by Stella Clark
All through the journey, she had refused to think about her parents and their reactions to the letter she had left on her bed. In it, she had told them all her plans with the hope that they would understand and give her and Adam their blessing.
She was their last child and now understood their need to ensure that she was well taken care of. The trouble was that they had gone about it the wrong way.
“Miss, this is your stop,” the conductor said, coming into her car.
“Yes of course,” Nora said and jumped to her feet.
“I’ll get your luggage,” he said and left the car.
Nora adjusted her dress and buttoned her coat. She grabbed her valise from the seat and squared her shoulders. She was about to meet her fiancé, Adam Larson. Soon she would be Mrs. Larson, a respectable married woman. It felt good to be an adult and to make her own decisions.
The last thought spurred her on, and she gathered the courage to step out of the car onto the platform. A gust of wind threatened to blow off her hat, and she grabbed it with one hand.
“I’ve got you,” a deep voice said and took her hand.
He led her to the shelter of the platform and took the valise from her hand. Finally, Nora dropped her hand and looked up into deep-set, chocolate-brown eyes staring intently at her. Eyes that made her heart stutter.
“Nora Baxter?” he asked solemnly.
She nodded, unable to speak. He was a whole lot more handsome than she had expected. He was tall, with muscular shoulders that filled out the brown coat he wore.
He stuck out his hand. “I’m Adam Larson. Welcome to Montana.” He smiled warmly.
Nora smiled then. She had made the right decision. His large hand enveloped hers, and he covered it with his other hand.
“You’re cold. Let’s get you in the wagon and to the ranch house. Winter is upon us now and our winters get quite harsh.”
Nora slipped her hand into the arm he offered, and they made their way out of the station. He helped her up into the box seat next to the driver’s and handed her a warm blanket to drape over herself.
“I’ll get your luggage,” Adam said and returned to the station.
The station was at the very end of a rather small main street. Nora saw three people on the street and could not help but compare it to the bustle of the city back home. It took Adam several trips to get all her trunks and when he brought the last two, his breath came out fast.
“Are all those your clothes?” he asked after stowing the trunks at the back of the wagon.
Nora nodded. “Yes. I didn’t bring all my personal possessions.” She refrained from mentioning that she had stolen out of her own home.
In his letters, Adam had mentioned that he hoped that her parents would visit them soon. She had not made a comment but had instinctively known that if she told him that her parents did not approve, his interest in her would cease. She had enlisted the help of Dora, the maid, who in turn had gotten the carriage driver to help them.
They had carried her trunks out in the middle of the night and before dawn, Nora had crept out of the house and had been driven to the train station. She hoped that Dora and the chauffeur would not get in trouble and had not mentioned them in the letter to her parents.
She had never ridden in a wagon before and enjoyed the view it offered her. As soon as they left town, Nora felt as if it was just the two of them in the world. The landscape was desolate, with bare trees and brown hills. Every so often, she saw smoke rising from farmhouses far out in the distance.
“It’s very quiet here,” she said.
“You’ll get used to it. Though it is busy at the ranch. We have ten ranch hands and their families, and my own family. There’s also a neighboring ranch, the Vintons, with whom we socialize especially during winter when there’s not a lot of work.”
Nora nodded and swallowed hard. It was all so different from what she was used to. She glanced at Adam’s profile and immediately became at ease. The Lord had led her to him. She had to keep remembering that and not pay mind to their surroundings.
The road was almost impassable in some places but Adam had a solution for everything. Her admiration went up another notch as she saw how ably he solved any problems that arose.
Finally, after being tossed about on her box seat, they got off the main road and in the distance, she made out a homestead with a sprawling ranch house and other buildings.
“Welcome home,” Adam said and flashed her a smile that increased the pace of her heart.
Chapter 5
He had known Nora Baxter was a mistake as soon as she stepped out of the train car. She was every inch a lady. She wore a large expensive hat that covered a mass of strawberry-blonde hair so pretty, he itched to twirl it between his fingers.
She was petite, with a slim body and hands that were soft and had never done any work. She had not needed to tell him how different her life was back in the east. As he guided the wagon to the back of the house, his belly knotted. What had he done? She was too fragile for the lifestyle he was bringing her into.
By her conversation, he had deduced that she was a woman who was used to having her needs catered to by servants. Their way of life was different. Even if they were quite well off, they did their own work. They had no servants and everyone pitched in.
She wouldn’t last in the West, and he felt bad for wasting both of their time. But when he glanced at her, all those feelings of regret dissipated and all he felt was a burning need to kiss her. Nora Baxter was easily the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
Which led him to another puzzle. Why had her parents allowed her to travel across the country to marry a stranger? Everything she wore was expensive from her heavy coat to the pretty dress he caught glimpses of underneath and the sturdy leather shoes. Then there was her luggage.
There were probably more clothes than Tina, his mother, and the ranch hands’ wives owned combined. There was so much of Nora Baxter he did not understand. He brought the wagon to a stop at the back of the house. It was lunchtime, and he knew that his parents and sister were at the kitchen table having their midday meal.
