by Indiana Wake
“I hope so. I can’t wait to get started. To have a job for the first time in my life.”
That was the main thing Lynne was looking forward to. Having money was one thing but knowing it had been earned and she could do what she wished with it, made it even better. Lynne wanted to do that. She didn’t care what job she had, within reason, as long as she could have money she had earned for herself in her hand.
“Well, there are plenty of jobs around town,” Greta said. “You’ll be spoilt for choice. I know, maybe Wayne can find you a job to do at the schoolhouse.”
“What?” Lynne spluttered. “I… I can’t teach to save my life!”
Greta laughed and nudged her sister’s leg.
“Don’t fret so much. I didn’t say you would be a teacher. More like custodian, keeping an eye on the children, helping with the meals. Something like that. Wayne would appreciate the help and I know Jonathan would.”
“Jonathan?”
“Oh, he’s the self-appointed headmaster of the school.”
Was there a slight frown behind Greta’s eyes?
“He started up the schoolhouse six years ago. The school is thriving because of him.”
Even with the frown, there was a slight wistful note in her voice.
Lynne sat up. What was going on there? Did Greta have some slight admiration for the headmaster? Was it just that?
“That’s good.” Lynne murmured. “I might just do that. I want to do something with children.”
It was then that they heard the front door opening and closing, voices in the hallway. Greta grinned and stood.
“Well, you can ask him now.”
She approached the door as a huge, hulking man with blond hair appeared, shrugging out of his coat.
“Hey, honey. Goodness, it’s cold out there now.”
“I can tell.” Greta shivered as she kissed his cheek and took his coat. “You’re ice-cold. But I’ve got a visitor who should warm you up.”
Lynne stood, dropping the blanket onto the couch. She smoothed her hands down her skirts and smiled.
Wayne’s eyes landed on her curiously, and then widened in recognition.
“Lynne?”
“Hey, Wayne.”
Wayne’s mouth dropped open. Then he burst out laughing as he strode across the room, pulling Lynne into a bear hug that felt like Lynne was being squeezed to death.
“My God, Lynne! I barely recognized you.” Wayne drew back and looked Lynne over, his eyes shining. “My, you look so grown up.”
Lynne laughed.
“I should hope so. I was barely eighteen when you last saw me.” She prodded him affectionately in the belly. “You’re looking well, Wayne.”
“I know.” Wayne indicated his wife, love glowing in his face. “And it’s all because of this lovely lady.”
“Flatterer,” Greta teased. Then her voice faded and changed tone. “Oh, Jonathan. I had no idea you were here.”
Lynne looked around Wayne. And she suddenly forgot how to breathe. A tall man loomed in the doorway, a sheaf of papers in a file under his arm. His short dark hair was going silver and there was a dusting of a beard across his jaw. Even across the room, Lynne could see how blue his eyes were. They were on her, unblinking. It was so intense that she felt light-headed.
Whoa. What was she doing?
Wayne cleared his throat.
“Beg pardon, Greta. Jonathan was just helping me bring a few things back. Jonathan,” he turned to the other man, “this is Greta’s sister, Lynne. She’s just moved here. Lynne, this is my colleague and our neighbor, Jonathan Davey.”
Lynne felt like her voice had escaped her. She swallowed hard and dropped a quick curtsy, lowering her eyes to the ground.
“Hello,” she mumbled.
“Miss Lynne.”
That was one gorgeous voice. The timbre shivered up Lynne’s spine.
Jonathan hesitated. “Listen, if I’m interrupting, I can leave…”
“Nonsense, you can’t,” Wayne interjected. “We need to do this marking by tomorrow. Do you mind if Jonathan stays for supper, Greta?”
“Of course not.” Greta smiled, but it looked a little strained. “Lynne, would you mind lending a hand? And don’t talk too loudly, you two, the children are in bed.”
Jonathan grinned and put a finger to his lips.
“We’ll be as quiet as mice.”
Greta snorted.
“I’ll believe it when I see it.”
Then she practically stomped out the room.
Lynne was confused as to the sudden change, but then concern for her sister disappeared as she looked at Jonathan, who was setting himself up at the table by the window with Wayne. He had long, slim fingers that seemed to move the papers around like he was playing music.
Where had that comparison come from?
Lynne shook herself and hurried out after her sister.
Chapter 3
Lynne was beautiful. Jonathan knew about the women who had come as potential brides. After all, he had written his own letter requesting a bride and explaining what he wanted.
That had been difficult and Mary had told him to put down what he would like in his ideal woman. At first he couldn’t decide, how could anyone? She had told him to close his eyes and just imagine, he had, and the letter had been an amazing experience. Only then he had gotten depressed. Surely, any real woman could never live up to his dreams… he never expected someone as lovely as Lynne. She was radiant, and lit up the room despite her nerves.
Jonathan could hardly take his eyes off her. Even when he was marking papers with Wayne, his eyes were constantly pulled in her direction. Later on at supper he found his gaze constantly drawn to her and he wondered if he would look rude as he gawked at the red headed beauty.
