The Unexpected Wife

He lifted the dog again and headed toward the barn, with Abby and the boys on his heels. The inside of the barn was cool and shaded and he carried the dog to a soft pile of hay.

Abby found two large sticks outside the barn and hurried toward him. “This should do.” She knelt down and tore a strip of her petticoat off. “And you can tie them with this.”

He accepted the strips. “You boys stand back. I’ve got to set the dog’s leg and she’s not going to like it one bit.”

“Is it gonna hurt?” Tommy said.

“Yes it is, son.”

Tommy popped his thumb in his mouth and held on to Abby’s skirt. The boy had grown so attached to her.

Matthias ran his hand over the dog’s leg. He could feel the break in the thigh. It felt clean, but there was just no telling. “Abby, hold the dog’s head.”

Without a word, she positioned herself at the dog’s head and gently wrapped her hands around its snout. “Ready.”

He spoke soothingly to the dog and then without warning snapped the bone in place. The dog jerked. The boys screamed. Abby steady, never loosening her hold once.

Mathias quickly positioned the two wood sticks on the leg and tied them into place. He looked up at Abby. “Okay, let go.”

She released the dog, who started growling as she sat up on her uninjured haunch. Then barking and growling more she hobbled over to a dark corner and sat down.

“What do we do now?” Quinn said.

Abby wiped her hands on her skirt. “For now, we’ll just get her a bit of water and then we’ll just leave her be. Later tonight, maybe we can bring her a bone to chew on.”

“Is she gonna be okay, Abby?” Tommy said.

“I think she just might. She just needs time to heal now.”

Tommy wrapped his arms around Abby’s legs. “I love you.”

Her heart clenched. Tears pooled in her eyes.

Feeling Mr. Barrington’s gaze on her she looked up at him. She’d never seen a more handsome man.

“Marry me,” he said quietly.

Chapter Sixteen

Abby looked up into Mr. Barrington’s face. Emotion had deepened the lines around his mouth and eyes. “Are you sure, Mr. Barrington?”

“Very.” His voice was strong, without hesitation.

Her breath stopped as her heart pounded in her chest. She glanced at the boys who stared up at her with expectant eyes. She truly wanted to say yes, but for the first time since she arrived, she was afraid.

Mr. Barrington took her hand in his, drawing her gaze back up to this. “We’ll build a good life, Abby Smyth.”

No words of love. But she’d not expected any. He was giving her all he could.

A thousand questions collided in her mind. Did she really want this? Could she be the kind of wife he needed? Was she strong enough to live in Montana? She’d dearly wanted a sign from the heavens to confirm this would work. A crack of thunder. A gust of wind. But there was nothing. In the end, she realized marrying him now required that she take yet another leap of faith. “I think marriage is an excellent idea,” she said softly.

He grinned and suddenly his face looked years younger. “Good.” He picked up Quinn. “Let’s find the minister.”

Surprise tightened her muscles. “You want to get married now!”

He shrugged. “There’s no such thing as long engagements out here. Besides, it’ll be a few months before we get back to town and find a minister. I’m not waiting.”

Giddiness collided with nervousness. They’d been at a stalemate since she arrived and now everything was changing so fast. “You’re really certain about this?”

The deep intensity of his gaze made her feel as if she’d been caressed. “Very.” He held out his hand to her.

Abby took his hand. “Let’s find the minister, Mr. Barrington.”

He squeezed her fingers. “Don’t you think it’s time you called me Matthias?”

She smiled. “Matthias.”

Grunting his approval, he led her and the boys in search of the reverend.

The next few hours were some of the happiest in Abby’s life. For the first time since her parents had died she felt as if she had found her place in the world. She’d never felt more at peace.

As she watched Matthias talking to Reverend Brown, she realized suddenly that this marriage wasn’t simply a matter of convenience for her anymore. She loved Matthias Barrington with a power that shook her very core.

She understood and accepted now that he would never love her as he had Elise. But she felt in her heart that she had enough love for them both. She would work harder than ever to see that her new family thrived.

The wedding ceremony was simple. No fancy dresses, no special flowers or wedding bands. It was just her and Matthias standing side by side under the shade of a tall tree in front of the reverend with the boys and the townsfolk gathered around them.

Mrs. Clements dabbed a handkerchief to her eyes as she watched the two clasp hands. “I knew I had a knack for matching people up.” The older woman leveled her gaze on Holden. “It’s a gift, pure and simple.”

Holden paled a fraction and took a step away from her.

Matthias cast Abby a sideways glance and winked. “It will be good between us.”

No words of love, but she held on to the knowledge that her love would be strong enough for them both. “It will be good.”

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today,” Reverend Brown said.

The words drifted over her head as she stared at Matthias’s profile. The thickening stubble already covered his square, tight jaw. His hair drifted over the top of his collar. Likely, when he’d married the first time he’d been clean-shaven and worn a suit.

“Do you, Abby Smyth, take Matthias Barrington to be your lawful husband in sickness and in health, till the grave separates you?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

Matthias squeezed her hand, yet she noted his hands felt cold. He was nervous, she realized. Did he believe he was making a mistake?

“Do you, Matthias, take Abby,” Reverend Brown said. “To have and hold, in sickness and health, until death separates you?”

He lifted his chin a notch. “I do.”

Abby took comfort that he’d not made the promise lightly.

“So by the powers given to me by the territory of Montana, I pronounce you married. Matthias, you can kiss your bride.”

Matthias faced Abby then. He stared down at her, his eyes filled with a mixture of happiness and relief. Nervous for her first kiss as a married woman, she stared at his full lips and remembered that the last time she’d kissed him she could almost taste the fire in him. Her body tingled, eager for his touch.

Matthias bent his head and touched his lips to hers. It was meant to be a chaste kiss. Abby’s body exploded with fierce desire. She wrapped her arms around his neck. He banded his arm around her waist and pulled her against his body. The kiss deepened and she was aware of the hoots and hollers of the crowd. Dear Lord, she was making a spectacle of herself. And she didn’t care.

Matthias broke the kiss, glancing toward the crowd as if he were willing them to vanish. “Later, Mrs. Barrington. Later.”

His rich husky voice was full of promise and Abby ached for what was to come.

The townspeople wouldn’t let them slip away. Weddings were too rare out here and the crowd intended to squeeze every bit of enjoyment out of it. The men toasted the couple. The women all had bits of advice for Abby.

Through it all, Abby waited with growing impatience for the time she and her husband could be alone. Her husband. She smiled each time she thought about the two words.

She looked up several times and found Matthias staring at her. The intensity of his gaze left her breathless and made her all the more impatient for the day to end.

Toward the end of the day, Abby slipped away to steal a quiet moment by a stand of cottonwoods near the creek. She knelt down and dabbed her handkerchief into the cool wat

ers. Wringing it out, she pressed the cloth to her face as she heard people approach. Hating to give up her precious moments of privacy, she stayed hidden behind the cottonwoods, believing they’d soon leave.

“They look like a happy couple,” the woman said.

The man grunted. “She’s breathing. That’s all he cares about right now.”

“I’d say they are a love match,” answered the woman.

“Love.” Genuine laugher bubbled in the man’s chest. “Doreen, Barrington’s a smart man. He ain’t got no choice but to marry if he’s going to keep his ranch. A wife is as essential to a man out here as a plow.”

The woman snorted. “Well, Hyrum Winters, when you climb into bed tonight and are feeling lonely, don’t be asking me for comfort. Drag your hide out to the barn and nestle up to that fancy new plow of yours.” She flounced off.