Sweet Wedding Read online

  “I’ll tell you something,” she said. “When Ace and I met it seemed there was no way we could be together. I came here for another man that didn’t work out and Ace had no money to support me. It looked like I had to go back home, but then a miracle happened and we are together now.”

  “You’re really lucky,” Bethany said.

  Annabelle nodded. “Lucky, yes, in many ways. But if everything happened the way it did and Ace and I hadn’t told each other how we felt, we might never have gotten around to being together after all.”

  Bethany frowned. “I don’t understand,” she said.

  Annabelle patted her hand. “Communication is the most important thing. No matter what, talk to each other. You were open for the first time. That means something.”

  Bethany nodded. It meant something, sure. It meant that she’d lost the man she was starting to fall for even before she had him. Her heart was heavy. Her eyes stung with fresh tears and no matter how hard she tried to bite them back, they spilled over her cheeks anyway.

  Annabelle dipped her head so she could look Bethany in the eye even though Bethany was looking at her hands in her lap.

  “You really care for him, don’t you?” Annabelle asked.

  Bethany nodded. She cared for him a lot more than she had admitted even to herself. But now that he was so angry with her, now that he would probably never talk to her again, she realized how much it hurt to lose him.

  “I don’t know what to do,” Bethany said. Her voice was thin. She hated being this vulnerable, this weak.

  “What do you mean?” Annabelle asked.

  Bethany swallowed, trying to get her tears to go away. She’d cried so much this evening she was starting to feel ridiculous. She was also exhausted.

  “My parents raised me to be honest. I already haven’t done that until now. I’ve also been taught to honor my commitments. And I’m committed to a man that I don’t know in a town I’ve never been to. To be married.”

  “Oh. I understand.” Annabelle nodded. “I know it’s hard. But Beth, don’t you see? It’s obvious your stop here because of the accident has changed things.”

  Bethany wanted to cry again. “Exactly,” she said with a voice thick with tears. “It’s changed everything.”

  Annabelle leaned back and nodded slowly. “The thing is, Bethany, sometimes, things happen for a reason.”

  Bethany sighed. “I can’t see what the reason for this is. All that’s happened was that I found a happiness that I must leave behind now because I gave him my word. I am a mail order bride. I have to do the right thing.”

  Annabelle was quiet for a while and they sat together in the kitchen, silent. Bethany had stopped crying but her heart was still heavy and the skin on her face felt stiff from the tears that had dried on her skin.

  “I didn’t know your parents,” Annabelle said. “And I can’t say anything about how you were raised. But I can say this. If you’re talking about doing the right thing, maybe the greatest honor would be to follow your heart.”

  “And just leave Edmund hanging? After I gave him my word?” Bethany asked. For a moment, she entertained the idea of being free of her commitment, but that was short-lived. She couldn’t just do that.

  Annabelle shook her head. “That’s not what I’m saying. Trust me. I know what it’s like to be left just like that and it’s not the right thing to do. But if you go to… Edmund, then chances are you won’t ever be happy. And that’s not only unfair to you. It’s not fair to him, either.”

  Bethany knew Annabelle was right. Of course, if she went to marry a man now when she was in love with another she would never be happy. She knew that it was right. She just didn’t know how to handle it.

  “Thank you for listening, Annabelle,” Bethany said.

  Annabelle smiled and hugged her. “Of course. What are friends for?”

  “I’m glad we’re friends,” Bethany said, hugging her back.

  “Of course,” Annabelle said. “In a men’s world, us women need to stick together.”

  Bethany nodded. It felt good to have a friend to talk to. Even if she would have to leave the life here behind her. She wanted to cry again when she thought about it but she refused to break down in tears in front of Annabelle yet again.

  “I think I’m going to bed,” Bethany said. Annabelle nodded and squeezed her hand.

  Bethany walked to her room and changed into her nightgown. When she lay under the covers in the dark, she closed her eyes, desperately waiting for sleep.

  Instead, her life played in front of her eyes. She saw her parents’ deaths again, her and William left behind, alone. Her brother had always been somewhat of a bully to her, so she wasn’t that surprised when he had refused to give her any money. She had quickly gone from mourning her parents to worrying about her future. When she had joined the agency, her bother had laughed at her. He’d said that if she got married, there would be more money for him, that he wouldn’t give her anything. Bethany had scoffed at that. He hadn’t given her anything anyway.

  Instead, she had started communicating with a Mr. Edmund Peters, a man in Montgomery who was looking for a wife after he had been widowed a few years before. Edmund Peters was almost twice Bethany’s age and it wouldn’t have been her first choice but she needed to get away, and in his letters, Edmund had sounded like a decent man.

  Which was why it was so much worse that Bethany wanted to break off their engagement now.

  No, she couldn’t do that.

  Annabelle had said that the greatest honor might be to follow her heart. Would Bethany’s parents have agreed with that? Bethany closed her eyes and tried to hear her mother’s voice again. What would she have told her in this case?

  Bethany tried to imagine what it would have been like if she had had a choice in the matter, if she could have decided to stay or to go. What would she have done?

