WestwardWindsV2Arebooks (6 page)

“What?” Maureen took the papers and began reading.

To My Dearest Family,

I know that when you find that I have gone, you will be very distressed and try to find me. I beg you not to do so. I will be in touch when I can. For years I’ve been telling you that this is not the life I want for myself, but my words have fallen on deaf ears. You seemed to think that it was just a phase and that I would grow out of it.

Most of my life has been spent primping and preening and learning how to behave like a lady and be charming to others. I never felt fully comfortable in this type of life.
Maddie
is much more proficient at it than I and she certainly enjoys it. I find nothing wrong with that.

I felt compelled to leave because I know I will never be allowed to live life on my own terms. I would have liked to have had more opportunities to participate in serious conversations concerning societal issues and many other matters, but any time I attempted to do so, I was made to feel that I wasn’t intelligent enough simply because I’m a woman.

There were scores of men who were pushed my way in the hopes of me finding a suitor among them. No matter how many men of our society I would meet, I know I would never find a match with any of them. I would like a man of substance, someone who knows
about hard work and taking chances. I want someone like you, Papa. I need a man who is strong, yet loving and has a sense of what’s really important in life.

So I am setting out on my own life’s journey and doing so in secret because I feel it is the only way I could make it happen. By the time you read this, I will be long gone and you will not find me. I am not doing this to hurt you, I am doing this because I am of age to make my own decisions and live life on my own terms.

I want to be appreciated for my true self and not be forced into a box or told what I should want. I love you all, but I am suffocating and need room to breathe and I think this is the best course of action for us all. I know that it will take you some time to see it, but I hope that one day you will.

Know that I love you all more than I could ever tell you.

All my love,

Tessa

Maureen reread the letter, disbelief and terror filling her breast. She was first and foremost a wife and mother and the fact that one of her children had set out alone to only God knew where filled her with dread. She didn’t want to alarm Claire unduly, however, so she tried to keep her demeanor and voice as calm as possible.

“Oh, dear. That Tessa. She has always been somewhat dramatic. No doubt we’ll find her at one of her friends’ residences,” Maureen said. She smiled at her youngest. “All will be well, Claire. I’ll go talk to your father about it. You eat your breakfast.”

Maureen kissed Claire on the forehead and left the room. Claire was old enough and smart enough to know when her mother was truly concerned and she knew that Maureen was very worried. She had no desire to eat and instead went out to the garden to get some fresh air. It was her favorite spot in which to think. She was deeply concerned about her sister and prayed that, wherever she was, she was safe.

Geoff finished reading Tessa’s letter and sat back in his office chair. Worry, anger, and shock all warred within him. How could she do this to her family, especially her parents? She had always been spirited and headstrong, but he had never seen this coming. As her father, he felt that he should have.

He looked at Maureen and rose to embrace her. “Don’t worry, dear. I’ll find her. She couldn’t have gotten far and someone has to know where she has gone.”

Maureen held Geoff close, taking comfort in his assurances. “Yes. You’re right. Please bring her back to us.”

“I will,” Geoff promised
her. “No matter what it takes.”

The trip westward was one Tessa would never forget, not only because it was full of memorable sights and events, but also because she wrote about everything she experienced and people she encountered. She strove to get everything she could down on paper just as she saw it at that particular moment. Her fingers became sore, but she kept on writing anyway. One of her suitcases held nothing but paper and pencils. She hadn’t wanted to run out of writing materials before reaching her destination.

To ensure that didn’t happen, Tessa also bought more writing supplies whenever she could. She didn’t know whether supplies would be available in Dawson and she needed to keep as much in stock as possible. After Dean had made her aware of how remote his ranch and community were, Tessa realized that there were things that would not be as readily available as they had been in Pittsburgh.

Another reason she wrote so much was to quiet her nerves. She was leaving her home for the first time in her life to head into the unknown. Although exciting, it was also scary. Would she be welcomed? Was Dean as he seemed in his letters? What would his children think of her? It was highly possible they would be resentful or jealous of her and that would put a strain on any possible relationship she and Dean might have.

