Mail Order Bride: Deception (Historical Western Romance): Clean Romance Series (Western Mail Order Brides Book 1) (2 page)

Chapter 2.

Leah Morgan stared out the window of the passenger train as it pulled into another town. On a whim, she’d bought the ticket to Dodge City. She had no family, unless her drunkard father was still alive, but she wouldn’t know, since he’d deserted her and her mother ten years before. Two years ago, her mother had been involved in a rifle accident, which had led to her death. Leah had to get away from Chicago; any place had to be better than the life she’d been living there.

Since her mother had died, she’d found employment with the Bradbury family. She boarded with them and worked for them as a mother’s helper. There were twelve children; Leah found the work intolerable even though she was fond of the children. There was always something to do, always another chore, or another child to keep in order. Conditions in Chicago were hard, and she was lucky just to have a job, so she couldn’t complain about no day off, or the lack of time to herself.

To get away, she’d told the Bradburys that she was needed to look after a sick relative in the east for a few months. She didn’t like lying to them just so she could escape; they’d been good to give her employment and give her a roof over her head. She hoped to get her position back if things didn’t work out for her in the west.

“Last call for those getting off at Dodge City,” the worker called, as he walked up and down the aisle.

Leah straightened her dress and bonnet, took hold of her satchel, and hurried to the door of the train. As she stepped onto the platform, a buzz of excitement ran through her. Even though she didn’t know where she was going or what she would do, she remembered her mother’s words; you make your own luck. Somehow, she always landed on her feet, no matter what situation she was in. She had never gone hungry for too long, and had always had a bed to sleep in.

She glanced around the train depot where families were hugging loved ones, and children were running around. Behind the depot, she saw that the fields were green; they were breathtaking. There was even a touch of snow outlining the edges. It was a stark contrast to living in the middle of Chicago. “Beautiful,” she mumbled.

“Yes, it is beautiful.”

She jumped when she heard a voice next to her. Leah looked at the tall man smiling down at her. The way he stood there expectantly made it seem as though someone had sent him to fetch her. He looked at her as if waiting for her to speak. She frowned at him, wondering what he wanted. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” His voice was warm, and he seemed friendly.

The man’s eyes were deep blue, and his features were square and strong. He wore a hat, but Leah could see from his sideburns that his hair was dark brown. He spoke differently to the men in Chicago; slower, and each word was a little more drawn out. “You didn’t startle me.” When she realized she’d been staring at him, she looked down.

“My mistake. Jumping when spoken to just comes natural?” he teased.

She felt warmth rise in her cheeks, then glanced back up into his eyes, and shook her head. “I guess you startled me just a little.”

“Let’s go then. I’ve got many people waiting to meet you.” He studied her for a minute when she made no move to follow. “You are Victoria Hadley?”

She could only think he’d mistaken her for another, but where did he want her to go? “I’m sorry. Go?”

He nodded and pointed.

She followed the direction of his outstretched arm to a horse and carriage parked close by. Leah took a glance around the station to see if people were watching them. This was an awkward situation. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

His smile was still there, even though his eyebrows lifted. “I’m Austin Wright, and you are Miss Hadley, aren’t you?” When she remained silent, he frowned, and said, “I’m sorry, I just assumed you were Victoria Hadley, since I didn’t see any other young lady get off the train.”

For a moment she stood with her eyes locked onto his. Then, her eyes darted from him to the horses, and then back to him. She’d asked for a sign from God that she was supposed to stay in Dodge City, and wondered if this were it. Nervous and unsure what to do, she shook her head, picked up her satchel and backed away from him.

“Oh.” He watched her, without the smile that had previously touched his lips.

She turned fully and walked away. Leah walked over to a nearby bench, and sat down before looking back over at him. He appeared lost and confused. The man lifted his hat slightly, and scratched the side of his head. She wondered whom the person was that he had named. It didn’t seem right that she wasn’t there. He looked dejected and hurt as the train pulled away from the station. She reminded herself that she was there to find a place she could call home, not there to look for a man. Watching him still, she saw him walk to the ticket counter.

She waited to see what he would do, and then the loud speaker came to life. “Attention passengers, if there is a Victoria Hadley nearby, please come to the ticket counter. I repeat; Victoria Hadley, come to the ticket counter.”

Leah sat there waiting, looking around for any sign of the woman they had called.

After fifteen minutes, and another announcement, she knew Victoria was not coming, and that’s when she knew that she could make her move.

