Mail Order Bride - Westward Changes: A Clean Cowboy Romance Novel (Montana Mail Order Brides Book 14)

by Linda Bridey

  Eddie began to see what Joe had been trying to tell him last night. Why not turn the situation around into something positive? There would be nothing wrong with a long engagement, would there? They could still get to know each other and he wouldn’t have to be worried that anyone else would interfere. Moving his horse faster, Eddie smiled as he began to form a plan in his mind.

  As Joe rode Hamlet up their lane to the main road, Deena was coming down it. They stopped close to each other.

  “’Morning, Deena,” Joe said. She looked pale and tired. “I heard you had a rough night last night.”

  “Yeah. Eddie told you, huh?”

  “Yep. I’m sorry about your pa actin’ like that,” Joe replied.

  Deena grew angry again. “I hate what he did. Eddie must think I was trying to pull one over on him or something. I only said it because I didn’t want Pa to shoot him. I’m so stupid sometimes.”

  Joe chuckled. “Naw. It wasn’t stupid. You just didn’t want to see Eddie shot full of holes and thought fast on your feet. That’s all.”

  Deena shook her head. “I don’t want to go home today, Joe. I’m so mad at my father right now. I don’t care if I don’t see him for a while. I wish I had my own place where I could come and go as I pleased.”

  Joe cocked his head as he thought about that. “Why can’t you?”

  “Huh? Where would I go?”

  “Move in here. Almost all of my employees live here. No reason you shouldn’t move in. It only makes sense,” Joe explained.

  It had never occurred to Deena that she could live at the Dwyers’ since she now worked for them full-time. The more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea. Her father couldn’t keep her from working or from seeing Eddie and he wouldn’t have to marry her then.

  “Are you sure?” she asked.

  “Yeah, I’m sure,” Joe said.

  “Where would I stay?”

  Hamlet shifted his weight as Joe thought again. “Well, we’ve got a bunkhouse free, but maybe you wouldn’t like stayin’ out there by yourself. No, I think up at the main house would be better, especially with you being a woman,” he said as he thought about what had happened to Minx. “Rita, Callie, Randall, and Addie live in the main house and we have plenty of rooms. Are you partial to your furniture? If you are, we’ll just go over to your house with a wagon and get it.”

  Deena thought about her scarred and worn furniture and felt no emotional attachment to it. “No, I really don’t care about my furniture, but we’ll probably still need a wagon for my other stuff.”

  Joe smiled. “All right. You go on and start working. I’ve got some things to do, but I’ll be back later and we’ll get it done.”

  “Yes, boss.”

  Joe laughed and then clicked Hamlet back into motion.

  *****

  Minx sat down by the river watching the current carry twigs and leaves along. Birds sang in the trees and children ran around playing all kinds of games. She smiled as she watched them, but it was bittersweet. Though Joe had told her father that he would let her visit every day, Minx knew that wouldn’t be possible because it was too dangerous for her to travel back and forth so much. If one soldier had found her, others could as well. She would not put her tribe at risk by giving in to her selfish wishes.

  Her cousin, Winona, had said she should just refuse to go to Joe’s, but Minx was not going to tarnish her reputation even further by reneging on the deal she’d made with Joe. She owed him, especially because not all of the valuables she’d stolen from him and his people may have been recovered.

  As she had packed her belongings, her mother had cried and begged her father to intervene. Minx had told Eagle Woman that this was what she must do and to leave He Who Runs alone. She heard footsteps approach and her cousin, Raven, crouched beside her.

  Raven sighed and said, “I will miss you.”

  “I will miss you, too. But you can come see me. It is easier for you to move back and forth than it will be for me to come here since people already know you,” she said.

  “Yes.”

  “It was kind of Uncle Joe to do this for me. He did not have to,” Minx said. “All of this would not have happened if I had not gone into the woods that day.”

  Raven put a big hand on her shoulder. He had grown and stood six-foot-four, matching his father’s height. “You could not have known he would be there.”

