The Deceptive Bride: The Ladies Club of Laramie. Book 10

by West, Everly

  “Is that a threat, Caleb? I’m surprised, you know. I didn’t think you had the spine.” Victoria tried to demean him and make him feel inferior to her. It was another trick she used to keep him in line. It wasn’t going to work this time.

  “Say what you will, Victoria, but I’m filing for divorce and you won’t contest it. Melody stays with me and you get no support. Are we clear?”

  “How dare you try to take my daughter—”

  “Oh knock it off, Victoria. You don’t give a damn about Melody. You haven’t seen her in months, and you haven’t asked about her once since you arrived. You’ll sign the papers, Victoria, or I’ll have the law waiting on you and your lover when you get back to St. Louis. You can count on it.”

  Her eyes squinted into cat-like slits. “You wouldn’t dare create such a scandal. I wouldn’t be able to hold up my head in St. Louis.”

  “I don’t give a damn about your social standing. That’s the deal. Sign the divorce papers or go to jail for conspiring to steal money you had no right to.”

  She refused to answer. Just then, a familiar face entered the dining room. “Stay here. There’s someone I need to talk to.” Caleb rose and made his way through the crowded dining room to the table of Judge William E. Baker. “Excuse me, Mr. Baker. Could I have a moment of your time?”

  Levi’s friend looked up and stood. “Of course. Please sit down, Caleb. What can I do for you?” Caleb took a seat and Judge Baker sat back down. “I know you don’t know me, but I have a favor to ask.” Caleb’s heart punched his ribs at using his friendship with Levi to ask a favor of a federal judge, but his back was against the wall.

  “Of course, I’ll do what I can.” Judge Baker studied him from across the table, his face open and friendly.

  “I need a divorce.”

  The man sat back in surprise. “Divorce? I thought your wife was deceased.”

  “It’s a long story and I won’t bore you with the sordid details, but she’s alive and well and sitting right over there.” He pointed to where Victoria was sitting, just as the waitress brought her a glass and bottle of Champaign. Caleb grimaced at her extravagance.

  “I see. And I suppose this situation is known to Levi and his wife?” Caleb could see understanding on the man’s face. One didn’t get to be a federal judge by being stupid, that much was obvious.

  “Yes, they are aware as well as Miss Dufossé.” He didn’t elaborate.

  “I see,” he repeated himself.

  “I want divorce papers drawn up so she can sign them before she leaves town. I don’t trust her to keep her promise once she’s out of my sight.”

  “Well, I do have a college friend who is practicing law in St. Louis. And, I suppose I could make a few inquiries into who would be hearing your case and granting your petition for divorce.”

  “I’d like this to move along as quickly as possible. How much will this cost?” Caleb mentally tallied how much money he would have left after he paid for the horses and his mercantile bill.

  “I think I can call in a few favors. After all, any friend of Levi’s is a friend of mine.”

  “I’m not sure Levi considers me a friend any longer. Not after I lied about my situation.”

  “I’d like to hear the whole story before I decide, if you don’t mind.” Levi’s voice reached his ears just before he pulled up a chair at the table and sat down.

  Grateful for the chance to explain, he told Levi and Will Baker the whole sordid story. The surprise note at the train station. Needing someone to care for Melody. The misunderstanding resulting in his hiring Arielle. The lies to protect them both. And finally about the day he realized he had fallen in love with her.

  After half an hour, Levi agreed Caleb could have handled the situation better, but he understood the difficult position he was in. And he couldn’t guarantee that hearing his explanation would mean Eva would absolve him of his transgressions against her cousin.

  Judge Baker agreed to have the divorce petition drawn up that afternoon. He’d get Victoria to sign and then send her on her way back to St. Louis. Melody would never know her mother had slithered into town.

  He thanked his friends and walked back over to the table. Victoria was deep in the bottle of Champaign by then. “Caleb, darling. Why don’t we go up to my room and have a little fun,” she cooed.

