AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Well, it's a start, she's pretty too." His dad defended. "She even went back east for a lady's school for young women."
Clay set the saddle on the top of the stall gate and turned to look at his persistent father. He brushed his long red hair away from his face, his dark indigo eyes penetrating his father with a glance. Clay's brows raised in question, as his frown bore down on him.
"There's more to marrying than saddling a lady, you know." Clay turned away quickly. "Look at this place, what woman would want to live here. Laura wouldn't for sure, if I was a mind. But I'm not. So, forget her. I mean, it's fine for you and me, but a woman, especially one like Laura would expect a fine house, I don't have that to offer. And I don't like her enough to even think of marrying her. I won't marry a woman I don't love."
Charlie glanced at the house, a two-room cabin was more like it, but they could build, couldn't they?
"Well, don't you ever get the itch, son?" His father asked with a grin. "And you can always build a house."
"The itch doesn't bother me very often, no. And when I do, I go into town to the saloon and take care of that itch." Clay shook his head and wished his father would help him. Instead of carrying on about a wife. "Besides, I'm too busy. And you and I don't need a bigger house."
"You know," his father looked down at the hay on his boots. "A man worries about his kid when he doesn't take no interest in women. Maybe we're taking the wrong tack here son. I mean, you don't have to marry a fine lady, but a fine woman. You know I could take on more work here so you could go courting. I mean, if you wanted to."
"And where, pray tell, do you suppose I might find this woman? You think she's gonna just suddenly appear out of thin air?"
Clay stared at him for a long moment.
"Look dad, if the time comes and I do meet a woman that suits me, I won't hesitate to make her my wife. Until then you are going to have to be patient. Maybe I waited too long to consider a wife, I don't know, but she'd have to be pretty special to live out here."
Clay studied on his answers. Now he was staring at his father with a grim glance. "Quit fretting, there's nothing wrong with me, I just don't have the time nor the inclination at the moment. If the right woman came along, I'd snatch her up like dirt on a stick, I promise."
"What's wrong with Laura, she's been coming over here for months now, bringing us food and stuff." His father wouldn't let it lie. "If that isn't a hint, I don't know what is."
"Hint be damned dad, I'm not interested in Laura. Never have been. Just because she is, doesn't mean I am. Her coming over with food every week does not endear her to me. We aren't a charity case; we can fix our own meals. And another thing, Laura and I don't see eye to eye on things. I'm tired of hearing how she's a third generation Texan, and how her uncle fought at the Alamo. I love this state as much as she does, but I don't go bragging how many of my ancestors claimed it first. She hated Abe Lincoln, blamed him for the war. Blamed him for her family losing that fine mansion they used to own. She's a gossip and a busybody. I don't need that in my life. She's not my kind of woman. Look if I wanted a woman, or a wife right now, I'd be doing the chasing, understand?" Clay studied on that too. "Laura, is a fine woman, but I’m not in love with her. She's just not my type of woman. She's a good friend to you and I'm glad, but I have no personal interest in her, dad. She should know that by now. Besides, her and I don't see eye to eye on a lot of things that are important to me. The kind of woman it would take to live with the two of us, well, I just don't think they make them like that anymore."
"I guess I can understand that, Laura can be a might uppity. But maybe it's time you took the time to find a wife, then. I don't want to leave this world knowing that you are alone here, with no future, son." His father chuckled. "But you realize that to find a wife you gotta have some personal interest in her, and you gotta use some persuasion."
"Well, I wouldn't have to with Laura, she's made that clear enough. She's just not my idea of a wife. She's too much fluff. She knows as well as I that we aren't compatible, but I'm sure her folks are thinking she should marry too. She's not getting any younger either." Now Clay really frowned, "Besides, I think it might help on those cold winter nights if you loved her a bit, dad. I'm not stupid. I mean I know how you loved Ma. Don't try to tell me it wasn't important to you."
"Well what are you looking for?" Now his father laughed aloud. Then seeing the quick scowl on his father's face, he frowned once more. "Alright, I'll let it lie, but I sure wish you'd hurry. I could die before you decide to marry."
Clay chuckled now, "You're too onry to die." He saw the scowl on his dad's face. Look, Dad, you want me to ride out of here and go shopping for a wife?"
"No," Charlie shook his head.
His father walked off and went in the house. The slump in his shoulders told Clay he was disappointed with the conversation.
Clay shook his head. What had come over him? His father had never even suggested he take a wife before. Maybe the fact that Hank Evans just got married had him thinking along those lines. Hank was almost the same age and sure talked it up at the wedding. Truth be told, Clay hadn't considered marriage with any woman. Oh, he'd looked, but no one caught his eye as special. And he knew his father dearly loved his mother, that's what he wanted, if it ever came around.
He'd admired Martha Blakely; a fine-looking woman and he'd been a bit interested until he found out she was sweet on John Evans, the lawyer. And Laura just wasn't the kind of woman to live out here on the prairie. No, she was a big mansion kind of woman with silks and satins.
He knew most the women in town, but he also knew most of the good women were taken. And most of those didn’t have pedigree ancestors like Laura. They were hard working, God-fearing women. That's what he wanted. He supposed he might have waited too long to show interest. He realized that a grandchild would certainly perk the place up, but a woman…he didn't need one, except on those occasions when he had the itch.
Of course, thinking about it, had him wondering what it might be like to have a woman to share things with, a woman to love and care for, and children. Like Howard Martin who married plain little Emily Jones. Funny, she'd been plain growing up, but when Howard took an interest in her, she perked up, bought some clothes and became one of the most admired women in town. He admired their marriage and Emily was a hard-working, God-fe
aring woman.
But wasn't love supposed to play a part in marriage? You just couldn't order it up. It had to grow between a man and a woman. And so far, that hadn't happened to him.
Trouble was, Clay hadn't found a woman that fit him yet. And truth be told he hadn't looked around seriously enough either. Maybe there was no fit for him. Maybe he was destined to be a bachelor.
After all, who would put up with him? Living out here on the prairie, he had gotten used to just him and his dad and was comfortable with it.
A few years ago, he'd thought about it, but most of the girls he liked had already married and had children too. He supposed he'd let that part of his life slide a little longer than most, but he wasn't about to marry someone he didn't love.
Maybe he'd hire a woman to come cook for them, his father's cooking lacked a lot to be desired. He was tired of a stew that had little in it.
He'd think on that. Perhaps he hadn't given enough consideration to a real courtship when he was younger and now it seemed unimportant to him. Even though they had considerable land to tend to and stock. His home was nothing to brag about.
