Indiana Goes West (Mail Order Brides of Pioneer Town, Book 1) (9 page)

“Miss Indiana, forgive me. I know I’m
throwing a lot at you at once. I realize there is not a lot of time
for you to choose, but I would be happy to…”

“No,” she said in a dull voice as she rose
unsteadily to her feet, waving him off as he tried to reach across
the table to steady her. “No! I will not become an act of
charity.”

“Charity?” Morgan looked incredulous, a
glimmer of something fighting in his eyes as his mouth mouthed
wordlessly. He appeared to find the words to say as shock and
remorse seemed to war in him simultaneously. “I’m trying to ask you
to marry me. You think this is about
charity
?”

“What else would it be called? I shall not
marry a man to solve my family’s problems!” She felt ashamed of the
sharpness of her voice. Yet how pathetic she must seem to a
learned, accomplished man like him. “I wanted to think that I loved
you. But if you do not feel the same, then I do not want a part of
it!”

That admission seemed to leave him
speechless. Before he could recover, she turned on her heel and
hurried out as fast as polite society would permit, holding back
the tears. She ignored Morgan as he called out to her. She cared
nothing for how the scene looked to spectators. She cared not what
might reach Cade Hollway’s ears. All she could think of was trying
to make it to her room and lock it up tight before the rest of her
shattered into a thousand aching pieces.

Chapter 15

The opulent bar located on the first floor of
the hotel was abuzz with guests and servers alike that morning as
Morgan approached. He walked in at full stride, smiling at the
other patrons as he headed up to the bar, claiming a stool both for
him and his soon-to-arrive guest. Morgan’s mind was less certain
about the meeting that he was about to attend than his outward
appearance might suggest. He sat with his arms folded across his
chest, his shoulders pushed back, and his chest jutting out. Even
if he was not entirely confident about his meeting that morning, it
was crucial that others did not suspect any signs of weakness in
him—especially the man he was meeting: Cade Hollway.

Days before, Morgan had a surprise meeting
out in the hotel, but that one unexpectedly turned out in his best
interest, offering him a gift that he could have only dreamed of
receiving. The idea of this upcoming meeting, however, caused his
stomach to churn and his heartbeat to accelerate. After the things
he had heard about that man, dealing with him in person was one of
the last things on his list. Unfortunately, if the proposal to
Indiana were going to happen, he had to make sure that Cade Hollway
was not going to become a problem.

And he was certain that the marriage to
Indiana would in fact happen. All he had to do was to tell her his
feelings for her. How could he have been so stupid as to mention
marriage without mentioning love? No wonder Indiana had been so
upset. What a fool he was! Yet she had admitted her feelings for
him.

“Good day, sir. Is there anything I can get
for you? Perhaps our new blue blazer drink?” the tall, well-dressed
bartender asked. He wore a white shirt that was hugged tightly by a
dark vest, his long necktie tucked safely underneath it.

“No, thank you. I am meeting a gentleman
here,” Morgan replied. As good as the idea of a cold drink sounded,
he knew that he needed to keep a clear head around someone like
Cade Hollway. At least if the rumors about him were true.

“Very well, sir. Please let me know if you
change your mind,” the bartender said, walking away to attend to
some other customers.

Morgan turned in his stool, glancing around
the spacious establishment to see if Mr. Hollway had come in
without being noticed. Where could he be? After several quick
passes, he was sure about one of two things: either his guest had
yet to arrive, or he was already hidden somewhere amongst the sea
of patrons.

Just then, a warm sensation prickled the back
of Morgan’s neck, startling him from his thoughts. He whipped his
head around to see a large, imposing man glaring at him. His large,
bushy mustache stood like a lifeless caterpillar above his upper
lip, but it wiggled when he spoke. “Well, good morning, Mr. Chase.
I see that you received my message,” he said.

The unnerving smile on his face sent chills
down Morgan’s spine as he watched him closely, but the smell coming
from his mouth was even worse. Had he already been drinking? If so,
he had to have been at it all morning so far. The stench of his
breath alone might have been bad enough to cause the hotel to be
evacuated. With his heart racing even faster now, Morgan glared
back at Cade and flashed his own smile. “Ah, I was hoping that I
hadn’t missed you. Please, have a seat. I saved this one for you,”
he said, gesturing to the stool beside him.

