Bent Over A Barrel Bundle: Western Cowboy Romance (Full Length Novels)

by Lolita London

  “What made you decide on Oakford?” Annie asked.

  Again Mary didn’t want to confess to being a mail order bride, but decided to give some information.

  :”I came to be with someone,” she said.

  “That does sound interesting,” Annie said and grin spread across her face. “Do tell me more.”

  Mary remembered Mrs. Lester’s comment about Annie being a free spirited soul and started to get an inkling of what the elderly lady meant.

  “Well,” she said. “I arrived yesterday and things didn’t exactly go as I expected.”

  “Let me guess,” Annie said. “You arranged to meet a man through an agency and he wasn’t quite what you expected.”

  The tinge of redness blossomed on Mary’s face at being caught out and she cast her gaze down to the floor. She wasn’t quite sure how to respond, but in the end didn’t need to say anything.

  “It’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” Annie went on. “I was originally from a larger town and plenty of the girls I knew tried that route to find a husband.”

  Mary brought her gaze up.

  “Did you?” she asked.

  Mary laughed as she shook her head.

  “Luckily I didn’t have to,” she answered. “I was fortunate enough to meet my husband, Walter, before I needed to do that, but I probably would have if I hadn’t got together with him. It sounds like a romantic adventure to give up everything and move across the country to be with a man.”

  “That idea wasn’t the only reason for me doing it,” Mary said. “But I did have the thought in my head when I joined the agency.”

  “By the sound of your voice things didn’t exactly turn out like the dream then,” Annie went on.

  Mary couldn’t stop the disappointed expression crossing her face as she shook her head.

  “No,” she admitted. “Things didn’t work out quite like I imagined.”

  “You didn’t like the man?” Annie asked.

  Mary let out a humorless laugh.

  “I didn’t even get the chance to find out if I liked him,” she replied. “It was his mother that came to the train station. Apparently things are too busy on the farm right now with the harvest and getting the place ready for the winter months. I was asked to wait in town first.”

  “Not a very welcoming reception then,” Annie sympathized. “What’s the mother’s name?”

  “Jenny Addison,” Mary told her.

  “Addison…, Addison,” Annie let out quietly as she sat thinking. “I don’t know them,” she eventually said. “They must be new to the area.”

  “They’ve only been here for a few weeks apparently,” Mary said. “They’re working a farm somewhere on the outskirts of town.”

  “Well, it is true that this is one of the busiest periods of the year,” Annie conceded. “Not sure why that would mean you couldn’t go to the farm though.”

  “To be honest I got the distinct impression that having me stay in town wasn’t Mrs. Addison’s choice,” Mary went on. “I’m guessing it was her husband that made the decision and she was just sent to pass on the message.”

  “So where are you staying?” Annie asked.

  “I’m renting a room with a Mrs. Lester,” Mary replied. “Do you know her?”

  “I have met her,” Annie said and laughed. “She’s a feisty old lady. I like her.”

  “Don’t tell her I said so,” Mary said. “But her description of you was a free spirited soul.”

  Annie laughed as she spoke

  “She got that right.” There was a slight pause as she stared across the table. “So you’re stuck in town waiting to see the man of your dreams.”

  “That about sums it up,” Mary admitted. “Going back to Boston isn’t really an option. My parents died a few months ago and coming here was a step in moving on with my life.”

  “It sounds like things haven’t been easy for you recently,” Annie said. “So what exactly is it that I can do for you.”

  “I’m now in a position where I don’t know what’s going to happen with the man I came here to see,” Mary went on. “I can’t afford to just sit around waiting hopefully and I worked as a teacher in Boston. Is there any work that I can do here?”

  “What are your qualifications?” Annie asked.

  Mary took the papers from her pocket and handed them across. She watched as Annie perused them and her breath stuck in her throat when the pretty schoolmistress raised her head.

  “These are fairly impressive.”

  “Thanks,” Mary said.

  “The head teacher in Boston certainly gives you a glowing reference,” Annie commented.

  “So…, does that mean there’s a chance you might have something for me here?” Mary went on.

  “You’re actually in luck,” Annie told her. “I’m in a position where I need some assistance and my husband was starting to complain that I wasn’t trying hard enough to find it.”

  Mary narrowed her eyes and her brow furrowed.

  “Why is your husband complaining and what exactly is the position you’re in?” she asked.

  The smile spread across Annie’s face as she removed the bag sitting in front of her from the table and set it down on the floor. She then stood up and turned to the side and the answer to the questions was more than obvious.

  “This is my position,” she said with a grin when she placed a hand on her swollen belly.

