All Chapters of Awkward Marriage: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

―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 a

Owen groaned and rolled over in the bed. Maybe he should sleep on the floor. Laying next to Jenny in the dark was driving him insane. The bed wasn‘t that big, and the fact that Jeremy was asleep in the small bed next to them wasn‘t that much of a deterrent. At least, it wasn‘t as much of a deterrent as it should have been. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on what he needed to do. Really, he had some serious problems coming up. If Irving had been a fisherman, there wouldn‘t be anything to worry about. But Irving wasn‘t a fisherman. He was a deputy. And apparently, a good one. In fact, from reading Irving‘s note, Owen could tell that the man took his job seriously. Owen tried to imagine doing the things that deputies did...whatever those things might be. Chasing the outlaws, naturally, was one of them. He never thought that he‘d be one of those outlaws. Seeing his face on a Wanted poster had been a chilling experience. Killing Mitch had been as well, but that wasn

Jenny couldn‘t hide her excitement as she took Jeremy to the mercantile. They‘d be moving into a house. One that would have a kitchen, a parlor, and a couple of bedrooms. There would also be land for Jeremy to run around on. She couldn‘t wait! It would be wonderful to get out of the boarding house. As nice as her landlady was, Jenny longed for a place to call her own. Now she could make breakfast for her husband and son, see her husband off to work, and watch Jeremy run around outside. And Owen agreed that they could get a dog, so Jeremy would finally have the pet he always wanted. As she walked with Jeremy down the boardwalk, Jeremy said, ―I really like Pa. Do you like Pa? She smiled. ―Yes. I do. Owen was turning out to be a lot of fun. From his formal letter, she‘d never guess he had the kind of personality that naturally drew people to him. Already, her brothers liked him—and they weren‘t easy to please. ―He‘s going to take me fishing. Are we going to live by a lake? ―That‘s wh

That Saturday, Owen purchased a wagon and led his new family out to the home that Sheriff Meyer had given them to buy. The quaint little home was situated on the outskirts of town with a good five acres around it and a good-sized lake not too far away. Owen liked it immediately, and he turned to Jenny and Jeremy who sat beside him in the wagon to see what they thought. Jeremy bounced up and down in between him and Jenny. ―Wow! This is for us?‖ ―It sure is,‖ Owen said. ―And I‘m going to pay for all of it too. It might take a few years, but this is going to be ours.‖ Then he lifted his gaze to Jenny who had the most beautiful smile he‘d ever seen on a woman. ―What do you think?‖ She looked at him with tears in her eyes. ―It‘s the most wonderful place I‘ve ever seen.‖ ―Then there‘s no need to cry,‖ he teased. ―Grandpa says women cry over everything,‖ Jeremy whispered in his ear. ―Don‘t worry about Ma. That‘s her happy crying.‖ He grinned and winked a

The next day at the jailhouse, Owen fell asleep while sorting through some paperwork. Half aware he was dreaming, he gave himself permission to enjoy the world where anything could happen. And enjoy himself he did. He smiled at the images dancing before him. Then, just when things got really interesting between him and Jenny, a loud bang jolted him from the world of sleep and back into the stark reality of unrelenting desire. He blinked several times as he sat up in the chair and straightened his wrinkled vest. Then he adjusted his deputy badge and turned to the sheriff who gave him a knowing grin. ―That little woman of yours keeping you up at night?‖ ―Well...‖ Since the man had caught him sleeping on the job, Owen figured he might as well tell the truth, even if it was in a roundabout way. ―Yes.‖ Sheriff Meyer chuckled. ―There‘s nothing quite as wonderful as that first year of marriage. I‘m glad things are working out between you two. She‘s a fine one. I knew you‘d m