Mail Order Bride: 9 Book Boxed set : 9 Brides for 9 Cowboys: CLEAN Western Historical Romance Series Bundle

by Faye Sonja

  “No, I am much worse than that so consider yourself lucky,” she said as she glanced past him, looking at the building they had just escaped from.

  “You said you will be out of a job. Is that as bad as you make it sound?” Charlie asked confused and surprised at the same time, but he had a feeling she needed his help now more than when she was in the burning building.

  “Far worse,” George said coming to stand by his side. The man turned to Agnes. “Seems you have had a stroke of ill-luck for the inn has also suffered fire damage from burning embers being carried on the wind.”

  “What?” she exclaimed rousing the child in her hand. As the baby cried and she soothed him she looked at George and nothing but worry was written across her face. “More than ever I now believe I am cursed.”

  “If you need a place to stay, I have a huge ranch house a few streets over and more than enough space to facilitate you until you find other suitable means.”

  “I cannot accept that,” she said looking between him and George.

  “Well fine,” Charlie said leaning against a lamp post. “Sleep on the streets.”

  “Mr. Matton!” George admonished him. “Be nice or I will tell your dead mama on you.”

  “George, I have only just met her, but I know she is one stubborn woman. The invitation stands, should she decide she prefers the warmth of a bed as opposed to the cold of the outdoors.”

  “Agnes,” he watched as George smiled his toothless smile at the girl. “Go with Charlie, and take the child with you as I have no place to keep him. I will have provisions dropped off for you both, but you will need some place to stay until the library is rebuilt and the inn is repaired.”

  “I have no money to contribute to my time in his house,” she whispered back to George trying not to be too loud.

  Charlie chuckled. “It is a huge ranch. If you desire work for our hospitality, then surely we can find something about for you to do while you are there.”

  He walked off not wanting to argue with her anymore, and as the nervous horses neighed close by and the frenzy rolled on in waves of high and low, he made his way back to his carriage and waited patiently for George to convince her to accept his help. She had fire in her eyes and he loved that.

  “You are a mad man!” his brother said as he stepped into the carriage.

  “I am many things in your eyes, and I have come to accept it,” he responded. “We will be having company for a few weeks or longer by the way. A damsel with no place to stay and one of George’s wards. Be nice to them.”

  He smiled at his glaring brother and hoped he would not scare Agnes away. He had a feeling he would enjoy having her around.

  * * *

  “But I don’t think I want to become his charity case,” she was trying to explain to George who just kept nudging her towards the waiting carriage.

  “I will find you a better option as soon as I can, but for now just don’t be silly.”

  She sighed in resignation as she reached the carriage on the side of the road and the door swung open as Charlie’s smiling face peered out at her.

  “Oh, damsel in distress, you have decided to take me up on my offer,” he said stepping down to help her up.

  “That is not my name,” she glared back at him. For someone who had almost lost his life in a burning building he was very smug.

  “Well, until you tell me what your name is I will continue to call you damsel in distress.”

  “Her name is Agnes,” George said with a mischievous smile on his face. “Agnes Forbes.”

  “All righty then,” Charlie said as he settled in beside her. “Let’s go home Agnes and?”

  She watched a he raised a questioning brow at the child in her hand. “Cameron,” she said.

  “Little Cameron looks like he could use a warm bath, some fresh milk and a good night’s rest,” Charlie said. She could not deny that the little boy had been through a lot. For that reason she did not fuss any further, but she could not help but notice the man scowling at her. He bore a remarkable resemblance to Charlie.

  “Agnes, this is my brother Jared, Charlie sat patting his brother’s knee. “Don’t mind his face. The north wind blew and froze it in a perpetual frown, but he is actually quite warm and cuddly inside.”

  She looked at the man who simply inclined his head briefly, acknowledging her presence before turning his attention to the paper he was reading. She could not fathom what part of him could be warm and cuddly, and she wouldn’t try too hard to find out. For the rest of the ride she remained silent, rubbing the baby’s back as he slept on her lap. A few minutes later they turned off what was the main road and onto a wide lane bordered on both sides by an endless expanse of grass where horses grazed peacefully.

  Through the crack of the window she could hear the rushing of water in a stream close by and as the green gave way to cornfields and large stretches of sunflowers, she could not help but think she had reached paradise.

  “This is beautiful,” she said taking it all in.

  “Yes, it is,” Charlie said scooting closer to her to look out at what had filled her with such awe. “There is an apple and orange orchard to the back as well, and a lake on the west side that you can go fishing in, should you desire to learn the skill.”

  She smiled at him, noticing then how smooth and kind his face was, but it was his grey eyes that spoke to her and she found herself lost in them for a moment.

  “Thank you again,” she said to him, finding it hard to speak around the tightening in her throat, well aware of his masculine presence there beside her. It was one that she secretly welcomed.

  “You don’t seem to be from around these parts Agnes, but you will find it quite likable here.”

