by Everly West
“So, what is it you think I wouldn’t like?” Levi pushed for an answer to Caleb’s cryptic comment.
“Well, I know that you and Eva hold Arielle in high esteem. As do I. And although we have not slept together, we have come close on more than one occasion. We have feelings for each other. In fact, I’m in love with Arielle and I think there is something—about my situation—you should know.” Caleb swallowed hard to keep his voice from quivering with nerves.
“Situation?”
“Yes, I am planning to ask Arielle to marry me, but there are some complications that may make that a bit difficult.”
“Yes, I can imagine there will be many obstacles standing in your way, but I’m assuming if you two are determined to move forward and marry, you’ll find a way to overcome them.”
Levi’s comment caught him off guard. He took a moment to think about what Levi had said. What obstacles could Arielle have? He was the one with the mountain-sized problem. Wasn’t he?
"Regardless, I know you’ll figure it out. Eva is going to be so excited to hear the good news and while this may be a tad premature, let me be the first to welcome you to our family."
Levi stood and walked around his desk toward Caleb. He rose and shook Levi’s extended hand. What the hell was happening? Stunned, Caleb watched Levi pour two crystal glasses full of the expensive whiskey he declined earlier. Something told him he should drink it down.
He set the empty glass down on the desk and turned to Levi. “I don’t think I understand what’s going on here. What are you talking about and whose family are you talking about?"
"Why, our family, of course. My family. Since Eva and Arielle are first cousins, that makes us cousins-in-law."
Caleb could hear his own heartbeat in his ears. He stared at Levi and tried to make sense of what he was saying. "First...cousins? Arielle...and Eva? When did that happen?"
Levi laughed and then stopped short. "Are you saying you didn't know Arielle and Eva were cousins?"
"No, I thought Arielle was a good friend...a valued employee...but a cousin...no. I met her at your nursery school that day I came to find a caretaker for Melody. I mean, she was working there, and I just assumed she..."
“She wasn’t working there. She volunteered to help teach the children to color. She’s only supposed to be here for the summer. The plan was she would return to Boston in September...to get married.”
“To get married? In Boston?” Caleb’s mind was slow to catch up, but he sensed his heart had already grasped the truth and it hurt like hell.
"She's never mentioned Boston?” Levi asked, sympathy etched across his face.
Caleb shook his head.
“And she’s never mentioned her trust fund?"
He swallowed the lump of emotion in his throat and shoved it down deep to rest next to Victoria’s betrayal. Caleb thought he knew Arielle. She was kind and considerate. Hard-working and honest. He would have sworn she didn’t have a deceptive bone in her body. And just like his bitch of a wife, Arielle had turned his world upside down and inside out. He shook his head in denial. “No, she never said a word. Not. One. Damn. Word.”
12
Arielle spent the morning chatting with Eva and making plans for the future. She had written to her parents only once since she had arrived in Laramie. It was time to begin the process of informing them she had found the husband they sought for her, but he was not the owner of a great fleet of ships that sailed the oceans. No, instead, he was a handsome cowboy with a herd of wild horses that roamed this wild land with all of its freedom to pursue the opportunities it presented.
Over the next three months, she would write to her parents and share the details of her adventures here. Eventually, she would include the news that she had found the man she wished to marry, and he was right here in Laramie.
She had left Melody at the nursery school to play with her friends. The child needed the companionship of other children her own age. When she and Caleb married, she would host sleepovers at the ranch to encourage Melody’s friendships.
“You are doing it again, Ari.”
Eva's voice pulled Arielle out of the clouds once more. “I’m sorry. I’m not very good company today, am I?” she mused.
“Nonsense. I am thrilled you have found someone you can make a life with, Arielle. You deserve every happiness Caleb can give you. Has he actually asked you to marry him?” Eva quizzed her about Caleb’s intentions.
“No, he hasn’t asked, but he has given me every indication that he intends to. I almost told him about my trust fund yesterday.”
“And why didn’t you?”
