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

by Faye Sonja

  “Jemma will grow up in a home of her own knowing her mother has worked very hard to provide for her.”

  “Living hand to mouth and form day to day is no way to raise a child,” Alex fired back at her. “I love you Jane, but I think you are being mule-headed. You need more than the measly wages you make and look at how skinny you have gotten over the past few months, working yourself into the ground. Soon you will widdle away, and Jemma will have nobody but me. Is that what you want for your child?”

  Jane was taken aback by her best friend’s harsh words, though she could not deny the truth in them. “I think you should go, Alex. We will see you for lunch tomorrow.”

  Alex threw the hand towel down in a huff and stormed out of the house. “One day Jane, you will wake up and realize your mistakes when it is much too late to do anything about them. I just hope Jemma will not suffer for that.”

  Jane looked down at her daughter, who had been staring in at them, her tiny face confused about what all the fuss was about. She kissed her and then made them both some tea, more out of wanting to keep her hands busy than needing the actual tea.

  That night she thought long and hard about what Alex had said and as a cough wracked her body she knew her best friend had not been lying or being harsh. She was working more than she had time to sleep and losing sight of Jemma while she grew. It really was not something she wanted for herself, nor for her child and so in that moment she made a decision that would change their lives, hopefully for the better.

  At lunch the following day Alex was far more silent than she usually was and Jane knew she had herself to blame for that.

  “Okay,” she said. “Okay I will go meet this Byron Davidson of yours, but if it doesn’t work out I am coming right back home.”

  Alex looked at her in shock trying hard to hide her surprise. “You will?”

  Jane laughed. “This is the part where you jump for joy Alex. I am saying I will do what you have wanted me to do all along. You can go send the telegraph now.”

  Alex looked at her with nothing but guilt written across her face. “I already did.”

  Jane was shocked, but then again she didn’t make a fuss out of it. Alex had been her best friend for so long because some things did not need to be said between them, like the fact that she knew Jane would have thought it through and would eventually come to her senses.

  “Okay then. When do we leave?”

  Alex smiled down at Jemma. “I can have you on a train in the morning, and if it doesn’t work out then you can come right back home.”

  Jane smiled and the rest of the evening passed by with them making preparations for her three day train ride to Springfield, Kansas. Jemma was excited to be going on an adventure and she was just hoping that when she showed up things would work out for her for the best. The entire time she was praying that this man would be the kind of future she had always hoped for, and her child would not have to grow up knowing hardship.

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  4

  Chapter FOUR

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  “ It was so sad, how life could

  sometimes destroy your dreams …”

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  The train ride was rather uneventful and Jemma was restless the entire way. When they had finally arrived in Springfield, her daughter vowed never to travel by train again.

  "You will have to at some point my love," she pointed out to the three year old who was less than pleased to have been aboard the train.

  "Why can’t we just go by horse, mama?"

  "Because that would take forever and a day."

  They bantered back and forth about the merits of the train and Jemma finally stopped arguing with her mother.

  "I assume that your name is Jane," a male voice said beside her as she sat on the bench at the train station, waiting to be collected.

  When she looked up her breath caught in her throat. Before her was a beautiful man. She couldn't call him handsome because his features were far too soft to be that. His thin rosy lips were set in the smooth bronze skin of a face that had seen its fair share of sunlight, and his green eyes were a deep contrast to his almost white blonde hair. His smile was one of confidence and ease and she found herself mesmerized by it.

  "Yes," she managed a few moments later. "And this is…" He cut her off.

  "Little Jemma," the man said bending with a smile looking down at her daughter who only furrowed her brows at him and stepped away. When he stood up he looked at her with confusion and offense in his eyes but said nothing.

  Jane looked down at Jemma who wanted absolutely nothing to do with the man who had just introduced himself.

  "I am Byron Davidson," the beautiful man said as he offered her his hand. She took it graciously and then they were on their way.

  The lovely carriage that awaited them was only the first sign of his wealth. It shined of yellow and black in the sun as they made their way to it and she looked at Jemma to gauge her excitement. Beside her little Jemma was awed by the ride that had come to take them to their new home or hopefully so, but she was still glaring side eyed at the man. Jane remembered something her father had taught her as a child. He had said that when a child was distrustful of an adult it was something to take heed of. She looked at Byron again and found no reason not to trust him just yet.

  "So tell me Jane," he said to her. "What prompted her decision to place that ad?"

  He wasted no time in getting to know her at all.

  "I needed a more stable and secure life for myself and my child, and sometimes…" She paused and he urged her on silently with his eyes, "sometimes you just need a change. When things aren't going as you hoped they would you just need a change."

  She didn't go into more detail than that and he didn't ask.

  "You do know that should all go well, we should be married within the week?" He asked.

