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

by Cyndi Raye

  She thought she’d get a shocked reaction from Addie but was wrong on all accounts. Miss Addie smiled. “Lily’s heart is already taken, Grace. She’s head over heels in love with Dawson’s brother, Ben.”

  “Oh, my! Then why would he run to her when he has a wife at home? I am puzzled by this whole affair.”

  Miss Addie patted her hand. “No need to be. He can’t be alone. She had reached out to him one night when he was walking the streets up and down, hour after hour. They made a deal but you have to talk to him about that. I’m not certain of the details.”

  Grace stood. “Thank you for telling me this. Not to be rude, but I must take my leave. It looks like my new found freedom has its limits. I have work to do on not only my accounting skills but my marriage as well. Good day, Miss Addie.”

  <><>

  When Grace returned to the office, as promised, her package was waiting by the door. She noticed a small boy work his way past her as she was coming down the boarded walk. She turned to thank him but he had zig-zagged his way through the others behind her and disappeared into what seemed like thin air. A smile crossed her face right before she pushed open the door.

  The jingle of the bell didn’t capture Dawson’s attention, who was sitting at his desk going over some paperwork. He looked exhausted but content, never even looking up to see who entered. She had to fix him and she’d find a way to do so, by the grace of God, she would.

  Grace sat on the bench while she opened her package. Inside were two penny novels she had chosen from the mercantile. She laid them out on the table as if on display, along with the medium size copper dish she bought. Digging into the wrapping paper, she pulled out a small cloth bag filled with hard candies. They made a noise as she unwrapped the twine and poured the candy into the dish. She was concentrating so much she didn’t see the hand snake out and grab one of the candies. A smile played on her lips as she looked up to see Dawson pop the candy in his mouth.

  “Spending my hard-earned money already, wife?” he teased.

  She shook her head. “No. Mine. I had a job at the Montgomery Wards before coming out here. I’ve got plenty of savings. How does it look?” she asked, pointing to the new arrangement.

  “Looks fine, Grace. Thank you.”

  Grace cocked her head to the side. “Your welcome, but I’m not sure why.”

  “For trying to make things look nice here. I didn’t see the need but I’ve been wrong about many things. I appreciate you trying.”

  Grace took his hands in hers. “You, sir, are welcome. Now, let’s close this place down. We have a ton of work to do.”

  He stepped back. “I can’t close here. What if -”

  She shook her head. “I want you to show me everything Sloan Brothers owns. It shouldn’t take too long.”

  “Right now?”

  She nodded. “We may as well get started right away. No sense putting it off. From what I understand, your brother will be here in less than a month.”

  Dawson agreed. He took her by the elbow and steered her through the door after flipping the open sign to closed. As they walked down the street, Grace listened to him talk about the properties he owned. He was in his element, his face lit up as he spoke. She smiled, knowing how much he loved the kind of work he did. The two of them would get along great.

  They crossed the street, walking towards the parish. After passing Miss Adeline’s boarding house, Dawson stopped. “These three houses you see right here are owned by our company.”

  “May we look inside?”

  “Certainly. All three are identical, so you would only need to take a look at the first one.” Dawson unlocked while Grace toured the first home, walking through each small room. Satisfied, she turned around so quickly she landed up against him, not realizing how close he had been. Dawson’s arms shot out.

  “I’m sorry,” he said before placing a kiss on her mouth. It was quick and startled her.

  She pulled back, surprised at his kiss. Then she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for another of those sweet kisses. The surprised look on Dawson’s face when she kissed him made her giggle. Yet, he was quick to react when he wrapped his arms around her waist and began to hum as his feet moved and he began to dance, swaying them back and forth. Then he took her arm and twirled her around the empty room. By now, Grace was laughing out loud, a slight rise in her voice when he ended their dance with a dip as she flung backwards, her head and neck straining towards the floor.

  He pulled her upright and bowed. “My lady,” he teased, laughter in his voice.

