by Ava Walsh
“Are you happy for me, Sophie?” Olivia asked, as quietly as possible. Sophie’s hands were in hers again as the two of them stared at each other. Olivia was begging for forgiveness through her eyes, and Sophie looked like she had still not decided whether she was going to forgive her best friend or not.
“Of course I am! I’m so happy for you!” Sophie wailed. Olivia could feel the tears coursing down her cheeks as she rubbed them against Olivia’s shoulder. Olivia held her as she shuddered. Sophie had always been one for drama.
“You have no idea how worried I was for you, and how sad it made me to see your apartment and the two of you alone like that. Now you’re safe with Rufus. As weird as it may be for me, I’m happy you’re in love. And that my brother is in love with you.” Sophie was still crying. Mrs. Frost appeared from the living room to pat Sophie on her back. She was smiling at Olivia.
Olivia blushed and looked away.
“Let's all go in, Sophie. Come in, Olivia. We all have to celebrate properly,” Mrs. Frost said, dragging Sophie by the hand and leading Olivia into the living room.
When she entered she found Maya on the floor, with Mr. Frost passing her new boxes of toys that her grandparents had clearly just bought for her. Maya’s eyes were excited and she was happy, gazing from her toys to her mother and then her father’s face. Rufus was standing behind her, and his face lit up when he saw Olivia walk into the room. Olivia’s mother was on the couch, finally glad to see her daughter happy.
“Now sit down here, Olivia, and tell us everything that we’ve missed about Maya,” Mrs. Frost exclaimed, leading Olivia to the seat next to her mother. She forced Sophie to sit down too, next to Olivia, while she continued to sniffle and dry her tears.
Olivia reached for Sophie’s hands and pressed them tightly, holding on to them on her own lap. She was grateful for Sophie. No matter their differences now, they were still best friends.
“Before that, I have an announcement to make,” Rufus spoke up and all eyes turned to him.
“It is with great sadness that I must inform you all that I have to go back to Chicago. I can’t delay it anymore, sadly, if I still want to keep my contract.” Rufus looked around the room, while his mother and Sophie gasped.
“What about Olivia? What about Maya?” Mrs. Frost threw the questions at him, while Olivia felt her hands itching in Sophie’s. She was glad she was holding her friend’s hands. She couldn’t have borne this news alone. Rufus was going to have to leave again. What did he want to do about this new development in his life?
“They’re coming with me, of course. If Olivia will agree to marry me.” Rufus turned to her with a smile, while Sophie shrieked. Sophie jumped off the couch and rushed to hug her brother, while Olivia and Rufus stared at each other.
“I’m going to be a Maid of Honor!” Sophie was shrieking, as she jumped over to hug her mother.
“Olivia?” Rufus asked as he stepped closer to her. Olivia breathed out slowly, expecting the tears to gush down her cheeks any moment now. Maya was looking at her too, sensing the tension in the room.
“Of course I’ll marry you, Rufus,” Olivia said and laughed when the room erupted in joy. Her mother hugged her, Mr. and Mrs. Frost came over to hug her as well. Sophie grabbed her hand again and held it there, while Rufus bent down on his knee and slipped a ring onto her finger.
Olivia didn’t look at the ring or stop to admire it. She wanted his arms around her shoulders instead.
Rufus and Olivia kissed, for the first time in front of other people, and she felt like she could stay in his arms forever. Maya was clapping too, joining in the celebration, and Olivia watched as Rufus went over to pick his daughter up. He looked like a man who didn’t know what to do with the joy he was experiencing, a proud father.
“She has his eyes, and his hair…no, your hair,” Sophie said beside her and Olivia turned to look at her with a laugh.
“I should have seen it years ago when she was born.” She added and Olivia bit down on her lip. “I don’t know how you managed to keep it a secret for so long, but now it’s all out in the open. You’re marrying your dream man.” Sophie hugged her friend again and Olivia laughed.
