She was convinced of their marriage, almost desperate at that. Why had it been so important for them to marry? He had figured out that her parents were dead, that must be why she had guardianship over her sister.
Why had she picked him? She was pretty enough that she shouldn’t have had a problem finding a husband. Jonathan was surprised she wasn’t married already.
But, why the rush for her to get married? And why was it so important for her to marry him?
The questions ran through his mind as he rode his horse back to town. Simply riding allowed him to travel faster than if he was pulling a wagon. He had just arrived in town when he saw the man he needed to talk to walking in the door.
“Thomas!” Jonathan called, stopping the horse at the hitching post on the side of the mercantile. “Thomas, wait!”
The man who had been walking into the mercantile, skidded to a stop. Slowly, he turned around, smiling forcibly at Jonathan. Jonathan didn’t return the smile, agitated by what had happened the afternoon before.
“Who was that girl?” Jonathan demanded as Thomas walked over to the hitching post. “She was with you. You seemed to know her. Did she tell you why she was here?”
Thomas stared at him; head slightly tilted as he watched Jonathan tie off the horse. Finally, he spoke. “That’s Miss West. Flory West, as she called herself. She answered your post for a mail order bride.”
“I didn’t put that ad in the paper,” Jonathan insisted. Thomas shrugged and turned, reaching for the door of the mercantile. Jonathan moved quickly, jumping onto the sidewalk and slamming his hand on the door before Thomas could pull it open. “I didn’t put that ad in there, Thomas. I have no clue how it got there, but I didn’t do it.”
“We don’t have the room,” he stated calmly, his eyes on the door of the mercantile. “She was able to stay for the one night, but that’s it. We don’t have the room for the two of them, not continuously and our floor isn’t exactly that comfortable.”
Jonathan stared at him, unsure of what he was going on about and could only shake his head. “Why’re you telling me all this? She isn’t my problem. I just want to know why she thinks we’re going to get married.”
Thomas turned his gaze on him, that half smile still curving his lips slightly upwards. “She’s answering your ad, Jonathan. The ad where you requested a wife.”
Jonathan felt the anger roll through his chest. This must be a game and Jonathan didn’t want to play. He put his finger in Thomas’s face, shaking it as if he was scolding a child. “I didn’t put that ad in,” he said stubbornly. “I really didn’t, Thomas. I know you saw it. Does it ring a bell? Can you tell who put it in?”
“You two stop it. You are disturbing my customers inside.” Minnie’s voice scolded as she appeared in the door, holding a parcel in her arms. “Stop torturing the poor boy, Thomas, and just tell him. Here,” she thrusted the parcel into Jonathan’s arms and waved the two men out of the way so folks could leave the shop.
Jonathan watched as Thomas followed Minnie into the store, shutting the door behind him. Jonathan glanced at the parcel in his hand. The brown paper was wrapped with a ribbon and his name was clearly written on the front.
He didn’t remember ordering anything. His fingers manipulated the package, trying to ascertain what was inside.
He hadn’t been expecting anything to arrive. Still, his fingers prodded at it. It was lumpy, like a package of clothes. He poked at it for a few seconds more and then carried it to his horse to put it into one of the satchels.
A giggling hit his ears and Jonathan glanced up, his fingers flipping the saddle bag closed. He saw a small group of girls, staring at him, covering their mouths as they giggled. They were halfway down the block, their laughs drifting to his ears.
For a moment, Jonathan stood frozen in his spot. They weren’t staring at him in dazed wonder this time. In fact, they didn’t even seem to have any interest in him. That was not normal. Nothing since the evening before was anything at all normal.
When they caught his eyes, the girls squealed and turned away, returning to their whispering once more.
His eyebrows scrunched together, confused by their reactions. What was going on?
His eyes flashed to the door of the mercantile. Thomas and Minnie knew more than what they were saying. Carefully, he pulled the door open slightly and slipped into the warmth of the store.
