Montana Bound: A Sweet Mail Order Bride Historical (Mail Order Bride Journeys Book 2) (10 page)

CHAPTER 11

Owen walked into the general store, unsure if they would have what he was looking for or not. Most of the time such items had to be ordered, and there would be a wait for the item to be shipped to the store.

As he walked through the door, a loud bell chimed just above his head, causing him to jump slightly and bringing a laugh from a portly man stooping down next to a cabinet and filling it with grocery items.

“What was
that
, Mr. Simpson?” Owen asked, embarrassed that someone had seen him jump.

“Oh, the missus thought we needed a louder bell now that my hearing is getting worse.” The portly man answered with a wide grin. “We just installed it yesterday, and I’ve enjoyed watching just about everyone leap out of their britches like you just did.”

“Oh come on. I just got a bit startled, that’s all.” Owen laughed, but knew that he couldn’t talk his way out of it.

“Okay, if that is what you call it.” The portly man said as he walked past Owen, giving him a couple of pats on the back. “What brings you through my doors today? You are not usually back through here this soon.”

“Well, I had hoped that you might have a ring that I could purchase.” Owen said, swallowing a lump in his throat.

“Well, you’ve come to the right place! I just happen to have one right here.” Reaching below the counter, the portly man retrieved a box that contained exactly one ring. “What’s the occasion?”

“Well, I intend to propose to someone soon.” Owen said proudly. Reaching out he took the ring into his hand and began to examine it more closely. “Is this the only ring that you have, it is a bit plainer than I’d like.”

“You are just lucky that I have this one. We don’t get too many weddings in these parts, you know. I usually ask customers to look through the catalog.” Reaching below the counter again, he retrieved a large catalog and slapped it on the counter with a solid thud. “Which you are welcome to do.”

“No, I guess I’ll have to take this one. I don’t want to have to wait for a ring.”

“It’s a funny thing. I’ve had the same two ring here for years, and now I’ve sold both of them within a day of each other.” Then with a wink, the portly man added, “I hope you two aren’t competing for the same woman!”

“Wait. You mean that someone else came in here today to buy a ring? Do you know what his name was?” Owen asked, almost certain that it was going to be Virgil who had come in, and that it meant that he would be proposing to Constance soon.

“Well, I couldn’t say that I recognized the man. I don’t think he is from around here. I’m pretty sure his name was Johnson, or Thomas. Yes, I think it was Thomas. He said something about staying in the inn.”

Owen felt his heart leap through his chest. It could only mean one thing… Virgil was about to ask Constance for her hand in marriage! He finished paying for his ring, and as he began to head for the door, he paused, and almost without thinking, he asked, “Did he say who he was proposing to? Was it to my sister, Constance?”

It had dawned on Owen that the shopkeeper knew both Constance and himself very well, and that he would have mentioned it to Owen if Virgil had told him that he was proposing to his sister.
He must not have told Mr. Simpson who he intends to marry.
Owen thought.

“Well, no. He didn’t mention Constance.” Mr. Simpson laughed, apparently thinking that Owen was joking. “But he did mention a name. Can’t place it right now though. My memory just isn’t what it used to be.”

Mr. Simpson’s answer sent Owen into a panic. In his gut, he knew it could only mean one thing. “By any chance, did he mention the name Grace Russell?”

“Yes!” Mr. Simpson answered, with an emphatic slap of his hand on the counter. “Grace. That is the name he gave me! Do you know her?”

“Yes, I do.” Owen said, and rushing toward the door, “I don’t have time right now, Mr. Simpson. I’ll see you next time.”

***

Mounting his horse, Owen headed away at a gallop toward home.
That man has no honor. Grace would never agree to marry a man like that! Would she?

He pushed his horse harder and closed the distance to the house faster than he ever could have before. Dismounting his horse he tied him off to a post and ran into the house calling for his sister and Grace. Neither answered. There also was no note to let him know where they had gone.
Maybe I’m too late, and they’ve gone out to celebrate!
He shuddered at the thought.
But what about Constance? She wouldn’t be celebrating with them!

