Mail Order Mistake (7 page)

“Escargot?” the waiter replied.  “Very good, ma’am.”

While they waited for their food, she talked to Wesley in low tones about how much
she liked the weather there.  “It’s so much cooler here than back home.  It was getting
hard to sleep at night with as hot as it was, but here we almost need a fire at night.”
  She shook her head.  “Your mountains are wonderful.

“I’m glad you like it.  In the winter we’ll probably be snowed in a lot.”

“I like that idea.  As long as you’re snowed in with me, it’ll be fun.”  She loved
the idea of long winter days wrapped in a blanket in front of the fire.  Of course,
in her dreams she wasn’t the one climbing out
from under
the blanket to mak
e the meals, but she could adjust as needed.

When the meal came, she stared at her food in horror. 
They were snails complete with shell in some kind of butter sauce?  She couldn’t eat
snails! 

Wesley looked at her food with interest.  “I’ve never been able to bring myself to
try snails.  You’re braver than I am.  Do you really like them?”

She
nodded, staring down at her plate.  There was a tiny little fork that she assumed
was for digging the snail out of the shell.  She plucked out a bite
and
tentatively put it into her mouth, chewing slowly.  She did her best to keep her face
straight and not show how disgusting she thought her meal was.  She didn’t want to
eat it, but she’d been hungry enough in her life to know that if she didn’t like what
was put in front of her, she needed to eat it anyway.

She saw Ellen watching her over her steak and baked potato.  Next time she went to
a restaurant, she was going to have Wesley order for her.  He looked like he’d gotten
some kind of chicken dish.  Everyone looked like they were eating something good but
her.
  She stirred her food with her fork, trying to make it look like she’d eaten more
than she had.  Maybe she could sneak down to the kitchen in the middle of the night.

After the meal, she watched as Ellen and Patrick went to the dance floor.  She glanced
at Wesley
,
wondering if he’d ask her to dance as well.  He didn’t ask.  Instead he stood and
held his hand down to her.  She put hers into his and he led her to the patio with
the small orchestra.
  Just having her hand in his made her feel safe and protected.  What was it about
him that drew her?  She looked up at him, trying to figure it out.  Sure, he was handsome,
but so were dozens of other men she’d met.  He
was funny
and she enjoyed his personality and sense of humor, but there was more to it than
that.

Finally deciding she wouldn’t be able to figure it out, she just danced with him. 
He pulled her into his arms and she wanted to melt against him.  Instead she kept
her hand on his shoulder, and did her best to keep their bodies from touching as she
saw all the other couples doing.  She wasn’t about to admit that she’d never danced
befor
e, and it didn’t seem to matter
because her feet seemed to know what to do.  Their steps were perfect with each other. 

She stared into his eyes as they danced, feeling a wave of emotion rush through her
body.  She was in love with him.  She loved the sheriff of a small town who spent
his days locking up small boys for stealing gum
drops
.  What was she thinking? 

She looked over at Ellen and Patrick for a moment, and
it was forced home why
she could never marry him.  He looked so happy with Ellen, and Ellen looked so happy
with him. 
Should I just tell them all after they walk us home that I can’t marry Patrick?  But
am I ready to marry Wesley?

She knew she wasn’t ready to marry him, so no, she couldn’t tell them. 
She needed to decide if she was going to marry the man she was dancing with or take
her chances by going home to Beckham.  She didn’t want to return home, but neither
did she think she could worry about money for the rest of her life.  She wished there
was some way for her to know exactly how much money Wesley made.  Maybe it would make
her feel better about marrying him.

After their dance
they returned to the table, and just as she and Wesley started talking, Patrick asked
Malinda to dance.  Malinda looked at Wesley and Ellen in confusion, but put her hand
in Patrick’s, following him to the dance floor.

After the first step, she stumbled and stepped on his foot.  “So sorry!”
  What had been so effortless with Wesley was a chore with Patrick.

He shook his head and smiled down at her.  “It’s not a problem.” 
H
e
stared at the ceiling
as if struggling to find something to talk about.  “What do you think of Colorado?”

“Oh, it’s beautiful.  I love the weather so far.  Back home it was getting too hot
to sleep at night.”
  Weather?  All the man could think to talk about was weather?  Poor Ellen!

“I’m glad you’re enjoying it.  Are you comfortable at the house?   If you need something,
be sure to ask Mrs. Smith for it.  She’d be happy to oblige.”

“Thank you.  I will.”  She waited for a minute in silence for him to start another
topic of conversation.  When he didn’t, she blurted, “My sister seems to really care
about you.  She hates bankers.”
 

He grinned down at her.  “She told me.  She said that’s why she didn’t answer my letter
and you did.”

Malinda shrugged.  She hadn’t meant to say that about Ellen hating bankers, but she
hated to just stand there with nothing to talk about.  “Yeah, I don’t hate bankers
like she does.  I guess we both reacted differently to a difficult situation.”
  Ellen hated bankers and she was desperately afraid of not having financial security. 
She didn’t know which was better.

“I’m glad you’re no longer in that place.  And I want you to know, had I been your
banker, that wouldn’t have happened.  I can’t bring myself to evict anyone who is
going through hard times.”  He shrugged.  “If they simply choose not to repay me,
well that’s something different.”

“There are people who can repay you, but don’t?”
  Malinda had never imagined there would be anyone like that.  She would have loved
to be able to pay her bills.

