Chapter 1
It was just supposed to be a marriage of convenience. He was going to help her escape her cruel father who only wanted to use her to broker a deal by marrying her off to a business partner.
Harper – an unconventional name for sure – was named for her mother's maiden name. She was 18 years old and had dreamed of traveling and seeing the world, not being tied down to a man old enough to be her grandfather. She cried herself to sleep night after night for weeks after finding out what her father was going to make her do, and prayed God would allow her a way out of the circumstances she found herself in.
Her mother had passed away when she was young, and her father had sent her away to boarding school back East, not wanting to be bothered with a young child. She had just arrived home after going as far as she could in the boarding school and was allowed to attend a few classes at Berkley. Then she was told she'd be married within the month.
Harper begged her father not to do this to her but he refused to listen.
"You don't understand business, my darling daughter," he said condescendingly. "You will do what I tell you and you will not argue. This deal is important to me."
They stopped in the town where the wedding ceremony was to take place. Again, she begged him to change his mind and was rewarded with a backhand across the face for being insolent. Harper was shocked, having never been hit by her father before. She again cried herself to sleep that night and the next morning, asked to walk to the General Store to purchase a few items – trinkets as her father liked to call them. He felt guilty for hitting her and agreed. Harper managed to hide the bruise left on her cheek by her father by wearing her hair down.
She'd smuggled out a few things before leaving the hotel room: her mother's wedding ring that her father always carried with him in the safe that accompanied him wherever he traveled as well as some cash that she knew he wouldn't miss, at least not at first.
Harper walked into the store and looked around, trying to think of what she could do to escape. She stood in the back corner of the store, hoping no one could see her as she wiped away tears, knowing she was running out of time.
"Ma'am, are you alright?" she heard someone ask. She looked over to see a tall blond man standing nearby, a concerned look on his face. His eyes which she thought looked as blue as the ocean stared back at her. Harper was not very trusting of strangers but there was something about the man who stood next to her that drew her to him. She realized it was the sadness in his eyes.
She licked her lips and an idea came to her mind. Something completely insane but she had to try. What's the worst that could happen? She thought. Be married to man almost three times my age or ask the man standing before me to marry me on a temporary basis and then have the marriage annulled?
"My name is Harper," she said, sticking out her hand.
"I'm Heath," he answered.
Harper looked around cautiously and told him briefly what was happening. She showed him the bruise on her face and his eyes widened.
"Would you be willing to marry me? Just temporarily…as soon as we get to San Francisco, we can have the marriage annulled. I won't ask anything else of you, I promise. I have money."
"Uh, ma'am…uh…I don't know if that is a good idea," he stammered, eyes wide.
"Please. I don't have another way out. I know this is awful to ask of you. That you're a stranger and I have no guarantee that you'll be any better than the man my father is forcing me to marry but there's something about you that's seems kind. Please help me," she begged.
Heath took a deep breath. He had nothing to offer this woman but as he thought about it more, she wasn't asking him for anything except for his name for a short while and an escape. And what did he have to lose anyway? He was still reeling from Sarah's rejection of him, her leaving him without a word. He had looked for her but never found out where she had gone. His empty arms still ached to hold her. He knew he wasn't being asked to be this woman's husband for more than just a way to get away from an abusive father. Yet, he was drawn to her and maybe by helping her he'd get back some of what he'd lost when Sarah left him.
The woman standing before him was the opposite of Sarah, at least in looks. Sarah was tall, with golden hair and bright blue eyes. The woman standing before him now came only up to his shoulders and her eyes were dark.
The internal battle waged on. He couldn't marry her. She was a stranger! Admittedly, she looked desperate. He had to believe she was telling the truth. He looked around and then back at her, knowing in his heart he had to help her but thought of a compromise at the last second.
"What if I help you leave town. And maybe I can get you far enough away that he won't find you?" he suggested instead. Harper wasn't sure if that would be enough, but time was short and anything at this point was better than staying where she was.
They left the small town and headed to the next one. They stayed the night, in separate rooms, and left early the next morning before the sun was even up. They arrived in the next town in the evening of the next day, tired and both ready to drop having traveled most of the day and night, stopping only to give the horse a rest.
Again they each had their own hotel room and Heath was the first one to arrive in the hotel dining room for breakfast. He saw the sheriff walk in and sit down. Then he heard the sheriff ask the waitress if she'd seen a young woman with dark hair. She wasn't in trouble, Heath heard the sheriff say but her father was looking for her. Wire had come through the night before the sheriff continued as the waitress poured him a cup of coffee. Heath didn't hear the waitress's response.
