“Where is your fiancé? I thought that the two of you never went anywhere without each other. At least, I haven’t seen you for quite some time on your own. I was beginning to think that you didn’t like me.” He took a quick step until he was in front of her, and Charity looked at him with wide eyes. She had never had anyone stop her from going somewhere before, and she became very worried. There was no one around them, and though the town was in the distance, she didn’t think that they were close enough for anyone there to be able to hear her if she did call for help.
“I need you to move aside, you are going to make me late,” she said calmly. She felt her heart racing, and she wasn’t sure what she was going to do if he didn’t move, but she was going to hold her ground to him. If there was one thing she had learned when she was back in the East with the war, she knew that she had to hold her ground no matter what was happening.
“You look nervous. Don’t be. Chase isn’t the only man out here who knows how to show a girl how a gentleman acts. Let me see your bags,” he said. He tried to grab her carpet bag from her, but Charity pulled back and turned away from him.
“No, thank you, I have it handled. I really need to be going, and I would prefer to be alone with my thoughts, so if you don’t mind, I am going to be going,” she said. Her heart was racing in her chest, and she didn’t know what to do. The more she thought about what could happen, the more worried she became. She didn’t know if he was going to steal the things out of her bag, or if he was going to kidnap her.
He was being rude, and she was already feeling very nervous about being around him alone. Part of her wanted to start screaming and shouting for help, but another part of her wanted to merely stand up to him and tell him that he needed to leave her be. She took a quick step to the side, but he quickly stepped just as quickly to end up in front of her once again. She looked at him with wide eyes, and it was clear she didn’t know what to say.
“Mr. Jones, I don’t know how you do things out here in the West, but if you are a gentleman as you so strongly claim to be, then you are going to move out of my way so I can get through. I need to get to town and you are in my way, and I need you to move before I get upset. You are really alarming me, and that is something that no gentleman would do to a lady!” Charity knew that her voice was tight and high pitched as she spoke, but she was doing her best to remain calm. She had heard stories of what could happen to a woman who was traveling alone, and she was strongly regretting that she had not said anything to anyone when she walked out of the house that afternoon.
But, there was nothing she could do about it now, and she was going to have to get herself out of the mess she had gotten herself in to. He laughed and put his hand on his hips.
“Oh, I am alarming you, am I? How rude of me! And what are you going to do about that?” he asked with a grin. She could see that he was mocking her, and she wanted to slap him. “I told you to let me see that bag, and that is what you are going to do!”
He took a sudden step forward, and Charity cried out. She tried to slap him, but he was faster than her and grabbed her by the wrist. She cried out in a mix of anger and surprise, and she wanted to slap him with her other hand. Dropping her bag, she tried to bring her other hand over, but he caught her once again, stopping her from slapping him and holding her by both of her wrists.
It was then that Charity really grew alarmed, and she tried to yank away from him. But, to her horror, he held onto her hands and wouldn’t let her go.
“I think it is time someone taught you what manners are!” he said, and she did her best to yank away.
“You get away from me!” she shouted, and he laughed.
“What are you going to do about it? Huh?” He was looking down at her with a sadistic look on his face, and Charity tried to yank away once more. She was terrified, but she knew that there was nothing she could do. She was about to scream, when suddenly, a voice came cutting across the prairie.
“You let her go!”
Chapter 32
“You let go of my wife!” Chase shouted as he leapt off the horse. He landed on top of Cory, who was so surprised, he didn’t have time to block the attack. Chase had him on the ground, and Charity screamed as she ran to the side. She screamed, and though Chase could sense by the way she was acting that she wanted to dive into the fight and help him, she knew better than to get involved. They were swinging their fists at each other, and dust was flying into the air.
“Be careful Chase! Don’t let him get the upper hand on you!” Chase!” Charity continued to scream, but Chase was too busy with the fight to be able to answer her—and part of him thought she sounded like she was very far away.
The men were wrestling on the ground with dust and mud going everywhere. Charity was crying, but Chase was too angry with Cory to even consider anything else. He was furious, seeing that the man had put his hands on the woman he loved, he didn’t know what he was going to do. Cory was fighting back, but he was caught off guard, and he didn’t have the same fighting skills that Chase had.
It was clear from the beginning that Chase did have the upper hand in the fight, and he was going to make the most of it. Charity was still shouting and screaming, but Chase was too caught up in the moment to pay her any mind. He didn’t have the time to make sure she was okay until he had taken care of the problem, and he was going to stick with it until Cory gave in.
“Chase! What out!” Charity shouted again, she wasn’t able to do much to get involved, but Chase could hear her shouting to him every chance she got. It was clear to him that she didn’t want to stand on the side and just let the fight happen in front of her, she wanted to do something to prove to him that she was by his side throughout the scuffle.
Chase finally grabbed Cory and yanked him to his feet, eager to drive home the point he wanted to make. Cory still looked like he wanted to fight, but Chase was done with the fight. He was going to show this man that he meant what he said, and he wasn’t going to put up with any such nonsense again.
