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She swallowed back another sigh. “I got my reasons.”
“I’ve got my reasons, too.”
“Then I guess you were standing in the wrong place at the wrong time, stranger.”
“Brady!” the sheriff yelled, and Adam jumped a little, drawing another smile from her lips. “Get in here. Nora, you too.”
The sheriff and Town Council were moving into the tavern, and Brady glanced at Nora, eyebrows raised. She shrugged and moved to follow them. Now that she had a husband, she could actually put the rest of her previously half-baked plan into motion. And that involved doing whatever she needed to in order to keep their property—herproperty—and more specifically the deed, safe and in her name.
Well, hers upon her thirtieth birthday or her marriage, whichever came first. And she didn’t trust her father not to lose, sell, or completely destroy the place she loved more than any other before she turned thirty in five years. Hence, her need for a husband. Now that she had one, all she needed was two witnesses to the marriage—not a problem there, as most of the town had been in attendance—and the deed was hers. Technically it would belong to her husband, but what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.
She’d meant what she’d said. Now that they were hitched, she didn’t care where he went or what he did. In fact, her purposes would be better served if he decided Desolation wasn’t the town for him after all and left.
“You two, sit,” the sheriff said to them.
Nora perched on the edge of her seat, trying not to squirm. She’d never been the focus of the sheriff’s displeasure before. The sheriff was a good man, but he did tend to be a bit of a curmudgeon. He was even grouchy with his deputy, Jason Sunshine, and it was damn near impossible to be grouchy around Mr. Sunshine.
“Preacher says that you two were one of the pairs who just got hitched. That true?”
“Yes,” she said, at the same time that Adam said, “Not really.”
The sheriff raised his eyebrows. “Well, which is it?”
Nora glanced at her new husband, her own eyebrows raised. Adam groaned and rubbed a hand over his face.
“All right, yes, I suppose we are. But…” He opened and closed his mouth a few times as if he just couldn’t make himself say the words, then rubbed two hands over his face before getting up to pace in front of their table.
“Of all the things I thought might happen when I rode into town this morning, this was not something that was even in my wildest realm of possibilities. I mean…” He paced again and Nora watched him, not sure if she was amused or offended or both.
He finally stopped in front of her, his face a picture of nonplussed exasperation. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
“What do you mean, whatI’vedone?” she said, also getting to her feet. “You were standing right in the middle of the marriage mart and yelled ‘I do’ at the top of your lungs. Don’t blame this on me.”
“I swear I’m doomed,” he muttered.
“What do you mean, doomed?” she said, scowling.
He just shook his head, both of them oblivious to their audience. “I only have two hard-and-fast rules I live by, Miss…what the hell is your name anyway?”
“Schumacher,” she said through gritted teeth. “Nora Schumacher.”
“Miss Schumacher. I have two rules. Avoid life-threatening situations at all costs, which can also be translated into never crossing Gray Woodson again. And never under any circumstances get married. Two rules! That’s it! I’ve been avoidingthatman for half my life,” he said, flinging a finger out at the sheriff, “and I’ve been avoiding matrimony even longer than that. And somehow within fifteen minutes of setting foot in this townand meeting you, I’ve broken both of the rules I live my life by. So yes, I say doomed. What would you call it?”
“Lucky?” she said with a grin, hoping to bring levity to the conversation. Because his horror at their spontaneous marriage was starting to sting.
Adam’s jaw dropped. She was pretty sure she’d struck him totally speechless.Finally. She’d never met a man who loved to hear himself talk so much.
“Nora,” Preacher said, frowning down at her, “did you want to be wed?”
Nora’s cheeks heated, but she kept her chin up. “I…I didn’t necessarily wish to be wed, but I have my reasons for needing a husband. So…yes. I came to the gathering today intending to…explore a few options, let’s say. He’s not exactly what I was hoping for but…” She looked him up and down and shrugged. “He’ll do, I suppose.”
“I will absolutelynotdo,” he said, stepping away like she was riddled with plague and aiming for a kiss. “The last thing in the world I want is a wife.”
Martha Clifford, the woman who ran the general store, leaned forward. “Then why were you standing in with all the other men hoping to get hitched?”
“I didn’t know I was! I’d just ridden into town.” He turned back to Nora. “Why didn’tyousay anything?”
“I would have if I’d noticed they had started the ceremony. Unfortunately, I had my hands full with a right jackass at that exact moment.”
