Christmas Mail Order Angels: The complete 11 Volume Set

by Darlene Franklin

  “Don’t.” Virginia gave a brief shake of her head. “No need to apologize. I understand.”

  He studied her, tilting his head every so slightly. “You do? Well, I’m glad somebody does cuz I sure don’t. Ever since Ma passed, my brother’s been like a stranger to me. I don’t understand him at all. But you know all about that. I explained our situation in the letter.”

  The letter. The one she hadn’t read.

  She knew talking about Seth would bring trouble. The golden glow she’d been feeling since she first laid eyes on Levi dulled.

  “Levi.” She paused. “I didn’t read the letter.”

  “Didn’t you receive it? I wrote four full pages.”

  “Yes, I did.” The words came out like a sigh. “Becky gave it to me the first day but I didn’t read it.”

  “You didn’t read it.”

  She swallowed. “I can’t read, Levi. I never learned. My pa doesn’t think women should be schooled.” She set her jaw. “I didn’t speak up or ask anyone to read it for me. I was afraid if they knew I couldn’t read, they wouldn’t let me come, and—well, I had to come. My ma died too and things at home were…bad. Really bad. I had to get away. So I volunteered to come here.”

  “You knew nothing about me or that there were four children to care for?”

  “Yes, I knew about them. The women told me.”

  Levi frowned. “And you came anyway?”

  She nodded. “I thought…I thought I could help.” She took another breath. “I came here under false pretenses, Levi. I understand that you probably won’t want to marry me now, but I’m not afraid of hard work. I’ll cook and clean and care for the girls. If you let me work off what I owe you, I promise I’ll do whatever it takes.”

  His eyebrows rose in surprise. “Work off what you owe me? That wasn’t the deal.”

  “I know it’s not what you expected. I’m not what you expected.”

  He grinned. “That’s for sure. I expected a dried up old maid.”

  A small laugh burst from Virginia in an unexpected wave of relief. She ducked her head. “I expected you to be an old man with a long, white beard.”

  His grin morphed into a slow sweet, smile. “Instead we got each other. Unexpected blessings.”

  Virginia sobered. “I’m not a blessing, Levi. Not for you or anyone else.”

  He tilted his head in a beguiling way. “If you’re a good cook, Ben will consider you a blessing. And the girls are looking forward to smooth, straight braids.”

  A breeze kicked up and blew a strand of hair across her cheek. She swiped at it. “But I’m not marrying them. I’m supposed to marry you.”

  He stepped closer. Like a soft touch, his gaze traced a path over her braid where it lay on her shoulder, then along the line of her jaw and finally settled on her lips.

  “Trust me, Virginia Pepper.” His deep tone sent shivers up her spine. “I like you just fine.”

  Pleasure washed through her but she clamped down on it, ignoring his tone, the pleasure his gaze ignited, even the sense of right his words wrapped around her like a protective blanket.

  She shook her head with an almost ruthless movement. “It’s just been so long since you’ve had the company of women you think I’m beautiful. But I’m not. Especially not on the inside. Like you told Nellie, that’s where it counts.”

  “I won’t believe that. From what I’ve seen, you’re beautiful through and through.”

  “Weren’t you listening to me? I travelled out here under false pretenses. I lied to Becky and Sophia, just to get on the train—not once, but over and over again.”

  He nodded slowly. “My ma used to say one lie begets another and another until they catch you in a web of lies. You made a mistake but you said it yourself. You had to get away. You were frightened.”

  She was still frightened and desperate to escape, to be free. If he only knew how much she’d wanted to hop off that train and never look back. But she’d been too afraid. Afraid to hurt Becky and Sophia. Afraid of what she might find in the dusty, empty little towns she saw along the way. Just plain afraid.

  She’d never wanted to trade one trap for another and no matter how handsome and wonderful Levi seemed, marriage to him might still be a hopeless, endless path of drudgery and maybe even pain. He seemed to love his little sisters and care for them. But Ma said Pa had loved her once, when he was young and hopeful. Life had burned the hope right out of him. The same thing could happen to Levi.

