”
“I’ll still be over helping with children during the day while you’re working, but at night…we’ll be alone to do as we please.”
Rusty cleared his throat when Faye pulled back and wiggled her eyebrows, suggesting promises of being together after they called it a night.
Yeah, he was looking forward to that too.
“We’ll talk to Pastor Reagan, but I’m hoping for the Sunday three weeks from now. I’ll send word to my parents because I’d like for them to attend. Three weeks enough time for you to prepare for our wedding?”
Faye laughed. “I just happen to be picking out my wedding gown tomorrow. I’ll be ready for our wedding before the first board is nailed onto the cabin’s addition.”
Rusty kissed her again. He was proud of how she’d embraced her need to grow into her role of both mother and future wife.
“Did you want to ask your father to the ceremony? Or even to perform it?” Rusty had to suggest the option. “I don’t want you regretting it later that he wasn’t here for your wedding.”
“No. That would hurt Sarah or Cate. And their feelings are more important than trying to build a relationship with my father again.”
“I think that’s a wise choice, but I wanted you to have family at your wedding if you wanted to.”
“Sarah’s family is my family. And now we’re starting our own…in three weeks!”
After another round of kissing, they walked outside around the cabin, measuring how big each room could be, where to place doors and windows. Faye was talking about making curtains, rugs for the new floors, furniture she’d like in each spot.
Rusty’s chest expanded with pride and excitement. He’d become a family man in just three short weeks.
Chapter 20
Only four days before their wedding. They had to wait four weeks because another couple had already booked the date they wanted. But the cabin addition took longer than expected, so the extra week was needed anyway before Faye and Violet could move in with Rusty.
Rusty’s parents, along with an uncle and aunt, would be arriving today to spend time with them before the ceremony and their return trip home on Monday. Faye was nervous about meeting Rusty’s family, but Rusty assured her they would welcome her with open arms.
Sarah offered for the two couples to stay in their home, but Rusty booked rooms for them in the Paulson Hotel instead. The Tuckers had been here a few times since Rusty moved here, so they had met Isaac. Faye was glad Isaac and Cate would be available to spend time with the couples too. It just eased Faye’s mind that Cate would guide her through the protocols of meeting her in-laws.
“I see the smoke from the train. They’ll soon be here!”
Of course, Rusty was excited about his parent’s visit. It had been a year since he’d traveled home to see them. His uncle was a salesman who planned to stop for a visit on his way to Denver for business. Four new people for Faye to meet and win over.
She tightened her grip on Violet as her baby slept against her shoulder, covered up with a blanket to keep her warm. Faye wore her best dress and hat today, hoping Violet didn’t spit up on her shoulder right before she met Rusty’s family.
The train hissed to a stop and Rusty anxiously scanned the car’s windows for his family.
“There’s Pa! I see them!”
Faye stood straighter and pasted on a smile. Cate’s words of encouragement played over in her head. She could do this.
And a minute later they were standing in front of her.
“Faye, I’d like to introduce my parents, Simon and Nancy Tucker. Folks, this is my fiancée, Faye Longoria.”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Tucker,” Faye gave a smiling nod as she shook both of their extended hands. Rusty’s father looked like an older version of Rusty, only slightly shorter, with traces of grey in his reddish-brown hair.
His mother greeted Faye warmly by smiling and shaking her hand with both of hers. The woman had greying light brown hair and blue eyes that matched her son’s.
“And this is my uncle and aunt, Edwin and Ruth Tucker.”
“Nice to meet you,” Faye said to his uncle as she shook his hand, before turning to his wife.
The woman wore spectacles, with a dark glass lens for her right, probably blind, eye. She was Faye’s height with dark brown hair and…
Faye stepped back, stumbling on the hem of her skirt, but Rusty’s arms immediately caught her.
“Faye!” A man called as he stepped off the train car steps. “We’ve come to see you. Perfect timing to find you at the depot.”
Startled, Faye looked over to see George Ogden—and Richard
Chaney—two men from her past in Kansas City, walking toward her.
Faye’s vision tunneled down to near zero as she felt herself hyperventilating.
What were the chances of meeting her future in-laws, former clients, and her mother at the same time?
