"Time isn't the only thing that matters when it comes to matters of the heart, my dear Amelia," Miss Hardie stated grandly.
Amelia shook her head firmly. "I'm leaving, Miss Hardie. As soon as Bethany and Lucas are wed, I'm going back East. Nothing that has happened here has changed my mind about that."
Miss Hardie's brows rose imperiously. "Nothing?" she asked simply.
Amelia shook her head once more.
"How can I persuade you to stay, Amelia?" Miss Hardie asked.
"You can't. It's too late. I have made up my mind."
"But why must you leave? Haven't you been persuaded that this is a fine place to settle down?" Miss Hardie asked. "After all you have seen, surely something must have convinced you that there is nowhere finer than Montana Falls."
"I know how much you love this town, Miss Hardie. I can tell that you have taken it into your heart," Amelia said. "I think that's wonderful, and I am so very happy for you. And for Bethany too. But, this town and this country is not right for me. It is not what I was brought up for."
"I think you would be very happy here, Amelia. Haven't you seen how people live here. When my brother described this place to me, I didn't believe him. I also had lost faith in human beings while I lived back East. But that faith has been restored, in a most wondrous way."
Amelia frowned "I cannot imagine living anywhere else except the place I was raised. My uncle is waiting for me to return. He didn't even want me to come here with Bethany."
"Perhaps he suspected you would find happiness here for yourself."
"He has no idea what life is like in this place. He keeps himself busy with the affairs of his business. For him, the West is a place of poor people and drifters."
Miss Hardie shook her head. "But you've seen the truth, Amelia. I knew that when you and Bethany came here you would see what potential it held for a life worth living. That's not something you should throw away."
Amelia straightened and gave Miss Hardie a stern look. "I'm not about to throw it away. I never accepted it in the first place."
"You've seen how happy Bethany is here."
"Bethany and I are not the same kind of person."
"You are both my girls, therefore you both share the same standards and values I provided to all my precious girls."
"I know you only want the best for me, but I have to follow my heart," Amelia said. At the mention of her heart Amelia knew that it was time she ended this conversation. But, Miss Hardie was not to be denied.
"Your heart? And what about that heart of yours," Miss Hardie asked. "Is it so filled with fear that you can't admit the truth."
"What do you mean?"
"I've seen how Wilder Armstrong looks at you. There is a man whose heart is already filled, and not with fear. I think there is a very different emotion lodged within his heart."
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about love," Miss Hardie said softly.
Amelia shook her head. "That can't be. It's not possible."
"It's not only possible. It's real and you know it, Amelia Crawford."
Amelia felt the sudden urge to race out of the parlor, but she restrained herself. "I don't want to talk about Wilder."
"You know I tried to educate all of my girls to be honest with themselves. In a matter as serious as love, you have a duty to yourself to be honest."
Amelia paused, knowing that Miss Hardie was speaking the truth. Perhaps it was a time to be honest, but Amelia wasn't sure she had the courage to take on that challenge. Not right now, not when things had become so intense, so emotional.
Amelia gasped. "Oh, Miss Hardie! Why is life so difficult?"
"It's in the difficulties that you truly find the chance for happiness, Amelia. I've known that for a very long time," Miss Hardie said giving Amelia a kindly smile.
Amelia sighed. "But you are so much stronger than me. I can't consider changing my life like that. To come here and live means giving up so much that I have become accustomed to."
"Do you mean you want to continue to be judged as not worthy of acceptance in that social class back in Boston. Is that what you want to hold onto?"
Amelia shook her head. "Life here is so different. I'm not sure anyone even likes me."
"That's nonsense. I heard all three of the Dunbar wives saying the most complimentary things about you."
"Really?"
"Yes. They think you are a fine young woman. They particularly appreciate the fact that you speak your mind. Although, seeing the way they control each of their husbands, I can understand why that would be important to them."
Amelia nodded. "I do like those ladies."
"You realize that they have found a way to be happy here. Living in Montana has worked out well for them. It can be done, Amelia."
"But they're married. I'm not," Amelia insisted.
"Who is to say you won't be married?"
"Miss Hardie!" Amelia exclaimed. "Please don't make things even more difficult."
