Will’s own honey eyes met hers, and he offered her a soft smile, handing the hat over. His calloused fingers brushed her smooth, milky white skin, and a soft pink blush came to her freckled cheeks.
“It’s always my pleasure to help a beautiful woman like yourself.”
She smiled behind her hand, trying to cover up the pinkness in her cheeks. Women often blushed around Will. He was a tall man with broad shoulders and intense golden-colored eyes that seemed to see straight through a person. He had a strong build but a gentle touch and a boyish smile that was accentuated by his fairly long, sandy blonde hair. He could have any woman he wanted in Chicago, but Will wanted a Godly woman with strong faith. A pure soul meant more than a pretty face.
The woman smiled and tucked some hair behind her ear. “You shouldn’t flirt with an engaged woman,” she chastised gently, still smiling.
“I didn’t see a ring. I didn’t know you were engaged. You should give your fiancé a good tongue lashing when you see him for letting you out here on your own,” he said with a chuckle.
“I will as soon as I find him.”
Will paused and glanced at her. “What’s his name? Maybe I can help you find him.”
“Do you know a lot of people in this town?”
“It’s a small town,” he pointed out.
She nodded, looking around for a moment before meeting his gaze again. “His name is William Farr.”
Will fell silent, stunned by his luck. This was just the woman he’d prayed for. A slow grin spread across his face. He stepped forward, offering his arm to the woman.
“I suppose it was all right for me to flirt with you, then.”
Her eyes widened, and she let out a nervous little laugh as she took his arm. “You’re William?”
Will offered her a tilt of his hat and smiled. “Just call me Will.”
“Will. I like it. It’s a very strong name.”
“Will and Rebekah. It has a nice sound to it, doesn’t it?”
She chewed her lip and nodded. “It does.”
Just because marriage was an agreement and more business than anything didn’t mean that they were inclined to hate each other. Will was lucky enough to be blessed with a gorgeous wife. Who’s to say she wasn’t also kind?
He smiled and patted her hand gently. “Would you like to see your new home?”
“I’d love to. The train ride was so long. I must admit I am rather exhausted,” she said, fanning herself with a delicate hand.
Will looked her up and down, taking in her delicate frame and smooth skin. She probably wasn’t going to be able to help him much on the ranch, but that was all right as long as she could manage the garden and the house.
He led her past the train station and to the public stables where his horse was happily eating from a trough. Rebekah seemed a little uneasy around the horse, and Will couldn’t help his laugh.
“Do horses make you nervous?”
“A bit,” she admitted with a small smile. “We never really rode them in New York. Sometimes we would take carriages during the winter, but we mostly walked. I used to ride a bike, but mother told me it was unladylike and made me stop.”
He smiled a little and took her hand. “The definition of a lady is very different out here, Rebekah. Women work like men and ride horses, too, though I’ve never seen anyone on a bicycle,” he said, pointing to the stirrup. “Put your foot there.”
She did as he said and gripped the reins with the other hand. “Now what?”
“On the count of three, throw your other leg over the horse. Ready? One. Two.Three.” He grunted but managed to get her over the other side of the horse when she was seated and ready to ride she wore a bright grin.
“It’s so tall,” she gasped.
Will smiled and nodded, throwing himself up onto the horse as well. He’d replaced his usual saddle with a blanket today, knowing that they would both have to ride the horse back to the ranch. Will nudge the horse, and the black stallion trotted out of the stable and out onto the dirt road that would eventually lead them home. Rebekah seemed a bit unsteady at first but eventually got comfortable with the movements of the horse.
As they rocked from side to side with each trot, Will found himself grinning and thanking God for delivering such a perfect wife. It finally seemed like he was on his way to getting the family he’d always wanted. A small nagging thought came to Will’s mind, however. He couldn’t figure out why such a seemingly perfect woman would come all the way out to Montana. Was she running from something? He pushed that thought from his mind, knowing that he should have been grateful, no suspicious, for this blessing.