Her mother glanced at the men who called Faye’s name, and her visible eye widened for a second. She had probably laid with Mr. Ogden in her past life too. Her mother stared at her with a confused look. Faye understood her mother didn’t want to acknowledge her, or the other men, in front of her husband, his brother and wife.
The groups stood facing each other now, waiting for introductions from…her?
“Who are these men, Faye?” Rusty quietly asked as he leaned toward her.
“My past,” Faye choked out.
Faye felt Rusty stiffen, in shock as she was.
“Pa and Ma, why don’t you take Uncle Edwin and Aunt Ruth over to the Paulson Hotel and check in? You can see it from here,” Rusty suggested as he pointed down the street. “We’ll follow you shortly.”
“Something wrong?” Rusty’s father asked as he glanced at the men, and then Faye.
If he knew, he wouldn’t be welcoming her and Violet into his family.
“No. Just some people we need to talk to for a minute,” Rusty answered without giving any more information.
Faye’s mother glanced at her one last time before turning toward the hotel, anxious to leave without being recognized?
Rusty turned toward Ogden and Chaney, his stance wide showing he was on edge.
“I’m Rusty Tucker, Faye’s fiancée. Why do you want to talk to her?”
“I’m George Ogden, and this is Richard Chaney,” Ogden introduced themselves casually, but his eyes were focused on Violet’s body covered under her blanket, instead of on Rusty.
Rusty’s sharp inhale meant he recognized Richard’s name as the man who was probably Violet’s father.
“Why are you here looking for Faye?”
“Well, Mr. Tucker, you know Faye’s background since you wrote to Mr. Chaney about her whereabouts. Thankfully he told me because I was devastated that she had run away with my infant daughter,” Ogden said as he narrowed his eyes at Faye.
“No! Violet Rose is not your daughter! She’s…” Faye couldn’t continue as she really wasn’t sure who Violet’s father was. She was so ashamed of what was happening in front of Rusty.
“Violet Rose? You named her after my wife and my deceased daughter?” Richard said incredulously. He turned away from them, his face turned upward and his fists tight against his sides.
“I couldn’t keep calling her Baby. She needed a name,” Faye whispered to explain her choice.
“And someone else could have been Violet’s father instead of either of you. But it doesn’t matter now. I’m claiming her as mine because Faye and I are marrying on Sunday.”
Ogden shrugged his shoulder as if that didn’t matter to him. He reached inside his coat and pulled his billfold from his inside pocket.
“How about I give you both five hundred dollars in exchange for Violet Rose?”
Faye gasped and looked up at Rusty as she tightened her grip on Violet. Rusty mentioned he’d never have enough money for his own place. Would he consider Ogden’s offer for a chance for his dream?
“Are you wanting Faye and Violet, or just Violet?”
Why was Rusty asking that question? Or even thinking about giving up her baby?
“I can hire a wet nurse for my child. My wife would prefer I leave Faye here. You can still marry on Sunday for all I care.”
Humiliation crept up Faye’s neck, probably glowing red by the time it reached her hairline.
“Chaney, why are you here, if Ogden is claiming Violet is his, instead of yours?” Rusty asked, apparently curious about learning more about Faye’s sordid past.
Richard shifted and looked at his feet before meeting Rusty’s eyes.
“He paid me money to bring him here and to say I have no claim on…Violet. I have an invalid wife, and the extra cash will help us out.”
Faye leaned her face against Violet’s head, trying to hide her pale face in the blanket.
What a mess, and why did this have to happen when Rusty’s family was here too?
“Since you’re offering money instead of proving parental rights, what happens if we decline your ‘offer’ for Violet?” Rusty asked.
Faye looked down the street at the marshal’s office. Should she run to Marshal Adam for help? Did Ogden have any legal proof that could work against her or her mother?
“If you decline, I’ll suggest the local marshal arrest Faye’s mother for stealing money from me,” Ogden’s words seared Faye’s heart. He’d recognized her mother on the train!
“Huh. Kind of hard to do when Faye has no idea where her mother is,” Rusty countered.
“Actually, it would be easy. I assume your uncle married late in life or a second time. Correct?”
“Yes, Uncle Edwin remarried three years ago. Why?”
No! Don’t say it! Don’t say it!
“Your new Aunt Ruth…I knew her as Ruthie Reed when she worked in a Kansas City brothel. You just met your future mother-in-law.”
