Mail Order Bride 22 Book Boxed set: 22 Brides Ride West :CLEAN Western Historical Romance Series Bundle

by Faye Sonja

  Ellen stuck her head in. “Oh, good, you’re up.”

  Lydia brought her bed sheet up further and said into the phone. “I’ve got to go. Bye.” Then, she hung up.

  “I didn’t mean to rush you off the phone.”

  Lydia waved her off. “I was getting off anyway.” She smiled. “Good morning.”

  Ellen came into the room wearing a dark princess cut orange dress with long sleeves. For a heavy woman, Lydia could see that Ellen knew how to make her weight look the most flattering. And underneath her black frames, her makeup was spectacular, and emphasized her dark blue eyes and small nose. Lydia, self-conscious of her own appearance, envied the other woman’s nose.

  Ellen stuck her hand out. “I didn’t really get to introduce myself the other day. I’m Ellen.”

  Lydia held the sheet up with one hand and then stuck her hand out with the other. “Lydia.”

  Ellen gave her a friendly smile before taking her hand back. “Alright, now let’s get to work.”

  Lydia frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “Anna from the local paper will be here soon. She’ll do the initial in-depth interview and then hopefully the press from major cities will simply be able to leave you alone and cite her story for information.”

  Lydia shook her head. The mention of any paper made her heart leap. “We’re at war, surely there are better things for people to read.”

  “Trust me, there is plenty of news on the war, but what Americans really need is the distraction.”

  Lydia dropped the sheet. She wasn’t naked. She was wearing a pink nightgown made of rayon. The dress, she was sure, would have looked better in silk, but with Japan being America’s only silk trader, the supply had been cut off. Lydia remembered the day she bought her last pair of stockings. What had once cost only a few coins, cost more than an hour’s worth of work by last year. Even still, women had run to the stores, trying to gather the last pairs that they could, only to find that most stores only allowed women to buy one to two pairs before the supply ran out.

  She looked at Ellen. “Did you pick out the clothes?”

  Ellen nodded. “I went to Barney’s New York after I left the other night. I only got a few things, but there will be more shopping later. Especially for a party that Ray is planning. Then, we’ll do a tour of the city and the factory. Once you’re dressed, I’ll get you ready to go downstairs.”

  Lydia reached for her robe. “A party?” She shook her head, wondering what she’d gotten herself into. “Thank you.” She smiled Ellen’s way as she slipped on the rayon robe. She looked over Ellen’s clothing again, from the top of her wavy red hair to the pair of low heels on her feet, and couldn’t help but admire the woman’s taste. “Are you a stylist?”

  Ellen shook her head while placing her hands on her hips. “No, though I’d once been interested in the field.”

  “What do you do now?”

  “I’m Ray’s personal assistant.”

  Lydia frowned. “Then why are you with me and not with him? Not that I’m complaining.”

  Ellen waved her off. “No need to apologize. Frankly, I don’t know what I’m doing here either. He just wanted me to help you adjust to life and your role here in Midcap.”

  “My role?”

  “Yes, Ray is a very powerful man. People will be expecting a lot from you.”

  Lydia plopped back down on the bed and covered her face with her hands. “This was not what I wanted.”

  “I know.”

  Lydia looked up at her. “You probably think I’m being ungrateful. Ray is offering food, shelter, clothes—”

  “No,” Ellen said. “I don’t think any of that.”

  “What do you think?” Gazing up into Ellen’s eyes, Lydia didn’t know why she felt the need to gain Ellen’s approval, but she did. Lydia had no friends here and would need all the help she could get. Ellen had offered her a smile and Lydia hoped it meant they could be friends.

  “I think,” Ellen began, “that you’re a woman who’s been through an awful lot, and is smart enough to try and avoid further hurt.”

  Lydia smiled. Ellen was right on the money. “Ray told you about me?”

  Ellen shrugged. “I heard enough a few days ago to guess what’s going on.”

