Cinda's Surprise Read online

  “Why should I mind? You spend more time at her house than you do here. I don’t know why you even bother to come home at all sometimes.”

  Cinda dropped her head and turned to leave the room.

  “Stand up straight!” her aunt called after her.

  Cinda snapped up straight and went to her room to slouch in solitude. She pulled out the green dress Allison had suggested she wear. Allison said it would enhance her green eyes, but Cinda didn’t want to enhance her eyes. She wanted to calm the fluttering in her stomach by backing out. She still couldn’t believe her best friend had betrayed her, but she had promised she would have supper with Mr. Rawlings at Allison and David’s, so she would go and be perfectly miserable.

  ❧

  Cinda stood in the kitchen doorway. Even though she wasn’t sure what to do, she wanted to be in the kitchen doing something to keep busy. David was even put to work, but Allison wouldn’t let Cinda help with supper because she might spill something. “Allison, I thought you were on my side.”

  “I am.” Allison paused from her work at the stove. “You just haven’t realized yet that this is your side.”

  “He nearly hit your husband, and you want him inside your home?” Cinda hoped she could talk her friend out of this.

  “No. David nearly hit him.” Allison waved a wooden spoon in Cinda’s direction. “He was only defending himself, and nobody got hurt.”

  “Did you see his clothes? They weren’t well tailored and they are out of style. And what about his hair?”

  “Give the poor man a chance. He came all this way. The least you can do is talk with him a little. If he is completely repulsive, I’ll have David throw him out.”

  “Just say the word and I’ll throw him out before he steps inside,” David said with a smile on his face.

  “David, you wouldn’t.”

  Cinda stood back, nearly forgotten as the two argued over her future.

  “If Cinda doesn’t want to see him, he’s not coming in.” David’s words were stern and not to be questioned.

  “This is no different than your inviting over suitors for Cinda,” Allison said, her attention focused on her husband.

  “Except this man expects a little more than supper conversation. He’s planning on a wedding!” David was clearly irritated at what his wife had roped him into.

  “This is better. The hard part is done. They already know each other, so to speak. Cinda just has to carry on polite conversation. We’ll have a nice meal and learn a little about him. If Cinda decides she doesn’t want to marry him, she can tell him about the little misunderstanding.” Allison turned her pleading eyes on Cinda. “Please.”

  ❧

  Lucas stood outside the gate at the Swans’ residence. He pulled out his pocket watch and looked at the time once again, one minute to seven. He had come early to make sure he wasn’t late and ended up wandering around to kill time. He didn’t want to be early and seem overly eager.

  He looked down at his ash gray suit and shifted his coat. This suit fit almost as poorly as the one he had worn that afternoon. On the farm he didn’t have much use for a suit. He was going to save it for the wedding, but he had decided making a good first impression was more important. Now he wished he had bought a new suit.

  He strode up to the door. His hands felt oddly empty as he looked at them. Flowers! Women liked flowers. He fisted his hands. Why didn’t he think of it before? Or candy. He could have gotten candy. It was too late now. He swallowed hard and knocked on the door. He wasn’t sure what kind of a reception he would get after this afternoon.

  The door opened. The moment of truth. Mrs. Swan’s friendly smile greeted him. She graciously invited him in. At least one person was glad to see him.

  Lucas shook David Swan’s outstretched hand and met his disapproving stare. Mr. Swan’s words and actions were welcoming, but his glare told Lucas he wasn’t. Obviously, Mr. Swan was cordial for his wife’s sake, but Lucas refused to be intimidated. He backed down once to a man much less threatening than this David Swan when he was young, and he had regretted it ever since. Never again.

  Allison drew his attention away from David. “This is who you really came to see,” she said, motioning toward Cinda. “Mr. Rawlings, this is Miss Harrison.”

  Before him stood a beautiful woman in a modest green dress. Her dark, auburn hair was neatly pulled back and swept up on her head. She was the picture of femininity and not at all too short either. He wouldn’t spend the rest of his life looking down at the top of her head. Why would this stunning woman need to be a mail-order bride? Surely she had several beaus. He had expected a homely, somewhat plump, unmarriageable woman.

