Grabbing Misty by the arm, he roughly steered her into the darkness between the buildings. When she started to protest he put his dirty hand across her mouth to silence her. Leading her deeper into the darkness he pushed her against the wall of the building.
“Such a pretty thing you are, to be traveling all alone. I’m going to enjoy taking you.” His voice rasped out of him like a stagecoach on gravel. His breath smelled of rotting meat and decay, and if he had more than three teeth, Misty couldn’t tell. His hands were feeling her breast and groping at the buttons of her dress.
Misty was terrified, she had never been in a situation like this and she didn’t know what to do. When she started to scream, he covered her mouth with his own. The smell making her gag, and she closed her mouth very tightly. He was a big man and didn’t have any problem holding her small frame to the wall. His hand went under her dress and started to feel up her thighs. Blinded and frozen by fear, she couldn’t do anything to stop this man from doing what he wanted. Standing there trembling, she couldn’t make her mind or body work to stop it.
Misty heard an audible click, and the man abruptly stopped what he was doing. Opening her eyes, she saw the barrel of a revolver pressed to her assailant’s head. The man had his hands raised and was trying to peer at the gun holder. His pants had fallen to hang around his ankles, because he was in the process of removing them.
“Am I interrupting?” Asked a deep voice. The gun held steady at the other man’s temple. The stranger’s eyes had not left Misty since she opened them.
“Yes, you are. Now go on, this ain’t none of yer business.” The smelly man stated. His head bent to the side as the revolver was pressed deeper into his temple.
“I wasn’t asking you. You just shut your mouth, before my gun goes in it.” He said in a cold voice. Speaking more softly to Misty he asked, “Are you ok, Ma’am? Is the man bothering you?” The look in his eyes said he knew the answer, but wanted her to speak for herself.
“Y…Yes.. He is bothering me.” Misty said with a tremble in her voice. “He attacked me and I didn’t know what to do.” She finished as the tears started rolling down her face. The dirty man had started to run and tripped while she spoke. He scrambled upright, and grabbed his pants to pull them up.
“You’ll pay for this, stranger. Mark my words.” He hissed as he turned and ran into the shadows. Her savior continued holding the gun in his direction until he was gone from sight. Spinning it around his finger twice, he slid it back into the holster on his hip. He averted his eyes from Misty, so that she could pull herself together. Righting her dress and wiping the tears from her face. She still sniffled occasionally but was getting back under control.
“Ma’am, if we are going to make the train, we need to head back there soon.” He stated softly but firmly. Misty’s head snapped up and looked at the man. It dawned on her that she had seen him on the train, perhaps a dozen rows in front of her.
Misty nodded and he held out his arm, as if showing her the way back. On the walk back to the station, he told her that he saw her on the train. He had been looking around when he noticed the man pull her into the alley. He apologized for not making it sooner, which she brushed off. She was just glad the he took the time to help her. He gave her a few tips on how to handle that situation if it ever arose again. Ways that would leave her attacker wishing he had chosen a different victim.
Back on the train, he escorted her to her seat, and then returned to his own. She appreciated the man saving her, and she hoped that the man she was about to marry was as half as decent as the man who'd saved her, and she learned a valuable lesson about being alone and not paying attention to her surroundings. She wouldn't make the same mistake twice.
She hoped Jonas was as decent as he sounded. She was worried that she would travel all this way and he would end up being a hideous ogre, or some evil villain who lied to get her out there.
He was paying for her trip, and he would send her father some money as a gift for letting him have his daughter, which was a nice gesture. It would definitely help her family back home.
Traveling wasn’t the most comfortable thing she had ever done and the train was hard for her to sleep on. She kept having these images of the train flying off the track and crashing. She decided that she much preferred a carriage or riding a horse where she had some control of the situation.
Surviving the train ride had her thankful to put her feet on the ground when she arrived at the station where Jonas was supposed to be meeting her. She had sent him a letter describing her long chestnut curls, her green eyes, and her small stature. She was a curvy package that barely hit five feet two. She was short, but according to the looks and occasional comments she had gotten since growing up, she apparently had all the right parts despite her shortness. She was shy when it came to her looks, but apparently she should have taken more care with what other people thought, at least until she figured out how to defend herself.
Having grown up conservatively she’d been taught not to show them off, or use them. That a woman's worth had nothing to do with the size of her waist, but rather what she could offer to her family and household as a productive member who could contribute. Where she grew up, if you didn't have a strong back and the ability to survive harsh climates, you were worthless to your family.
“Miss Misty Sue Allen?” A young boy asked as he stared up at her before moving towards her. “If you are, I'm here to pick you up.”
Misty looked at the boy and realized he was speaking to her and nodded. She wondered why Jonas didn't come get her himself and felt a little disappointed that he wasn't meeting her at the train.
“That would be me.” She replied and smiled at him as she walked over to pick up her luggage that they had finally unloaded from the train onto the platform. "Who are you?"
