Mail Order Bride: A Bride's Unexpected Love: A Western Romance Book

by Annabel Alden

  “If I didn’t know any better, Chase, I would think that you were trying to get rid of me. You haven’t even offered to let me come inside the house, what kind of hospitality is that?” she asked, and Chase smiled as he pulled the saddle of the horse.

  “I wasn’t going to be going in there myself until I am done with this, and I assume by then you are going to be through with what you have to say, so unless you have something else you wanted to add, I saw little reason to bring you inside. It is going to be dinner time in less than an hour, and I didn’t want anyone to feel rushed.” He paused for a moment and looked at her, and he could sense the flustered look she was trying to hide behind her smile. She was about to turn to go, but again he could see the idea forming in her eyes.

  “Did you have a nice ride with Charity? You two seemed to be really engaged in conversation when I arrived. I do hope I wasn’t interrupting anything important,” she said with a wicked grin. He wanted to tell her to mind her own business, but instead, he decided that he was going to defend Charity.

  “As a matter of fact, we did. We went riding just her and I for a while to get away from things and talk. I had a great time, and I can tell you by the time we got back here I felt a lot better than I thought I was going to. It’s a good thing we did go, I can’t imagine I would have been happy to have this conversation if I was feeling the way that I was when we left when you arrived.” He gave her another look, and though it was clear Annabelle was fighting to maintain her composure, Chase knew she was going to have some kind of response.

  After a moment of her battling herself, Annabelle rose to her full height, clasping her hands together and smiling. “Good, I am glad to hear that. It kind of reminds me of when you and I used to go out and do that very thing. Did you tell her about that?”

  The look on Annabelle’s face told Chase that she would be more than happy to tell Charity herself, so he nodded. “I don’t remember all the specifics of what I told her, but I did tell her that you and I used to court—”

  “That must be why the poor girl is so nervous around me. Pity. I could tell her how I used to make you laugh. I wonder how she feels about all that—and how it makes her feel about courting you now.”

  Annabelle didn’t wait for Chase to respond. Instead, she turned and walked out the door, motioning for the coach to come pick her up. Chase didn’t bother going out to see the girl off. He didn’t want to appear any friendlier to her than he needed to be. She boarded the coach, and as always, she smiled and waved warmly to him as they drove away.

  Chase stood in the barn next to the horse for a moment, simply shaking his head. For the first time in as long as he could remember, he and Annabelle agreed on something.

  He, too, wondered how Charity felt about the woman, and how she felt about the time Annabelle kept spending at the estate. Charity wasn’t at all a simple or foolish woman, and Chase knew that she had to have an idea of something more going on than just the horses. But, what he wondered most of all, was what Annabelle had brought up.

  Chase really did wonder how Charity felt about the idea of courting him—it was truly a question that haunted him day and night.

  Chapter 23

  Charity told herself she wasn’t going to look back when she got in the house, but as soon as she shut the door, she couldn’t help it. She turned and looked out the window, watching as Annabelle got out of the coach. Charity immediately saw that the girl was dressed very well, and she felt her heart leap into her throat. There was no denying, Annabelle looked amazing in the velvet.

  There was no way Chase could look at the girl and not think she was beautiful, which only made Charity feel all the more insecure. She told herself that it wasn’t doing any good to stand there and watch the two interact, but she couldn’t tear herself away from the window. She saw as Annabelle walked into the barn, and she shook her head.

  Part of her felt that she should still be out there, but at the same time, she didn’t want to make Chase feel as though she was watching them. She trusted that he was able to take care of the situation, and if she was perfectly honest with herself, the only reason she wanted to be out in the barn with them was to make sure Annabelle didn’t say or do anything that could get Chase to show her any affection once again.

  Charity still didn’t know how Chase felt about her, but she knew that she was falling in love with him quickly, and she didn’t want to see him fall into the clutches of that woman again, even if she herself didn’t get to have him in her life. Charity felt a twinge of pain run through her heart at the thought of it, and she sighed. She knew she was the one who was leaving, but at the same time, she knew that she couldn’t stay.

  She was growing to believe that Chase was looking forward to her being gone, and that he was merely putting up with her until she did. She felt that if he wanted her to stay that he would show her that he wanted her to—or at the very least, that he would ask her to stay. The closest he had come was asking her if she was happy to be on the estate, and though she had told him that she was, she didn’t feel that it was enough to know whether he wanted her to stay or not.

  For all she knew, he might have just been being polite to make sure she was comfortable in the time she had left there. After all, the time for his parents to be leaving was fast approaching, and Charity knew once they had worked out the final details, the husband and wife would be gone. Then, she herself would have to make the decision of where she was going to go—and when.

  “Charity? What are you doing?” Mrs. Cunningham’s voice broke into her thoughts, and Charity whirled around with a smile. She put her hand to her heart with the surprise, but her face melted into a kind smile when she saw who it was.

