Mail Order Bride: Deception (Historical Western Romance): Clean Romance Series (Western Mail Order Brides Book 1) (8 page)

Chapter 13.

That night, Austin hardly slept a wink. He didn’t know what had come over him, offering Leah a job so suddenly. What shocked him more than his having offered her a position at the newspaper was having then opened his big mouth and insulted her, but still, why wouldn’t she take a better job? Staying at his mother’s grand house would be better than the meager lodgings she’d soon be moving into. If she’d accepted his offer, she’d be so much better off, and wasn’t that why she’d moved to the West? That’s why everyone had ever come to the West.

He groaned when he realized that it was Sunday morning, and that he’d see Leah at his mother’s house and at church. His thoughts were interrupted with sounds from Violet, signaling she’d woken up. “Coming, Violet. Father’s coming.”

Staggering into Violet’s room, he was met by her smiling face. She’d pulled herself up in her crib, and was jumping up and down. He silently thanked God for bringing Violet into his life. After he changed Violet and dressed her ready for church, he headed over to his mother’s place for breakfast, as he did most Sundays.

* * *

All of Austin’s brothers were there, but Leah was closest to the door when Austin opened it. She looked at him, and then her eyes fell to Violet in his arms. “Violet, how’s my girl?” Violet giggled, and Leah looked up at Austin. “Hello, Austin. May I take Violet?”

“Of course you can.”

Leah held out her arms, and Violet stretched her own arms toward Leah. Once Violet was in her arms and grabbing at her golden ringlets, Leah said, “Everyone’s in the kitchen, breakfast is nearly ready.”

“Leah, I want to apologize for the things I said to you yesterday. I hardly slept for regretting what I said.”

“No need to apologize at all. Some people have different standards to others, and that’s true enough.”

“There you are, Austin. Come on, breakfast’s ready,” Albert said, as he poked his head around the kitchen door.

“We’re coming.” Leah walked quickly to the kitchen, with Violet in her arms. She put Violet in the high chair, and placed a large bib around her neck. “I’ll feed her, if no one minds,” Leah said.

“Here, I’ve got her porridge ready.” Beth placed a small plate of porridge on the table in front of Violet.

Leah kept out of the breakfast conversation that morning, glad that she had Violet and all of Austin’s noisy brothers as a distraction.

As usual, the brothers talked boisterously of local goings on, and of cattle drives, rustlers, and what had happened in the saloons through the week. They were an entertaining lot, and Leah couldn’t help but laugh with them at some of the things they said. This was their Sunday routine. They came to breakfast at their mother’s house, and they all attended the morning service together.

When it was time to drive to church, Leah made sure she traveled with Beth and Albert. Throughout the next few hours, Leah kept a safe distance from Austin. Beth introduced her to people in the town, and Leah was pleased to meet them.

When she went home, Leah packed ready to leave for her new lodgings.

“We’ll miss you, Leah. You must come back if things don’t work out,” Mrs. Wright said.

“Thank you, Mrs. Wright, but I’m sure things will work out just fine. You’ve been so good having me here. I can’t thank you enough.”

Mrs. Wright kissed Leah on both cheeks, before Leah got into the carriage with Beth. Mrs. Wright stood at the door, and waved Leah off.

When they were away from the house, Leah said, “Thanks for everything you’ve done for me, Beth.”

“I haven’t done anything.” Beth giggled.

“Yes you have, you’ve been a good friend.”

“And so have you. I hope we can still see each other,” Beth said.

“Of course, we’ll see each other at church, and we’re still in the same town. We can see each other whenever we want. I’m sure I’ll get some free time with only two boys to watch.”

“You must come out for dinner when the new house is finished.”

“I’d really like that,” Leah said.

“Yes, so will I. I will look forward to it immensely.” Beth stopped the carriage in front of Leah’s new home.

Leah stepped down from the carriage. Her new life was about to start. She’d left her old life behind in Chicago for something better, and she was sure that this would be better. Beth passed Leah’s satchel and a larger case to her.

