The Cowboy Who Saved Christmas - Jodi Thomas Page 0,92

want to lose another ma,” Annie cried.

“Your ma will be fine. Now go help Hannah and Bonnie clean up. Don’t you worry, your ma will be as fit as a fiddle by morning,” Mrs. Nelson assured them.

The girls walked away, and Clint looked at Mrs. Nelson. “What did they mean that they didn’t want to lose another ma?”

Mrs. Nelson took Clint by the arm and pulled him away from the wagon. “Amelia’s sister was their mother. You see, Amelia’s sister was married to Mr. Wakeland, and when he was away during the war, she died not long after Annie was born.”

Clint listened intently as Mrs. Nelson explained further. “I’m afraid Mr. Wakeland wasn’t well when he came home from the war. He asked Amelia to marry him so the girls would have a mother. You might say Amelia’s marriage to Mr. Wakeland was one of convenience, for the sake of the girls. Mr. Wakeland was much older than Amelia.”

Clint was quiet, absorbing what Mrs. Nelson was saying. She interpreted his silence for disapproval. “Please don’t think harshly of Amelia for her choices. She loves those girls as though they are her own. She thought it was the best decision for everyone, and she didn’t want any of Mr. Wakeland’s relatives laying claim to the girls. Not only that, but even before the war, there weren’t many matrimonial prospects for young women in La Grange.”

Clint appreciated Mrs. Nelson’s plain speaking manner. “I’m not passing judgment on anyone. I think she’s a fine woman, and knowing the responsibilities she’s taken on, I admire her all the more.”

“Mr. Mitchum, Amelia’s marriage wasn’t one of . . . well, it wasn’t a typical marriage. Mr. Wakeland was very ill when he returned from the war, and he never left his bed. He died just days after they were wed. Then, this last year, she had to nurse her parents during the fever only to lose them. That girl has sacrificed so much, and she deserves some happiness in her life.”

Clint stared at her, trying to read between the lines for what she wasn’t saying.

Mrs. Nelson put her hands on her hips and looked expectantly at him. “I’ve seen how you look at her. Are you interested in that gal, or do you think she is just another pretty face?”

Clint glanced away. He wasn’t sure he was in any position to say what he wanted. Amelia was a beautiful woman, no doubt, but she was much more than that. What do I want? He’d found himself daydreaming about having a wife and children over the last couple of days. Who am I kidding? I haven’t been thinking about just any woman; it’s Amelia’s face I see, and those precious girls. “I don’t have much to offer any woman.”

Mrs. Nelson gave a loud harrumph. “If all men waited to have something to offer a woman in these hard times, there wouldn’t be any marriages at all.” Mrs. Nelson turned to walk away after one parting comment. “Don’t turn her head if you’re not interested in something permanent. She has too much to lose to give her heart to the wrong man. Besides, Casey is waiting on her to come home. He wants to marry her.”

* * *

Clint waded into the water to do some panning before darkness descended, hoping to find some privacy to think. He leaned against a large boulder while he unconsciously worked his pan and thought about what Mrs. Nelson had told him. He knew in these hard times many people married out of necessity instead of love. Unless he was mistaken, Mrs. Nelson had hinted that Amelia’s marriage was not an intimate one. It was obvious that Amelia loved the girls dearly, so he could understand if she married for their benefit. Could he marry a woman because she needed him for the sake of children? Amelia’s face flashed before his eyes. He smiled, thinking it would be no hardship to see her every morning and night. Not only that, but any man would be proud to be Katie and Annie’s father. There was no question in his mind that he would marry her to help secure a more prosperous future for the girls. It was heartbreaking that the girls had lost both parents. Now he understood why they wanted to buy Amelia a husband—they wanted a secure family. But he wanted love in his marriage—not simply a marriage of convenience. Could Amelia come to love me? Or is she in love