The Marriage Barter

He left enough money on the table to cover his meal and strode out onto the porch, where he put on his hat. When he saw Charlotte Miller hurry from the general store toward the town hall, he knew he’d guessed right.

It took less than a minute to catch up to her. “Good day, Mrs. Miller.”

She jumped but didn’t slow.

He matched her stride. “How is Sasha this morning? Any ill effects?”

She shook her head, but her shoulders squared defensively. “She’s visiting her friend, Lynette Gavin.”

He hadn’t accused Charlotte of losing the girl, but she’d clearly taken it that way. He tried again. “You’re sure in a hurry this morning. Anything I can help you with?”

“No.” Her reddened cheeks said otherwise.

The rosy tinge became her, and again, Wyatt fought the urge to touch her cheek. “I’d gladly help.”

“You’ve done quite enough already.”

Her sharp words caught him in the gut. She wasn’t embarrassed. Those flushed cheeks came from anger. Why? He wasn’t going to take her daughter away from her. But had she heard that part? He thought back to yesterday. The gasp. The slamming of the door. Had it come before or after he’d agreed to let Sasha and the other placed children stay?

Charlotte accelerated her pace.

He chased after her. “Let me explain.”

“There is nothing you can say to me,” she choked out.

“But I—”

“Y-y-you heartless man.” She halted and faced him, her fists balled and her eyes blazing. “How could you?”

“I—”

“Innocent children.” She shook a fist at him. “You’re taking innocent children from their homes. What sort of man are you?”

Wyatt’s temper piqued. He’d done plenty that he wasn’t proud of, but not this time. He wasn’t taking any children from their homes. He was trying to give homes to the orphans who hadn’t been selected. But Charlotte got him so addle-brained that he couldn’t piece together the words.

He settled for pointing out the facts. “I’m a man doing a job.”

“A job.” She trembled with emotion, which only made her prettier. “You’re ruining children’s lives for money?”

She said the last word with so much distaste that he couldn’t keep back a smile. If she’d just give him a chance to explain, most of that anger would go away. “First of all, I’m not ruining children’s lives. Second, if I didn’t do it, someone else would. But you need to understand—”

“Oh, I understand perfectly.” She lifted that gorgeous little chin, her eyes afire. “The only thing you care about is money. Well, if that’s all you want, then maybe we can work something out. How much are you getting paid?”

He stared at her. She was offering to top Baxter’s fee? He wouldn’t take money from a widow, especially when it wasn’t necessary. “More than you can afford.”

Her cheeks darkened, and her spine straightened. “I see.”

But he could tell she was struggling to hold back tears. “Let me explain.”

“I don’t want your explanations, Mr. Reed.” Without waiting for a reply, she stormed off toward the town hall, where quite a crowd was forming.

He started after her, but she quickly fell in with a pale, somewhat plump woman. Wyatt rubbed his chin, half frustrated by Charlotte Miller and half intrigued by what was going on. Once the last person entered the hall, he made his way to the wooden steps and carefully cracked open the door. A gavel pounded on a tabletop, and the murmur of voices hushed.

Ten o’clock meeting, eh? According to his watch, it was nine o’clock. He slipped inside and let the door glide shut. Mayor Evans wasn’t going to surprise him with this little early meeting. He’d hear every word.

* * *

Charlotte tugged at her bonnet strings as she settled onto a seat in the crowded room. Even at this cool hour, the hall was hot and her old wool mourning dress pinched at the waist so she could barely breathe. So much had happened since Charles’s death that she hadn’t found time to dye one of her everyday dresses. She’d have to do that soon or suffer through the heat of summer in thirteen-year-old dresses that had been made for wintertime. Still, that prospect, miserable as it would be, couldn’t top her distress today.

That man, Wyatt Reed, had made her lose her temper, something she never did. But how could she remain calm when he was going to take Sasha away? For money, no less. Tears stung her eyelids. She’d thought he was a good man. He’d held Sasha so tenderly. He’d rescued her. Or had he? Maybe he’d been whisking her off when Charlotte saw him carrying Sasha down the street. Anger welled up again. He’d dismissed her offer to pay him to keep the children in Evans Grove without even hearing her out. Men like him had no heart.

Mayor Evans called the meeting to order with a rapping of the gavel. “Good morning.” Her strong voice carried above the chatter, and talk ceased in seconds. “I’m pleased to see so many of you here at this early hour.”

