Mail Order Bride: 9 Book Boxed set : 9 Brides for 9 Cowboys: CLEAN Western Historical Romance Series Bundle

by Faye Sonja

  “Then I will clobber them until they do,” he responded with a chuckle.

  She nudged him in the side. “I am being serious. What if they don’t like me?”

  He settled in so she could look up at him. “My brother will be thankful for you, if for no other reason than to know that I have fallen for someone and I will no longer be a pain in his backside.”

  She laughed feeling a little better.

  “His wife is an amazing woman. She will no doubt be happy to have someone around who she can build a friendship with. And though we got off on the wrong foot, she seems lovely. I think you will like her.”

  She waited for him to continue.

  “Mrs. Potter is our cook, and ever since we lost our parents to the fever she has been more than just that. I would give my life for the woman, and she will love that I am finally planning on marring and settling down. She will love you, as long as you eat her food and get fat.”

  Jasmine laughed out loud and waited for more. “Who else?”

  “Well, you will be inheriting a whole ranch full of people, but next is baby Cameron. My brother and Agnes adopted him. He will love you as long as you have endless resources of energy to play, and candy of course. They also have another child I have yet to meet. So you and I are both worried she won’t like us.”

  “That’s a lot of people,” she said a bit nervous.

  “Oh and there is George. He is the kindest old man you will ever meet. He runs the town’s library and takes in baby orphans. He has been like a father to us all, and you will love him well... because he is George.”

  She smiled. “And you.”

  “I already love you,” he whispered in her hair and she stiffened at his words. Not knowing how to respond she kept quiet, and was soon asleep, dreaming of what her life would soon become. It was exciting, but she knew she had to eventually tell him the secret she carried, before it became too late. She didn’t want to lose him and even the thought made her worry more than she liked to admit.

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  6

  Chapter SIX

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  “ I am supposed to be, but who knows

  what the future might hold.”

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  Three days later, they rolled up to the ranch house. He watched as Jasmine’s face lit up in awe.

  “Welcome home,” he said with a smile.

  Mrs. Potter was the first to rush down the stairs and throw herself in his arms.

  “Oh Jared! How we have missed you so!” exclaimed the older woman as she ran down the stairs and into his arms.

  “I have missed you too, Mrs. Potter.”

  “And who is this lovely lady?” Jared watched as Mrs. Potter’s eyes turned to Jasmine.

  “The woman I hope will someday be my wife,” he said to Mrs. Potter whose mouth opened wide. He urged Jasmine up to her and watched as two of the most important women in his life gazed at each other before Mrs. Potter pulled her into a hug.

  “I am Jasmine,” she introduced herself.

  Mrs. Potter cupped her cheeks. “And we are happy to have you here.”

  One down, Jared thought as he looked up the stairs to the steel face of his baby brother and his nervous wife standing by his side. Truth be told they both had reason to not want to see him again. He had not actually been the best person the last time they spoke, but he had to get this over with.

  He walked up to Agnes, his brother’s wife. “Hello.”

  Agnes smiled up at him. “Hi Jared. It is good to see you are well and we are happy to have you home.”

  He was not so sure he should trust that. After what he had said of her, he would have been more comfortable if she told him she was plotting his demise.

  “I owe you an apology for the last time we spoke. Know that I am sorry for the harsh words I expressed and I am more than happy to have you as part of this family.”

  Agnes touched his cheek. “You have already been forgiven, and your niece and nephew will be happy to have you home.”

  “Are you that forgiving?” he turned to Jasmine with a mischievous smile “Must be an Amish thing.”

  “You are Amish too?” Agnes’ face lit up as she looked at Jasmine.

  “Yes, I am, or was or something,” Jasmine said with a smile. “It is nice to meet you.”

  “Welcome to the family,” Agnes said. “At least now when I insist on making noodles from scratch there may be someone around to keep me company.”

  They all laughed and Jared looked at his brother. “Jasmine, this is my baby brother, Charlie. He is the nice one.”

  “Yes, I am” Charlie said as he took her hand in his. He could see she was not so sure what to think of the firm shake he gave but his smile was warming enough.

  “Where are the children?” Jasmine asked and he could see the light in her eyes that told him she would be excited about having children of her own. The only problem was he had not yet actually asked her to marry him. He had been thinking about that very question for the entire journey home and he knew that he had strong feelings for her. He already loved her; loving her was the easy part. It wasn’t that it was not enough for him to marry her. It was just not enough for him to decide a lifetime with her was what he wanted. He had to see her in his home and watch how she managed around the people who were most important to him.

  “Quite the catch,” Charlie said coming up beside him. “Who would have thought the troublesome Matton boys would have fallen for religious women?”

