Mail Order Brides: A Bride for the Banker (Bozeman Brides Book 1) (2 page)

She finished her coffee quickly and then passed by the table where Lydia and Betsy were now dissecting some other poor girl.

“But then William told her that—Oh! Margie, are you here to join us now?” Lydia’s tone was welcoming and she even looked around for an additional chair. Normally, Margie would have declined, but she nodded graciously and a nearby waiter rushed to bring her a chair.

“We were just talking about William Anderson and Catherine Higgins. I’ll bet you didn’t know that they eloped! The rumor is that she’s expecting.” Betsy’s eyes were glowing, so thrilled was she to be the first one to relay this news. “I heard Mama talking about it last night to Catherine’s mother. The poor woman took to her bed and she’s there still!”

Margie ground her teeth but waited patiently for an opening. After hearing all the sordid details about the unsuitable gardener and the darling of the Higgins’ family, she managed to interject her question.

“Did you really say that Mabel ran off as a mail-order bride?” she asked. She no longer had to pretend her interest.

“What?” Lydia blinked, clearly thrown by the change in subject. However, she recovered quickly and got the bit between her teeth. “Oh, yes. Apparently her father wanted her to wed some horrid old man, but she refused. She wanted to be free to marry for love. Well, after a couple of months, she was suddenly gone and it turns out that she’d been corresponding to a man out in Texas. He sent her a ticket and she left on the first train this morning. Isn’t that hilarious?”

The girls giggled again and Margie pasted a smile on her face. What she really wanted to do was knock their heads together, but she told herself to be patient.

“Yes, that is something alright. But how on earth did she even hear about such a man?” Margie asked the question casually, carelessly almost, not wanting to give anything away.

“From some newspaper, I think,” Betsy replied with a thoughtful look on her face. “Matrimony News or something like that. Anyway…”

Margie tuned them out, but smiled and nodded as they prattled on for another few minutes. She couldn’t leave immediately for fear of causing suspicion, but after a suitable amount of time, she excused herself on the pretext of having an appointment.

“Tell your gorgeous brother that he simply has to come to our gathering next week,” Lydia simpered. “All the girls are after him.”

Margie was shocked and annoyed. “He’s barely eighteen, Lydia!” Her comment was met with more giggles and she was glad to leave their company.

On the street, she looked around and headed for the nearest newsstand. She located the paper Betsy had mentioned, paid for it and walked off briskly. She folded the paper up and shoved it into her bag. What would she say if someone saw her with it? Her heart pounded so loudly that she was sure others around could hear it. Hoping against hope, she prayed the contents of the thin journal would contain her future.

“Here you go,” Ruth put a letter beside Theo’s plate. He scooped it up eagerly and scanned the front. His heart beat a bit faster when he saw that it was indeed from Margaret Davis, the woman he’d been corresponding with for the past three months.

“That’s about the third letter you’ve gotten from her, isn’t it?” Robert asked. “She must be pretty special.”

Theo only smiled. Although he’d been skeptical when the letters had first started coming in, he found the one from Margaret, or Margie as she’d signed the last letter, stirred his heart. Her story of losing her parents, caring for her younger brother, being cared for by elderly relatives spoke to him. He’d shared more of his heartache with her than anyone else. He almost believed he could tell her anything. In his last letter, he’d written all about his parents’ death, and how his brother had formed a gang and wanted him to join. However, he’d managed to run away and come to Bozeman where the Sandersons had taken him in. When her reply came saying how God must have been watching over him and had special plans for him, he began to feel that she was the one. In his third letter, he invited her to come out and had even sent a ticket. He said that they could be married whenever she wanted, right away or after a given amount of time. He was sure that God had worked this plan. It all felt so right. Even just from looking at her picture, Theo felt a connection. Of course it was black and white, but her large eyes reflected compassion and joy at the same time. This was a woman he could easily spend his life with.

“In my last letter, I included a ticket to come out here,” he confessed quietly to Ruth and Robert. It was hard for him to speak about Margie because she was so close to his heart. “I’ll find out in this one if she’s going to use it or not.”

