Montana Bound: A Sweet Mail Order Bride Historical (Mail Order Bride Journeys Book 2) (11 page)

“What do you mean?” Owen said, looking genuinely confused.

“A love divided cannot be used as a foundation for a marriage. In time, the marriage will crumble a part, leaving two broken hearts in its wake.” Grace said, hoping that Owen would understand.

She began to walk back toward the house, but Owen reached for her hand and beckoned her to sit back down. “Please, just give me a couple more minutes. I think that I understand now.”

“Alright, but my mind is made up.” Grace said, not wanting to encourage him.

“I know that you are concerned that I am in love with Nina. I want you to know that it took me a while to realize it, but I can say with clarity of heart, that this is not the case. I do not love her. She was a childhood crush, who in all honesty, I don't even know anymore. Even our letters to each other have become more and more distant as the years have passed by.”

Owen had her attention now. “How can you be so sure?”

“Because I have never felt anything for her as strongly as I feel my love for you now.” Owen said. “A marriage between you and I would not be built on a divided love. It would be built upon an uncompromised, and undying love.”

“I—” Grace knew what she wanted to say, but was afraid to say the words. She sat silent for a few moments, collecting her thoughts. Owen waited patiently, always looking into her eyes. “I love you too. But I can't accept your proposal because I could not bear the thought that if we were ever to hit a rough patch in our marriage, that you might be tempted with 'what might have been' as you question whether or not you chose the right girl.”

Owen tightened his grip on her hands, and his gazed penetrated into the depths of her soul. “I will never question whether or not I should have married her. In fact, I have already sent her a letter to let her know of my decision. I will not marry her even if you reject my proposal, because I do not love her.”

“What?” Grace was at a loss for words.

“It's true. I mailed the letter to her. I told her that I would always cherish our memories, but that I am not in love with her. And that I love someone else.” Owen paused, to all what he was saying to sink in. “I left early this morning because I wanted to buy this ring, for you, in hopes that you will accept my proposal.”

“Then it's true. You really don't love her.” Grace said. “And you DO love me!”

“Yes. It's true.” Owen answered, dropping back down to his knee. “And I’ve never loved another as I love you. I will love you always.”

Grace could contain herself no longer, and threw herself into his arms. “I do love you too, Owen! I love you so much! I do accept your proposal to become your wife!”

EPILOGUE

April 2, 1897

“Can you unwrap the candles on the counter and bring them over to me?” Grace said as she adjusted the position of the candle holders on the table yet another time.

“Of course, my dear.” Owen said, carefully unwrapping the cloth that the merchant had wrapped the two white candles in, and discarding it in a small heap on the counter. “Here you are my love.”

Grace took the candles and pressed the bases into the holders, checking to makes sure they were perfectly upright.

“The table looks wonderful, and the food smells so delicious. I can hardly wait to sink my teeth into the chicken.” Owen said.

“Well you won't have to wait too much longer. They should be here any time.” Grace glance out the window as she spoke, and not seeing her anyone coming up the driveway yet, turned her attention back to the table. She wanted to make sure everything was perfect, and that it would be a most memorable evening for everyone.

“Why don't you join me over here on the couch and relax a bit until they get here?” Owen said. “Everything is perfect as you have it, and I'd really like to cuddle with my sweetheart for a few moments while we are still alone.”

Grace looked up into the eyes of the man that she had married, the eyes that proclaimed his love for her more deeply than words could ever express. She felt her panic slip away, replaced by her own strong desire to melt into the arms of her truest love. Settling her head onto his chest, and feeling his strong arms holding her in an affectionate embrace, she knew that she could never find a happier place to retreat to.

“Wouldn't you know it?” Owen laughed, pulling Grace out of the moment. “Just as we get comfortable, they have arrived.”

“Let’s just turn out the lights and pretend that we are not here, that we forgot that the dinner was scheduled for tonight.” Grace teased, her head still resting on her husband’s chest, but turned so that she could look up at him.

Owen lowered his head and pressed his lips to Grace's and kissed her. “Mmmm. I love you so much.”

“I love you too.” Grace responded, gave him one last quick peck on the lips, and then sat up. Standing up she brushed her hands across her dress, and, joined by Owen, she went outside to wait for their guests to pull up in front of the porch.

“Fashionably late again, I see!” Owen called out, his characteristic grin spread wide across his face.

