Mail Order Romance Bundle #1 (9 page)

She had money with her that George and her mother had given her in case of emergency. Unfortunaely, she'd only been there a day and there was an emergency. She planned to pack up her bags and the next day have someone take her back to the train station and she'd purchase a ticket on the next train out. Wherever that train was going, that would be where she would make a fresh start. She had plenty of money to rent a room and could make a living as a seamstress if needed. She would not go back home, there was no way that was even an option for her. Although it was ironic that going home didn't seem as bad as her present situation.

She wondered how two brothers could be so different. Sam was kind and sweet, hard-working, honest, intelligent. Luke was lazy, cruel and had no loyalty to the brother who took him in. It was no wonder their parents had left the ranch in Sam's capable hands.

Josie packed in silence as she heard the men come in from their work to eat. The smells of dinner wafted upstairs, making Josie's mouth water. Perhaps she could sneak downstairs later for some cornbread while the men were finishing the evening chores and she knew Luke wouldn't be around.

As she packed, she couldn't believe how hard the thought of leaving was for her. Except for Luke, it felt like home to her already, she'd felt as if she belonged there. The other men were all so polite to her, she adored Murphy and Sam had been the perfect husband. In a fit of self-pity, her hands shook and her lip quivered as she wondered how life could be so unfair to her.

Then she brushed that feeling aside and vowed to focus on what was in front of her. She could make her own choices and would carve out a life for herself without having to live in fear.

Just then, Josie heard loud voices from the kitchen and what sounded like scuffling. She opened her door a crack to put her ear out to see if she could hear what was going on. She could hear Sam's voice , she knew that much, though she couldn't understand what it was that he was saying. Then yelling, a jumble of voices all together.

Her curiosity got the better of her and she snuck out the door and crept silently down the stairs so she could hear what was going on. She wondered if the polite mannered dinner the night before was just for show and that when there was no female present, the meal was one of savagery and rough-housing. As she descended, it sounded like the noise was moving out of the kitchen and towards the stairs.  Soon there were men standing at the foot of the stairs. They hadn't seen her yet. Not wanting to be caught she backed up the stairs, though this time as she was in a hurry, the weight of her feet created a loud creaking sound, loud enough to get the men's attention.

They looked up at her. It was Sam and Murphy. Murphy appeared to be standing in front of him as if he were blocking him from something. They both looked up at Josie, startled to see her standing there.

Sam had a look in his eyes that Josie had never seen before. They were full of anger and pain. His face was red and he was full of emotion.

“Josie, I was just coming to get you,” he said to her in a firm voice.

Josie felt a lump forming in her throat as a feeling of dread swept over her. She feared the worst had already happened. Luke must have told Sam that she had betrayed him, that she'd been the one to try to seduce Luke. She couldn't imagine why else his eyes would be filled with that kind of anger. Josie tried to think quickly to prepare her defense, she needed Sam to believe the truth about her.

But as she reached the bottom of the stairs, Sam was there to meet her, holding out his hand to help her down and the anger that had flashed in his eyes was replaced by a look of tenderness. It was one of love and Josie felt her dread start to vanish.

Then she looked towards the kitchen and saw Luke standing there, blood dripping down his shirt from a cut in his lip. His hair was tousled and he looked like a wild animal ready to attack. He was being held by Caleb and had a look in his eyes like he was out for vengeance.

“Luke, you are going to apologize to Josie. For not treating her with the respect that she deserves. You were not treating her as a brother should have, or even a gentleman for that matter.”

Josie looked at Luke and for a moment there was an awkwardly long silence as he glared at her.

“You heard Sam,” Caleb told him, “apologize to her! Now!” He shook him hard and Josie thought Luke looked like he was going to take a swing at  him, but he didn't.

“Sorry, Josie.”

Though the words were an apology, it was obvious it was an empty one, there was no meaning behind the words. He said her name as if it disgusted him, the same way he spoke it during their confrontation in the barn. Anger started brewing inside of Josie as she met his glare. She hated that he treated her that way. This should have been a happy time for her, her honeymoon life with her new husband, and he ruined that. For whatever reason, whether it was because he was jealous of his brother or he needed someone to control and be in power of, or if he just had a mean streak, Josie hated that he'd made her his victim.

Then it hit her. Sam knew. Somehow he'd found out what had happened between her and Luke. She turned her gaze from Luke back to Sam.

“I don't understand, how did you know?”

Sam turned to her, his eyes welling with tears and told her the story. Unbeknownst to both her and Luke, he'd been on the other side of the back of the barn and had heard firsthand their entire interaction. He said he was in shock for a minute and by the time he ran around to the other side, Josie was running to the house. It must have been him that they'd heard in the barn. He said that part of him wanted to rush in after her to comfort her but the other part of him wanted to kill his brother, so he saddled up his horse to let himself cool down and think through how he needed to handle the situation.

