Mail Order Bride: Ultimate Mail Order Bride Collection: 6-Book Bundle ~ Clean Historical Romance (Shades of Romance Series)

by Jill Maguire

  It was Morgan’s turn to laugh. “Right. Well, the saying goes, “Happy wife, happy life. You’d best get that burned into your head right now!”

  “So what are the instructions?”

  “Oh, ya. Kate says to come for dinner once you’re home and settled in. She says you can’t be expecting your new wife to cook on her first night home.”

  Suddenly, the realization of just how much his life was about to change hit Fletcher full force. He hadn’t even thought about something as simple as having the supplies in the house for fixing dinner. Most nights he stayed in town and ate a quick meal at the café before heading home. Going home at the end of the day from now on was going to be a whole different story. Morgan’s laughter shattered his thoughts.

  “You should see the look on your face!”

  Fletcher struggled to find his tongue. “I just got thinking about being married. It’s a might different isn’t it?”

  Morgan nodded. “Best thing that can happen to a man. Now get on your way. There won’t be any wife to bring back if you miss her at the train. Pretty woman alone in these parts is apt to get snatched up by somebody else real quick.”

  Fletcher gave his reins a snap and set the horses into motion. “See you at dinner,” he shouted as the team pulled away.

  The horses knew the route to Henderson like they knew their way to the barn, so Fletcher let his thoughts wander. Virginia’s train was due in at twelve. He thought they would have a small lunch at the café first. That would give them some time to get more personally acquainted before heading over to the courthouse.

  The ceremony there with the judge and his wife was scheduled for two o’clock. The ride back to Loring would take another two hours so they should get home just in time for Virginia to have a tour of the cabin and freshen up a bit before heading out to the Trent’s place for dinner.

  After dinner and a short visit they would head home to spend their first night together as man and wife. Fletcher felt a stirring in his belly when he thought about that. Yes indeed, his life was about to change. Without even realizing it, he had snapped the reins to coax the horses into a gallop.

  As he pulled the wagon to a stop in front of the station, he heard the train’s whistle loud and clear. He tied the horses to the rail, jumped down from his seat and straightened his tie. Then he removed his hat and ran his hands through his hair. He patted his pocket once again and finally reached into the wagon for the bouquet of roses.

  As he walked toward the platform to join the others waiting there, his heart started pounding in his chest. “Jiminy,” he thought to himself “I’m more nervous meeting this woman than I was taking down a whole gang of bank robbers!” Giving his head a shake, he tried to calm his nerves as the train pulled slowly to a stop.

  Fletcher paced the platform until folks started to disembark, then he stopped and stared as each person came down the stairs. A woman with several children descended first, followed by an elderly gentleman that the conductor aided. Then the conductor stood to the side to offer a helping hand to the women who were getting off. The first was a pretty young woman in a blue dress who was instantly gathered into the arms of a large, weathered looking cowboy.

  Next came two or three women who seemed to be travelling together but weren’t being met by anyone. They were laughing and smiling and headed off together to retrieve their bags.

  Finally, a very matronly looking older woman emerged from the door. She reminded Fletcher of his long since passed Grandma. She too, was smiling and chatting with the very last passenger to depart. And when that last passenger came down the stairs, Fletcher knew instantly that she was his bride. Her eyes met his immediately, almost as if she had already found him in the crowd even before she stepped outside.

  Smiling tentatively, she headed his way. At first Fletcher couldn’t get his feet to move. Then as she neared, he held out his hand and smiled in return.

  “Virginia?” She nodded and he handed her the roses.

  “Thank you, they’re beautiful, Fletcher.” She said his name with a hint of a question. He smiled and nodded. Then picking up her bag in one hand, and taking her arm with the other, he led her towards the café.

  They chatted over a light lunch and were both pleased at how comfortable they felt with one another. By the time they headed to the judge’s chambers, it was like they had been courting for months.

