Debra Ullrick - Groom Wanted

Leah tilted her head and frowned. “Why? She sounds lovely.”

“Obviously, she’s a woman of rank. I want a wife I can feel equal to. Not someone who comes from money.”

She came from money, so why had he asked her to marry him? Wait a minute. Did he think she had turned him down because he didn’t have money? That bothered her. A lot. She didn’t care about that. But she didn’t want to ask and embarrass him, either. So she’d let it go. For now, anyway. “Okay.” Leah placed the photo in the letter and put it back into the envelope. “What now?”

“Nothing.” He shrugged. “I’m in no hurry to get married. I’ll wait to see if anyone else answers my ad.”

“Oh, okay.” She nodded.

Neither spoke.

“Leah.” Abby chose that moment to appear at the door. Leah looked over at her sister. “We’d better get on home or Mother’s going to wonder where we are. She may even send out a posse or the cavalry looking for us,” Abby said with her usual dramatic flair.

“What time is it?”

Jake pulled out his pocket watch and told her the time.

“Sweet twinkling stars above. Abby’s right.” Leah scooted her chair out. “I’ve got to go. Mother will be worried.”

Abby darted down the steps. Banjo followed her, leaping and hopping at her heels.

“Meant to ask you, where’d that expression come from, anyway?” Jake asked, following her out. “You’re the only one I ever heard say it.”

“Say what?”

“‘Sweet twinkling stars above.’”

“Oh, that.” Her face lit up. At the edge of the porch she gazed up at the sky. “When my father was alive, many warm summer nights we’d grab blankets and go lay outside. Father used to tuck me under the crook of his arm and we’d stare up at the stars. Father used to say that back in New York you couldn’t see them as clearly as you could here. He even made up a song about sweet twinkling stars above and used to sing it to us.”

“How’s it go?”

Leah turned her attention onto him, then to where Abby was, near the phaeton playing with Banjo.

“Sweet twinkling stars above; there to remind us of our Heavenly Father’s love. Each one placed by the Savior with care; as a sweet reminder that He will always be there. Oh, sweet twinkling stars above. When my children gaze upon you remind them, too, of my love. Each twinkle is a kiss from me; a hug, a prayer, a sweet memory. Oh, sweet twinkling stars above.” Leah stopped singing in the softest, sweetest voice he’d ever heard. One filled with reverence and joy. And yet, her face now only showed sadness. “Okay. Now you know. And I need to get going,” she blurted as if her tongue were on fire, and down the steps she bolted.

Jake caught up to her and they walked side by side until she reached her carriage. She stopped and faced him. All of a sudden, something barreled into her backside and sent her flying forward. Her face smacked into a firm wall. Her arms flung out, clutching onto something solid. Something warm. Something very muscular.

* * *

Jake stared at the top of Leah’s head plastered against his chest. Her hands clung to his upper arms as he caught and held her there. He froze in place and the air around him suddenly disappeared. Having her this close to him, her hands touching him and her head so near his heart, caused his pulse to buck and kick like an untamed horse. That had never happened to him before. Course, she’d never touched him that closely before, either. Still. What was going on?

“Um, Jake, could you help me up, please?”

Jake blinked. “Oh. Yeah. Sorry.” As soon as she was steady on her feet, he released her.

“What just hit me, anyway?” Leah ran her hands over her skirt.

“Meanie’s what hit you,” Abby said from behind Leah.

Abby had Jake’s pet goat by the collar, yanking it away from her sister.

“Meanie! How’d you get out?” Jake grabbed the goat’s collar and tugged her close to his leg. The animal stretched her head toward Leah and started gnawing on her skirt.

Jake yanked the cloth from the nanny’s mouth and tapped her on the tip of the nose. “Stop that, you ornery old goat.” Meanie latched onto Jake’s fingers and shook her head fast and hard.

Banjo barked and bit Meanie in the backside. The goat chomped down harder on Jake’s fingers. Jake struggled to pull them away while simultaneously holding the goat and knowing he looked like a blooming idiot. “Down, Banjo!”

The dog immediately dropped onto his belly.

Jake tugged, trying to free his now-throbbing fingers. One more yank and they were free. Shaking his hand, he glanced over at Leah. “Gonna hang that brother of yours. Should have never let Michael talk me into taking this goat off his hands.”

Leah covered her mouth with her hand and her eyes crinkled into a smile.

“Go ahead and laugh. We both know you want to.”

Her laughter pealed across the farmyard. It only took a second before he and Abby joined her.

With a hard jerk on his arm, Meanie broke free and took off in the direction of Mabel’s house. Banjo ran after her, nipping her heels and dodging the goat’s quick kicks.

“Oh, no! Not again.” Jake darted after them, hollering over his shoulder, “See you ladies tomorrow. Got a dog to stop and a goat to catch.”

Their laughter followed him.

It took a quarter mile, but he finally caught up with Meanie and the dog, corralled them both and headed back to the house. He fully expected Leah and Abby to be gone, but they weren’t. Keeping a tight hold on Meanie, he walked up to Leah’s rig, panting from the exertion. “Something wrong?” he asked between gasps of breath. He struggled to keep the nanny from breaking free again.

“You said you would see us tomorrow, but I can’t come by tomorrow.”

“Won’t be here even if you did.”

“Huh?” Leah tilted her head in that charming way of hers.

“Guess Michael didn’t tell you, then.”

“Tell me what?”

“Starting tomorrow, I’ll be working for him.” He jerked on the goat’s collar to keep her under control.

Leah’s eyes widened. “Y-you are?” She glanced around his spread and then turned her attention back onto him. “But who’s going to take care of your place?”

“Only gonna work part-time, until Smokey gets back from taking care of his folks’ affairs and Michael feels comfortable leaving Selina home with the twins. Can you believe it? Michael. A father? To twins?”

“It’s hard to picture Michael a father. But I’m so happy for my brother and Selina. It’s hilarious watching him with those babies. Every little whimper and he rushes to their cradles. Selina has to almost wrestle him to the ground to keep him from picking them up all the time. He’s paranoid to leave them and Selina alone.

“Mother, Abby and I promised him we’d help, but with Lottie Lynn and Joseph Michael only a few days old, he doesn’t want to leave them or Selina. And if he does, it’s only for a minute or two. I can understand that.” She looked at Jake and her smile lit up her whole face. “I’m glad you’ll be at the ranch, though. It’ll be fun having you around.”

Jake’s insides grinned at her announcement. Maybe being a hired hand on the Bowen ranch just might be a fun thing after all.

Chapter Three

Leah removed her coat and scarf, hung them up on a wooden coat tree near the front door of her house and looked around. Dinner was on the stove waiting to be heated, everything was sparkling clean and the laundry was finished. With Abby still outside and her mother only who knew where, the house was so quiet that the only sound she heard was the grandfather clock ticking. Knowing she was alone and that she wouldn’t have to wait until later to read her letters, her spirit skipped with excitement. She darted toward the stairs.