Mail Order Bride- Twenty-Two Brides Mega Boxed Set

by Emily Woods

  “Yes, well, no harm done,” John replied. “So, Cole here has offered to prove himself to us before taking any pay. Seems he doesn't have too much experience on a ranch, but you all will show him the ropes, won't you?” He looked around at the five other hands seated at the table. Cole's eyes followed and he noticed that some of the hands didn't seem too put out at the idea.

  “I'll just learn by watching,” he said smoothly. “Don't go to any trouble on my account.”

  They nodded a little, but resumed eating. Were they naturally unfriendly or just hungry? However, the man on the end, who seemed to be about twenty or so, regarded him warily.

  “What made you come all this way?” he asked, a slight frown forming on his face. “Seems like you might have found work on another ranch between your hometown and here.”

  Cole now had the chance to use his prepared answer. “Triple Range is well known for being a top ranch, even back in the East. A man I’d met in town told me about it. He used to live in Great Falls. So, I figured if I was going to start a new life, I should shoot for the best.”

  A few of the men chuckled, but Cole noticed that the owners, Luke and the matronly woman named Marge, sat a little taller in their seats.

  “It's been a lot of hard work,” Kate replied. “But well worth it.”

  “Did your parents have a hard time letting you come here?”

  This question came from Elise, John’s wife, at the end of the table. She was a very pretty lady somewhere in her forties, Cole guessed. She had dark coloring and a slight accent, so he suspected that she was an immigrant, but that wasn’t any of his concern. He didn’t want to get involved in the people’s lives here. Then he would run the risk of getting too attached and lose his focus.

  “Uh, well, my parents passed away when I was young.”

  “That's terrible,” Kate exclaimed, a hand pressed to her chest. “I'm sorry to hear that. But then...who raised you?”

  “My aunt and uncle,” he explained. “They gave me an education and a good home. But a few months ago, I decided that it was time to follow my dream of coming west, so here I am.”

  Now that dinner was coming to a close, the men seemed more interested in learning about him. They peppered him with questions, mostly out of curiosity, but the man on the end, Mark was his name, still seemed hostile. For what reason, Cole had no idea. Oh well, he thought, each man has his own issue.

  He tried very hard to ignore Maddie, and as she was out of his line of vision, he was able to do that for the most part. She either hadn’t realized that it was he who had caught her in the hallway, or she wasn’t planning to make a commotion about it.

  For that, at least, he was grateful to her, but he knew he’d have to steer clear of her. He couldn’t afford any distractions.

  Maddie couldn't help but enjoy the startled look on Cole's face when he saw her in her regular clothes. Well, regular might have been a bit of an understatement. While she wasn't wearing her fanciest dress, she knew the dark blue dress looked good on her and not only highlighted her eyes, but also provided a good contrast for her blonde hair and fair complexion.

  Her only regret was that the last available seat was on the same side of the table as Cole, so she couldn't see him much after she'd sat down. However, she listened carefully as he told them all bits of his story and asked questions of his own. Clearly, he'd come to work on their ranch specifically. He asked Luke question after question, and her father answered with tremendous patience. In fact, he seemed downright pleased to answer.

  Luke was actually her stepfather, but she didn't view him as such. In fact, she barely had any memory of her natural father, because he'd died when she was very young. This ranch and this life was all she'd known since the age of six. The years before that were all a blur.

  “Pass the green beans, please,” she said to Mark, the nearest hand. She'd spoken loud enough to be heard around the table, hoping that Cole would turn his head, but his eyes remained on her father as he answered yet another question. However, Mark was so eager to do as she'd requested that he nearly dumped the whole bowl in her lap.

  “Here you go, Miss Maddie,” he exclaimed. “How much do you want?”

  Annoyed by his attention, she just took the bowl from his hand and scooped out a spoonful. “Thank you.”

  “No problem, Miss Maddie,” he replied, his large eyes reminding her of her dog Lady when she was a puppy. “Let me know if there's anything else you want.”

  She suppressed a sigh, knowing that he had taken an enormous liking to her. While she didn't mind the attention most days, there were times, like now, when it was irritating. She didn't want to contend with him while trying to get Cole to look at her. It wasn’t that she was interested in the condescending man, but she wanted to see what effect she could have on him.

  “I wish you all would just call me Maddie,” she hissed, aware of the impatience in her voice. “It's not like we're in high society or something.”

  “Oh no, Miss Maddie. Your mother would have our heads.”

  Now she did actually sigh. Her mother believed that as long as she was addressed somewhat formally by the men, they would respect her. They did that alright, and not one of them had ever done anything even remotely improper. That probably also had to do with the fact that her father was a bear of a man who would cause any of his hands a world of hurt if they looked at her the wrong way.

  Uncle John was also extremely protective and watched over her like a second father, as did the other older men—Carl, Wyatt, and Thomas—who lived on other parts of the large homestead. In total, she felt like she had five fathers. It seemed she could hardly take a step in one direction or another without someone seeing what she was doing.

  “Mother,” she said suddenly in an overly loud voice. “Shall I help you with dessert?”

