An Unexpected Groom Read online

  Louisa stood on his porch. Her eyes lowered to his bare chest and a smile tugged at her lips. “Exercising again?”

  He grinned, wheeling back from the threshold to allow her in. “No, simply half-naked this time. It’s early. I wasn’t expecting anyone.”

  “I came to have breakfast with you and walk with you to work.” She lifted the basket she held in her hands. “I brought cheese muffins. Although if you’ve already eaten, you can take them for lunch.”

  “No, I haven’t eaten yet.” He buttoned his shirt, watching her eyes follow the movement of his hands.

  His chest covered, she raised her gaze and he lifted his eyebrows. She cleared her throat and turned away and he stifled a laugh as he followed her into the kitchen. She placed the basket on the table and went to fetch plates. He got the butter and knives.

  They sat opposite each other and she reached out her hands. “May I say the blessing?”

  It was the first time she’d wanted to in all the times they’d eaten together. He tried not to appear surprised as he took her hands. “Sure you can.”

  Looking a little nervous, she closed her eyes. “Dear Father, thank You for keeping Jesse and me since we were last together. Please bless this food and thank You for providing it. And, Father, You know Jesse is going to speak to Mr Vernon today. Please give him the words to say and take away any nervousness he may have. And give Mr Vernon wisdom and discernment, that he will see the truth of what Jesse tells him and do the right thing. Thank You. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.”

  “Amen,” Jesse echoed. He opened his eyes but didn’t release her hands. “You came here for me this morning, didn’t you? Because you knew I’d be worrying.”

  She shrugged. “I didn’t think you should be on your own.”

  He loved her so much it felt like his heart could burst in his chest. How was it possible to feel like this? He wanted so badly to tell her the whole truth about how he felt, but he was afraid that professing his love now, while she still had doubts, would scare her away. He’d promised not to pressure her and he wouldn’t, but he needed her to know how much he appreciated all she’d done for him.

  Bringing her hands to his lips, he pressed a kiss to each of them. “Thank you. This means so much to me. You mean so much to me.”

  Her eyes shimmered and she looked away.

  He let go of one hand and touched her face, catching a tear as it trickled down her cheek. “Hey, don’t cry. Everything will be all right.”

  She sniffed and wiped at her eyes. “I’m sorry. It’s just that you mean so much to me too.” She gave a teary laugh. “I’m supposed to be cheering you up and here I am getting all emotional.” She pulled her hand from his and lifted the cloth from the top of the basket, releasing a mouth-watering cheesy aroma. “Let’s eat, before these get cold.”

  Sharing breakfast with Louisa and then having her walk with him to work did wonders for Jesse’s frame of mind. Yes, by the time they reached the bank he was nervous, but nowhere near as afraid as he would have been. Effective distraction as she was, while they were together he barely even thought of the upcoming meeting with Mr Vernon.

  When they reached the bank she glanced at the others on the street then leaned down and whispered, “If there weren’t so many people around, I’d kiss you.”

  His brain immediately began searching for ways to make that happen. Sadly, none of them were practical. “Would it really be so bad if I pulled you into my lap right here, in front of everyone?”

  She laughed softly. “I’m not sure I’m ready for that quite yet. Maybe in a few days’ time.” She touched her hand to his shoulder briefly. “I’m going to be praying hard the whole morning. I’ll see you this afternoon.”

  He watched her walking away for a few seconds before wheeling round to the entrance at the rear of the bank.

  He hung his jacket on the coat stand in his office and placed his lunch of sandwiches and an apple into the drawer in his desk. He took a quick look into the lobby, but it was empty. Unsurprisingly as they didn’t open for another twenty minutes or so and Adam hadn’t arrived yet. He only worked mornings, at least for the next few days. Jesse was still hoping Mr Vernon would change his mind about firing him. He felt responsible, in a way. If he hadn’t suggested Adam advertise for a bride... but he couldn’t do anything about that now. One problem at a time.