  “Pleased to meet you,” Cinda said with a slight nod of her head but her gaze didn’t quite meet his.

  “The pleasure is mine.” Lucas watched as her cheeks flushed.

  He was glad to see his intended was modestly dressed—not like Miss Weston with her low-cut dress and forward manner.

  Allison kept the meal from being eaten in complete silence by plying him with question after question. He answered attentively, but his attention kept drifting back to the quiet young woman across from him.

  “Miss Harrison told us about all your animals and that large house. It all sounds really nice. I would love to have all those fruit trees,” Allison said, filling the silence. Lucas wished she had used his fiancОe’s first name, but everyone was acting stiff and formal.

  “A mighty big house for just one man,” David said skeptically, insinuation in his tone. He had remained silent until now, but Lucas figured he was about to do a lot more talking before the meal was over. “And an awful lot of livestock and fruit.”

  Lucas shifted uncomfortably, looking down at his plate to take another bite. “I took the place over from the previous owner, lock, stock, and barrel.” He raised his eyes in time to see Allison admonish her husband with a scolding look.

  At that moment he caught Miss Harrison looking at him. He had guessed her eyes would be brown and he couldn’t have been more pleased to be wrong. She had the most brilliant green eyes he had ever seen. They were greener than any emerald. He had never seen a real emerald, but no gem could be as beautiful as those sparkling green depths. She quickly diverted her gaze back to her plate.

  “So, Mr. Rawlings, do you run that big farm of yours all by yourself?” Allison asked.

  He cleared his throat. “I have help. We hire extra hands when it gets busy.”

  “We?” David said, clearly looking for anything to question.

  Lucas looked him squarely in the eyes. “I have a couple of guys who are pretty regular out at the place.”

  “Sorta like family?” David said in a condescending tone.

  “I suppose you could say that.” He swallowed hard. “This is delicious beef, Mrs. Swan.” He turned back to his plate and took another bite. He hoped that would terminate Mr. Swan’s accusing questions. He much preferred Mrs. Swan’s polite, dignified ones.

  “I thought Montana was cattle country.” David said.

  Lucas had to give Mr. Swan credit for his persistence. “Most of it is.” Before he could elaborate, Mrs. Swan, bless her soul, jumped back in the conversation.

  “We aren’t interested in cows and farming. We want to know more about you, your family.”

  Family? That was a subject he would like to avoid for the time being. Thankfully his mouth was full and he had a moment to think while he chewed slowly.

  “Where are they from?”

  “Virginia,” he said upon swallowing.

  “It must be really lonesome in Montana for you,” she said, giving a sly sideways peek at his intended.

  Lucas stole a glance, too. His bride-to-be sat staring at her plate with flushed cheeks. “It’s not so bad,” he said.

  “Then why come all this way to get a wife?” David folded his arms across his chest, a challenge in his eyes. “Aren’t there any women in Montana?”

  “David.”

  He ignored
his wife and went on. “Certainly there must be one that would want all you have to offer? This is all a little too good to be true. Maybe the Montana women know something we don’t?”

  “David!”

  “What’s wrong?” David leaned forward across the table. “What aren’t you telling us?”

  “Dessert anyone?” Miss Harrison’s voice cracked as she pushed away from the table, successfully terminating the conversation. Allison cleared the dinner plates and served dessert.

  “This pie is delicious, Mrs. Swan,” Lucas said, breaking the long silence.

  “Your fiancОe helped,” she said, indicating Miss Harrison. He looked at her and saw her blush. Again her first name wasn’t used.

  He had hoped to get to talk with her, but she kept her eyes on her plate and said nothing unless she was directly asked. Even then, her answers were short and to the point.

  She wasn’t at all like her letters. Her letters had been lengthy, flowing from one subject to another. But then he supposed he wasn’t much like his letters either. He glanced at David, who glared back at him. What kind of a hold did this David Swan have on his fiancОe? Once away from him, it would be easier to talk with her; he was sure of that.

  But David drilled him with a menacing stare all night. What was his problem?

