Husband By Arrangement

“Fine. I’ll be here when you’ve finished.” He didn’t even turn to look at her. As she closed the door, he said, “I think there are some things we can do that will help—” The heavy door kept her from hearing anything else he said.

At the table in the kitchen, she made a list of all she could imagine she’d need for a week of cooking and cleaning. It took longer than she imagined. She racked her brain for things she remembered Scott commenting on that she’d cooked in the past. Those items went on the top of the list.

She was almost done when she heard the door to the study open.

“Thank you for taking care of that for me, Scott.” Her father’s voice carried down the long hallway and into the kitchen.

“You’re welcome, sir. We’re in this together. That’s the only way for it to succeed.”

Her father closed the study door. As she listened to Scott’s boots on the wooden floor, she wished she hadn’t caused them both so much work and worry.

Scott came into the kitchen. “Do you have the list?”

She stood and handed him the paper. “If it’s too much, let me know. I can pare it down.”

He read the list. A few lines down the page he smiled and gave an approving sound and a nod. “This is fine.” He tucked the paper into the pocket of his pants. “Is there anything you need from me before I leave? Do I need to get the trunk out of the attic?”

“No. It’s in my room.”

“Okay. I’ll be working then. You come when you’re done.”

“It won’t take too long. I may try to see Charlotte if I finish before it’s time to eat.”

Scott nodded and left her to her work.

She pulled her apron from its hook by the back door and draped it over one arm. In the hall, she ran her hand along the edge of the frame on the table near the bottom of the stairs. It was her favorite photograph of her mother.

Everything was spinning around in her head. She was leaving this house today. Her best friend would be strained by a refusal to discuss her sudden marriage. That action could cause her to lose Charlotte’s trust. Was there no end to the consequences of one choice made months ago without thought for the future?

In the room she’d lived in all of her life, Rena opened her mother’s trunk and put the apron inside. She opened the bureau drawers and took out the things that would make her new house a home. Tears trickled down her cheeks, and she dashed them away.

This was the only choice she’d had. Her baby required a home and father. Papa and Scott had made that happen. Rena wouldn’t mourn that choice. There had been no other course of action.

Next she tucked the dresses that hung in her wardrobe into the trunk with care. She pressed the pillow from her bed on top of the dresses and lowered the lid of the chest. Her shoes were put in a crate that she lined with a length of fabric. She pulled the quilt from her bed and folded it.

Standing in the center of the room, she wondered if Papa would mind if she took the washstand. It had been her mother’s. The blue flowers painted on the white basin and pitcher were as delicate as she remembered her mother to be.

A knock sounded on the bedroom door. She opened it to find her father.

“May I come in?”

“Of course.” She stepped aside. “I was just finishing up here.”

Papa looked around the room. “I’m not sure what I’ll do with myself now that you’re grown and married. I’ll miss our talks after supper. And reading the Bible together at night.” He turned to her. “It’s done my heart good to read with you these last few weeks. Your momma would want you to have this.” He put her mother’s Bible in her hand. “Promise me you’ll keep reading it.”

“I will, Papa.” Her breath caught. He might be upset with her, but his love was still there.

“And come see me. Come here or to my office when you’re in town.” His voice cracked a bit on the last words.

Rena flung herself into his arms. “Oh, Papa! I’m so sorry I’ve made a mess of things. Please forgive me.” She sobbed against his chest.

“Hush, child. You’re forgiven.” He patted her back. “I know you’ve chosen a difficult path for your life, but God loves you. And so do I.” He made soft sounds of comfort in her ear. “Perhaps in time, Scott will grow to love you, too. You must give him time.”

“I don’t see how he could ever want me for his wife. No man could.” She sniffed and pulled a handkerchief from the pocket of her skirt as she backed away from him. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to trust again. I feel so betrayed.”

Her father tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “He already took you as his wife, Rena. Be fair to him. He’s done a great thing for our family. And he’s a good man.”

“I’ll treat him with respect.”

“That’s a good place to start.” He pulled his watch from his vest pocket. “I have a meeting in a few minutes. Is Scott coming back here now?”

“We’re going to lunch before we come for my things.”

“How nice for you.” He gave a final perusal of the room.

“Papa, may I take the washstand with me?”

He turned to the corner of the room. “That was a gift from me to your mother on our first anniversary.” He smiled. “I remember how pleased she was to be surprised.” He nodded at her. “I think she would want you to have it.”

“Thank you, Papa.” She gave him another hug. “Not just for the gift, but for everything. You are a wise man. I am grateful for your help. Pray that I’ll be able to live up to the demands of running a homestead and being a mother.”

“I will.” He left her standing there in the room that no longer felt like home.

Her things were ready to be taken away. The childhood she’d lived here was over, and a new life waited for her in the sheriff’s office on the other side of town. It was time to go.

* * *

Scott couldn’t concentrate. The words on the papers on his desk swam in front of him like ants crawling on a pie at a picnic.

Married. He was married.

And not for any reason he’d have chosen.

He shook his head and straightened the papers on his desk into small stacks. On top was a list he’d made during the course of the morning. Every time he thought of something he needed for the homestead or Rena, he jotted it on the small piece of paper.

A ring. Rena didn’t have a wedding ring. He could get her one soon. They hadn’t discussed it. Perhaps it was something she didn’t think she should ask about, but he knew giving her one was the right thing to do.

The tip of the pencil broke, and he pulled out his knife to sharpen it.

The door opened, and Cyrus Busby from the mercantile came in. “I got that order ready for you.”

Scott pushed the knife blade across the pencil again and nicked his thumb. “Ouch!” He dropped the knife and put the pad of his thumb to his lips. With the other hand he added the ring to his list.

“Thanks, Cyrus. I appreciate that. We’ll be by your place this afternoon to pick it up.” He folded the list and put it in his pocket.

The door opened again, and Rena entered the office. “I’ve finished—” She stopped short when she saw Cyrus. “Oh, hello, Mr. Busby.”

Cyrus nodded. “Mrs. Braden.”