  “How many months along are you?” Mary asked.

  “It’s just over seven now,” Annie answered as she stroked touches across her pregnancy bump. “It’s our first, so Walter has been keen for me to slow down and rest more. Not that I get the chance to do that with the school to run.”

  “He’s right…, you should rest,” Mary told her.

  “Says the woman who wants my job,” Annie joked and laughed.

  “No, I don’t want your job,” Mary protested when she realized the way her comment sounded. “I was more interested in helping out.”

  “I know,” Annie replied and laughed. “I was just teasing, but we can certainly work something out and I’m sure my husband will be grateful to you.”

  “What can I do?” Mary asked.

  “Well I’m not planning to give up my job entirely,” Annie answered. “I need the money too, but how about we try you out a couple of days a week and see how it goes.”

  “That would be great,” Mary said.

  “The pay I receive is $7 per week, so we can just split that between us based on the number of days we work,” Annie went on.

  “I can live with that,” Mary said gratefully and felt the relief wash over her.

  It was a weight off her mind that she found a way to make some money to live on and at least she would have something to do rather than sitting alone wondering when she might get an invite to the farm. They looked over at the large windows as the sound of children’s shouts from outside came to them. Annie walked across the room and Mary got to her feet to follow. They looked out on the kids that were gathering in the area around the building.

  “How many children come to the school?” Mary asked.

  “Usually about twelve or thirteen,” Annie answered. “This is a farming community by and large, so the kids have chores and you might not see them every day. I try to encourage the parents to let their children come as much as possible, but sometimes they are needed at home.”

  “What ages are they?” Mary went on.

  “The youngest is seven and the oldest sixteen,” Annie replied. “I split them into a few groups of similar ages and teach them accordingly. If you stick around a bit longer today I’ll introduce you and let them know that you’ll be taking classes on certain days from now on. I suspect you will be taking more and more as I get nearer to giving birth and you’ll probably take over entirely for a while in the weeks after until I come back.”

  “Maybe I’ll be a farm girl by then and you can get your job back,” Mary said with a smile.

  “I hope so,�
� Annie agreed. “It will be nice to have you around. There aren’t that many woman of our age in the town and like I say, it’s a very conservative community.”

  “Do you have to confirm my appointment with the school board before I start?” Mary asked.

  Annie shook her head.

  “They all know I’m pregnant and will need help,” she replied. “I’ll pass the information on to them, but as far as I’m concerned you can start straight away.”

  She walked back to the table to start preparing for the day, while Mary continued looking out of the window. When the hands of the clock reached almost eight o’clock, Annie rang the bell to bring the children in and they were quick to take their seats. They sat quietly and seemed to be well behaved.

  “Morning children,” Annie said as she got to her feet.

  “Good morning Mrs. Townsend,” the children replied in unison.

  “You all know that I’m going to have a baby and that means that I need some help in the classroom,” Annie went on.

  Mary was aware of the gazes coming to her and smiled at the children.

  “This is Miss Gray,” Annie introduced her. “I’ve asked her to take over teaching you for a couple of days a week from now on and she will likely end up doing more than that as I get closer to giving birth. I want you to give her your attention when she is here like you do for me. Is that understood?”

  “Yes Mrs. Townsend,” the children replied.

  “Miss Gray will take classes on Tuesday and Thursday,” Annie went on. “Her first day will be tomorrow, so I want you to be on your best behavior.”

  Mary walked across to the front of the class and listened as Annie got the children to stand up one after the other to give their names.

  “I’ll come tomorrow morning at seven to open up and help you get ready,” Annie said in a quieter voice. “But after that you are on your own and we’ll see how you get on.”

  “That’s fine,” Mary replied. “I’ll see you then.”

  The gazes of the children remained on her as she walked towards the door of the schoolhouse, but Annie’s voice took their attention and they were getting books out of their desks before she left. She wasn’t worried about teaching them. It was a job she enjoyed and knew she was good at. As she walked away from the building she turned her mind to the other things she needed to do that day.

  The first was buying some provisions and she walked back in the direction of the train station. She couldn’t remember the exact turns that Jenny made on the wagon ride, but it was simple enough for her to find her way back to the center of town without too much trouble and she found the store right away. The tinkle of a bell signaled her arrival when she opened the door and she saw the store owner behind the serving counter look in her direction.

  “Can I help you?” the woman asked.

  “I just need to pick up a few groceries,” Mary replied and set about getting what she needed.

  She was aware of the woman’s gaze remaining on her while she moved around, but nothing more was said until she carried her purchases across to the counter and put them down.

