“Simply because I do not have any kind of certificate right now, it doesn’t mean that I can’t get one in the future,” she said flatly.
He laughed, and she could see by the look in his eyes that he was mocking her.
“And I suppose you are just going to find that money lying about somewhere? I am still waiting for you to pay me back like you so strongly insisted that you were going to, so where are you going to get the money to pay for your teacher training?” All the feelings of sentiment and attachment she thought she had been feeling toward Chase quickly left, and she had to fold her hands on her lap to keep from saying something she was going to regret.
“I never said that I was going to become a school teacher, I said that I could become one if I so chose,” she spat. He looked at her from across the buggy and laughed once more, clearly pleased he had annoyed her so strongly.
“Or, I suppose I might become a governess, and teach little boys and girls how to grow up and show respect to those around them!” She added as she flipped her hair over her shoulder. His laughter died down, and he put his hand on her knee. She glanced up at him, even more shocked that he would touch her in such a familiar way.
“I apologize, I didn’t mean to offend you, and I bet you could manage as a governess. Although, I might add, we are in Wyoming territory, and you aren’t going to find many people out here who are going to be looking to raise their children to be princes and princesses. Out here, we raise our children to survive.” He picked up the reins and pulled back, guiding the horse back onto the road.
“I could survive!” Charity said, taking offense at his implication. He looked over at her with an incredulous grin, and she knew that he didn’t believe her. Not only that, but he didn’t even bother trying to hide that he didn’t believe her. He was perfectly happy to make a mockery of her and what she said she was going to do, and Charity didn’t know how to handle it. It angered and annoyed her, but at the same time, she knew that it what he wanted.
He wanted to get a rise out of her and prove that she was no lady—that she was just like everyone else he had ever had any interest in.
“I’m sure, if you had the right people taking care of you, you could survive,” he said with a smirk. Charity gave him another look to show him just how unamused she was, but she turned her attention to the road, doing her best to ignore him. Her thoughts were spinning so quickly, it was difficult for her to keep up with any one of them. Chase was unlike any man she had ever met—there was a part of him that was a gentleman, raised among those with money, but there was another part of him that made her believe he could do anything.
She could imagine he wouldn’t be afraid to get in a scrap with a wild animal or an outlaw for that matter. He was self-assured and knew what he was doing, especially when it came to horses. As much as she hated to admit it, even to herself, he wasn’t quite what she expected when she moved onto the property—but she wasn’t going to let her guard down.
Once a rich man, always a rich man, and it didn’t matter to her how well he could drive cattle or sit in a saddle—deep down inside, it was all for show. That’s all he cared about, and that’s all she would be for him, too.
Just another object to show off to the world.
Chapter 8
By the end of the second week of Charity living on the property, Chase had grown used to her being there. The meals were still awkward for them, especially when they were eaten with either—or both—of Chase’s parents. It was rare for his father to wish to eat with them, he often ate alone in his room or with his wife, but seldom did he come to enjoy a meal with his son and whom he believed to be his future daughter-in-law.
Chase didn’t mind that his father rarely ate with them, and he would have preferred that his mother didn’t, either, but he knew that he couldn’t say anything about it, or he would raise her suspicion. He often thought by the way Charity behaved when his mother was around that she, too, preferred Mrs. Cunningham refrained from eating with them, but she also knew that there was nothing either of them could do about it.
Although Chase spent much of his time working the land—riding with the other hired hands to check the perimeter fences, driving the cattle from one part of the property to another, and tending to the horses, he did take the time to pay attention to what Charity was doing—and how she was feeling. Though he firmly believed she was only behaving as a lady to make him believe he had lost their wager, he also wanted to make sure she was comfortable at the house.
It was difficult for him to know exactly how she was feeling, as she was so often sarcastic and short with him when he asked if there was anything he could fetch for her, but he refused to give up. Most often, he found the greatest pleasure when he would find her off on her own. It was then that she would do things that she never would do if someone else were present, and on those rare occasions, he felt that he was getting an idea of what the real Charity was like.
But, there was another part of him that always felt as though he was spying on her when he did that, so he would be careful not to do it often. Her room was on the far end of the hall, and he never went near her door himself. If there was anything he wished to say to her, he would wait until she was out in one of the main rooms of the house, or he would send either Olga or Liza to fetch her for him.
Though Chase would have preferred that he only paid attention to his work on the property, he couldn’t help but notice he enjoyed paying attention to her and what she was doing. There was something about Charity that was simply riveting, and though he couldn’t quite place his finger on what it was, he did take notice.
But, there was still that voice inside him that reminded him of what happened with Annabelle, and he wasn’t about to open up his life to any woman who could potentially hurt him the way she had. He had learned his lesson once, and he wasn’t going to make the same mistake again. Every time he felt that his heart might be softening toward her, he quickly reminded himself of what happened the last time he did that, and he felt his emotions stop. He didn’t have time for the silly notion of love anyway—he had an estate to run, and that was what he would focus on.