He considered going to look for them, but he had no idea where to start. Perhaps he wasn’t too late after all. The women must have gone out visiting a neighbor or something. Figuring that his sister didn’t leave a note because she expected to return before he would return, he opted to wait on the porch, figuring that if Virgil showed up in the mean-time, he could deal with the likes of him. A large part of him really hoped that Virgil would show up before the women returned.

A couple hours later he saw a wagon pulling up the drive. Straining his eyes, he could only see one passenger, and for a split second thought that Virgil might be the driver. As the wagon got closer though, he recognized the wagon as his own and the driver as his sister.

He waited until she had stopped the wagon in front of the house. “Where is Miss Russell? I thought she’d be with you.”

“She wanted to see you before she left, but you were gone this morning.” Owen felt fear rise up in his chest.
What if Miss Russell has already accepted his proposal
and had left to marry him.
He didn’t take the time to consider how illogical that thought was.

“Where is she?!!” He asked frantically.

“What has come over you, Owen? Are you okay?” Constance replied, concern spread across her face. “Come inside, we’ll talk about it.”

Owen knew that precious time was being lost, but also knew that his sister couldn’t give him the answers that he desperately needed if he couldn’t form a cohesive sentence. Try as he would, he just couldn’t though.

“I have to—where is she?” He demanded.

“Owen, sit down!” Constance demanded. “You are too emotional to talk about this right now.”

“I have to know! Virgil—he—tell me where she is!” Owen said, refusing to sit down.

Constance stood her ground, and crossed her arms across her chest in the way that she was accustomed to do when she scolded him when he was younger. “Sit down! Now! And I’ll tell you everything.”

Owen sat down this time, knowing that his sister would not budge, and waited.

“You mentioned Virgil, what does he have to do with anything?” Constance asked.

“Never mind that right now, I’ll tell you about that as soon as you tell me where I can find Miss Russell.” Owen felt himself growing more impatient, and more emboldened.
I have to get to her in time to keep her from making a HUGE mistake!

“Fine. She has moved out, Owen.” Constance said bluntly, obviously having grown tired of the back and forth.

“She what? Is she with him?!” Owen demanded.

“Who?”

“Virgil, of course.”

“What do you mean?”

“Did he propose to her?”

“She has no interest in him, and she left, at least in part because she didn’t want to be an obstacle to my union with him.”

Owen was confused. “Then where would she go?”

“Oh no! We are not going to ignore that you asked if Virgil proposed to her. Do you have your suspicious, as I do, that he wants to? Or do you know something that I don’t know?” Constance asked with clear determination to get her answers this time.

“I had a gut reaction a few times to the attention he was giving her, but I never actually thought he would propose to her before.” Owen answered. He tried to continue but was interrupted by his sister.

“Then why did you ask if he proposed to Grace? What do you know?!”

Owen could see the fire in his sister’s eyes, and did not want to be on the receiving end of her righteous fury when she found out, but he knew better than to withhold anything at that point. “I found out that that he had bought a ring at the mercantile yesterday. I assumed that meant he was to ask you to marry him, but as an afterthought I asked Mr. Simpson if he had mentioned a name, and he told me Virgil gave him Miss Russell’s name .”

He saw Constance’s eyes roll back in her head, and rushed to her side to catch her should she faint. She regained her composure though, and didn’t faint. A testament to her fortitude as a woman.

“I was right. I just knew it.” Constance said.

“He must have proposed to her at some point before he left yesterday then.” Owen said, feeling defeated.

“No, that’s not possible. I spoke to her about him, and she assured me that she has no interest in him at all. I took her into town after breakfast, so she could find a place to stay.”

His sister’s words took a few seconds to sink in, then he felt the panic rise in his chest again!
Then she is in town now, and he could bump into her!

“Constance! Where did you take her? I need to talk to her before he does!” Owen said, pacing the floor.

“Relax Owen. I told you that she has no interest in him.” Constance said, surprisingly subdued considering that she just found out from her brother that her beau intends to propose to someone else.

“You’re right.” Owen conceded, deciding to take his sister's advice that panicking would not help anything. “You said that she left in part because she was uncomfortable with him. What other reasons did she have to want to go?”

