Journey of the Bride (3 page)

She forced a smile on her face, leaned forward and pecked her father on his forehead with her mouth.
“
You mustn
’
t fret, Father. All will work out, you
’
ll see.
”
She stood, pulling her father to his feet as well.
“
I think you need to rest for a bit. You must be tired. Once you wake, you
’
ll be better clear-headed and you can tackle this situation better.
”

“
You
’
re right, my dearest daughter. How did you get to be so smart?
”
He grinned at her.
“
It certainly isn
’
t from me.
”
They reached the doorway to his room and he chucked her under the chin as he used to when she was a little girl.
“
You must get it from your mother. She was a special woman, your mother was.
”
He sighed and looked at his feet.

“
Sleep for a while, Father. I
’
m sure you
’
ll feel better afterwards.
”

He nodded and left her, mumbling about sleep and money and wealth and the lack thereof as he closed the door behind him.

Courtney waited until she was out of earshot before she called for Gerald who appeared before her as if out of thin air. She started for a moment, but then she settled. He always had a habit of doing that to her.

“
How much did you hear?
”
she asked, knowing he probably had remained close enough to listen to the conversation between her and her father. She wasn
’
t a fool. Gerald never left her alone.

“
Enough ma
’
am. Do you suspect Talbert?
”

She nodded.
“
About as much as I believe you to.
”

“
I believe he means to blackmail you and your father until you accept him as a husband, ma
’
am.
”

“
A husband!
”
Courtney cried, clasping her hand over her heart as if to stop its escape out of her ribcage. Talbert, her husband? The idea alone was absurd!

He said nothing, merely looked at her and waited for her to say something else. When she didn
’
t, he asked,
“
What are you going to do? I can see a plan forming behind those eyes of yours.
”

As there was. She smiled at him and gestured toward the library she and her father had just vacated.
“
I saw an ad in the paper this morning, Gerald, and I plan to answer it.
”

“
An ad, ma
’
am?
”
Gerald asked. His eyebrows arched, indicating that he didn
’
t understand.

Courtney nodded. When she thought about it, it was perfect really. If Talbert was indeed trying to blackmail her into becoming his wife, then it would be the perfect way to escape him.
“
Yes,
”
she said, smiling at Gerald.
“
It would seem Paul Jackson is seeking a wife for his brother Brandon.
”

“
Brandon Jackson? Isn
’
t he older than you, ma
’
am?
”

“
Only by ten years. Talbert is nearly twice my age.
”
She chuckled.
“
Think about it, Gerald. It
’
s brilliant really.
”

The butler shrugged and said,
“
I only hope you know what you
’
re doing ma
’
am.
”

She smiled at him, donning her bonnet and grabbing her parasol.
“
Of course I do, Gerald. I
’
m answering an ad in the newspaper for a bride.
”

It was nearly noon when the wagon pulled before a large ranch house two days later. Courtney held her hat atop her head and stared at it with wide eyes. She
’
d been able to see it for a while, but it was much more beautiful up close, and large enough for a family of four or more.

Who all lived there? Surely it wasn
’
t just Brandon as Paul had said. She turned her head to look at Paul, who rode his gray gelding beside the wagon, for a quick moment before her attention returned to the house.

It was a quaint house, simple in structure, and made completely of logs. There were two windows on the first floor and only one that she could see on the second. A large porch wrapped around the house, a large cowbell hanging off the porch near the front door. It was magnificent.

“
This is where you grew up?
”
she asked Paul.

When Courtney had answered the ad two days before, Paul had looked at her as if she
’
d grown a second head.
“
Miss le Brush,
”
he stammered climbing to his feet. He
’
d eaten dinner with her, her father, the mayor, and his own wife the evening before.
“
How can I be of service to you?
”

She tipped her chin up after she gave him a quick curtsy.
“
Courtney, please,
”
she assured him with a genuine smile. She
’
d liked Paul well enough when she
’
d met him the evening before. He was young, ambitious, intelligent and pleasant enough company. He wasn
’
t bad looking either. She wondered how his brother compared to him.
“
I
’
m here to answer your ad. You
’
re looking for a wife for your brother, Brandon?
”

His eyes widened in shock.
“
Miss Courtney, I don
’
t expect someone of your stature to be answering a call for a bride.
”
He chuckled as if he found the idea absurd.

“
And why not?
”
she challenged.
“
Am I too good for your brother
’
s tastes?
”
She paused before another thought seized hold of her.
“
Am I not good enough for him?
”
The idea that she might not be good enough for the Jacksons had never occurred to her. She was broke after all. She had nothing to offer but herself.

