Silver Creek - G.L. Snodgrass Page 0,82

to catalog what she saw. Tall and lean. With wide shoulders. A small scar to the side of his left eye drew her attention. How had he gotten it? she wondered.

But it was his eyes that captured her. Gray. The eyes of a wolf. A dangerous man they said. A warrior. Her stomach turned over for some unknown reason.

“Did Mr. Parker send you?” she managed to say, rather pleased with herself that her voice had not broken.

The man frowned deeply then glanced down at the hat in his hand.

“Come,” he said, taking her elbow. “Let’s talk over here.”

Her stomach clenched up as she allowed him to lead her to a bench next to the station wall. He nodded for her to sit. Her world became shaky as she smoothed her dress and sat down. Whatever had happened, it couldn’t be good. Not with that solemn look.

“I’m sorry,” he began. “But Mr. Parker was killed yesterday. On his ranch.”

Her world fell away as she gasped and brought a hand to cover her open mouth.

“What?” she exclaimed. “But …”

He frowned and nodded, confirming her worst fear.

“Are you sure. We were to be married today.”

The tall man nodded again, obviously not enjoying telling her that her betrothed had died.

A deep numbness filled her. How had this happened? What was to become of her? Three dollars would not last long. Who could she go to for help? This was a strange town filled with rough men.

“You said, killed. What happened, Mr. ….?”

“Tanner, ma’am, Jack Tanner.” He paused for a moment studying her face. Then, taking a quick breath he continued, “As to what happened. I can’t rightly say. I was passing through and found him that way. Shot. He asked me to come tell you. I could see that he set you up high.”

Jenny sighed. Poor Nathanial. His letters had made it seem as if he were so lonely. And to die that way, with only a stranger. Her heart hurt thinking about it.

The man next to her continued to frown as he studied her. She ignored him as she tried to think of some way forward.

“Can you tell me, Mr. Tanner, do you know of work for a woman in this town.”

He winced and shook his head. “To tell you the truth. An honest woman shouldn’t be left alone in this town. Too many miners and cowhands too far from home. Most will treat you with respect. But most isn’t all.”

Her heart fell. It was as she feared. But what choice did she have?

“Won’t you be going back home?” the man asked with a furrowed brow. “He said I was to sell the team and wagon and give you the money. It should fetch more than enough for a train ticket plus a little over.”

She stared at him blankly for a moment then scoffed and shook her head. “I have nothing to go back to.”

The man continued to stare at her for a long second as if trying to discover something. At last, he sighed heavily and said, “There is another option.”

Jenny pulled her mind back to the present as she gave him a questioning look. What options. There were none. She had gambled everything on Nathanial.

Reaching into his shirt pocket, Mr. Tanner pulled out a folded piece of paper. The back smudged with a long red streak that looked like blood.

“Parker said that he would leave us his place on the condition we marry.”

“What!” she exclaimed as she pulled further away from him. He held out the paper for her. Taking a deep breath she slowly unfolded it. It was Nathanial’s handwriting that was instantly obvious.

I Nathanial Parker leave my spread to Jack Tanner and Miss Jennifer O’Neil on the condition they marry before taking it on. Otherwise, the goverment can have it back.

Nate Parker

That was so Nathanial. His misspelling of the word government was typical. But how? What did it all mean? And this man. A man she didn’t know. Why did the idea of marrying him send a fluttery feeling through her insides? As if a hundred hummingbirds had taken up residence.

“Surely he wasn’t serious,” she mumbled, more to herself than to the man next to her.

He shrugged his shoulders. “I do believe he was very serious.”

Jenny studied the man across from her. What kind of man was he? And why was she even thinking of going through with this?

“Tell me your thoughts on the matter, Mr. Tanner.”

He frowned for a moment then stared off into the far distance. “I admit, I had no plans of going through with his proposal. But … I don’t know. It is a nice spread.”

Jenny winced inside. That was what it was for this man. An opportunity to gain a piece of land. Nothing more.

“And you would be willing to take on a wife for this … spread?”

He nodded solemnly, “I think I would,” he said. Then looking at her closely he added, “For the right wife.”

Her cheeks grew warm under his gaze. She had seen that look in a great many men. That hungry look. But unlike the others, this man’s obvious desires didn’t frighten her. Instead, they lit a small fire deep down.

“And we would marry today?” she asked. “But I don’t really know what type of man you are, Mr. Tanner. It is asking a lot.”

The big cowboy nodded slowly. “Yes, Ma’am. I understand. It would be a bit much. There is not much to tell. I’m a good man with either a horse or a double jack. I’ve traveled over most of the western states and I can tell you that there is nothing prettier than Parker’s Lonesome Valley.”

She continued to frown. It had not exactly been the answer she had hoped for.

Obviously seeing her disappointment, he turned the hat in his hand then looked her directly in the eye and said, “I can promise you, Miss O’Neil, that I will never cause you harm. At least not on purpose.”

Jenny bit the inside of her lip. A more unromantic sentence had never been uttered, she thought. But really, he could not be faulted. He had tried to reassure her.

Wringing her hands in her lap, she looked up into his eyes and tried to come to a decision. Should she do this? Marry a man she didn’t know. Hadn’t that been what she had planned with Nathanial? Was this any different?

Yet, her racing heart told her that it was different. This man was different and she knew in the pit of her stomach that she was risking her very heart.

“Very well, Mr. Tanner. I agree to marry you.”

He didn’t smile, he simply nodded as if they had struck a business deal.

“I must warn you though,” she quickly added. “I was not raised on a farm. You will need to show me what I must know. But I am a hard worker and I learn fast.”

A new nervousness filled her. What if he changed his mind?

“Can you cook?”

She nodded quickly. That was one thing her mother had insisted she know how to do.

“Biscuits?”

Jenny frowned then nodded. “Of course.”

His shoulders slumped with relief. “In that case Miss O’Neil. I am sure we will get along nicely.”

That was it she realized. She had lost one betrothed and obtained another in a few minutes. She was to be Mrs. Jack Tanner. All because she could cook biscuits.

Lonesome Valley Bride