by Barbara Goss
“I’m as anxious as you are to marry, but I won’t do it until this is settled, Glenna.”
“It will be.”
Chapter Nineteen
Spence found Glenna weeping as she sat on the front porch. He raced up the steps, pulled her to her feet, and took her into his arms.
“What happened?”
Glenna wiped her cheeks and sighed. “It’s no use. I can’t make my father see reason. He’s so stubborn.”
“I’ll go and talk to him,” Spence said, pushing her gently back into her seat.
“No, it will just make things worse. He wanted to know why you haven’t purchased his horses yet. I told him you were hired to help out until the crew returned and then finish the stable addition. You aren’t working here anymore. He seems to think that by giving you permission to marry me, you are automatically employed here. He won’t listen.”
Spence sat down beside her. “What do we do, then? Have Reverend Peters speak to him?”
“That won’t help either.” Glenna began to cry again.
Spence held her close. “Relax, Glenna. We’ll work it out.” He lifted her chin. “I have some good news: I got a telegram from Ruth today.”
Glenna’s head came up quickly. “You did? What did she have to say?”
“She sold her place, and she wants to move to Salt Creek. She misses you.”
“Bless her heart. I miss her, too,” Glenna said, wiping the remainder of her tears.
“She wants me to find a place for her to live. Something reasonably priced.” Spence lifted her chin again. “That’s when I got this idea. Now, hear me out.”
Glenna gave him a teary-eyed smile, the kind that melted his insides.
“What if she came here as a paid nurse for your father? It would give us more time together and maybe force your father to be a bit more independent.”
“I don’t know if my father will agree to it.”
“We won’t tell him. We’ll just do it. Ruth has a way about her. You have to admit: she can get along with anyone.”
“I don’t know...” Glenna bit her bottom lip. “I love Ruth, and I’d feel badly if my father threw her out or something.”
“Your father is a stubborn, bull-headed man, but he’s not rude or disrespectful.” He raised his eyebrows. “Can we give it a try?”
Glenna nodded.
Spence held her as they watched the sun sink below the horizon.
~~~**~~~
Ruth Madison walked into the bedroom where Rory McKay sat dozing in a chair. She set his lunch tray down on the table in front of him with a clatter. Rory jumped, caught his composure, and stared at the woman.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“Who in blazes are you?”
“My name is Ruth Madison, and I’m your new nurse.”
Ruth watched his face pale.
“I don’t need a nurse. Where’s my daughter?”
“She and Spence are busy making marriage plans. They thought I might be able to help out while I look for a place to live here, in Salt Creek.”
“I still have no idea who you are and why you’re here.”
“I’m related to John Hendricks of the U.S. Marshals. I gave your daughter refuge when Asa was chasing her. In fact, I got the reward for his capture.” She gave him a wink. “I’m tougher than I look.” She pushed his tray forward. “Look what I’ve brought you—a delicious bowl of soup and a sandwich.”
Rory pushed the tray away. “Is this my daughter’s idea or Spencer’s?”
“It was a mutual decision. As a betrothed couple they make all their decisions together, as it should be.” Ruth pushed the tray forward again.
Rory simply glared at her, so she turned and left the room.
Glenna and Spence were waiting outside the room, and their eyes sought Ruth’s.
“It’s fine. He’s a bit ruffled, but I can handle it. You two get busy planning that wedding.”
Glenna still visited her father twice a day. He did his share of complaining about Ruth at first, but as the days went on, he seemed to get used to the situation and merely rolled his eyes when Ruth’s name was mentioned.
After about a week, Ruth knew he’d reluctantly accepted her. She read to him each day after lunch, and while he pretended boredom at first, he was soon asking for her to read one more chapter. He balked when she insisted he get some air and take a walk outside. She gave him a firm look, handed him his bathrobe, pulled him out of the room and out the back door, and sat him down in the gazebo where he could watch the birds and the horses trotting around the pasture. She saw him smiling and knew he’d be sitting there every day it didn’t rain.
~~~***~~~
“So,” Spence said, “we’ll repeat our vows in the gazebo on August the twenty-first, then leave for Arkansas and repeat our vows there. I like our plans.”
Glenna blushed a bit before asking, “But where will we spend our wedding night? Surely, not on a train.”
“I’ll buy the tickets for the twenty-second of August, and we’ll spend our special night in a hotel. I’ll get us the best room.”
Glenna put her arms around his neck and kissed his lips. “I can hardly wait.”
“Do you realize, Glenna, that we only have to wait two weeks? I don’t know about you, but I’m excited. This will also be the last test to see if your father can cope on his own or not.”
Glenna smiled. “Your idea worked like a charm. He still won’t admit it, but I think he adores Ruth. She claims he’ll be just fine while we’re gone. Do you know she even explained his part in the ceremony to him?”
