Genevieve: Bride of Nevada (American Mail-Order Bride 36) (2 page)

When they reached the wagon, he placed her bag behind the seat on the bed of the wagon and held out his hand to help her up onto the seat. The bench wasn’t wide and provided room for only two passengers. There was a piece of wood nailed to the back of the bench that served at the back support.

“Well, this is quite a big wagon for just little ole’ me. Back home there were buggies that carried only passengers.”

“It’s called a buckboard. I expected you’d have trunks with your belongings, and as long as I’m in town, I’m picking up supplies to take home.”

“No, just the one carpet bag.”

She couldn’t imagine having enough things to fill a trunk much less two. Genny looked around her at the town that would be an important part of her new life. Maybe it was the gray of the clouds but the buildings all seemed a little drab. As they traveled from the train station she saw a couple of saloons, one was a one-story white clapboard building with a double door in the front. Another was natural wood and two-stories. They approached the mercantile and feed store. The building was a single story and quite large. When they went inside she saw that front of the structure was devoted to the mercantile with a door in the back that led to the feed store.

Genny walked around the store while Stuart gave them his order. He didn’t introduce her, so she went to the counter and introduced herself to the white haired woman behind the counter.

“Hello, I’m Genny Copeland. Stuart and I are to be married today.”

“Well, hello there.” The woman stuck out her hand. “I’m Clara Gooding. My husband, Ezra and I run this place.”

Genny shook her hand.

“Have you gotten everything down, Clara?”

“Yes, Stuart. I know you must be anxious to get over to the courthouse and get married. I’ll have your order ready for you when you return.”

“Thank you.”

Stuart held the door for her and Genny went out into the cold and got back onto the wagon.

“Are you a good cook?” Stuart asked once they were underway again.

“I’d say I’m passable. I don’t cook fancy, just plain.”

“Plain is fine. You can give Nettie an occasional break. Mostly your duties will be to take care of my children. Billy is three and Lucy is just six months.”

“Yes, you told me your wife died in childbirth. I’m very sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you.”

Lips pressed into a straight line, he looked straight ahead as he spoke.

Genny thought that was because the death of his wife was still very new to him. The only reason he was taking another wife was for his children. He needed someone to raise them. He’d been clear about that fact in his correspondence. Genny knew exactly what she was in for, but decided that was fine. She’d have a family and children, maybe someday even babies of her own, but for now, she’d have Stuart’s to raise.

“What was your wife’s name?”

“Martha. She was just twenty-five.”

“I know this situation is very hard for you. You must have loved her very much and having another woman come into your house is difficult.”

He turned and his hair came out from under his collar, it was longish and curled at the ends with streaks of gold in the brown.

“Let’s be up front with each other. You’re here because you needed a husband and a home. I’m willing to give you both, but I have no desire for another woman or more children.”

Genny folded her hands in her lap. Reading the facts of her marriage and hearing them out loud were two different things entirely. Hearing them made her think their situation rather desolate. “I believe you’ve been clear from the beginning. I chose you because you lived the farthest away from Massachusetts I could get. I want a new life and you are able to provide me with one. I have no illusions otherwise.” But I have hope.

Stuart nodded. “Good. If I had the extra space I’d offer you a private room at the house. But I don’t so you’ll share mine, in case you were wondering. That won’t change my mind about our marriage.”

“The thought had crossed my mind, but again I have no illusions.” No, but she wanted to scream that if he’d give her a chance, then they could have a happy marriage and babies of their own. He wouldn’t see that now, his wound was too new. His wife had only been gone six months. But, Genny would grow on him. She’d prove she was the wife he needed.

Memories of Carl came back to her. They’d been raised together and he promised he’d come back for her but he never came and after a year of hoping, she’d given up. She wouldn’t give up on her marriage.

Stuart pulled back on the reins, and the horses stopped in front of a large two story brick building.

“This is the courthouse. Judge Matthew Marin will marry us.”

“Good. I’ll just be happy to be out of the cold.” Unlike the other buildings in town the red brick seemed almost inviting. Maybe that was a good sign. Maybe her marriage would be like the red building. Sturdy, built for the long run.

Stuart chuckled. “The air is a bit nippy. You seem to have a good head on your shoulders. I like that about you. I could see that in your letter.”

“I tend to be straight-forward about most things. I’m twenty-five and I want a home and family to call my own. That hadn’t happened yet back in Lawrence.”

He set the brake and climbed down, then came around to help her off the wagon.

They entered the courthouse and the warmth was immediate. Just being out of the wind was wonderful. She glanced around, brushed a hand down her lapel and followed Stuart to the judge’s office.

A skinny young man seated at the light wood desk outside the door marked
Judge Matthew Marin
, looked up as they approached.

“Please tell the judge that Stuart MacDonnell is here.”

“Yes, sir. Please be seated.”

He waved toward a row of straight back wooden chairs against the wall across from his desk.

Stuart shook his head. “Thank you we’re fine.”

Genny was actually quite happy not to sit on the hard seat. She’d already determined that riding to her new home would be a painful experience on the plain wooden seat in the buckboard. She was neither thin nor fat, but now she wished she had more padding on her behind.

The young man returned through the door he’d left ajar.

“The judge will see you now. Congratulations on your marriage.”

They entered the judge’s chambers where a man of about fifty or so rose from sitting behind a large dark wood desk that had been polished until it gleamed.

“Matt, how are you?” asked Stuart as he walked forward and the two men shook hands.

