Truly His Type (Cowboys and Angels Book 25)

by Jo Noelle

  “I see it,” Isla said. “You can’t hide it from me, but you try to hide it from yourself.” Isla whispered in her sister’s ear. “You’re in love.”

  Rhona knew that was true, and she’d ruined everything.

  Would Mark come to church, or would he decide to join Reverend Bing’s congregation to avoid her? It had only been a few weeks since he’d asked if they could court. Could his feelings for her be so altered? She no longer worked for or spoke with him. Her heart ached. She missed him.

  Reverend Eugene Theodore began his sermon on marriage. It seemed odd topic for this group—in a town where there were so few women. At the end of his remarks, he invited Mrs. D’Arcy to come forward, and he introduced her.

  “I believe she has come on the Lord’s errand,” he said. “This town can only be made better by having more families. Men need women to civilize us, and at times, to help us see who we have been and who we can be. Through couples’ partnerships with the Lord, he sends sons and daughters to create families and bring joy to man’s existence.” He paused for a moment, and it was obvious he was gazing at his wife. He cleared his throat and continued. “Mrs. D’Arcy has made a match for several men already, and I encourage you men to seek out her help in finding a bride.”

  Mrs. D’Arcy then stood before the congregation. “I’m happy for the opportunity to bring these lovely ladies to your beautiful mountain town, so unlike my own England. The women coming will build the community and renew your population as their children and grandchildren grow. They will bring culture and society with them. I would be happy to speak with any who would join this worthy cause tomorrow at Hearth and Home, where I am staying. That really must be the final day. There is much to do to get ready for the weddings.”

  Rhona couldn’t sing the final song. Her throat was choked with emotion. She was happy for the future of the new couples. She also hated to admit that she also felt a spike of jealousy. She had been so sure of Mark. Everything she thought to be true was in tatters.

  After the song and benediction, Rhona stood to leave and saw Mark stand up in the back. He would be able to slip out, giving her no chance to talk with him again. She hoped, but doubted, that he would come to the evening meal at Hearth and Home.

  Before he left, he lifted a stack of flyers, took one from the top, which he set back down on the chair he’d just vacated. “For you,” he mouthed in her direction. Their gaze held for a long moment, then he left.

  Rhona walked slowly down her row and then the center aisle as the congregation left. What could she do to mend what was broken between them? She had to speak with him. Maybe Isla would help her arrange it. Eileen would say no because it wasn’t proper. And Edwin would lecture her about being a lady and waiting for him to come to her. He had tried. She wouldn’t listen. It was still a mess. No, it had to be Isla—she would think it a lark to help her sneak around. Rhona didn’t just want her old job back—she wanted Mark to court her again.

  What of his thoughts about her? Would he trust her, considering her very public accusations? Oh, she regretted them. A fiery knot wedged in her chest, burning her with remorse. She would make it right if he’d let her.

  When she got to the back of the church, she sidestepped and retrieved the flyer he’d placed on the seat. She scanned it quickly. It appeared he’s printed another set of flyers for the second set of brides the matron was brining to town. The people stopped and talked, giving her time to read it.

  “Introducing Mrs. Dionysia D’Arcy, Matchmaking Matron offers her services: “Im recently from London, but I have fallen in love with Colorado. I’m only sory that I didn’t come here sooner. I cann help so many here. Yoo can be certain that I will make my new home in Creede. I would never foregive myself if a man asked me to find him a wife, and I failed him. All who desire a wife and a happy life are invited to meet with mee on Monday evening at the Hearth and Home.”

  Mark sorely needed her to work with him again. There were more errors in this flyer than were in the whole newspaper before she began working for him. She folded it and placed it in her handbag.

  She wouldn’t need Isla’s help after all. This flyer gave her the perfect excuse to visit the print shop in the morning.

  The next day, she helped with the breakfast service, then grabbed her coat and handbag and walked to the newspaper office, arriving soon after Mark usually unlocked the door. The bell above the door jingled, and the sound of it heightened her nervous feelings. “I wonder if I might have a moment of your time?” She really wanted much more, but this was a start.

