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Awkward Marriage 17
He took an early lunch from the bank so he could get to the library a little before noon. He carried the dress in a brown paper bag so no one would know he was carrying it around. He had to ask the woman at the front desk where Sue was, and the woman directed him to the children’s room. He quietly entered the room and stood behind a bookshelf so he could watch Sue without her noticing him. She still wore her hair down, except today she had it pulled back with two barrettes. She wore a navy blue dress that showed off her hourglass figure. It was a good thing he was here to stop Mr. Martin before he got started. A group of about thirty children and their mothers sat in a semi-circle to listen to her. He didn’t recognize eight of the women. Mrs. Monroe, Mrs. Hawke, Mrs. Evans, Mrs. Edwards, and Mrs. Gregory were the women he recognized because of their husbands who did business with him. He shook his head in amazement when he noticed Mrs. Parker sitting with three children. M
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Sue finished packing her suitcase. She added the new pants and flannel shirts she asked Mrs. Parker to make for her so that she could help her brothers with some of the farm work. She included a couple of her new dresses, which she had to admit, she enjoyed wearing. She was very satisfied with her bedroom now that the bed had thick dark blue blankets and hunter green pillows on it. It didn’t look exactly like Jake’s bedroom, but that was fine with her. It held a small lamp on her oak night stand which she used to read a book late at night. The new oak headboard provided ample support for her back and the large pillows were comfortable so she could sit all night reading if she wanted to. She didn’t bring many personal belongings. There was a picture of her family and a couple of worn out books she owned, one being her childhood Bible. From the wedding gifts, she took a gold and oak clock so she knew what time it was, a crystal musical jewelry box so she could keep the diamond
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Sue woke up early the next morning, excited about getting outside and enjoying the freedom of riding a horse on the open land. The acreage was mostly cleared of trees but a forest and clean river passed within walking distance to the three bedroom home. Jeremiah and Gloria lived in a two bedroom cabin nearby. Her parents had one bedroom, Trevor and Luke shared a bedroom and Patty had her own bedroom. Sue was sleeping in Patty’s bedroom and Jake was sharing a bedroom with Trevor and Luke. She quickly put on a pair of dark brown slacks and a dark green and brown plaid shirt. Then she slipped on her brown boots and slipped on her old brown coat and gloves. She wanted to see the horses before anyone else woke up to open Christmas gifts. She quietly made her way to the barn and opened the door. She sighed when she saw the condition of the place. It needed repairing. She knew she could reinforce the stalls and shelves but there was no way she could repair the leaking roof. The
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The next day passed with little event. Sue listened as Jake sat down and discussed how to effectively manage money. When he discussed business, he handled himself with confidence and professionalism, so it was easy for her to see why he attracted so many customers at the bank. She found that she enjoyed watching him work. He still wore a suit, but she noticed that he didn’t have his tie so tightly knotted around his collar. He seemed to enjoy watching her family’s good natured banters and even followed her and her siblings to the barn and the pig pen. She hid her laughter at his apprehension about being so close to dirt and animals. He was a true city boy at heart. On the farm, he was clearly out of his element but he maintained himself with a quiet dignity that impressed her. Though her family did like him and went out of their way to be nice to him, he was still an outsider to their world. At lunch on the fourth day of their visit, Jeremiah brought in the Rocky Mountain
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Later that evening, she discovered the first part of her brothers‟ plan, and even worse was the fact that her parents were a part of it. “Well, we do like Jake,” her father said. “It would be nice to keep him in the family.” “He treats you well too,” her mother added. “I like to see my children taken care of.” “But we don’t love each other,” she protested. “Give it time.” She shook her head in bewilderment that Jake could come into her home and win these people over in less than a week. That night as she pulled on her nightgown in Trevor and Luke’s bedroom, she decided that she wasn’t going to explain the sudden sleeping arrangements to Jake. The last thing he needed was to be pulled into her family’s elaborate schemes. Jeremiah claimed that there was a mouse running loose through his cabin, so he and Gloria had to sleep in Patty’s bedroom with Patty sleeping on the floor. Trevor and Luke offered to sleep in the parlor. There wasn’t enough room for Ja
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Jake was tired as he ate his breakfast. He was keenly aware thatSue was sitting next to him. Though she was wearing pants, she couldn’t hide the fact that she was a woman. In a strange way, it made him notice her more since she was trying so hard to hide it. He didn’t believe for a minute that a mouse was loose in Jeremiah and Gloria’s cabin. Her brothers were up to something and he intended to find out what it was. For the time being, he was content to mess with them as they had messed with him over the Rocky Mountain oysters. He grinned as an idea came to him. “Do any of you want to ride into town?” he asked as he glanced around the table. “Can’t wait to get back to the city?” Jeremiah replied. Trevor smirked. “A few days on the farm and he’s given up.” “I can handle anything you throw at me,” Jake quicklysaid. “I feel the need to return a favor.” “What kind of favor?”“You introduced me to Rocky Mountain oysters. I’m going to introduce you to caviar
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When they got off the horse, she said, “You handle yourself better on a horse than you let on. If you keep it up, you could master riding her.” Jeremiah burst out laughing. She peered around the horse’s nose. “I didn’t see you there.” “Apparently not.” He walked over to them. “So, city boy, you got the caviar?” “I sure do.” Jake widely smiled. “Do you think you’re brave enough to eat some?” “If you can eat Rocky Mountain oysters, I can eat your fancy food.” “We’ll see about that.” “That sounds like a challenge.” “It is. Are you up to it?” He scoffed. “I’m always up for a good challenge.” “Then let’s go.” As soon as Jake got Jeremiah, Trevor and Luke at the dinner table, he handed them the crackers and took out the caviar. “You smear it on the cracker with a spoon or knife. Then you eat it.” He ate his and looked at them. “Now, it’s your turn.” Sue and Gloria sat at the table, interested to see
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He set up several chairs. “Now pretend this is a train.” Jake chuckled at his enthusiasm. Trevor really got into his work. “They like to do this a couple times a year,” Sue’s father said. “They get better each time they do it.” Trevor went back to the kitchen to get ready for his part. Larry shoved Jeremy onto the train. He pointed a fake gun at Jeremy. “Don’t do anything to arouse suspicion.” Jeremy nodded his consent and sat down. Larry sat next to him. “This is real simple. As long as you do what you’re told, I’ll let you live. Your father will be worried about you by now. Surely, he’ll bring the ransom money to the designated spot.” Jeremy sat quietly and stared out the window. Jake tried to hide his shock as Sue appeared. They did a good job of disguising her as a middle-aged fat man with graying hair and thick mustache who wore tattered old green and black clothes and a faded black hat. He hardly recognized her. How can a woman look so beautif
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