Mary looked at Daisy still curled up on her father’s lap and sighed. “I guess that’s not too old for Daisy.” She sighed sadly. “I’m not ready to give my baby up, though.”
Fred smiled. “You shouldn’t have been pushing her to marry then.” He patted Daisy awkwardly as she got to her feet and walked back to the couch to sit with Harriett.
“I’ll be fine, Mama. We have some time before I leave as well, so you can help me get ready.” She smiled at her mother. “I have ordered some work dresses so I can have something to wear when I’m cooking and cleaning.” Daisy secretly loved the idea of cooking and cleaning for a man. She didn’t remember a time when her family hadn’t had servants, and somehow it seemed glamorous to her to work for her family.
Mary wrinkled her nose. “Well, you enjoy the cooking and cleaning.” She shook her head. “When do you leave?”
“Not for another ten days or so. My ticket is for January fifth.” Daisy smiled happily. The worst of it was over. Her parents knew what she was doing, and her father was on her side.
“Ten days? That doesn’t give us much time!”
“Mama, we don’t need much time. I have what I need to take a train. It’s not like I need more clothes or anything. I’ll probably have to leave half my clothes here as it is.”
Mary shook her head. “You will not! We’ll start sending trunks of your things on the train tomorrow and arrange for them to be stored until we get there.” As usual, Mary was starting to plan and manage everything.
Daisy looked at her mother, her brown eyes wide. “We?” She hoped that didn’t mean what she was afraid it meant.
“You don’t think I’m going to let you take a train all the way to Montana without going with you, do you?”
Daisy sighed as her heart sank in her chest. Her mother was going to go with her to be a mail order bride? “Of course not, Mama.”
Mary thought for a moment. “We’ll take Jasmine.” She looked at Harriett. “Can the younger girls stay with you?” They could stay with their papa and the servants, of course, but Mary wanted them to be under the thumb of their aunt who wasn’t so easily swayed.
“Not Jasmine, Mama! Anyone but Jasmine!”
“She’s your eldest unmarried sister. She’ll accompany us. I’d say Amaryllis, but she has her work, and she’s expecting. She shouldn’t be travelling.”
Daisy sighed. “Yay. Hours on a train with Jasmine. Life couldn’t get better.”
“You will not be sarcastic, Daisy Sullivan. It’s unladylike.”
“How long do you plan to stay in Montana, Mama?”
“I have no idea. I assume there’s a hotel nearby?” Mary’s eyes met Harriett’s. “Where did Higgins stay?”
“There’s a hotel in Billings, and he’s not too far from Billings.” Harriett looked from Mary to Daisy. “I don’t know if it’s a good idea for a mail order bride to show up with her mother in tow.” Her voice was skeptical.
Mary shrugged. “I really don’t care. I will be with her, and if he can’t accept that, then I just won’t be able to accept him as my son-in-law.”
Harriett sighed. “I guess you’re going to Montana.” She stood up. “I’m going to go join the others.”
Daisy watched her go, wishing she’d had her aunt as a buffer for a little longer. At least her father was staying. “I’d really rather you and Jasmine stayed home, Mama.”
“It’s not happening.” Mary changed the subject. “So how many work dresses did you order?”
“Six. One for every day of the week except Sunday, because I’ll wear a church dress on Sunday.” Most of the dresses that she wore now would make perfect church dresses. Living in the city was so much different than living in the country.
Mary nodded slowly. “That should work. You have a new apron, don’t you?”
Daisy nodded. “Yes, I made one a couple of months ago for working at the women’s shelter.”
“Your life is going to be very different. You’ve never even fixed a meal, or cleaned a house, or done laundry!”
“What do you think I do at the women’s shelter? I don’t just sit around holding the women’s hands and saying, ‘There, there.’ I work, Mama. I do laundry, cook, clean, mind the children, and anything else anyone can think of. I’m perfectly qualified to be a wife and mother.”
Mary’s eyes filled with tears. “I won’t know my grandchildren.”