  “Our father must be turning in his grave,” Jared said with a laugh. It was true. It would seem their father had some innate born hatred for the religious and pure of heart. He had in fact walked the town cursing the clergy once or twice for what he assumed was their supposed corruption. Their father had done it so often many had thought him mad, and it was no surprise that when he did actually die many thought it was because of his vapid hatred for those who were supposed to be close to God.

  “The apple fell very far from the tree then,” Charlie said leading him to the study where they shared a drink and looked out at the night in front of them.

  “I am sorry for the way I left things before,” he said to his brother.

  “I have missed your council,” Charlie responded. “We will always have differences brother, but I don’t want to be in need of you and find you have gone missing from my life.”

  “I am sorry,” Jared said again. He didn’t like the sound of those words coming off his lips but he knew he couldn’t say anything else.

  “I know you are, but an apology will not reassure me that it won’t happen again. Just don’t do it again,” Charlie said and he could hear the angst in his voice.

  He walked over to his little brother who had been forced to grow into a man and pulled him into his arms. “I will ensure it does not.”

  Charlie sighed into the hug as if a burden had been lifted and Jared knew then and there that it would take a catastrophe of a different nature to pull him away from his home.

  “You will love your niece. Her name is Elizabeth,” he smiled.

  “After our mother?” he asked feeling tearful but not wanting to cry in front of his little brother who was nodding. It was a sweet gesture. One he had always thought he would have done if he had been the one to first to have children, but his brother had beaten him to it.

  “Do you plan on marrying her?” Charlie asked what everyone was wondering.

  “I do, he replied turning his glass to his lips, “But I wanted to see what she would be like here at home. You know to court outside of a familial setting is one thing. To try and build a home is a completely different story.”

  Charlie laughed at the reminder of the woman he had once thought was his soul mate. The sight of the radiance in his brother’s eyes made him happy. The atmosphere was light and the huge mansion they had inherited had suddenly become a home.

  He w
as happy to be home.

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  Jasmine turned in for the night with a contented sigh, and just as she was about to crawl into bed there was a soft tap on her door.

  “Come in,” she replied not wanting to force her tired feet to walk the distance.

  Jared’s smiling face looked at her from the dim light of the hallway. “I am just checking to see how you are settling in.”

  She smiled. “I love it here. The fresh air and the family. I look forward to making this my home.”

  He smiled and walked towards her. Placing a kiss on the top of her head he told her goodnight. But when the door closed behind her the worry began and she knew she could not keep lying to him. It would be unfair for him to offer her all of this and not know the truth about her past. Amy was right. If her past did come knocking how would he react? Would he throw her out on her rump and send her fending for herself all over again?

  She didn’t want to lose him. He had become such an important part of her everyday life that she would find it hard to so much as breath without the thought of him. He had come into her life and made her love him and she couldn’t even bear the thought of the possibility of that changing.

  Unable to sleep she decided to take a walk. Along the lake she took a deep breath of the freedom and hope this new step in her life promised, and she hoped it would last.

  “Who would have such heavy thoughts weighing on their minds and go wandering in the darkness at night,” she heard a frail voice whispering low behind her. She stopped herself short of jumping into the lake out of sheer fright, and turned to see Mrs. Potter staring at her intently.

  “I guess you would know since you are here,” she said turning to the woman with a smile.

  “My lovely,” Mrs. Potter stepped up to her and rested her hand against her face. “I have been on this earth long enough to have many a worries. I set them free each night.”

  “And what bothers you tonight?” Jasmine asked the strange woman who spoke as if she were a sage with great knowledge to impart.

  “You,” Mrs. Potter said.

  She turned in shock to look at the woman. “I am sorry.”

  “Well, let me put it this way,” Mrs. Potter smiled up at her. “I know you carry a great secret and I know what it is. What worries me is if Jared will have his heart broken with the truth coming from someone else, or if will you come forth with love and tell him that that part of your life is far behind you?”

  Jasmine stood rooted to the spot in shock. Amy had indeed been right, but how had Mrs. Potter known? “How did you find out?”

  “You wear a mark,” the old woman motioned to the small snake branded into her wrist. She had never once given thought to the scar since she had gotten it. It had healed nicely and many who saw it thought it nothing but an unfortunate mishap. For anyone to be able to distinguish the shape of it and discern the truth, that would mean that they themselves had been a part of that group at one time.

  Mrs. Potter turned her left wrist over to real the same scar, only hers was a lot more evident. “You see my love; we have more in common than you think.”

  Jasmine sighed. “Will he hate me when he finds out I was a thief?”

  “With Jared you can never tell,” Mrs. Potter said with a sigh as they stood still to watch the moon light snake its way across the pond.

  “I love him,” she said.

  “Then if you do, he should not hear this from anyone else,” Mrs. Potter said. “With Charlie you know he won’t care and neither Agnes nor I will judge you for your choice of survival, but with Jared you simply must tell him if you are to have a relationship with him.”