“That's not important right now.” Constance said. “But I am kind of interested in why all of this has you in such a tizzy.”

“I just don't want to see her hurt by a man like that. That's all.” Owen lied.

“I don't believe it. You don't get all worked up over something like that.” Constance looked deep in thought as she pondered the situation. “Unless—you love her!”

Owen could hardly believe his ears.
Am I that obvious
?

“Admit it! It's true, isn't it?” Constance asked.

“Okay, I admit it. I do love her.” Owen felt all the emotion that he had been burying deep inside for so long come to the surface. “It sounds strange to say, because I've known her for such a short period of time, but I do love her. I've been trying so hard not to fall for her, but it just kind of happened anyway.”

“Owen, don't you know by now that you can't deny the heart its due?” Constance asked.

“I do.” Owen conceded. “I can’t go on denying how I feel. But I’m afraid that in my effort to stay faithful to Nina, that I’ve pushed her away so much that she might not be interested in me.”

“Owen, you should go after her. You should tell her.” Constance said. “She’d want to know how you feel. I took her to Pastor Smith's house. He was going to help her find someplace to rent a room.” Constance said.

“What about you? I shouldn't leave you now.” Owen replied, genuinely concerned for his sister, who still had not had time to allow what she had learned about Virgil to sink in fully.

“I'm a big girl, Owen. I can take care of myself.” Constance said, bravely. “I guess I knew that Virgil and I weren't meant to be all along anyway.

“Okay, if you are sure.” Owen said, a concerned look on his face.

“Yes, yes! I insist. Go now!” His sister said, this time practically pushing him toward the door.

CHAPTER 12

Owen mounted his horse, still saddled up from returning from town a short time ago. Constance watched as her brother rode off at a fast pace from the porch, until he turned up the dry creek bed and rode toward town. He would arrive much quicker by taking the more direct path that the creek afforded to him, rather than the winding road that stretched the miles out.

After he had disappeared from sight, Constance slumped down into the swing on the porch, upset, no longer able to restrain her tears from streaming down her cheeks.

In a way, she was relieved.
I guess I knew he wasn't right for me from the beginning, but I wouldn't admit it to myself.
She thought.

She didn’t have time to be carried away with her thoughts, however, as a buggy began to approach up the driveway, having just turned off the road. It moved at a leisurely pace toward the house. She recognized the buggy, even though at that distance the driver was not recognizable. It was Virgil. She quickly wiped away her tears and hoped that he would not be able to tell that she had been crying.
I won’t give him the satisfaction.
She thought.

She rose and went inside the house, trying to decide what to do. For a moment she was tempted to pretend that she wasn't there in hopes that he would simply go away. But she knew that he would just wait on the porch. She decided instead to allow him to say his piece, and then go.

Soon the sound of the buggy pulling up filled the air, followed by the thud of his boots as he dropped to the ground. His footsteps across the ground, and onto the porch did not give the impression of a man that was hesitant.
He must not have any doubts about what he is here to do.

Then came his solid knock on the door.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Abel. I know that you didn’t think you’d see me today, and I hope that it is okay that I’ve come over unannounced.” He said, still standing in the open door.

“Of course it is! You are always welcome here.” Constance answered, not letting on that she knew what he was all about.

“Is Owen here? It's not important, but I really just want to talk to you without him around.”

I bet you do!
Constance laughed to herself.
You’re just afraid he’d stomp you into the ground.
She knew that for Virgil’s sake, it was a good thing that Owen was gone.

“You just missed him. I’m surprised that you didn’t pass on the road.” Constance answered. “Come on in. And remove your hat!”

Obediently, Virgil removed his hat and held it in his hands before him. He stood in the open doorway.

“By any chance, is Miss Russell here? I will need to talk to her also.” Virgil asked, swallowing heavily.

Constance laughed out loud. “I bet you do!” She said with a hint of sarcasm. “She is gone right now. It's just you and me.”

“Ok. I'll come back later to talk to her then.”

Constance could not believe the audacity of the man, to tell her he'll come back later as if he would ever be allowed to step foot anywhere near the property again after he confessed his real intentions to her. She crossed her arms across her chest, and impatiently waited for the next words from his mouth.