With spring on the way, he was in the market for new colts and foals. His father had often told him that the best horses were the horses that were raised on the property they were working—and as he didn’t yet have enough horses to start his own lineage, he was forced to bring in fresh stock every year.
He wished there was a better way he could communicate with Troy over in Europe, and that there was a way they could work together to get better bloodlines on the estate. It was hard enough not knowing where his brother was or how he was doing with the task he had undertaken, but it was even harder not knowing which or what kinds of horses he himself should take onto the property.
Of course, if he did it right, he could end up with a good stock of horses that were better than any of the others in the world. It would take patience, luck, and good breeding, but he knew he could manage that if he tried.
Chase was determined to always bring in the top bloodlines. His family could afford it, and it mattered not to him what anyone else said. If he thought a horse wasn’t worth the price, he wouldn’t pay it—and if he did, then he would.
To Chase, it was that simple. Either he got the animal or he didn’t. And, if he were to ever get a horse that didn’t fit in with the flow of the home, he would either sell the creature or have it put down. The estate was not a place to have pets, and he wasn’t going to allow animals he deemed to be useless to live there for any reason.
Chase did notice, however, Charity seemed to take a great interest in all discussions about purchasing new horses. She never would volunteer her opinion when the topic came up at the dinner table, but it was clear she was very interested in what was being said all around.
“Have you spoken with Mr. Harper about the red line of horses his mares threw last year?” Mrs. Cunningham asked one night. Chase was in the middle of carving the slice of ham on his pl
ate, and he shook his head.
“I want to, but I hear that he is charging quite a bit for the stallion—which so happens to be the one that I want,” he replied. He took a bite of his dinner, and Scarlett looked at him with inquisitive eyes.
“And how much is a lot, exactly?” she asked simply. He shrugged as he took another bite, and too his time answering. Out of the corner of his eye, Chase could see that Charity was watching him and his mother, but she was trying to be discreet about it. He wondered what she thought of the entire thing.
“I know he’s asking several hundred dollars for one of them, and the older one even more than that,” he said with a sigh.
“If the animals are worth it, isn’t it a smart move?” his mother prompted, but Chase once again merely shrugged. He could see by the way her face fell each time he shrugged that she was more in agreement with his mother than him, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but wonder how she could have any kind of opinion at all.
“The animals might be worth it if I was more worried about speed than I am endurance, but you know how hard the winters can be here, and how many times one of the men has had to spend the night out in the woods—just doing his best to stay warm with the wind howling and the snow blowing.” Chase made a gesture toward the window as he spoke, and his mother nodded. There was silence in the room for a moment, but then she spoke once more.
“Of course, that was before we put up the northern fence. You know no one goes as far as the actual woods these days—not even the cattle can make it out that far without something happening to the fence.” She smiled as she sat back in her seat, and Chase nodded.
“I know, and what happens if I use this breeding stock, then in another year or two there is something wrong with the fence? I can’t have hired hands out there looking around for cattle in the snow with a blizzard on the way! I need horses that I know are going to be able to handle it no matter what happens—come Hell or high water.” He glanced from his mother to Charity, and noticed that Charity quickly dropped her eyes when he looked at her.
“And what do you have to say about this?” his mother suddenly asked, surprising them both. Charity looked up in alarm, looking first at Chase then back at Scarlett.
“Oh, I don’t really know that I have anything to say about it. I’m sure Chase knows what he is doing when it comes to buying horses.” She smiled nervously from one to the other, then turned her attention back to her dinner. Chase didn’t know what came over him, but he suddenly wanted to know what her opinion on the matter really was.
“Even still, I would like to hear your opinion on the matter. You will be the mistress of this house one day, so you ought to know not only how to manage the house, but a thing or two about what animals are going to be brought into service.” Chase used a surprisingly gentle tone with Charity, genuinely interested in what she had to say on the matter.
He felt that it was a good chance to get her input into his world, and perhaps show her that she wasn’t entirely right about her assumption of the wealthy. After all, he knew that she hadn’t had the best exposure to wealthy men or even wealthy women in the past, and he wanted to prove to her that they weren’t all the same. He was still surprised himself that he cared so much what she thought on the matter, but at the same time, since he did, he was going to make sure he got her opinion.
If he had been one of the “rich” Charity had referred to in the East, he would have stood against the war—though somehow, Charity would be convinced the war was all his fault still. He could only do wrong in her eyes. Charity looked from him to his mother and back again, and she took a long drink of her wine before she replied.
