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

by Faye Sonja

  She did not like the term collect, but she gave her address to him as requested.

  “See you tonight ma’am,” he said before riding off, and she nearly dropped dead with anticipation.

  Behind her in the salon, Lyca, the ever watchful, gave her a knowing glance and she smiled back to confirm. She knew Lyca was worried about her, but Amy simply refused to spend her entire life believing that all men were out to get her in the worse ways. She was excited and nothing was going to steal that joy away from her.

  She finished up as the clock struck seven and made her exit beneath Lyca’s watchful gaze. She knew that if she did not give the woman details in the morning she would be sure to assume something had gone wrong and all men were indeed creations of the horrific kind, and so Amy prayed that she would have a fairy-tale story to tell her come daylight.

  As she made her way back to the train she prayed for guidance and a lovely evening. She was rolling on the high, enjoying her little bubble and disregarding any thought that entered her head that maybe Lyca could be right.

  Call me stupid, she thought to herself, but I believe in the magic of romance and I have a feeling that Mr. Cool and confident Brian is it.

  She went through her very limited wardrobe at the rate any other woman would and when she was done deciding on what to wear she groaned at the mess she had made. In the end she settled for the first thing she had picked out, a blue frock with which would be topped off with a warm shawl and the only pair of covered shoes she had. He had said comfortable, and that was exactly what she was going for.

  At five minutes before eight, Silas rang her doorbell to say he was outside and she smiled striking off point number one on the impromptu perfect date list she had made in her head.

  He was on time.

  When she got downstairs she had to stop for a moment to take him in. He was perfectly dressed in faded blue britches that showed off his slightly curved legs, and a simple white shirt that was close fitted enough to show he took very good care of his body but was loose enough to just be casual. He had gone with a black and white ensemble and she could not help but to comment on his beauty as he opened the door for her.

  Check number two- chivalry was not dead.

  She sat in his carriage and couldn’t help but notice immediately that he was a man who was well off. This was large enough to be her bedroom and cozy enough to be a residence on wheels. Amy had known men well enough to know that if one indeed had money it was often something he clearly didn’t wanted anybody to know and so she didn’t comment. Silas pulled them away from her door steps and she sat smiling as he spoke to her.

  “You look lovely,” he said.

  Blushing beneath the weight of his compliment she replied. “You look quite smashing yourself.”

  “I hope you brought your appetite,” he said and just then she was happy that she had not had time all day to even so much as drink a glass of water. Maybe she should have had a shot or two of brandy to still her wracking nerves.

  He kept silent as she enjoyed the ride through the streets of the town that was slowly winding down. It was definitely not a place that had much of a night life and Amy liked that. Nothing like the Texas town she had just left. It meant that on the night she did choose to go out, she would not have had to deal with a million and one people jostling her around.

  After close to thirty minutes when they had passed all the places she was familiar with, he pulled the windows open and in the distance she heard the strumming of Spanish music...

  “Can you salsa?” he asked her.

  She nodded. “I can do well enough not to embarrass you,” she replied.

  “It would be my pleasure to teach you,” he laughed. “We all had to learn at some point.”

  Silas pulled the carriage up to a house that looked like it had been cut in half and a huge Italian walkway and a courtyard was placed in the middle. The music was loud, but the rest of the neighborhood did not seem too affected by it. People were milling about on what seemed to be a makeshift dance floor, and she could make out women being twirled this way and that to the rhythm of the music that a small band in Mexican sombreros were playing. They all had heels on and she thought that maybe she had been a tad bit underdressed.

  Thank God for her time in Texas where Mexican settlers held many of these parties in the streets at night. She had enjoyed a few with Jasmine and her new family and while there she had been twirled until her feet had learned to move to the rhythm of Spanish music.

  Brian offered her his hand to help her out. As she stepped out he twirled her then pulled her in to salsa to the music that seemed to hit her brain the minute her feet hit the ground. She could tell it was going to be an awesome night.

  “You got moves,” he said to her as he took her hand in his and walked to the seats that were bordering the space between the two halves of the house. She said nothing in response.

  He ordered for them and she was pleased to have the fiesta of Spanish food explode in her mouth. She was even more impressed that when the servers came up to serve them, Brian spoke in fluent Spanish.

  “You are a man of many talents,” she said.

  He smiled back at her, “Impressed yet?”

  She laughed and shook her head. “For me to be impressed you must be able to do much more than twirl me on the dance floor and talk in a language I have very little understanding of.”

  He furrowed his brow in mock offense, “And I was really trying.”

  The food came then and they talked about him and what he did. She learned in the process that he had learned Spanish from a close friend.