By the time he came in from supper, he said he knew what he had to do. He knew exactly why Josie had chosen not to dine with everyone and stay in her room. When he brought up the subject, asking Luke what he'd been talking about with Josie, giving him a chance to explain himself, instead of reacting with shame or embarrassment, Luke was boastful, smirking and defiant. He claimed in front of everyone that it was Josie who cornered him with a seductive proposal and that she had betrayed Sam. He said that she was not to be trusted and called her names that Sam could not repeat in front of her. At that point, Sam couldn't take it any more, he'd reached a boiling point, so he jumped across the table and punched Luke in the face, splitting his lip. They scuffled but Sam had pinned him down and demanded that he apologize to Josie before the other men separated the brothers.

“I've given this a lot of thought,” Sam said after he finished his explanation to Josie. “I've given you everything, brother. I've given you a roof over your head, a chance to make something of yourself, the love and respect of family, but you through it in my face as if I don't matter a bit to you. Josie is the lady of this ranch. She should be treated with as much respect as our mother. Telling her you own her, that you can do whatever you want with her? How could you? Do you have any idea of how terrified she must have been? You defiled the one thing that I cherish the most...my marriage to Josie. I love her and you didn't want me to be happy, so you tried to hurt her, knowing it would hurt me.” Sam's voice was shaking as he finished. Everyone was silent, not knowing how to respond. Then Sam spoke again. “You can stay the night, Luke, I don't want you heading off under the cover of night, but in the morning you will be gone.”

“Gone?” Luke asked with a look of confusion on his face. “What are you talking about?”
“If it had been any of the men on my ranch who had treated my wife that way, they would have had a beating and been on the next train out of here,  kicked off the ranch for good. That swollen lip is all you'll get for a beating, be thankful for that, but the other consequence is the same. The fact that you're my brother makes it that much more painful for me, but I have to do it. I can't have men of such low character on this ranch.”

“You can't be serious? You chose me over her?” Luke's voice was full of venom and disbelief. But Josie sensed fear in his voice as well. She couldn't imagine how hard this was for Sam to do.

“She has only shown me love and has given me no reason not to trust her. You, on the other hand...well, you have a lot of growing up to do, Luke. I remember Pa saying the same thing and I thought when I took you in here, you'd changed, but you've shown me your true colors. You can stay the night but you'll need to leave tomorrow. I'll give you money to get you to wherever you want to go, but it's going to be far from here. You're an experienced ranch hand and skilled, I'll give you that, so I don't think it will be hard for you to find work on another ranch. But you need to grow up, to mature, and someday I hope you will look back on this and realize how much you've lost for this mistake and come back here to apologize and mean it. And I hope to God that happens someday, but for today, you have to get off my ranch.”

Luke looked from Sam to Josie in disbelief. Josie was having a hard time believing it, too. Sam was making Luke leave. She didn't need to go anymore, she could stay. He had chosen her, something her own mother didn't even do.

“Take him away, boys, and make sure he stays in his room all night,” Sam said to Gus, Caleb and Henry. Then, to Luke, he added, “You need to thank your lucky stars that I am showing you the kindness of not kicking you out now. Don't try anything funny. Stay in your room, get some sleep and the boys will take you to town in the morning. I'm done with you.”

Any anger Josie had felt for Luke was replaced by pity. She honestly felt sorry for him, despite what he had done to her. She wondered what he would do with the money Sam said he'd give him, if he'd put it to good use for his future or, more likely, squander it on gambling, liquor and women.

Caleb still had hold of Luke's arm and Henry grabbed the other one. “Let's go,” he told Luke.

“I can go on my own,” Luke retorted, pulling his arms free. He turned around and walked out of the house, with Caleb, Henry and Gus following him. Murphy, who had been staring, wide-eyed at the whole scene, excused himself to go clean up the mess in the kitchen, leaving Josie and Sam alone.

The sudden quietness blanketed them as Sam took Josie in his arms, embracing her. Josie was in shock, she still couldn't believe what had just happened.

“I'm so sorry,” she told him.

He pulled away to look at her. “Sorry? Oh, Josie, you have nothing to be sorry for. You've done nothing wrong. I'm so sorry he did that to you. I should have come after you right away, but I had to think it out, to make sure I was making the right decision. You must have bee so afraid!”

“I was. I thought I'd have to leave you.”

“You leave? But why?”

“He's your brother. I thought you'd choose him over me.” It was hard to get the words out as Josie remembered back to the conversation with her mother when her mother defended George and wouldn't take action against him.

“Let's get one thing clear, Josephine Dawson. I love you with all my heart and this is your home. I will do whatever I can to make you happy and safe and I don't ever want you to leave.”

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she held him, never wanting to let go. “I'll never leave. I love you Sam.”

Then they walked, hand in hand, outside to sit on the front porch swing that was just for them and count the stars together. Josie had never felt safer or more loved in her entire life. She wished that the moment would last forever. Because of everything she'd been through, she appreciated it that much more and as they sat together, she prayed a silent prayer of thanks to God, that she found the place where she was truly meant to be.

The End

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