Theodore Regan stood. He and his wife had taken in one of the orphan girls. With three boys already, Helen Regan had wanted a girl, and snapped up little Galina Denikin at once.

Mr. Regan’s thick shoulders and arms gave him an imposing figure. “We heard Greenville’s tryin’ to take away our children.”

A murmur of protest rose until Mayor Evans put it to a stop with an upraised hand.

“They did send a Mr. Wyatt Reed to request the orphans continue on to Greenville as originally scheduled.”

“Well, Reed can’t have ’em,” Regan said.

A jolt of emotion shot through Charlotte. Could the town succeed where she’d failed? Could they convince Mr. Reed to leave without the children? She started to tell them he’d refused her offer to pay him, but the grumbles made her realize they were already angry enough to run Wyatt out of town, perhaps at the end of a pitchfork. She didn’t need to do a thing.

Mayor Evans calmly regained control. “Let’s not act in haste. Even though the Orphan Salvation Society office in New York confirmed the agreement with Greenville, Mr. Reed agreed that those children already placed in homes could stay.”

Charlotte’s jaw dropped. Had she heard correctly? Considering the nods of approval and diminishing anger in the room, she had. Wyatt wasn’t going to take Sasha away. She could keep her daughter. Was that what he’d been trying to tell her outside when she kept interrupting?

She bit her lip. Maybe she should have listened. She should have given him a chance. He had arranged for her to keep Sasha. She felt like crying out in joy, but not everyone was pleased.

Holly looked stricken. “That solves part of the problem, but it doesn’t help the children who haven’t been approved for selection yet.”

The crowd shouted in agreement.

Charlotte battled despair as she recalled how much Holly and Mason adored Liam. Of course they would want to take the boy in once they married. She pressed a hand to her mouth. Poor Holly. Poor Mason. Poor Liam.

“They have been through so much,” Holly continued, battling her own fears with such bravery that Charlotte marveled at her fortitude. “I’m positive homes can be found for every one of them right here in Evans Grove. Why should they be wrenched away when they’ve just started to hope?”

“Because they don’t belong here.” Beatrice Ward stood to make her point. “The Orphan Salvation Society’s agreement with the town of Greenville came first, did it not, Miss Sterling?” She briefly glanced toward the elegant orphan agent and gave her only time to nod before continuing. “It would not only be morally wrong to deny Greenville the children they desperately want, but it would be illegal to break the agreement. The children—all eight children—must go to Greenville.” With a look of smug triumph, she settled back into her seat.

The crowd erupted, mainly in protest, but Charlotte saw a couple of people nod in agreement with Beatrice. Her stomach knotted yet again. Beatrice couldn’t win, could she? She anxiously looked toward the doorway, hoping Wyatt would appear and counter Beatrice’s claims. The opposition came from another quarter.

“That’s not quite correct, Miss Ward.” Curtis Brooks, the dapper banker from Newfield, faced the crowd. He exuded such confidence that people instantly quieted.

After safely delivering his bank’s loan to Evans Grove despite the attempted robbery, Mr. Brooks had garnered a lot of respect in town. Then he’d insisted on staying to oversee the loan distribution, and Mayor Evans had asked him to serve on the Orphan Selection Committee. His dedication in the following weeks had led people to trust his opinion. He’d struck Charlotte as a thoughtful, perceptive man. Perhaps he had the answer to this mess.

“From what I’ve seen of the paperwork Miss Sterling showed me,” he said, “I’d say Greenville’s legal claim might be on shaky ground.”

Charlotte’s stomach unknotted a little as the crowd cheered. They seemed to take his words as proof Evans Grove would win this dispute, but Mr. Brooks had said the claim might not hold up to scrutiny. He didn’t say it definitely wouldn’t.

Beatrice Ward must have heard what the crowd did, but she didn’t have the same reaction. Not at all. Her eyes practically bulged from her head, as if her tightly bound gray hair had stretched even tighter. Her lips pressed into a thin, straight line, but she rallied quickly. “If you’re going to challenge Greenville’s claim, shouldn’t you address their representative?”

Mayor Evans sighed as the crowd focused on her. “Miss Ward is right.” She looked at Sheriff Wright. “Please summon Mr. Reed. I believe he is staying at the hotel.”

