Page 46 of A Cowboy's Convenient Marriage

“If you don’t mind, Aunt Karen, would you let Evie know that Ada and I are going to take a walk first? It would be nicer to walk before dark, and then we’ll visit with Evie.”

“I’ll call her right away, as soon as I’m done with the dishes.”

“Thanks,” he said, and then taking Ada’s hand, feeling her slender, but worked roughened fingers slipping to his, he opened the door and allowed her to go first, closing it behind them.

He had a lot of things he wanted to talk to his wife about, and he wondered where he should start. Probably with the thing that was on the top of his mind.

“Are you okay with everything you’ve been doing?” he asked, not knowing how else to phrase it. They walked by Evie’s house on their way out of town, and he noticed Ada looking over the front porch, and noting that the house was slightly larger than Aunt Karen’s.

If that bothered her, she didn’t say.

“I’m thrilled to stay busy. I think Aunt Karen has been very happy getting all of the things done that we’ve been doing. I know she said over and over that she just hasn’t had the energy or the ability to do this for years, and it’s been piling up and bothering her. So, it makes me feel good to know that I’m helping her.”

“But is it too much?”

“Oh goodness. This is easy compared to some springs and falls on the farm. I mean, we have seasons of rest too, which are nice, or seasons of partial rest, because with a big family, there’s always work to do.”

“You’re used to working as hard as you’ve been working for the last four weeks?”

“Yeah. I’m just used to doing whatever needs to be done. And honestly, it’s not the same kind of work, so it’s hard to judge. I mean, I’ve never cleaned the house from top to bottom the way we have Aunt Karen’s house, but I’ve spent lots of days working from dawn to dusk. And beyond.” She smiled, and turned her head to his. “Is something bothering you?”

“You just looked tired, that’s all. And I want to make sure that Aunt Karen wasn’t turning into some kind of ogre or taskmaster after I left. And, if you were exhausted and feeling like you were working too hard, I was going to put my foot down before we go to see Miss Evie. I would tell her that you were only going to work one or two days a week or whatever you want. I just...wanted to protect you. I feel like that’s my job.”

“Thank you. I feel like that’s your job too, and I like being protected.” She smiled sweetly, and he felt like she truly did appreciate the fact that she knew that there was someone looking after her. It made him glad that he said something.

“But no. Aunt Karen is just as sweet and kind while you’re gone as she is while you’re there. She doesn’t change at all. And, I suppose I could tell her that I was tired of cleaning and I wanted a day off or something. I mean, we do take Sundays off.”

They’d gone to church, but he hadn’t said anything to Pastor Stone about knowing that he had candidated at the church that Cash had started. Pastor Stone had been upright with the congregation about the possibility of him leaving. But, nothing had been said for the last couple of Sundays.

“I was just wondering if the money came?” Ada said casually as they continued to go down the street. “Not that I care exactly, it’s just...that’s why we got married in such a rush, and it seemed so urgent at the time, but then I haven’t heard anything about it.”

“I guess we talked about it for the first week or so, and I checked the bank account every day, and it didn’t show up and didn’t show up and I just kinda forgot. I think both of us are aware that there was a possibility it might not be true. And, I don’t think either one of us would be devastated if it didn’t show.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket, and pulled his other hand away from Ada’s. He hated to do that, because he felt like he had such a small amount of time with her, and he wanted to make the most of every second he had. But, in order to check his phone, he needed both hands.

He pulled up his bank app, while speaking. “I haven’t checked it for a week. I usually pay my bills on the first of the month, and then I know approximately how much is in there. I’ve already planned out enough to buy gas and groceries and I haven’t looked at it. I suppose I should have.”

They took a few more steps as the app spun and then his account came into view.

“Wow. That looks like a mistake, but the money has definitely shown up.”

He held the phone out so Ada could see.

“Oh my goodness. Wow. I’ve never seen those kinds of numbers before. That’s pretty neat.”

“It sure is. I guess we’ll need to talk to an accountant or something. We’ll have to take taxes out and put them in a separate account right away. There’s no point in messing around about that. Uncle Sam is going to want his share.”

“Yeah. Very good idea,” Ada said. He took one last look at his bank account, which had never come even close to containing that kind of money, and then turned his phone off and shoved it back in his pocket. Immediately he took Ada’s hand again. She gave him a soft smile, which he loved, and which he assumed meant that she liked holding his hand as well.

They walked on, enjoying the cool evening air, and the peaceful calmness of the town.

“How are things going at the dealership?” Ada asked.

Normally he and Aunt Karen would talk a little bit about it at the supper table, but Aunt Karen had been talking a good bit about all the work she and Ada had been doing, and he supposed he hadn’t been keeping her abreast about the dealership.

“It’s been going really well. So well, in fact, then I think perhaps we could head to Virginia next week, maybe Monday morning?”

“That would be lovely,” Ada said. She seemed calm and serene, and not the slightest bit upset about going. Or about the fact that they had to push back their honeymoon.

“I’m sorry you had to wait so long.”

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