  "Mama is already married to my Papa," Jemma piped up to her surprise.

  Byron looked at her in shock before glancing at Jane for an explanation.

  "He died earlier this year," she explained. She had hoped to get into that later on but clearly Jemma had decided that now was the best time. "Maybe we should save this discussion for a more suitable time."

  He apologized and agreed, and for the next hour on the ride to the ranch he spoke of the life there. He told her of the cattle he raised, the horses and the many fields filled with flows and crops. He told her she would love it there and she told him of her love for nature. For an hour she slowly fell in love with the man as he spoke of how his family had built their wealth and she enjoyed listening to him. Jemma's ears were keen to what they spoke of but she still frowned at him and he seemed to shy away from her more and more. That was not a good sign and it was something that made her uneasy.

  When they rode through the gates of the Davidson ranch her eyes widened in awe at the green they could see.

  "It is lovely," she said and Jemma climbed into her lap to look out.

  "What do you think, Jemma?" He asked. "Do you think you will love living here?"

  Jemma looked from him to her before responding. "It is pretty buy I prefer our house in the hills, mama."

  There it was, another blow to the hospitality of the man she was hoping would be her husband. He looked insulted and decided not to say much more to the child for the rest of the night.

  "This is Gretchen," he said introducing them to an older woman as they walked up the steps of the big stone ranch house.

  "Ahhh, it is lovely to finally meet you," Gretchen wrapped her in a hug and she instantly felt at home. The wariness Jemma gave to Byron did not extend to Gretchen, who she allowed to lift her in her arms. Was it that she was unknowingly resenting anybody who tried to replace her father?

  Jane had no other explanation and she had no solution either if that was even the issue, which she suspect it was.

  "Oh you have finall
y arrived!" A chirpy voice called from behind them and she turned to see a freckled but perky woman roughly her age walking towards them with a grand smile.

  "This is Carey," Byron introduced her. "My cousin also lives here and works small jobs around the ranch. She is a bit chatty so ignore her when you feel like it."

  Carey swatted at him as they laughed. "Take no note of what he says, we will be the best of friends."

  And just like that she was wheeled off to her room with Carey chatting away about the fun she would have on the ranch. Jane got excited listening her and casted a glance back at Jemma who was seated in Gretchen’s lap just as happy as she could be. When she was settled in her room and she went back looking for her she ran into Byron heading up the stairs.

  "I don't think your daughter likes me much."

  Jane smiled nervously at him. "She just met you. Give her some time."

  But Jemma's attitude towards him did not change. In fact the following day it got worse, to the point where the child promptly pointed out that he was not her father. She only heard the end of the conversation and watched Byron recoil beneath the insult.

  "Young lady!" Jane said sternly to Jemma.

  "But I don't want another father," Jemma said.

  Jane picked her up apologizing to Byron and took her daughter outside. "You cannot say things like that Jemma, it is not nice."

  "But mama, I didn't lie," the toddler said with tears in her eyes.

  "I know my love," Jane sighed. Things were not going as smoothly as she had hoped they would. "But he could be my husband someday."

  "How come?"

  Jane thought for a moment not quite sure how to explain the situation to her daughter, but she knew she had to try.

  "Well, it is very possible that I will marry him. Remember your Papa went to be with God so he is not coming back, and he would want us to be happy."

  "So he is not my Papa anymore?"

  Jane instantly realized the problem. "He will always be your Papa, but Byron can be too of you just give him a chance. You just met him so don't be too hard on him."

  "I like Gretchen," Jemma said defiantly and she knew she couldn't push her too much.

  "I know, but just don't be mean to Byron anymore."

  Jemma reluctantly agreed and Jane thought that was the end of that argument but the next day was no better. Nor was the one that followed that. For four days her daughter and the man she hoped to marry could not see eye to eye no matter how she tried, and by the fifth day it was even worse.

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  Byron sat on the porch watching Jemma play outside. He liked the little girl who didn’t seem to have an ounce of tolerance for him. He already knew that if they could not get along that he just could not marry her mother; a thought that made him turn his head to the left where Jane stood watching her daughter at play.

  She was radiant.

  This woman, who tries to hide her scarred hand from him beneath the glove she always wore was a beautiful woman. As the summer breeze blew her dress around her ankles and played in her hair he could see himself building a life with her. She had the kind of depth he had always wanted and even though she spoke with a kind of pain in her soul he just knew she was the woman for him.

  "Jane," he said walking over to her and tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She stiffened at his touch and he thought maybe it was too soon. "Would you accompany me tonight into town?"

  She looked at him and smiled before apologizing that she could not. "I am sorry, but Jemma has not been sleeping through the night and I would hate to leave that responsibility to anyone else. Maybe we can go during the day tomorrow."