  Squinting, she tried to imagine those dancing eyes dark with anger, and his handsome features twisted into hate. She couldn’t do it. But that didn’t mean it wouldn’t happen. She shook her head.

  “I’m still afraid, Levi.”

  He stepped closer, grasped her cold fingers in his warm hand. “So am I. But God is with us. I’m sure of it. He’s already answered my prayers.”

  She pulled her fingers loose from his grasp. “God doesn’t answer my prayers. He hasn’t for a long time. And if God doesn’t take enough stock in me to pay attention, maybe you shouldn’t either.”

  Levi’s lips parted in surprise and he frowned. The wind blew that nagging lock of hair across her cheek again. But she ignored it, standing, staring almost defiantly at his puzzled frown.

  Then he slid a finger down her cheek, slow and easy, dragging the lock of hair away. “What happened to you, Virginia?” His tone was low and smooth, like his touch. “Who hurt you so bad you think God’s abandoned you?”

  His tone reached deep down into her soul, pulling at it, trying to bring it into the light. But her soul was buried so deep and dark, he’d never find it. She wasn’t even sure she still had one.

  They stared at each other. Levi looking for something, searching deep inside her. Virginia just enjoying the pleasure of looking at him.

  “It’ll work out, Virginia. I know it.”

  “Why take the chance? Why not just let me work off my debt?”

  His gaze shifted away, down the street. After a while he shook his head. “It’s not right, like saying God doesn’t have a hand in our lives, in you being here. I think me writing the letter and you getting on the train are all part of His plan. We just need to be faithful and He’ll make it all right.”

  “I don’t believe that. I can’t. If He cared, my mother and yours would still be alive.”

  His lips thinned into a tight line and he looked away. “Who says we’d be better off if they were alive?” He gave a shrug of his shoulders. “All I know is He can make it right, if we have faith.” He cocked his head, frowning. “Would it be so bad, Virginia? Taking a chance with me?”

  Not you. Never you. It’s me I don’t trust. Me that’s not good enough. Say it. Say it out loud.

  But she didn’t. Couldn’t.

  Coward. You‘re just a coward. Tell him the truth. Give him a chance to get away while he can.

  Still, she didn’t speak. After a long pause, Levi sighed and stepped back. She reached for him.

  “Please, Levi. Just let me work off my debt.”

  “It wouldn’t be right. Two young folks living in the cabin alone. Folks already think poorly of me, of how I’m raising the young ones. The last thing I need is to give them more to gossip about.”

  “I’ll live in town with the other women and come out each day.”

  A brief, wry smile, flitted over his lips. “It’s clear you’ve never seen a Wyoming winter. You might be able to stay in town for a while, but once the first snow hits, you’ll be stuck here and we’ll be ten miles out. No, Virginia, I’m sorry. The only way this can work is to follow through with the plan. We need to be man and wife, proper like.”

  He stepped further back. Put more distance between them. She almost reached for him again, but he was so far away, her hand fell. Desperation pulled at her. “But…but they said I’d have a choice.”

  “You do. You can marry me or not. I won’t force you.”

  Force her. Of course he wouldn’t. Not Levi of the dancing eyes.

 
But still, they said she’d have choices. More choices. There had to be another way. Another solution.

  A conversation came to her. She heard the women on the train talking about how a marriage could be annulled if it wasn’t consummated. If she and Levi didn’t…didn’t… She could marry him, help them all and when they were on their feet, she could leave. She wouldn’t be trapped and maybe she could even put some money aside to make it on her own.

  It could work. A marriage on paper only. If she could just convince Levi… But he’d never go for it. He’d want it to be “proper like.”

  “Harper!”

  A man trudged down the middle of the street, limping and dragging Seth by the scruff of his neck. At times the tall man held the boy so high, he was skimming on tiptoes.

  Levi’s posture sagged. “Travis Lawson.”

  Before Virginia could ask about Travis, the man was upon them, coming up so quickly, she took two steps back. Even with the space between them a whiff of liquor floated toward her.

