There were only two scenarios she could think of. He asked her to be a proper wife to him or he had the marriage annulled and found himself another wife. She could not believe how she hated the latter thought. Guard your heart, she inwardly reminded herself, or it could end up being shattered.
She was almost regretting her decision to marry him – not quite if the truth be known, now that they had been honest with each other, she did want to marry him. Doubts and conflicting emotions warred with each other inside her head.
Once he returned to the kitchen, she instantly felt calmer.
“All done,” he said. “Phyllis should be here in about ten minutes or so. She is a real creature of habit. It will probably drive Jarrod crazy, he’s even more haphazard and disorganized than me.” He grimaced. “For different reasons.”
“Was he a prisoner of war with you?”
“No, he was wounded earlier on and was taken to a field hospital, then put on a hospital train and that was the last I saw of him until the war ended.”
“Wouldn’t it be a coincidence if my father treated him?”
“Yeah, I guess so. Where were you?”
“All over the place.”
He stepped over and stoked the fire in the stove. “Phyllis will be freezing by the time she gets here. It’s too dangerous for a woman on her own out there, especially after what happened today. She should be teaching in town, but try telling her that.”
“She obviously thinks it is safe enough.”
“Well, how are we going to handle this? The friendly couple or the warring couple?”
She laughed. “I would like to do the warring couple bit to pay her back. Your sister guessed who I was even before I told her, yet let me rant and rave about you.”
“We still could.”
“No, I like you now.” She heard him gasp, but it was too late to retract the words. “What I mean is, now we’ve sorted out our differences. I can’t act that well.”
Chapter Nine.
They walked out to the front porch just as a buckboard came into view. Phyllis waved and Briony waved back. She stayed on the porch as Martin strode toward his sister. She was glad of the sheep skin coat he had loaned her. From just being cold, the temperature was now freezing.
He helped his sister down and arm in arm they headed toward her.
“How are you, Briony?” Laughter lurked in Phyllis’ voice. “Still standing and in one piece, I see.”
“Yes. No thanks to you. I attacked your brother like a crazy hag of a woman.”
All three of them laughed.
“Sorry, I should have told you once I realized your identity, but the naughty part of me just couldn’t. Was he really shocked?”
“Yes, I was.”
“Well, you gave back as good as I gave you,” Briony said.
“I’m sorry I missed the fireworks. So long as you’re friends now, that’s the main thing.”
“Yes. You two ladies go into the house, I can see to the horse.”
“Okay, thanks. Ooh, it’s cold.” Phyllis rubbed her hands together. “Let’s go inside.”
The moment they stepped into the sitting room and took off their coats, they hugged each other. Briony had no idea who instigated the move.
“Welcome to the family. You did agree to marry that brother of mine?”
“I did.”
“This would be our best Christmas ever if only Jarrod was here. You’re going to stay the night?”
“Yes, Martin suggested I did. He’ll take me into town tomorrow to pick up my things and see the preacher.” Briony hurried over to join Phyllis, who had her hands stretched out to the fire.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you who I was, I was going to, but you were so fired up about Marty, I thought it would do him good to be stirred up. He’s been somber and brooding, letting the life be sucked out of him for years.”
Briony laughed. “He certainly knows how to stand up for himself. We joked about it later. He said you were the one who made him suspicious of me. Do you think I’m a desperate, crazy hag of a woman?”
“No.” They hugged each other again. “The way you charged up on your gallant steed to save the poor, besieged schoolteacher was the stuff of legends. You were my knight in shining armor.”
“They attacked me and the school because I expelled the two unruly younger children. They were little terrors, not just naughty; I can handle that. These boys were vicious and spiteful.”
“Going by the rest of the family, it’s not surprising. Is there a mother?”
“Yes, she is the foulest mouthed woman I have ever come across, an absolute witch. Now she is certainly a demented woman.”
“And you thought I was like her?” Briony smiled. She felt so comfortable with Phyllis, like they had known each other for years, not hours. “Shame on you.”
They were soon giggling like a pair of silly schoolgirls.
“I better get supper started,” Phyllis finally said.
“I’ll help you. What are you having?”
“Steak.”
“Steak?”
“Yes, Marty butchered a steer the other day. We saved a few choice cuts and salted the rest. Because it’s so cold outside the meat keeps well. We’ve got a large root cellar with plenty of vegetables. I can show you around the place, I guarantee he didn’t.”
“He said you would.”
Phyllis rolled her eyes. “Typical. I’m glad you’re here, Briony, I really am. Not just so Jarrod and I can get married, but for Marty’s sake. You will be good for him. I feel it is my waters, as an old aunt of ours used to say. Poor old dear, doted on Marty when he was young.”
“Is she still alive?”
Phyllis shook her head. “There’s no one in the family now except for us. What about you?”
