“There’s my husband-to-be!” she added, grinning from ear to ear as she eagerly collected her belongings. “I can’t wait to meet him.” Caroline turned and looked at Sarah happily, as if the uncomfortable conversations they’d had these past two weeks had never taken place.
Sarah glanced out the window as well, and, sure enough, she, too, saw Russel on the platform. He didn’t look exactly like the man in the photograph, however. In fact, he looked even more attractive. His skin was a bit darker, and his frame was slightly fuller, yet still very tight.
“Get your things,” Caroline insisted, tugging at Sarah’s sleeve.
Sarah rose and did as Caroline had instructed. Then, the two of them made their way to the door to exit the train.
Caroline was the first person to step off of the train, and Russel’s eyes lit up when she did. A few others followed her before Sarah stepped off in turn. When Russel saw Sarah, he shook his head and did a double-take, then focused on Caroline again. He stepped forward to run towards her, but, just as he did, the frail elderly woman standing beside him reached out her hand, grabbed him by the shoulder, and said something to him, sternly, before letting him go and allowing him to proceed.
Russel walked slowly toward the sisters, with his eyes locked on Caroline’s, and Caroline all but fainted from her excitement and joy.
“Oh, Caroline,” Russel said once he was finally near enough to be heard. “You’re everything I was expecting—and more.”
“As are you,” Caroline replied. Russel extended his arms, in an attempt to embrace Caroline. But, before he could touch her, that frail elderly women slapped his arm away. Apparently, she’d followed him over to the twins, though neither of them had seen her until that moment, as Russel’s towering figure overshadowed hers.
“There’ll be none of that,” the old woman scolded.
“Sorry, Mrs. Smyth,” Russel said bashfully, looking at the woman with a frown on his face.
Mrs. Smyth ignored his comment, and focused on the twins instead. “Are my eyes failing me?” she asked, appraising the girls. “Or are there two of you?”
“Indeed, there are,” Caroline replied. “This is my sister, Sarah. She decided to accompany me at the last moment. Sorry I didn’t write to inform you of this, but I didn’t have the time. I hope this isn’t an inconvenience.”
Mrs. Smyth shook her head and took a deep breath. She looked as if she were about to speak, but Russel spoke up before she could. “It’s no trouble at all,” he said. “My home is going to be your home as well—and, as such, your family is always welcome there.”
“Thank you, Russel,” Caroline said with a huge smile that made Mrs. Smyth shake her head again.
Russel and Caroline stood there, staring at each other dreamily. After a minute or so of their smiles and giggles, Mrs. Smyth stepped between them. “
Mind your manners, boy,” she said with a stern look on her face. “Help these young women with their luggage.”
Russel looked at the collection of bags in front of him, which, despite his impressive size, was too much for any one man to carry alone.
“Good thing we brought Ian with us,” he said, reaching out to take Caroline’s luggage into his hands. “I’ll take these to the carriage and send him back for the rest.”
“Good, good,” Mrs. Smyth responded. “Get along already.”
Russel started off toward the posts by the platform, where the horses and carriages were parked, and he nearly tripped over his own feet as he stared back at Caroline while he made his way.
“Who’s Ian?” Sarah asked while Caroline watched her fiancé get lost in the crowd.
Mrs. Smyth gave Sarah a strange look, then replied, “Ian is Russel’s foreman on the ranch. Russel asked him to come along today to steer the carriage so that he could talk to your sister on the ride back into Green Bush.”
Sarah nodded her head, and Caroline kept her eyes on the crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of Russel again.
“Oh, by God’s graces,” Mrs. Smyth remarked, taking note of the starry-eyed expression on Caroline’s face. “Looks like I’m going to have my work cut out for me… I’m to serve as your sister’s chaperone—and, I guess yours as well—until a respectable time after she and Russel are married. And, with the way they’ve been acting, I’m sure to be kept on my toes.”
Sarah wanted to laugh at the old lady’s comment, but she knew that it was uncalled-for and might offend her. Plus, she was immediately distracted by another handsome cowboy who was walking toward them.