  The ceremony was simple and sweet and before he knew it the judge was telling him to kiss his bride. That first kiss too, was simple and sweet and Fletcher once again felt his heart race. By the trembling in her small hands, Fletcher knew his new bride was feeling the same way.

  Chapter Five

  As promised, after a bit of a rest and a tour of the house, Fletcher and Virginia headed over to Morgan and Kate’s for supper. He could tell that she was nervous and he did his best to distract her with conversation as he pointed out interesting landmarks along the way. By the time they reached the Trent homestead, Virginia was much more at ease.

  “You’re going to love Kate,” he assured her. “And Morgan may seem a little rough around the edges at times but he’s a real teddy bear. You’ll love him too.” Before he could help her down from the wagon, Kate and Morgan were out of the house and heading towards them.

  “Ah, the newlyweds,” Morgan bellowed. Kate gave him an elbow to the ribs, and held out a hand to Virginia.

  “Welcome to our home. Welcome to Loring. And congratulations.” She folded Virginia into a friendly hug.

  “Thank you,” Virginia responded. “I’m very happy to be here. And thank you so much for inviting us to supper.”

  Morgan and Kate were easy going, simple folks and by the time supper was over, Virginia felt like she had known them forever. When they left hours later, Kate promised to come by and help Virginia get settled into country life.

  “I appreciate that,” Virginia said gratefully. “Life here is going to be a bit of an adjustment for certain.”

  Fletcher tucked a blanket around his new bride as they headed home for their first night as man and wife. Virginia was quiet, anticipating their homecoming, but she had no fear of the things that were to come. She trusted Fletcher completely, knowing he would be gentle and considerate.

  The next morning dawned with a heat that only Texas could contrive so early in the morning. When she opened her eyes she knew right away that the other half of the bed was now empty. She could smell the aroma of freshly brewed coffee drifting up the stairs but the house was silent.

  She stretched slowly, enjoying the comfort of the soft mattress. Her bed at the orphanage had been small and hard and in comparison she felt like she was sleeping on a cloud. She swung her feet over the side of the bed and pulled on the lacy robe she had indulged in just for her new husband. It had cost almost all of the money she had saved from her earnings at the orphanage but she had wanted to have something pretty for her wedding night. Thoughts of the previous night fluttered through her mind as she tended to her morning routine. So far, being married was turning out to be very enjoyable indeed!

  She was a little surprised to find the kitchen empty, but she happily poured herself a cup of coffee and carried it out to the verandah. The sun was already high in the sky and the heat was oppressive. While she pondered what she would do on this first day of her marriage, she noticed movement in the pasture. Turning in that direction, she watched as Fletcher headed towards the house. His strides were long and sure, and he walked with purpose. He stopped in his tracks for just a second when he saw her standing there, then hurried even faster in her direction.

  She sat her cup on the railing and stepped down the first few steps to greet him. They embraced warmly, both feeling the love that was growing ever stronger between them. Already they could communicate without a lot of words and that in itself seemed to reassure them both that theirs was a lifelong love in the making.

  When they pulled apart she was the first to speak. “Thank you for making this delicious coffee. It was wonder
ful to wake up to.”

  “I wasn’t even sure if you liked coffee or not, but I can’t start my day without it. And now that my chores are done, I would like to enjoy another cup with my beautiful new bride before I head into town.”

  “Let me get it for you,” she offered “I’ll bring it out and we can enjoy it here together. I absolutely love the view from this porch.”

  Fletcher threw his hat over the post of the railing and plunked himself down into one of the big wooden chairs. Life as a married man sure was fine so far.

  There were no awkward silences between them as the early morning passed. She felt a twinge of sadness when Fletcher finally announced that he had to leave.

  “What will you do while I’m gone?” he asked with genuine concern. He was worried that she would be lonely, perhaps even bored out in the country all by herself. But she put his fears to rest with a few simple words and the smile that immediately warmed his heart.

  “I have a million things to do today. Don’t you worry one bit about me. Just do your job and hurry back to me.”