She followed Phyllis from the sitting room to the main bedroom and hovered in the doorway, not wanting to invade Martin’s privacy. A large double bed was covered by a colorful patchwork quilt. The closet took up half of one wall and had a matching dresser next to it. A nightstand with a lamp on it and a leather armchair was the only other furniture. It was clean, tidy and dull.
“I hope you’ll be sharing this room with my brother after you get married.”
Heat rushed into Briony’s cheeks.
“I’m eager to become an aunty.”
“You are incorrigible, Phyllis. Anyway, he would have to ask me.”
“Would you say yes if he did?”
“Say yes to what?” Martin’s question had Briony buckling at the knees and she grabbed hold of the door. He had entered the house so quietly she had failed to hear him. He had taken his hat and coat off, so must have come through the back way.
“That’s for you to find out, brother dearest,” Phyllis said breezily. “Come along, Briony, I’ll show you the other bedrooms.”
“Your sister is a power to be reckoned with, Martin.”
He grinned. “Just don’t let her lead you astray. I’ll be glad when Jarrod takes her off my hands.”
“You’ll miss me when I go,” Phyllis said airily, taking hold of Briony’s arm and almost dragging her toward the next room. She had to pass so close to Martin their bodies touched and heat sizzled through her. He jumped back, causing her to wonder whether he had felt the fiery connection, as well.
The other two bedrooms were similar to the main one, only smaller. The furniture was identical. It was easy to see the middle room belonged to Phyllis. Pretty pink and white curtains trimmed with lace, hung at the window. The bed was covered by a quilt made of large, knitted squares in various shades of pink and sewn together. A set of gold brushes reposed on the dresser, along with a couple of pretty glass bottles.
“I like your room best of all,” she said as they returned to the kitchen where Martin was feeding logs into the stove.
“All that pink stuff.” He gave a theatrical shudder. There was an easy rapport between brother and sister that she envied. Had Lucille not been so mean and vicious,
it could have been like that for her and Hannah.
The Kavanaghs looked alike, same dark hair and facial features, same colored eyes. Hers were bright and dancing, his slightly shadowed. What would it take for them to become bright and dancing like those of his sister? How different he must have been before the war shattered him.
“I might do some bookwork as I’m way behind with it.”
“Maybe I could help?” Briony offered.
“That would be good,” Phyllis said, “while I get supper.”
“Subtleness was never your strong point, Phyl.”
“Oh, really?” She gave him a benign smile. “I am very subtle when I want to be.”
“Coming, Briony? I’ve got a pile of receipts I need to sort out. I toss all of my receipts into one box, household expenditure and ranch expenses.”
“You should have two boxes and separate them as you go.”
“I know. I am lazy about it. I hate doing accounts and bookwork. If you can go through them and put the ranch accounts to one side, I can write it up in my ledger. I like to keep all my accounts, just in case. The mercantile are hopeless, they often try to get me to pay twice.”
“That’s dishonest.” She sat in one of the armchairs.
“They aren’t dishonest, only careless. I might have to start lighting the fire in here earlier. Phyl thinks we conserve wood by not doing it, but I need to toss on more logs to make a roaring fire, so I really don’t think we save much at all. Excuse me.”
He stepped away and disappeared into his bedroom.
The fireplace had a carved over mantel, the timber surround was a mixture of light and dark wood, very effective against the white-washed walls. The hearth was tessellated tiles in shades of grey and burgundy, quite English looking, making her wonder whether the original owners had come from there.
Martin returned carrying a wooden box. “Here.” He grabbed a handful of receipts and gave them to her. She moved a side table up close. Darting off again, he quickly returned with a large dog-eared ledger. Obviously, he was a man who had little interest in bookwork. By the time he had set everything up to his liking, although not to hers, she had the receipts sorted into two neat piles.
He was haphazard and after they were married, she hoped he would let her take over the bookkeeping. The way he operated grated against her fastidious nature.
Pa had been meticulous with his bookwork, not only for the ranch, also his medical practice, refusing to employ anyone to do the job for him. He had trained her to his exacting standards.
No point pushing her help on Martin yet. She did not want to appear interfering. To give him his due, he was a neat writer.
They worked together without speaking with her handing him the ranch accounts and letting him shuffle them into date order. They were not too bad in that respect, as the older accounts were on the bottom, the latest on the top. He had obviously shoved the accounts on top of the pile each time he got a new one. Thankfully, he had not upended the box and rummaged through it.
The aroma emanating from the kitchen made her mouth water and she realized how hungry she was. She had eaten nothing substantial since breakfast time.
“We’re nearly finished with this,” he said in astonishment. “I can’t believe it. Thanks, Briony, for your help.”
“Many hands make light work,” she said, wondering why his praise meant so much to her.
“Yes, particularly when they are competent ones.”
She smiled. “I do believe you’ve handed me a compliment.”
“It mightn’t seem that way, considering the bad start we had, but I do give credit where it is due.”
“Thank you, Martin.”
They were interrupted by Phyllis. “Supper is ready. How is the bookwork going?”