  “You must be new in town,” the woman said as she began totting up the cost.

  “Yes,” Mary told her. “I just got here yesterday.”

  “Do you have family here?” the woman asked.

  It was already getting to the point where she suspected that she was about to be asked why she was in town and she couldn’t stop the onset of nerves. She remembered Annie telling her that going through a marriage agency was nothing to be embarrassed about, but it still wasn’t something she wanted people to know. A sudden resentment welled up at the Addison family for inviting her then basically leaving her alone to fend for herself. She saw the gaze of the woman come up to her.

  “No, I don’t have family here,” she said.

  “Just visiting friends then,” the woman went on.

  It was obvious she was angling for information.

  “I’m just here to help out in the schoolhouse,” she said.

  “While Annie is pregnant?” the woman went on.

  Mary nodded her head.

  “How much?” she asked to change the subject.

  The woman looked down at the items to do a final check.

  “Twenty five cents for everything,” she answered.

  “Could you put them in a bag please,” Mary went on as she reached in her pocket to get her money. She counted out twenty five cents and put it on the counter. “Thanks,” she said when her groceries were packed and she picked up the bag and walked towards the door to leave.

  “Enjoy your stay here,” the woman said.

  “Thanks,” Mary said and smiled as she glanced back.

  She suspected the news of her arrival and position in the school wouldn’t be long in getting around the town now. Anyone that went in the store that day would probably get the story. There wasn’t much she could do about that and she suspected the community was so small that the arrival of someone new would always generate interest.

  “It’s so good to be in Oakford,” she let out under her breath as she made sure her grip on the bag was secure then set off in the direction of Mrs. Lester’s home.

  Chapter 6

  Tom sat at the front of the house staring at the red glow on the horizon that was slowly giving way to the dark night sky. It was the end of another hard working day that lasted from dawn until almost dusk and he could feel the ache in his muscles as he tried to relax. He lifted the cup in his hand to his lips, but grimaced at the taste of cold coffee and quickly pulled it away. Tipping the cup up emptied the contents on the ground and he stared down at the coffee as it seeped into the dirt. He tensed at the sound of the footsteps coming out of the house, but a glance over his shoulder showed that it was his mother and he let out a sigh of relief.

  “I hear you and your father exchanged some words today,” Jenny said as she sat down beside him.

  It was a polite way of saying they argued and Tom couldn’t help smirking at the phrase.

  “Yeah we did,” he eventually replied and said no more.

  The silence stretched out for a few seconds before his mother spoke again.

  “She’ll wait for you.”

  Tom turned his head to look at her and wasn’t sure that he believed the words. He wasn’t even sure his mother believed what she was saying.

  “Will she?” he asked. “We’ve pretty much abandoned her for the farm as far as I can see. If I was her I wouldn’t be happy about it. I’d probably get on the next train and go straight home again.”

  “I didn’t get the impression that’s what she would do,” Jenny went on. “I think she’s looking for a new start and sees the chance to get it here.”

  “Maybe that’s true right now because she’s just arrived,” Tom replied. “But will it still be the case in a week or two weeks or a month if she is still in town, with no signs of an invite to the farm coming her way.”

  “That won’t happen,” Jenny said.

  Tom let out a derisive snort at the comment.

  “Are you so sure?” he asked.

  “Your father means well,” she said.” But…”

  Her words trailed off and she knew her son was right.

  “Do you think she’ll get a job at the school?” he went on.

  Jenny let out a sigh and shrugged her shoulders.

  “I don’t really know,” she said. “I’ll try and find out when I next go in to town, but I’m not sure when that will be.”

  “It’s OK,” Tom went on.

  While his father might make the rules and expect his family to live by them, he wasn’t prepared to just sit around and wait for the situation with Mary to resolve itself. That could conceivably take weeks with the amount of work needed on the farm. By then Mary might have given up on the idea of being with him and gone home to Boston or contacted the agency and moved on to someone else. It was a risk he wasn’t prepared to take. The thought of meeting a girl was what convinced him to mo
ve to the farm in the first place and he wasn’t about to lose the chance to do so because of some stupid commitment that work came first. Life was too short for that.

  “Just be patient,” his mother said and put a hand on his shoulder.

  Tom just turned and smiled as she got to her feet and walked back inside. He was already long past being patient and the plan that started coming together in his head the night before was already set in stone. His arguments with his father earlier in the day were deliberate on his part and designed to get on the older man’s nerves so much that there would be no working together in the days and weeks ahead. When he was left alone to get on with his chores around the place, it would give him the chance to slip away and go into town.