Rescuing the Cowboy by P. Creeden

Author:P. Creeden [Creeden, P.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-12-13T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

The next morning, it was nearly noon when the lawyer arrived at the Young Ranch with a telegram for Marcus. As soon as the man dismounted his wagon, a wide smile spread across his lips. Once he came inside, he waved the yellow piece of paper in the air. “Good news! Mr. Stewart, Claudia Stewart’s grandfather, has sent us word. He has decided that Claudia is too young to be wed yet at only fifteen.”

Marcus’s heart sunk. He leaned against the mantle in the parlor. Fifteen? He’d nearly been marrying a child. But wait. Although it was good he’d no longer be marrying a child, how could this be considered good news enough to bring that wide of a smile to Mr. Brown’s face. “Is there more?” he finally asked.

“Yes, Miss Stewart has a cousin who is willing to become your bride. If you agree, she’ll be on the next train heading west. Her name is Bethany Campbell, and that’s the only stipulation that might be a sticking point. The woman is a widow, so you need to agree that you are all right with that.”

“A widow?” Marcus blinked again. At least it wasn’t a child he’d be marrying. “Does she have children? How old is she?”

“I knew you’d ask, so I sent back a telegram asking the same.” The lawyer pulled out another slip of yellow paper. “Ms. Bethany Campbell is twenty-two years old and childless.”

Relief overcame him. This was a woman who was already accustomed to being a wife. Maybe that was a good thing, maybe she’d be more willing to work with him and not try to train him into something else. If she was part of the Stewart family, at least they weren’t trying to marry him for political reasons. Instead, this was all a part of his grandfather’s controlling him from the grave. “All right then. Send word that I agree to marry this Ms. Campbell, provided that she meets all the criteria my grandfather outlined. Be sure of it, Mr. Brown. I don’t want to go into this marriage half way and then come to the realization that she is not Scottish, or some such reason that makes it so the stipulations of my grandfather’s will were not met.”

“Understandable,” the lawyer said with a smile as he glanced at the pocket watch he’d had tucked away in his vest pocket. “I’ll head back to town directly and send word after I review your grandfather’s will and make sure that she meets with the criteria. I’m very happy this is coming to a good outcome.”

Without another word, the lawyer turned about and started for the front door of the ranch house. Marcus leaned hard against the mantle, wishing he could just escape all of this. He didn’t want to marry a woman he didn’t know, but here he was, agreeing to it. He didn’t want to run the ranch on his own, but it was either that or have the ranch sold and all of their workers out on their ears just before Christmas.

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