A Husband for Margaret (4 page)

He blinked as if he couldn’t believe
it.

A smile tugged at her lips. “Is that so
hard to believe?”

“
Actually, yes. I know I
shocked you by coming out with four boys.”

“
And you said you will help
me with them? You won’t leave me to do all the work?”

“
No. I know how difficult it
is to raise them alone.”

“
I’ll hold you to your
word.”

Now he was the one who smiled. “I have
no doubt of that.”

Her body relaxed. Perhaps this would
work out after all. Yes, he wasn’t Paul, but he seemed like someone
she could enjoy spending her life with. And he had said some of the
nicest things a man ever said to her. “Should we plan on a week
from now?”

“
That should give me enough
time to find a place. I’m a journalist, so we’ll be in
town.”

“
I’d prefer living in town.
In fact, you see that house over there?” She pointed to the white
house with blue trim not too far from where they sat. “When I was a
child, I had this dream of living there.” She giggled. “I don’t
know why. There are better houses in town, but it just seems like a
cozy place.” Clearing her throat, she continued, “I recall Paul
writing that you worked at a newspaper office. Was it hard to
leave?”

“
More so for the boys than
for me. I suspect it’ll take them time to adjust.”

She nodded. Even if she agreed to marry
him and be their mother, it was still a frightening prospect. She
wondered just what, exactly, she was getting herself
into.

Chapter Four

Joseph put on his tie and adjusted it.
He examined his reflection in the small mirror above the dresser.
After all these years, he had to go through something of a courting
process. He forgot how intimidating the whole thing could be.
Hannah might have been his childhood friend, but the minute he
realized that friendship had grown into something more, he
experienced the anxious excitement of being with her. Having been
married to her, however, made those memories fade.

And now that he was meeting another
woman with the same intent, all those past sensations came crashing
down on him with full force. He decided that he wasn’t an
enthusiast of this stage of the relationship. Yes, it was exciting,
but it was also downright agonizing.

He combed his hair—again—and wondered
if there was anything else he could do to look his best. He glanced
at his travel bag sitting in the corner of the room he shared with
the two and three year olds. He was looking forward to finding a
house in town. As much as he appreciated the Larson’s hospitality,
he wanted to get back to living in his own home.

Today, Margaret was coming out. He’d
thought of taking the children into town to see her, but he didn’t
have the desire to travel alone with them ever again. Maybe if the
time to get to town didn’t take more than a good hour, but after
being on the train for days on end with them, he’d had enough.
Nope. Next time those boys went to town, it’d be when he married
Margaret.

Thankfully, she agreed to be his wife.
He didn’t know what he said that convinced her to do it, but he was
glad she changed her mind. Margaret seemed ideal for him.
Practical, honest, dependable... In some ways, she was like Hannah,
but in other ways, not so much. He didn’t expect her to fill
Hannah’s shoes. No one would replace her. But he had no doubt she’d
carve out her own special place in his heart.

He couldn’t see himself having a future
with Debra. Debra might have made a good mother. Certainly, she was
willing, but he meant what he told Margaret. He didn’t want to
marry anyone. He wanted to marry someone he could enjoy the kind of
friendship and love he had enjoyed with Hannah.

All he had to do was get through the
awkward stage of not knowing exactly what to say. Taking a deep
breath, he steadied his nerves and turned his attention to the
screaming children downstairs. Those children, of course, were his.
The Larson children were all grown up. They might have had
grandchildren who were as full of energy as his own kids, but those
kids went home with their parents. Sometimes, Joseph missed the
quiet.

He went down the stairs and saw that
Mrs. Larson was playing with his youngest two. His older two boys
helped Jenny Larson, the fifteen year old, with
breakfast.

Mrs. Larson looked over at him and
motioned to the chair. “I was just getting ready to call the men
in. It’s going to be a busy day again.” She ruffled Charles’ and
Ben’s hair. “I just love being a grandmother. I can’t wait for
Jessica and Tom to have their first child.”

Jenny rolled her eyes. “Ma, you already
have grandchildren.”

“
I know but what’s the harm
in having more?” She winked at the boys. “A woman can never have
too many grandchildren.”

Jenny let out a low groan before she
turned back to the skillet.

“
You have some fine boys,”
Mrs. Larson told Joseph.

“
Thank you, ma’am.” He saw
that Doug and Bob were setting the dishes out. “Good job,
boys.”

“
Pull up a seat,” she said
as she set Ben and Charles in their chairs.

Ben squealed with glee and banged the
tray on his highchair.

Charles climbed onto Joseph’s lap and
grabbed a fork from Doug before he could set it on the table.
“Ork!” he proudly stated while he waved it around.

Joseph dodged it and took it from him.
“The fork goes on the table until we eat, Charles.” He set it next
to the plate.

“
This brings back so many
memories.” Mrs. Larson dabbed her eyes with the edge of her apron.
“Jenny, don’t you remember the time when Joel was a baby and you
taught him the word ‘fork’?”

“
That’s when I was thinking
of being a teacher,” Jenny said, her exasperation evident in her
voice. “Ma, this is ridiculous. Everything these kids do remind you
of when the rest of us were little.”

Bob sneezed and wiped his nose on the
back of Doug’s shirt.

“
Gross!” Doug pushed him
back.

Jenny motioned to them. “I saw Joel and
Tom doing the very same thing last month. You don’t have to worry.
Your sons will always be little kids.”

Mrs. Larson sighed. “It’s been awfully
quiet in this house since Tom left.”

“
He still comes by.” Jenny
clapped her hands. “Oh, Jessica’s bringing Margaret out. Jessica
will want to see the new pattern for the shirt I want to make
her!”

