“You’re in luck—I have a surplus of prayer this week.”
Cash chuckled. “Thanks.”
Seth leaned back in his chair and settled in for a chat, making Cash feel like he was important. “How about some specifics? I find that being clear on the subject brings about better results.”
Cash took a deep breath. There was no easy way to say what was on his mind. And talking to a preacher about marriage was almost as risky as talking to a woman about it. “I need to find a wife—fast.”
Seth nodded for him to continue.
Cash regarded him. Why wasn’t he freaking out? “Like, in two days if possible,” he added, just so the man knew how fast he was talking about.
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Why aren’t you surprised.”
A slow smile crept across Seth’s face. “Because I understand your predicament.”
“You do?”
“I really do.” Seth laughed. The sound came from deep inside of him and was pleasant. It was the laughter of a man who was secure in himself and in his place before God—a man who had the best of all the right things. He got up and went around the desk, shut the door, and then leaned against it. “What I’m about to tell you doesn’t leave this room. There are a few select people who know the story, but Evie and I would like to keep it to ourselves.”
“Sure.” Cash sat up, eager to hear what could be so important.
Seth clasped his hands together. “Do you remember the ads for brides that went through The Matchmaker?”
Cash nodded slowly, his brain working to connect dots that weren’t there yet. “That was you?”
Seth held up a finger. “One of them was me. I don’t know who the other guy was—but I hoped it worked out as well for him as it did for us.” Seth turned to look lovingly at his son.
Cash stared at the little guy too. “You placed an ad for a wife and itworked?” He couldn’t keep the disbelief out of his voice, though he tried valiantly. Seth was someone Cash respected—enough that he’d come to him for advice on how to navigate the strange waters he found himself treading.
“It worked.” Seth pushed off the desk and made his way back to the other side. “I advertised for a business wife, someone to help me run things here—a preacher’s partner in every way. Except physically. I thought we could keep it platonic. I didn’t realize that marriage is the ultimate partnership in every way.”
“Are you … Do you think it could help me?” Marrying someone as a means to an end didn’t sit right. But if the preacher had done it, then it wasn’t wrong, right?
Seth woke up his computer and brought up The Matchmakersite. The first page was full of garage sale notifications and odd jobs that needed doing.
“Wait!” Cash’s arm flew out to cover the keyboard. “I’m not ready for a wife and kid. I could barely keep a girlfriend. It’s not that kind of marriage.” He felt dirty saying things like this in front of the man who made all those things look like heaven on earth. He wouldn’t blame Seth if he threw him out of his office and told him never to come back. Marriage was of God, and here Cash was, playing with it like it was a legal toy that could be discarded when he was through.
Seth laced his fingers together and laid them on the desk. “My marriage wasn’t either—at first. But there’s something about working toward a common goal that brings two people together and softens hearts. You’re a good man, Cash. If you choose a good woman, then all I ask is that you are open to finding and sharing love.”
Cash lowered his chin, needing a moment to think this through. “I don’t have a choice. If I want the house, then I have to be married.”
“We always have a choice. I think the real question is if it’s worth it to you to put your heart on the line.”
Cash thought of his grandfather, of the man who hadn’t shown his feelings often, but worked his guts out to provide for his family and set up future generations financially so they could pursue their dreams. He’d sacrificed a lot for his business—including his relationship with Cash’s dad.
That wasn’t something Cash was willing to risk. When he had a family, he’d give them his all. Having a house without a mortgage would make that easier. He could turn more of the day-to-day operations over to James and be the kind of father he’d always wished he’d had.
There were other reasons to find a wife and take possession of the house. Like the write-offs he could use for his company and the challenge of taking on a project that big.
Then there was the fact that the house called to him, begged him to restore it and save it from being turned into a tourist spot with closing hours and lonely nights. The wood flooring was hand planed and the crown molding carved by a master. The men and women who’d showcased their craftsmanship deserved his respect and to have what they’d done last for another hundred and fifty years.
He grunted at his romantic thoughts. He wasn’t one to wax poetic in life, and he chose not to look too deeply inside of himself—afraid of what he’d find. This whole wife thing had thrown him inside his own head.