“I came here to tell you that I am breaking off our courtship. I care so much for you and want so much to be with you, but I'm a farmer and as such, I am often away from the house working hard in the fields. You deserve someone that can be there to give you the attention that you need.”

“That's it? That's the best you can come up with? What a joke!” Constance felt her irritation growing.

“You don't need to be so juvenile about this. We are both adults here.”

The smug look on Virgil's face pushed Constance beyond what his insensitive words did, and she reached for her broom.

“You get out of my house, and don't ever come back here again!” She said as she poked him over and over again in the chest.

His eyes grew wide as he backed through the open door behind him, trying desperately to get away from her as quickly as he could. Not realizing herself how far back she had pushed him, he suddenly disappeared from sight as he stumbled backwards, landing in a heap in the dust at the foot of the steps, his hat beside him, a large cloud of dust settling on him as he lay there stunned.

“Get up and get out of here.” She ordered, looking down from the top of the stairs, broom in hand, satisfaction spread across her face, and then added with a laugh, “And take a bath!”

“You’re crazy!” He yelled at her as he got up, then leaned over and grabbed his hat, shaking the dust off it before placing it back on his head.

“You remember that. And don't you even think about coming back here to see Grace. If you do, I'm sure my brother would be happy to
escort
you from the property.”

Constance watched in satisfaction as Virgil walked quickly to his buggy and hopped aboard, swearing every step of the way. With a slap of the reins, he took off back toward town.

***

Owen tied his horse off in front of the pastor's house, which was located just behind the simple church that the local people had built a few years earlier, in hopes of drawing a pastor to their community. He knocked on the door.

The pastor himself answered the door, “Well hello there, Mr. Miller.” He said warmly.

“Good afternoon, Pastor Smith.” Owen answered, getting straight to the point. “My sister told me that she dropped Miss Russell off here earlier today. I was wondering if I might have a word with her.”

“Unfortunately she is not here right now. She is out with the missus. They are going to talk to some people about the possibility of her renting a room.”

“Do you know where they might have gone? It's really important that I talk to her right away.”

“I'm sorry. I'm not sure where they went, but you are welcome to stay here if you'd like and wait for the missus to return.”

Owen felt his anxiety growing. He could not just sit around and wait. He would go stir crazy. “Thank you pastor, but if it's just the same to you, I think I'll ride around town to see if I might be able to bump into them. If not I'll come back later today.”

“That is fine, and good luck.” The pastor said. “I hope I'll see you at church on Sunday!”

“I wouldn't miss it.” Owen knew that he probably would, but not so much because he wouldn't want to go, but because he so seldom came to town.

As he walked back toward his horse, he heard the pastor call out to him, “Actually I seem to remember the missus saying that she thought Mrs. Abernathy might have a room she could rent out. You might want to start there.”

“Thank you Pastor Smith! At least now I have a direction to go!” Owen called back to him, mounted his horse, and then set off toward the Abernathy home.

Mrs. Abernathy was a kindly, old woman, who had been widowed a few years early when her husband of over fifty years succumbed to pneumonia. She had a large house, in which she lived alone. Most of her children had moved away from the city to make a better life for themselves, so she would probably be thrilled to have someone around to help her keep up with the house chores, and to keep her company.

The house was located across town, but it didn't take long to get to it on horseback. As he approached he was happy to see a buggy out front, assuming it would be the pastor's wife and Grace.

He approached the door and knocked, feeling just a bit awkward about interrupting the women. Mrs. Abernathy answered the door and greeted Owen warmly, though she apparently didn't recognize him.

“Hello Sir. How may I help you?”

“Hello Mrs. Abernathy. I'm Owen Miller. I just came from speaking with the Pastor Smith, and he told me that I might find Miss Russell here. I was wondering if I could have a word with her, please.”

“Of course,” Mrs. Abernathy said as she opened the door wider to the living room and stepped to the side, “come on in.”

***

Grace recognized the voice at the door immediately and was shocked that Owen would have shown up there.
Why would he have gone through so much trouble to find me?
She thought to herself.

