Hopes and Brides: Regency and Mail Order Bride Historical Romance Collection

by Joyce Alec

  “I’ve made breakfast, and it’s going to grow cold if you don’t come and eat,” she managed to say, keeping her gaze averted. “And I didn’t know we had a dog.”

  He grunted, turning around to look out of the window behind him. Hazel saw him stiffen, before turning around to face her, his eyes widening. “How long have you been awake?”

  “Not long,” she replied, seeing his eyes close with either relief or frustration. “What about your breakfast?”

  He groaned and shook his head, walking back to his bedroom but leaving the door open. “I’ll be there in a minute,” he called, as a large collie came out of the room and came straight towards Hazel. “I’ll not be long. I think I’m already late. Can you feed Max?”

  Hazel didn’t quite know what to say, turning around and walking back into the kitchen with the dog at her heels. Her mouth was inexplicably dry, the palms of her hands sweating as she went to wash them. Max barked once, making her jump. She had no idea what to feed him or where to find the food. Forcing herself not to think about the state she’d seen Stephen in, Hazel tried to find where Max’s bowl was kept.

  By the time she’d done that, Stephen was sitting down at the table, looking as though he’d never seen such a sumptuous meal in his life. He said grace and began to eat, throwing her a wide smile as he took a bite of one of his biscuits.

  “Thank you, Hazel,” he said, chewing loudly. “I ain’t had as good a breakfast as this in years.”

  “You’re welcome,” Hazel replied, turning back to the stove, so she could start making her own breakfast. “I’m sorry you’re late.”

  He shrugged. “I’m not late yet. I can eat fast.” His eyes turned to hers again, fixing her with his gaze. “Thank you for waking me. I must have been tired after all that happened yesterday.”

  Hazel found herself blushing but could not account for it. She kept her back to him, while focusing on cooking the eggs. “When will you be back?”

  “In time for dinner,” he replied, wiping his mouth. “You gonna be okay here by yourself?”

  Scooping up the eggs to put on her own plate, Hazel nodded. “I’ll be just fine,” she replied, sitting down across from him. “I got plenty to do around this place.”

  “I know there’s all manner of things you’re going to need from town, but I’ll take you later this week, when I’m not out to pasture. Just see if you can make things stretch, will you?”

  Hazel bit her lip, keeping back her harsh retort that she could manage to go to town all on her own. He clearly had expectations, and their first morning together wasn’t the time to start questioning them.

  Stephen got up practically the moment she sat down, throwing back the rest of his coffee in one gulp. “I’d best be going,” he said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “The others will be waiting for me.” He lifted one eyebrow and paused for a moment. “Are you sure you’re going to be all right here?”

  “Yes, I’m sure,” Hazel replied, a little frustrated that he didn’t seem to believe her that she could manage on her own. That was the second time he had asked her. “I’m not about to get all lonesome just because you’re not around.” Her sharp words seemed to surprise him, his eyes widening just a little, before he turned around and walked straight out of the house without even wishing her goodbye.

  Hazel blew out a frustrated breath, not sure whether she was more annoyed with him or with herself. He was trying to be kind to her, she supposed, but she was more than capable of managing things on her own. Besides, she was going to have to get used to being here by herself.

  As much as she hated to admit it, Hazel felt a little spooked being in this big house all alone. Whether it was because it was just a brand-new situation, or because of all she’d been through, she wasn’t sure. Her skin prickled as something creaked upstairs, even though she knew it was just one of the noises that came from a house like this.

  Since her breakfast was finished, she made her way to the porch. She opened the door and stepped out into the morning sunshine, coffee cup in hand. She’d spend a few minutes praying, simply enjoying being in a new place and a new situation, before heading back inside and carrying on with all the things she had to do.

  Stephen came riding out of the barn, two men on horseback coming to join him. She supposed they were Ned and Joe, Stephen’s workers. They were heading towards the house, which would lead out to the pastures. Even though something like nerves rolled in her stomach, she stayed exactly where she was.