“What’s this?” the cowboy asked, stopping in front of Mrs. Smyth and the twins. “There’s two of them?”
“Yes, yes,” Mrs. Smyth replied. “I’m glad you can count. Now, pick up those bags, and let’s be off to the carriage already. This heat is starting to dry my nose.”
Ian picked up Sarah’s luggage, then looked at the girls curiously. “Sisters, I presume,” he said, speaking to them both at the same time. “So, which one of you is the lucky lady who’s staked a claim to Russel’s heart?”
“I am,” Caroline said with a bright-eyed smile. “And, this is my sister, Sarah. She decided to come along with me right before I left, and Russel has graciously invited her to stay in his home.”
“Pleasure to meet you both,” Russel said, setting his feet to motion and following Mrs. Smyth, who was already several paces ahead.
“My name’s Ian Sawyer. I’m Russel’s foreman… and best friend.”
“And, you’re a slowpoke!” Mrs. Smyth shouted, gesturing for Ian to catch up.
Ian stopped talking and picked up his pace. He made it to the carriage just a moment after Mrs. Smyth did. But, judging from the look she gave him, it seemed like it took him the whole day.
Russel was already on the back of the carriage rearranging several bales of hay. “There’s not enough room for five of us up front,” he said, explaining what he was doing. “So, I figured Caroline and I could ride back here.”
Mrs. Smyth chortled. “That’s what you figured, eh?” she asked, shaking her head. “Guess you also figured I’d be joining you then.”
With that, Mrs. Smyth started to climb onto the back of the carriage, and Ian set down Sarah’s bags to help her; then, he helped Caroline on board as well and loaded Sarah’s luggage. By the time he was done with all that, Sarah had already seated herself on the passenger side of the front bench, and, in turn, he took his seat behind the reins.
Ian immediately set the horses into motion and steered them away from the platform. Russel and Caroline were already engrossed in conversation, while Mrs. Smyth sat perched between them like a guard dog.
The carriage progressed for nearly 20 minutes, and, other than the sound of the mechanics and horses, Caroline’s and Russel’s voices and giggles were the only noises that were made. Well, occasionally Mrs. Smyth made a noise too—such as a disapproving grunt or groan, or the slapping of her hand against Russel’s skin when he got too close, or too “friendly,” with his bride-to-be.
Soon enough, however, Ian grew tired of the silence between him and Sarah, and he decided to speak.
“So, what made you decide to tag along with your sister?” he asked. “Did you feel the need to attend her wedding—or, perhaps, serve as her bridesmaid?”
“Hardly,” Sarah said with a hearty laugh. She couldn’t believe she’d responded so frankly.
Ian turned and looked at her curiously. “Why, whatever do you mean?” he asked.
Sarah took a deep breath. She knew that she might set be setting herself up for disaster if she told Ian the truth, but she also knew that there was a slim chance that he would see eye to eye with her—and, sure enough, she jumped on that chance.
“I don’t approve of my sister’s decision to come out here and marry Russel,” Sarah explained. “She’s spoiled, unexperienced in life, and has fallen for a complete stranger she met through a matrimonial ad. It all seems careless and dangerous to me, and I came along to try and talk some sense into
her before it is too late.”
“Careless and dangerous?” Ian asked with a chuckle. “You need to catch up with modern times, girl! In light of the war and westward expansion, marriages such as these have become a viable way for people to find spouses. Many successful unions have resulted from matrimonial ads. And, the church treats them no differently than more traditional marriages—so, why should you?”
“But, my sister didn’t need to use such a method to find a husband,” Sarah replied defensively. “We come from a well-to-do family in good standing in Philadelphia, where she is very popular, has many friends, and is desired by numerous fine men.”
“Ah,” Russel sighed. “So, you’re not opposed to modern thinking. You just have a closed mind.”
Sarah raised her eyebrows and jerked her head back in defense.
