“I’m glad it did. I really pushed it late getting my last supplies from town.”
“Glad you made it. Once you get the rest of this loaded, come in for a coffee and one of Minnie’s brownies before you head home.”
“Will do.”
He lifted the last bag and placed it under the blanket. As he adjusted his gloves, he noticed a small group of younger women giggling as they walked by him.
He tipped his hat and they scurried away, chattering to each other. He rolled his eyes. There were women that lived here, but they were hardened from the harsh life. He knew they were young, but many looked much older from the cold.
He shook his head. He knew that they would appreciate a chance for courting, but Jonathan wasn’t that man. He wasn’t the marrying type and he refused to be. He loved his life on the ranch, and he didn’t see a woman fitting in. At least right now.
Sometimes the winters would get lonely, but then Jonathan would head over to the bunk house where the ranch hands slept and spend an evening playing cards and talking about warmer days.
He tugged at his collar, lifting the flaps to keep the cold from his neck. He started whistling a tune – one that his mother would sing to him when he was younger and headed inside the mercantile.
The warmth hurt his cheeks. He rubbed them in circles trying to get some feeling back in his face. The cold didn’t bother him as much as the wind. The wind slammed the door behind him.
He spied Minnie Grant leaning over the counter with a plate of brownies in her hand. “Here you go, sweetie,” she said in a gentle voice.
He looked back at Minnie. The woman was a pillar of the community. Since she couldn’t have children, she became a pseudo-grandmother to the children in town.
She was always thinking of others before herself. She was slightly older than what his mother would’ve been, were she still alive, and reminded him greatly of her.
She gave him a peace of mind when he needed motherly advice (even if it was rare) or listen to his concerns when he visited town.
Minnie’s voice drifted in the air and made Jonathan’s heart ache just to hear his mother’s voice once more.
“Oh, thank you,” a soft voice responded. Jonathan’s ears perked up. He didn’t recognize the voice, but it was warm and inviting. “We can’t accept that, and I don’t have the money to pay.”
A groan of disappointment came from the little girl who had reached for the treat. She dropped her arm; her head hanging down.
The woman next to her must be the young girl’s mother. Jonathan noticed they looked nearly identical. She pushed a coin purse back into the pocket of her dress and reached for the girl’s hand.
“We need to be going. Thank you for the information,” she said turning to leave. She stepped back, startled that Jonathan was so close.
He took a breath with a whoosh and held it for a minute. The woman wasn’t from around Nomad. She had refined features, her golden hair reminded Jonathan of the summer grass that grew in the back field.
She looked at him with deep blue eyes surrounded by long lashes. She had a pert nose, high cheekbones and luscious lips that Jonathan wanted to kiss. There was a sense of pride and determination behind her eyes. She lifted her shoulders slightly and tugged at the girl’s hand once more.
Jonathan looked at the little girl. Neither of them was dressed for the cold. They didn’t wear layers or have heavy coats. The little girl didn’t even have gloves. What kind of mother would take her daughter out in this weather without even gloves?
His interest in the woman immediately disappeared. He had no desire to be a father yet. He noticed the woman didn’t have on a ring. She wasn’t married. She must be a widow, he thought.
“Please don’t worry about it, Miss West. There isn’t any charge. I always have a plate here at the store for special customers.” Minnie held out the treats again and this time the little girl reached out and snatched one from the plate.
She stuffed the brownie in her mouth and chewed happily.
“Gloria!” The older woman looked mortified and her fingers pulled out her coin purse to find the coin for the brownie.
Minnie chuckled. “No. There is no charge for the brownies. Really.”
“She’s right, Ms. West. Minnie here makes the best brownies ever and there is always no charge.” It was Thomas that spoke. He was the mayor in town and owned the livery. He placed several apples on the counter.
“That should be enough to make a pie,” he said, placing his coins on the counter and picking up the sack of apples.
“Would you like another one?” Minnie inquired, holding a brownie out to the older woman. The woman nodded and then gently picked up a brownie from the plate.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
When Minnie turned, Jonathan didn’t miss the way the older one handed the brownie to the younger girl, who greedily took it and shoved that one in her mouth as well.
He also didn’t miss the way the woman’s eyes flashed from hunger as she watched the young girl devour the treat. He knew that look; he had felt it several times on his trip from New Mexico to Montana.
Thomas turned and froze when he saw Jonathan. “Made it to town, I see?” he said.
“Just needed to pick up a few things. Will be my last trip for the winter.”
Clearing his throat, Thomas turned sharply and leaned over, whispering in Minnie’s ear and then stood upright. He looked at the two girls, handing the older one the bag of apples. “I’ll be right out,” he nodded, ushering them out the door.
Jonathan moved further back to allow room for the small group to pass him.
His eyes met the woman’s momentarily as she passed him and for a split second, he swore that time paused. Then he blinked.
She was out the door, pulling the younger girl behind her. He shook his head, clearing the slight fuzziness out of his mind.
What was that? He’d never had that happen before. Whatever it was, he dismissed it from his mind. He handed Oskar his list and the shop keep started gathering the items for Jonathan to purchase.
