Double Deception (Mail-Order Brides 5)

by Annie Boone

  Gloria smiled then and answered, “Oh, there’s no secret. It’s simple. Dr. McCade saved my husband’s life. Alfredo was gored by a bull working with our herd one day. We don’t have a large herd, but what we do have, Alfredo takes care of them himself with the help of a man from town.”

  Ella was surprised by this news. She was anxious to heat the rest of the story. “What happened?” she asked.

  “Well, Alfredo was lucky that his hand was with him. The man grabbed him up, threw him over his horse, and rode to town immediately. He didn’t even stop here to tell me. He went straight to Doc McCade’s office. Again, he was lucky that the doctor was in his office. I shudder to think what would have happened if all these things hadn’t fallen into place to get Alfredo to the doctor so soon.” A shadow crossed Gloria’s face and Ella understood exactly what it meant. She had been there.

  “God is good, Gloria,” Ella said quietly. “In all things.”

  Gloria smiled. “Indeed. Doctor McCade is also good. He worked day and night to get my husband well. There were a few close calls, but by the grace of God, a true miracle, Alfredo recovered fully, as you can plainly see today. I still don’t fully understand it, but I couldn’t be more thankful to the doctor. I owe that man everything.”

  Ella smiled back at her and replied, “With all of the somberness surrounding me right now I’m happy to hear your story of healing. I’m also glad to know that the good doctor has a place in your heart.”

  “I can’t stand to see him hurting so much,” replied Gloria. “I’ve worried over him, prayed over him, and I just don’t know what else I can do to help. I think it would do him good if you went over there, even just to say hello. He lives up there all by himself and he stopped practicing medicine when he couldn’t save his wife. He rarely goes out now and he’s lonely.”

  Ella nodded finally and replied, “If you think that he would enjoy a visit, I am definitely willing to go up there. Maybe I’ll take him a cake or something. Will you help me make it?”

  ***

  So, the very next day Gloria watched Thomas while she went to see Doctor George McCade. Alfredo gave her directions and let her borrow the carriage to take her there.

  His little house was on the top of the hill overlooking the desert valley below. It was a nice spot and she was sure that it must have brought joy to Mrs.McCade before her death.

  Ella got out of the carriage and walked to the door with the cake in her hand as an offering of friendship to the old man. Before she could knock on the door, though, it was opened and Doctor George McCade stood just inside with a bemused smile on his face.

  “Ella! Welcome! What brings you out this way?” He greeted.

  “Hi, Doctor McCade. I just wanted to check on you. And bring you this cake I made,” she replied, holding the cake out to him.

  “Cake is one of my favorite things! How thoughtful of you, Ella. Please come in. Sit a spell with me.”

  Ella was surprised that he was just as welcoming as Gloria told her that he would be. He seemed to be truly happy to see her. She was certain she had not seen the true George McCade in the coach station in their first face to face meeting.

  He was having tea and he ambled out to the kitchen to take the cake and get a cup for Ella. “Can I get it, sir?” she asked.

  “Please, Ella, call me George. There’s no need to be formal. After all, weren’t we engaged to be married at some point recently?” he chuckled.

  Ella started laughing at that and couldn’t stop. Tears were running down her face from the laughter. She ran over and hugged him tightly. “I can’t tell you how good it feels to laugh, George. I’ve not enjoyed a sincere belly laugh since before William’s passing. Thank you!”

  George patted her hand in a fatherly manner and smiled.

  “I’m noticing that your house could use a quick once over, George. Why don’t I take a quick pass over it and get things tidied up a bit for you?”

  He protested, but she went forward with her plan in spite of it. Her experience as a maid gave her the skills it took to impress George with her efficiency and haste. She was finished in no time at all and the house was shining and clean.

  It was finally time for her to leave, but on her way out, she promised that she would come by again soon.

  George cleared his throat and responded with authority. “That would be just fine. You are always welcome here, Ella. But when you come back, don’t come to work. Bring that little bundle of joy you have. I think it would do an old man good to spend some time with that little guy.”

  This made Ella very happy. While she knew that their original purpose would never work out, she was happy that they were able to come to some kind of middle ground. After all, neither of them had meant the other any harm.

  It was just a big misunderstanding that was now made right.

  Chapter Nine

  Before Ella knew it two months had gone by. She had settled into the home where she was staying with Gloria and Alfredo. She had made no effort to try to make her way back East. In fact, the thought of leaving Belmont had rarely crossed her mind.

  Ella was sure to earn her keep by helping out around the house, but it was becoming more of a family than a short term living arrangement. She still had the little nest egg that William had left her, but she wasn’t feeling the rush to get out to find a place on her own yet.

  Her life had developed a pleasant pattern where she helped Gloria at home, helped Alfredo as needed at the church, and saw George about twice a week. Of course Thomas was growing and taking up her time, as well. She was a busy woman.

  George and Thomas were growing close. The little boy was always happy to see the old doctor and it almost felt as if Thomas was enjoying the attention of a kindly grandfather. Ella was happy to be able to make both of them happy.

  Despite his initial reaction to the boy, George quickly grew to love him. Ella smiled as she remembered her initial rationalization for not telling him about her son. I knew he would come to love him, she thought.

