by Angela Lain
“Mr. Jasper Kendrick.”
“Ahh.”
“Ahh?”
“I see. I…” April paused to consider for a moment, but there was no easy way to admit this. “I am travelling to Feather Hill in the hope of meeting someone too. In truth, things are a little complicated. I saw Mr. Kendrick’s advertisement three days ago, and since he lives only sixty miles from my hometown, and the advert was placed many weeks ago, I did not write a letter. Instead I thought to take a chance. Now it seems I will be too late, since you have already accepted the position.”
“Oh good gracious. Fancy travelling without telling him! Whatever did your family say?”
“That is rather the point. I have no-one, my father recently died and I have lost my home. I had nowhere to go. Feather Hill seemed as good a place as any.”
“I see.” Melody was eyeing her speculatively.
“Rest assured I will make no move to engage Mr. Kendrick in any way. I will merely be your travelling companion.”
“Why did you lose your home?”
“Because my father was a drunk, and in the end the town saw me as little more than the daughter of a drunk. After my mother died he stopped caring for the farm and took to drink. I tried my best to keep things running, but he spent the money, mortgaged the house and died when he fell off his horse, drunk.” April stated flatly. There was little point in trying to gild the lily.
Melody sighed. “I may as well tell you, since we both seem to be in a bit of a bind. I was a school teacher, but I was dismissed.”
That sounded bad. April knew she raised her eyebrows at the confession, school teachers were generally beyond reproach.
“I know! You don’t need to look at me that way. I transgressed. School teachers have to sign a contract to say they will have no gentleman friends. Realistically, that is very restrictive, because what girl doesn’t want to marry at some point? There was a gentleman who showed an interest. There was never anything untoward, but he was… courting me, although we could never truly be seen together. Therefore we met up in secret, which made it all seem sordid.”
“And somebody found out?”
“They did, and I was reported to the school board, and dismissed. I didn’t honestly believe it was that bad when it happened, because Timothy had declared he wanted to marry me, but as soon as I was dismissed, he suddenly became distant, and said I was not fit to be his wife! It seems he was only interested while I was unavailable, I wasn’t wealthy enough to really be the woman for him!”
“Oh dear.”
“Yes, but it gets worse. After I was dismissed, and thrown over by Mr. Timothy Bardsley, who was the bank manager’s son, I might as well have had a red stripe painted down my back. I was the town’s scarlet woman.” She sighed. “No doubt I will have to admit all this to Mr. Kendrick.”
“I won’t tell if you don’t,” April offered.
“Maybe, but is it right to start with lies?”
She did have a point. April joined her with a sigh. “At least you are heading to Feather Hill because you were asked to go there, I am just taking a chance. How will that look? And I too am less than desirable, as the daughter of the town drunk.”
“What if he likes you better than me?” Melody murmured.
“Unlikely, you are both younger and prettier. Anyhow, I would never take him if you want him, you are the mail-order bride, I am now your companion.”
“But if he prefers you to me, then I don’t want him either! I want a man who wants me.”
“If we are looking to be mail-order brides, what are the chances of any sort of love match?” April mused. “Are we doomed?”
Melody giggled. “Honestly, April, I know what you are saying should be worrying, but since I’ve met you I feel so much better about all this. We will get through it together, and hopefully come out the other end as happy brides.”
“We can only hope that if one man in town needs a wife, there are others,” April agreed. “All we can do is trust in the Lord.”
“And if neither of us like him, or like the place, at least we now have a friend, maybe we can move on together and find a place to call home?”
CHAPTER FIVE
The following morning saw them mounting into the coach on an inclement morning. The journey was not something April was anticipating with pleasure, there were intermittent snow flurries and a freezing wind penetrated the coach interior. She wished she’d had the forethought to bring a blanket, instead they all suffered together.
There was no opportunity for friendly conversation, the ride was rough and bumpy, and they spent much of their time trying not to be bounced from their seats. She and Melody huddled together and chatted in a desultory fashion.
“April, I know we’ve only just met, but I feel as if it has been much longer. Think how much worse this would have been if we had not been friends? At least we can try to stay a little warmer this way.”
April could only agree, and pray that the misery would soon come to an end.
The light was fading as they finally pulled up before the stage station in Feather Hill. The snow was still blowing across the roadway.
“Here we are,” Melody remarked in a rather strained voice. Obviously she was trying to sound optimistic and enthusiastic, but truthfully they were cold, hungry and tired. April was feeling apprehensive, and she could hardly blame Melody for feeling the same. In a few moments, assuming her arrival today was expected, she should meet the man who was supposed to become her husband.
They were assisted from the coach by the guard.
April looked around, there was no obvious welcoming committee, unless…
Standing under the shelter of the sidewalk veranda was a tall man. April hazarded a guess that he was around thirty years of age, with dark curls and a body which looked like that of a prize fighter. In a land where most men were fit and strong, he exceeded expectations. He was sinfully handsome, along with the dark hair, chocolate brown eyes and the muscles, he was enough to make a lady’s knees weak.