“Old habits, I suppose. Can you understand my hesitation?”
Eva nodded. “Yes, I certainly do. A woman cannot be too careful when it comes to her heart. When I thought Levi had betrayed me, I thought there was no hope for us. My heart was broken clean in two and the pain was unbearable.”
“Yes, I was there, remember? If it weren’t for me and Arianne, I’m not sure your stubborn pride would have allowed you to forgive him.” She teased.
“I fear you are right, and I will always be in debt to my two favorite cousins for your insight—and bullying.”
“We are your only cousins, Eva.”
“That’s true.” Eva laughed out loud. “But, if I can ever repay your counsel, consider it done.”
“I won’t need it because I shall never get my heart broke.”
Eva gave her a knowing look. “I pray you don’t, dear cousin. I pray you don’t.”
The sound of a carriage stopping out front caught their attention. Eva rose and pulled the window curtain back to get a better look. “It’s a woman.”
Arielle rose and stood beside her at the window. “Were you expecting anyone?”
“No. I don’t even think I know her. At least, I don’t recognize her from here. I hope I haven’t made a commitment I’ve forgotten about. That is going to be so embarrassing if I have.”
Eva stepped back from the window and smoothed her skirts. Will you help me? Straighten the tea cart, and I will speak with cook to see if she can make some quick little tea sandwiches. I’ll only be a moment.”
“Of course.” Arielle busied herself with clearing the tea cart and straightening the chairs when a knock at the front door announced the arrival of their unexpected visitor.
“Eva?” Arielle called out.
“I’m coming. Please invite the woman in and offer her a seat.
Arielle gazed around the room. Satisfied everything was in order to welcome their guest, she patted her hair and opened the front door just as the woman knocked a second time.
“I’m so sorry to keep you waiting. Please. Do come in.” A very attractive blonde woman dressed in the latest fashion nodded and entered the foyer. Arielle extended her arm to show the woman the way into the main salon.
Arielle followed the woman and studied her without appearing to be studying her. It was a skill every young woman of social standing in Boston learned at an early age. Observing one’s competition provided an advantage over the hordes of debutantes competing with each other for a husband. Arielle hadn’t used the skill since she wasn’t the husband-hunting type, but that didn’t mean she didn’t know how it was done. She followed the woman into Eva's main parlor and took in every detail.
It was evident the woman came from money. Her stylish clothes were custom made to fit her tall, slender frame. The expensive kid gloves were dyed to match the rose color of her dress. And her exquisite jewelry—matching sapphire earbobs and necklace—must have cost a fortune. But it was the diamond wedding ring that intrigued Arielle. It was obvious the woman was not from Laramie.
The woman walked ahead of her and stood in the main parlor as Eva entered the room. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here to greet you. I’ve arranged for some refreshments. Please, have a seat.” Eva offered her a chair. Arielle took a seat opposite the woman giving Eva the chair next to her. When everyone was seated, Eva spoke to the woman. �
�Now, please tell me what I can do for you today.”
The woman nodded in greeting and looked around the room, taking in every detail. Eva sent Arielle a look and a shrug that said her cousin still had no idea who the woman was or why she was here.
Finally, after a few moments of silence, the woman returned her attention to Eva with a casual glance in her direction. “I do apologize for my unannounced appearance at your front door. I’m not usually so socially inept, but in this case, I fear I have good reason. I hope you will give me a chance to explain.”
Eva frowned at the woman in confusion. “Well, of course. We don’t stand on such formal edicts here in Laramie. Please, tell us how we can help you?”
The woman nodded. “I just arrived in Laramie and I’m trying to find someone who can tell me of my husband’s whereabouts. The man at the train ticket office said he was certain you and your husband, Levi Copper, were friends and would know how to find him. Am I at the right house? You are Eva Copper, are you not?”
Eva nodded. “Yes, of course. You have found the right address. And it is possible I do know your husband. I’ve been in Laramie quite some time. What is your husband’s name?”