“This is the ranch house. Let’s go in so I can introduce you to my family,” he said, noting the pallor of her face and the forced smile.
She was probably regretting her decision to come. He didn’t blame her, though he felt a little sad for her. She had been reared in high society and had believed that she was coming to get married to a man of the same social class. With a sigh, he jumped down from the wagon and gave her his hand to help her down.
Her gloved hand gripped his and pinpricks of awareness lit up his skin. He told himself it was a normal reaction. She was beautiful, and any man would be attracted to her. To his surprise, she merely held his hand but used her own strength and agility to jump down.
She was not as fragile as she looked. He glanced at the back door and inhaled deeply. The moment had come. He took Nora’s hand and guided her into the house. As soon as he pushed the door open, delicious smells hit them. They stepped into the warmth of the kitchen and three pairs of eyes looked up at them.
“Adam. We didn’t know you had a visitor,” his mother said, her eyes wide open.
“Miss,” his father said and stood up.
Tina’s smile was wide enough to split her face in two.
“Everyone, meet Miss Nora Baxter from Boston. She arrived an hour ago, and she’s here to be my bride,” he said.
The silence in the kitchen was deafening. His father was the first to recover. He stepped forward and shot Adam a puzzled look as he shook Nora’s hand.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m afraid Adam did not warn us of your arrival but you’re welcome nonetheless.”
Adam could feel Nora’s gaze burn the side of his face. He dared not look at her. His mother slowly came forward, a tightness in her eyes. She had wanted the marriage with Joan Vinton the most, and he expected her negative reaction. He hoped that Nora being here would soften her heart a
nd she would welcome her into the family.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Baxter. Please join us for lunch; there’s plenty. Tina, would you show our guest to the bathroom to wash up for lunch?”
“Yes of course,” Tina said and immediately went to Nora and introduced herself. She linked her hand to Nora’s and led her out of the kitchen.
“Have you lost your mind?” his father roared as soon as Tina and Nora’s footsteps faded.
Adam faced his parents. “I’ve told you countless times but you chose to ignore my opinion. I’m not going to marry Joan Vinton.”
“But her?” his mother hissed, pointing at the door Tina and Nora had gone through moments earlier. “She’s unsuitable for our kind of life! Did you see her hands? She’s never worked a day of her life! Who is going to clean up after her?”
He could not refute any of the things his mother was saying but he also couldn’t admit that he had made a mistake. He should have thought harder about the kind of wife he wanted.
“What about her parents? Do they agree with this? Sending their daughter from Boston to Montana to marry a stranger?” his mother continued.
“Doris,” his father said and turned to his wife. “Maybe we should not be too hasty. She has come all this way. It’s not right to send her back, and we can’t force Adam to marry Miss Vinton.”
“We are looking out for the future of the ranch. What has this girl got to offer you apart from heartache? You’re a fool, Adam Larson!”
His mother’s words angered him and propelled him to make a decision. He was not going to send Nora Baxter back. If she agreed to stay and marry him, she was welcome. His parents, especially his mother, needed to understand that he was a man now and could make his own decisions.
Chapter 6
“There, it’s done!” Nora said and held up the Christmas stocking to admire it. It wasn’t perfect; nothing like Tina’s stockings. And it had taken her six days to cut out and sew. But she had done it, despite undoing the seams and repeating several times.
“Well done!” Tina said with a huge smile.
“Thank you. Now I can do the next one. But first, let me check if there’s anything I can help your mother with in the kitchen.”
Tina’s smile wavered. Nora stood up and made for the kitchen. She had been trying all week, hoping that Mrs. Larson would warm up to her, but nothing seemed to help. She had not given up and vowed to continue to try her very best.
It wasn’t easy to try and impress her future mother-in-law. For starters, Nora had no housekeeping skills. There were no servants here and everyone pitched in and contributed to the running of the household while Adam and his father worked in the pastures looking after the ranch cattle.
Tina and her mother ran the household, cleaning and cooking all the meals. At first, this had horrified Nora but after a few days, she had grown used to it and could even see the merits. Working together made them closer as a family, and they never seemed to run out of conversation at the dinner table.
It was such a different life from what she was used to. Her parents’ conversation had revolved around who was doing what in their circle of friends. Who had a dinner party and who attended and who didn’t.
The Larsons spoke about their cattle, the land, and plans for days and weeks to come. They also laughed more, and no topic of conversation was too delicate for them. Just the other night, Mr. Larson had entertained them with a tale of a calf that had refused to leave its mother’s belly during childbirth before emerging at last looking decidedly irate at the whole affair.
Nora had almost choked on her food, but soon she had been entertained and laughed along with everyone. The food was another thing. They ate heartily and cleared their plates, including the women. Where she came from, women did not fill their plates with food. She had started to eat like Tina and her mother, and her body had begun to fill out.
Mrs. Larson had her back to the kitchen and when she heard footsteps, she turned around with a smile. It faded when she saw that it was Nora. Despite the cold reception, Nora smiled brightly. “I’ve finished my very first Christmas stocking,” she said.