Miss Hardie smiled. "Marriage isn't the worst thing in the world."
"I'm not saying it is. It's just that it's not something I can contemplate."
Miss Hardie frowned. "I hardly believe you when you say such a thing. I've seen you and him together."
"Who?"
"Mr. Armstrong."
Amelia gasped. The room suddenly felt stuffy and Amelia could hardly draw a breath into her lungs. "I believe I need some fresh air, Miss Hardie."
Miss Hardie rose and sat next to Amelia. "Just think about what I've been saying, Amelia. I am convinced that Mr. Armstrong has very strong affections for you. He has already shown his character in the way he has dealt with the situation with Lucas. And, I believe he has been paying you quite a bit of attention."
Amelia peered into Miss Hardie's eyes. "But, I hardly know him, Miss Hardie. How can he have affections for me?"
"Trust me, Amelia. I can tell you that he does. And, by the look in your own eyes, I can tell that you also feel something for him."
Amelia sighed. It was all so confusing. Everything was moving so fast she could hardly keep the customary tight rein on her emotions. Things with Wilder were spiralling out of control. Miss Hardie was probably right. She could see the truth, even if Amelia was doing everything she possibly could to avoid it.
Wilder Armstrong loved Amelia.
It was that simple.
Even Miss Hardie had seen that, and she was never wrong.
But, what did Amelia want for herself? What should she do?
"I know it's probably difficult Amelia," Miss Hardie said in a quiet voice. "But, I think you know that he loves you." Miss Hardie's kindly eyes widened, searching for an answer from Amelia. "Am I right?"
Amelia paused and then nodded without saying anything.
Miss Hardie laid a hand on Amelia's arm. "That wasn't so difficult after all, was it?"
Amelia shook her head, but still said nothing. Her mind had become a blank. All she could do was struggle to contain the emotion that was coursing through her body.
Miss Hardie was right. Amelia's heart was leading her toward a very powerful and surprising truth. It was one she had been fighting to avoid ever since she had met Wilder Armstrong. And it was a truth which had caused a war to rage inside Amelia since she had arrived in Montana Falls. It was a battle she had struggled to contain. Two forces wrestled within Amelia.
One of the forces was driving her into Wilder's arms, seeking the love she knew she would find there, accepting the new life she would inevitably find out here in the West.
The other force wanted to make Amelia race to the train station after Bethany's wedding and run back to Boston to the certainty she knew awaited her.
But that would mean leaving Wilder behind. She would never see him again. And right now, that was just unthinkable. Because, as she sat beside Miss Hardie, Amelia allowed herself to listen to her own still, quiet voice, deep inside, which had been whispering to her for days. And that little voice was sa
ying one thing.
Amelia loved Wilder.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
"It's so nice to meet you at last, Bethany," Mrs Monroe said hugging Bethany.
"Thank you for inviting me, Mrs. Monroe," Bethany said. Amelia could tell Bethany was struggling to retain her own composure now that she was finally meeting Lucas' mother.
"Call me Annabelle," the elegant, but tough looking woman said to Bethany.
Lucas' mother, Annabelle Monroe was tall and had a dignified bearing. She had dark hair, an oval face which still retained a pretty quality to it, and a bright, eager expression in her dark eyes.
Amelia stood to one side and surveyed the scene. The Monroe ranch was certainly an impressive spread. From her vantage point, standing in the yard in front of the house, Amelia could see all of the numerous outbuildings as well as the mightily imposing, white fronted ranch house. The surrounding trees just added a final touch to make the entire place idyllic.
Mrs. Monroe had come out from the house just as Amelia, Bethany and Miss Hardie had drawn up in their carriage. There was no sign yet of Lucas, nor of his father, Gideon. Bethany was so obviously nervous about making a good impression. Amelia reckoned Bethany appreciated the support she could rely on from herself and Miss Hardie.
Annabelle glanced over Bethany's shoulder at Amelia and Miss Hardie. "And you must be Amelia," Annabelle said extending a hand.
Amelia shook Annabelle's hand. The woman had a firm, decisive hold of Amelia's hand. "It's so nice to meet you," Amelia said.
