by Indiana Wake
Gina nodded through her tears and pulled him close. How could she be so lucky?
The End.
A Big Beautiful Bride for a Broken Hearted Rancher
Three Big Beautiful Brides Head West Book 1
Indiana Wake & Belle Fiffer
©Copyright 2015 Indiana Wake & Belle Fiffer
All Rights Reserved
Chapter 1
1878.
"Up, up!! Wake up, you good for nothing girls!! Wake up this instant!!" Aunt Morgan screeched as she came barging into the room. The door hit the frame and bounced back with a clatter as she swept around the room like a force of nature. Kicking Amanda’s bed, she pulled off the bed sheets before storming on to the next bed.
Amanda woke up with a jerk and quickly got out of bed. "What is it, Aunt Morgan? Is anything the matter?"
With a glare in her direction, the wiry woman with the sharp features kicked and pulled at the next two beds leaving the remaining two sisters uncovered and groggily sitting up.
"What do you mean is anything the matter?” Aunt Morgan said, her arms folded the full force of her gaze focused on Amanda. “You are fat and lazy and it is time to wake up.”
Amanda felt herself close to breaking, but she sent a warning glance to her sisters. They could not afford to upset their Aunt as much as they wanted to.
“Now get up and get on with making breakfast. You know the Perkins are coming today. I specifically remember telling you all to wake up extra early. To get all the chores done before they arrive," Aunt Morgan huffed.
Cassandra and Sabrina sat in bed listening to their aunt go on. As always Sabrina looked close to tears and Amanda sent her a smile before turning to Cassandra. This was not unusual for Aunt Morgan and if she could not prevent it Amanda knew what was coming next
Rubbing her eyes, Cassandra bristled. "I'm pretty sure we would've remembered you telling us that, Aunty. After all, you always make it a point to repeat yourself at least six times when you say something," Cassandra said with a smirk on her face. She was always outspoken and never knew went to keep quiet.
"Cassie!" Amanda reproached while Sabrina tried desperately not to giggle, at least it had removed her tears. As Amanda turned a severe gaze on Cassie, her sister’s face turned red and her mouth twitched and at last she stuffed her fist into it and lowered her head.
Amanda let out a sigh of relief. As much as she would love to put their Aunt in her place they could not. There was nowhere to turn and if Aunt Morgan would not look after them, then who would?
Taking a deep breath to calm herself Amanda turned to Aunt Morgan whose face had turned red with anger. Amanda could almost imagine steam coming from her ears, but she knew she must regain the peace. If she did not, they would all suffer.
"I curse the day your father had any of you and then left you as my burden so I had to raise such wretched monsters,” Aunt Morgan said. “That tongue of yours is going to get you in a lot of troubles one day,” she said turning towards Cassandra. “You mark my words."
"My father did not leave us, he died, there's a difference," Cassandra said, sullenly.
"We apologize, Aunt for being late this morning” Amanda soothed. “You go and relax and we'll have yours and Uncle Tom's breakfast ready in no time."
Still huffing, puffing and mumbling angrily, Aunt Morgan nodded her head and left the room. The three sisters looked at one another and sagged in relief. Amanda, who was the eldest among the three, sank back down onto the bed.
She turned to her middle sister. She was the prettiest of the three of them. With a beautiful figure, locks of golden hair and emerald green eyes that blazed between them. "Cassie,” she said. “You really shouldn't antagonize Aunt Morgan like that. She may get fed up with your antics one day and then we'd all be out the door before you could say Ballroom."
"I wouldn't say Ballroom and quite frankly, I don't think being kicked out would be the worst thing. Nothing can be worse than living here, I reckon. Why don't we just move out?"
"Yes, I agree with Cassie,” Sabrina said. “Why can't we go live on our own? You’re old enough to take care of us and I don't want to live here any longer."
