A Treasure Brought by Fate: A Historical Western Romance Book

by Lorelei Brogan

  “You don’t have to want to marry him; you don’t have to love him. You already made your choice when you walked into the hotel with him. You will marry him. In that you have no choice.” He spun on his heels and left the room.

  Fern’s vision blurred, and she fought to gain control of her emotions. She gasped for air like a fish out of water. She couldn’t marry Darren. She didn’t want to marry anyone, but Darren? Her hands trembled as she tried to tidy the kitchen, needing something to do.

  One of her hands knocked her father’s newspaper to the floor, and she bent to pick it up. As she did so, an ad stared up at her.

  Wanted: Mail Order Bride – I need a young woman to come west be my bride. As my bride you will live on a small ranch with me and care for my home and be my companion. I promise to care and provide for you, and even if you never love me, I will always treat you with kindness and fairness. Please write to Charley at the address below if you are interested…

  Fern’s eyes skimmed over the ad, her heart beating hard in her chest.

  Could this be the answer?

  Would it do her any good to leave one unwanted marriage for another? She didn’t know, but maybe it would. There was no one in this town for her now; nowhere to go, no escape from this disaster.

  She knew who Darren was, what kind of a man he was. After what had happened between them, she knew he wouldn’t be a gentle loving husband. Maybe the man out west would be. Charley, hmmm, maybe he would be her benefactor. He did say he would be kind and fair.

  She would be at least three weeks’ journey away from her town. No one would even know where she had gone if she slipped away. Her father certainly wouldn’t come looking for her, and she doubted anyone else would. She would have to be careful so that Darren never found out.

  She carefully ripped the small piece of newspaper from its place and tucked it into her apron pocket. Wiping her eyes, she headed towards her room. She needed to think about this with a level head. She needed to come up with a plan to get herself out of this mess.

  If the only way to escape her fate with Darren was to become a mail order bride, that was what she would do. There was no way she could just sit back and accept her father’s solution. That would be the end of her for sure.

  Chapter 4

  Charley paced back and forth down the aisles of the general store.

  “So, today’s the day, huh?” Tom’s voice grated on his nerves, and it took everything in him not to snap back with something rude.

  “I suppose so.” Charley wiped his sweaty hands on his pants, wishing that he was anywhere but here.

  “You know, when we turned in that ad, I really didn’t think you would go through with it. But I suppose if the girl is coming today, then you did. I’m proud of you, Charley.” Tom gave Charley a sturdy clap on the back.

  “You didn’t leave me much choice. You’re the one who sent out the ad,” Charley said ruefully.

  “I am a little surprised at the speed of things. I mean, it’s not even been two months. Most mail order brides I have heard about have taken six months or more to get settled enough to make a trip.” A look of confusion played on Tom’s face.

  “She needed out of a bad situation fast, apparently.” Charley fidgeted a bit, shuffling his feet back and forth. “I figured that if she weren’t in the position to be choosy, well that she wouldn’t mind as much about this.” Charley motioned towards his face.

  He still had a hard time talking about things like this, even with a friend like Tom.

  “I see. It’s a smart move, actually. Do you know what she’s running from?” Tom looked at him curiously.

  “Actually, I don’t. She just said that she needed out quicker than two months, and I agreed.” Suddenly doubt clouded Charley’s mind. What if this young woman had something worse than he did? Would he accept her if she too had such a flaw? What if there was a terrible reason for being in such a hurry?

  “I wouldn’t fret. After all, that’s what you were looking for, right? A young woman who needs what you have to offer as much as you need what she’s got.” Tom ran a duster across some glass jars above the counter.

  Charley wondered how it was that Tom had guessed his thoughts.

  “I hope you’re right. If you’re not, this is going to be mighty uncomfortable.” Charley took to his pacing again.

  “Doesn’t look like it could become much more uncomfortable for you.” Tom chuckled.

  “I don’t see how you’re enjoying this so much. I thought you were my friend,” Charley said, indignation in his voice.

  “Well ain’t that nice? You consider me a friend. I didn’t think you had friends anymore.” Tom’s grin stretched from ear to ear, and for a moment, Charley wished he could take back his words.

  “Don’t make me regret it,” he said with a surly voice.

  “You’d best get out there. Looks like the stagecoach just pulled in.” Tom peered out the window, and Charley hurried over to join him.

  The two of them stared as a young woman stepped from the carriage. She had dark brown hair that reflected in the sunlight and a slender form.

  Her eyes darted from person to person, searching for someone. Charley realized suddenly that it was him she was looking for.

  Her skin wasn’t exactly tanned, but it wasn’t pale either, and her face had a worried insecure look on it as if she wished the earth would swallow her up right there.

  Charley cleared his throat. “I guess I’d best be getting out there, wish me luck.”

  “She’s a pretty one, Charley.” Tom rubbed his hands together in an excited fashion, and Charley couldn’t help laughing a little as he headed toward the door.

