Groom Wanted (21 page)

The scene was hilarious. Jake wanted to laugh. But as much as he enjoyed seeing the man get what he deserved, Jake needed to stop his goat before she decided to do it again.

He set the bench down and strode toward Meanie, who was in hot pursuit of the gray trousers.

“Someone do something!” Fitzwilliam screamed like a little girl.

As Jake headed across the yard, his goat stopped and backed up.

Oh, no. Not again. “Meanie!” Jake picked up his pace, but he arrived too late.

Meanie rammed her head into Barrington again. This time he landed sprawled out on the ground.

Several men headed his way to help.

Meanie’s focus darted to them, but only for a brief second. Mouth barred open, she chomped her teeth into Fitzwilliam’s hat and shook it vehemently.

Jake caught her by the collar and tugged on the hat. “Bad goat. Bad Meanie. Give it back.”

Meanie shook her head hard. Jake tugged even harder. So did the goat. But she wouldn’t let go.

Rriipp.

Uh-oh. Jake glanced over at Fitzwilliam to see if he’d heard the noise.

Haydon, Michael and Jesse stood above Fitzwilliam, offering him a hand up.

“I can do it.” He brushed them away, huffing as he stood.

They stepped back, holding up their hands in surrender.

A look of understanding passed between Jake and the three of them. Right then, Jake knew there was no way Leah would be marrying this man. Not if the four of them had anything to say about it, anyway.

In control of the now-shredded hat, Jake walked over and handed what was left of it to him. “Sorry about your hat.”

Fitzwilliam snatched it from Jake’s hands. Holding on to the brim, he mashed it onto his head. The whole brim tore off and the ring landed around his neck like a collar. Barrington closed his eyes, and his chest expanded. He brushed himself off, pressed his shoulders back and stormed away, mumbling something about being nothing but a bunch of hooligans.

Jake turned his attention back to Leah’s brothers. He fought not to laugh, but when he saw Haydon with his head dipped, his hand over his face and nose and his peering eyes upward; Jess biting his quivering lip and looking everywhere but at him; and Michael with his flared nose, pursed mouth and chin twitching, Jake couldn’t help it. Laughter rolled out of him, and the other three men joined him.

“Can you believe that guy?” Jesse shook his head, still chortling a bit.

“You’d think he’d at least try to impress us. But the man doesn’t even try,” Michael added.

“I don’t much care for that pompous jerk. I can’t figure out what Leah sees in him. Whatever it is...” Haydon rubbed his chin. “I know one thing. I’m not letting that man marry our sister.”

“I agree. There has to be a way to stop her. But how?” Jess asked.

“I have an idea.” The brothers turned their attention to Jake.

“Let’s hear it.”

Making sure no one could hear him, Jake shared his plan with them. “Do I have your permission?”

Haydon placed his large hand on Jake’s shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. “You sure do. Doesn’t he, boys?”

The other two nodded their assent.

“Now, we’d better get back over there or they’re going to eat without us.”

Prayers were said over the food, so everyone fixed their plates. Jake, Elizabeth, Leah and Fitzwilliam sat at one of the smaller tables. Selina and Michael wheeled the prams over to their table.

“Mind iffen we join y’all?” Selina asked.

“No. We’d love to have you.” Leah motioned for them to sit.

Jake noticed the scowl on Fitzwilliam’s face when he had to move over to allow Selina and Michael to sit on the end of the bench across from each other.

What a jerk the man was.

“How you feeling, Selina?” Jake asked.

“Gettin’ stronger than a bull every day.”

“And ornerier, too.” Michael jerked back in pain. “Ouch! Stop that.” If his grin was an indicator, Michael didn’t look one bit affronted by whatever just happened.

“Woulda never kicked ya iffen you’d behaved yourself.” Selina wrinkled her nose at Michael and blew him a kiss.

“I say. Must you bicker at the table? You’re acting like children and it is quite vexing.”

Everyone’s gaze slid to Fitzwilliam. Didn’t he know they were teasing each other? It was all in fun. What an overstuffed shirt the man was.

“They aren’t bickering, Mr. Barrington. They’re having fun. You should try it sometime.” The last five words were added under Leah’s breath, but Jake heard them. He was certain a few others had, too, if their dipped heads and grins were any indication.