Joseph’s ears perked up. Did that mean
he’d get some time alone with Margaret? He hadn’t had that
opportunity since he walked with her at the park. The other times
he’d seen her, her parents had been there. He hoped the others
would find something else to do while Margaret was there. Of
course, the boys would be with them, but it would be the six of
them after they got married. And as long as the boys played nicely,
then it might happen.

Glancing at Doug and Bob, he said, “You
remember what I told you about being on your best behavior when
Miss Williams is here?”

Doug nodded. “Course we will, Pa. We
want a ma.”

“
Good. That means there’s no
fighting, and you have to help keep Charles and Ben out of
trouble.”

“
We can do that.”

“
We want a ma so she can
make pie!” Bob said.

“
Your new ma isn’t only
there to make you pies,” Joseph replied.

“
Oh, we know that.” A sad
look crossed Doug’s face. “We remember our real ma. Will Miss
Williams be like her?”

“
Not exactly like her,”
Joseph told him. “Some things will be the same. Others will be
different. No two people are alike.”

“
But she does make pie,
right?” Bob asked.

“
Yes, she does.”

Doug’s mood brightened. “Can she make
cookies?”

“
Well, yes, she did mention
making those too,” Joseph said.

“
And I bet she won’t burn
‘em like Pa does,” Bob told Doug.

“
That wasn’t my fault,”
Joseph inserted. “If I hadn’t been changing a diaper and trying to
break up you two fighting, those cookies would’ve been just fine.
Now sit down and get ready to eat.”

They obeyed him.

“
We’ll be real good, Pa,”
Doug assured him. “Don’t you worry none.”

Joseph could only hope they would
follow through on that promise. The last thing he wanted to do was
scare Margaret off.

***

Margaret got out of Jessica’s buggy and
scanned the Larson property. The men were hard at work in the
fields with their horses and plows. She looked at her friend who
set the brake. “Do you like being out on a farm?”

“
It’s alright,” Jessica
replied. “It’s more work than being in town was, but it’s good
work. It certainly beats having to be with Peter and his dreadful
mother.” She smiled and looked out in the distance. “I do enjoy
being with Tom.”

She rolled her eyes but grinned. “I
know. He’s all you talk about.”

“
Oh, I talk about other
things.”

“
Really?”

“
Sure. Didn’t I just mention
working on a farm and Peter and his mother?”

“
Because I asked a
question.”

“
Well, not everyone hides
their enthusiasm as well as you do.”

Margaret waited for Jessica to get out
of the buggy before she said, “I show my feelings.”

“
Yes, but no one would know
you’re excited about today.” Jessica nudged her in the side. “It’s
alright for you to look excited.”

She shrugged.

“
I hope you let Joseph know
you enjoy being with him. Men need to know we like having them
around.”

Margaret sighed. “I don’t
know.”

Jessica gave her a good look. “You
don’t know what? Are you having doubts about him?”

“
No, it’s not that.” Unable
to look her friend in the eye, she studied her fingernails. “He
almost seems too good to be true, that’s all. I can’t help but feel
that something bad is going to happen.”

“
Well, there are four
boys.”

“
It’s not even that.” She
took a deep breath and set her hands at her sides so she’d stop
picking at her nails. She hated that nervous habit. “It’s just...
It’s going too smoothly, don’t you think?”

“
Seriously, Margaret.”
Jessica chuckled. “You are the only person I know who can’t accept
the fact that something good is happening to her. You need to
lighten up. Not everything is gloom and doom. Why, you have me for
a friend, and we’ve known each other since
kindergarten.”

“
Yes, but everything good
happens to you. You’re like a good luck charm. You smile and the
sun shines.”

Jessica laughed even harder.

Breaking into a sly smile, she pointed
to the sky. “Oh look. That cloud is leaving. Jessica laughed, so
it’s time to make more room for the sun.”

“
So that’s why I’m your
matron of honor at your wedding. You want to make sure it doesn’t
rain.”

They paused while Joel approached them.
“I came to take care of the horses,” he said.

“
Thank you,” Jessica
replied.

They watched in silence as he unhitched
the steeds.

He glanced over at them with an uneasy
expression on his face. “You weren’t talking about me, were
you?”

Jessica blinked. “Of course not, Joel.
We were just discussing some personal things.”

Still looking uncertain, he nodded and
took the animals to the pasture.

Margaret raised an eyebrow. “You know
he’s going to spend the rest of the day wondering if we were
talking about him.”

Jessica’s eyes widened. “I assured him
we weren’t.”

“
He didn’t believe
you.”

She sighed and shrugged. “I can’t help
what he does or doesn’t think.” She waved her hand in his
direction. “He’ll be fine.” Taking her friend by the elbow, she led
her to the porch. “Aren’t you glad we’re here? You’ll get to see
Joseph.”

She cleared her throat. And the next
time she saw him, she’d be walking down the aisle to be his wife.
It was happening much too fast. But what could she expect? When she
posted the ad, she knew it’d be a week after the man got there that
she’d be marrying him. It wasn’t like any of the other bachelors in
the area were asking to court her for a good year before they
wanted to be her husband. Nope. She was left to unorthodox methods
to secure her future.

But did that really matter? The point
was she was finally getting married. Jessica was right, of course.
She needed to learn to stop second guessing everything. Things were
going to be fine. Nothing bad was going to happen. She was going to
meet Joseph and the boys today and get ready for her wedding
tomorrow. Then the next day, she’d get married and have a family. A
house full of boys and a man to take care of.

She wiped her hands on her skirt. Five
men. Sure, it was a lot—a lot more than she expected—but she could
do it. She could. At least, she was sure she could.