The morning sun was bright and clear as Jed climbed out of his wagon and stretched his arms. It looked like it would be a beautiful day in Nowhere. He opened one of the tin cans of beans he kept in his wagon for breakfast. He sat outside of the wagon and watched the clouds float by as he ate his food.

He couldn’t wait to see Gertrude again. He could not stop thinking about the woman. She was bold and brash, and he loved that about her. He never knew exactly what she was going to say or do.

To his surprise, instead of Gertrude, an elderly couple pulled up next to him in a wagon of their own. They hopped out of their wagon and marched up to his.

“You must be the man giving our Gertie a hard time,” Cletus accused.

“You’ll leave our daughter alone, if you have any sense at all,” Edna Petunia added, glancing at the stranger in the wagon. She had to admit, he was quite handsome.

Jed’s wary expression brightened. “You’re Edna Petunia and Cletus Sanders? I’ve heard about you.”

Edna Petunia only glared at him. “Don’t believe everything you hear in this town.” Jed watched as she reached a hand into her bosom and brought it out again, carrying a peppermint stick. She crunched on it noisily as they continued talking.

“Thing is, son, you’re trespassing. This is county-owned land.” Cletus puffed out his chest and gazed at Jed sternly.

“With all due respect, sir, I don’t believe I am.”

Cletus frowned. As Nowhere’s town judge and an overprotective father of fifteen girls, he wasn’t used to his authority being challenged. “What do you mean by that?”

“I checked the map of county property. From here until the farm next door is all public land. The plot of land where the library sits is county land. But this here is public. Therefore, I believe I’m entitled to park my wagon here if need be.”

Cletus looked taken aback, but didn’t say anything. Edna Petunia sprung into action. “If need be? Why exactly does a man of your age need to sleep in a wagon?”

Jed grinned. “It’s less that I need to sleep in a wagon and more that I choose to do it. I enjoy being outside and having the freedom to go where I so choose.”

Despite himself, Cletus was nodding his head. “Before I settled down, I lived in the woods. That’s where I first met this woman, and then she made me the happiest man in the world.” Cletus leaned over to kiss Edna Petunia right on the mouth, and Jed looked away politely.

Once they had finished, he stood up straight and looked each of them in the eye. “I’m glad you came to call on me, because I have been wanting to meet you. You’ve raised a mighty fine young woman—”

Edna Petunia let out a little whoop. “Of course we did! And they’re all like that!”

“—and I intend to marry her.” As soon as Jed said the words, he felt a pit of fear in his stomach. What if Gertrude’s parents disapproved? It was too soon. They didn’t even know him yet.

But fortunately for him, Cletus laughed and patted him on the back. “I appreciate your honesty, son.”

“Our daughters, all of them, will marry for love and nothing less. Gertie has a fine head on her shoulders…and as you know, she does not tolerate foolishness. What makes you think you could provide for her?” Edna Petunia asked sharply.

“I’m glad you asked me that. I’ve been lucky over the years, building a small income from my business. I’ve never married, and I don’t drink or spend money on frivolous things. I bought this wagon outright, so I’m not in any debt. The only expenses I have are for feeding my horses and donating a small amount to my church.” Jed looked at Cletus and Edna Petunia nervously. He hoped that would be enough to convince them he was worthy of their daughter. He knew he had a long way to go—he still needed to convince Gertrude—but this would be a major step.

Cletus nodded, satisfied. Edna Petunia was impressed, but wasn’t about to let Jed off the hook so easily. “How would you feel about an engagement that lasted a year or longer?”

Jed swallowed. “I think that would be up to Gertrude. I don’t see a problem with it.”

“I was once a young man myself, son. Are you sure your manly urges won’t take over and make you do something you’ll regret?” Cletus stared at the young man, as if he could read his intentions.

Jed was a very open person, but he wasn’t sure how to answer this question. He felt almost any answer he could give would get him in trouble.

Fortunately, Edna Petunia chimed in. “You see, Jed, all I want to do is be able to give one of my bastards a perfect wedding.”

Jed coughed suddenly. “Excuse me, ma’am…did you just say ‘bastards’?”

Edna Petunia was on a roll. “Yes, I did. All I want to do is arrange the flowers and the dress and the food and make everything nice for my girls, but every single one of them who has gotten married so far has betrayed me. They’ve all had very short engagements, getting married with barely any notice or time to plan a thing! So you’ll understand, Mr. Thorn, when I say a very long engagement. Understood?”

