A Love Defying The Odds (Historical Western Romance)

by Cassidy Hanton

  To be proven an imbecile who had no thought of Miss Jones other than what he’d let others tell him?

  Now, though, seeing the look of pure disgust on her face as she learned her true parentage, Matthew wanted nothing more than to sweep her up in his arms and carry her away, far enough where this news could never disturb her again. Instead, she’d wounded him and walked away, already closing off her heart to him.

  And he deserved it. Gertie had been right, he decided. And he, too, was grateful that his father didn’t have to bear witness to this shameful treatment of an innocent person.

  But he wasn’t ready to give up so easily, not when he knew that she may be gone by the very next morning. Matthew watched her retreating form for a moment, then decided that any wrath she or Mrs. Mayhew had reserved for him would be well worth it.

  “Miss Jones! Please, I ask of you, kindly wait!” he called after her, but Lucy kept walking and her companion showed no sign of stopping, either. He felt foolish chasing down two women as they hurried across the street, but the time for worrying about his reputation was long past. He’d already let it cause more harm than he’d intended.

  “Hurry please, Mrs. Mayhew!” Lucy insisted. “I’d rather not speak to that man.”

  “I’m running for what I’m worth, dear! But I don’t see how we can outrun him—or why we’d want to!” the woman jested. “Are you really not going to speak to him after all this?”

  “Not if I can help it,” Lucy answered grimly. “There is nothing I want to hear out of his mouth except perhaps the sound of his last breath!”

  “Lucy! I’m shocked!” Mrs. Mayhew said, clinging to Lucy’s arm for support as they hurried up the street, ignoring the looks from people who were watching as Matthew chased after them.

  “Well I’m sorry! But he is nothing to me now, and I have no wish to explain myself to him. Come along, we’re almost there!”

  Lucy led Mrs. Mayhew up the narrow steps, cut just close enough that a lady wouldn’t have to lift her skirts to climb them. Their small, dainty footfalls were no match for the thundering boot strikes of the desperate man behind them.

  Matthew followed them all the way to the hotel, hesitating for only a moment before climbing the steps and trailing after them as they hurried inside. At the front desk, Lucy paused to ask the proprietor to prepare her bill but Matthew appeared at her elbow.

  “If you would be so kind, I will be ending my stay in the morning with the departure of the coach,” Lucy said firmly, pointedly ignoring Matthew right beside her. “Mrs. Mayhew and I will take our morning meals, then be on our way. I will personally be making payment then.”

  “No, she won’t,” Matthew told the proprietor, who looked surprised, his owlish eyes growing wide behind his round spectacles. “Miss Jones will be staying on in Tuckerrise for the foreseeable future, and when she decides to leave the hotel, I will settle her charges.”

  “This gentleman—that is, if he may actually be called a gentleman—is sadly misinformed,” Lucy argued, still ignoring him and smiling at the man behind the counter. “Any attempt to prevent my departure will, in fact, result in his arrest as I will enlist the sheriff on a complaint of kidnapping.”

  “Good sir, if you will agree to assist me, there will be an additional surplus of funds for your trouble,” Matthew continued, pretending as though Lucy hadn’t spoken.

  “Oh, we’re resorting to bribery now, are we? Mr. O’Brien, I’m sure this is not how the guests of your fine establishment are used to being treated,” she pointed out as the proprietor grew more and more confused. “Mark my words, I shall be settling my account in the morning.”

  Matthew started to open his mouth but Mr. O’Brien pounded his fist on the counter and shouted, “I don’t know what in the devil is going on, but I’m having no part of it! Continue your discussion on your own, I’m finished!”

  He stormed off into an adjacent room and slammed the door behind him, leaving Lucy to turn on Matthew in anger.

  “How dare you!” she raged, apparently ignoring the looks of the other guests as they filed through the opulent lobby. “Who do you think you are to follow me here, then tell me when I will or will not be leaving?”

  “To be fair, Miss Jones, I wasn’t telling you. I was telling Mr. O’Brien there,” Matthew teased, pointing towards the closed door. “And to be honest, I think you might have made him just a little bit mad.”

  “Me? You’re the one who’s interfering in my business transactions!” she shouted. “And I’ll thank you kindly to keep your crooked nose out of my affairs!”

  At her cruel remark, Matthew’s hand instinctively went to his nose, which still smarted from the beating he’d endured. Lucy immediately bore the look of someone who felt small inside for insulting his appearance, especially since she had to have known how it had come to be broken in the first place.

  “I’m sorry,” Lucy said firmly, calming herself with a deep breath. “I’m very put out with you, but my remark was uncalled for.”

  “No, Miss Jones, I deserve all of that and more. I treated you in the most callous way, with no regard at all for you or your person. I’m the one who will apologize for the rest of my days,” he said earnestly.

  “Yes, you did all of that and worse,” she agreed, “but I’ve never been one to take the low road and deride someone’s physical features, especially the ones they cannot help.”

  “I heartily accept your apology, so now you can think nothing more of it!” Matthew brightened slightly. “But will you please do me the honor of just having a word with me?”