April felt her heart do a slow somersault.
Who was he? Please don’t let this be Jasper Kendrick. She had promised Melody she would stay out of the way, not admit her reasons for coming, but if this was Jasper Kendrick, she would die a little inside.
He stepped towards them. “Excuse me, are either of you Miss Melody Jacobs?”
April felt her heart shrivel just a little.
Melody dipped a small bob of a curtsey.
“I am Miss Melody. And you, I presume, are Mr. Jasper Kendrick?”
“Well… actually, no. I am Harley Kendrick, his brother. I am here to take you to the ranch.” His eyes flicked to April.
“Oh, I see,” Melody didn’t sound as if she saw at all, she sounded rather flustered, and who could blame her? Had she too looked, and fallen a little in love at first sight, only to have her hopes dashed a few seconds later?
“Umm, this is my friend and travelling companion, Miss April Cousins,” she said. “I hope it will be all right if she accompanies me for a day or two? Travelling alone is not pleasant, and, well… I am moving into an unknown situation here. I felt I needed the moral support.”
Mr. Harley Kendrick did not seem overly impressed with the idea. He fixed April with a steely stare. She raised her chin and stared back at him.
“Good evening to you, Mr. Kendrick. Are we to travel to the ranch to meet your brother this evening, or will we be staying in town?” She wasn’t about to apologize. Maybe she shouldn’t be here, but neither should he! If his brother had requested a mail-order bride, surely he should be the one here to greet her? No matter that this brother was as handsome as sin, the man who requested a wife should be here.
“I suppose it will be best if we travel to the ranch,” he replied after a few seconds of silence. “I have a buggy waiting just along the street, I am sorry it only has a canopy to keep off the snow.” He moved forward to collect their bags.
“I am sorry there is so much lugga
ge,” Melody stammered.
“No matter, I can manage,” he grunted.
April, however, was ready for that. She stepped forward and collected her own two bags, and Melody’s small one. That left Melody’s trunk, and a slightly larger bag.
“We are not incapable,” she flicked a glance at Melody, who responded by picking up her second bag. “If you can deal with the trunk, and escort us to the buggy, we will be fine.”
He gave another grunt, presumably of agreement, seized the trunk and lifted it onto his shoulder.
Melody gasped at this feat of strength, April was equally impressed, but she tried not to show it. Her opinion of their handsome escort had already undergone adjustment. Handsome is as handsome does, character and behavior were a whole lot more important than appearance. Mr. Harley Kendrick’s manners left quite a lot to be desired.
They mounted into the buggy and set off out of the small town in the gathering darkness.
“Is it far to the ranch?” Melody queried apprehensively.
“No, only three miles. We will soon be out of the wind.”
Silence fell, only the beat of the pony’s hooves rang out over the wind.
“I’m sorry about the weather,” he offered a few moments later.
“The weather is something over which you have no control,” April returned. “We have been travelling through the cold and the snow all day, a few more minutes matters little. I can only hope we find a warm welcome at the other end.”
Silence descended on the buggy once again.
***
Harley sent the pony on as fast as he dared in the growing dusk and flying snowflakes. He had rehearsed this meeting over and over in his head, and nothing about it had occurred as he had expected. He hadn’t sorted all the details, but from her three letters, Miss Melody Jacobs had seemed a meek and biddable young woman.
He had thought she would be relieved to arrive, that he would explain the situation, she would accept his reasons and he would take her to meet Jasper. He had never envisioned two young women landing metaphorically in his lap. It had taken him no more than ten seconds to realize that Miss Cousins, with her mid-brown hair and grey eyes, was far from a biddable young woman. She was probably his own age, and she was a strong lady, you could see it in her manner, and hear it in her voice. If she was Miss Jacob’s companion, and here to guard her well-being, there would be little chance of talking the lady into something which was not to her advantage. Harley was fairly certain Miss Cousins would veto any arrangement which was not scrupulously fair.
To be fair, he had never wanted to take advantage of a young woman, he had merely wanted to settle his brother with a wife, and a mother for Cody. No more, no less.
Would the blonde and dainty-looking Miss Jacobs accept the offer? Would Miss Cousins let her? Or had she got some designs on becoming a wife and mother, and taking up residence on a profitable ranch?
Harley was certain of one thing, he did not trust Miss Cousins.
***
Melody broke the silence once again, and asked the pertinent question.
“Why did Mr. Kendrick, that is your brother, not come to meet me?”
“Because he has to take care of his son, Cody,” Harley Kendrick hesitated for a few seconds, “and because… he doesn’t know you are coming.”
“Pardon? What did you say?” Melody squeaked.
“He… doesn’t know you are coming.”
“But… he sent me the tickets, I wrote him and told him I would come. How could he not know?”
“He didn’t write the letters, or send the tickets, I did it for him.”
“Without his knowledge?” April demanded. “You asked Melody to come here, supposedly to marry your brother, and he doesn’t know about it?”
Melody caught her hand and moved closer. April could hear her breathing, and she was close to tears.