His appetite left him, so he rose and excused himself. “Sorry, Ruth, but I won’t be able to eat until after I read this. Please don’t wait for me.”

The couple watched with amused grins on their faces as Theo strode out of the room. They looked at each other and touched hands. It was clear that Theo was in love, or nearly so in any case.

Once out of the room, Theo wasted no time in opening the letter. It was surprisingly short, but his heart exalted at the first two lines.

Dearest Theo,

Of course I will come, the sooner the better. As for getting married, I would like to do it soon. Of course it doesn’t have to be the very day that I arrive, but within a week or two if all goes well.

I look forward to meeting you in person. If you are half as wonderful as your letters, I will be a happy woman indeed.

Please expect us on the twenty-first of September. I can’t wait to start our lives together.

Yours most affectionately,

Margie

His face had changed from delighted to confused. He read the last sentence again, more slowly this time. Yes, she had definitely written ‘us’. Was she was bringing her brother with her? That hadn’t been mentioned before, had it? Was it implied somehow? Was she thinking that the boy would live with them? Where else would he go? Was she hoping to get him a job here?

Theo scratched his chin and tried to recall the boy’s age. From her previous letters, he’d sounded old enough to take care of himself. If he’d had to guess, he would have said about twenty or so. At that age, a man wasn’t likely to leave his home unless there was some sort of issue. Perhaps he had no means of making money. Was he coming out here to seek his fortune?

As he sat in confusion, he also felt a warmth spread across his chest. She was coming. Margie was coming out and she was going to be his bride. Unbidden, a huge smile spread across his face and he gripped the letter a little tighter. Everything else could be sorted out later. This was the best day of his life by far. He was getting married.

***

“You’re what?” Jackson exclaimed, horror spreading across his features. “What are you saying?”

“Keep your voice down,” Margie hissed as people’s heads turned in their direction. “I’m speaking plain English here. I know it’s a surprise, but…”

“Surprise?” he fairly yelped. “It’s a downright shock! Why did you keep this from me?”

Margie sighed and looked out the window. She groped for the right words to say that would somehow make her brother understand that what she had done was out of love, not control or trickery.

“I was desperate,” she finally admitted with a sigh. “I couldn’t think of anything else to do. Our talks weren’t helping. You nearly got yourself killed in the last game you played. I think you might have even cheated and if you continue along that line, who knows what might happen one day! I—I couldn’t bear to live life without you.” She turned to face him, her eyes wide with worry and the hope that he would understand.”

Jackson’s face was a mask of fury. “You arranged a marriage for yourself just to get me away from my friends?” His voice was now low and controlled. The skin around his mouth was white as his lips pressed together. “You lied, schemed and manipulated me.”

“Jackson,” she pleaded. “You’ve been on this destructive path and I was so afraid…”

“I don’t think I can ever trust you again. I’ll be on the first train out of that place and back to New York just as soon as I tell this…Theodore guy who you are and why you came out to marry him. Think he’ll want you after that? I’m pretty sure you didn’t tell him all this. What kind of man would marry a woman he’s never met to supposedly save her brother?”

Margie sat in silence for a full minute. He’d never spoken to her with such animosity before. However, it didn’t take long for the sadness in her eyes to turn to cold rage. “You will do no such thing you spoiled, selfish little brat,” she hissed. “You took all the money from our parents and spent it on alcohol and gambling. I scraped together every little bit I could to pay for your ticket in the hopes that you would see this as a new life together.”

“You emotionally blackmailed me into coming. I would have never come if I had known. And I will tell this man what you’ve done.” His mouth was set in a grim line. Arms crossed, he glared at her with resentment.

After a moment, he turned away from her and looked across the train. They’d been speaking in low voices, so no one was paying them any attention anymore. Five uninterrupted minutes of silence fell before Margie spoke again. She had an idea.

“When we get off the train, you will be polite and grateful to Mr. Jefferson. You will go along with what I have planned. One thing you don’t realize brother, is that there is no money for you to go back to New York. I have almost nothing but the food in our basket and the clothes on our back, certainly not enough for a train ticket across the country. If you want to survive, you will do as I say.”