“Are you going to tell him?” Minnie’s voice drifted through the shop. “He’s going to keep asking questions, Thomas. We have to tell him eventually.”
“Eventually, yes, Minnie. Eventually, but not until he gets to know that girl. She came, expecting to be married. We just need to get them to-” Thomas stopped and cleared his throat. “Hello there Jonathan.”
Minnie stood up and looked at him. “Hello, Jonathan,” she greeted, her eyes avoiding his as she scuttled back towards her counter.
Jonathan stared at the two of them, his lips pursed in displeasure at the bit of conversation he’d heard. “Do you know why she’s here?” he asked, irritation thick in his voice, “because if she comes up to me again begging me to marry her, I’m going to be angry.”
It was a mild threat; he would never hurt anyone. He couldn’t. Something was going on between Thomas and Minnie and it involved him. That much wasn’t hard to pick up on. Just exactly what though, was a mystery to him.
“She’s answering your ad,” Minnie said.
“I know that. I never placed an advertisement for a wife.”
“Well she is here no matter the circumstances that brought her here.” Minnie started dusting the shelves behind her. “So, give her a chance.”
“Give her a chance?” Jonathan shook his head. “There is no way I am going to give her a chance. She’s a stranger, here on a whim claiming she’s ready to marry me. I can’t go off marrying a stranger! I know nothing about her!”
Minnie stole a look at Thomas and then shrugged her shoulders.
“Alright, Jonathan,” Minnie began nervously. Thomas cleared his throat and Minnie sent him a sharp glare, shutting him down instantly. She turned back to Jonathan. “We just think you should give her a chance, Jonathan. You both deserve that at least.”
The bell to the little shop dinged, turning their attention to the door. There in the doorway stood the object of his torment. Flory West entered the establishment and froze as soon as she saw the trio.
She ducked her head and proceeded around to look at bolts of cloth.
“Miss West,” Thomas greeted. “Did you bring the list from my wife?”
“Uhm,” Flory said, looking at the paper in her hand. She lifted her head and her eyes caught Jonathan’s. For a moment, the two of them stared at one another, frozen in their spots.
She appeared more beautiful than the day before. She still wasn’t dressed appropriately, but she appeared refreshed from her long journey. Jonathan couldn’t remember where she came from.
There was a piece of hair that had fallen from the clips holding it up. Jonathan wanted to tuck it behind her ear.
Minnie cleared her throat and the spell was broken. He shook his head and looked back at the counter.
Flory stepped forward and placed the list on the counter. Minnie picked it up and grabbed a basket from behind the counter. “You can help me gather the items.
Jonathan watched the two, his eyes following Flory as Minnie showed the girl around the store.
“Are they staying with you and your wife again, tonight?” Jonathan asked Thomas.
Thomas shook his head. “The floor isn’t comfortable, I told you that.”
Jonathan nodded. “Right,” he said airily, momentarily recalling their dispute outside. “Where are they staying again?”
“With us,” Minnie’s voice interjected. “They will be staying with us for tonight,” she smiled at Flory as she added a few items to the basket.
A gasp followed. Flory grasped the older woman’s arm. Her lip trembled and tears threatened the corners of he
r eyes. Jonathan could see the relief on her face. “Really?” she squeaked. “We can stay with you?”
“Just tonight,” Minnie promised, patting her hand. “It’s all I can do.”
“That’s more than enough.” Flory cried, the tears streaming freely now, and she threw her arms around the woman. “Thank you, thank you so much. Gloria is going to be so happy when she hears about this.”
Jonathan shifted positions, looking away from Flory embracing Minnie. Thomas was looking at him intently. He nodded at Thomas and turned to leave the store. When he got to the door he glanced over his shoulder once more. As he watched her hugging Minnie in gratitude, his heart squeezed when he realized the two sisters were about to get passed around until something more permanent came up.
He shook his head vigorously as he stepped out into the brisk air. This wasn’t his problem.
So why wasn’t he going back to his horse? Why was he just standing there instead of leaving?