Charlotte felt sick. What would Wyatt say? What would he do? Would Beatrice convince him to take Sasha away? She tried to pray but couldn’t find the words. Surely God understood. Surely He would protect the innocent.

She didn’t have long to wait. Wyatt Reed must have stayed near the town hall, because he arrived almost at once.

Every head turned when Wyatt strode into the room. He stood taller than any other man in town, and his hardened yet startlingly handsome face sent whispers through the women present. She hadn’t noticed earlier, but he’d shaved off the stubble of yesterday, revealing cheeks honed to a hard plane and tanned by the sun.

He addressed himself to the mayor. “Ma’am.” He removed his hat and held it in both hands.

“Mr. Reed.” Mayor Evans showed not one ounce of discomfort before the intimidating man. Though considerably shorter in stature, she stood equally confident. “There is some debate over the legality of your claim.”

Mr. Brooks rose beside her, creating a strong and united front. “As I understand the agreement, which Miss Sterling graciously allowed me to peruse, Greenville will have the opportunity to select any of the children that have not yet been taken by the time the Orphan Salvation Society agent reaches their town. It stands to reason that if all the children have been claimed before Greenville, none will be available for selection. There was never a guarantee that any of the children would come to Greenville. Thus, the agreement has not been violated.”

Wyatt’s jaw tensed as he pondered Mr. Brooks’s words. The tiniest flicker of a smile indicated he’d found a crack in that argument. “The way I see it, you’ve forgotten two points. One, the Orphan Salvation Society doesn’t have a formal agreement with Evans Grove. That means this town never had a right to the children in the first place.”

The crowd murmured, but Mayor Evans wasn’t daunted.

“We received approval from the Society to form the selection committee and hold a distribution.”

The murmurs turned to cries of agreement, especially when Rebecca Sterling confirmed everything the mayor had said.

Wyatt showed no sign of retreat. “Second.” He waited for the crowd to quiet down. “As I said, I have two points. The second is that all the orphans haven’t been picked yet. Even though Evans Grove got approval to take some of the orphans, you still have to follow the rules. I understand that the standard procedure is that any children who weren’t claimed after a town’s distribution have to get back on the train and go to the next town. That means those orphans that weren’t taken at the distribution here must go to Greenville.”

Holly’s face fell. Liam hadn’t been officially placed yet. In fact, only Sasha, Lizzie and Galina had been selected at the distribution. Friedrich had gone to the Hollands later.

Pauline rapped her gavel. Judging from the set of her jaw, she wasn’t giving in, either. “All the children might not be placed in families yet, but they’ve been claimed by the town. We’re committed to finding homes for every one of them, right here in Evans Grove.”

Wyatt had to wait for the cheering to die down. “With all due respect, ma’am, I don’t imagine a town has ever been approved to claim the children. Have they, Miss Sterling?”

Rebecca Sterling had grown pale as ash. “N-n-no,” she finally conceded.

“But there’s nothing that specifically forbids it?” Mr. Brooks asked her with a gleam in his eye.

A little of Rebecca’s color returned. “No. No, there isn’t.”

“In that case,” Mr. Brooks said smoothly, “I’d say the agreement is officially in dispute. The only resolution I can see would be to bring the matter before a judge. Wouldn’t you agree, Madam Mayor?”

Pauline gave him a stiff yet clearly grateful nod in return. The mayor might chafe at Mr. Brooks’s oversight of the loan, but his handling of this incident had apparently raised him a few notches in her estimation.

“Yes, Mr. Brooks, that is the clear course of action.” Pauline turned back to Wyatt. “Mr. Reed, I believe I speak for the town when I say that you must make your case before Judge Broadside.”

Again, Wyatt didn’t show any emotion at her decision, but his question came out clipped. “Where can I find the judge?”

Pauline offered a dismissive smile. “He is currently on circuit and is next due in Evans Grove on Monday. That gives you the weekend to prepare your argument.”

He barely flinched, but Charlotte saw it. “Greenville won’t be pleased. They’re expecting the children to arrive on this afternoon’s train.”

Mayor Evans didn’t blink. “The town, and Mr. Baxter, may react however they wish, Mr. Reed, but the law will decide this matter.”

