Groom Wanted (2 page)

“Already figured as much. Wouldn’t have it any other way. Wouldn’t do anything to ruin your reputation, even if that means having Abby know what I’m up to.” He gave a quick nod. “So be it. Besides, I enjoy your sister. Who wouldn’t? She’s a pistol.”

“She sure is. A very discreet pistol, though, I assure you.” Leah smiled and the dimples on each side of her pink lips winked.

“Well, let’s get this over with.”

“Have to put it that way?”

Leah waved her hand, “No, no. I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant...”

He placed his fingertips on her soft lips. “It’s okay, Leah. You don’t have to explain. I know what you meant. Was just teasing you.” When he realized where his fingers were, he quickly removed them.

“When do you want to start?” She fiddled with the strings of her reticule.

“Now, if that works for you.”

Leah’s gaze brushed his. She tilted her head in that cute way of hers, then stared at him as if she were considering his offer.

“Hmm.” She settled her fingertip against her lips. “I am finished in town, and Mother isn’t expecting me until later. So now will work just fine. I’ll run and go get Abby, then follow you to your place.”

“No.”

“What do you mean, ‘no’?” Leah tilted her head even farther and a blond lock slipped across her eye.

He reached to brush it away, then snatched his hand back to his side. Doing that seemed intimate somehow. A line friends didn’t cross. “Think about it, Leah. How would that look, us riding off together?”

Leah tapped her forehead. “How could I have been so dim-witted? Of course, you’re right. Thank you, Jake.”

He glanced out to the dirt street that ran right through town. “Tell you what. I’ll head on out now. You and Abby leave ten or fifteen minutes after me?”

“What time is it now?”

He pulled his pocket watch out of his vest pocket and flipped it open. “One forty-five.”

“I’m supposed to meet Abby at her friend Phoebe’s house around two. So that will work perfectly.” There were those dimples again.

“Great. See you at my place in about half an hour then?”

This smile went all the way up to her eyes. Eyes the color of a spring day dotted with clouds.

“We’ll be there.”

Unable to think of anything else to say, Jake clasped the brim of his hat, gave a quick nod and headed toward the blacksmith shop to pick up his horse.

* * *

“Phoebe!” Leah gaped at Abby’s friend, who was a little more than a year older than Abby’s seventeen. “Your wedding dress is absolutely gorgeous. You look so beautiful in it. Like Cinderella at the ball.”

Phoebe’s lips curled upward and her face turned as red as her hair. Her big green eyes were shielded when her eyelids lowered. How the sweet girl ever managed to snag Markus Donahue, the banker’s son, when she was so shy was beyond Leah, but she was glad Phoebe had. If anyone deserved a nice man like Markus, it was Phoebe.

“Tomorrow’s the big day. Are you excited?” Leah curled a stray strand of hair around her ear.

Phoebe dipped her head down and nodded. Two seconds later her head popped upward and alarm marched across her face. “You two are still coming, aren’t you?”

Leah walked over to Phoebe and grabbed her hands. “Of course we’ll be there. Nothing would stop us from coming.”

“But you know how unpredictable the weather is here in May. What if it rains or snows and you can’t get into town because the roads are too muddy?”

Horrified was the only way Leah could describe Phoebe’s face.

“Then we’ll ride the horses into town. They’ll be able to make it even if the buggy can’t.”

Phoebe’s head jerked with short, nervous nods. “Oh. Okay.”

Leah clasped Phoebe’s hands again. “We’ll be there, Phoebe. I promise. Now.” She released her hands. “Come on, Abbynormal.” Leah used the nickname she often called her sister. The one that best suited Abby’s personality. Abby was anything but normal, but Leah loved her sister for it and envied her at the same time. How wonderful it would be to be so carefree. “We need to get going.”

Abby stopped talking with Phoebe and faced her. “Why?”

“Because...” She gave Abby that look. The one that let her know she was going to Jake’s again. Something the two of them had done ever since his accident many months back when he’d fallen and hit his head. Back then, the idea of him alone and needing help had eaten at Leah until she couldn’t bear it. She was so glad Abby had agreed to go with her to help him until he had healed. During that time Leah and Jake had become great friends.

