Mail Order Bride: Western Love Stories THE COLLECTION (FOUR STANDALONE Mail Order Bride Stories)

by Megan West

  “Now, let’s just see what you’ve got here that’s fitting for a bride!”

  Cassandra watched in amusement as Larissa started to unpack the clothes that had been brought across the country with her. After discarding several dresses, she finally found one that apparently met her requirements for a wedding dress. Coincidently, it was the very dress that Cassandra had bought just before leaving New Orleans.

  “Here!” Larissa exclaimed. “This one will do nicely!”

  In less than half an hour, Cassandra was descending the staircase of the house dressed in a pale green dress that offset her auburn hair and golden eyes perfectly. Larissa had helped her to repair her hair and she had washed any dust from her face.

  At the bottom of the staircase stood Noah looking up at her. There was an odd expression on his face as he watched his bride to be and she could not read it. Larissa had reached the bottom of the stairs well ahead of her and stood there beaming as she watched the two of them.

  That poor woman is just looking to have her heart broken if she thinks that this will become a grand love story!

  Cassandra may have come to Oregon with a few tiny hopes, but they had all been effectively dashed by the handsome Noah Montgomery. He had made it quite clear that this was not a true marriage.

  Of course, she could not complain, really. She was going to be living in an amazing house and even had an entire bedroom suite to call her own. Her husband was an important man and he seemed to have plenty of money. Yes, things could have worked out much worse for her.

  So, why did she feel so let down?

  Giving herself a mental shake, she turned to face Noah.

  “You…you look very nice, Cassandra,” Noah stammered. “Shall we go in?”

  He offered her his arm and she took it. Together, they went into the parlor where the minister and his wife were waiting with Larissa’s husband, Henry. They stood together before the minister with only the minister’s wife, Larissa and Henry as their witnesses. Their vows were repeated to each other and in just under five minutes, they were pronounced husband and wife.

  Cassandra assumed that the minister knew this was not a real wedding in the traditional sense as he had skipped the part about the husband being allowed to kiss his bride. She was a bit surprised when Noah took her hand and led the way into a very large and beautiful dining room. The table was set with china and silver cutlery with lighted candles in the center.

  Noah seated Cassandra at one end of the table before going to the other end and sitting. The minister sat at the center of the table on one side while his wife was seated across from him. Larissa began bringing out dishes of mouthwatering food that reminded Cassandra of just how hungry she was. In fact, she could not remember when she had last eaten.

  “Your accent is just delightful,” Angela, the minister’s wife, commented. “Where is it that you are from?”

  “I’m from New Orleans, Louisiana,” Cassandra replied. “I suppose my accent does sound a little different here.”

  “But it is different in a very wonderful way! Don’t you think so, Paul?” she asked her husband.

  “Yes, it is quite enchanting,” the minister replied. “Perhaps you would like to tell us what it is like in your part of the country.”

  As shyness had never been a problem for Cassandra, she began to talk of her home city, describing it in rich detail. Once she started talking, however; she could not seem to stop. Before she realized it, she had been talking almost non-stop for nearly twenty minutes.

  “Oh!” she exclaimed as she brought herself up short. “I must apologize! I’m not sure what came over me. I never talk that much!”

  Angela laughed softly.

  “Please do not apologize, dear,” she said. “I believe I speak for us all when I say that it was absolutely fascinating. In fact, I feel as if I have actually seen New Orleans with my very own eyes.”

  “Yes, Cassandra,” Noah chimed in. “You truly have a gift for weaving a tale.”

  “Well, it’s not exactly a tale because all of it is real. That was my life until I came here.”

  “I meant that you can truly capture the mind’s eye with your details.”

  Noah smiled at her and seemed to be looking at her in that odd way again.

  “What did you do in New Orleans, Cassandra?” Paul asked.

  That question caused her to hesitate. Somehow, she knew that her past as a fortune teller would not be approved of here. So she repeated what she had initially told Noah.

