Page 21 of A Cowboy's Convenient Marriage

“Do you mind comingto my office where I can talk to you for a minute?”

Ada looked up at Ezra, who stood in the kitchen doorway, waiting for her answer.

She had been sitting at the table playing with playdough with a couple of Ezra’s children, along with her sister Lois, while Alaska gave the baby a bath and got him ready for bed.

“Sure,” she said, surprise making her eyes grow big. She glanced at Lois who nodded. She would be fine with the children and making sure that the playdough got put away.

It was really odd for Ezra to ask her to go to his office. What in the world would he have to say that he couldn’t say in front of everyone else?

And did it have something to do with the stranger who had shown up for supper?

She had been curious about him and had wanted to tell Ezra that she had seen him the night before at Kendra’s house while she had been watching the children. Kendra had called her and asked if she could come right over, since she needed her immediately.

That was just something that she did as a ministry, providing free babysitting for young mothers around town, especially single moms.

She had been intrigued by Cash, since there was just something about him that...made her think of a man of character, someone who would do right no matter what everyone else was doing, the kind of man she admired and hoped that the Lord would someday bring to her.

Of course, if she was going to have a family with that man, God needed to bring him along rather quickly.

But she enjoyed the time she got to spend with her nieces and nephews, evenings like tonight where they cleaned up the dishes and all the mess from supper and then spent time enjoying each other’s company.

Ezra and Alaska seemed to really enjoy having them live with them, and although she had offered to move out more than once, they had pretty much begged her to stay.

They had reached Ezra’s office, and she walked in, with him closing the door behind her.

“You can go ahead and sit down if you want to,” he said, nodding at the two chairs that sat across from his desk.

She chose one and sat in it comfortably. Ezra did not seem upset; in fact, he seemed...a little bemused maybe.

“Does this have something to do with the man who was at supper? Cash?” she said, remembering his name.

“Yes. Good deduction,” he said, giving her a smile.

His smile didn’t contain any angst or anxiety, but Ezra was also a very cool, levelheaded man. He would probably not have any angst or anxiety if he had brought her in here to tell her that the man had somehow figured out that she was going to die in two days. Or he was.

Regardless, she admired his ability to handle things with grace under pressure, and she hoped she could do the same.

With that thought in mind, she took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, thinking that she would keep her eyes on Jesus and not allow whatever happened around her to upset her. Which was much easier said than done. But God wasn’t surprised by anything, and if anything came into her life, God allowed it.

“All right. This is going to surprise you, so don’t freak out, okay?” Ezra said, sitting behind his desk, folding his hands over top of it, and leaning forward just slightly.

“All right. I won’t freak out, if that’s what you’re saying,” she said, making her brother smile.

“All right. That’s good to hear. Because this is the kind of news that could make someone freak out, I think. Not in a bad way,” he said, raising one hand, as though to ward off any freaking out that she might be starting after hearing that.

“I’m still chill,” she said.

“Good. Cash was here because he wants to marry you.”

“What?” she asked, shocked, despite herself and all her assurances that she was going to take this in stride.

“I know. It’s sudden, and weird because he claimed you don’t know each other.”

“I saw him yesterday at Kendra’s house. He was there to talk to her, I believe, which was why I was there—to watch the kids. That’s the first time I’ve seen him or talked to him, other than church.”

“You’ve seen him at church?”

“Yes.”

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