Chapter Three
A few weeks passed, and Will was more than pleased with his soon-to-be wife. She was a good woman with a pleasant demeanor and a love for the church. Her eyes lit up the first Sunday morning service they'd went to. By the time that first service came around, they were wed. Rebekah insisted in a quiet ceremony, and Will was pleased with her modesty. Moving to Montana and investing in the ranch ate into most of Will’s savings, and he didn’t have much money for an extravagant wedding.
Everyone in their little town seemed just as impressed by Rebekah as Will was. The children loved her, and the men all congratulated him on finding such a fine wife. She was quick to make friends with most of the other wives, many of whom were also mail-order brides.
Rebekah seemed relieved that there were women just like her. She'd admitted that she was afraid she would be an outcast among the wives because of the fact that she was a mail-order bride.
Many women in the cities saw being a mail-order bride something to be ashamed of. It often meant that you weren't able to find a husband in your own town. In the West, however, the business of mail-order brides was a necessary one and easily understood by the town folk. None of the women who'd traveled to Montana from other cities were seen as less pure or unworthy of a husband.
Will never considered this before and was truly surprised that so many women in the cities were so opposed to the trade. This was a wonderful opportunity for some women who didn't have any other options. Even though he didn't understand it, he was happy to see that her fears were unfounded and the other women liked her.
The only person in town who didn't like Rebekah was a woman by the name of Mary-Anne. Everyone reckoned Mary-Anne didn't care for Rebekah because she fancied Will. She was married to one of the older men in town and was clearly unhappy with God's plan for her. Mary-Anne clearly did not care about her sacred vows to Peter because she was often seen running around town with much younger, self-righteous men. She considered herself above God's law, and for that reason, she was an outcast within the town.
Mary-Anne tried many times to draw Will away from his path and did everything she could to tempt him. Will never fell for it because of the strength that came from prayer. It was a sin to covet his neighbor’s wife, and Will was not a man who sinned freely.
Rebekah now had what Mary-Anne wanted for so long, and that didn't sit well with the tall, dark haired woman. Mary-Anne was a beautiful woman but that beauty just hadn't been enough to convince Will to fall in love with her. Now the man she'd desired so badly was married to a beautiful young woman who he'd surely fall in love with. Rebekah seemed to be perfect—seemed to be, anyway.
Despite the obvious tension between herself and Mary-Anne, Rebekah was still kind to her and even offered her sweets on occasion, which Mary-Anne always refused without fail. As Rebekah kneeled into the soft, damp earth, she sighed, sure that Mary-Anne would refuse the stew she was making for Sunday dinner at the church.
Even though Mary-Anne’s reactions were always a more than a little sour, Rebekah continued to offer her nothing but kindness. She’d always grown up hearing that one should kill their enemy with kindness. Mary-Anna would eventually get tired of being so angry all the time.
Her pale fingers were beginning to darken thanks to the dirt she always seemed to be digging into. She couldn’t help much with the livestock or the more
physically demanding chores around the ranch, but she could help in the garden. She’d never really done any manual labor before but took to it rather quickly. She enjoyed gardening, and she loved the feeling of seeing something she cultivated grow and thrive.
She buried her hands into the damp soil like she’d done so many times before and gasped, yanking her hands back as a sharp prick of pain radiated through her fingers. When she pulled her hands out of the dirt, small rivulets of blood were starting to mix with the pitch black soil.
Rebekah stared at her fingers with wide eyes, unaware of her husband who wandered into the garden to check on her. As soon as he saw the fresh blood on her hands, he ran over to her and gripped her bloodied hand. He ripped his canteen from his belt and splashed fresh water on the wounds, washing the dirt and blood away.
“Rebekah, what on earth happened?” he asked, brows furrowed together.
The redhead glanced down at the soft patch of dirt she’d dug into and whimpered at the sight of large shards of glass sticking up out of the freshly dug hole. Will followed her line of sight and a certain amount of anger rose inside his gut. The glass was placed very deliberately in hopes that someone would dig into the garden and cut themselves.
