“Your father felt it was past time you settled down. To reclaim your land you simply have to marry in the next three weeks.”
Noah nearly fell off his chair.
~*~
Angel’s Pass, Montana
Mary Blake stood at the rusty and worn out stove stirring the barely-there broth. This was the third batch of broth she’d made using the same bones, and was certain there would be little flavor this time around. There’d been one carrot and small piece of celery left in the pantry, but nothing more. She’d chopped them as finely as she could before adding them to the pot. She also tossed in some parsley from what was left of her herb garden, and a little salt and pepper for flavoring.
How she was meant to feed herself and her pa on such meagre pickings she had no idea, but it was expected of her. She scraped the mold off the five-day-old bread, and sliced it ready to toast. At least she had eggs to add to the moldy bread.
The kettle was on the stove, and Pa would get the last of the coffee. Until he was paid for this latest batch of pigs for slaughtering, that was the end of their supplies. Despite her constant requests for him to kill another one of the pigs for food, he refused. They were worth far more sold than for food, he’d said.
She would have to kill another chicken tomorrow or they would starve. They had few enough chickens as it was now. Less chickens also meant less eggs, but what was she supposed to do? She was slowly starving as it was.
Pa constantly raided her vegetable patch to feed the wretched pigs, which left her nothing to cook with. It was a vicious circle and a constant problem to keep food in their bellies. She sighed. Of course the pigs needed to be fed, but why did it have to be her lovely homegrown vegetables?
Scraping his boots at the bottom of the steps, Pa stepped into the washroom on the porch and washed himself. It was the one consolation he gave her. Mary couldn’t stand the stench after he’d been working with pigs all day. He wasn’t a bad man, her pa, but he was set in his ways, and rarely budged from his stance. It made her life extremely difficult.
She’d become so thin from the lack of food, she was often light-headed and had picked herself up off the floor on a number of occasions. As a hard working man, she put her pa ahead of herself when it came to meals.
By the time he entered the kitchen, she’d dished up the broth, giving herself a far smaller portion. The eggs were now ready, four for Pa, and one for herself, and she only needed to butter the toast with the scraping of butter they had left.
As hard as her life had become, this was her lot in life, and she’d never known anything different. Pa told her to get over it and accept what life dished out to her. She had no other choice.
Ma had died when she was ten, and Mary had run the household ever since.
“Mary,” Pa said as he sat at the table and began to eat. “Remember Johnny Parsons – ‘e used to come over with ‘is Pa when you were a child.”
She remembered him alright. Mary wasn’t that small either – she was a teenager, and Johnny tried to kiss her on several occasions. He even tried to touch her where he had no right to be touching. The last time he came around, she’d made herself scarce, but he’d come looking for her and cornered her in the barn. He was evil through and through and she wanted no part of him.
She nodded, but would rather forget the horrible creature.
“Well, the boy’s a man now, and ‘e wants to marry you.”
Her heart thudded. She hated to think what sort of man he’d grown into when he was so ghastly as a teenager.
“If I don’t want to…” She let her words hang, but knew the conversation wouldn’t end there.
Harry Blake slammed his cutlery on the table and stared at his only child. “There ain’t no choice,” he bellowed. “Yer an old maid, I can’t be supportin’ yer forever.” He picked up his fork and took another mouthful of food, then continued. “It’s past time you was married. Johnny Parsons is visitin’ Monday mornin’ – make sure yer wearin’ your Sunday best.”
She looked down at the threadbare dress she was wearing. As much as she despised the man, perhaps he was her ticket out of the poverty she’d been living in for years. Mary straightened her shoulders. Was she so desperate she would sink so low? The man was despicable. He was a letch, and God only knew what she’d let herself in for if she married him.
She swallowed back the emotion that threatened to overtake her. “Yes, Father,” she said quietly, knowing there was no other choice.
~*~
Noah sat across the desk from Teddy, bogged down with worry. “How am I going to find a wife in such a short time?” He’d barely slept these past nights, and had no solution to his problem. “I can’t lose my ranch – I just can’t.”
Teddy shuffled some papers around on his desk. “There’s no way around it. Barnabas wanted you married, and when he found out his heart was failing, decided this was the only way.”
Noah stared at him with this new revelation. “Why didn’t he tell us he was dying?” He slammed his fist on the desk. “At the very least he could have warned us he’d changed his will. Jacob is even more upset than me and Seth.”
Reaching for a
