“No, never. What does it entail?”
“Well, to start, you don’t have to be together to get married.”
Noah raised his eyebrows. “That’s weird.”
Teddy wriggled in his seat. “You do still need to get together, but the marriage can be in two different places.”
“So that means…”
“If we can find someone willing to marry you, even for only one year, you can keep your land.” Teddy stared at him, no doubt waiting for an answer.
For a moment there, Noah thought his problem might be solved, but he didn’t know any women. He’d been too busy working his land to socialize, especially out of town. And locally, any available women were snapped up in a hurry.
As if he could read Noah’s mind, Teddy continued. “I have a sister who lives in Angel’s Pass. It’s not too far away, about two days on the train.”
Noah stared at him. “You want me to marry your sister?” He was incredulous. Unless this sister was far younger than Teddy…
“No, Son. My sister is nearly double your age.” He chuckled. “But she knows a young lady who fits the criteria of being your wife. She’s living in dire circumstances and could use your help.”
Noah listened carefully as Teddy explained further. The condition of having to only stay married to this proxy bride for a year sounded like a good idea. Noah wasn’t interested in marrying, and never had been, but his hand had been forced.
~*~
Mary sat at the back of the church, along with Pastor Allenby, and listened carefully as Judith Hathaway explained the situation. The young man in question, Noah Adams, was a family friend to Mrs Hathaway’s brother, she said.
While she hadn’t seen him for many years, the older woman assured her Noah was an upstanding citizen, a hard worker, and a God-fearing man.
All the things Johnny Parsons was not.
Mary was assured of a safe and secure home, and after the twelve months, she would be well compensated for her trouble.
This was to be a marriage of convenience, and nothing more.
Besides helping herself, she would be helping a deserving young man reclaim what was already rightfully his. It would be forced from his hands without her help. “Take some time to think about it,” Mrs Hathaway said in that reassuring voice that Mary found so calming. “I know it must be a difficult decision.”
Mary’s head shot up. Difficult? The choice between the lecherous Johnny Parsons, and the God-fearing man Mrs Hathaway had described? There really was no choice. She stared at the older woman, straightened her shoulders, and opened her mouth. “No time needed. I’m in a difficult spot myself, so the timing is perfect,” she said. “When do I leave?”
Mrs Hathaway stared at her – she knew Mary’s situation, everyone in Angel’s Pass knew. But still, she seemed rather shocked at Mary’s immediate acceptance. Did she honestly think Mary would pass up such an opportunity? The chance to leave her wretched and soul destroying past behind?
“Well, I didn’t expect that,” Judith Hathaway said, clearly taken aback. She turned to the pastor. “When can you perform the ceremony?”
He scratched his head. “I guess we could do it now except we don’t have a proxy to stand in for Miss Stanton.”
Mrs Hathaway grinned. “My adult son is waiting outside for me. Would he do?” She was out of her seat before the pastor could answer, and in less than twenty minutes, Mary Stanton was no longer a single woman. It was going to get some getting used to being called Mrs Noah Adams.
Chapter Two
Mary stepped off the train wearing the only decent dress she owned. It was the same dress she’d been married in.
She carried a small carpetbag which held a few personal items such as her hairbrush and toiletries, Nothing else she owned was worth packing. Her only bonnet was on her head, but was doing a poor job of holding her hair in place after the long trip.
As people disembarked after their journey, Mary wondered if they felt as fatigued as she did. Sleeping upright was not an easy task, and it would be nice to lay her head down on a soft pillow in a comfortable bed.
Her new husband had wired money for her ticket and food. Mrs Hathaway had made all the arrangements for her. And while her father and Johnny Parsons were most unhappy, there wasn’t a thing they could do about it – she was twenty-six after all.
Father was annoyed but understood, while on the other hand, Johnny was furious. She couldn’t believe the rant he went into when he’d arrived the next morning to take her to town and marry her. If she didn’t have the paperwork, she wasn’t convinced either man would believe her.
As she glanced about, Mary breathed a sigh of relief. Now to find her husband, a man whom she’d never met, didn’t even know existed until a few days ago, and had no idea what he looked like. How would she identify him? Her heart pounded and she felt light-headed. Not wanting to waste his money, she had skipped breakfast, not to mention supper last night – the prices in the dining cart were beyond atrocious, so she made do with a cup of tea. Mary stumbled as she headed toward the wooden bench at the other end of the platform.
Without warning, she felt a hand wrap around her arm. “Are you alright, Miss? Let me help you to the seat.” A man supported her and guided her to the bench she’d spotted earlier. She glanced up at him, and had to almost tilt her head back to see
