have in mind? I mean, look at her, Jess. She’s…” He couldn’t even finish.
Jesse slid his gaze toward Selina. “She’s um…different, but she seems friendly enough and she’s very beautiful.”
“She’s different all right. She might be beautiful, too, but she’s nothing like what I had my heart set on marrying.”
“Look, I know you wanted someone like Rainee. But there’s only one Rainee and she’s married to our brother.”
“I know that. It’s just… Well, every time I prayed for a wife, I asked God to send me someone just like her.”
“Maybe He did.”
Michael’s brows spiked. “I don’t think so. I don’t mean to sound cruel, but look at the way she’s dressed. And the way she talks.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I think the woman who wrote the letters comes closer to what I was wanting in a wife than Selina ever could.”
“You don’t know that. From what you told me, the person in the letters is a mixture of Selina and Aimee and a lot of things were exaggerated. So you have no idea what Aimee is really like except that she’s the kind of woman—”
Michael finished Jesse’s sentence. “Who would send her friend out West knowing she had lied, that she had deceived not only her, but also the man she had married. Leaving Selina to deal with the consequences.” That thought alone secured his compassion toward Selina.
Nobody deserved to be treated that way. Especially by a friend she trusted. Indignation roiled through his gut. If Aimee were here right now he’d tell her exactly what he thought of her.
“Why did I have to come up with that ridiculous plan to say my vows of marriage in front of Reverend James and sign the marriage certificate and send it to her so she could do the same in front of her minister? If I hadn’t, then neither one of us would be in this miserable situation.” He caught his brother’s gaze. “What am I going to do, Jess? I’m in love with a dream woman who doesn’t exist. And even worse… I don’t love my wife. She’s a complete stranger to me.”
All of a sudden, his stomach churned and he thought he might be sick as unbidden flashbacks of another loveless marriage came rushing in on him.
Unbeknownst to anyone, as a young boy Michael had witnessed time and again his brother Haydon’s first wife Melanie’s rage toward Haydon.
From afar Michael heard Melanie’s cruel and spiteful remarks about what a poor excuse of a man she thought Haydon was. How she resented him for bringing her to this desolate place. How she hated him and wished she had never married him. How she had never loved him and had only married him for his money and his position in society.
To this day the memory of the pain on Haydon’s face still haunted Michael. His brother’s unhappiness had crushed Michael’s young heart. His brother changed after Melanie. He was no longer his confident self until years after Melanie’s death when God had sent Rainee into Haydon’s life. Because of her, Michael now had his brother back, and Haydon was happier than Michael had ever seen him.
Michael wanted the special kind of love Haydon had found with Rainee. With all his heart, Michael believed he had—until a few hours ago. But it was fully clear to him now that his marriage to Selina was nothing but a farce and that his worst nightmare of being stuck in a loveless marriage had now come true. How had he let this happen?
Jesse squeezed his shoulder, yanking Michael from the cave of darkness his thoughts had taken him to.
“I know this is hard, Michael.”
You have no idea how hard this thing is. No one does.
“But I have faith in you that you’ll do what’s right. Keep in mind that when Rainee first came, Haydon didn’t want anything to do with her, either. He didn’t believe God was in that whole situation, yet look how it turned out. They have two beautiful children and one on the way. Listen, I’ve got to run. Hannah is waving me down. If you need to talk, you know I’m here.”
“Thanks, Jess.” Michael pulled his brother into a quick hug then watched him head toward Hannah.
“Hey, buddy.” Michael stiffened. The town heckler, Jake Lure, stepped alongside him and slapped him on the back. “Well, I guess we know who wears the pants in your family.” Jake cackled and twitched his thick blond eyebrows in a mocking gesture.
Michael clenched his fists at his sides.
Jake looked around and then leaned closer to Michael. “You know, I think I’ve seen that beautiful face somewhere before. On one of the wanted posters at the jail.” He cackled again.
Even though the man was a few inches taller than Michael’s six-foot, broad-shouldered frame, Michael found himself wanting to punch Jake. But, he refused to stoop to this man’s lower-than-dirt level.
Yet, hadn’t he already done that by judging Selina’s outward appearance, too? He had even justified his actions by reminding himself that she was not what he was expecting and it was the shock of seeing her dressed in trousers that had made him act so unbecomingly.
Thinking about how despicable his ungodly thoughts had been, he repented immediately. In that second, he decided no man or woman was ever going to get away with talking about his wife like that again.
“I’ll thank you not to insult my wife ever again. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to find my bride.” Michael turned to leave.
“Just look for the lady in trousers.” Jake’s hooting laughter grated on Michael’s nerves, but he refused to give into the temptation to pummel the guy.
Instead, he pushed his shoulders back and headed toward Selina. “I will.” He tossed the words over his shoulder.
All the way to Selina, Michael fumed. Just who did Jake think he was, anyway? How dare he or anyone disrespect his wife like that? He may not like the way she dressed, either, but maybe that was all she could afford or had or grew up with. So who was he or anyone else to judge her?
He walked up next to Selina, standing amid a group of women who were laughing at something his wife had said. These were the very same people who when they had first laid eyes on her had shown disgust.
He slipped his arm around her shoulder. “Excuse me, ladies. You won’t mind if I steal my wife away, will you?”
“We do, but we’ll let you,” said Sadie Elder, who came out West four years before to marry Tom Elder, a widower with nine boys. She took Selina’s hands in hers. “You’re just what we needed around here, Selina. It’s a real pleasure meeting you. When you get settled, you must come by for a visit. Michael can show you where we live.” Sadie looked at Michael seeking his permission.
He nodded.
“Oh, yes, you must come by my house for a visit, too,” Mrs. Hawkins chimed in, and the other married ladies put in their requests, too.
Selina had obviously made a good impression on them. They not only seemed to accept her, outfit and all, but liked her well enough to invite her to their homes. That was a good sign. Wasn’t it?
“It’s right neighborly of y’all to invite me to y’alls homes. Iffen any of you need help, you let me know, and I’ll be there quicker than a frog snatchin’ a fly.”
They all laughed.
“Oh, Selina. You say the funniest things,” Sadie said through a chuckle.
Selina looked surprised by Sadie’s comment, then she wagged her finger at Sadie and said, “Don’t you go hurtin’ yourself liftin’ that cannin’ kettle. I’ll come by in a couple days and do it for you.” Selina glanced up at Michael and smiled. Her teeth were as white as freshly fallen snow and not a crooked one to be found. The woman really was beautiful. Judging from the way she was willing to help everyone, she must be beautiful on the inside, too. Only time would tell.