That was the other advantage she had. Lisa had scrimped and saved for years, so she'd accumulated a significant nest egg that she'd always hoped to use as a dowry, if that ended up being the nature of her marriage. Now she opened the purse strings and spent freely, knowing it was the right time to do this.
Lisa also knew Sally would make up the extra costs they were incurring when they reached Last Chance, Colorado. Being Harlan Galvin's daughter, Sally had plenty of money, and she worked hard at her duties as his assistant as well. Lisa knew Sally had plenty of resources at her disposal, but she also knew that now wasn't the right time to ask about them.
When they got to the train station, she went right to work immediately.
“I need a ticket for today's train to Chicago,” she said after the two people in front of her in line sorely tried her patience for a few extra minutes. “Is that something you can do?”
“Not sure, ma'am,” the impossibly young-looking clerk replied. “I'm fairly sure that train is completely booked up.”
“I really would appreciate it,” Lisa said, doing her best to look fetching.
Her smile seemed to wake the clerk up a bit. He'd been quite absorbed in the details of scheduling and taking money for tickets, but suddenly his attitude seemed to shift slightly.
“I'll see what I can do,” he said. “But I'm afraid its going to be somewhat expensive to make this kind of last-minute change.”
“Hmm.” Lisa reached into her dress pocket and plucked out the tiny cloth purse she used to carry small amounts, hoping it would make her look sufficiently impoverished.
She sighed. “I'm afraid this really will stretch me to the limit,” Lisa said, telling a small white lie.
“I'm sorry about that, ma'am,” he said, looking sympathetic enough for Lisa to realize he might be amenable to some kind of discount.
Lisa did her best to look alarmed. “If I came up just a little short, would you allow me to purchase the tickets and board anyway?” she asked. “After all, it is a significant increase, and my friend and I really are in dire straits here right at the moment.”
“Two ladies, traveling alone to the West?” he said, his eyebrows lifting in concern. “That is unusual, I'll say that for sure.”
He looked down at his scheduling book, perusing some listings for several minutes. “Might I inquire as to the circumstances?” he finally asked.
Lisa grinned. “Trust me, you don't want to know,” she said, shaking her head. “But you'd be helping a pair of ladies in distress, I can assure you of that.”
“Hmm.” He looked down at the book again. “Well, I have found several cancellations,” he explained. “They weren't listed on the main page.”
Lisa's heart leapt at the opportunity. “Might we take you up on that, then?” she asked. “At a ten percent discount?”
The clerk smiled, clearly falling under the sway of her charms. “Well, you're welcome to the bookings,” he said. “Although I don't know about the discounts.”
He paused and looked around. “I'd have to talk to my boss about that.”
“Please,” Lisa begged. “I know that train is about to leave in twenty minutes or so, if my reading of the schedule is correct.”
“It is at that,” the clerk replied, then managed a slight smile. “And congratulations for figuring that out, ma'am. Our schedules aren't the easiest thing to decipher.”
“Oh, I know that,” Lisa said, rolling her eyes and grinning. “But you do know you'll never sell those cancellations in twenty minutes. . .am I correct in that assumption?”
“Well, I suppose so,” he said, and Lisa could tell by his expression that she was making progress. Finally he seemed to relent a little. “I suppose I could manage to work that out by juggling the numbers a little.”
“I'd be so grateful,” she replied, bringing her hand to her heart and doing her best imitation of a damsel in distress.
Finally he grinned. “You do realize that you're taking advantage of me, though?” the young clerk asked, a smile playing at the corner of his lips.
“Perhaps slightly,” Lisa acknowledged. “But please understand that what I'm doing is borne from sheer desperation. As I said, our situation is quite serious.”
The clerk tilted his head. “Well, I supposed I can find a way to make this work,” he said. “Perhaps if I put some numbers in different columns I can even make it look like this is an advantage for us.”
“Which it clearly is,” Lisa said, glancing back at the folks in line behind her who were growing slightly impatient. “Given the lack of opportunity for a late sale that's diminishing with every moment we speak.”
“All right, you got me there,” he said, grinning, and Lisa suspected that the swelling line behind her might have had something to do with his decision.
“I have you on the train that leaves for Chicago in 15 minutes,” the clerk concluded, writing the sale into the schedule as Lisa paid him.
“And I do hope that things work out for you and your friend. . .dire circumstances or not.”
The trip west opened Lisa up in ways she never could have anticipated. Sally seemed desultory for much of the trip, especially as they passed through the flat monotony of the Ohio farmlands.
For Lisa, though, the trip had the opposite effect. The more open the land became, the more optimistic she felt. It was almost as if the sense of claustrophobia that permeated her life was being peeled away, layer by layer.
The encounters they had along the way increased her sense of independence. First there was the experience of negotiating the ticket, which was probably the most difficult step of all.
And as guilty as she felt about charming the young clerk into a discount, it helped Sally's confidence enormously to realize that a nice-looking man like that could actually find her both charming and attractive.