“I’m marrying everyone’s dream man.”
*****
THE END
Bonus Book 3: My Cowboy's Mail Order Bride
Description
What do you do when your husband-to-be wants to test you out first? And you have no place to go?
He’s the stuff of women’s fantasies. My fantasies.
I answered an ad in the newspaper and came all the way from New York for him.
So here I am, ready for my cowboy.
He’s devastatingly handsome, but also an arrogant pr*ck.
He doesn’t even seem to notice me or my curves.
I feel naked under his gaze. Like I’m about to faint.
And now he wants to test my worthiness as a wife. To make sure he’s going to be satisfied with me.
I’m about to lose my virginity to a man I don’t even know.
But I’m not backing out. This is a deal. And I’m up to the task.
Two can play this game. Right?
Chapter One
The first sensation that made Isabel realize that she was officially in the South was the blast of sandy hot air she felt on her face when she stepped out of the doors of her train carriage. Surprisingly, it was exactly how she had imagined it to be. Like the old Westerns that she used to watch sitting on her father’s knees as a ten-year-old. That was the image of the South that she had, a romanticized notion based on years of watching cowboy films idolizing shotgun slinging and rugged men in cowboy hats.
And that seemed to be what she got.
Mitchell Town was small, as she had discovered earlier from research she had conducted online. It gave her the impression that it was a forgotten old town, a perfect place to hide away, and it would also fulfill all her dreams of living out in the South. It was something straight out of a Western romance.
The only problem was that it wasn’t very romantic. Answering an ad for a mail order bride – that was not the life she had envisioned for herself. She was a successful fashion editor for a magazine; she had her life all planned out. She even had raised enough money for a down payment on a small studio apartment in Brooklyn.
But then everything changed and she found herself here.
Isabel stood for several seconds on the train station and looked about her. It was like she had traveled back in time. Narrow New York streets, hordes of tourists, the blinking lights of Times Square, millions of colorful stores… They had all been replaced by a vast emptiness, long stretches of sand everywhere she looked. The few people she did happen to see milling about the train station were all dressed in clothes that nobody in Manhattan would be caught dead wearing. Unless it was for a costume party.
Isabel chuckled to herself, tucked in quickly-drying strands of hair behind her ears, and picked up the two massive suitcases she had packed.
She had become a mail order bride. Even though she had answered the ad several weeks ago, she was still not quite prepared for it.
The ad was from a horse breeder: Liam Mayer. There was no picture of him attached to the ad. The only information she had about him was that he was in his late thirties, he owned a ranch, and was raising a ten-year-old daughter named Sophie by himself.
Isabel liked the sound of the ad solely because of how anonymous it would make her. How she could simply arrive and get lost in this small town with a population of no more than three hundred people. She didn’t know how to be a mother, but Sophie was ten years old. It wouldn’t be like she had to change diapers or sterilize feeding bottles.
Isabel started walking in the direction of the ranch based on the directions that were sent to her by post after she answered the ad. She had been told that nobody would be there at the station to receive her. She hadn’t known what to wear because as much as she had thrived on watching Westerns when she was growing up,
this was 2016. She had never been to this part of the country before and had no notion of what people actually wore in such a place.
So she settled on wearing a thin white cotton dress to combat the heat, a pair of high leather boots, and a wide leather hat. A dress like that would not only make her comfortable, but she knew that it was also the best way to camouflage her weight. She was very conscious of it especially when she was meeting people for the first time.
Once she had left the train station and held up the map of directions to match her surroundings, Isabel appeared to be completely alone. It was almost like a ghost town. She dragged the suitcases behind her as she approached what could only have been the High Street in the center of the town. It, too, was empty.
Where is everybody? she thought to herself as she walked past the deserted shops. A barber's shop, a convenience store, a small bank, and two bars. Isabel turned her head to look around and found no one – at least no one was outside. The stores could have been open for business or closed, but not a soul was going to step outside in this heat. And here she was, lugging two suitcases behind her.
