Jewel's Dream (Valentine Mail Order Bride 3)

by Annie Boone

  She had placed the railway tickets safely in a drawer when she went back downstairs. Both parents were in the kitchen having tea before supper. Now was her chance and she decided to take it.

  “Have you gone daft?” asked her mother.

  Both parents sat at the kitchen table looking at their only daughter with complete disbelief.

  Well, this is getting off to a good start, she thought.

  “I knew you were acting oddly lately,” Rosa Wood said, resting her face in the palm of her hand.

  “I haven’t lost my mind, Mother,” Jewel said, with as much patience as she could muster. “And I’m not being odd, either. Lots of women do this. Lydia’s cousin went west to get married, and now she has four children. And a fifth on the way.”

  “Who is Lydia?” asked her father.

  “She’s a friend of Eva’s, I believe.”

  “So this is something you’ve only heard about? You have no other reference than a friend of a friend?” he continued, shaking his head.

  “What’s wrong with young Jensen?” Rosa asked, speaking of her father’s right hand man at the stables. “He’s been asking after you for years. You could’ve had a child or two by now if you didn’t keep turning him down. He’s a respectable young man. Handsome, too.”

  “Mother, I don’t want to be another generation married to a stable manager and working as a maid. In this house or any other one. I don’t mean any disrespect to you for your choices or how you’ve raised me. I just want something different. That’s all.” She looked back and forth between her parents, hoping they would understand.

  “That’s all? Sounds like quite a bit to me,” said Thomas Wood.

  “Wait, Thomas,” said her mother. “I understand what Jewel’s saying even if she didn’t say it so gently.”

  Her father sniffed loudly and turned his head away.

  “Jewel, tell us more,” said her mother. Her mother was always slower to anger than her father. In this case, however, Jewel recognized her mother’s method of gathering information. She usually used the garnered information to help her see that she was wrong and her parents were right.

  “James Harland is a lawyer. In Laramie, Wyoming. It’s out west. Even if he weren’t a lawyer, I’d rather go there and make a new start. I don’t want to repair dresses and shirts for the rest of my life. I don’t want to be a maid, either.”

  “A lawyer? That’s just too good to be true.” Her father gave an incredulous snort, not unhurt by Jewel’s lack of interest in stable managers. “This James fellow can tell you whatever he thinks you want to hear. Who knows who he really is. How can you be sure?”

  “How did you come by this idea, Jewel?” her mother asked. Jewel could see that her mother was just as peeved as her father was but she was trying to keep it from showing.

  Jewel rolled her eyes, exasperated. She didn’t want to tell them the whole truth, but she had to tell them something. She opted to stand up for what she really wanted to do with her life.

  “I’m not fifteen anymore. I’m more than old enough to be making my own decisions about my future. It doesn’t matter how I decided, the fact is that I did decide. I’ve got some money saved up from working at Barnaby’s, and James sent me the train tickets. In any case, I’ve already told him I’ll come. I did that last week.”

  “Oh, Jewel. Of all the foolish, headstrong things to do—”

  Thomas put a hand on her mother’s shoulder, stopping her lecture.

  “If you’re that dead set on going, we can’t stop you,” he said soberly. “But you should know that if you get in trouble out there, there won’t be anything we can do. You’re going to be on your own.”

  “I know that, Father.” Jewel said quietly. “I’m not asking anything of you. I can take care of myself. I failed to mention that I’ve prayed long and hard about this. I believe that the Lord is leading me to this.”

  Thomas sighed and shook his head. Her mother looked alarmed, but remained silent.

  “I certainly hope so,” he said and got up and left the room.

  Chapter 8

  James stood at the train station, waiting. His foot tapped lightly on the unpolished floor showing his impatience and even a tinge of nervousness. He didn’t have anything but her description to go from, but he assumed it wouldn’t be too hard to find her. There probably weren’t going to be too many young women getting off the train in Laramie, Wyoming completely alone.

