Page 528 of Conveniently Wed
“I’m sure last night was even hotter than usual.” A wicked grin spread across her friend’s face. “I’m glad Franklin hasfinally gotten over Miriam and what she did to him. The man deserves a loving wife like you.”
Lorinda wished a hole would open up and swallow her. This kind of conversation is what she’d been dreading. Of course, having a friend like Stella might come in handy. Since she was speaking so openly about things that usually were kept quiet, maybe she could find out who Miriam was and what it was she did to him. She was tired of fighting the jealousy whenever someone mentioned that woman’s name.Now how should I approach the subject?
She placed a diaper on her shoulder and held her son against it. With rhythmic patting on his back, he should soon release the air from his stomach.
“Stella, I shouldn’t be asking you, but I want to know about something, and I don’t want to upset Franklin or Mrs. Oleson by asking.”
Stella set her glass of lemonade on the table beside her chair. “That’s what friends are for, and you know I consider you a good friend. How can I help you?”
Here goes.She took a deep breath while she formulated the question. “No one has ever told me what happened with this Miriam. Her name has only been mentioned a time or two at the ranch and then skipped over. So what happened?”
Stella stared at her a moment. “You really should know. I don’t know why Franklin didn’t tell you. It might keep you from having trouble in your relationship.”
“That’s right.” She didn’t want the other woman to stop.
“Franklin, Miriam, and Marvin Pratt grew up together. Marvin was Franklin’s best friend, or so he thought. I always thought something was kind of off with Marvin...that he wasn’t sincere as he should be. And I guess I was right.” She twisted her skirt with her fingertips. “Miriam and Franklin were to be married. Such a lot of plans were made. It was going to be thelargest wedding ever in these parts. Franklin almost worshiped the ground she walked on.”
Stella arose from her chair and went to the front door, where she stood studying something outside. Then she turned back. “Two weeks before the wedding, Marvin and Miriam eloped.”
That wasn’t what Lorinda expected. Poor Franklin. No wonder he had made that declaration to her. He didn’t know if he could trust any woman. He must have built a wall around his heart. But why did he kiss her the way he did if he didn’t want any kind of romantic or physical relationship with her?
Tears seeped from her eyes and down her cheeks as her son gave a loud burp. She nestled him at her other breast and began rocking him as he nursed.
“I didn’t mean to upset you. Maybe I shouldn’t have told you.” Stella pulled a clean hanky from her sleeve and pressed it into Lorinda’s hand.
“I’m crying for the hurt Franklin must have experienced.” She patted the cotton square against her cheeks. “I’m glad you told me. I understand some things better now. And no one has to know that you told me.”
Rusty delivered them to the ranch, and Lorinda handed Franklin her sleeping son. He stepped from the buggy, then reached his other hand to help her down.
After the ranch hand unloaded their luggage, he drove the vehicle toward the carriage house.
“Welcome home, Mrs. Vine.” Her husband put the baby in her arms, then picked her up in his arms. With deliberate steps, he went up the stone walkway to the porch and carried her over the threshold. Evidently, what he did yesterday didn’t count.
“I’ll put Michael in his crib.” She whisked into the bedroom she and her son shared.
After he settled into deep slumber, she went into the parlor and found Franklin waiting for her, leaning against the mantel above the stone-cold fireplace, his arms crossed over his chest. This was the first time she had been alone with him in the ranch house. Everything felt different...and awkward. What would happen now?
“How will we keep Mrs. Oleson from knowing the truth about our marriage, since she lives in the house with us?” She hated to ask the question, but she needed to know what he expected.
He pushed away from the mantel and crossed to stand before the chair where she sat. “You are now the woman of the house. You can choose what you want to do and tell her what you want her to do.”
She stared up at him. “I don’t want to upset her routine.” He was so tall, her neck felt crimped.
“You can take complete control of our rooms–the cleaning, the laundry, and other things, so she won’t know where anyone slept. There’s a nice sized dressing room between your room and mine.” He thrust his hands into the back pockets of his trousers. She had seen that pose many times when he talked to her about something serious.
She arose from the chair and moved far enough from him so she was comfortable looking at him without the crick in her neck.
“When she’s in the room with us, we must make her think we’re in love with each other.” He turned away and glanced out the window.
That won’t be hard for me.He’d awakened something in her heart that was drawn to him like metal to a magnet. She would have to silence the small voice that kept telling her she was living a lie.
“Let’s get your things moved into the larger bedroom, where I sleep. It was the room my parents shared, as did my grandparents. That’s what Mrs. Oleson will expect.” He turned back toward her, his eyes searching hers. “Is that all right with you?”
“All right.” She gave a tentative reply.
“I will actually sleep in the dressing room.”
Lorinda let out the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “That could work.”