She hoped they would like each other and get along well. Despite not finding anyone to marry in Pittsburgh, she had always hoped to find a loving husband and raise a happy family. Tessa felt that, in going to Montana, she would have the opportunity to meet someone special and have just such a life.

“So, is she pretty?” Sadie asked. Her brown eyes shone with excitement at the possibility of meeting a genteel lady from a big city. She seemed more interested in that than the fact that she might marry her father.

Dean smiled. “I’m sure she is. She sounds like it. She’s tall and has blue eyes and dark hair and she’s, uh, slender.”

“What’s ‘slender’, Pa?” Jack wanted to know.

“It means not fat but not skinny. Just right,” Sadie said.

Jack nodded. “That’s good, I guess.”

“I reckon it is. So what do you think about her maybe marrying me someday?” Dean asked. He almost stumbled on the word “marrying”. He still wasn’t comfortable with that idea, but he was trying to get accustomed to it.

Sadie pondered that for a few moments. “I guess if she likes me and Jack, it’s all right.”

Jack, ever practical, said, “If she can cook and clean, fine with me. Oh, and sing. Can she sing, Pa?”

Dean laughed. “I don’t know if she can sing, son. I never asked her and she never said.”

Jack shrugged. “It’s okay. We can see when she gets here.”

“Ok. We’ll do that.”

“When is she getting here?” Sadie asked.

Dean mentally calculated the date of the letter he’d received, telling him when she’d left North Dakota. “She should be here in three days.”

Sadie clapped. “I can’t wait. I’m so excited!”

“I can tell,” Dean said.

“Me, too,” Jack said. “Can I have a snack?”

Dean ruffled Jack’s hair. “Yeah, you can have a snack. Aunt Lydia sent over some cookies.”

Jack ran off to the kitchen for the cookies. He was far more worried about them than he was the prospect of a strange woman entering their lives. Dean wished he had his son’s calm outlook about it.

The stage coach pulled up in front of the general store in Wolf Point, which also served as a stage depot. As she alighted from the coach, Tessa stretched, glad to be on solid ground, at least for a little while. The driver unloaded her belongings and sat them on the porch of the store. Tessa thanked him and gave him a tip, something she was used to doing in Pittsburgh. The rough-looking driver looked at the money she was handing him and then back at her as if to say, “Are you sure?”

Tessa smiled and said, “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all of your help in bringing me here.”

He smiled and took the money. “Thanks miss. You ever need to go anywhere again, let me know.”

“Of course,” Tessa said.

He mounted the coach, tipped his hat to her, and then drove away. Tessa gathered her belongings into a more orderly lineup and then entered the store. The elderly gent behind the counter came out from behind it and looked at her. “Well, you are a sight for sore eyes,” he said. “We don’t get many young ladies around here that look like you.”

Tessa smiled. “Thank you. You’re much too kind.”

“Nope. Just
tellin’ the truth. So you’re that blue blood gal from the east, huh?” he said.

“I suppose I am. I see you’ve heard about me,” she said. She had expected that the people of the area would be curious about her.

“Hell, everyone around here’s heard about ya
. It’s big doings,
ya
know. Besides which, Dean asked me to keep an eye on you when you got here. Said he’d be here today, so I expect him any time now. He keeps his word.”

Tessa was comforted by that fact. “I’m Theresa O’Connor,” she said, holding out a hand.

The store owner took it and shook it the same way a man’s hand would be shook. “Lance Long. Pleased to meet you.”

Tessa shook his hand firmly, knowing, from watching her father do the same thing over the years, that it was expected.

“Good shake. Can always tell a good person from the way they shake hands,” Lance said. “Good
lookin’ and ya
got good manners. If Dean doesn’t marry you, I will.”

Tessa laughed. “You’re such a flirt!” she accused. She was no stranger to flirting and could hold her own when it came to the oral dance between men and women.

“Flirt? Hell, I mean it!” Lance said. “Oh, pardon my language, miss.”

“Please think nothing of it. I’ve heard much worse,” Tessa said.

The sound of horses’ hooves and wagon wheels prevented any further conversation.

