Mail Order Adelaine

by Marie Higgins

  Pearl bobbed her head, causing one of the ringlets by her ear to bounce up and down. She didn’t need to say a word, and at this point, Dallas already knew what was on her mind and hoped she wouldn’t say anymore.

  Holding up his hand, he sighed heavily. Why did Clark have to make sense? That man didn’t know what terror resided for that woman if Dallas were to fall in love. So, then he’d make certain it never happened. “Once again, you made a reasonable argument. I suppose as long as Miss...” He paused, not remembering the woman’s name.

  “Miss Adelaine Campbell,” both Clark and Pearl said together.

  “As long as Miss Campbell knows what to expect from this in name only marriage, then I have no other choice but to think of my children and give them a mother.”

  Pearl’s head bobbed faster. “Oh, yes. She knows.”

  Dallas arched an eyebrow. “I suppose you were the one corresponding with her the whole time.”

  The woman’s face brightened in color. “Yes.”

  He motioned his hand. “Then, I’ll let you finish what you were doing.” He looked at his foreman. “Clark, ride into town and arrange a time when the minister can come out here for a quick ceremony. I want it small and short. The sooner, the better.”

  “Yes, Mr. R.” Clark hooked his arm around his wife’s as they hurried out of the house.

  Sometimes, Dallas wished those two would stop meddling in his life. But, he’d known Clark since they were boys. Clark and Dallas’s older brother were good friends, and Clark was just another fixture in their house while growing up. It was difficult not to think of him as a brother.

  Dallas carefully swung his leg off the couch, and using his cane, he stood. He hobbled to the window and looked outside toward the new woman who’d be in his life. She was pretty, even in her drab dress and shawl, and the little girl beside her would enjoy being spoiled by his daughter, Susan, he was sure. Susan had always wanted a little sister. The two girls would be best friends soon, he just knew it. Hopefully, his children would come to accept Miss Campbell as their mother. They so desperately needed one since their mother had been taken away to Heaven in the prime of her life.

  His marriage to Sarah hadn’t been one of love, at first, since their parents had arranged the marriage. But over the years, Dallas came to care for her, and he thought she made a good mother. Hopefully, Miss Campbell would be what the children wanted. And he also hoped that she didn’t have any ideas of falling in love, because that would never happen.

  ADELAINE DIDN’T HAVE high hopes for her wedding to a stranger, but she would have at least liked him to say more than a few words to her – or at least look at her once in a while. Then again, he thought of her as a teacher for his children, and that was all.

  When she’d overheard the conversation between Dallas and the Turners right after they had all arrived, it hurt to think that they had brought Adelaine here under false pretenses. But the longer she heard the Turners convincing Dallas that they marry, the more at ease she felt. Thankfully, they weren’t going to send her home, and... she could be the children’s teacher. She’d be busy, which was good, and the Turners were a sweet couple, which was another added bonus.

  However, Dallas didn’t waste time in bringing the minister to his ranch and performing the ceremony. It wasn’t what she had expected. Instead, the ceremony was very short and very few words.

  As soon as she and Dallas said their I wills and they signed their names on the marriage certificate, he grumbled about getting off his leg and limped out of the room, leaving her with the minister, Mr. and Mrs. Turner, and Charity. Adelaine tried to keep a smile on her face even if her heart was twisting from her new husband’s rejection.

  She thanked the minister, and he left. Her shoulders drooped along with her enthusiasm. Today had been a trying day, and poor Charity was having difficulties keeping her eyes open. Adelaine moved to the couch where her sister sat and touched her shoulder, giving her a reassuring smile.

  “We’ll be happy here. I promise.” Adelaine’s voice tightened, so she cleared her throat.

  “Adelaine?” Mrs. Turner asked, stepping beside her. “Would you like to meet the children now?”

  Adelaine didn’t want to ask why their father hadn’t invited them to the wedding ceremony, but she would save that topic for a later date. She really did want to meet them, in hopes of making more friends, but she was so plum-tuckered out, and her emotions had been through a windstorm today, that she wasn’t certain she’d be good company.