What would be the harm be if she pretended she were Victoria? It wouldn’t be lying; it would be more like a game, a game of make-believe. After all, this Victoria person hadn’t shown up, and she must have looked enough like her for the man to believe that she was Victoria.

* * *

Austin was disappointed when the attractive woman wasn’t the one he was looking for. He’d been more than delighted when he thought that the woman he’d seen was Victoria. She matched the description in Victoria’s letters: slight build, fair, and blue-eyed. Since she’d refused to send a photograph, Austin only had the description to go on.

He glanced at the woman waiting on the bench, whom he’d thought was Victoria. Her fair hair fell beneath her bonnet in ringlets; her eyes were large, and her skin was creamy. When she had blushed, he had been caught completely off guard. It bothered him that he could be drawn to someone like that. The last time he’d had that feeling in the pit of his stomach was when he was being introduced to Charlotte. He was drawn to this woman who claimed she wasn’t Victoria, and wondered if he should go back and find out more about her.

As he waited by the ticket counter to see if Victoria would appear, he couldn’t help but feel rejected. Maybe Beth had been right all along. If he were to go home empty handed, that would mean she’d been right. He’d have to listen to Beth retell James’s tragic story one more time. He didn’t want his experience to be bad like James’s. Austin was just glad that his daughter, Violet, wasn’t old enough to be aware of what was happening.

He looked back to the man at the ticket counter. “Thank you, Warren.”

“Do you want me to try again?” Warren asked.

Austin looked around the train station to see that the crowd had thinned. “I’m sure if she were here she would have shown up after the second announcement. Thanks, anyway.” He turned away, and nearly ran into the young woman from earlier.

“Hello,” she said.

“Hello. You’re still here?” He was pleased that the decision of whether he should speak with her again or not had been taken out of his hands.

“Yes.” She laughed, raising her arms slightly.

He smiled, looked at the ground, and then his gaze settled back to her bright eyes. “Might I drive you somewhere?” He looked around about him. “It looks like whoever was supposed to collect you isn’t here.”

She leaned forward slightly. “I have a confession to make.”

He drew his eyebrows together. “Yes?”

“I’m the one that you’re looking for. I’m Victoria,” she blurted out.

He tried to process the information. He was hesitant, because he did not know what reason she would’ve had to say she wasn’t Victoria in the first place. “Hmm… interesting,” was all that he said.

“I don’t know why I didn’t tell you straight away that I was Victoria. I’m just scared, that’s all.” Leah blinked rapidly, and looked down.

He thought her a strange woman, but in his heart he was glad that she was Victoria. Why hadn’t she told him? He thought himself a fool for not realizing it before; he could’ve saved himself a good fifteen minutes. “Well, it is very nice to meet you, Victoria Hadley. I’ve heard many good things about you.”

“You have? What have you heard, exactly?” She tipped her head slightly to one side.

He held out his hand, and she shook it. The moment their hands touched, he knew that he’d done the right thing by finding a new wife.

“What have you heard about me, then?” she asked again.

He laughed. “I’ve heard nothing about you except from your letters. I’ve read your letters more than a few times, I must say. I like what you’ve told me about yourself.”

Leah breathed out. “Oh, good.”

He leaned down and took hold of her satchel. “Is this all?”

She nodded. “I don’t need much.”

He rubbed his chin. “I thought from your letters that you were bringing much more than this.”

“Yes, that’s right. I was, I mean, I did, but it was stolen on the way, along with the money I brought with me.” She blinked rapidly, as she stared at him.

“It was?”

She nodded.

He shook his head and breathed out heavily. “There’s more of that happening all the time. Did you see who robbed you?”

“I was asleep and when I woke, I saw that there was only this satchel. All my other cases had gone. I asked those nearby, but they didn’t remember seeing anything.”

He nodded in the direction of the carriage as he started to walk. “Did you report it to anyone?”

She walked quickly to keep up with him. “I didn’t think that anything could be done.”

“I’ll let my brother, Hank, know; he’s the Marshal.”

“Really? Having a brother who’s a Marshal must come in handy.”

“Sometimes.” He glanced at her. “I suppose you’re tired?”

“I am. I’ve been traveling a long time.”

“We don’t need to go see Hank straight away. We’ll see him tonight at dinner anyway.”

“We will; at dinner?”

