Virginia felt comforted by that. She thought that he was awfully nice to make such an offer, especially because the men in the newspaper advertised for brides. She theoretically should have been the one offering to make him happy, but she knew that Archie was very excited and wanted to have a bride who would give him love and companionship, so he would do anything it took to please her and keep her with him.
The carriage ride took a while, which made Virginia realize that he did not live in central Missoula Mills, but rather within the wide expanse that surrounded the town. She supposed that owning a ranch meant that he would need an ample amount of land on which to raise and run the cattle. It would be difficult to do such a thing within a busy town.
The ranch that they finally arrived outside of appeared to be quite a big place. Virginia felt a strange kind of pride that her beau owned a place like that. The land contained several little houses and a larger house that must have been where Archie made his home. “I have several ranch hands who live on the land with me, and a housekeeper who helps me with things like meals and keeping things in order.” He smiled at her. “I hope you will feel at home in the house that shall be yours until…”
He paused and looked a bit shy then. Virginia felt tingly. He had not proposed outright to her yet, but she knew that that was what he was alluding to.
“I am sure I will feel quite at home here,” she told him, gazing into his caring eyes. “And I so look forward to getting to know you even better.”
They disembarked from the carriage and he retrieved her bag from the trunk, carrying it to the house that he had chosen for her. It was a small, pretty cottage-like home. It was not large enough for more than about two people to live in comfortably, but it would suit Virginia just fine. She was thrilled whenever she thought about the fact that this was only serving as her temporary home. Soon enough, she would be the new Mrs. Monroe.
Archie entered the house and stayed long enough to place her suitcase inside the living room but then he took his leave so she could have privacy and get comfortable in her new setting. He seemed shy to be in there with her, even though the property still belonged to him. Virginia smiled to herself and admired her new temporary home.
There was a small sitting area with a table, a sofa and some chairs as well as a room for her bed. There was no kitchen, but there was a well behind the house so she could fetch water for cleaning and drinking. Virginia had not planned on eating by herself anyway, so she was perfectly content with her lodgings. As long as she was able to spend the majority of her waking hours with Archie, she did not mind that the small place did not allow for much besides sleeping.
****
After giving Virginia some time to get situated, Archie sent his housekeeper out to her little house to invite her up to the main ranch house. Virginia was glad for the chance for some company; she had ridden so long by herself, after all. Now that she was in Missoula Mills, she longed to spend some time with the beloved gentleman who had sent for her.
The house keeper, Marion, greeted Virginia with a friendly smile. “Mr. Monroe would like you to join him up at the house, Miss Campbell.”
Virginia regaled the housekeeper with tales from her travels as they headed up to the main house. So happy was she to have someone with which to chat that she filled all of the time they walked with anecdotes. Only once they arrived in the foyer of Archie’s mansion did Virginia go quiet.
She gazed around the room that she was led to: a large, ornate sitting room with several tall oak bookshelves lining the walls. She was surprised to see that Archie had bookshelves, considering the fact that he had professed to not be much of a reader. The shelves were not completely full of books, and she had to wonder if perhaps he was leaving that up to her.
“You may wait for him here,” Marion told her. “He will only be but a moment.”
Virginia sat on the sofa and continued to look around the room. The home really was quite lovely; she could see that Archie had done well for himself in Montana. He was an example of a true success story, and she could clearly see what was at stake if the Indians ever took over his land and property. She knew that objects did not really matter in the grand scheme of things, but Archie had worked hard for everything he had. It would be a travesty to lose it all.
Suddenly, Archie strode into the room. He appeared a bit harried, but he smiled when he saw Virginia sitting there and waiting for him. “Sorry, I was outside,” he said to her, giving a little polite bow. “I was not sure how long you would need to rest.”
She smiled at him and patted a seat cushion that was one away from her on the couch. “I did not quite rest so much as explore my new lodgings. I think I am a bit too excited for proper sleep at the moment. I hope that I did not interrupt your work, Archie; I can go back to the house, if you would like.”
Archie walked close to her and sat where she had indicated. It felt nice to have him sitting beside her, even if there was a pronounced space between them. “I did not have that much else scheduled for today,” he confessed to her. “I had planned today as a day for meeting and getting to know you.”
Virginia felt butterflies in her chest. She certainly did not expect for Archie—or any man, for that matter—to put his work aside so that he could become better acquainted with her. She did not think she was exciting enough to require that much time…
“Do you like it here so far?” Archie asked, looking into her eyes and obviously hoping that she would say yes.
“Oh, I do,” she replied. “I think it is wonderful here. So much space, so much opportunity. I only wish that I had been more prepared. You see, I do not know how much my hobbies will fit in here. I am not used to having so much freedom or leisure time.”
Archie nodded. “I see… I know what you mean. It must be a great deal different from the life you led before; the life you left behind. We do not have textile mills here. I cannot remember if we really have much in the way of a tailor’s shop, but there is an orphanage in town that—”
She looked into his eyes, smiling. “Oh, Archie! I remember my dear friend Margaret from back home mentioning that very orphanage to my friends and I before we all made our trips out West! She had suggested that we could reconvene there and work together once again. I would love to spend my time working with the children there—while you are working, of course.”