Cade scoffed, a howling sound. “I don’t think
that was necessary, but thank you anyway.” He plopped down on the
stool and then spun himself around, stopping when he finally caught
Morgan’s attention.

“So, might I ask what you called me here
for?” Morgan said, interrupting Cade’s moment of childish fun.

“Well…” Cade started, his voice trailing off
as his beady eyes still burned their gaze into Morgan’s skin. “I
heard that you might be making a mistake. You know, it might be a
good idea to search for another instead,” he said, his voice quiet,
but stern.

Morgan stared back at him, his mouth falling
open. “Excuse me? What are you speaking about?”

Just then, Cade’s face twisted, his eyes
widening as his mouth went slack. He leaned forward and whispered,
“You know exactly why we’re having this meeting. It is about
Indiana White. You cannot marry her.”

Taken aback by the imposing presence of such
a repulsive man, Morgan shook his head in defiance. “I cannot? Says
who? I am a grown man and I shall do as I please,” he said, his
voice much louder than Cade’s had been.

“You can surely do as you’d like, but not
when it involves someone else’s property!” Cade said, almost
spitting his words.

Morgan’s eyes nearly went crossed at hearing
such an undignified remark. “I am sorry, but Miss Indiana does not
belong to you. She is a grown woman who can do as she pleases as
well, and from what I’ve heard, you aren’t her first choice,” he
said.

Cade leaned back on his stool, crossing his
arms as he scowled at Morgan. “How preposterous is this?” he
exclaimed, his voice much louder than it needed to be.

“I’m sorry?” Morgan said, unsure to what he
was referring.

“Sorry? For what? Being the bane of my
existence all of a sudden?” Cade said, almost growling. “The
absurdity of you and that girl is fascinating. If I wasn’t so keen
on taking her back home with me, I might just leave you both to
each other. There seems to be just about the same level of decency
in you and her, anyway. Might be a good match,” he said, chuckling
to himself as if his jokes were not rude and inconsiderate—yet they
most certainly were in Morgan’s eyes.

Morgan’s frustration was growing just as
quickly as his self-control was waning. “Did you ask me to meet you
here just to make indecent remarks like that? Can you not just be a
man and speak your mind? What is the point of speaking in
riddles?”

Cade sighed, his arms dropping to his sides
as he leaned forward. “Indiana was promised to me. Her mother
arranged for our marriage and I’ve kept my part of the deal. People
speak so poorly of me sometimes, but they always fail to put
themselves under that same level of scrutiny. Peculiar thing, isn’t
it? Double standards and all that,” he said with a laugh. “But,
with that being said, do you truly think breaking our deal is the
most honorable thing to do?”

“I’m not worrying about what’s noble or
honorable,” Morgan replied, “I’m worried about making sure you
don’t hurt someone that I care about deeply.”

Just then, Cade’s face seemed to light up. It
was almost like he had instantaneously come up with the solution to
all of his problems. “Oh,” he said, his voice breaking off before
he spoke again, adding some clarification to his excitement. “So
that’s why you’re trying to swoop in and save her from me? Because
you love her?”

“What?” Morgan shot back, completely caught
off guard by the comment. “I said no such thing. Her family and my
uncle’s family go way back. I care about her, but I wouldn’t call
it that.”

“Wouldn’t you?” Cade said with a sneer,
tilting his head slowly.

Morgan looked back at him and sighed,
covering his face partially with the palm of his hand. He was
completely put off by just how cold and callous the man seemed to
be. The look on his face alone was enough to instill hostility and
hatred in the purest of people. “How I feel has no bearing on any
of this, not our conversation, not the outcome of it, and not even
the agreement of marriage that was rescinded. You should go back to
Texas and find yourself a new bride.”

As the words left his lips, Morgan almost
wished he could take them back, but sometimes the truth was just as
sharp as knives and daggers. It might hurt, but someone had to put
Cade in his place, because it sure didn’t seem like anyone ever had
before.