“Your sister might not have needed to use such a method to find a husband,” Ian went on. “But, she chose to… which means that things in Philadelphia weren’t as idyllic as you make them sound. Something inside of her made her turn to the matrimonial ads, and, when she did, she found what she was looking for in Russel. Why challenge that? The heart will always go after what it wants.”
“But, it’s awfully risky to put all of your faith into a complete stranger and sacrifice a comfortable life to be with him,” Sarah said, shaking her head. “There’s so much that could go wrong with this scenario. For all my sister knows, Russel could be an outlaw or a loon, or he could be an unfit husband and could be lying about—”
“Stop,” Ian said bluntly. He turned his face toward Sarah and looked intently at her with his dark brown eyes. “I assure you, Russel is none of those things. Nor is he a liar. He told me all about his correspondence with your sister—and, I can attest that everything he said is true.
“It’s true that Russel owns a large, successful ranch in Green Bush. It’s true that he has an adventurous, dare say ‘romantic,’ spirit, and that he adores your sister through and through. So, there’s no need to question his honesty and forthrightness.
“On the other hand, however, I can see your reason for concern. Marrying a complete stranger is, indeed, risky. But, if anyone’s taking a risk here, it’s Russel—not Caroline. After all, she mentioned nothing to him about bringing you along with her, and your arrival is, clearly, a big surprise to us all. So, as per who is, or might be, trying to deceive who, I think your sister—and you—have more negative marks against you. Someone on the outside looking in might think the two of you are trying to pull a fast one on my vulnerable, generous friend.”
“We are not trying to pull a fast one on anyone,” Sarah retorted. “As my sister told you, I decided to come along at the very last minute. And, as I just told you, I came to try and talk sense into her, not take advantage of your friend.”
“If you say so,” Russel said, focusing on the road.
“Though, to be honest, if that is, in fact, the case, I think what you’re doing is even worse. I’d rather see you try to abuse Russel’s generosity than try to break his heart and destroy the love he’s found.”
Sarah had only met Ian less than an hour earlier, and, already, he was getting under her skin. She opened her mouth to say something critical to him, but, then, bit her lip before she could. He clearly didn’t see eye to eye with her on this matter, and it was futile to try to persuade him.
“I’m done talking to you,” Sarah said, crossing her legs and staring off into the distance. Ian said something under his breath in response. But, Sarah didn’t hear it. Whatever he’d uttered was drowned out by the sounds of happy conversation and ardor that came from behind.
SEVEN
“And, here we are!” Ian announced cheerily as the carriage turned a corner and a large, sprawling ranch came into view. Sarah gazed at the land. It was like nothing she’d ever seen before. But, beautiful as it was, it was a bit disturbing, for it was proof positive that Russel had, indeed, been honest about owning a successful ranch.
But, beyond that, there was something unexpected, or strange, about the ranch. There was an unusual amount of horses and carriages posted out front—far too many for one man to own.
“Are all of those your horses?” Caroline asked Russel in the back of the carriage, voicing the question that was on Sarah’s mind.
“No,” Russel replied sweetly. Sarah couldn’t see the smile on his face, but she could hear it.
“They belong to some of the other townsfolk of Green Bush,” Russel went on. “I was hoping their presence wouldn’t be so obvious… But, since it is, I might as well tell you—when the townspeople learned you were arriving today, they were so overjoyed that they decided to throw you a surprise party to welcome you.”
“Oh my! How wonderful!” Caroline exclaimed. Her words were followed by the sound of Mrs. Smyth’s hand smacking against Russel’s skin. He’d, obviously, tried to express his fondness for Caroline again—and, Mrs. Smyth, again, had fully fulfilled her duty as chaperone.
While Caroline was excited about the party, Sarah, on the other hand, was not, and she moped behind the others as they made their way to the merriment already in progress.
No sooner than Russel opened the door, the guests hooped and hollered to greet him and his companions.
“Hello my dear friends,” Russel said, addressing them all with beaming smile. There had to be at least 20 people in attendance.
“Behold! The guest of honor is here. Please allow me to introduce my bride-to-be, Caroline.”
