Misty's True Love (Mail Order Brides of Pioneer Town, Book 2) (4 page)

“
I cannot imagine the look
he had on his face,” Morgan said with a chuckle.

“
Indeed, it was something
special,” Misty said. Just as Misty was about to say more, she
heard Mrs. Mills’ footsteps coming toward the room.

“
Here is our generous
host!” Morgan said, flashing a bright smile at Mrs.
Mills.

“
I hope I didn’t keep you
waiting,” she said, shooting Misty a mean look.

As soon as Mrs. Mills had taken her
seat, a servant appeared with a tray of tea and set it down. She
poured each person a cup of tea.

Mrs. Mills sipped from her cup of tea
and smiled thinly at Misty. The smile did not reach her eyes. “So,
my dear, why don’t you explain to us why we’re all
here.”

Misty swallowed hard. She watched the
steam slowly billowing from her cup as it fogged up the table’s
surface beneath it.

Mrs. Mills sat quietly. She was
watching Misty carefully, but her polite demeanor was surely
nothing more than a show for Morgan and Indiana. She turned to
Indiana “Miss Indiana, has life in Wyoming been all that you had
thought it would be?”

Indiana smiled, tilting her head
slightly. “It’s been somewhat of a challenge to adapt to the
countryside here, but it has been rather splendid.”

“
Indeed, it’s always a
challenge to exchange your old life for a new one, but hopefully it
was well worth it,” Morgan said, reaching for his wife’s
hand.

“
Of course it was,” Indiana
replied.

Misty could tell from the way in which
they were interacting with each other that their relationship had
progressed. The last time she had seen them, Indiana and Morgan
were just starting, much like she and Cody were now doing. The idea
that their relationship could grow to be just so strong was
encouraging, but then she looked over at Mrs. Mills one more time
and her hopes all dissolved immediately.

“
Some challenges are worth
facing, but some are nothing more than a waste of time,” Mrs. Mills
said. “My son is a good business man, but some of his choices leave
much to be desired.”

Misty knew that the woman’s pointed
jabs were aimed at her, but she ignored them the best she could,
continuing to smile brightly as though she had not a care in the
world. “Indiana, Mrs. Mills has kindly offered me her hospitality,
but may I stay with you?”

Mrs. Mills placed her cup on the table
and sat upright. “My dear girl, you are not a bother, but if you
feel more comfortable staying with your friends, then perhaps that
is what you should do. Who am I to argue against something that
might make a person happy?”

“
Thank you kindly,” Misty
said.

“
Then it’s settled,” Morgan
said, standing up as he slid his teacup onto the table. “You can
stay with us. I extend my home to you for as long as you shall need
it. My wife will be happy to spend time with her own friend.” He
stressed the word ‘friend’, and Misty smiled.

Chapter 5

As they walked out to Morgan’s
automobile, Indiana paused abruptly and turned toward Misty, who
was just a few steps behind the couple. She embraced her once more.
“I cannot believe you’ve come all this way! And, to think you will
be marrying my dear husband’s good friend!”

The excitement in Indiana’s voice
matched the redness of her cheeks, but Misty was feeling nowhere
near as enthusiastic. “Yes, but I just hope it works out as well as
your marriage has. Marriage will be a distant matter, if it happens
at all, for I barely know Mr. Cody. We have only corresponded by
letter, and his mother is clearly opposed to the match.”

Indiana stepped back, her arms slowly
falling to her sides. “Nothing is ever as easy as you want it to
be, but some things are worth working toward. You said yourself
that you were happy to learn that the man you were speaking to was
Cody, right? And things have been well, have they not?”

“
Of course they have,
but…”

“
Then that’s all that
matters!” Indiana said, interrupting her mid-sentence. “You shall
be around friends until your wedding, and then you shall be with
your husband. It will all be worth it then; you’ll see.”