"Edith. Nice of you to come," Annabelle said to Miss Hardie.
"It was the least I could do, Annabelle. You and I have waited for this day for quite some time," Miss Hardie said.
"We have indeed, Edith," Annabelle said.
"Where is your fine husband?" Miss Hardie asked.
Annabelle glanced back at the house. "He's inside somewhere. With Lucas. They were having some kind of a man to man talk, or something. You know how men can be at times like this."
Miss Hardie smiled. "I do indeed."
Amelia glanced at Bethany and saw her frown slightly. Bethany looked like she had expected Lucas to be at the front door of the ranch house, welcoming her immediately on arrival. Bethany's nervousness was completely understandable. She just wanted everything to go perfectly, Amelia thought.
"This is a mighty fine spread you folks have out here," Miss Hardie said scanning the assorted buildings.
Annabelle nodded. "It's only taken us a lifetime to get it to this stage." Annabelle glanced at Bethany. "But, I guess things are about to change around here," she added with a warm smile.
Bethany's eyes flashed brightly toward Amelia. Once again Amelia bit her lip, reluctant to say anything that might seem out of place.
The door to the ranch house opened and Lucas and an older man emerged. Amelia supposed the older man was Gideon Monroe. He was handsome, with gray hair, even features, erect bearing and the most penetrating gaze Amelia had ever seen in a pair of green eyes.
The two men strode side by side across the yard and came to a stop in front of the four women. Amelia could see the excitement written across Lucas' face.
Lucas smiled at Bethany and she smiled right back. Suddenly the sunshine seemed so much brighter than before, Amelia thought.
When he spoke, Lucas' voice shook slightly. "Father, I would like you to meet Miss Bethany Lennox. Bethany this is my father, Gideon."
Gideon smiled broadly and shook Bethany's extended hand. "Miss Lennox. It's a pleasure to meet you. Welcome to our humble little ranch," he said.
"Oh, Gideon," Annabelle said quickly. "Don't be so formal." Annabelle waved a dismissive hand at her husband. She smiled at Bethany. "Don't be fooled by his stiff manner, my dear. He really is pleased to meet you. We haven't been able to talk about anything else these past few weeks. Isn't that right, Gideon?" Annabelle concluded.
Gideon looked suitably chastised. He paused, glanced briefly at his wife and then said. "It's true. We've been almost as excited at the prospect of your visit as Lucas has been. Isn't that right, son?"
Lucas was still lost for words. Amelia had been glancing at Lucas throughout the exchanges between his parents. He hadn't taken his eyes of Bethany for one moment during the whole time.
"Isn't that right, son?" Gideon repeated, trying to get Lucas' attention.
Bethany glanced at Gideon and Lucas snapped himself out of his dream state. "Huh? Oh, yes. That's right. We've been talking about nothing else these past few days.
Now Bethany really did look embarrassed, Amelia thought.
"We've prepared a lunch for you all," Annabelle said. "At least, our housekeeper, Mrs. Talmadge has prepared a lunch." Annabelle smiled. "I better warn you about Mrs. Talmadge. She does like people to show their appreciation of her efforts in the kitchen. She likes a compliment or two."
"That's only natural, Annabelle," Miss Hardie. "I'm sure all her hard work is well regarded."
"It is, Edith. But, I just thought I'd warn you all."
As if on cue, a rotund, full featured, gray haired woman appeared at the front door of the ranch. An apron was tied around her front and her sleeves were rolled up revealing strong, muscular forearms covered in white flour.
"Lunch is ready," the woman called out. "It's served in the dining room."
Annabelle glanced knowingly at everyone. She turned and called out to the woman. "Mrs. Talmadge, come here for a moment. You have to meet Bethany."
Mrs. Talmadge's features broke out into a wide smile. She raced across the yard and came to a halt in front of Bethany. "My oh my, look at you. Aren't you just something special," Mrs. Talmadge exclaimed.
Bethany resumed her attitude of extreme discomfort at once again being the focus of attention.
Mrs. Talmadge displayed her flour covered arms and shrugged. "I'd hug you, but I don't want to get you covered in flour."