  “I suppose, but I think I should get Charity to her room.”

  “Of course.” Mrs. Turner smiled and motioned to her husband. “Why don’t I take the girl to her room, and Clark can take you to meet the children.”

  Inwardly, Adelaine sighed. It appeared that she wasn’t going to get out of it now. “Yes, that’s fine.” She bent and lifted Charity in her arms. “Sweetheart, Mrs. Turner is going to take you to bed.”

  The little girl nodded limply and looked at Adelaine with sleepy eyes. She handed the girl to the other woman before turning to face Clark. “I suppose I’m ready now.”

  “Follow me, Miss... Camp—” He stopped as his eyes widened. “I mean, Mrs. Remington.”

  Mrs.! Adelaine couldn’t believe she was actually married. Although it wasn’t the marriage she’d dreamed of having, she’d make the best of it. After all, she’d been doing that for several years now. Ma had taught her how to do things herself and never depend on others for help. She had her father to thank for that cruel lesson in life.

  “Mr. Turner?” Adelaine asked after a few moments of silence between them.

  “Yes?”

  “How did Mr. Remington’s wife die?”

  Clark’s expression drooped. “She’d gotten sick right after Susan was born, and the poor woman just never recovered.”

  “I’m sorry.” Adelaine wrung her hands against her middle. “I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

  “Not to worry, Mrs. R. You would have eventually heard about it, and it’s best to know now.”

  She nodded and followed him up a flight of stairs. “Dare I ask...” She paused, wondering if it was appropriate to talk about the foreman’s employer.

  Clark glanced over his shoulder and arched an eyebrow. “Ask what?”

  “What happened to Mr. Remington’s leg?”

  “Oh, that.” Clark flipped his hand, looking ahead of him again. “Six weeks ago, Mr. R. was stepped on by an ornery old cow. It snapped the bone in Mr. R’s leg clean through. Doc says it’ll heal, but Mr. R. needs to keep off it, first. Unfortunately, that’s not somethin’ he does well.”

  “Follow instructions?” she wondered, wishing too late that she had rephrased it better.

  Clark laughed. “Follow the doc’s instructions, mostly.”

  “So, in other words, Mr. Remington doesn’t stay off his leg, and so it’s taking longer to heal?”

  “You’ve got it, Mrs. R.”

  Three things she’d learned so far about Dallas. He loved his children enough to marry a woman he didn’t want to marry. Two, he didn’t care about falling in love before marriage. And three... he was stubborn.

  Great! She sighed heavily. It appeared that the road ahead was going to be rocky, especially with him.

  Clark stopped at the door and opened it slowly, peeking inside. From where Adelaine stood, she could see there was another woman in the playroom with the children. The white-haired woman looked up and motioned her hand. Clark opened the door wider and nodded for Adelaine to enter first.

  She still couldn’t get over the size of this house. The children’s playroom alone was as big as the whole house that she and Charity had lived in. Yet, this room was just a play area.

  “Mrs. Simone,” Clark said, “I want to introduce you to Adelaine. She’s their new...” he glanced at the children. Susan had a baby doll in her arms and sat next to a wooden toy cradle. Tobias had his wooden toy horses standing in a row as he built his own ranch with other decorativ
e wooden pieces. “Mother,” Clark ended, whispering the last part.

  Mrs. Simone smiled and stood. “It’s nice to meet you, Adelaine.”

  The older, chubby woman with the prettiest sparkling blue eyes appeared so very friendly. Adelaine hoped that they would be fast friends, too.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Simone.” Adelaine glanced at the children who didn’t seem to notice her at all. “Are you their nanny?”

  “Oh, no.” Mrs. Simone’s curls bounced with the rhythm of her head shaking. “I just work with the cook, but I’ve been helping with the children since Mr. Remington’s accident.”

  “And I’m sure Mr. Remington is grateful for your assistance.” Adelaine smiled.

  “Yes, he’s such a kind man. You’re a lucky woman, Mrs. Remington.”

  She didn’t know which part was harder to hear; that her husband was kind since she hadn’t seen it firsthand – or that she was actually Mrs. Remington. “Mrs. Simone, you may call me Addie.” She glanced at Clark. “You and Pearl may address me by my shortened name, too.”

