She hated Jackson Parker before she ever even met him.
But when you came from a large family, 5 younger brothers to be exact, and it was a struggle everyday to feed that family, daughters of a marriageable age had to do just that. Get married.
She was more fortunate than most. She wasn't kicked out with nowhere to go and no prospects. Her father had gone the extra mile and found her a man to marry. Jackson was the son of her father's old war buddy.
"I don't understand why I have to go all the way to Tennessee," she grumbled as she put on her pristine, white traveling gloves. "If you'd given me a little more time, I could've found a man right here."
"You and I both know that the boys around here won't have you for the long haul, at least not the ones who are good for anything."
Her face flushed, not so much in shame for the acts themselves but for shame that her father knew of them. But her parents must have had an inkling of her destiny for they'd named her after the wild and beautiful Alleghany River.
"But to marry a man I've never even met in a state I've never even been to..." she broke off in frustration and searched for the right way to explain it, "that'll make me nothing more than a mail-order bride."
"Alleghany, you are my only daughter and I love you, but sometimes I think I was too permissible with you when you were growing up and I'm afraid I've done irreparable damage," he said, deep regret lacing his voice.
"Don't say that. You're the greatest dad a girl could ever ask for," she said, kissing his weathered cheek.
He smiled in spite of himself. "Just promise me you'll give this marriage a chance. Be your charming self and he'll love you as much as I do. And I know he's going to be a good provider for you. His father, Bo, was as fine a man as I ever knew. Saved my life, you know."
"I know," she said quickly, hoping to stop him from retelling the all too familiar story that she'd heard at least a 1000 times growing up, "but I'm not marrying Bo."
"Sons don't fall far from the tree." But he wore a worried expression.
"I'm sure he'll be just grand," she said more to relieve his mind than anything as she didn't believe a word of it. This arrangement wasn't any easier for him than it was for her, she knew, but it was quite literally this or watch his family starve.
She said a tearful goodbye to her mother and brothers and then she jumped in the car with her dad. Before she knew it, they were heading south away from everything she knew. To the man she was supposed to be eternally tied to.
sss
Jackson held the crinkled letter from Mr. Petit in his hands though he'd read it often enough to know its contents by heart.
Her father raved about his talented daughter, a joy and a delight to have around. An affectionate person as ever walked the earth. It was filled with nothing but praise for her, but then that was to be expected from a father. He wondered what this woman would really be like.
Nothing about her appearance. Would she be beautiful or plain? Probably plain or she would've found a man in Virginia. She was likely overweight and covered in warts and growths. And if she wasn't, well, that was even worse because then there was likely something off with her personality.
But he needed and wanted a wife and this was the easiest way to get one. The nights were lonely without family and very few friends.
His father had always talked about the delightful "Frenchie" he had served with. A jolly man who could always make him laugh. If his daughter was like anything like that, he supposed he could overlook any quirks be they on the inside or the outside because heaven knew he could use a laugh or two now and again.
And they arrived tomorrow. He was getting married in less than 24 hours. He supposed he had better go talk to the preacher.