Then there was the episode with Conrad Truman, the stage coach driver who took them from Wichita to Colorado. Hiring him off the street just outside the train station was an act of sheer terror, making Lisa fully realize that this was it—she truly was in the Wild West now.
Still, in spite of the risk and the roughness of it all, everything had worked out for the best. There were few moments of despair, and other than Sally's general state of listlessness, not much to worry about.
And now here she was, in Last Chance, where Carson Jackson was running for mayor after his stint as a legislator in Denver. Sally seemed energized by their arrival, hoping against hope that he was as charming and handsome as his ad made him sound.
Not only that, but they arrived in the midst of a serious burst of fanfare. There was a parade, and music provided by a brass band, with the streets crowded with the town's citizens. As Lisa looked around, she realized there was a cherry on top of all that.
They'd been dropped into the middle of an election!
The familiarity of the scene warmed Lisa's heart. She took it all in—the charm of the small town, the classic prairie scene, the signs for both candidates—and for the first time in her life, Lisa had the feeling she'd wanted to experience.
She was home.
They made their way through the crowd eagerly, enjoying the sights and sounds. The abundance of cowboy hats and boots was jarring at first, to say the least, but once Lisa got over that she began to focus on the election, throwing herself into the spirit of whatever political battle was playing out here.
From what she could tell, Carson Jackson was the upstart, judging from outward appearances. The incumbent mayor, Owen Standard, had far more banners, and his side of the crowd contained far more supporters that Carson's.
She hoped that wouldn't affect Sally's initial meeting with Carson, but Sally hardly seemed to care. She was beaming with rapture at him, and the closer they got to the platform that had been set up for the speeches and presentations, the more Sally's joy seemed to increase.
Lisa didn't realize it, but she was about to have a similar romantic epiphany of her own. She decided to inquire about
the circumstances surrounding the election, hoping to get some information about the town in the process, and that was when love hit her from out of the blue.
The man she asked was short and balding, but there was something about him that caught her eye. Perhaps it was his openness, his willingness to engage her without worrying about who she was, her station in life or whether their interaction was appropriate or not.
She quickly learned that his name was Willard Jameson, and he was the town clerk of Last Chance. That might have put off many women, but to Lisa it was an added attraction.
Willard was just what she wanted; a man immersed in the daily life and political process of life in a small Western town. And the fact that she found him strangely attractive made things that much easier.
Lisa watched the scene on the platform play out after Willard jumped up and let Carson know that his mail order bride had arrived. Carson enthusiastically called Sally up to the stage, and Willard jumped down and joined Lisa in front of the platform.
“Well, Mr. Jameson,” she said, turning to him and grinning. “You and I certainly seem to have started something serious here.”
He looked at her in confusion, and once again Lisa found herself drawn by the warmth of his eyes.
“I don't understand,” he said, clearly puzzled. “What do you mean?”
Lisa gave him a sly grin. “Well, there's something you should know about me,” she said tentatively.
“And what might that be?” Willard asked, returning her smile, and at that moment he was shocked by the realization that Lisa was actually flirting with him.
“I'm the person who wrote the reply to Mr. Jackson's mail order bride advertisement,” she revealed.
“Well now!” Willard exclaimed, realizing more and more that Lisa was in fact interested in him romantically, which had been a distinct rarity in his life. “That is interesting indeed.”
They watched the scene on the platform continue to play out, and Willard tried desperately to think of a way to keep the conversation going. Having had very few romantic opportunities in his life, this was a formidable challenge, and he racked his brain to find the right words.
“So you're a matchmaker?” he finally asked.
“Oh, heaven's no,” Lisa said, giggling as she touched his arm without knowing it. “That's unthinkable.”
“I think not,” Willard replied cleverly. “After all, you did write the answer. And from what I've heard Mr. Jackson was very impressed with the response.”
“Really?” Lisa shook her head in surprise. “Who told you that?”
“Why, none other than our esteemed mayor,” he said, pointing up to the stage.
“Who you're obviously very close to,” Lisa said, thrilled to have been recognized for her skill in penning the reply.
“Oh yes,” Willard said, his eyes returning to the stage. “Owen Standard is a good man. He's done more for this town than most of the citizens will ever know.”
“But you do,” Lisa observed.
He turned and grinned at her. “Well, I am the town clerk,” he said proudly. “So I suppose that does provide access to a certain amount of inside information.”
“All of which I'd love to know much more about,” Lisa said. “I'm Lisa Freeman, by the way.”
He nodded and took her hand gently. “Willard Jameson, as I mentioned before,” he said. “Pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
Lisa blushed, realizing that it had been years since that had happened to her.
“Trust me, Mr. Jameson,” she said, “the pleasure is all mine.”
The action on the platform continued, and Lisa was grateful for the extra time it provided for them to continue their conversation.
“So you must do something related to working with words,” Willard said as the band broke into another stirring march—fortunately at a volume that allowed them to keep talking.
“I beg your pardon,” Lisa said, shaking her head in confusion, and Willard realized he needed to clarify the points he was making.
“During your life back east,” he explained. “Back in Maryland, I believe it was?”
