She frowned. “You didn’t have to do that. You are a handsome man. You could have any woman in Low Valley if you wanted.”
Ben snorted, raising one eyebrow. “I hardly think so, Bee. But nice of you to say. No, there are no women here in Low Valley that are interested in an old cowhand like me.”
“You aren’t the only cowhand around, but you might be one of the only ones who isn’t married,” Bee stated firmly. “Being a cowhand doesn’t keep you from being attractive at all. I think you’re a very handsome man and I know you could have a local woman if you wanted one.”
Ben shook his head. “I think this is a good idea. I like this letter, the lady sounds nice, and I’m going to write her back. If she wants to come here to Low Valley, I will send her a train ticket.”
“Where is she coming from? I mean besides the East coast.”
Ben was taken aback by her casual demeanor. He knew it was only a surface act. Underneath, she was probably seething with jealousy. He was sure she was looking for a partner, too. She couldn’t send for a husband the way he could send for a wife.
Being the kind of woman she was, he had the thought she would be better off if she could. Although he’d always held the motto that there was someone out there for everyone. There had to be at least one man on the planet who didn’t mind being with a woman who talked about everyone else and laid judgment without foundation.
“She’s in Georgia right now. I hope to have her here in three weeks, if I choose her.”
“If you choose her?” Bee’s eyebrows shot up and disappeared behind her brown bangs. “You got more than one letter?”
“Oh yeah.” He held up the small stack. “I got six. Just today. Pretty sure there will be more coming. But I’m not going to read any of them. I’ll send them back so the ladies can get their money back.”
He noticed the look of annoyance that slid across her face, disappearing as quickly as it appeared.
“Will you have enough money to send for her if you decide to?”
Ben had tired of the question and answer session. He nodded, standing up. “I have money saved. Really, Bee, I need you to leave. I have to get this to town soon.”
Bee stood up, her face forlorn. “All right. I’ll go. But if you need me for anything, let me know. Okay?”
He nodded. “Sure, Bee. Sure I will.”
He walked her to the door and closed it after she left.
CHAPTER 7
Train Ticket To Low Valley
Nan opened the letter with excited fingers. Helen was standing in front of her, her eyes wide. She was just as excited as Nan, it seemed. She seemed happy for her, too.
Nan fell in love with the first letter she received from Ben. This was the third and it contained a train ticket, which slipped out as soon as she unfolded the letter. Helen reached out and snatched it out of the air before it hit the ground. Grinning, she handed it to Nan.
“Looks like you’re taking a trip, Nan!” she said in a giggling voice. Once Nan took the ticket from her, Helen hopped up and down and threw her arms around her friend. “Oh, I’m so happy for you! Oh, Nan!”
Nan was happy for herself, too. The train ticket came just in time. She’d pinned all her hopes on Ben sending for her the moment she read his first letter. He was an orphan, too, and they were sure to have a lot of things in common. He said he was musically inclined, coming from a mother who sang in the church choir, solos and all, and a father who was a gifted guitar player, both of them Irish to the core.
Nan had never met any Irish people in person. There were a lot in New York, so she’d heard. She had nothing against them and hoped it wouldn’t make a difference. Ben was still a regular human being, even if he did come from another country that she knew absolutely nothing about. She could only hope their customs were not much different from America’s.
According to his letter, however, he’d been orphaned on the way over from Ireland when he was a baby. It was likely he didn’t remember anything about being Irish.
“I’m happy, too. Look, he says he is so anxious and will be waiting for me at the train station in Reno.”
“Oh, Nan!” Helen repeated, bouncing on the balls of her feet, rocking back to the heels. “I wish I could come with you. I’ve never been out of Georgia either.”
“Jacob wouldn’t like that very much,” Nan said, smiling at her friend. She referenced her husband whenever Helen needed to be reminded of her purpose. She was a devoted wife and mother who sometimes wished aloud that things had played out a little differently. Nan doubted Helen told anyone else how she sometimes felt. She loved her children and husband dearly. Sometimes, though, she got a hankering to do something for herself.
