Mail Order Brides of Wichita Falls Boxed Set (Historical Western Romance)

by Cyndi Raye

  Ruby stepped back, worried he heard them talking. “I, uh, told him that we would come back in to town when you get back. He loves it here so much.”

  Marshall’s brow went up in that familiar way. He gazed at her a moment then shifted to Billy. “Here, son. Let me show you how a cowboy puts on a pair of boots.”

  While Marshall helped Billy with the boots, she had Jimmy gather up the things she needed, including one little wooden toy train.

  Chapter 7

  Marshall wanted to kiss her goodbye. After all, she was his wife. For the past few days, he stayed inside after their evening meal, helping her with cleaning up the kitchen. She had given in with a smile, letting him help after trying to shoo him away several times. He had been relentless, insisting on giving her a hand.

  They fell in to a routine. The boy would come inside after spending much of his time with the hands and the three of them enjoyed each others company. Almost as if they were a real family. Their sleeping arrangements had worked so far. She usually fell asleep long before he would go to bed. Sometimes he’d sit on the rocker in the room, staring at the fire, dozing off like he used to, slipping out in the early morning hours before dawn.

  “Would the two of you care for some apple pie?” she asked, smiling. Billy was sitting at the one end of the table, while Marshall read his paper alongside the boy. It was starting to feel too familiar. The boy would patiently sit by him while he read. Sometimes, he’d read aloud if he thought the boy would be interested in the article. Most times, Billy acted like he was but Marshall didn’t doubt his mind was somewhere else. At least he seemed happy to be living on the ranch.

  It was their last night together before heading out on the trail. He’d be gone for two weeks. Marshall planned to leave Max here, even though he needed him on the trail. Normally, he’d let one of the other ranch hands behind but trusted Max to protect them if need be. He wouldn’t let the two alone, no matter how much he showed Billy about living on a ranch. They weren’t ready yet. It was his job to protect his wife and the boy. He’d do whatever it took, even if he had to go off short-handed.

  His wife disappeared for a moment. When she returned, she walked up to Billy. “I got something for you.”

  Billy looked up at her with fear in his eyes at first. Marshall wondered what that was all about? “For me?” the boy asked.

  She brought her hand from around her back and placed a small, wooden train on the table in front of the boy. His eyes got so round, Marshall thought they would split open. His mouth opened but no words came out.

  She turned and went back to her work.

  Billy reached out and touched the train as if it were a fragile piece of glass. His hand slid over the wooden structure. Then he gathered it in both his hands. “May I be excused?” he asked, his voice husky.

  Marshall nodded.

  Billy rose out of the chair, took a few tiny steps in his new boots over to where she was working, her back to him.

  He reached up and put his arms around her waist. “Thank you,” he mumbled, his face in her skirt. Then the sound of booted heels flew across the room before hitting the steps to his room. A soft thump sounded as the bedroom door closed shut.

  Marshall pushed himself away from the table. He moved over to where she stood with her back to him. No sound came from her but he could see her shoulders shaking. She tried hard to keep her emotions intact. Didn’t she know he was here for her? If not, it was time she realized she didn’t have to carry her burdens alone.

  “Hey,” he said, his voice low, sturdy and strong. “That was a nice thing you did for Billy.” His hand rested on her shoulder.

  She sniffed. He smiled. He pulled her against him. Her cheek rested on the back of his hand. They stood like that for a moment before she put her hands back in the dish water, pretending her act of kindness didn’t happen.

  Marshall sighed. He was going to miss her. “I’ll be gone in the morning.”

  She turned to look at him, her eyes red and glassy. A tear tried to roll from her eye but he caught it with his finger and pushed it from her cheek.

  Blue eyes stared at him. “How long will you be away?”

  “I’d say a few weeks at the most. I’m leaving Max here to keep an eye on the ranch. Things will go on as usual, but you won’t have as many mouths to feed.”

  His hand was still on her shoulder. It felt warm and nice. He leaned closer, taking in her scent that surprisingly smelled like lavender.

  It almost seemed as if she were going to lean in to him. Then she took a deliberate step away and dried her hands. “I need some air,” she said. “Care to sit on the back porch?”