“I would have to agree with Chase. If there are going to be animals on this property—and they are animals that the hired hands are going to be relying on through the summer as well as the winter, then it is best that they are ready to handle the change in the seasons.” She smiled at Chase, and though she was doing her best to make it warm, he could see her trying to hide her nerves behind it. He encouraged her with a much more comfortable smile of his own.
He didn’t want her to always feel uncomfortable around him, and he felt that one of the best ways to help her out of her shell was to urge her to open up and express her opinions—even if he didn’t agree with them.
“So, are you saying that you think I should purchase the animal or not? That is what I was asking you in the first place, and your answer might have been smart, but you really didn’t say anything,” he replied. His mother said nothing, interested in watching how the two of them handled the situation between them. All the woman was listening to was the banter between them, and wondering what the final outcome was going to be. She was more worried about the choice her son was going to make in the end than she was about the horse themselves, and that was the answer she was pressing for.
“What do you think your father would do if he was in your shoes?” Charity suddenly challenged, and Chase did his best to give her a warm smile, though his chest was pounding in his heart. It was difficult enough for him to make these decisions in front of his mother, he didn’t want to have the added pressure of living up to the decisions his father would also make in the same situation.
Chase knew that Charity was aware that he didn’t like this pressure, but, like him, she was doing what she could to make him more comfortable in the position that was soon to be his. Of course, taking over the estate wasn’t going to be easy, and he was going to have to be ready to make such decisions on his own. What better way to do that than to think of how his father would do it?
“I think my father would consider all the different parts of this problem, then he would make his decision based on what would be best for the estate itself.” He spoke in as calm of a tone as he could muster, and Scarlett gave her hearty approval. Though Charity gave him a look, she said nothing. They had reached a silent, but mutual agreement, and both could now finish their dinner in peace.
Chase smiled to himself as he took a drink of his own wine. There was something he found satisfying about the exchange, and though there had been some tension under their tones, they had managed to reach a mutual decision, and he had stood his ground in front of Charity—all the while gaining the approval of his mother.
And, he hoped, he had earned some of her respect in the process.
Chapter 9
Charity had to admit, she felt uncertain of herself after the dinner conversation she had with Chase and his mother. She had wanted to sound smart, but they had put her right on the spot—at least, she felt that Chase had. Whether he meant to or not, he made her feel foolish and unreliable, and he didn’t know if she had at all managed to get her point across. Charity didn’t want to sound like a foolish girl, but when she was speaking of things she didn’t know anything about—such as how to choose the proper horses for a working household, she felt that every word that came out of her mouth was foolish.
Mrs. Cunningham had been kind enough whenever she spoke to her, but Charity worried that she could see in the woman’s eyes that she wasn’t impressed with what had happened, and she didn’t know if there was a way for her to fix it—or if she even should. It was difficult for her to know what was going on inside the woman’s head, and though she knew that it wasn’t going to matter ultimately, she did want to have her respect.
The only comfort she found in the dinner was that she didn’t think that his mother had noticed that she was squirming as badly as she was. She didn’t want Mrs. Cunningham to think that she didn’t know what she was talking about, especially since the woman still thought that she was going to be marrying Chase. She wanted Mrs. Cunningham to feel as though she was leaving the house in the hands of a good mistress, not some girl who was too simple to know what horse to purchase.
But, Charity also felt torn. With as irritated as she was with the situation, she also knew that she couldn’t say anything to Chase about it, or he would bring up the fact she was from a different world than he was, and if she
were to insist that she knew what she was talking about when it came to the horses, he would accuse her of getting used to the money—and thinking that she was able to make the same decisions that he could.
Charity sighed. She was comfortable in the decision she had made, and she still didn’t have any intention of changing her mind when it came to marrying Chase, but at the same time, she felt that she could be of use while she was living in the house. Though Charity didn’t come from money, and though she wasn’t used to the ways of the rich, she knew she was smart enough to make a good decision when it came to purchasing horses.
Her father had worked a little with horses and there were times when she had been able to help him, so Charity did know a little bit about what she was talking about. But, she didn’t know enough about horses to know what one well bred horse would be compared to another. She simply didn’t have the knowledge yet, and she wouldn’t until she took the time to learn.
“If you are going to make it out here in the West, you are going to have to learn how to live the life out here,” she said with a groan.
Although she didn’t know for sure what she was going to do when she left the home, she did know that she was going to have to find some sort of trade. Chase was right—she wasn’t going to have any money, and any money that she did come by, she was going to use to pay him back for what he gave her parents to purchase her. She groaned again.
And that was where Charity felt she had a problem. She had no way of knowing if she was going to be able to make money to pay him back, and if there was one thing her father taught her as she was growing up, it was that she had to pay back her debt. Whether he had given that money to her parents as a gift or not, she didn’t see it that way. She saw it as payment for her, and that made it her debt.
Mail Order Bride: A Bride's Unexpected Love: A Western Romance Book Page 6