  Grace gave him a hug. “That was nice, thank you. We best keep moving along,” she told him, pulling him towards the door.

  The moment a child’s voice called out to his mother down the street, Grace saw the instant change in Dawson. His steps became harsher, he became quiet and sullen, angry even. There was no longer any teasing as they went through the inventory on each street. Grace didn’t want him to know she already knew why. Not yet. He was starting to relax. Afraid he would turn away, she was glad for at least his hand still at her elbow as they walked. Even though Miss Addie said Lily was in love with someone else, she didn’t want her husband going to that woman for comfort. She wanted him to come to her.

  When they got back to the office, Grace turned to Dawson. “How long has the three houses been sitting empty?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t rightly know. Perhaps, six months or so.”

  “What I thought.”

  “What do you mean?” he asked, a suspicious look beginning to appear on his face.

  Grace noticed any time she mentioned anything, no matter what, about the time period of six months ago, he tightened up, his voice became harsh and he collapsed within himself. This could not go on any longer. She would fix his books and him, as soon as she figured out how. The books, now that was no longer a problem. She knew exactly what she could do to get those homes sold.

  But, Dawson, that was a whole new thing for her. She didn’t have a degree in managing men.

  Grace sighed, pacing back and forth in the small office. She placed her hands behind her back and turned to him. “I have a great idea for getting those three homes sold. Let’s open them to the public, for one day only, invite the town, have refreshments and give them a tour. Perhaps someone’s relative may be interested, or may know someone who is in want of a house. Who knows, perhaps someone may buy it that very day.”

  “You mean like an open house to the public?” When she nodded, he rubbed his jaw. “That may work.” He grinned. “By George, Mrs. Sloan, I think you have something here.”

  A smile graced her cheeks. “Now, tell me, Mr. Sloan, who is the richest in the territory? I want to make sure to send an invitation and invite all their friends.”

  Chapter 5

  The day with Grace had been exhausting but fun. Dawson had never experienced a woman quite like her before. She knew exactly how she wanted things done. The idea of a public open house to sell their homes was a brilliant idea. She suggested inviting all the townsfolk and others in the surrounding territories to take a look at what they had for sale. She even decided to invite some of the rich landowners from the area. She spent the day writing a letter to each of the five biggest and wealthiest land owners, inviting them to come take a look at these properties. They would make good investments, she told them in her letters, suggesting the ranchers would make the initial investment and rent them out to families or folks who were starting out in this area. It was a perfect idea and he was glad she was here to help.

  Dawson had been afraid his brother was going to shut him down. Now that Grace was here, full of ideas that he hoped would work, perhaps Ben would show mercy and hold off for awhile.

  Satisfied, he stood over her for a moment as she lay sleeping in the bed. He wasn’t sure what to do. If he crawled in along side of her, sooner or later he’d wake her with his nightmares. They were sure to come, they did every single night. He wished now they would go away, even if he des
erved to have them. When would the torture end, he wondered, sitting on the rocker by the fireplace.

  By this time of night any other evening, he’d high-tail it over to Lily as she got off shift and drink until he staggered to her room. Then they would talk until he fell asleep, and the nightmares would happen. She’d wake him up, over and over, all through the night until early morning. Thinking he’d be feeling tortured and want to run to Lily for the usual comfort, he didn’t have an inkling of desire to go now. He had told Lily earlier that he wouldn’t be back, even tried giving cash to tide her over until she left but Lily refused the money like he knew she would.

  He glanced at Grace, liking the idea of a wife in the bed next to him. If he could force himself to stay awake all night, there would be no nightmares and perhaps someday he could share her bed.

