“What does that mean?” he asked. “Did you know the truth all this time?”
“I’m not a stupid girl, Alex,” she snapped. “I knew something was off the minute I set foot in this house. But don’t you worry, you’re not obligated to marry me. It was your father and my late uncle who tried to set us up.”
“Harriet, let’s talk about this,” Mr. Rivers said, jumping to his feet.
“Talk about what?” she asked. “You deceived me, and brought me hundreds of miles away from my home, and for what? To be embarrassed like this?”
Alex felt a pang of guilt from those words. Had he embarrassed her? That really wasn’t his intention.
“This was your uncle’s wish, Harriet,” Mr. Rivers replied. “He wanted you to have a happy life.”
“My uncle is dead!” she screamed. Alex could finally see tears in her eyes, but she fought to keep them from falling. A fight he knew she would lose any minute now.
For the first time, he began to see Harriet as a hurting woman, who was still mourning over the death of her uncle, just like he was mourning over the death of his mother. He watched her arguing with his father, and found himself trying to think of some way he could help her.
Then the thought came.
The library.
Harriet said she loved books. Maybe the library would cheer her up. But then, the thought of bringing anyone in his mother’s library was irritating. He didn’t even allow his father to go in there.
Bad idea, Alex.
As soon as he was ready to bring his attention back to the argument that ensued, Harriet stormed up the stairs, leaving Mr. Rivers calling after her to no avail.
Surely, Harriet was going to pack her bags and leave this instant. What was he supposed to do now?
Think, Alex, think!
Chapter Seven
Harriet threw the last piece of her clothes in her luggage before drying her face for the millionth time. Why did she believe for a minute that something good would have come out of this? She’d been tricked. Even when she saw the signs, she refused to believe that it was true.
Alexander Rivers Sr. was no better than Douglas McIntosh. Both were scheming old men who thought only about themselves.
But how would her being married to his so benefit him?
Suddenly, that thought didn’t make sense. If she were to think of it logically, she would have gotten all his riches at the end of the day. To be married to his son, meant that she would get everything that came with the young man.
The annoying thought came that Mr. Rivers really was looking out for her best interest. She did her best to trample the thought though, because she didn’t want her anger to subside. It was the only thing that could give her the energy to walk out of this house and return to Baltimore.
She wouldn’t have any home to go back to. She already made up her mind that she would stay with Francine’s family, until she got a job. That was if they said yes to keeping her. If that didn’t work out, there was Mrs. Fray, the old lady who’d offered to help.
Oh Harriet, look what you’ve come to.
She shook her head and grabbed one of the luggage. She dragged it to the door as she calculated how she would bring down all five. Her thoughts came to a halt when she opened the door and saw the tall, slender young man standing there. His eyes emitted gentleness, and some amount of pity. Harriet hated to be pitied.
“Are you checking to see if I’m done packing my things?” she snapped. A slow smile spread across Alex’s lips.
“I want to show you something,” he said. Her brows lifted in surprise.
“You want to show me something?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“I’m guessing it’s a carriage that will take me to the train station?”
“Don’t be silly,” he answered. “Come on.” Alex took hold of her hand, much to her surprise, and pulled her out of the room. For a minute there, she wanted to scream at him, and demand that he let her go, but the feel of his hand was captivating. She didn’t want him to let her go.
Alex took her downstairs, and then down one of the hallways that she’d never been down before. When he reached the door he was searching for, he stopped. He let go of her hand to go into his pocket, leaving her cold without his touch.
When did she become so attracted to this boy?
Alex came up with a key and lifted it between them with a smile on his face. “Tada,” he said. Harriet bit her lower lip to control the smile that was about to invade her face.
Alex unlocked the door and pushed it open. “Welcome to Verna Rivers’ library,” he announced. He ushered her inside.
“Goodness,” she breathed through her lips as she looked around. The library was three times as big as the one her uncle had set up back home for her, and there were hundreds of books. It was clear that Verna Rivers was a lover of books, just like her.
“My mother spent a lot of time in this room when she was alive,” Alex said. “She used to force Dillan and I to read, but we hated it. Soon, she had to resolve to reading to us all the time. Like Dillan said, she was the best.”
Harriet listened keenly, as she rolled her delicate fingers over the books neatly stacked on the shelves. The more Alex spoke, the more she was confused.
“Why are you doing all this?” she asked, finally.
“Well, because…” She could hear his deep sigh. “Harriet, I’m sorry for the way I spoke earlier.”
“There’s no need to apologize,” she replied. “You were very clear and honest with me, unlike your father. He’s the one who should be apologizing. Not that I would accept anyway.”
“But I do need to apologize,” he refuted. “I embarrassed you in front of everyone, instead of talking to you privately about this. It was so immature and stupid.”
“Okay,” she whispered. She had no idea what else to say. She tried to ignore it, but she was angry with him as well.
“And about my dad,” Alex continued. “I know it might seem like he’s a bad person, but he really isn’t. He just loves to play hero and save everybody, even when they don’t wish to be saved. I was so mad at him when I found out that he brought me a wife without my permission, but when I thought about it, I realized, he was just trying to help me get over all this hurt from my mother’s death.”
