Was she that unattractive to him? I won’t be a substitute for your dead husband, he had said. Did he really believe she wanted him to take Samuel’s place? It was times like this she missed Abby. To have a friend to confide in. To help her. They would probably never see each other again. Maybe exchange a couple of letters and that would be it.
She rode along through a blur of tears. They arrived back at the stable area and she dismounted before Clay had a chance to help her down.
He swung out of the saddle and handed Sam over to her. “I’ve got work to do.”
He led the horses away and feeling about a hundred years old, she trudged over to the house. In the time she had been here she had made improvements. She had started a small garden with the seeds she had bought back from town. Potatoes and corn were the only vegetables Clay grew, although there were several large fruit trees, probably planted by his uncle who had been one of the district’s first settlers.
The original homestead had been burned down in an Indian attack and Clay’s aunt had been killed. Only a chimney, overgrown with creepers, was left. A stark testament to the area’s hostile past.
Once inside the house, she sat in an armchair and opened her bodice so Sam could have a drink. “We should really stop this now, baby, but I like it and so do you.” Her milk was starting to dry up and fortunately, Sam could now drink milk from a cup if she held it for him.
After she had fed and changed him, she placed him in the little bed with the raised sides Clay had made for him. She had sewn a bag from canvas, filled it with sweet smelling straw, then threaded twine through it and tied it up at one end. With a piece of linen as a sheet, the baby had a safe, comfortable bed.
She glanced over at the double bed. It was comfortable but over large for her small frame, and lonely. Clay slept in a single bed in the loft. It would have been a much better fit for her, but it was too dangerous to take Sam up there. If he somehow managed to climb out of his bed and tumbled down the stairs…. She shuddered thinking of the consequences.
The house was looking homely now, with new curtains on the window, a few pretty ornaments she had found pushed to the back of the closet, but no-one except Clay had seen it. What she wouldn’t give to have a female visitor. On asking Clay about their neighbors he had said he had little to do with them.
Once Sam got a little older, she would drive herself into church now and again and try to make friends. She really missed going to church.
She had cooked meat yesterday and stored it in the earthenware pot in the root cellar to keep cool, with potatoes, onions and carrots it would be turned into a nice nourishing stew. If she made biscuits at the same time it would be a good meal for them. A pity her bread making skills were poor. The only bread they ever had was from the bakery shop in Laramie.
While Sam slept, thankfully, he still had a mid-morning and mid-afternoon nap, it gave her time to do a few extra chores. She never left him alone in the house except when she went to the washing line or to collect the eggs while he slept.
~*~
Clay sat in the hay loft with his back against one of the wooden poles holding up the roof. He gnawed his lower lip, a habit he had when he was worried or had a problem to resolve.
What kind of fool was he? Jennifer had given him the opening to declare his love for her and he hadn’t taken it. Fear of commitment, male pride or sheer stupidity, he couldn’t decide which had stopped him from speaking up.
He had quickly realized he had strong feelings for her, now he knew he loved her. He had seen the way she often looked at him when she thought herself unobserved. The sadness, the yearning and had decided it was for her late husband, but if had been for him. He had been so wrapped up in his anger at Uncle Bob’s Will, he had deliberately ignored it. He didn’t have much experience with women but wasn’t that obtuse.
A life of love and happiness was within his grasp. All he had to do was be man enough to tell Jennifer how he felt. They had both suffered in the past, but together they could have a bright future.
“Do it,” he muttered. “Tell her how you feel.” What was the worst thing that could happen? If he had misread the signs and she didn’t love him, at least they would both know exactly where they stood.
~*~
Jennifer was in the middle of darning a pair of Clay’s socks when he strode into the sitting room. He came over to her without saying a word, plucked the sewing out of her hands and dropped it on the floor. He pulled her to her feet and her gasp of shock was silenced by his mouth crashing down on hers. It took only a few seconds for her mouth to open for him.