Daisy sighed. “I’m moving to Montana, not Florida. Trains are fast, and we can travel to see you on occasion. Or you could take a train to Billings to see me.”
“Yes, I could, and don’t think I won’t!”
“No one thinks you won’t travel out there, Mama. Well, poor Eli might, but he’ll learn differently very quickly.”
*****
The week and a half of preparation went quickly for Daisy. Her mother insisted on having a wedding dress sewn as well, which Daisy thought was a waste. As a rancher’s wife, she needed to be more practical, and it just wasn’t practical to have a dress she’d only wear for one day. She tried to talk her mother into having a dress made that would work as a Sunday dress, but she was adamant that her daughter would have a pretty wedding dress to pass down to her daughters.
A bridesmaid dress was made for Jasmine, and Daisy held her tongue. She would rather have Iris, her youngest sister, as a bridesmaid than Jasmine. Jasmine was a practical joker, and you never knew what would happen when she was around. Daisy was not looking forward to the train ride if her sister was involved. There was no way she could get away from her!
The night before they left for Montana, her family threw a small party. It was only family, plus Higgins’s family, just like it had been at Christmas. Daisy found some time to be alone with her favorite sister, Amaryllis, by grabbing her sister’s hand and slipping up to her room.
“I can’t believe you’re actually marrying a stranger and moving to Montana! What were you thinking?” Amaryllis was obviously worried about her.
Daisy shrugged, tears in her eyes. She would genuinely miss this sister if not all the others. “Right this second, I’m not sure what I was thinking.”
Amaryllis hugged her sister tightly. “At least you won’t be just another ‘flower’ there.” Amaryllis had always known how Daisy felt about blending in with her sisters and not having her own identity.
“That’s one of the things I was thinking.” Daisy smiled slightly. “I’m going to miss you, though.” She sighed heavily. “I wish I would be given the opportunity to miss Jasmine.”
Amaryllis chuckled. “I wish Jasmine was moving to Montana, and you were staying right here. Who are we going to trick into marrying her?” She shook her head, knowing the two of them would always be able to laugh about how horrid Jasmine was.
Daisy grinned. “I have no idea. There must be a very stupid, very smelly man somewhere in Seattle.”
They both giggled, and when Jasmine walked into Daisy’s room where they’d been talking, their giggles escalated. “What’s wrong with you two?” Jasmine eyed them both suspiciously. For all her mischief, Jasmine was very bright.
Daisy shrugged, her eyes meeting Amaryllis’s. “Nothing’s wrong. We’re just talking.”
“About what?” Jasmine’s eyes were narrowed as she glared at her older sisters.
“We were talking about how we need to find just the right man for you. You deserve someone really special.” Daisy smiled sweetly.
Amaryllis nodded to agree with Daisy. “Someone who will treat you just like you deserve to be treated.”
Jasmine shook her head. “I know you two were not talking about who I’m going to marry.” When neither of them said anything else, she said, “Mama wants you two downstairs. She said it’s our last party with Daisy for a long time, and she’s not going to let Daisy hide away with just you, Rilly.”
Daisy and Amaryllis got to their feet obediently. “We’re coming.”
Jasmine left the room ahead of them, and the sisters exchanged another look and laughed some more. “She is
going to get the man she deserves, right? You’ll see to it?” Daisy asked.
Amaryllis nodded. “I’ll do my very best.”
*****
The fifteen hour train ride the following day did nothing to improve Daisy’s feelings for her sister. Jasmine didn’t play any of her jokes, but she spent the entire trip trying to make Daisy fear her new husband. “What if he has spots all over him?”
Daisy shrugged. “What if he does? I’m not overly concerned about what he looks like. Higgins has assured he’s a good man, and that’s all that really matters to me.”
“What if he has fifteen dogs and lets them eat off the table?”
Daisy didn’t bother to respond as Jasmine went through a list of things she thought would make for a terrible husband. Finally Mary shook her head at Jasmine. “Leave your sister alone.” She took Daisy’s hand from across the aisle. “Are you nervous about meeting Eli?”
