Nordin, Ruth Ann - South Dakota Series 02 - Bid for a Bride (3 page)

When he was satisfied with the information she gave him, he handed her a piece of paper. "This states that your marriage to Adam Nilles never happened due to grounds of bigamy."

"Just like that?" she asked, slowly taking the paper from him.

"Everything I need you to do is done." He stood up, collected the sheets of paper, and tucked them under his arm. "I’ll take care of these when I get to Sioux Falls, but yes, it’s pretty much a done deal."

"And I’ll notify the other marshals to be on the lookout for Adam Nilles, if that’s his real name," the marshal said.

Lucy blanched at the thought he hadn’t even used his real name.

"That’s the name he put on the marriage license. We had a small wedding, and it was rushed." Her voice grew softer as she continued. "Now I know why he was in a hurry."

Addy patted her shoulder. "There’s no way you could’ve known."

"That’s the truth of it," the preacher agreed. "Don’t trouble yourself over the past. The important thing is you move on."

"That’s right." The marshal offered her a kind smile. "We know what Adam Nilles looks like, and we’ll get a drawing of him posted. If we can, we’ll bring him to justice so he doesn’t do this to someone else."

"In the meantime," the preacher began, "you might want to think about finding a legitimate husband."

"That shouldn’t be too hard," the marshal said. "We know all the men and which are married and which aren’t."

"Oh, Marshal," Addy replied with a grin, "no man in this town would dream of committing bigamy."

He smiled at her. "I realize that but I thought Lucy might like the assurance, and I agree with the preacher." He glanced at Lucy. "You’d be hard pressed to make a living out here. No one needs governesses, and we have a school teacher already. Your best bet is to find a husband."

Lucy sighed, not liking that particular option at this point.

"Or you could return home," Addy suggested. "We’d chip in for your fare on the stage coach."

The thought of returning home after what happened with her sister made Lucy’s stomach do another turn. "Um… no. I can’t go back."

The silence hung in the room, and Lucy contemplated her options. Not that she really had any. Even if a teaching position had been opened, her education was limited. Beyond knowing how to keep a home, she had no skills that would endear her for any kind of employment.

"It’s something to keep in mind," the preacher finally said.

"Take some time to think about it. You’ve been through enough today."

Lucy knew the reprieve from any decision making was temporary, but she welcomed it. The preacher was right. She’d been through so much that her head was spinning. "I’ll think about it."

Addy nodded and helped Lucy to her feet. "You can stay at my house for the time being."

"Oh, that reminds me." The marshal went to the front door and opened it. "I brought back the buggy and your belongings seem to be in it, Lucy. I’ll take them to Addy’s house, and you can sort through them at your leisure."

The last thing Lucy wanted was a reminder of Adam, but she’d need her clothes and having a buggy might prove useful, should she ever need one. "Thank you, Marshal."

"There," Addy said. "Things are looking up already."

Lucy dutifully indicated her agreement because she was expected to, not because she believed it. She walked with Addy out of the jailhouse and down the street, pulling the sides of her bonnet further out so she didn’t have to see the people who turned and stared at her while she and Addy strode back to the house.

As the marshal promised, he took the buggy to Addy’s house and brought the carpet bag into the parlor while Addy went to the kitchen.

He set Lucy’s belongings on the floor by the fireplace and turned to her. "You’ll be just fine here, ma’am. Addy will take good care of you, and if you’d like my opinion, the men will be more than happy to take you as wife. There aren’t enough women in these parts, and my eldest daughter is thirteen so she has a couple of years yet before the gents come courting."

Lucy knew he meant to be comforting, but she didn’t feel like hearing about any of the men in town.

At least not now. But she knew she’d be rude if she didn’t thank him so she did.

He seemed pleased and headed out.

Addy came down the hallway and peered into the room. "Did the marshal leave already?"

Wiping her hands on her dress, Lucy said, "Yes."

