Second-Chance Bride (Dakota Brides Book 3)(56)

Charlie made snuffling noises. The poor baby was tired. He’d lived through so many disasters in his short year and a half of life.

She could not add to those hardships by trying to survive the winter in a barn. “I will agree to a marriage on paper only.”

She felt Anker’s stillness as he considered her words.

“I do not understand.”

“Charlie has enough narrow-mindedness to deal with already.” For herself she did not regret that her son clearly showed the evidence of his father’s half-breed status. But for Charlie’s sake she wished he looked more like her. “I don’t want to add to it. So I will go with you to your house. I will marry you to make it look honorable. But in truth, I am not marrying you, and I want you to agree that in the spring we will have the marriage annulled and I will come back here.” People would talk but she had grown used to that.

“This ‘annulled.’ I don’t understand.”

Grateful the darkness hid the heat rushing up her neck and nipping at the tips of her ears, she sought for a delicate way to explain. “If two people don’t...ahh...don’t share the marriage bed—” She choked, but forced herself to continue. “They can declare the marriage to be...”

“Only pretend?”

“Yes.”

“This is possible?”

“Will you agree? Promise to—” How did she ask a man to share his home yet not expect anything in return? Did he truly understand?

“If this is what you want, I will agree.” His voice deepened and he sounded weary.

“You’ll release me come spring?”

“If this is what you want.”

“I promise I will do my share. I won’t leave owing you for giving me a home.”

“You will owe me nothing. I made a promise to your man and I will keep it. Come.” He reached for her hand but didn’t give her a chance to decide if she would let him take it. He pulled her out into the orange light. “We are getting married,” he announced loudly and firmly.

“And the preacher’s here to do it right now,” one of the men said.

Reverend Sorrow stepped forward. “I came to see if anyone needed my services.”

Lena understood he meant he feared someone had perished in the fire. No one had. At least she had that to be grateful for.

Anker’s hand held her upright when her legs threatened to melt.

With curious neighbors gathered around, Lena faced her wedding, in a cotton dress that had seen better days even before she’d soaked it with water, smoke, and mud. Charlie still perched contentedly in Anker’s arms.

Through Johnson’s death and the long hard summer, she’d clung to what Johnson had taught her about God. She was sure he would have been proud.

But now what? What was God doing?

Despair swelled inside her head, reaching bony fingers into her heart and gouging at her ribs.

Had God’s care been for Johnson alone? Perhaps, with him gone, she no longer qualified for it.