She never did.
“I’ll tell you what,” Nan said conspiratorially. “If I get there and everything is the way it’s supposed to be, and if he has the money, I’ll send you a ticket and you can visit.”
Helen’s eyes opened wide. She turned away from Nan and moved to the other side of the kitchen, where a cast iron pan sat atop a hot stove, cooking a roast. “I can only imagine,” she breathed, her eyes dazed. Nan could tell she was thinking about the prospect of a vacation. It probably seemed like a dream to Helen.
Nan was at Helen’s house for dinner, invited by her good friend when they ran across each other in Atlanta earlier that day. She gladly accepted, since the house she and Johnny had shared was big and empty. She felt like she was walking among dead people wherever she went. There were photographs of him everywhere, things he’d left behind that she didn’t dare move.
She wished there was a way to take the whole house with her.
“You know what I want to do?” she said, sitting back in the kitchen chair she was seated in.
“What’s that?” Helen stayed at the stove, poking at the meat with a long, sharp fork and sprinkling various seasonings over it as she spoke.
“I’m going to get a photographer to come and take photographs of the house. The inside and the outside. So that I will have them for my memory.”
Helen glanced over her shoulder at her friend. “That’s not all you’re taking, is it?”
Nan tilted her head to the side, drawing her eyebrows together. “What do you mean?”
“You’ve got to take some things of Johnny’s, too. You can’t let his parents have everything. He was your husband. Surely you know what his favorite objects were. Those are the things I would take with me. His parents knew him as their son, but he was your husband. You deserve better than what they’ve done to you.”
Nan sighed, nodding. “It feels like I am garbage they are finally able to toss in the bin.”
Helen turned her body toward Nan, shaking the meat fork in the air at her. “I don’t want to hear you say that about yourself, Nan Simpson! You are a beautiful young woman and you should be very proud of yourself for how you are handling things.”
Nan grinned, the admiration and encouragement of her friend washing over her like a warm wave of love. “Aw, you’re sweet to say those things, Helen. But I’m not blaming myself. I’m not saying those things about me. I said that’s how they make me feel.”
Helen shook her head, crossing her arms in front of her. “Don’t even think that. Don’t let them make you feel that way. Or any way. Their opinion no longer matters. They’ve made up their minds and think they are superior to you. But they aren’t. You know that. They just have a lot of money.”
“They aren’t superior to me,” Nan confirmed, giving Helen a firm look. “That I know. If I had the kind of money they have and a woman came to me for help, she wouldn’t be turned away. I would never and will never treat my son – should I have one – I will not treat his wife this way.”
“God forbid anything should happen to your son, should you have one.” Helen repeated the phrase, crossing herself and looking up. “Watch over her, Father. She’s going on a dangerous adventure.”
Nan felt trepidation slide through her. “You think it’s going to be dangerous
?” she asked, running through the plan in her mind and seeing no danger there.
Helen shrugged, leaning down to look in the oven, pulling open the door. Nan watched the heat rise up from the oven, lifting the fine strands of Helen’s hair for a moment. “I don’t think the journey to Nevada is going to be dangerous,” she clarified. “But you don’t know what it will be like there. You will truly be alone, no friends or people who’ve known you for years, or all your life.”
She shook her head. “I’m just hoping you are careful. I want you to write to me the moment you get there. I don’t mind paying for a letter from you so I can rest my heart that you’re okay. It will make me feel even better if you’re happy. I so want you to be happy, Nan, like me! I know you want a family, children and a husband. I’m glad you have a chance to get those things now.”
Nan nodded. “I’m excited by this.”
“You sent him that photo in your last letter, didn’t you?” Helen smiled wickedly. Nan couldn’t help but grin back.
“Yes, I sent it to him.”
“Well, what did he say?”
