you lied to them. What happens now?” Olivia got the words out through gritted teeth. Matthew noted she had started to put her hair in a bun like Mama used to, making her look forty instead of nineteen.
“He has to find a wife in thirty days and her name has to be Hannah.” The words jumped out of Nicholas’s mouth so fast and loud, Matt actually winced.
“What?” Olivia’s hands clenched into fists. “Are you plumb loco, Matt? How are you going to find a wife in thirty days and one named Hannah to boot? There is no one in this county who would marry you. You’re ornery, a liar, and bad company.” Her cheeks flushed as red as the sunset behind her. “You’ve just cost us that land.”
Matt endured his sister’s insults even though he wanted to yell right back at her. She was plenty ornery herself.
“Matt did what he had to.” Nicholas took the blanket off his own horse. “I almost believed him when he told the man he had a wife named Hannah.”
“Yes, but he doesn’t.” Caleb slapped his hat on his leg, a cloud of dust rising from the worn trousers.
“What if you buy a wife? I heard tell of folks getting a mail-order woman to marry ’em.” Nicholas started currying the horse as the bay placidly munched on feed.
“No time. I have to be there in thirty days and no woman in her right mind would move to Texas to live on a small ranch with the six of you. I sure as hell wouldn’t.” Matthew couldn’t count on finding a wife in a newspaper advertisement, much less one willing to take on an entire family.
“I wouldn’t either, but unfortunately we don’t have a choice, do we?” Olivia stomped out of the barn. He could almost see the waves of fury coming off her body.
“Livy sure likes to be mad at me. It helps keep things normal for her.” Matt took off his hat and wiped his brow. “I am in a pickle though, and it’s of my own making.”
“What are you going to do?” Caleb frowned at him.
Matthew leaned against the stable door. “I don’t have much of a choice. I’m going to find a wife named Hannah in thirty days.”
C HAPTER T WO
H annah Foley hated doing dishes. There was no worse chore, in her opinion, than scrubbing greasy food off plates and forks. She hated the feel of it, the way her fingers pruned up, and especially the way her back ached after standing at the sink for an hour. There were more dishes to wash at a boardinghouse than a regular household, which made it even worse.
She wiped her forehead on her sleeve and tried to focus on one dish at a time, rather than the mound still waiting for her attention. It would be nice if there was someone to help her, but with Granny’s arthritis, and no money to pay any help, it was up to Hannah alone.
Sometimes while she washed dishes, she imagined being somewhere and someone else. It was a little game of “what if” she played with herself. Of course she never told Granny about it—she didn’t want her to think she wasn’t grateful for the place to live and food to eat. Orphans couldn’t exactly be choosy.
She had one particular daydream that recurred each time she allowed her mind to drift. She was at a picnic by the river in town, and she was dressed in a lovely new blue dress and pretty new shoes. Her hair was braided and the sun shone on its hidden red and gold strands. Her large family surrounded her, but she was also with a beau, a handsome man with a big smile and a booming laugh. Around them she heard the sounds of the water gurgling in a nearby stream, her family laughing and chatting, but most of all, she heard the beating of her heart. And she felt peace and happiness.
A silly daydream of course. At twenty-three, she wasn’t the youngest or even remotely the prettiest girl in town. There weren’t likely going to be any beaus, since there hadn’t been any yet. No, she would live at the boardinghouse with Granny and that would be that.
Her silly heart, however, could not help but keep bringing the
“He has to find a wife in thirty days and her name has to be Hannah.” The words jumped out of Nicholas’s mouth so fast and loud, Matt actually winced.
“What?” Olivia’s hands clenched into fists. “Are you plumb loco, Matt? How are you going to find a wife in thirty days and one named Hannah to boot? There is no one in this county who would marry you. You’re ornery, a liar, and bad company.” Her cheeks flushed as red as the sunset behind her. “You’ve just cost us that land.”
Matt endured his sister’s insults even though he wanted to yell right back at her. She was plenty ornery herself.
“Matt did what he had to.” Nicholas took the blanket off his own horse. “I almost believed him when he told the man he had a wife named Hannah.”
“Yes, but he doesn’t.” Caleb slapped his hat on his leg, a cloud of dust rising from the worn trousers.
“What if you buy a wife? I heard tell of folks getting a mail-order woman to marry ’em.” Nicholas started currying the horse as the bay placidly munched on feed.
“No time. I have to be there in thirty days and no woman in her right mind would move to Texas to live on a small ranch with the six of you. I sure as hell wouldn’t.” Matthew couldn’t count on finding a wife in a newspaper advertisement, much less one willing to take on an entire family.
“I wouldn’t either, but unfortunately we don’t have a choice, do we?” Olivia stomped out of the barn. He could almost see the waves of fury coming off her body.
“Livy sure likes to be mad at me. It helps keep things normal for her.” Matt took off his hat and wiped his brow. “I am in a pickle though, and it’s of my own making.”
“What are you going to do?” Caleb frowned at him.
Matthew leaned against the stable door. “I don’t have much of a choice. I’m going to find a wife named Hannah in thirty days.”
C HAPTER T WO
H annah Foley hated doing dishes. There was no worse chore, in her opinion, than scrubbing greasy food off plates and forks. She hated the feel of it, the way her fingers pruned up, and especially the way her back ached after standing at the sink for an hour. There were more dishes to wash at a boardinghouse than a regular household, which made it even worse.
She wiped her forehead on her sleeve and tried to focus on one dish at a time, rather than the mound still waiting for her attention. It would be nice if there was someone to help her, but with Granny’s arthritis, and no money to pay any help, it was up to Hannah alone.
Sometimes while she washed dishes, she imagined being somewhere and someone else. It was a little game of “what if” she played with herself. Of course she never told Granny about it—she didn’t want her to think she wasn’t grateful for the place to live and food to eat. Orphans couldn’t exactly be choosy.
She had one particular daydream that recurred each time she allowed her mind to drift. She was at a picnic by the river in town, and she was dressed in a lovely new blue dress and pretty new shoes. Her hair was braided and the sun shone on its hidden red and gold strands. Her large family surrounded her, but she was also with a beau, a handsome man with a big smile and a booming laugh. Around them she heard the sounds of the water gurgling in a nearby stream, her family laughing and chatting, but most of all, she heard the beating of her heart. And she felt peace and happiness.
A silly daydream of course. At twenty-three, she wasn’t the youngest or even remotely the prettiest girl in town. There weren’t likely going to be any beaus, since there hadn’t been any yet. No, she would live at the boardinghouse with Granny and that would be that.
Her silly heart, however, could not help but keep bringing the
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