The Right Wife Read Free

bubbly, constantly curious Judith?
    Micah refused to acknowledge either Judith’s question or the existence of his two sisters. Maggie knew he would sulk for a while, perhaps even think about being in cahoots with the likes of Aaron Stone. No doubt, that rogue could teach her little brother all sorts of improper things.
    “I don’t think I’d like being married to a preacher,” the younger girl said thoughtfully. “You could never do anything fun. It’d all be a sin.”
    “Please don’t talk like that in front of Aunt Tilly,” Maggie told her talkative sister. “She sets great store by sin and salvation.”
    “I wish we didn’t have to live with Aunt Tilly. She sounds like such a sour old—”
    “Oh Jude, honey. We should be grateful that Uncle Chester and Aunt Tilly are offering us a home. We’ll just have to mind our P’s and Q’s, that’s all.”
    Maggie was willing to do almost anything to give her family a chance for a better life than a future struggling on a sharecropper farm in Tennessee. Pa’s death had left them with little money and no hope of improving their lot.
    “I promise I’ll try to be good, Maggie.”
    “I know you will, honey. And remember that I’ll always be there for you and Micah.”
    “And we’ll always be there for you.”
    “First thing I plan to do is talk to Aunt Tilly about your schooling. You can’t be a proper lady without book learning.”
    “But you can read and write. Why, you’re one of the smartest people I know.”
    “I’ve got common sense,” Maggie corrected. “I’m a good, honest, hardworking girl, but I’ll never be a real lady. It’s not in me, but it is in you, and I intend to see you get your chance.”
    “Oh, Maggie.”
     
    “My God, Aaron, what a little hellcat this Maggie of yours must be.” Thayer Coleman’s loud laughter filled his private railroad car. “I regret that you were unable to persuade her to join us.”
    “I don’t think she’s really a hellcat. She was just trying to protect her servant girl. I’d do the same thing for Phineas. And Maggie’s not your type, old friend,” Aaron told the other man as he glanced meaningfully at the voluptuous brunette lounging across the car.
    Thayer smiled as his dark eyes caressed the scantily clad woman. “Verda can be amusing, but no different from other creatures of her type. I think your little Maggie Campbell would prove to be quite a challenge for a man.”
    “I’m not interested in challenges anymore,” Aaron said. “I’m ready to settle down.”
    “How boring. Lord, the very thought of settling down with a woman scares the hell out of me.”
    “I’m six years older than you. I’ve also met a very suitable woman.”
    “Eunice Arnold will bore you to tears. I’ll wager that within six months of taking vows with that suitable lady, you’ll be looking for one of Loretta’s hot-blooded whores to warm your bed.” Thayer ran a hand over the coarse, black stubble covering his jaw. “I need a shave and another drink.”
    “Dammit, Thayer, you don’t need a wife like Eunice. I do. If I’m ever to gain a respectable place in society, I’ve got to make a good marriage. With the right wife, people won’t ask as many questions about my past.”
    Thayer poured himself another shot of whiskey from the imported crystal decanter. “Shall we drink to respectability?”
    “It’s a little early in the day for me,” Aaron said.
    “Is it really morning?” Thayer gulped down the burning liquid and laughed again. “Maybe I should get some sleep. When I wake up, it should feel like morning.”
    “Good idea. I’ll wake you when we stop in Huntsville. It should be lunchtime by then.” Aaron could almost taste the scrumptious fried chicken and mouthwatering peach pie in the box lunches that were sold at the depot there.
    “Make sure Verda is dressed by then,” Thayer said. “She’s disembarking in Huntsville. You want to visit your sister for a while, don’t you, sweet