Nan laughed softly. “It was just a picture of me in front of a fireplace, Helen. It wasn’t anything special.”
“It was a beautiful picture, you silly girl. Now you tell me what he said before I lose my mind!”
Both women laughed.
“He liked it. He said I am pretty. He said he’s glad that the woman he chose is pretty and smart. He said those are two things that go hand in hand. He wants to be proud of the woman on his arm for all reasons, not just for the picture she presents.”
“Well, isn’t that poetic!” Helen breathed, abandoning the roast and coming back to the table to sit diagonally to Nan. She leaned forward, her eyes sparkling excitedly. “You don’t think he’s a writer, do you?” Helen pulled in an exaggerated gasp, covering her mouth with one hand and giving Nan a wide-eyed look. “You could have a Shakespeare who will write you poems and read them to you in front of his fireplace.”
Nan liked that idea. “He didn’t mention if he writes poetry,” she said, biting her bottom lip.
“That doesn’t mean he doesn’t write it!” Helen replied, excitedly. “Oh, Nan, I’m going to miss you so much!”
“I’m going to miss you, too, Helen. I’m glad I get to spend my last evening here with you and your family.”
CHAPTER 8
Ben And Dean Meet The Train
Ben nervously adjusted his tie and hiked up his jeans just a little more. He surveyed himself in the mirror from head to toe. His boots were polished, his jeans were new and clean, his green shirt accented the red in his blond hair and brought out the green in his eyes. He was satisfied. He could only hope she would be impressed.
“What do you think?” he asked Dean. “She gonna like what she sees?”
Dean nodded, slapping Ben on the shoulder with one large hand, sending a streak of dull pain through Ben’s body. “Of course she will, boy-o. You’re a good lookin’ man, you’re smart and you’ve got a wealthy family backin’ you up.”
Ben grinned wide. “It was real nice of the Masons to let Nan take that guest cottage. I can’t believe they’re so generous.”
Dean smiled back at his friend, his green eyes shining. “They’re good people, that’s for sure. You sure you want me to come along to the train station? You don’t need me for anything.”
“You can hold me up when I faint. That’s probably what I’ll do when I see her get off that train.”
“She liked your photograph, didn’t she?”
“Yeah, she seemed to. She said she’s real excited about coming here and starting a new life.”
“I’m sure she is. I would be, too. All the way across the country, new faces, new scenery…” Dean stared off into the distance for a moment, his words trailing off. He looked at Ben a few seconds later, shaking his head. “Nah, I take that back. I’d be scared if I were her. I mean, I wouldn’t be. Me, as a man. But her, I saw that photograph of her. She looks delicate. Like a flower or a china doll. But she doesn’t seem to be weak in constitution. She sounds like she’s got a good head on her shoulders, from what you’ve read to me and told me about her.”
Ben was struck by Dean’s description of Nan and how closely it resembled what he wanted in a woman. The appearance of delicacy with a strong fortitude underneath. It made him feel a bit more confident, now that Dean saw the same things he did in the woman from Georgia.
“I do want you to come along, Dean,” Ben said. “It’s a long ride and I don’t really want to go by myself.”
Dean nodded. “All right, buddy. I took the day off so I could go. You want Amanda to come along?”
“No, that’s not necessary.”
Dean grinned wide. “Yeah, you want me all to yourself. I’m just that popular.”
Ben snorted, giving his friend the side-eye. “Yeah, Dean. You’re just that popular.”
Both men laughed as they left the bunkhouse. Ben moved his eyes across the field to the clearing on the other side of the buggy path that led through the pasture and around the barn, stables and other buildings on the property. There was a long yard of green grass leading up to a pretty little cottage nestled in the trees. It had shrubs planted all around the outside, along with a flowerbed running along the right side of the front door.
There was a swing hanging on the right side of the porch and two chairs with a little white iron table between them on the left. He pictured himself sitting there with Nan and swinging with her on the porch.