“Go easy on her Owen, it's my fault. I was late arriving to pick her up.” Paul Witter said as he hoped out of the wagon and helped Constance exit the wagon. He and Owen had grown to become good friends during the past six months that Paul had been courting Constance.

Grace stood back as her husband greeted Paul with a hearty handshake. The respect that both men had for each other was obvious to her, and she was happy that they had grown so close.

“How was the trip over?” Grace asked, as she gave a warm hug to Constance.

“It was nice, though I think next time I'm probably going to have to remember that it still gets cool in the evenings this time of the year, and remember to bring a blanket to keep warm with.”

“Well, let's get you inside where you can warm up.” Grace said as she guided Constance through the front door, followed closely by the two men.

“Wow! Look what you've done.” Constance said as she noticed the care that Grace had put into making sure the table was set perfectly, even down to using the nice dinnerware set that had been given to them as a wedding gift. “It is beautiful!”

“And smell all that delicious food!” Chimed in Paul, whose voracious appetite had become well known, and fodder for Owen's light-hearted teasing.

“Of course, that would be the first thing you notice, Paul.” Owen said with a chuckle.

“Don't you act all innocent, Mister.” Grace said, giving her husband a disappointed glance that nobody could mistake for sincere. Turning toward Constance, “It was all I could do to keep him from sneaking a taste before you arrived.”

“Well, enough talk. Why don't everyone take a seat, and then before we dig in, I'd like to make a toast.” Owen announced.

Everyone took their seats around the table, and all eyes turned toward Owen. Grace felt a sense of pride as she looked up at her husband, whose excitement radiated from him as he cleared his throat to begin his toast. Though she knew what he planned to say, she eagerly awaited his words.

“I am so happy that you both were able to join us tonight. It seems like just yesterday you witnessed me becoming the happiest man on the face of this earth.” Owen said with a nod toward his sister. “As the days have gone by, my joy and my happiness have continued to grow. Yet, all the joy that I've ever experienced pales in comparison to the joy that Grace gave to me a few days ago, and I've just been dying to share my happiness with you.”

Owen paused and walked over to where Grace was seated. He placed his hands affectionately on her shoulders as he stood behind her, causing her to choke up with emotion. She held back her tears, as she waited for her husband to continue.

Owen hesitated long enough to plant a kiss on the top of Grace’s head. “Because of her, I now have a new purpose in life... to be the best husband and father a man can be!”

The tears could be held back no longer as Grace listened to him finish the toast.

Constance was the first to break the silence, as she threw back her chair, practically causing it to tumble across the floor. As she rushed to Grace's side, her words came quickly, they were barely discernible. “You—mean--you are—that I'm going to be an Aunt?”

“That is exactly what Owen is trying to say!” Grace said proudly. “I am pregnant!”

Paul's hands slapped the table with a solid thunk, and he stood and extended his hand across the table and took Owen's hand. “Congratulations buddy! I'm so happy for you, too, Grace! This is certainly a day for a joyous celebration.”

Things settled back down, and despite Grace's protests that she was not that far along, Constance insisted that Grace relax while she served out the food.

“You shouldn't have gone through all this trouble, Grace!” Constance insisted.

“Enjoy it while you can, I might not have the energy to put something together like this again in a couple of months.” Grace said, glancing down and running her hands across her stomach lightly.

As everyone prepared to dig into their food, Grace could not imagine the day being more perfect. She sat next to the love of her life, whose child she was carrying within her, and had just shared the news with the two other most important people that she knew. She looked at each person individually, the genuine happiness each felt at the news expressed perfectly on their faces.

As she sat there reveling in her own happiness, she caught the slight nod of Constance's head in Paul's direction and instinctively knew that Constance had silently given her consent to him to do something.

As if on cue, Paul took his fork and tapped the side of his glass with it, drawing everyone's attention to himself.

“Before we start, I just want to congratulate you both, Owen and Grace, on this wonderful news.” He raised his glass to them, and then took a sip of his wine. “Not knowing that you had such a wonderful thing to announce, I had prepared a lengthy speech for an announcement of my own. But I don't want to take away from your moment in the spotlight Grace.”

Grace felt her excitement growing, as she for a moment began to forget about her own happy news, instinctively knowing what Paul would say next.

“Yet, if you will indulge me, I'd like to add just a little bit of joy to this evening if I may.” Paul raised his hand and spread his fingers for emphasis. “Only yesterday, I have proposed marriage to Constance. And I am so happy to announce that she has accepted!”