“I’m the son of Sir Elderwood’s housekeeper. I am here to help you get back to the house. So let me grab your luggage for you and we’ll be on our way. Master Jonas couldn’t come himself, he had something come up.” The boy looked apologetic and Misty gave the young boy a smile, but inside, she still felt nervous she hadn't met him yet and would have to wait longer to meet the man she was supposed to marry. Putting on a brave face she turned to face the boy and pretend like she was more confident than she was really feeling right now.
“That’s okay, lead the way. Is he nice? I mean not to imply he wasn't a gentleman or anything, I just don't know much about him.” She told him smiling at him and realized she was actually shorter than the boy was when he helped her with her luggage. She sighed, sometimes she hated being so tiny. She had always wanted to be tall and thin but had ended up the opposite.
“I think he's nice, but he can be a stubborn man at times.” The boy told her truthfully. “He's big on honesty and holds people to high standards. He usually doesn't change his mind once he makes a decision, he can be stubborn. But he's very smart.”
Misty nodded at him and then after taking her luggage, she followed the young lad to the carriage. It had a single white pony pulling it, and the horse looked like it would not go very fast. Misty did not mind, she was just glad to be off the train. She knew she did not have much, and felt nervous that Jonas might be turned off by the poor background she'd come from, even though he was already aware of her history.
Though she had been honest in her letters, the reality of poverty often didn't touch those who lived comfortably. Unless they had had firsthand experience with it, or had seen it themselves and what it actually looked like. She was not ashamed of working hard to survive, but her threadbare clothes ashamed her a little bit. Trying to make clothes last longer than they should and no money to replace the ones she had outgrown, ruined, or wore out. She had noticed the boy eyeing her clothes but he was at least polite enough not to comment aloud.
The boy was silent the entire way home, which took just over an hour because of how slow the pony walked. Misty was tired and thirsty by the time she got there. The sun was beating down on th
em and she had not thought to bring a hat. Where she was from it would have been freezing by now, and here it felt like she had too many clothes on.
She had taken off her jacket within minutes of being in the carriage. Her nose was sunburned slightly, not used to exposure for that long. She knew she would get freckles, after getting sunburnt as a child when not paying attention to how long she had played outside with her sisters. She felt homesick for a few minutes, missing her father and family. She knew she was doing the best thing possible for them, but it did not mean she would not miss them anyways.
Turning down a long drive, Misty could see the house in the distance. The house was impressive when they got up close. She could see tons of outbuildings and small houses surrounding the few acres near the big house. The big house itself consisted of brick and wood, with large windows, which were a luxury she was unaccustomed too. They had curtains and a big wrap around front porch and the house was three stories high.
Shocked, all Misty could do was stare at the building for a few moments before regaining some of her composure to go inside.
The boy carried her bags up the stairs. “You’ll be in a guest room on the second floor. Sir Elderwood and his children reside on the third floor, and his office is on the first floor. The second floor is for staff and guests. We also have an attic and a cellar under the house. The attic is the playroom for the children and the cellar is where our icebox and storage is. The kitchen is off the back of the house. If you need anything, just ask my mother. Her name is Irene. I guess I should have told you my name too. I’m John. If you need anything from me, I’m here for you too.”
“Well, thank you John.” Misty told him and gave him a big smile. She was a little overwhelmed and grateful that he wasn’t a chatterbox like most kids, talking her ear off the whole time she was trying to process everything. She liked conversations with most kids, but after such a big journey she needed a break to process and understand her new life, her new environment and it hadn't even started it yet.
“I will let Sir Elderwood know you are here.” John told her giving her a nod and left her to her room. She took a deep breath and looked around after she was alone.
It was powder blue and the bed was a metal frame with a handmade quilt that had patches of different colors. It had a real pillow and the mattress was soft and comfortable. Misty laid on it for a few minutes, sighing quietly enjoying how restfully she would sleep on it. After laying on a pallet on the floor for most of her life, she didn’t realize how she had yearned for how good something this simple could be.
The room was larger than half her house back home. It had a writing desk, two big dressers, a closet for her dresses and storage, a fireplace, and a loveseat along with some bookshelves. It also had a vanity with a stool and a washing bin on its own table.
If this was their guest room, she wasn’t sure her brain could even handle the concept of what the Master rooms looked like. She was floored by how clean and neat everything looked and the quality of the furniture. She was used to rickety chairs that looked like they would fall apart if you sat on them and everything homemade and about function rather than looks.
There were pictures on the wall with frames that were painted and all she could do when she got off the bed was stare at them in awe. Wall decorations were not something her family had ever bothered to have. They couldn't afford them and her father had been a minimalist. If it hadn't been absolutely needed, they didn't get it.
A knock on her door startled her. “Come in!”