By the time the kiss ended they were both breathing heavily. His hand came up to cup her breast. “I’m crazy for you, Jennifer.” He groaned the words out before giving her a searing kiss that ricocheted all the way down her body, not stopping until it reached her toes.
“Mama.” Sam calling out drew them apart. Clay’s eyes were dark with passion.
“Bad timing eh?” he said huskily.
“Yes,” she whispered, rooted to the spot.
“I’ll go and get him.” He shocked her by saying the words. He stepped into the bedroom and Sam stopped calling out. Should she go in and see what was going on? By the time she decided she would, Clay stepped into view holding the baby.
“Well, Sam and I have sorted out our differences, haven’t we, pardner?” The baby swatted his face. “I’ve only got to convince your mother that I’ve fallen in love with her and want our marriage to be a real one.”
“You do?”
“Yeah, I do. Very much so. I’m sorry for what I said down by the creek. I’ve been sitting up in the hay loft doing a lot of thinking about us.”
“You have?”
“I was a fool to have ever suggested a marriage in name only. When I saw you and you were so beautiful, I was shocked. Then when I spotted the baby, it brought back memories of what had happened with little Laura. The guilt, recriminations, the bitterness.”
“Don’t say anymore. We haven’t known each other for long, but I love you, Clay.” She heard him catch his breath. “I’ll always remember Samuel who was my first love, but I’ve grown up a lot since he died. What I feel for you is a different kind of love than what I felt for him. It’s a mature, lasting love.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to completely forget Samuel, and what you shared. Sam is part of him. But I want to be a father to him also.”
She couldn’t believe she was hearing right.
“Jennifer Moore, I love you very much and I want the three of us to share our lives together.”
“Only the three of us?” She stepped up to him and rubbed her hand against his arm.
“Well.” He grinned. “If there ends up being more of us, I won’t be complaining.”
Epilogue
Two years later
Jennifer waited at the stage depot in Laramie. Sam was hopping from one foot to the other while Clay held twelve-month-old Evie in his arms.
“You’ll wear a hole in the porch floor, darlin’, if you keep pacing like that.”
“I know, but I can’t help it, I’m excited. It’s been so long since I saw Abby and Murray.” She wrung her hands. “What if something happened and they missed the stage.”
“They won’t have.” He grinned. “Tarnation, woman they’ve traveled hundreds of miles from Canada, so I am sure they wouldn’t miss their ride on the last leg of the journey.”
Jennifer couldn’t believe how well things had turned out. She was married to a man who she loved and who loved her, and they had two children. Evie was the apple of her father’s eye, and Sam was his little “pardner.”
The ranch was prospering and now to top off all that happiness, Abby, Murray and their eleven-month old son were coming to live in Laramie. Murray’s brother had died leaving him enough money to purchase Thompson’s Mercantile. Mr. Thompson had got himself a mail- order bride, an older woman who owned a business in Denver, and was moving th
ere to live.
The coach pulled up in a swirl of dust and the door was flung open. Abby all but dived out. She hadn’t changed at all. They raced into each other’s arms, hugging and kissing each other. Shedding tears of joy.
“Women,” Clay said, to the tall man who climbed out carrying a baby. “I’m Clay Moore, you’d be Murray?”
“Yes.” They shook hands. “You’ve been left holding the baby, too I see,” he commented with a laugh.
“Yes. You know Sam, and this little angel is Evie.”
“Well, my little man here is called Thomas.”
“Let me look at you,” Abby squealed. “You’ve grown into a beautiful woman, Jen. And is that handsome man, Clay? Aren’t you glad you took my advice and snapped him up?”
Jennifer laughed. She had explained in her letter about the mix up between Clay and Mr. Claymoore, but Abby still maintained she was the perfect matchmaker. “I was so glad to hear from you. Wasn’t it lucky you mentioned Murray’s poor brother dying and leaving him the money, and him wanting to buy a business in Wyoming? Then Clay finds out about Mr. Thompson wanting to sell.”
