Mail Order Bride- Twenty-Two Brides Mega Boxed Set

by Emily Woods

  “I buttered the bread,” she informed the children gravely, expecting some admiring looks.

  What she got instead was a broad smile from five-year-old Jessica. “Mama lets me do that! Isn't it fun?”

  That wasn't the word she would have used to describe the experience, but after catching a look from Valerie, she decided to play along. Jessica was a sweetheart after all, and her bright shining face sparked a moment of generosity in Christina.

  “It was my first time,” she confided. “Do you think I did a good job?”

  With a serious expression, Jessica opened her sandwich and looked inside. “Pretty good. A little thick, but I like it that way.”

  Christina suppressed a laugh, sure that was the wrong reaction. She managed to smile and nod. “Thank you. I'll remember that.”

  For the first time since she arrived, Christina felt something other than resentment stir in her heart. And it felt good.

  After having flipped through the pages of Cole's Bible, Alex replaced it carefully on the side table and got up to work the kinks out of his legs. He hadn't really read any of the tome. It was just too overwhelming of a task. Where did one even start? And what was the point when there was no preacher to explain it? In his opinion, it seemed like a rather daunting, if not impossible, task—to read the Bible on one's own.

  He decided to take a short walk around the bunkhouse to get some fresh air and exercise, but Cole's comments were heavy on his mind. Should he confess to Luke why he was here? It was hard to decide. On one hand, he would quickly find out where the man stood on the issue, but on the other, he didn't want to create a problem or burden him in any way. There wasn't anything that he wanted from him, except the chance to know who he was. However, Luke might not see it that way, if he even believed him. That was another possibility. What if he had never told his wife or friends that he had a son that he abandoned? There was the chance that he was so ashamed of himself that he would even deny it, or would become skeptical, thinking that Alex wanted part of the ranch as an inheritance.

  In Philadelphia, his plan had felt reasonable and right. But now that he was in the same vicinity as his father, he couldn't seem to follow through with it. Originally, he was going to come, stay for a few weeks, and then tell Luke who he was. Now, the weight of his plan felt like too much of a burden to carry. Would he even tell Luke at all? Maybe it was enough just to work for the man, get to know him, and then leave.

  That idea suddenly sounded incredibly appealing. He could stay until winter, make enough money to travel to California and start at Stanford in the new year. His grandparents would wire him the funds if he asked for it, never questioning him once about why he needed them. They would just assume that there were some unexpected costs associated with his schooling. That was how much they trusted him.

  This realization made him uncomfortable. His grandparents had raised him, loved him in their own way, and provided for him beyond his needs. In return, he'd betrayed them to satisfy his own desires.

  But he couldn't stop himself. All his life, his grandfather had told him that Luke had relinquished all his paternal rights. Be that as it may, Alex felt he had a right to meet his father at least once.

  Well, now he'd done that. But what was the next step? It no longer seemed crystal clear.

  “Is this where they brought him?”

  Alex turned to see to see Austin and the doctor approaching. How had he not heard the horses? His thoughts had blocked out everything else.

  “Yes,” he replied. “He was sleeping, so I stepped out for a just a minute.”

  The doctor nodded and entered the bunkhouse, Austin and Alex close behind.

  After just ten minutes of examining Cole, the doctor seemed satisfied. “I'll put in a few stitches, but there are no internal injuries, as far as I can tell. The bandage should be changed twice a day though, and the wound cleaned out with water that's been boiled. That'll help to prevent infection.”

  Alex took careful mental notes. It should fall to him to take care of the man, after all.

  “Thanks, Doctor Wilson,” Cole replied. “Make sure you go up to the house to settle the fee. I'm sure Aunt Marge and Missus Winston will want to give you some lunch as well.”

  The doctor tipped his hat and left, stating that he would return in a week's time to see how he was getting on, but that he should get up and about as soon as he felt able without too much pain.

  Austin escorted the doctor up to the house, leaving Cole and Alex in the bunkhouse.

  “Not too bad, then,” Cole said, grinning at Alex. “No need to look like someone died.”

  Alex shook his head. “It still shouldn't have happened. It was my mistake.”

  “Aw, don't worry about it. I should have known better than to get off the horse with the bull so close by. Let's just say we both need to be more careful.”

  Cole glanced toward the Bible. “Did you read anything of interest?”

  “Uh, not really. I don't think that I'm really fit to interpret it.”

  Raising his eyebrows, Cole gave him a look of wonder. “So, you've never read it then?”

  “Not really. I know the basic premise: creation, Garden of Eden, the fall, the stories of great men, prophets, and then of course, Jesus's birth, life, death, and resurrection.”

  Cole suddenly gave a burst of laughter, which startled Alex.

  “I've never heard the Bible summarized so neatly before,” he exclaimed when he recovered. Holding his side, he now grimaced a little. “I hope I haven't undone the doctor's good work.” When he saw Alex frowning, he became serious. “I didn't mean to mock you, but you were so practical about it all, so objective. Most people aren't like that. They have a strong opinion either way.”

  “Oh, my opinion on the Bible? That seems rather pretentious. Again, I don't think I'm the right person to say.”

