Romance: Young Adult Romance: The Perfect Game (A Highschool Football Romance) (Bad Boy Nerd New Adult Romance) (29 page)

Chapter Four

She picked up the plates from the table, resting the eating utensils and resting them on top. She carried them to the back, passing through the door quietly.

It had been three weeks since her arrival in Arizona and as she suspected, she had assimilated well. She was used to the drastic difference in weather and had made several friends in the Flagstaff restaurant.

George had taken her to the other restaurants he owned and gave her a tour of his casino. He was told her he had gained his wealth by gambling in the first place. He was
excellent
at it. She had watched him in action and was very impressed.

He only gambled for fun now, because all the money he used at the casino went back into his own pocket. He had thought that was hilarious and she laughed with him about it.

After getting to know George well, she had finally decided to ask him for help for her family that evening at dinner. The house he owned was absolutely huge, no doubt. There was room for at least a half dozen children.

She was nervous to talk to him about
it,
but she had come to know him as not just a good businessman but also a kind gentleman. He had asked her to stay for a month to make sure it was what she wanted. He’d given her the option of working in the restaurant or just being at home all the time. Since there
was
a maid and cook, she had very little she needed to do for him there.

So she had chosen to work in the restaurant so that she wouldn’t be bored. She noticed George came around the restaurant quite often during the day and had one time even pulled up his shirt sleeves to help cook food in the kitchen.

She thought about the discussion she needed to have with him the entire day. She rehearsed what she wanted to say over and over. Her heart beat hard in nervousness and excitement. She was nervous he would think it was the only reason she had come, which it actually was. She didn’t want him to think badly of her. But she had worked hard to show him that she was a good woman and would do what she was required from him willingly. Over time, she felt her feelings growing for him. She was glad of that because it would make being married to him easier.

A knock at the door brought her attention away from her thoughts. She had been getting ready for her date with her soon-to-be husband and was staring in the mirror.

“Come in!” She called softly.

The door opened and George stood there. He gazed at her and smiled.

“You look lovely, Caroline.”

She smiled and blushed. “Thank you, George.”

“Are you ready to go?”

“I am.”

She turned off the lamp beside her and walked to the door, noticing how his body was outlined by the light behind him. It made her heart skip a beat and she knew she was done for in this situation. He had her heart. Hopefully, he wouldn’t think badly of her when she needed to ask her favor.

He took her hand and led her down the stairs to the ground floor. She reached for her long
sweater,
but he stopped her hand.

“You won’t need
that,
” He said.

“But it’s chilly out, isn’t it?”

He nodded. “Yes, it’s cool. Regardless, dear, you won’t need it.”

She gazed at him for a moment in confusion. “O…okay, George. Where are we going?”

He didn’t respond. He took her hand and began to walk through the house toward the back. She lifted her eyebrows and went with him.

They walked through the hallway and to the kitchen. He took her through the rest of the house and pushed open the back door to the yard. He stepped back to let her through first. Her eyes opened wide when she stepped out into an unrecognizable yard. There were pretty colored lanterns hung all around, with
beautiful
colored paper strung around the roof.

A small table had been set in the middle of the porch area. Two long candles had been placed in front of each plate. They glowed softly. There were two plates, wine glasses with red wine in them and a covered plate in the middle of the table.

Caroline’s heart melted. She couldn’t help it when her mouth fell open and she gasped.

“
Oh,
my!” She breathed. “This is so beautiful, George. Oh, George!” She looked at him with misty eyes. It was obvious that he had the same feelings she had. She sighed and went to the table to look closer at its beauty. She sat when he pulled the chair out and scooted forward to sit comfortably.

He sat across from her.

“Before we have dinner, we need to talk. I would like to ask you something.”

She was surprised when the words came out of his mouth that she’d had every intention of saying herself.

“You would?” She asked.

“Yes.”

She pressed her lips together. “I also have something I want to ask you.”

“Who will go first?”

She smiled. “You can.”

“Okay.” He put out his hand and held it flat on the table. She placed her hand in his. “I have come to the decision that asking for a bride through the mail was the best thing I could have done. I believe that God has brought you to me. I am impressed with you as a woman and a person. You are a beautiful
lady
. I’m glad you’re here with me. I hope you are planning to stay. How has it gone for you? Do you like it?”

She nodded vigorously. “Oh yes! I am
extremely happy
here.”

“Do you miss your family and Virginia?”

She tilted her head and gave him a smile. “I do, of course. But I don’t mind it as much as I thought I would. I will write to them. And perhaps someday we can visit them.”

“We can definitely do that.” He nodded and his smile betrayed how happy he was that she was
pleased
to stay.

“I believe it is not very hard to fall in love with a woman like
you,
” He said, his deep voice soft. She sighed quietly. 

“I feel the same about
you,
” She whispered, her cheeks red.