He must have known he’d been bested, for he nodded curtly and strode out of the room, his eyes dark and unreadable. Was he upset? Would he fight them? No small part of Charlotte hoped he would reconsider and end this before the judge ever showed. He had already agreed that Sasha and the other placed children could stay. Surely it would only take a little more persuasion to get him to spare all the children.

But who could convince him? Wyatt had disregarded her plea. Perhaps Mr. Brooks had the answer.

She watched Brooks join Mayor Evans, Holly, Beatrice and Sheriff Wright at the front table. The Orphan Selection Committee. Of course. They were supposed to meet today. Perhaps more children had been selected. Maybe the committee would have even let Holly and Mason take in Liam before they wed, but now, with this mess, the prospective parents would have to wait for the judge’s ruling. Charlotte ached for them, but at least they had hope. And she had Sasha. She breathed in that single wonderful fact.

Curtis Brooks stood, and the room quieted. The man exuded genteel authority, and given that he had been the one to suggest Greenville had no case, everyone wanted to hear what he would say next.

“If we want to see the orphans stay here, we can help our case by ensuring the remaining children have good homes. If we can demonstrate to the judge that the town is capable of taking in all the orphans, he may look more favorably upon our position.”

“Let’s do it,” cried more than one person.

Holly and Mason Wright nodded, as did Mayor Evans. Only Beatrice didn’t.

In fact, she glared at Mr. Brooks. “As Mr. Reed clearly stated, any children who weren’t chosen at the distribution should have been put immediately on the train to Greenville. We can’t continue to break the rules by letting people claim children now.”

Charlotte’s heart sank for Holly and Mason’s sake. The rest of the committee wouldn’t listen to her, would they?

Beatrice pressed on. “And that’s assuming that the distribution we held here was even legal. According to the original agreement, all the children should go to Greenville.”

“No one is going to Greenville until after the hearing before the judge,” Pauline Evans insisted.

Beatrice shot her a scathing look, but Mayor Evans backed down to no one.

“We will let the judge decide the case.”

Beatrice clearly struggled with the possibility that the judge might rule against her. “But whatever he decides must apply to all of them, correct?”

Charlotte held her breath.

“Not to my girl.” Theodore Regan stood, looking like he would take off Beatrice’s head if she so much as threatened to come near his farm. “We followed all the rules and got her fair and square. Lina stays with Helen and me.”

Mel Hutchinson, Charles’s apprentice, chimed in, “And Lizzie isn’t going anywhere, either. Marie won’t stand for it.”

Beatrice frowned, but even she saw the wisdom in avoiding conflict with the burly men. She opened her mouth and snapped it shut again until her gaze landed on Charlotte.

Panic beat hard against Charlotte’s rib cage, but what could Beatrice do? She alone couldn’t take Sasha away.

“Perhaps you have a case for your two families,” Beatrice said coyly, her lips curving into an ugly smile, “however, Mrs. Miller is now a widow. If I recall the rules correctly, an unmarried person cannot have an orphan.”

Charlotte felt all eyes turn to her. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move, couldn’t stop shaking. This couldn’t be happening.

“The placement must be revoked,” Beatrice crowed, fixing her gaze on each of the committee members in turn. “If the judge rules that only the unplaced children must go on to Greenville, then Sasha must go with them.”

Charlotte looked hopefully to the committee. Surely they would disagree. But Curtis Brooks frowned. Sheriff Wright took a deep breath. Mayor Evans cast her eyes downward. Charlotte looked to Holly. Surely her friend would stand up for her. Yet even Holly stayed silent, though stricken.

The room buzzed, narrowing as Charlotte’s head began to spin.

“Give her air,” someone said, and Charlotte sensed the people around her moving. Someone instructed her to breathe deeply. Another person fanned air toward her. The window squeaked as it was raised.

Gradually, Charlotte came to her senses, but nothing had changed. The selection committee still sat in front. Curtis Brooks was whispering something to the mayor, who rapped on the table to recall everyone’s attention.

“I’m sorry, Widow Miller,” she began.

Charlotte knew what that meant. She knotted her hands together until her knuckles turned white. She bit the inside of her lip until it bled, but physical pain could not dull the pain of her heart. Tears streamed unhindered down her face.

Pauline Evans gave her a look of sympathy, but her words still hurt. “I’m sorry, but Miss Sterling confirmed that the Orphan Salvation Society makes no allowance for widows or widowers. You must be married to take in an orphan.”

