WestwardWindsV2Arebooks (2 page)

Geoff’s response was to laugh and roll Maureen back over. “You are a conniver, Maureen O’Connor. Did she agree to that?”

Maureen arched a delicate brow at him. “A conniver I may be, but only for a good cause. Yes, she did. I thought they were decent terms. You’ve always said that, in any good agreement, there’s give and take.”

“So I have.” Geoff weighed the subject and saw that the deal was a good one. “Very well. I agree with you.”

Maureen laughed and hugged him. “You are the best husband and father!” She wriggled under Geoff.

He grinned and kissed her neck. “Really? So how about
we seal the deal?”

“Oh, absolutely,” Maureen said.

Their lovemaking was slow and tender this time and Maureen did indeed show Geoff what a wonderful husband he was to her.

Geoff called Tessa into his office in the morning. Tessa knew this was not her father’s usual schedule and was nervous as she perched on one of the chairs in front of his large, mahogany desk. She watched her father close the door and settle in his office chair. He was a large man, standing around six-foot three and close to two hundred pounds, and the
chair creaked a little under his weight. Geoff looked at her for a few moments without saying anything.

Tessa knew he was sizing her up, much the way he did a business opponent. He was looking for any weakness. She lifted her chin and looked him in the eye.

“What’s on your mind, Papa?” she asked.

Geoff smiled inwardly at her bravado. She was tough as nails and it made him feel good. Whoever she did eventually marry wouldn’t be able to run roughshod over her. He wanted his daughters to be appreciated and loved, not ruled over. At least with Tessa, he knew that wouldn’t happen.

“Your mother has informed me that the two of you have come up with a proposal on which you agree. She brought this to me last evening and wanted to know if I approve,” he stated.

Tessa fought the urge to fidget, knowing it would be a signal of her nervousness.

“Yes. That’s true. Both of us thought it reasonable and beneficial to both parties,” she said.

Geoff barely contained his smile at her use of business lingo. Apparently she was paying attention somewhat during their dinners with his colleagues. “If I agree to the terms set forth, what do you intend to do with the extra time you will have on your hands?”

Tessa was stunned. She hadn’t given any thought to that. Her father was waiting for an answer and her mind spun as she tried to come up with something acceptable. She decided on honesty because Geoff would be able to see through any lies she invented.

“I didn’t think about having extra time, simply because I didn’t think you would agree to this.”

He nodded. “That’s understandable. However, if I agree to this, I expect you to come up with a worthy way to fill your time. I’ll not have you simply lying around eating bonbons and such.”

Tessa grinned. “When have you ever known me to lie around eating bonbons?”

“True. You’ve always been active. It was annoying as hell when you were a little girl,” he confessed. He didn’t often swear in front of his girls, but Tessa was not as sensitive as their other two daughters.

“Is it my fault that I take after you, Papa?” she said sweetly.

He frowned. “You know, it’s rather irritating that everyone keeps reminding me of that.”

“You’re full of it. You love it and you know it,” Tessa teased.

“Back to our subject. I’m serious about you spending your time on something worthy. I don’t care if it’s a charity or some type of education. You have a fortnight to decide. I expect an answer within that time frame. As of this moment, there will be no more parties, but if you do not uphold your end of the bargain, the agreement is null and void and the parties will resume,” he told Tessa.

She could see her father was dead serious and even though she was thrilled with his answer, Tessa kept her happiness in check for the moment. “We are agreed.”

Only then did he smile again. “You are incorrigible. Now, come give me a kiss goodbye. I must get to the office.”

Tessa jumped up and went around the desk and hugged her father. She planted a huge kiss on his cheek. “Thank you, Papa! Have a wonderful day. I love you.”

“I love you, too. Now, off with you,” Geoff said gruffly.

Tessa wanted to run from the room, but walked out in a lady-like fashion. She mounted the stairs and kept her composure until she reached her room. Once there, Tessa ran to her bed, buried her face in her pillow, and shouted her joy. Then she got up and twirled around the room, performing some moves that would have made anyone watching think she’d gone mad.

A weight had been lifted and now Tessa could start to live life somewhat as she wanted. She lay back on her bed and began thinking about what she would do with her extra time. There
would
be extra time because she didn’t have to spend hours preparing for and attending the dreaded parties. During the season, it wasn’t unheard of to have an event almost every night.

If she became involved in a charity, it would mean more functions and because that was what she was trying to avoid, she decided against it. What could she do educationally? Society had little use for truly educating women, although her father was very forward thinking in that respect and had made a large donation to Chatham College for Women in Shadyside, an affluent area of Pittsburgh.

She decided to contact them to make an appointment to visit. The idea of taking a few classes was appealing to her. It would certainly be something different and she would meet new people, too. Tessa ran downstairs to tell Maureen the news.

One month later found Tessa miserable yet again. Only two of her classes interest her; English and history. The others were lost on her. She discovered an aptitude for writing and constantly scribbled down notes, which she rewrote and expanded upon later. Tessa tried her best at the mathematics courses, but she couldn’t seem to grasp anything higher than basic algebra. Claire put her to shame by being able to complete the whole book, and correctly at that.

The foreign language courses were interesting, but it was really the English class that was fascinating to her. She’d been studying other writers and trying to learn as much as she could about the great writers down through history. Her professor was very pleased with her progress and told her that she had wonderful insight and wrote beautiful, descriptive passages.

Tessa would have liked to have dropped out of the other courses and just concentrated on writing. However, she knew that if she did, the parties would begin again. Therefore, she kept going to classes while trying to come up with another solution.

One day after class, Tessa asked her English professor, Mr. Rothwell
, about what made for great writing.