The only response she got was a curt nod before Mrs. Larson returned to stirring the contents of a pot on the woodstove.
“Anyway, I came to give you a hand,” Nora continued bravely. “Perhaps I can help set the table.”
Mrs. Larson outright ignored her. To her disappointment, tears gathered in Nora’s eyes. She busied herself removing plates from the cupboard, while fighting to keep the tears from falling. She grabbed a plate from the top shelf and as she brought it down, her hand lost its grip and the plate slid to the floor.
As soon as it touched the hard cement floor, the ceramic plate splintered into countless pieces. Mrs. Larson whirled around. She gasped at the sight of the plate pieces scattered all over the floor. Nora clamped her mouth.
“I’m sorry …”
“What have you done? It was part of a set!” Mrs. Larson cried out. “It was a gift from my parents on our wedding day.”
“I just wanted to help, I’m sorry,” Nora cried.
Mrs. Larson glared at her. “I never asked for your help. What do you know about cooking and housekeeping? Nothing!”
The words wounded her like a dagger aimed at her heart. With a cry, Nora turned and fled from the kitchen through the back door. She paid no mind to the light snow and sprinted across the backyard and made for their house, which now had a roof.
She ran through the doorway and stopped in the first room. The tears came out in a gush and sobs wracked her body.
“Nora?”
She let out a cry and dropped her hands. Relief flowed through her when she saw that it was Adam.
“You’re crying. What happened? Are you hurt?” he asked and came to her side.
Nora shook her head. “I think your mother doesn’t like me,” she said amid sniffs.
Adam did not immediately reply. “She will, once she gets to know what a wonderful person you are.”
It did not escape Nora’s notice that Adam had not denied it. It wasn’t just his mother who was a problem. Adam himself behaved as if she was a regular guest. She had waited for their courtship to continue from where they had left off in the letters, but nothing had happened so far.
Adam spoke to her as he would to a guest visiting. He was polite and did the absolute necessary not to appear rude, but no more than that. What had happened to the gentleman who had written those romantic poetic letters? Was it her looks? Had he expected a prettier girl?
She didn’t know what to make of him and now she could not gather the courage to ask him outright what the problem was. She was too frightened of the answer he would give her. What if he said that he had changed his mind? What would she do then? She could not fathom going back home to marry Gus Hatch.
No, she would give Adam time. Perhaps, he would grow to like her or even have feelings for her. Or maybe he was shy and was not ready to be romantic in person. Whatever it was, she had to practice patience. In the meantime, she had Tina. If it weren’t for Adam’s twin sister, her stay at the ranch would have been unbearable.
Chapter 7
Nora smiled at him shakily after she had wiped her face. Even with her eyes red and swollen, she still looked beautiful. Protective feelings came over him, followed closely by anger. This was all his doing. Nora did not belong in Montana. Her place was back home in the East where her parents’ wealth would ensure she lived a life free of toil.
His gaze dropped to the dress she wore that could not hide the curves underneath. His mouth went dry. He had never been as strongly attracted to a woman as he was to his fiancée. He had lain awake most nights visualizing Nora in ways that he had no business doing. Not until she became his wife anyway.
She crossed her arms across her chest, and he noticed the shiver then and the goose pimples on her skin.
“You’re cold,” he said and slipped out of his sheepskin coat.
He stood behind
her and helped her into the garment. He lifted her mass of hair and arranged the collar of her coat. The skin under her hair looked so soft. He inhaled a sweet perfume scent, one that had become as familiar as his own. Being so close to her made Adam forget everything except how sweet she smelled and how he longed to kiss her.
“That’s much better, thank you,” Nora said and turned to face him.
He should have left then but he felt loath to part company with her just yet, even though he knew it was foolhardy. Every day, he expected Nora to tell him that she was going back home. When night came and she didn’t, hope rose in his chest. Every day was the same, waiting for Nora to announce her departure.
“Would you like a tour of our house?” he asked her.
A smile lit up her face and for a few seconds he stared, reveling in her beauty and wondering how when the time came, he would be able to say goodbye.
“Yes, please,” she said.
“Shall we start here?” he said. “This is the parlor. It’s not as big as you’re used to.”
Her eyes bored into his. “And what am I used to?”
He stammered as he searched for an explanation but came up with none. He opted for the truth. “It’s my thinking that you come from a wealthy family, and I imagine your home back east was very large.”
She cocked her head to the side and contemplated him. “Wealth is not just the size of your house or the amount of money you have in the bank. Wealth is also the love between you and your family and friends.”
Nora left him standing there with his mouth open as she sauntered down the hallway. He roused himself shortly after and followed her.
“I like the kitchen. We can place the stove there, near the window. Will we have work counters?”
“Anything you want, you shall have,” Adam said, feeling conflicted over his feelings for Nora. When he was near her, he lost all his sense of reasoning and even saw the possibility of her becoming his wife. She confused him when she said things that implied a future between them.