by Emma Ashwood
“When I said I wanted to see Carson married, I didn’t mean you should go on a wild goose chase. What’s to happen to this poor girl now?”
“We can try and give her money to go back,” Bonnie suggested in a small voice.
“You will do no such thing. That poor girl already travelled all this way, she must be tired and looking forward to meeting Carson… heavens be… I can’t believe you’ve done this.”
Cassidy sighed. “Ma, we were only tryin’ to help. Carson doesn’t want her on the ranch, and we can’t send her back; her step-father is horrible.”
Daphne, who hadn’t been much involved with the running of the farm or her children over the last two years, suddenly cleared her throat. “Here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going to go into town and you’re going to collect that girl from the train. She has nowhere to go and regardless of how Carson feels about it, this is still my house. You’ll bring her here. Once she knows what’s what, she can stay until she decides what she wants to do. Both of you will plant more vegetables for the kitchen and you’ll help Carson any way you can.”
“Yes ma’am,” Both girls chorused in unison.
A short while later Bonnie and Cassidy rode into town just in time to see the train pull into the station with a flourish of steam. They stopped the wagon and climbed down, sharing a guilty look before heading for the platform. They waited until the platform had cleared, realizing then that neither of them had ever asked about Annie’s appearance.
Standing in the corner was a girl quietly keeping to herself, clutching a purse to her bodice, and with a carpet bag at her feet.
“Do you think that’s her?” Bonnie asked hopefully.
Cassidy shrugged. “We’d better find out.”
They moved towards the girl, neither sister able to help but be surprised at her beauty. Her jet-black hair was intricately braided into a beautiful up-do and her eyes were ice-blue like the winter sky, her skin pale like cream. She wore a dark blue garment that further pronounced her eyes.
“Excuse me, miss, might you be Anna-Sophia Mason?” Bonnie asked hopefully.
A frown creased the girl’s smooth brow. “I am she. Who’s asking?”
“I am Bonnie Evans, and this here is my sister, Cassidy Evans. Carson is our brother.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both. Please call me Annie,” the girl said with a warm smile.
Cassidy immediately too to her. Regardless of Carson’s ire, she felt privileged to know such a kind woman.
“Where is Carson?” Annie asked glancing over their shoulders. “I’m quite nervous to meet him. I’m sure you understand.”
“He’s busy at the ranch,” Bonnie answered quickly. “Asked us to meet you. You’ll meet him when we get home.”
Annie didn’t question her explanation, and Cassidy couldn’t decide whether buying themselves a little more time was good or bad. Bonnie grabbed the carpet bag and Cassidy led the way to the wagon. Her heart was racing a mile a minute. Right now Annie seemed like a kind and friendly girl, but she had a feeling once she knew the truth about the letters that had brought her to San Antonio, she might not be as friendly or as kind.
“How was your journey?” Cassidy asked, taking the reins.
“Long and tiring. But I’m glad I came. I never knew how big Texas was or how pretty,” Annie said glancing over the landscape with a smile.
“Yep, it’s mighty big,” Bonnie answered casually before meeting Cassidy’s gaze.
“Carson mentioned he was a cattle rancher. I’ve never seen a cow up close, or a bull, for that matter.”
Cassidy merely smiled, knowing that right now her brother was even more dangerous than the bull he kept in the pasture behind the house.
Chapter 10
7 June 1882, San Antonio, Texas
Annie was completely enamored by the beautiful landscape. Large outcrops of rocks with vast fields and lush green pastures. It was summer, the Texas rainy season, but she never knew it could be this beautiful.
She was tired after her train journey but just the fresh air and the company of Carson’s sisters made her feel better already. Cassidy turned onto a smaller dirt road and in the distance Annie could see a log house standing proudly beside a barn. Her tummy fluttered nervously as she took in the sight of her new home. Once, it had been a proud and beautiful home, but had fallen into disrepair, but even that didn’t detract from the imposing size or welcoming porch.
At first sight Annie knew that the Evans family must be struggling financially at the moment. Small things like the broken barn door and a few cracked slats on the porch railing hinted at this, but she didn’t let that bother her. She’d rather live a simple life with peace and love than a life of extravagance with Damien.
She hadn’t looked back since rushing out of the brownstone. With her jewelry box still safely tucked into her purse, she had everything she ever needed and in the next few minutes she would be meeting the wonderful man who had stolen her heart with his letters.
Cassidy stopped the wagon and looked over her shoulder at Bonnie. “I think it’s best we do it now.”
Bonnie sighed. “Yep. Best get it over with.”
Curious, Annie glanced from Bonnie to Cassidy. “Do what?”
Cassidy sighed heavily. “Before we go home there is something we need to confess.”
Annie frowned wondering what could be as foreboding as this sounded. “Is something wrong?”
Bonnie began sniffing even as Cassidy explained what they had done with slow, carefully chosen words. When they were finally done Annie’s frown has deepened and hot tears burned behind her eyes.
“So you’re saying Carson didn’t write those letters?”
“No, it was us,” Bonnie admitted in tears.
“And he doesn’t want me here? I have nowhere else to go!” Annie exclaimed feeling as if her whole dream of a future had just imploded.