Amanda fought back her sorrow. Sabrina was the youngest of the three. Like the other two sisters, she too had golden hair and a fair complexion. She had an innocent face and was kind, quiet and soft-spoken. The only disadvantage was that like all the sisters, she was a little overweight and bulky. It was why even with all her good qualities, she was still single.
Amanda was the caretaker of the little trio and tried to keep as much of the burden from her sisters as she could. Since their father died and their mother had run off with some businessman, she had been like a mother to them and she loved them like she would her own. It was why in the beginning she had decided against marriage. Although if she were honest she had had very few suitors come calling. Though pretty and with a gentle soul she was a heavy girl, with a big build which made her undesirable to most men. Even though she had a strong, smart head on her shoulders, few men had bothered approaching her, based partly on the size of her body and also because she had no fortune.
"We can't and you know that,” Amanda said feeling the burden as she had many times before. If only she could find a way to keep them all. “How many times must we go through this? It is inappropriate and unsafe for a lady to live by herself. You have no clue what the world is like out there and I would never risk our lives or our reputation in order to get away from Aunt Morgan and Uncle Tom. You both still have marriage prospects you need to think about." But did they? No man had come calling in over a year. Soon the years would fly by and like her they would become too old.
"And what about you? You don't plan on getting married?" Cassandra asked a hint of sarcasm in her tone.
"We both know I have grown a bit too old for anyone to desire me as a wife. But, I cannot sit back and let you ruin your futures'. We will stay here so there is no need to debate this any further. Now, get up and get to work before Aunt Morgan comes back and has our heads on a platter for dawdling away our time."
And with that, the conversation about leaving and marriages was put to rest, for the time being at least.
Chapter 2
That afternoon Mr. and Mrs. Perkins arrived with their two ill-behaved and quite monstrous children. They were relatives of Uncle Tom and they would often come over to visit. They had just come back from the West on some business or other and were excited about the fortunes they were going to make. Amanda had heard it all before and switched off from the conversation as she served them. Aunt Morgan and Uncle Tom fussed the children when they first got there because they had no children of their own. Amanda thought it was a blessing if truth be told, judging, by the way, they went about treating the three girls.
Mr. and Mrs. Perkins were the biggest gossips one ever did meet and whenever they came, they would go on for hours about the happenings of this person and that. They also had a tendency to sprout ideas to make quick money and more often than not their Aunt and Uncle had succumbed to their ideas and found themselves in a financial loss because of it. One would think that they would've learned their lesson by now, but no, there they sat together that evening, once again immersed in scheming and gossiping.
Cassandra and Sabrina had been given child care duty, much to their dismay. That left Amanda with the responsibility of looking after the rest of the party and fulfilling their whims and wishes like a good little servant girl.
The meal was over and she had finished serving them all coffee, quietly she backed out of the room and into the kitchen to take a short reprieve from waiting on them hand and foot. As she left, Mrs. Perkins turned to Aunt Morgan. "Why have you not wed them all off yet?" she asked.
Amanda wanted to stop and listen, but she was almost through the door. She carried on and let it close gently. Turning she stood close to the door and strained to hear, but it was no good, all she could hear were whispers.
***
"What ca
n I say,” Aunt Morgan said. “No one wants the wretched old things. I've been trying for ages to get rid of them."
"Well, I have a solution for you and you can make some money on it as well."
Aunt Morgan's ears perked up at this and she asked, "Do tell."
"There's this town called Redemption, it is way out West in Colorado. It is a deadbeat town that no one wants to live in. We were there recently and heard that they are desperate for women. All the men headed West to get good land, now they are settled with these ragtag ranches and guess what they want?”
Aunt Morgan shrugged her wiry shoulders.”
“The men are desperate for wives and they've even put up advertisements for wives, can you believe it. I bet that if you were to send the three girls there, you'd easily be rid of them and you could ask for a handsome sum of money for them too. It's like killing two birds with one stone."