It was going to be her wedding day, for heaven’s sake! And nobody had come to greet her at the station. As the heat began to slowly burn Isabel’s back and sweat started to accumulate on her forehead, she also felt a pinch of rage begin to color her cheeks. What kind of rancher was this man? This Liam Mayer who wouldn’t even come to the train station to greet his new bride? Why didn’t he even bother to send his daughter?
Isabel had always had a certain impression of men from the South – cowboys who were strong and courageous, masculine and romantic; warriors, brave and sexy as hell. But where was her cowboy? That was partly the reason she had signed up for this deal anyway. Because she wanted to escape, but also because it would fulfill her fantasy of being taken by a muscular, rugged cowboy.
A sudden feeling of dread gripped Isabel as she walked slowly but surely towards the Mayer Ranch. What if Liam Mayer wasn’t how she had imagined him to be? What if he wasn’t attractive at all, or if he was a coward… a lazy man? It would be worse if he wasn’t attracted to her. If she was too big for him… too fat. Just like she was too fat for New York.
Chapter Two
There was a sign at the gate, swinging gently in the warm breeze blowing around her. It said Mayer Ranch in big block letters. Isabel plonked her suitcases on the dirt road at her feet and shaded her eyes to look around. The ranch looked huge. And in the center of it stood a small wooden cabin. She hadn’t seen anything like it – at least not in person. She had seen plenty of them in old black and white films that her father liked to watch. It was hard to believe that something like this actually existed in real life… in today’s world.
The gate was open, so she pushed it and dragged her suitcases through. In the distance she could see horses grazing, standing lazily in the scorching heat. But the only thing that was on Isabel’s mind was to reach the house, meet Liam Mayer, meet Sophie, and get a drink of water. The feeling of dread hadn’t left her yet. She was simultaneously nervous and curious about what she was going to find.
She was halfway up the dirt driveway in front of the house when the front screen door of the house swung open and a little girl appeared. “Isabel!” The girl shrieked, catching her off guard. She came bouncing down the steps and towards her.
Isabel couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the little girl. It was a relief to see this girl so happy and seemingly normal. It isn’t going to be scary after all, she assured herself.
Sophie looked small and delicate for her age. She had bright blue eyes and her shiny blonde hair was tied in thin pigtails on either side of her head. She was wearing a pair of baggy jeans, a flowery peasant top, and boots on her feet.
“You must be Sophie.” Isabel greeted her with a wide smile and dropped the bags on her side.
“I’m so happy you’re here,” Sophie shrieked again in a joyous thrill. She wrapped her small wiry arms around Isabel’s legs.
This was more than the greeting Isabel had expected. Sophie was lovely and friendly. She patted her head and looked down at her with a smile, trying to ignore her own rapidly beating heart at the same time. Sophie was far from a disappointment, but she still hadn’t met her husband to be.
“Sophie?” She heard a loud gruff voice sound from inside the house, and they both looked up as the screen door opened again. “What is going on?” its owner continued as he stepped outside.
The color from Isabel’s cheeks drained; she was frozen with fright at the sight of him. She had built up the tension of seeing him for the first time to such a high that she was gripped with fear when she saw him… even though he was more magnificent than she could have imagined him to be.
Liam Mayer, if it was indeed him, was a man straight out of the movies. His face was long and chiseled with high cheek bones. His skin was deeply but naturally tanned, which greatly contrasted the light blue piercing eyes that matched Sophie’s exactly. His hair must have also been the same shiny blonde as Sophie’s when he was younger, but now it was a dirty yellow, darkened by the sun. It was scruffy and long, nearly reaching his shoulders, but mostly hidden by his tan cowboy hat.