  “I’ll be up later with the divorce petition for you to sign. After that, Victoria, you and I are done.” He threw down money to pay for the meal and walked out. If he never laid eyes on that woman again, it would be too damn soon. He sent up a special prayer for Mr. And Mrs. Bishop. Her parents were gonna need all the help they could get dealing with their very unhappy and self-serving daughter.

  Now, all he had to do was rebuild his life—without the woman he loved—Arielle Dufossé.

  13

  Arielle had been gone from Laramie almost two weeks before her things from the ranch finally arrived in Boston. After the great reunion scene played out in Eva's main parlor between Caleb—the man she had convinced herself was her happy-ever-after—and his not so arrived to take her back to Boston.

  During those two weeks, she had replayed the scene between Caleb and his wife over and over and over again. It was apparent, even to a brainless dimwit, that Caleb Montgomery’s wife was not now, nor had she ever been deceased.

  She threw another pillow across the room. Unfortunately, it hit her twin sister square in the face as she entered Arielle’s bedroom.

  “Don’t you think you’ve moped enough about that cowboy of yours?” Her sister threw the pillow back at her and she batted it away.

  “He’s not my cowboy, remember. He has a wife.” Her rancor evident in her sarcasm.

  Her sister sat next to her on the settee. Her sympathetic gaze made Arielle feel remorse for treating her sister so shabbily. It wasn’t Arianne’s fault Caleb was a low-down snake in the grass.

  “Arielle, why won’t you go to the Bayfields’ garden party with me. It isn’t too late to add one more guest to the acceptance list. I know Mrs. Bayfield won’t mind one bit if you come with me.”

  Arianne had begged her to come to every social event she was attending. Arielle just didn’t have the heart for it. Not after her fairy tale turned into a nightmare straight from hell.

  “For the last time, Arianne. I do not wish to go to a garden party. Or a dance. Or any other such gathering where there are men present. I don’t have the strength or the patience to pretend I give a care about their silly chatter.

  I’m over my fairy tale ending. There’s no such thing, as you once pointed out. So, there you have it. You were right and I was wrong. End of subject. Now will you please leave me in peace?”

  Her sister pulled her hand into hers. “Arielle, I understand you are disappointed in your cowboy, but in all sincerity, did you really think a man like that would play fair with you? He’s a cowboy. They are drifters. And they are always dirty. Why I’ve seen them on the streets of Boston when the rodeo comes to town. They roll around in the street punching at each other.

  “They smell of sweaty horses and they have the most ungodly things stuck to the bottom of their dirty boots. It is all so disgusting. I don’t know how you stood it so long. Now, if you had found someone like Eva's husband—a handsome businessman—then perhaps I would have championed your petition to marry him, but as it is...”

  Arielle thought about setting her sister straight. She could explain to her that Caleb was no ordinary cowboy. He was an educated man whose father owned a bank in St. Louis. But then her sister would point out that he was still a lying no good heart stealer. Besides, it no longer mattered.

  “Don’t worry about championing my cause, sister, because I don’t have one. I’ve already given father my approval to send word to Maximillian that I have accepted his proposal of marriage. The date for our wedding has been set for late-September. So everything is settled and that is another reason why I have no desire to parade around like a pretty pony on display waiting for
the highest bidder at your garden party.” Arielle didn’t try to hide her sarcasm from her sister.

  “There’s no need to be nasty about it. Just because your misplaced idea of romance has been dashed by an uncouth cowboy, doesn’t mean everyone’s has. I have always been the practical one and it has served me well. I told you one day your willingness to let the wind blow you where it may would bring chaos to your world. And it is quite unfortunate, dear sister, but it seems my prediction has come true. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a garden party to attend.”

  Arianne moved to rise, but Arielle kept hold of her hand. “My dear, dear sister. I apologize for my bad temper. You don’t deserve my acrimony. Please, go to your garden party and have a wonderful time. And I hope you find someone who will make you deliriously happy.”

  Arianne kissed her on her cheek. “You are forgiven. Now I must go, or I shall be late. There is a certain someone who has, in fact, caught my eye.”

