Misty's True Love (Mail Order Brides of Pioneer Town, Book 2) (5 page)

Chapter 6

When Cody’s mother had told him that
she was inviting Morgan and Indian to dinner, he assumed she had
invited Misty as well, especially when she made repeated mention of
her “three guests.”

When he entered the dining room, his
excitement was at once replaced by dread. As he sat down, he smiled
at the other guests: Indiana and his good friend, Morgan. They were
a welcome sight, as always, but Miss Rosamund Swire was the last
person that he wanted to see.

“
I insisted that we wait
for you,” she said, blinking rapidly for no apparent
reason.

Cody slowly tilted his head and stared
back at her, his thoughts freezing as he tried to make sense of
what she was implying. Was she talking about dinner, or something
else entirely? “Oh, well thank you for that, Miss Swire,” he said,
unsure of how else to respond.

“
Of course,” she said,
almost gleefully. The smile on her face was almost mocking.
Rosamund just did not appear to be the type of woman whom he could
trust, and he did not exactly know why.

Misty wasn’t there. It dawned on him
then his Mother would not have wanted to invite a maid to
dinner.

As the servants brought out the food
and drinks and filled the table, Cody’s mother started up a loud
conversation, as she did at almost every dinner. “You know—it’s
such a shame that your dear mother and your lovely sisters were
unable to come tonight,” she said, directing her comment at
Indiana. “I heard that they had gone back to San Francisco. Is that
correct?”

“
Yes, they did return, but
only to get some things in order. They shan’t be away for long, but
I still worry about them. It is the first time they have returned
since our departure after the earthquake. I cannot begin to imagine
how that ravaged city must look now,” Indiana said, her eyes
tearing up as she spoke about her former hometown.

“
They will be okay, my
dear,” Morgan said, attempting to console his wife by taking her
hand in his and whispering softly into her ear. The sentiment alone
caused Cody’s chest to tighten. It was like his heart was yearning
for such affection, but he only wanted it from one
person.

“
Yes. I’m sure they will be
fine as well,” Mrs. Mills said. “It will be difficult for them to
see their own city destroyed like that, I am certain.”

Indiana smiled at Mrs. Mills. “Thank
you, Mrs. Mills. I appreciate your kind words.”

“
Is Mrs. Mills not the most
a wonderful person?” Rosamund gushed, earning stares from
everyone.

“
Yes,” Morgan said. “We all
agree with that point.” As he spoke, he flashed a smile at Cody,
but he might not have meant to let his friend see the look that he
gave to his wife shortly after. They both seemed somewhat disturbed
or embarrassed.

The dinner continued without any other
overtly awkward moment, but as time crawled by, the feeling in
Cody’s stomach slowly went from unnoticeable to undeniable. Despite
how cheerful Morgan and Indiana seemed during the rest of the
dinner, something still didn’t sit right with him. Were they
uncomfortable because Misty wasn’t there, or was it because of
Rosamund’s presence? Perhaps it was something else entirely, but if
so, why did something feel so out of place?

“
So, how have things been
for you on the ranch?” his mother asked, looking at Indiana once
more. “Cody tries to tell me about the lifestyle all the time, but
I try to pay no mind to it. It is a man’s business.”

Just as Cody was about to add a witty
comment to the discussion, Rosamund spoke up, silencing him before
he even had the chance. “Life on a ranch does seem rather
old-fashioned, does it not?” she said, a wry grin creasing her thin
lips. He could tell that she was impressed with her own, off-hand
remark, but even his mother seemed a bit taken aback by
it.

“
I wouldn’t say it’s
old-fashioned,” Cody said, trying his best to speak without letting
the frustration that he felt spill out into his voice. “It is a
modern way of life,” he added, glancing over at Morgan, who nodded
in agreement.

Right away, Cody knew that his mother
was unhappy with what he had just said. He could feel the heat of
her stare focused on him once more, but Cody had no intention of
making eye contact with her right then. After everything that had
happened since Misty’s arrival, he had been ill at ease, and being
around Rosamund Swire did nothing to alleviate that at
all.

“
I do not believe Miss
Swire’s intention was to offend you or ranchers in general,” his
mother said, her face reddening. “It is indeed not the way some
women are accustomed to living. Yet I am sure Miss Rosamund would
be entirely happy to accepting such a lifestyle should she marry a
rancher. Is that not the case, my dear?”

“
Why yes, most surely!”
Rosamund squealed with a happy look on her face. “I am sure all the
drawbacks, and I believe there would be many, would be worth
it.”

With her words, a sinking feeling
struck Cody. He finally realized the entire point of the woman
being at that dinner. It might have been a normal occurrence in the
past, but now that he was set to marry Misty, he knew that there
had to be a more sinister reason behind it. First, his mother’s
overbearing nature had forced his future wife to move in with her
friend. And now, she was making the most of Misty’s absence by
inviting the one woman who would, in her view, challenge the
marriage.

But what were they plotting? Were they
trying to bring back the discussion of a union between Rosamund and
himself? If so, it was the last thing in the world that he wanted
be thinking about right then. After all, such an idea was the very
catalyst that led to his communication with Misty in the first
place. She had become the answer to his problem, but now that was
hanging in the balance as well, and his own mother was likely to
blame.

“
Actually, life on a ranch
doesn’t really take too much getting used to,” Indiana said, her
words causing both Cody and Morgan to smile simultaneously. “The
scent and the dust can be somewhat overwhelming at first, but it
does prove to be most tolerable. However,” she added, clearing her
throat, “it takes a certain kind of person to open up to such a way
of living. My dear husband has a way of making everything easier
for me.”