  The answer was so straightforward, Bethany knew what she had to do. She got out of bed again and lit a candle. She sat down with ink and some paper and started, very carefully, to write a letter.

  Seven

  Clay

  Clay had entertained the idea that he had found his happy ending. When Ace had finally found Annabelle, Clay had looked at them and told himself that it was what he wanted for himself, too. He wanted to be happy, to have someone to share his life with.

  When Bethany had arrived, he’d thought that he had found the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Not only was she young and beautiful, but the more time he’d spent with her the more he’d gotten to know her, and he’d decided that a woman like her was exactly what he wanted for a life partner.

  And then it had all been ripped away. With one or two sentences and a couple of tears she had ripped away all his dreams of the future.

  Clay was willing to admit that he was heartbroken. He hadn’t known her for very long, but when you knew what you wanted you didn’t need a long time to verify it. And Clay had known what he wanted. It wasn’t going to happen now, of course. Bethany was to be married to someone else and Clay would never see her again.

  He wasn’t going to see her again. And because that was the case, he didn’t want to see her anymore while she still stayed at the Johann Ranch. It would just make matters so much worse.

  He couldn’t avoid her altogether, which he would have preferred, but he did the best he could. He skipped as many meals at the house as he could without starving. When she was at the table with the rest of the ranch hands—which she usually was—he kept his head down and didn’t partake in the conversation.

  The rest of the time, when he wasn’t working, he spent time building his house.

  In a week, he had made the most progress he’d ever made. The walls were complete, he was finishing up the roof, and it was almost time for Bethany to leave for Montgomery. The sooner she left, the quicker he could try to finally get over her and move on.

  The house was bittersweet now. He had wanted someone to share his life with, he’d h
oped it would be Bethany. He’d built a lot of it with her in mind. Now she was leaving, and all he had was the house—it felt like a shell, like the life of the dreams he had created within the walls had been sucked out.

  Clay finished the roof. He sat back on the timbers and looked up at the sky. It had taken on a gray color and a chill hung in the air. It was way too early in the year for something like this to happen, but who told Mother Nature what to do?

  As he continued to gaze up at the sky, the first snowflakes fell.

  It looked like the snow was indeed coming early this year, and he was relieved he had finished the roof just in time. All he had to do now was find a woman he could share his home with.

  Clay climbed down from the roof and packed his tools away. He made his way back to the ranch house, trudging through snow that was already an inch deep and was coming down thicker and faster. He could see the outline of the ranch house when he heard a galloping noise. He turned.

  A man on a horse stopped next to him. The animal was muscular with steam coming from its nostrils in the chill. The rider was just as striking—an upright man with a hat on his head, a coat straight from the city, and an attitude that reminded Clay of someone with a lot of money.

  “Pardon me, sir,” the man said. “Is this the Johann Ranch?”

  “Yeah, you’re in the right place,” Clay said.

  “Oh, thank you. I’m looking for Bethany King.”

  Clay frowned. “I believe she’s in the house, Mr....?”

  “Peters. Edmund Peters. I’m Bethany King’s fiancé.”

  Clay’s body ran cold—colder than he already was—when he heard the word “fiancé.”

  “Come with me,” Clay mumbled and he walked toward the ranch house. Edmund Peters rode past him, ignoring Clay’s offer to escort him. Clay watched him ride ahead and sighed. This man looked like someone who would be able to give Bethany everything she might want in life. She would be happier with him, better off with him. Especially after what she’d told Clay about the money that her parents had left them, after what her brother had done.

  Clay dragged heavy feet toward the ranch house. This was where everything changed, wasn’t it? Edmund Peters had come for Bethany. She would leave with him—the man she was supposed to marry—and he would take her away. Clay would never see her again. This was it. The end.

  Clay finally reached the ranch house. The visitor’s horse was already in the stable, being tended to by one of the ranch hands. The other hands were at the house, waiting for supper, and Clay sighed. The difficulties of his life would have an audience. But Edmund Peters was in there and Clay opened the front door and joined the others in the kitchen where they sat around the table. They looked at him when he entered. Dozens of eyes followed him to his seat. He sat down, feeling like he was being scrutinized.

  He didn’t know what he was doing at the house. He didn’t want to hear what Edmund Peters had to say to Bethany or what she had to say in return. He didn’t want to see the happy couple. Still, he couldn’t tear himself away from the ranch house. It was like knowing that something terrible was going to happen and not being able to look away.

  All eyes were still on him. Everyone was in the kitchen besides Bethany and Annabelle. Clay knew he was just torturing himself but he sat down anyway and waited for something to happen.

  That “something” would most likely be Bethany leaving with Mr. Peters.

  Maybe he would get over Bethany more quickly if he saw her leave with another man. Maybe it would cure him from his love for her. Everyone would end up where they belonged and life could go on.

  He would wait for it to happen, one way or another. Sometimes the best cure was a hard reality check.

  Eight

  Bethany

  Bethany had done what she thought was right. It was the best she could do and she kept telling her that that was all that mattered. She had had to make a choice, and that was what she had done.

  Sometimes, the right thing was just the hardest thing to do.