“A little.” Daisy had always been incredibly shy with strangers, so her mother knew the answer. She was no more nervous about meeting him than she was most strangers, though. Meeting anyone new was scary for her. She couldn’t help but wonder what he looked like or how he’d feel about how she looked, though. She smoothed her dress down carefully, even though it wasn’t nearly time to meet him.
“You can always change your mind, Daisy.”
Daisy shook her head. “No. I agreed to marry him, and I won’t go back on my word. Even if he’s covered with spots, lets his fifteen dogs eat off the table, and hasn’t bathed in six weeks.” She couldn’t believe her mother would even suggest such a thing. She’d taught them all to keep their word no matter what.
Jasmine smiled happily, knowing her sister had listened to everything she’d said trying to make her nervous. “How about if you find out he’s killed six men and buried them on his ranch?”
Daisy glared at her sister. “Please just be quiet for a little while, Jasmine.” She couldn’t listen to another ‘what if.’
Jasmine shrugged. “I’m not sure if I can!”
Mary turned to Jasmine. “You will be silent until we reach Billings. I don’t want to hear another word out of you.”
Jasmine sighed and picked up the book she’d borrowed from the library. Amaryllis had told her she’d charge her triple if she lost the book, just because she was so difficult.
The train had left Seattle at six in the evening, and they were to arrive in Billings at nine the morning of January sixth. Daisy wasn’t certain if Eli would marry her as soon as she arrived, or if he’d wait a day or two. She really didn’t know what to expect at all, because taking her mother and sister with her had changed everything. She had sent him a letter explaining that her mother and sister were coming with her, but she hadn’t had time to receive a response.
Chapter Two
When they pulled into the station in Billings, Daisy was tired, having barely slept on the train, but she thought that was probably good. Maybe how nervous she was wouldn’t show through her exhaustion.
She stepped out onto the platform and immediately started searching the crowd for Eli. She knew he had dark hair and eyes, which meant that his coloring was similar to hers, but that was all she knew. Was he tall and thin? Or short and stout? She hoped she would take one look at him and know that he was the man she'd waited her whole life for, but really? She didn’t expect to feel anything toward him.
She stood between her mother, who had rounded a great deal with the birth of eight daughters, and her younger sister who was much lighter complected than she was. After a minute or two, she saw a man striding toward her purposefully. He stopped in front of her. “Are you Daisy Sullivan?”
Daisy nodded, her heart sticking in her throat. “Eli?” she asked, her voice extremely nervous.
He nodded, taking her by the waist and lifting her down from the platform. She was shocked that he’d take liberties like that as soon as he met her with her mother watching, but she said nothing. He was a handsome man, with short dark hair and a closely trimmed beard. She’d never spent time with a man with a beard before, and she wanted to rub his face to feel it. His eyes were brown, as he’d said, and she felt as if she were melting when she looked up into them.
He leaned down and brushed a quick kiss across her lips, his hands still at her waist and pulling her closer to him. She put her hands on his shoulders to steady herself as she leaned into the kiss. She forgot all about her mother and sister standing there as she kissed the man in front of her.
Having never been kissed, she was surprised by the intense feelings that washed over her at the feel of his lips on hers. His tongue stroked against her lips and she parted them slightly, giving a moan of pleasure when his tongue entered her mouth to touch hers. She had no idea where the feelings were coming from, but she didn’t ever want this man to stop kissing her.
The sound of a throat clearing behind her brought Daisy out of the moment. She blushed and pulled away. She stared up at him in surprise, unable to say anything. She knew her mother would get onto her for her lapse later, but she was truly attracted to this man.
Mary stepped down from the platform and glared up at Eli. “Please unhand my daughter until you’ve married her!”
Eli looked at Mary and then back at Daisy. The surprise was obvious in his eyes. “Your mother?” It had never occurred to him that his bride would bring her mother with her. She was young, yes, but certainly not that young…was she?
Daisy sighed. “Didn’t you get my letter?”
“This is the first time I’ve been to town in two weeks.” He wished he’d come in sooner so he’d know what was happening, though.