  Red tinted Lydia’s face. “I don’t normally argue in public places.” She sighed. “But Ray—”

  “I understand.” Ellen smiled again. “I haven’t known him as long as you have, but I’ve gone toe to toe with the man before.”

  “So you do understand.”

  Ellen nodded. “I do. He is a person who likes to get his way, but I wouldn’t say he’s much different than you.”

  Lydia didn’t know what Ellen meant, so she asked. “In what way?”

  Ellen shrugged. “Just as you have dealt with pain, so has Ray.”

  Ray’s near fall the other day came to Lydia’s mind immediately. She felt her heart leap at the pain she’d seen etched in his face. “You’re right.” She sighed and looked away, deciding not to say more. Even though Ellen had been asked to help Lydia, the woman still worked for Ray, and Lydia wasn’t sure how much of what she said would get back to him.

  Ellen came over and sat next to her. “I was engaged to marry a sailor once.”

  Lydia’s eyes went wide as she turned to Ellen. “What happened?”

  Something flickered in Ellen’s eyes before she looked forward, facing the wall. “He died, just like yours.” When she turned back, she had a smile for Lydia. “But that’s a story for another time.”

  Lydia smiled.

  Ellen said, “I know Ray is paying me to help you, but there is no price for my friendship.”

  Lydia let out a breath. “Thank you.”

  Ellen stood and went over to the window. “You get ready and I’ll be here when you come out.”

  Lydia nodded and then turned around to wake sleeping Pauline.

  Pauline woke up with a loud whimper of protest.

  “No, Pauline,” Lydia said. “No whining.”

  Pauline stopped and wiped her eyes. She sat up and looked around the room. Climbing to her feet a moment later, she walked across the mattress over to Lydia’s open arms.

  Ellen smiled. “I’ll be here when you’re done.”

  Lydia nodded as she put Pauline down on the floor. When Pauline started to whine again, Lydia picked her up. The room was beautiful, but new to Pauline, and Lydia couldn’t blame her for not feeling comfortable outside of her mother’s arms. Since Lydia’s job had previously been writing, she’d never had to take Lydia to a nanny or allow anyone else to watch her. It had always been just Lydia and Pauline, and as Lydia held her daughter close, she was grateful for the parting gift that Louis had given her. She was the only good thing that came out of their two years of marriage. Together, they would get ready and then go downstairs to start their new life.

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  5

  Chapter FIVE

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  “You can’t force me to marry you.”

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  Ray stood when Ellen walked into the sitting room. He looked past her, waiting for Lydia to show, when she didn’t, he retook his seat. He hadn’t seen her in days, but the reports he’d gotten from the staff alerted him to the fact that she was indeed still here.

  Ellen crossed her arms. “Calm down, she’s on her way.”

  “I’m calm,” Ray said.

  Ellen looked at the hand that he had placed on the side table. He’d been drumming his fingers against the glass surface. He took his hand and put it in his lap. “Where is she?” Ray had prepared his speech over and over again. He would apologize for his callous behavior the other night and then hope they could move on into a brighter future.

  He’d paced his room most of last night and had finally come to the conclusion that there was no reason he and Lydia couldn’t be civil around one another. Pe
rhaps, they could even manage to be friends. At least, that’s what he wanted it to seem like to the public. He couldn’t have her going around telling people that he’d forced her hand. That kind of talk would be bad news.

  “I told you she’s on her way.”

  Ray reached for his cane and hoisted himself up. He walked over to the window. His office was located on the second floor and gave him the perfect view of the main road up to the house. “I’d like to speak to Lydia before Ida Dawson gets here. The writer will catch hold of any slip in our story and Lydia and I have yet to go through it.”

  “She’ll be here,” was Ellen’s only reply.

  The door opened.

