Mail Order Bride: Not What He Expected (Mail Order Brides Book 1)

by Annie Boone

  “Clara, with all due respect, I never wanted you to come here in the first place,” He answered, “And I am sorry for giving you any indication that I did.”

  At this, she sighed heavily and answered, “Sure, now you don’t want to own up to your mistake. Well, if that’s how you want to be then -”

  “It’s over Clara.” Lucy butted in before Clara could finish her sentence. Stepping from behind Levi, she felt confident, and a little fed up. “Go have your fun and leave us alone. He chose me,” she said evenly. And then she added, “Get over it.”

  Clara began to laugh hysterically at this and she “Oh, you poor, naive girl. Did he tell you that he chose you over me?” She didn’t give either of them a chance to say anything before she continued, “He is quite the disillusioned one. After the horrid fiasco this morning, I broke it off with him.” Her eyes narrowed, and her evil glare intensified as she added harshly, “So, the truth is, you didn’t win anything. You came in second, in a two-woman race.” She shrugged, “I guess he could have decided to walk away with nothing, so at least that’s something for you.”

  “Hey!” Levi exclaimed, bursting back into the conversation. He stood between Clara and Lucy as he angrily made his way towards Clara to set her straight. “Let me explain something to you. I tried to be as nice as I possibly could, but apparently, you just need the facts.”

  As he spoke, he poked his finger in her face. She recoiled slightly but managed to keep her composure. “I knew from the start that you aren’t the kind of woman I want as my wife or in my life. I told you this morning that you and I have no future together. Considering what you just said to the woman I love, I wouldn’t marry you if you were the last woman on earth! You’re spoiled, pretentious, and miserable!”

  At that, he backed away and turned towards Lucy. She took his arm, and they began to leave the building. He stopped and turned back to face Clara and said in a very stern voice “I wish you no harm, but don’t you ever come near my ranch again!”

  “Don’t worry,” She sniped back at him, “I certainly don’t need your little ranch. And I don’t need you, either.”

  However, they didn’t even hear her because they had continued their exit to the front porch of the inn.

  Lucy was in awe of the way that Levi had handled that situation and she could barely contain herself. She was so excited to have a man that was eager to defend her and she couldn’t believe that he had stood up to Clara in the way he had.

  They found a quiet place with two chairs and sat looking at each other. Finally, Levi said quietly, “You know that none of that is the truth, right?”

  She smiled at him and nodded confidently and quietly answered, “Yes. I know for a fact that you are telling me the truth; just as I am aware that Clara was trying to make you jealous. I think she may have gotten more than she bargained for,” She giggled.

  Sighing, Levi scooted closer to her and answered, “Do you suppose it was too much?” His eyes looked away for a moment, before looking back at her with earnest concern, “I normally don’t say things like that to women, but I just couldn’t help myself.”

  “Thank you,” She replied, “For not backing down. It meant a lot to me.” It was Lucy who looked away this time. She couldn’t seem to keep her hands still, and it was obvious she was nervous. She glanced back at him but then looked away again. As she stared away, she said, “Did you mean what you said?”

  Then she looked him in the eyes, and she flipped her hair with her nervous fingers. “Um… You know, that you, um… that I’m the woman you love?”

  After saying the words, Lucy sucked in a nervous breath, as though she was momentarily trying to pull the question back in, fearful of the answer.

  When Levi didn’t answer right away, she didn’t feel encouraged. Every nerve in her body began to twist as her stomach turned into knots. Confidence where Levi was concerned was still a fleeting thing for her.

  When Levi took her hand and looked down at it, her emotions were volatile, and she wasn’t quite sure what to do. She smiled at him, but they both could easily tell how nervous she was.

  When Levi began to speak, though, Lucy was somehow comforted by the fact that he seemed to share in her nervousness.

  “Lucy,” he said to her, “I told you in my letters that my momma always said that a good wife is the biggest strength a man can possess. She is there to help him make something worthwhile in this life, keep him grounded, help him succeed and above all; she is there to remind him of the importance of faith. Lucy, you are sincere, loving, and I know that you truly care for me. You are the woman my mother was talking about.”

  Levi stopped and took a deep breath. “After everything I’ve put you through, I can’t understand why you haven’t demanded that I buy you the first train ticket back to New York. I wouldn’t blame you one bit if you did, but I am so glad that you’re still here. The Lord always provides, and He has given me the good fortune to be able to provide for you. So Lucy,” he then slipped on to one knee and looked deeply into her eyes. And then he asked, “Will you marry me?”

