Alicia's Misfortune

by Sarah Silver

  The preacher went through the ceremony and then at last, they said their vows. Facing Jack, Leila gave a silent murmur of thanks. She was glad that she had signed up for the online mail order bride agency. Who knew how fate worked or anything really, she was glad that she and Jack had found each other.

  She said her vows and slipped the ring onto his finger. She had promised herself that she would not cry but now she found her eyes filling up. Jack reached out to her and wiped her cheeks with his hand, gently rubbing the tears away. He looked as though he was in tears too.

  Jack repeated his vows and the preacher declared them man and wife. He invited Jack to kiss his bride. Leila winked at him. They had practiced the previous night and each time Jack kissed her she had erupted into giggle and pushed him away.

  ‘You can’t kiss like that in church and in front of people Jack. Let’s do it properly,’ Leila had told him.

  Again he had kissed her with so much passion that they had ended up in bed. Jack winked back at her and Leila stifled a giggle. He brought his mouth to hers and gave her a soft lingering kiss that left her in no doubt how he felt, but it wasn’t too much as to make Leila uncomfortable.

  ‘Mr. and Mrs. Farley, ladies and gentlemen,’ the preacher’s voice boomed and Leila grinned at Jack and squeezed his hand.

  As they walked out into the Texan sunshine, Leila felt at peace and sure in the knowledge that they would face whatever lay ahead as long as they were together.

  The Billionaire Cowboy’s Last Hope

  By: Erin Walsh

  The Billionaire Cowboy’s Last Hope

  © SteamyReads4U, 2015 – All rights reserved

  Published by Steamy Reads4U

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, including electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events are purely coincidental. This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.

  This book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please return it to the seller and purchase a copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

  Warning

  This book contains graphic content intended for readers 18+ years old.

  If you are under 18 years old, or are not comfortable with adult content, please close this book now.

  Chapter 1

  It had already been two years since Paul passed away. I can still remember the day that Ethan ran inside form the corn fields, his face flushed with worry, his cheeks streaked with tears. He told me that Paul had fell over on the combine harvester, and that he couldn’t get him up. By the time the emergency vehicle had arrived at the farm, Paul was already gone. He had suffered a heart attack. I stared out the window, watching as the corn stalks danced in the breeze, and I wondered if I’d ever feel normal again.

  “You have a good day at school, now, Ethan.” I handed Ethan a paper bag stuffed with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a container of pear wedges, and a slice of my homemade apple pie. He grinned and then gave me a kiss on the cheek.

  “Thanks, Mom. I’ll see you later.” He slung his backpack over his shoulder and then hustled out the back door, letting the screen door slam behind him even though he was always told to close it gently. I affectionately rolled my eyes and then locked the door behind him, watching as he jumped inside Danny’s red Ford pick-up, and then sighing as they rolled off down the dusty, lonesome dirt road.

  I looked at the tiny red clock hanging on the wall beside the refrigerator. Paul had given it to me as an anniversary gift, and I felt guilty thinking about how much it was worth, but I did, anyway. I took it off the hook, and read the inscription on the back: To the love of my life- Emma. You make all my gray skies blue. I love you. Paul. I felt a tear come to my eye and I took a deep breath.

  “Not today, Emma. Not today.” I had to do a lot of self-talk to get me through the hours while Ethan was away at school. I didn’t have many close friends that lived nearby, and the house seemed to echo with sadness when I spent hours inside it alone. I knew that I should be out, trying to keep myself preoccupied, but it was hard for me to meet new people, and my heart simply ached from the loss. I wandered down the creaking cellar steps and loaded wet clothes into a sagging wicker basket, then trudged back up to hang it all on the clothesline outside.

  Honk! I heard the distinct bellow of Jake’s horn as soon as I reached the yard. A series of large cumulous clouds had settled over the valley, and I wondered if we were about to get socked with rain.

  “Did I catch you at a bad time?” Jake hopped out of the driver’s seat, his face ruddy and tanned from hours in the fields. I shook my head and picked up one of Ethan’s shirts, then hung it on the line.

  “Nope. I’m just getting some of this laundry dried. What are you doing over here today?” I was used to Jake popping in unexpectedly, but he usually spent Mondays over in Sun Valley so that he could get supplies for his business.

  “Well, I was hoping that we could chat for a bit. You got a few minutes?” Jake gave me a hopeful smile and looked around the yard. “Looks like hell back here, Emma. Is that boy of yours helping with anything?” Jake frowned and I shook my head.

  “Come on, Jake. He’s only fifteen. He does what he can.” I eyed Jake with a wry grin and then grabbed a few more pieces of laundry to hang. The sky grew darker and the air got cool. “He can’t do what Paul could do. I mean, he’s okay with a hammer, but I can’t expect him to fix that entire shed, or re-wire the chicken coop.” I sighed and shook my head, trying not to look at all of the obvious signs of disrepair on our property.

  “This is all the more reason to come inside and take a break. I want to talk with you about something. I think you’re going to like what I have to share.” Jake raised his eyebrows and then tipped back his cowboy hat. I reached for a pair of Ethan’s pants and hung them on the line, then slapped my hands on my thighs and straightened up.