  Kate raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. Maddie always helped with serving and whatnot, never asking if her assistance was desired. “Of course,” she replied. “Just as soon as we're ready for it.”

  Although she hadn't helped in making the pies this afternoon, she was anxious to help serve them. Standing up and walking around the table would give her a different vantage point and possibly draw Cole's eyes toward her.

  However, as the dinner plates were being cleared, he stood and made his excuses.

  “I hope you don't mind if I skip dessert. I'm pretty tired.”

  They all murmured their understanding and he left, never once looking back.

  Maddie watched him go, her heart twisting in frustration.

  “Watch yourself, daughter,” her mother said in a low voice. “Don't go looking for trouble.”

  “If I did, I certainly wouldn't find it here,” she huffed in reply as they entered the kitchen.

  “What's that supposed to mean?” Kate's eyebrows lowered as she gave her daughter a hard look.

  Part of her chaffed at her mother’s protectiveness, but the other part understood. It couldn't be easy having a grown daughter around so many single men. She'd understood from the time she turned fourteen that she couldn't speak to any of them alone, and that she shouldn't even be out of the house without telling her mother where she was going, but these restrictions were starting to irritate her more and more.

  “Never mind,” she muttered, grabbing the dirty stack of dishes and thrusting them into the basin of hot water. They never needed to scrape the plates as the men all but licked them clean.

  “Perhaps I will bring in the pies,” Elise gracefully left the kitchen with the apple pies, leaving mother and daughter to talk.

  “Daughter, you not only disobeyed the rules today, but you were caught eavesdropping on the new ranch hand and made a mess of yourself...literally. I don't want any of the men here to think that they can treat you with disrespect, but you need to behave respectably.”

  “I wasn't walking around naked,” she threw back. “I was decently clothed, even more so than I am now!”

  Her father's borrowed clothing certa
inly showed less than the dress she was wearing.

  “Decency is a matter of perception, and one that you don't seem familiar with. Respectable women do not wear men's clothing, nor do they go slinking off into barns unaccompanied. Now, I forgave you easily when I didn’t know the whole story, but now I feel you’re hiding things from me.”

  “Because you don’t understand!” she nearly shouted back, but then she immediately regretted her words when her mother's face paled. “Oh, Mama, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout like that, but can't you see that I'm grown now? You can't keep treating me like I'm ten years old.”

  Kate sank into the nearest chair. “I know that, dearest, but you don't understand...”

  “I do, but please think about things from my point of view. I've never been allowed to have any freedom since I turned fourteen and... developed. You've been watching over me like you're expecting me to make some kind of mistake. I feel...suffocated.”

  It was hard to see her mother so overcome, but Maddie didn't give in. She'd been on the edge of asserting herself so many times, and now she forced herself to see it through.

  “Please, Mama. I'm not asking a lot, but let me move freely around the ranch. None of these men would ever dream of hurting me. They respect you and Daddy too much.”

  Kate took in a long breath and then let it go before nodding. “Let me talk to your father about it and see if we can come up with something. You're right. You are an adult and deserve some freedom. By the time I was your age, I was already engaged to...”

  She didn't finish, and Maddie didn't pursue it. It was rare that the two of them talked about her biological father. Although Maddie knew there were some secrets there, she never felt the need to find out what they were.

  “Thanks, Mama. Thank you for listening.”

  “You're welcome, dearest. I love you.”

  “Love you too.”

  Later that night, when Maddie was in bed, she reviewed the conversation. She knew that in some ways, she was acting like a spoiled child, wanting what she couldn't have, but it was time for her to grow up a little and pull away from her parents. What that looked like exactly, she didn't know for sure, but getting some freedom on the ranch would be a good beginning.

  4

  Cole saw Maddie leave the table, but tried not to pay her any attention. Even though he acknowledged that she was very attractive, he didn’t feel any strong attraction to her. Not only was she spoiled, but she didn’t appreciate what she had, her home, her family, and the love and protection of a good man who had stepped in to be a father to her.

  He’d found out from the other hands last night that Luke had only been on the ranch for a little more than fifteen years and had married Kate shortly after she arrived from back east. In some small way, the two of them had something in common—they’d both lost their fathers at an early age—but Kate hadn’t suffered the way he had. She hadn’t had to endure the heavy burden of living with people who didn’t want you and cousins who resented his very existence. They took great pains to make sure he knew they couldn’t have some things because of him. Guilt had been his companion all through his teenage years.

  Upon turning twenty, he’d received the money his parents had left him and left the very next day, running straight to the ranch where he was sure he’d find solace.

  But now he wondered what he'd run to. Was he going to find peace here? Was he even looking for it?

  Tossing and turning in his assigned bunk, Cole was tormented by these thoughts. By the time the men came in, he was too irritated to even pretend to be asleep. He sat up and watched them enter.

  “What do you guys do around here for entertainment?” he asked the one on the bunk closest to his own.

  “Yeah, Austin. Tell him what you do for fun,” another man teased.

  Austin's mouth twisted a little, obviously not taking the other men’s ribbing too hard. “Some of the guys play cards or checkers,” he told Cole. “But I spend an hour or two reading the Word.”