When they finally arrived on Morgan’s
property, Misty found herself in a state of awe. She had never been
on a ranch before, and the initial sights were magnificent. As they
pulled up near the massive homestead that watched over the land,
she immediately noticed a group of dark clouds that were gathered
just above the highest hills in the distance. Then, looking to her
left, she saw the vast plains, populated with a dozen or so cattle
herded together.

“
Wow, this is where you
live?” she said, gasping as she spoke.

“
Yes, this is where we
live,” Morgan replied, a hint of laughter in his voice. “It is
somewhat different out here, but it’s a good life. I do not know
how long you wish to stay with us, but I have a feeling Cody will
be looking for you as soon as he finds out that you’ve left his
mother’s house.”

“
And if that is the case,
then they can discuss it when he arrives,” Indiana said, looking
back at Misty with a bright smile. “Right?”

“
Yes, of course. I was just
letting her know that Cody isn’t the type of man to just ignore
something like this,” Morgan said, before looking over at Misty.
“Cody has a kind heart, and if he truly cares about you, the first
thing he’s going to think is that you’ve changed your mind or that
something is wrong.”

“
Oh, it’s not that,” Misty
said, delicately wiping a few beads of sweat from her forehead with
a handkerchief. “I just…”

“
Mrs. Mills did not appear
too pleased about her son’s placing of the mail order bride
advertisement,” Indiana said, “or, to be frank, of Cody’s choice of
bride.”

Morgan merely smiled in
reply.

Misty looked over at Indiana and
smiled, already being reminded of why she had felt the need to seek
out her friend shortly after her aunt’s passing. She was her last
real friend, and someone that she trusted with all of her heart. If
anyone could offer her sound advice, it would be
Indiana.

Morgan climbed down from the car and
Misty followed Indiana to the main house. “If you will excuse me,
ladies, I have a few things to get attend to around the
property.”

Indiana smiled and nodded to her
husband. Misty was still amazed at how beautiful the scenery was.
From the porch, she could see several large rock formations in the
distance, and a long, wooden fence that seemed to wrap around the
land. After seeing such beauty, she wondered if the interior could
be nearly as breath-taking.

Apart from the beauty of the
landscape, one thing that Misty noticed was the smell of an
unpleasant odor that seemed to permeate the air. “I don’t mean to
be rude, Indiana, but may I ask what that horrendous smell
is?”

“
Oh,” Indiana said,
laughing. “You’ll get used to that smell living on a ranch. Wait
until you visit the stables and living quarters. When your life
centers on caring for horses and cows, it’s only inevitable that
you start smelling like one! There’s plenty of dust too. It gets in
the house.”

“
Yet don’t the maids clean
it?” Misty asked.

Indiana shook her head. “We don’t have
maids and butlers here. It’s much different to how we lived when
you were my maid.”

“
Oh,” Misty replied,
confused. “Do you and Mr. Morgan do everything on the ranch
yourselves?”

“
No, not at all,” said,
trying not to laugh. “We have farmhands who live in the living
quarters. They help Morgan with the cattle, fixing things around
the house, and so on. The only thing we don’t have is someone who
works inside the home full-time.”

Misty was surprised to hear such a
thing, but it did make sense in a way.

“
Come on, I will show you
to your room.”

“
That would be lovely,”
Misty said, with a smile.

The two women walked down a long
hallway, but rather than listening to Indiana as she spoke about
the history of the ranch and the homestead, Misty’s thoughts were
focused on Cody and what would happen when he found out she had
left his mother’s house. She did not want him to be upset or to
feel slighted in any way, but there was no way she could remain and
suffer the verbal jabs by the woman.

“
So, as I was saying, this
is where you’ll be staying,” Indiana said.

“
Oh, I’m sorry. I was
thinking about Cody,” Misty said, not wanting her friend to think
she was being rude. “I just worry that he will take this the wrong
way.”

“
Take what the wrong way?”
Indiana asked. She sat on a sofa at the foot of the large bed. She
patted the unoccupied cushion beside her and flashed Misty a wide
smile.

Taking her cue, Misty walked over to
the sofa and sat next to Indiana. She glanced around the room, her
mind being engulfed with beauty once more.