  Alone once more, Arielle pondered the days spent at the ranch and how happy she had been living with Caleb and Melody. She wondered how Melody was getting on with her momma these days. She hoped the woman had a change of heart and realized what a very lucky woman she was to have a husb—a daughter such as sweet little Melody.

  “Arielle, the dressmaker is here to measure you for your wedding dress. Please meet me in the grand parlor in half an hour, s'il vous plaît.”

  “Yes, Mother.” Her mother blew her a kiss and closed her door. “I’ve got nothing better to do,” Arielle mumbled under her breath.

  She stood and walked across her bedroom to the vanity and sat on the upholstered stool taking up her solid silver brush. The reflection of herself staring back at her was one she was becoming familiar with since she returned from Laramie.

  Dark half-moons rested beneath her once lively brown eyes. Now, they were dull and lifeless with no spark of life in their murky depths. Thoughts of Caleb’s arms around her. His lips caressing her mouth made her weak with desire. It was a fairy tale summer, but it was all an illusion she created in her mind. That Caleb didn’t exist. The only thing that was real was her feelings for him.

  It had only taken her a month to fall head over heels in love with the handsome horse rancher from Laramie, Wyoming Territory, but it would take her a lifetime to forget him. And now she had all the time in the world because she was getting married in two months.

  * * *

  Caleb sat on his big covered porch alone and stared at the finished fence surrounding the pasture where his new shipment of prime brood mares grazed in the knee-high tall grass. He had everything he had ever wanted. This ranch. A beautiful daughter. Money in the bank. And, thanks to Judge Baker, a divorce from one Miss Victoria Bishop Montgomery. It had taken the last two months to acquire it, but it was signed, sealed, and legal. Now, all he needed was a second chance for happiness, but that wasn’t gonna happen.

  He refused to think about what could have been between him and Arielle. And, he supposed it no longer mattered. She was beyond his reach.

  Over the last two months, he had sent her twelve telegrams and ten hand-written letters trying to explain what went wrong. He admitted to being a scoundrel. A cad. A blackguard. And any other names he could come up with. Nothing mattered. All of his telegrams went unanswered even though the telegraph office in Boston assured him the messages had been delivered. All of his letters were returned unopened with the words ‘no one at this address by that name’ scribbled in Arielle’s distinctive handwriting.

  Melody had cried herself to sleep for two weeks after Caleb had tried to explain to his daughter why she was gone. At least, as much as he could explain to a four-year-old. She had hugged him and whispered through her tears, “You were right, Papa. Arielle was so sad she couldn’t fix momma being sick, she left us all alone.” His daughter’s words nearly broke his heart.

  He had hired another caretaker for Melody, but it wasn’t the same. Oh, the woman was capable of cooking and cleaning, but Melody no longer laughed or skipped as she had when Arielle was here. His little girl did her chores when asked and studied her lessons without protest, but there was no joy in her blue eyes anymore. There was a sadness about her that a little girl her age should never experience. As her father, all the blame lay at his feet.

  Caleb sat on the porch swing and closed his eyes to allow himself a walk back in time. He wanted to remember how it felt to hold Arielle close and kiss her under the wild, star-filled sky high above his ranch. He wanted to lay her down and...

  The sound of a horse and carriage coming down the road pulled him back to the present. He squinted to see who would be visiting him this late in the afternoon. It looked like Levi and Eva was with him. This can’t be good. He hadn’t spoken to Eva since the day Victoria surprised them all. What could this mean?

  He stepped off the porch and into the yard waiting for what, he had no idea. Whatever Eva had to say to him, he deserved it all.

  The carriage slowed to a trot and then Levi pulled the horse to a stop in front of the hitching post. “Good afternoon, Caleb.”

  “Levi. What brings you two out my way?”

  Levi stepped down and helped his wife from the carriage. “Eva had something she wanted to give you. Something that couldn’t wait it seems.”

  He turned to Eva while Levi tied the horse to the hitching post. “Eva.” He didn’t know what to say so he left it up to her to start the conversation.

  “Caleb, I have a bone to pick with you.” She walked up the steps and onto to his porch and waited for him to follow. She entered his house and expected him and Levi to follow. He cast a questioning look at Levi who simply shrugged and urged him to go inside. He obliged.