Aunt Morgan and Uncle Tom looked at one another. It sounded like a great idea and if they could make money pawning off the girls, then that would be a bonus. Aunt Morgan turned back to Mrs. Perkins. "They will be safe there, won't they?" she asked.
"Oh, yes, of course. We went there ourselves during one of our trips. Not much to look at but not a dangerous place either." Digging out a few papers from her purse, she said, "Here are some of those wife advertisements I was telling you about. Think about it and if you decide to go through with it, contact one of the men and see if they'd pay you a decent enough amount."
Nodding absently, Aunt Morgan took the papers and tucked them in her bosom. Then they continued with other trivial things and gossiped about other trivial matters and the whole conversation was soon put out of their minds until further reflection.
Chapter 3
It was just over a month after the Perkins left when Aunt Morgan summoned the girls to the family room. It felt wrong to Amanda, somehow different to her normal screech. Hiding her nerves she ushered her sisters into the room.
Aunt Morgan sat in her normal chair across from a long sofa. The girls filed in and stood waiting for further instructions on what she wanted them to do this morning. Amanda could see Cassandra getting ready to be cheeky and she wanted to warn her, but she was finding it hard to breathe as some premonition of trouble raised the hairs on the back of her neck and closed her throat down tight.
Aunt Morgan looked at them and did not shout and that further raised alarm bells with Amanda.
"Come, girls, sit with your aunt," Aunt Morgan said gesturing them toward the sofa across from her.
Now it was not just Amanda that had warning bells ringing. The girls eyes met, filled with fatigue and worry as they wondered what was about to happen. Amanda gave them a reassuring smile and sat down, her sister’s followed her lead and lifted their threadbare skirts and sat.
"I've called you here because I have some excellent news for you," Aunt Morgan continued. "I have decided that it's way overdue that the three of you are married. Since you haven't had the greatest of luck finding husbands yourselves, your uncle and I have found them for you."
Sabrina let out a sob, Cassie for once was silent, and Amanda felt her heart stop.
Married.
It was something she had wanted for so long. Something she had given up on. Could she be so lucky? Then her mind came back to reality and she realized that it was not just her, but all of them and no mention had been made of who their husbands were to be. Quickly she tried to think of whom it could be… but no one came to mind. Along with her sisters, she stared at their Aunt blankly before turning to look at her sisters. Cassandra's face was steadily turning red with anger, Sabrina looked a bit lost so Amanda tried to give her sisters a reassuring glance, but she could not. Something had to be done.
Amanda turned to her aunt. "Who exactly are these husbands you have found for us?"
"They're no one you would know,” Aunt Morgan said with an air of superiority. “They live in the West. The Perkins told us about a town where a few men were looking for wives. Now, I know it is a bit far from here, but they seem like decent men. Through my correspondence, I was able to secure a husband for each of you so you won't be far from one another."
Seem, Amanda thought.
"So you've already settled things? Without even asking us?" Cassandra said in a rage.
"Now, young lady, listen here! I will not have you talking to me in that tone! As long as you live under my roof, you will do as I say. I have agreed to send you off to the West where you shall be married and I will not hear a word otherwise!" Aunt Morgan said huffing in her odd manner.
Cassandra was about to fly off her seat to tell her aunt what she could do with her roof, but Amanda put a gentle hand on her shoulder.
“Settle down,” Amanda said and then she turned to her aunt. "Thank you, Aunt, for looking after us and placing us near to one another. Now I would like to talk to you alone.”
Amanda nodded to her sisters and waited for them to leave the room. For a second Cassandra’s eyes challenged her, but then she turned and dragged her sister with her. As they left the room, Amanda took a breath, steeled herself and turned to her Aunt. Maybe it would be better to get away from here. Maybe it would be better to be married. “I will agree to this,” she said, “on the condition that I am married first. My sisters will live with me and from there they will be courted by their respective husband. If they are not ready to marry, then my husband must agree to keep them. Do you agree?”