  Marshall smiled when she didn’t wait for him but went through the door like her skirts were on fire. Was he affecting her? Rightly so, he grinned. At first he thought he wanted her in name only. After what they shared in the last few days, he realized he needed more than a wife in name only. He got the feeling she felt the same way. When he got back from the cattle drive, Marshall was going to tell her so.

  Sitting on the back porch, enjoying the star-filled night was like heaven on earth with her. Long after they should be in bed, their rockers pressing in to the wooden boards, back and forth, the night air and silence of the dark night surrounding them, they enjoyed the company of each other. At one time, Marshall placed his hand over hers and she turned and smiled, her eyes hooded and barely open.

  “Guess we should be off to bed,” he said.

  She nodded but didn’t make a move to get up. Neither did he.

  An hour later, she got up. He waited for her to go inside before trailing in after. He wanted to make sure she was tucked in and fast asleep before he entered the room. For him, it wouldn’t do any good to try to sleep yet, not with her looking so beautiful tonight.

  Marshall ran a hand through his hair. It was going to be a long, restless night on that rocking chair again.

  <><>

  Ruby stood in the yard waving. Marshall, the ranch hands and cook wagon were heading out to take the cattle to the rail road in Dallas. They’d be gone two weeks, he’d said. Seemed like a long time. Why did she care? Something was happening here to her she didn’t understand. How did she develop feelings for this man? That was not supposed to happen.

  “Oh, dear. I’m in deep trouble.”

  Max came across the yard with the wagon. “I’m going in to town. Anyone want to ride along?”

  “Sure do. Let me get Billy.” Ruby scampered around, finding Billy on the porch petting a stray cat. “We’re going to town, hurry.”

  “The kitten needs some milk.” He was scrunched down on his knees. Ruby got closer and sure enough, it was shaking and looking like it got lost from its mother. It appeared Billy had a soft spot for strays these days.

  “Hold on, Max, don’t leave without us,” she told the foreman. He nodded and waved as she ran in to the house for some buttermilk. Scraping the cream off the top, she poured it in a small bowl and placed it on the porch. “We need to be off, Billy.”

  Reluctant to leave the kitten, Billy’s steps were slow until he reached the wagon. “Will I be able to keep her?” he asked, jumping in to the back.

  She shrugged. “I’m not sure it needs a home. It’s mama may be looking for her right now.”

  “Really? I wish my mama was still here.”

  Shivers ran down her spine. She had been so intent on getting those land certificates, Ruby had forgotten he was a boy who lost his mother. Ashamed, she reached back and patted his arm. “My mama was dying when I left too, Billy. We’re two peas in a pod with both of us losing someone we love.”

  “Why did you leave if she was dying?”

  Oh, the questions of children. Ruby sighed. “She made me promise to go and bought me a ticket.” Her brow shot in the air, reminding him he was the little thief who stole her ticket in the first place.

  He squirmed in his seat, his eyes downcast. It made her realize Billy was changing. In front of her, day by day, he was becoming th
e ten year old boy he was meant to be, not some pan handler from the alleys of New York City. Marshall was right, this place was good for him. She’d miss him, too.

  The reason Ruby wanted to go along to town was to see Aunt Adeline. She hadn’t gotten a chance the last trip. Now that Marshall wasn’t around to interfere, even if he didn’t realize he would be, she’d be able to search the house for those land certificates. They had to be in the house somewhere, most likely in Billy’s room. Talking to her aunt would help her decide upon her options for the future.

  Except there seemed to be a problem arising. It seemed to Ruby her future was playing out right here in a nutshell. With Marshall. Raising Billy. She couldn’t. No. It wasn’t in her plans. She would be an independent woman no matter what. Determined, Ruby rode the rest of the way to town in silence.

  <><>

  The white clapboard house sat almost tight against another of the same type of house. A freshly painted sign on a makeshift post read Adeline’s Boarding House in broad, white letters. Ruby followed Max up the steps and stood with him as he knocked on the porch. “Do you know Aunt Adeline?”

  “Everyone knows your aunt,” he laughed, his hearty tone loud. Someone called from the street as Max turned and waved.

