Misty's True Love (Mail Order Brides of Pioneer Town, Book 2) (3 page)

“
Of course!” he said with a
reassuring smile. His expression was so warm and inviting that she
was sorely tempted just to drop the issue nagging at the back of
her mind. “I know it was a long journey, so I shall not tire you
with a tour of the town right now. My mother has invited us to
lunch. I hope the two of you will grow to enjoy each other’s
company.”

“
No.” Misty shook her head
as she tried to gather her courage. Better now than later, while
she could flee back into the train, before she got attached to this
dream.

As he furrowed his brow in that
studious, confused way of his, she gazed up at him. “I can’t tell
you how happy I am that the man on the other end of the letter was
you all along. But I am not a lady of any rank. I told you in the
letters that I am only a maid, and I know you said that it did not
matter to you, but…”

“
Do not worry your head
about that,” he said as he offered an arm to her. “We aren’t as
picky about class as where you came from. A person makes their own
name here. If anything, rank just puts more pressure on the man to
live up to people’s expectations.”

Misty gave a hesitant smile as she
nodded, but she was not convinced that a family rank in society was
taken so lightly, not even here, yet she made no comment. How she
had happened across Cody’s ad for a bride had been a small miracle.
The fact that they got along so well from the start was an even
larger one. There had no doubt been many other women who responded
to the ad of better rank than she, and she had contemplated the
risk of responding to a stranger many times. Had Indiana not been
in the same town as her suitor, she could easily have never put her
pen to paper.

Cody had proclaimed that he was
content with how things were, so she was not going to push the
subject any further. She needed to have faith that his words were
as sincere as he sounded. If the difference in their rank was a
problem, then she would need to deal with each situation as they
came. No amount of discussion over the topic could change that. She
either needed to re-board that train now, or accept whatever might
come.

After a moment, she lifted her free
hand and wrapped her hand shyly into his arm with a shy smile. A
grin spread over his face as he guided her to the carriage, proudly
pointing out some of the stores in sight of the platform as they
walked.

She didn’t know what the future had in
store for her, but she was eager to see where this path led.
Especially with a man like Cody Mills by her side.

Chapter 3

Cody’s mother lived in a house of
three stories with a large porch that wrapped around the front of
the house, and a balcony on the second floor which stood over the
porch in the front. It was white with blue trim and shutters, and
as Cody pulled to a stop, a woman who was sweeping the porch with a
broom hurried inside. When she returned, an older lady was with
her, and Misty was sure that the lady was Cody’s mother.

They looked alike. Both had sharp
faces and strong jaws—a pleasing trait on the son, but a rather
unfortunate one on the mother.

Misty looked around. The house was in
town, and the neighbors on either side were not far, but this home
was bigger than the others by a fair margin. The lawn was green and
well groomed.

“
I am Mrs. Mills,” Cody’s
mother said haughtily, looking down her nose at Misty.

“
Allow me to present Miss
Misty Fields,” Cody said.

“
Yes, ma’am. It’s a
pleasure to meet you,” Misty said.

Mrs. Olivia Mills made no response as
a porter arrived and pulled Misty’s bags from the carriage. She
turned and went inside.

Misty, her heart in her mouth,
followed Cody into the large home and tried not to marvel too
openly at how grand it all seemed. It reminded her of Indiana’s
home, which had been destroyed in the earthquake. She thought too
of Mrs. Mills, and wondered if she was normally as abrupt, or
whether the special treatment was just for her. She was to stay
with Mrs. Mills until her marriage, but already she was dreading
the arrangement.

And then Cody was back, and he took
Misty by the hand and led her back to the porch. “I have to go,” he
said. “I’m needed urgently at the ranch.”

“
I understand,” Misty said,
hoping she was hiding her sudden sadness that Cody was leaving so
shortly.

“
Get settled here, and I’ll
come by in the morning. I shall take you to see Miss Indiana.” He
took Misty’s hand and kissed it, and went to the carriage. She
stood on the porch, and watching him leave. When she went inside, a
maid was waiting for her.

“
Would you like to go
upstairs and unpack, Miss?”

“
Thank you,” Misty said as
she followed the maid upstairs.

Her room was large, with two big
windows in one wall that looked out over the front, just next to
that balcony. The floors were rich oak, and there was a bed in one
corner, and a dresser in another. Her two bags were sitting on the
bed. Near the window sat an old rocking chair. Misty made her way
to the chair and ran her fingertips over the back, feeling the
smooth cherry wood.

“
Miss Fields,” a stern
voice said from the doorway. Misty turned to see Cody’s mother
there, her hands folded.

“
Oh,” Misty said, searching
for something else to say.

Before she had a chance, Mrs. Mills
Olivia went on. “I prefer conversing with someone who possesses
something more in the way of conversational skills, my dear, but I
suppose ‘oh’ is good enough for a maid, is it not?”

Misty could not believe her ears. She
was so shocked that she could not speak.

“
It is best that you
listen.” The woman sighed. “I was rather taken aback when my son
told me that he placed an advertisement for a mail order bride. I
am not sure why he felt the need to order a bride in that way, but
he informed me that he did not care for any of the women in town.
That itself is foolish. There are plenty of acceptable ladies
here.” Mrs. Mills stressed the word ‘ladies’. “Alas, I have no
influence over my son, as he is a grown man and can do as he
pleases.”

Misty just stared, unsure of where
this was all going, but she knew it wasn’t going anywhere
good.

Mrs. Mills continued. “I cannot
control who he marries. If he wishes to marry a maid from a city
which shook and burnt to the ground, I cannot stop him. I can
however speak to you. My son is a man of means, as his father was
before him. My father was a man of money. I do not approve of my
son choosing to marry you.”

Misty’s mouth fell open.