  Mark put his coat on a peg and gestured her to sit at the table. He quickly stood behind her and helped with her chair. Her heart melted at the simple gesture. He was even a gentleman when she little deserved the extra kindness. She realized that his actions revealed greater detail about him, and she loved and appreciated him the more for it. When he pulled his chair out to sit, she noticed that he had pulled it closer to her.

  She’d been thinking about this moment for two days, and now the words wouldn’t come. Her face heated, and her chest felt hollow. She looked up into his eyes and felt a little teary around the edges. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I misjudged you terribly. I let my mind completely trample over my heart. I couldn’t imagine how my story had left my room, and I accused you of stealing it.” Her heart was thumping, and her breath came is gasps, but she couldn’t stop until she’d admitted all of her folly. “My brain made up a logical reason. I believed it. Then I accused you of it. I should have known you would never do such a thing, and I’m ashamed for thinking it. I admire you greatly.”

  Mark stood, and Rhona’s heart nearly stopped. Was he leaving? Had he heard enough and decided to turn away from her?

  He flipped his chair around, so he would face Rhona without a table between them. He scooted his chair even closer and sat beside her. If she put her arms out, she could wrap them around his neck and lay her head on his chest.

  “I cherish your good opinion of me.” Mark touched her cheek, and her stomach sparkled like new snow in moonlight. “Do you know how it came to the print shop?” he asked.

  What she was about to say made her uneasy, but having him closer sparked some bravery. “Yes. I’m not sure you’ll believe me.” Rhona could see her mama over his shoulder smiling and nodding like she was prodding a toddler to take a step.

  “Oh, he’ll believe you,” Mama said.

  At that, Mark pushed his chair back and fell over on the wood floor. He jumped up and faced Mama. “You?”

  “I . . . I couldn’t let my daughter tell you alone.” She folded her hands together. “I’m sorry too.”

  “Your daughter?” Mark looked between the two.

  “To be certain—my own little midge. I took the manuscript. It’s the story of yours I love the most. I put it on the counter. I also wrote the note to make sure it would be published while she was out of town. It was sneaky of me to be sure, but a mother’s love will drive her to do things that seem wrrooo—wronn—er—that seem in poor judgment after the moment. I’m sorry. Sort of. No, I’m sorry for certain sure. Mostly. And now I’ll leave. You have other things to talk about.” In a blink, she was gone.

  Mark seated himself beside Rhona again. This time his chair was side by side and opposite Rhona’s. Her hands shook as she pulled her handbag to the table and withdrew the paper.

  “Did you have a chance to read the flyer?” He leaned very close, and the smell of his shaving soap wafted toward her.

  Unfolding the flyer, she said, “I think you need me.”

  “Yes, I do,” he answered before she had a chance to tell him why she thought so. His voice was earthy and low. He spoke not more than inches away from her cheek.

  It sent chills up her arms and across her scalp. She pressed the open paper to smooth the creases. “There are a number of errors, you see.”

  “Oh? What did you find? He reached a pencil from the table and handed it to her. His hand lingered on it while she took hold
. His eyes seemed to search hers. She noticed hers did the same.

  Why was she still talking to him about the misspellings? She wanted to talk about the future they might have together. “Ah-hem. For such a short announcement, there seem to be a lot of errors.” Or confess her profound love for him. “Frankly, I’m surprised you didn’t notice them.” How did one start that conversation?

  He smiled hugely at her. “Perhaps you could show them to me.”

  He nodded toward the page, and Rhona circled each one. “You might want to gather those other flyers.”

  He smoothed a stray tendril behind her ear where his fingers outlined the edges and then trailed down her jaw. “I must admit. I printed yours separate from the others. Would you mind reading each of the errors to me?”

  Rhona watched the words come out of his lips but only thought of pressing her own against them.