She remained seated next to Mrs. Smith as she waited to see what he wanted. Though the couch she sat upon faced the front door, she could not see him because Mrs. Abernathy had only opened the door wide enough to stand in the doorway and face the visitor. As the elderly woman stepped to the side and allowed the door to open fully, Owen slowly came into view.

He held his hat in his hands, and appeared quite nervous. His skin was flush and he swallowed heavily as he noticed her still seated on the couch. Neither woman stood up as he stepped inside.

He hesitated to speak, and looked very much as if he was building up the courage to speak his mind. Grace was impatient, and decided to break the silence. “Mr. Miller? What brings you here?”

“Miss Russell—” He began, his eyes darting briefly to the two older ladies in the room. “I've come to ask you if I might have a word with you, in private if you don’t mind.”

Grace looked at the other two women, not wanting to be rude, but desperate to find out what this was all about. Mrs. Abernathy gave her a barely noticeable, yet knowing, nod of her head, so Grace rose saying, “Of course. We can go outside.”

The two walked outside and stood on the porch until the front door had been closed by Mrs. Abernathy behind them.

Owen took Grace by the hand and led her from the porch to an ornate, iron bench that had been painted white to match the color of the picket fence across the yard. There the two took a seat next to each other.

“I see that Mrs. Smith has introduced you to Mrs. Abernathy.” Owen said, still holding his hat.

“Yes, she did. Mrs. Abernathy has agreed to rent a room to me, and she'll waive the rent for the first month in exchange for my help with the chores around the house.” Grace said, still curious about why Owen was there. She was beginning to worry that he had bad news.

“That is good. Mrs. Abernathy is a good woman.” Owen said, still having difficulty getting to the point.

“Mr. Miller, I'm sure you didn't come all this way to talk to me about Mrs. Abernathy. Come out with it. Is everything alright? Nothing has happened to Constance, has it?” She asked, intending that Owen should get to the point more quickly.

“No everything is fine. It's nothing like that.” Owen said, still not quite getting Grace's sense of urgency.

“Mr. Miller! Out with it! What did you come here for?” This time she said it with a bit more firmness to make sure that he understood that she did not want to beat around the bush any longer.

“I came because there’s something that I've had on my mind for a while now that I need to talk to you about, and it can’t wait any longer.”

“Okay.” Grace answered, satisfied that they were finally getting somewhere.

“Please bear with me because it is difficult for me to say.” Owen said, cleared his throat, and then continued. “Since the day you showed up at my house with my sister, I have felt a certain attraction to you. I have felt that attraction grow with each passing day, and I can no longer deny that my feelings go beyond a simple attraction for you. I love you, Grace.”

“Oh, Owen. Please stop.” Grace stood up, completely unaware that she had address Owen by his given name, dazed by the words he had just spoken. “You can't say that. You are practically engaged!”

“I've denied it to myself, and I've tried to keep myself from falling from you because I've felt that it is a betrayal of the promises that I made to Nina. But it can't be denied.”

Grace felt her confusion growing, as his words began to sink in. She knew that her presence was causing him some concern over his decision regarding his childhood girlfriend, however she had no idea that he felt that he had fallen in love with her.

Rising from where he was seated, Owen knelt down on one knee, and took one of Grace's hands into both of his own. Grace's heart started beating out of control as she had no doubt what was to come next.

As he made eye contact with her, he continued, “Miss Russell, I have come here today to ask you to marry me. I truly love you, and only you. And I desire more than anything else that you will accept my proposal to be my wife.”

Grace stood, pulled her hand away from him, and tears began to slowly fall from her eyes. “I am sorry. I cannot accept your proposal.”

Owen stood, a wave of sadness overcoming him. He took a deep breath, appearing to resign himself to accepting that Grace does not feel the same for him as he does for her.

“Alright. I have to accept your answer.” Grace had never heard such sadness in Owen’s voice. “Can you please tell me why? I know that you have feelings for me also, I can see it in your eyes, even now. Have I done something? I would do everything in my power to be the best husband for you that I can be.”

“I know you will somebody make a good husband. You are a very good man. I am just not sure if that somebody is
me
.” Grace answered, trying to convey that she believed that he was meant for someone else.