Mail Order Brides of Wichita Falls Boxed Set (Historical Western Romance)

by Cyndi Raye

  He strolled to the window, pulling down the blind to keep everyone from staring from outside as he undressed and stepped in the tub. Sinking in the hot water, he realized it did feel good. Heck, it felt great. So great in fact, he dozed in the water, not waking back up until he heard a pounding on the door. “It’s open.”

  An older Chinese woman entered, holding a new set of clothes. She spoke in her native tongue, issuing orders to the young man who followed her. He took out a strait razor and held it close to Dawson’s chin. Dawson jerked back at first, then relaxed as the boy began to lather up some soap and brush it across his whiskers. He stared at the boy, daring him to leave a cut on his skin. The boy didn’t flinch at Dawson’s stare. He seemed to be confident and before Dawson knew what was happening, the boy gave him a close shave that even he couldn’t complain about. Next was a haircut, not too short but enough to make Dawson look presentable.

  By the time the boy was finished, the bath water had cooled. He got out and dried off while the woman unfolded the clothes. He thanked her and motioned for them to leave. When they stood there, undaunted, he realized he had to pay them, too. “For Pete’s sake. She orders me to clean up and expects me to tip, too.” Dawson grumbled the whole time he took money out of his drawer, handing it over to the woman.

  After they left, he took a look at himself in the mirror by the door. Staring into his dark bloodshot eyes, he remembered a day when he looked like this. Clean cut, not a whisker on his face, his honey colored hair neat and clean. His muscles ached from too much booze. Maybe it was time he tried harder.

  Then he looked in to the mirror again and instead of seeing a handsome man trying to come back to life, all he recognized was a haunted man, guilty of a crime so heinous he couldn’t sleep at night. Even though everyone said it wasn’t his fault, Dawson felt in his heart it was.

  He tore his eyes from the mirror towards the desk drawer. One drink. He turned towards the desk. In order to get through the rest of the day, he just wanted something familiar to help. Pulling the drawer open, he stared at the bottle lying on top of other papers stuffed in there.

  “Let’s go, Dawson. Quit yer dallying.”

  Dawson turned to see Marshall standing in the doorway.

  He closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the drawer shut with a bang. Turning, he strolled towards Marshall, a look of disgust on his face. They were all out to help him, they’d said.

  “It’s a start,” his friend said, knowing he made a hard decision to walk away from that drink. Marshall patted his back, a friendly move that had Dawson frowning.

  “It won’t do any good. Try all you might, but it won’t do any good.”

  “We’ll see. Let’s go talk to Addie. She’s got some good news.”

  Dawson went out in to the bright sunlight.

  His friend stood beside him as he gazed in to the street. The town was busy, women and men walking down the street, horse’s hooves clattering along, stirring the dust in the air. The sounds of everyday life was all around him.

  Marshall told him, “Someone once told me it’s a great day to be alive when the sun shines like so, Dawson.”

  Dawson stomped across the street to the boarding house. “Whoever it was, must’ve been drunk as a skunk.”

  <><>

  Tillo came through the back door and sat at the kitchen table. She looked at her daughter and smiled.

  “What is it, Mother? Why do you look so sad?” Grace didn’t like to see her mother looking so down and out. She gathered her mother’s calloused hands in her own, sitting across from her at their small round table in the tiny apartment. It was all they had been able to afford.

  “I have such sad news, honey.”

  “Oh, mother, is Mrs. Adams gone?”

  Tillo let the tears fall down her cheeks. “She is. I took care of her for all these years. I don’t know what I’ll do without her now. She was my friend. At least one good thing came out of all of this and that is her daughter has a wonderful new life, with a baby on its way.”

  Grace smiled. She recollected how her mother took care of Mrs. Adams, her daughter Ruby and the Brownstone manor. Mrs. Adam’s brother owned the manor and was always so mean. Many times Grace remembered how awful he was to Ruby. She had wanted to give him a piece of her mind, but her mother reminded her how much of a lady she was. Pooey!