  “Mrs. Cunningham, you gave me a start!” she said with a smile. She didn’t know what else to say, especially when she realized that the woman had asked her what she was doing. What was she doing? She was standing at the window spying on what Annabelle was doing with the man she was falling in love with—that is what she was doing. But, she couldn’t tell this woman that. She didn’t want her to feel like she was spying on her son any more than she wanted Chase to feel like she was watching him.

  It was difficult for Charity to know how to let go and just watch as Chase handled it, though she knew that he could. Mrs. Cunningham, however, suddenly noticed that the coach was outside, and she sighed as she hurried over to the other window.

  “Is that who I think it is? Of course it is! Ugh! Why can’t that girl just leave us alone? You know, if this was another business call, I would say that she really needs to learn what good business is! She claims that she is good at helping her father with it, but I swear, if that were the truth, she wouldn’t be here every day—multiple times!” Mrs. Cunningham shook her head in disgust, and Charity smiled to herself.

  She liked it when the woman was fired up, though she didn’t know why. Perhaps it was because when she was all riled up it made Charity feel as though she wasn’t the only one who was bothered by Annabelle’s presence. As much as Chase liked to act as though he hated it when the girl came around, she could see the smile on his face when he turned and saw her, and it made Charity want to tell him he could forget about her courting him and go ahead and be with Annabelle.

  Deep down inside, she knew that it was merely the jealousy talking, but she didn’t know how to fight it. Of course she was going to be jealous—at least, she told herself that it was normal for her to be considering the situation. Mrs. Cunningham would agree with it, except for the fact that Mrs. Cunningham didn’t know that Charity wasn’t going to marry her son. She thought that the two of them were going to live happily ever after—not that Chase was going to see her off as soon as she was able to leave.

  “Never mind what that girl does. You know there was a reason the two of them didn’t last in the first place, and you would think that the girl would see it for herself. But then, I never thought that Annabelle was a very bright girl. She is pretty, I will give her that, but she isn’t at all br
ight.” Mrs. Cunningham shook her head and turned to go, but Charity couldn’t help but stop her.

  “Chase seems to think that she is only after his money, but if she has money of her own, why would she bother? I should think if she wanted the money, then she would be happy with the money that she herself had?” Charity sighed, and Mrs. Cunningham shook her head.

  “My dear, there is far more to that girl than meets the eye. Yes, she wants money, and I fully believe that the main reason she is after Chase is to win him back over and get his money, but at the same time, she doesn’t just want that. She also wants to be able to flaunt him—to show off the horses that he has bred, and to be the one who hangs off his arm at all the shows and all the parties. That is a girl who doesn’t have any substance, and she knows it.”

  “But if it is that bad for her, why Chase? Why not go find another wealthy young man whom she can use for all those things? Surely there are more out there in this territory than just Chase.” Charity looked back out the window, and Mrs. Cunningham smiled as she walked over to the girl. She put her hands on her shoulders and gave her a light squeeze.

  “My dear, I know that it’s hard to watch her out there with him, and I’m sure it’s even harder when you know that she is doing it to try to win his affection all over again, but I want you to trust me when I tell you that I know Chase only has eyes for you.” She gave her another squeeze, then she turned to go. Charity felt her heart flutter at the words, and for a moment, she wished that it were true. She wanted to tell the woman the truth and ask if she felt the same way, but she knew if she did, she could ruin all that Chase had been working for all that time.

  She could ruin all she herself had been working for all that time. It had been a few months since her arrival at the estate, and all that time she had done her part to act as though they were to be married. She couldn’t come out with the truth now—it would be far too risky with everything they had put into their plan so far. But, at the same time, she had to know why the woman felt that way. After all, she was his mother, if there was anyone who would know, it would be her.

  “Why do you say that? What is there about me that is different than Annabelle?” she asked, and Mrs. Cunningham looked at her with raised eyebrows.

  “Whatever do you mean, Dear?” she asked, and Charity took a deep breath.

  “You said that you can see that he only has eyes for me, but wasn’t there a time when you could have said that about Annabelle as well? What is there about me that makes you think I am going to be any different?” She paused for a moment, then she felt a wave of embarrassment wash over her. She looked down at her hands and shook her head.

  “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to put such a fine point on it, and I certainly don’t mean to pry, but there are times when I just wish I was able to know what is going on inside his head, and I don’t. I can’t ask him about it, because I think he is just going to tell me what it is he thinks I want to hear.” Charity picked at her fingers as she spoke, and Mrs. Cunningham gave her an understanding smile.

  “Charity, I am the boy’s mother. I have known all about him—all his moods, all his looks, all the ways he talks and sees things—ever since he was a baby. Trust me when I say that I know how he looks at you, and it is far different than I have ever seen him look at that other girl—and I mean that, even when the two of them were together, and he wanted to marry her, there is such a difference now than there ever was with her. He loves you, Charity, I know he does.” Mrs. Cunningham stood for a moment, looking at Charity then out the window and back again.

  She turned to go up the stairs, but she paused when she reached the third one up. Turning, she smiled at Charity once more. “Just give it some time, and you’ll see that he comes to you. Men can be strange about that sometimes, but it’s going to happen. You are the one who is there for him during all the rough times. Annabelle, well, she wasn’t.”