  “I know. Regret is a waste of time. I will move forward and do what I must. I only hope and pray that the Great Spirit kept Myers’ tongue from wagging to his captain,” Minx said.

  She fought against the rage and fear building inside. Drawing her knees up, Minx rested her forehead on them and took a deep breath. Raven was one of the few people who knew what had truly happened.

  “If I am pregnant, I will kill myself,” she said, through gritted teeth.

  “Minx!” Raven protested.

  She shook her head. “I will not bear his child! I cannot!”

  “The child would be innocent, Minx. Have it and give it to someone to raise,” Raven said.

  “Who would take it? Not anyone here,” Minx said. “No one out there, either. I would have to raise it.”

  “Would that be so bad?” Raven asked.

  She looked at him angrily. “Would you want to raise the child of a rapist?”

  “I have one name for you: Silver Ghost.”

  Minx put her head back on her knees to hide her shame. There were times when she forgot that her Uncle Marcus had been a child of rape. His white mother’s husband, Ralph, had chosen to raise Marcus as his own, however.

  “Not everyone would do that.”

  “Another name: Jack Samuels. Danny is the blood son of Panther, a violent, cruel man, but Jack sees him as his own son, loves him as such. Sparrow loves Danny despite the fact that he is of Panther’s blood.”

  “That is three names,” Minx pointed out.

  Raven heard the laughter in her voice and smiled. “You might even find a husband to help you raise it.”

  Minx laughed. “I do not think so, cousin.”

  Raven shrugged. “Stranger things have happened. Sparrow did.” He nudged Minx playfully with his elbow. “Have you ever kissed a boy?”

  She laughed again. “Yes.”

  Raven looked over at her in surprise. “You have?”

  She looked at him then. “Yes.”

  “Who was it? How many times did you kiss him?” Suddenly Raven was intensely curious. “You are not supposed to be kissing boys!”

  “Shh! Lower your voice, Raven.”

  He did. “Answer me!”

  “It is funny to me that girls are not supposed to kiss boys, but yet boys end up kissing someone,” she joked.

  Raven pursed his lips. “Tell me.”

  “Why are you so nosey about this?” she said. “You have been spending too much time with Uncle Seth.”

  He grunted in annoyance. “Tell me.”

  “You must not tell anyone, especially my brother,” she said. “Do you swear?” There were many things that Raven and she confided to one another that they would not tell other people.

  “Yes. I swear,” Raven said.

  “It was Mike.”

  She giggled at Raven’s shocked expression.

  “Mike? Our Mike? Our cousin Mike?”

  “Yes. Mike. I asked him to do it so that I would know what it was like. He is not blood so I did not see the problem,” Minx said.

  “What happened?”

  “I fell madly in love with him,” she said rolling her eyes. “What do you think happened? Nothing. He is a good kisser, but I did not feel anything for him,” Minx said.

  Raven was further surprised. “He is?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did you kiss any other boys?”

  “No.”

  Raven frowned. “Maybe it is that you do not like kissing Mike, but might like kissing some other boy.”

  Minx laughed at him. “One minute you are angry because I hav
e kissed a boy and the next you are encouraging me to kiss more.”

  His expression darkened even more. “This is not funny.”

  “Yes, it is,” Minx said. “So who have you been kissing?”

  “None of your business, cousin,” Raven said.

  “You must give me one name since I told you who I kissed. It is only fair,” she said.

  Raven looked down and said, “She does not live here in camp.”

  “Raven! Tell me,” Minx said.

  “Ok. It does not matter because she moved away,” he said.

  “Oh.” Minx saw the sadness in his face. “I am sorry. Did you love her?”

  “Yes,” Raven said.

  “Do we know her family?” Minx asked.

  “Not well. Tara Benson. Uncle Marcus helped her get into a good school in the East. I am happy for her. It is what she wanted,” Raven said.

  “Does she come home for the summer like Mike?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then why do you not go to see her?” Minx asked.

  Raven looked out over the water and controlled his emotions as he said, “I did once. She is seeing someone at her school. Even if she were not, it would never work. Like Reckless’ situation with Rachel, Tara would not want to live in camp and I will never live in a house. I would be better to do something like Reckless did and find a bride in another tribe.”