  Lucy shook her head. “I see no reason to. We have nothing to discuss. Good day, Mr. Miller.”

  She moved to pass him, but Matthew blocked her way. She once again looked as though she might become angry, but Matthew’s downcast eyes gnawed at her soul until she changed her mind.

  “You may have only a few minutes of my time, that is all I am willing to spare,” Lucy said, gesturing with a gloved hand to an empty pair of wingback chairs in the parlor.

  “That is more than enough time,” Matthew answered, waiting for her to settle in her chair before perching on the edge of his seat. “It takes no more than a minute to say what I must. I’ve got no lengthy speeches planned or drawn-out explanations. The truth of the matter is, there is no excuse for what I’ve done.”

  Lucy didn’t respond, and instead sat and watched his face while he spoke. It unnerved Matthew to no end, as he was unable to read the thoughts that were masked by her frozen expression.

  “Even I can admit that’s not good enough,” he muttered to himself before continuing. “Miss Jones, I was a complete brute and the lowest kind of man when I sent you off. I never even gave you a chance to say a word in your defense, let alone stand up for you my own self like I should have done. I am deeply, terribly sorry for my behavior.”

  “I am not unwilling to forgive you, Mr. Miller, but that does not mean that my mind has been changed about staying here.” Lucy paused to look about the room and see if anyone was listening in, then said, “Your conscience can be at rest that I accept your apology. But that is all I can give you.”

  Matthew closed his eyes and breathed for a moment. This wasn’t going as he’d hoped, but could he blame her? Then a new idea struck.

  “Miss Jones, what if you stayed here? At the hotel, I mean. You said yourself, there’s nowhere else you’ve thought of to go,” Matthew suggested, his hope wearing thin. “Please let me court you the way a man should when he sees a woman he wants to know better.”

  Lucy didn’t answer right away, and Matthew took her silence as a sign she might be pondering his request.

  “After all, Miss Jones, neither of us could expect to know someone well enough to marry them simply based on a handful of letters. You’ve seen me at my best and now you’ve seen me at my absolute worst, and I promise you, that was my worst. But please let me introduce you to the person you should have gotten to meet all this time.”

  “I’m sorr
y, it’s impossible,” she said sadly. “Mrs. Mayhew came all this way to help me, and now she is going east to her people. I intend to go with her, or risk losing my only chance.”

  “Your only chance at what? At hanging on her coattails and being her serving girl for the rest of your life?” Matthew asked in a careful tone. “Miss Jones… Lucy… I’m offering you everything I have. Everything I am, even! And if you find that you still cannot tolerate the sight of me, I will send you to Mrs. Mayhew personally. I’ll even arrange for Susanna and Constance to go with you so that you’re not facing such a journey alone!”

  She was quiet as she thought over this new option. There was still the possibility to flee if she found Matthew to be so unpleasing again, and so far, he had been true to his word in tending to her.

  “I suppose I can agree that you were not in your right mind that day in the barn,” Lucy agreed in a reserved voice. “But if I do stay on here, you are not to consider this a second chance. There are no second chances, Mr. Miller.”

  “I know that, and I appreciate your honesty,” he replied, afraid to let himself hope that she was accepting his offer.

  “But given how things started and ended with my arrival here, perhaps I can afford to let you start over. A new beginning, so to speak.” Lucy was careful about extending her hand and saying, “Hello, I’m Lucy Jones. And who might you be?”

  “I am Matthew Miller, the luckiest man on God’s earth for finally getting to meet you,” Matthew replied with a grateful smile.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  “If you’re sure you’ll be all right here,” Mrs. Mayhew said, looking very uncertain. Lucy took her hands and held them tightly.

  “I am very certain,” she said, smiling. “I’m finally feeling… peaceful.”

  “Well, dear girl, if you’ve learned the secret to a body having peace on this Earth, you should write a book! Folks’ll be linin’ up around the square to get their hands on it!” Mrs. Mayhew laughed at her joke, then turned serious again. “But you remember what I said. You’ve got my sister’s address, and if anything at all goes wrong, you send word. Understand? I’ll come back out this way, or you can hop on the train in Salt Lake. It’ll take you to Boston so fast your eyes will shake in your head!”

  Lucy laughed at the woman’s description and fell into her outstretched arms for one last embrace. Mrs. Mayhew patted her cheek lovingly and said, “Now be sure and write to me regular, ya hear? I want to know everything.”

  “Yes ma’am! There’s not much to tell these days, but it’ll be nice just to drop a few lines now and then!” Lucy’s expression clouded briefly and Mrs. Mayhew noticed.

  “What is it, girl? Are you having second thoughts? You know, we can take the coach tomorrow and you can come with me, there’s no reason—”

  “Oh no, that’s not it at all! I’m happy to stay here!” Lucy argued gently.

  And truth be told, I am happy, she thought, a strange sensation of uncertainty mixed with confidence warming her bones.

  “Well, I didn’t want to say nothing and sway your opinion on the matter,” the older woman said, looking around before adding, “but I’m glad you’re giving Mr. Matthew a chance to set things right. You’re wiser than your years for taking things slowly after all you’ve endured, but people do make mistakes. It’s what they do with those mistakes that show the true color of a person.”