  Everything had slowed down, and she couldn’t believe that this was happening. When her mind caught up with the question, and she realized she needed to answer him, she smiled and looked down at the ring that he was presenting to her.

  “Do you mean it?” She asked, completely shocked.

  At this, he burst out laughing and answered, “Of course I mean it, Lucy.” He moved closer to her and added, “I think I confirmed in front of a whole room full of people that I love you. That’s just about all I need to know to assure me that I am going to be happy for the rest of my life if you say ‘yes.'”

  Overwhelmed, Lucy looked over Levi holding the beautiful ring. Its sparkle made a stark contrast to his jeans and flannel shirt. She remembered of his strong muscles she had noticed from the start. She smiled at him, before feeling large, sopping wet tears of joy burst out of her eyes and roll down her cheeks.

  “I love you too!” She exclaimed, “Your letters were so passionate, and your faith is so unyielding, that I knew before I even boarded the train to meet you that you were the man for me. Of course, I will marry you!”

  After he had slipped the ring on her finger, he gazed up and looked into her eyes, before saying, “Lucy, you are amazing. You weren’t what I expected – you’re far more beautiful and more wonderful than I had imagined. Thank you for coming here for me.”

  Chapter Eight

  For the next few weeks, butterflies flew perpetually in Lucy’s stomach and on the day of the wedding, she was so excited that she could barely contain herself.

  It was a hot day, the sun was shining, and everything was very right in Lucy’s new world.

  As she got ready, for the small ceremony at the local church, Lucy bounced up and down excitedly and felt like she was going to cry at any moment. She was almost positive that she was not going to make it through the ceremony without at least tearing up, but it was nice to know her husband to be would be completely okay with that.

  She was putting her veil on when there was a knock on the door. Before Lucy had a chance to call out a vivacious “Come in”, the door opened, and Patricia ran into the room.

  At first, Lucy was shocked, and it wasn’t until Patricia had already embraced her friend that Lucy realized that she was really there.

  She pulled away from her to look at her, and she asked, “How…”

  “Your wonderful Levi sent a letter to me and your parents, inviting us to come out here for the wedding,” She explained before Lucy could even get the words out.

  With wide-eyes, Lucy asked, “My parents? Are they here, too?” And just at that moment, her mother appeared in the doorway.

  By now, Lucy was crying. She ran over to embrace her mother before she pulled back to look at her.

  “He knew it would make you happy to have your family here for your wedding. So, he paid for us to have a round trip,” Patricia explained as her mother told her how beautiful she
looked, over and over again.

  Then, her mother looked at her daughter and asked, for the first time, “Are you happy?”

  Confidently, Lucy nodded and answered, “Oh, yes, Mother. I couldn’t be happier.”

  With that, as though right on cue, the music started and everyone got in line. Her father was waiting outside the room, wanting to give the women their privacy, but when Lucy saw him, she embraced him. Lucy might have had her differences with her family, but she was happy that they were here.

  Lucy was touched to walk down the aisle with her father when she didn’t think she would have any family with her for this big event in her life. As she and her father made their way towards her now very soon to be husband, Lucy felt her heart fill completely with joy.

  Since Lucy was a little girl, she had dreamed of this moment and finally, she realized as she took her place next to Levi, that everything was exactly as she had always imagined it would be. Her parents settled in their seats, and her best friend stood excitedly by her side.

  “Thank you,” She whispered to him happily, motioning quickly to her parents and Patricia.

  He smiled quietly and answered, “Anything for you,” just before the priest began to speak.

  The ceremony was a blur for Lucy. Her mind cleared in that last moment of the ritual when the parson announced that they were now man and wife.

  As she leaned in to kiss Levi, the butterflies in her stomach began to race wildly. As she gazed into his eyes, just before their lips met, Lucy finally knew what if felt like to be in love.

  Just as Levi had said in his marriage proposal, God always provides. Though they had a rough start, as they shared their first kiss as husband and wife Lucy knew that her husband was as happy as she was. She finally had her happy ending and she was ready to start living it.

  The End

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you so much for taking the time to read Not What He Expected. I hope it gave you an enjoyable interlude to slip into the past for just a while.