  “May I escort you home, Miss Harrison?” Lucas asked after dessert. Maybe she would open up more when not under Mr. Swan’s scrutiny.

  Lucas didn’t like how protective David was over his soon-to-be wife. She seemed to be shy with David around. She didn’t seem so shy in her letters, but confident and self-assured.

  ❧

  Cinda didn’t know what to say. She dreaded the thought of being alone with Mr. Rawlings, but how could she gracefully decline? Fortunately, David came to her rescue. “A walk sounds nice. We’ll all go.” He reached for his wife’s coat.

  Cinda was relieved she wouldn’t be left alone with him.

  “David, I’m not feeling well.” Allison lowered herself to the sofa and rested her hands on her stomach. “We’ll have to pass on that walk tonight.”

  “If you’re not feeling well, I can stay,” Cinda offered, seating herself next to Allison. She wanted to stay as much for herself as for her friend.

  “Nonsense. You go on home. I’m just a little tired. We’ve got David to look after us.” She patted her belly.

  Cinda reluctantly accepted Lucas’s offered arm. She didn’t know what to say to this stranger. Should she tell him flat out what Vivian and Eve had done? He would think she was childish and backward. She could always tell him she changed her mind. Then he would think she was fickle and petty.

  ❧

  Lucas and his betrothed walked along in silence. The first half of the walk he tried to decide the best way to bring up the wedding. This wasn’t as easy as he had thought. He had imagined strolling into town, getting hitched, and hopping on the next train out of town with a bride in tow. He had proposed. She had accepted. Everything had been settled. Hadn’t it? Now he felt like he was starting all over—courting! If marriage weren’t necessary, he would call the whole thing off and hightail it home.

  She shivered in the cool night air. Lucas quickly shed his coat and draped it around her shoulders. When she looked up at him, he thought she might refuse it, but instead she pulled it around her more tightly. “Thank you.” She spoke so softly he almost couldn’t understand her.

  The silence was finally broken. Lucas decided to take advantage of it and start a conversation. “You know I don’t even know your first name.” He succeeded in making his question light and inoffensive.

  “You don’t?” She looked up at him, startled.

  He smiled down at her, seeing her face clearly in the moon light; long dark lashes framed her green eyes. “Your letters were all signed Miss Harrison,” he said in a musing tone.

  “Oh.” She looked away. “I didn’t realize.”

  “You do have a name, don’t you?” he teased.

  “Yes,” she said, smiling. “Cinda.”

  “Cindy. That’s pretty. I like it.” He was making headway; at least she was talking to him. She looked at him sideways as if to say something, but she remained silent.

  He was considering bringing up the wedding when they reached her house. He held the gate open for her. Cindy whisked through the gate and turned, closing it behind her. “Thank you for walking me home.” She held out his coat to him.

  He took the coat and looked down at the gate that was obviously meant to keep him away. “My pleasure.” His bride-to-be was more reserved than her letters. She was a nice blend of grace and dignity, a real lady. Just what he was looking for.

  Unsure of what he had done to make her skittish, he decided to take it slow. He wanted this to work. He would wait until tomorrow to broach the subject of the wedding. That gate wasn’t the only barrier between them. “Until tomorrow,” he said, tipped his hat, and left.

  When Lucas got a little way down the street, he noticed the figure of a man leaning against a maple tree. David Swan! Lucas was furious. He strode up to David and stopped. “You followed us?”

  David stood silent against the tree with his arms folded, suspicion etched on his face.

  Lucas shook his head and walked on. He knew David didn’t trust him. It didn’t really matter. Once he and Cindy were married, the man would be out of their lives for good.

  ❧

  Cinda leaned against the porch rail and let out a sigh of relief when Mr. Rawlings disappeared into the night. Even though he had been polite all evening, she was uncomfortable. If she hadn’t closed the gate on him, she was sure he would have insisted on coming up to the door, or worse, wanted to come inside.

  Cinda crept into the house, careful to close the door without a sound. She wanted to slip upstairs undetected.

  “That’s the same man who was here this afternoon,” her aunt called from the parlor when she was only three steps up the staircase.