  As the night rolled on she met a few of the people he knew but thought it strange that they were all Hispanic. When she asked about his other friends he seemed to avoid her question and she took that as a sign that maybe she had been overstepping her boundaries so she backed off. It did nag at her a bit as she openly told him about herself, that he only gave her sparing details in return.

  After stuffing her full of empanadas and frijoles with rice, he took her out onto the dance floor and they started dancing. His hands twisted her this way and that, while their feet moved with the tempo of the music playing. She was entranced by him and she had not even known him for a whole forty-eight hours. She was lost in the moment with him, and if it were up to her, she would never stop dancing and the night would never end. She barely noticed how tired she was until he paused to offer her wine and comments of how well she had done.

  “Now for the second part of our date,” he said and the moonlight lit his face up as his eyes twinkled with a mischief that promised pleasure, and she wondered how else he could wow her with his ways.

  Silas helped them into the carriage and she gladly took a seat close to him. His arms fell around her as they made their way up the winding hills on the east side of the city, and though she was born and raised here, it was her first time ever on the east side of town. People like her didn’t come to this part of town, because their finances did not quite match up to the names filled with legacy that resided there.

  “It’s nice here,” she said to him and he interlaced their fingers. “You live here?”

  “No, I live on the other side of town, a ways out but I am taking you to one of my favorite spots.”

  She was silently hoping his favorite spot did not include more food and dancing because she had a full stomach and legs that hurt.

  Luckily, that was not his plan.

  The hills levelled into a plateau and she could see the view below that took her breath away. The city lights twinkled and in the distance the moonlight reflected off the lake. Had she been an artist she would have enjoyed attempting to immortalize the night on canvas, but since she had the artistic skills of a two-year old, she tried to capture the image of it in her mind.

  She got out of the carriage and stood, wrapping her arms around herself finally figuring out why she had needed to dress warmly. The winds that blew up the hillside chilled her to the bone and as sh
e turned to retrieve her shawl he came up behind her and wrapped a small blanket around her shoulders.

  “Beautiful isn’t it?” he asked standing behind her and pulling her into him. She nodded against his chest.

  “Makes me want to paint it,” she admitted.

  “You paint?” he asked in surprise and she wished her response could be yes.

  “I wish,” she said and he rested his chin on top of her head as they stared out at the vista below them. She was enchanted.

  “I am sure you can do just about anything you put your mind to,” he told her.

  “Is that what you tell all the girls you bring here?” she asked him before she could stop the words from coming out of her mouth.

  The cold swept in and raged around her as he removed his arms. “I do not know whether to take insult in your comment, ignore it or laugh at the failed attempt at a joke.”

  She turned to him and seriousness flashed in her eyes. “I was neither joking nor attempting to insult you. I believe my question to be a valid one.”

  “Are you an irrationally jealous woman Miss. Shultz?” he asked in response.

  She looked at him in apprehension at the fact that he chose to address her using her last name.

  “I am not,” she responded, ignoring the thought she had that it would be so easy to shove him over the cliff. “I am woman who asks the questions she wants answered though.”

  He sighed. “I see we are at that moment where the magic of the night has given way to the reality of our encounter, and so I will oblige you with the truth.”

  “I would appreciate it,” she said and sat beside him. Behind them Silas lit a cigar a safe distance away from them and wrapped himself in a thick blanket as he too stared down at the amazing view below.

  “I was once married,” Brian began and she turned to him in surprise. He was most certainly more than she thought he would be.

  “And I pray death was not the reason you no longer are,” she said finding a moment of sympathy.

  He smiled. “Death would have been an easier betrayal. No, I was left on the vine with a new born baby and no inkling as to where my wife was when she decided to run off with another man.

  “You have a child?” she asked and she felt a spirit of joy well up inside her.

  “Yes,” he said. “I trust that is not a problem for you.”

  “I would never take issue with a child. I myself hope to carry one someday,” she said. “Maybe I will have the opportunity to meet her.”

  “I hope you will.” He said.

  They sat by the ledge exchanging stories for hours and when he took her home, she was sad the night was ending.

  “I know it is early,” he said before telling her goodnight, “but I would love for you to consider the possibility of becoming my wife. I have a feeling you would be a perfect fit.”

  For some strange reason she did not mind that he described her as a fit. She knew it sounded rather business-like, but it was what they had arranged. The fact that he had a young child did not deter her in the least.

  “I will give it some thought,” but I do not believe I would mind.”

  * * *

  Brian’s happy mood was still there as the carriage made its way to his mansion on the other side of town. He was happily overflowing with joy but he was also thinking about what his life would be like if he married this woman he barely knew. He was beginning to think it would be well worth it.

  “How was she today?” he asked the housekeeper of his daughter who was now learning to walk and pulling at everything in sight.

  “She has been her usual self, sir, but she is getting to the age where she will need a mother’s warm touch as she grows. I am afraid the house help might not be enough.”