He was quiet for a moment, looking at her. “I have something for you.”

“Oh?”

He reached forward and took the cover off the dish in between them. Instead of a plate of food like she expected, there was a soft bed of lettuce with radishes lining the outside. In the very middle of the
lettuce
sat a silver ring. She was stunned.

She picked it up and looked at it. It had a large diamond in the placement
with
tiny red stones surrounding it in the shape of a heart. She pulled in her breath all the way and held it.

He took it from her fingers and took her hand. “I would so love it if you would marry me, Caroline. You are sent from God, I’m sure of it.”

“
Oh,
George!” She couldn’t hold tears back from her eyes. “This is a beautiful ring. Of course, I will marry you!”

He smiled wide and sighed hard. “That’s wonderful!” He slid the ring on her finger. Excitement and nervousness ran through her. She stood up and he did too, pulling her into a tight hug. She felt so comfortable in his arms. She rested her head against his chest, smiling contentedly. When she pulled
away,
she looked up at him feeling better than she had in a very long time.

“Now didn’t you have something to ask me?” He said. “They will bring us our food in a little while. We have time to talk.”

She sat back down and he did, too, leaning over the table toward her.

“Well,” She hesitated, again worried about what he would think. “I told you before that my parents own a restaurant. That’s how I know what to do when working there.”

He nodded. “Yes and you do a good job. Even in business matters, I’ve noticed that you make
good
decisions.”

“Thank you. That’s my father’s influence.”

“Your
father
must be a good teacher.”

“He is. And I followed him around all the time.” She laughed, thinking about her father’s acceptance of his young daughter trying to be just like him. “I admire everything about him. But before I came here something tragic happened to my family.”

“And what was that?”

“Well…” Again, she hesitated, looking down.

“Caroline, don’t be anxious about what you have to say. If we are to be married, we must be open and honest with each other. Go ahead.”

She knew her cheeks had filled again. She decided to just get it out. “My father’s business partner stole all the profits from the restaurant for the past several years. He has bankrupted our family…or it will happen and we will lose everything unless something happens fast.”

George sat back with a serious look. She instantly feared he suspected her affection for him was only because of the money. When he spoke, she felt a
deep
sense of relief.

“What? That is horrible! Yes, that is a
dreadful
thing for your family!”

“I would like to help
them
if I can. If you are willing to help them, I will work off every cent you give, in the restaurant or casino. I will do whatever it takes to pay you back.”

George was quiet for a moment and she wondered what he was thinking. Was he angry with her for asking? Did he know that she
truly
felt love for him?

“Let me ask you something,
Caroline,
” He said, leaning toward her again. Her breath caught. “Do you truly have feelings for me? Can you love me?”

She lowered her head. “I already
do,
” She whispered.

He reached out and took her hand. “I believe that, Caroline. I see how you look at me and it fills my heart. I don’t need you to pay off every cent in the restaurant or casino. I don’t need you to pay it back at all. I have money. What I want is love. I don’t mind using that money to make someone I love prosper…or her family, in this case.”

“Oh, George!” Caroline began to cry, her relief flowing through her. Her mother and father and siblings would be safe. The restaurant would continue to be profitable. He stood up again and gathered her in his arms.

“I love you, Caroline. I want you to be happy. Please don’t worry or hesitate to ask me for anything that you need.”

She looked up into his eyes. “You are an amazing man, George. I can’t thank you enough for caring enough about me to help my family, too. Thank you!”

She moved into his waiting arms. “I love you, too.”

*****

THE END

Chapter 1

It was the late summer of 1871 when Cora Sutton left from the big city and boarded the Lil’ Miss, a prize addition to the East Missouri Rail operations. She boasted less than a week’s journey from Boston to the Western territory, and just two and a half weeks to California, notwithstanding unexpected delays in the form of weather and shady characters with sights on her cargo.

It can’t very well be all that bad
, Cora Sutton had thought as she boarded the train, her carpet bag nearly falling at the seams. Perhaps she should have stowed away books in a travel chest, and not in her bag. But what else was she to do with the time? Cora laughed as she bumbled down the aisle to her coach, chiding at her wandering imagination.

Train bandits don’t really exist, not in real life
, she said to herself.
And the Western territory surely isn’t all that wild…

The thought would prove a cruel stroke of irony in the days to follow.

For the time being, all she had to set her sights on was taming her imagination from getting away from her. Cora admitted to herself that she was actually quite excited. A serendipitous ad in the paper. A snap decision. And the promise of a new life out West. It all sounded rather romantic for a simple hosiery girl at Freeman’s Department Store--well,
former
hosiery girl. One day, she was living a dull, hapless life on the bustling streets of New York City, and the next she was set for life. Or she would be, as there were some small details yet to attend to.