He thought for a moment and then said, “You have to experience life, pay attention to the little things, and know your subject. Research is the key to writing an accurate, meaningful article, or writing anything worth reading, actually.”

Tessa took that nugget of advice to heart. Over the next couple of months, she observed everything in her neighborhood and around various parts of the city where she traveled. She soon became aware that there was little in her life that was different to write about. She needed to travel to other lands and experience new things, but she would never be permitted to do that.

Lying in bed late one night, Tessa thought about running away to follow her dream. Her vivid imagination began concocting various scenarios that would allow her to do just that. She would need money. She had some in her account, but her father managed that account and would know if she took any out. However, if she waited to take it out right before leaving, he wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. She fell asleep dreaming of escaping to pursue her dreams.

At breakfast, Tessa once again scoured the newspaper. An unusual advertisement caught her eye.

The Brooks Agency is seeking eligible women of good reputation to correspond with gentlemen from the West who are seeking a wife. Please reply to this advertisement with a letter of description or come to our office located at the address below.

Tessa grew more excited every time she read the advertisement. Her mind began churning as she weighed the pros and cons of doing such a thing. She would certainly begin an adventure that would be worth writing about and perhaps find true love in the meantime. She would miss her family greatly and most likely anger them, but she was of age and could make her own decisions. Tessa was no fool and she realized that she would have to be sure of the man before traveling to meet him.

Knowing that she would be noticed writing down an address, Tessa memorized the address listed in the ad.
After a rather boisterous breakfast with a lot of teasing between the four women, Tessa went up to her room and began making her plans to go to the Brooks Agency the next day.

She would need a taxi because she didn’t want the family’s driver to report where she was going. Tessa had no doubt that Mr. Richards would tell her father if she were to go anywhere out of character for her. She decided she would go for a walk to the park and take a cab from there. Paying the cab fare wasn’t an issue since Tessa had a rather large sum of money saved and stashed in her room.

Each of the girls were given an allowance every week and it was rare that Tessa used all of hers because almost all of her needs were met by her parents.
Maddie
, on the other hand, was prone to spending her money on frivolous items and then wanting more money to buy more things that caught her eye. Tessa hoped
Maddie married a rich man who could keep up with her spending habits.

The day seemed to pass slowly even though Tessa kept busy. She was impatient for the day to be over and for the next day to come. She lay in bed that night and couldn’t sleep,
try as she might. She wanted to look her best the next day to make a good impression at the Brooks Agency. However, it was a long time before sleep claimed her.

“Well, Miss O’Connor, you seem to be exactly what we’re looking for in potential brides. The men are looking for women of your breeding and temperament,” J.D. Brooks said with a smile.

Tessa returned his smile and said, “Splendid! How do we proceed?”

J.D. turned and took a large file from a cabinet behind him. “These are advertisements from prospective men. Look through them and see if any appeal to you. I would ask that you choose only one to correspond with at a time because you may become confused as to whom you are writing. Men are jealous sometimes and it may not sit well with them that you are talking to other men as well.”

Tessa saw the wisdom in that. “I understand.”

“Follow me, please,” J.D. said and rose from his chair.

He led her to a large conference room with a long table and many chairs.

“You will have plenty of room and privacy in here to look through them at your leisure,” he informed her.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Brooks said and left her. As he went back to his desk, he wondered why such a beautiful, refined young lady was considering becoming a mail-order bride. From her elegant clothing and impeccable hair style, she was obviously a woman of high social standing.

Tessa sat at the table and opened the file. There were many ads in it and she began to read them. She giggled over some of them because they were so amusing. Some were from men who were very strict about wanting a very domestic wife. Others were very sweet, almost too sweet, and she put those aside as well.

After an hour, she’d narrowed it down to five and then three. Finally, she ended up with the one that struck a chord within her. It read:

Lonely widower rancher with two children seeks lovely lady who is kind, intelligent, and strong. Must like children and should be able to do some cooking. He’s a hard worker, a good provider, and also likes to have fun.

The name listed was Dean Samuels from Dawson, Montana. Tessa felt sympathetic toward the gentleman because he had lost his wife and was trying to be a good father and earn a living at the same time. After putting all of the rest of the advertisements back in the folder, she went back out to the front office.

J.D. looked up from some paperwork and smiled. “How’d we make out?”

“I would like to write to this gentleman,” she said and handed him the ad.

He read it and smiled. “Ah, yes. This one is rather popular,” he lied. “Let me write down the information for you. The letters will be private. I would ask that you make up your mind within three months as we don’t want these men waiting for women who never come.”

Tessa was surprised. “There are other women writing to this rancher?”

J.D. nodded. “Oh, yes. It’s only fair.” He had no qualms about his dishonesty. He had to make a living, after all.

“What if they’ve already made up their mind?” Tessa said.

“Don’t fret, my dear. Once a decision has been made, you must come to inform me. Thus far, no one has gone to see this gentleman. There is a contract you must sign. We require a two hundred dollar service fee. If you should change your mind about contacting this gentleman further and do not want to try any others, I would refund half of your money.”

Hope seeped its way back into her breast. “I see. You said two hundred dollars?”

“Yes. Will that be a problem?” J.D. asked.

Tessa calculated her funds. “No, it won’t,” she said as she opened her reticule and counted out the money. “Now, about that contract.”

Sweat trickled down Dean’s back as he finished mending the last section of fence. Evening was closing in and he had wanted to get the work done before dark. It made him feel good to know that he had achieved his goal. He straightened up and stretched his cramped back. Replacing rotten fence posts and stringing new wire was not easy and it was one of the jobs he hated most.