The door opened and a good-looking man walked in. He looked to be in his mid-thirties, and looked like the man described in the letters. She still had not told Jonas that he had asked her about being a nanny, as well as offering for her as a bride. She wondered if she should bring it up and let him know she could at least help with them until a nanny got hired that he preferred. She also wondered if he was planning to tell her about his kids anytime soon. She smiled at him and waited to see what he had to say first. He opened his mouth and then shut it quickly. He took a breath then opened it again.
“Misty Sue?” The man looked a little nervous and blinked at her. His hands were tense, as if he hadn't quite figured out how to take in this new situation. It made her feel better to know she wasn't the only one feeling like that. She gave him a radiant smile and turned to him, assuming he was as eager as she was to meet her.
“That would be me. I take it you’re Jonas.” She said and her smile faded slightly because of the expression she saw on his face. Seeing him look a little uncomfortable definitely put her more at ease, but now she didn't know how to react to him. She watched him closely, he looked around the room and everywhere else but directly at her. She cleared her throat and got his attention. When they made eye contact, she smiled at him again.
“I’m glad you made the trip in one piece.” He told her and smiled back at her, looking relieved when she smiled at him. He didn't know what he thought but this little urchin standing in front of him with her clothes that barely fit had him feeling like he needed to help her.
“Almost in one piece,” She said, “the train ride wasn't the most fun and I had a little incident on the way here. But I survived. But I definitely would like to avoid any train rides if possible.”
“I'm not super fond of trains myself, so I don't blame you.” He told her and gave her a half smile. “You need to talk to my housekeeper, she has a budget, have her get you some new clothes befitting your new station as my wife.”
“Yes, I can do that.” She told him and shrugged. She wasn't sure if she should be grateful for the new clothes, or feel embarrassed that he noticed that her items weren't of quality.
“I'm glad you answered all my letters.” He finally said, sounding slightly awkward as if he wasn't quite sure how to fill the silence.
She chuckled and then decided to be blunt with him, pulling the letters off the top of her luggage that she had opened before he came in here, she walked over to him. “This is going to sound weird, but you didn’t just write me as a mail order bride. I also got one from you asking me to be a nanny, which means I assume you have children?”
The man looked completely shocked before he swallowed and nodded. “I was afraid a young wife would be scared off by the idea of having children. I have five children. The youngest is two. One is four, a set of twins who are five. and then a six-year-old boy. They are all girls except my eldest. I work full time, and without having had a mother, they've grown a little wild. My housekeeper has tried, but she has other responsibilities here too with the household, it's a bit much for her to do everything without any help.”
“No wonder you needed a nanny.” She nodded at him. “Well, I didn’t come here for that job in particular, but I’m used to children and can definitely lend a hand with them until you find someone, or unless you’d like me to act in that role as your wife, too. I like kids, I can read, write, do basic arithmetic. I can teach your children at least for now if you want me too.”
Jonas was shocked. This woman was not only young and beautiful, but she seemed to be genuinely helpful and kind. He wondered if she was too good to be true, but kept it to himself for now. On the surface she seemed to be everything he needed in his life, but he was still looking for the catch, if there's one thing business had taught him was there was always a catch.
Fine print, you just had to read it and look for the information people didn't want to provide. He was the type to evaluate the situation before making a decision, which is why a forced marriage was not really something he wanted to do. His grandfather was forcing him into this marriage because the children were without a mother. He was a little resentful that he hadn't had time to find a woman without being pushed into it, especially knowing his grandfather and his cousin would be getting involved in the whole process and getting in his way.
“You’d travel all this way, marry me, know I have children, offer to help raise them, and not want anything in return for it?” Jonas asked her suspici
ously. He wanted to understand what made her tick. It's not that he doubted her exactly, but he was just always waiting for something to come up. He didn't want something to come up, but he just found it usually did.
“Well, I’m getting a husband, a family, a roof over my head, food in my belly, and you already sent enough money back to my father to help them survive the winter, which helps my younger sisters. Loving and helping to raise children is pretty easy for me. It’s something I have been doing since I was child myself. This part will come east to me. You made it so my sisters won't starve this winter, which is important to me. I'm here because I believed if I stayed with them I would have caused our family to starve, by being here, I can be more useful to everyone, including you and your family,” she told him and gave him a half smile.
Her motivations for being here were not entirely unselfish so she would not lie to him. She needed him as much as he apparently needed her. “I look forward to meeting your children.”
“Wait until you meet my offspring. They’ve chased off every nanny I’ve hired,” he muttered and then straightened his shoulders out. She'd been honest with him, and now it was his turn. “I have to get married by Christmas, or I lose my family business. My grandfather has decided it is not right to raise children without a mother by a single father. Hence, the mail order bride. I just didn’t think a wife would want to walk into a pre-made family and take on all the responsibilities alone.” Jonas sighed.
ROMANCE: Badass Boss (Billionaire Alpha Bad Boy Romance) (Western Mail Order Bride Calendar Contemporary) Page 19