  “Okay, then. Let’s go inside.” I set the laundry basket aside and then opened the screen door, being careful not to slam it after Jake made his way inside. I walked to the sink and washed my hands, then poured two glasses of water from the glass pitcher that sat on the counter. Jake looked around the kitchen, assessing all of the signs of neglect, I was sure.

  “Listen, Emma. We’re worried about you. Me and Sue, Harvey and Bess. We all think that you should be…” He paused and then bit his lip. “I don’t know. I guess we all think that maybe you should be trying to get out more, maybe even thinking of selling this place.” He lowered his head when he said the last words. I eyed him with offense.

  “Who are you to decide what I should and should not be doing, Jake? Do you think it’s easy to just snap your fingers and go back to normal after you lose a spouse?” I looked away and a tear rolled down my face. Jake sighed and shook his head.

  “I knew you were going to take this the wrong way.” Jake leaned forward and took a sip of his water. “That’s not what we meant. We’re just worried, Emma. We want to see you happy again.” Jake looked through me with his icy blue eyes.

  “And you have some sort of plan for how to get happy again, I suppose?” I leaned back and folded my arms, wondering what Jake had up his sleeve.

  “I do, Emma. And I think it could change your entire life.” A smile broke out on his face, and some of the tension disappeared from my shoulders. I narrowed my eyes and stared at his face, just as the rain drips started to fall.

  Chapter 2

  “Well let me hear it.” I took a long sip of my water and then waited. Jake wa
s a sly business man. He was good natured, but he also had a wily streak to him that always gave me pause. He and Sue had been married for almost ten years now. They had three kids and they lived about a half hour away, which was nice considering how alone I sometimes felt now that Paul was gone.

  “Emma. How would you like it if all of your financial problems could be erased forever?” Jake sat back and straddled the chair, his hands on his thighs. “How would you feel if you woke up one morning, and you and Ethan had all of your bills paid?” He cocked his head to the side and I frowned.

  “What is this, Jake? Some sort of fantasy idea?” I knew that my big brother had a wild imagination, and I was always suspect about his excitement over new ventures, especially when they revolved around money.

  “It ain’tno fantasy, Emma. It’s reality. And if you’ll just be a little open minded, I promise you’ll think this is one of the best plans I’ve ever concocted.” He gave me a wink and I shook my head. Then I took another sip of my water and watched as the rain pelted the windows and the corn stalks sank under the weight of the water.

  “Okay, Jake. Cut to the chase. I have to get dinner cooking before Ethan gets home from school you know.” I frowned and then smoothed my hair back away from my face. Ethan wouldn’t be home for another three or four hours, but I knew how long-winded Jake could get over his ideas.

  “Here it is.” Jake sat up straight and then smiled. “I have a man for you, Emma. A man who can take away all of your worries.” He whispered the last part of his sentence, and I folded my arms back across my chest. I had no interest in meeting any man, especially one that Jake was going to try and set me up with.

  “Oh come on, Emma. You haven’t even heard all that I got to tell you. Why don’t you try to stop being so defensive all the time? Remember, I’m just trying to help you, okay?” He smiled and then tossed back the last sip of his water.

  “You want more?” I stood up and took away his glass. He reflected for a minute and then gave me a wry grin.

  “You got any beer?” He looked at me with a timid, doubtful expression. I gave him a dry laugh and then opened the cellar door.

  “I think there’s some down here from when Paul used to store them in the cooler.” I tightened the cinch around my apron and then started to walk down the steps. I was already suspicious of Jake’s plan, and I wondered what he was really going to end up asking me to do. Knowing Jake, there would be some trade-off for him involved, as well. Jake wasn’t a selfish man, but he was always making sure that he walked away with his cut of the pie.

  I rummaged around in the cellar, moving over heaps of Paul’s old clothes, boxes of his fishing gear, and crates filled with hunting arrows. I looked around and suddenly felt overwhelmed. I hadn’t moved on at all since Paul’s death. I was just as engulfed in it now as I had been two years ago. I stared at the wall and then moved toward the fridge, tripping over a box filled with old milk bottles. Jake must have heard me making noise, because he peered around the doorway and then started to inch his way down the steps.

  “You okay down here?” He looked at me and I crumpled down to the floor, landing in a pile of old wool blankets that Paul used to keep in the horse barn. I buried my face in my hands and wept, only stopping when I felt Jake’s hand on my back. “Emma. Come on upstairs. Forget about the beer.” He reached for my hand and helped me up. I wiped the tears away from my face and then grabbed a wadded tissue from my apron pocket.

  “The beers aren’t the problem, Jake.” I finally got to the fridge and pulled out a frosty ale from the back. I handed it to Jake and dabbed my eyes, then threw my arms up in the air. “The problem is me. I need to do something. Look at his place. It’s a catastrophe. I’ve done nothing but wallow in self-pity and sorrow for the last two years. I need to pick up the pieces and move forward.” I sniffed and then looked at Jake.