Rebekah’s hand throbbed with pain as blood continued to ooze from her wounds. Will helped her stand and led her into the kitchen through the back door. A cool pail of water sat on the counter near the large sink, and he dipped her hands inside of it.
“That’s for dinner, darling.” she whispered weakly.
“I’ll get us more. This is more important,” Will said, cleaning her hands thoroughly.
He used one of his old shirts to make a makeshift bandage and tore it into small strips, wrapping them around her hands with tender care. Even though they didn’t fall in love in the traditional sense, Will was developing very strong feelings for Rebekah. He hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly, but he wasn’t going to fight it. This was clearly part of some bigger plan.
When her hands were completely wrapped up, Will looked up at her, frowning deeply and cupping her cheek.
“Rebekah, do you know who might have done this?”
She stared at him, her eyes wide and full of fear. She wasn’t just afraid of the glass in the garden. There was something more behind her eyes, though he couldn’t put his finger on it.
“No,” she answered after a long moment of hesitation. It was clearly a lie, but he decided it was best not to push it.
He nodded and wrapped his arms around her. “I’ll ask around town, see if anyone saw anything or heard anything.”
“No,” she said quickly, pulling away and looking at him with wide eyes. “No.”
He frowned deeply and rubbed her shoulder. “Why? We can’t just let people go around hurting others. What if this happened to a child?”
Rebekah swallowed thickly but didn’t answer for a moment. “I just don’t want to cause any problems.”
“It’s not going to cause any problems. We need to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else.”
“Right, of course.”
Will nodded and pulled her close. “Now let’s lie you down. I’m sure it was a shock,” he said, referring to the cuts to her hand.
She nodded leaning into him and following him up the stairs. Both of them thought they knew who did this—but they were both thinking of different people entirely.
Chapter Four
After the incident in the garden, Rebekah spent most of her time in the house. Will pulled up all of their crops from the small garden and tilled the soil, looking for any remaining shards of glass. A few days after he’d pulled up all the glass, he’d met with Peter to ask about Mary-Anne. Will was convinced that she’d come into the garden and planted the glass, but Peter assured him that she was with him that entire day. Will didn’t seem convinced but let go, especially after Rebekah begged him to.
It took a good two weeks for Rebekah to recover from the shock of the attack, but when she did, she came back full force. As she worked around the house humming to herself, Will could have sworn she was glowing, and he’d soon find out why.
Just as Will was falling for Rebekah, she found herself enamored with him. He was a good man and a hard worker. He wasn’t anything like the men in the city. Will respected her and saw her as an equal and genuinely seemed to care for her and that made her news all the more exciting.
They were sitting on the porch together, sharing fresh apples from their small orchard and watching the sunset. This time spent together was normally one of silent reflection and prayer, but Rebekah decided to break the silence today. She was sure that Will would forgive her. The moment was too perfect to ignore.
“I think you’re going to get that family you always wanted,” she said softly.
Will turned to her, brow furrowed in confusion for a moment. He wasn’t sure what she meant. It took a moment for him to realize exactly what she was saying, but when it finally clicked his jaw went slack and his eyes widened.
“You’re going to have a baby?” he whispered.
Rebekah nodded and tucked some hair behind her ear. “God has blessed us with a child, William.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, sitting up and reaching out to press his calloused hands against her belly.
“I am sure. I haven’t gone to the doctor, but he won’t be able to tell until much later. I have been sick in the mornings, and every little smell makes my stomach roll. I know I’m pregnant. Call it a woman’s intuition,” she said, putting her own hand over his. “You’re going to be a father, Will.”
Will prayed for this moment to come since their wedding night. He was trying not to get his hopes up because he knew it could take months or even years to be blessed with a child. He hadn’t expected it to happen so soon. They’d been married for a little over three months now, and although he was thrilled about the news, he was in shock as well.
“We’re going to have a baby,” he whispered, looking up at her with bright eyes.