The woman’s shoulders slumped in relief. “Excellent news. Let me introduce myself. My name is Victoria Montgomery and my husband’s name is Caleb.”
Arielle remembered what Eva said about a broken heart. The pain was, indeed, unbearable.
Caleb was still reeling from the news that Arielle was Eva Copper’s cousin. She was a wealthy woman with enough money to put a silver saddle on every horse he owned. No wonder she offered to give him money to solve his problems. She wasn’t a schoolteacher. She was a damned heiress for God’s sake.
And she was returning to her home in Boston. In September? At least he thought that’s what Levi said. To get married. She had played him for a fool. First Victoria and now Arielle. He might be a good judge of horseflesh, but he was a piss-poor judge of a woman’s character. He was a damned fool.
He knew Levi was beside him as he walked the few blocks from the hotel to Levi’s home. His friend had tried to talk some sense into him. “Don’t go off half-cocked, Caleb. It won’t end well, I can promise you that.” It had already not ended well. What else did he have to lose?
He saw the house at the end of the block. Arielle was inside waiting for him to pick her up and take her back to the ranch. Why? Levi said she had talked her father into letting her have this summer to find adventure before she returned to Boston to marry some shipping millionaire.
It was painfully obvious to him now that he knew the facts. H was her summer adventure. A little summer romance far away from the prying eyes of her parents. And her fiancé’. The thought made Caleb sick to his stomach. And angry. He was spittin’ mad and he wanted Arielle Dufossé to admit to his face the ugly truth. That she was a selfish creature having her fun at his expense. And Melody’s. That thought made him even more furious. How dare this woman use his daughter to play her games.
He threw open the iron gate leading up the Levi and Eva's front door.
“Caleb. I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t involve Eva in this situation. I’m sure she’s—”
He whirled on his friend. “Do you think Arielle and Eva haven’t already discussed this? Come on, Levi. You can’t be that naïve. They are cousins, remember? First cousins. Like sisters you said. Yeah, Eva knows all about Arielle’s escapades. What else do you think they sit and talk about when she comes into town? Me. And how easy it was to make me fall in love with her all the while pretending to be a damned schoolteacher. What a joke.”
He didn’t wait for Levi’s response. Instead, he turned and stomped up the stone path leading to the front door. He didn’t bother knocking, instead bursting through the door like a charging bull, which is exactly what he felt like.
He was through the foyer and halfway into the main parlor before he realized Eva and Arielle were not alone. All three women were standing as he barged into the room. Levi rushed in right behind him. “Caleb, I really wish you would reconsider...” then he stopped dead when he realized they had company.
Silence stalked the room’s occupants like a predator waiting for an opening to pounce on its unsuspecting prey.
Blood pounded in his ears as his brain tried to make sense of what was standing before him. Not what. Who.
“Hello, Caleb. I’m sure you are quite surprised to see me. I hope it is a happy surprise none the less.”
“Victoria. What the hell are you doing here?”
“Now is that any way to greet your wife?”
Caleb had intended to march into Levi and Eva's home with righteous indignation and crucify one Miss Arielle Dufossé for failing to tell him the truth about who she was. That is until he realized his supposedly deceased wife was standing right in front of him—and everyone else—looking exceptionally well for someone who was reported to have died. The minute he made eye contact with Arielle, his anger disappeared and was replaced by the knowledge that his secret was out and the woman he hoped to marry was already on her way back to Boston, if only in her mind. He knew there was hell to pay and he deserved whatever came his way. But Melody didn’t.
The look in Arielle’s eyes crushed him. She ran up the stairs and slammed the door was such force, the downstairs windows rattled in their frames. Levi stood beside Eva, still in the dark about what was going on under his roof. But as Eva made the introductions, he was certain Levi would shoot him dead as promised.
Caleb knew there was no point in trying to explain the intricacies of how it all happened. He had a little girl to think about. Now that Victoria had returned, he needed to determine what her intentions were regarding their—his daughter. He would not allow the stranger he had once shared his bed with to hurt that little girl even one ounce more.