Aunt Morgan’s eyes narrowed and Amanda waited for her to say no, but then she seemed to relax her shoulders.
“As long as you understand they are to be married or stay with you, there is no coming back here,” Aunt Morgan snapped.
“I understand,” Amanda said. “Now if you will excuse us, Aunt, we need to make preparations for our departure."
"Very well," said Aunt Morgan. "Just don’t take forever about it. You all leave in a few weeks’ time."
"Yes, Aunt," Amanda replied and keeping her head high, she exited the room.
The minute Amanda got back to their own room, Cassandra exploded. "What does she think, that she owns us? How could she just give our hands in marriage without even asking us? I told you we should've left while we had the chance! You didn't want to stain our reputation! Now look at the mess we're in! I will not marry some old man I have not even met, I tell you, I just won't!"
"Calm down, Cassie, it'll be ok," Sabrina said gently, hugging her sister. "Amanda will find a way to get us out of this mess." She looked at her oldest sister with hopeful eyes.
Seeing her two sisters staring at her with so much trust broke Amanda's heart. She had always wanted to protect them. To keep them safe, and to give them all the happiness in the world and yet every time it seemed she had failed. As she looked at them, she heard herself saying, "I will marry whomever our Aunt has set out for me."
The two sisters gaped at her as if she had lost her mind. Cassandra opened her mouth to protest, but Amanda raised a hand to stop her. It had already been decided now all she had to do was convince her sisters that it was their best option. Taking a deep breath, she looked deep into their eyes. "I will marry the man I have been promised to,” she said. “You girls will accompany me for my marriage and it will be part of the arrangement… that once I am legally his wife… I will ensure that you may stay in my house as family. You will meet and court the men chosen for you. If you don't like them then you needn't marry them, you simply stay living with me until you find a man that you wish to marry. I promised I would look after you always and I intend to keep that promise.”
“But… but,” Cassie spluttered.
“Just think,” Amanda said with a smile on her face. “You will no longer have to endure the treatment from our Aunt and Uncle. Come, girls, this is a joyous day and we should start packing."
Sabrina cheered happily and Cassandra sagged in relief. She sank to the floor and looked up at her sister. "You would make that sacrifice for us? You would marry a stranger you don't know just for us?"
Amanda fought down the bile that threatened to rise up her throat and prove her a liar. "I have always wanted to marry,” she said forcing a smile on her face to sell her words. “I want a family of my own and I'm too old to marry the traditional way. Trust me sisters this is the best option for me, and if it means that I can look after you both. That I can get you away from here and into a new life, then it gives me double the joy. I am more than happy to marry this man... whoever he is."
"We love you, sister," Sabrina said, hugging her sister.
"And I, you." Amanda hugged her back and smiled at them. "Now, let us pray to the Lord to deliver us into kind homes and to bless us with his mercy." And so, they prayed.
Chapter 4
That first night Amanda dreamed of a tall, dark, and handsome man. He greeted them when they got off the train and as their eyes met… It was as if they had known each other forever and there was love, understanding, and a deep respect in that first glance. When he bowed before them and took her hand, tingles raced up her arm and seemed to set her heart on fire. But then his face was gone and replaced with blackness and no matter how hard she looked she could not see him. Every night this blank man haunted her dreams. Sometimes he would bow before her, ever courteous but others he stalked the shadows and she knew she must hide from him. Twice she woke soaked in sweat with a scream forming on her lips. Quickly she bit it down and rolled over, knowing that sleep would escape her for the rest of the night. What did the dream mean? What did it foretell?
The weeks flew by, they packed their meager belongings and cleaned Aunt Morgan’s house until it shone. Amanda’s fingers bled from scrubbing so hard and still Aunt Morgan was not happy. But soon they would be gone from here and Amanda hoped and prayed that they were going somewhere better. But it did not matter, whatever happened it would be a new start for her sisters.