office found its way to him. He had one month or he would forfeit the five years of hard work he had put into his ranch. What an odd law! He would like to find the person who came up with the idea and throttle them. Regardless, facts were facts and he had one month to settle this issue or he would lose the life he had worked so hard to build.
He entered his neighbor’s barn and called out. “Mr. Clark?”
“Back here.”
Sean walked to the stall at the back corner of the barn, his heart about to run away with itself. How, exactly, did one approach a man about such a matter?
Lillian’s face flashed through his mind as he followed Jonathan Clark’s voice. She had an unusual birthmark on the right side of her face that ran across her forehead, along her temple, down the hallow of her cheek, and tapered off at the tip of her delicate earlobe. Anytime someone spoke to her, she turned her face ever so slightly away as if to keep them from staring. The urge to trace the birthmark with his fingertips surprised him and he shook himself out of his reverie.
“Mr. Clark, I need to speak privately about a matter of some urgency.”
Jonathan leaned the shovel against the stall wall, looked around the barn and held his hands up as if to ask if this was private enough.
“If you don’t mind, sir, I’d like to ride the fence line.”
Bewilderment creased the older man’s brows even as he shrugged and said, “Sure. I was going to take a ride out to check on things later, anyway.”
In silence, the men mounted their horses and rode out to the fence row that separated their properties. Neither of them spoke. Jonathan seemed to leave it to Sean to speak his mind when he was ready. When they reached the creek, the men dismounted and allowed their horses a drink.
“Sir... There is no easy way to begin this conversation. I’m afraid I am in a serious bind here.” He hesitated.
“What sort of bind, Sean?”
Sean pulled the paper from his pocket and handed it over to the older man who opened it and scanned its contents.
Jonathan’s brows furrowed as he studied the paper, then studied Sean for a long moment. “How long have you known about this?”
Sean cleared his throat. “I received my first notice eleven months ago.”
His brows hiked up. “You’ve known about this for nearly a year?”
He gave a slight nod, meeting the man’s intense, questioning gaze.
“Have you been courting someone secretly?”
He shook his head. “I’ve not been courting anyone at all, sir.” He cleared his throat. “I have been praying, though. And considering.”
“Praying is good. And has the Lord given you answer to your prayers?”
Sean averted his eyes for a moment as he nodded. “I believe he has, sir.”
Jonathan crossed his arms over his chest, the letter still in his hand, and eyed him warily. “And?”
He cleared his throat, unsure of how to proceed other than to just come straight out with it. “I have been studying all of the lasses of marrying age over the past year, sir. I even made a list.”
“A list.”
“Yes, sir. A list.” He cleared his throat again and shifted. He glanced at the horses to make sure they had not started wandering too far as they found grass to munch on. His gaze returned to Jonathan as he said, “I have marked the lasses off my list one by one. Some ... or most, actually, did na’ linger on it long, I assure you.”
Jonathan chuckled and gave Sean a knowing grin. It was no secret that Miss Scarlet, the banker’s daughter, had tried over and over to convince Sean that she was the perfect bride for him. She was beautiful, there was no doubting that. However, she lacked the inner beauty for which Sean looked and found her sorely lacking. She had been pampered her entire life and knew nothing of running a ranch home. He doubted she knew how to boil water for tea, much less cook meals and clean and do laundry. At that thought, Lillian’s face filled his mind and brought him back from his wayward thoughts.
“In all of my praying and considering, there is only one lass who has kept comin’ to mind o’er and o’er again.”
“Is that so?” His brows hiked in interest.
“Yes, sir. Which is why I needed to speak with you. You see, the only lass I can see myself married to is your Lillian.”
The older man’s jaw dropped. Shock rendered him speechless for a long moment.
Finally, he whispered. “Lillian?”
Sean shuffled his feet again. “Yes, sir. Miss Lillian.”
The man’s brows drew together in contemplation. Arms still crossed, he rubbed his jaw as he studied Sean for an uncomfortable long moment.
Finally, he said, “Why Lillian?”
If he were honest with himself, he did not rightly know. He felt drawn to her, but he could not put his finger on why. He shrugged and listed the reasons he had come up with over the course of the previous months.
“Miss Lillian is a kind-hearted lass. She loves children. She is always ready to lend a helping hand to those in need. She knows how to run a household on a ranch with all of the chores involved. You know me well enough to know that I am not particularly comfortable in the presence of most women.” He shrugged. “She has a lovely, unassuming smile that puts me at ease. She seems to understand that I don’t like a lot of blather and, whereas most young ladies are uncomfortable with my silence, she seems to be...” What did she seem to be with his silence? His brows scrunched as he searched the ground around his feet as if to find the answer among the ants milling about. “She seems accepting and unaffected by it. Maybe even at home with my silence.”