  “Please?” he prodded.

  “Of course.” She found that she’d been leaning toward him and straightened, but Mark adjusted too. He was close enough to kiss. He extended one arm across her lap, resting his hand at her waist, where his fingers drew lazy circles on her hip. It seemed to her that every cell in her body was lit as she tried to focus on reading the errors. “I’m. Sorry. Can. You. Forgive. Me.” Surprise overtook her. She looked from the page to Mark and back again.

  “My darling, Rhona, I’m sorry. Can you forgive me?” Mark’s cheek was against hers as he whispered the message into her ear. “I love you.”

  The words drove into her heart and her mind. The worry of losing him burst, and Rhona pressed her lips to his. Mark’s right hand pulled her toward him and the other cradled the crook of her neck until he pulled her to his chest. Held in his embrace, Rhona forgot everything—where they were, what she had come to do. But it was this that she needed like air.

  When he began kissing her neck, she whispered to him. “I love you too, Mark.”

  His head snapped up, and she thought she saw wonder in his eyes. “You’re beautiful and intelligent and kind. I’m honored, and I’ll cherish your love forever.”

  The breath from Mark’s words blew across her cheek. “I think you’d better kiss me now,” she said, and his head bent to hers.

  Minutes later, Mark said, “I have need of someone to work with me. Would you like the position?”

  “Yes. I can start today.”

  ***

  As Rhona helped serve dinner, customers talked with her about the second chapter that had appeared in the newspaper a couple of days previous.

  “I think my favorite character is the old miner who carried his pick around like a water witch would carry a stick,” a man remarked. His wife interrupted and said, “Every time he hits it into the ground, silver spurts out.”

  “I need one of those picks,” her husband said.

  Rhona thanked them for reading it and left their plates.

  After the dinner rush was over, Rhona began cleaning. Mrs. D’Arcy was still in the room holding an interview. Rhona washed tables and imagined having her own home with Mark. She swept the floor and wondered what their children would look like. She delivered the linens to the laundry room and fantasized about what her wedding night would be like. If Mark’s kiss was any kind of a hint, she knew it was going to be well worth the wait.

  When she returned to the dining room to replace the chairs under the tables, she noticed Mrs. D’Arcy folding a thick stack of bills into her purse followed by dozens of silver coins. She had met with men all evening. Each had handed her cash for tickets to deliver their brides, buy a suit to be married in, and help pay for the wedding just as she had collected from the previous group of men.

  It was only a few days before the mass wedding. How would she get it all done in time?

  Chapter 11

  Mark

  Tuesday morning, KC met Mark on the boardwalk outside the Hearth and Home. “We got the Frog shut down. Ab Helm was plenty mad until we pulled some of that poison out from under his bar. He claims the men who sold it to him didn’t tell him it was anything other than moonshine. He’s offered to help with the investigation in exchange for immunity, of course.”

  “I’m glad that’s solved,” Mark said. “Is the last man going to be okay? I heard Doctor Thomas took him into his home, so he could keep an eye on him.

  “He says the man is doing well.” “Have you learned any more about the rotgut supplier?” Mark asked.

  “Not yet, but I’ve got some leads to follow today.”

  “Good luck,” Mark said.

  KC waved and then turned toward his office across the street.

  When Mark went inside the restaurant for breakfast, the dining room was full, and he sat at the last table. Rhona came over and asked for his order. He requested his usual and said, “Will you join me this morning?”

  “I’d like that very much. I’ll send your order in and be back.”

  “May I also have a vase or pitcher of water?”

  Rhona nodded and delivered his order to the kitchen, returning with a Mason jar of water.

  “Thank you. Just set that on the table.” When she did, Mark took her by the hand and lifted it to his lips, placing a slow kiss on her wrist. “Please, sit with me a moment.” Mark could see questioning in her gaze, but a certain passion lurked there, too. He pulled a bouquet of hot house flowers from a sack and held them out to her. “For you.”