  He cracked open the beer and took a sip, then eyed me with concern. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and then set the beer on the railing post. “Emma. None of us can really imagine what it feels like for you, but…” Jake paused and then lowered his head. “I miss Paul, too. I mean, he was a good guy.” He nodded his head and then looked at me with a frown. “But he ain’t coming back, and life is just rolling on without you.” He picked his beer up from the post and took another sip. Then he spun around and headed back up the steps.

  Chapter 3

  I closed the windows in the kitchen to keep the rain from careening inside. Jake and I both watched in silence for a few minutes. It had been weeks since this part of Idaho had received a good downpour, and we surely needed it. I was relieved that the soil would be softened now for planting, hopeful that some of the sadness from the day might be washed away with it, as well.

  “I’m ready to hear what you want to tell me, Jake.” I sat down in the same checker-padded kitchen chair, and waited to hear Jake’s plan. He tossed back the last sip of his beer and then hiccupped.

  “It’s a simple plan, Emma. All you have to do is agree to get married again.” Jake spoke and I felt my stomach tighten. Get married again? I might have been ready to accept a new idea, but I was in no way ready to get married again. And to whom? The thought was ludicrous.

  “You must be kidding, right?” I pulled my hair back into a pony tail and then waited to hear what else he had to say.

  “I’m not kidding. I’m completely serious. All you have to do is agree to get married again, and all of your financial woes will dissolve. Yours, and mine.” He winked and then I chuckled. I knew there had to be a catch. “Here’s how it works. You agree to marry a certain Matthew Devine. He’s a handsome, wealthy rancher from out in Pocatello, and he’s been on the search for a mail order bride. You fit the bill.” Jake cocked his head and waited for me to interject. I simply stared at him.

  “A mail order bride? I’ve never even heard of such a thing.” I frowned, already not keen on the idea, but still convinced that I needed to do something that would drastically change my current course. Jake smiled and then ran his hands through his hair.

  “Emma, it’s like a dream. This guy has money- lots of it. He’s good looking, and there are a handful of women ready to throw themselves at his feet. But see, that ain’t his style. He’s like, this romantic at heart, and he has some hang-up about women who just want him for his cash. I could tell you a lot more about him if you think you’ll listen.” Jake raised his eyebrows and gave me an optimistic smile.

  I had to admit that I was curious, not so much about Matthew, but about how Jake apparently knew so much about him.

  “You said he’s a rancher?” I wanted to see if Jake knew as much about him as he led on to. Jake emphatically nodded his head.

  “Cattle rancher, down off of Fountain Highway, near the resorts.” He continued nodding and then reached his hand into his back pocket and pulled out a folded up piece of paper. “I got all his stats, right here.” Jake scanned the document and then tossed it onto the table. I frowned, still unconvinced that I could really trust him wholeheartedly.

  “Look, Emma. I got connections, you know? I see a lot of people in town, I go to a lot of community meetings, and I do a lot of favors for people. I know this guy is legit. And the only thing he’s trying to get out of life, right now, is a good woman.” Jake smiled and then sighed. “Who knows. Maybe the two of you will actually hit it off.” He shrugged and then pushed back his chair.

  “Where are you going?” I watched as he stood up and pressed his hands against the glass on the door. The rain had tapered off, leaving an orange hue on the dirt road beyond the back door.

  “Well I know Ethan will be getting home soon, and I actually need to go drop off some feed over at Bower Farm. Why don’t we continue this conversation sometime tomorrow? Maybe you can come out to the house in the morning.” Jake shrugged and then let himself out. I didn’t have anything planned tomorrow except for some knitting and some baking.

  “Sure. Will ten work?” I stood up and walked behind him, glancing up at the
sky to view the clouds that were slowly disappearing from our view. I closed the door and sat down on the step, wondering if this was such a good idea. Jake ambled slowly to his truck and then climbed in behind the wheel.

  “Ten works for me. Sue has to teach around nine, and the kids will be off to school by then.” He nodded his head and then gazed out at the corn fields. “Boy, Paul sure did a hell of a lot of work when he was alive, didn’t he?” He shook his head and then closed the door and started his engine. I nodded my head in agreement. Paul had been the hardest worker I ever met, and he never complained about it.

  I watched as Jake slowly reversed out of the driveway, his truck rolling along the dirt road that now resembled softened clay. He waved goodbye and then I wandered back toward my laundry basket. The clothes that hung on the line were now sopping wet form the rain, but I just didn’t have the wherewithal to take them all down and haul them in to the dryer. I was line drying most of our clothes to cut back on the electric bill, but sometimes it just got to be too much work. I scratched my head and thought about what Jake had said about Matthew. Maybe he was the answer to all of these problems, after all.

  Chapter 4

  “Hey, Mom. I’m home!” I heard Ethan’s voice ring out from the kitchen just as I finished a stitch on a scarf I was knitting. I was glad to hear him because he was the one bright spot in my otherwise gloomy days. I slowly got up and then started to walk toward the hall. I stopped in front of my full length mirror and looked at my refection. My shiny chestnut colored hair hung to my shoulders. It was my one feature that made me feel attractive. Otherwise, I felt like my looks left a lot to be desired.