Those words brought so much clarity to her. “I see,” she said. “So, are you still mad at him?”
“You mean about him bringing me a smart, beautiful woman to wife?” he asked, smirking. Harriet stared at her shoes when she felt her cheeks reddening. Instantly, she remembered Francine. She was always annoyed with Francine staring at the boots whenever men complimented her, but here she was, doing the same thing.
Harriet gasped when she felt Alex’s fingers lifting her chin. “Harriet, please don’t leave,” he whispered. “I know that things started out badly, but I’m hoping that somehow, we can try to work things out.”
“But…but you don’t want me,” she stuttered.
“Not so, Harriet,” he answered. “I do want you. I didn’t want to admit that, simply because my dad was the one who did all the work for me. Stupid, right?”
Harriet chuckled. “No, not stupid. I’d react the same way.”
“No,” he said. “I think you’d react way worse.” This time, she erupted into loud giggles. “Ah, that laugh. It’s so familiar.” She stopped laughing and frowned at him.
“What do you mean?”
“My dad said we used to be playmates. I didn’t really believe until I heard you laughing. I remembered it.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. That’s crazy.”
“Really crazy,” she chuckled.
“So, what do you say?” he asked. “Will you stay with me?” Harriet locked eyes with him, and she could see the sincerity there. He did want her. This was not how she expected things to turn out. In fact, this was not how she expected to feel about him. If she were to be honest with herself, she wanted him too.
“Ha
rriet?”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Say yes. And hurry, and don’t take too long, I need you to read me one of these books.” A smile spread across her face. Alex was so much different than she’d initially thought.
“Okay, I’ll stay.”
“Yes!” he exclaimed, lifting her in his arms. It was so unexpected that she squealed loudly.
“Well, well, the love birds have made up.” The two stopped and looked toward the entrance. Dillan was standing there with a hand against the wall, a smile on his face. Alex playfully glared at him.
“Are you serious?” he said. “You can’t interrupt a man’s romance like this.” Harriet listened to the two arguing like two children, and she could not help but smile.
Things had finally worked out after all.
***The End***
Craving a Cowboy
By: Elaine Young
Chapter 1
Cowboys.
Muscles, tans, cowboy hats. What’s not to love?
Jasmine’s little Jetta speed down the dirt road, probably faster than it should have. But hey, it was a nice summer day. The sun was beating down on the road, the sky was clear except for a few well-placed clouds that seemed almost close enough to reach out and touch. Hey, guess that’s why Land of the Living Skies is on the license plates around here- right?
Jasmine grinned widely as she passed a small town- the first she had seen in an hour or so. Her music loud and all four windows rolled down as she cruised along the road. Right now, she couldn't be happier.
An hour later, as Jasmine made her way closer to her destination she could have been much happier. She could have been there. Only a little longer left. She told herself as she turned down the dirt road that promised to take her there- in 31 K.
It didn’t take long to get there, or maybe she just wasn’t paying as much attention as she should have been but Jasmine slowed as she saw the sign advertising the guest ranch and turned down the long winding road.
As she came to a stop in front of a row of buildings she looked around shutting the engine off and slipped out of the car, her Vera Wang purse in her hands. Jasmine heard the crunch of gravel behind her.
“Hi, ma’am.”
His voice sounded like silk as he spoke. Jasmine took a deep breath. Cowboys. The real reason she’d made the trip all the way out here. Her heart skipped a beat as she turned to see who stood behind her. From the ground up, Jasmine took everything in.
Work boots, jeans, a T-shirt, tanned muscles, green eyes that sparkled; and thick brown hair. He gave her a smile.
No, no, no. No cowboy boots. No cowboy hat- hell, the shirt wasn’t even plaid!
All he had going for his cowboy vibe was the tanned muscles. Jasmine eyed them for a fraction of a second. Okay, those are nice. She admitted to herself.
A flush touched her cheeks, realizing she hadn’t said anything yet. “Hi.” She smiled widely. “I um, I’m here to check in.”
His eyes roamed over her body, and Jasmine was utterly aware of it. His left cheek curved up as he smiled.
“My name’s Ben, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Come on in. We’ll get ya’ all settled.” Jasmine took a deep breath and followed the man into a building. Out here there was actually fresh air- something she wasn’t used to. “You’re lucky, you’ve got the ranch all to yourself.” He smiled as he circled around the counter. “Except me, of course.”
“You run it?” She asked, trying to get a feel for the place- and the man in front of her.
He nodded. “My daddy ran the place growing up, left it in my hands when he passed four years ago.” He looked around the small building he’d taken me into. It was old and run down. Sadness touched his eyes.
There was a fraction of a second where neither of them spoke. Then, the man shook his head and smiled widely before looking down at a black binder.
“I’m gonna’ guess your name is Jasmine, right?”
“Yes.”
“We’ve got ya booked to stay the weekend.”
“Yup.” She nodded.
“Alrighty,” He pulled out a set of keys. “Room number 8.”
“Thank you.” She took the keys from him. His rough fingers brushed against her for a fraction of a second. Jasmine’s heart skipped a beat, blood rushing through her body as his green eyes locked on hers. A smile touched his lips.