Chapter 21
Wait…What? Rusty was having a hard time wrapping his brain around the man’s suggestion.
His uncle’s wife…was Faye’s mother? He knew Uncle Edwin had met his new wife in Kansas City about three or so years ago. But what were the chances she was the same woman?
One look at Faye’s stricken expression gave it good odds.
What thoughts must be racing through Faye’s mind? She hadn’t seen her mother in four years after the woman had abandoned her in the brothel. Where had Ruth been since leaving the brothel and before she married his uncle? And why didn’t she return to get Faye out of there?
Men from Faye’s past were standing in front of her offering her money for a baby she’d grown to love.
And his parents, Faye’s future in-laws, were here to witness the whole mess.
Did Uncle Edwin know about his wife’s past? Did his parents? More than one person’s secrets would be shattered with the arrival of these two men.
What happened to Faye and Ruthie was in the past and wasn’t their fault, to begin with.
Rusty wrapped his arm around Faye to give her moral support, but she stiffened at his touch rather than relax into it.
Was she afraid he’d pull Violet from her arms and hand the baby over in exchange for money?
“You’re making so many claims, it’s understandable if I doubt them, Mr. Ogden. I need to talk to Faye and Ruth to hear their explanations,” Rusty asserted to make Ogden step back and to give Faye a little hope.
“I realize we came at an inopportune time for you, although it certainly worked to my advantage.”
Ogden sighed, then continued. “One thing you need to consider, Tucker. I am a banker in Kansas City and considered an upstanding citizen. Violet would have the best upbringing and schooling my money could buy for her. What can you offer her, being a ranch foreman?”
“What’s your wife say about bringing your offspring home?” Rusty challenged him.
“Actually, she’s the one who suggested I come to you and make the offer. I confessed my…transgressions to my wife when Mr. Chaney told me about your letter. Mr. Silas had already approached me about Violet, but I denied it then.”
Why did I write to Chaney? Faye and Violet could have disappeared and never been bothered again.
Because Faye loved Richard and wanted him to know where she was.
Does she still love Richard, instead of him?
“We haven’t been able to have children, and she’d dearly love Violet, no question about it,” Ogden continued to talk over Rusty’s thoughts.
“I’m sure there are plenty of babies and children in a Kansas City orphanage you could adopt and help instead of a baby you don’t know its parentage of anyway,” Rusty argued back.
“My wife
wants my child so it will be so,” Ogden said with conviction.
Not happening on my watch.
“Look. We have to go. My family just arrived, and I haven’t seen them in a year. Faye and I need to catch up with them at the hotel,” Rusty said as he took Faye’s elbow to lead her away from the two men.
“All right. We’ll be in the hotel lobby, ready to take Violet when you’re ready to accept my money.” Ogden gestured for them to walk ahead of them.
“Come on, Faye. We need to have a talk.”
“Wait a minute,” Chaney called out.
“What?”
“I want to see Violet,” Chaney walked to stand in front of Faye, preventing them from going forward.
“No, you’re not going to touch my baby,” Faye said as her motherly instincts kicked in.
“Faye, I just want to see her. That’s all,” Chaney said softly as he touched Faye’s shoulder.
Rusty bristled at the thought that the two of them had been together intimately.
He also hated that her body eased at Chaney’s touch and she nodded her consent. Chaney carefully pulled the blanket away from Violet’s face. The baby was awake and looked up, blinking in the sunlight, toward the man.
Ogden leaned closer to look at Violet too, anxious to see the baby who looked like him.
The tortured gasp from Chaney stunned them all.
“She’s the image of Rose, my daughter,” he whispered as he rubbed his eyes.
Rusty looked between Chaney, Violet, and Faye. The baby definitely had the man’s hair coloring and nose compared to Faye’s features. Violet’s current baby blue eyes could still change color after she was six months old, but Rusty bet they’d be closer to Chaney’s eye color versus Ogden’s dark brown eyes.
Still, Violet could be yet another man’s child, but the odds seemed to be in Chaney’s favor.
Now what?
Ogden looked confused and dazed as if his plan to bring his child home just fell through. Still, he could tell his wife the baby favored her mother’s looks instead of his. But would his wife resent Violet in the future because she didn’t look like Ogden?
Faye Favors a Foreman: A Historical Western Romance (Brides with Grit Book 11) Page 12