  As he spoke the carriage came to a stop in front of the huge stairway that led up to the mansion he had described as a simple ranch house. She was wondering if it had been an intended deception or just a display of humility. Either way, its vastness had been understated.

  “Ah, we have company!” A wiry woman in an apron said as she flounced down the stairs with a huge smile on her face. “I am Mrs. Potter.”

  “Ag-Agnes,” she said, turning and looking at Charlie.

  “And who is the little one?” Mrs. Potter asked brushing the hair from Cameron’s eyes to look at the brown pupils that stared back at her in tired curiosity.

  “One of George’s wards,” Jared the grouch said as he stepped from the carriage. “Be sure he does not cause a ruckus while I am home. I would love nothing more than a little peace and quiet before I have to hit the road again.”

  He brushed past them all and Mrs. Potter bowed her head in respect for him.

  “Don’t mind Jared,” she whispered to Agnes when the man was out of ear shot. “He must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed but he means well.”

  Charlie laughed and helped her up the stairs. “My brother is a bit hard to understand, but soon you will see he is quite the sweet one.”

  “I doubt that,” Agnes said as she thought back to her experience with Jim Carlson. Seems he and Jared would likely get along just fine.

  She was waltzed into a huge foyer area where two maids waited to take the child from her.

  “If you don’t mind I would like to see to him myself. He has had quite the day and the last thing he needs is to be around too many strangers.”

  The maids looked at Charlie and he acquiesced to her request. Truth be told she just did not want him out of her sight. Of all the children she had worked with, it was little Cameron who tugged at her heart strings and she found in his big brown eyes a kind of kindred spirit. She wondered what would make a mother abandon her child like this, but then again, what made anybody do anything? Look at how easy it was for her to be shunned for doing a good thing. She was beginning to accept that this was just the way the world worked.

  “These girls will show you to your quarters,” Mrs. Potter said. “I will have them lay out a few clothes for you to choose from whilst you a
re here.”

  “Thank you,” Agnes said as she was led up the stairs to the third floor of the mansion and into a huge sprawling room with a small cot for Cameron sitting beside her bed.

  “We will be downstairs if you need us ma’am,” one of the maids said and she nodded.

  When they left she turned and looked around, in awe of the space that was almost as big as her little Amish home. The window looked out to the trees that hung over the river and she enjoyed the cool air that caressed her face and smelled of the roses growing in bundles near her window.

  “Well, Cameron,” she turned to the child in her arms. “For now, this is home and it is quite the awesome place.”

  The baby cooed and looked up at her with a smile that said that he was happy. With that she set about washing the day’s disaster off them both and looked forward to what the next few days would bring.

  * * *

  4

  Chapter FOUR

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  “ … The child in her arms screamed… ”

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  A whole week had passed by before Charlie knew it and as he stood in his office looking down at Agnes in the yard he was beholden by her thin frame bending over the child she was teaching to walk. Had he not known differently he would have thought that they were mother and son and not just a tutor and a little boy who had both had the unfortunate experience of barely escaping the raging fire with their lives. It was a fortunate experience for him under very unfortunate circumstances.

  “When do they leave here?” Jared asked behind him and he sighed before turning to his brother.

  “Whenever she decides to go, until then she is welcome to stay here as long as she desires,” he said, steeling his jawbone for the argument he knew was about to commence.

  “This is neither a halfway house nor a charity. Extra mouths to feed falls burden to the pocket of this estate,” Jared pointed out stepping into the office.

  “And are you to tell me that you want me to turn them out on the streets?”

  Jared picked up a glass and poured himself a drink. “I am saying this is not their home and she should be made to understand that.”

  Charlie thought long and hard before responding to his brother. He wanted to be very sure of the words that were about to come out of his mouth once he uttered them.

  “Let me be very clear Jared,” he began and took a seat in the chair that had once been their father’s. “This estate will not go bankrupt from taking in an orphan and the woman who risked her life to save him. This estate brings in plenty of revenue, more money than you and I could ever hope to spend in an entire lifetime, and my diligence to its affairs while you go running across the country will ensure that this estate remains that way. That being said, I will not turn them out of this house. If they so desire, they can call this home for many years to come. These halls ring with laughter since she and little Cameron have been here, and to hear the joyful glees of that child as he wanders the hallways learning to walk is music to my ears. For the first time in over a decade Mrs. Potter has joyfully cooked up a storm and all you can do is whine and cry and continue asking when they will be leaving. I’m finished discussing the subject.”

  He paused and looked at his brother who stood rooted to his spot. Charlie saw anger in his eyes but beneath all that was a kind of sadness that made him sad as well.

  “We have both suffered great loss over the years Jared,” he continued, “but it did not make me forget how to be human nor how to be happy. You should try remembering that sometime soon. Until you do, do not take your hatred and anger out on people who do not deserve it. Go if you must, though I wish you would stay, but these two will not be turned out of this house while there is still breath left in me.”