From the way Greta was glaring at him he guessed he was. If not rude his behavior was certainly not that of a gentleman and Greta wasn’t pleased. Jonathan felt ashamed at first but then the look Greta gave him was strange. It didn’t come over as protective, more as jealous. Shaking off the feeling he ignored her; this was nothing to do with Greta.
Jonathan had wondered how he would react when he saw the bride Mary had promised would be perfect for him. Many scenarios had gone through his mind but nothing prepared him for reality. The moment he saw her, his gut immediately said this was it. It felt like a sucker-punch to the stomach.
Somehow, Jonathan knew she was the one, that she would be the only woman he would ever love. He knew this was ridiculous. He didn’t know her yet and yet still the feeling was firm in his mind and in his heart. But instinct told him there was something in the way, something that Jonathan was sure was going to stop this dead in its tracks.
Greta. Instinct told him she would want to stop this. That she would whisper into Lynne’s ear, turning her against him. It told him Greta didn’t want this happening.
The longer the evening went on the stronger Jonathan believed it. He could feel Greta’s eyes boring into him and he tried to keep his own off Lynne, he couldn’t.
When he left Wayne’s home, instead of going home and to bed, Jonathan mounted his horse and headed into town. There was someone he always went to for advice, and Mary Stanier was always ready to give it, even at this hour.
The mission station was quiet. There was barely any light showing through the slats. Everyone had to be in bed or about to go to bed. Jonathan knew he should go home but he heard a noise inside and so he knocked. The door opened and Mary herself peered blearily through the crack. Her eyes widened when she saw him.
“Jonathan.”
“Sorry for disturbing you at this time.” Jonathan grimaced. “I didn’t mean to bother you if you were sleeping.”
“Not at all. Elijah’s not sleeping so I’ve ended up with the night shift.” Mary opened the door wider. “Come on in. Just keep your voice down, I don’t want to wake the rest of the mission.”
“Of course.”
Jonathan took off his hat and followed Mary inside.
They padded down a long corridor and into the lounge at the far side of the mission station. It was the opposite end to the sleeping quarters. Even then, Jonathan could hear someone snoring heavily.
“Is there a pig in your yard?” he asked before he could stop himself.
Mary burst out laughing, clamping her hands over her mouth to quiet the noise, but even so, her shoulders were still shaking.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t laugh. That’s my father-in-law. He’s can’t sleep with his mouth closed.”
“How does his wife cope?”
Mary giggled again. “I have no idea. But I’m glad Gareth hasn’t inherited that from his father. The man is worth his weight in gold, but the snoring, it wakes me sometimes and we are four rooms down.”
Mary sat on the armchair near a glowing fire and gestured for Jonathan to sit across from her.
“Come, sit down and tell me what’s on your mind.”
“Thank you.”
Jonathan took a seat, turning his hat in his hands. Now he was feeling a little like a fool.
“Did you get anywhere with choosing a wife for me?”
Mary frowned.
“That was something you needed to discuss with me in the middle of the night?”
“Sorry, humor me, Mary.”
Still looking a little perplexed, Mary sat back and tightened the belt around her waist.
“I think I’m making progress. Why?”
“Because I want you to stop. I believe I’ve found the woman I want to marry.”
“You believe?”
Jonathan felt his face going red. This was getting more and more embarrassing. It had felt like a good idea to come here and explain things when he first left Wayne’s house. Now, Mary was giving him some strange looks.
“My heart says yes, but my head is telling me to take it slow. I don’t want to ruin things.”
Mary gave him a small smile.
“It’s understandable to be doubtful of your own emotions. But sometimes we know about our feelings just by one look.”
“Did it happen with you?”
“With me and Gareth? Attraction at first sight on my part, yes, but not love. That came later, once we got to know each other.”
Jonathan couldn’t help but laugh.
“Coming from the resident matchmaker, that does sound a little odd.”
“I know.” Mary shrugged. “But things aren’t as idyllic as you might think. My father dominated everything before and not in a good way. Gareth was my way out. I cared for him from his letters but he was different in person… at first. ”
“Did he know about your family?”
“Of course, he did. And he was a sweetheart about it all.” Mary sat forward. “So, which of the girls has caught your eye?”
“My neighbor’s sister-in-law, Lynne.”
“Lynne Varty.” Mary didn’t look surprised. If anything, it was like she was expecting it. “I had a feeling she would catch your eye.”
“You’ve matched us up already?”
“Not directly but putting her in your path was all I needed to do.”
Mary spread her hands.
“There is a lot of things about her that would be perfect for you. You two just needed to be close enough to realize it.”
Jonathan hadn’t realized that. But he had to admit that Mary’s judgement with couples was better than he expected. When he wrote to Mary asking for a potential bride as he wanted to settle down and get married, Jonathan hadn’t been sure what to expect or if Mary would be successful. It looked like Mary had picked very well.
“Just on our first meeting, I would definitely agree with you.” He sighed, turning the brim of his hat over and over in his fingers. “But it’s not just about looks, is it?”
“No. You would be a shallower person than I thought if you decided about your future wife just going on looks.”
“Shallower?”
Mary giggled.