Thomas and Minnie were deep in conversation now, at the counter. Occasionally, they sent a look Jonathan’s way.
Maybe he didn’t need the supplies as much as he thought. Perhaps he could just pay for what was in his wagon and get the rest on another trip.
He inwardly cursed – the next trip wouldn’t be until Spring. He had to wait. Oskar put a box on the counter.
“Here’s the first one,” he said taking another box to fill the rest of the order. Jonathan grabbed the box and headed out to his wagon.
Stepping into the brisk air, his eyes darted to the girls who were climbing into Thomas’s wagon, settling themselves to wait for his return. He hesitated in mid-step, wondering what they could possibly be doing with him.
Were they family come to visit or to live with him? If it was the latter of the two, he highly doubted that someone as old as the older woman would be coming to live with family members.
Shouldn’t she be married? That’s what they did, wasn’t it? They got settled, married, and had a family. So why would she be moving in with family if she was able to get a man?
His eyes flicked to the girl in the back of the wagon, happily munching on the rest of the second brownie she had been given. Shaking his head, he turned towards his own wagon, not even sure why he bothered caring.
“Stay here, Gloria,” he heard the sharp tone of the woman’s voice, full of exhaustion, but with an edge to it. She jumped down from the wagon and turned to go back inside.
Jonathan hadn’t realized how close he was when he’d stopped, but it was close enough for her to walk a couple feet and slam into him. Jonathan staggered back, taken by surprise.
“I’m so sorry!” she blurted, reaching to grab at him. Her shoe caught on the hem of her dress and she started falling.
Jonathan quickly shifted the box to one arm and grabbed the woman with the other. She was slender, and Jonathan could fee
l how thin her coat was.
“It’s quite alright,” he said dismissively. “Are you alright, Ms. West?”
Her lips parted and she raised a hand to her chest. “You know my name?”
“Thomas said it.” He motioned back at the mercantile and understanding flashed in her eyes.
“Right,” she said quickly righting herself. She stepped around him to proceed back to the store. “Thank you, Mr….” She waited for him to speak.
“McRaney.”
“Jonathan McRaney?” She stopped dead in her tracks and spun around, staring at him with wide eyes and a mouth fallen open.
“Yes. That’s me.”
Her face lit up as she broke in a grin. “I’ve been looking for you.”
Chapter 3
Flory noticed he didn’t look pleased.
“Why are you looking for me?”
“Didn’t you get my telegram?”
The man shook his head. “The telegraph office is in the mercantile. They didn’t mention anything to me.”
Flory looked over her shoulder at the door to the shop then turned her head back to Jonathan. He was a handsome man. He had a strong, chiseled jaw, dark brown hair that curled at his shoulders, and his shoulders were broad.
She had seen some harsh looking men since she arrived in town. At least her future husband was easy on the eyes.
He looked slightly older than she was, but that didn’t matter to Flory. She was just glad that he wasn’t an elderly man looking for company in his last few years.
“You’re Jonathan McRaney,” she pressed when he didn’t say anything, only kept staring at her like she was a tick or something. “The man who placed the advertisement in the Philadelphia Inquirer.”
“Lady, I don’t know what you are talking about.” He looked around the town to see if anyone was listening. He started towards the back of his wagon.
She reached into her pocket, fumbling with the contents. She pulled out the newspaper clipping and ran around him to hold it in front of his face.
“Isn’t this you? Your town? You placed an advertisement asking for a wife before Christmas.” She waved the paper at him, desperate to stop his escape. “Isn’t this you?”
“It’s a joke or something. I didn’t write that,” he placed his box in the back of the wagon and covered it with the blanket. “I need to get the rest of my supplies and get out of here.” He walked around her and headed back to the store.
“Wait!” Flory called to his retreating back.
Jonathan turned and stared at her; annoyance evident in his eyes. “I’m sorry, but it wasn’t me.”
“After tonight, I have nowhere to go,” she blurted as he stepped around her. “You were the last hope,” she pleaded, her heart squeezing at the thought of having nowhere to go.
When they didn’t think that Jonathan was going to arrive in town because it was so late, Thomas’s wife had graciously offered for them to spend the night. Mrs. Winston could only spare one evening at the boarding house since they weren’t expected to be long term guests.
Now that Jonathan refused to admit he had posted the ad; she wasn’t sure where they were supposed to go after this. He looked at her and shrugged, shaking his head. “That’s not my problem, I’m sorry. I really am.”
“I can’t return home until after the holidays,” she continued. “The stage doesn’t return for another week, if it can even get through at all. We came all this way. You posted the ad. You should’ve retracted it if you found another woman or something. Not give false hope to someone in need.”
He stopped just as he got to the door. Flory could see the faces of Thomas and Minnie looking out the window. Jonathan raised his hand and rubbed at the scruff on his jaw. When he turned, she could hear his sharp jaw clicking as it set.
“I am not married. I have no intention of getting married. I told you, I didn’t write that. How could I retract something I didn’t even write? Maybe it was a misprint, I have no idea, but I promise I did not write that.”
Flory bit her tongue back from lashing out on him, knowing it would be improper to do so. Her heart stung knowing that Gloria was waiting for her to confirm the home she had promised. Tears brimmed in the corners of her eyes, but she held up her head, refusing to let them escape.