“You don’t ever come near to my wife again, or I am going to make sure that you can never touch her—I think you know what I mean by that!” He reached into his jacket and pulled out the holster of a gun. Charity cried out in shock, and Chase let his jacket drop once more. Cory had struggled out of his grasp, and he looked furious.
But, at the same time, he knew that he was in the wrong. They could to the sheriff, but that wasn’t the way Chase did things. He would rather take the law into his own hands and handle it himself than he would get the sheriff involved, and he meant what he said. It was clear by the way he looked at him, and Chase knew that Cory wasn’t going to keep fighting.
“I was just trying to help. I saw her out here all by her lonesome, and I know that there are all kinds of people out there who might do something terrible to such a pretty little thing. I didn’t want to risk her falling into the wrong hands.” Cory looked past Chase and gave Charity a smile, but she crossed her arms and looked the other way. It was clear she didn’t want to talk to him, and if Chase wasn’t already so worked up, she looked as though she wanted to say something else.
“Charity, are you alright?” he asked, and Charity hesitated. She wanted to tell him everything she was feeling—from the horror that he had put his hands on her to how relieved she was that he arrived, but she bit her tongue and nodded.
“As long as you are sure you are alright, I’ll let him go, but trust me, Cory, if I hear of any of this happening again, then I am going to make sure you are never heard from on this side of the country again. You know I will do it, Jones, you really do.” Chase waited for Cory to respond, and it looked like he was thinking of whether it would be worth fighting again. At last, Cory shrugged.
“I try to do one good thing, and it all goes south. Fine, if you feel that way about it, then I am going to leave and never consider helping either one of you again,” he smirked, but Chase nodded. Cory puffed himself up, but Chase took another step toward him, and Cory stumb
led as he tried to get away from Chase as quickly as he could. He looked embarrassed, but Chase was pleased that the man was intimidated by him.
“Good, that is exactly what I want.” He crossed his arms and watched as Cory picked up his hat, then he stood and watched as he walked up the road. Chase didn’t say anything until it was certain that the man was out of earshot, then he turned to Charity.
“Charity, I am so sorry for what you saw. I can assure you, I didn’t do anything. She is the one who kissed me, and I put an end to it right away. I had no interest in kissing her, and I wasn’t going to do anything to encourage it by any means. I’m sorry, Charity, really I am.” Chase took off his hat as he apologized, and he looked at her with sincerity in his eyes.
Charity sighed, and Chase could see that she felt torn. He knew that he couldn’t blame her, but he wasn’t going to risk letting her out of his sight again. He was rattled by what had just happened. He had to let her know how he felt, and he was going to make sure she heard him.
“Charity, I know that you and I had a wager, and I know that it is nothing more than a bet. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for the things that I have said to you over the past few months, and I want you to know that I love you. There, I said it. I love you more than I have ever loved anyone else in this world, and I want you to give me a chance. I want to make you happy. Charity Stevens, I want you to be my wife.” Chase got down on his knee as he spoke. He didn’t have any ring to give her, but he took her hand, and he looked up in her eyes with all the sincerity he could muster.
He used his other hand to put his hat to his chest, and he held her gaze as he spoke.
“Will you marry me?
Charity gasped. She couldn’t believe Chase had just asked her to be his bride, and she felt her heart start pounding in her chest. She didn’t know what to think. Just a few moments before, her heart had been broken. She was terrified of what was going to happen when Cory grabbed her, but after Chase had saved her, she had a difficult time not being angry with him for what had happened with Annabelle.
Even when he apologized, she wasn’t sure how she felt about it. Of course, she believed that he didn’t want it to happen, and she believed that Annabelle had been the one to kiss him, but she hadn’t seen him pull back. Charity knew that she hadn’t stood at the window to watch, but at the same time, it didn’t appear as though he had made much of an effort to get the girl off him.
“But, why did she get to be so close to you in the first place? Why did you let her walk up to you and kiss you? You know that she is dangerous, so why would you let her step so close?” Charity asked. She wanted to pull her hand back, her mind suddenly felt with more doubt than she thought she would have. Chase shook his head, and she could see in his eyes that he desperately wanted her to give him the chance he was asking.
“I know, and I should have. I should have had you down there with me, and I apologize that I didn’t. But, Charity, you know that I love you. I love you more than anything—and I have since the day that you and I met. I know what I said, but you have shown me that you are different from all the other girls that I have ever met. You are real, and you are genuine, and you aren’t one of those girls who only cares about money.” He had an earnest look on his face, and there was fierceness to his tone, but Charity still couldn’t bring herself to accept what he was saying.
She turned and Chase rose, walking after her and putting his hand on her shoulder.
“Charity, there was a time when I asked you if you were happy here, and you said that you were. I can see in your eyes that you have feelings for me, and I know that you are having problems with telling me so—I know that it is scary, and I know that you want to, but above all, I accept that you have a tough time, but I love you, and I am willing to wait to prove to you that I do.” Chase turned her around to look at him, and Charity felt butterflies forming in her stomach.