“Thank you, Beth.”

“Let me know if you need anything.”

“Yes, I will.” Leah stood there, and watched Beth turn the carriage to head back to the house. She glanced two stores up from where she stood, and saw the newspaper office. She pushed Austin out of her mind, took a deep breath, opened the door of her new home, and headed up the steps.

She knocked on the door of number four, and Jed opened it.

“Welcome,” he said, as his two boys intertwined themselves around his legs.

She giggled when she saw them. “Hello, boys.”

“Hello, Miss,” the older one said.

Leah stepped through the doorway.

“It looks small from the outside, but it’s got very large rooms. I’ve moved out of the largest bedroom so you can have it. It looks over the street.”

“You didn’t have to do that.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Doesn’t matter to me what room I have. I thought being a lady, you’d want a large room.”

She was pleased that he spoke to her respectfully, the way that Austin had once spoken to her. Leah unpacked, while the boys joined her and looked on. She enjoyed their lively chatter, and she knew she’d get along with them fine. The older one would soon be at school, and she’d only have one to watch during the day. It was going to be a pleasant change from the drudgery of the Bradbury’s place with all their children.

* * *

It was four weeks later that Beth knocked on Leah’s door.

“Beth, come in.”

“I hope you don’t mind me popping around like this.”

“No, I’m so pleased you did. Would you like some cake and tea?”

“I’d love some.”

“I’ve just finished baking a cake.”

Beth looked around. “Where are the boys?”

“Jed’s just taken them to buy shoes. They’re growing so fast they’ve pushed holes in their old ones.”

Beth sat at the small kitchen table, while Leah put the kettle onto the stove.

“My house is finished, and you did say that you’d come to dinner once it was finished.”

Leah swung around away from the stove. “I’d love to.”

“Good. Does Wednesday night suit you?” Beth asked.

“I’m sure Wednesday night will be fine.”

“I’ll have James collect you and Mother.”

Leah arched an eyebrow. “James?”

“Yes, don’t worry, I wouldn’t have Austin drive you. I believe you haven’t been communicating with him too well?”

Leah sat down, while she waited for the kettle to boil. “I’ve not seen much of him. I see him across the way at church, and in the street, that kind of thing. We haven’t really spoken since…”

“Since you were at my house the last time?”

“Around that time, I’d say.” Leah rose to cut the cake.

The hot water in the kettle bubbled, causing Beth to jump to her feet. “I’ll make the tea.”

When they were sitting drinking their tea, Leah said, “I guess he’ll be there too, if James and your mother are going?”

“I wanted everyone there. All my brothers, Mother and you.”

Chapter 14.

It was six o’clock when Leah heard a carriage stop underneath the window. She looked out, and saw that it was James. She saw him peering up, so she gave him a wave to let him know she’d seen him, and that she’d be right down. After she said goodbye to the boys and Jed, she hurried downstairs.

“Hello, James.”

“Hello, Leah, it’s nice to see you again.”

Leah climbed into the carriage, and noticed that Mrs. Wright was not there. “Is your mother coming too?”

“She was coming, but she’s not well.” James clicked his horse onward.

“Oh dear, nothing serious I hope?”

He looked at her with a grin. “She doesn’t like going out at night. I think that’s all it is.”

“I must call on her. I haven’t seen her for some time. She wasn’t at church on Sunday either.”

“How’s the new position working out for you, Beth?”

“I’m enjoying it. Jed is good to work for, and the children are delightful. I’m glad I came to Dodge City.”

He looked over at her. “Are you?”

She thought it an odd thing to ask, as he was the nice brother. Brock was the one who usually challenged her on everything she said.

“Yes, I am.”

“Forgive my question, it’s just that I’ve been exchanging letters with a young lady, and I don’t want to do the wrong thing by her. I guess you heard about what happened the last time when I wrote to a young lady.”

