tighter than a coiled spring, Matt rode into the Circle W stable, stripped leather, then brushed Thunder’s coat. As Matt led the stallion to his stall, fed and watered him, large, wide-set eyes alert with intelligence gazed back at him. Quick, smart and high-spirited, much like his future wife.
But Hannah was a woman, not trained to bridle and bit. Truth was, she held the reins, using him to keep her ranch. Not that he didn’t want the same.
At the pump, he scrubbed his hands and doused his face and neck. Had his admiration for Hannah’s coolheaded competence during a calf’s difficult birth triggered his proposal?
No, he had prayed for wisdom. Felt a deep certainty he’d been led by God and had done the right thing. He wanted to give Martin peace. He wanted to help Hannah. He didn’t want love. The lack of expectations in this marriage fit him perfectly.
Cal and his family were joining them for supper. Normally a good time, but with the task of telling his family the news, his steps lagged. No doubt they’d question his sanity.
He found his mother and Cal’s wife, Susannah, in the kitchen preparing the evening meal. “Smells good, Ma,” he said, letting the screen door slap behind him. “Hi, Susannah.”
Blond silky hair swept into a sleek bun, Susannah looked up from laying plates on the table and smiled. Fair and blue-eyed, Cal’s petite wife had an innocent, delicate quality about her, yet had a mind of her own if the occasion warranted.
Victoria turned from the stove. “Hoped you’d get here in time for supper.”
He hung his Stetson on a peg beside the door, then walked to his ma. “Let me help with that.” He took the potato masher from her hand and battled lumps in the potatoes. An easy skirmish compared to what lay ahead.
As if led by their noses, Cal with his son, Robbie, tucked in his arms, and Pa trooped into the kitchen. Matt greeted them, then turned the pot over to his mother, who scooped the creamy potatoes into a large crock.
“Hey,” Cal said, clapping Matt on the shoulder, “you look down in the mouth.”
“Hush,” Victoria scolded. “Your brother’s been over to the Parrish ranch. You know Martin’s poorly.”
Cal’s gaze clouded. “Sorry. Martin’s a good guy.”
At the moment, Matt’s disquiet involved the task at hand, not merely Martin’s health. He’d like his family’s blessing, and would get it...in time.
They gathered at the table, Robbie tucked in his high chair between Susannah and Cal. Pa offered grace, thanking God for the food and asking His mercy on Martin. After a hearty amen, Robert nabbed a piece of fried chicken, then passed the platter on.
Susannah tied a bib around Robbie’s neck. “Hannah has no family in these parts. What will happen to her?”
“She should sell the ranch and go back to Charleston,” Robert said. “Running a ranch isn’t a woman’s place.”
“The Parrish family has endured a lot. First losing both Melanie and the baby in childbirth, now Martin.” Ma’s voice caught. “Poor Hannah. Makes me want to weep.”
Susannah handed Robbie a spoon. The boy promptly dug into the potatoes and managed to get a spoonful into his mouth. “Hannah loves the ranch. I can’t believe she’d leave willingly.”
Appetite gone, Matt moved his potatoes around his plate with a fork. Might as well get it said. “I asked her to marry me.”
Stunned silence followed his declaration. All eyes turned on him, while the startling news sank in.
“So when is the wedding taking place?” Susannah asked.
Martin was dying. They had no time to cement their relationship. “If Pastor Cummings agrees, Thursday at the Lazy P.”
Ma gasped. “Mercy, that’s fast. Are you sure about this?” she said, searching his face.
Matt had seen that look before. Knew Ma was trying to read his thoughts, zipping him back to when he was ten and had played hooky from school. Ma had been judge and jury, meting out justice. As he recalled, he’d had to muck out the barn every night for a week.
He glanced away from those perceptive eyes. “I’m sure.”
Ma didn’t smile, merely nodded instead. “I’ll drive over to see how we can help.”
“You can’t possibly love the girl,” Cal said. “Why, you barely know her.” He plopped his elbows on the table, his expression aghast, as if Matt had grown two heads. “Hannah’s a great kid. One thing to feel sorry for her, and I do, but quite another to marry her.”
“Obviously, Cal, you haven’t seen Hannah since her return,” Pa declared. “She’s all grown-up.”
Cal plopped tiny bites of chicken on Robbie’s tray. “There’s always been pretty women around. Why the sudden decision to marry this one, big brother?”
Matt would never reveal that Hannah had proposed first. He couldn’t explain their decision to marry without revealing the personal details of the agreement, something he’d never do.
“May be overstepping,” Cal went on, “but I trust grief over Amy isn’t making you settle for a loveless marriage.”
Hands balled into rock-hard fists alongside his plate, Matt glared at Cal. “Keep Amy out of this.”
As if held at gunpoint, Cal raised his arms, palms out. “Whoa, brother. I want you to have what Susannah and I share. I’m just saying—”
“Saying what? That I don’t have the sense to know my own mind?”
“Matthew! Calvin! You’re behaving like bullheaded toddlers,” Robert said. Then he nodded his head, a smile forming on his lips. “A merger with the Lazy P makes sense. By pooling our resources, both ranches might survive dropping cattle prices and the bad economy.”
Leave it to his father to see marriage as a business opportunity. “Hannah hasn’t agreed to a merger,” Matt said.
“See that she does.” Robert glanced around the table, at the untouched food. “Enough of this talk. Eat.”
“Eat!” the food-smeared toddler ordered with pride, then stuck a gooey spoon in his hair and grinned.
Everyone laughed, easing the tension at the table.
Matt settled back in his chair, taking a deep breath, trying to slow his breathing. His father tried to run every facet of his sons’ lives. It was the reason Zack had turned to the law. And Cal spent most of his time at Susannah’s folks’ spread.
Still, the ongoing strain between Matt and his father didn’t explain Matt’s reaction to Cal’s concern. He’d thought he had peace about the decision to marry Hannah, but in truth, he was entering uncharted territory.
One grim possibility after another marched through Matt’s mind. Without the benefit of a loving relationship, he and Hannah would deal with Martin’s illness and without a miracle, his death. This marriage could backfire in a myriad of ways.
Matt