“This is your name, your town. I don’t think it was a misprint. You wanted a wife and I came. You have to stand by your word, Mr. McRaney.”
He shook his head, a frown tugging the edges of his lips downwards as he stepped up to her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t write that,” he said stubbornly, but there was a tint of anger to the edges of his words, teetering there from the annoyance she saw in his eyes. “I’m sorry for what must’ve been a long way, but I have no clue what that is. I didn’t write it, I didn’t send it in. That’s not mine.”
“I have nowhere else to go,” she said again. She tried to keep her voice low enough that Gloria couldn’t hear her. “Winter is practically here. I have nowhere to return to. My sister doesn’t have a home. Please, Mr. McRaney, just until the holidays are over.”
His face slightly softened and flickered over her shoulder, no doubt looking at Gloria in the wagon. Flory kept still, not wanting to spook him if she made a sudden movement, even if it were to look where he was.
“What about her parents? Can’t they take her?”
She shook her head, eyes dropping to the ground. “Our parents are deceased. I already told you, she’s my sister.”
“I was kind of hoping I misunderstood,” he said gently and sighed and when she looked up, he was watching her curiously, or at least that’s what she detected on his face. “I’m sorry about that. Maybe if you explain that to Thomas, he will understand and allow you to stay until the holidays are over.”
“I came a long way to answer your ad,” she burst, two tears slipping down her cheeks as her frustration finally exploded. “I answered like you wanted. I am of the age requirements you want. I only have my sister. I- I was hoping that wouldn’t be too much of an inconvenience, but p-p-please. I can cook and clean….” She wiped her nose on her handkerchief. “I can clean and help around your ranch. I won’t be in your way and I will make sure Gloria isn’t either.” She was starting to stutter, the words coming out around her choked sobs.
Surprise flicked across his face and he held out a hand, palm up. “Let me see that clipping again, please.”
She handed it silently to him and watched as he read it, eyes wide as he repeated the ad, seeming uncertain about what he read. “This is me,” he said in confusion, eyebrows drawn together. “But I don’t understand. I didn’t write this.”
Flory frowned, also confused by what he was saying. How could someone send in something they knew nothing about?
There was a small zap of relief however as another part registered with her brain. He said, this is me. At least he finally admitted she hadn’t been wrong, and the clipping wasn’t wrong either.
Her confidence had won over, but now another matter had presented itself. How could it be him without him having sent it in?
“I didn’t write this,” he repeated, his own frustration seeping into his words as he handed back the clipping. “You came a long way for nothing, Ms. West.”
With his words, he turned and walked back in the store. Flory stood on the boardwalk, watching him retreat into the store. Thomas and Minnie scurried away from the window.
Once the door slammed, Flory let out a sob and she stood looking at the boards under her feet. A chilly wind blew over her cheeks, cooling the tears that were now falling freely.
She gave her cheeks a swipe with the back of her hand. Rubbing her eyes, she turned and looked at Gloria. Her sister eyed her through narrowed eyes. She gave Gloria a half smile and climbed back into the wagon.
“Is that the man?” Gloria whispered to her, looking at Jonathan who had loaded the last of his purchases into the wagon and was now making haste to head out of town.
Flory nodded and adjusted her skirt to wr
ap it around her legs for warmth. “We’ll see him again tomorrow, June Bug,” she lied. “We just caught him by surprise, that’s all.”
“Why couldn’t we go with him?”
Flory turned to look at Gloria in the back of the wagon. “We promised Thomas that we would stay with him and Mrs. Brown tonight. We need to make that apple pie for them.” Gloria didn’t look quite convinced. “We don’t break our promises, do we?”
Her chest tightened in the half lie that left her lips. She didn’t want to tell her sister the full truth, she didn’t want her knowing that come the next day, there was a possibility they would have nowhere to go.
For the ten short years of Gloria’s life, she had never been without a home and Flory didn’t want to risk that happening now.
She would figure something out. She just needed to get a proper night’s sleep, wake early, and figure everything out.
Her head slightly tilted back, looking up to the gloomy overcast that threatened to explode down on them. It smelled slightly of salt, but also a freshness that came right before rain would pour.
Her eyes closed and she spoke a silent prayer, putting her heart into her Lord, knowing that if she had faith, He would take care of them. He always did.
Chapter 4
Jonathan had to make a return trip to town the following day when he realized that he left a box of supplies on the counter at the mercantile. He would have waited and not returned until he planned, but that box contained the nails he needed to make repairs to the corrals during the winter.
When he’d arrived home the night before, all he could do was pace around his home. He couldn’t concentrate at all. His thoughts centered on the sad woman and her sister all night long.
He’d tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. Finally, he gave up and went to the kitchen to make coffee. That was when he noticed that he was missing a box.
His mind returned to Miss West. Why had she claimed to be willing to marry him just because of something written in the paper? An advertisement he hadn’t written, but apparently, she’d never believed him. He was sure if he saw her today that she still wouldn’t believe him.
A Cowboy for Christmas (Spinster Mail Order Brides Book 11) Page 2