  “You know what? I’ll come with you. I wouldn’t want you to mess this opportunity up and knowing you…” Tom trailed off, but Charley could imagine what he had planned to say.

  Somehow, he felt a little better having Tom trailing along behind him.

  The walk wasn’t far, and most people were already at home. It was nearing dusk, and Charley felt grateful that Fern couldn’t have picked a better time to come.

  He squared his shoulders and adjusted his hat before taking a deep breath and taking the final steps between himself and Fern.

  “Fern?” he asked once he had come rather close.

  She whirled around, her blue day dress spinning a little with her sudden movement. She stared up at him with guarded eyes and took a step back.

  “Y- Yes?” she asked. Her voice wavered ever so slightly, and she was clutching her satchel so tightly her knuckles were white.

  “I’m Charley.” He extended his hand towards her in greeting, and she took it. He couldn’t help noticing how her hand trembled slightly in his. She took a step back and looked down at the ground, then back up at him.

  Charley took a deep breath. She still hadn’t seen half of him. He was standing at an angle from her, quite on purpose, but he knew that he couldn’t hide the truth forever.

  “I’m glad you made it safely.” Charley turned fully towards her.

  Fern gasped, and her hand flew up to her mouth.

  Charley took a step back and turned his eyes away from her. He knew what she had seen. It was the reaction everyone had.

  “I’m – I’m sorry, what happened?” Fern asked.

  He could hear it in her voice. He knew what she was thinking. She was thinking how horrible he looked, about what a terrible mistake she’d made.

  “It’s an injury from my past; a burn,” Charley mumbled. He pulled his hat lower so that it covered as much as possible of the ghastly scars, but he knew they were still visible. They were always visible.

  The silence stretched between them for several moments.

  “I understand – I mean, if you want to go back on our agreement, I will be more than willing to pay your way back home.” Charley clenched his jaw and forced himself to look back at the girl.

  He was surprised to find her studying him. She didn’t look judgmental, or angry, just curious.
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  “No! No. I mean, I came all this way to honor what we talked about in our letters. I won’t go back on my word. Your…injury doesn’t change that.”

  Charley cringed at the word injury. It had been so long since he’d forced himself to have a conversation with anyone, to interact with anyone, and every second of it was painful.

  “I see,” Charley looked the young woman up and down. She seemed normal. He wondered what terrible thing from her past drove her to stay with him. A girl like her could have her pick of husbands. Obviously, her looks hadn’t been the issue.

  “The justice of the peace is expecting us.” He motioned to the small building a few blocks away. “If you are sure you still would like to get married, that is,” he added looking away.

  “I, um, okay.” Fern’s bright blue eyes stared up at him, and he noticed as they occasionally graced the left side of his face. He could tell that she wanted to stare, but she was trying to be polite, and the action in itself was driving him mad.

  The idea of leaving her here and hurrying back to his ranch, never to look back crossed his mind, but one look at Tom, and he knew that he couldn’t do that. Tom nodded at him encouragingly when he glanced his way. He needed to follow through with this. If she could handle sticking to her words, so could he.

  “This is my friend, Tom,” he finally said.

  “Pleased to meet you,” she said to Tom and then turned back to Charley. “OK. I’m ready,” she sighed, and she began walking.

  The evening was cooler than normal, and a shiver ran down Charley’s back. The sound of voices as the occasional couple walked down the street discussing something burned his ears.

  He wondered if they were talking about him and the young woman he was walking with, whispering about her misfortune as they saw her enter the justice of the peace with him.

  The idea made him cringe.

  “Would you like me to carry that?” Charley nodded toward the satchel that Fern had been clutching since she had stepped foot on the ground.

  “No, it’s fine. I’ve got it,” she said, a quick look flashing through her eyes. Charley caught it, though. She didn’t trust him. In fact, maybe she was afraid of him, yet here she was, walking into a little building in a town she didn’t know to marry him.

  Despite his misgivings about the entire situation, he had to admire that about her. Whatever was going on with this young woman, she was certainly a mystery, one that he didn’t plan to solve in a day.

  He had already established that he didn’t expect love from a woman, especially not from this woman. He would give her a place to stay at his ranch, and maybe she would help out around the place, but a wife who adored him, he would not have. His face practically guaranteed that he would never have that.

  He had been a fool to think that Tom’s plan would work. He had been a fool to think that a woman could look at him and see past his scars, the marks that had changed his life in every way and form forever.

  His hand twitched, and he suddenly wanted to reach up and touch the ugly tissue, almost as a reminder to himself that the scars were still there, but he forced his hand to stay in its place.

  “Are you both ready?” the justice of the peace asked.

  Charley gave a stiff nod and turned to face Fern.

  He was almost sure he was about to make the biggest mistake of his life.

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  [JG1]Should we know who this is?