Page 69 of Mail-Order Bride Substitute
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Anameless song rose within Riley’s heart and bubbled up his throat but that was as far as he allowed it to go. He smiled knowing he’d disrupt the service if he opened his mouth and let the music flow out.
It was a good day to be in church with his family. The sun was shining. A warm, pleasantly cooling breeze had accompanied their travel to town. He sat next to Olivia on the pew, keenly aware of the scent of wildflowers. She looked fine, her hair curled and coiled around her head. She wore a hat he knew must be fashionable. Her blue dress—the exact same color as the lake named after his mother—made her eyes shine.
He wore his Sunday best. He looked down at his shirt—the black one with the contrasting white yoke—Mr. Luckham had called it a modified bib front. Maybe next time, Riley would order the one with all the fancy stitching on the yoke. It would be the perfect shirt to wear to a wedding.
Every thought in his head crashed to a halt.
Marriage was what he wanted, wasn’t it? A home, children, and meals ready. He stared at the pulpit as a truth blared through his mind so loud he feared it would become audible. He’d begun this mail-order bride business with only that in mind. But his heart demanded more. He wanted what his parents had. What he saw in the way the twins looked at their wives and the way the wives looked at their husbands. What Joe Dahl had talked about when he bought the horses—a safe place for his heart.
His jaw muscles clenched enough to give him a pain in his head. He’d loved Nina and thought his heart was safe with her. Look how that had ended. A disaster that could have been averted if he’d realized the challenges were too great for her.
Olivia is not Nina.The words echoed inside his head.
Maybe not, he argued with that loud voice, but he’d die lonely and alone before he’d make a choice that put her at risk. Keeping her safe was the only way to keep his heart safe.
Pastor Ingram took his place behind the pulpit and announced the first hymn. Beside Riley, Olivia’s sweet voice sang the words with such assurance that his soul was blessed. After three more hymns, he settled back to enjoy the sermon. Pastor Ingram understood his congregation and knew they wanted simple and direct.
His text was Luke, chapter ten, verse twenty-seven. He read the words slowly, reverently.
“‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself.’” He looked across the audience. “My dear friends, what hinders you from loving God fully? Until you do, can you love your neighbor as you should?” He talked of the things that hindered love. “Pride is a big one. As is an unwillingness to be vulnerable.”
Riley told himself neither of those applied to him. The sermon ended a few minutes later, they sang a final hymn and Pastor Ingram went down the aisle to wait at the door and greet them as they exited.
Riley and Olivia were delayed by people wanting to speak to them and welcome Olivia. They eventually made their way to the door.
Olivia was quiet on the trip home though perhaps only he noticed as the others chatted freely. Plans on how to spend the day raced through his head. Plans that included Olivia. And a ride that took them away from the ranch. Perhaps a picnic lunch. But then he heard Mrs. Bennet had invited them all to the big house for dinner. She and Alfred had made a meal to share with everyone.
Back home they trooped into the house. The table was stretched out and already set. Mrs. Bennet and Alfred chased them from the kitchen as they got the food ready. They went to the front room to relax for a few moments before they ate.
Andy leaned against the doorjamb. “Remember how Ma always called this room her parlor?”
The Shannon men all chuckled. “And Pa would do this—" Luke waved a hand in a circle— “And say, ‘Alice, we ain’t fancy people. It’s just a front room where we all can relax.’ And then he’d plop down in that chair.”
Matt plopped and put his feet on the nearby footstool. “Like that.”
It was yet another reminder of how Ma and Pa had been so good together despite their differences. Despite Ma coming from a rich family? And being from the city? A rising tightness in his throat caused him to cough. Olivia was not Nina, but neither was she Ma. He clung to his earlier decision that he’d die lonely and alone before he’d make a choice that put Olivia at risk.
He was silent a good deal of the meal. Luke and Matt looked at each other. Riley guessed they noticed that he had little to say and were about to tease him about it, but Gwen noticed the glance between them and nudged her husband. With a shrug, Matt grinned but kept his comments to himself.
The meal ended and Riley joined Alfred on the veranda to wait for Olivia. He had to find the words and the strength to convince her to go back east where she’d be safe. He’d gone to the corner to look into the distance for something Alfred had commented on when the door opened. He spun around. Olivia was flanked by Gwen on one side and Honor on the other.
She glanced at Riley, a look of apology on her face. At least he hoped that’s what he saw. And then the two women caught her hands and dragged her off toward Honor and Luke’s house.
“Looks like the ladies have a plan,” Alfred observed.
One that didn’t include Riley. He called a hasty goodbye to Alfred and jogged away. He thought of saddling King and riding north, south, east, west…anywhere to escape the feeling gouging at his insides. But if he rode away, he wouldn’t be around when Olivia came home.
He changed direction and headed to his house. He’d wait for her. Sooner or later, she’d come back. At that point, he’d make her see that she must leave.
* * *
At church,Mrs. Luckham had handed Olivia a letter. The return address indicated it was from her uncle. She would have liked to go home so she could read it in private, but the ladies drew Olivia toward Luke’s house. They seemed set on taking her with them.
They indicated a variety of garden vegetables. Gwen said she wanted to make pickles. Honor wanted to make soup and can it.
“I like the idea of having something for when I’m in a hurry,” she said.