The buckboard wagon rattled around the last turn on the way to Long’s Mercantile. Dean and Marcus were running late because the front axle on his buggy had broken. He didn’t always use the buggy and didn’t realize that part of the axle had weakened. They’d hit a bad rut and it had snapped it the rest of the way.

They’d had to get the broken vehicle off the road and take the horses back to the ranch to get them hitched to the wagon. Dean had wanted to use the buggy because it would be more comfortable for Theresa. He and the kids were used to riding the buckboard but to someone who was used to riding along smooth streets, the dirt roads could be awfully hard on the rear end.

He was hoping that maybe the stage coach had been late and that they’d still get there ahead of Theresa. Dean’s hope for that died as they neared the store and saw a womanly figure out on the porch of the store.

“Wow, Dean, she’s a looker,” Marcus said as the wagon drew closer.

Dean didn’t need Marcus to tell him that. He drove the wagon automatically, but his senses were honed in on the beautiful woman watching them. Her dark hair was stylishly done.
She looks like something out of a magazine,
Dean thought. She looked fresh, despite the lengthy journey. She was smiling and, as they pulled up, Dean could see her teeth were white and nicely shaped.

Dean’s eyes roamed over her full bosom, slender waist, and slightly flaring hips. Her blue eyes smiled right along with her mouth and Dean saw her keen intelligence reflected in them. Her deep blue traveling suit was a little wrinkled and a trifle dusty, but on the whole, she looked as if she’d walked out of a dream.

Dean pulled the team to a stop and stepped down from the wagon. “You must be Theresa.”

She smiled broadly and came down from the wooden porch. “And you must be Dean,” she answered.

“Yes, ma’am,” Dean said. “How was your trip?”

“Exhilarating!” she announced. “There’s so much to see and learn about.”

Dean smiled at her enthusiasm. “I’m glad to hear it. You may change your mind once you’re here for a while.”

Tessa tilted her head a little and asked, “Are you trying to get rid of me already?”

“What? No, of course not,” Dean said. Then he caught the devilish twinkle in her eyes. “You’re
pullin’ my leg,” he said and grinned.

“I must be talented indeed to be able to do that from here,” Tessa joked. “I’m sorry. I must be more tired than I thought.”

Dean laughed. “Don’t be sorry. It’s good to see you have a sense of humor and that you’re not stuck up or anything.”

“Far from it or I wouldn’t be here, would I?” Tessa said.

Dean frowned. “What’s wrong with it here?”

Tessa rushed to apologize. “Nothing, of course! It’s beautiful here.”

It was Dean’s turn to laugh now. “I’m just
joshin’ you.”

Tessa pretended to be offended. “You, Mr. Samuels, are a bad man, I think.”

“You have no idea,” Marcus said, speaking for the first time. “I’m Marcus, Dean’s younger brother.”

“Well, Marcus, I’m pleased to meet you. And please, call me Tessa. It’s my nickname and, frankly, I prefer it,” she replied.

“Very well, then, Tessa it is,” Marcus said, with a deep bow over her hand.

Tessa played along and gave him a deep curtsy, and Dean watched her graceful movements closely as she dipped and rose again. “What a gentleman you are,” she commented to Marcus.

Dean said, “More like full of bull crap.”

Marcus scowled at Dean and Tessa laughed. She could see that this was going to be a lot of fun. She sobered and looked at Dean, admiring his fine physique. His shoulders were broad and his chest well-muscled. As his letters had said, he had strong arms, too.

“So, who are these beautiful animals?” she asked, referring to the pair of chestnut draft horses hitched to the wagon. She needed a distraction to keep from staring at Dean.

“This one is Buster and the other one is Nugget,” Dean answered.

Tessa moved to Buster’s side before Dean could warn her. Buster tended to be a little cantankerous around strangers, but he saw that he didn’t have to worry. Tessa whispered to Buster and he watched the big gelding’s ears flick back and forth. She didn’t touch him, but held a flat palm out and let him sniff it. Slowly then, she raised her hand and lightly stroked his neck.