A Husband for Margaret(4)

“What adorable boys,” Jessica said, breaking the awkward silence. “What are their names?” she asked Joseph.

“This is Doug,” Joseph began. “He’s seven. That is Bob, and he’s six. Then Charles is three, and Ben is two.”

“Those are fine names,” Jessica replied. “It’s a shame they had to lose their mother.”

Margaret caught Jessica’s sad expression and knew her friend was pleading with her to marry this man. Margaret broke eye contact with her friend and glanced at her family who looked equally sorrowful over his story. She wasn’t sure what she should do. True, Joseph losing his wife who left him with four boys was heartbreaking in its own way, but there were four boys he was asking her to be a mother to. Being a mother right away wasn’t something she anticipated when she posted the ad. And even if these boys seemed well behaved and friendly, she didn’t know the first thing about being a mother. Not really. Though her sister was considerably younger than her, she didn’t raise her sister.

“Oh, do it,” Jessica whispered in her ear. “Those poor boys need a woman to care for them.”

Margaret gave her friend a ‘hush’ look before she studied the boys who remained quiet and still. She wasn’t sure what to make of them. They just kept smiling at her, and as innocent as they seemed, she sensed that she was being set up for something. Surely, kids didn’t behave this well on a regular basis. She wiped the sweat off her forehead. Was she really up for this?

“Maybe you should think about it,” her father told her. “After all, you didn’t plan to marry Paul today.” He looked at Joseph. “We were going to arrange for the wedding first. We figured we’d wait a week.”

A flicker of disappointment crossed Joseph’s features but he nodded. “That’s fine. What do you think, Margaret?”

She swallowed the lump in her throat. A week. In that time, she could possibly adjust to this situation. Maybe. She examined the four boys. Or maybe not. Then she looked at Joseph who was a handsome man who obviously cared for his children and would probably make a good husband. So maybe. Then one of the kids named Bob or Doug—she couldn’t remember which—sneezed into his hand before he wiped it on his brother’s shirt. She cringed. Or maybe not.

“Well,” her father interrupted, “we don’t have to make a decision right now. We should give Margaret time to think about it.”

“Yes,” Margaret quickly said. Her eyes grew wide when she realized they might misunderstand her to mean that she’d marry Joseph and take on the responsibility of four—four!—boys. “Yes, I’ll think about it.”

It wasn’t the answer he wanted, Margaret realized when she looked from the boys and back to their father, but in no way was she prepared for this. Beside her, Jessica smiled at the boys. Had this been Jessica, Jessica would have married Joseph right away—if for no other reason than to be a mother to the children. Well, there was no doubt about it. Jessica was, and always would be, better than Margaret. Margaret simply did not have it in her to embrace this right away...if ever.

Her father turned to Joseph and the boys. “You all must be tired after the long trip. Let’s go find your luggage and get you settled into a motel. I can’t have you sleeping under the same roof as my daughter unless you’re married to her.”

Jessica shook her head. “You can’t confine children to a motel. I know! They can stay with Tom’s parents. They have enough room for all of you, and since they live on a farm, there’s plenty of room to play.”

“A farm?” one of the older boys asked. “Uncle Paul had a farm. Are there horses out there?”

“There sure are,” Jessica replied.

“I don’t know,” Joseph said. “There’s a lot of us.”

Jessica laughed and waved her hand. “The Larsons are used to a lot of people. Why, there are six kids in that family, except most of them are grown up and have their own places. And they are planting beans and corn. If you want to do something in return for food and lodging, I’m sure they could use the extra help.”

Joseph relaxed. “If we can earn our keep, then it’d work. Doug and Bob used to help their uncle in the fields.”

She clapped her hands and laughed. “Then it’s settled.”

One of the boys jumped up and down. “We get to stay on the farm! Can we ride horses too?”

Jessica nodded. “After all the work is done, Bob.”

It was official. Jessica was better than her, Margaret thought. She even knew which kid was which. No wonder all the men wanted to be with Jessica instead of her. Jessica was more likeable, more attractive, more... Well, just more everything!