“But Sasha,” Charlotte squeaked, her heart breaking more than she thought possible. “She’s talking and playing like normal now. She calls me Mama.” She choked, unable to continue. How could they do this? She fought to regain enough composure to speak. “I’ve just lost my husband. Now you’re taking away my daughter?”

Not Sasha. Please, not Sasha.

“There is one solution,” Curtis Brooks said calmly. “You could marry.”

Virtually everyone gasped at the scandalous suggestion.

“Marry just days after she buried her husband?” Beatrice practically shouted. “She’s in mourning. If she married now, she’d dishonor her husband’s name. You can’t be serious.”

“I’m completely serious.” Mr. Brooks fixed his gaze on Charlotte alone. “In difficult times, convention must be set aside in favor of the greater good. Jesus himself ignored the rules when the situation demanded it. On more than one occasion he worked miracles on the Sabbath to heal those in need. If Widow Miller is inclined to wed, we shouldn’t forbid it, lest we be like the Pharisees.”

That quieted Beatrice, though she looked none too pleased. But Charlotte couldn’t see how this helped. Who would marry her so quickly? Who would make Sasha a good father? She glanced around the room and saw only husbands and men too young or too elderly to take on a thirty-one-year-old wife.

She drew in her breath. “How long?” The question trembled in the warm air like a butterfly just emerging from the cocoon, weak and unable to fly.

Somehow the committee knew what she meant. Mayor Evans glanced at Mr. Brooks for confirmation before she spoke. “Three days. You would need to marry before the judge hears Greenville’s case.”

Three days? How could she find a husband in three days?

Chapter Four

The meeting ended, and many of the women gathered around Charlotte in support. She struggled to regain her composure, but Mayor Evans’s words echoed in her head.

Three days.

Marry in three days.

“It isn’t right,” one woman said.

Others echoed the same sentiment. Amelia Hicks squeezed Charlotte’s arm in sympathy.

Charlotte could only nod. Her eyes were so blurred she couldn’t tell one woman from another, but she did know that none was Holly. She desperately wanted to talk to her friend. Holly would know what to do. She had a cartload of smarts, sky-high faith and bone-deep courage.

Unfortunately, Holly had darted out of the room as soon as the meeting ended. Mason was gone, too. They were probably discussing what to do about Liam. Then Holly had to return to the schoolhouse to relieve whoever was watching the children. Charlotte would have to wait until after school to talk to her friend.

“Poor dear.” Mrs. Ingersman, one of Beatrice’s cronies, hovered over her. “Such a ridiculous idea. Remarry when you’ve barely begun to mourn.” She clucked her tongue. “I can’t believe that banker would even suggest it. It’ll be hard at first to say goodbye to the girl, but it’s for the best. How could you ever hope to support a child all by yourself? Whatever Charles left you won’t last forever, you know, and you’re not a young woman anymore.”

Amelia Hicks paled, but Charlotte’s hackles rose with every word. How dare anyone think she would give up Sasha? She wouldn’t. She’d do anything to keep her.

Even marry. Marry! And she had to do it within three days. The only question was who. Who would be brave enough to step forward? She again scanned the men in the room. Every one of them had gathered across the room around Curtis Brooks. Not one looked in her direction.

No wonder. They were all married.

“It’ll be easier to find a husband without a child,” offered another of Beatrice’s cohorts. “Men don’t like to take on someone else’s family. They want their own children. They sure don’t want some hand-me-down foreigner.”

Charlotte’s ears rang. The insufferable comments, the women pressing around her and the mock sympathy left her light-headed. “I think I need some air.”

“Of course you do.” Mayor Evans cut through the crowd and steered her out of the hall and into the sunshine and fresh air.

Charlotte gulped but still fought the light-headedness. Though still morning, the day promised to be a warm one, and the muggy air closed around her. Only a faint breeze tickled the bright green spring leaves.

“Now take a deep breath,” Pauline said firmly, “and keep breathing slowly until your head clears.”

Charlotte fought the swirl of fear, anger and tears as she took her breaths. What was she to do? Her head cleared, but not her distress. “I can’t lose Sasha. Please help me find a way to keep her.”

Pauline patted her back the way a mother would console a daughter before pushing her out to face her fears. “I wish I had a better answer for you, but Mr. Brooks’s suggestion is the only option we could find.”