  The horses drew up alongside the house, and Hazel tipped her face up towards them, squinting a little in the sunlight.

  “This here is my wife,” Stephen grunted, not looking at her. “Hazel, this is Ned and Joe.”

  “Good to meet you,” Hazel replied, as they each greeted her cordially, taking their hats from their heads for a moment. “You be sure to let me know what your favorite sweet things are and I’ll rustle them up real soon.”

  The men smiled, glancing over at each other in delight. “Something like apple pie would be real good,” said one, his blue eyes dancing. “I haven’t had that in so long.”

  “And sweet biscuits,” the other added, looking as though she were about to give him a wonderful gift. “That’s awful kind of you, Mrs. Grant.”

  “Hazel,” she corrected, as Stephen glanced over at her. “I’ll have some ready for you in a couple of days’ time, once I’ve settled in.”

  The two men thanked her at once, but Stephen soon interrupted their conversation and hurried them up, shooting a sharp glance at Hazel before digging his heels into the horse’s sides and began to ride away.

  Hazel coughed, waving away the cloud of dust with her apron as she watched them go. There was such a sense of freedom that they carried with them, making her long to have that same independence. Stephen had made it clear he expected her to stay home all day and wait for him to take her to town later on in the week, but she needed things now. There was barely enough flour left to make another loaf of bread and certainly not enough for that and the apple pie she’d promised to make. She didn’t even know where the apples were, or if Stephen had any.

  Wandering back into the house and leaving the door wide open so that sunlight could stream through, Hazel looked around the room with a sharp eye. The first thing she’d need to do was make sure she had all she needed for dinner and breakfast for tomorrow. Then, she’d make a list of everything she needed to buy from town, as well as finish her unpacking. That would probably take her most of the morning, and she still had cleaning, cooking, and laundry to do.

  Biting her lip, Hazel began to clear up the breakfast dishes, wondering how she was going to fit everything in. The last thing she wanted was for Stephen to come back to the house and find that his dinner wasn’t ready and that his laundry hadn’t been done. She needed to prove to him that she was a capable wife.

  “Then I’ll just head off to town tomorrow,” she murmured to herself, as she found a rag to wipe the crumbs off the table. She would try to talk to Stephen about it again in the hope that he’d be happy for her to go there and back herself. After all, she knew how to hitch a horse to a wagon and how to drive it, so there was no good reason she couldn’t.

  But, then again, Stephen seemed to be a rather closed kind of man. A man who had strict ideas and expected them to be followed, a man who did things in order without really considering the feelings of others.

  11

  The following morning found Hazel in the stable, patiently hitching up the wagon to a rather grumpy-looking horse. It was the same one that had collected her from the station, so she was quite sure she had picked the right horse for the job.

  Grimacing, she fiddled with one of the buckles, wishing she’d not managed to twist it. Her mind had been elsewhere, struggling with what had been said over dinner last night and then again at breakfast in the morning.

  Finally managing to get the strap sorted out, she finished checking over the rest of the harness before climbing into the driv
ing seat, picking up the reins and clicking to the horse. Thankfully, it began to move at once, quite used to pulling the wagon. Hazel smiled to herself as the sun hit her face as they came out of the barn. She was going to prove to Stephen that she didn’t need his help when it came to running errands.

  As the horse made its way to town—for Hazel didn’t even need to direct it since it was quite clear it knew where it was going—she tried her best not to worry about what Stephen would say when he came home that evening. He might be rather angry with her, she supposed, but she was not about to stay home alone without any company for hours at a time. Of course, there was always a great deal for her to do, but that also included the absolute necessity of having everything she needed. For example, there was no flour left, which meant she could not make any more bread. Stephen had brushed it off when she’d mentioned it, telling her that he’d send Ned or Joe to fetch some when they came back from the pastures, but that wasn’t good enough for Hazel. She needed the flour today. So why did Stephen seem so opposed to the idea of her leaving the ranch and then coming back?