  Lucy nodded thoughtfully. These past two weeks had been like something from a dream. Every evening, Matthew rode into Tuckerrise and escorted Lucy to some affair or another, always with Mrs. Mayhew as chaperone, of course. They’d dined in the restaurants before taking a stroll in the evening air, heard the school’s recitation competition, listened to a special performance by the church’s choir, and more. Some evenings, they did nothing more than take Matthew’s wagon to an open spot and enjoy some of Gertie’s finest cooking.

  She still guarded her heart closely, but little by little and day by day, Lucy could feel some of the trust returning. She’d been foolish to accept Matthew so readily, and only now knew that it had been sheer gratitude at being rescued that drove her heart.

  But now, a momentous event loomed before Lucy. She’d had to make a bold decision, one that she knew could turn the tide of any future she considered with Matthew. The entire ranch was bustling with preparations for the cattle drive—a smaller one now that fall was approaching, but still a vital happenstance—a venture that crossed almost 300 miles from Tuckerrise to just this side of the Kansas border. The trip would take nearly thirty days just to reach the cattle market and back home.

  And Matthew had invited Lucy along.

  Mrs. Mayhew had been against it from the very start. “Child, what do you know about sleeping out of doors and tending to some old cows? You’ll be out there for almost a month! Why don’t you come with me and see the other side of the country instead? You can always return when this old cow drive is over.”

  To be sure, Lucy had considered it. There was certainly no point in staying in Tuckerrise if Matthew and all the rest of the crew were nowhere to be found. She also worried that she might only be in the way, having so little experience with these animals.

  Matthew had assured her there were plenty of jobs to be done along the way, many of which required no knowledge of the cattle or horses.

  “As tempting as that sounds,” Lucy had told Mrs. Mayhew at the time, “I think I need to do this. If I’m even considering staying and becoming Matthew’s wife, I need to know what it entails. There may be no truer test of my strength and resolve than making this journey!”

  Now, the time was nigh. Mrs. Mayhew was leaving for good and that afternoon, Lucy would return to the ranch for the first time in over a month. The following morning, the drive would depart on one of the most dangerous aspects of ranching.

  After another tearful round of farewells, the coach departed and Lucy was alone. This time, though, she didn’t feel any of the pain of loneliness or loss. She smiled broadly as she waved until Mrs. Mayhew was out of sight, but knew in her heart she would see her again.

  So many people have come and gone through my life, she thought as she narrowly avoided slipping into melancholy, but at least Mrs. Mayhew’s departure is a happy one!

  To lift her dulling spirits, Lucy strolled by the long way through Tuckerrise to make her way back to the hotel. She was to pack her meager belongings—along with the new things she’d needed to have for the long drive—and await Matthew’s wagon to fetch her.

  As she walked, she admired the shop windows and the open market stalls that lined the different roads. The scent of fresh produce made her senses awaken, the August sun shining down on piles of red tomatoes and glossy green peppers. Bolts of satin cloth from Maryland and piles of more serviceable cotton from Georgia stood in piles, waiting to be bought. One particularly noisy stall was prepared to supply cackling laying hens to any farmers who may have lost theirs to foxes or hawks.

  “Now Miss Jones, are you absolutely certain you’re leaving us this time?” Mrs. O’Brien teased as she calculated Lucy’s bill. “I don’t want you rushing off, you know.”

  “I’m certain,” Lucy replied, laughing good-naturedly at the jest. “I’ll either decide I want to marry Mr. Miller, or I’ll head for the hills when I see how much hard work is involved in a cattle drive!”

  Mrs. O’Brien frowned slightly. “Yes, I’ve heard tales. We also run the hotel just down from the mayor’s house. It’s not quite as fine as this one, it’s more… serviceable, I should say. But we get quite a lot of business from men passing through who only wish to pay for a hot meal and an even hotter bath!”

  “Oh dear, I hadn’t thought about that. Where do they bathe along the drive?” Lucy was horror-stricken for a moment.

  “I’m sure they must rely on sources of water they find along the way,” the proprietress explained. “But with so many ladies attending as well, I’m sure they’ve planned for everyone’s different needs.”

  “That’s a gr
eat comfort! Yes, I know of a few who will travel along the way.” Lucy signed the bill that Matthew still insisted on paying, and thanked Mrs. O’Brien.

  “Miss Jones?” Mrs. O’Brien asked, coming out from behind the high desk. She held out a hand for Lucy to shake and said in a low voice, “If something should not meet your approval, never fear. We will always have a room for you here should you need it. Even if it’s in our own apartments!”

  “That is a wonderful relief, but I pray that I never need to accept your kind offer!” Lucy thanked her again and headed outside, thinking once again how nice the people of Tuckerrise turned out to be.

  * * *

  “There she is!” Matthew said excitedly, relief flooding him that Lucy was actually waiting for him outside.

  “I don’t see why I needed to be here,” his mother said sourly, sitting up primly on the seat beside her son.