  He closed his eyes and raised his face. Father, please guide me and give me the words to say to Mr Vernon. Open his mind to the truth. Please take control of this whole thing. In Your name, Lord Jesus. Amen.

  Opening his eyes, he took in a deep breath, blew it out slowly, and muttered, “Let’s do this.”

  As always, Ransom was at his desk outside Mr Vernon’s office. It had been too much to hope that he wouldn’t be, but Jesse had hoped anyway.

  “I need to speak to Mr Vernon,” he said as he wheeled up to him.

  Ransom withdrew his silver watch from the pocket of his waistcoat and flipped it open. “Opening time...”

  “Is over fifteen minutes away,” Jesse said. “I’ll be done by then. Anyway, Adam can do that by himself.”

  Ransom narrowed his eyes. Jesse held his gaze. He didn’t know if Ransom suspected he suspected him, but if he was cheating people he’d probably be paranoid about everyone.

  After a few seconds, he pushed his chair back and stood. “Just make it quick. Mr Vernon’s time is valuable.”

  Jesse couldn’t help himself. “So is mine.” Including all the time he’d spent the past week trying to work out what Ransom was doing. Time that would have been better spent thinking up new ways to convince Louisa to stay.

  Ransom ignored the comment and went to Vernon’s office door, knocking and then opening it at the command to enter. “Sir, Mr Johnson would like to speak to you briefly.”

  Jesse rolled his eyes at Ransom’s back.

  “Send him in,” Mr Vernon said from inside the office.

  Ransom stepped aside to let Jesse past then pushed the door to behind him. Jesse looked back to see he’d left it ajar. He reached out to close it properly.

  “What can I do for you, Mr Johnson?”

  Jesse’s boss could be an intimidating man. It wasn’t his somewhat rotund frame or that he was a good thirty years older. It wasn’t the huge oak desk he sat behind or even his clothing that probably cost more than everything Jesse owned in the world, combined. What made him intimidating was his complete and overwhelming air of confidence.

  He didn’t own Green Hill Creek but he did own some notable parts of it, including the bank and the hotel. He headed the council and, should the town ever decide to have a mayor, he would probably get the job. And he was undoubtedly the richest man for miles around.

  From what Jesse could tell, he wasn’t necessarily a bad man, but he also wasn’t particularly moral. He made decisions based on two basic concerns, money and social standing, although Jesse suspected the social part was largely due to his wife. As such, it was sometimes difficult to predict how he would react. This was one of those times.

  He rolled up to the desk, silently praying for strength. “Sir, I need to talk to you about Mr Ransom. There’s no easy way to say this, so I’ll just come out with it. In this past week I’ve discovered that he is using his position to cheat customers out of money.”

  Mr Vernon raised his hand. “I’m going to stop you before you go any further.”

  “Sir, I don’t think you understand. Mr Ransom is...”

  “He told me there was a chance you would do this.”

  Jesse frowned. “He what?”

  “Mr Johnson, I like you. I’ll admit, when you first came to me asking for a job I wasn’t sure that someone with your condition could handle it, but you were qualified and there was no one else around. And I’ve never had cause to regret my decision. You’re a hard worker and your work is always accurate and precise. I count you as an asset to the bank. But you are going to have to work out your issues with Mr Ransom for yourself. This kind of behaviou
r is beneath you.”

  Jesse gaped at him, his mind scrambling to recover from the derailment of his carefully prepared speech. “What has he told you?”

  “He informed me some time ago of the disagreement you’ve been having and that you had threatened to resort to fabricating lies about him.”

  Some time ago? Before he’d even begun to suspect something was going on?

  Jesse opened his mouth to speak, but Vernon stopped him.

  “Mr Ransom has been working for me for seventeen years and in all that time he has been completely trustworthy in all matters. Did you really think I would believe these outlandish accusations?”