  Fletcher stood then, and drew her into his arms. “I’ve been waiting a long time to say these words.” He tipped her chin and looked deep into her hazel eyes. “I love you.” He kissed her then, a gentle kiss, full of that love.

  Virginia remained on the porch until his form was just a speck in the meadow. She breathed deeply of the country air and listened to the sounds of the birds in the trees. Her eyes travelled across the meadow where wild flowers bloomed in a riot of color. Compared to her beloved, stately magnolia, these blooms were wild and carefree, just like her heart felt at that moment.

  Heading back inside, she explored the kitchen cabinets. There was a fairly good supply of staples, and she decided she would bake a batch of fresh biscuits. While she waited for them to bake, she munched on an apple from the bowl of fruit that occupied the center of the round wooden table in the kitchen.

  She could tell that Fletcher had tried very hard to make his home warm and welcoming for her. Bright cheerful curtains adorned the windows and bouquets of wildflowers sat in vases around the parlor. Everything was neat and tidy and required no attention from her at all.

  She was grateful for that, because it was the other side of country living that she wanted to focus on. She was an adept cook and homemaker, but she knew absolutely nothing about milking cows or tending chickens. She had a vague memory of owning horses when she was small, but it was just a fuzzy notion that hovered on the edge of her mind.

  Fletcher had mentioned that his morning chores included milking the cow and gathering eggs. Virginia hoped that in time, and with practice, those chores would become her responsibility. He also said he would have to teach her how to hitch up the wagon so that she could head into town whenever she wanted to. But there was definitely some learning to be done first.

  Virginia enjoyed a second cup of coffee with a warm biscuit while she planned out her day. She wanted to spend some time just exploring the homestead and getting acquainted with the animals. Her first stop of the day was at the chicken coup. The chickens were all out in the enclosure pecking away at the ground. She knew Fletcher had already fed them and gathered the eggs, so she merely stood and watched them.

  Next she headed towards the barn. Going into the cool dark space after being out in the sun made her feel disoriented at first. Then the odor of hay and horses overtook her and a flood of jumbled up memories filled her mind. Almost dizzy from the rush of it all, Virginia sank to the floor and leaned back against the hay bales piled there.

  Suddenly she could hear the horses crying fearfully and stomping in their stalls. She could smell smoke and feel the heat of fire. She was a little girl again, hiding in the corner of the stable behind the bales of hay. Their house was in flames and she was calling for her mother.

  Then she saw his face. He didn’t see her hiding there as he set the torch to the bales of hay, but she saw him. He was smiling and his eyes were blazing with triumph. She had to hurry….had to get out….had to run. She scrambled from the stable and across the yard, securing a new hiding place behind the stump of an old fallen tree, watching as her house and her family vanished before her eyes.

  “Virginia! Virginia! Are you alright?”

  Someone was shaking her, trying to pull her away from her safe place. She resisted, not believing it was safe.

  “Virginia!” The voice was louder now, the pressure on her shoulders, stronger. Who was shaking her?

  Unable to resist any longer, Virginia gave in to the shouting. When the world came back into focus she found herself looking into Kate’s warm, but frightened blue eyes.

  Eventually she was able to speak. “I’m okay. It’s just a dream that I have sometimes. Being here in the barn brought back some bad memories.”

  Kate drew Virginia to her feet. “Then let’s get you inside.”

  Kate stayed for the remainder of the morning, refusing to leave until she was certain that Virginia was alright.

  When Fletcher returned that evening she recounted what had happened. She didn’t want him hearing about it from Kate. He held her close as she explained. It was the first time he would hear about her nightmare, but unfortunately, it would not be the last.

  Chapter Six

  As the summer rushed by, Virginia and Fletcher drifted into a comfortable and quiet existence. During the day Virginia tended to matters at home while Fletcher kept order in the small town.