“
Who is the man in that
portrait hanging above the fireplace?”

Indiana looked up at the picture.
“Can’t you tell that’s Morgan?”

Misty squinted her eyes, straining to
see what she was apparently missing. The portrait was of an elderly
man, a younger man, and a baby, but which of them was Morgan?
“Well, they all share a resemblance, but I really can’t tell which
one Morgan is. I’m sorry.”

“
There’s no need to be
sorry,” Indiana said, her voice gentle and kind. “He’s the child.
That painting was done by a well known artist. It represents three
generations of the family: my husband, his father, and his
grandfather.”

“
How lovely,” Misty said,
studying the portrait a little further. It did look rather regal,
sitting high up on the wall, a deep contrast to the wooden beams
that held up the ceiling high above it.

Misty swallowed hard and her chest
tightened. “Do you think Mr. Cody is more like his mother or Mr.
Morgan?”

Indiana paused, seemingly caught off
guard by such a question. She extended her hand toward Misty’s. “My
dear,” she said, gently holding her hand, “that is something that
you’ll need to find out for yourself. I would imagine he lives like
we do, but you’ve seen the house in which he was raised. Either
way, he seems like a good man.”

“
Yes, he does, but that’s
what worries me. What if he is not the man that he made himself out
to be in the letters? I suppose we just need more time together,
but if he expects me to live with his mother until we marry, then I
cannot see that that things will work out.”

“
You cannot think like
that!” Indiana said, standing up again. “But just as Morgan said,
you are welcome to stay with us as long as you’d like. I assume you
would like to rest after your long journey?”

“
Yes, thank you,” Misty
replied, flashing her friend a sincere smile.

After Indiana left, Misty washed up,
and then walked around the room. She was anxious to take a nap.
Misty had been so looking forward to meeting the man on the other
end of her letters Sure, she had been delighted to find it was
Cody, but then again, his mother’s demeanor had at once crushed her
hopes of any happy future. Would he defy his mother and marry
Misty? Or would he give in to his mother’s wishes?

Misty finally sat down on the bed, but
at that moment, Indiana knocked on her door. “Mr. Cody is here to
see you, Misty.” She gave an encouraging smile.

Misty followed Indiana down the
stairs, her heart in her mouth. Cody was by the fireplace, a
puzzled look on his face. Indiana at once left the room.

Cody approached her slowly, his hands
trembling as he rested them on the arm of the sofa and stared at
her. “May I ask what happened with Mother? Why did you
leave?”

Misty wasn’t sure how to respond, but
her body seemed to be much heavier all of a sudden. After looking
around the room with the hope of discovering something polite to
say but and coming up empty-handed, she spoke softly, her voice
just as broken as his. “Nothing really happened, sir. It’s just
that I cannot live there.”

“
If there is a problem,
please make me aware of it,” Cody said, his eyes pleading with her
for an answer.

If only the answer had been so simple,
however. Misty tried to avert her gaze for as long as she could,
but it was obvious that Cody wasn’t going to leave until he
understood what was going on.

“
When I arrived, I realized
that I desired to stay with my friend and her husband. Will you not
afford me my biggest wish?”

Cody stood up. He looked down at her
as he sighed. “As you wish, my lady.”

Cody smiled politely and left, leaving
Misty staring after him. Cody clearly knew there was more to it,
but what could she say? She could hardly tell him that his mother
was a waspish shrew—that would not do at all. But not saying that
very thing had clearly made Cody doubt her feelings for
him.

* * *

The drive back to his mother’s house
in his Old’s automobile was one filled with tension and
uncertainty. An assortment of emotions swarmed over Cody as
thoughts about Misty and their marriage flashed by in his mind
repeatedly throughout the trip. Even the bumpiness of the roads
underneath his wheels wasn’t enough to pull him out of his torment.
Not knowing what would come of their arrangement was beginning to
burn a hole in his heart, and he didn’t know how to seal it back
up.