  Rolling her eyes, Hazel tried to relax and forget about Stephen. It was as if he wanted to keep her confined, keep her safe, whereas she wanted the freedom to go where she pleased, when she wanted. There wasn’t even a question over what she should do. Stephen’s word wasn’t law, as far as she was concerned. He was being foolish, and she wasn’t about to obey foolishness.

  The town soon came into view. Making her way to the mercantile’s, Hazel hopped down from the wagon and hitched her horse to the rail. Hoping that Mary was inside, Hazel made her way into the store, before being enveloped in a strong hug.

  “Hazel!” Mary exclaimed, letting her go. “I’ve been waiting and waiting for you to come to town!”

  Hazel laughed, her eyes twinkling. “It’s only been a few days, Mary.”

  “Days without knowing whether you’d married him or not,” Mary declared, looking quite delighted. “But I hear you’ve gone and married him, bless you, so now you’re out there on that ol’ ranch.” She watched Hazel carefully for a moment, as though there was something she wanted to see in Hazel’s expression. “Tell me, how do you like it out there?”

  “I like it just fine,” Hazel replied, with a slight shrug. “I mean, everything’s very orderly, and it certainly don’t feel like home yet, but I’m sure it will one day soon.

  Mary nodded slowly, glancing all about her before speaking in hushed tones. “And how you getting on with that husband of yours?”

  Hazel paused, thinking for a moment. “He’s nice enough. We ain’t got to know each other all that well yet, I suppose, but he don’t seem a bad sort. Just likes things very organized, although I don’t plan on being the kind of thing he can organize, no matter how hard he tries.”

  A slight frown appeared on Mary’s face. “What do you mean?”

  Glad that the shop was empty apart from one other customer, Hazel gave a slight shrug. “He wants me to stay back at the ranch, telling me that he’ll take me to town to get what I need.” She shook her head, letting out a long sigh. “I mean, he wants to take me to town, like I can’t go by myself? I can do that just fine.”

  Concern flickered in Mary’s eyes. “I know you can, but that doesn’t mean you should,” she replied slowly. “That man is just trying to keep you safe.”

  Hazel tossed her head. “I need things from town, and he won’t let me come get them on my own. I don’t understand his reasons, so I thought I’d show him that everything’s just fine by coming on out here on my own anyway.”

  Mary looked as though she was going to say something more, only for her to clamp her mouth shut and shake her head, gesturing to all the things in the shop. “Just go on and take a look, Hazel. We’ve got almost everything you need. I’m sure of it.”

  “Does my husband have a tab here?” Hazel asked, immediately finding the flour she needed. “Can I add these things to it?”

  Mary nodded, walking back behind the counter. “Sure, that’s no problem. And my husband will help put all your purchases on the wagon.”

  Hazel smiled, feeling a little more at peace. Mary hadn’t exactly agreed with her on every point, but at least she wasn’t throwing her out of her shop and telling Hazel to go back to her husband’s ranch until he was ready to take her. Pulling out the list from her pocket, Hazel began to look for all the things she needed, setting them out one at a time over at the desk.

  “You sure Stephen’s going to be all right with all this?” Mary asked, as she went to find the flour Hazel needed. “He’s not a man who likes things done in a different way to what he’s planned.”

  Hazel shrugged. “He’s going to have to be. I ain’t going to be a wife that’s under her husband’s thumb. The sooner he realizes that, the better things are going to be.”

  Mary’s smile quirked. “Well, if you’re sure. By the way, I was going to invite you to our quilting circle. The first one was last evening, but we’ll be meeting again next week.”

  Appreciating Mary’s invitation, Hazel smiled warmly. “I’d love to. Where is it held?”

  “We just have it here, in the back,” Mary replied, gesturing to a door that led through to her living quarters. “Frank, my husband, he goes off to the saloon for a while. In fact, most of the men folk do, unless they got little ones to look after. It’d sure to be nice to have another new face with us!”