Jed nodded his head firmly. “Yes, ma’am. I understand completely.”

“Well, then. I think I’ve heard everything I needed to hear.” Edna Petunia smiled approvingly at Jed.

“I agree.” Cletus was admiring one of the books on Jed’s cart, a thick volume about the Civil War. He held up the book. “How much for this book, son?”

“For you, Mr. Sanders, no charge today. I appreciate you coming out here to visit me and listening to everything I have to say. You know, I’ll be perfectly honest. There are many people who see me driving up in my book wagon who think I’m odd or a crazy person. So the book is yours, as a token of my gratitude for your kindness.” Jed smiled at the older man. He already felt a kinship with the man, though he’d only known him for a few minutes.

“Thank you, son. I’ll gladly pay, though. I don’t need any special favors.” As town judge, Cletus never wanted to appear like he was taking bribes from citizens. He held the book out to Jed.

“No, I insist. Thank you for your offer, sir.” Jed pressed the book back into Cletus’s hands.

“Well, thank you very much, son. We’d best be going now.” Cletus extended his arm and gave Jed a hearty handshake. Jed smiled.

Edna Petunia threw her arms around Jed. “Good luck with Gertie. She’s a tough nut to crack, but you’ll be very happy when you do finally get there. Trust me, I should know. I waited nearly fifty years to find my true love!”

With that, Cletus gave Edna Petunia another kiss directly on the lips, right in front of Jed. He was oddly charmed by the strange couple, but he couldn’t believe how forward they were with their affection for each other. He chuckled to himself and dropped his head, feeling a little uncomfortable.

Cletus and Edna Petunia headed back to their wagon. Jed watched as they set off into the distance. He checked his pocket watch. He thought Gertrude would arrive any moment.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, Gertrude came into view. She stared straight ahead, not turning to say hello or even look at him. Jed sighed. She was going to be a difficult one to win over, but he had to find a way to show her how much she meant to him. There had to be something he could do to convince her to give him a chance.

Gertrude pretended that she hadn’t seen Jed. She was fuming that the wagon was still outside the library. She had hoped that sooner or later, Jed would get bored and find a new place to park his wagon. She knew it would continue to be a distraction for all of the library patrons.

That morning, a large number of Nowhere residents showed up in the library, and Gertrude was pleased. Maybe the novelty and excitement of the book wagon had worn off and everyone had decided to return to the dependable, reliable library. In any case, Gertrude was thrilled that everyone was back.

She helped old Martha Ramsey search for home remedies for a bad cough, found law books for a young man interested in becoming a lawyer, and re-shelved all the returned books from the previous evening and that morning. By the time she was done with her morning chores, it was time for lunch.

To Gertrude’s dismay, she saw many of her library patrons go outside to join a circle. Children from the school drifted in and crowded around Jed. Gertrude listened as his music filtered in through the windows. When she couldn’t take it anymore, she went into the closet and slammed the door shut so she could be alone with her thoughts.

She didn’t understand why he had to be so difficult. It was bad enough that he was parked outside her library. But to also make a commotion every single day while people inside the library tried to study? That seemed unnecessary.

Still, despite her annoyance and frustration, Gertrude found herself imagining what Jed’s hands would do if they were allowed to run up and down the lengths of her body. She shivered at the thought with excitement, then tried to shove the feeling away. I will not fall for Jedediah Thorn, she promised herself.

* * *

As Gertrude left the library that evening, Jed got out of his wagon and joined her, walking in step right next to her. Gertrude stopped and turned to face him.

“What are you doing?” Gertrude demanded.

Jed gave her a sunny smile. “Walking you home.”

Gertrude seemed too shocked for words. “That’s not necessary.”

“I know. I’m doing it because I want to.” Jed was wearing a knowing grin, but Gertrude only felt confused.

“Why are you doing this?” Gertrude finally blurted out.

Jed looked surprised. “Doing what?”

“Staying outside of my library. It seems like you are trying to make me mad.” Gertrude knew she was being harsh. Some of her sisters had teased her or made fun of her for her direct nature, but she was glad that she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind.