  Charity smiled and thanked Mrs. Cunningham for her encouragement, and the woman nodded before turning and walking the rest of the way up the stairs. Charity listened as her footsteps faded in the long hallway, and she knew the woman was going up to see her husband. Charity hoped that one day she, too, would have a husband to go see—someone she could be dedicated to no matter what.

  But, with that other girl out in the barn doing her best to win over the heart of the man Charity hoped to be her own day, she had a difficult time believing it was true—if only she could get inside Chase’s head and know what he was really thinking, she would know how to act—she would know if there was hope for her and him to be together one day or not.

  Charity knew that it was an impossibility, however, and she was just going to have to trust Mrs. Cunningham knew what she was talking about—and that Charity’s own heart was right.

  Chapter 24

  Although Chase wanted to look over the contract his family had with the Jackson family right away, he was forced to wait. As soon as Annabelle had left he had gone in for dinner, then his father wanted to see him upstairs. There was a time when Chase wouldn’t like it when he had to go up to see his father. Over the past few months, he was beginning to feel like he was a mere boy again, and he was waiting for his father to tell him what to do and how to run the estate—but, after speaking with Charity that afternoon, he was feeling bolder.

  He knocked lightly on the door and peered in when his father told him to open it, then he closed it behind him. “You wanted to see me, Pa?”

  “Yes,” Mr. Cunningham said as he worked to have strength behind his tone. It was difficult for the man to get a breath of air in his lungs, and he had to exert himself to sit up fully in the bed. He motioned for his son to come over to him, and Chase grabbed the chair that was at the foot of the bed while he did so. He was glad that it was just the two of them in the room as he took his seat next to his father, and he reached out and took the old man’s hand.

  “What is it?” he asked, and Mr. Cunningham took a deep breath.

  “Have you talked with your mother lately?” he asked, and Chase smiled.

  “Of course, I speak with Ma every day,” he replied, but Mr. Cunningham shook his head.

  “I mean, have you spoken with her about us leaving? You know that we are going to, and I hoped she would have told you by now.” He took a deep breath in, gasping all the while. Chase looked at his father in concern, wondering if he had forgotten that all three of them had discussed it more than once, or if there was something his mother hadn’t yet told him.

  “Ma told me that you were working out the details, then you were going to be leaving. She said that it was going to be soon, but she still hasn’t told me when. With everything that has been going on with the Jacksons and the contract we have with them, perhaps she didn’t know when the right time would be,” Chase said with a smile. He didn’t want to put any more stress on his father than he had to, but it looked as though his father wished to tell him something but was struggling to find the right words to say it.

  “How is it going with Mr. Jackson?” he gasped, and Chase sighed. He didn’t know how to answer the question, as he was still worried about causing more stress than his father could handle.

  “I suppose things would be going well, if he was the one I was able to talk to. Miss Jackson is the one who has been conducting most of the interaction between us, and I am afraid things aren’t going according to the contract,” he said at last. Mr. Cunningham looked at him as he struggled to get up in his bed. Chase put his hands on his father’s shoulders, calming him as best as he could and pushing him back down onto the pillows. He didn’t want the man to get too excited, as he knew that his father was made tired easily.

  “I told him that I didn’t want her around her often—and I hoped that he would be here when she was. What do you mean she has been the one doing all the interactions?” he gasped. Chase took a deep breath.

  “It’s really not too important, Pa, I know that we can handle it. I just need to know that you trust me,” he said suddenly. Mr
. Cunningham looked at him with wide eyes. He cleared his throat.

  “What do you mean?” he asked, and Chase again thought about his words carefully before he said them.

  “I want you to trust me to make the decisions for this estate. I know that you and Ma are going to be leaving soon—if not in the next couple of weeks then certainly in the next couple of months, and I want you to know without a doubt that I am able to handle the affairs here without you having to oversee them.” Chase spoke with a boldness he had never used with his father before, and though his palms were sweaty as he did so, he felt good about it. He wasn’t afraid that his father was going to be angry with him as he thought he was going to be.

  Instead, the bolder he was with what he was saying to his father, the bolder he felt to continue. After a moment of hesitation, he took a deep breath.

  “I know what is best for this estate, and I feel that we need to modify—or possibly even consider ending - this contract we have with the Jacksons. Perhaps we can’t get out of it altogether, but I know we can change it enough that they aren’t going to get a cut of the sales when we sell the foals fathered by their stallions. There has to be a way for us to handle this, Father, there just has to be.” Chase didn’t want to plead with the man, but at the same time, he knew that he couldn’t go on with the contract being as it was.

  Mr. Cunningham sat on the bed for a moment, looking up at the ceiling. Chase could see in his face that he was thinking, and he wished that he could see what was going on inside his father’s brain. The old man looked as though he was struggling to follow the same train of thought, but he was determined to make it happen. Chase couldn’t help but smile out of pride for his father. A Cunningham was a determined person, no matter what they were dealing with or what was being asked of them, and Chase was proud of that fact.