  Her mother never knew some of the naughty things her and Ruby would do. One time they added a bit of hot pepper to her uncles flask of bourbon. They laughed so hard when they heard him coughing and carrying on in his study after he took a drink. When he came out of the study to find out why his bourbon was so strong, they had been sitting on the steps of the front porch, two young girls acting all innocent. He had glared at them both before turning back into the house and slamming the front door.

  She had some good times with Ruby as she was growing up. Grace was happy for her friend, sorry she was so far away but glad she found true love as a mail order bride. She hung on to her mother’s hands a little tighter. They would get through this sadness. “Does Ruby know her mother is gone?”

  Tillo shook her head. “Not yet. It will take some time to get word to her. Mrs. Adams lived longer than any of us expected. It’s been over a year since Ruby has been gone. After she left, Mrs. Adams seemed to gather a second wind, getting up and moving around, sitting in the garden every day. I swear she was staying alive to make sure Ruby’s life went on as planned. Every letter she received from her sister Adeline, she read over and over again, giving her a new lease on life. But it wasn’t enough. She took a turn yesterday and left this life within hours.”

  “I’m so sorry, Mother.”

  “I know, thank you. I do have some other bad news. I’m no longer employed.”

  Grace was shocked. “Why?”

  She shrugged. “Mr. Adams fired me on the spot. Said the only reason he kept me around was to keep his sister happy. The man is sick. I doubt by this time next year he’ll even have a home. I am certain he’ll lose it all, wind up in the poor house.”

  Grace nodded. Served him right, he was a mean and nasty man. “Don’t you worry, Mother. I have a job at Montgomery Wards. I can help you now that I’m done with my schooling.” Grace had gone to business school to learn accounting.The men made fun of her because they couldn’t imagine a woman learning numbers. They said no one would hire a woman accountant. Perhaps they were right but she’d show them. She could work numbers like nobody’s business. Hopefully a good job would come to her soon. Even though standing at a counter ringing up purchases at Montgomery Ward wasn’t the type of job she longed for, it was a big help, especially now.

  “Grace, you are always so positive, reaching for the best life offers. I’m afraid this time we are in a bit of a bind.”

  “Why, Mother? I said I can help.”

  Grace watched as her mother struggled for the right words. “I’m afraid without the salary from the Adams, I’m going to have to give up this apartment. I hate to break this news to you my darling, but my brother asked me to move to Georgia. He is in need of help with the children.”

  A stark fear ran through Grace. Then she shook it off. Why hadn’t her mother said both of them? “What about me?” she whispered.

  Tillo’s bottom lip trembled. “There isn’t room, Grace. I’m so sorry. Look, I won’t go. We can get by here. You and me.” A haunting look came over her mother’s face.

  Grace knew in that instant her mother wanted to go to Georgia. She wouldn’t be the one to keep her from those dreams. After all, her mother had taken care of her for twenty-two years. She deserved a better life.

  “No, Mother. You must go.”

  “I don’t want to leave you here alone. Although, Miss Adam’s sister from Wichita Falls has a booming business and offered you a position, of sorts.”

  “Of sorts?” Grace stared at her mother. Something sounded a bit off. “What kind of position?”

  “Just like Ruby, you would be traveling to Wichita Fal
ls,” her mother said, softening her voice so Grace wouldn’t get upset.

  “As a mail order bride? Mother, that’s the last thing I would want!” She stood and paced back and forth across the floor.

  “This is a unique position, Grace. You would not only be a mail order bride but you would have a job with numbers.” Tillo looked at her daughter with hope.

  Grace stopped pacing. “What do you mean with numbers?” Her mother knew how she loved working with numbers, putting them together to make things work. Learning accounting had been fun and easy for Grace. But finding a job in New York City had been almost impossible. She had to face the truth, looking for a job while working at a department store was getting her nowhere fast. So many doors had been slammed in her face. Because she was a woman. Maybe she should listen to this offer.

  Tillo smiled and reached for her hand. “Sit, Grace.”

  Grace did as told. “I love working with numbers, Mother. Perhaps I could consider this job. What does it involve?”