  Ella entered the house that afternoon after a lengthy visit with George where she had taught him how to make bread. She was tired after being on her feet all day trying to show him what he needed to do. As she turned down the hallway to go to her room, all she could think of was her need for a bath and a rest.

  She was about to open the door to her room when she heard a very masculine voice coming from the kitchen that she didn’t recognize. Curious, she turned around and went back that way to see who it was. The voice was deep and confident. She was quite intrigued by the smoothness of that voice. She wanted to see Thomas, anyway, she reasoned to herself.

  As Ella took in the sociable scene in the kitchen, she was struck with an immediate sense of attraction for the man that was sitting at the kitchen table across from Gloria and Alfredo. She felt her face flush. How long had it been since she had been affected by the opposite sex?

  “Hi, Ella! I’m so glad you’re home! We were just talking about you,” she giggled. She then motioned to the man sitting across from her and added, “And this is my brother, Charlie Scott. Charlie, this is Ella.”

  The man stood up during the introduction and looked at Ella with intense, jovial eyes. His lips parted into a smile almost immediately and he stuck his hand out towards her, “It’s a great pleasure to meet you, Ella. My sister has told me all about you.”

  The two of them shook hands while Gloria explained, “Charlie decided to surprise us by stopping by on his way through town.”

  Ella felt her nervousness melt away. She was at ease with this man almost immediately. It was something she didn’t understand but she didn’t need to. It just was.

  “Well, Charlie. It’s nice to meet you, too. I had no idea that Gloria had a brother,” she smiled. Making small talk was a skill she had developed back East. It was coming in handy today.

  “She has more than one brother,” Charlie replied. “But I’m the best looking one.”

  This made everyone laugh. Includi
ng Thomas.

  He was funny on top of being so handsome. Oh my, Ella thought. I’m in trouble here.

  Ella and Charlie were still standing looking at each other. Their eyes were locked together as if they were the only people in the room.

  After a long pause, he said, “Your son has your smile,” then, as though the thought might have sounded better in his head, he averted his eyes before saying, “Uh…we were just taking turns entertaining him. He is a delight.”

  Charlie looked over at Thomas and smiled, which prompted the baby to laugh and clap his hands. He was thriving in his new environment and that was quite evident today.

  “Thank you,” Ella answered, beaming with pride. Then, reluctantly, she took the baby from Gloria’s arms and told Thomas, “It’s time for you to have a short nap before supper, little one.”

  She tickled Thomas beneath his fat chin and looked over at Charlie, “Will you still staying for supper?”

  He nodded, “Yes, ma’am. Whenever I’m down this way, I like to enjoy a meal with my little sister and my favorite brother-in-law,” he passed an amused glance across the table towards Gloria and then Alfredo.

  Alfredo pushed his chair back and stood abruptly. “I’m your only brother-in-law, Charlie. You’re going to have to come up with something better than that!” he laughed.

  Charlie hung his head in mock embarrassment. Then he added, “Things are usually always interesting here, but they haven’t been quite this interesting in a while.”

  Feeling her cheeks get red, Ella realized he was talking about her. So, she hadn’t imagined it that he kept looking at her.

  She moved Thomas to her other hip and turned to leave the room. “Well, then, I guess I’ll see you all at supper.” She turned to look at Gloria and asked, “What help do you need with the meal? I can come back in after I put Thomas down.”

  “Oh, nothing at all. It’s just stew so it’s simmering on the stove. Easy. I’ll call you when we’re ready to eat,” she replied.

  Thomas was ready for a nap after the excitement of company and he went to sleep quickly. Just before he fell asleep, though, she had focused on his sweet smile as he looked up at her. It didn’t take her long to realize that Charlie was right. Thomas did look a lot like her when he smiled, which warmed her heart to know.

  After Thomas was asleep, Ella needed to get herself in a more presentable state for dinner. She had a bath because of the hot and sweaty job of baking bread with George that day. She felt fresh and revived when she stepped out of the tub.

  She did her hair and put on a nice skirt and blouse that wasn’t too showy. She didn’t want to be obvious to Gloria and Alfredo that she was interested in Charlie. She was hoping things would fall into place and she could see if there was potential for a match between them. She needed to put her best foot forward.

  Gloria called her for dinner and she took Thomas with her to the kitchen. The table was set and the bowls of stew steamed as they waited for the diners to sit down to partake.

  Charlie held her chair for her, and she accepted his polite offering. She looked up at him and smiled as he moved to her side to sit next to her. She noticed that Gloria and Alfredo had exchanged a few knowing glances and she wondered if this was a set up in some way.

  “Oh, my goodness, sis. This is the best stew I’ve ever had,” said Charlie.

  “Yes, my dear. You’ve outdone yourself this time,” added Alfredo. He looked over at Ella then. “I don’t think I told you why I married Gloria.”

  Ella shook her head that she wasn’t aware of the story.

  “I was a traveling preacher and I had a stop at her family church. It’s the one in the town Charlie still lives in. The congregation greeted me with dinner on the grounds.”

  Gloria was smiling and Ella could see this was a fond memory for her.