  “Everyone is entitled to an opinion, my friend. Or perhaps you feel nothing about it?”

  Alex thought Cole looked quite concerned over the idea, but he didn't know how to answer.

  “It's a good book, I suppose, but how can we know it's accurate? It's very old.”

  “I wish I could answer that clearly. Austin might be able to, or Luke or Aunt Marge, or really almost any other person on the ranch. I'm probably the least qualified, but what I can tell you is that the Bible changed my life. I learned about my purpose on Earth.”

  Now Alex was interested. “From the Bible?”

  “Yes. I haven't read the whole thing of course, but Austin has, many times, and he helped me understand a lot about it. I would say that every person, especially people as intelligent as you, should make the effort to read it. It's not as hard as you might think. Take it for a few days. I'm too tired to read anyway.”

  The offer was impossible to refuse, so Alex reached over and picked it up again. “Where should I start?”

  “Well, you might want to read Genesis and Exodus, but then skip over to the New Testament.”

  “That doesn't seem very orderly.”

  Cole suppressed another laugh. “I know, but it gets kind of complicated after Exodus. I mean, you could read it from front to back, but it might become a bit overwhelming. The major point is in the New Testament, but reading the first couple books gives you some background. Maybe you can just trust me on this.”

  Alex noticed that Cole seemed drowsy again, so he nodded and flipped open the Bible to the first book. “Rest for a while and I'll start.”

  “Maybe we can talk about it later, when Austin comes in.”

  “Sure,” he agreed. “We can do that.” His voice sounded much more confident than he felt. He wished more than ever that he hadn't accidentally riled that bull, for more reasons than one.

  6

  Christina felt restless in the evening. She didn’t think she would ever become accustomed to rising and going to bed early.

  As she wandered around the house, she was attracted to the large window that looked upon the mountains. The moon was lu
minous, full and so bright that she could clearly see the landscape for what felt like miles.

  It was a beautiful place, she acknowledged. But would she ever, like her sister had done, be able to give up the city for it? She didn't think so, but then again, she'd never been in love the way Valerie had been with Thomas since she was about twelve or fourteen years old. No man had ever stirred her heart like that. She wasn't sure if that was because she was cold by nature, or just hadn't met the right person. Perhaps it was a combination of both.

  Sighing, she knew that sleep would still be a long time in coming, so she wrapped herself up and decided to take in the night air. Once outside, she breathed deeply, filling her lungs with the cleanness of it. That was another draw, she supposed.

  Her eyes moved over to the house of the owners. It was large and comfortable, and apparently, they were going to go over again tomorrow. Kate had apologized for the interruption to their visit and insisted they return the next day.

  Christina didn't feel the need, but having been raised with good manners, she accepted the offer gracefully. The ride over had caused her a bit of discomfort, but she was happy to be out of the depressing little house. Riding over to Kate’s was almost a pleasant experience, aside from the ranch hand getting hurt. Well, that and being with the children. She found her nephews and niece delightful and didn't mind spending time with them.

  The wind kicked up a few notches and she retreated into the house. The bed had taken some getting used to, but now she crawled under the thick quilt gratefully. It wasn't much to look at, but it was sufficiently functional, much like everything else out West, she supposed as she finally drifted off to sleep.

  Alex had gotten up several times during the night to check on Cole, just to make sure he wasn't feverish or in pain. The man slept straight through until morning, despite having had multiple naps during the previous day.

  At one point when he'd gotten up, he looked out the window in the direction of the house he'd learned belonged to the Wells family. It still caused him significant discomfort to think that the one person who could give him away was so close by. What would he do if she recognized him? How would he explain?

  Right as he was thinking about her, he saw a movement near the house. At first, he thought it might be a deer or some kind of animal, but the moonlight revealed that it was a person. He couldn't make out who it was from this distance, but he would have guessed that it was Miss Christina. She was probably like him, used to different hours than what people kept on the ranch. He wondered how she felt so confident to stroll around when there were various creatures roaming about. Perhaps she didn't know. He would mention something to Maddie tomorrow.

  Maddie, his...stepsister? She was an amazing woman, although the females back in New York wouldn't think so. They would scowl down their noses at someone so apparently unrefined, someone running around doing men's work and wearing men’s clothes. He supposed Christina viewed her with disdain, and that annoyed him. She was hardworking and loyal, if a little feistier than the women he'd ever met.

  His mind raked over the past forty-eight hours, reliving every moment, especially those in the presence of his biological family. It was still hard to fathom that he had three siblings. It was even more amazing then he’d imagined.

  After making sure that Cole was comfortable once again, Alex settled down on the bunk. It wasn't the worse thing he'd slept on. His bed in the dormitory had been that, so thin and worn. This one was stuffed with hay, but with the layering of several sheets, it was quite tolerable.

  Exhausted, he fell asleep, hoping that answers to his questions would present themselves in the following day.

  “He's doing quite well,” Kate informed them when Valerie enquired after Cole. “I'm so glad. It would be horrific if something happened to him, especially for Maddie.”

  Christina didn't want to criticize the woman's daughter, so she framed her questions carefully, hoping to appear more curious than anything else.