"What a shame. I’d have offered him something to eat or drink for getting that judge to take care of the mess for you." Addy shrugged and smiled. "Eliza and Brian left while we were gone. They even cleaned up the kitchen for me." She laughed.

"You’ll learn that the Evans go above and beyond for their friends. Well, come along. You can sleep in my daughter’s old room."

Not knowing what else to do and wishing to lie down and rest, Lucy picked up her bag and followed Addy up the stairs.

The next morning, Brian touched the smooth surface of the table he was sanding in the work shed. He felt a rough spot and rubbed the sandpaper over it. Then he traced the area with his fingers and was assured that the table was ready for staining.

After he finished with his part of the job, he grabbed his walking stick and stood up. He stopped when he heard the sound of footsteps. Turning, he faced the open doorway and smiled at the familiar scent of peppermint. "Good morning, Preacher. Did you come to ask my pa and me to make you some furniture?" He sensed Preacher Davis’ smile.

"Maybe next time. I wanted to talk to you about that woman who arrived in town yesterday. Lucy?

You remember her?"

"It’s hard to forget a stranger in this small town." He motioned to the chair his pa usually sat in. "You want a seat?"

"I’d be much obliged."

Brian returned to his chair and waited for the sound of the preacher sitting before he asked, "You want to talk to me about Lucy?"

"Yes. About her…" He cleared his throat. "She’s been through a rough time."

Brian nodded. He already surmised as much. From the trembling of her hand when he shook it and the slight shakiness of her voice, she hadn’t been having a great day. But then, what could be expected from a woman deserted in a strange town?

"You see," the preacher continued, "the man who ran off had married her, but he already had a wife and children."

"Oh?" Brian blinked in surprise.

"We’re not sure where he went or even where his wife and children are. But that’s not why I’m here. I came to ask you if you’d consider marrying her. The judge has annulled her marriage before he headed out to the next town. I tell you, God’s timing was behind that one. Had she gotten here today, she’d have to wait for him to return."

Brian tried to focus on the details of what the preacher was telling him, but he kept going over the thought that he might marry her. His heart raced with an unexpected excitement at the prospect. He thought he might take a trip to town with his mother again to pay Lucy a visit but planned to wait, to give her time to get used to being in town.

"Anyway," the preacher continued, "she has no one to provide for her, and I’m afraid with what’s happened… you know, with the annulment and all, that she might be expecting a child. She was with Adam for a week."

His mind went back to the preacher. "You don’t think the other men will treat the baby well?"

The preacher sighed. "There may not be a baby. It’s too soon to know, and she surely doesn’t know yet. If she’s not with child, then there’s no problem. She can marry anyone, and all will be well. But if she is expecting, there’s no telling if the other men will want to raise a child who doesn’t belong to them. With you, however… considering what you’ve been through… Well, I can’t think of a better man who’d welcome an illegitimate child as his own. And if you married her sooner, rather than later, then no one would assume the child was someone else’s."

Brian nodded. "That would be the wisest course of action."

"I’m glad you think so. I thought of all the men who’d understand how delicate the situation is, it’d be you. This might be a good community, but there are some who have their prejudices."

"Yes, I know." Brian was all too aware of how some people could be, and he didn’t like the thought of Lucy having to bear the brunt of their gossip. They wouldn’t care what the circumstances surrounding a child’s birth was, and if he could prevent a child from feeling unloved, then he’d do his part. "I suppose it’d be wise to call on Lucy this afternoon then."

The preacher exhaled. "That’d be best. If she agrees to marry you, just come by my house. My wife can be a witness."

Brian nodded. "Yes, sir."

Brian heard the preacher’s chair scraping back and felt the vibration on the floor as the preacher stood. He followed suit and stretched out his hand which the preacher shook.

"God bless you, son," the preacher said.

"You too, sir."

Brian waited until he heard the preacher head out on his horse before he left the work shed so he could talk to his mother about going into town.