He nodded.  “Usually it’s one of the
miners.  They’ll find their gold
and expect to not repay me.  It’s very strange, but when they make money, they just
think they should be able to keep every dime
of it
.”
 

“You’d think the miners would be happy to pay after they find gold.” 
If someone had a lot of money, what would keep them from paying for the things they
had gotten on credit?

“You’d think.  I wish that were the case, though.”

Finally the music ended and Malinda was
able to
go back to the table
. 
She didn’t dislike Patrick, but she certainly couldn’t see what Ellen thought was
so wonderful about him.  She wasn’t looking forward to the following night when she’d
have to spend time with him alone.  She wished she could find the courage to either
marry Wesley and not worry about being poor or go home to Beckham without Ellen. 
She knew she couldn’t marry Patrick, so why was she waiting?  She sighed.  She was
waiting because she didn’t have the courage
to do anything else
.

Sitting down across from Wesley, she smiled.  “Did you enjoy the dance?”

He shrugged.  “I like your sister.  She’s really nice, but it’s so weird being around
her.  I know I was supposed to marry her, but I can’t see myself doing it.  If you
two decide you want to keep with the original partners, I probably will just send
for another bride.”

Malinda studied Wesley’s face.  “Really?  She’s a much better cook and homemaker than
I am.”
  And if he was willing to send for another bride, did that mean he didn’t care about
her?

“We’ll go to Patrick’s every night for dinner,” he said with a grin.  “Not really,
of course.  I’m sure your cooking is just fine.”

She sighed.  “You’re sure
because you’ve never eaten it.  I can bake, though.”

He grinned taking her hand in his.  “I promise, if you cook it, I’ll eat it.  I’m
not picky, and seeing your face across the table while I’m eating it will make all
the difference in the world to me.”
  He brought her fingers to his mouth, kissing them.

They sat out the rest of the dances, both of them preferring to talk at the dinner
table instead of being on the crowded dance floor with their siblings overhearing
every word.

When Patrick and Ellen arrived back at the table, Ellen’s cheeks were red with exertion
and her face was happier than Malinda had ever seen it.  Malinda couldn’t help but
be happy for her sister.  She’d met the man who was meant for her, and she was happy.

Malinda looked over at Wesley.  She knew that he was the man she was meant to spend
the rest of her life with, but she needed to find the courage to do it.
  How could she marry a man and spend the rest of her life panicked that she would
end up widowed with no way to support herself?  His job didn’t help.

On the short walk back to Patrick’s house, Wesley kept his arm firmly around her shoulders. 
“Are you guys coming in or going back to your house?”
  She really hoped he’d come in.  The more time she spent with him, the more she felt
like she
could stop worrying about money
and just worry about love.

“I’m going to get as much time alone with you as I can before a decision is made. 
Maybe I can drug you with kisses and turn you into my slave.”
  He wiggled his eyebrows at her.

She laughed.  “I don’t think so, but you’re welcome to try.”
  His kisse
s
did make it so she couldn’t see straight, though.

When they walked into the house, Patrick and Ellen immediately went to the back porch,
so she went into the parlor with Wesley.  She sat on the sofa, and he sat close enough
beside her she couldn’t have inserted a piece of paper between them.  “My father would
not approve of you being so close to me.”

He shrugged.  “Your father’s not here, right?”

She felt sadness overwhelm her at his flippant remark.  “No, he’s not.”
  She stared down at her hands
,
not able to meet his eyes.

Wesley immediately realized his mistake.  “I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean it the way it
came out.”

She shook her head.  “That’s okay.  I need to get over it.”
 

“When did he die?”

“May.”
  But it still seemed like yesterday.  When he hadn’t come for dinner, Ellen had asked
her to go find him.  She’d been the one to find him lying between the rows of wheat
,
not breathing.  She could still see him lying there motionless.

“That’s not enough time.”  He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her
close.  “
Were the two of you close?”

“I can’t imagine a girl being closer to her father than I was.  I followed him everywhere
on the farm until Mother died.  After that, he made me stay in the house to help Ellen
with the housework, but I never really got to the point where I enjoyed that.  I’m
good at working outdoors, though.”
  She shrugged.

“Hmmm…..well, I’ll just make you my deputy and we can hire a woman to come in and
cook and clean.”

She laughed.  “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
  She couldn’t picture herself wearing a badge and carrying a gun, but the idea of
it made her smile despite her sadness.

“I’d do anything to make you happy.  I’ve never met a woman I wanted to shower with
gifts, but you’re that woman.”  He pressed a kiss to her forehead.  “I can’t imagine
my life without you now
that
I’ve found you.”

She snuggled into him resting
,
her head on his shoulder happily.  “I hate that you’re spending tomorrow night with
Ellen.  I’m jealous of my own sister when I know she prefers your brother and you
prefer me.  What was I thinking to agree to that?”
 
She not only hated the idea of having to spend an evening with Patrick, but knowing
Wesley was going to be with Ellen?  She was going to be eaten up with jealousy.

“Don’t worry.  I’ll make sure she knows you’re the only woman for me.”

Malinda turned her face up toward his and saw him looking down at her with his intense
brown eyes.  “You will?”

He nodded, dropping his lips to hers.  His tongue traced the outline of her lips as
he kissed her.  “I will.  We have to convince the others that we need to marry.”

Malinda lost herself in his kiss
,
not telling him that she was the only hold up in their wedding plans.  How could
she tell him that she was afraid to marry him because she didn’t want to be poor? 
How shallow would that make her seem?