  She sighed. “I will tell him in the morning.”

  They stood in silence looking out at the night. “Regardless of whatever happens just know that we are happy to have you here, and should it come to you leaving, I will be nothing but sad for that.”

  “I hope it never comes to that,” Jasmine said resting her head on the old woman’s shoulder.

  “Take the risk, love is very often worth it.”

  She smiled and turned to hug Mrs. Potter. She would be sad to leave all this behind. Never before had she been welcomed so warmly by people who knew nothing of her. She could only hope Jared would understand.

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  7

  Chapter SEVEN

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  “ I am supposed to be, but who knows

  what the future might hold.”

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  When he woke the following day it was to a beautiful bouquet on her bed and a note from Jared saying he would be gone for two days. She wanted to run after him and tell him her secret so he could process it while he was away. She rushed down the stairs smelling his lingering scent and was lucky enough to catch him on his way out.

  “Wait!” she hollered at him and he turned to look at her in surprise.

  “Are you all right?” he asked, instantly worried and checking her for signs of injury.

  “We need to talk before you go,” she said to him a bit out of breath.

  He looked at her and tucked the stray strands of her hair out of the way. “I must go now, can it wait?”

  She looked at Mrs. Potter who offered her no help. “I am not sure.”

  “I will be back in two days and we can talk all you want then,” he said kissing her cheek. “Be careful while I am gone and you should go into town and meet George. He will love you.”

  “I will,” she promised and then kissed him before he walked away. She sighed and watched him go. Mrs. Potter came up to her and rested a reassuring palm on her back.

  “It will be okay, don’t worry too much,” the old woman said.

  “Easy for you to say,” she pouted and got nothing but a pinch on the cheek and orders to get ready for breakfast.

  She took her own sweet time pausing to inhale the scent of the roses he had left her. When she finally sat to eat the food was not of much interest to her and the first chance she got she decided to go meet this George in town. Needing the time alone she turned down Agnes’ offer to accompany her.

  And it was a good thing she had done just that...

  Passing the abandoned side of town she saw a familiar face, but no smiles were levied at her.

  “Hello Bryson,” she said as he crossed the road and blocked her path.

  “I see you took up with a law man, what have you told him?” Bryson asked without so much as a smile and she knew should he find she had endangered their thieving operation; she would be in serious trouble.

  “I told him nothing. I am trying to get away from that life.”

  “I don’t believe you,” he said, and she knew the anger was not only about her choice of partner but also that she had taken up with another man.

  “Get out of my way!” she said and she shoved him. “Believe me or not, but don’t be too hasty to put yourself in my problems. I haven’t told him anything and when I do decide to, I will not be telling him about you. Go live your life and leave me be.”

  She stormed off, but as expected the two of his suits took off after her as she ran down the street and Bryson’s heavy footsteps followed.

  “Okay Bryson,” she said to herself. “Let’s play!”

  She turned up the speed, bolted across the walking path and back out onto the main road. She ran slow enough for Bryson to keep up with her, but fast enough to stay out of immediate danger and to ensure her plan didn’t look obvious to others who were looking on. She had taken a look at the town when she was coming in and she knew exactly where to take them to shake them off her tail. Not that it would do much good considering she was sure he knew who her new love was. Taking the pre-planned route, she circled and doubled back to the other side of town, happy she had taken Agnes’ advice and hauled on a comfortable pair of shoes suited for the quick movement of her feet.

  “Bring it on!” she shouted to the
wind and she had to admit that she was excited. Her only hope was that they did not think Jared was a threat and decide to gang up on him on his way to wherever he was going.

  Be safe! She thought hoping her thoughts would reach Jared wherever he was. Just the thought of something happening to him once again made her heart hurt. She knew he could hold his own, but she still couldn’t help worrying over him as she ran- Bryson’s heavy footsteps echoing as he tried to catch her. There was no way she could beat Bryson in a fair fight and she couldn’t take him to the house where Charlie could. There was no way she could outdo his great girt in a hand to hand one on one, so she followed the plan to a fault. She ran in the direction of the abandoned buildings she had seen, hoping beyond all odds that no one was back there.

  She ran, her steps slowing a bit with exhaustion, but she was still a safe enough distance away. Glancing over her shoulder Bryson looked like he could run around the world in eighty-days and still have energy left to chase her around town for another eighty.

  “Stupid man!” she cursed him under her breath. In another couple minutes she would be at the old building. She hoped Jared was having better luck.

  Jogging up the stairs moments later she knocked on the door of one of the rooms and when no answer came she pushed it open and stepped inside. Walking into the living room, she found no sign that anybody had been there except the disaster that had been left from the people who had lived there before. It was a good thing no one was there too, because Bryson’s heavy footsteps were an unmistakable sound coming up the stairs. She took the crow bar from the corner by the door.