With this new distraction on his mind, Ron found it much easier to focus on the activities of the ranch. The morning of the party though, just after the final fitting of his new suit Ron saw a small patch of dust rise down the road. It was a rider, and has he grew closer Ron saw that he was indeed carrying a bag of mail. Ten minutes later Ron found himself back in his living room holding a singular piece of mail. It was a magazine of some sort. He kept it down on the table and stared at it. Then, in one swift motion he picked it up and tope apart the packaging. It was a catalog of some sort accompanied by a letter.
“Dear Mr Kranson,
We thank you for your letter and would want you to know we only cater to clients with the most discerning taste. We have also sent you a catalogue as requested. Each individual in the catalogue has been personally interviewed by the company president and we assure you of higher standards than any of our competitors. When you have made a selection, please send us a telegram along with a money order for the advance and your bride shall reach within a week accompanied by a man from our company who shall handle the paperwork. We look forward to your reply and wish you a joyous married life.
Yours Faithfully
Richard Laver”
He got up to make himself a drink. It was early in the day but this felt like an occasion of sorts. There was a chance this would be the moment he would see his future wife. He still didn’t like the fact that he was romanticizing the transaction but he couldn’t help himself. As he set the drink beside the catalogue and picked up the thin booklet he let out a long sigh and opened the first page.
He was expecting there to be pictures right from the start but was pleased to find that the catalogue started with an extremely detailed FAQ section. As he scanned through it, he was impressed by how it tackled several tricky issues and he did start to feel a sense of honesty in the running of the company. One of the questions was ‘How would you feel if it was your daughter or sister that was advertising here’. He was very impressed that the question was in there in the first place. The answer was simple. “I would be totally fine with it if it was what she had chosen. Marriage is a rocky prospect and I would want her to have the best shot at success. If her information is honest than it would help her connect to someone who is appreciative of her qualities, the fact that they would be paying good money in the marriage also points to them being stable.”
There were other similarly controversial questions, each answered with deft and what seemed like an honest pen. Questions like age, nationality, what to expect were clearly answered. The best salient feature was that this company openly seemed to say that people who were just looking for sex slaves should stay away. That sentiment came across rather clearly in multiple answers.
By the time Ron flipped the pages and got to the first picture, he was sold on the concept. Now, all that was needed was to find a woman that was close enough to the one he had imagined. Each turn of the page gave him two new choices but some pages he skipped over rather quickly. He was clear that he did want a woman of considerable beauty. That part was not negotiable, though its price could be.
It was only once the photograph passed the initial test that Ron would scroll down to the Bio. Girls had written about the kind of person they were; what their interests were and Ron also was intrigued by how varied they were. In his hands he held the possibilities of five years of attending those silly parties. Yet, the first few pages were flipped through with as much reward as the last year of those parties. They were some intriguing possibilities, some who surely passed his initial test but came with other red flags. He did not want a gold digger who would make him wonder if each meal was poisoned. If he had trusted his ability to see through people less he would not have been doing this in the first place but Ron saw more in the photographs and the Bio than most people would. He was pretty sure he saw more than the people at the company would have wagered for.
As he reached the end of the catalogue though, Ron started to feel a little disillusioned. He saw the inevitable moment where the catalogue would end and he would be left having to pick an option out of a handful of less than perfect choices. He spent a lot more time at the back end of the catalogue but it was the last page of the options that took his breath away.
It was a redhead, standing next to a railing on a ranch. She wore denim shorts and a faded shirt and seemed to be looking away, uninterested. It could have been an advertisement for anything from cigarettes to a race track. It came with an obvious ‘why would this woman be in this catalogue’ question but then, Ron had been hoping to ask that question. He studied the bio with great interest and it was like every line in there had been written with him in mind.
In her first lines the girl had made it clear that she did not want to live in a big city and that ideally she would want to live on a ranch. She spoke about her reasons for doing this in passing and said she did not like the place love had in the world today and felt that in a weird way this gave her the best chance of finding it. However, what stood out for Ron most of all was how clear she made it that if the person was looking for a slave of any sort, they would be very disappointed and that only people who were willing to make an honest attempt at finding their soul mate should show an interest in her.
Despite the disclaimer, the price tag attached to heather made it very clear the company considered her the best they had to offer as well. As much as anything else, it was that element that made his choice obvious. Half an hour later, his mind verified his decision and he sent out three riders. The first one was to the telegram office. The second and third were related to the party he was no longer attending. There was no need anymore. The suit would get its day in the sun the day he was to meet his future wife.
