Southern Discomfort

Southern
Discomfort

By:
Rachel Burns

Text
Copyright © 2013 by Rachel Burns

All
Rights Reserved

This is a work of fiction. Names,
characters, places, incidents and dialogues are products of the
author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to
actual people, living or dead, events or locales is entirely
coincidental.

Other
Books By Rachel Burns

A
Man To Guide Her

Daddy's
Sweetheart Part I

Have
A Heart Part I

Have
A Heart Part II

Hot
Cooking Spanker Wanted

Island
Men

Man
of the House

Sugar
Daddy

Two
Worlds Collide

Nathaniel stood
by the side of the livery, waiting for the stagecoach to come in. It
was running behind schedule. He was already very nervous. His hand
slowly reached into the collar of his shirt. He loosened his tie a
little. He was worried about the impression that he might make on
her. What if she looked at him and decided that he wasn't the one for
her?

He kept looking
to see if the coach was coming. Which was ridiculous, because he knew
he would hear it first, before he saw it coming.

He seemed to be
the only one waiting this week. It was a hot Friday afternoon and if
everything went right he would be married today. He was a little
worried that she wouldn't be on the stagecoach.

Nathaniel was
worried that he would receive a letter saying, that she had changed
her mind, and that she wasn't coming. He took a deep breath, glad
that he hadn't told anyone that he had advertised for a wife.

Texas man,
looking for a christian wife. No dowry required.

That had been his
announcement.

Six had responded
to his advertisement. Five had written asking for a picture. Just the
one coming hadn't.

Nathaniel had
wanted a wife as quickly as possible. Writing back and forth had
already taken a couple of months. He didn't have the time to leave
the ranch just to go get his picture taken. He couldn't be spared
that long and he didn't want to deal with a vain wife.

Nathaniel wanted
a good christian wife who would take her wedding vows very seriously.
He had written that to Emily after she had responded to his
advertisement.

She had written
back quoting a bible passage that said the same thing but that
continued on to say that she didn't have to obey if it was something
against God's word.

Nathaniel wrote
back that that was exactly his way of thinking, too. In her next
letter she agreed to marry him. He replied that he would like that
and that he would marry her upon arrival.

Her last response
had been a telegram saying that she would be on the stagecoach today.

He had been
nervous all week. His two older brothers had been picking on him.
They teased him that she would be ugly or fat or missing teeth or all
of those unattractive things together.

No matter what
stepped off the coach he was prepared to marry it. There just weren't
that many women out here. He didn't want to be alone anymore and he
believed that every woman had her beautiful side.

Emily kept
looking at her watch. The stage was running late. Would he give up
and leave without her? Men didn't like to wait.

She was worried
that he had a bad temper. Her being late would flare it if he did.
What should she do then? She had more than enough money with her to
just turn around and go home but she didn't want to do that.

If he was a good
and kind man, like she guessed that he was from his letters, then she
would marry him no matter what he looked like.

Emily was
prepared to be a good wife. She had seen the alternative. She knew
what she didn't want. It was just a question of what she wanted. She
hoped he would be good, kind and patient with her.

Emily was worried
that he would be mad at her. She had kind of misled him. He had
written no dowry required.

She had one. She
was traveling without it at the moment. Her aunt and uncle were
waiting in Austin in a hotel. They had it. If she didn't show up
within a week they would come looking for her.

They were opposed
to this idea. They hated it even, but she had been dead set on it.
She couldn't marry anyone back home even if she did turn a lot of
heads. Well, she turned one head too many.

Her father had
made the mistake of promising her to the richest and most influential
man in town. He died thinking that his only child would be well taken
care of. But the truth was her betrothed was a cold-hearted man.
Emily was afraid of him. She had tried to get out of marrying him,
but he had said, no.

It wasn't because
he loved her. No, he just wanted her because she was pretty. He liked
to hurt women, they said. He had burned a woman, even scarring her
for life, because she refused to preform certain services. Emily
tried not to think about that. She couldn't guess at what it meant
but her aunt had been horrified. That wasn't the life she wanted. No,
she would be better off with a God fearing man like Nathaniel.

Emily hoped that
he wouldn't be too upset, that she didn't have any farming
experience. Maybe he wouldn't mind. Perhaps he even assumed that she
didn't, because she came from Boston. She was really very nervous.
She felt like crying, but it seemed the coach was slowing down.

It was time.
Either he would be there or not. She resisted looking out of the
window. She didn't want to look too eager.

The coach was
approaching. It slowed to a stop. The driver was unstrapping her
trunk. Nathaniel looked up at the driver and gave him a nod. Then he
looked back at the door. He stepped forward and opened it, holding it
open wide as he stepped aside. He wasn't brave enough to look inside
just yet.