“We’re real sorry. You’re welcome to stay until you decide what you’d like to do. We’d pay for your fare back to Boston if that’s what you decide.”
Annie closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. Regardless of whether Carson was furious and had no interest in meeting her and that his sisters had lied and deceived Annie into traveling to the wild frontiers, she still couldn’t fathom going back to Boston. If Damien found her…
She shook her head and took a deep breath. “I’ll need some time… I don’t know… I can’t go back to Boston.”
“We’ll help you,” Bonnie offered. “Maybe you can write to another man?”
Annie scoffed. “I think I’m done experimenting with the mail order bride option.”
“We’re really sorry. We honestly didn’t think he’d be like this,” Cassidy admitted.
Annie cocked a brow. “You lied to him and to me. Did you honestly think it would work? Never mind.” Annie crossed her arms over her chest, feeling betrayed, dejected and more than anything hopeless as Cassidy guided the horse towards the barn.
She climbed out of the wagon and rushed from barn needing fresh air to gather her wits and to figure out the options available to her for the immediate future. It was then that she bumped into something tall and hard. Strong hands clasped her upper arms and steadied her.
Annie stood back and looked up. There was no doubt in her mind that he was just as furious as his sisters had described, but his blue eyes still caused her heart to skip a beat.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t look where I was going.” She fumbled over the words feeling as if the entire predicament was somehow solely her fault. Carson was taller than she expected. His thick hair was the color of sunshine, with sun bleached tips. His hat hung low over his brow as he took his time assessing her just as she was him.
He had a strong chiseled jaw, with a day or two’s growth on his cheeks. In her entire life amongst the socialites and upper class of Boston no man had ever made Annie’s knees grow weak like Carson Evans.
The only thought that crossed her mind was that it was a r
ight shame that he hadn’t written those letters himself. Had he been the correspondent, Annie would probably have rushed into his arms.
Carson cussed in his mind, but he didn’t utter a word as his eyes trailed over her face. He didn’t know her name, or even where she came from. All he knew was that never in his life had he ever looked into a woman’s eyes and felt his heart skip a beat as it had done a heartbeat before. She was the prettiest thing this side of the Mason Dixon, of that Carson was sure. He didn’t want to be attracted to her or feel guilty for the look of sadness on her face; none of what had happened was his fault. Cassidy and Bonnie were to blame, and he would do well to remind himself as such even as he remembered the feel of her soft skin beneath his fingers.
He wouldn’t admit that curiosity had him coming to the barn shortly after he noticed the wagon arriving. He also wouldn’t admit to anyone that right now he wanted nothing more to get to know the beautiful girl staring up him with the bluest eyes he’d ever seen.
“Best keep out of my way,” Carson said gruffly as his sisters joined them.
“Carson, this is Annie Mason,” Cassidy introduced quietly, the shame clear in her voice.
Annie, Carson thought, the name suited her. He didn’t look at his sisters but kept his gaze on Annie who hadn’t shrunk beneath his angry expression just as he had expected of her.
“I’ll get out of your way,” Annie said in a firm voice before stepping aside.
As she walked past him the scent of lavender and the freshness of spring floated over him. Carson didn’t want to be affected but it was hard not to when she had given him the same cold gruff treatment he had just doled out on her.
His sisters both glared at him before rushing after Annie. When they were finally out of earshot, Carson let out the breath he hadn’t been aware he was holding. He had no business liking this Annie-woman. For all he knew she might be a chancer, or a cheat come to steal his ranch right out from under him. He knew the thought might be a little far-fetched, but right now he didn’t care. All he cared about was ignoring her and forgetting how her blue eyed gaze had pierced right through the barriers around his heart.
He finished the day’s chores, but by the time he headed back to the house he still couldn’t seem to forget the striking beauty of the young girl. He stepped into the cabin and hung up his hat before seeing that his sisters were setting the table. Annie was nowhere to be seen and for a moment he felt regret wash over him that she’d left without him even knowing.
Just then she stepped out of the bedroom. She had probably taken a bath because instead of the dark blue travelling garment in which she had arrived, she now wore a light yellow cotton dress and her hair hung loose down her back in luscious curls. Carson cleared his throat and quickly turned away. He took a seat at the table and didn’t say a word as the rest took their seats.
When his mother sat down she held out her hands. “Let’s say grace.”
Carson closed his eyes and listened to his mother’s voice.
“Dear Lord, bless this food and the hands that prepared it. Thank You for this blessing of Annie’s company, regardless of the circumstances that brought her to us. May you find forgiveness in Your heart for Bonnie and Cassidy’s betrayal and we ask that You please keep the peace under this roof. Amen.”
Carson couldn’t help but suppress a smile. His mother might be ill and fading before their eyes, but she clearly hadn’t lost her fire just yet. He glanced at his sisters who were both squirming in their seats.
“So Annie, tell us about Boston,” Daphne invited, turning to their guest.
Annie shrugged. “It’s colder than down here. I don’t think I’ve ever been this hot in my entire life.”
Daphne chuckled. “The heat has only begun.”