  She was in the kitchen with Annabelle, preparing supper. She liked cooking with Annabelle. It was therapeutic to make so much food for everyone and it was time she spent with a friend that she wouldn’t see that often anymore after she left for Montgomery in the morning.

  Bethany tried not to think about it. Thinking about leaving the ranch—the family and friends—behind was bad already. To think that she would be leaving Clay behind, too, was even worse.

  The last couple of days had been worse than before. She was sure he was angry with her. She was sure he would never speak to her again. If he came to the meals at all he only spoke when it was necessary and she wasn’t under any illusion that it wasn’t her fault.

  Of course, all she could do was try to make right what she had done wrong. The rest of it was out of her control.

  The ranch hands started streaming in and Bethany scanned their faces, hoping that Clay would come. It was the last meal she would have with the ranch hands and she hoped to see him one more time. Even if she couldn’t tell him goodbye.

  They were all seated when a stranger walked into the kitchen. It was like the cold from outside clung to him more than to the others and the conversation fell quiet. Ace stood up.

  “Can I help you?” he asked.

  The man gave a bow from the hips and it looks very out of place in the homey kitchen.

  “I am Edmund Peters,” the man said and Bethany’s stomach dropped. Ace was about to say something but she stepped forward before she could.

  “I’m Bethany King,” she said. “I believe you’re looking for me.”

  Edmund’s eyes fell on Bethany and his gaze softened.

  “May I speak with you in private?” he asked.

  The kitchen was so quiet now that Bethany could hear her own heart thunder in her chest. Of course, everyone knew what was happening by now. There were nine stable hands, plus Bethany, Ace, and Annabelle, but it was still a closed little community and word traveled fast. Rumors had gone around about what was happening between her and Clay and as soon as Bethany had confessed the truth, that had made the rounds, too.

  Bethany glanced at Annabelle, who nodded and said, “Let me take you through to my private room so the two of you can talk.”

  Annabelle led the two of them through the ranch house and into the room that was her very own to spend time alone in. She turned to Bethany.

  “Will this be all right?” she asked.

  Bethany nodded.

  “I’ll be right outside if you need me.”

  Bethany nodded again. Her stomach was a twisted knot of nerves. When she’d written her letter, she had no idea that Edmund Peters would come to her before she was supposed to arrive in Montgomery.

  “I imagine it’s a surprise to see me,” Edmund said, sitting down on one of the armchairs.

  Bethany nodded and sank down into the other chair.

  “I’m so sorry that you felt you had to make the journey,” she said.

  Edmund was a distinguished man, if not handsome. He carried himself with the confidence and pride of a man who knew who he was and he didn’t give Bethany the idea that he was angry or even in a bad mood.

  “I thought it would be best to speak to you in person. Letters can be difficult sometimes; it’s hard to put everything we feel into words.”

  Bethany nodded. This was true. A good letter was the hardest to write. The only communication she’d had with Edmund was in letters and she realized now that it had told her nothing about who he really was. The man who sat before her was still a stranger.

  “You can imagine how surprised I was to receive your letter, Bethany,” Edmund said. He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and his voice was soft.

  Bethany nodded. “I can. And I…”

  Edmund lifted his hand so she wouldn’t carry on speaking.

  “Please, let me finish,” he said. Bethany closed her mouth and nodded.

  Edmund took a deep breath. “Like I said, I was su
rprised to hear from you, but I am not in the habit of making people miserable. I believe that if you don’t want to do this anymore, I don’t have the right to force you.”

  Bethany frowned. “But we agreed.”

  Edmund nodded. “We did agree. But things happen. I know what love is and if you are lucky enough to find real love, then honor that. I had a wife that I loved for a very long time and losing her took a part of me that I will never get back. If you can find that kind of love, you shouldn’t turn your back on it.”

  Bethany didn’t know what to say.

  “Why are you being so nice about it?” she asked. “I mean, I’m not trying to be rude, but I don’t understand.”

  Edmund sighed.

  “Bethany, I want a wife but I don’t want to make you miserable. I can always contact the agency and try to find a new wife. It’s a gamble, anyway. We win some, we lose some. I am not a cruel man. I want you to be happy.”

  Bethany shook her head. “No, you’re not a cruel man at all. I can see that now. Thank you, Edmund. It means a lot to me that you’re so generous about it.”

  Edmund smiled. “I believe my years have given me insight that can be a blessing and a curse. I have patience to find love because I know how hard it is to find the real thing. If I can give you a shot at finding it, it’s my good deed for the day.”

  They both stood. Bethany opened the door and called for Annabelle.

  “Will you give Mr. Peters a room for the night?”

  Annabelle nodded. Her face searched Bethany’s and a moment later, her eyes flooded with relief. She’d found the answer to her question in Bethany’s eyes.

  “Oh, please stay as long as you need, Mr. Peters,” Annabelle said. “And share a meal with us. We just sat down to supper.”

  Edmund smiled. “That would be just grand, thank you.”

  Bethany followed Annabelle and Edmund to the kitchen and she hadn’t felt so light in days. Edmund had been a godsend, setting her free when it was the last thing she’d expected. She’d written him to ask if she could break the engagement but she’d expected a fight, or a heated argument at the very least.