“Go back to Texas? Empty-handed? You must be
daft! Are you going to reimburse me for the long trip here, my time
away from the ranch, and every other expense I’ve incurred, all for
nothing?” he asked, his eyes glowing with fury.

Morgan could not believe the audacity of such
a fool. “You came here with a chance to marry a beautiful,
wonderful woman and squandered it away by being the kind of man
that you are. There might be some women that would sell their souls
to someone like you for luxury and financial stability, but I will
not allow Indiana to become one of them.”

Cade stared back at him, his smile slowly
growing until it stretched from ear to ear. Then, his lips parted
and laughter filled the air. “So, that’s why Deborah chose you,” he
said.

“Chose me? What do you mean?”

“I know that you met with her recently. She
is the one that is setting up this entire ruse, isn’t she? That
two-timing…” Cade said, his voice trailing off as he leaped off his
stool and began pacing back and forth.

“Do not speak ill of the lady,” Morgan said,
his voice flushed with the anger that he had been holding back
since the meeting began. “I do not know what you’re talking about,
but she had nothing to do with my decision to ask Indiana to marry
me.”

Cade stared at Morgan. “Hide your secrets,
and bury them while you’re at it, but I’ll still find them. I came
here to give you a chance to be the bigger man and walk away.
Indiana was promised to me first, so unless I decline the offer,
that still stands.”

“And where do you suppose you will find a
court or a magistrate that will entertain such a petty notion?
Marriage arrangements are not guaranteed by the laws of men. You
should just cut your losses while you can and salvage this little
trip of yours,” Morgan said, his voice stern and full of
passion.

“Hmm,” Cade mumbled. “Perhaps you have a
point there. Maybe I really should just chalk it up as a loss and
go away.”

Unsure whether or not he was toying with him,
Morgan tilted his head and raised an eyebrow, hoping for an
explanation. There was no way that Cade was suddenly just willing
to drop it. He wouldn’t have called the meeting or shown up if it
was something that he didn’t consider important. “I do have a
point, but I doubt that you can see it.”

“I see something, something very clear,” Cade
replied. “But that something is for me to worry about. Again, this
meeting was not for my benefit. I was merely extending you a
courtesy.”

“A courtesy?” Morgan repeated, his chest
tightening as he waited for Cade’s next response.

“Yes, that is exactly what it is. Well, I
suppose some might rather refer to it as a warning,” he explained,
walking toward Morgan and stopping just inches away.

“Oh, so you’re warning me now?” Morgan tried
not to flinch at the man’s breath.

Cade smiled and winked, almost sending Morgan
into a rage. He could almost feel his blood boiling as beads of
sweat pooled on his forehead. “If that’s what you want to call it,
so be it. To me, it’s just some friendly advice. Stay away from my
future wife.”

Morgan sighed, looking down to rid himself of
the agitation that threatened to overwhelm him. When he glanced
back up at Cade, he spoke slowly and softly. “If I ever meet the
lucky lady, I would be happy to stay away from her. Indiana on the
other hand, is not yours and never will be.”

Cade grabbed the collar of his shirt with
both hands and tugged on it, fixing the wrinkles that had overtaken
it. “I have some things I need to tend to today, so I must be
going, but thank you again for our lovely meeting. And please,
don’t forget: stay away from her, or you’ll wish you had.”

Restraining himself with every ounce of
willpower he could muster, Morgan watched as Cade walked away from
the bar and disappeared back into the maze of guests and hallways.
The bar right then was just as loud as it had been when he had
arrived, but now he sat in the silence of his own mind. Even the
magnificent etchings and sculptures that lined the bar seemed
sullied somehow by the exchange that he had just experienced. As he
jumped off the stool and headed back toward the lobby of the hotel,
he wondered if there was any validity to the foolish man’s
warnings.

Chapter 16

Morgan
felt something was wrong as soon as
he received the message from the young man. “Please hurry. Mrs.
Deborah White requires your presence immediately.”

Morgan
grabbed his cloak and followed the
young man into the street. The streets were dark and the lamps
which hung from the front of the numerous bars did little to dispel
the gloom. Bustling people brushed past, many of them drunk and
disorderly.