  She couldn’t avoid her aunt now. Cinda put on a smile and glided into the parlor. Her uncle sat in a winged chair, puffing on his pipe, She greeted him with a kiss on the cheek. “Good evening, Uncle Barney.” She turned to her aunt and said formally, “Aunt Ginny.”

  Aunt Ginny nodded as she poked at her sewing. “I didn’t see a chaperone.” Her words were clipped. “It’s not proper for a young lady to be escorted without a chaperone.”

  Aunt Ginny usually referred to her as a lady but treated her like a child. Cinda knew her aunt wouldn’t give up until she explained Lucas Rawlings. Cinda took a deep breath. “Allison invited Mr. Rawlings to supper. He’s visiting.”

  “Does he have relatives in town? Who is he visiting?” her aunt asked, prying as usual.

  How was she going to answer that question without lying? She certainly couldn’t tell her aunt he was here to marry her. “He has friends in town.” In a way, he did.

  “I don’t like this. I don’t like this one bit,” her aunt said between pinched lips.

  “Oh, leave the poor girl alone,” Uncle Barney said, waving his pipe in the air. “So she has a beau.” Her uncle popped his pipe back in his mouth and sucked on it.

  “Umph.” Her aunt went back to jabbing at her sewing.

  Thank you, Uncle Barney. He often stood up for her when her aunt got difficult.

  Cinda retreated to her bedroom and readied herself for bed. She found sleep elusive and needed desperately to talk about the sufferings of the day. The stress-filled day swirled in her mind. She closed her eyes and lifted her ordeal up to her heavenly Father. A calm settled around her. She got out the letters from Mr. Rawlings and reread them with curiosity. Her fears renewed, she prayed again until she finally succumbed to sleep.

  five

  Cinda sprang out of bed. The sun had been up for some time. She rushed about, trying to dress as quickly as possible. She wanted to visit Allison and be back before Mr. Rawlings came to call. If her aunt got hold of him again, there was no telling what she would get the unsuspec
ting man to confess. She skipped breakfast, giving herself enough time for a quick visit with Allison.

  When she heard her aunt’s voice outside, Cinda peered out her bedroom window. She sucked in a quick breath and blinked several times. This couldn’t be happening—Aunt Ginny and Lucas Rawlings. . .talking! Cinda quickly pinned her hat on and rushed down the stairs with her shawl draped over her arm.

  When Cinda came up to the pair, Lucas was speaking. “Mrs. Crawford, I assure you, your niece and I had chaperones all evening. Mr. Swan was kind enough to accompany us and remain a distance back when I escorted Miss Harrison home.”

  David had followed them! Cinda wanted to turn around and hide in the house, but it would be more embarrassing if Lucas Rawlings stated his real reason for being there and her aunt said she knew nothing about it. Cinda didn’t think their conversation had gotten around to it—yet. Her fear of her aunt finding out about Lucas Rawlings won over her trepidation of Mr. Rawlings.

  “Mr. Rawlings, it’s nice to see you again.” Cinda wrapped her shawl about her shoulders. Although she managed to speak pleasantly, her stomach tightened. She turned to her aunt and said, “I’m going to look in on Allison. She was feeling poorly last night when I left her. I want to make sure she’s doing better today.”

  Lucas replaced his hat and opened the gate for Cinda. “Good day, Mrs. Crawford.” When the gate closed, Lucas offered his arm to Cinda. She took it and the two left the annoyed Aunt Ginny behind.

  “You spend a lot of time at your friend’s house, don’t you?” Lucas said.

  “Yes. We’ve been best friends since we were twelve. I don’t know what I would do without her.” Lucas’s arm tensed.

  Cinda felt as though the eyes of the whole town were on her as she walked along with this tall handsome stranger. She had wanted to talk to Allison before she saw him again. Last night in her sleeplessness, Cinda decided to tell Mr. Rawlings she couldn’t possibly leave her best friend in her time of need. She would tell him she would come along later, then write a letter saying she had had a change of heart. She would tell him she was terribly sorry for his inconvenience and wish him well. But she needed to talk to Allison first to gain her courage. Allison could even tell him how much she needed Cinda to be around, this being her first baby.