  He sighed. "We have housemaids that can care for her while we are out."

  "I do not doubt that in the least," she said to him. "But all this is new to my child and I would rather be here with her than on the town at some strange hour of the night."

  He was annoyed by her response. "You came here to see if we could build a life together, did you not?"

  "Yes," she said with a smile. "But not at the expense of my child."

  "Jemma has to learn to get adjusted to others taking care of her, among other things. If I am to be your husband, you must find a balance."

  "I agree, but if I am to be your wife you must understand that our children will always take precedence, and Jemma is no different."

  He could not be bothered to argue with her and so he went out by himself. It was the same thing that happened the following night, and when Jemma came down with a cold on the weekend it got worse because she refused to leave Jemma’s side. He felt more alone than he had before they arrived.

  The following Sunday he made a decision.

  "Jane," he said to her as they ate dinner alone. Gretchen had made her way up the stairs to put a sleeping Jemma to bed and that had given them the privacy they needed.

  "Yes Byron," she replied, elegantly wiping her lips with the napkin.

  "I am sorry to say that this arrangement will not work out," he said solemnly, pushing the dream he had for them from his mind and ignoring the look of total dejection that crossed her face.

  "I understand," she said, her voice quaking beneath the pressure to keep herself from crying.

  "You said you wanted a change and so I am okay with you staying on the ranch until you have decided what you will do. Be comfortable and make your decision knowing that you no longer have any obligations to me. Who knows, you might actually find yourself a husband while you are about."

  Though he said that lightly, it pained his heart to utter the words for he felt like he was losing something really special, but the truth was that he couldn't compete with her obligation to her child and he shouldn't have to.

  "I am sorry to have wasted your time," she said to him. "And we do appreciate your hospitality."

  He nodded, not sure what else to say as he was just as disappointed as she must be. But he was not going to lie to himself and he did wish her all the best. It was with this thought that he went to bed, passing a saddened Gretchen as he went.

  "Your lack of patience and understanding is causing you to make a big mistake."

  He sighed and kissed the woman on her cheek. "Only time will truly tell, but in the meantime, ensure she is comfortable and has all she needs. She can stay as long as she needs to and if she decides to stay in Springfield, we will help her in any way we can."

  With that he went to bed with a heavy heart and made himself scarce for the next three days.

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  5

  Chapter FIVE

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  “ It was so sad, how life could

  sometimes destroy your dreams …”

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  It was a few minutes after five and Jane just could not sleep and so she sat at her window enjoying the cool morning air that blew in, humming her favorite song. She liked it because it sounded like a lullaby. Close by on her bed Jemma laid deep in sleep while her mother worried about what life for them would be like now that the arrangement she had traveled so far to make was not going to work out.

  There was a knock on her door and she knew it would be Gretchen before she even opened it.

  “Up so early, Jane?” the woman asked her, stopping by the bed to put a kiss on little Jemma’s face. She hopped off her ledge to greet the woman with a hug and Gretchen’s warm arms wrapped her in a sincere embrace for a brief moment. It made her miss the warmth of her own mother who’d long since passed.

  “Why are you not sleeping?” She asked Gretchen, sitting on the ledge of her window once again and staring out into the morning. A bit of a fog settling in the distance was slowly disappearing as the morning drew nearer and she hoped the day wouldn’t be as hot as the day before.

  “I heard you humming. You worry me,” Gretchen said in the same breath as if they were one and the same.

  “Everything worries you,”
Jane replied with a smile trying to avoid the conversation she knew would soon follow. Gretchen must have sensed her reluctance to pursue the topic, and instead kissed her atop the head and turned to leave.

  “Don’t fall out that window,” she said and pulled her door closed behind her. She decided against humming anymore to keep from waking Jemma. Over the week they had been there her daughter had taken a while to get comfortable enough to sleep through the night and this was one of those rare moments. Waking her now was something she could not handle at five in the morning. Instead she sat in silence and when the first rays of the sun broke over the tops of the trees, she made a run for it.

  “I am heading to the orchards!” Jane said as she passed Gretchen at the kitchen table moments later, seemingly buried in thought.

  “What? But it’s just six in the morning,” the older woman said to her.

  “Yes. While I make preparations to return home I would like to earn my keep. Maybe Byron will not find it too hard to pay me a few dollars to help me out when I get ready to leave.”

  There was shuffling behind her and she turned to see the man in question. She quickly blushed and pulled the glove back over her scarred hand.

  “You need not be in any rush to leave here Jane,” he said and she was sure she heard a hint of sadness in his voice. “I will pay you for the work you do if you so choose to do it, but I am not asking you to leave in a rush. Maybe you will find that Springfield is a place you can settle, and I will help in any way I can.”