Page 6 of Mail-Order Bride Mommy
Was he telling the truth or avoiding an honest answer? She didn’t know. But if they were to get to know each other, they must talk. She prepared to be the first one to start but before she could do so, he pointed down the roadway.
“There’s your first glimpse of the place.” The deep timbre of his voice suggested satisfaction, pride, or both. He stopped the wagon.
Eager to see her new home, she leaned forward to study the scene. A row of buildings stood on a ridge overlooking a narrow valley. Some were obviously houses, one larger than the others. She made out barns and other structures.
“It’s like a little town.” A welcoming little town. Sweetness coated her tongue. Warmth pooled in her stomach. Her hands lay loose in her lap. This was to be her new home. Her forever home if he married her.
He chuckled. “Maybe so. Before us is Shannon Valley. All the houses overlook it.”
The green valley, the purple-blue mountains, and the sun-bright sky filled her heart with joy. “You must have a wonderful view.”
“We do.”
Before he picked up the reins again, she turned toward him. “Matt, I told you that I was losing my home.” Their letters had been few in number and brief. Basically, they had both expressed the desire for marriage and laid out the terms to which they could agree. But neither of them had said much else. She reasoned there would be lots of time to learn those things afterward.
“You said your brother was getting married,” he said.
Her nod was short and quick. It still hurt to acknowledge how easily she’d been replaced. “I’ve been his housekeeper since our parents died. We lost our home at that time.” She’d never forget the helpless feeling of being without a roof over their head. The mere memory sent a shiver down her arms. “Pa worked for one of the shipping companies operating boats on the Mississippi. The house we lived in belonged to them. Suddenly, we were homeless. It was a hard time for both of us. We held each other up through it.” At her urging, her brother had asked for a position with the same company their father had worked for. She’d arranged to rent a place to live, selling a piece of her mother’s jewelry to pay for the first month. “Maurice got a job with the same company, and we found a small house.”
She fixed her gaze on the mountains.God of the mountains, You are my strength. “It was a good arrangement, but I suppose I was foolish to think it would last forever. Maurice met Patricia. Although he said I would always have a home with them, she had other ideas. And wasn’t terribly subtle about them. She said I was a leech, clinging to my brother.” She would not mention the other things Patricia had said in her desire to persuade Gwen to leave.
She continued, hoping he wouldn’t detect the slight tremor in her voice as she recalled those painful days. “My friend told me Mrs. Strong arranged several marriages to men in the west and I appealed to her.” It was comforting to know she had a place to go even if it was to strangers. “I stayed until the wedding then started my journey here.”
“I’d say your brother’s loss is my gain.” Kindness warmed his eyes.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “Mrs. Strong said I should think of it as God’s timing.”
“Do you?”
“I try.” She gave a brisk nod. “I’m grateful that I have a new home.” And she’d do her absolute best to pass the one-month trial period. She did not care for the unsettled feeling of having no place to belong.
* * *
As Matt guidedthe wagon onward, across the valley and up the slope to where the trail branched off toward the Shannon place, he again thought how Gwen was not what he expected. Only this time, he didn’t mean her looks so much as her attitude. She’d reacted strongly to being told how to raise Lindy. He gave the idea a moment of reflection. Was it simply that he’d suggested the child’s needs were similar to those of a horse? A grin tugged at his mouth. That was an unfortunate comparison.
Then she’d told him bluntly and without rancor about how her sister-in-law had treated her. It seemed to him that she was wise to get as far away from that woman as possible.
A small figure raced toward them, mouse-colored hair flying behind her, skirts billowing out, her arms spread wide.
Matt chuckled as he stopped the wagon. “You are about to meet Lindy.”
Gwen leaned forward and laughed. “She looks like a bird about to take flight.”
“I believe she would fly if it was possible.” Amusement rounded his words.
Lindy reached them. Matt held out a hand and pulled her up. She breathed hard, warmth emanating from her. “Hi, Uncle Matt.” Her gaze was on Gwen. Assessing, measuring.
Matt hoped she liked what she saw. The child could be troublesome if she decided against something. “Lindy, this is the woman I told you about. Miss Humber.”
Silence hung between them like heated air, waiting for a breeze to drive it away.
Gwen broke the quiet. “I’m pleased to meet you, Lindy, and you may call me Aunt Gwen, if you like.” She chuckled. “You ran so fast, you were almost flying.”
Lindy nodded, her expression serious. “I run really, really fast.” She slid a glance at Matt and away again. “Sometimes I run so fast Uncle Matt can’t catch me.”
“I see.” Gwen nodded solemnly as her gaze met Matt’s.
Maybe now she was getting an understanding that this child needed some rules and discipline.