“Oh, don’t go gettin’ your trousers in a twist. We weren’t bickerin’, as you call it. Like Leah said, we was just teasin’ each other.” Selina eyed Fitzwilliam with disgust.

Fitzwilliam sneered at Selina. “You, madam, are—”

“Brother!” Elizabeth glared at Fitzwilliam.

He clamped his mouth shut. “My apologies to each of you. I can only blame my actions on that wretched goat for that beast has ruined my favorite hat.”

Whom and what did he blame his actions on before Meanie?

The rest of the meal went fairly well. Everyone but Leah, who appeared down, talked in between taking bites of Selina’s excellent Southern fried chicken, the fried trout, Swedish meatballs, potatoes sprinkled with parsley and melted butter, roast beef sandwiches and even a few foods from Jake’s Norwegian ancestry such as lefse flatbread and potet klub—potato dumplings covered with butter. Jake wanted to try all the other dishes, but there were too many and his belly was full.

When everyone finished, Leah helped clean up the food, but the usual bounce in her step was missing. Jake couldn’t wait to finish putting everything up and get Leah alone, hopefully before she talked to Fitzwilliam about his proposal.

Jake did double-time carrying the tables to the barn. With the last one in the storeroom, he closed the door and turned, nearly bumping into Elizabeth.

“Oh, sorry. Didn’t see you there.”

“My apologies. I never meant to startle you.”

“No problem.”

“Jake, may we talk?” Elizabeth fidgeted with the tips of her gloved fingers.

“Sure
. We can go outside and—”

“No. May we talk in here, undisturbed, please?”

Her eyes looked down and then back up at him. The ends of her gloves were now twisted into points. He
really didn’t want to talk to her now, but he hated seeing any woman distressed. “Is something wrong?”

“No. Nothing is wrong. What I’m about to ask is extremely difficult for me.”

“Oh, I see.” He brushed the dust off a wooden storage container. “Won’t you be seated?” He hoped this wouldn’t take long. He couldn’t wait to talk to Leah.

They sat down.

“What’s on your mind?”

She chewed on her lip. Her chest expanded, then she looked him in the eye. “As I told you before, I lived in an isolated part of the country for years and adored it. I love country living. Especially here. Being a debutante is not for me. As you have daily witnessed, my brother cannot tolerate a lot of things. I, however, could care less about those things.”

Where was she going with this?

A woman’s shadow appeared on the ground outside the barn door. If he wasn’t mistaken, it was Leah’s.

“While what I’m about to say is highly improper, I cannot help myself.”

His attention swayed back to Elizabeth, but using his peripheral vision, he kept watch on the shadow.

Elizabeth’s eyelids lowered to her lap and she continued to massacre the tips of her gloves. “I no longer wish to live that kind of lifestyle. In fact, I detest it. What I’m trying to say is...” Her brown eyes met his. “I wish to remain here. With you. Would you consider marrying me?”

The shadow disappeared. Jake knew for sure it was Leah now. “Excuse me, Elizabeth. But I need to go.” He pushed himself off the bench, but Elizabeth grabbed his arm.

“What about my proposal, Jake?” Hope filled her big brown eyes.

“I’m sorry, Elizabeth. You’re a very nice lady, but I’m in love with someone else.”

“Leah?”

“Yes. Leah.”

Elizabeth nodded. “I already knew that. But, I was hoping—” She stood and her voice softened. “Leah’s a blessed lady. Go after her, Jake.”

Jake kissed Elizabeth’s gloved hand, gave her one last look and darted out of the barn and into the trees.

Leah was right where he thought she’d be. The same place she always went when something troubled her. Her forehead rested against her arms that were pressed into the trunk of a cottonwood tree, hiding her face completely but not her sobs. Her body jerked with heart-wrenching cries. Jake’s heart bled for her.

In an instant he was next to her, turning her around, pulling her into his arms and pressing her head close to his chest. “Leah, what’s wrong?”

“Oh, Jake. I—I...” Sobs tore from her.

“Hey. Hey, what’s the matter?” Panic brushed across his soul and settled there. Not wanting to let her out of the circle of his arms, he shifted her enough and leaned his head back until he could see her face. “Leah, please. Talk to me.”

“I—I—I don’t know how to—to tell you—” she said between gasps. “To tell you—”

“Leah, you know you can tell me anything, right? So whatever it is, just say it. It’s all right.”

