“What is it?” he replied softly.
“Can she be a part of our family?”
“What? What do you mean?”
“Well… we’re not traditional, you and me. So can she be part of our non-traditional family?”
“Really?”
“Yes. I think I could like having another woman in the house and I really liked her.”
“I think I could be convinced, and I actually think she could be as well. Ms. March might be a different story, but I will deal with that.”
Lilly laughed boisterously, “You think she hates us now. Just wait! I’d love to see the look on her face when you tell her.”
Greyson laughed and wrapped his arms around her to hold her close.
“Lilly?” he whispered, “I think we’re going to work out just fine.”
Much to Lilly’s surprise, Victoria readily accepted their offer. Ms. March ended up tendering her resignation but they would find another housekeeper who was more amenable to their lifestyle. Victoria was thrilled with her ring, it almost matched Lilly’s but instead of emeralds it had sapphires to match her eyes.
Greyson realized that he had had feelings for Victoria for a long time, but had been so gun shy about commitment with someone who knew who he was, that he had overlooked any possibilities.
The arrangements worked out very well indeed. Within the first year, Greyson had remodeled the entire second floor of the house. He designed it with two master suites and a private room in between. He used the private room on his “nights off” and for the closet space. And each woman had her own master suite decorated to her personal taste.
Since Greyson still had a business and a ranch to run, the two women developed quite the intimate friendship and managed to keep each other smiling and entertained in his absences.
One evening, in between business trips, Greyson took up his favorite chair on the back porch and let Daisy crawl up into his lap for long-awaited love.
“You know Daisy, you’re still my first love.” He grinned down at the loving face in front of him.
Lilly and Victoria laughed from behind him, “Oh really? Is that so? We may have something to change your mind.”
Daisy gave them a glare but did not leave his lap.
“Change my mind? What on earth did the two of you have in mind?”
“Do you remember that evening a few months ago, before you left to spend the month in New York?” Lilly teased him playfully.
He grinned and felt his groin tighten with the memory. “Yes, very well. Why?”
“Well, you gave us a souvenir before you left.” Victoria chimed in with the taunting.
“A souvenir? Before I left?” Greyson was completely confused by the two women in his life, and Daisy was no help in sorting out their little inside joke.
“How would you feel about being a father?”
Greyson’s deep brown eyes widened. “Seriously? I’m going to be a dad? Which one?”
His cocoa queen and his blonde bombshell looked at each other, and broke into gales of giggles.
“Both of us.”
THE END
The Cowboy Billionaire’s Mail Order Bride
Chapter one
“I know that this is a terrible time for you, Emma but I think you’re doing the right thing. Getting on that boat and getting some distance is exactly what you need to find a little closure. There are too many memories here. You can’t blame yourself, it wasn’t your fault. It could’ve happened to anyone.” My mother Edith was going to miss me, but I felt like this was my only option. There was no other way. I was used to a certain style of living and I wasn’t going to find it by staying here.
My world had crumbled down around me and it had happened, so suddenly that it was almost like a bad dream.
I woke to the sound of coughing and I saw that my husband Jasper was now on the floor gasping for air. The flames were billowing all around and I could barely see anything through the acrid smoke that was now burning my lungs. I had a choice to make and if I had to do it all over again, I would have.
I left my husband, hoping that I would get back in time to save him, but my main concern was my little daughter Laura. I found the door hot, scorching and burning my fingers, but I did not let that deter me. I pulled it open with the whoosh of the flame throwing me back at least 5 feet. I landed heavily, but I scrambled to my feet and moved cautiously with my head down. I grabbed a shirt near the door and placed it over my mouth.
“Emma, you have to know that you did everything you could. Nobody blames you. If you blame yourself, then you have to learn to forgive. You might not think that you can and you might not think that you deserve it, but you do.”
I had on my nightshirt and I stumbled over the end of it a couple of times, but I managed to stay on my feet. I was losing consciousness, but I could see my final destination ahead. Her door was slightly ajar and I felt this sort of calm come over me like I had never felt before.
“This is the right time to get away. I’m not sure if I agree with what you’re doing, but this is not my decision. You’ve been through a traumatic time and you have to do what you need to do to heal. Your father would’ve been here, but you know how he is with goodbyes. He knows that you won’t be back for some time and I guess he feels like you’re abandoning the family. I’m sorry that you had to go through this, but I think that you’ll come out of it stronger than ever.” She was my rock during this time, but even her love and my father’s caring arms could not take away the pain that I was feeling.
I got into my daughter’s room and I knew immediately upon seeing her on the bed that she was gone. I tried to reach for her, but the flames were too high and then my only hope vanished, as the entire ceiling came down. I was barely able to move away from the carnage. I thought that this was god’s way of punishing me for not being, as religious as I should’ve been. I’d stepped away from the catholic lifestyle and maybe I did get caught up in material things.
“The boat will be here soon. I just hope that you know what you’re doing. I know that we’ve gone over this a million times, but I still think that maybe you’re making a rash decision. The American west in 1860 is not a nice place for strangers from a strange land.” I could see that the white hair on her head was due to the first few years of dealing with a precocious child like me.