  “I mostly cared for my parents,” she said as she cast her eyes downward. “They were in poor health and died within a short time of each other. By then, it seemed that I had spent so much time looking after them that I had somehow slipped past the marriageable age. I’m so very grateful that Noah was more open minded and willing to see my merits, age aside.”

  “Think nothing of it, Cassandra,” Noah replied. “I am starting to see that I got the better end of this arrangement.”

  After dessert had been served and enjoyed, they all adjourned to the library where a fire blazed cheerfully. Larissa brought in coffee and poured cups for each of them. Cassandra found that she was having quite a nice time and felt that she was making at least two friends.

  Finally, Angela put down her empty cup and looked at her husband.

  “Paul, it’s getting rather late and I do believe that we need to leave these newlyweds alone for now,” she said as she smiled at Cassandra and Noah.

  “Of course, my dear,” Paul said as he rose to his feet. “You’re right as always.”

  Noah and Cassandra walked with them to the front door.

  “Thank you so much for this evening,” Cassandra said to them. “This has been so nice. I do hope that you will come again.”

  “Yes,” Noah agreed. “We would love for you to visit anytime.”

  “We will surly take you up on that offer,” Angela said, smiling. “Cassandra, it has been wonderful meeting you!”

  “Thank you, Angela. I have a feeling that we are going to become good friends.”

  As Noah closed the massive front door behind Paul and Angela, he turned to look at Cassandra.

  “You appear to have made quite an impression on the minister and his wife.”

  Cassandra could not help but laugh a little.

  “I’m really glad that they seemed to like me. I never want to embarrass you,” she said.

  Catching her hands in his, Noah looked at Cassandra with a rather intent expression on his face.

  “Cassandra, please know that you can never embarrass me. I’m certainly the luckier of the two of us.”

  “I don’t understand,” she said clearly puzzled

  “Alright, I will say this once. You are a very beautiful and captivating woman. I am proud to call you my wife. Already, I can see that you are going to be the perfect hostess and house manager. I have made an ideal choice in a wife and I will make sure that you never want for anything.”

  Cassandra blinked in surprise at this seemingly heartfelt speech. She certainly had not been baiting him for compliments. These words seemed to have come straight from his heart. At least she was getting off on the right foot.

  “Now, it has been a rather long day for us both, but I imagine more so for you. Let me walk you upstairs so that we can get some much needed rest.”

  She took the arm that he offered her and they ascended the wide staircase to the second floor.

  “This was all really very nice,” she said as they walked down the hallway toward her bedroom suite. “I didn’t expect something quite this special, considering the circumstances.”

  “I am glad that you liked it,” he said as they reached the double doors to her room. “I trust that you will be quite comfortable in this room. If you need anything, simply let me know or, in my absence; Larissa can help you.”

  “I am sure I’m going to be very comfortable. It’s a beautiful room. Thank you.”

  “Cassandra, I am your husband now. All that I ha
ve is yours. You must stop thanking me for everything.”

  At first she thought that she had annoyed him, but when she looked up, she saw a slight twinkle in his eyes.

  “I’ll try to remember that, Noah,” she said as she smiled at him teasingly.

  “Good,” he said as he removed her arm from his and took her hand once more. “I am happy that you are here, Cassandra. Good night and sleep well.”

  “You, too,” she said softly.

  Nodding at her briefly, he turned and walked down the hallway to his bedroom suite, which was at the other end of the house. She stared after him as he moved further away from her. Just for an instant, she experienced a longing of sorts. In that instant, she wished that he would turn around and come back. She wished that he would be joining her in her room that night.

  Giving her head a slight shake, she finally turned and went into her bedroom suite.

  Though she would not have believed she would, she had slept quite soundly in her strange, new, amazing bedroom. She awoke to the sun shining brightly. Sitting up in her bed, she stretched and realized that she felt quite restful. She set her bare feet on the floor and walked over to the French doors that led out onto a small balcony.