The happy chatter continued as congratulations began anew. Grace, was thrilled to share the spotlight with Constance, and couldn’t imagine a more perfect way to end the day, than eating a special meal with the three people that she loved more than any other, and her unborn child nestled safely within her womb. As everyone began to settle down and started to dig into the food on their plates, she simply sat there, content that fate had brought her to Montana, and led her into the arms of the only man she could ever love.

###

If you liked
Montana Bound
, keep reading for an excerpt of
Kansas Bound
:

Prologue

April 8, 1880

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The deafening shot rang off the high ceiling of the sparsely-furnished room.  Time slowed to a crawl as the body slumped to the floor with a dull thud, cushioned by the jewel-toned Persian rug.

She glanced down in shock to see a dark stain seep into the rug, spreading like a crimson halo around the head of the fallen man.  When she raised her eyes again, blue smoke curled from the barrel of the pistol, now leveled at her own head.  Behind the weapon, a cruel glint flashed in the dark eyes that clashed with her own, as the handsome man’s mouth twisted upward in a victorious smile.

Chapter 1

One Month Earlier…

St. Margaret’s Orphanage

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

March 3, 1880

Cicely paced the halls, the unopened letter in her hand.  It was the first letter from Charles Wyatt that she had not been eager to read.  Deciding that she could not read it without the moral support of a friend, she turned and strode to the dormitory wing, to find Hannah.  She had grown to become the best of friends with Hannah, over the years at the orphanage, and Hannah was the closest thing to a sister as Cicely would ever have.

Walking into the dormitory, which was lined with a long row of beds along each of the north and south walls, with narrow writing desks in between, she was relieved to find her friend alone sitting on her bed.  The other girls were in classes, but Hannah and Cicely didn’t have to attend classes anymore.  They were both nearly eighteen—the age when the girls had to leave the orphanage and make their own way in the world.  Their time—when not required to be at Mass or doing chores—was meant to be devoted to job-hunting or courting.  Unless, of course, a girl intended to go into the convent, in which case she was expected to spend her time in prayer or working alongside the Sisters of Mercy.

Upon seeing Hannah, Cicely felt her nerves settle a bit.   “Hello Hannah.  Ready for your big day?”

Hannah’s nuptials to Andrew Moran, who worked for a baker in a nearby town, were scheduled for the upcoming weekend, the day after Hannah’s eighteenth birthday.  It was planned as a small affair.  Hannah didn’t have any relatives to invite or to help pay for the wedding, and Andrew barely had enough saved to help them start their new life together, so they planned a modest wedding, which made Hannah happy, anyway. 

Cicely knew it would have been very uncomfortable for her friend if they had invited everyone Andrew’s parents knew, only to have her own side of the church nearly empty. They would marry before the pastor with only a few friends and Andrew’s immediate family members in attendance.  Cicely looked forward to witnessing the marriage of her friend.

Hannah immediately rose, and walked the few steps to where Cicely stood near the foot of her bed, and hugged her close.  “I am so nervous, the closer it gets, but I am also happy and relieved, knowing that I’ll be married to a wonderful man once I leave this place.”

“I do envy you.”  Cicely said, truthfully.  It had only been a few weeks since she had postponed providing a final answer to Charles’ proposal of marriage, and the letter that she held in her hand would be his reply to her postponement.  It wasn’t so much that she was reluctant to accept his proposal because she was unsure of how she felt about him.  The difficulty was that she had never met him in person before. 

Several months earlier she had responded to an advertisement in
The Marriage Gazette
from a Charles, a farmer in Kansas with two children.  He had lost his first wife when she gave birth to his daughter, Rose, who was three years old by the time Cicely had begun to correspond with him.  He also had a seven year old son, Robert.  Charles had raised his two children for the last three years with the help of his sister, who lived nearby, but was ready to move on and was seeking a wife for himself and a mother for his children.  He seemed to be a wonderful man, and she very much looked forward to the letters that they exchanged with each other.  In fact, had his proposal letter arrived even a week earlier than it had, she would not have hesitated to accept.  But that was before William Thompson.

William was a local business man—successful enough that he should not even consider a marriage to Cicely.  Most ambitious businessmen would not take a second look at an orphan, regardless of how attractive she might be.  An orphan had no family, no dowry, no connections that the men could use to further their financial situation.  The girls from St. Margaret’s Orphanage were often regarded merely as financial burdens.