The next afternoon after Austin came home from work, there were five dozen flowers sent from different bachelor's congratulating Claire on her part in the play.

What are single men doing going to these events? It was clearly a family-oriented production.

“Has Claire seen these?” he asked mary.

“No, sir. She‟s been at work all day,” she replied, her eyes wide. “Who knew she would become so popular after marrying you?”

“Indeed. Who knew?” He scowled at the flowers.

“Throw them out. This is my house and she is still my wife.

Those men have no right to try to court her. They should at least have the decency to wait until May 21.”

“Right away, sir.”

“Wait!” He took the cards. “I want to know who I need to watch out for. And I don‟t want Claire to know about this,” he growled before he headed for the den. He sourly sat at his desk and sorted through the cards.

Dear Claire, I saw the performance last night. You did a wonderful job as director, and Tristan‟s writing continues to improve. I have some important news to discuss. I will be by to see you soon. Dan fline.

For Claire, The performance last night was wonderful. I would love to hear how your brother came up with the idea. Ben

My Darling Miss Lewisville, You are more beautiful than any other woman in town. I will stop by the library to congratulate you on directing such a delightful play. I will by tomorrow at noon. Larry Martin.

Austin decided he would have to tackle Mr. Martin first.

Dear Claire, After your annulment, you shouldn‟t have to go back to being a spinster. I would be much obliged to relieve you of that fate. Your admirer, Tim smith.

To my sweet Claire, Age is just a number. Consider my courtship after your annulment. Wilbur Vance.

Austin knew Wilbur was twenty-five.

He wrote each man‟s name on a piece of paper before ripping up the cards and throwing them in his trash can. It was

December 22. He had to go to the Lewisville farm from December 24 to January 1. He could probably wait until he got back to take care of Donald fline, Ben , Timsmith, and Wilbur Vance, but he needed to do something about Larry Martin the next day.

He considered what would best make Mr. Martin decide not pursue Claire. He didn‟t know the man well enough to make a

reasonable judgment.

He stood up and went to see john who was replacing a cabinet in the kitchen.

“Good day, sir,” john warmly greeted. “Is there something I can do for you?”

“Are you familiar with Larry Martin?” he asked.

John stopped what he was doing and turned to him. “I know his butler. Larry is a good man. He volunteers his weekends to help the orphans, owns a restaurant in town, cares

for homeless animals and attends church every Sunday.”

Austin hid his disgust at the man‟s impeccable character. “Is there anything he doesn‟t like in a woman?”

He chuckled. “Was he one of the men who sent those flowers?”

He frowned. “I don‟t want Claire hearing about any of this.”

“Duly noted, sir.” He sighed as he considered austin‟s question. “He is a mild mannered man who prides himself on being a peacemaker. If a woman were to be brass, he might take offense to her.”

Austin smiled as an idea came to him. “Do we still have those clothes that Claire didn‟t want?”

“Yes. They are in the baby‟s room. Mrs. Brown won‟t pick them up for another two days.”

“Good. Get me the pinkest dress with as much lace, flowers, sequins, or bows on it as you can find.”

He left a very stunned and curious butler and went back to the den to work on his plan.

Thirty minutes later, John came in with the dress and set it on the desk. “I hate to be rude but mary‟s in labor.” “Really?” Austin jumped up and followed john to their

bedroom where mary was packing her suitcase.

“My mother and the midwife will be coming by to pick us up. John and I will be at her place for two weeks. Will you be alright without us?” she asked him.

“I‟m a grown man. I‟ll figure things out,” he assured her.

“Are you in a lot of pain?”

“Not yet. My contractions just started, and they‟re far apart and mild. I want to be sure I get to my mother‟s so we can prepare for the birth. I made some meals ahead of time for you and Claire.”

“Don‟t push yourself too hard.”

“I won‟t.”

Austin watched john and Mary leave as her mother came to the door. As soon as they left, he noted that the house seemed

empty. He was actually relieved when Claire walked through the door.

“mary‟s going to have the baby tonight or early tomorrow.” She smiled. “What a great Christmas gift for them. I got home just in time to congratulate them.”

“Speaking of which,” he began, “did anyone congratulate you today?”

She thought about it for a moment. “Several people did.

They were very thoughtful.”

“Were any of them men?”

She took off her coat and hung it up. “I think so. I didn‟t pay attention.”

He shook his head. She wore a light green shirt with a long black skirt. She took off her hat and he saw that her hair was pulled back with a black headband. She looked attractive, and that was suddenly a problem. How many men were out there trying to get her attention that he didn‟t know about?

“Would you like me to cook dinner?” she asked.

“Mary said she made somemeals.”“Wouldn‟t you like to try something I made?”

Her effort to please him made him smile. “Alright. What are you going to make?”

“I‟ll figure it out when I see what you have in the kitchen.

I‟ll tell you when dinner is ready.”

He nodded and returned to the den where he inspected the dress. It was gaudy. It had so many sequins that he almost had to squint when he looked at it. The lace on the edges of the sleeves were the perfect touch. Lace would definitely get Claire mad since he had put it on her wedding dress and she specifically made a fuss about it. He grinned. He couldn‟t wait to see Mr. Martin‟s

face when he stopped by at noon the next day.

He quickly put the dress away so she wouldn‟t see it when she came into the room to read after dinner. He was learning that she loved books more than just about anything else, and she had already become attached to sitting in the chair by the fireplace.

When she called him to dinner, he was surprised to see meatloaf and mashed potatoes. He hadn‟t eaten such a simple

meal since he was a kid.

“It‟s my fanciest dish,” she said as she sat in her seat.

“Hot chocolate is my favorite drink, and I‟m actually good at making it.”

She did put a lot of effort into the meal.

“Thank you, Claire .”

She smiled widely.

Did she ever get complimented for anything? She seemed so happy at the slightest good word someone spoke to her. It must be

because she got clowned for being a nag so much. “You are actually nice company to have. I‟m sorry I called you a nag.”

She grinned. “I‟ve been called worse. I know I can come on a little strong. If you knew my family, you would understand.

My brothers make it impossible for me to be a demure woman. If I didn‟t stand up for myself, I‟d get walked on all the time.”

“Did you get a new ring?”

“It‟s right here. Didn‟t you notice it?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Much love,

V.A 💙

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