  Her eyes widened. “They’re beautiful. Thank you.” She inhaled the aroma, then placed the flowers in water. Mark claimed her hands again.

  He’d scooted his chair close to hers.

  “Rhona, I want you in my life. I want to work with you each day and ride home with you every night. I want to share your dreams and be the one you talk to about your joys and sorrows.” Although Mama M appeared behind Rhona’s shoulder with her hands clasped to her chest and nodding with a grin on her face, Mark kept Rhona in his sights. “I was living day by day, and my life was empty. Now that I know you, I can see years ahead of me, and I hope you’re in all of them. You’re the reason for my smile and happiness. Rhona, will you marry me?”

  Rhona was nodding before he finished the question. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

  Applause broke out in the dining room, reminding Mark others were there. He jumped to his feet and picked her up, twirling her around. “I’m a lucky man. Thank you, Rhona.” He kissed her and heard Edwin clear his throat.

  Rhona’s brother stood a few feet away with his hands on his hips. “You haven’t asked proper.” The caution in his words practically growled.

  “You’ll not ruin this moment for me, Edwin.” Rhona laughed and kissed Mark’s lips right there in the middle of the room in front of more than a dozen people. “There. You can be sure of my answer—you can ask my brother now.” Then to Edwin she said, “I’m of age, and I choose him. But I’ll let you give consent.”

  Mark’s chest expanded and it felt as if his heart were growing to fill it. “I’ll take care of Rhona in the best way possible. She’ll never want for any necessity. But most importantly, I’ll love her with all my heart.” Love and passion swirled through him, making him dizzy with desire.

  “Aye, you have her family’s blessing. When is the wedding to be?”

  Mark shook Edwin’s hand, then said, “Whenever Rhona says,” at the same time Rhona said, “As soon as possible. I guess we’ll have to talk it over and let you all know.”

  The people clapped again amid shouts of congratulations.

  Mark turned to Rhona. “We’d better get to the newspaper office. It’s past time to open.”

  “She won’t be going with you just now,” Eileen said. “We have wedding plans to talk about. She’ll likely be busy all day since we have Tuesday Tea as well.”

  Mark’s heart stretched toward her, knowing she’d be out of his touch all day.

  “I’ll come after tea,” Rhona assured him. “Wedding plans for a simple ceremony won’t take long. You and I have plans of our own to make.” She winked at him
and then followed her sisters back into the kitchen, taking her flowers with her.

  Chapter 12

  Rhona

  At Tuesday Tea, Rhona arrived a little later than usual to find that everyone was already seated. She quickly chose a cream puff and sat down next to Regina Honeycutt.

  “I’m so happy for you!” Regina said. Rhona felt the surprise on her face, and Regina quickly added, “Your sisters are excited for you and shared the news. I hope that’s all right.”

  “I would never expect Isla to keep that kind of secret. It’s completely fine.”

  Seffi’s face brightened with excitement. “I noticed that we have one more lady requesting the ginger tea this week. Are you feeling all right, Clara?”

  “I’m fine. I’m sure the morning sickness will pass soon.”

  “Congratulations!” rang out from the women there.

  “Our little town will be blessed with many new little ones soon,” Aridane said.

  “Regina, Ariadne, I just have to ask,” Vivian said. “Sunday was the first time I’d heard Mrs. Dionysia D’Arcy speak. I don’t believe she’s from England at all. What do you ladies think?”

  “Definitely not,” Ariadne said.

  “Dreadful fake accent,” Regina added.

  “Why would she lie about where she’s from?” Rhona asked, stunned by their opinions. Her mind turned to other possibilities, each one leaving a deepening sick feeling. “Why indeed? If she’s not who she says she is, what else has she lied about? I wonder if that’s her real name.”

  “I’ve wondered about a few things, too,” Rachel said. “Has she really bought tickets for the women to come? Or sent letters to them from the men? Or paid to rent a room for the wedding? Is it all talk, or is she spending some of the money those men are giving her?”