Wrong Husband Read online

  “Now, now. Did you think I’d forget?”

  Owen couldn’t answer. He was breathing too fast. Was he hyperventilating? He did feel dizzy, almost like he was going to pass out. He tried to get a gulp of air but coughed instead.

  “Here it is.” The man handed him something. “I kept it safe for you, just as you requested.”

  Owen stared at the wedding band in the palm of his hand. Shaking his head, he said, “You...you don’t understand.”

  “Cold feet, huh? Well, all men get that. Even the tough ones.”

  “No. I-” He almost tripped on a step as the sheriff led him down the boardwalk so they could cross the dusty street.

  “Watch your step, son. You don’t want to get this nice suit dirty.”

  Owen gave a frantic look at the train station. This wasn’t good. This wasn’t good!

  “The courthouse is right up ahead.”

  Owen dug his heels into the dirt but the sheriff lifted him by the shoulders and dragged him along, making him stumble a couple of steps before he found his footing and walked with him.

  “What a joyous day this will be! Now Jenny can rest assured that her little boy will be safe.”

  “Little boy? She has a child?”

  “Don’t act so surprised. That’s why you two are getting married.”

  “It is?”

  They stopped in front of an imposing building and the older man set his hands on Owen’s shoulders. “Now, I know you’ve never been a family man, but you’re about to become one. I feel responsible for you, what with you being so young and all, but I know your ma raised you right. You’ll do right by Jenny and Jeremy. They need you.”

  “Uh...no, I don’t think-”

  “Oh, here she comes. She’s the one in the pretty white dress. She even sewed it herself.”

  Owen grabbed the sheriff’s vest. “You don’t understand. I can’t marry her!” It was bad enough he stole Irving’s clothes and money. He didn’t need to add this to his list of sins.

  Meyer chuckled and shook his head. “The jokes just never stop with you, do they? Look behind you.”

  He reluctantly obeyed and straightened as soon as he saw her. Whoa! She was...She was...He rubbed his eyes and looked again, just in case they were playing tricks on him. But they weren’t. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. He blinked several times. She was still there...and looking very appealing.

  She had light blond hair that fell softly past her shoulders, a white hat with a red flower on it, a white dress that hung nicely along her curves, and a red floral bouquet in her hand. She smiled at him as she approached him. Two women and two children followed behind her, and a boy stood to her left.

  “Hello, Irving,” she said.

  “Who?” Owen asked.

  Meyer waved his hand at her. “Oh, don’t mind him. This one is a hoot.”

  “A real kidder, huh?” the blond woman standing on Jenny’s right said. “Well, I’m Jenny’s sister, Sally. And this is our sister-in-law, Mary.”

  Owen couldn’t take his eyes off of Jenny. He tried to...but he couldn’t.

  “I really appreciate this, Irving.” Jenny glanced down at her son and smiled. “We both do.”

  Owen knew he should tell them all the truth. This was the time to do so. He took one last look at the train station and then turned his attention to Jenny. Was there really a contest? She was much more attractive. And Irving wasn’t here. And everyone expected Jenny to get married today. And Jenny looked very happy about it. He looked down at the boy. “How old are you?”

  “Four,” Jeremy answered.

  “You been taking good care of your ma?” he asked.

  The boy puffed up his chest and nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  The group chuckled.

  Well, the boy seemed like a good kid. Owen returned his gaze to Jenny who appeared hopeful. Who was he to let them all down? A big smile crossed his face. “Let’s get married!”

  “Right this way,” the sheriff said, motioning to the courthouse.

  “Make sure you ask for Judge Johnson,” Sally spoke up. “He’s my husband,” she told Owen.

  Owen felt a momentary flicker of panic slither up his spine. He was going to work for the sheriff and his brother-in-law was going to be a judge? Was this a good idea? Maybe he should bolt for the train.

  Jenny touched his arm. “I promise not to overwhelm you with everyone in my family until you get settled into your life here.”