  Minx heard her name being called and looked back at the camp. Her father beckoned her with a wave.

  “Joe must be here,” she said. “Raven, I am so scared. I know I am not supposed to be, but I am.”

  “You will all right with Joe. They will take good care of you there,” Raven said. “Besides, it is only for six months.”

  Minx nodded and rose as He Who Runs called her again. She and Raven jogged together to meet him.

  “Is it time?” she asked him.

  “Yes, daughter. It is.”

  Minx nodded and looked straight ahead as they walked through the rough-hewn archway that led into camp. As they passed by tipis, she saw people watching her, but didn’t give notice. Quickly, she strode to their tipi and saw Joe standing by it.

  “Hey, my very brave bravette,” he said with a smile.

  She laughed. “Hi, Uncle Joe.”

  He Who Runs frowned. “What did you call her?”

  “My very brave bravette,” Joe said. “Do you have a word for a female brave?”

  “There is no such thing,” He Who Runs said.

  “Well, there oughta be. Don’t you think she’s brave?” Joe asked.

  “Yes.”

  “And doesn’t she act like a brave even though she’s a girl?”

  He Who Runs nodded. “But we do not have any such thing.”

  Joe grinned as he patted Minx’s shoulder. “You do now. Are you ready, Minx?”

  “Yes,” Minx said. She noticed that her mother was not around and understood that Eagle Woman couldn’t bear to watch her go. She had said goodbye to her earlier and Minx didn’t know if she could get through another farewell, either. Minx picked up her buckskin pack and said, “I am ready.”

  Joe looked around. “Where’s the rest of your stuff?”

  “This is it.”

  He patted her shoulder again and said, “That’s ok. We’ll get you some more stuff. Say goodbye to your daddy and then we’ll get going.”

  Joe moved away to talk to Black Fox to give Minx and He Who Runs some privacy.

  He Who Runs embraced his daughter and said, “Be well, my little Minx. Be good for Joe and work hard. I am proud of you.”

  Minx nodded. “I will. I love you, Father.”

  “I love you, too.” He hugged her a little tighter and then released her. “We will see each other soon. Go now.”

  Minx nodded and walked over to Joe. They bade Black Fox goodbye and left the camp.

  As they walked through the hidden entrance to the canyon, Joe said, “Reckless is gonna take you over to my place. There’s something important I gotta go do, but Lacey will get you settled, ok?”

  She nodded and then stopped walking. He looked at her. “What is it?”

  “Am I going to live in a house?” Minx’s eyes were very big.

  “Yes, Minx. We don’t have a tipi, honey.”

  Minx blushed and looked down. “I do not want a bed or furniture.”

  “Ok, so we’ll take them out of your room. You’ll have a fireplace, though. What else do you want?” Joe said as he urged her forward again.

  “Sleeping robes and a dream catcher,” she said.

  “I knew we were gonna have to get you more stuff,” Joe said grinning. “Tell you what; on your way over to our place, just tell Reckless what you want and I’ll make sure you get it, ok?”

  Minx nodded and smiled, suddenly not so afraid anymore.

  Chapter Twenty

  Deena wondered where Eddie was. It was early afternoon and he still wasn’t back from wherever he’d gone. Leo’s workout had gone well, which pleased her. She’d also been left a list of other horses Eddie wanted her to train so she had started working her way through it. Lunch had come and gone and still no Eddie.

  She finished with a filly and was crossing the barn when she heard someone whistle to her. Looking around, Deena saw that Eddie’s office door was open and peeked in. He perched on a corner of the desk and waved her inside. His smile was encouraging, but apprehension still gnawed at her.

  When she went inside, he shut the door and kissed her cheek. “How is your day going?”

  She said, “Fine. Why are you smiling at me?”

  Eddie said, “Why shouldn’t I smile at you?”

  “Because you’re mad at me.”

  “I am?”

  “You are.”

  “No, I’m not.”