Will wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a tender kiss, cupping her cheek and pressing their foreheads together.
“Thank you, Rebekah. This is the most wonderful gift you could have ever gotten me. I’ve never wanted anything as bad as I wanted to be a father. I couldn’t be luckier that you’ll be there by my side, raising our beautiful children.”
A moment of silence passed between them and Rebekah chewed her lip. “Do you still think of our marriage as a contract? As a business arrangement?” she asked, her eyes wet with unshed tears.
A slow smile came across his face, and he shook his head, running his thumb across her wind kissed cheek.
“I haven’t thought of our marriage as a contract in a very long time. The moment I saw you, I knew I was going to fall in love with you.”
Will could have sworn he saw a look of guilt run across her face, but he decided to ignore it for now. This moment was far too happy to ruin with heavy questioning. Rebekah wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close, all but melting in his embrace. They fit together perfectly, and in that moment they both knew that they were made for each other.
“Thank you, Will. Thank you for everything. This is the life I always wanted. I never thought I could be happy like this. I never thought I’d find love as perfect as this.”
He chuckled softly and rubbed her back adoringly. “You don’t have to thank me, Rebekah. I am just blessed to have you here with me.”
Guilt wrenched at her gut, and Rebekah couldn’t help but wonder how blessed Will would feel if he knew the truth.
Chapter Five
Word spread around town fast that Rebekah was with child. It was a small town, and news traveled like wildfire, especially the news of a new baby. Births were an exciting thing for the entire town, and everyone joined in to help the two young newlyweds prepare for their bundle of joy.
The women in town were happy to offer any advice they could, even if some of it was slightly terrifying for a new mother
to hear. When Rebekah started to get nervous about having her baby, the woman just reminded her to be thankful it wouldn’t be a winter birth. Although that did little to alleviate her fears, she was thankful for the advice nonetheless.
The entire town showered them with gifts. Even Pete and Mary-Anne dropped by to offer them a small bassinet. It was stunningly beautiful and hand carved by Pete for the baby he and Mary-Anna were supposed to have. He decided to offer it to Will instead, a silent apology for Mary-Anne’s behavior.
Mary-Anna accompanied her husband to congratulate Will and Rebekah, though she never actually offered any well wishes. She just stared Rebekah down, her eyes burning with a hatefulness and anger that made Rebekah squirm. She’d been nothing but kind to Mary-Anne, but she was starting to suspect that her kindness wasn’t going to get her anywhere with the other woman.
Once they left Rebekah looked up at Will and sighed. “I don’t think that woman is ever going to let you go, Will.”
“Don’t you worry about her. She’s just a confused woman who’s lost her way. She’ll find her path again. We just need to try and forgive her.”
Rebekah nodded, knowing that her husband was right. She knew God would guide Mary-Anne back to the light, but she was slightly terrified of what might happen before Mary-Anne could find her way, and Rebekah had every right to be.
Mary-Anne watched Rebekah like a hawk. No matter where the woman went and no matter what she did, there was a sense of being watched. Mary-Anne was always just around the corner waiting for Rebekah to slip up. No one was that perfect, and Mary-Anne was going to discover the secrets she was hiding.
The only strange thing Mary-Anne noticed about Rebekah’s behaviors was the way she snuck out once a week to send out mail. It was clearly letters she didn’t want her husband seeing or knowing about, and that got Mary-Anne curious. Were they love letters of some sort? Was she pregnant with another man’s child? What sort of sordid secret did those letters hide? Mary-Anne couldn’t be sure but she was going to find out.
One morning she watched Rebekah sneak out of the house and hand off the letters to the post man. Once she went back into the house, Mary-Anne followed the postman on horse, staying just a little behind him. When he stopped a nearby saloon, it gave her enough time to dig through the bag he’d left on his horse and retrieve the small stack of letters Rebekah sent out that morning.
Regency Romance: Fallen Duchess (A Historical Victorian Murder Mystery Love Regency Romance) Page 9