  Sally laughed. “We are a large bunch, especially when you consider all our children.”

  That was when Owen noticed the other two boys. “Are they yours too?” he asked Jenny.

  “No. Greg is Sally’s son and Isaac is Mary’s son,” she said. “I did make it clear that I only had one child in my letter, didn’t I?”

  He blinked. A letter? “Uh...right. It’s been a hectic...uh...journey here.” Now that was the understatement of the century!

  “Well, I was afraid you weren’t going to make it,” she replied. “I’m glad you did.”

  She had such a nice smile that made her face light up. “I am too.”

  “Great,” the sheriff said. “It looks like you two will be a good match.”

  Owen couldn’t agree more. He knew he’d just met her, but he was already in love with her.

  They followed Meyer into the courthouse and requested to see Judge Johnson for the nuptials. The judge agreed to perform the ceremony and it was over before Owen knew what was happening to him. He experienced that slight twinge of discomfort over being called Irving Spencer during the vows but promised that he’d do good by Jenny.

  When it came to sign the marriage license, he waited until Jenny, the judge, the sheriff, and Sally signed their names before he reluctantly took the fountain pen. He glanced at it and frowned. These things leaked when one pressed on the tip just right. His heart raced and he debated how to do this without looking obvious about it.

  He leaned over the paper, hoping to block their view and quickly signed his real name, pressing harder into the paper than necessary. As soon as the ink sprayed over his signature, he took a moment to inspect it. Did it look good enough? Could anyone tell it read Owen Russell instead of Irving Spencer?

  The sheriff glanced over his shoulder.

  Owen jerked back, his heart hammering loudly in his chest. The sheriff would see it. He’d know for sure. Owen just knew it!

  But the sheriff shrugged and said, “Those darned pens. Oh well. No matter. The deed is done,” and handed the license to Owen. “Better take good care of that.”

  Owen stared at him. That was it? He was safe?

  The sheriff turned to the judge and started talking as if nothing was wrong.

  He quickly tucked the license into his suit pocket. There. No harm done.

  The sheriff patted him on the back, startling him. “You’re a married man now. I know you wrote that nothing is more thrilling than fighting the bandits, but I think you’ll find marriage has its own adventures, even if you didn’t seem to think so.”

  Owen glanced over at Jenny who stood with Sally and Mary and their children who doted over her. Irving said that going after bandits was more thrilling than marrying Jenny? Well, the man hadn’t seen Jenny, so Owen reckoned he’d say that but still... Maybe Irving was a fool. If that was the case, then Jenny was better off with a man who preferred her to his job.

  Jenny’s gaze met his and she gave Sally and Mary a hug before she took Jeremy’s hand and walked over to him. “You must be tired after your long trip here. Would you like to go home and get some rest?”

  Owen nearly jumped with joy. Going home...with her...to ‘rest’... Yes, that definitely sounded like a good idea. Stopping himself from dragging her and Jeremy out of there, he casually stretched. “Well, I am a little tired.” Tired of being around other people, that is.

  The sheriff grabbed his arm before he could turn and leave with his new wife and son. “Now, I know you got a honeymoon to enjoy, so I’m giving
you three days before you have to report to work. You two also need to check out that house up by the lake I’m giving you. But you have to pay me for it with a percentage of your earnings.”

  A house? Owen glanced at Jenny and Jeremy. Where were they staying right now? “You don’t live with your parents, do you?” Not that it would have stopped him from enjoying his wedding night, but it wasn’t the most comforting feeling to be near her parents when such an event was occurring.

  “No. I live at the boarding house.”

  “Now you see why it’s important that you and your wife and son get a home of your own,” Meyer added. “It’s a nice out-of-the-way place with a good five acres of land. You’ll have plenty of privacy and can even get a dog or two for the boy to play with.”

  “A dog?” Jeremy excitedly asked. “Can we get a dog, Ma?”

  “As long as your pa says it’s alright.” She looked at him.