Unbelievably there was more. Mrs.
Mills went on, ignoring the look she could certainly see on the
younger woman’s face. “I know he will not stop this foolish
charade, so I shall give you the opportunity to do the right thing.
Leave here. I will pay you to return to where you came from. I will
pay you substantially more than it would cost for your journey
back. My son should not marry a maid.”

The woman was done. Her last words
hung in the air like thick smoke.

Misty felt tears stinging her eyes.
She finally spoke. “May I be permitted to use your
telephone?”

Mrs. Mills nodded curtly. “Surely. It
is in the hallway outside the parlor.”

“
Thank you,” Misty said,
and she hurried out of the room. She went downstairs as fast as
propriety allowed, and found the phone in the well furnished
hallway. As soon as she could, she dialed a number and sat on the
edge of a high backed chair as she waited for the other end to pick
up.

“
Hello?” a woman’s voice
said.

“
Miss Indiana?” Misty
asked.

“
Misty, is that you? Where
are you?”

That took Misty by surprise. She
hadn’t even noticed she was crying. Her eyes stung and tears rolled
down her cheeks. “I’m in Pioneer Town. May I come and stay with
you, please?”

“
You’re in town? Here? In
Pioneer Town?”

“
Yes!” Misty said quickly.
“I’m at Mrs. Mills’ house. Mr. Cody Mills’ mother’s
house.”

“
Mrs. Mills? How do you
know Mrs. Mills?”

Misty sighed. “It’s a long story. I’m
sorry to intrude, but please, will you come pick me up?”

“
Of course,” Indiana
said.

“
Thank you,” Misty said.
“I’ll explain when you get here,” Misty went back upstairs to what
had once been her new room, if only for a few minutes. To her
relief, there was no sign of Mrs. Mills. Misty took up her bags and
dragged them down the steps. She went out on the porch to wait for
Indiana.

The door swung open and Olivia stepped
out onto the porch. She handed an envelope to Misty. “Here’s the
money,” she said quietly.

“
I don’t want the money,
Mrs. Mills.” It was all Misty could do not to burst into
tears.

Mrs. Mills narrowed her eyes, and her
cheeks flushed red. “I don’t understand. You are
leaving.”

Misty steeled herself to look the
woman in the eye. “Thank you for your hospitality, but I am leaving
to stay with my friends, Mr. and Mrs. Chase. I am not, however,
leaving your son.”

Olivia looked as though she had just
bitten into a lemon. Her lips were a thin line across her face.
“Very well,” she said finally, and then turned and went
inside.

Chapter 4

Misty hoped Indiana would arrive soon
to rescue her from the clutches of Cody’s overbearing mother. The
tension in the house had been palpable in the short time she had
been there. It was readily apparent to her that Cody’s promise that
things were different in Wyoming was not the case. Either way,
Misty no longer wanted to be left alone with his mother if such a
thing could be avoided.

After what felt like an eternity of
waiting, a car came down the road slowly. Misty was overjoyed. It
would be the first time they had seen each other in ages, so
despite the uneasiness that stirred in her stomach, she was more
than excited that she would get to see her friend again.

Before she could step off the porch,
Mrs. Mills hurried past her to greet the visitors the second they
alighted from the car. “How lovely it is to see you both,” she
gushed.

“
Thank you kindly, my lady.
I hope we aren’t an intrusion,” Morgan said, removing his hat as he
flashed the woman a smile.

Indiana hurried past Morgan to Misty,
and two embraced.

“
Not an intrusion at all,”
Olivia said. “It is simply an unexpected but welcomed occasion.
Would you both care to join me for tea? I do believe Misty would
like some tea. Is that right, dear?” she said, her smile looking
more nefarious than friendly.

“
Yes, Mrs. Mills,” Misty
said, offended that Mrs. Mills had referred to her as ‘Misty’
rather than ‘Miss Misty’ in an obvious attempt to put her in her
place.

With that, Mrs. Mills nodded toward
the house. “Misty, please show our guests to the
parlor.”

Misty felt like she was being given an
order, but no longer was she someone’s maid, or butler, at that. It
was difficult enough to forget her past life and leave it behind
without someone like Mrs. Mills poking and prodding about it every
chance she got. That was one of the primary reasons she wanted to
leave the woman’s house. She needed to be around those who saw her
as an equal, not less—she needed to be around friends.

Brushing off the negativity that
threatened to cloud her mind, Misty led her guests into the lavish
parlor where they were to have tea.

“
What are you doing here in
Wyoming? What is going on?” Indiana asked urgently.

Misty sighed and then looked down, her
cheeks warming. Looking back up at Indiana, Misty took a deep
breath before she spoke. “I’m here because I responded to a mail
order advertisement that I found in the Matrimonial News. You are
aware that, after the earthquake, I went to care for my elderly
aunt? Well, she passed away, leaving me with nowhere to go and no
other options.”

“
Oh, I am so sorry to hear
such a thing,” Indiana said, her eyes suddenly glossing over. “Why
didn’t you write me to tell me that fact?”

“
Wait, so that’s why you’re
here?” Morgan asked, his hands tucked snugly into the pockets of
his jacket. “Are you talking of Cody? Cody said his new bride was
arriving—wait, that’s you isn’t it?” His jaw fell open.

“
Yes,” Misty said, nodding.
“I did not realize it myself until I saw him at the train station,
but the man I was corresponding with was named
Claudius.”

“
Realize what?” Indiana
said, glancing between the pair like she was being left out of a
private discussion.

“
That the man she came to
marry was Cody,” Morgan said, scratching his head. “His real name
is Claudius.”

“
You cannot be serious!”
Indiana said, clutching at her throat.

Misty nodded. “It was a surprise to us
both that we had actually met prior. Of course, I was writing under
the name Michelle, and he was writing to me under the name
Claudius.”