  In fact, there were very few women getting off in Laramie, Wyoming at all. An older woman stepped down, helped by who must have been her daughter. They were followed by two small children. This was obviously not Miss Wood.

  Soon, another young woman appeared. She was the right age, but she was terribly overdressed. Rustling satin skirts with flouncy petticoats and enormous puffy sleeves weren’t practical for traveling. She had even bigger hair. This was definitely not Miss Wood.

  There was only one other lady on the platform, and she was facing the other way. James was walking toward her when she turned around, and he stopped in his tracks.

  She was beautiful.

  Her hair was glossy brown, neatly coiled at the nape of her neck and crowned with an understated hat. Instead of a large, dramatic dress, she wore a simple blouse, tucked into a skirt and covered with an unbuttoned jacket. James, however, was much more caught by her eyes, which were large and expressive. Before he knew it, James found himself staring.

  The woman stared back. James knew he ought to stop staring, but he just couldn’t. The woman raised an eyebrow at him.

  “You’re not James Harland, by any chance, are you?” she asked. Even her voice sounded lovely. James coughed and forced himself to speak.

  “Yes. Why, yes, I am.”

  The woman who was more than likely Jewel Wood continued to watch him, waiting for him to say something more, but James couldn’t think of anything to say. Even the most basic greetings left his mind.

  “I suspect you’re looking for me, then,” she said eventually. “I’m Jewel Wood.”

  “Oh, um, yes.” James stood there a moment longer. “I’m, um, here to.. to take you to your hotel.” He couldn’t believe how he was stuttering. He was embarrassed, but didn’t know what to do to calm himself down.

  Jewel blinked. “Hotel?” she asked.

  “Oh, well, you can’t stay in my house as an unmarried woman,” James said. “My mother simply wouldn’t have it. And I suppose your reputation and mind would be tarnished terribly. I’ve got a hotel room for you.”

  Jewel took a deep breath, as though bracing herself for something.

  “All right.” Holding her handbag tightly in one hand, she stepped forward. “They said my trunk would be inside.”

  “Yes, I imagine it’s there.”

  James stiffly offered his arm, and led Jewel into the train station. Only a single trunk stood unclaimed, guarded by a rail worker. James motioned for the trunk to be taken outside, where a small carriage was waiting on the street. The man hefted the trunk into the back, tipped his hat, and walked away.

  That left the two of them standing in the street beside the carriage. James realized she was waiting for him to help her step up into the carriage. He’d been raised to know these things, but his manners were forgotten in the experience of actually having Jewel arrive.

  Finding her to be so surprisingly beautiful complicated things considerably. That was actually the reason his manners had departed. He was going to have to pay attention and stay on track. He had a goal in mind.

  Chapter 9

  Jewel clutched her handbag in her lap, as though it was a safety blanket. Her heart had started pounding when the train pulled into town in excitement. It still pounded, but the reason had changed. The excitement of arriving in a new city had given over to nerves as the man she was to spend the rest of her life with stared at her blankly.

  James was the one thing Jewel hadn’t been anxious about, but now her nerves were scre
aming. He was handsome, for sure. Extremely handsome, even. He just hadn’t said more than a dozen words to her.

  His shyness was making her withdraw. Surprised at herself for being scared, Jewel snuck a sideways glance at his face. He was quite a bit taller than her, with black hair combed back from his clean-shaven face, and serious gray eyes. His features were strong, including the permanent frown lines on his forehead.

  The carriage rumbled on in painful silence, pulled by a horse who seemed to have a mind of his own. He went at the speed he liked no matter how James urged him on. James sat beside Jewel, stiffer than a wood plank. Jewel took a deep breath. Well, if he was going to be standoffish, that didn’t mean she had to. She pushed her fears aside and reminded him she was here.

  “What part of town do you live in?” she asked cheerfully.

  “The other side. Past the courthouse.”

