ROMANCE: Mail Order Bride: A Sheriff's Bride (A Clean Christian Inspirational Historical Western Romance) (New Adult Short Stories) (76 page)

She pretended to be thinking about it, only to reply affirmatively. She fixed her hair a little before exiting to be certain that she looked pretty.

The children took her out to the ranch, and as they walked past different structures, they competed with each other whom would get to explain things to Ruby.

“This was where we kept bunnies last year,” Roy yelled, pointing his little finger at a barn. “But we sold them all when they got bigger,” he added sadly.

“They were so warm and fluffy!” Eveline remembered fondly. “And they made a sweet sound, like this.” She tried to imitate bunny noises.

“And that is where daddy is,” Roy added enthusiastically, pointing again at the stables. Ruby’s heart immediately started beating faster as she looked in that direction. All she could hear were horses neighing at first, but then she could also hear a soothing male voice. It was talking to the horses.

“Whoa now, girl! What’s the matter?” The voice appeared to be talking to one of the mares in a soft, soothing tone, as if trying to calm down a crying child.

“Daddy, daddy!” The children rushed inside, and Ruby followed shyly. She was wearing her new shoes, purchased especially for the occasion, and she was completely unwilling to soil them with anything, which is why she was careful where she stepped.

There was the smell of horses, which she wasn’t used to, and without even wanting to, she frowned.

“Good morning.” Bronson addressed her formally, though not without warmth.

“Good morning,” she replied, still looking at the ground and checking whether her shoes were still clean. “I don’t think I’m dressed properly for this party.” She tried a joke, but all it did was make the children look bewilderingly at Bronson, trying to figure out if there was a party organized that they didn’t know about.

“I think I need some fresh air,” she said and exited the stable. The children followed.

“We have piggies! And little baby chicks! Do you want to see them, Ruby?” Roy asked heartily.

Saying no would have certainly broken his little heart—Ruby could see that much—so without thinking twice, lest she changed her mind, she nodded.

“Lead the way, captain!” Something told her that no matter what she did, her new shoes would be ruined anyway, so she might as well have some fun on her first day at her ranch.

The piglets and the chicks were truly adorable. Ruby allowed herself to remember what it felt like to be a child and just to have fun without worrying about clothes or anything else. And she ended up having the time of her life.

Later on during lunch, which all three of them made, she decided to ask Bronson something that was very important to her.

“Are there any balls organized here?” she asked him.

“Yes,” he answered, taking another bite of their delicious chicken pot pie.

“Where are they held?”

“In town.” Another bite.

“Do you think we could go? I mean, we could get someone to watch the children, and you can introduce me to your friends … ” she started, but was cut off.

“No.” His answer was abrupt, like a machete swing. Then it seemed, even to him, that this was too harsh. “No time, Ruby. I have to work.” He continued eating, thinking this was enough of an explanation.

When he was done, he wiped his mouth dutifully with a napkin and smiled at everyone.

“Wonderful dinner. Thank you.” As he left table, he passed by Ruby and kissed her gently on the forehead. Just like before, it made her heart melt, and she knew that she could also melt his. It was only a matter of time.

The following day she decided to wear shoes and a dress that she didn’t care much about, allowing her yet another freedom-filled day during which she could frolic in the meadow with the children, picking flowers, playing with the puppies and even milking the cows. She thought the entire idea was quite ridiculous and felt like her friends from back home would have disowned her.

But surprisingly, Ruby didn’t care what anyone else thought, which was actually the complete opposite of her previous self who relied heavily on other people’s opinion of herself. Here on this ranch she was finally free to be who she wanted to be, without any restraints, without any fear of ridicule or misunderstandings—and she loved every single minute of it.

A few days later, she joined Bronson in the stables by herself. It felt awkward to impose upon him like this, on his territory, but she knew that she had to show interest in his affairs before he could reciprocate in the same manner.

“Hello there.” She greeted him shyly, but with a smile. He seemed startled, but then relaxed as he saw it was only her.

“Ruby,” he only mentioned her name in reply, continuing to groom the horse.

“He’s lovely,” she said, referring to the horse.

“It’s a she. Breeze.”

“Breeze?”

“That’s her name.” He nodded as he spoke.

“Is she your best horse in the stable?”

“She is.” He patted Breeze, and she neighed softly in response.

“You two seem to have a special bond.” Ruby commented, almost jealously.

“She was Violet’s horse.” Ruby knew this was slippery ground. Violet was his deceased wife. And discussing your deceased wife’s horse with your new wife wasn’t anyone’s idea of a good time.

Maybe I should just quit for the day, Ruby thought, but something urged her to push on.

“I’m sure Breeze loved Violet,” she said finally, hoping that she didn’t overstep. He looked at her for a second, then continued.

“She did. She wouldn’t let anyone else ride her after Violet died. She still doesn’t,” he said sadly. “She is a marvelous mare. Such a pity to be just sitting around in the stable.”

Suddenly, the mare moved away from Bronson and approached Ruby, who was standing just behind the safety bar. She could feel the mare’s warm breath on her hand.

“She likes you.” He smiled. “Here,” he said, offering her a cut up apple. “Feed her this.”

Ruby took the apple in her hands and tried to offer it to the mare but immediately retreated when the mare nudged for it. Bronson laughed out loud.

“She won’t bite. Just do it slowly. Like this.” He took her hand gently in his and led it towards the mare’s mouth. As her thick lips picked up pieces of the apple, she left a moist trail of her tongue on Ruby’s palm. With her hand still in Bronson’s, Ruby could feel herself shaking.