Chapter 5
Flory stood next to the wagon in front of the mercantile. She and Thomas had just returned from picking up Gloria and the sisters’ belongings for their stay at the Grant’s apartment.
“We need to get your items unloaded,” Thomas said, walking to the side of the wagon. He placed the two bags on the floor and pulled the large trunk to the edge of the wagon. I’ll come get the smaller one in a few minutes.” He motioned to a much smaller one Flory hadn’t seen before. “Bertha packed them for you. Said your trunk was much too heavy. We had this one in the attic and I think it serves the purpose nicely.”
Flory didn’t know whether to be grateful or mortified that Mrs. Brown went through their belongings. Thomas must have seen the look on her face.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “She simply divided the trunk up to make it lighter.”
Flory bit her lip, trying not to cry again. She didn’t want to explode into another fit of tears. She had cried more in the past two days than she had when her parents were buried.
The Grants came out to greet them. “Let’s put the trunk in the side room,” Oskar said, taking one handle of the trunk from Thomas. “No need to carry it upstairs and then back down again.”
Flory felt a great relief, knowing that they had a place to stay for the night. It meant one less thing to worry about. Tomorrow they could figure out their next steps. She couldn’t be passed around from family to family forever.
Still, the fact that the life she had promised for Gloria was yet to happen, made her heart sink. She was determined to keep her promise, just exactly how she was going to do it was beyond her.
How could she get a man who had no desire to be wed to wed her? A man who claimed he hadn’t put that ad in the newspaper but had admitted it was about him.
It didn’t make any sense.
Unless he found her unappealing. That wouldn’t surprise her. She was of spinster age and she wasn’t alone. She might’ve had a better chance without Gloria, but she would never abandon her sister.
Gloria hopped off the wagon and joined them. She looked at Minnie with big eyes. “Did you bake brownies?”
Minnie shook her head and tapped Gloria on her nose. “No. I thought perhaps we could make them together. Would you like that?”
Gloria’s face broke into a big grin. “I would. Very much.”
“Mrs. Grant,” Flory started, but stopped when Minnie held up a hand, shaking her head.
“I told you to call me Minnie. Everyone does.”
Flory nodded, smiling bashfully. “Minnie, thank you. I don’t know where we would’ve gone if you hadn’t-” She stopped, choking on her words, unsure of how to say what she was trying to speak. “Thank you.”
Minnie stepped up to her, putting a hand on her cheek. She was shorter than Flory, by at least a head. She was stout, but her round face glowed in happiness and kindness, something Flory had been missing for quite a long time.
These people didn’t even know her and yet, they were extending their hands out to her and Gloria, ready to help. They knew nothing of the girls and yet, were going out of their way for them. She wasn’t sure how much more her heart could take from the kindness these townsfolk were showing them.
In Philadelphia no one would give them the time of day, much less help her get settled with her sister.
“You listen to me. It’s just for a little while, but the town will take care of you girls. Jonathan is stubborn, but he does have a heart. Just give him some time, alright?”
Flory nodded, thanking the woman all over again, and watched as she guided Gloria into the store.
She couldn’t do this alone. She gave a little thank you prayer that she wouldn’t have to.
She was no longer alone. Even if she didn’t get married, she would find a way to stay in this small town with the kind people.
She reached down to pick up the two bags when she heard a horse galloping towards them. Flory looked up. What was Jonathan doing here? He had left the store without so much as a word earlier.
Even Thomas appeared to be surprised by his sudden appearance.
Pulling his horse to a stop, he jumped down all over again and stomped over to Flory and Thomas. His face was twisted, something that looked like anger and confusion and something she couldn’t quite make out.
He disregarded Thomas and walked right up to her.
Taking an involuntary step backwards, she stared up at him. Jonathan was intimidating this close. She tilted her head back to look at him.
He had sultry brown irises, ones that reminded her of chocolate on Christmas morning. That was the only time they ever had chocolate. It was a luxury for once a year.