For a split second Jasmine got a better chance to give him a once over- his face at least. Scars. Small ones, but they were there. His green eyes never seemed to stop sparkling, and when he smiled he revealed a row of perfectly white teeth.
Her heart skipped a couple of beats.
Then it was all over.
He pulled his hand back, stuffing it in his pocket and circled around the desk. “Let me help you with your bag.” He padded towards the door.
“Oh no, it’s fine.” He grabbed the handle and pulled it open for her. “Thank you,” She said without realizing if she was talking about the door or the bags. “But really, I’ve got them. I don’t have much.”
After all, it was just a weekend away. A small suitcase was more than enough.
“Now ma’am,” Her heart skipped a beat again. Being called ma’am was something she could get used to. “It’s my job to make sure your stay here is as pleasant as it can be-”
Before he could finish his sentence gravel crunched along the driveway. The man turned to see who it was. His eyes widened slightly. He cleared his throat and turned back to her. “If there is anything you need, anything at all, please let me know.”
“Of course.” Jasmine tried not to sound surprised. What’s with the sudden shift? She wondered. Despite the urge to stay and see who stepped out of that black truck, Jasmine forced herself to turn her attention to her Jetta and grabbed her bags from the trunk.
She could hear them talking. It was him, another man and a woman. Jasmine’s brow furrowed trying to make out what they were saying while still making it look like she wasn’t trying to.
Don’t be nosey. She scolded herself as she unlocked the door to her room and stepped inside.
It was the last room on the line of buildings, which meant it had more windows than the rest of them.
Hardwood floors, with a large bed. It wasn’t anything fancy, but with a dresser and a mirror on the other side of the room, a door leading to a bathroom and an oversized quilt on the bed Jasmine thought it would be perfect for the weekend.
This weekend wasn’t about getting away and pampering herself. If she’d wanted that she could have stayed back home. No, this weekend was about getting away from her normal life, and the people in it. It was about getting outside and getting some fresh air. It was about changing things up. And maybe finding me a cute cowboy.
They must be around the ranch somewhere. The man who had checked her in, although very cute, looked nothing like a cowboy. I mean come on, what kind of cowboy doesn’t even wear a cowboy hat? There had to be some around here helping out- after all, she knew there were horses here.
After freshening up and checking her email Jasmine headed back out of the room, tucking her key into her pocket and determined to explore. She’d come out here to get away from being in the city, and she was going to take advantage of it.
A walk proved to be just what she needed. A chance to stretch her legs after having been in a car for the past two days. The summer heat was comforting, as opposed to an over air-conditioned office that she was used to.
She didn’t walk along before she saw someone off in the distance with a horse. It wasn’t until she got a little closer that she realized it was Ben.
She watched him work with the creature in front of him. His eyes never leaving it. They were in a small pen. I wonder if that actually keeps the horse in. There was something off about it. The horse looked frail.
Jasmine’s head tilted to the left as she watched him work with the horse. She padded over to a hay bale and sat down, just taking everything in.
His hands worke
d over the creature softly, but still it looked like the horse might break under his touch. The thing was frail. Jasmine could count every one of his ribs. Her heart ached as she stared at it.
Ben stepped away. Turning towards her.
His eyes locked on hers.
Jasmine’s heart skipped a beat. She hadn’t been expecting him to catch her. She was going to keep walking after a quick break and he’d seemed so into what he was doing with the horse.
He leaned towards the creature, whispered something and then headed towards her.
Crap. She thought.
It was too late to just get up and leave. She’d been caught. If she ran she would look like she was guilty of something.
“I didn’t see you come up.”
Jasmine could feel the heat on her cheeks. “I went for a quick walk… I um, thought I’d take a break when I saw you working with that horse.”
“Julia.” He nodded looking over his shoulder at the creature as she munched on some hay he’d left. “She’s been quite the challenge. I don’t blame her, though. She came to us looking ten times worse than that. Can you believe it?”
Jasmine’s stomach turned. She couldn’t. How could the creator look worse?
“What happened to her?”
“I’m not sure.” He confessed sitting down beside her. Ben stared out at the horse. “I never know what happens to em’ before they come here.”
Jasmine raised an eyebrow. He made it sound like there were a lot of them before Julia. Ben caught the way she was staring at him. A soft smile touched his lips.
“A friend of mine’s got a place that rescues horses from bad situations. She gives me a call every now and then when she needs a place to keep em’. Normally she says someone else will come out and do the rehabilitation, but by now we both know that’s a load’a crap.” He stared off, his mind lost in thought. “I treat the horses when they get here. I normally end out having to feed them often because I’m the only one here. I… grow attached to them. I keep them all.” He almost sounded ashamed.
“All of them?”
“We’re supposed to be a ranch; I figure why part with them. My daddy thought it was a great idea, giving the poor creatures a new home where they could be loved, but the truth is- we just don’t get enough traffic for it to make sense. We’ve got 14 horses and no one to ride em’ except me.”
No Choice but to Marry: A Historical Mail Order Bride Romance Page 4