Make that the three of them. Abby enjoyed going to Jake’s farm as much as Leah did and thought it was great fun playing the role of her older sister’s chaperone. Leah was glad she found it fun, but it was necessary more than anything. If she didn’t drag her sister along, Leah could never have gone to a single man’s house alone. It would be improper and, most importantly, her reputation would be ruined.

Being seen with Jake too much in public would give people the wrong idea about the two of them. Like a wildfire out of control, all of Paradise Haven would spread rumors that they were courting. She’d seen it happen to several other couples who eventually wed or ended the whole thing in a ruinous scandal—neither of which she wanted with Jake. Besides, it wasn’t like that between her and Jake. To be sure, they enjoyed each other’s company, but neither of them had feelings that went beyond friendship.

Leah loved having a male friend as special and caring as Jake. She looked forward to their visits. Despite the fact they wanted different things out of life, he was the one person she felt she could talk to about anything.

Well, almost anything.

He didn’t know the real reasons why she had turned down his proposal and why she wanted to move. No one knew about the nightmares except for her former friend Marie. Former for two reasons—one, Marie had moved away, and two, Leah hadn’t associated with her since the day she’d confided in Marie about the nightmares and how she blamed this place for killing her father. Marie had laughed and said she was just being silly and that she needed to get over it. Oh sure, as if it were that easy.

“Ohhh.” Abby nodded, then turned to her friend. “I’d better scoot along now, Phoebe. Sister dear has places to go and things to see. But fear not, I shall see you on the morrow. You have my word.” Abby, the dramatic one in the family, grabbed her cloak, swung it around her shoulders with the grace of a queen and, with her arm outstretched holding her cloak, glided toward the door.

“Thank you so much for helping me make my dress and for putting the finishing touches on it.” Phoebe scurried after Abby and hugged her.

Abby pulled back and waved off her friend. “You are quite welcome, my dear.” Abby’s British accent imitation needed help. She sounded nothing like the Manvilles, their British neighbors back in New York City, or even like Rainee, their sister-in-law, who mixed British with Southern quite nicely. “And now, I must make haste and take my leave.” Abby swung the door open and, with a flourish, headed outside.

Leah shrugged toward Phoebe’s direction. “What can I say? You can’t help but love her.” With that, she followed Abby out the door and onto the wagon. They turned and waved goodbye to Phoebe before she disappeared into her house.

“So, we’re heading to Jake’s again.” Abby waggled her eyebrows.

“We sure are.”

“Well, then, sister dear, what are we waiting for?” Abby faced forward. “Make haste. Make haste, my dear.”

Leah shook her head. She should have never let Abby read the well-worn copy of
Pride and Prejudice
that Rainee had given Leah years ago. Ever since then, Abby imitated the British often. She hoped Abby never found the copy of
Sense and Sensibility
that she kept hidden in the bottom lining of her trunk. She shuddered just thinking about how Abby would act after reading that one.

Leah wondered if Abby would follow in her footsteps.

The real Mr. Darcy in
Pride and Prejudice,
not the one Elizabeth Bennet thought he was before she had gotten to know him better, reminded Leah of her father. Mr. Darcy had rescued Elizabeth’s family when Lydia’s infidelity would have shamed them. He was a man with integrity, a big heart, a protector, just like her father. From the moment that realization had struck Leah, her love and respect for Mr. Darcy had her praying that someday she would find her very own Mr. Darcy—a man who represented everything her father had stood for.

“C’mon, Leah. What are you waiting for?”

“Pushy.”

“Me, pushy? You were the one who was in such an all-fired big hurry to go.” Abby nudged Leah’s shoulder.

“True. True. I hate it when you’re right.” Leah tittered and with a quick slap of the lines on her horse’s rump the buggy pitched forward. “Oh, you won’t believe this, Abbs, but Jake knows about my advertisement.”