  “I know Gertrude,” he told the plump older woman as she fixed him a cup of hot chocolate and made him a sandwich. He ate in silence, each movement of his jaw followed by a thought of what his future would be like. He had yet to see how Amy would be with a child but he knew that she would be wonderful. The marriage would not wait if she agreed. They would be man and wife before the end of the month, and little Susan would have herself a mother.

  He walked to her room before he turned in and stared down to gaze at her lovely sleeping face. She had her mother’s beauty and charm, but his wit and mischievous nature. With any luck such a combination would not lead to her detriment when she was older.

  * * *

  4

  Chapter FOUR

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  “ … I beg that we speak of things we

  have yet to address …Our marriage?”

  .

  Brian sat at his desk reading a letter that came from his wife. It was a letter apologizing for all she had done and wanting to know how their daughter was. She admitted the folly of her ways and wanted him to forgive her. He already had, but he had not yet decided if responding to that letter was in his best interest. He did not want to give her an invite back into his life to wreak havoc. Not when all he could think about was the fresh start he was eager to have with Amy.

  Amy... he lost himself to the thought of her name. It soothed him.

  “Lost in thought?” Kayla asked.

  He smiled at her. “You know they don’t tell you when you have arrived that it could possibly turn out like this,” he lamented jabbing his letter opener at the piece of paper causing him grief.

  Kayla leaned against the doorjamb and frowned at him. “Yes, but you knew the kind of woman you were getting involved with before you even went there.”

  He couldn’t argue with that but he had loved her. Jean had been the pick of the litter for him and not just because she was gorgeous, but because she was smart and she had pushed him even when he couldn’t push himself. She had been his rock and then it all changed. He wasn’t even sure when it had changed. All he knew is that in those latter days all they did was argue. He had hated it. He had hated every bit of it, but did he want her back?

  The answer to that was an undeniable no.

  He was thinking about the gorgeous woman he had met the day before, and every time he thought of his ex-wife, Amy also crossed his mind. He was frowning and frustrated not because of her presence and how much he liked her, but because he had no clue what that meant. The last time a woman had had this much of an impact on him he had married her. He was not about to relive that experience but he couldn’t get her out of his head.

  “I met someone yesterday,” he confessed to Kayla, spinning in his chair to look out the window of his office.

  “Oh, so you finally admit it is true. That glow you had was because of her?” Kayla threw the plastic cup she had been drinking out of at his head. “You are so predictable.”

  He laughed. “She is beautiful and different,” he added not straying from the point of his confession.

  “And you are under the influence of some drug,” Kayla sighed. “You are supposed to be taking a break from women to get your life back on track. She better only be satisfying your carnal needs.”

  He looked at her shocked at the mere suggestion. He had been raised better, but then he thought about it for a moment and realized he really didn’t want her simply for those purposes.

  “It’s strange,” he said to Kayla. “I desire her but for more than just sexual fulfilment. She speaks to a part of me that I didn’t even know existed.”

  “Okay,” Kayla said walking to his desk and gesturing for him to stand up. “You are going to stop taking whatever you have been taking and get back to work. You have a meeting in ten minutes with the brothers who you intent to pull into business because they owe you money. Be there and don’t talk about meeting your soul mate or whatever this woman is supposed to be to you.”

  “She is lovely,” he smiled up at Kayla who whacked him upside the head.

  “Ouch!”

  “Focus!” Kayla shouted at him and walk
ed away.

  He would try but he was almost certain there would be no focusing for the rest of the day. What he wanted to do was to make his way back to the other side of town where he hoped Amy would be happy to see him, and as soon as the meeting was over with a few hours later that was exactly what he did. He had a hard time retracing his steps considering he had been in a trance for the past two days now. After losing his way a couple times he found the salon, and when he walked in, there she was hustling from one end to the next.

  She was beautiful. Her unruly hair kept falling into her eyes and the way she pouted as she blew it to the side each time spoke to the carnal part of him Kayla had referred to.

  “Amy!” Lyca called to her. “Take a break!”

  She looked almost grateful and as she was about to make her way to the back he blocked her path. “How about you take a break with me?” he asked and smiled as she looked at him with her kissable lips, opened in a small oh and her eyes going wide.

  “Wh… what are you doing here?” she asked him.

  “Taking a break with you,” he whispered back to her.

  She didn’t protest as he helped her out of her work apron stained with hair dye and waltzed her out the front door and into the brisk afternoon air.

  “How are you?” he asked her as he walked her to a chestnut vender stand and ordered her one.

  “Overworked and underpaid,” she said without missing a beat.

  “That about sums up our lives.”

  She sighed and she watched him intensely trying to make sense of the frown she wore on her face.

  “Let’s talk about something else for now,” she said to him.