She nodded and then waved her head back and forth. “No, I can’t.” She hiccupped. “Not now. Not this.”

He set her away from him and tilted her chin up, and his gaze captured hers. “Listen to me. There’s nothing you can’t tell me. Now tell me what’s bothering you.”

She closed her eyes, then slowly opened them. “Elizabeth told me she thought you were in love with her. Then earlier today you said you’d stopped the advertisement because you had fallen in love with someone. I’m sorry, Jake. I know you’re probably going to marry Elizabeth or one of the women who responded to your ad, and I have no right to tell you this, but I’m in love with you. You don’t have to change your plans or anything, but—”

Jake pressed his fingertips over her lips and smiled. “I love you, too, Leah.”

“What?” She blinked. “What did you say?” Her saturated eyes searched his.

“I said I love you, too.”

“But—but what about Elizabeth?”

“I’m not in love with her. I’m in love with you.”

She closed her eyes and opened them again. “Oh, Jake. I love you so much it hurts. But I don’t know what to do. You see, I—”

“I do.” Jake interrupted her. He placed one knee on the forest floor, ignoring the dampness soaking into his pant leg. “Leah, the first time I asked you to marry me was out of convenience. Now I’m asking because I love you. Will you marry me?” He looked up at her, waiting, hoping she wouldn’t reject him again.

For one blessed moment he thought everything would be right again. But then her gaze fell from his.

“I—I want to, Jake, but I’m not sure I can.”

Was she turning him down again? He stood and scraped his hand over the back of his neck. “I don’t understand. You just told me you loved me. That you were
in love
with me. Is the reason you’re not sure because I’m poor? Because you’re determined to move to New York? Is it Fitzwilliam? What is it, Leah? Talk to me.”

“Jake, this has nothing to do with Fitzwilliam. And it has nothing to do with you or you being poor. I don’t care about money. You should know that.”

No, he didn’t. “You said you wanted to go back to New York to live the lifestyle you had before. So how can you say you don’t care about the money?” Frustration mounted in him. He lowered himself beside her and studied her face.

“It’s not about the money. Never has been. It’s the memories. Honestly, Jake. I just don’t see any way for us to make this work.”

“You’re not making any sense. What are you talking about?”

She chewed on her lip and looked around. Then she whooshed out a long breath of air. “I haven’t told anyone what I’m about to tell you, so please don’t interrupt me or anything or I’ll lose my nerve.” She didn’t look at him or even in his direction. Instead, she spoke to the floor of the forest. “Ever since my father died, I’ve had horrible recurring nightmares where I’m searching frantically for my father. I’m in the forest surrounded by trees that come to life. Their limbs look like arms with long fingers that spread out and reach for me.” She ducked her head down as if they were trying to get her now.

Jake wanted to comfort her but didn’t know if he should. She had asked him not to interrupt. In his gut, he had a feeling if he did that he would be doing that very thing, so he didn’t.

“I can feel evil all around me.” Her body shuddered. Her eyes glassed over, not just with tears, but with the images of the dream.

His full attention locked on her, he struggled to keep his arms at his side.

“I beg them to leave me alone, but they don’t. I scream for my father. I hear his voice, but it’s gurgled as if he’s choking. Then, I look down and see him. Blood is running out of his nose and mouth.” Tears flowed through each painstaking word she spoke. “Just like they did the day he died.”

He didn’t know she’d seen her father buried under that tree the day he’d died. Ache for her drove further into his soul.

“The nightmares always end the same—with me saying I’m sorry.” Her tear-drenched eyes finally met his. “I don’t know what to do, Jake. I hate it here. This place stole my father from me.” She laid her hand across his cheek. Her eyes overflowed with love and sadness. “I love you with all my heart, and it will kill me to leave you, but I don’t see any way out of this mess except to go back to New York to where memories of my father are pleasant and peaceful, not horrifying. I can see now there is no other answer.”

Yes, there was, and he would find it.

* * *

Leah’s heart hurt more than it ever had before. She pressed her hand into her chest, willing the torturous pain to go away, yet knowing it never would. In leaving, she would be trading one heartbreak for another.

Jake pulled her hands into his. She latched on to them. To him. Needing the connection. Needing his strength. His love spread deep into her soul and wrapped its warmth around her heart. How desperately she needed the strength and love he offered her at this moment. She searched his face, memorizing every line, every crease, every detail.