Abby whipped her head so fast in Leah’s direction that one of her curls whacked her sister across the face. “How’d he find out?” Abby’s eyes gleamed as she searched Leah’s. Her sister loved a good story and loved to tell them, too, but she wouldn’t tell this one. She’d been sworn to secrecy.

“He started getting newspapers from all over, including back East where I placed mine. When he searched the papers to see his ad, he saw mine and put two-and-two together.”

“Oh. What are you going to do if he tells Michael?”

“He won’t.”

“How do you know he won’t? Jake and Michael are good friends. If Michael finds out, you know he’ll tell the rest of the family. And Haydon and Mother will put a stop to your plans.”

“They won’t find out because Jake and I made an agreement and shook hands on the bargain.”

“Oh, yeah? What kind of agreement?”

“Well—” she shifted toward Abby “—he won’t tell anyone if I help him find a wife. You know, help him decide which of the letters he should respond to.”

“Ohhh. This could be fun.” Her sister’s eyebrows danced.

Fun? Leah hadn’t thought about it being fun. But it just might very well be. She gave a quick flick of the leather lines to get her horse to pick up her pace. “Don’t tell anyone, Abbs. This whole thing will be our little secret, okay? Promise?”

“I haven’t said anything to anyone before, have I?” Her sister looked slighted.

“No, you haven’t. And I know you wouldn’t, either. But with this concerning Jake, too, I just thought I would remind you, that’s all. Okay?”

“Okay.”

They rode in silence for a time. The only sounds were the horse’s hooves clunking on the hard road and a flock of geese honking above them.

“It’s too bad you have your heart set on moving to New York. Otherwise, Jake would make a great husband for you,” Abby said out of nowhere.

Leah glanced over at her sister. “Jake is a friend and nothing more. But if I wasn’t so dead set in pursuing my dreams, who knows, I might have considered Jake.” Turning down his proposal hadn’t been easy because she enjoyed his company immensely. Good thing she wasn’t in love with Jake. Saying no would have been extremely hard, but necessary.

“You would?” Abby clasped her hands together and her eyes sparkled.

“I said if, Abbs, if.”

“But Jake is sooo handsome,” Abby said dreamily with her clasped hands pressed against her heart.

“If you think he’s sooo handsome, then why don’t you marry him?”

Abby yanked her hands away from her chest and her wide eyes stared at Leah. “Me? He’s way too old for me. But if he wasn’t, I sure would try for him.”

“Why?” Leah found she really wanted to know.

“What do you mean, ‘why’? Just look at him. He’s dreamy and so handsome.”

Handsome, yes. But dreamy? She never thought about Jake as being dreamy. “Jake is handsome. I’ll give him that. But looks aren’t everything, and he is not my type.”

“I know, I know.” Abby rolled her eyes. “Your type of man is one who wears waistcoats, ties and fancy suits and lives in a big city.”

Only because that was how her father used to dress. Another pleasant memory she held on to.

Abby laid her hand on Leah’s. Gone was the humor from her face. Serious now replaced it. “What if you find someone, Lee-Lee, and once you get out there, it isn’t anything like what you dreamed it would be? Then what?”

Good question. Just what would she do? What if she got out there and the nightmares didn’t stop? No. She couldn’t think that way. She had to hold on to that hope. She just had to. “That won’t happen, Abbs, because before I go anywhere, if a man intrigues me, I’ll request a picture of him and ask a lot of questions. If I like his answers, then I’ll go out and meet him in person first.”

“You know Mother won’t let you go alone.”

“She won’t know.”

“You mean you’re not going to tell her?” That same horrified look she saw on Phoebe earlier now shrouded her sister’s face.

“No. And neither are you.”

“I don’t like this, Leah. Not one little bit.”

Neither did she. But her heart was set on moving out East and nothing would stop her. Not her mother, her brothers or Jake. Jake? What did he have to do with any of this?

Chapter Two

J
ake rode into the yard of his farm faster than ever before, unsaddled his horse and turned Dun loose in the corral. He ran to his house and stepped inside. One glance told him it was as bad as he had feared. Boots and jackets were sprawled on the bench and floor, dishes covered the table and newspapers surrounded his living room chair.

