Conveniently Wed

Chapter 32

32

F ranklin stood beside the gaping maw of the open grave. Even in his sheepskin and suede coat, he was chilled to the bone...by more than just the icy wind. As he gazed down at the closed pine box that contained the remains of his former fiancée, he grieved more for what had happened to her than for what she’d done to him. He knew he hadn’t loved her enough, and he was sorry she’d made such poor choices. She shouldn’t have ended up in this cemetery at such an early age. And her son would never know his mother.

“Let’s pray.” Pastor Nelson bowed his head, pulling Franklin from his thoughts, and everyone around them followed suit.

When had he moved from pain to forgiveness? When Lorinda became my wife. His thoughts turned toward her. She’d wanted to come to the graveside service, but both of the babies needed her. He wished he could’ve stayed home with her, but he wanted to make sure Miriam’s body received the care she deserved. And he wanted to make sure that no one besides their pastor knew the circumstances of her last few years. He owed her that much.

Yesterday after he’d made arrangements with the undertaker and Pastor Brian, he’d had a talk with his lawyer. The man confirmed that the paper Miriam had written was legal enough to stand up in court. So he and Lorinda now had two sons, a surprise since he’d figured they’d only have the one.

Lorinda had seemed all right with what happened the night Miriam asked the question and wrote her desires about her son. But he wondered if she really was okay with the results. Had she believed the newborn would become theirs so soon?

At the end of the service, he quickly excused himself and set out toward the ranch, riding Major as fast as he could under the darkening clouds, heavy with snow. How should he approach Lorinda? He already felt he’d taken advantage of her in a way he never imagined. Brian had helped him see the error of his ways, and he’d started trying to court his wife. But was that even right? Would she feel beholden to him and only stay for that reason? He wanted more. For her to love him.

He’d come to love her so much that he wanted to clasp her even closer to him and not let her go. Both of them reveling in their love. Since his father had taught him to respect women, he’d never experienced the intimacy that should be saved until after the wedding. He knew the mechanics of it, but could only imagine the emotional depth of the actual event.

He’d been so unfair to Lorinda. Asking her to accept a marriage in name only had been a selfish mistake. One he’d regret to his dying day.

She’d been all right with it at first, but was that still her feeling? Especially now that she would have to help him raise not only her son, but Miriam’s as well. How could he find out without pushing her...maybe even away from him. Franklin shook his head. He didn’t want that to happen.

When he’d gotten home from Breckenridge yesterday, Lorinda had been nursing the new baby boy. She looked happy and satisfied. But was she really? Maybe she’d had time to think about the consequences of what had transpired. Had she considered what their future would be now? He didn’t have the right words to ask her. Why could he talk to everyone else, but not to his wife about what mattered?

As he rode toward the house, he gave a small salute to the men standing guard, and each one gave an answering wave. Everything must’ve been quiet while he was away. He was thankful to have men he could trust working for him.

But he’d trusted Marvin for a long time. Hopefully, he’d matured enough to really recognize a man of integrity when he saw one. When he arrived at the barn, he took care of his horse, then headed toward the house.

After taking off his coat, he stuffed his gloves in the pockets and hung it up along with his Stetson. Franklin found Lorinda once again in the parlor near the fireplace. Even after wearing the lined leather gloves, his fingers felt like icicles. He leaned against the mantel, close enough to the fire to warm him up, but not in a place where he’d keep the warmth from reaching his wife and children. Children? That had a nice ring to it.

“You’re back sooner than I thought you’d be.” Her blue eyes looked as warm and welcoming as a summer sky.

He glanced toward the basket beside her where the new baby slept. Michael sat on the rug nearby playing with the wooden blocks Franklin had carved for him. He didn’t seem to be affected by the new guy in the house. Almost as if Franklin had called his name, Michael’s gaze shot toward him.

“Da, da, da, da.”

Drool dripped from his chin, and Lorinda took her hanky and swiped it away. He picked up a block in each hand and started banging them together. Franklin figured all the noise would disturb the new baby, but it didn’t.

“I didn’t linger, because I wanted to get home to my family.” His smile encompassed all of them.

“Now that everything with Miriam has been taken care of, there’s something we must discuss.” Lorinda sounded so earnest. “She didn’t have time to tell us what she wanted to name her son.”

“ Our son.” Franklin was thankful she didn’t have anything more serious to discuss.

“Yes...that’s what I meant.” She heaved a sigh. “I don’t know how to handle something like this.”