Paul shook his head.
“
No, no, Miss Courtney, that
’
s not it. Though if I had to choose one of those two choices, I
’
d say you were too good for his tastes.
”
He smiled as if to express his joke.
“
It
’
s just that you
’
re too sweet-natured for the man. He
’
s a rancher and can be quite gruff sometimes. I was expecting more a woman who could handle a man when he
’
s mean and tyrannical.
”

Courtney lifted her chin and stared at Paul with a deep frown on her face.
“
So what you
’
re trying to tell me is you
’
re looking for a rough and tumble woman for your brother, someone who can roll with the punches when worst comes to worst.
”

“
In less words, yes, Miss Courtney.
”
He tipped his head. In apology or dismissal, she didn
’
t know. She didn
’
t care either. This was her only means of escaping Talbert. She needed this. With a deep breath, she decided to explain her situation to Paul. She
’
d only met him the evening before, but she got the feeling she could trust him with what she told him, and besides, if she wanted to become his sister-in-law, and she really wanted to, then she needed him on her side.

When she
’
d finished he stared at her in amazement.
“
You
’
re sacrificing yourself for your father
’
s sake?
”
he asked.

“
You could put it that way,
”
she said.
“
Or you could say I
’
m being selfish and refusing to marry a man who might actually be good for me all because I don
’
t like the way he looks at me.
”

Paul laughed, which she took to be a good sign.
“
I don
’
t know whether to laugh at you or congratulate you. If you want to become Brandon
’
s wife though, I won
’
t stop you. Can you cook? Clean?
”

“
Both,
”
she replied.
“
It
’
s been a long time since I
’
ve had to do either, but they aren
’
t things one forgets.
”

“
No ma
’
am, I suppose not.
”
He stood up from his chair once more and strode toward her. He held out his hand with a large grin on his face.
“
Welcome to the family, Miss le Brush.
”

She took his hand and smiled.
“
Please, call me Courtney.
”

That had been two days before. Since then, she
’
d packed her things, telling only Gerald her plan. She told her father she had plans to visit their cousin in the country. Her father was still distraught with their ordeal and only waved her away, wishing her the best and planting a small, chaste kiss on her forehead as she headed out the door.

She hadn
’
t seen Talbert when she left, for which she was glad. She
’
d even asked Paul to keep it a secret in town until everything was settled.
“
I don
’
t want to give Talbert any reason to suspect anything,
”
she said. He
’
d agreed wholeheartedly, for which she was glad.

Gerald had wondered if she would need him. She smiled and hugged him. Over the years, he
’
d been one of her closest friends.
“
Not at this time. Take care of Father. I will return, and when I do, I want to know he
’
s been well looked after.
”

“
Of course ma
’
am,
”
he told her, bowing his head to her and kissing her knuckles.

Tears pricked her eyes. For some reason, she felt like this would be the last time she would see him. It was wrong, but it was the way she felt.

It didn
’
t matter now. The city was long gone. They had rode out of it hours ago with a team of men on horseback who Paul explained Brandon had hired as extra hands around the ranch.

“
He really hasn
’
t been doing well since Pa died,
”
he told her. His eyes grew sad then, and Courtney fought the urge to comfort him. Before she could betray herself though, he shook his head and smiled at her.
“
Don
’
t worry though. I believe you may be the best thing that
’
s happened to him in a long time.
”

She didn
’
t ask what he meant by that. Instead, she
’
d climbed up into the wagon with the rest of the belongings she
’
d decided to bring and the items Paul had bought at the store to stock the house. Then they
’
d set out, and here they were now, coming to the end of their journey at the ranch. The Jacksons owned over fifty acres of land, and she could see it stretch out past the house as they rode in. There was two large barns and a bunkhouse for the hired hands to sleep in, although Paul informed her she
’
d probably be cooking meals for them for a while.

“
Miss Courtney?
”
Paul asked beside her as they came to a halt. She turned to him. There was something in his voice that held a warning, and it was painted on his face as well.
“
I must admit that this wasn
’
t Brandon
’
s idea, and he
’
s not going to be happy about it. It
’
s legal. The document you signed is legal and he
’
d signed it already, thinking he was signing paperwork for his new hands, but he
’
s not going to be happy about it.
”

“
You tricked him?
”
Courtney had to admit that she wasn
’
t surprised. There had been something fishy about the whole deal from the start, as Gerald pointed out when she told him about it. She found that it didn
’
t bother her though. Instead, worry for Paul
’
s current safety washed through her. Then she wondered if she should be worried about her own safety. Paul had mentioned that Brandon had quite a temper when he wanted.

As if he
’
d heard her thoughts, Paul smiled at her.
“
Don
’
t worry, miss. If he gets mad and throws swings at anyone, it will be me.
”

The thought didn
’
t cheer her up. The riders all dismounted and Courtney climbed down from the wagon, waving away assistance from the men. She was living on a ranch now. She had to show these men she didn
’
t need to be coddled, and she really didn
’
t. Looking around, she held her breath, taking in the beauty of the land before her.

Out in the distance, she heard the bray of cattle and the whinnies of horses.
“
Is this just a cattle ranch, or does he breed horses here as well?
”
she asked Paul.

He started, as if he hadn
’
t expected the question. Maybe he hadn
’
t thought she
’
d take any real interest in the ranch. How little he knew of her. If she was going to live there, she wanted to know the workings of it all.
“
Honestly, I don
’
t know. All I know about is the cattle, but it
’
s possible he raises horses as well. I don
’
t know.
”