  “The head deacon took me aside and told me to be sure to have some of the chicken and lima bean stew. He said that a Miss Gloria Scott had made it and she was the best cook in the county. He was right. I had two helpings of the stew and I asked that same Miss Gloria Scott to marry me only three months later.”

  “True story,” said Charlie. “Our dad wasn’t too keen on having his only daughter marry a man who only knew her a few months and also planned to take her out of the county.”

  “All is well that ends well,” said Gloria. “And I am so happy my Alfredo likes lima beans! He would never have tasted that stew, otherwise, I fear.”

  The four adults talked and laughed while they told stories of their past. This was the best dinner Ella ever remembered. In more ways than good food.

  Chapter Ten

  The next morning, Ella woke up before the sun even began to stream through her window. She was eager to go downstairs and help Gloria prepare breakfast, because she didn’t want to miss Charlie before he left.

  Plus, there was a part of her that definitely wanted to show Charlie a little bit of what she could do, as far as cooking and cleaning was concerned. If he knew that she was a talented cook and housekeeper there may be a chance he would be more interested in her.

  These feelings of attraction were a little foreign to her at the moment. It had been so long since she had met anyone who made her think it might be possible for a second relationship for her. Of course, she had thought about those possibilities with George, but that was a completely different set of circumstances.

  Quickly and quietly, she looked over at Thomas, who was sleeping soundly in his crib. She smiled at him and stood up, sneaking off to get dressed and be one of the first to make it downstairs.

  When she arrived in the kitchen, she found Gloria was already there preparing to cook. “You’re up early,” Gloria said brightly when she noticed that Ella had joined her.

  Ella smiled back at her friend. She wasn’t sure if she really wanted to discuss the reasoning behind her early rise that morning. The truth was that she had thought about Gloria’s brother all night and she couldn’t wait to see him this morning.

  After a pause, Gloria looked closely at Ella before she answered, “So, what did you think of Charlie last night?”

  Ella could not help but smile as she felt her face grow slightly red with embarrassment. She ducked her head a little, subconsciously trying to dodge the question. However, when she looked back at Gloria, she was still staring at her with a focus that she wouldn’t be able to squirm out of.

  “Um, well, I don’t know. I only met him for just a short time, you know.” She answered casually, “Who really could tell from such a short span of time?”

  Gloria burst out laughing, “Then why are you up before dawn, ready to cook breakfast, when you know that your child is going to be waking up just after we finish eating and will not go back to sleep for the rest of the day?”

  Ella didn’t want her friend to jump to conclusions, even though she would be correct in her assumptions this time. “I just wish to help you cook. Is that so much of a problem?” she responded.

  Gloria returned a knowing smile before she answered, “Of course not. Don’t get your hackles up. I just think that I deserve the truth.”

  Ella narrowed her eyes at her friend, knowing that she wasn’t going to let this go. She never did. Saying she deserved the truth was a tactic she always used to be nosey. It made Ella laugh, so she admitted what Gloria wanted to hear. “Well, yes. I did find him attractive. And intriguing. And very nice.”

  Gloria’s smile brightened then and she answered, “I knew you did! Excellent!”

  “Why?” She asked carefully, “Isn’t he leaving after breakfast?”

  “He doesn’t have to. And he won’t if I ask him to stay. Especially if he is promised a day out with you.”

  Ella laughed, “What are you talking about?”

  “Oh, come on! You came here for a husband. What’s the harm in at least trying to persuade my brother. He is a very desirable bachelor and I know my brother well. He is very interested in you.”

  Ella burst out laughing. “Are you
serious, Gloria? I’m not a young woman and that’s what men desire these days. I come as a package deal with a son and that’s a big responsibility for anyone to fathom. I’m not the typical prize for a handsome man like Charlie.”

  “What’s so funny about that? I wouldn’t tell you anything of the sort if I truly thought that it wasn’t true.”

  Before Ella could respond, the men came in for breakfast. Apparently, they had gotten up a little earlier and were talking together in another portion of the house.

  As soon as Charlie saw Ella, he smiled at her, “Good morning, Ella. It’s a pleasure to see you.”

  “Good morning to you, too, Charlie,” She answered before she moved over to the stove in order to make his plate. The special attention she showed him did not go unnoticed by either Gloria, or her husband, but neither of them commented on it and Charlie seemed to enjoy it.

  Then, halfway through breakfast, Gloria spoke up to her brother, “You can’t be leaving us yet, are you? You just got here.”

  He laughed and answered, “Well, if it would be alright, I was actually thinking I would take Miss Ella out today and enjoy the countryside together a bit,” Ella felt her cheeks redden again but she wasn’t going to let her nerves take over. She looked at him and smiled.

  “Is that alright with you, Ella? Would you like to go out for the day?”

  Ella was not exactly skilled at courtship, but she knew attraction when she saw it. This man wanted to get to know her. He was attracted to her. She was happy about that.

  She nodded and told him, “That would be very nice. I would like that a lot.”

  “Excellent!” his voice boomed.

  “And don’t worry about Thomas. I will take him for the day. Just go out and have a good time,” Gloria answered quickly, even before Ella had the chance to ask.