He raised his gaze to Jonathan’s again. “I think if a woman can accept me for who I am and if I am comfortable with her presence, that is a good place to start, don’t you think?”
Jonathan studied him closely as if searching for something in particular. At long last he said, “You are aware of the hurt my girl has received over her birthmark?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I know you have an empathetic heart for those who are outcast. Is that, perhaps, the reason you have chosen my Lillian?”
Sean thought for a long moment, searching his heart. He thought of their exchange this morning. He had watched her face closely throughout the conversation, looking for any clue that she might mind marrying him even though they had not courted. What he saw was a kind and lovely young woman, deserving of a husband and home of her own. He was drawn to her, even as he remembered the light in her eyes as she spoke to him, the shyness of her posture, and the kindness of her offer to do his laundry. His heart beat a little faster, remembering the flush that had stolen into her cheeks at particular moments in the conversation.
“No, sir. To be honest, I never see her birthmark as anything other than a part of her lovely self. I don’t understand why folks have such a hard time looking past it to the person she is. No, sir. There is no pity in my regard for Lillian. I hold her in high esteem, I assure you.”
Jonathan studied him a moment longer as he held his gaze, strong and steady. Finally, the man nodded and said, “I can see that you are in earnest and that you do have a high regard for my Lilly. The trouble is, we have only one month until you must be wed. I wish you had come to me sooner. Lilly deserves to be wooed, not handed over to a man for the man’s own convenience.”
A stab of pain lanced Sean’s heart. He had not thought of that. He did not wish to hurt sweet Lillian. Why had he been such a coward all these months? He had known at least since the Spring picnic that she was the one he wanted for his wife. Why had he not thought about how this would affect her? He blew out a breath in frustration and rubbed the back of his neck.
“I’m sorry, sir. You’re right. The lass could very well turn me down and I’ve no one to blame for it but myself. I am in such a state and there truly is no other lass I want to marry. If Miss Lillian turns me down, I don’t know what I’ll do. All these months... I’ve had all these months and the right lass under me nose and I might lose me land after all.” He stared unseeing at the creek, the sound of the rippling water filling the silence.
Jonathan finally broke the silence. “I can see you are in earnest. I will tell Lilly that I have arranged a marriage for her. The key will be keeping her from thinking this is a pity arrangement.”
“No, sir!” He cut off the older man’s words. “I’ll not have her thinking she has no choice.”
“Sean, the crux of the matter is this. Lillian is twenty years old and needs a husband and home of her own. She is a wonderful help to her mama and me, but her younger siblings are plenty old enough to take her place. She deserves a good man to take care of her. You are our nearest neighbor and it only makes sense to make a match of the two of you. You need a bride and she needs a groom, and I honestly do not believe there is another man in all the territory who can see beyond her birthmark to the person she is. I think this is the best possible outcome for all involved.”
Sean nodded. “I had thought of the closeness of our ranches, as well. It would be good for her to be near her family.” Embarrassment washed over him and his cheeks warmed a bit. “I’ve been building a house...” His voice trailed off.
“Is that why you haven’t been around much this spring?”
“Yes, sir.” His face grew warmer. “I did na’ want to bring her home to a soddy. I wanted to provide her with a comfortable home of which she would be proud.”
The older man grinned. “You have been thinking of my girl!”
A sheepish grin stole across his face as he nodded. “Indeed.”
Jonathan slapped him on the shoulder and said, “Well, that makes my papa’s heart feel a whole lot better. Let me talk to her mama. I am certain we will want to talk with Lillian before you speak with her. We don’t want to shock my poor girl given the shortage of time.”
Regret nipped at Sean as he nodded.
“Why don’t you come for supper tomorrow night? That will give me time to speak with Catherine. I can meet you at the great oak tree to fill you in on what we decide. It might be good to allow Lilly time to get used to your presence in her life before you spring anything on her.”
Sean winced. This did not feel right. It felt like plotting. He did not wish to ambush the lass. “Mr. Clark, please assure the lass that this is her decision to make. I do not want anyone pressuring her into marrying a man she does not want to marry.”
The older man clasped his shoulder and said, “Don’t worry, Sean. Catherine and I will do what needs doing in order to protect our daughter’s heart while supplying what you both need – a good mate for life. We will not force her, but we will encourage her to see this as beneficial.”
Sean nodded, but still did not feel quite comfortable about the situation. What could he do? He is the one who put them all in this predicament and Jonathan was simply trying to help the situation the best he knew how. The man would certainly know how to handle his daughter best and that thought gave him a little reassurance. Hopefully, the lass would not think him a eejit (idiot). It looked like he would be spending time in much needed in prayer tonight.
