A Bride for Adam

lips.
Greta’s heart thumped in her chest, and it took every bit of control she had to not react to the kiss or return it. “I think we’d better get home so I can tuck Bethany in.”
Adam stared at her as if he couldn’t believe his kiss had no effect on her. “Yes, ma’am.“ Adam slapped the reins, and the buggy jerked forward toward home.
~~~~***~~~~
When Adam went into the house, his parents were sitting before the fireplace, sipping tea.
Rhea stood when she saw him. “How was your evening?”
Adam shrugged. “It was pleasant.”
“Rhea,” Sam said, “leave him be.”
Rhea moved to stand in front of Adam. “How are you two hitting it off?”
“Rhea,” Sam warned again.
Rhea ignored her husband. “Tell me. I need to know. The whole situation concerns all of us.”
Adam sighed and sat down on the sofa.
Rhea sat beside him. “Is she warming up to you?”
“No, she isn’t. I’m thinking she cares for this Tanner fellow.”
Rhea looked down at her lap. “Oh, dear. That’s not good. Have you tried to get close to her?”
“Dear Mother,” Adam said, taking her hands in his, “I know how you want things to go, but it might be too late. I kissed her, and it seemed to mean nothing to her. I won’t try that again.”
“Blast that Tanner!” Rhea said.
Adam stood. “I think we all need to pray about the situation, and let God do the rest. I’m going up to bed.” He went upstairs, leaving Rhea with her head in her hands.
 “Sam, we need a plan.”

Chapter Seven
Sam and Adam sat down to breakfast. “I have bad news, son.”
Adam had been about to take a bite of toast, but he dropped it onto his plate and rolled his eyes. “Now what?”
“We need to get a shipment of cotton from South Carolina to Liverpool. There’s only one ship in the dock and it’s yours. All of our other ships are in transit. The cargo is worth a lot of money. Could you possibly do this one job for me?”
Adam—who had brought the toast back to his mouth—dropped it back onto his plate. “No, I can’t. I have just a few weeks to win Greta over before the annulment is final. She’s already fearing I’ll go back to the sea.”
Rhea entered the room. “I have the perfect solution.”
Adam rolled his eyes again and finally took a bite of his toast. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Rhea sat beside him and touched his arm. “You can take Greta with you. It would be cozy. Just the two of you on a cruise—it might spark a romance.”
“Just the two of us and a whole crew.” Adam laughed sarcastically. “I can’t see that as romantic.”
Sam said, “Take a skeleton crew. It’s a short jaunt, and you won’t be hauling anything on the trip back.”
Rhea squeezed Adam’s arm. “It would be perfect. It will give you both a chance to get acquainted without Tanner or anyone else interfering.”
Adam raised one eyebrow. “What about Bethany?”
“We’d keep her, of course.”
Adam laughed. “I doubt you’ll convince Greta to leave her daughter for that long.”
Sam spoke up. “Your clipper can make the trip from Charlestown to Liverpool in two weeks if you get a good head wind. Eve’s our fastest ship. The trip home, even without cargo, will take you about eight to ten days, so you’d only be gone a little over three weeks, four at the most.”
Adam took a long sip of his coffee. “I’ll agree to take the job if you can convince Greta to go along. If she doesn’t, then I refuse. I really need to stay and fight for her. I’ve even been thinking of buying a business here, in Fort Worth, to convince her I aim to stay.”
Rhea looked at Sam. When he nodded, she said, “If you take this trip, we’ll pay for half of whatever business you decide to buy.”
Adam shook his head. “Not unless you can convince Greta to come along.”
Rhea grimaced. “I’ll have to think of something. This won’t be easy, especially if she has a thing for this Tanner fellow.”
“I think she’ll argue that she can’t leave Bethany for that long,” Sam said.
“Are you adamant about winning Greta because you’re in love with her?” Rhea asked with a hopeful look.
“Love? No,” Adam said. “I hardly know her. It’s because of my promise to Seth. I stood at his grave and promised him I’d take over where he left off and rear his child as my own.”
Rhea gave him a thoughtful look. “And are you willing to stay on land for as many years as that takes?”
“Yes. If I get involved with a business it will take my mind off of the sea,” Adam answered.
Adam tapped his chin. The more he thought about taking Greta on his clipper, the more he liked the idea. “Mother, I’ll let you off the hook. Let me convince Greta to go sailing with me.”
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“Positive. I have an idea. I’ll need you to sit with Bethany while I take her mother for a buggy ride.”
~~~***~~~
Greta handed Bethany to Rhea. “Be a good girl for Grandmother.” She waved as Rhea carried her daughter across the meadow to the main house. Greta turned and ran into the house and up the stairs to dress for her outing with Adam.
She enjoyed her outings with Adam against her better judgement. If only she was sure he’d stay on dry land, she might cave in and let herself fall in love with him...well, more in love with him. Being with him was as pleasant as it was painful. She wanted to throw herself into his arms and beg for another kiss, only she’d return it this time. The only problem was