A Bride for Wyatt
Barbara Goss
Copyright © 2019 Barbara Goss
All rights reserved.
Ebook Cover Design: Virginia McKevett
Audiobook Cover Design by Samantha Fury
All Scripture is quoted from the King James version of the Holy Bible.
All the characters described in this story are fictional. They are not based on any real persons, past or present. Any resemblance to real persons, living or deceased, is coincidental and unintended.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
EPILOGUE
Copyright © 2019 Barbara Goss
All rights reserved.
Cover Design: Virginia McKevitt.
All Scripture is quoted from the King James version of the Holy Bible.
All the characters described in this story are fictional. They are not based on any real persons, past or present. Any resemblance to real persons, living or deceased, is coincidental and unintended.
Chapter One
Wyatt Stone sat at his desk with his head in his hands. What had he been thinking to propose to Lucy Ames? Her beauty had blinded him, and he never saw her true character. How could he have been so deluded? He swore never to propose again, but how would he manage the farm without a wife?
Clay came into the room and sighed. “C’mon, brother—snap out of it. She left six months ago and isn’t coming back. Get over it.”
Wyatt shook his head. “I’m over Lucy. I’m upset because she hoodwinked me. What was I thinking to even contemplate marrying such a gorgeous woman? Like mother used to say, beauty is as beauty does.”
Clay took a seat in front of the desk. “We all make mistakes.”
“You didn’t. You have a lovely wife. Grace is perfect. She cooks, keeps your house spotless, and helps on the farm. You lucked out, Clay.”
“You could try again. I heard Lucy and Leland are planning to marry and live in Kansas City.”
“I have a farm to run. How can I look for a wife and manage the house, too?” Wyatt shook his head and ran his fingers through his dark brown hair.
“You’re a good-looking man, Wyatt. You could get another wife quickly enough. Besides, my farm is right next door—Grace can continue to send over dinners whenever she can.”
Grace was a gem, he was jealous of Clay just then, so he changed the subject. “How’s Father?” Since Clay was the oldest and had married first, their father, Milton, lived with him and Grace. He’d been an invalid since his stroke.
“The same: listless, grouchy, and ornery.”
“How can he be both listless and ornery? I’ll stop over after church on Sunday and try to cheer him up.”
“When he isn’t listless he’s grouchy and ornery. You never know which Father you’ll see when you go to his room.”
Wyatt pinched his temples and groaned. “Should I hire someone? A housekeeper?”
“You should probably hire one until you marry.”
“I’m not sure I want to go down that road again. Do you have any idea how much it hurts to watch your beloved fiancée run off with your best friend?”
Clay shook his head. “No, but that doesn’t mean you can’t try again.”
Wyatt sighed. “I’m leery of it. Besides, there aren’t many single women around Hays. I don’t have time to leave the farm and hunt for one, either.”
“Hey! Why not get a mail-order bride?”
Wyatt held his hands up. “No way! I wouldn’t know what I was getting. Some desperate old maid, maybe.”
“So, you want another beautiful woman?”
“I’d like someone like Grace. She’s good looking, kind, dedicated, and loyal.”
“I thought her rather plain when I met her, but as I got to know her and love her, she became lovelier and lovelier in my eyes.”
“That’s what I want: a simple woman with a good heart. Where in the world would I find one?”
Clay tapped his chin. “My friend, Glenn, married by proxy. He’s short and balding and didn’t want the bride to back out when she saw him, so he married by proxy. He was lucky because his bride turned out to be on the chunky side, and she was happy with his looks.”
Wyatt hit the desk with his hand. “That’s a great idea. I don’t want the woman’s looks to influence my decision. Most gorgeous women like Lucy don’t need to be a mail-order bride. I think a lot of them are hopeless souls.”
“And you want a hopeless soul?”
“If she can cook and keep my house in order, yes.”
“What about intimacy? You’ll want a family someday.”
“It would come ... I hope.” Wyatt’s eyes grew large. “I know—I’ll correspond with the applicants for a few months first so I can get a feel for their characters before picking the one I want.”
“Sounds like a good plan, but I’d hire a housekeeper until then.”
“I’ll put an ad up at the post office.”
Clay dragged his chair behind the desk to sit beside Wyatt. “I’ll help you write the letter for the Matrimonial News.”
They worked on the letter for over an hour before coming up with the final draft:
Honest, God-fearing man in Kansas desires a wife for companionship. She must be able to cook and keep house. Looks are not as important as the woman’s virtue. Widows who are childless or with one child are welcome to apply. The age range of the woman should be between nineteen and twenty-seven. A lengthy courtship via mail is desired before meeting. Wyatt Stone, Farmer. Hays, Kansas.
~~~***~~~
Vera Marlow gripped the side of the sink, and held back a scream, and settled for tears of frustration instead. “I can’t take this anymore,” she cried.
Her sister, Thea, entered the kitchen. “What’s wrong, Vera?”
“I can’t do this