He nodded kindly. “I know that you are too smart and hard-working to want to just sit and home, day in and day out. Besides, going into town and seeing your friends again will do you a world of good, I reckon. Eventually, you can get to know the town better if you explore a little, but do be safe. Please see that you take my carriage; my driver can accompany you to places, or at least watch out for you.”
Virginia smiled at Archie, delighted that he understood her need for some way to pass the time. She could not rightly go out into the fields with him. She knew how to ride a horse, of course, but she could not tell him the first thing about cattle. She supposed that she would have a great deal to learn from Marion, the housekeeper.
Oh, but working at an orphanage in town—that sounded so wonderful! Not only would this give the chance for Virginia to reconvene with her friends from Boston, but Virginia did long to be a mother someday, and this would provide her with some much-needed experience. She could just imagine all the children’s sweet little faces…
Archie laughed a bit and put his hands on his hips. “Now, don’t tell me that you’re planning to run off and apply for a position just yet,” he said. “I would still like to spend the day with you, if you are interested.”
“Why of course,” Virginia replied, batting her lovely long lashes. “I would not dream of running off on you. How have things been for you since last we spoke? Has the day treated you well?”
Archie nodded a little and proceeded to tell her about how the ranch was faring that season. It seemed that Missoula Mills was in for a hot summer, which tended to make things difficult.
“Oh, but you don’t want t
o worry your sweet head about that,” he said. “I’m quite sure things will turn out alright. They just about always do,” he said with a smile.
Virginia liked his optimism. She found it reassuring, but also somewhat surprising, given that he had been attacked so many times by the Indians. She thought that if such an obstacle had continued for her in her own life, she probably would have given up. But not Archie.
“Would you like to go for a walk with me around my land? The sky is awfully beautiful when the sun is setting.” Archie appeared hopeful. “Or would you like to go for a ride?”
The excitement in his voice betrayed his preference. Virginia knew that he was giving her the choice, but he could not help having a bias. She smiled sweetly at him. “I think a sunset ride would be lovely. I shall go back to my little house and change into something a bit more appropriate.”
It would not do for her to ride through the dust and mud in such attire. She wanted to arrive and be eye-catching, but that was not the object when riding. She had some simpler gowns that would serve for this occasion. It was possible that she could go dress shopping in town while she was out and about, too, though she knew that she would not find much in the way of dress shops in Missoula Mills.
She wondered if she and her friends might be able to change that…
****
As soon as she returned to the mansion, dressed in a simpler white gown with dainty yellow flowers etched into the fabric, Virginia beamed at Archie and gladly took his offered arm. “I have not been riding in some time, so you will have to go easy on me.”
He chuckled as he led her out the back door of his house, out to his stables. “I did not invite you to challenge you,” he said. “I will help you if you need to relearn anything.” He introduced her to his horses and Virginia selected one of the calm mares. Archie helped her sit atop the horse, riding sidesaddle. She clutched the reins for dear life, but they rode at a slow, even pace.
Archie was not wrong about the sunset. The sky was massive in Montana. Its view was something she had never been able to fully appreciate in the crowded city of Boston; out here, however, Virginia could fully admire the majesty of the marvelously-hued sky. She blushed when she realized that, instead of gazing up at the heavens, Archie had been gazing at her as if she was somehow just as beautiful.
It was then that Virginia remembered something.
“You mentioned that you had something for me back at your house,” she said. “When we were at the train station.”
Archie grinned, relieved that she had remembered and brought it to his attention. Though, in truth, he had not been able to stop thinking about it from the moment they met.
“Yes,” he said. “Thank you for reminding me. I will give it to you during dinner, perhaps…If you think you can wait that long.”
Virginia laughed. “I have had to wait for months and months to finally meet you,” she said. “I think I can wait a bit longer.”
They rode around his land until dusk set in. The rolling, grassy hills were beautiful and she wondered why on earth anyone would want to take this hard-earned, hard-worked land away from her beloved. She did not want to think harshly about people she had not met, but the Indians seemed like such brutes. Why didn’t they just use the land that belonged to them?
When they arrived back at the stables, Archie helped Virginia down from of her horse. She shook out her skirts to make sure that dust and horse hair were nowhere to be found, and then she laughed gaily. “I think I had better get cleaned up before dinner,” she said. “And you should, too. We smell like horses.”
He chuckled and nodded. “I usually smell like horses, but I can fix that for you. I promise you that I clean up nicely, when it is required of me.”
Virginia laughed. He was so handsome and kind; there was no doubt in her mind that he would look dashing when he made that extra effort. She had not joined the rancher out West under the false assumption that he would always be clean and never smell like horses or cattle. To be sure, she felt like she might swoon when she saw him in an altogether fancier setting.