“I’m mean as a snake per usual,” answered the judge with a smile.

Stuart laughed before turning and motioning for Genny.

“This is Genevieve, Genny, Copeland. She’s come all the way from Massachusetts to marry me. I guess the least I can do is accommodate her.”

“Good. I’ve got the papers all ready. I just need both of your signatures on the marriage application and then, after the ceremony on the marriage certificate.”

Waiting until Stuart signed, Genny then stepped forward and added her signature to the document the judge placed on a corner of his desk.

The ceremony itself took only a few minutes, and then the judge was saying “I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride.”

Genny looked up at Stuart.

After a short pause, he bent and kissed her on the lips.

A short, but quite nice kiss. His lips were firm and felt wonderful on hers. She’d have to figure a way to have more of those.

Stuart smiled and held out his hand to the judge. “Thanks, Matt. Appreciate it.”

“I’d say anytime, but I don’t want to be marrying you again.” The judge turned to her and nodded. “Look after him, Genny.”

“I aim to.” She looked up at Stuart, his smile, but she instantly held her breath. His smile showing straight, white teeth, had faded. “If he’ll let me.”

CHAPTER 2

As they left the courthouse, Stuart remained stiff and aloof.

“So, do you regret marrying me yet?”

She smiled up at him. “Not yet. You?”

He didn’t smile. “Not yet.”

She wanted to crawl inside herself and escape his stern countenance but she forced herself to talk. “I hope I don’t give you reason to regret your actions today. I’ll be a good wife to you, Stuart.”

“Just care for my children. They’re my only concern.”

Genny nodded. “I intend to. I can’t wait to meet them. Do I remember correctly that the trip to the ranch will take three hours?”

He nodded. “After I get the supplies loaded we will have about a three-hour ride.” He paused. “You’ll be sore, riding that long in the buckboard for the first time. I’m sorry about that, but you’ll get used to it. We come into town every couple of weeks.”

They went to the mercantile and the feed store before heading out of town. There were more buildings than she saw from the train station. A white church with a small cross on the top of the eve, stood at the end of the street. She saw a newspaper office painted light blue, two-story hotel painted pale yellow, a gunsmith, two more saloons and a butcher.

Stuart didn’t ask for her help buying supplies. She supposed that next time she would have some input because she’d know what was already there. At home in Lawrence, she’d gotten her milk from the milk man, her meat from the butcher, bread from the bakery. Being able to buy everything from one store was new to her.

Genny was happy to be standing and not waiting on the wagon. She still had about three hours to go and already her behind was screaming with pain.

Clara had all their purchases ready to load. Stuart helped pack all the grain and the groceries into the back of the wagon. With a lurch they started the trip home. A strange word to her but she really had a home now. One she could call hers and a family she was a part of.

“Who cares for your children now?”

“Nettie Johnson. She’s my housekeeper and married to my foreman, Pete.”

“Why get married if you already have someone to care for your children?”

“Nettie said she can’t do it anymore. As much as she loves my kids, she’s not a young woman and the workload is just too much to cook, clean and take care of Billy and Lucy.”

“I can understand that. How many people do you have on your ranch?”

“If you include Billy and Lucy twelve of us live there. Thirteen including you. There is Joe, my brother and half-owner of the ranch, Nettie and Pete, the cowboys, Tom, Cookie, he does the cooking on trail drives, Slim, Smokey, Dude and Bub.”

Having grown up in the orphanage she’d learned to be friendly with strangers, always hoping that one of the couples that came in would want an older girl. But they always wanted the babies and toddlers. “Goodness, I’ll try to remember them all. I’m not generally very good with names, but I do recognize faces.”

The horses walked on, trying to stop and graze every once and a while. Stuart slapped the reins on their butts to keep them moving.

The country they traveled through was some of the prettiest Genny could ever have imagined. Grass-covered land with colorful late autumn wild flowers breaking through all over the place. A riot of color surrounded them, even this late in the year. The mountains surrounding them had their first dusting of snow, the tops a vivid white against the bluest sky she’d ever seen. This was definitely God’s country.

They rode in silence and Genny soaked in the landscape. She decided then and there that she would live here no matter what happened. If her marriage didn’t work out and she had to scrub floors in the local hotel to make a living she would do it to stay here.

They approached the ranch from the west. It sat in the middle of the valley they’d entered a while back. The surrounding land was lush with lots of grass and a river on the north side of the valley. She couldn’t see the river through the line of trees, but she could hear it. Lots of buildings were loosely grouped together. She’d have to learn what each one was. She recognized the barn right away as it was the largest building and was painted red. The house, which looked to be the second largest of the structures, was white as were the rest of the buildings.

“Your home is lovely. What are all the different buildings for?”

“Thank you.”

He smiled at the compliment.

“Joe and I are proud of what our family has accomplished here. We raise cattle, but we also have horses, pigs, chickens and milk cows. Do you know how to milk a cow?”

Genny stifled a laugh at the question and shook her head. “No. We had our milk delivered by the milk man twice a week.”

“You really are a city girl aren’t you? Well, you’ll have to learn. I imagine there are a lot of things that you’ll need to learn.”

“Yes. I’m a city girl and I know there will be much to learn, but I’m willing and a hard worker. I don’t know about animals. We got our meat from the butcher, when we could afford it, and bread from the bakery.”

He shook his head.

“Here we make everything we need. I slaughter a pig twice a year and we smoke the meat or keep it in the ice house. You’ll have to kill the chickens and pluck them to cook.”