  Ray turned and watched as Lydia and Pauline came into the room, wearing matching dresses. Both dresses were cut in the style that made you think of the U.S. navy. Dark blue with white trimming on the collar, but while Pauline’s was cut for a little girl, Lydia’s was a cross front design that had a small white bow that pulled the cotton material to her hip and fit her beautifully. The wrap dress, which was a style gaining popularity, emphasized her small waist and stopped just below the knee, making Lydia seem taller than her 5’6 height.

  The two walked further into the room and Lydia’s face came into the light. The evidence of Ellen’s hand was there. The makeup was something Ray was not used to seeing on Lydia’s face. The colors were neutral with a faint brush of red on her cheeks. She looked… nice.

  Ray cleared his throat, before looking down at Pauline, whose black hair had been pulled up into a high ponytail. He looked back up at Lydia. “We’re changing her name to Skilton.”

  The moment the words left his mouth, Ray regretted them. Where was the speech he’d been rehearsing all morning?

  Lydia opened her mouth.

  Ray brought his hand up, silencing her. “No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

  Lydia’s eyes went wide.

  Ray frowned. ‘What’s that look for?”

  “You’ve never apologized before.”

  Ray rolled his eyes. “Sure, I have.”

  “No, you haven’t.” Lydia ushered Pauline over to one of the chairs that sat in front of an empty fireplace.

  Ray followed. The sitting area, which sat on a heavy red rug, held four chairs in pairs of two. A small wooden coffee table sat between each pair. While Lydia and Pauline took one side, Ray took the other. Ellen stepped out of the room just as a maid came in to offer tea. Doris came in as well, whisking her away to the playroom. Unlike their first day here, Pauline didn’t cry while leaving her mother’s presence.

  Lydia frowned at their retreating back and then turned to Ray. “I’d like to see this playroom.”

  Ray ran a hand over his calf. “I’ll take you to it after the interview.”

  When Lydia’s eyes floated over to his movement, Ray stopped and straightened in the chair. Lydia looked away. “So, what’s our story?”

  Ray linked his finger together and placed them across himself. “You married my brother. He died. You ran to keep Pauline out of the press and their harassment.”

  Lydia turned back towards him, linking her dark brown eyes with his. “So far, that’s the truth, if only part of it. I didn’t want the press around Pauline.”

  Ray nodded. “I would rather not have them around, either. Good things rarely come from attention.” He thought he saw something flicker in Lydia’s eyes, but once he blinked it was gone.

  She said, “Then what happens in this grand tale of ours?”

  “When your money got low you decided to become a mail-order bride.” Ray sighed. “I decided that it was time for me to marry, so I wanted to find a wife through Heart Arrangements.”

  Lydia crossed her legs at the knee and turned in her chair, leaving a white wedged shoe to dangle off the floor. She rested her elbow on the armrest and laid her chin into her open hand. It was a position that Ray had seen her use more than once. The position looked relaxed yet confident, and made Lydia look delicate, even with her over pronounced nose. Ray had wondered if she’d posed that way on purpose. “Is that what happened?” she asked, referring to his story. “Did you decide it was time to marry?”

  Ray frowned. “In a way.”

  Lydia kept her legs crossed, but placed her hands on the ends of the armrest, and leaned back into the chair, away from him. She took in a large breath and then let it out slowly. “What way?”

  “In the way that I never wanted to marry, but if I had to, it would be to you.”

  “Because of the promise you made your brother.”

  “Yes.”

  Lydia looked away. “Is that what we’ll say?”

  “No, what we’ll say is that neither of us planned on being together. Heart Arrangements led us to one another. And now that we are together, we couldn’t be more happy.”

  Lydia looked back at him. “You mean we’re in love?”

  “Yes.”

  Lydia took a sip of the tea that sat on the coffee table before placing it back down. “Why is keeping this promise to your brother so important? What did he ever do for you?” Lydia’s chest rose and fell with her breathing. “What had Louis ever done to deserve such loyalty from anyone?”