He made up his mind he would make it happen.
They both climbed in the buggy with Ben on the driver’s side. He picked up the reins and slapped it several times to get the horses moving.
“Well, we’re on our way,” he mumbled, his heartbeat speeding up as he thought about what he was doing and where he was going. He was bringing back a woman. A beautiful woman. Would she fall in love with him? Would he love her back?
The anticipation stayed with him the entire ride to Reno.
“You know what I’m really hoping for?” he asked, jostling from side to side as the buggy went over the small rocks in the road.
“What’s that?” Dean responded.
“I’d like to have a woman who loves me the way Amanda loves you. She’s a great gal. I’m glad she’s your woman.”
Dean’s grin spread from ear to ear. Ben could see the way he felt about his wife written on his face. “Yeah, I got lucky with her. A real blessing. An angel sent down just for me.”
Ben knew Amanda had worked in the saloon in the upper rooms for a while before Dean courted her. It was because of him she got out of that business and started managing the Low Valley Hotel. It was a much better fit, as her natural friendliness and charm went over well with visitors.
“She’s a great gal, for sure,” Ben nodded his agreement. “That’s what every man wants probably. You deserve a good woman and so do I.”
“Yep. You do.”
Ben’s anticipation was killing him. He sat leaning forward almost the entire way, shifting in his seat every now and then, as if that would get him there any sooner.
“Did you and her meet in the Broken Horseshoe?” he asked, focusing the attention on Dean so he didn’t have to think so much about Nan.
“Yep. I couldn’t take my eyes off her the first time I saw her. I kept tellin’ her to get out of that saloon and do something with those brains she has, but she didn’t listen for a spell.”
“You convinced her.”
“I guess I did. Didn’t want to change her or tell her what to do. Most men do that. I know plenty who have. I don’t do that. I take care of my woman. I’m not her master.”
Ben nodded. He was well aware of men who overpowered their wives and made them do what they wanted, whether it was convenient for the woman or not. He wasn’t like that either. He wanted to care for Nan, help her when she needed it, cry with her when she was sad.
He chided himself internally. It was too early to be
feeling that much for her. He didn’t really know her yet. Three long letters was nice, but it didn’t give him insight into what she was really like. When she spoke to him, he would know. He would be able to tell from her tone and the look on her face.
He could barely wait.
“Yeah, that’s how I wanna be, too. I guess Amanda was already in love with you long before you told her how you felt, right?”
Dean lifted one eyebrow, giving his friend a curious look. “What makes you say that?”
Ben shrugged, glancing at Dean and giving him a once-over. “Well, you’re a big, strong Irishman, ain’t ya? That’s got to be good for gettin’ the ladies.”
Dean laughed. “I guess so. I can’t say I had a hard time over the years. Gettin’ the ladies, as you say.”
Ben joined his friend’s laughter.
“But I’ll be honest, I don’t think Amanda took much notice of me until I told her I wanted to see her outside the saloon.”
Ben raised his eyebrows. “You took her outside the saloon?”
Dean furrowed his brow in confusion and then shook his head. “No. I told her I wanted to take her to dinner, maybe for a picnic or a walk. Wanted to do something with her, get her out of that saloon.”
“Ah,” Ben said, understanding his friend’s statement. “Picnics and walks sound like great things to do together. I’ll have to ask you if I need any tips on courting.”
“I’ll be glad to help however I can,” Dean said. “But there’s just a couple tips I can give ya, some sound advice my pa gave me before he passed on. He said to give an ear to your woman. That meant listen to her. He said the key to happiness in a marriage is if you listen when she talks, don’t judge and don’t jump in with solutions to everything. She might not want your advice. She might just want to get whatever is bothering her off her chest.”
“So basically, I just need to make sure I listen to her. I think the more I get to know her, the easier it will be to understand what she’s feeling.”
A Secretive Mail Order Widow For The Humorous Rancher (The Love of Low Valley Series) Page 4