“What’s to prevent me from spilling all the details to your intended?” he asked with a half-hearted sneer. Some of the fight had gone out of him, but not all of it.

Margie swallowed. The young man sitting in front of her now was unrecognizable to her. They’d grown apart in the past few years, but this bitter, angry person was a stranger to her.

“I will get the money for you to go back if you keep quiet. If you behave while we’re in Bozeman, I will find a way to raise enough for the ticket and give it to you in six months.”

“Why?” he asked, suspicious of her motives. “Why six months?”

“Because,” she replied, choking back a sob, “I’m hoping that will be enough time for you to change your mind, and your heart.”

Jackson blinked a few times and then issued a sigh. “Fine. I know when I’m beat. I won’t say a thing to your precious Theo, but don’t expect me to be a perfect gentleman either. I’ll do what I want, and I’ll go where I want and then in six months from today, you’ll give me the money I need.”

Margie couldn’t bring herself to speak. She nodded her head once to indicate that she’d heard and agreed, but in her heart, she was praying for a miracle.

***

Theo paced the wooden platform from end to end as he waited for the train that would bring his potential future bride. He’d started thinking of her that way after he read the letter. His jaw clenched and he swallowed hard. As much as he wanted to marry Margie, her springing a brother on him didn’t sit well. A lot would depend on her expectations. If he wasn’t as old as Theo thought, would Margie expect them to raise him as a son? He wasn’t prepared for that. And if he was older, was Theo supposed to get him a job and just support him in the meantime? He had so many questions for her. Their marriage hung in the balance.

Within ten minutes, the train pulled in and Theo found himself holding his breath. The moment the huge black beast halted and doors opened, he began scanning the people who disembarked. She was easy to find. So much like her picture, Margie descended from the train with a regal bearing, her head held high and her mouth set in a pleasing line. He watched her unnoticed for a moment.

Her auburn curls were piled high on her head and her peaches and cream complexion was complemented by the dark green travelling suit she wore. She was somewhat diminutive in stature, but the way she held herself gave the impression of being taller than she actually was.

He’d only had a moment to take in her beauty when a youth descended behind her. The young man had a slouch hat with a rounded brim and wore a suit that had seen better days. He clearly didn’t care for meticulous grooming. In addition, the frown of disdain he wore on his face mirrored his careless dress. It was clear that he was unhappy to be here.

For a split second, Theo wished he could disappear, but then Margie caught his eye and her face lit from within. That was all the time it took for his heart to be stolen. The gentle way her lips tipped up and the rosy hue that stained her cheeks entranced him. Her eyes crinkled in delight and her lips parted in such a wide smile that he felt she was brimming with joy. Whatever misfortune her brother felt in regards to being here, she more than made up for.

“Mr. Jefferson,” she stated in a clear, sweet voice, coming towards him with a growing smile. Her dark eyes were warm with affection and his heart expanded in his chest. “I’m so delighted to see you. Thank you for coming all the way to the station to meet us. I know it must have been a long and tiring drive.” She extended her gloved hands and he grasped them earnestly.

Livingston Station was nearly a three-hour drive from Bozeman, so he had to leave quite early, but any fatigue he’d felt was stripped away in her presence. He felt his six-foot height gain a few inches under her pleased countenance.

“It was little enough to meet you,” he said solicitously, smiling down at her and noticing the more than ten-inch height difference.

They stood smiling at each other for what seemed like minutes, but was probably only seconds when the young man behind her coughed.

“Oh, yes, and please meet my brother, Jackson Davis.” She let go of his hands to indicate to the man behind her.  “Jackson, this is Mr. Theodore Jefferson.”

The way she said his name thrilled him. He loved the sound of it coming from her mouth. However, his smile and pleasure faded away when he turned to greet her brother. The boy’s displeasure was so great, so palpable that it seeped through his hand and into Theo’s body as they shook hands. Jackson barely even looked at him, but shook his hand fiercely as though he was trying to prove his own strength. Without even exchanging a single word, Theo knew that this boy was going to be a trial. Whatever his issue was, Jackson would make life very difficult for all of them. He knew this as surely as his knew his own name.