“My mother didn’t want me traveling this far alone, so she and my younger sister, Jasmine, accompanied me.” Daisy hated to admit that her mother had come with her, but she knew there was no way out of it. “This is my mother, Mary Sullivan.” She nodded toward her mother.
Eli didn’t release her, but he did look toward her mother. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Sullivan.” It wasn’t, but he’d play along. What was he supposed to do with the woman now that she was here?
Jasmine stepped down from the platform. “I’m Jasmine.”
Eli looked at Jasmine. “Hello.”
Jasmine smiled sweetly and curtseyed. “It’s nice to meet you. Are you really a rancher? How many cows do you have? Do you bathe at least once a week so you don’t always smell like manure? What does it smell like when you brand your cattle? I caught my hair on fire once, and the smell was horrible. Is it like that?”
Daisy looked down at her hands. What was wrong with Jasmine? Why had her mother insisted on bringing her? How could she get rid of her?
Mary glared at Jasmine. “Hush now.” She looked at Eli. “Would you mind escorting us to the nearest hotel?”
Eli shrugged. “I’d be happy to, ma’am.” He sent up a silent prayer of thanks that they weren’t both planning to stay with him.
He slipped his arm around Daisy’s waist, making it clear that he’d do what the others needed, but now that Daisy had arrived, he wasn’t about to let her go. “We need our luggage, of course,” Mary insisted.
He sighed. “I’ll go get your things, and then we’ll walk to the hotel. I’ll have to walk back to get the wagon. There’s not room enough for four people in my wagon unless someone wants to ride in the back.”
Daisy walked with him, leaving her mother and sister waiting. “I’m so sorry they came with me. I didn’t know how to stop them.” Her voice was low as she whispered to him, hoping her mother and sister wouldn’t hear her.
Eli looked down at her with a smile. “I’m not angry with you.” He found the luggage and got some help putting it into the wagon before wrapping his arm firmly around her shoulders again and walking back toward where her mother and sister waited. “I still want to get married today.” He watched her face as he said the words, hoping she was in agreement. By the way she’d responded to his kiss, he was pretty certain she was.
Daisy nodded. �
��That’s what I want, too. Mama won’t leave until we’re married. The sooner, the better.”
He grinned. “You don’t like your mother?”
She stopped walking while they were still out of earshot of her family. “Honestly, that’s not it at all. I love my mama. Jasmine though…well…I have seven sisters, and she’s the last one I would have chosen to bring. I begged Mama not to let her come, but she just wouldn’t listen to me.” She sighed. “Jasmine is going to be my maid of honor, whether I like it or not.” She wrinkled her nose at him, leaving him in no doubt that she didn’t like it.
Eli laughed softly. “We’ll get married today, and maybe they’ll leave on tomorrow’s train.” He walked toward them. “Let’s get you settled in the hotel, because I still plan on marrying today.”
Mary sighed. “I was hoping you’d give us a couple of days to get to know you first. I don’t think my daughter should marry a man we’ve all just met.”
Eli shrugged. “The preacher is waiting for us.” He led them to the hotel where Mary quickly secured a room for herself and Jasmine.
“Are the two of you going to stay at the hotel tonight?” Mary asked. Her eyes went to Eli as she asked the question.
“I have a ranch to see to. I can’t stay in town overnight, ma’am. Daisy and I will go to the ranch this evening.” His voice was kind, but he obviously wasn’t willing to listen to an argument about it.
Mary glared at him. “Well then, maybe Jasmine and I should stay at the ranch tonight as well.”
Eli shook his head. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but that’s not happening. Tonight is my wedding night, and I don’t want my mother-in-law in the house with me.” He knew Mary would consider his words rude, but at that point he didn’t care. What man in his right mind wanted to be under the same roof with his mother-in-law when he made love to his new bride for the first time?
Mary gasped as if offended. “Don’t be so crude!”
“I’m not being crude, ma’am. I’m just telling it like it is.” He leaned down and brushed a kiss across Daisy’s lips. “I’m going to go get your luggage. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Daisy (Suitors of Seattle) Page 2