  He did not wait to see what his brother had to say to him. He walked through the door and down the hallway straight to the front where he saw Agnes still bent at her task of teaching little Cameron to walk.

  “He looks far better,” he said coming up behind her to take a glass of lemonade and cookies from the plate that had been set out for them.

  She turned to him and he could see the glow in her cheeks and the twinge of happiness in her eyes as the wind blue strands of her hair about.

  “The air on this ranch has done him well,” she said looking at him. “It has done us both a world of good.”

  “And the food?” he asked.

  “Oh, the wonderful dishes Mrs. Potter makes for us… she is truly a gem.”

  He laughed at her outburst. He had watched her over the last couple weeks and knew that much of what she had experienced there had been new to her. He wanted to know where she was from and why she had come to this small Alabama town, but he did not ask. For now he just enjoyed having her warm spirit in his house.

  He bent and picked little Cameron up, tossing him high in the air.

  “Oh Charlie don’t toss him so!” she exclaimed amidst Cameron’s joyful squeals. “You are giving my heart grief!”

  He laughed as he caught Cameron and tossed him again. “He is quite fine. I will never let him fall.”

  He caught the child and brought him close to his chest, feeling the rush of his rapid heartbeat. The tiny hands rested on his cheeks as Cameron looked him in the eyes and gurgled something he could not understand.

  “What is he saying?” he giggled as he looked her, catching a glimpse of complete peace and admiration in her eyes.

  “He likes you,” she said with a smile.

  “Oh!” he rubbed his nose against Cameron’s as the baby gripped his cheek and rested his head against his chest. “I really like him too.”

  He placed a kiss on the tiny head and took a seat at the table while Agnes read to them both. Before he knew it Cameron was fast asleep on his chest and he protested when Agnes tried to take him to bed.

  “Leave him,” he whispered patting her hand. “He can sleep right here. I am through with my work for the day and the afternoon breeze is quite relaxing.”

  And so that was where he sat with the baby while she went off to tend to some task Mrs. Potter had assigned her. He watched her walk away and smiled. He could feel something he had not felt in a long time... affection.

  It was an affection for a woman he knew nothing about and the child she had brought into his life that gave him pure joy while he slept on his chest.

  “I told you a long time ago, that what this house needed was the warmth of a woman and the screams of a child,” Mrs. Potter said resting a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t let her get away from you.”

  He looked at her in confusion and followed her eyes as they took in Agnes walking towards the barn. He could not bring himself to deny what she was hinting at, because he had to agree that he was quite taken with her and her presence in the mansion had brought an immeasurable light into his life.

  * * *

  It was four in the evening and Agnes was tired. She walked into the house to find Charlie seated at the dinner table with Cameron eating from his plate and a gracious Mrs. Potter placed a bowl of broth before her.

  “Can I get some water?” she asked sitting down. She cast an eye around the room thinking how nice it was and wondering how her mother was doing. She had been wondering that a lot as of late and knew that her mother would have enjoyed living on this ranch. She wondered if she was doing well and if her brother had found it in himself to forgive her.

  “How are you feeling?” Charlie asked, looking at her with concern. “You seem a bit under the weather.”

  She didn’t want to worry him with the pointless ailments she had been feeling, but she knew she couldn’t hide it anymore. “My throat has been feeling a bit harsh lately.”

  “Well,” Mrs. Potter stopped in her tracks. “I have just the thing for you.”

  “A good cup of mint tea will do the trick,” he pointed out.

  Agnes smiled, she took joy in seei
ng him so delighted to help her and he looked right at home with Cameron on his lap.

  “Yes, I am sure it will. Thank you.”

  He didn’t respond, he sat and just looked her, his eyes softening with each passing second and of little Cameron cooing happily in his arms.

  “He has taken to you quite well,” she pointed out.

  “And I him...” came the hesitant but honest response.

  She couldn’t help but admire the way his lean muscles twitched as he moved his hand from his plate to Cameron’s mouth.

  She had found that in her short time here in the English world she liked the way men paid attention to their children.

  “What is going through that mind of yours?” he asked her as he leaned back in his chair and touched the bruised spot on his face where something had smacked him on the way out of the burning building he had save her from.

  She almost didn’t want to say anything. “Just thinking that you will make an excellent father someday,” she told him.

  “You think so?” he asked her as if he were unsure of himself.

  Smiling she nodded. “I think so, and Cameron seems to agree.”

  “Okay,” Charlie began and she could see he had something on his mind but was unsure of exactly how to say it. “I had never really thought about it until you both came into my life. Maybe I will be, and maybe I won't. But only time will tell.”

  She was surprised at his response that seemed to have a hint of anger and sadness to it and she wondered if she had offended him. He excused himself from the table and handed her the child who was not pleased at being displaced and cried out for him.

  “Did I say something wrong?” she asked him as he walked away.