I made it back to the bedroom, but once again I was too late. He was lying there, but he did not die of smoke inhalation. What took him was the fire that had now consumed him. I don’t know why I didn’t hear him scream, but maybe it was for the best. That image alone would haunt me for the rest of my life, no matter if I found happiness or not. It wasn’t like I could go back and even if I could, I’m not sure that I would’ve made any decisions differently. My life would always be with my child and I think in the end any mother would agree with my assessment.
“You really did scare us, Emma. I know that you said that you didn’t mean to, but I’m still not sure if I believe you. Emma, if you really did stay in there and want to die, then I’m glad that they didn’t allow you to do that. Those people were a godsend. They came to your rescue and I only wished that they could have done the same thing for Jasper and Laura. Unfortunately, it was their time and god wanted them back at his hand. We may not understand it, but god does work in mysterious ways.”
I felt the hands of someone pulling me from the house and I struggled to stop them. I wanted to die. It wasn’t like I had anything left to live for. My husband was dead, my child was dead and everything that I had was gone. In the blink of an eye a raging fire destroyed my heart and broke it into pieces that I wouldn’t be able to put back together again.
They found me with the bible clutched in my hands, burned into the fabric of the leather bound volume. I don’t even know how I got my hands on it. It was in the dresser. I don’t remember reaching in, but I must’ve at some point.
Standing here with my mother and watching the boat in the distance get closer; I know that this i
s the best for everyone. My mother and father may not say so, but they were getting a little sick and tired of hearing me mope and moan. It had been almost a month. Even after the fire, it didn’t end there. Bills began to pile up and my parents tried to help out, but it became an effort in futility. Jasper was the bread winner of the family and he wasn’t around anymore.
“Mother, I appreciate everything that you and father have done. I just don’t have anything left here. I wasn’t sure about my decision to become a mail order bride, but Lucas is a good man. He needs help in dealing with his niece. I’m sure that there’s going to be an adjustment, but at least I won’t have the constant painful reminders all around me.” I moved my hands through my long chestnut hair. It was pulled back into a bun and I looked more matronly than I wanted to.
“Emma, you do what you have to do, but remember you still have family back here in England.” I was the younger version of my mother. We were the same height at 5 foot 10, 120 pounds and the kind of figure that was making every guy look at us at this very moment. They probably thought that they were being subtle, but their leering gaze was not lost on either one of us. My mother might have been older, but she still had the body of a 20 year old. There were even times that people had mistaken us for sisters.
“I know that you’re here and you don’t know how important family is to me. I think I proved that with trying to save mine. Do you know to this day that I really thought that I had a chance of saving both of them? How stupid is that? I actually thought that I could beat the blazing inferno that was hell bent on taking my life for a ride that I will never forget. I also forsake god, but then I realized that things happen for a reason. I still don’t know what this reason is, but I’m sure that eventually it will become clear.” The horn of the boat told everybody that it was time to embark on a new adventure. The American west was where I was going to go. Texas was where I was going to find my next home.
I could only hope that the land that my husband had would go to good owner. With the sale of the land, I was able to pay back the debts, but it left me very little in the coffers. Even the suitcase that I was carrying was not of my taste. I’d got it from a used store of all places. I will admit that it was functional, but ugly as sin.
I stepped up to the gangplank. I looked back at my mother, who was standing there with a tear in her eye. I was tempted to just stay and weather the storm of my grief. I made a deep sigh, turned around and I promised myself that I would not turn back for anything. This was my destiny. Even though fate was fickle, I still had to abide by the cards that were dealt to me.
I had no money for a stateroom. I had to slum and with the locals down into the bowels of the ship. It was humid and the room was only big enough for a bed. I sat down heavily, put my face into my hands and I wept openly for at least an hour. This was very new for me. I had never gone out of the city of England, let alone out of the country. I was sheltered, as a child that is until my father fell on hard times due to an injury. It was time to find a new life and I could only hope that Lucas would be as promised.
Chapter two
I was used to the best of everything, but now that I was a widow. I really didn’t have much to call my own. I stayed in my room most of the time and only ventured out into the boat to find something to eat from time to time. I felt completely isolated from the rest of the world. At that moment it was exactly what I needed to find some peace of mind.
I heard the announcement that we were arriving in the port of Texas. I certainly wasn’t looking forward to this, but it was a necessary evil. I did enjoy the letter that I’d gotten from Lucas. He seemed like a good man, but anybody can say anything in a letter. After all, you are pretty much anonymous, until that final day that you meet face to face.
I was standing at the gangplank, looking around to see if I could find him and maybe ascertain if he was truly what I was looking for or not.
“This is a new life for you, Emma. We talked about this at length during the trip over here, but you’ve always seen a little distant. I can understand why and losing your family like that must’ve taken the wind out of your sails. I may not be coming here, as a mail order bride, but I am coming here with virtually nothing to my name.” Janice was another English transplant that was looking for a new life. She had decided to become a maid and I just hoped that she knew what she was doing. Then again, how could I cast stones, when I was doing something equally as risky.