  Jesse felt his control slipping away from him. “But... but he’s lying to you! There hasn’t been any disagreement between us. Sir, you have to believe me. He’s stealing from customers and using the bank to do it.”

  “And do you have any proof of this?”

  He frantically tried to think of something, anything. “Well, no, but...”

  “I think you should go back to your desk, and for your sake we’ll forget this ever happened.” Vernon leaned forward over his desk, his voice tinged with warning. “But if you ever try this again, I will be forced to conclude that you are unable to uphold the professional conduct required to be an employee of this bank. Is that clear?”

  How could this be happening? “But, sir...”

  “Is that clear?”

  In that moment Jesse knew nothing he said would make a difference. Vernon had made his decision, and once that happened nothing would budge him. Jesse’s cause was lost even before he’d wheeled into his office.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Good. Now I suggest you get to work. We’re about to open.”

  Jesse turned away, barely feeling his arms as he propelled his chair towards the door.

  “And Mr Johnson?”

  He stopped but didn’t look back.

  “I think you should apologise to Mr Ransom.”

  His knuckles turned white on the push rims of his wheels. Clamping his teeth together before he said anything he’d regret, he continued to the door. Ransom looked up from his desk as he exited the office. Had he been listening at the door? Did he know that Jesse knew?

  Did it matter?

  Without a word, Jesse wheeled back to his office. When he got there Adam was hanging his jacket next to Jesse’s.

  “What’s wrong?” Adam glanced at the door beyond him. “You weren’t talking to Vernon about me, were you? I told you, I don’t want you risking your job over me.”

  Jesse wheeled in behind his desk. “No, I wasn’t talking to Vernon about you.” He’d already tried that, more than once. It seemed his boss wasn’t inclined to listen to him about anything.

  Adam planted his hands on his hips. “Why not?! Call yourself my friend?”

  Not many people could have made Jesse laugh at that moment, but Adam was one of them. “I can’t win with you, can I?”

  He smiled and wandered over to sit on the edge of Jesse’s desk. There was a permanently clear space there just for him. Jesse had learned soon after Adam began working at the bank two years previously that anything he put there would just be shoved out of the way the next time he sat anyway.

  “What’s wrong though?” he said. “Is it Louisa?”

  Jesse considered telling him the truth, but Adam had enough worries of his own. When all this was over and everything had worked out, one way or another, he’d tell him then. And probably get berated for not telling him sooner.

  “I still don’t know if she’s going to stay. Two weeks seemed like enough time when I started this, but it turns out it’s no time at all.”

  “She’ll stay,” Adam stated firmly. “I’ve seen the way that girl looks at you. I may not know much about how women think, or anything about them really, but even I can see she’s crazy about you. I wish Amy looked at me like that.”

  Jesse sighed, shaking his head. His friend truly was clueless. “You really have no idea, do you?”

  Chapter 20

  When Jesse got out of work that afternoon he half expected Louisa to be there waiting for him. He was sorry that she wasn’t.

  He considered going to the smithy and seeing if his father had time to talk but decided to go home first. He had a deep urge to get out of his work clothes and wash away all trace of his day at the bank. If he’d had a choice, he would have quit and never gone back. He’d had enough, of Ransom, of Vernon, of everything to do with the place.

  Once home he wheeled into the kitchen. His foul mood drained away when he looked out the window into his back yard.

  Louisa sat at the small table outside, reading. She had on the same dress she’d worn the first Sunday after she arrived, the cream coloured one with lace cuffs and collar that had taken his breath away.

  She’d changed a lot in the week since then. When she’d arrived, her hair was always perfectly fixed with not a single strand awry, her bonnet always properly in place, and she always sat demurely, like he imagined some high class lady would. She was stunning but like a porcelain doll; perfect, brittle, untouchable.

  Now her hair was pinned into a more relaxed style, several loose strands framing her face as she focused on the book on the table in front of her. He hadn’t seen her bonnet in days, other than in church, and then she’d removed it the moment she got out. Her whole demeanour was softer, more relaxed, and she seemed happier. It made her even more beautiful, if that was possible.