*******************************************
When the day finally came about, Ron’s nerves were getting the better of him. He didn’t like playing the waiting game and his head had been filled with thoughts of how he would destroy the company using all the strings he had if it turned out that it was just a sham operation. He had received a telegram back specifying that they would be there by Saturday. It also said that the advance just covered travel costs and the final decision would be made on that day by both parties. Ron had assumed that he was still free to change his mind at the last moment but he had not thought the girl would still be able to back out at that point. As he went over the telegram though, it became clear that’s what it implied. Not that he minded it though.
A rider came to him at about three in the afternoon from the town saying that his guests had arrived and that they had checked into the hotel rooms he had booked for them in the solitary hotel in their town. Ron spent the next hour shouting orders at his help to make sure the ranch was running at it’s peak impressiveness. If only he could have banished the heat and the dust for just that day he would have been totally satisfied but as the clock hit 5 PM Ron surveyed his surroundings and was pleased at the surety that they would pass even the most discerning judgment.
Two riders appeared in the distance five minutes past their scheduled time. As Ron saw the silhouette of the woman in the distance he felt butterflies in his stomach for the first time since he had been a teenager. Those butterflies grew stronger as he walked out to receive his guests. As was protocol for important guests, the entire staff of the ranch assembled behind him. They had not been given any details of the people who were coming, just that they were of great value.
Any further thoughts of what they would think disappeared from his mind as soon as he saw her clearly. It was like thoughts of all sorts went away and his mind decided it could never be able to think again about anything other than the beauty of this woman. The photograph in the catalogue had been attractive to say the least but it did absolutely no justice to the woman who took his hand and smiled at him as she got off the horse.
Her long red hair caught the sun and made a picture almost as dazzling as her smile. She was dressed down, in a checked shirt and light jeans. She was dressed l
ike a southern girl who belonged on the ranch and as she looked around to survey her surroundings, it was the look of someone who was home. Ron knew at that moment that he could never let her go. If the company man who was with her was going to ask for his ranch, his bank balance or his soul, he would probably get it. His mind did not even remind him to not let his feelings show.
The next hour passed like a dream without a single negative thought. Scott, the company representative turned out to be as much of a gift as his companion. Any doubts that Ron might have had were soon addressed. It was clear from early on that both parties had passed their evaluation and if Ron agreed the wedding would be held two days from now and the two of them would continue staying in the hotel till then. Ron was told that if wanted to call the people around without wanting them to know that he was marrying a mail order bride he could say that a distant relative had set them up and that the company would handle the other details and make sure the story had no cracks. Ron didn’t care. He just wanted the shortest route that led to him being able to call that woman his own.
Two days later, it was done. Heather Graham became Heather Kranson. There were just four guests at the wedding and it was exactly how Ron would have wanted it. In the meantime, he had come to know everything there was to know about Heather and each little piece of information made the bong grow stronger. Like him, she had lost both her parents early. They had once had a ranch as big as his but it had all fallen away. She had three younger siblings who she wanted to send to Europe so they could be with her extended family and that is what she was using the money for. Why she had chosen this particular path was that though she knew she would have to marry for money she did not want to have to carry out the charade. This was the most honest she could have been in her situation. He saw that and admired it.
The ceremony itself was rather beautiful in its simplicity. Heather wore a dress that had been in Ron’s family for generations but he was sure it had never been carried with as much grace. The vows were said without hesitancy and the short kiss held all the promises in the universe. As they left the Church Scott held out his hand and wished the couple and bid them farewell. He said he would come down sometime next month to pay his regards and though Ron knew he was implying that he would be checking up on them, he realized it was what he would prefer. He resisted the urge to give the man a hug and rant about how impressed he had been with the company but a hand shake and a tipping of the hat would show just as much.
As Scott rode of, the magnitude of what had just happened started to sink in. As the party of four got on to their horses Ron turned to Heather and extended his arm to touch her lightly, “You ok?” he asked. It was a big moment for her and it had probably not gone down as the twelve year old version of her had imagined. He saw that it did affect her on some level but saw that she was indeed fighting and winning that battle against that sorrow. She just stared at him for a minute and when she smiled and nodded after that, Ron felt his heart melt. The ride back was made mostly in silence. Nathan and Mr. Golba wanted to celebrate but respected the silence of their employers.
As the ranch appeared in the distance Ron felt a stirring deep inside him. Soon, he would be alone with his wife. Since this was a special occasion a special dinner had been prepared that Ron had supervised before they had left but he would want her to take over all those duties soon. His only fear was that her mind would be telling her that she had won the jackpot and that she would never have to lift a finger in her life. He reminded himself though that his fears would be valid had he married a socialite or someone who had lived a life of frivolity. He thought back to her in the checked shirt and jeans, looked over to the ease with which she rode the horse. This was not a girl who held a lifetime ambition of inactivity.