Every time Leah had come to his house, their visits had been planned and he always had a chance to spruce up the place first. This time that wasn’t the case because he hadn’t expected to see her today, much less invite her over. “Better hustle, Jake.” He snatched up his jackets and hung them on the hooks, then lined his work boots neatly underneath the bench.

Dishes rattled and clanged as he gathered the breakfast mess, tossed the dishes into the sink and covered them with a towel. After washing the table down, he flocked the pile of newspapers together and laid them in a neat pile on the coffee table he’d made.

Next he plucked his clean undergarments, shirts, pants and socks down from the clothesline he’d rigged near the cookstove, tossed them onto his unmade bed and closed the bedroom door behind him.

Banjo’s barking reached his ears. He peered out his living room window and saw Leah’s carriage coming down the lane.

He darted toward the wash basin and checked his reflection in the shaving mirror. His thick blond hair, part of his Norwegian heritage, stuck out everywhere. He snatched up his comb and smoothed the strands down, then headed out the door and met Leah and Abby right as they pulled in front of his house.

“Hush, Banjo.” His mottled-colored Australian shepherd tilted her head both directions, then darted onto the porch. Banjo laid down on the top step, placed her head between her legs, leaving her front paws dangling over the step, and let out a slow, pitiful whine.

Jake looked back at the ladies sitting in the buckboard phaeton with the parasol top, another reminder of the differences in their financial statuses in life. This phaeton was only one of the expensive carriages the Bowen family owned.

“Hi, Jake!” Abby waved.

“Howdy-do, ladies.” He nodded, then offered Leah a hand.

“Thank you.” She smiled up at him when she reached the ground.

He returned her smile, then helped Abby down.

“Thanks, Jake.” Abby looked around the yard. “Where’s Meanie?”

“In the barn. Had to put her in a stall.”

Leah tilted her head. “How come?”

“Kept running off. Down to Mabel’s barn. Eating all her grain. Caused all kinds of ruckus. Ornery old goat anyway.”

“Jake!” Leah gasped and her eyes widened. “That isn’t nice. Once you get to know Mabel, you’ll discover she’s really a very sweet lady with a soft heart.”

Abby giggled and darted up the steps, flopping down next to Banjo.

Jake couldn’t help but laugh. “Wasn’t talking about Mabel. Was talking about my pet goat, Meanie.”

Leah’s cheeks turned a nice shade of dark pink, the same color as the dress she had on, and her perfectly formed lips formed an
O.

“Shall we get started?” He motioned toward his house. They walked side by side up the wide steps, past Abby and onto the porch. Jake opened the door and moved out of the way.

“You coming, Abby?”

Abby turned sideways. “Do you mind if I stay out here? It’s too nice to go inside. Besides, Banjo’s better company. Isn’t that right, girl?” Abby rubbed his dog behind her ears.

“Hey.” Leah planted her hands on her slim waist.

Abby glanced back and winked. “Just kidding, Lee-Lee. But I would like to stay out here on the porch, if you don’t mind. Even though the air’s a little nippy, the sun sure feels good.”

Leah looked up at him as if to question if it was okay or not.

Jake shrugged, seeing no reason why she couldn’t. “I don’t mind if you don’t.”

“I don’t mind. That’s fine, Abbs.”

“Would you like something to drink, Abby?”

“No. I had a cup of hot cocoa at Phoebe’s house right before we left, so I’m fine. But you two go ahead if you’d like,” she said, keeping her back to them as she continued to pet Banjo.

“You change your mind, just holler,” Jake said before he and Leah stepped inside his house.

“Where do you want to sit?” Leah asked him.

“The table. That way we can spread the letters out and be in plain view of Abby.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Jake took Leah’s wrap and hung it on a peg near the door before Leah headed toward his kitchen table.

The slab table with pine legs and the kitchen chairs made out of lodgepole pine with slab seats looked shabby next to Leah’s fancy kitchen furniture. Never once had she turned her nose down at them, though. She even made a comment one time about what a great job he’d done making them, how nice his handiwork was and how beautiful she thought they were. It meant a lot coming from her.