  If you’d like to read more of my stories, you can find a list of them here:

  http://annieboone.com/books

  If you have the time, I’d really appreciate it if you’d leave a review. Reviews are critical to the success of books published by Indie authors, like me. You can leave a review here:

  http://annieboone.com/expectedreview

  If you’re interested in keeping up with what’s coming up next, sign up here:

  http://annieboone.com/news

  And if you want to connect with me on Facebook – here’s where you can find me!

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  Keep reading!

  Annie

  Book Six – A Ready Made Family – was just published. Here’s a sample:

  A Ready Made Family

  Barren.

  It was an ugly word. A cruel word. And it described me. My body and my soul. I kept hearing the word boom over and over in my head.

  I would never give birth to a child. Never feel life kicking inside me, or watch my belly swell with a tiny, beautiful miracle. Never see the look of wonder on my husband’s face as he held our newborn in his arms.

  Phillip and I had tried for years to have a child of our own. Our marriage was perfect otherwise, but the absence of the pitter-patter of little feet made me feel like I failed as a woman. I had failed as a wife, in some respects. The complete devastation in my husband’s eyes made me feel downright useless.

  He wouldn’t even look at me as we left the doctor’s office and headed down the stairs to the busy street below. We were lucky enough to live in New York, so we didn’t have to travel far to hear this terrible news. No, we only needed to stroll a few blocks to the well-respected doctor’s plush and comfortable office to have our hopes and dreams crushed into mush.

  We walked together in silence and Phillip habitually offered his arm as we turned in the direction of our home. In my grief I took his arm absent-mindedly, never feeling the reassurance that I should have from the gesture. We strolled past the school where the children were playing out on the field, laughing and chasing each other in a blur of childhood bliss. I turned my head, refusing to look, but the sounds of their laughter carried down the block, and I instinctually clutched Phillip’s arm tighter.

  I remembered that on our wedding night he had told me how eager he was to become a father. He always spoke about his future son taking over the family business as he had done from his father. The family business was started by his great-grandfather who had been a fine artisan. He crafted custom pieces of furniture, mostly for the wealthy, and his talents had been widely sought out. Their stores carried everything from cradles to dining tables. Our own home was filled with many of the ornate pieces.

  Unfortunately, the crib I had my eye upon would never be needed.

  The furniture business was flourishing, and it was something Phillip prided himself on, and I of course had encouraged him. Or at least relentlessly teased him. “And what if it’s a girl? Can she take over the family business?”

  Phillip would kiss me on top of the head and say, “Well, we shall have to have one of both then won’t we?”

  But now there would be no boy and there would be no girl. There would be just the two of us. That was all we would have to care for in life. It wasn’t horrid. It was more than many people get in this world.

  I still longed to cradle my infant in my arms, to draw it close to my breast, and watch as it surrenders to the magical realm of sleep. To breathe in that delicious scent that only a newborn has and to touch the wisps of soft curls atop a cherubic face. I knew now, some dreams, no matter how vivid, just weren’t meant to be.

  When we arrived back in our home, I removed my bonnet and put it away out of habit. It felt like a normal thing to do when I feared nothing would be normal in my life again. I stood listening to the vast quiet echoing through our empty house. I asked Miranda, our housekeeper, to make us a pot of tea and to bring it out to the parlor. Phillip lit his pipe, and twitched his nose, causing his mustache to shift back and forth.

  I looked over at my husband, the sadness of his loss lingering in his dark brown eyes. He leaned against the archway of the parlor entrance and puffed on his pipe, lost to his thoughts. I can only imagine that they were similar to my own. Discovering that you will never be able to bear children is equivalent to the unexpected passing of a loved one. It just happens to be a loved one you never met before.

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  To read the rest of A Ready Made Family, you can get it here:

  http://www.AnnieBoone.com/Family

  Other Western Romance Authors I Recommend

  I enjoy reading Western Romance books and I read often. I thought you might like to see some of my favorite authors so that you can check them out to see if they’re a fit for the kind of reading you love.

  Jenny Creek Tanner – Jenny is a country girl who writes about cowboys and heroines who tame them. She’s one of my favorites.

  http://annieboone.com/JennyCreekTanner

  Lorena Dove – Lorena is a relatively new author who is writing a different kind of Mail Order Bride story. Her heroines are immigrants in her Sweet Land of Liberty series.

  http://annieboone.com/Lorena-Dove

  Indiana Wake – Indiana is a prolific writer. She has published many books and most of them deal with difficulties faced by the heroines. Her main characters face and overcome the same issues many of us face every day. I love her honest approach.

  http://annieboone.com/IndianaWake

 

 

 
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