Emily had put a
lemon candy in her mouth as the coach began to slow. She started
biting to get rid of it before he saw that she was worried about her
breath.

The door opened
and she swallowed the sharp pieces. She gathered her things together
and slowly stood up. The stage ride had made her feel very dizzy.

She looked out
and saw dry land with few trees. None of which were what she
considered green.

She didn't see
anyone, but someone had opened the door. Emily stepped out and looked
around. A man was offering her his hand to take, to help her down.

She took it and
stepped down slowly. She was shaking. He noticed that and smiled. He
was in a very good mood actually. If this woman was his Emily than he
had really lucked out.

Emily was
relieved when she had her feet on the ground. She looked around and
saw there was no one waiting here, but the stage coach driver and the
man who had helped her. She turned and watched the stage coach driver
and the man removing her trunk, and laying it on the ground.

Either this man
was her future husband, or he had left, or he hadn't shown at all.
Maybe he was hidden somewhere and he would jump out laughing saying,
'Look she actually came. How desperate must she be?' Again she felt
like crying. The man, who had helped her out, was staring at her now.

“My name is
Emily Stuart, I'm waiting for Nathaniel Tate. Did he leave already?”
she asked uncertain.

“No ma'am. I'm
right here.” He removed his hat and looked at her. She had long
dark hair that curled at the ends. She had dark blue eyes and the
palest skin. This little lady was something to look at. Every head
would turn when he marched her to the preacher's.

She stared at
him. He was trim and young looking, not an old man as she had feared.
He had soft brown eyes and blond red hair that was almost shoulder
length, and it had waves in it. If he hadn't been so tan, she would
have thought, that he was a Boston gentleman. She reached her hand
out to him. “How do you do.” She smiled a little, but she was
still very nervous.

Nathaniel took
her hand, bowed over it and pretended to kiss it. He felt that she
was still scared. He looked back at her. Why would someone like her
answer his advertisement? She was a beauty. “I'll just get your
trunk in my carriage and then we can go to the preacher's.”

She nodded very
nervously.

He was thrilled
that she was so beautiful, but it made him all the more curious about
her. Now he was worried about a personality flaw. She just seemed too
good to be true. Someone with her looks and pose just didn't marry a
stranger.

He eyed the white
dress she was wearing. It would be her wedding dress but it was an
everyday dress for a fine lady. He wanted to peek at her hands, but
they were covered with soft white gloves.

Nathaniel
wondered if she had ever worked a day in her life. He doubted it but
he wasn't worried. His sister-in-laws had everything under control at
home. Emily wasn't a necessity as far as work went. She would just
have to take care of his laundry and mending. The rest the others
would show her. She had time to learn. She looked like she would need
it.

Her trunk was
lighter than he thought it would be. Did she run away from home, he
wondered? Did it matter?

He put her trunk
on back of the carriage. He finished and turned to look at her. She
was looking around. She was already starting to draw a crowd. He had
to get her married quick before it caused problems. He took her hand
and led her to the church. She was still shaking. He smiled over at
her again and again.

He opened the
door for her and she nodded her thanks and stepped in. The preacher
was the only one who had been informed that she was coming today.

He smiled at the
two of them. They would make a nice couple. She would bring more
class into the town. He could already see her sitting here on Sunday
for services. Good christian families, that is what this town needed.

Emily stepped up
to the preacher and shook his hand and thanked him for taking the
time to marry them today. The preacher nodded, and reassured her,
saying that a wedding was always a joyous occasion. He gladly took
time for them. That said he wasted no time marrying the two of them.

It was over
before they knew it. Nathaniel leaned in and kissed her quickly.

Emily blushed.

He smiled at her
and brought her back to the wagon.

She was shocked
at how quickly that had gone. Within minutes she had promised to
love, honor and obey a complete stranger, but he had promised to
cherish and protect her. Would that make everything alright?

She sat next to
him in his carriage as he drove her to his home. She knew he lived
with his two older brothers and their wives.

Her aunt had
warned her that women had a way about them, that could easily change
to cruelness. They would have been doing things their way for some
time now, and that she shouldn't try to force her opinions on anyone.
It wouldn't be well received.

Emily was very
worried about that. She knew that his family stayed on their ranch
except to go to church on Sundays.

Nathaniel sat
proud next to his wife. She was so beautiful and she had been so nice
to the preacher. He had approved, too. She sat straight next to him.
She didn't say much but neither did he. Emily had mentioned in a
letter that she was shy. That was fine with him. She would warm up to
the family quick enough. The last thing he wanted was a loud mouthed
woman telling him what to do. Something like that he would have
quickly nipped in the bud.