She had never had anyone speak to her with the same earnest look that he was, and she wanted to smile. There were so many things going through her mind, and she wanted desperately to tell him how she also felt.
“Chase, I—I don’t know what to say. You’re right. There are so many things that I want to tell you—so many things that I wished that I had done differently. But, you are right—you are different from all the other men that I have ever met, and I am lucky to have met you. I so badly wanted to show you that I am different, and I wish that we had never made that bet. What if we made it so we never fully trust each other? What if we made it so we are always going to think that the other person is different? What if—”
Chase pressed his lips to hers, cutting her off.
Charity wanted to pull back at first, but she soon started kissing him back. Soon, she was kissing him with the same passion that he was kissing her, and the two of them were lost in the moment. Charity had never been kissed in her entire life, and her heart was pounding in her chest.
She held him in her arms, and she felt him wrap his arms around her. The butterflies were still moving about in her stomach. When they finally pulled apart, Chase looked down at her, his hands on either side of her face, his eyes searching hers. She felt that he could see into her very soul, and her heart continued to pound in her chest.
“I love you, Charity, more than anything. I want you to be my wife—and I will do anything and everything I can to make you the happiest woman on the planet.” He was brushing the hair out of her eyes as he spoke, and Charity put her hands up around his.
“Chase, I love you, too.” She breathed at last. “I would be honored to be your wife. I promise you, I am going to do everything in my power to make you the happiest man on this earth.” She smiled up at him, and there was a resolution to her voice like she had never had before. She smiled up at him, but Chase once again bent forward and pressed his lips to hers.
This time, Charity was ready for him, and the two of them shared another passionate kiss in the middle of the road. The sun was starting to go down, and the sky was a bright orange. When Charity pulled back and looked up into his eyes, she felt the happiest she had ever been in her entire life. Chase brought the horse around, and he pulled her up in the saddle behind him.
The two of them started for home, but this time, there were no more doubts in Charity’s mind. She was confident in her decision, and she was ready to get married. She couldn’t wait to be Chase’s wife—and to help him with the estate. She closed her eyes as she leaned against him, hugging him from behind.
“I love you, Chase,” she whispered in his ear.
And she meant it, with all her heart.
Epilogue
Five Months Later
“I was wondering where you had gotten off to! There was a time when I couldn’t get you to go out there alone, now whenever I’m not sure where you are the back pasture is the first place I think to look.” Chase shook his head as pulled the horse to a stop. She smiled as she dismounted and gave him a teasing look, tossing her hair and making a show of leading the horse back to the stable.
“What can I say? The weather was so warm and inviting today, I just had to get out and be a part of it. You know it’s really your fault for showing me what it is like to let the horse have his head in the back like that,” she said with a teasing smile. He shook his head and waived his hand, letting Charity take the horse to the barn herself.
“Do you need a hand with that? I don’t want you to overwork yourself considering,” Chase nodded toward her stomach, and Charity smiled as she put her hand over her belly.
“The baby isn’t going to be here for some time yet, and I can manage.” She smiled, and she could see by the look in his eyes that he was proud of her.
“I just can’t wait to have our family, and I don’t want you to do anything too strenuous,” he replied, and Charity laughed.
“If there is one thing that can be said about the Cunninghams, it’s that we work hard!” she called over her shoulder as she headed toward the barn. She felt a shiver of excitement run down her
spine at the thought of the baby’s arrival, and she couldn’t wait for it to really happen. For the first time in her life, she was excited about the future—about the life she was going to have with Chase and their little one—and the babies they were going to have later as well.
Charity liked putting the horse back in the stable after she had finished riding. It made her feel like she had done the job well, and she was glad that she had the skills to do it. Chase had shown her how to carefully wipe down the animals and make sure all the sweat was out of their fur, as well as how to rub them down so their muscles didn’t get too sore after the run. It had taken her a long time to do it the first couple of times, but now that she had ridden often, she knew how to get it done quickly.
There had been a lot of things Chase had shown her how to do over the past couple of months—and she loved every second of it. As soon as she made the decision to be with Chase, all the doubts and fears had left her mind, and she was proud to be with him. Their wedding day had come and gone, and Charity felt her life had become perfect bliss. Every day she woke up, she was thrilled to find herself lying next to Chase, and she couldn’t wait to start the day with him.
Together, they were managing the estate just fine. His parents had reached England safely, and Troy had written to tell them that he was going to be traveling home as soon as he was able—hopefully within the year if he could manage it. Even Annabelle had given up her pursuit of Chase, and they hadn’t heard anything at all from the Jackson family.
Chase had managed to successfully breed several of his horses, and now more than one of the mares was expecting. Come spring, they were going to have the start of their own herd, and Chase was the only one responsible for the pairs. It was the beginning of a new time on the estate, and she knew that it was going to be better than ever.
Charity maintained contact with her family, and was pleased to tell them often how happy she was and how well she was doing with her new life, and she was happy to hear that they, too, were doing well. Everything had come together so perfectly, and Charity knew without a doubt that she had made the right decision.
Mail Order Bride: A Bride's Unexpected Love: A Western Romance Book Page 22