Heath knew the man was asking about Harper and quietly got up, putting a few bills on the table for the coffee he'd already had, thankful he hadn't ordered anything to eat yet as he was waiting for Harper. He rounded the corner from the dining room and headed quickly to Harper's room. He knocked on the door and she answered, dressed and her bag in her hand.
"We have to move now. Sheriff was asking the waitress about a woman with dark hair whose father is looking for her."
The made it to the next town and Heath found himself agreeing to marry Harper as she had originally asked. He reasoned if they didn't marry, Harper would always be singled out and someone might recognize her as the "dark haired woman" being sought by her father. They'd blend in better as a married couple.
Before Heath knew it, he was standing before the Justice of the Peace, vowing to honor and love the woman standing before him that he barely knew.
"I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Heath Thompson. You may kiss the bride."
Heath looked at the man and then at his "wife". She stared back, her expression clearly showing she hadn't thought this through enough that they would have to kiss.
Heath leaned down and gave her a quick, chaste kiss and looked over to see the other man's eyes roll.
They left quickly and Heath helped Harper up into the saddle of his horse and he sat behind her. They rode out of town and hoped the make the next town by nightfall. The plan was for them to travel around for a while, hopefully keeping her father from finding her. They could go straight to San Francisco, but she knew that would be one of the first places he'd look. They'd instead travel to different towns and eventually make their way to San Francisco to have the marriage annulled and then she could head East.
Harper breathed a sigh of relief. She'd reached out to her friend Phoebe Turner who agreed to help her. Life wasn't going to be easy, but she would rather live a life of poverty than to be married to an old man three times her age.
Finally, three weeks later, they were in Modesto. The town was busy and there was only one hotel room left so they'd have to share. Harper wore her mother's wedding ring indicating they were married and no one batted an eye, but Heath and Harper were both nervous.
Throughout the last several weeks of traveling together both had noticed the other more. Harper saw Heath's kind and gentle nature. He was also smart and knew a lot about everything it seemed. He made her laugh and she thought he was extremely handsome.
Heath saw that although Harper had grown up living a lavish lifestyle by her own admission, she was easy going and didn't have a spoiled bone in her body. She had no pretense. No guile. Her innocence was endearing. Her dark eyes and hair also drew her to him. She was really quite beautiful. He enjoyed making her laugh and seeing the dimples in her cheeks.
They entered the hotel room and Heath pulled out the dressing screen.
"Why don't you change behind there. I'll go get us something to eat and bring it back," he suggested.
Harper changed from traveling clothes to something a bit more casual. They'd had to pick up things along the way for her since she'd left with just the clothes on her back. Her cash reserves were depleting because she didn't want Heath to have to pay for everything, especially since this had been her crazy idea.
Heath returned with some food and they both ate their fill. The town was alive with activity but despite that, they were tired enough they wanted to just get a good night's sleep.
Both remained fully clothed and Harper got underneath the covers of the bed. Heath stayed on top of the covers and they fell into a peaceful sleep.
At some point during the night, Harper had scooted over next to Heath, feeling his warmth, her back to him. Heath woke up on his side facing Harper and realized what she'd done. He thought he should push her back but decided since they were fully clothed it would be alright. A few minutes later, she shifted some, moving her body as close to him as possible and Heath eventually had to roll over. He knew she was not intentionally trying to tempt him. Her snoring told him she was in a deep sleep. Still, he rolled over to try and put some distance between them. His body in its tired state had a mind of its own.
He then heard the creaking of a bed and moaning. His eyes widened as he realized whoever was in the room next door was enjoying company. The bed creaked and groaned and Heath hoped that Harper would sleep through the noise because the walls seemed paper thin.
The moaning grew louder and louder and Heath closed his eyes. He felt Harper stirring next to him. He knew she was awake now. He was glad it was dark because he was certain his face was as red as a summer sunset.
Voices could be heard, the name Sassy being called out over and over. Finally, all was quiet. Neither Heath nor Harper dared to move. Eventually, they both began to drift back to sleep when the creaking of the bed began again as well as the moans.
Heath glanced over at the clock. It was 4:30 in the morning.
"Is it time to get up?" he heard Harper ask and Heath got out of bed.
"Yep," was all he said. He lit the lamp and the two made a hasty retreat from the room, but not before Sassy's name was being called out again. Neither one could look the other in the eye.