  Dawson rocked slowly, staring into the fire, the motion lulling him to nod off. It wasn’t long until the horror began. He was in the middle of the property by the creek, running towards the cabin. He heard voices on the other side but he couldn’t break the door down. Hands kept pulling him back from behind but when he tried to turn to see who was grabbing at him, the faces were blank. As he banged on the door, his hands became bloody. He heard the shotgun blasts over and over again as screams began to engulf his ears. Then the fire started as flames shot up, the crackling sounding like dynamite in his ears. He took his bloody hands and covered his ears all the while ghost hands pulled him back from the door. He let them carry him back in to the tall prairie grass, while the cabin became a red glow, its flames shooting up in to the dark night, so high they looked as if they would touch the stars.

  The silence was worse then the screaming because he knew everyone inside was dead. Because of him. They all were tortured and burnt. Dawson tried to call out, his voice so hoarse from yelling. He lashed out at the demons behind him, pushing them away.

  “Dawson, wake up.”

  A woman’s voice shook some sense into him. His mind told him it must be Lily, his friend who always woke him up every night when he fell asleep after hours of restlessness. Yet, the far away voice calling his name didn’t sound like her. As his eyes slowly opened, he realized he was on the rocker, in his own bedroom, in front of the blazing fire in the pit.

  “Grace?” he tried to say her name but he was so hoarse he didn’t even recognize the sound of his own voice. Dazed, he looked down to see her long, slim fingers prying his own fingers from the death grip he had on the arms of the rocker.

  “Dawson, come to bed. Please,” she begged him. Actually, it sounded more like an order. He rose out of the chair, too weak to argue as she pulled on the jacket he hadn’t taken off earlier. As if mesmerized, he let her undress him. Her soft, gentle fingers opened two buttons at his neck. He stared, in a daze, the memory of the nightmare so vivid in his mind he couldn’t think of anything else. It was as if the whole thing was going to start all over again.

  When she led him to the bed and pulled the covers down, he sat on the mattress, unable to move. Grace bent down, pulling off his boots then lifting his legs onto the bed. He was still dressed in his britches and shirt but he didn’t care. Fatigue whipped at him like a tornado crossing the prairie. Dawson laid his head on the pillow, staring blankly at the ceiling. The flames from the cabin were so vivid in his mind’s eye, he shook his head back and forth, silently begging it to stop.

  He felt her join him in bed. One arm went under his neck and shoulder and the other wrapped itself around his chest, cradling him in her arms. She held him, her hand stroking his hair, the gentle touch calming his wild-beating heart. His breathing began to steady. Her touch was amazing. It was nothing like Lily, who woke him with words, shaking him so he’d come out of his nightmare. Then they would talk in to the long hours of the night so he didn’t fall back to sleep. He’d leave when the sun was about to rise and start his day, too exhausted to get much of anything done. It was one of the reasons his Company was in such dire straits.

  Dawson sighed. He tried to raise his hand to touch her, wanting to hold her even more than she was holding him. But she refused, without words, a silent unspoken language between them. Her hand gently stroked his arm, mesmerizing him as he drifted slowly off to sleep.

  <><>

  Dawson opened his eyes to find daylight peeking in the windows. The curtains in the bedroom were wide open. A metal tub sat in the middle of the room, steam rising above the metal rim. He heard her humming as she fixed fresh clothes from the wardrobe in the corner of the room.

  Sighing deeply, Dawson slowly sat up, stretching his arms in front of him.

  “Good morning, sunshine,” Grace teased, whipping her skirts around and coming towards him with a skip in her step. She smiled at him as if he were a visitor come calling.

  “Grace.” He raked his hand through his hair, embarrassed that she had caught him in the middle of a nightmare. “I’m sorry you had to see me like this. Now you know my secrets.”

  “Nonsense.” She kneeled down in front of him, her eyes level with his. “We are in this together. Once you learn I am your wife and my duty is to you, those nightmares will cease. I promise I’ll help get you through this.”

  He took her hand in his, the softness bringing back memories of her touch. “Thank you, Grace. Your mother sure named you right.”

