A
Match of Sorts, story excerpt by Lucette Nel
Cedar
Grove, Texas
December,
1875
“She
changed her mind.” Caleb Brennan dragged his fingers through his hair. His
mail-order bride backed out of their agreement. After three months of
corresponding with the young widow, she took one look at him and opted to marry
a fellow passenger instead. Three months.
Wasted! Numerous letters exchanged, arrangements made, money spent, and all to
end with Mrs. Haddon heading to Austin in the very stagecoach that was meant to
bring her to him.
“You
can scowl at me all you want. It won’t change anything.” Trust his twin to
state the harsh reality, without a touch of sugar.
“I’m
still processing the sting, Luke.” Caleb scrubbed his face. His glower might
intimidate Abby and Libby, his daughters, but it was useless on his brother.
“You
should’ve told her sooner.” Luke collected the stack of wanted posters and
thumped them thrice on his scarred desk to straighten the pages.
“I’m
hardly a cripple.” Caleb rubbed his aching leg. The pain flared in concert with
his frustration.
He glanced at the far side of the room. Upright rusted bars
like an iron fence separated the jail from Luke’s tiny office. The snores from
the figure on one of the two bunks continued undisturbed.
Luke
yanked a drawer open and shoved the papers in, and then rammed it. “She
probably jumped to the wrong conclusion. Since you kept it a secret, she might
wonder what other information you withheld from her.”
“Do
you suggest I mention I’m a cripple in my next advertisement?”
“You’re
planning to advertise again?” Luke frowned.
“I
need a wife. What choice do I have?” And as far as he was concerned, whoever
filled the position could have the face and personality of a fencepost, as long as her presence improved his chances of not losing his daughters to his
embittered father-in-law.
“Miss
Preston seems interested.” Luke studied the steam spiraling from the mug of
coffee cradled between his hands.
“You’re
loco. You know I can’t marry Miss Preston.” The seamstress might be the
prettiest woman in town, but she was too young and too idealistic. His second marriage
wouldn’t be one of love and companionship and his bride needed to understand
and agree with the terms from the start. He’d experienced love once before.
Almost from the moment he’d first laid eyes on Margaret, he’d loved her. And
she’d returned his affections. Her death near destroyed him. Never again. His
next union would be one of respect and remoteness. An alliance on paper suited
him.
Luke
drummed his fingers on his desk. “How about I ask Ellen to pose as your
fiancée?”
“You
want to ask your wife to pretend to
be my fiancée?” Caleb blinked. The warmth in the sheriff’s office receded
despite the old woodstove standing only feet away. “I can’t wait to hear what
she’d think about this idea of yours.” He shook his head. He loved Ellen—as a
sister—and she was exactly what Luke needed in his life. But she’d drive Caleb
crazy with her endless chatter, even if it was only a fleeting charade. Her
overtly bright personality would exhaust him.
“Don’t
look at me like that. It’ll be a temporary solution. The girls love and know
Ellen.” Luke shifted on the chair, scrubbing a hand along his jaw. “There will
be certain rules, of course. Limitations. No kissing. No touching.”
“It
was one thing swapping places as boys to play pranks on people. Having your
wife pose as my fiancée is a different ball of wax.”
“She’d
do it if it means you get to keep the girls.”
“She’s
a saint. What did you do to deserve her?”
“Got
the Lord Almighty to thank for that.” Luke grinned and dipped his head. “I’ll
speak with her tonight. We don’t have much time—”
“Whoa.
You expect the entire town to go along with it?” Caleb braced his elbows on the
desk. “We can try.”
“Will
you throw those who refuse to play along in jail?” A rustle from the bunk drew
Caleb's gaze. The comatose drunk had rolled over, but audible snores still
floated from the cell.
“Can
you imagine the entire town in my cell? At least old Jeff would have company.”
“I’d
rather not.” Caleb downed the last of his coffee. After putting so much effort
into convincing his daughters how nice it would be to have Mrs. Haddon around,
he now needed to tell them their plans had changed. He massaged his hip.
The wound had healed, but the constant pain and distinct limp remained despite
the doctor’s predictions that it would disappear.
“This
is just a hiccup. It’ll work out.” Luke propped his heels on the desk and
tilted his chair back, folding his hands behind his head.
~*~
Author Bio:
Lucy Nel is a coffee addicted work-in-progress daughter of the Lord Almighty.
She's a mommy to a rambunctious toddler and wife to her best friend and real-life hero.
Along with three spoiled Pugs, they make their home in Gauteng, the smallest of nine provinces in South Africa.
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Blurb for Lucy's book, A Match of Sorts: As Christmas approaches, widowed Reverend Caleb Brennan needs a wife, or his vengeful father-in-law will take his young daughters. When his mail-order bride jilts him, Caleb grows desperate.
During a storm, he finds an unconscious boy outside his home with signs of foul play. Despite his previous misfortune, obligation compels Caleb to lug the stranger inside. But as he provides first aid, he discovers more than he expected.
Bounty hunter Grace Blackwell refuses to owe a debt to any man, especially one as charming as Reverend Brennan. To repay him for saving her life, Grace agrees to pose as his mail-order bride. If their ploy is discovered, Caleb could lose his daughters. But in their pretense, the reverend and the bounty hunter might just both lose their hearts.
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Book Review of A Match of Sorts: Lucette Nel has written another precious story with believable characters. I was drawn into the story as soon as I began to read it. Here is a new author to watch! ~Susan Snodgrass wrote this review and published it on Goodreads.
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