“Yes, and you can tell him all about it then. My mother is cooking dinner for the whole family tonight, and all my brothers will be there, the five of them, along with my brother-in-law, and one of my sisters.” Austin helped her up onto the carriage, and then he joined her. He was sure that they would get along just fine. “You’ll stay at my mother’s house until after our wedding if that suits you. My sister, Beth, lives there temporarily with her husband.”

“Wedding?”

“Yes. My house is only a five minute ride away from my mother’s.”

“Oh, good.”

Austin noticed that Victoria was wringing her hands in her lap. He leaned toward her, and in a low voice said, “I’m nervous, too.”

She swung her head to look at him. “You are?”

He nodded. “It’s strange for me too. It’s been over a year since Charlotte’s been gone, but I guess you know all that, and all about Violet.”

“I don’t mind if you tell me again.”

Austin looked at her. “Good.”

“Tell me more about Violet.”

“She’s turned one a few months ago. She’s the most precious thing in my life.”

Leah put her hand to her bonnet. “I’m looking forward to meeting her. I’m just a little vague today. It must be the long journey.”

“I hope you won’t be too tired to meet everyone tonight. They’re all anxious to meet you.”

“I am tired, but I’ll be glad to meet everyone. Tell me some more about them.”

“Well, there’s my sister, Beth, and her husband, Albert. They’ve got a ranch, and they’re building a house on it. While it’s being built, they’re staying with my mother.” He raised his hand. “Don’t be put off by my sister. She and Charlotte were best of friends, even before I married Charlotte.”

“I see that I might have a lot to live up to.”

“No, I don’t want you to feel like that, not at all. I’m sorry; maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned anything. I’ll let you take us as you find us. Don’t be disturbed by my brothers either. They can be awfully bad mannered, but they behave in front of my mother.”

A small giggle escaped Leah’s lips. “Are your brothers married?”

“Brock was married, but she died. James nearly got married, and the others have never been close to being married.”

Chapter 3.

Leah put her hand to her throat. She had nearly choked when Austin had mentioned that Victoria was supposed to get married to him. What a mess she’d gotten herself into. If she’d known his brother was the Marshal, she might have thought twice about her little deception. At least, she’d have a roof over her head, and be well-fed for a few days before she moved on. She might be able to stretch her stay for a week, but it would only be a matter of time before the real Victoria Hadley showed up. With free accommodation, the little money she’d brought with her would stretch a bit further.

Leah wondered whether she should confess her deception then and there. She took a sideways look at the man who’d introduced himself as Austin. Just the look of the man told her that he was someone of whom she could grow fond. His story about his wife and child had touched her. This man would be a good father and a good husband, not like the father that she’d had.

She bit her lip. The man she was deceiving was well-mannered and charming. She should confess her wrongdoing immediately. Maybe Victoria had missed that train, and was on the next one. She could be found out to be a liar in a few days’ time, or whenever the real Victoria showed up. She should’ve just told him that she wasn’t Victoria.

Austin glanced at her. “You’re very quiet.”

“Just enjoying looking at the land.”

He smiled, and turned his gaze back to the road. “I’ll take you to my house first. Beth is there looking after Violet. Then we’ll head to my mother’s house.”

Leah nodded, and forced a smile. She was not looking forward to dinner, and neither was she looking forward to meeting so many people at once; especially when all these people thought that she was Victoria, Austin’s soon to be wife.

“How are your parents?” Austin asked.

“They’re well. They send their best regards. They’re upset that they weren’t able to make it to the wedding, being so far away and all.”

“And Stephen?”

“Oh, Stephen’s just the same.”

“You’ve seen him then?”

Leah pushed out her lips. “Ah…”

“He’s come back from abroad?”

Who was Stephen? Perhaps her brother? “I mean, he’s still abroad and nothing’s changed regarding his situation.” Leah desperately wanted to change the conversation, but daren’t open her mouth in case she made a mistake. How much did this Victoria person know about Austin and his family? How long had they been corresponding?

“Not long to go now,” Austin said.

“The country out here is so beautiful.”

“You wait until you see the orange and pink sunsets out here on the prairie.” After a moment of quiet, he said, “You know, Victoria, I must tell you that the things that attracted me to you were your honesty and your devotion to God.”

Leah felt sick to the stomach. That was the last thing she needed to hear. God would surely judge her harshly as a liar for her game of make-believe.

“Don’t concern yourself about tonight. I’ll let everyone know that you need to rest. You can retire straight after dinner if you wish. Mother’s got a room arranged for you. You can see all the way across to my ranch from the window. Well, what used to be my ranch.”