She smiled slightly and tilted her head. “I didn't realize you knew that,” Lisa said. “But yes, I worked in the legislature, in Maryland, with Lisa.”
“Most impressive!” he exclaimed. “And what did you do?”
“Why, I wrote speeches for a senior representative,” Lisa said, suddenly aware that it did indeed sound impressive, at least from a distance.
“My goodness,” Willard said, and he shook his head and looked at her in genuine curiosity. “Why would you ever leave a position like that to come to a small town like Last Chance?”
It did sound rather strange, Lisa thought, now that she heard him say it.
“You'd have to experience politics back in the East to completely understand,” she said, choosing her words carefully. “It can be quite. . .oppressive.”
“How so?” he asked, genuinely curious.
Finally, a man who seemed interested in her mind and her feelings, Lisa thought to herself. It forced her to clarify what she'd been thinking, a feeling Lisa distinctly enjoyed.
“Politics back in the East can be very. . .corrupt, if that's the right word,” she began. “I know that probably sounds a bit harsh, but it was very difficult to get things done.”
“I understand completely,” Willard replied, touching her arm without realizing it. “You'll find that things in this part of the land are very different.”
“So I've heard,” Lisa replied. “Can you explain how, though?”
“The political process, if you want to call it that, is very simple here,” he began. “Generally speaking, it's easy to get things done. And they tend to happen very fast.”
“That sounds wonderful!” Lisa exclaimed. “Quite the opposite of what I've grown used to.”
She tilted her head in curiosity. “Can you give me some examples?”
“Quite easily,” he replied, giving her a broad grin. “Why, in the last few months, Last Chance has added an author, a builder and an observatory.”
“An observatory!” Lisa exclaimed. “Seriously?”
“Yes,” Willard said, nodding. “As of about a month or two ago.”
“How did that happen?”
“Its an intriguing story,” he said, grinning, then looking back up at the stage. “One I'd be happy to tell you at more length at a later date. . .I don't think I could do it justice right at the moment.”
“I understand completely,” Lisa said, and she touched his arm again. “And I really would love to hear it.”
Willard looked over at her, and suddenly it dawned on him that Lisa was really serious about doing this. He was falling for her fast, and he felt a brief flash of fear at the risk he was taking.
“Perhaps we can revisit that possibility,” Willard said, stammering slightly, and Lisa found his nervousness endearing. “I know there's going to be a dinner at the hotel for both candidates, and I'm sure you'll be part of that.”
“I'm looking forward to it,” Lisa said, although what she really wanted was to spend more time with Willard. And this dinner was obviously the best way to continue doing that, so she decided to just be part of it and see where it went.
“Well, then,” he said as it became obvious it was time to join the group that was heading off to dinner. “It does seem like we'll be getting to spend some time together.”
“Indeed,” Lisa said. “And I'm looking forward to that a great deal.”
Lisa was most intrigued by the interactions at dinner. The attraction between Carson and Sally was virtually instantaneous, and she was happy for her friend beyond measure. They quickly became immersed in election minutia, and Lisa knew immediately that that was where Sally's attention would be focused in the coming days and weeks.
Much of the rest of it was information gathering. Meeting Owen Standard was a wonderful experience, and seeing the way he ran the town and handled things seemed like a
perfect way to get an introduction to Last Chance.
She loved the way the election was being conducted in a fair, egalitarian way, and his friendship and obvious fondness for Carson was impressive, to say the least.
And then there was her interaction with Willard, which remained largely unspoken. That didn't make it any less powerful, though Lisa found herself making eye contact with him throughout the dinner, and the number of times they connected kept increasing.
Clearly, this was the man she was meant to be with—and all Lisa had to do was find a way to get things to play out properly.
After dinner, she took her first steps to do just that, in spite of the fact that she was completely exhausted.
But she didn't let that stop her from trying to have a brief side conversation with him when dinner was over. Lisa made sure she made herself available, and sure enough, Willard offered to walk her over to the hotel.
Which presented an intriguing coincidence, because Carson had done the same thing with Sally. So the four of them made their way to the hotel as a pair of couples, which seemed amazingly natural given that they'd just met.
Lisa was staying at the Lazy Layabout with Sally, so she walked him to the door once the dinner was over and they were done saying their goodbyes. Carson obviously had arrangements to make with Sally, so the two couples split up so they could both talk privately.
“Shall we step outside?” Lisa said even though she didn't have her coat with her.
“Are you sure?” Willard asked. “Its a chilly night for sure.”
“Oh, I know,” Lisa acknowledged. “But I'd really like to see the stars tonight, if only for a moment, before I turn in. They're so much clearer in this part of the country.”
“Well, you're definitely right about that,” Willard agreed. “But we need to make you warmer if we're going to do that.”
With that, Willard reached around and peeled off his coat, then draped it over Lisa's back, carefully tucking it in around her shoulders and arms. The chivalrous gesture thrilled her, and Lisa nearly reached down and took his hand in hers before realizing at the last minute that it might be too soon for such an obviously intimate gesture.
Christmas Miracles: Mega Mail Order Bride 20-Book Box Set: Multi-Author Box Set Page 75