She Was Forced to Marry a Poor Rancher — Not Knowing He Owned Half the Valley
Chapter 14
Five years after their wedding, the old church bells rang again.
Margaret and Thomas stood before the altar.
Not because they were marrying again.
Because they were celebrating their fifth anniversary.
Margaret wore the same ivory dress.
Thomas wore the same dark coat.
The minister smiled.
“You’ve come far.”
Thomas looked at Margaret.
“We have.”
Afterward, they walked through the fields.
The valley stretched beneath the evening sky.
Half of it belonged to Thomas.
But Margaret no longer cared about the land.
She cared about the man beside her.
“You know what I remember most?” she asked.
“The wedding?”
“The wagon.”
He laughed.
“That terrible wagon.”
“I thought you were taking me to a shack.”
“I had a better house.”
“You deliberately let me believe you were poor.”
“Technically, I was.”
She stopped.
“How?”
Thomas smiled.
“I was poor in everything except land.”
She laughed.
Then grew serious.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I wanted to know whether you would stay when you thought I had nothing.”
She looked at him.
“And if I had left?”
“I would have let you.”
“Even though you loved me?”
“Especially then.”
She took his hand.
“Then you were foolish.”
“Why?”
“Because I would have stayed.”