It started about two months before the Lil’ Miss even slugged her way into Grand Central Station. Cora worked as the assistant stocker at one of the finest department stores in Manhattan. The marble ceilings rose as high as three levels, with bright crystal chandeliers glittering in the light. The sound of women, of the most well-to-do-sort, clicked their shoes and brushed their puffed dresses through the ground floor, eyeing the delights the store had to offer. For Cora, the closest she could ever come to such a life was spent in the back closets of the store, stocking the hosiery and other ladies’ garments. It was quite the accomplishment even getting that far. Before hosiery girl, she had a stay as a seamstress, but not for long as she had little to no skill in such delicate matters. Then there was a brief stint working in a factory making women’s hat boxes, which proved to be a tedious task that required too much focus for a constant daydreamer. Nanny, flower girl, a shoemaker’s store clerk...and the list went on.

Life, she had long ago decided, was
unutterably dull
.

So it came to her surprise when she was informed she would no longer be needed at Freeman’s department store. There were always prettier, talented, more qualified girls to work the store and spruce up the general atmosphere.
A new direction for a new age
, she was told. And that new age did not include the likes of her.

That was what brought her to take the first step. To be exact, it was that and the upping of the next month’s rent.

“But Mrs. MacDonough, I’ll get a new job soon, ma’am. If you just give me a little more time, I can pay you what I owe.”

Cora’s mind drifted to an earlier conversation she had with her landlord, Mrs. MacDonough, a stout and rather stern Irish woman who rented out her building to all sorts, mostly immigrants and newcomers into the city.

“Aye, Co-ra, I can’t be bothered’ with ye all the time,” she bustled across the hallway carrying a basket of her linens, and Cora traced after her.

“Ye never bring yer rent on time,” the woman continued in her thick accent. “And on top o’ that, I hear ye been sacked from Freeman’s this mornin’.”

“You already know about that?” Cora followed behind.

Mrs. MacDonough stopped and sighed as she waved her finger toward Cora’s face.

“Now lookee, Miss, I can’t be competin’ like I do with all the other landlords around. There’re plenty of others who need a place, jus’ as much as you. And they deserve it every bit, too. And they’re also in dire straits for an opportunity”

“But…”

“No buts, Cora. I’m broken hearted as much as you, but that’s jus’ life, it is.”

It was a miserable few months following. Cora moved into a dingy hostel in Brooklyn, making her way with measly compensation at a butcher’s shop. The boss didn’t much like the idea of hiring a young woman for such a job, but Cora insisted she could just as easily pick it up. It didn’t mean that the work was pleasant.

One day, she made her way out from a long shift, after having cleaned the back room, her clothes smelling like raw meat, her boots wet after hosing off the blood. She was headed down a street she headed down every day. Took the same turns, watched the same faces walk past. Everything was quite the same. That is, until a certain leaflet from a newspaper caught her eye. It seemed positively serendipitous. A stray page, a gust of wind, and soon she was staring at an ad that seemed to be shouting directly at her.

Wanted
: Young woman of intelligence, refined, and possessing means. Gentleman landowner seeking a match of high pedigree. Must be willing to relocate at short notice.

At first Cora laughed. The idea of being a mail-order bride certainly seemed like an odd one, like from a story in a magazine or a tale that old grandparents tell. But Cora was sure of one thing: she had no family, no ties, and no where to go but up.

Besides
, she reasoned,
it really is quite the romantic story.

Cora nestled herself onto the seat, sliding herself against the window as the locomotive wheezed, her wheels beginning to make the heaving creak out of the station. The ticket master came and punched her ticket, and her insides leapt with excitement as the view outside begin to whir past, the loud whistle sounding, the steady churn of the wheels matching to the rhythm in her own heart.

This is it
, she reminded herself.
This is my new start.

From here on out, Cora imagined life going by without a hitch. Well, perhaps there was one small fly in that ointment. There were, after all, a few...liberties...Cora had taken to grab the opportunity before it escaped.

The end justifies the means
, she told herself.

Besides, in her eyes, Cora Sutton deserved just as much a happy ending as
Mistress Cora LeBlanc
, the wealthy and debonair young aristocrat aboard the Lil’ Miss, on her way to meet the man she’ll marry.

Chapter 2

“Expecting a shipment this afternoon, Mr. Dansby?”

The mustached outpost manager tipped his hat toward the tall and dark Joshua Dansby. Mr. Dansby tipped his hat toward the man, his other hand tucked neatly into his suited pocket.

“Nothing big, Mr. Stanfield. Waiting for a person, actually. Not a shipment.”

Mr. Stanfield raised an eyebrow, but kept his words to himself. No sense in poking into the affairs of a man as private as Joshua Dansby, or at least as private a man could be in his position. Mr. Stanfield looked at the stopwatch in his hand, and dropped it into his front vest pocket, and made his way into the station house.