  He liked to think her transformation was due largely to his influence, although it was more likely a combination of being away from home, her new friends, and the Joneses. And him. He had to be in there somewhere.

  He unlocked the back door and wheeled outside, adoring the way her face lit up when she saw him.

  “I’m going to have to get you a key.”

  “I would have come to meet you at the bank,” she said, closing her book, “but I wasn’t sure if you’d want me to or if you’d want to be alone for a while.”

  He wheeled to the table, took her hand and kissed the back. “There will never be a time when I don’t want to be with you.”

  The way her eyes shone when he said things like that gave him hope for their future. It made him think that one day she could love him the way he loved her.

  She took his hand in both of hers. “How did it go with Mr Vernon? Did he believe you? I brought cherry scones, just in case.”

  He looked at her hands wrapped around his and sighed. “I didn’t stand a chance.” He related the brief conversation with Vernon from that morning. “I don’t know what Ransom told him, but it was obviously something he was prepared to believe over anything I could say.”

  Louisa sat back, lips pressed together and eyes sparking with anger. Jesse had never seen her so furious.

  “Why that... that... scoundrel!” Letting go of his hand, she leaped to her feet and began to pace back and forth, gesticulating as she spoke. “How dare he tell Mr Vernon such things?! How could anyone believe you are anything less than completely trustworthy? You’re one of the most caring, thoughtful, honest people I know! How in the world did Mr Vernon get to own a bank being such an appalling judge of character? What is wrong with him? And that Mr Ransom, I’d like to find him and give him a piece of my mind. If he was here right now I do believe I might even slap him!” She rushed back to her seat and leaned forward to grasp Jesse’s hand again. “So what’s next? What are we going to do?”

  “I... I don’t know,” he said, taken aback by her vehemence when he was on the verge of giving up.

  “There must be something. We can’t let him get away with this. He’s attacked your good name now. He has to be stopped!”

  The last thing Jesse wanted was to let her down, but he was at a loss. With no proof and not even a shred of evidence, how could he possibly do anything to stop Ransom?

  “Let’s go over this logically,” she said when he didn’t answer. “We know what he’s doing and how he’s doing it, but we have
no proof. Without proof no one will believe us. So what we need to do is find some proof.”

  No one will believe us. What we need to do.

  Us.

  We.

  This was his problem and yet she spoke as if it was hers as well. He wasn’t alone. And with God and Louisa on his side, how could he fail?

  “All right,” he said, encouraged. “So how are we going to do that?”

  At his change of mood, she smiled. “Can we go back to the people who took out the loans? Tell them what Mr Ransom has done and get them to speak to Mr Vernon?”

  Much as he didn’t want to point out the obvious, he felt he ought to. “You mean the people you told you worked for the bank and were conducting a customer satisfaction survey?”

  Her face fell. “Oh.”

  “And Ransom must have done something to ensure that couldn’t happen. He’s too meticulous to leave anything to chance.” He hated being the one to dampen her hopes, but there it was.

  She stared at their entwined hands for a moment. “Then we just have to find something he can’t control. Something that, even if he’d thought of it, he couldn’t do anything about.”

  They both lapsed into silence as they considered the problem.

  “What about that man you saw Mr Ransom talking to on Saturday?” she said after a while.

  “I don’t know who he was. Or even if they were really talking.”

  “But you think they were?”

  “Yes.” He thought back to two days before and the strange sight of Ransom talking to the man outside the saloon without actually looking at him. “He had to have been. There was no one else nearby and I’m pretty sure he’s not given to talking to himself.”

  She sat back. “So let’s go find him.”

  “Without knowing who he is? Or where he is?”

  She smiled, standing up. “It’s a small town. Won’t take us long to look.”

  He had to admit he had no other ideas and it was better than doing nothing. And he didn’t want to do anything more to discourage her drive to help him.