For the next several days, Ruby found herself in the stables more and more often, even when Bronson wasn’t there. There was something about Breeze that urged her to keep coming back. She could feel a bond between the two of them that grew with each day. Eventually, Breeze even allowed Ruby to take her out for a walk, and the two strolled throughout the ranch like best friends. Ruby would catch herself whispering into the mare’s ear, and the mare would be neighing in response.

One morning when she entered the stable to feed Breeze, Bronson was waiting for her in front of Breeze’s stall with full riding equipment.

“Here.” Without even greeting her properly, he handed her a saddle and a few other things that she had no idea what their purpose was.

“What is all this?” She looked at him, puzzled.

“I’m teaching you how to ride,” He said, grabbing Breeze’s reins and leading her out.

“What? No, no, I can’t do that. I’ve never ridden a horse in my entire life,” she argued. “I could get hurt.”

Bronson and Breeze stopped and looked at her. “Almost everything we do can make us get hurt. Breeze opened up to you. You should respect that. Breeze sees something good in you. She wouldn’t have chosen just anyone. She won’t hurt you. Trust her.” He caressed Ruby’s cheek gently. “Trust me.”

Both Breeze and Ruby allowed themselves to be led out by Bronson, and the lessons started. Breeze knew exactly what she needed to do, and she did it with pleasure. Ruby followed instructions but found it difficult to mount the horse immediately. However, slowly but surely, along with Bronson’s gentle guidance, she managed to mount the mare.

Suddenly, sitting on top of this majestic animal, Ruby felt invincible. She felt that zeal, the rush for life she had been missing for so long that she had now found alongside this strange but wonderful man, his children and his animals.

Bronson led Breeze gently, and it seemed that both were doing their best to make sure Ruby was comfortable and that she came to no harm. After a few days of practice, Ruby was able to mount Breeze on her own and take her on a quick jog around the ranch.

That evening at dinner, Bronson suddenly spoke.

“Ruby, there is something I wanted to tell you.” His tone was solemn, but just like before, it didn’t lack warmth. Even the children stopped eating and listened eagerly. “There is a social get together tonight, and if you’d like, we could go.” He wiped his mouth with a napkin, as if a little embarrassed by what he had just revealed and needed a distraction not to look at her in the eyes.

Ruby could barely believe her ears. She had been eager to go for such a long time, despite the fact that this desire had diminished slightly after she discovered Breeze.

“Bronson, really?” She had to hear it again.

“Yes, go get ready, and we’ll be on our way.” He smiled.

She rushed to hug him, an act that he reciprocated clumsily. She still found it sweet.

She immediately went upstairs to get dressed, and in a matter of an hour, the children were taken care of and the couple was all dressed up and ready to go.

Upon arriving at the city hall where that evening’s gathering was taking place, Ruby noticed that Bronson was a well-respected member of society. Everyone was eager to congratulate him on getting married. Just like during their wedding, Bronson appeared uncomfortable being showered with so much attention, which was why he tended to greet everyone appropriately but then quickly excuse himself and his new lovely bride only to be accosted by a new pair of inquisitive eyes.

What Ruby didn’t expect was that Bronson would be such a good dancer. To the amazement of everyone around them, he swayed with her on the podium. The entire evening felt magical, but all of a sudden, she realized that she actually preferred the company back on the ranch to the company of all these people who were judging her and her every move. After all, she was a newcomer in their town, and opinions were yet to be formed about her. If she had been her old self, this would be the biggest problem in the world: how to make everyone around her like her. But now, all she could think about was Bronson, Eveline, Roy and Breeze.

“Why don’t we go back home?” She tugged gently on Bronson’s arm at one point in the evening, as they were sitting at their table.

“Wouldn’t you like to stay longer?” He seemed genuinely surprised by her desire to leave so soon.

“No. I’ve had my fun. Now I wish to return home. To our home.” She squeezed his arm lovingly.

The following morning, she decided to wake up the children earlier than usual.

“Wake up, little ones!” She sneaked into their room, bright and early. “We have a special plan for today.”

“A special plan?” Roy was rubbing his eyes, while Eveline jumped out of bed. “What are we supposed to do?”

“Well, you do know it’s Christmas next week, right?” she asked jubilantly.

“Yes, Christmas!” The children jumped with joy.

“We need to prepare the house for a festive mood, don’t we?”

“Yes, we do!” They agreed unanimously.

“And we have a very special present for daddy,” she added mysteriously.

“Really? What is it? What is it?”

She couldn’t contain their joy even if she wanted to. “A little birdie told me that we are having a new baby. What do you think of that?” she asked the children.

“A baby?” Eveline shouted. “A baby of our very own?” Roy asked. They started dancing together, like a crazy little pair of amused monkeys.

“Yes, a baby of our very own.” Ruby smiled as she watched the children take in the news. “But, it’s a surprise, and we can’t tell daddy before Christmas, do you understand? Not a peep!” She pressed her finger against her lips, emphasizing secrecy.

“Yes, shh!” The children repeated her action, in unison. “We won’t tell. We promise!”

“I know you won’t. That’s exactly why I decided to tell you in the first place. It’s a very important piece of news, and I wanted the three of us to reveal it to your father together.” She smiled.

Both Eveline and Roy felt like important adults who now had an even more important task on their hands.

For the next couple of days, the three of them had a jolly good time decorating not only their rooms and the house but also the entire ranch. All the animals had to know that Christmas was coming, and their houses, stables, barns had to be decorated as well. The spirit of Christmas was in the air, and everyone felt festive and happy.

During Christmas dinner, everyone seemed relaxed and jovial. Even Bronson himself was more talkative. He laughed much more than usual and generally appeared to be having a great time with his family. Ruby felt the same. Now the only thing she was hoping was that the news of their child together would bring him additional happiness on this wonderful day.