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Awkward Marriage 61
―A real kidder, huh?‖ the blond woman standing on Jenny‘s right said. ―Well, I‘m Jenny‘s sister, Sally. And this is our sister-in-law, Mary.‖ Owen couldn‘t take his eyes off of Jenny. He tried to...but he couldn‘t. ―I really appreciate this, Irving.‖ Jenny glanced down at her son and smiled. ―We both do.‖ Owen knew he should tell them all the truth. This was the time to do so. He took one last look at the train station and then turned his attention to Jenny. Was there really a contest? She was much more attractive. And Irving wasn‘t here. And everyone expected Jenny to get married today. And Jenny looked very happy about it. He looked down at the boy. ―How old are you?‖ ―Four,‖ Jeremy answered. ―You been taking good care of your ma?‖ he asked. The boy puffed up his chest and nodded. ―Yes, sir.‖ The group chuckled. Well, the boy seemed like a good kid. Owen returned his gaze to Jenny who appeared hopeful. Who was he to let them a
Awkward Marriage 62
As soon as Jenny closed the door to the room in her boarding house, Owen frowned. ―Is this it?‖ She nodded. ―I know it‘s small, but it‘s all Jeremy and I needed. Well, until now.‖ His gaze drifted from the small boy to the two beds. One was his, obviously, and the other was hers, but this wasn‘t what he expected. He cleared his throat. ―Can I talk to you...‖ He glanced at the space that consisted of a dresser and a washstand. ―Over there,‖ he finally said, pointing at the window on the other side of the room, which was only a few paces away. At her prompting, Jeremy went over to a box in the corner of the room and pulled out a toy train set. ―What is it?‖ she asked, looking concerned. ―Um...‖ He tried to think of how to phrase this. Lowering his voice so the kid wouldn‘t overhear, he asked, ―Is someone going to watch him tonight?‖ ―No,‖ she whispered. ―He stays with me.‖ ―Yes but—‖ he glanced at Jeremy who was focusing on his toy—―what abo
Awkward Marriage 63
Owen groaned and rolled over in the bed. Maybe he should sleep on the floor. Laying next to Jenny in the dark was driving him insane. The bed wasn‘t that big, and the fact that Jeremy was asleep in the small bed next to them wasn‘t that much of a deterrent. At least, it wasn‘t as much of a deterrent as it should have been. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on what he needed to do. Really, he had some serious problems coming up. If Irving had been a fisherman, there wouldn‘t be anything to worry about. But Irving wasn‘t a fisherman. He was a deputy. And apparently, a good one. In fact, from reading Irving‘s note, Owen could tell that the man took his job seriously. Owen tried to imagine doing the things that deputies did...whatever those things might be. Chasing the outlaws, naturally, was one of them. He never thought that he‘d be one of those outlaws. Seeing his face on a Wanted poster had been a chilling experience. Killing Mitch had been as well, but that wasn
Awkward Marriage 64
―I sure do, Pa,‖ Jeremy said. She hoped her brothers would approve. Though she knew they couldn‘t do anything about her marriage, she longed for them to accept her husband. After she made the huge error in judgment with Clyde, it‘d be nice to know she could do something right...even if the sheriff had to arrange it for her. On their way to the church, Owen slipped his hand through hers. The contact felt natural, as if they had always known each other. It was a wonderful feeling, knowing she was safe with him. He wouldn‘t run off on her or Jeremy. Somehow she knew that this was the kind of man she could trust. When they reached the yard, Sally waved to the other family members. ―Oh good! Irving‘s right over there.‖ Owen must have noticed Jenny‘s anxiety, for he squeezed her hand. ―Everything‘s going to be just fine.‖ Then he let go of her and picked Jeremy up and told the boy, ―Now you make sure to tell them lots of good things about me, alright?‖ ―I sure
Awkward Marriage 65
Jenny couldn‘t hide her excitement as she took Jeremy to the mercantile. They‘d be moving into a house. One that would have a kitchen, a parlor, and a couple of bedrooms. There would also be land for Jeremy to run around on. She couldn‘t wait! It would be wonderful to get out of the boarding house. As nice as her landlady was, Jenny longed for a place to call her own. Now she could make breakfast for her husband and son, see her husband off to work, and watch Jeremy run around outside. And Owen agreed that they could get a dog, so Jeremy would finally have the pet he always wanted. As she walked with Jeremy down the boardwalk, Jeremy said, ―I really like Pa. Do you like Pa? She smiled. ―Yes. I do. Owen was turning out to be a lot of fun. From his formal letter, she‘d never guess he had the kind of personality that naturally drew people to him. Already, her brothers liked him—and they weren‘t easy to please. ―He‘s going to take me fishing. Are we going to live by a lake? ―That‘s wh
Awkward Marriage 66
News of Owen‘s deed spread fast and within two hours, Jenny heard it from Mrs. Wilson who paid her for the two dresses she made for the woman. ―He caught ‗fast as a bullet Joe‘?‖ Jenny asked. Mrs. Wilson smiled as she held the clothes in her arms. ―He sure did. That new husband of yours is a real catch, if I ever did hear of one. You did good on this one.‖ Jenny grinned. It was nice to have the respect of being married to a good man. ―I didn‘t realize how good I was going to have it when Sheriff Meyer suggested the arranged marriage to me. But it really has worked out.‖ ―I‘m glad. It‘s about time you got a good one after thatClyde ran off.‖ ―Yes, well, I should have said no.‖ ―And what can you do about the past? Nothing. Which is why there‘s no sense in dwelling on it.‖ Jenny sighed. She feared that she didn‘t deserve Irving. When she thought it was just going to be a convenient arrangement, it was easier to accept. But Irving was turni
Awkward Marriage 67
That Saturday, Owen purchased a wagon and led his new family out to the home that Sheriff Meyer had given them to buy. The quaint little home was situated on the outskirts of town with a good five acres around it and a good-sized lake not too far away. Owen liked it immediately, and he turned to Jenny and Jeremy who sat beside him in the wagon to see what they thought. Jeremy bounced up and down in between him and Jenny. ―Wow! This is for us?‖ ―It sure is,‖ Owen said. ―And I‘m going to pay for all of it too. It might take a few years, but this is going to be ours.‖ Then he lifted his gaze to Jenny who had the most beautiful smile he‘d ever seen on a woman. ―What do you think?‖ She looked at him with tears in her eyes. ―It‘s the most wonderful place I‘ve ever seen.‖ ―Then there‘s no need to cry,‖ he teased. ―Grandpa says women cry over everything,‖ Jeremy whispered in his ear. ―Don‘t worry about Ma. That‘s her happy crying.‖ He grinned and winked a
Awkward Marriage 68
Two weeks later, Owen chased the man who just stole another man‘s horse. The two rode on horseback toward the outskirts of town. ―Get back here!‖ Owen yelled. The thief ignored him. He groaned. Why couldn‘t any of the bandits he‘d been chasing around actually stop? He‘d love it if one would obey him. After all, he was the deputy. Shouldn‘t that carry some weight in this town? He reached for his fishing rod. Yes, real deputies like Irving Spencer carried a Colt .45. Owen carried a fishing rod. But the rod worked. He threw back the rod and released the line. It caught onto the belt loop of the man‘s pants. Even as Owen pulled the rod toward him, he realized that he was falling off his steed. He struggled to compensate with his weight, but it was no use. He tumbled off the animal and fell right onto the prairie grass. Still holding onto the rod, he was pulled along the land, being scraped and bruised in places he didn‘t even know existed. He
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