  Ray could see the pain she was trying to fight and knew what her questions were really about. Louis had never shown any loyalty to her. So, why should she have to do a thing for him? Ray shook his head. He didn’t have a good answer to give her, because the truth was that Louis had never done anything for anyone else that didn’t serve himself. So, he gave her the only answer he had. “Because he was family. It is what family does.”

  Lydia frowned. “Tell me more about what your family does for one another.”

  Ray mirrored her expression. “What do you mean?”

  “Am I your family now?”

  It could be argued that she’d been family since the day that she married Louis, but Ray decided not to deal with the semantics. “Yes.”

  “Then what life is in store for me? More pain? Betrayal?”

  Ray closed his eyes. “I told you the other day that I would hold to every promise I made to you.” When he opened his eyes, there were tears in Lydia’s.

  “Funny, Louis had told me the same thing.”

  “I’m not Louis.”

  “Are you your father?”

  Heat began to crawl its way up Ray’s neck. He didn’t know how Lydia had known about his father’s infidelities, but guessed Louis had told her about them. He wondered if his brother had used his father’s excuses as a way to justify his own ways. Either way, Ray was neither his father or his brother. He was his own man and he would make his own decisions. “I’m not my father.”

  A deep laugh escaped her lips. “Then maybe I married the wrong Skilton the first time.”

  The statement dripped with sarcasm and fueled Ray’s anger. “You did.”

  The moment his words were out, Ray wished he could take them back. While serving in the Navy, Ray had been head of the ordnance department. He’d been the liaison between the U.S. Navy and the U.S. War department. He’d had to negotiate deals, just like he did as the head of Skilton and Knibbs. Ray personally knew the most powerful people in America, yet somehow, only this woman held the ability to back him into a corner.

  Ray grabbed his cane and stood. He saw Lydia’s face fall before he turned away.

  “What does that mean?”

  A knock came to the door. The reporter had arrived saving Ray, and possibly Lydia, from an embarrassing conversation that he hoped they’d never have. While he thought Lydia’s hatred of him was overdone, Ray could never tell Lydia his true feelings for her or when those feelings had started. The only love in their marriage would be for the camera. And though neither of them wanted to put on the act, as they say at the circus, ‘The show must go on’.

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  6

  Chapter SIX

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  “You can’t force me to marry you.”

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  Lydia stood as Ida Dawson came into the room. The woman was young and beautiful. Like the Skiltons, her hair was raven, but unlike them, her eyes were a vivid green. Behind her was a cameraman.

  Ida said, “It’s so good to meet another female journalist.”

  Lydia’s eyes went wide, shocked by both the woman’s mid-west accent and knowledge. “I don’t write anymore, so how did you know I did?”

  Ida’s green eyes twinkled. “I have my sources.” She turned to Ray, who’d been quiet for a while. “I hope you don’t mind if we take a few pictures.”

  Ray shook his head and then Lydia watched a smile bloom on to his face. Lydia’s chest tightened at the sheer beauty of it. She’d seen Ray smile before, in a more subtle way, but never this full or this open. And then his eyes turned to her and the look he gave her almost made Lydia forget where they were and for what purpose.

  With the aid of his cane, Ray walked over and stood by Lydia. “Honey, you don’t mind the photos, do you?”

  Lydia blinked. Honey? She shook her head. She would have said Ray was good at many things, but if someone had asked about his acting skills, she never would have guessed that he was this good.

  Ray stood by her and wrapped an arm around her. Strong fingers tightened on her waist as he pulled her in towards his side. Lydia, not sure of what else to do, placed her hands on the smooth fabric of his brown jacket before looking up at him. This close, Lydia could smell his aftershave, which transported her into a woodsy and wild forest. The scent was soothing and had begun to calm her, right up until Ray decided to gaze down into her eyes; piercing eyes the color of clear summer days. “Lydia.”

  “Hm…”

  He smiled. “Look at the camera.”

  Lydia tiled her head, not understanding. But then reality hit her as she jerked her head to look at the people who stood across the room.

  A bright light went off right before Lydia heard a snap and felt herself go blind.