  “Then I’d be delighted to come along, although I’m not sure my sewing skills are going to be good enough.” She bit her lip, a little concerned. “I’m good at darning and the like, but not so much quilting.”

  Mary laughed, beckoning her husband over. He was a tall, wiry man with a friendly face. After greeting her, he began to take her things out to the wagon, leaving Hazel free to talk.

  “Now, don’t you go fretting about things like that,” Mary said and laughed, as she added up Hazel’s purchases. “We’ll teach you in whatever you’re lacking. We’re all at different stages. You ought to meet Betty! She is almost eighty years of age, and she is still quilting!”

  As Hazel began to make her way home, she found that she was looking forward to getting to know a few more people in the town. It felt good to be able to start over, to be able to forget all that had gone before. Yes, she might still be a little jumpy when it was dark or when she was in that place all by herself, but she was finding it easier to put all thoughts of Christopher behind her. It was as though she’d been given a new lease of life, able to simply start over.

  The ride back to the house was a nice one, given that it was a beautiful day with a good breeze. Hazel tipped her face up to the sun and took in a good long breath, a smile on her face. Once Stephen got home, he’d be able to see that she could manage things just fine on her own and that there was no need for his fretting. In fact, Hazel was quite sure he’d be really thankful that he wouldn’t have to take her out to town and back, once he came round to the idea.

  It took quite some time for her to unload all the packages from the wagon into the house and then, after that, to put the wagon away and rub down the horse, but by the time she was back in the house, she felt rather pleased with herself. She’d managed to accomplish all of that entirely on her own, and without any help from Stephen. It just went to show that she didn’t need him to help her do all that stuff. She could manage just fine without him.

  Glad that she finally had enough flour, Hazel set about making the apple pie she’d promised Ned and Joe, making sure there was one for her and Stephen as well. Humming to herself, she smiled happily as she began to prepare dinner, quite sure that everything would be just fine once Stephen saw all she’d accomplished.

  “Did you go to town today?”

  Ignoring the slight pink in Stephen’s cheeks, Hazel smiled over at Ned and Joe and handed them the apple pie she had made. “It’s still warm. I hope you enjoy it.”

  Ned and Joe wavered between grinning delightedly and looking over at Stephen, who was still glowering at her.r />
  “Thank you very much, we’ll be sure to enjoy this with our dinner,” Ned replied, still glancing at Stephen. “Are we done for the day, Stephen?”

  He didn’t say a word, simply gestured for them to leave, and they took to their heels at once.

  “Are you planning to wash up before we eat?” Hazel asked, trying to sound casual. “Dinner’s on the table.”

  “You didn’t answer my question,” Stephen replied firmly. “Tell me, Hazel, did you go to town today?”

  She shrugged, stepping in through the porch door. “And here I thought you’d be glad. It saves you having to take me.”

  He slammed the door tight behind him, making her jump. Closing her eyes for a moment, Hazel put one hand on her stomach and took a deep breath. He wasn’t as happy as she’d thought he’d be. Instead, he was clearly very angry, and she grew afraid of the storm that was coming. Was this what Mary had meant when she’d said he wasn’t exactly pleasant? Surely he’d never lay a finger on her? He hadn’t seemed anything like Christopher so far.

  But then you never saw that coming, she thought.

  Swallowing hard, she turned around and tried to smile, her throat working furiously. “Stephen, I can do things like this myself. Can’t you see that? I hitched up the horse and—”

  “I said that I’d take you,” he interrupted, stalking towards her with one finger pointed directly at her. “You’re meant to bide by my rules.”

  Backing away just a little, Hazel lifted her chin and hid her fright as best she could. “I’m not going to be told what freedoms I can and can’t have, Stephen. I’m not some poor little mite you need to care for.”

  He glared at her, his face red with anger. “It’s the principle of the thing, Hazel. I’m your husband, and that means you obey.”

  “I won’t obey ridiculous rules like forbidding me to go to town until you’re around,” she retorted, pushing away the ball of anxiety growing in her stomach. “I’m not about to be caged, Stephen.”