“Fate, I call it,” Abby said. “Now, come and introduce me to your family, and I want you to meet my little Thomas. We never thought we were ever going to be blessed with children. Must have been something in the water in Canada that did it.” She laughed.
With their arms linked they went to join their menfolk and the children. Kisses were exchanged all round.
“I can’t believe how Sam’s grown.” Abby ruffled his hair. “You were only a baby when I last saw you. Now you’re a big boy who helps his pa around the ranch.”
Little Sam’s chest swelled with pride.
Jennifer kissed baby Thomas, who was the spitting image of his mother, and hugged Murray. “I’m sorry about your brother.”
“Thanks, at least we were there for him and he didn’t die alone. I must say you look much better than the last time I saw you. Then you were all sad and big-eyed. Abby spent many sleepless nights worrying about you.”
“You’re a handsome devil, Clay,” Abby said. “If I wasn’t so happily married to Murray, you could be my kind of man.”
Clay grinned. “Thanks, but I’m happy with the gal I’ve got.”
Jennifer gave him a little punch on the arm. “He’s too scared to say anything else. I just can’t believe you’re here.” She jigged up and down.
“Believe, it.” Clay grinned. “Please, believe it.”
They all laughed.
“We better get these people to their new home,” Clay said. “I’m sure they will want to look it over. I hope I made a good choice for you.”
“I’m sure you did.” Murray shifted Thomas from one arm to the other. The baby was half asleep.
“He’s beautiful,” Jennifer said. “All our children are.”
The mercantile would be a new start for Murray and Abby, but also for her and Clay as they would now have two close friends.
Jennifer sent up a silent prayer. Thank you, God for making all this possible. We won’t betray your trust and will bring our children up to love and respect you.
The End
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About the Author
Margaret Tanner is an award winning, bestselling Australian author, who mainly writes Historical Romance and Historical Western Romance. She loves delving into the pages of history as she carries out research for her novels. No internet site is too boring, no book is too old or tattered for her to trawl through, no museum too dusty.
Her love of Westerns came about because of the movies and TV shows of her childhood. Some of her favorites were Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Wagon Train and Little House on The Prairie.
Many of her novels have been inspired by true events, with one being written around the hardships and triumphs of her pioneering ancestors. She once spent a couple of hours in an old prison cell so she could feel the chilling cold and fear.
Apart from her family and friends, writing is her passion.
Margaret is married with three grown up sons and two gorgeous little granddaughters.
Other Books by Author
Western Historical Romance
Logan – Bachelors and Babies – Series - (Book 2)
A Husband For Christmas – Spinster Mail-Order Brides – (Book 3)
A Niece for Christmas – Spinster Mail-Order Brides – (Book 10)
Flynn’s Debt – Belles of Wyoming series
Lily – Guilford Crossing Brides – Book 1
Freddie – Guilford Crossing Brides – Book 2
Alfie – Guilford Crossing Brides – Book 3
Alex – Guilford Crossing Brides – Book 4
Edwina, Bride of Connecticut (American Mail-Order Brides Series)
Cowboy Christmas
The Sheriff’s Outcast Bride
The Cowboy and The Quaker
Deceived Mail-Order Bride
Savage Possession
His Brother’s Wife
Possession
Fiery Possession
Gunslinger’s daughter
Claire, Tess, Flame, Jessica, Scarlett, Sophie (Women Betrayed Series)
Historical Romance
Pearl Harbor and More Anthology
A Rose in No Man’s Land
Reluctant Father
We Never Said I Love You
Daring Masquerade
Allison’s War
Rich Man’s Folly (Sequel to Allison’s War)
Lauren’s Dilemma
Falsely Accused
Contemporary Romance
Baby Maker
Haunted Hearts
The Billionaire’s Revenge
Christmas Santa Mystery
Mail Order Jennifer Page 7