“It’s been very nice talking to you Janice. I hope that we can stay in touch, but I’ll understand if we drift apart. I did notice that where you’re living is only a little while from where I’m at. The Steele ranch is about 50 acres of prime real estate. I think that Lucas would’ve been able to take care of his niece, had it not been for the fact that he also owns several other properties that he manages. He can’t always have her under foot. I think it takes a strong woman with a background in mothering to really know what the child is going to need.”
“It helps that you and her have something in common. You both can use your loss to find common ground. I hope we do see each other again, Emma. It’s been a pleasure, but I do believe I see my ride.” She’s pointing in the distance and I could see a stagecoach with a man dressed impeccably, but he didn’t look particularly nice in my opinion. The wife was dressed demurely. She had her eyes down and I could tell that she was trying to hide the fact that she had been abused in some way. I saw no visible signs of bruises, but verbal abuse can be just as bad, as physical. I didn’t want that for Janice, but there wasn’t all that much that I could do to stop her from starting this new chapter in her life.
I was looking for a man and a small young girl, but apparently he had come alone. Before I knew it, he had grabbed my wrist and I looked down to see that he was holding me with such a force that I thought for sure that he was going to break it. “I really don’t have time for this, Miss White. I have things to do and my mother can’t continue to baby sit for Nancy. We really do need to get going.” I felt a little rushed. He didn’t give me time to adjust or even get to know this man on any sort of level.”
He made me feel like I was some kind of possession that he owned and that he was going to take regardless if I said yes or no. He had taken my luggage without even asking and I thought that I was going to be dealing with a gentleman. As it was, he was crass, didn’t smell very nice, but on the other side of the coin he was pleasant to look at. If I had my choice, I would shave that ungodly beard off of his face, but maybe he was just a work in progress.
As he was pulling me away from the crowd, I was getting winded. If I didn’t know any better, I would think that I was wearing some kind invisible leash. I didn’t get a chance to say anything and I had my mouth open for some kind of rebuttal, but I didn’t get a chance to say it.
I did notice that his hands were calloused and that he was obviously used to manual labor and putting a lot of hard work into a farm. “I’ve got to rustle my cattle and get them ready for market. Coming here and picking you up, Emma has been a terrible inconvenience. It has put me back a least a few hours. I just can’t stand having things to do and not enough time to do them.” He was frustrated and I was going to take what he was doing to me with a grain of salt.
I did have to admit that his manly and yet forceful way was kind of getting to me. I’d never had a man touch me like that and it was causing an undue side effect between my legs. I didn’t expect to find him attractive, but in a rough and ready kind of way, he was exactly the opposite of what my husband Jasper used to be. Perhaps, I was looking for something different. Something that was unlike me and I had to say that this guy was ticking all the boxes.
“Lucas, I’m really getting tired of you pulling me like this. I can walk on my own.” I finally wrenched free from his grasp, rubbing my wrist and showing him that I was little uncomfortable with the way that he was manhandling me. Unfortunately, my mind was also conjuring up images of what it would be like to be manhandled in a different way. I’d never had
anything like that and the very idea was quite interesting to say the least. “I know that I’m here just to look after your niece Nancy. I think we can agree that marriage is a big step.” He didn’t give me a chance to finish my thought. He produced a ring and slipped it on to my finger without even getting down on his knees.
“I promised you a ring and here’s a ring. Now, if we are through with the 20 questions can we please get going?” Even though he said please, it didn’t feel like he was being sincere about it. He was wearing a black duster, black hat and cowhide leather gloves that really made him look like he was a villain about to rob a bank.
His eyes were cold, but I think that was more to do with the fact that he was in a rush to get me back to his place. “I thought that there might be more romance involved. You did say that you liked walking by a serene river and listening to your own thoughts. You said that you liked to hold hands and get to know a woman in a more than physical way. It was your words that swayed me to give you a chance and the fact that you lost your brother and I lost my family made me think that we had a little in common.
He turned abruptly and grabbed both from my wrists at the same time. “I only said that because I was desperate to find somebody. I do have a niece Nancy and to be honest, I just need a woman’s touch to finally get through to this kid. She is always making me angry, breaking things and throwing tantrums. I’m getting sick and tired of being treated like a second class citizen in my own home. I have no delusions about love. I didn’t think it was possible and I’m not looking for anything that is more than just a commitment to look after Nancy.”
There was no carriage and my luggage had to be put onto the horse in front of me, while he got in behind and put his hands around me to grab the reins. He slapped it heavily against the horses hide and it took off in a gallop that made me almost go flying off. It was a good thing that I was in the front, or I would’ve been on the ground with some serious injuries.
He wasn’t kidding about being in a hurry. I didn’t even know that horses could go that fast. The countryside was going by, so fast that I didn’t even get a chance to enjoy it. We arrived at this grey house and I could see this woman holding this little girl’s hand. The girl was wearing this summer yellow and white dress, tugging at the woman’s hand and putting up a fight that was worthy of the woman with attitude.
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