Cody smiled again, realizing how lucky
his friend was in marrying Indiana. He saw a similar type of woman
in Misty as he did in her, but she was more humble and kind even,
at least in her letters. All he had ever desired was a family and
happiness, two things that required a good, honest woman. Rosamund
was neither of those things. Cody had his heart set on marrying
Misty, with given how crafty his mother was acting, he was sure it
was only a matter of time until something else went
wrong.

“
It’s not that I make
things easier. It’s that I accept the flaws and focus on the good,”
Morgan said in a joking manner, causing both Indiana and Cody to
chuckle.

“
Yes, I am sure it isn’t
nearly so difficult as it seems,” his mother said to
Rosamund.

Cody glanced over at Rosamund, who was
watching him carefully with a broad grin on her face.

Chapter 7

Cody was not happy in the slightest
accompanying Rosamund Swire on a picnic, far from it. The words of
his mother still rang in his ears: “If you accompany Miss Swire on
a picnic and then still do not wish to marry her, then I shall
agree that you do not have to marry her.”

When Cody had told Morgan and Indiana
about his mother’s words, they had thought it an excellent idea to
end her interference, not that they had put it quite so bluntly.
Misty, however, had seemed upset.

Cody, with Rosamund at his side,
walked toward the creek, watching the sunlight reflect from the
ripples in the water. People had always said he was a hopeless
romantic, and he supposed that was, in fact, true. He spent much of
his time daydreaming about his and Misty’s life together once they
were married. “Misty would love it here,” he said absently to
himself.

“
Misty!” Rosamund spat the
word. “Do not mention her name when you are here with
me!”

Cody turned to Rosamund. “Rosamund,
when you asked me to accompany you on the picnic, I explained to
you very clearly that I was happy to accompany you, but that you
were not to read anything into it. I shall be marrying Miss
Misty.”

At that, Rosamund giggled
spitefully.

Cody simply shrugged and kept on
walking along the banks of the creek.

“
Those cattle do no smell
appealing,” Rosamund snorted in disgust.

Cody smiled to
himself.
Perhaps that wasn’t what she had
in mind when she thought she’d get some alone time with
me
, he thought.

Rosamund looked as if she was about to
have a temper tantrum, and as Cody had been on the receiving end of
more than one of her infamous tantrums before, he thought he should
change the subject. “Buffalo Bill Cody…”

“
I know who he is,”
Rosamund snapped. “I am well studied, if you recall.”

“
Oh yes,” Cody said,
speaking quickly as if that would somehow placate her. “There is
talk that his show will be starting up again soon.”

“
Did you make that up?”
Rosamund asked accusingly.

Cody was taken aback. “No, of course
not.”

“
Oh,” she snapped, jutting
out her chin in an aggressive manner. “Well, I’ve only heard that
Annie Oakley has recovered well.”

Cody nodded. Conversation with
Rosamund was always difficult, and this was the case now. “Yes,” he
said.

“
Hmpf!” was Rosamund’s only
reply, and she walked away, in the direction of the creek. Cody
watched her as she walked, wondering if she was storming off or
simply walking. He hoped she was simply walking.

The lingering tension hung in the air.
Cody thought of Misty.

They walked along the creek
bank in silence. Rosamund nearly slipped and Cody reached out his
hand to steady her. When she had regained her balance, he tried to
let her hand go, but she clung to it. He gave his hand a little
shake but she clung even harder and dug in her fingernails.
She should be a rancher
,
Cody thought,
with such a strong
grip
.

Finally, Cody managed to shake her
off, but he felt quite ungentlemanly in doing so. Nevertheless, he
could not in all good conscience walk around holding hands with
Rosamund Swire.

They reached the top of a grassy hill
and paused to catch their breath. Cody looked down and surveyed the
sweeping view. Below him stretched contented cows grazing on the
rich, fertile soil, and beyond, mountains on the
horizon.

Cody realized that Rosamund had been
speaking. “Oh sorry, what did you say?”

Rosamund glared at him. “I said, this
is where we should have our picnic.” Her voice was filled with
anger.

Cody shrugged. “As you
wish.”
Rosamund is
unpleasant
, he thought.
Surely my mother can see this for herself
.

Rosamund, at any rate, appeared to
have lost interest in speaking, and simply wanted to sit in the sun
and eat lunch.

Cody opened the picnic basket he had
carried up, and found sandwiches wrapped in paper and tied with
pretty ribbon. No doubt his mother has given strict orders to the
cook for the contents of the basket.

“
Isn’t this nice,” Rosamund
said, wiping some chicken from her mouth in not quite a ladylike
fashion. “Imagine, this is what life will be like when we’re
married.”

Cody nearly choked. “Rosamund,” he
said, trying to keep his tone even, “we shall not be getting
married.”

Rosamund’s face turned an unpleasant
shade of beet red. “What do you have against me?” Her voice rose
shrilly.

Cody studiously avoided a direct
answer to that question. Instead, he said quite firmly, “I am in
love with Misty. Misty and I will be getting married.” He
pronounced each word separately and distinctly, and with
emphasis.

Cody expected outrage, but to his
discomfort, Rosamund smiled and looked quite smug. “That’s what you
think.”

The tone of her voice made the hairs
on the back of Cody’s neck stand up. What did she know that he
didn’t?

Chapter 8

As Mrs. Olivia Mills waited for the
servants to bring her tea, she sat in the drawing room, patiently
awaiting the return of Rosamund Swire and her son, Cody. She was
anxious to see how the picnic had played out that day, but knowing
her son, things probably hadn’t gone as planned. It was difficult
to tell if he already knew what they were trying to do or not, but
either way, he had been resisting them both at every
turn.

Moments after her tea was brought in,
she heard the bell at the front door. Olivia looked over toward the
doorway of the room in anticipation of her impending visitor. The
butler finally walked in, introducing the guest as he did. “My
lady, Ms. Rosamund Swire is here to see you.”