The guests all cheered and smiled. Then, the sound of whispers spread across the room, and confused looks overtook a good many people’s faces.
“And,” Russel added, speaking to those whispers and faces, “we are blessed to have Caroline’s twin sister, Sarah, with us as well. She has come along to share in her sister’s special day.”
The crowd of guests shifted back from whispers and confused expressions to cheers and smiles—and, a moment later, several of them rushed forward to properly meet the girls.
Sarah hated to admit it, but, sure enough, their reception was quite warm. And, the people who spoke to them had nothing but the kindest, most flattering words to say about Russel.
One comment, however, caught Sarah off guard.
Mrs. Willows, the elderly widow who owned the general store said, “If there’s anything you need in these five days leading up to your wedding, please let me know.”
Granted, the woman’s offer was sweet, but it wasn’t that that caught Sarah off guard.
“Five days?” Sarah asked as soon as Mrs. Willows walked away. “You’re marrying Russel in five days?”
“Yes,” Caroline said in a low voice. She was still smiling and spoke out of the corner of her mouth. “Russel and I agreed to it in our letters. We want to start our life together as soon as possible. There’s no need for any further delay.”
Sarah wanted to say more, but, before she could, Russel came over and ushered Caroline off toward another small cluster of guests. Sarah sighed. She hadn’t known she’d only have such a limited time to set her sister straight.
Sarah kept her eyes on Caroline throughout the party. And, every time Caroline was alone for a moment, Sarah would rush to her side and whisper some criticism or question in her ear.
“Have you seen how large this house is?” Sarah asked at one point. “I’m sure it requires a great deal of work to maintain. Do you think you’re up to task?”
“Did you taste the food these people brought with them?” Sarah asked later in the afternoon. “It’s absolutely delicious. Do you think you could prepare anything like it?”
“You haven’t been outside to see the livestock yet, have you?” Sarah inquired after watching a few guests leave. “Are you expected to tend to them? You know nothing about animals, and will likely get a hoof to your chest or cheek.”
Caroline continually ignored Sarah’s questions and went about her jolly time. The guests were all very eager and excited to talk to her, and she couldn’t be bothered by Sa
rah’s drama.
As the party started to die down, Sarah noticed Caroline standing alone by the window and started toward her again, with the intent of taunting her again. But, before she could make it over, someone stepped in front of her.
“You really are relentless, aren’t you?” Ian asked.
“Leave me alone,” Sarah replied, trying to move past him.
Ian moved again to block her. “Can’t you just let well enough alone?” he inquired, cocking his head to the side. He had a handsome face with strong features, and Sarah was momentarily distracted by it.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, regaining her composure.
“Nor do you,” Ian said with a grin. “You’ve made up your mind that your sister’s decision is a mistake, and, as a result, are blind to the reality right in front of your face. Just because she’s doing something that you wouldn’t do, that doesn’t mean it’s wrong. It’s right for her, and that’s all that should matter to you.”
Just then, Sarah noticed that Caroline had started talking to another young woman, and she shook her head, let out a loud sigh, and turned away from Ian. She walked to the far end of the room and grabbed one of the books that was displayed on the shelf. Since she wasn’t enjoying the party, or making any progress with Caroline, she figured she might as well find some comfort in the pages.
A few moments later, Sarah felt the presence of someone near her, and judging by the heat and smell of the person, it was a man. Sarah slammed the book shut and turned toward him with a scowl on her face.
Ah, Sarah was expecting to see Ian there! But, alas, it was not him she saw.
“Hello,” Sarah said, greeting the stranger. He was good-looking, yet thin, and was a bit pale for the region.
“Hello,” the man replied. “I’m Ralph Morrison, assistant manager at the bank. I just met your sister, and I’m quite impressed. I think she’ll make a wonderful wife for Russel.”
At this point, Sarah knew better than to try to convince any of Russel’s other friends to side with her position. So, instead of saying what was on her mind, she simply smiled, nodded, and glanced back down at the book.
Mail Order Bride: JUMBO Mail Order Bride 20 Book Box Set Page 80