Levi’s words pulled him out of his misery, if only for a moment. “Caleb, I know your character and I’m certain there is more to this situation than meets the eye at first glance, but I think it best you and...your wife leave.” Levi escorted them to his front door and the resounding slam behind them made it clear that Levi was in no mood to hear him out. At least not at present and it saddened him that he had made an enemy out of his oldest and dearest friend.
“Well, there’s obviously something going on that I’m not privy to, Caleb. What have you done?” Victoria’s accusation stung and fed his anger.
“What have I done?” He could barely get his words out he was so furious. He pulled Victoria along the boardwalk toward the Grand Union Hotel by her arm.
“Caleb, what has gotten into you? You’re hurting me and people are watching,” she whined.
He pulled her along, not bothering to look at her or utter a single word. When he reached the hotel lobby, he dragged Victoria straight to a table in the restaurant. After the waitress took their order and left, Caleb turned to his wife. “What the hell do you want, Victoria? Why are you here?”
“Caleb, darling. I would think that obvious. I missed you—”
“Cut the malarkey, Vic. You haven’t missed me. Or Melody. So, out with it. Why are you really here? What do you want?” Caleb pushed for answers.
Victoria tried to manipulate him as she always did. First with a pout then she managed to cry a few tears. But they weren’t real, and he knew it. Finally, she wiped her eyes and pulled out a pocket mirror and studied her reflection. Satisfied she hadn’t done damage to her appearance, she shoved the mirror back into her reticle and the real Victoria appeared. Cold. Calculating. Conniving.
“I’m out of funds, Caleb, and as my husband, it is your responsibility to give me more. I haven’t had a new hat in weeks.” She sniffed her indignation at the unthinkable prospect.
He sneered at the woman sitting across from him. “And what is your responsibility as my wife, Victoria? And to your daughter? You seem to have forgotten that marriage is a two-way street.”
“Caleb, we both know our marriage was a mistake from the very beginning. W
e are not alike, you and me. I have done my duty as your wife and given you a child. What more do you want?”
“I don’t want anything from you, Victoria. That’s the point. Your trip here was a waste of your time. I’m buying you a one-way ticket back to St. Louis. You are your parent’s problem now.”
“But I don’t have any money, Caleb. Surely, you can’t expect me to return to St. Louis without—”
“I don’t give a damn, Victoria. You had money. My money. A lot of my money. Where is it?” He demanded to know.
She shrugged her shoulders. “I have no idea. It just went. That’s all.”
“How did you get the money in the first place?” He wanted to know.
“Let’s just say I had a friend that worked in the bank. He and I had an arrangement of sorts. Unfortunately, after the money was all gone, he left me and I haven’t seen him since.”
He gripped the edge of the chair to keep from choking the life out of the woman seated across from him. Would a judge convict him of murder once they learned her true nature? Probably.
He shook his head and took a deep breath to calm his racing heart. “I’ll tell you what I am going to do. I’m going to pay for a room here at the Grand Union Hotel for one night. Then, tomorrow morning, I’m escorting you to the train station. You are going to get on that train with a one-way ticket to St. Louis. And if I ever heard from you again, if you ever try to contact me or Melody, you’ll wish you hadn’t.”
“Is that a threat, Caleb? I’m surprised, you know. I didn’t think you had the spine.” Victoria tried to demean him and make him feel inferior to her. It was another trick she used to keep him in line. It wasn’t going to work this time.
“Say what you will, Victoria, but I’m filing for divorce and you won’t contest it. Melody stays with me and you get no support. Are we clear?”
“How dare you try to take my daughter—”
“Oh knock it off, Victoria. You don’t give a damn about Melody. You haven’t seen her in months, and you haven’t asked about her once since you arrived. You’ll sign the papers, Victoria, or I’ll have the law waiting on you and your lover when you get back to St. Louis. You can count on it.”