  With Kate’s help, Virginia learned to gather eggs and feed the chickens. She could almost milk Bessie, and she was eternally grateful for the patience of the old cow every time she tried.

  She’d even had her first lessons in shooting a rifle, thanks to Kate. Virginia was in awe of her friend’s abilities and was determined to be every bit the frontier wife that Kate was.

  One day while they were having coffee in the kitchen, a ruckus from the yard had drawn them outside.

  “What on earth is that?” Virginia cried nearly spilling her coffee as she jumped up from the table.

  “Okay, okay,” Kate said, trying to calm Virginia. “Sounds like something’s bothering the chickens.”

  Grabbing Fletcher’s rifle from the wall, Kate headed outside. For a minute, Virginia just stood there, then, finally gathering her wits, she followed her friend out the door. She watched wide eyed as Kate shouted and aimed the rifle at a couple of foxes that were circling the chicken coup. For one horrifying second, Virginia thought she was going to shoot them, but Kate pointed the rifle to the sky, and fired a single shot that sent the two little egg thieves racing back into the woods.

  “That should do it,” Kate said as she chirped at the chickens to calm them.

  Virginia was impressed. “Can you teach me how to use the rifle?” she asked.

  For the rest of that morning, they practiced. Kate showed Virginia the mechanics of the gun, then had her shooting at some tin cans set up on some rocks out in the meadow. Before the morning was over, Virginia was almost as comfortable as Kate with the weapon.

  “You’re a fast learner,” Kate commented as they cleaned up after their shooting practice.

  Virginia laughed. “It’s a good thing too, considering how much I have to learn!”

  “Now if I could just figure out how to hitch up the wagon, I’d feel really smart.”

  “You’ll get it,” Kate assured her. “But I think I’ve given you enough lessons for one day. How about you teach me something now? Fletcher told Morgan that you bake the flakiest biscuits he’s ever tasted, and mine are always rock hard.”

  Virginia linked her arm through Kate’s as they headed back to the house. “It would be my pleasure,” she laughed.

  Eager to master everything there was to learn, Virginia begged Fletcher that evening to show her how to hitch up the wagon.

  “I’d like to maybe head into town tomorrow to do some shopping.”

  “Then after supper, we’ll give it a go,” Fletcher agreed. But their plans were foiled by a thunderst
orm that moved in while they were eating. Fletcher laughed at her disappointment.

  “Tell you what,” he offered, trying to make her feel better. “I’ll hitch up the team in the morning before I leave. You can drive the team into town, and I’ll unhitch them when I get home. You’ve done very well at handling the wagon. How does that sound?”

  Virginia came around the table and gave him a big hug. “I simply adore you,” she said, planting a big kiss on his lips. Fletcher pulled her into his lap and they kissed deeply as the thunder crashed and rain pounded outside.

  True to his word, the team was hitched and waiting when she came down the next morning. Fletcher sat at the table, enjoying his breakfast. He so enjoyed this quiet morning time before he headed into town. Virginia was handling the chores that used to take up his time before work, so now they had this time together.

  “So what are you shopping for?” he asked.

  “Just supplies and I was hoping to maybe find some fabric for a new dress. I thought you could maybe use a new shirt or two as well. The ones you have are looking mighty worn.”

  Fletcher smiled. “I guess you’re right,” he said studying the frayed edges of his shirt sleeves.

  “I know I am, but I won’t get at it if you don’t get out of here and let me get my chores done.” Pretending to be insulted, Fletcher rose to go. He kissed her gently and grabbed his hat from the hook. Virginia waved as he rode off, just as she did every morning. And just as she did every morning, she pinched herself to make sure that this dream she was living was truly real.

  She hurried through her chores and tidied the house. Then she sat at the table to make a list of the supplies she needed. She felt like a little kid at Christmas. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that life could be this wonderful. She knew that there would be hard times too, and the work of keeping up a homestead wasn’t easy by any means, but when you were doing it with the good lord’s guidance and for someone you loved, it all seemed so easy.