“Good, with Briony’s help it’s just about finished.”
“See, I kept saying you needed a woman.”
“Yes, you did. Can you hold off supper for about five minutes, then we’ll be finished.”
“Yes. Oh, Briony, I forgot. I can loan you anything you need for tonight.”
“Thanks, a nightgown and the use of your hairbrush will be enough.”
The steak was delicious, thick and tender, full of juices, potatoes and greens slathered in gravy. Every mouthful was sheer bliss.
They spoke little as they ate, yet it was a companionable silence. She could grow to like this place very much. As for its owner, she feared dwelling on that. She liked Martin, impossible as it seemed on such short acquaintance, and their angry exchange when she first arrived, yet she was starting to have strong feelings for him.
Martin was courteous, waiting for them to be seated before he sat himself, passing the salt and pepper to them before using it. He ate with his mouth closed, all very appealing traits to her way of thinking.
“Peach cobbler for dessert,” Phyllis said, making to rise.
“I’ll do it,” Martin said, getting up from the table. “I’ll bring it over and we can serve ourselves. Yes?”
Briony nodded.
He gathered up the used plates and cutlery and stacked them at the end of the table, then stepped over to the stove and carried the peach cobbler back to the table and sat down.
“You’re quite domesticated,” Briony said.
“Not really.” He gave a shamefaced grin. “I couldn’t cook a decent meal to save my life.”
The women laughed. “If you were hungry enough, you would….”
Martin’s noisy intake of breath had Briony suddenly realizing what she was saying. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think before I opened my mouth.”
“You weren’t to know,” Phyllis said.
“Of course, I knew, well...” Tears filled her eyes. She leaned across the table and touched his clenched fist. “I wouldn’t hurt you for the world, Martin.”
“Don’t cry.” He leaned over and gently wiped the tears off her cheek with his fingertips. “I have to learn not to take things to heart.”
“Come on, we better eat the peach cobbler while it’s hot,” Phyllis said. “We are looking into the future from now on, not the past.”
Chapter Ten
After they finished the meal, Martin put on his coat and hat and left the house, carrying a lantern.
“He likes to do one last check before he retires. To make sure all his critters are safely bedded down for the night.”
“Oh, Phyllis, I feel so awful making such a tactless remark. I just didn’t think he would have been starving in that terrible place.”
They started on the dishes. Phyllis washed while she dried.
“Well, he took it better than what he once would have done. I’ve been tactless myself a few times and he would disappear for ages to brood. Once he returned to the house, he was okay. You’ve only been here a few hours, and ridiculous as it may seem, I can see an improvement in him. Jarrod always said the right woman would help him a lot.”
She patted Briony on the hand. “I truly believe you are the right woman and that God sent you to save my brother from himself.”
“I do have feelings for him,” Briony admitted. “I can’t explain it. I don’t know anything about this man and woman stuff, but….”
“He’s a good man, a little troubled, but you can fix that. I’m anxious to marry Jarrod, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t, but if you want me to, I can stay a while longer after you get married to help you settle in.”
They left the kitchen once it was tidied up and went to the spare bedroom to prepare it. Briony helped make the bed up with clean sheets. “Thanks for your offer, Phyllis, if we get….”
“If? I thought it was a foregone conclusion.”
“He hasn’t really asked me.”
“He will. He’s attracted to you.”
“Really?”
“Yes, and I would never say that if it wasn’t true. He will make you a good husband. You could have a nice life together. I sincerely believe that.”
“I do have feelings for him.”
“Make it a real marriage?”
“Yes. If he does, and men do have needs, don’t refuse him. I know he would never force himself on you.”
“Stop.” Briony raised one hand. “I know what you’re trying to say, Phyllis, and if he asks me to be a real wife to him I will.”
“It is supposed to be good between a man and a woman.”
Briony laughed suddenly, feeling happy. “No more, Phyllis, you will end up saying too much if you’re not careful. I’ve never had a man, but I have seen men naked.”
“What!” Phyllis exclaimed.
“I was a nurse at field hospitals.”
“Of course, you were.” Phyllis slapped her forehead with an open hand. “You could hardly bandage up a soldier’s thigh wound with his clothes on.”
“Exactly. I think I will shut up now, before this tongue of mine gets me into trouble. I’m so glad we met. I’m almost wishing I didn’t have to leave town, but the position Jarrod has got in Denver is a good one. Hopefully, it will be a stepping-stone to something better close to here. Laramie or Cheyenne would be good.”
***
Next morning when Briony awoke, she knew she had slept in. The small clock on the dresser showed it was nine o’clock. She must have slept like the dead.
The bed had been comfortable, the house silent. Phyllis would be long gone. As for Martin, she had no idea where he would be.
Phyllis had kindly loaned her a nightgown with a matching shawl for her shoulders, and had told her to help herself to whatever clothes she needed, as they were of a similar size.
An Unwanted Bride for Christmas Page 6