Find Another Husband

‘Because he doesn’t approve of my choice for a wife, just like he doesn’t approve of your choice of boyfriends.’ Elias’s smile faded. ‘I submitted the marriage application to Uncle Hershel months ago, but it was denied repeatedly. After my deployment to Valour Ridge, I took it to General Wyatt.’ Harriet pulled a face. ‘You know Uncle Hershel and General Wyatt don’t get along. If he finds out you went behind his back, he’s going to blow a gasket.’ Elias shrugged. ‘It couldn’t be helped. General Wyatt approved my application. Callie has been my wife for about a month now.’ Harriet glanced around. Seeing no bench nearby, she sank onto the floor. ‘That’s a lot of information to take in.’ ‘Take all the time you need.’ Elias sat down next to her. ‘I would have told you on the first day if I had the time.’ ‘I understand.’ Harriet plucked up a blade of grass and twirled it around her finger. ‘Does this mean I’ll have to find another husband?’ ‘I’ll keep an eye out for suitable candidates.’ Elias smiled. ‘He has to be someone pretty amazing to be a match for my little sister.’ ‘You got that right.’ Harriet’s proud smile soon turned into a frown. ‘But what about Uncle Hershel? When are you going to tell him you are already married?’ Elias leaned back and gazed up at the night sky. ‘I tried telling him the last time he called, but he hung up before I could. I guess on some level, he already knew, but refused to acknowledge it.’ ‘Then I guess it’ll be a good idea for me to extend my stay at Valour Ridge.’ Harriet mused out loud. ‘I don’t want to go home to face his wrath alone.’ Elias patted her shoulder. ‘Stay as long as you like.’ He rose to his feet. ‘By the way, there’s grass stain on your dress.’ ‘What? Shoot! This is borrowed!’ Elias left Harriet to deal with her laundry emergency and jogged back to his dormitory. He opened the door and found Callie sitting cross-legged on the sofa, a towel over her damp hair. The TV was on, switched to the military channel. She looked up at the sound. ‘Good, you are back. I saved you a mango pudding. It’s in the fridge. But if you are not back in another ten minutes, I was going to eat it myself. Which would be a mistake, since I already had my own pudding plus Wendy’s.’ Her face retained a rosy post-shower glow. Elias unlaced his boots, advancing toward Callie with a determined stride. He caught her wrist and pulled her up from the sofa into his arms. ‘Elias, what’s wrong?’ Callie sensed a strong emotion simmering beneath his calm façade. ‘Did something upset you?’ ‘Callista Hawthorne, do you realise what you’ve done?’ Elias pulled back and stared at her. The use of her full name gave her pause. Callie mentally retraced her steps. ‘Um, not really. What did I do?’ ‘You acted rashly, without knowing the full circumstances.’ Callie was still puzzled. ‘Look, if this is about the pudding, it’s still in the fridge. I didn’t eat yours. I know I’m not supposed to eat cold food, but every time my period’s over, I just get these crazy cravings.’ ‘This is not about the damn pudding.’ ‘Then what is it about?’ ‘Let me ask you, do you have a purple dress?’ ‘Purple? I have many dresses. Most of them are at home. You’ll have to be more specific. Can you let me down?’ She was held in an upright position with his strong arms clamped under her arms. ‘I’d like to sit down.’ ‘Not until you’ve answered my question. Did you lend a purple dress to someone today?’ ‘Not purple. I lent a lilac dress to a friend today. What about it?’ ‘Is that friend, by any chance, a woman called Harriet Daniels?’ Callie nodded. ‘You know her? Of course you know her. You are the principal.’ ‘That’s not the point.’ ‘Then what is the point?’ ‘Do you know why she needed the dress?’ ‘She was going on a date, but it was too late to go out and shop. So I helped out. Wendy helped, too.’ ‘So you know she was going on a date.’ ‘Uh-huh.’ Callie blew at the towel as it fell over her eyes. ‘My hair’s still wet. Can you let go of me now?’ Elias didn’t let go. He sat down on the sofa and settled her on his lap, then grabbed the towel and ran it roughly over her head. ‘Hey! Be gentle. I don’t want to go bald before I turn thirty.’ ‘I’m not done yet.’ Elias spun her around to face him. ‘Did you know the man Harriet’s dating?’ ‘No. But I know it’s someone in the academy.’ Callie smirked knowingly. ‘Their date is on the training ground.’ A dreamy look came into her eyes. ‘They are probably smooching right now. Harriet’s a real beauty. No one can resist her in that dress.’ Elias gnashed his teeth. ‘If Harriet and her date are smooching right now, you and I wouldn’t be having this conversation.’ ‘Huh?’ Callie’s confusion grew. ‘You lost me.’ ‘I would have, if I said yes to her proposal.’ ‘What proposal?’ Callie sat up straighter. ‘What are you talking about?’ Elias pinched her nose. ‘You lent Harriet a dress and sent her on a date with your husband, you silly girl.’ ‘What?’ Callie’s eyes widened. ‘No way! I didn’t…She didn’t…How…What?’ ‘That’s right. She proposed to me, asked me to get married.’ ‘The man she was talking about, the one who’s frigid, that’s you?’ Elias frowned. ‘What man? What frigid? Callista Hawthorne, what the hell are you talking about?’ Callie pushed at his chest. ‘Let me get up!’ She rose to her feet and started pacing in the space in front of the sofa. ‘She came to me yesterday, introduced herself, said she needed medical advice for a friend who’s, you know, cold. Then earlier today, she said she was going to confess her feelings to him. What was I supposed to say except to go for it?’ She spun around. ‘But I didn’t know she was talking about you.’ Elias raised an eyebrow. ‘She said I’m frigid?’