  Like Owen had the strength to deny her anything. Just looking at her made him weak. “Sure, we can get a dog. A boy needs an animal to be friends with.” He bent forward so he was eye level with the boy. “When I was a kid, I had a shaggy dog that would chase sticks I threw for it.” He stood up and turned to the sheriff. “You said the house is by a lake. How are the fish in that lake?”

  He shrugged. “Fine, I guess.”

  “Well, I can fish.” He looked back at the boy. “Do you know how to fish?”

  The boy shook his head.

  He glanced over at Jenny who was smiling at them. “Mind if I teach him?”

  She chuckled. “Of course not. You’re his father now. I want you to do things with him.”

  Sally walked over to them and nodded. “Jeremy needs a father. I think you’ll do just fine for that, Irving. Welcome to the family.”

  It took Owen a moment to realize when Sally said ‘Irving’, she meant him. “Oh, right. I’m going to do just that.” He shook the judge’s hand and then the sheriff’s. “Well, Jenny, are you ready?”

  “Sure.” She waved to everyone.

  “Don’t be a stranger,” Sally called out.

  “Sally,” her husband began, “let them be.”

  “Oh, it’s just an expression, Rick,” she retorted, rolling her eyes even as she giggled.

  Owen took Jenny by the arm and said, “We promise to make an appearance once in awhile.”

  The group laughed.

  He breathed a sigh of relief as he left with Jenny and Jeremy. Thank goodness that was over. He’d been right there in front of a judge and lawman and lived through it. Maybe everything was going to be alright after all. Maybe he could make a life here and be safe. One look at Jenny took his mind off of the Wanted: Dead or Alive poster. He was now a married man, and married men got to enjoy being in bed with a woman. This was going to be worth all the stress of the past month.

  Chapter Five

  As soon as Jenny closed the door to the room in her boarding house, Owen frowned. “Is this it?”

  She nodded. “I know it’s small, but it’s all Jeremy and I needed. Well, until now.”

  His gaze drifted from the small boy to the two beds. One was his, obviously, and the other was hers, but this wasn’t what he expected. He cleared his throat. “Can I talk to you...” He glanced at the space that consisted of a dresser and a washstand. “Over there,” he finally said, pointing at the window on the other side of the room, which was only a few paces away.

  At her prompting, Jeremy went over to a box in the corner of the room and pulled out a toy train set.

  “What is it?” she asked, looking concerned.

  “Um...” He tried to think of how to phrase this. Lowering his voice so the kid wouldn’t overhear, he asked, “Is someone going to watch him tonight?”

  “No,” she whispered. “He stays with me.”

  “Yes but—” he glanced at Jeremy who was focusing on his toy—“what about us. You know. It is our wedding night.”

  Her eyes grew wide. “Oh. Don’t worry about that. I understand. You don’t have to feel awkward about it.”

  “Awkward about what?”

  “Your inability to...consummate the marriage.”

  “My inability to what?” he shrieked.

  Jeremy looked over at them.

  Jenny set her hand on Owen’s arm and smiled at her son. “Everything is fine, honey. Keep playing.” She turned her attention back to Owen and whispered, “You explained that in your letter. Remember that accident you had?”

  “Accident?” he dumbly repeated, unable to believe this horrible thing was happening to him. Here he was, married to a beautiful woman...and he couldn’t consummate their marriage?

  She walked across the room and pulled out a letter from one of the dresser drawers.

  As she made her way back to him, he had a sinking feeling that he wasn’t going to like this. He reluctantly took the folded piece of paper from her and opened it up. He slowly read the letter, realizing that Irving came off as a very orderly and formal man, so unlike him. His heart sank when he got to the part where Irving made his confession about not being able to perform in bed. Then Owen wondered exactly what kind of accident would render a man unable to make love. He cringed at the different scenarios that ran through his head. Was Irving stabbed, shot at, or what?

  “I just want you to know that I will honor our wedding vows,” she said. “I’m in this for life.”