  Clark nodded before turning toward Tobias and Susan. “Children,” he called, getting their attention. “I want you to meet someone special.” He motioned his hands for them to come closer.

  Adelaine studied each child. By Tobias’s dark expression, she could tell that he didn’t like being interrupted, and meeting someone special wasn’t important to him. The ten-year-old boy resembled his father quite a bit. Both Remington men had black hair and hazel eyes. And, both men scowled quite a bit. Tobias would also grow to be tall like his father, she was certain.

  Susan was exactly the opposite. She had light brown hair that was long to her shoulders but braided in pig-tails and tied with a ribbon that matched her pink dress. The eight-year-old’s eyes were brown. The little girl’s face was sprinkled with freckles, and Adelaine thought she looked adorable.

  “You must be Tobias.” Adelaine hoped the cheerfulness in her voice would ease the children’s fears about her. “And you are Susan.” She paused but only momentarily. “My, but aren’t you two very handsome children.”

  Susan’s eyes lit up with her smile. “You’re nice.”

  “Why, thank you.” Adelaine nodded once before looking at Tobias. Unfortunately, he still appeared unaffected.

  “Children,” Clark quickly said, “this woman is goin’ to be your mother.”

  Tobias’ gaze darkened. “You’ll never be my mother.” He darted past her and ran out of the room. Mrs. Simone bustled behind the boy, trying to catch up to him.

  Adelaine’s heart wrenched, and she tried to remind herself that it would take time for them to get used to her.

  Susan frowned. “My brother is always mad.”

  Adelaine crouched to the girl’s level. “Well, hopefully, I will be able to make him happy soon. It’s not fun to be mad all of the time.”

  “I know.” Susan shrugged as a smile touched her face again. “But I like you. I think you’re pretty.”

  Adelaine’s heart melted. “And I think you’re adorable.” The hesitation on the girl’s expression let Adelaine know she didn’t quite understand. “That means, I think you’re very pretty, too.”

  The girl’s face beamed.

  Adelaine glanced up at Clark, who was grinning widely. He gave her a nod of encouragement. She’d need that in the days ahead, especially as she tried to make Tobias her new best friend... and try to give the same offer to his father.

  THREE

  Dallas had a miserable night. He’d been on his leg too much yesterday, and he was suffering for it today. If it wasn’t his leg throbbing, it was his mind as it returned to his second marriage ceremony. He grumbled and slugged the pillow beside him as he struggled to climb out of bed.

  He had wanted the wedding rushed, and that’s exactly what happened. Yet, when he actually looked into Adelaine’s pretty blue eyes, he could see her disappointment. He wasn’t prepared for the guilt filling him. Twice now he’d married someone he hadn’t been in love with. And twice, he’d not made his wife happy.

  His life had been successful – two beautiful children, and owning a cattle ranch – and yet, he wasn’t completely happy. He’d longed for a life like his parents who loved each other, and everyone around them knew it. He secretly watched Clark and Pearl, and even their marriage was one of love and respect. So then, why couldn’t Dallas have that, too?

  God must be punishing Dallas for something. If only he knew what it was and could fix it soon, maybe he’d be able to include himself as one of those very happy men.

  When he stepped on his leg, he grimaced. Some days were better than others, and he could deal with the pain. Today wasn’t one of those days, unfortunately. Of course, a storm was rolling in, keeping him miserable.

  He hobbled to the window and opened the curtains. Dark clouds filled the sky, growing darker by the minute. Thankfully, he didn’t have to personally run his ranch anymore. The men working for him knew exactly what they were doing, and they did it well.

  Another hour later, Dallas left his bedroom, dressed in clean clothes, but wearing only a sock on his bad leg, and no boot. Not today. Not until he could get the swelling down a little more. His household staff – and especially his new wife – would just have to get used to him this way. Either that or they didn’t need to look at him at all.

  Finally, in the kitchen on a chair at the table, was where Dallas stopped. He propped his swollen leg on the closest chair and breathed a heavy sigh. He had dealt with too much pain in just an hour, and yet he hadn’t done anything. He hated feeling like a weakling.