  “Yes, you are,” Deena insisted. “I lied to my father and told him we’re engaged even though we’re not. Of course you’re mad at me. I mean, I only did it to save your life, but you have to still be mad at me.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “You do.”

  Eddie sighed. “Why do you want me to be mad at you?”

  “Because it’s the right thing to do,” Deena answered.

  He took hold of her arms and said, “I am not mad at you. I took care of our problem.”

  “You talked to Pa?” Deena asked.

  “Hell no!”

  “Oh. Then how did you take care of it?” Deena asked.

  Eddie grinned and said, “Close your eyes.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m your boss and I’m telling you to. Now do it, Abbott.”

  Deena smiled and shut her eyes.

  “Hold out your hand.”

  She did and felt him place something in her palm.

  “Ok. Open up.”

  Deena jerked when she saw the gray ring box. She immediately thrust it back at him. “No, Eddie!”

  “What do you mean ‘no’? I didn’t even get a chance to ask you yet,” Eddie said. “You can’t turn me down before I ask,” Eddie told her.

  “Yes, I can, because you don’t have to marry me now.”

  Eddie looked at her in confusion. “Did you talk to your pa?”

  “No.”

  “Then take the ring,” he said pressing it into her hand again.

  “No.” She pushed back on it.

  They started a game of hot potato with the ring, going back and forth several times until Eddie became very angry.

  “Why won’t you become my fiancée? I don’t understand.”

  “Because I’m moving into Joe’s house. It was his idea and a good one. Pa won’t be able to keep me from working here or seeing you. I’ll be on my own. So we don’t have to get engaged,” Deena said with a big smile. “Isn’t that great?”

  Eddie expected to feel relief, not strong disappointment. He’d actually gotten excited about proposing to Deena and to find out that he didn’t have to now was a huge letdown. There was no way he was going to let on, though. He let his sh
oulders sag as if he were relieved and sat down on his desk again.

  “Oh, Lord. What a load off that is,” Eddie said.

  Deena frowned. “Don’t sound so happy about it.”

  He looked at her. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just didn’t want to get engaged while being held at gunpoint by your pa.”

  “I understand. That’s not my idea of romance, either,” she said.

  “So when are you movin’ in?”

  “Today. Joe said we’ll go over with a wagon to get my stuff. I don’t think it would be a good idea for you to along,” Deena said.

  He laughed. “No. I guess not. Where is our boss?”

  “I don’t know. Reckless and his sister got here a little while ago, but Joe wasn’t with them. Why is she coming to live here? Did he hire her?” Deena said.

  “Yeah. At least that’s what he told me. I don’t think that’s the full story, but I’m not gonna question it. I’ll help unload your things once you’re back,” he said as he let his gaze roam over her. “You look better in jeans than any woman oughta have a right to.”

  Deena giggled.

  “What? Just because we’re not getting engaged doesn’t mean we’re not still courting. It doesn’t mean that I don’t want to kiss you silly. Oh, boy.”

  “What?” she asked as he put his arms around her waist.

  He waggled his eyebrows at her and said, “You don’t have a curfew now,” before kissing her neck.

  Deena shuddered and laughed. “No, I don’t, but that doesn’t mean I’m stayin’ at your place, either.”

  Eddie groaned and bit her.

  “Stop that!” she said.

  “You mean you’re going to be that close to me and I’m not going to get—”

  “−No, you’re not,” she said with a laugh.

  “I think I liked you better when I was getting engaged to you. At least I’d be one step closer to that,” Eddie said raising his head.

  “Shut up and kiss me so I can get back to work so no one catches us,” Deena said abruptly.

  “You want me to kiss you and get me all hot and bothered but yet you won’t stay with me?”

  “Yes.”

  “You’re evil,” Eddie said and pressed his lips to hers in a hard kiss.

  She giggled against his mouth and he smacked her rear. It made her stop laughing and Eddie deepened the kiss. If she was going to drive him crazy with lust, then he was going to do the same to her. Eddie reasoned that it was only fair. His hands roamed over her back and shoulders possessively and Deena moaned a little as her temperature began climbing.