Carson didn’t say a word all through dinner despite his mother’s attempts to make Annie feel at home. Every now and then he would look up at Annie. There was something about her that intrigued him, something that made him want to take a closer look.
But Carson vowed he wouldn’t, even if it was just to prove a point to his meddling sisters.
Chapter 11
8 June 1882, San Antonio, Texas
Annie couldn’t complain about the hospitality or the food she had received from all the members of the Evans family since her arrival, but she had never felt more unwelcome than when she caught Carson glaring at her with anger evident in his gaze.
She could understand that he was furious at his sisters, but didn’t he understand that she wasn’t there through any misdeed of her own? She had spent a restless night wishing she could be anywhere but two rooms away from the man who had made it perfectly clear that he didn’t want her on his ranch.
Daphne, Bonnie and Cassidy had gone out of their way to make her feel welcome. Bonnie apologized every chance she got, and Cassidy promised she’d find a solution to the problems they had caused for Annie. But what solutions could there possibly be?
She couldn’t go back to Boston, she had nowhere else to go, and the idea of corresponding with another man as a mail order bride was just preposterous. If she hadn’t learned her lesson after what had just happened, she never would. Daphne had been kind enough to offer her room and board for as long as she needed in order for her to decide on her next move, but that was the real problem, wasn’t it?
What choices did she truly have? She had no money, so she couldn’t afford to move into the boarding house in town. Such a small town as this could not possibly afford many work opportunities for a single woman from the city. Even if there were, Annie doubted they would hire a stranger from up north.
For all intent and purpose, she had just escaped one impossible situation only to be in another. From the pan into the fire, so to say. Breakfast was a rather tense affair with Carson barely speaking, and Bonnie being a little too obvious as she tried to compensate for his silence. Daphne wasn’t feeling well and had remained in bed, and Cassidy was keeping Daphne company, making sure she ate something for breakfast.
A while after Carson headed out to start his day, Annie knew she needed some fresh air. She stepped out onto the porch and couldn’t help but notice how worn it was by time and weather. She stood on the porch looking out over the ranch and drew in a deep breath. Regardless of how hopeless her situation was she couldn’t help but appreciate the setting. Far up on a hill she could see cattle grazing in the fields. Her heart simply skipped a beat when she saw a horse darting across the field with Carson on its back. The man looked as powerful as the majestic beast beneath him.
Annie shook her head knowing it was foolish to be attracted to a man who had made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with her. Worse still was the awareness that she couldn’t even blame him.
The night before, when the house had grown quiet except for the settling sounds as the temperatures fell, she had read over all the letters again by candlelight. She wanted to be furious with herself for not realizing that she was corresponding with women, but the girls had done it so well that she couldn’t even tell now that she knew.
A heavy sigh escaped her when she noticed a gate leading into a paddock. She simply had to clear her mind. She needed fresh air and most of all she needed a little distance from Bonnie and Cassidy. Although both girls were deeply regretful of their actions, Annie alternated between being furious and wanting to thank them for helping her to escape Damien’s horrid campaign to make her his wife.
She gathered the skirts of her pastel pink dress and crossed the yard in the direction of the paddock. A slight incline led to a rocky outcrop which Annie decided would make the perfect spot to consider her future. She had her mother’s brooch and necklace which she could sell should she have no other alternative. But where would she go, she contemplated silently with a frown as she walked through the field.
Here and there wildflowers bloomed bringing a smile to her face. Annie picked one and inhaled its sweet scent before turning her face upwards to the sun. The rays warmed her skin and for a just a moment s
he forgot where she was and about the man who didn’t want her there.
She let out a contented sigh. “Thank You, Lord, for saving me from Damien. I know You have plans for my future, but can I ask that You reveal them to me. I can’t stay here; I can’t be here knowing that Carson hates me.” Her prayer was suddenly cut short by an overwhelming thundering noise. At first only the curiosity made her turn around.
But it was fear that clutched her heart like a vice and terror that made her eyes widen. Apparently, within seconds Carson would no longer have the unwanted visitor on his ranch, was the only though that came to mind as Annie realized the cause of the thundering sound.
The largest animal she’s ever seen in her life was charging directly at her. Its face was formed into a clear imagine of anger, its shoulders bunched even as its legs kept eating the distance between it and her. If Annie had ever wondered why they called it a raging bull, she now knew the reason. Its fearsome horns would make short work of her. Annie glanced all around her but realized she was standing almost precisely in the middle of the paddock. There was no way she could outrun the angry beast.
Her heart began to race. She had heard people talk of their life flashing before their eyes when faced with death. For Annie, only thing came to mind and that was how she had travelled all the way from Boston to die on the ranch of a man who didn’t even want her there in the first place.
Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew she had to move. She knew she had to do something, but her body was frozen with paralyzing fear. Her heart raced, her breath coming in short bursts as the bull came ever closer.
Suddenly with the bull still charging directly at her and now only a few yards away, Annie felt something wrap around her waist before she was flung into the air. Her first thought was that she had not been aware of a second bull, but when she was flung onto her rear end, face to face with Carson, she didn’t know whether to cry out or to fight.