Flory was hoping to get Gloria chocolate for Christmas, but she realized that wasn’t going to happen. It hurt her heart thinking of Gloria’s disappointment.
She stood her ground, staring up at him. She couldn’t look weak, not if she wanted him to marry her as the ad had so proclaimed.
“I didn’t write the advertisement, Miss West,” he started, repeating words he had so stubbornly made sure didn’t leave her mind. “But apparently it was targeted at me.”
Flory felt Gloria return to her side. She slipped her small hand into Flory’s large one and looked at Jonathan with her deep eyes.
Flory returned her gaze to the man in front of her. “I think we’ve been down this road before, Mr. McRaney.”
“I know.” He cleared his throat. “You said you can cook and clean, didn’t you?” Flory nodded. “I just can’t let a woman, and her sister,” he said looking at Gloria, “be shuffled around from place to place and not have a home.”
Flory tried not to jump for joy and click her heels. She took a deep breath to maintain her composure. “I can sew as well, Mr. McRaney. I can mend any clothes you might need mending.”
“Since you are staying with Minnie and Oskar tonight, I’ll be by with the wagon to pick you up tomorrow morning. You can stay with me as long as you need, but you and your sister will need to help cook and clean.” He glanced at Gloria. “Your sister can do those things, can’t she?”
Gloria released Flory’s hands and stepped forward. “I can help cut vegetables. And Mrs. Grant is going to teach me how to make brownies.”
“Really? That is the most important skill of all.” He looked back at Flory, the makings of a smile breaking on the corner of his lips. “It’s settled then. You two will come to my ranch tomorrow. I will have the guest room made up for you.”
“Mr. McRaney,” Flory said quickly, biting on the inside of her cheek. “If you didn’t write the ad, why’re you doing this?”
He stared at her for a moment, ducking his head slightly as the brim of his hat shrouded his eyes in a shadow. “You came here for me, because of an advertisement placed in my name. I’m not a monster, Miss West. I try to be an honorable man. The least I could do is help you until you can leave after the holidays.”
As he turned to leave again, Flory’s eyes caught Minnie’s. The woman stood at the door of the store; h
er hands crossed in front of her. She looked at Flory and smiled.
Flory watched Jonathan mount his horse and head back out of town. She watched him until she couldn’t see him anymore.
Gloria tugged on her hand and when Flory looked down the girl looked relaxed for the first time in ages.
Things were going to work out. She just knew it.
Chapter 6
Jonathan watched as Flory dragged the small trunk across the floor. He winced with each scrape he heard.
“Leave it and I’ll take it up.”
Flory nodded her agreement and went back to the wagon.
He picked up the large trunk and hoisted it on his shoulder, glancing at his cook who was cocking an eyebrow at him. He shook his head and carried the trunk towards the bedroom. He set it down and quickly returned outside to the wagon for the rest.
Flory was still at the end of the wagon pulling out her few bags and placing them on the porch. Gloria was laughing while she ran around the wagon. She would stop and look at the house, and then to the horses in the field.
“I can’t believe how large this house is, Flory!” Gloria ran to grab her sister’s hand. “It’s bigger than all the houses in Philadelphia!”
“Not quite,” Flory replied. She picked up the basket and handed it to Gloria, signaling the child should take the basket inside.
“Mr. McRaney?” Gloria walked up to him and handed him a basket. She removed the napkin covering the contents. “This is a thank you.” She held the basket, looking up at him expectantly. Jonathan peeked inside the basket. There was a pie and a plate with large chocolate brownies on it. His mouth watered.
“Did you make those?”
Gloria nodded. “Grandma Minnie helped me. She said you liked apples and cinnamon.”
Grandma Minnie? He wasn’t surprised that the Grants took the sisters under their care, given they didn’t have any children of their own.
Jonathan knelt in front of the little girl. He held his hands out for the basket. He could tell that the pie was still warm. The sweet smell of apples, cinnamon and a buttery crust filled his senses.
A Cowboy for Christmas (Spinster Mail Order Brides Book 11) Page 3