  When the door opened, Max pulled the cowboy hat from his head. He held it in front of him. There was a smile on his face a mile wide. “Miss Adeline,” he said, his voice a bit softer.

  “Good afternoon, Mr. Maximilian. Such a pleasure to see you,” a strong, feminine voice sang out.

  Ruby took it all in. She realized Max was sweet on her aunt, which made Ruby smile. Max was a decent man, too, like his boss. “Aunt Adeline, is that you?” she whispered, stepping around Max.

  “Ruby?”

  She nodded, tears forming in her eyes. She never met her mother’s youngest sister but the instant their eyes met, it was as if they had known each other all along. Adeline held out her arms. “Come here, child,” she crooned and took Ruby in to her arms and her home as if she was a long lost child welcomed home. Billy and Max followed the two in, standing in the doorway as they hugged each other.

  When Ruby turned around she smiled at Billy, who had taken his hat off as well, standing alongside of Max like a grown up. “Billy, meet my Aunt Adeline.”

  “It’s Addy, you call me Addy, okay? Let’s get you settled at my table and we’ll talk over some tea. Would you like some tea, Billy?”

  “No, ma’am. I’m going to go with Max to the mercantile. We need some supplies for the ranch.”

  Addy walked over to Max. “Is this true, Mr. Maximilian? You’re leaving me so soon?” she crooned in her soft voice. When he agreed with the boy, she let them out the door and turned to Ruby with red cheeks.

  It appeared that her aunt may be a bit soft on Max, too. Ruby looked around as her aunt made two cups of tea. “Your house is beautiful,” she told her. Curtains hung on each window, darkening the room yet letting in enough light, giving the space a homey feel. “I should sew some curtains for the ranch,” she mentioned, then realized what she just said.

  “I’m so glad you came to visit. I heard you were here,” Addy told her as she sat in the chair opposite Ruby. “I knew you were heading this way, your mama sent me a letter telling me so. When they said a Catherine Ruby was marrying our Marshall, I was pretty certain it was you. Just can’t figure out where the Catherine came from.”

  Our Marshall? Oh, dear. It sounded like the whole town was in love with Marshall Montgomery. This may be harder to pull off after all. She wouldn’t be able to buy a house and live in town if everyone knew and loved her husband. She’d be worse off living here. That meant she’d have to leave. Move on to another area. A chill went through Ruby.

  “Well, now, tell me how your mama is?” Addy said, her soft voice filled with empathy.

  “When I left, she wasn’t doing too well. Perhaps by now she may be gone. I can’t bear to think of her that way,” Ruby spit out, her voice rising in grief and fear.

  “Now, now. It’s part of life, my dear. I’m sure that dratted brother of mine will post a letter to me. At least he won’t get the land certificates. She did give you your inheritance, right?”

  Ruby nodded. “I sort of have them.”

  “What? You will need them for the ranch. I must tell you that Marshall plans to extend his ranch. He wants to buy the property next to his except he doesn’t have the money until the cattle drive is over. I just hope it isn’t too late by the time he comes back. Heard a rumor some big rail road man is coming to town to buy up all the surrounding land, including what Marshall wants. Your certificates would come in handy if he isn’t back by then.”

  Ruby grabbed her aunt’s hand. “I don’t plan to stay married to Marshall.”

  A slight twitch at the corner of her aunt’s mouth was the only thing that led Ruby to believe Addy was surprised at the words she just spoke.

  “Why not?”

  Ruby wondered that herself. The ranch was so beautiful and she had a house over her head, plenty of food to eat and a ready made family with Billy and all. “It isn’t in my plans, Aunt Addy. I want to be an independent woman. Like you.”

  Ruby watched her aunt struggle with her next words. “Sometimes, my dear, life rolls out another plan. You have to be prepared to take on whatever life dishes out. Why don’t you know where your certificates are?”

  Ruby told her about Billy stealing her purse. When she finished, her aunt had a smile spread from ear to ear. Then she laughed out loud. “I’m so sorry, dear. I’m not laughing at you but the boy is a corker. He’s going to be just fine with Marshall and the ranch.”

  “Laugh all you want, Aunt Addie, but my certificates are somewhere hidden in the ranch house. As soon as I return home, I’m going to tear that house apart until I find them.”