  Tillo slipped her hand in to her pocket and extracted a train ticket. “This is not only a job but a new life, Grace. Wichita Falls is a growing town, where there are more men than women. It is growing by leaps and bounds with Miss Adelines careful picking of mail order brides. I know you will love the wide open plains and small town living. It beats these concrete walls and dirty city streets here.”

  Grace had yearned for a change. Now it was being presented right in front of her by her own mother. How could she refuse? Especially when she saw how her mother’s eyes lit up talking about moving to Georgia. It was a new start, for them both. She sighed. “I’ll do it.”

  Tillo grinned. “Even before knowing the whole story?”

  “Well, by all means, tell me then.”

  “Your intended is a partner in a land title company, which he has sadly run in to the ground. His brother is the other partner and on his way to Wichita Falls to see if the business has improved. If it has, he intends to give his shares to his brother. The company is buying and selling land plots, Grace. That’s right up your alley. Surveying, working with numbers, it’s a dream job come true for you. You know numbers, you would be a big help at a time like this. Imagine keeping the books for a business that you are a big part of.”

  “You know me well, Mother. I love to make a difference.” The job sounded more than wonderful. The only problem was she’d have to become a mail order bride and move thousands of miles away. She looked around the small apartment. It was time for a change. For the both of them.

  Chapter 2

  If Dawson had to be honest with himself, he’d admit he felt a lot better than he had in months. Ever since the tragedy that spurred him to drown his sorrows in whiskey. Not that he wasn’t a strong man, he was. There was something about feeling responsible for another life that could dig deep in your soul.

  Dawson had let it get the best of him. No more. He wanted his brother to be proud of him. Sitting across from Miss Adeline, sipping out of a tiny English teacup was humiliating to most men. Except he wasn’t about to refuse this woman who helped almost every single person in town. She was like an angel, bringing good tidings and joy to those around her. He’d sit here and dally any day. Besides, it beat drowning himself in his own pity now that his head was clear again.

  “How is the tea?” she asked, nodding to the tea cup.

  “Fine, Miss Adeline.”

  “The reason I asked you here is because I’ve taken a step without your permission and I must say I’m sorry but yet I’m not. I’ll add that before we start.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Of course not. Let me explain. You promised your brother by this time of year you would be settled down with a bride and your company would be booming. Can you face your brother knowing it isn’t true?”

  Shame crossed his face. “I got sidetracked but Ben will understand. He knows what happened.”

  Adelines all-knowing eyes bore in to his. “Not so fast, young man. He won’t understand that you spend every single night at the saloon and drink yourself numb. Is that what you are doing, Mr. Sloan? Trying to make the bitterness and shame disappear? How is that working for you?”

  He sighed. “It isn’t. If it weren’t for Lily I’m not sure where I’d be right now.”

  “Lily? Little Lily Morgan?”

  He nodded. “Everyone thinks I’m dallying with prostitutes but I’m not. Lily has a room off the kitchen the old owner gave her along with her serving job. But the new owner, she wants Lily to pay rent, trying to convince her to become a soiled dove for payment. Lily wants to move out but the job doesn’t pay enough for her to leave. So, we devised a plan. I pay her to pretend I’m staying with her and she helps me get through the nightmares. She pays rent with the money I give her and is trying to save enough to leave there.” Why he felt the need to spill his guts to this woman, Dawson didn’t understand. Miss Addie had a way about her for sure.

  “Everyone thinks Lily is a lady of the night. Why is she letting her reputation go sour, Mr. Sloan?”

  “I don’t know. She has her secrets but she won’t tell. I’ve offered her money to leave there, to get on a train and go somewhere to start over but she refuses. Says this is her home. She’ll dig herself out if it kills her, she told me. I’m not sure why she thinks she has to suffer so. Even so, she’s my friend and she’s helped me get through some pretty bad nights.”

  “Are you having nightmares?”

  Dawson nodded. It pained him to talk about it so he clenched his hands around the tiny china cup.

  “You’re going to crush my teacup.”

