Misty's True Love (Mail Order Brides of Pioneer Town, Book 2) (12 page)

“
Excuse me?” Misty said,
honing in on a specific word that he had uttered. “Mrs. Mills is
the one who found out what really happened?”

Cody nodded. “Actually, yes. We had a
lengthy discussion about the accusation and she took it upon
herself to learn the truth.”

“
Oh,” Misty said,
swallowing hard. “Why would Mrs. Mills help me, of all
people?”

“
Well, Mother has always
been a bit difficult, but I truly believe she’s always had the best
intentions in mind. There were moments in the past where I
questioned that belief, but she didn’t have to do what she did this
time. Once she saw how upset the false arrest had gotten me, she
went to Miss Swire’s at once to learn the truth. She asked Miss
Swire to drop the charges, but even that was pointless. In the end,
Mother went to the sheriff and insisted that you be
released.”

Misty listened to him carefully,
almost certain that she had misheard something. “Mrs. Mills did all
that?”

“
Yes,” Cody said. I know
that it’s been a long, trying week for us all, but I think matters
will improve from now,” he said, his voice sounding hopeful. He
stood up and picked up a small rock. He then looked at Misty with a
smile before skipping it across the water. The pebble bounced
across the surface three times unfaltering, but then on the forth
skip, it dropped into the depths with a loud plop.

“
I apologize, but I do love
to skip rocks. Mother taught me how to skip rocks when I was a boy.
She also made it very clear that she would be against any marriage
with Miss Rosamund Swire now. I guess that’s quite a promise, is it
not?”

“
Yes, it is,” Misty said.
“But what happens now?” she dared to ask, her mouth feeling dry all
of a sudden.

“
Now, we pick up the pieces
and move on,” Cody said, still standing by the edge of the water.
“I have no idea if the sheriff intends to press charges for the
false report, but it really does not matter now that she’s done
interfering with my life and yours.”

That had not been what she meant in
the slightest. Misty cared not for what happened to Miss Swire—all
she wanted was to know where she and Cody now stood.

Chapter 17

The next day, Misty received notice
that Olivia had invited her to her home for some afternoon tea. The
kind, old gentleman who arrived to pick her up, spoke in a slow,
but deliberate manner. “Good day, my lady.”

“
Good morning,” Misty
replied, as she followed the driver out to his car. Her first
thoughts when she found out about the invitation were those of
apprehension, given that her last meeting for tea had proven to be
a disaster. She knew something like that would never happen where
she was going this time, but the sinking feeling in her stomach
still refused to go away.

It wasn’t long before the busy roads
of the small town signaled that they were getting close. Misty
could tell just from the pleasant smell and bustling sounds that
they were no longer near the outskirts. “We’re here,
ma’am.”

And so they were. “Thank you,” she
said.

“
Good afternoon, Miss
Fields,” Bradford said, standing on the porch in his
unusually-stiff posture.

As Misty followed the butler to the
drawing room, she could already hear Mrs. Mills’ voice coming from
that direction. When they walked in, Bradford stopped in the
doorway and waved her through. He bowed his head and smiled as she
entered the room.

“
You’ve arrived! How
splendid. I have been waiting to speak with you all morning,”
Olivia said, dismissing one of the maids as Misty walked toward
her. “Please, come in and have a seat,” the woman said, indicating
the sofa opposite her chair.

Misty smiled politely, wondering what
the reason for their meeting might be. Until she knew what she had
been invited there for, a small seed of worry stayed planted in her
mind. “I hope I did not keep you waiting, Mrs. Mills,” she said in
a quiet voice as she sat down on the soft, skirted sofa.

Olivia looked at Misty and smiled. “I
think it’s safe to say that we were not on the best of terms the
last time you and I spoke, but I do hope that things might change
between us. It usually bothers me to admit when I might be wrong
about something, but it seems clear that I was this time,” she
said.

“
Oh,” Misty said, unsure of
how else to respond. She took the delicate tea cup in her hands,
cradling it as if it was the most fragile thing in existence. It
wasn’t, of course, but Misty’s thoughts were focused on anything
but a small teacup in that moment. She thought about Cody, and
Rosamund, and about every little thing that had happened since she
left San Francisco. The stable, better future that she had been in
search of for so long was just an arm’s length away—but would she
ever be able to reach it?

“
I was wrong to trust Miss
Rosamund Swire, and for her unbearable behavior, I am so sorry. Her
actions were not something that I encouraged, nor condoned in the
slightest. I do hope that we can all move past what has happened. I
wished to tell you in person that I am most regretful of what she
did to you,” Mrs. Mills said, before sipping slowly from her
cup.

Misty was somewhat taken aback by the
remark. “Thank you, Mrs. Mills.”

“
It is more than just
that,” Olivia said, putting her cup down as she leaned back in her
chair and folded her arms over her chest. “I trusted Miss Swire
greatly, and she repaid that trust with dishonesty. I must offer
you my sincerest apology for her behavior.”

So, that was what the meeting for tea
was all about that afternoon? If so, Misty wasn’t quite sure what
to make of it. It was a nice, heartfelt gesture—but there was only
one thing that she really wanted, and it was to marry Mrs. Mills’
son and start her future. It was bothering her enough that Cody had
not shown much interest in the topic of marriage lately, but if she
could at least get his mother’s acceptance, then perhaps he might
be open to the idea once again.

“
I appreciate that very
much,” Misty said, smiling as she slowly lifted the fragile teacup
to her lips. As she sipped from it, she noticed that Olivia was
watching her intently as if she was expecting more of a
response.