“It’s not yours anymore?”

“I sold it. I sold my land to my brother-in-law, and now I’ve just got the newspaper. I wasn’t much of a rancher, I’m more suited to ink on my hands than dirt. I’m going back to work shortly. As you know, I’ve had some time where I wasn’t working.”

“Yes, I know.” Leah nodded. “When will you start work again?”

“I thought we’d take a two week vacation after the wedding.”

Austin noticed that Victoria looked a little apprehensive when he mentioned the wedding and the vacation. They turned off the road onto a wider dirt road.

“Are we close?” Leah asked.

“Just around the corner.” Austin pulled the carriage to a halt and turned to look at Victoria. “Victoria, I must say a few things.”

Leah’s eyes widened.

Austin continued, “I know in our letters we agreed to marry, but I don’t want you to feel this is something you must do just because we agreed to it in our letters. You are quite at liberty to take your time with this, or even to change your mind.”

* * *

Leah pouted at his comments, wondering what the real Victoria would say. “Do you find me objectionable, Austin? Do you want to get out of your promise to me?”

“No, Victoria, forgive me.” He scratched his chin. “No one would ever find anything objectionable about you, I’m certain of that. I was merely thinking of you. A woman such as yourself might find someone more suitable than me, and taking on someone else’s child might not be to everyone’s liking.”

Leah wondered what to say to him. She couldn’t speak on Victoria’s behalf, but she had an idea that Victoria might be happy to marry a man such as he. “I didn’t come all this way for nothing.” She coughed as the words caught in her throat. “I knew all about you before I came, and I knew about your child. Don’t disappoint me now after I’ve come so far, Austin.” She stared into his eyes.

“Forgive me. You’ve had a long day. I’m not having second thoughts. I wouldn’t have agreed for you to come here if I was the type of man to go against my word. I’m delighted that we’re to be married.”

“Well then, there’s no need to say anything at all. We’ll just carry on with the decisions we made in our letters. I’ve come here to marry and that is what we shall do.”

He gave Leah a huge smile, and clicked his horse forward. When they rounded the corner, a white double-story house came into view.

“Is that your house?”

“That’s it.”

“It’s simply splendid.” It was much grander than Leah had expected, and it was then that she knew that Austin was a man of considerable means.

He stopped the horse at the front door. A woman holding a baby stepped outside of the house. “That’s my sister, Beth, and Violet.” Austin tied the reins to the post, and helped Leah down from the carriage.

Beth walked toward her. She was much shorter than her brother. Leah guessed she was a little above five feet tall.  Her build was solid, and she didn’t have the same look of refinement about her that her brother had.

Leah smiled, and the woman smiled back. “Beth, I’m guessing?” Leah asked.

“Hello, Victoria, I’m so pleased that you’re here.”

After he introduced the two women formally, Austin moved in toward his daughter. “And this little one is Violet.” He put his hands out to Violet, and she stretched her chubby hands toward him. He took her from Beth.

“Hello, Violet.” Leah leaned toward the child. Violet looked at her and put out her hand. “Do you want to come to me?” Violet turned her head away. “Well, maybe not today, then.” Leah straightened up and laughed.

“She’s a little shy at first,” Beth said. “Come in and I’ll fix you a glass of lemonade before we head to Mother’s house.”

Beth was so warm and friendly that Leah was put at ease. As she followed Beth into Austin’s house, she said, “I want to thank you for having me stay with you, Beth. It’s very good of you.”

“Strictly, it’s my mother you’ll be staying with. Anyway, it’ll be nice to have some female company around, besides my mother.”

“Austin says you and your husband live with your mother?”

“Yes, she lives in the downstairs bedroom. She can make it up the stairs, but they’re beginning to tire her out. Albert and I are only staying there while our new house is being built on the ranch.”

“Oh, that’s nice to have your mother so close.” She was nearly going to ask about their father, but since neither of them had mentioned him, she assumed that he might have died. Victoria might have been given all the information about the family in letters, and that was another reason she couldn’t ask them too many questions.

The aroma of fresh bread wafted under Leah’s nose as she entered the kitchen. “Have you been baking, Beth?”

“I like to do a bit of cooking when I come here. It’s not been easy for Austin without a wife, but I suppose all that’s going to change soon.” Beth smiled across at Austin who had entered the kitchen right behind Leah.