Mr. Golba and Nathan disembarked before the couple when they reached and were standing by the door, hats in hand. Mr. Golba playfully reminded them that he had to carry her over the threshold and as Heather lifted her arms and Ron took her in the he felt her flesh yield and wished he could fast forward time to the point where they were alone in his room. For now though what awaited them was the glorious dinner that Mr. Golba’s family had prepared. There were candles set on the dining table and there were flowers all around.
“This is beautiful”, Heather exclaimed as she looked around the room, “How did you manage to find these flowers amidst all these rocks”
“It’s the least we could do Miss” said Mr. Golba as he smiled and left the room, taking the rest of the help with him. Heather and Ron were alone at last.
“I suppose they have a big fancy meal cooked for us” Heather said, looking around.
“They do. I hope you bought your appetite”
Heather walked towards him and looked him in the eye as she got her hands forward to meet his. “I hope you don’t mind and I’m sure what I make wouldn’t be as good as this feast but would you mind if I made dinner for you tonight?”
As Ron’s face lit up Heather stepped back “Unless you’re really hungry in which case we can eat now, I’m probably just ruining this for you.”
“No” Ron said as he pulled her close to him and their bodies collided. “You don’t know how perfect you are” he said as he truly kissed her for the first time. It was like everything he had thought of and more. She seemed to melt in his arms, any tension in her body seemed to fade away and she was like putty. He mouth though was responsive, their tongues meeting and exchanging notes of desire with each other.
“One thing at a time darling” she said as the kiss ended. “Let me just go change out of the most beautiful dress I have ever worn and I shall be back and you shall have your dinner in no time. If it passes your test, maybe we could ask Mr. Golba to come take this food.”
The dinner did pass his test. It would have passed the test of any head chef at any fancy restaurant in the entire country. Afterwards, Ron felt so full he could hardly move and he had hardly been focusing on the food. They had exchanged long gazes throughout the dinner and she had made him feel conscious about his eating. The truth was, she made him feel like a king for having her beside him and he was not used to having to act like a king. It was something he could get used to though.
As they talked between the meal, he realized that she was more than just her beauty. They went through a number of topics through and after the dinner and she was so enchanting that the room upstairs that awaited them actually skipped his mind for a while. This was someone who could be his friend, his guide, his everything. It seemed too good to be true but a small nagging part of Ron’s mind reminded him that nothing that ever seemed to good to be true was true and he tried to get his defenses up. But all it took was a smile to tear down any wall his mind constructed around his heart.
They were careful to avoid the topic of what was to follow though even if they hovered on a related subject heather was quick to veer away. It wasn’t like Ron did not notice the pattern but he put it down to nerves. When time did come to adjourn to the room Heather took a deep breath. She bent down and held her legs.
“Can I say something to you?”
“Off course” Ron replied, bracing himself for all possibilities.
“Along with being one of the most important days of my life, today has also been one filled with perfection.”
There was a silent pause as she gathered the courage to say the next part.
“I realize one of my primary purposes of being here is to . . . . . . .”
Ron didn’t reply.
“The thing is. You DO own my body and if that was the only thing I thought you capable of owning I would have honored our deal and given you what you desired the first time you wanted it.”
There was a long silence as Ron understood what she was trying to say. She wanted to tell him that she knew he would win her heart, her soul and that if they could just wait, the first time they made love would be as perfect as both of them had dreamt.
“Say no more my love”
She smiled the broadest
smile he had ever seen on a person. Ron felt that if he could find a way to store the joy it caused in him he would have enough to last him his lifetime.
“Can I call you that?”
She came and sat down next to him and held his hand. “Hopefully” she said as she put her head on his shoulder “I’ll be able to earn it.”
They did not leave the hall, both of them falling asleep, hand in hand. Ron woke up late in the night as the fire was dying out and carried his new wife to his room where he placed her on the other side of the bed and fought his instincts to touch her through the night.
***********************************
The next morning though, he woke up grumpy and with an aching erection, the bed next to him was empty and looked so neat that it was hard to imagine someone had slept on that side of the bed at all. Ron looked at the time and realized he had overslept. As his brain chugged to full speed, he realized that the best case scenario was the Heather had woken up early and was now getting to know the ranch. The worst case scenario, his mind reminded him, was that he was going to walk out and find all his servants killed and his stuff taken. That thought also made him realize that he had indeed, woken up grumpy.
As he got up to make his way out the door he heard laughter coming from the hall. Heather was there talking to the children. “Good morning” he called out.
MC Romance: Gravel A Motorcycle Bad Boy Obsession (Untamed Rider Forbidden Temptation Book 1) Page 40