  This made her feel a lot more at home as this was almost like the balcony that had been off of her bedroom in New Orleans. The air here held a bit more of a chill to it than she was used to, but she enjoyed it all the same. The view was breathtaking as she could see out over miles and miles of forest land; and there were mountains such as she had never seen.

  Alright, so I don’t have a traditional marriage. But this isn’t so bad.

  She went back inside. Going into her bathroom off of her bedroom, she proceeded to wash and dress for the day. Selecting a navy blue day dress, she put up her hair and added shoes. Finally, she was ready to go downstairs. She had forgotten to ask what time breakfast was served and she hoped that she was not too late. Hurrying down the hallway and then down the staircase, she made her way easily to dining room.

  Noah was sitting at the table with a partially empty plate of food, a cup of coffee and a newspaper.

  “Ah, good morning, Cassandra!” he said brightly as he smiled at her. “I trust you slept well.”

  “Honestly, I cannot remember the last time that I slept so well,” she replied. “I apologize for being late to breakfast.”

  “Cassandra, you must get used to being the mistress of a household. You are never late for anything in this house. Breakfast is whenever you choose to have it, as is lunch and dinner. Now, please help yourself. I have something to discuss with you.”

  She moved to the side board where an assortment of breakfast foods were prepared as well as some chilled juice and coffee. Looking at the food, she realized that she was famished. Without hesitation, she spooned some eggs onto her plate and then added some bacon and a croissant. Deciding on juice, she carried everything to the table with her and sat down.

  “I do like a woman with a hardy appetite,” Noah said as he grinned at her.

  “Then you will love me,” Cassandra quipped. “I do enjoy food and I see no reason to deny myself that pleasure.”

  “I could not agree more,” Noah laughed. “While you eat, allow me to present you with a proposition.”

  “Of course,” Cassandra replied as she sipped her orange juice. Freshly squeezed, it turned out.

  “I have to go into town today on some business and I thought you might like to come along with me.”

  “Oh I would love to! Are you sure I won’t just be getting in your way?”

  “Quite sure. My business won’t actually take very long and we could have lunch if you like. I also have a bit of a surprise for you.”

  “A surprise?” Cassandra paused with her fork midway to her mouth. “What sort of surprise?”

  “Now, if I told you that; it would no longer be a surprise,” Noah teased. “I hope you will like it.”

  “I suppose if I must wait, then I shall.”

  “Excellent! We can leave as soon as you have finished your breakfast. But please, take your time. We are in no hurry.”

  Cassandra tried to follow his considerate instructions, but she found herself too excited to eat slowly. In the end, she ate enough to be contented before going back up to her bedroom suite. Once there, she gathered her coat and a hat. She shoved her gloves into the pockets of the coat. Then she reunited with Noah at the foot of the staircase, where he, too, was also dressed to leave on their short journey.

  Noah smiled approvingly at her and held his arm for her to take. The carriage had been brought around to the front of the house and Henry was waiting to drive them into Salem. Noah helped Cassandra into the carriage and they set off for Salem.

  The ride was very entertaining for Cassandra because Noah regaled her with many tales of experiences in his life. She did not remember the last time she had laughed as much and as hard. The time had passed so quickly that she was surprised when she realized that they had arrived in town.

  Henry pulled up in front of a group of shops and stores and came to a stop. Noah got out of the carriage and then helped Cassandra out of it. She looked around while Noah and Henry spoke together. In short order, Henry had pulled away in the carriage, leaving Noah with her.

  “My business will only take a few minutes,” he said. “I thought you may want to visit the dress shop and order some new clothes. You will find that the weather here is much different from New Orleans and you will most likely need some warmer attire.”

  “Oh! Why that’s very generous of you, Noah,” she exclaimed.