He was tall. Even from the distance, Isabel could see that he was at least a foot taller than her. His shoulders were broad and visibly muscular, even under the tight-fitting leather jacket he wore. His waist was narrow and the denim pants he had on, accentuated his muscular cowboy thighs. He stood with his thumbs hooked on his wide leather belt. He was glaring at them both, his blue eyes narrowed and his thin lips set in a straight, grim line.
“What are you doing, Sophie?” he repeated himself, taking in his daughter’s arms around Isabel.
Isabel gulped, his very voice was deep and hard enough to instill fear in anybody who disobeyed him. But Sophie appeared to be unfazed; she wasn’t afraid of her father.
“This is Isabel, dad,” Sophie replied gleefully, looking up at Isabel again with a wide toothy grin.
“Hello,” Isabel managed to say, aware that her cheeks were burning up. Liam Mayer wasn’t a welcoming man. He had done nothing to make her feel comfortable or welcome in her surroundings. And she was supposed to marry him!
“Sophie?” Liam didn’t reply to Isabel but turned to his daughter again. He still hadn’t made a single move in their direction.
“She’s come from New York, dad,” Sophie said, and Isabel’s brows crossed. How had he already forgotten? He had requested a mail-order bride, she had answered the ad, and he had sent her directions to join him. How had he not realized when he set eyes on her, that it was she, Isabel Bowes, who was now here on his ranch?
“Please come inside Sophie.” He said then, and pushed the door open and held it. He didn’t have to tell her twice. Sophie dejectedly extracted her arms from Isabel and walked slowly back towards the house.
Liam Mayer didn’t bother to look at Isabel or explain what was going on. In fact, he hadn’t yet said a single word to her. Sophie passed him and walked into the house. He followed her in with no explanation.
Isabel’s mouth hung open as she stood there, bags by her side, completely at a loss of what was happening or what she should do. She knew she was offended by his behavior, but a part of her was also aware that Liam Mayer was the stuff of women’s fantasies.
Chapter Three
“You can come in.” Liam appeared at the door after at least fifteen minutes, just about when Isabel was certain that she was going to collapse in the sun.
She looked up at him and reached to pick up her bags, but he had jumped off the steps of the house and rushed towards her. “Leave them be, I’ll bring them in. You go in,” he said, at her side in a few quick strides. He was suddenly standing very close to her and Isabel felt a little faint. The scent of him had overtaken her senses. He smelled of the sun, of hard labor mixed with a sweet smell of his sweat. She suddenly began to imagine him naked – all of it was too overwhelming.
“Thank you,” she s
aid, clutching her chest to steady herself. He didn’t move away or give her the space to walk towards the house. Instead, he stood in front of her, looking directly into her eyes.
“You’ve come all the way from New York?” he asked as she blushed and squirmed under his gaze. She couldn’t understand him; he was indecipherable.
“Yes, like I said in my letter,” she told him, growing nervous. He looked like this was not what he was expecting. Isabel was so afraid that he was disappointed in her.
“What made you decide to become a mail-order bride?” he asked, and she felt her nostrils flare. She wasn’t prepared to relay her whole life history to a stranger, let alone to a man who seemed so hostile towards her.
“Personal reasons,” she stated. She tried to raise her chin up and meet his eyes directly, but she was too shy to hold his gaze.
“You gave up your life and now you’re in Mitchell Town… for personal reasons?” he asked. She noticed how his eyebrows arched up sharply.
“Is that a problem for you?” she asked.
He suddenly bent down to pick up the bags. He only grunted in response. “Follow me.” He turned on his heels and started walking towards the house. The bags looked like simple empty sacks in his hands. They were not a problem for him to carry, and Isabel felt herself stir with a sudden desire for this strong rugged man even though he was proving to be more difficult than she had hoped he would be.
“Is there a problem, Liam?” she asked in lieu of following him and watched as he stopped in his tracks.
“What do you mean?” he asked and turned to look at her. That face again. Those piercing blue eyes, the tanned skin, those thin serious lips. Isabel felt nervous every time he looked at her.