“It’s certainly not my intention to make you mad. Quite the opposite, in fact.” Jed took Gertrude’s arm in his.

Gertrude’s heart began to beat faster. She thought about pulling away, but it felt nice to walk arm in arm with Jed. She took a few deep breaths to steady herself. “Then what is your intention?”

“I’d like to marry you.” The words flew out of Jed’s mouth before he even realized he was talking. He wished he had thought of a more romantic way to make this proposal. Talking about it seemed so cold and impersonal. He should have made her a nice picnic dinner or brought her a gift with a note that outlined his question. He found himself reconsidering all his actions around her. Was she simply going to reject him and run away? He hoped not, but it was a possibility.

Gertrude’s heart leaped. She couldn’t believe that the handsome man was asking her to marry him. She had a fleeting glimpse of what their wedding night might be like, and then forced herself to think of something else. But she had to admit, she was curious. Still, she knew how she had to respond.

“Mr. Thorn, I don’t even know you. You might be able to play the banjo well, but what do you know about being a husband and a father?” Gertrude tried to remain calm, but her tone was partially accusing.

Jed grinned again. “You’d like to have babies with me? Well, that’s great news. How soon can we start?”

Gertrude was horrified. “Mr. Thorn! I’ve never met a man who spoke so inappropriately.” Secretly, she was thrilled, but she couldn’t let him know that.

“Do you like it?” Jed asked with a smirk.

Gertrude glared at him. “No.”

Jed burst out laughing. “I’m sorry, Gertie—can I call you that?—but you are truly lovely when you are mad.”

Gertrude continued to stare at him with a gloomy expression, but something within her shifted. As she stared into Jed’s eyes and saw his smile, she began to relax, and that made her start to laugh. It started as a low rumble and changed into a deep, belly-aching laugh for a few minutes.

At first, Jed simply stared at her in confusion. Then he joined in, too, until both of them were laughing wildly, tears streaming down their faces.

A piece of hair had slipped into Gertrude’s face. Jed leaned down and brushed it behind one of her ears. “See? Laughing with you is my favorite part of any day. If you accept my proposal, we could do this every day,” Jed said softly.

Gertrude could feel a yearning stirring deep within her. Jed was handsome and funny and talented. But marriage was a huge commitment. Plus, there was the small matter that Jed lived in a traveling book wagon. How would he ever be able to support a wife—and eventually children—in a wagon? It was too much to bear.

“No, I can’t. I’m sorry.” Gertrude pulled away from Jed’s arm and began hurrying to the Sanders house.

“Wait for me!” Jed called. He chased after her. He was breathing hard by the time he had finally caught up. “Gertrude, I know I drive you crazy. But please think about my offer. That’s all I’m asking. For you to think about it.”

Gertrude nodded. “I see.”

“Truth is, I’ve never met anyone quite like you. And I’ve met a lot of people in my travels.” Jed knew he had to convince her. He wasn’t sure how, but he thought it couldn’t hurt to explain all the things he loved and enjoyed about her. “You’re not only beautiful, but you’re kind and smart. You help children and other library patrons every day. You’re exactly the type of woman I’m looking for.”

“How will you settle down if you’re chasing after places in that contraption?” Grace finally had an outburst.

Jed looked at his wagon and smiled. “The wagon? She’s been my faithful companion for years. But if it meant giving up the wagon for you, I’d find a way to do it, Gertrude. That’s how serious I am about you and our future life together.”

Gertrude swallowed hard. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She tried not to get her hopes up, but they were already climbing. “You would?”

Jed turned to her and tilted her chin toward his. “For you, Gertrude? I’d do anything.”

Gertrude was silent for a few moments. “Wow. You’ve given me a lot to think about. It’s going to take me some time before I can come up with a halfway-decent response.” Everything inside her yearned to say yes, but her practical mind couldn’t allow that. Not yet.

Jed nodded. “That’s understandable. I’ll be waiting impatiently while you make up your mind, though.” He laughed to show he was teasing.

When they got to the door of the Sanders house, Jed leaned down and kissed her gently on the cheek. Gertrude felt the tender caress of his lips on her skin and her body cried out for more.

“Good night, Miss Sanders.” Jed squeezed her hand.

“Good night, Mr. Thorn.” Gertrude could feel her heart pounding as she slipped inside and closed the door. What was she doing with the man?