  He gave Seth a shake and lifted him higher. “If I told this troublemaker once, I told him a thousand times to stay away from my stable.”

  Levi’s lips thinned and he looked down in a gesture that seemed cowed, almost boyish. “I’m sorry, Mr. Lawson. I’ve talked to him about it, too.”

  Lawson towered over Levi. Tall and thin with dark hair. He would have been handsome if not for his red-rimmed eyes and a sneer so permanent it had made lines along his mouth. He leaned low, glaring at Levi.

  “Well, it appears talkin’ ain’t doin’ no good. It looks like you’re gonna have to use a switch.”

  Levi straightened. All semblance of a frustrated boy disappeared as he stared back at the half-drunk older man.

  “No, sir. Not ever.” The thread of steel that ran though his tone zinged like clashing metal. That tone and the cold, blue purpose in his eyes sent a thrill through Virginia.

  ‘No sir. Not ever.’ Levi wouldn’t raise a hand to Seth, or the girls…or her. And he wouldn’t allow anyone else to do it either. He’d stand up to this man towering over him and maybe anyone else who tried.

  That knowledge sent a lightning bolt of courage through her and she stepped closer, right beside Levi.

  Us against the world.

  “Suit yourself.” Lawson shoved Seth toward Levi. Then the man stepped forward and leaned in, invading the threesome’s personal space. Seth stepped back, right into Virginia’s arms. She looped her arm around the boy’s waist and stepped back too. Only Levi stood straight, not even blinking as Lawson stuck a grimy finger in his face.

  “You just make sure he don’t come near my animals again.”

  The man spun and walked away, wavering slightly has he made his way down the street.

  Virginia released a breath she didn’t even know she was holding. Seth straightened and glanced back at her, surprised that he’d been in her arms. His features hardened into a frown. He shrugged her hand away and turned to his brother.

  “Levi, I…”

  “We’ll talk about it later. Right now, Virginia and I have important business to finish.”

  “But Levi…”

  “Seth.” For the first time Levi’s tone rose. “Go to the oak and wait for me.”

  The boy kicked at the dirt, glared at Virginia, and then stomped away. He looked so angry, so dejected, Virginia’s heart ached.

  Two emotions battled inside her.

  Stay and help…she knew she could help.

  Or run and escape. Be free to make her own way, her own decisions with no ties, no responsibilities.

  One thought beat down the instinct to run.

  Us against the world.

  Levi took a deep breath. “Virginia, if you don’t want to marry me…”

  “Yes.”

  Levi’s incredible blue eyes widened. “What?”

  “I said yes. I’ll marry you.”

  That sweet, boyish smile flashed over his lips again.

  “It’ll work out, Virginia. I know it will.”

  “I’m sure it will.” Another lie. She’d already told so many, one more wouldn’t make a difference.

  3

  The horses knew they were headed home to the barn and their feed, so they’d picked up the speed. Levi eased back on the reins, urging them to slow down. He wanted Virginia to have a good look at her new home.

  Thankfully, they’d been enjoying a late Indian summer. His new bride needed to see Wyoming at it’s best before the frozen temperatures turned the place to an icy wasteland. Still, winter was right next door, breathing cold air down their backs. Some of the vegetables still in the garden had been touched by frost.

  But today, his wedding day, had been perfect. Warm, the air touched with the scent of sage and mesquite. On the horizon, the sun turned the sky orange and red. Golden hills rolled away from them, as far as the eye could see. Just looking at the miles and miles of prairie filled Levi with pride and hope.

  Did Virginia feel the same way? She’d been silent since the ceremony…even before the justice of the peace spoke the words to unite them. She’d been nervous and quiet, so quiet he thought she’d changed her mind. But when the moment came, she’d said, “I do” and joined her life to his. Still, she clutched the bouquet of wild sunflowers and trembled.

  On the way into town, Nellie and Trudy had seen late blooming sunflowers in a ditch. They’d insisted that Levi stop so they could make a bouquet for his new bride. How in the world did they know about brides and flowers? Maybe it was one of those instinctive female things. The thought made him smile.