  The door to the kitchen opened, and Mrs. Simone bustled in, holding Dallas’s breakfast tray. The scent of bacon, scrambled eggs, and biscuits and gravy filled the air, and his tummy grumbled in hunger.

  “Good morning, Mr. Remington.” She placed the tray on the table in front of him. “The coffee will be done shortly.”

  “Thank you.” He nodded.

  She took two steps toward the kitchen and stopped quickly, looking over her shoulder at him. “Will your wife be joining you for breakfast?”

  Wife! That word would be difficult to hear again. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen her this morning.”

  “Well, I’ll make her a plate and take it to her room. With this being her first full day at the ranch, I’m sure she’s not familiar with how its run, and I’ll happily help her out.”

  “That’s very kind of you, Mrs. Simone.”

  The woman took two more steps and stopped again. “She is a very sweet lady,” the woman added.

  He had lifted the bite of biscuits and gravy to his mouth, but halted, meeting her stare over his fork. Slowly, he lowered the fork to the plate. “That’s what I hear.”

  The older woman turned toward him slowly. “You should have seen the way Susan took to Addie last night. It was so precious.”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “Addie? Who is that?”

  “Oh, forgive me. Addie is your wife, Adelaine. She asked me to call her Addie, though.”

  “Well, then if she asked, you definitely should.” He lifted his fork to his mouth again, preparing for the first bite.

  “I’m sure she is going to win over your son, eventually,” Mrs. Simone continued.

  Once again, Dallas lowered his fork. It was obvious the older woman wanted to chat, which was strange since she usually didn’t. At least, not with him. “Yes, I’m sure she will.”

  He waited for her to say more, but all she did was stare at him. After a few undisturbed moments, he tapped his fingers on the table. “Was that all, Mrs. Simone?”

  “Yes, of course.” She turned and hurried out of the room.

  He sighed and finally took his bite of breakfast. Smiling, he closed his eyes. He had the best cook, and he paid Mr. Grimes well enough to make his meals fit for a king.

  Relaxing in his chair, he took a few more bites of food. The house was peaceful early in the morning. Of course, his children didn’t wake up this early,
but he was sure they would let him know when they were awake.

  Sometimes he enjoyed his privacy, but lately, he’d wished he could get back to his ranch. Privacy was overrated, in his opinion. He needed to converse with people, and he especially needed work to do. He was not an idle person... which could probably explain why his leg hadn’t healed completely yet.

  His mind stopped, thinking he’d heard a sound behind him. Had the door opened?

  Slowly, he turned his head to peek over his shoulder, and a movement from close to his chair caught his attention and made him jump. The little girl who had come with Adelaine stood beside him, looking up at him with big, blue, curious eyes. She wore her nightclothes and was barefoot. Her light brownish-blonde hair was in disarray.

  His first reaction was to tell her to leave, but the way she studied him with so much innocence in her wide eyes made him hold back his frustration. She did resemble her mother quite a bit, but it still left a bad feeling in his mouth to think that this girl was born out of wedlock. Of course, it wasn’t her fault, but... Why would Pearl allow that kind of woman into his house when he had young children himself?

  “Your mother isn’t here,” he told her.

  Her mouth turned down. “Mommy gone.”

  She had such a sweet voice, and it tugged on his heartstrings, bringing back memories of when Susan was that age.

  “Do you know where your mother is?”

  Nodding, she moved quickly to the window, her bare feet padding on the floor. She pointed out and looked at him.

  “Your mother is outside? Well, I’m sure she’ll return shortly.”

  Charity shook her head and pointed to the sky. He didn’t understand what she was saying.

  “If your mother is outside,” he continued, “I’m sure she’ll return before the storm comes.”

  She shrugged and moved back to the table. Lifting on her tippy toes, she glanced at his plate. Inwardly, he groaned. She was probably hungry, but... he wasn’t used to eating meals with his children, so why would he eat one with her?

  “Is your name Charity?” He’d thought that was what Pearl had told him.