“We didn’t get a lot of time to talk yesterday, since it was so busy.” He dropped into the wingback chair opposite the one where his wife sat. “I talked to the lawyer. The paper Miriam wrote and signed will stand up in court, so we can legally adopt him when we want to. Until then, he’s ours anyway.”

“So we need to decide what to name our son.” Lorinda reached down and lifted him into her arms without disturbing his slumber, cuddling him close to her heart. “Do you have any ideas?”

“We can’t name him after his real father. I don’t think she wants him to even know who that man is.” A slight throbbing took up residence in his head, right behind his eyes.

“Since he’s to be your son, we could name him Franklin. Michael is named for his birth father.” She began to rock back and forth in the chair as she held the baby closer.

The throbbing accelerated a little. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. We need a different name for him.”

“All right.” She seemed flustered. “Can you think of another name you would want to use?”

“How about your father?”

The words had barely left his mouth when a look of horror covered her face. “No!”

He’d never heard such a strong exclamation from her. What had she endured at the hands of that man to bring such a response? Anger welled up in him against the man he’d never met. He thought he remembered her saying she didn’t have any more relatives when Mike was killed. Must mean her father was dead as well. What had the man done to her? Was he the reason she had a hard time trusting men?

Franklin wished Lorinda felt safe enough to share her pain with him. She knew all about his situation with Marvin and Miriam. Please Lord, let her tell me soon.

Lorinda laid the baby back in the basket and tucked the blankets close around him as he slept. “How about your father’s name?”

When she looked back up at him, her face wore a serene mask, but he could tell she was fighting to keep it that way. He wanted to take her in his arms and tell her everything would be all right. His heart ached for her. Franklin wanted to make things better for her, but how could he when she wouldn’t share with him about what had happened? Frustration gripped him.

“What was your father’s name, Franklin?”

He drew his thoughts back to their conversation. “Andrew...Andrew Vine.”

A smile lit her face, even reaching her eyes. “Andrew is a good, strong name. He’ll need a name like that.”

He wondered what she meant, but he didn’t ask. Of course, every man needed a strong name, especially out here in the mountains.

“Since Mrs. Oleson planned to stay in Breckenridge to help with the funeral meal at the schoolhouse, I put on a pot of elk stew. It should be ready soon.” Lorinda headed toward the kitchen.

Franklin was surprised that all the things on his mind had kept him from noticing the pleasing aroma of the stew. But then, the house usually smelled good when he came in near a mealtime.

Rusty had gone hunting last week and brought the large bull elk down. After they slaughtered it, the meat had hung in the cold smokehouse. Franklin was particularly fond of elk meat, so his mouth watered. He hadn’t felt like eating when he was in town, but the stew Lorinda made emanated a delicious aroma throughout the house. As Franklin watched the two baby boys, hunger pangs assailed him. He could hardly wait for the meal to be ready. Soon after Lorinda left, the fragrance of cooking biscuits joined the other delicious smells.

Franklin picked up Michael and hugged him tight before also grabbing the handle of the basket that held Andrew. He took both boys to the kitchen, setting the basket not too far from the black cook stove and putting Michael in his highchair.

“Can I do anything to help?”

Lorinda had never seen Franklin help with anything in the kitchen besides taking care of the fire in the stove. “Everything’s ready. I’ll just set the table, then serve the food.”

“Okay. I’ll watch the boys.” His words sounded so normal, even though having more than one son was new to them.

He pulled up a chair beside the highchair and whispered secrets into Michael’s ears. The baby’s attention was focused completely on his daddy.

She gathered the silverware and napkins and began to place them on the table. When she glanced up, her husband’s attention wasn’t focused on Michael, even though he continued to play with him. His gaze followed her every move. A soft smile spread across his face. What was that man thinking? Did a wife ever know her husband’s thoughts? She never had mastered that, even when she was married to Mike. He was always a mystery.

Franklin had never really tried to control her the way her father and Mike had, but she still couldn’t figure him out. Would her life always be filled with unknowns? Or someday, would she be able to understand her husband?

Lorinda returned to the stove and slid the pot of stew off onto hot mats on the cabinet by the dry sink. She felt his eyes boring into her back. Was he deliberately trying to make her feel uncomfortable? She shook the thought from her mind when she turned around to carry the bowls of stew to the table. After removing the biscuits from the oven, she placed them in a tea towel-lined bread basket and pulled the edges up over the biscuits to keep them warm. She removed the crock of butter from the ice cold closet and brought both things to the table, all the time feeling awkward.

“Everything smells delicious, Lorinda.”

The way he said her name made her feel cared for. Too bad he didn’t.