“Want something to drink?”

“No, thanks.”

A quick nod, then he hurried around Leah and held out one of the chairs and waited for her to be seated before he sat in the chair on her right. He removed the stack of envelopes from his inside vest pocket and laid them on the table in front of him.

Leah scooted her chair closer to his, and her skirt brushed against his legs when she did. Lilacs and crisp spring air swirled around her. “Well, which one would you like to read first?”

He glanced down at the pile and thumbed through them until he came across one from Tennessee. “This one.”

“Any particular reason why you chose that one first?” Curiosity fluttered through her eyes.

“Yep.”

“Care to share?” She looked hopeful.

He debated whether or not to tell her. She might think he was strange if he did. Clasping his hands in front of him on top of the table, he drew in a deep breath and said, “Know this sounds odd, but ever since Michael brought Selina here, I’ve been hoping to find someone like her.”

She shook her head and grinned. “You sound like Michael.”

“Come again?” he asked, not understanding her meaning.

“Well.” She dropped her hands onto her lap. “Ever since Rainee arrived, Michael wanted someone just like
her.
”

“He did?” That was news to him. Shocking news at that.

“Yes.”

“Don’t get it. Selina’s nothing like Rainee.”

“I know. Everything in her letters indicated she was like her, but her friend had written the letters for her and lied so Selina would find a good husband. It was a deceptive thing for her to do, but I’m so glad she did. Selina is a remarkable person. And I’m so thrilled to have her for a sister.”

Everything Leah just mentioned made him rethink what he was about to do. What if he, too, got a woman who lied to him and wasn’t what she said she was? Or even worse, what if he found someone who interested him and she turned him down because
he
wasn’t what
she
expected? After all, he’d been turned down twice before. Could he handle another rejection?

* * *

Leah studied Jake’s face. It went from fear to confusion to sadness.

“Maybe I shouldn’t do this. Maybe I should just give up this whole crazy idea.” Jake plowed his hands through his bulky blond hair and sat back from the letters, staring at them.

“Why?” Leah couldn’t imagine what had caused him to change his mind so suddenly.

“Well, what if the woman who writes me is nothing like she portrays herself to be?”

Oh, that’s why. Leah let out a relieved sigh. “Jake, because Michael was needed on the ranch, he married Selina without going out to meet her. You don’t have to do that.”

“I can’t afford to leave, either.” Again his fingers forked through his hair. Only this time they went all the way down the back of his head until they reached his thick, muscular neck where they lingered.

“You don’t have to. You can have her come here.”

His hand dropped to the table. He frowned. “Why didn’t Michael do that?”

“Because Selina’s father wouldn’t let her leave until she was married. Michael had prayed about it and had peace so he married her sight unseen.”

Jake scooted back his chair, scraping it against the rough wood floor, and rose. Leah’s eyes trailed up his tall, broad frame, wondering what he was doing.

He went to the sink, which she noticed was stacked with what she presumed to be dirty dishes, though a large towel covered them. Nervousness permeated his every movement. “I know I already asked you this once, but would you like something to drink now?”

“Yes. Thank you. A glass of water would be great.” Her mouth felt dry as trail dust. She watched as he held the glass under the spout and raised and lowered the water pump handle in the sink. His broad shoulders and arm muscles bulged as he filled the glass. Only a few drips of water landed onto the dish towel. She hoped to find someone as tall as Jake. He had to be at least six-foot-four or -five. And at five-foot-eight-and-a-half, she was either the same height as most of the men she knew or taller. The thought of being taller than the man she married bothered her.

Jake turned and walked back toward her. What a fine male specimen he was. He would make some woman a good husband. Of that she was certain.

He set a glass of water in front of her and one in front of himself before lowering his bulky frame onto the chair. Worry creased his forehead. This time she thought she knew why.