“No, I don’t really know what happened.” Leah had heard a little of it, but didn’t know that she should admit that his family had talked about his personal details so freely.

“I was writing to a lady for some months, and we agreed to marry. We were to marry four days after she arrived. I wanted to marry the day she arrived, but she wanted to be married on the Saturday. On the Thursday night, she was gone.”

“Oh. Did you have any warning?”

He shook his head. “Everything seemed fine. I guess she was disappointed when she saw me, and changed her mind.”

“No, I don’t think that would’ve been it at all. Would she have encountered some foul play, or anything of the kind?”

“Hank looked into it, and didn’t find anything unusual. He found that she’d bought a ticket back to California, and that was that. The ticket officer remembered her buying the ticket.”

“I guess it wasn’t meant to be.”

“It makes me encouraged to know that you’re happy here. Austin might have seen it as a mistake, but I guess you weren’t the one writing the letters, were you?”

“No, I didn’t write the letters. The lady writing the letters didn’t arrive at all.” It didn’t escape Leah’s notice that Austin must have referred to her as ‘a mistake.’

“Better she changed her mind before, than after she arrived, like mine did.”

“Do you have a lot in common with the lady you’re writing to?”

“Yes, we are getting along fine. I’m thinking of asking her to marry me.”

“James, that’s wonderful news.”

“Shh.” He put his finger to his lips. “Not a word to my family. I don’t want a lecture from Beth.”

Leah giggled. James was her favorite brother out of all of them. There was an openness about him that none of the others had. Her least favorite was Brock, who was in a permanent bad mood.

Once they arrived, James jumped down from the carriage quickly, to help Leah out.

“Thank you, James.” She looked over to the house and saw Beth waving to her at the doorway.

“You go on ahead, Leah, I’ll tend to the horse,” James said.

Leah walked toward the house, while having a sideways look at the carriages near the house. She saw Austin’s carriage, and it looked as though all the other brothers were there as well.

“Your mother’s not coming,” Leah said, as she kissed Beth on the cheek.

“I didn’t really expect her to come, she doesn’t like going out at night. Come in.”

The men were gathered in the living room, and were surrounding the newspaper. Every now and again, a laugh and a cheer could be heard.

From the entrance, Leah cast her eyes over the group of men, and caught Austin’s eyes. She immediately looked away. She didn’t want him to think that she was looking for him or looking at him.

“I’ll show you around before dinner.” Beth grabbed Leah’s hand.

The house wasn’t overly large and it didn’t take long for Leah to see over it. “It’s beautiful, Beth. When do you move in, or have you moved in already?”

“We’ve already moved. Although, I do have many things that I still have to collect from Mother’s house.”

“Can I help you with dinner?”

“Not tonight. I’ve got Millie to help tonight.” Millie was a young girl who often helped Beth’s mother in her house.

When Beth announced that dinner was served, Leah made sure she was not seated anywhere near Austin. She sat between Dustin, the youngest brother, and Brock, the brother who asked uncomfortable questions. Seated next to Brock was more comfortable for Leah than sitting near Austin.

The dinner conversation bubbled over, without a moment’s silence. Leah became informed of all the town news, and much of the town gossip.

“And what do you do, Dustin?” Leah asked, just before the dessert was served.

“I’m going to help Brock on the ranch.”

Hank said, “He’s also going to help me when I need it.”

“Mother wouldn’t like it to have two lawmen in the family. It’s too dangerous,” Beth said.

“I keep the town safe. It’s the people who go against the law who should be careful.” Hank laughed. “I’ll make a lawman out of Dustin yet.”

“No, he’ll have enough to do helping me with the cattle,” Brock said, in a gruff tone.

“Dustin, you told me you wouldn’t mind learning the newspaper trade,” Austin said.

Dustin shook his head. “I never said that I would, I was considering it as one of my choices.”

Leah turned to Dustin. “My, you are in demand.”

His cheeks flushed, and he put his head down. “I’m still figuring out what to do.”