  She smiled, her beautiful face glowing with happiness. She should be exhausted, having to put up with his sleeplessness and yet here she was, a picture perfect lady with more energy than he could seem to muster up. She pulled at his arms, forcing him from the bed. “Off with you, sir. I have a hot bath awaiting.” She moved in the direction of the metal tub.

  “Just had a bath the other day,” he mumbled, yet looking at the steaming water with a joy leaping in his heart.

  “It will relax your strained muscles and make you feel better. Besides, we have a lot of work to do until the open house on Saturday afternoon. I’ll be expecting a large crowd.” Grace bent down by the fireplace, attempting to pick up another metal pot filled with steaming water.

  Dawson quickly made it to her side. “I’ll take care of that.” He reached over, taking it from her hands. “I don’t like that you worked so hard, but thank you.”

  Grace smiled, lowering her eyes as if embarrassed at his words. “I better leave you to your bath,” she said softly, turning towards the door. She slipped out like a ghost in the night. Dawson noticed the rumpled cover on their bed. After she had held him in her arms, he had slept like a baby. Several times he awoke through the night but her arms had been there, gently stroking his skin as she spoke soft words of encouragement. It lulled him back to sleep without any more nightmares.

  Dawson lowered himself in to the hot water. Gritting his teeth, the heat began to relax his muscles almost instantly. She was a godsend, knowing what he needed. Leaning back against the tub, he closed his eyes and fell asleep, a smile on his face as he began to dream of his new bride.

  <><>

  Grace put the finishing touch on the table when she heard the bedroom door open. “Breakfast at your service, Mr. Sloan,” she said, grinning. Her mood was perky today, glad he had entrusted her last night instead of running across the street to the saloon. It was a start now that she understood he wasn’t visiting another woman but trying to free his tortured soul.

  Well, she would help him with that problem. But right now, there was the matter of the open houses on Saturday. She’d have to push herself and make some urgent demands to get accomplished everything she planned for the success of their venture. After serving flapjacks and warm syrup, Grace sat across from Dawson at their wooden table.

  She picked up her fork. “I have a favor to ask and if you say no, it will be fine, except it may turn in to a problem for Saturday.”

  Dawson’s brow rose. He continued to eat the flapjacks as if he hadn’t eaten in ages. Swallowing, he finally looked up. “How so?”

  Grace put down her fork, not interest in eating at the moment. “We have to decorate one
of the houses we will be showing.”

  “That may be rather expensive. I doubt there’s enough in the budget to buy new furniture and décor. Not even sure the mercantile will have what we need,” he said between bites.

  “I know. I looked at your first ledger. You’ve been taking good care of the books and you are right. There isn’t enough money in your budget to cover what I have in mind. But you have all you need right here.” She pointed in the air.

  He stopped chewing and looked around. “My parent’s furniture?” he said incredulously as if he were affronted of the thought.

  Grace saw the surprise and disbelief on his face. She had to tread carefully, now that she realized these things were most likely the furniture he brought back from Fort Worth the day of the tragedy. “We would borrow some things to stage one of the homes. Make it look comfortable and homey so it appeals to a new customer.”

  Dawson stared at her before he looked around the kitchen. He nodded after a bout of silence. “This house is filled up with their furniture. I made three trips in the last year,” he told her. “I rented a barn in Fort Worth until I could get it all here. Wasn’t sure what to do with all of their things after the sale of their ranch.”

  “How long has it been since they are gone?” she asked, careful not to lose him. He seemed to be opening up and sharing personal thoughts with her for the time being.

  “Years, since I was ten.”

  Grace’s mouth fell open. “You’ve had these things stored for that long?”

  “No, of course not. My brother Ben lived in the family home, we had a large spread near Dallas, a fine ranch house. He took over when they died, put me through surveying school and the first chance I had, I got a job on the rail road. My parents loved their home but it wasn’t the same without them. Ben joined me here for about a year but then went back to Dallas to sell the ranch. It was time. He’s thinking of joining me again, not really sure yet what his intentions are.”