The Unexpected Bride

By the time he pulled the wagon around to the barn and stepped down, his mother was standing at his side. “Haydon, what’s going on?”

He looked down at his mother but offered no answers.

“Where have you been and who is that woman? I will not wait until Jesse gets back from wherever it was he said he had to go today.”

“So you don’t know about Jesse either?”

“Know what about Jesse?” Her gaze slid toward the direction of Jesse’s cabin, then back at him. “I just got home about fifteen minutes before you did and no one was around. Smokey and Michael told me last night they’d be late for dinner. What’s going on around here?”

Haydon drew in a long breath. “I’ll put the horses up, and then I’ll tell you everything, okay?”

“You bet you will. I’ll be waiting. Right here.” She sat down on one of the wood-slab benches outside the barn door.

As he tended to the horses, Haydon prayed God would give him the grace to tell his mother all he knew. When he finished, he stepped out of the barn and sat down next to her. He leaned his arms on his knees and clasped his hands together. With his head down, he debated on where to start.

“Well, are you just going to sit there, or are you going to tell me what’s going on? And why is your nose so red?”

“Some guy in Prosperity Mountain punched me in the nose.”

“What! Why’d he do that?”

“Because I stopped him from assaulting Rainee.”

“What do you mean?” Shock rippled through her voice and across her face.

“When I arrived, some ruffian was trying to force his attentions on Rainee. We got into a fight and the sheriff hauled him off.”

“That poor girl.”

“Poor girl is right.” Only she wasn’t a girl, she was a woman. With curves in all the right places. A beautiful, feisty woman who brought out his protective instincts. The kind of woman he was a sucker for. Oh, no, Haydon. Not this time. Just shove any notions about Rainee out of your mind. Don’t go getting any ideas where she’s concerned. Remember what happened with Melanie. That was all the reminder he needed. Thoughts of Rainee vanished from his mind.

“Now, I want you to tell me why Rainee is here.”

So much for knocking her out of his mind. “Mother, you know how Jess is always doing stuff without thinking the whole thing through?”

“Yes, but he always means well.”

“That might be true, but some of the ridiculous things he’s done, he shouldn’t have. This is one of them. Jesse answered an advertisement he’d seen…” He rubbed his chin. “I don’t know where he saw it. In a newspaper, a magazine or what. But Rainee must have placed an advertisement to find a husband.”

His mother’s brows rose and her chin lowered. “A husband?”

“Jesse answered her ad and encouraged her to come out here to become…” He swallowed hard before continuing, “my wife.”

“Oh, no, he didn’t.”

“Oh, yes. He did. I don’t know what was in the letter or her ad or anything. You’ll have to ask Jesse. But judging by our conversation on the way back to the ranch, she believes I’m the one who sent for her.”

Mother looked toward the house and shook her head. “That poor, poor girl. I can’t believe Jesse would do such a thing. What was he thinking?”

“That’s what I asked him. I was going to send her back to wherever she came from, but the stagecoach had already left. It’ll be three weeks before it comes through again. I just couldn’t leave her alone in Prosperity Mountain to fend for herself.” He thought about when he had arrived at the stagecoach stop and saw her bopping and kicking that man in the shins. Maybe they needed protection from her. He smiled. Then again, maybe he did, too.

His mother laid her hand on his leg. “You did the right thing, son. But why did you go get her if you didn’t send for her? Why didn’t Jesse go?”

“Because he’s laid up. That’s why.”

“Laid up? What do you mean?”

“He had an accident this morning.”

“An accident? Is he okay? What happened?” Although his mother was used to her menfolk getting hurt, it never stopped her from worrying or fretting over them.

“Smokey said he’ll be fine.” A fresh wave of shame washed over Haydon, even though he was still agitated with his brother. “It was my fault. I got so angry when I found out what he did that I needed to get as far away from him as possible so I could cool down. I decided to go for a long ride. You know, like Father and I used to do.”

“I remember.” Sadness shadowed her eyes.

“Jess came into the barn right when I was getting ready to leave. I never flank Rebel, but I did. Rebel was so startled he reared and knocked Jesse out.”

Her face paled. “You sure he’s going to be all right?”

“I’m sure,” he said with more confidence than he felt. “I feel terrible about what happened. But to be honest, Mother, I’m still angry with him. He had no right to do that to me or to Rainee.”

His mother shook her head. “You’re right, he didn’t. But unfortunately he did, and now we have to figure out what to do with her.”

“We? Oh-h no. Not we. Jesse can figure that one out on his own.”

“From what you just told me, Jesse won’t be able to do much of anything on his own for a while.” She stood, and so did he. “I need to go check on him.”

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

“Why not?”

“Because Hannah said he needed his rest, and she didn’t care who it was, she wasn’t letting anyone wake him.”

“Hannah? Our Hannah said that?”

“Yep. She sure did.” They stood there for a second staring at each other before they both shook their heads, chuckling.

His mother’s face turned grim. “What am I going to tell that poor young woman?”

“I don’t know.”

Rainee’s eyes fluttered open. She turned her head and started to raise herself, but her body rebelled with each movement. Not one to allow a few aches and weakness of body to stop her, she forced her creaking body into a sitting position, wondering how long she had been asleep.

A young teenage girl with buttery blond hair and powder-blue eyes came drifting into the room. “Hi, I’m Leah. Mother told me to offer you something to eat and drink when you awakened. Would you like some cookies and tea?”

“Tea and cookies sound heavenly. Thank you.” Before Rainee had a chance to introduce herself the girl disappeared. Rainee ran her hands over her wrinkled, dirty clothes, but the stubborn creases and dirt would not budge. She was most certainly a mess and not fit to be seen.

Leah returned and set the tray on the end table next to Rainee. She smiled and two dimples accompanied it. “I hope you like them. I made them myself.” Leah’s look of accomplishment curled Rainee’s lips upward.