“There’s plenty of time for that.” Leah looked up from talking to Dustin to see Austin frowning at her. She looked at him, and he didn’t look away. She had to be the one to look away first. Had he found something wrong in what she said to Dustin? Maybe he thought she should keep out of family business.

That was the only awkward moment Leah experienced throughout the night, until it was time to go home. “I’ll take Leah home,” Austin announced to James.

“Are you sure? I guess it is closer to you,” James said.

“It makes sense, that’s all,” Austin said.

They had decided things between themselves, with no question to Leah. She could not say anything without appearing awkward, and even a sideways look to Beth proved of no help. Leah was left with no choice but to have Austin take her home. Perhaps he wanted a quiet moment to reprimand her for what she’d said to Dustin.

Everyone said their farewells to Beth and Albert, and went their separate ways. Austin helped Leah up into his carriage.

“Are you leaving Violet here?” Leah asked.

“She’s fast asleep. I’ll fetch her in the morning. Aunt Beth likes nothing more than to have Violet stay.” Austin chuckled.

Leah hoped that their conversation would stay amicable. “I’m sorry if you didn’t approve of what I said to Dustin. He does seem to have a lot of choices.”

“He’s lazy.” Austin’s words were spat out.

Leah froze, and maintained her gaze on the road ahead.

After a moment, she heard Austin say, “Forgive me. I’m not normally bad tempered. How are things working out with Jed and the boys?”

“Very well. The boys are wonderful, and Jed has such an easy manner about him.”

“Yes, he’s a good man.”

Neither said a word, until Austin stopped the carriage outside the building in which she lived. “Leah, before you go, I need to say something. I’ve spent all this time searching for the right way to say it, and still, I don’t know how to say it.”

Leah twisted to face him, and noticed that his eyes sparkled in the moonlight. “Just say it.”

“I was wrong about you. I was shocked when I found out who you were, and that you weren’t…” his voice trailed away.

“That I wasn’t Victoria?”

“Yes, anyway, from that point, I had it in my mind that you were a certain type of person.”

“One with no standards, and no morals?”

His jaw dropped open. She wondered if she were being a little harsh on him, but those were the words he had used to her, and they’d hurt deeply.

“Leah, I’m sorry for how I’ve treated you, for the things I’ve thought about you, and the things I’ve said about you.”

Leah nodded, and sniffed back tears. He pushed back some strands of golden hair that had fallen over her face. All she could do was nod. She could not speak, or she would cry, and not be able to stop. She stared into his blue eyes, craving him to touch her hair once again. Her dreams had come true, he was thinking about her as a woman whom he might marry, she was certain of it; she could see it in his eyes.

He finally spoke, “I don’t want things to be awkward between us any longer. And I’ve cleared the way for Jed. Well, what I mean is that I cleared things up with him, so he would know that there’s nothing between us any longer.”

Leah drew back from him, straightening her back. “What do you mean?”

“Jed needs a wife, and you’re the logical choice.”

“Jed?” She narrowed her eyes. “Austin Wright, you are just the most horrible…” She grunted, jumped out of the carriage, and walked away without finishing her sentence.

“Wait,” he called.

She could hear him getting out of the carriage, so she ran into her building, and closed the door behind her. As she walked up the steps, her cheeks burned. She had never been so humiliated in all her life. How could she misread a thing so badly?

It was late. She was glad everything was dark, and that everyone was asleep when she unlocked the door. In the dark, she made her way to her bedroom, and looked out the window at the deserted street below. He’d already gone; he hadn’t even tried that hard to follow her. She flung herself onto the bed.

I will have to stop liking Austin. He thinks I’m like a piece of meat to be passed around. Well, a woman is not a piece of meat. He wouldn’t have treated Victoria like that. She let her tears fall down the sides of her face, and onto her pillow. He had apologized with his words, but then his next words had revealed what was in his heart. Austin still did not think enough of her to ask her to become his wife - and she knew now that he never would.