Wanting to put his mind at ease, she laid her hand on top of his arm, and his hard muscle jumped under her fingertips. She removed her hand and rested it on the table in front of her. “Listen, Jake. Before you get too involved with someone, you could always make it clear you want to meet them in person and spend time getting to know them before either of you make any real commitment. And...” She sat back in her chair. “I don’t know what your financial situation is, but you could inform her that you would send her a round-trip ticket in case things don’t work out.”

His shoulders relaxed and the creases in his forehead disappeared. “That’s a good idea. Think someone would do that?”

“Of course they would. It’s done all the time. I know I’m going to. There is no way I’m going to marry someone without meeting him and without spending time with him and his family first.”

“You scared, Leah?”

Was she? “A little. But the sooner I get away from here, the happier I’ll be.”

“You sure about that? Won’t you miss your family?”

“Yes and yes. To be perfectly honest, the idea of staying here bothers me more than the idea of missing my family or the fear of the unknown does. I actually find that part rather thrilling.”

“What do you find thrilling?”

“The fear of the unknown.”

He narrowed his eyes and searched hers. “Why do you dislike it here so much?”

She shrugged, wishing she could confide in him about the nightmares and just why she hated this place as much as she did. But she didn’t want him to think she was being silly like Marie had, so she used her standard reply. “I miss New York City and the lifestyle I used to have back then. Plus, I want some excitement in my life. As crazy as this may sound, I crave adventure.” That part was true. She could use some adventure in her life.

“The Idaho Territory doesn’t provide you with enough adventure?” A hint of humor warbled his voice.

“No. It’s so boring here. Nothing exciting ever happens.”

“You don’t call the war with Nez Perce Indians exciting?” His blue eyes sparkled with mischief.

“There was nothing exciting about that war. Frightening was more like it.” She shifted in her seat. “But I don’t want to talk about that. Let’s take a look at those letters. Would you like to read them first, or do you want me to?”

“If you don’t mind, I’d rather you read them.” Jake opened the envelope from Tennessee and gave the letter to Leah.

Leah could hardly decipher the sloppy penmanship. “Hello, my name is Betsy. I’m a single mother of four young children.”

“Whoa.” Jake’s hand flew up. “Forget that one. Not ready to be a father yet. Especially to a herd of kids.” He frowned. “How old is she, anyway? Does she say?”

Leah scanned the letter. “She’s thirty-nine.”

His eyes widened. “Thirty-nine? That’s eleven years older than me. No, thank you.” He tugged the letter from her hands and ripped it into several pieces before setting the shredded pile far from him.

Leah took the liberty of going through his stack of posts. She couldn’t believe how many women were looking for husbands. “How about this one? The postmark is from Mississippi.”

He shrugged, then nodded.

“Dear Mr. Lure. Me name is Samantha O’Sullivan. I be twenty-seven years old, six feet tall and one hundred and twenty pounds. Me hair is fiery red and me eyes are brown. Me pa said I must be gettin’ married soon afore I become an ole maid. I dinna want to wed, but me pa said if I dinna and dinna write to you that he would toss me backside outta the house.”

Leah looked over at Jake and put on her most serious face. “I think she sounds just like what you’re looking for. You should write her back right away.”

“You—you do?” The shock on his face pulled a guffaw out of Leah.

“No, no. Don’t look so worried. I’m just teasing you, Jake.”

Relief flooded over his face and his taut lips relaxed. “Whew. Had me worried there for a moment.”

Leah sat up straight and in her best Irish imitation she said, “Blimey, Mister Jake. Ye must pick me. Aye, ye must, even tho’ I dinna wanna marry. And even tho’ me be gone in da head for even tellin’ ye such a thang in da first place, won’t ye please consider sendin’ fer me anyway and spare me from becomin’ an ole maid?”

She laughed and so did Jake, but his laughter had a nervous flutter to it.

Seconds later, Jake shredded that letter, too. “Next.”

Leah continued reading the responses he’d received. Each one was worst than the first, but Jake didn’t shred any more of them— He just stacked them in a pile. She opened the last one and a photograph slipped out. Leah picked it up and her mouth fell open.

“What you got there?” Jake asked.

Leah slid her attention from the photo and onto him. “She sent you a picture.”

“Who did?”