  “What?” He had no idea what the other man meant until he saw him pick up a thick, leather-bound book. “Oh, the Bible.” He had no interest in talking to a religious fanatic. “Uh, good for you.” He pushed himself off the bunk and walked over to where some of the others were sitting around a table. One man was shuffling some cards. “Do you play for money?”

  They shook their heads. “Nah, Boss won't let us,” Boone declared. “He says it'll make trouble if we do, and I suspect he's right. We just practice with each other so when we go into town, we're ready to win.”

  That sounded interesting to him. “How often do you go into town?”

  “Every time we get paid, so once a month.” This comment was made by Charlie, the oldest of the hands. He wasn't a large man, and he was Cole's senior by at least ten years, but he wouldn't like to get on the man's bad side. He looked like he could have a mean streak.

  The other men, Jesse, Mark and Boone, seemed harmless enough, and he knew he’d rather spend time with them than Austin. He had no patience for over-zealous Christians.

  “So, can I sit in?” he asked. They made room for him and over the next hour, he learned how to play poker, Western style.

  “You're pretty good for a young 'un,” Charlie joked. “Been around a lot of tables?”

  “Not too many,” he said casually, not wanting to give away too much. In fact, he'd learned to play when he was fourteen, often relieving his classmates of their allowances, but no one had ever ratted him out. Boys were too proud to admit when they were beaten, but they did slowly cut him out of their games. Long before he'd finished school, he had to resort to outside games, which were far more dangerous. Still, he'd learned a lot of life lessons by playing in the backrooms of public houses where he was careful to never win more than a fraction of what he'd come in with. To him, it ended up being a game of manipulation rather than a means to make money.

  “Well, that's it for me,” Boone stated casually. “Only so much a man's ego can take.” He stretched and then made his way over to his bunk. “Early morning on top of that.”

  “He's a lightweight,” Charlie joked, rolling his eyes at the younger man. “Always the first to bed.”

  However, not long after that, the others also made their way to their bunks, extinguishing the candles and flopping down noisily with a plethora of grunts and groans.

  Cole did the same, but didn't close his eyes right away.

  “Are you going to put that out soon?” he asked Austin. The man startled a little and then looked over apologetically.

  “Sorry. Does it bother you?” Before waiting for an answer, he wet his fingers and extinguished the candle with a pinch of his fingers. The wick hissed and Cole heard him replace the Bible on the table beside him and settle down in the bunk.

  “How can you even read by that small light?” He needed full daylight to read.

  “I'm used to it,” Austin replied quietly.

  The man's gentle response made him feel a bit guilty. “You didn't have to put it out right away. You could have finished what you were reading.”

  A little chuckle reached his ears. “Finish reading the Bible? I don't think I'll ever really do that.”

  “What do you mean? Like, read it from front to back?”

  “Nah, I've done that a few times, but whenever I'm done with Revelations, I go back to Genesis.”

  Cole was puzzled. He'd never read the same book twice. “Why would you do that?”

  The answer didn't come right away, but when Austin did speak again, his voice was thoughtful. “It's like looking at an amazing painting. Even though you've seen it once, you keep looking at it again and again, seeing something incredible and having your breath taken away each time. Every time I read it, I find something new. God's word speaks to me at different times of my life in different ways.”

  “Are you ladies going to keep yakking all night?” From the gruffness of the voice, Cole figured it was Charlie speaking.

  “Sorry,” he said.
“ 'Night.”

  The room fell silent and he tried to sleep, but the day's events wouldn't stop playing over and over in his head. Then Austin’s words kept spinning around in his mind. What did he mean? Finally, when he did fall asleep, the last thing he saw was his uncle’s face frowning at him.

  Maddie sat in the parlor after dinner with her parents, younger siblings, and Uncle John's family. She loved her brother and sisters as well as the other children, but tonight, she had the urge to be alone.

  “Mind if I go for a walk?” she asked her mother. “It's a nice night and I'm getting a bit of a headache.”

  “I'll go with you,” she replied. “Just let me put away my knitting.”

  “I'd really rather go alone.” Maddie gave her mother a look, trying to remind her of the conversation they'd had just an hour ago.

  “Darling, I understand, but it's dark out now. Could you please start asserting yourself in the daytime?”

  Elise stood and approached them. “The children are playing so well together, and I would like to see the stars as well. Perhaps we could go together?”

  It wasn't ideal, but Elise was good company. She didn't find the need to fill every silence.

  “Is that okay, Mama?”

  Kate gave a nod to her and a tight smile to Elise. It was clear that she wanted to be the one to keep her daughter company, but backed off nonetheless.

  “It is a beautiful night,” Elise murmured once they got outside. “Not too cold.”

  There was a bit of a nip in the air, reminding them that winter wasn't entirely gone, but Maddie found it refreshing.

  “Yes, you're right.” She didn't say anything else, and Elise seemed to understand that she wanted to enjoy the stillness of the night and said no more.

  The two of them walked toward the barn, around the bunkhouse, and then over to the small lake that still glimmered in the moonlight.

  “I nearly drowned in the lake when I was little,” Maddie said suddenly.

  “I remember,” Elise replied softly. “Your parents were very scared.”