Bethany smiled. "I'm sure whatever it is you've prepared for lunch is just delicious," she said. Amelia had never been more proud of her friend for showing such an innate talent for diplomacy. Amelia saw Miss Hardie nod approvingly.
Mrs. Talmadge looked at Annabelle. "I think I like this young lady and we've only just met," she joked.
Everyone laughed.
"Why don't we go inside and see what's on the table," Annabelle said guiding everyone toward the ranch house.
Amelia saw Lucas and Bethany fall into step together. She watched as Annabelle and Gideon exchanged smiles of approval.
As she followed everyone in, Amelia couldn't help thinking about the scenes of chaos back at Miss Hardie's house earlier that morning. Bethany had been in a state of panic, convinced that she looked awful in her dress and that her hair was just a mess. It had taken a whole lot of convincing, as well as extensive tugging on her dress and hair before Bethany had finally calmed down and accepted Amelia's reassurances that she looked absolutely beautiful.
It had even taken an intervention from Miss Hardie who reminded Bethany that a young woman's finer qualities had as much to do with character and values as appearances.
As they made their way into the house a very pretty young, blonde-haired woman emerged from what Amelia supposed was the parlor and made her way into the hall. She was around the same age as Amelia and Bethany. She smiled at Lucas and Bethany.
They all paused at the foot of the stairs. Lucas turned to Bethany. "This is Eloise. My sister."
Bethany smiled and shook hands with Eloise.
"I thought I'd let them all crowd you out in the yard," Eloise explained. "I figured you had enough new people to meet all at once."
Bethany smiled. "That's mighty kind of you," she said.
Lucas introduced Amelia and Miss Hardie to Eloise.
"I suppose we're all going in for lunch," Eloise said glancing down the hallway to where Amelia assumed the dining room lay. "Are we all going manage to fit into the dining room? I've never seen so many people in the ranch house before. Not that I'm complaining, of cou
rse," Eloise said with a smile.
Mrs. Talmadge frowned. "I've taken the liberty of rearranging the room. There's more than enough room for you all."
"Aren't you joining us?" Miss Hardie asked.
Mrs. Talmadge shook her head. "I'm too busy in the kitchen. Besides, I've done the most important thing," she said smiling at Bethany. "I've met the young bride-to-be."
There was a stunned silence. Mrs. Talmadge's face went pale. The eyes of every member of the Monroe family widened. Annabelle glared at Mrs. Talmadge. Bethany stared at Amelia, but Amelia just shook her head imperceptibly at Bethany, wordlessly suggesting her friend say nothing.
Everyone looked at one another, waiting for someone to be brave enough to say something. For a long moment, the silence was deafening.
Then Miss Hardie broke the silence. "I don't know about you, but that food smells delicious."
Mrs. Talmadge agreed, obviously eager for something to take attention away from what she had said.
"Let's get into that dining room, shall we?" Annabelle said leading the way down the corridor toward the rear of the house.
Everyone followed. Amelia looked at Miss Hardie and saw that she hadn't been the slightest bit affected by Mrs. Talmadge's apparent lack of propriety.
The wood-panelled dining room was larger than Amelia had anticipated. The walls were decorated with beautiful paintings of what Amelia assumed were Montana landscapes. On the sideboards were sumptuous flower arrangements.
The long table was laid out with expensive looking plates and silver cutlery. In the middle was a large plate covered with delicious looking bread. A huge, covered decorative soup tureen was placed at the heart of the layout.
The entire effect of the room was homely. That was the word that came to Amelia's mind as she took her seat near the head of the table. Bethany sat next to her with Lucas immediately opposite. Miss Hardie and Annabelle sat together with Eloise seated next to her mother. As she had expected, Gideon Monroe sat at the head of the table.
Amelia saw the pride on Gideon's face. Amelia watched him glancing at Lucas and then across at Bethany. Gideon obviously already approved of Bethany. Amelia was sure that Miss Hardie had told Annabelle and Gideon everything they needed to know about Bethany. Miss Hardie had done her job well, considering how quickly the entire Monroe family had taken to Bethany.
Amelia's Montana Wedding (Love In Montana Falls Book 1) Page 17