  Jewel paused, but no more information was forthcoming. How would she know where the courthouse was? she wondered. Since that answer wasn’t helpful and it didn’t get a conversation started, she tried again. “Is the hotel near there?”

  “Not really.”

  The pair lapsed into quiet. Jewel stared at her knees. She felt like she ought to be angry at James’ stark reserve, but she felt giddy instead. Details from his letters kept rising in her mind. The man who had written those wasn’t completely cold-hearted, even if he wasn’t chatty either. He must be hiding his personality somewhere behind that stony face. After all, Jewel was nervous herself. Why wouldn’t James be nervous, too?

  This thought kept her feeling hopeful until they reached the hotel. To her New-York eye it wasn’t very impressive, but she could tell already that it was one of the more elaborate buildings in town. James silently helped her down from the buggy and gave her his arm to lead her inside. He held the door open for her to enter and the two stepped into the utilitarian lobby.

  “Hello, Mr. Harland,” said the clerk as they stepped up to the desk.

  “I need a room for Miss Wood, here,” he said. He gestured to her and the clerk looked her way.

  She smiled back and he nodded. She had never stayed in a hotel before and she wasn’t sure what to expect. She decided to let James handle everything and she would follow his lead. If he gave her one, that is. If not, she hoped she would figure it all out.

  “I have a single, upstairs. Will that work?” asked the clerk.

  “Fine,” James replied.

  He took her key from the clerk and turned back to her. He handed it to her and as he was putting the key into her hands, his fingers brushed her palm. He had opened his mouth to speak, but he simply closed it without a word when their hands touched.

  “Yes, James? What were you going to say?”

  “You’ll be staying here until we sort things out.” He was looking around the lobby at just about everything but Jewel.

  “Sorted out? What needs to be sorted?” Jewel didn’t want to push, but she felt like she needed to understand.

  “Well, I suppose we’ll need to sort out our marriage. In the meantime, my mother expects you for dinner at six. I’ll come by to pick you up.”

  With that, James turned and disappeared out the door. Jewel stared at the closed door, not at all sure what she was feeling.

  “Shall I take your trunk up for you, ma’am?” asked the clerk.

  Jewel started and turned her head. His kindly expression helped calm her down for the moment. She nodded wearily and followed him up the stairs to her room.

  He put her trunk where she could easily get to it and take out the things she needed. Then he left, closing the door behind him. She sat down on the bed and tried to relax for a moment.

  Her heart was just starting to calm when there was a knock at the door. James again already? Sighing, Jewel turned to open it. Her mouth was open to speak, but the words caught in her throat.

  It wasn’t James at all.

  A rather portly man stood in the doorway, dressed in a fine coat with a shiny top hat. A thick mustache covered his upper lip. While Jewel stared in surprise, the man executed a low bow.

  “I’m honored to make your acquaintance, Miss Wood. Allow me to welcome you to Laramie properly by offering you these.”

  He held out a bouquet of soft yellow flowers. Jewel took them automatically.

  “Ah, thank you. I’m honored as well, Mr., umm?”

  “Pendleton, Madame. The names, Pendleton. As one of the best representatives of our fair city, I thought I might be the first to extend the hand of friendship.”

  Pendleton matched his words with a charming smile, lighting up his face like a young schoolboy’s.

  “That’s certainly very kind of you, Mr. Pendleton.” Jewel said, smiling back.

  “Might I impose upon you so far as to invite you to dinner this evening, Madame?” Pendleton asked, folding his hands in front of him.

  “I’m afraid I already have an engagement for this evening, sir. It’s kind of you to offer, though.” Jewel wasn’t sure why a stranger would show up at her door and extend such an invitation, but maybe that’s how things were done in Laramie.

  Pendleton scowled, but in a gentlemanly manner.

  “That is a shame, indeed, Madame. I shall simply have to try my luck another day. I’ll leave you now as I’m sure you’ve had a very tiring journey. Good day, Miss Wood.”