Austin took one hand away from holding Violet and pulled out a chair for Leah to sit in. Leah smiled up at Austin before she sat down. She wondered why a man so nice and handsome as he was, had to find a bride the way that he had. She had heard that the men outnumbered the women greatly in the west - now she knew that it must be true. “It’s lovely here,” Leah said.

“We like it. Don’t we, Violet?” Austin tickled Violet, and she giggled.

“Not at the table, Austin.” Beth frowned at him.

After they drank some lemonade and ate cookies, Austin excused himself, saying he had a little paperwork to do. He took Violet with him, and the two women were left alone in the kitchen.

Leah seized her opportunity, and speaking in a low voice, she asked, “Beth, I hope you don’t mind me asking, but what happened to Austin’s wife?”

Beth took a deep breath, leaned forward, and whispered, “She died shortly after giving birth to Violet. They found out later that she had some sort of heart condition. They’d been married for eleven years before God blessed them with Violet. For most of their married life, she was deeply disturbed that she hadn’t been able to have children.” Beth tapped her head. “It affected her in the head, and then, for her to die after having Violet was just tragic.”

“I can imagine. That’s awful.”

“Yes, this last year’s been tough for Austin. Well, it’s been a tough one for all the boys, but I’ll tell you about that later. I don’t know how much he told you in his letters, but he stopped working for a while and even had to sell his land.” Beth eyed Leah. “He’s perked up now with your arrival. I think that you’ll do him the world of good.”

Leah couldn’t help but smile. “What do the rest of your family think about my arrival?”

“They don’t say anything.” Beth patted Leah’s hand. “You’ll meet them all tonight. There’s James, Brock, Hank, Calvin, and Dustin the youngest. We have a younger sister, but she’s not here at the moment. Oh, and Mother, of course. Father’s been gone two years now. He was a judge, and was very well respected in the town. Mother still lives in the same house.”

“Well, it’s very nice of her to have me stay there.”

“Yes, your room is all ready. Don’t worry about a thing.” Beth took a sip of tea. “What did you think when you first saw my brother?”

Leah smiled. “I wasn’t disappointed.”

“I can tell that he wasn’t disappointed with you.” Beth gave a giggle.

“Why has this year been so hard for all your brothers?”

“Brock’s wife died two years ago. It’ll be something he’ll never get over; he hasn’t been the same, he’s always in a bad mood now.”

Leah put her fingers straight to her mouth. “Oh, that’s terrible,” she said, blinking rapidly.

“Yes it wasn’t easy for anyone. They’d been inseparable since they were teens. Her father was the Marshal before Hank, and our father was the judge, as I said. Anyway, they were together all the time, and got married when they were both eighteen. They never had children. I suppose that was a blessing in a way, with her gone now.”

“How did she die? I hope you don’t feel I’m being too nosey, but it’s hard meeting all these new people, and knowing nothing of them.”

“She drowned. She went swimming with friends one day, there was a sudden squall, the water swelled up, and the rising river carried her away. She was found further up the creek two days later.” Beth shook her head.

“So sad.”

Beth nodded. “Then there’s James, he was about to get married, and two days before the wedding, she was gone. James had been writing to her, too, just like you and Austin have been writing to each other. No one saw it coming. James is writing to another lady now, so we might have another wedding soon. It seems his first experience didn’t deter him.”

Leah looked into her tea.

“Victoria, I don’t mind telling you that I was against Austin writing to you, and having you come here to marry him. But now that I’ve met you, it seems right.” Beth put her hand over her ample bosom. “It feels right in my heart.”

Leah looked into Beth’s hazel eyes, which were tearing up. “Thank you, Beth, that’s nice of you to say. I’m glad James’s experience didn’t stop him from trying to find happiness.”

“No one can change James’s mind when he gets it made up about a matter. He’s a determined man. Well, all my brothers are just as determined, probably. Now, before Austin gets back, tell me something of your family.”

Leah coughed and then cleared her throat. “It’s just my mother, father and me. My only brother is abroad. There’s nothing for me back there, and that’s why I wanted to come out here. I’ve been hearing good stories about the opportunities out here.”

Beth nodded, and took a sip of tea.

“I guess it’ll take a while to get used to living here, but it would be harder for those folks trying to make a living on the land, like you and your husband,” Leah said.

Beth stared into her tea, and nodded. “There’s nothing like good honest hard work, and that’s what I’ll be doing as soon as the house is built. I’ll be side by side with Albert on the land.”