Farmer Takes a Wife Read Free Page B

married!” Marta said, eyes narrowed. “And you kept it a
secret …
” She seemed affronted at the thought that he might have wanted to keep his private life private. “I don’t—”
    “Congratulations,” Jacob interrupted, joining his wife.
    Jamie raced up and down the stores aisles, which were sadly empty. “I don’t suppose you heard the news about Eloise Patten,” Marta said, frowning at her husband. “She’s dead.”
    “The schoolteacher,” Jacob elaborated for Emma’s benefit.
    “It means the death of this town, too. We all know what’ll happen when the school closes down,” Marta said grimly.
    “No one said anything about closing the school,” Jacob pointed out, glancing apologetically toward Dave and Emma.
    “Not
yet
,” Marta said. “Just wait and see. That’s the problem with people in this town,” she continued, shaking her head. “Where do they think we’re going to get another teacher? Who on earth would move here? I can’t understand why no one’s willing to admit the truth. Buffalo Valley is as good as dead.”
    On that discouraging note, Dave quickly ushered Emma and Jamie outside, sorry he’d taken Emma to the grocery first. A better choice would have been Knight’s Pharmacy. Hassie was always stalwart and usually cheerful and would present a more optimistic look at the community.
    Dave made the introductions as he lifted Jamie onto the stool at the soda fountain.
    “Heard you found yourself a wife,” Hassie said, beaming them a welcoming smile. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Stafford—Emma.” She gestured expansively. “Sodas are on the house.”
    “How sweet,” Emma said, responding with obvious pleasure to Hassie’s generosity.
    “Welcome to Buffalo Valley.”
    “Thank you,” Emma said, smiling at Dave. “It’s good to be here.”
    “This town could use more children,” Hassie added, plopping a maraschino cherry on Jamie’s soda. Jamie squealed with excitement and immediately grabbed for the bright red fruit.
    “You talked to Gage Sinclair lately?” Hassie asked.
    “Not lately.” Dave knew what Hassie was really askingand it had nothing to do with sharing farm news. What she was suggesting was that Dave tell his friend about his good fortune in finding a wife, since Gage was interested in marriage, too. Somehow Dave couldn’t see him placing an ad, the way he’d done. But then he’d been surprised at his own willingness to try this. A man had to reach a certain point of desperation, he suspected. And he’d reached it a few months earlier, when he realized he was almost forty, and he didn’t want to spend the rest of his life alone. Glancing at the woman beside him, he was glad he’d found the courage to follow through with the ad.
    They left Buffalo Valley an hour later. Jamie fell asleep in the back seat and they rode in silence for several miles.
    “Is Buffalo Valley going to die?” Emma asked as they drove by field after field of greening wheat.
    Dave shook his head. “I don’t know.”
    “They need a teacher?”
    “Yes. The town may not survive without one, but my guess is someone will step forward and take the job.”
    “I hope you’re right,” she murmured, growing thoughtful again.
    Dave wasn’t sure why he suddenly felt so confident; perhaps it was because his own view of the future had grown more positive.
    They arrived back at the house, and a few minutes later Emma had loaded her camera with film. Together they put away the groceries, and then Dave gave Jamie a ride around the yard in the wheelbarrow. Afterward, he left the child sitting on the ground nearby, digging idly in the dirt and watching her mother.
    Emma took more pictures than he’d ever seen anyone take, holding the camera in different positions and atvarying distances from her subjects. Standing eye to eye with a sunflower, she must have snapped a dozen photographs of that alone. He couldn’t imagine what she intended to do with them all, but he enjoyed seeing her