Carolyn Davidson - Gerrity's Bride

The lawyer cleared his throat and adjusted his spectacles. “Yes, there is more.” His face became suffused in a rosy hue, and Emmaline’s eyes sharpened as she sensed his discomfort. As though he were sending her a silent apology for what was to come, he glanced at her somberly.

“Allow me to continue,” he said.

However, if they decide to abide by the above terms, and should there not be issue from the above described marriage within two years, I declare that neither Emmaline Carruthers or Matthew Gerrity shall remain as owners, but said ownership will revert at that time to my daughter Theresa. Matthew Gerrity will remain in his present position for as long as he desires. A suitable guardian shall be appointed for Theresa and the property held in trust for her until the age of twenty-one.

“He can’t do that!” Emmaline’s words were anguished.

Oswald Hooper looked at her sympathetically, as if he could not bear to deny her claim.

Matt had no such compunction.

“Looks to me like he did do exactly that,” he said with a humorless smile.

“There’s not much more,” said the lawyer. “Just some bequests to the people here, and some legal processes to take place, ensuring the rights of the child. Other than that, you’ve heard the gist of it. Once you two are married, the deed will be changed to include both of your names.”

“Matt Gerrity has no right,” she blurted. “He’s no blood relation.”

“Your father chose the terms, Miss Carruthers,” the lawyer reminded her gently.

“I won’t do it,” she vowed with whispered determination.

“Don’t be so quick to decide, Emmaline.” Matt’s voice was deep, demanding her attention. She looked up quickly to meet his gaze. “If you turn down the terms of the will, I’ll have no choice but to send you on your way. You’ll lose contact with Tessie.”

“And what about you? What will happen to you?”

His shoulders lifted once more, negligently. “Well, I suppose I’ll just stay on here as ranch foreman. The will gives me that option, if I’m not mistaken.”

“It could be interpreted that way,” Mr. Hooper said, prompted by Matt’s questioning look.

“And you’ll have Theresa,” Emmaline said bitterly.

He nodded as he repeated her words. “And I’ll have Theresa.”

“I won’t allow that to happen,” she declared, her chin lifting another notch. Her nostrils flared delicately, and her eyes shone with barely repressed fury. “I’ll do anything I have to.”

She was a fighter, Matt decided, watching the lines of her face firm up before his eyes. Her jaw was clenched, and her lips tightened as she awaited his reply.

With an edge of anger, he accepted her challenge. “So be it.”

Old Samuel had had the last laugh, he thought grimly. He had always told him he’d like to see the day Matt met his match. And this daughter of his damn sure looked like it.

“ S aai, Mr. Matt has been in charge here for two years. And every unmarried woman in the territory has been making eyes at him,” Maria added for good measure.

Emmaline’s mouth pursed as she considered the statement. “I’ll bet he eats it up,” she said finally.

Maria shrugged and smiled. “What young man wouldn’t? The ladies have always taken to Mr. Matt, and now...” Her shoulders lifted once more.

“And now?”

“Everyone will be thinking he has been left the ranch. A man with property will not go unmarried for long.”

“Does he have...” Emmaline paused delicately, unwilling to ask such a question.

Maria frowned at her. “If you had come to breakfast earlier, you might have been able to ask him yourself,” she said firmly, as if that would settle the matter.

Emmaline smoothed her fingers over the hem of her napkin once more. True, she’d appeared for breakfast just as Matt and Miss Olivia were leaving the table. At home, meals had been served at more civilized hours. Surely no one had an appetite at dawn.

Then, too, in her experience, servants were not as outspoken as Maria. But things were done differently here, she reminded herself. Lexington was a long way from Forbes Junction. Informality was a way of life. Why, Theresa and Matt didn’t even wear mourning, she realized, not for the first time, as she looked down upon her own black silk gown. She shivered, mutely deciding Arizona was a long way from civilization.

Annoyance was riding the edge of her voice when she finally managed a reply. “It isn’t a question a lady can ask a man. Besides, I asked you, Maria. All else aside, Mr. Gerrity is not the easiest man in the world to talk to, you know.”

The housekeeper shook her head. “Since he is to be your husband, you have the right to ask him anything you wish.” Her sparkling eyes belied the prim pursing of her mouth as she tossed a quick look at Emmaline. “I owe as much allegiance to Mr. Matthew as to yourself.”

Emmaline cast her an unbelieving look. “I doubt if I will ever be given as much,” she muttered beneath her breath.

The husky voice from the doorway cut with precision into her thoughts.

“Just ask away, Emmaline. My life is an open book,” Matt said with deceptive softness. “Don’t make Maria feel uncomfortable. She’s loyal to the family, and that splits her between us.”

Emmaline’s brow raised as she turned to face him. “You consider me family?”

He hesitated only a moment. “Maria does,” he said flatly. “That’s all that matters.”

“Sí,” the older woman said quickly. “You are your father’s daughter, Miss Emmaline. You are family, as if you had never left.”

The words touched Emmaline more deeply than she wanted to admit, and she smiled with trembling lips as she rose from the table. “Thank you, Maria,” she murmured quietly, one hand lifting to rest for a moment upon the housekeeper’s shoulder as she paused by her side.

Her head bowed for a moment as she considered her position here. When the only truly friendly face she’d come across in the past two days was that of the housekeeper, it was difficult to feel at home. Matt’s words of welcome had been flippant, and his manner had run the gamut from mocking to moody, especially during the session in the library. Since then, he’d retreated into a shell that bespoke his feelings eloquently.

His eyes had been upon her more than once, but the message they conveyed was guarded. He’d be happiest if she hightailed it out of here, she thought.

“Emmaline.” His voice brought her back from her meanderings.

He stood in the doorway, his hands tucked into the slits of his pant pockets. “What do you want to know about me?” he asked, with a taunting grin that made her clench her jaw.

She shook her head mutely, unwilling to allow her irritation free rein. Where he’d been and what he’d been doing for all his life was none of her business, she decided swiftly. Better that she tend to today’s business and forget his yesterdays. She might find out more than she wanted to know. And besides, she probably would soon be learning more about him than she had ever planned on.

With long fingers, he set his wide-brimmed hat upon his head, covering his dark, glossy hair and tilting the brim to shade his eyes, hiding their expression from her view.

“You missed your best chance,” he said evenly. “See you at supper time.” With a nod toward both women, he left the room, and Emmaline was left to wish she’d asked him just one question.

How did Matt Gerrity feel about entering a forced marriage?

Her heart pounded in an accelerated rhythm as she considered the thought. Somehow, Matthew Gerrity didn’t appear to be the sort of man who would take kindly to being forced into anything, she decided. Especially something as final as a marriage. A marriage that would, by necessity, involve the birth of a child.