  “You are my wife now, Cassandra. These are things that a husband does for wife,” Noah laughed. “I shall join you when I’ve finished and we have another stop to make before eating lunch.”

  “That sounds very intriguing,” Cassandra said, smiling. “I look forward to it.”

  “Wonderful! Now, the dress shop is just there. Tell them who you are and Miss Sarah will help you.”

  “Alright. Thank you again.”

  Noah smiled as he shook his head and walked away in the opposite direction.

  Cassandra walked in the direction of the various shops and found that Noah had left her almost directly in front of the Sarah’s Creations, the dress shop that she was meant to visit. The light tinkling of a bell announced her arrival as she opened the door and entered the shop. A middle aged woman was standing behind a counter. She looked up at Cassandra.

  “Welcome to Sarah’s Creations,” the woman said with a bright friendly smile. “I’m Sarah. I don’t believe you’ve visited my establishment before, have you?”

  “No, this is my first visit,” Cassandra replied as she returned the woman’s smile. “From what I see, you have a lovely shop! My name is Cassandra Montgomery. Noah Montgomery is my husband and he suggested that I come here to order some clothes more fitting to the weather here.”

  “Mrs. Montgomery! I am so pleased to meet you! A lot of us have been very excited about your arrival!”

  “I only got here last night but, so far, Salem seems like a beautiful place. Others knew that I was coming?” Cassandra was clearly puzzled.

  “Oh yes! Mr. Montgomery is a very popular and important man in our fair city so when we heard that he was getting married; we were all consumed with curiosity. I can tell you that there was no shortage of disappointed and broken hearted women around here when the news got out that he was taking a wife.”

  “Really? Was it that surprising?”

  “Oh my yes! Everyone had begun to think that he would never get married! Then you came along.”

  “I am quite lucky, I do know that.” Cassandra smiled. “I would like to order some warmer clothing for winter. Can we do that?”

  “Why of course! You have such a nice figure that it will be a pleasure to fit you with some outfits. Do you have any idea as to what you want?”

  “You know, I believe that I will leave that in your capable hands as I am not familiar with the weather here or w
hat is most in style. Perhaps you can guide me in that?”

  “It would be my pleasure, Mrs. Montgomery! If I may say so, you have the most delightful way of speaking! Where is it that you’re from?”

  “New Orleans, Louisiana. I was born and raised there. I will miss it but I am excited about living in a new place.”

  “Well, people around here are usually pretty friendly and I think you’re going to like it here.”

  “I’m sure I will.”

  As the two women went through pattern and fabric selection, the little bell on the door announced another customer. Sarah looked up from the fabric she was holding and Cassandra followed suit. Standing just inside of the shop was a striking young woman with dark hair and hazel eyes. She was rather petite and stylish. Her eyes had taken on a rather steely expression as she ran them up and down Cassandra.

  “Hello, Miss Aberdeen,” Sarah greeted her. “How are you today?”

  “I’m well, Sarah,” she replied without taking her eyes off of Cassandra. “I just stopped in to see if those dresses I ordered are ready yet.”

  “They are almost ready for their final fitting, Miss Aberdeen,” Sarah said. “If you would like to come back in the morning, we can check for any final alterations but I do believe that they are going to fit you perfectly.”

  “Alright, Sarah. I’ll do that. I see this is a new face in town.”

  “Oh yes, this is the new Mrs. Montgomery,” Sarah said. “Mrs. Montgomery, this is Lizbeth Aberdeen.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Cassandra volunteered. “Please call me Cassandra.”

  “Charmed, I’m sure,” Lizbeth replied a bit archly. “And when did you arrive in our fair city?”

  “I only got here last night so I haven’t had a chance to see much of my new home. But Noah is showing me around a little today.”

  “You only arrived last night and yet you are already married?” Lizbeth remarked.

  “Yes, Noah had everything arranged and felt that we should not be bothered with a long engagement.”

  “Or, apparently, a proper wedding, it would seem.”