***

Lucy walked beside Addy who insisted on showing her around town. Lucy joined her out of a sense of obligation. The woman had been most kind to her, and Lucy didn’t want to upset her.

But what she really wanted was to hide in bed and wait for her life to end.

Even if Addy, her husband Frank, the preacher, the marshal, and the judge assured her that she did nothing to be ashamed of, she still tightened the bonnet around her face to hide it as much as possible. People stopped and stared anyway, and Addy made it a point to introduce her to every single one. If Lucy was any good with names, she would have remembered who was who, but as it was, all the names and faces became one big blur. The young men seemed especially interested in her, for they lingered about the longest and offered to stop by and see her later in the week. These offers made her inwardly cringe.

Addy laughed as another young man walked off. "There’s no fighting it, Lucy. You’re beautiful and men like that kind of thing in a woman."

Yes, Lucy was well aware, for it was her beauty that had attracted Adam’s attention. Feeling vulnerable, she crossed her arms in an effort to protect herself. It was pointless of course.

She was still out in the open and being inspected by everyone.

Addy paused in front of a white building. "That’s the post office and doctor’s office." Then she lowered her voice.

"Should you miss your monthly flow, I’ll take you to him and he can confirm whether or not your time with Adam got you in the family way."

Lucy paled and dug her fingernails into her arms. She prayed it wouldn’t come to that. She’d know in two weeks either way, and those two weeks seemed frighteningly short and long at the same time.

"It’ll be alright, Lucy," Addy whispered. "You don’t need to worry that Frank and I will make you leave.

We’ll help you." She walked forward and glanced back. "Over there is the barber shop and further down is the lumber store."

Nodding, Lucy pressed forward and dutifully listened as Addy continued her tour through the town.

When they reached the general store, she breathed a sigh of relief. This was it. After this, they could go back to Addy’s house and Lucy could rest for a bit in bed.

"Good day, Mrs. Beecham," Addy greeted the elderly woman as they entered the store.

"Oh, good day, Addy." The woman looked over at Lucy. "I heard a young woman came to town yesterday. Is this her?"

Patting Lucy’s arm, Addy smiled at the woman and nodded.

"Yes. Her name is Lucy, and she’s staying at my place."

Frank came out of the backroom and chuckled. "I wondered when you’d show Lucy the store, Addy."

Addy shot him an amused look. "I also came to pick up food for dinner."

"Ah, then it’s more than a social visit," he said with a gleam in his eye.

"Oh," Mrs. Beecham began, "if you’re looking for something to eat, I’ll be killing a couple of my chickens and bringing them in later today. In fact, Frank and I were discussing the price."

"We were," he said.

"My goodness, I haven’t had chicken in so long," Addy replied.

"That’d be a real treat."

While the three rambled on, Lucy slipped to the edge of the store where she could lean against the wall close to the entrance. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air blowing in from the open door. For a moment, she was back at home where she grew up, sitting beneath her favorite tree and resting after helping her mother with the household chores. What she wouldn’t give to be back at that tree now.

She didn’t notice the voices at first, but as the two men came closer to the store, she opened her eyes and huddled against the wall so they wouldn’t see her as they walked by.

"I don’t know," one of them said. "I think I’ll wait for awhile. You know, to make sure there aren’t any unpleasant surprises."

"Even if he did get her in the family way, you could use an extra hand out at your farm," the other one replied.

"But he wouldn’t be mine. I don’t want to raise someone else’s child, even if the mother is a looker."

"You can’t help but feel sorry for her. She thought she was doing the right thing by marrying the man.

How was she to know he was already strapped to a wife and a couple of younglings?"

"I do feel sorry for her. You bet I’ll be the first to come calling if she’s not expecting."

As they passed out of hearing range, she stayed still, wondering how the whole town could know all the details of her situation already. Were people so bored that they couldn’t help but gossip? She pressed her fingers to her temples and willed the sudden headache away. Everything was happening too fast.