Harley hadn’t answered her question, obviously he considered it pointless.
“How could you?” April retorted angrily. “How could you deceive a young woman into coming here under false pretenses? Why would you…?”
“Because I love my brother, and I love my nephew, and they need a woman. Cody misses his mother so badly, he needs another mother. I tried to talk to Jasper about it, but he wasn’t listening, I know this is what is best for him.”
“For him! What about Melody?”
“She answered to be a mail-order bride, what does it matter who it is?”
“Because you deceived her! She thought she was talking to your brother, instead it was you. That is not the same at all. What you think you brother needs, may not be what he wants, or is prepared to accept.”
Melody began to cry quietly, April squeezed her hand. “It’s all right. We will get through this.” She addressed Harley once again. “Maybe you should take us straight back to town.”
“No. We are here. She needs to meet Jasper and Cody.”
“She is right here, and you need to ask her if she is still willing to meet them!” April snapped.
The buggy had pulled up in the yard opposite the front porch of the house. A light gleamed within. The snow billowed around, making it hard to see across the yard. April was fairly sure she could see a large barn and stables, and pole corrals too.
Harley turned to address Melody.
“Please, come inside and get warm, and meet Jasper and his son. You must be cold and hungry.” His gaze turned to April. “Please, give this a chance?”
What could she say? It looked as if they were stuck here for a while, even if they went back to town later tonight, warmth and food were available here, and they needed both.
CHAPTER SIX
Harley ushered them both into the porch, and thence into the main room of the house.
The large kitchen had a range and a bread oven beneath the wide chimney. A table and chairs occupied the center of the room, while two easy chairs stood to the side of the fireplace. A small child sat in a high chair at the table, and his fractious wails ceased as they entered the room, he stared at them with his mouth agape.
A dark man was bent over the stove, stoking the fire.
“You’re late, I’ve not had chance to do the supper again, Cody has been really upset. Eggs and bacon will have to do.”
“Err, not really,” Harley returned in a dubious tone.
The man, presumably his brother, turned and started back in surprise.
“What on earth…? Who are your friends, Harley?”
Harley cleared his throat. “May I introduce Miss Melody Jacobs, and Miss April Cousins? Ladies, may I introduce my brother Mr. Jasper Kendrick.”
“Pleased to meet you, ladies,” Jasper returned automatically. Both girls murmured a response. Jasper fixed his gaze on his brother. “Pardon, but why are they here?”
Harley winced. “It’s a long story, but we need to sit and talk. We need coffee, and… is there really no supper?”
“You know how hard it is, Cody is so difficult at this time of day. I can’t seem to get things done. If I leave him he screams and…”
April and Melody had already exchanged glances. This seemed down to them, right from the word go.
April interrupted the excuses. “If you show me where the fixings are kept, I will make us some supper.”
Jasper stared at her in disbelief, as Melody continued, “And I will take charge of the little man for a while, if that would be acceptable?”
“I… umm… well… if you would be so kind.”
Melody stepped forward, shedding her coat and thrusting it at Harley with a rather haughty glare, then she cooed gently at the little boy, who immediately extend his arms to her to be picked up. Within ten seconds he was in her arms and snuggling into her neck.
“He needs changing,” she stated flatly.
“Umm, the diapers are in there, first on the right.” Jasper pointed at the door beside the chimney breast.
With no more ado, Melody vanished through the door.
April shed
her coat and added it to Melody’s, still held in Harley’s arms.
“Where is the food? And the coffee? And the cups and plates?”
Jasper wordlessly directed her to the cupboards and sink at the far end of the room. April swiftly took stock, and removed a large bowl from the cupboard, along with the flour. Biscuits wouldn’t take long, if there was just egg and bacon, biscuits would make it a meal.
She caught Jasper’s words as she began her task.
“Gee, brother, where on earth did you find them?”
She saw Harley wave his brother into the easy chair, and he pulled one of the stools close so they could talk without her overhearing. On balance, she wasn’t surprised, and she couldn’t say she blamed him either!
***
“Look, Jasper, I know this is a bit sudden,” Harley murmured in a low voice, “and I know you said you would think about this, but I decided you needed to act, not think.”
“About what?”
“A new wife, a mother for Cody.”
“I told you…”
“I know you did, but I think you need to consider this, properly. Miss Jacobs has come here with the idea of becoming you wife, if things should suit.”
“You sent for a mail-order bride for me without telling me?”
“I did tell you. I told you it was a good idea, then I got on and did it.”
“But…”
“But nothing, you need to give it a chance. Talk to her, get to know her. You’ve already seen how Cody wanted to go to her, instantly. You need her.”
“I don’t.” Jasper returned stubbornly.
“You do. Give the girl a chance.”
Jasper took a deep breath. “Which one?”
“Miss Jacobs, Melody, the blonde girl.”
“So what about the other one? She is for you?”
“Of course not. You know I don’t want to marry. She is Miss Jacob’s companion.”
“And they are both here, now. Where are they spending the night? Have you thought of that?”