Virginia excused herself while Archie put the horses back in their stalls. She went back to her little house to change her dress once more, realizing yet again that it would be much nicer if there was a dress shop in town. As it was, poor Marion would have to wash all of these dresses for her, and it had only been one day!
She had chosen to wear a deep burgundy-colored dress for the evening and noticed her reflection in the looking glass. Virginia was a beauty, though she very rarely saw it in herself. At that moment, however, she felt truly lovely. She hoped that Archie would feel the same. Based on the way that he had looked at her while they were out riding, she felt that she had nothing to fear where that was concerned.
She wondered what it was that he was planning to give to her, but hoped that she had not put him to too much trouble to acquire it. It was wonderful enough just to be with him at long last. Virginia did not need a gift beyond what she had already been given.
****
Virginia returned to Archie’s house as soon as she had changed and freshened up. She wore her long blonde hair down, her curls carefully brushed out and on display. She waited for him in the living room once more; when arrived a few moments later, his jaw nearly dropped to the floor, and Virginia could not help but giggle a bit. For his part, he looked very attractive. He had ditched his more rugged attire for a crisp, clean suit. He looked more like a gentleman than a rancher and she appreciated that he had made an effort to look more presentable. Not that she was thinking that she was deserving of finery; it just made spending some romantic time together all the better.
“You look incredibly beautiful,” Archie said to her, giving her a polite bow.
“And you look quite handsome,” Virginia responded, smiling.
He approached her, but instead of sitting beside her, he knelt on the floor at her feet. “I was thinking of doing this during dinner, but I am afraid that I cannot wait any longer.” He took Virginia’s hand in his, stroking it gently with his thumb. Her hand looked so delicate being held in his weathered one; she did not have the hands of a laborer, and he hoped to keep it that way.
Virginia tilted her head a bit at Archie, not knowing what had come over him, but was completely elated when she tried to guess.
“Miss Virginia Campbell, would you please do me the supreme honor of being my wife?” Archie reached into a small pocket of his shirt and produced a shiny gold ring from it. The ring sparkled with a small diamond.
She brought her hands to her face. Even though it was happening, she could not believe that it was finally real! “Oh!” she cried, tears rolling down her cheeks. Virginia could not remember the last time she was this happy. “Yes! I would love to be your wife.”
Beaming happily, Archie placed the engagement ring onto her finger. Then they stood up and hugged each other. “We will get married in three days. Is that alright with you?”
Virginia nodded. Her cheeks hurt from smiling so much, but it was a glorious sort of pain. “Yes,” she said. “That will give me enough time for all of this to maybe feel real.”
Her mind raced excitedly with all of the things she hoped to do and plan. She knew that she was going to need a gown, and she wondered what her friends were up to. There was a chance that at least one of them had made it to Montana by now. Oh, there was almost too much happiness for her to take!
When she went back to her cottage after dinner, Virginia found that she could hardly sleep; she was far too giddy and anxious to be able to relax her mind. For a while, she read one of the books that she had brought along on her journey, but then she realized the perfect thing that would lead to good dreams: she brought out her collection of letters from Archie and read through all of them again. Knowing what she now knew made his words all the sweeter.
It would not be long now until she was Mrs. Archie Monroe. She wondered, as she drifted off to sleep, if any of her friends would be able to be in attendance. W
hat wonderful news she would have to tell them, if they were unable to be there!
****
The following day was quite different. Archie had to get back to his work, which meant that Virginia needed to find a way to pass the time by herself. She decided to go into town and explore a little, mainly focusing on locating the orphanage that they had discussed. She did not see many people while she was wandering around, which was a big change from walking the bustling streets of Boston. She took note of the other homes in the area and the businesses that were available to her, and finally, sure enough, Virginia found the orphanage.
It was a rather large building–for the town–and it stood next to a small, red schoolhouse that Virginia could only describe as adorable. Smiling, she marched right into the orphanage to apply for any position they had available.
“Hello,” she said to a woman who was sitting at a front desk in the lobby. “I’m Miss Virginia Campbell. I was told that there are positions available here at the orphanage?”
The woman was older, with graying hair and gold-rimmed glasses. She looked like a such a kind soul, and she smiled when Virginia introduced herself so politely.
“Well, aren’t you a pretty young thing!” the woman said. “How old are you?”
Virginia blushed a bit. “I am twenty-two, soon to be twenty-three. I am from Boston.”
“Boston?” the woman asked her, sounding surprised but not unhappy. “Are you married?”
It felt a bit impertinent, but Virginia understood the reasoning for the question. It was unusual to be a single woman out West. As far as Virginia was aware, there were no unwed women there unless they were not yet of age.
“I am engaged,” she replied, making sure that her shiny new ring was in view for the lady. “I moved here from Boston because of a proposal.”
The lady smiled at that. Apparently, that was a satisfactory answer. “We hear that a lot,” she said. “It was good of you to come today. We do indeed have several openings. My name is Mrs. Kline.” She rose from her chair behind the desk and offered her hand to Virginia.
Annie: A Bride For The Farmhand - A Clean Historical Western Romance (Stewart House Brides Book 3) Page 36