  “Then, do what?” she asked, the blue eyes staring in to Ruby’s soul. Her aunt had the same kind eyes like her mothers. It was eerily relieving in a way, kind of like her mother was here with her through someone else.

  Ruby shrugged. “Not sure, but I want them back. They belong to me. I thought since everyone in town loves Marshall so much, I’ll go somewhere else to buy land and build a home for myself.”

  Addy took her hand. Ruby stared at the table, their hands entwined, feeling as if her mama was right there. “Your mother was as stubborn as you, Ruby. When she came here and married your father, everyone hated her decision. Our parents shunned her. When your father died, she didn’t know where to turn. She gave up everything to make sure you had a dry roof over your head. I told her she could stay here, but she was scared and alone. Years ago, this town was filled with railroad men, there was no law and it was hard for a woman to get by. Without her husband, she thought going back to New York was the right thing to do. Our brother treated her awful, made her dependent on him, even though she got him out of trouble many times with her own land certificates she sold. I vowed to never allow anyone to run my life.”

  Ruby nodded, clung on to her hand a little harder. “That’s what I want, too. My uncle hated us, berated mama for having to come back home after being out here with scallywags and heathens.”

  “Is that what he said?” Addy laughed out loud.

  “He did. Told Mama she’d have to cleanse her soul for the rest of her life. Mama got him out of his gambling debt many times over the years by selling those same certificates on occasion. But the last two, she gave them to me. Said she wanted more for me than to rely on anyone else.”

  Ruby heard her aunt sigh. “I understand. I felt the same way, Ruby. Let me tell you this. Sometimes in life we have to make a decision that is more important than anything we want. Sometimes it winds up being about someone else, a higher meaning.”

  Ruby rubbed a hand across her forehead. “I’m so confused.”

  “Do you like Marshall?” Addy asked, her gentle tone soothing to Ruby’s ears.

  She stared at her aunt. “I think so. I’m not sure what I feel, Aunt Addy. I know
he is a kind man. But I have my mind made up to find a piece of land and build a home for myself, one no one can take from me.”

  Someone knocked on the door. Max and Billy returned from the mercantile. They both got up from the table to get the door. Before Addy let the others in, she turned to Ruby. “Perhaps the piece of land you seek is right there, in front of you all along.”

  Chapter 8

  Ruby kept going over the words her wise aunt had said the other day when they went to town. She peeked out the window to watch Billy mucking out the stables with Max. Now was as good a time as any. She trudged up the wooden steps, turning the knob to the door to Billy’s room.

  The blanket was mused up on his bed. Even though she tried to teach him how to make his bed every morning, Ruby grinned at the boy’s sad attempt. The wool blanket was crooked, hanging longer on one side. She went over to straighten it out when she realized he would know she was in here snooping.

  Except she warned him she was going to find her property. You would think by now the boy would just hand them over! She searched in the dresser, pulling out the wooden drawers and placing a hand in between the shelves. Nothing. Ruby peeked under the mattress to find nothing but a few stray feathers from the mattress lying about. She reached out to gather up the strays when her hand hit a board that didn’t fit just right. It wasn’t smooth like the other ones. Using her knees and arms, she pushed the bed a few inches out of the way. Ruby got on her hands and knees to see close up. Sure enough, a piece of the wooden floor was loose.

  Ruby nudge it with her hand until the chunk of wood revealed a small hole in the floor. She felt her way around the hole when it hit exactly what she was looking for. Smiling, Ruby extracted the land certificates from the hiding spot. She unfolded them to make sure they were hers. Satisfied, she quickly folded them back up, shoving them deep in the pocket of her dress.

  Freedom at last! Ruby stood up on shaky knees, moved the bed back and strolled from the room, taking the steps carefully back down to the kitchen. She looked outside again to see Billy and Max taking a break. They sat on the fence, Billy’s legs dangling alongside of Max, munching on an apple. “I got them, you little thief,” she mouthed, knowing he would never notice her peeking from the window. A twinge of regret sang in her heart. She would miss him. Ruby didn’t realize until that very moment she had developed a soft heart for the boy.