  At any rate, he’d cut the stiff green stalks, wrapped them in burlap and tied the heavy golden blooms together with a piece of twine from the back of the wagon. When he told Virginia the girls had insisted he pick them, she looked at his sister’s in the soft way she seemed to save just for them. It warmed his heart. He wished she’d look at him like that.

  That soft expression, if nothing else, convinced him they were meant to be together. Virginia’s arrival was God’s plan. Levi knew it deep in his marrow. He glanced over at his bride. But how could he convince her?

  She sat beside him on the buckboard, tense, still clutching the bouquet. As they’d loaded up to leave town, the girls peppered her with questions. Did she have family? What was it like in Maine? Was she sad to leave?

  He didn’t miss the fact that she’d quickly diverted their questions from her life in Maine to theirs in Wyoming. Virginia’s past was a mystery and she wanted to keep it that way. However, she did admit that life with her father had been unbearable. They’d have to talk about that someday. But not just yet.

  Truth be told, he didn’t mind the change of topic. He loved talking about his home. To him, this was God’s land. Four years ago, when he’d first seen the fields of gold and rolling hills, he’d known this was where he wanted to be. But what about his bride?

  He glanced over. “You’re too quiet.”

  “It’s hard to get a word in edgewise with those two chatter boxes.” She glanced over her shoulder at the girls, sleeping in the back of the wagon. “I think they were more excited about our wedding than we were.”

  Levi studied her profile. “Any regrets?”

  “No. No regrets. I just wish…” She halted.

  Levi waited, hoping she’d open up and talk. Instead, she gave a quick shake of her head. “How much further is it to your place?”

  Her fingers clenched and unclenched the sunflowers. Was that the problem? Was she more concerned about the wedding night than the wedding?

  Well, she needn’t worry. Levi’s father had taught him about women, how to woo and court them properly. Just because they’d met in an unusual manner didn’t mean they had to forgo all the romance. Virginia was in for a surprise. Levi smiled just thinking of it.

  “We crossed our property line about a mile back.” He gestured to the mountain coming up on the right. “Our cabin’s about a third of the way up there and the mine’s just below the tree line.”r />
  “You own all of this land and the mine?”

  He shrugged. “Property was plentiful when my Pa first came out here. He was one of the earliest to make a claim. He found a vein of gold big enough to buy all this land, then he sent for us and built a proper cabin. The mine is our bread and butter.”

  At least that’s what Pa had believed. Somewhere in that dark, dank tunnel was a gold vein. Pa was so sure of it, he’d made Levi promise to keep looking. But Levi was beginning to doubt it. He hadn’t found any substantial veins in almost two years. He shrugged the thoughts away. “What do you think of Wyoming?”

  “It’s a bit overwhelming.”

  “It can be, yes.”

  “There are no trees. Nothing green.”

  Levi’s expectant hopes sagged. “Yes, it’s prairie grassland. Good for cattle grazing, and the soil is amazing. You wouldn’t believe the things you can grow.”

  She tilted her head and gazed at him sideways. “But you’re a miner.”

  “We were farmers in Ohio. I planted a garden this year so the young ones would have vegetables through the winter. I did pretty good even if I do say so myself. The garden is the reason we needed to leave town so quickly. We’ve got to get the rest of our produce harvested before the cold weather destroys it. First thing tomorrow the kids and I will be out there pulling and picking what’s left of the carrots, potatoes and onions, and I’ve got a whole section of pumpkins and squash.”

  At the mention of tomorrow her gaze skittered to the distant golden grass shifting in the breeze. Did the mention of the next day remind her of tonight? Levi tried to hide his smile. He should put her mind at ease, but he enjoyed the play of emotions across her features. She was so incredibly beautiful. She fascinated him.

  But it was unkind to let her worry about their wedding night. He had no intention of forcing the issue. They needed time to get to know each other. Maybe even to fall in love. He was half there already. Given time, she might feel the same way. But before he could tell her his intentions, she spoke up.

  “You can see for miles and miles. Forever.” Her tone held a sound of wonder, maybe even pleasure. Was it possible she’d found something to like?