  “Has she always worn pants?” she asked mildly, sipping her tea as daintily as she could from the large mug. “And worked alongside the men?”

  Kate and Valerie looked at each other with amused expressions.

  “She's always been different from other women, but I guess growing up around so many men will have that effect on a girl.”

  “Oh, well, it could have gone the other way too, couldn't it?” Too late, she realized that she was on the way to making an indelicate comment that could be construed as a jab at Maddie's reputation. “I mean, she might have become almost a princess.”

  “Who’s a princess?” Jessica demanded from across the table. She had come along today, as her siblings were at school and Thomas had to work.

  “No one, dear,” Valerie replied, reaching over to wipe a few crumbs off her daughter’s face.

  Kate didn't take any offense to the comment, either because she didn't want to or because it didn't occur to her that Christina might have meant something untoward.

  “Well, perhaps she went through that phase, but as soon as she hit thirteen, she showed a preference for less feminine pastimes. I indulged her a little, I suppose, but by the time she hit eighteen, she was determined not to be a typical female.”

  The little laugh that Kate issued showed the woman had no distress over the fact, so Christina tried to hide her scorn. Such an attitude would have never been accepted where she came from.

  “I suppose there's a freedom out here that we don't enjoy in the East,” she said evenly. “As I'm sure you well remember, women of a certain class are expected to devote their time to activities such as needlepoint and the like.”

  “Perhaps, but there's also so much work that there isn't much time for such things. Oh, I still embroider now and then to please myself, but Maddie has no interest. There's still a sampler in my basket that she started on more than two years ago. I suspect it will never be completed.”

  Again, the two other women laughed, but Christina couldn't find any humor in it.

  “And her husband-to-be isn't...dismayed by her lack of domestic skills?”

  A short silence ensued, during which Valerie gave her a dark look, but then Kate brushed off the comment with a dismissive air.

  “Not at all. He enjoys the person she is. Now, would either of you care for more tea?”

  Since it wasn't her business anyway, Christina didn't bring up the subject again. As the dinner hour approached, Valerie declared that it was time to be on their way. She called to Jessica, who had been playing in the front with the dog, and announced that they would be leaving shortly.

  “I want to see how Cole’s doing and if there's anything he needs. Do you mind watching Jessica for five minutes?” Valerie asked Christina as they left.

  “Certainly,” Christina replied easily. “Perhaps we'll look for flowers to pick. Shall we do that?”

  Jessica practically bounced up and down. “Oh, yes please! We can bring them back and decorate the table tonight. Can we, Mama?”

  Valerie gave her consent and the two of them set off in search of flowers. They hadn't gone too far when the familiar-looking ranch hand who had bumped into her yesterday emerged from the bunkhouse, a long look on his face. Although it wasn't usual for her to initiate conversation with strangers, she remembered his kindness and thought it would be polite to enquire after his well-being.

  “Oh, I'm fine, thank you, Miss Christina. More to the point, Cole is doing well.”

  Even though he was well-mannered, she suspected he was uncomfortable around her. That didn't strike her as surprising, but made her feel more magnanimous.

  “I heard you're taking care of him, so that must be credited to you,” she complimented. He gave her a strained smile and nodded.

  “Thank you. That's kind.”

  Even his voice sounded familiar, and she furrowed her eyebrows ever so slightly. “I already know the answer to this, but I still have to ask. Have we ever met? I mean, you're from the East, aren't you? Perhaps...” But it
seemed ludicrous to ask. When and where would they have ever met?

  “Perhaps what?” he asked, his face blank. “The East is a big place. It doesn't seem likely that we would have run in the same circles, so to speak.” His voice was suddenly very flat and almost seemed to lose its accent.

  “No,” she agreed. “Maybe I met a cousin of yours or something. Do you have any?”

  He hesitated a little before answering. “I do, but again, I highly doubt that you would have met any of them. They're all in Pennsylvania. Did you get over there much?”

  It seemed to her that he was telling the truth, but as she looked into his icy blue eyes, she couldn't let go of the feeling that he was lying about something. But what and why?

  “I have never been. But if I had, I don't suppose it would be to your area.”

  She saw his jaw clench as though irritated, but he said nothing more. Was this cowboy with the oddly articulate speech going to attempt to reproach her? And for what? She'd said nothing but the truth.

  “Come along, Jessica. Let's see about those wildflowers.”

  Without a backward look, she took her niece by the hand and rounded the bunkhouse in search of something pretty to bring back to the house. She would not give the ranch hand another thought.

  7

  Alex considered himself a mild-mannered person, quite peaceable in fact, but Miss Christina Hillcrest made him want to be less than polite. How dare she condescend to someone because he or she hadn't been born to the same status and privilege? She was the worst kind of snob--one who didn't appreciate what she had.

  But then, he wasn't much better. He'd also enjoyed the benefits a wealthy lifestyle offered, but hadn't he basically scorned it by walking away? Guilt settled in the pit of his stomach, but he attempted to alleviate it by promising himself that he would find a way to pay back his grandparents the money he'd wasted on the horse. It might take him a long time, more than a few years, but he'd do it.