  “Can I offer you something to drink? Or eat?” He wasn’t certain what he should do, so he offered Eva and Levi a seat. He took up his position by the fireplace, his arm on the mantel. He felt more in control standing. A quicker getaway he supposed was behind his reasoning. He took a deep breath and reopened the wound. “You said you have a bone to pick with me? I can guess what that might be.”

  “Let’s get right to the crux of the matter. Do you love Arielle or don’t you?” Her words blunt and to the point.

  “Uh, what?” That was not what he had been expecting her to say.

  “Are you, or are you not, in love with my cousin?” Eva demanded an answer.

  “Well, of course, I’m in love with her,” Caleb admitted with caution. Was this a trick question? Was Levi here to shoot him after all?

  “Then why haven’t you gone after her?”

  “I—did. I sent her dozens of telegrams and letters. She won’t answer me.” His explanation sounded weak even to his own ears.

  “Well, then do something about it.” Eva glared at him making him pull at the collar of his shirt.

  “Like what? She has made it clear she doesn’t want to hear anything I have to say.” He tried again to explain and Arielle was not receptive anyway.

  “Have you tried to go to Boston and bring her back?”

  “Go to Boston? What good would that do? Her father would probably shoot me on sight. I thought perhaps if I gave her some time to calm down, she might be more receptive—”

  “You don’t have time.” Eva reached into her reticle. Caleb winced, certain it was a loaded derringer. Instead, she pulled out a cream-colored envelope and handed it to him.

  He took it and frowned in confusion. “What is this?”

  “Open it up and read it.” Eva insisted.

  He pulled the seal off the back and opened the envelope. There was a card of sorts inside. He pulled it out and read it. Suddenly, his heart leaped into his throat making it hard to breathe. “It’s a wedding invitation. For Arielle.” He forced the words past his lips.

  “That’s right. It’s a wedding invitation for Arielle and Maximillian Dubois. As you can see by the date, it is in three weeks. Apparently, my invitation was delayed, and I only just received it today. My question is what are you going to do about it?�
��

  Caleb stared at the engraved names on the offending paper. Arielle Dufossé and Maximillian Dubois. What kind of name is that? Arielle was getting married to a man named Maximillian.

  “Well?” Eva's words stabbed at his pain.

  “Well, what? What do you expect me to do?” He held the invitation up and then crushed it between his fists.

  “I expect you to declare your love for my cousin and sweep her off her feet. That’s what I expect you to do. Now, I’ve already made arrangements for Melody to come stay with us in town. Levi has hired another housekeeper for you who can start work tomorrow. She, and her husband, will help Jeremy keep your ranch running smoothly in your absence. Levi will come to check on things periodically. Until you get back.

  “I’ve taken the liberty of purchasing you a round trip ticket to Boston. It leaves tomorrow morning, eight o’clock sharp.” She handed him the ticket and turned to her husband. “Levi, I think we should be returning to town. Caleb has a lot of things to prepare before tomorrow morning.”

  She turned to him once again. “Bring Melody by the house on the way to the train station. And, Mr. Montgomery.” Eva stabbed him with her eyes. “Do not return to Laramie without my cousin, are we clear on the matter?” She smiled at him.

  “Yes, ma’am.” Caleb grinned back and sent Levi a silent thank you. His friend must have worked long and hard to get his wife to forgive Caleb after what he had done.

  Levi and Eva returned to Laramie and Caleb got busy. He notified Jeremy he would be gone for a few weeks and help was on the way. Any problems that came up could be taken up with Levi Copper until Caleb returned.

  He packed Melody enough clothes to last for two weeks. Then he packed his own bags and readied for bed. He finally forced himself to sleep somewhere in the wee hours of morning.

  Morning did come early, but he was up and ready in no time. With final instructions for his employees, he loaded an excited Melody into the carriage and headed to town. He didn’t know whether Arielle would give him time to explain when he arrived in Boston unexpectedly, but he was going to give it one hell of a try before he accepted defeat.