“
Oh, it’s the least I could
do, my dear. When I found out the truth behind what had happened at
Miss Swire’s home, I had no choice but to make sure the sheriff
knew the truth. It’s been a very taxing time around here lately,
but I want to set things right for my son’s sake. He knows not that
I sent for you today, but you are free to appraise him of the
matter if you so wish. All that mattered to me today was that you
were afforded the apology that I felt I owed you.”

Her words were simple, yet effective.
Misty knew right away where they now stood, but it still not where
she wanted to be. An apology was far off from acceptance, but she
had to take what she was given, since it was much more than she had
ever been offered from Mrs. Mills before. “I do accept your
apology,” Misty said, smiling warmly.

“
I’m sure that there might
be many times in the future where I will owe you many more of these
apologies, but let us not dwell on what’s to come,” Mrs. Mills said
with a chuckle.

“
I understand that,” Misty
replied. She could feel her chest tightening as she considered her
next words.

Olivia leaned forward once more. “I
have to accept that in order to let my son be happy, I need to
allow him to make his own decisions and his own
mistakes.”

Misty at once could feel her cheeks
warming rapidly. Was Mrs. Mills calling her a mistake?

The woman kept talking, oblivious to
Misty’s concerns. “Mothers tend to be protective at times. I
suppose it’s a flaw, but it’s what keeps the family going. One day,
you shall be in a similar position to that of my own. Until then
however, you and I might be at odds here and there, as my son and I
are often.”

The words rang truer than any that
Misty had heard recently. They made her think of Cody again,
though. In itself, that wasn’t a bad thing, but coupled with the
uncertainty that was looming over her, thoughts of that man could
be devastating. “Thank you for inviting me today, Mrs. Mills,”
Misty said sincerely.

Olivia nodded. “Miss Swire will be
keeping her head hidden for the most part, but who knows what my
son will do next? Even I struggle to predict his actions sometimes,
but as I said, I shall allow him make his own decisions from now
on,” Mrs. Mills said, sipping from her cup once more.

Misty smiled at her. She appreciated
Mrs. Mills’ forthright speech. She suspected that she still had a
long way to go before her acceptance turned into approval, but at
least Cody now had the power to follow his heart. If only it would
lead him back to her, everything might have been worth the distress
after all.

Chapter 18

After everything that had happened,
the last few days were eerily quiet.

Misty paused in her sewing to gaze out
at the open fields that stretched into the distant mountains.
Cattle were meandering together in the distance. She was amazed at
how quickly she came to love the sight. She had assumed that
homesickness would eventually take hold of her. Instead, it felt
like she had been homesick all her life, and she was finally where
she was meant to be.

She gazed at her work with a wistful
smile. The worst was finally behind them. Olivia’s acceptance was a
precious and hard-won gift, especially after such an open campaign
to make sure it didn’t happen.

Misty tried to turn her attention back
to he sewing. It was a simple seam stitch, a thing that should take
a few minutes at best. However, she had been working on the same
project for several hours. Her mind kept wandering to the moment
she saw Cody at the train station.

Misty frowned in thought. Despite
everything, she felt a little sorry for Rosamund. The woman tried
to have Misty jailed for a false theft. Misty still could not quite
wrap her mind around it. She could not imagine ever going that far
to remove a romantic rival, especially when the man did not return
her affections.

“
What are you so deep in
thought about?” Indiana asked.

Misty startled, and gave her friend a
guilty smile. “I was just pondering the past few weeks. It has
certainly been eventful.”

“
No finer an understatement
was ever spoken.” Indiana gave a light, dramatic sigh as she set
down the tray of tea down. “We certainly have a knack for strange
circumstances, do we not?”

“
Oh no.” Misty shook her
head and then they both laughed. “At least there were no
earthquakes this time.”

“
There might as well have
been! What a mess Miss Swire caused,” Indiana fussed as she poured
the lavender scented tea and offered Misty a dainty cup.

“
It all worked out for the
best,” Misty said as they sat back and gazed over at the fields.
She could not imagine a better outcome, sitting with her good
friend over tea.

“
It
is
working out for the best,” Indiana
stated as she gazed at Misty’s hand. “Though there are a few loose
ends to wrap up. I do hope you are wearing a ring as proof before
long. I do not want us to have to walk you down the aisle with
canes.”

Misty had to laugh at the very idea.
Indiana had quite a way with words nowadays. How different would
matters have been had she been so outspoken back in the city? Misty
could only hope that she would find such a strong voice one
day.

* * *

Around early evening, Cody and Morgan
finally returned from their trip. It had been an excellent day on
the market, according to Indiana’s husband. He boasted that the
heads of cattle and the grain they had prepared for the trip was
practically sold before they even made it into town. Though when
Indiana asked why they were so late getting home, neither had an
answer for her. At least, none that they wanted to
share.

Cody seemed unusually quiet as his
partner told all about the market. He did not try to take a
friendly jab at his friend’s expense. There were no witty
interjections or clever exaggerations. Something seemed to be
driving him to distraction. But for the life of her, Misty could
not begin to guess what it might be. They had seemed in high enough
spirits when they left.

Eventually, the chatter died down. By
then the sun had already dipped under the horizon, leaving a few
faint trails of deep pink and purple behind it. Misty gazed at the
sleepy sky as they walked, unable to get enough of the scenery.
However, she kept casting worried glances at Cody. He was unusually
quiet, especially after such a triumphant business day. His partner
was in high spirits. There were no signs of anything having gone
amiss out there.

“
I’m sure our dashing young
men have worked up quite an appetite,” Indiana said lightly as she
hooked her arm into Misty’s. “Shall we get them fed before they
faint from hunger?”

Misty nodded, feeling silly for being
the only one that seemed to think something was amiss. Yet despite
that silliness, she could not help but feel like there was
something different. It made her feel somewhat uneasy. Surprises
generally had a tendency to be either very good or very
bad.