  “But...” He looked back at the letter. Did this mean he couldn’t ever...? He glanced back at her, fighting the urge to cry. This wasn’t right. “I mean...” What could he say that wouldn’t give away the fact that he wasn’t really Irving? “It’s just that...” Just that what? He was lying about being Irving so he wouldn’t be arrested and hanged? Her brother-in-law was a judge. She’d turn him in!

  She smiled. “I don’t think you’re less of a man because of this. To be honest, it’s a relief.”

  His eyes nearly popped out of his head. “It is?”

  Shrugging, she took the letter from him. “This means we can work on being friends. I never really was friends with Jeremy’s father. All he could think about was one thing. At least with you, you’ll want to know me. That is, I hope you will.”

  He felt his heart soften. “Of course, I want to know you. You’re my wife.”

  “I’m glad to hear that, Irving. I have to admit that I was unsure about this. You sounded nice enough in your letter, but I got the feeling that you wanted to treat our marriage like a business.”

  “Really? No. I don’t want that.”

  “I don’t either.”

  Alright. So he wouldn’t get to have fun in bed with her that night. He had to figure out a way to make Irving’s problem go away so that he could consummate the marriage, but he realized that she needed to have a husband who was her friend first. He took her hand and led her to the bed where he sat next to her. He would have picked chairs but none were in the room. “Why don’t you come over here, squirt?” he called out to Jeremy. “Bring that toy of yours over if you want.”

  Jeremy picked up his train and several tracks and plopped them on the floor right in front of them.

  While he assembled the tracks together, Owen turned to Jenny. “I think there’s something we need to discuss before anything else.” He knew this was another lie, but he couldn’t give away that he was a man convicted of murder, even if that murder was self-defense. Taking a deep breath, he said, “I’d like you to call me Owen.”

  She furrowed her eyebrows. “Why Owen? I’d think your nickname would be something like Irv.”

  “My aunt called me Owen.” Because that was his name, but there was no need to tell her all that. “But I’d rather you call me Irving in public.”

  She shrugged. “Alright.”

  Well, that was simple enough. He was surprised, but relieved, she accepted it as easily as she did. “So, tell me about you and Jeremy here.” He motioned to the boy who seemed focused on his train, though Owen suspected the youngster was paying close attention to ev
erything that was going on.

  “There’s not much to tell really. I already explained about his father. I’m glad that you came. You have no idea how worried I was that you weren’t going to show up.”

  He considered her words and realized that she had written to the real Irving and explained everything to him. That, of course, meant he was supposed to already know about her past...or at least her past with Jeremy’s father. He couldn’t ask her to explain it to him again or else she’d suspect something was up. So that was a dead end. Clearing his throat, he opted for another avenue. “What are you interested in?”

  “Well, I like to sew. That’s how I’ve been supporting me and Jeremy.”

  “You sew clothes?”

  “And blankets. I make my own clothes. See?”

  “You made this dress?”

  “She wanted to look pretty,” Jeremy said. “Do you like it?”

  Owen examined the white dress that was simple in its design, but the way it fit on her was what got his attention. It showed off her curves, and he definitely liked that. It was a shame he wouldn’t be able to enjoy those curves as long as Irving had that stupid impotence problem. He really had to figure a way out of that one. There was no way he could be married to someone as gorgeous as Jenny and not enjoy the benefits of marriage.

  “Owen?” Jenny asked.

  Owen blinked and forced his mind off what she might look like naked. “Oh. Yes, I do. I like the dress.” Especially the way you look when you wear it. He had to get his mind onto something else. “So, what else do you like to do?”

  “I like to sing.”

  “Really? Are you any good?”

  “She sings like an angel,” Jeremy spoke up. “The preacher says so.”

  “Is that true?” Owen looked at her. “Will you sing something so I can hear?”

  She blushed. “I don’t know...”

  “Oh come on. It’s just us.”

  “Well, I know but... I mean, I don’t really know you that well.”

  “That’s why we’re doing this. To get to know each other.”