  With a gentle nod of his head, Pendleton disappeared, leaving Jewel holding her flowers and feeling very confused about what had just happened.

  “At least someone’s happy to see me.” she said quietly, setting the flowers down on the desk. Not even a second passed after that when there was another knock at the door. This time, Jewel waited to see who it was before jumping to conclusions.

  It turned out to be one of the hotel's maids, holding a vase.

  "Mr. Pendleton told me to bring you this vase for you flowers, ma'am." she said, dipping a curtsey.

  "Oh. Thank you." Jewel stepped aside to let her pass through. She watched as the maid plucked up the bouquet and neatly arranged the flowers, a little disoriented to be the one served instead of serving.

  "Tell me, who is Mr. Pendleton?" Jewel asked. The maid looked at her in surprise.

  "You don't know, ma'am? Mr. Pendleton owns this hotel. And two saloons, the livery stable, and the bank." The maid ticked off Pendleton's properties on her fingers as she spoke. Jewel's eyes widened in surprise, and she almost gasped.

  "What does he want with me, then? Surely he doesn't do this for every woman who comes to Laramie."

  "It's not every day someone of your standing comes to town, ma'am." the maid replied. Before Jewel could ask what she meant, she had curtsied and disappeared out the door.

  Chapter 10

  Silence seemed to be an inherited trait in James’ family. Jewel sat at the table, amazed at just how little conversation was happening. Family meals in the Wood household were usually a noisy affair, as everyone told of the day’s work in turn, from Father complaining about the horse that threw a shoe to her youngest brother proudly declaring that he’d scored well on his math test.

  The Harlands, on the other hand, barely exchanged a word. Mr. Harland said a quiet and proper blessing over dinner and then they ate. It was the most boring meal Jewel had ever witnessed. She was reminded of when she was a little girl. Sometimes her mother would take her to work. She’d usually have a chance to peek through into the dining room where the rich masters entertained their guests. The Harlands might not have been estate owners, but they acted like them.

  While that made Jewel feel out of place, what really made her uncomfortable was the coldness of it all. The room was warm, but the people in it didn’t share that warmth. Mr. and Mrs. Harland talked to each other more like passing acquaintances than husband and wife. Janice was the most emotive out of all of them, and she just stared at Jewel like she was a zoo animal.

  Worse than all of that, James didn’t help her fit in at all. He hardly spoke
to anyone, including her. He didn’t really even introduce them to her. They already knew her, but she only knew them through the little bit James had shared in his letters. She hadn’t expected to be the guest at such an austere family dinner on her first night in town. Honestly, she’d hoped James would take her out and give them a chance to get to know each other a little better before springing his family on her.

  It was a relief to step out of that house into the cool, evening air away from the presence of his very odd parents. Jewel did her best to hide those feelings. She and James walked quietly back to the hotel. It was a fairly long walk, but she didn’t mind the distance. It gave her some time with him and she hoped she would have more time to get to know him.

  The noise of the night time was starting to ramp up. The saloons on the edges of town were starting to fill up.

  “It sounds a little rowdy out there,” said Jewel. She chuckled a little more out of nervousness than anything. She was really getting tired of his silence.

  “Cowboys and railroad men usually fill the saloons up at night. You’ll want to stay in your room to be safe. Weekends can be concerning when the copper miners come in.”

  “Oh, thanks for the warning. I’ll definitely stay inside. Um, James? Would you show me around town tomorrow? I’d love to see what it’s like,” Jewel asked, looking sideways at James.

  “No, sorry. I don’t have time.” he said.

  “Oh, well all right, then.”

  The pair walked in silence until they reached the hotel. Jewel was at a loss as to how to draw him out. She was wondering if he really even wanted her there. She reminded herself that she hadn’t expected him to fall head over heals for her, but she had hoped he’d show signs of being able to do more than tolerate her.

  They entered the hotel lobby and the room was empty. The clerk wasn’t at the desk and no customers were there.