Joshua Dansby leaned toward the rail, the balls of his feet bouncing on the wooden boardwalk of the outpost. It was a rather overcast day, but generally clear sights as far as one could make out. He kept looking impatiently toward the sky, as if somehow he could discern from the clouds or the breeze the distance of the oncoming train, or hear faintly the loud whistle of the Lil’ Miss making her way into the outpost. No such luck.

Mr. Dansby stopped his movements and straightened his suit coat. Moving so much would make him seem nervous, and in fact it served to
actually
make him nervous, if not for just a moment.

There’s nothing to be nervous about
, he reminded himself.

It was unconventional for the both of them. He never really anticipated being one of
those
type of men who would place an ad out East to find a wife. But there were extraneous circumstances out of his control, and if he was going to take matters back into his own hands…

He cleared his throat and walked toward the station house. He removed his hat, the coolness from being under the awning shadowing his dark brown hair.

“Mr. Stanfield, correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t the Lil’ Miss supposed to have come in over an hour ago?”

Mr. Stanfield stood upright and checked at his pocket watch, then at a chart along the wooden panel wall of the station house.

“That’s correct, Mr. Dansby. It
is
quite odd that she’s not as on time as she usually is...but perhaps the weather hit them first and has slowed them down.”

“Weather,” Joshua Dansby echoed.

“Yes, sir.”

Joshua Dansby sighed and fixed his hat once again atop his head.

“Is there something I can do for you?”

Mr. Dansby draped off his suit coat and handed it through the station house window toward a surprised Mr. Stanfield.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Dansby, I don’t know what you mean--”

“Just hold on to it for a while,” Joshua made haste down the outpost steps, calling out with a waved hand. “I’ll be back in a bit. Get ahold of the Sheriff.” And to himself, he said in a low, hushed tone, “I’ve got a bad feeling.”

A stunned Mr. Stanfield merely stuttered a “Y-y-yes, sir.” before Joshua Dansby had fled from the site.

He approached the buggy he arrived in, with his horse, Kan, enjoying the overgrown yellow-green grasses nearby. Joshua untied the reins and slung himself atop his horse.

Leaving the buggy behind, the broad shouldered man took off into the distance. The clouds seemed to be gathering faster, and darker, and Joshua Dansby continued headlong beside the tracks, Eastward.

This is impossible
, Cora thought to herself as she ducked breathlessly into her coach cabin.

A scream and some shouts filled the passenger car in front of her. There weren’t many in her own car, but she could hear murmurs and worried rustling in the cabins beside her. They heard it too.

She had read of stories of bandits and seen news clippings of railway robbers, but nowhere had she accounted for the possibility of it ever really happening. And especially not to her.

The Lil’ Miss had come to a complete standstill about three and a half miles out from the post. A pretty daring proximity to town for a band of robbers in the Western territory.

There were more shouts and rustling coming from the cabin before her. Probably looting the passengers. If they were like any of the smart bands of thieves she read about in books, no doubt some were going through the cargo hold at the tail-end of the train, mounting what they could onto their getaway buggies. The others were slowly making their way through the cabins, scaring the passengers into giving up their on-hand possessions.

Cora smirked.
Good thing I’ve got nothing worth stealing.

It wasn’t the best thing to necessarily be proud of.

The footsteps and sounds came closer. Cora had to think fast.

She quickly checked that her boots were laced tightly, and with an air of rather unlady-like behavior, brought her dress into a knotted tie at her waist.

I can’t very well make a getaway with this cumbersome number
, she smiled to herself. She had to admit. The thrill of the adventure was quite a rush.

Much better than sewing hat boxes
, she thought to herself.

Baring open the cabin window, Cora peeked out, and up toward the roof.

Looks like rain.

A light breeze wafted its way past, lifting at some stray strands that became untucked from her braided hair. For a moment, she thought she heard the sound of horse hooves in the distance, but she brushed off the idea as her imagination once again getting carried away. In the city, there were so many sounds and sights that rarely did anything jump out in particular. Everything melded together after a while. But out in the country, with such vast expanses of quiet, each noise was something new to her, and entirely unfamiliar.

There was a slight rim siding below the window of the car. If she could scale along the rim as a step, perhaps she would be able to get down and…

What then?
Cora could at least hide until the bandits passed, maybe summoned for help somehow. They weren’t to be too far from their destination anyway…

She could work out the details later. For now, the thrill awaited.

Cora propped herself, though rather clumsily, at the sill, and over, her hands keeping at the window sill, and using her feet to prop against the outside wall of the car as she slowly felt for the rim below her. When her boot’s toe caught on, she heaved a sigh.

But then the unthinkable began to happen. A loud wheezing sounded from far ahead the train, as if the brakes…

“Oh no,” Cora mumbled.

The train began to move. Had the robbers decided on a faster getaway? And were they taking everyone along with them?