“We’re all shallow in some cases, aren’t we? Not all of us are perfect, not even me.”
Mary crossed her legs, smoothing her dress down. “So, you want me to stop looking for a potential match and let you see how things go with Lynne.”
“Sort of.”
“Sort of?” Now Mary was looking confused. “I thought you were decided.”
“I am, but…” Jonathan stood and began to pace, tossing his hat onto his chair. “I have no idea what she would think. I can’t exactly jump at her with the words ‘I want to marry you’ within hours of meeting her. She would be scared off.”
“Well, you would scare anyone if you said that seconds after laying eyes on them.”
“Exactly.”
Jonathan ran his hands through his hair.
“I don’t want a relationship to be based on simply a match and nothing more. I want it to have more substance to it. I want to build it up.”
Mary’s expression said she understood perfectly what he meant.
“You want to make her fall in love with you.”
“Essentially.” Jonathan winced. “You know what happened last time. Seven years ago.”
“That was seven years ago. And that shouldn’t dictate what happens now.”
“It might do.”
Jonathan had made a mistake the first time around. He didn’t want it to happen again. He didn’t want to lose the woman he knew was meant to be his wife. His gut said that Lynne was meant to be his, but Greta might have something to say about that.
“It won’t.”
Mary stood and approached him, laying a hand on Jonathan’s back.
“At the same time, don’t do all the work. Let Lynne take the reins. She needs to do things in her own time.”
“I know.”
Jonathan rubbed his hands over his face.
“I hope I can be patient.”
Mary smiled.
“Well, you can pass the time by looking through the letters I have from her, if you like. That should give you more insight as to who Lynne is.”
She prodded him in the side.
“And it will keep you busy.”
“For how long?” Jonathan grumbled. “I don’t want it to take too long.”
Mary laughed.
“Honestly, Jonathan, you need to exercise patience. You say that to your pupils, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Then exercise it yourself. I’m sure you and Lynne will be married by Christmas.”
Jonathan stared at her.
“You’re very optimistic about that.”
Mary winked.
“I have my moments.”
Chapter 4
“Lynne.”
Lynne looked up. She had been so engrossed in organizing the books on the bookshelf that she hadn’t noticed Wayne standing behind her.
“Huh?”
“It’s the end of the day. You can head home now.”
“Oh.” Lynne lowered the books to the table. “Sorry, Wayne, I wasn’t paying attention.”
“I noticed.” Wayne chuckled. “You work harder than the teachers sometimes.”
Lynne smiled. Ever since Wayne and Jonathan had agreed that she could be the schoolhouse’s librarian she had been working tirelessly.
The library had been a mess. Lynne started by cleaning some space and then sorting out the books they had. Some had needed gluing back together. A few she had to make new covers for and some were a little damp so she stood them up to air. After discussions with Wayne, Jonathan, and the other teachers, she had made a list of the books they needed to source.
She had managed to persuade a few of the locals to help out the school. The carpenter had used some offcuts to build some shelves. Others had donated books and were sourcing more from relatives. In little more than a week she had totally transformed the library and had increased the books on hand by 30%.
Today she had received some new shelves and some tables and chairs that had been donated. They needed a few repairs and to be sanded down to make sure they
were safe for the children. Once they were ready more children could come to read or research in the library.
Lynne barely had time to sit down and she kept forgetting to eat her lunch.
But she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Why do you work so hard?” Wayne asked.
Lynne shrugged. “I love working with children. My parents said I wasn’t to work as I had all the money I could ask for. I didn’t need to work for it.” She sighed and made a face. “You cannot imagine how bored I was.”
Wayne grinned as he leaned against the door, folding his big arms.
“I think I can imagine, considering Greta kept complaining about the same thing.”
“But she doesn’t have a job now,” Lynne pointed out. “Sounds like she’s not bothered.” Lynne smiled.
Wayne sighed.
“She worked all the way up to the birth, she wanted to work now… but she’s focused on looking after the children, and me, right now. They need her.”
Lynne’s heart softened. She had liked Wayne when she met him before they moved west. The more she got to know him the more affection she had for her brother-in-law. He was a sweet, kind man, a devoted husband, and father. Greta acted like the loving wife, but Lynne could see she had no idea how much of a good man Wayne was.
“Anyway, I’m heading off now.” Wayne pushed off the door. “Do you want to grab your coat and we can walk back?”
“But I’ve still got a lot of things to sort out,” Lynne protested. “I don’t want to leave it until tomorrow.”
“Greta won’t want you to walk back on your own.”
“Down a hill? I’m hardly going to get kidnapped when she can clearly see the path from the schoolhouse to yours.”
Wayne shrugged.
“You know what Greta’s like.”
“I know.” Lynne looked at the books that still needed to be stacked. “But I’ve got this. I want to finish it.”
“What’s going on?”
Lynne paused when she heard the deep timbre of Jonathan Davey. The headmaster appeared in the doorway behind Wayne. He was still in his shirtsleeves and was carrying a file bursting with papers. Working late, again. Lynne wondered when the man ever got any sleep; he never left until after Lynne did, and Lynne always stayed late.