  He looked down at his hands and released the cup. “I’m sorry.”

  Miss Adeline sighed. She reached out to take his hand. “Listen to me, Dawson Sloan. You have a brother who took care of you when your own parents died. He helped you through school and the two of you bought this land title business. He wants you to be a success but he’s coming this way and if he sees the mess you are in, he’s going to shut it all down and you will be left desolate. This is your last chance to make something of yourself.”

  “My brother can be a real jerk.”

  “Your brother loves you, Dawson.”

  “I’ve never been able to do anything great in his eyes.”

  “That’s not true and you know it. He’s had to grow up fast, wants the best for you. If he’s hard to please it’s because he is so busy trying to make sure you are OK. He’s gotten you out of many troubling instances in your younger years and now here you are again.”

  “I would be fine if I hadn’t hired that boy who was so green around the collar that day.”

  “You didn’t know, Dawson. Life is too short to try to go back and replay things over and over. What happened is over and done with. Now it’s time to go on living. I have just the thing. I ordered you a mail order bride.”

  He let go of her hand and sat back in his chair. “A what?”

  Adeline smiled so sweetly, he tried to focus on her face. She was kidding him, right?

  “I’m afraid it’s true. She will be here in a few days. You can squawk all you want, Mr. Sloan, but the deed is done. You told Ben you would be married and settled down and responsible. Now it’s time to prove those words weren’t a farce.”

  “I can’t make anyone happy, Miss Adeline. I’ll make a bride miserable and what if she,” he stopped before spitting out his next words.

  “Dies?” she said softly. The woman could certainly read minds. “Then you will have to deal with this, Mr. Sloan. Stop worrying about things that haven’t come upon you yet. It’s time to move on and I am here to help you.” She stood, the conversation over.

  “What’s her name?” Dawson asked, rising from the chair to follow his hostess to the door.

  “Grace Holloway. She’ll be here in two days. Pull yourself together until then. Oh, and Mr. Sloan, she’s got a degree in accounting. She can do wonders with numbers so my suggestion is to let her get your accounts back in order.”r />
  “No kidding? A degree, huh?”

  “Yes, Mr. Sloan, a degree that will be applied to your books to get your business flowing again. Oh, and send Lily to me. I have a proposition for her.”

  Dawson turned and tipped his hat before the door closed. “Thank you, ma’am.”

  He strolled down the street, never looking across at the saloon or at the others who watched him cross to his office on the corner.

  <><>

  Grace was exhausted. Perhaps a bit happy, too. She was having the best time of her life traveling across the country, grinning from ear to ear when the New York landscape passed her by. In the last few days, she met so many wonderful people and quirky characters, she almost wished she had taken up newspaper writing instead of accounting. The stories that were told on a train were something to capture on paper for sure.

  Grace decided to write to a friend of hers who was also struggling in a man’s world. Her friend Charity had wanted to become a reporter and was so happy to get the job on the New York Times paper. As it turned out, all the exciting jobs there went to the men. Her friend was only allowed to report on fashion and food. Many times Charity vowed to fight the establishment. Grace smiled at the thought of her friend fighting the big names in journalism. If anyone could do so, it was Charity. She would be the first person to write to. Perhaps she could talk Charity into a westward adventure.

  “Next stop, Wichita Falls,” the conductor announced. He clasped his hands over his mouth so his voice could be heard all the way back through the passenger train. Before she realized, the train came to a halt, the steady pace of the rail road car no longer moving. This was her stop. Grace reached nervously for her carpetbag, lugging it behind as she moved herself to the front, following the small crowd getting off at Wichita Falls.

  Would he be here waiting? Her instructions were from a woman named Adeline Adams, proprietor of the boarding house on Main Street and Ruby’s aunt. She instructed Grace to wait at the station until her intended picked her up. Grace hung on to the iron rail as she stepped down from the metal steps of the train. Feeling silly, she hung on to her faded piece of luggage with one hand while swinging back and forth on the edge of the last step, her pointy booted foot moving through the air. A giggle erupted from her mouth and she almost fell off.