“What did she tell him?”
“She told him that when he puts my hand into yours it’s for keeps. He’s giving his daughter to her groom and handing over all responsibility for her. He’s trusting the groom to take over his job.”
Spence grinned. “Did she say how he took it?”
“She said he growled a bit at first, but she read him some Bible verses, and he finally came to his senses. She promised me that all will go well at our wedding.”
Spence drew Glenna close. “I’m the happiest man in the world.”
August twenty-first turned out to be a beautiful, sunny day after a brief, early morning rain. Spence stood in the gazebo among urns of flowers as he waited with Reverend Peters and Ruth for Glenna to walk down the stone walkway on her father’s arm. When they reached the gazebo, it was Rory’s turn to hand his daughter over to her groom. Rory clamped his lips together in a grimace, shrugged, smiled, and put Glenna’s hand in Spencer’s.
~~~~*****~~~~
EPILOGUE
After the wedding ceremony, Ruth nudged Rory. He brushed her arm off a few times before finally withdrawing an envelope from his pocket. Glenna and Spence were signing their marriage certificate and talking to Reverend Peters at the time. At Ruth’s urging, Rory walked up and handed them a rather thick envelope.
“Congratulations! Here’s a small wedding gift.” He started to hand it to his daughter, but Ruth nudged him again and he handed it to Spence.
Spence opened the envelope and gasped. “You didn’t have to do this.”
“I think I did,” he said, and he gave Ruth a glare.
Spence showed it to Glenna. She gasped and put her arms around her father’s neck. “I love you, Father.”
Spence had just been handed the deed to the ranch, which had been signed over to Spencer Blackwood.
Rory finally said, “I won’t give any advice unless I’m asked—I am in retirement, you know.” He winked at Ruth. “I’ve found some pleasant ways to spend my time. You two can worry about the ranch.” He started to walk away, but he turned to say to Spence, “If you look deeper into the envelope you’ll find enough money to get you started with buying yourself some horses to fill those stalls.”
Glenna and Spence spent their most memorable wedding night in a hotel room; it was a night they’d both remember for years to come. In the morning, they caught a train for
Arkansas.
Martha Blackwood was thrilled with her new daughter-in-law with whom she got along wonderfully. Glenna apologized for having taken Spence from her to live all the way in Kansas, but Martha brushed it off. “At least I know he’s happy,” she said. “I can always hop on a train and visit once a year.”
Spence’s father grumbled a lot because he was losing his eldest son’s help with his lumber business, but he gave him a hefty amount of cash in lieu of his inheritance. It would help to give Glenna and Spence a wonderful start to their ranch and new life together.
True to her word, Martha arrived in Salt Creek a year and three months later to greet her first granddaughter, Martha Ruth Blackwood.
Rory—who had married Ruth and built them a small cabin on the property a good distance from the house—was thrilled to be a grandfather. Now, all their prayers had truly been answered.
~~~~~~~~~~**********~~~~~~~~~~
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Other books by Barbara Goss:
1. Forbidden Legacy
2. Captured Heart
3. Stolen Heritage
4. Dangerous Illusions
5. Silent Love
6. The Final Vow
7. The Kissing Bridge
8. Drawn from Darkness
9. Temptation by Moonlight
10. The Romantic Ruse
11. Shadow of Shame
12. Shadow of Deceit
13. Shadow of Regret
14. Shadow of Hope
15. Shadow of Love
16. Shadow of Faith
17. Shadow of Second Chances
18. Sunshine in the Rain and 19. Yesterday’s Rain
20. Mail Order Mishap Book 1
21. Mail Order Vixen Book 2
22. Mail Order Ruse book 3
23 Mail Order Calamity Book 4
24 Mail Order Compromise Book 5
25. The Guilty Proposal
26. The Reckless Proposal
27. The Shotgun Proposal
28. The Housekeeper’s Proposal
29. Dan McCall’s Bride
30. Looking for Love
31. Delightfully Deluded
32. Ricochet Romance 2 books in one
33. Wanted: Horse Breeder - Silverpines Series
34. Wanted: A Trusting Heart – Silverpines Series
35. Rescued in El Paso
36. A Bride for Nathan (Proxy Brides Series)
37. The Trapper
38. A Bride for Travis (Proxy Brides Series)
39. Hope (Prairie Rose Series)
40. The Secret Diary (Lockets and Lace Series)
41. A Bride for Logan (Proxy Brides Series)
42. The Marshal’s Mission
43. A Bride for Adam (Proxy Brides Series)
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I’m now working on A Bride for Adam. It will be released on January 8th 2020-mark your calendars. There will be more books from me before then, so watch for news in my newsletters and on Bookbub.
A Bride for Adam takes you from Texas to an excursion on a clipper ship to England, and back to Texas.
Thank you for choosing to buy my book. God bless you and yours.