A Bride for Mason Read online

  His last thought before dropping nearly unconscious on his bed was seeking revenge against the gambler.

  Chapter Three

  Wyoming

  Sunday morning dawned gray and gloomy, which matched Elizabeth’s mood. The clouds threatened rain, and Elizabeth’s eyes threatened to drop the tears she was fighting to keep at bay. Her heart belonged here in the Hutchison house with the family that she came to love as her own. Although annulling her marriage to Wade was the wisest course of action, having her surname revert to Bishop broke her heart. How she longed to be part of a family.

  She sighed and opened the closet when she heard a knock at her bedroom door. Pulling her pale green robe tightly around her, she quickly answered the knock.

  “Good morning, Elizabeth,” Grace said as she entered the room and sat on the edge of the bed.

  Elizabeth shrugged and returned the greeting.

  “Is there something wrong?” Grace asked.

  Elizabeth dropped onto the bed next to Grace and said, “I’m still not sure I should marry Mason or not. This proxy marriage idea is a bit farfetched. Why can’t I just disappear somewhere in Texas with one of grandpa’s friends or relatives?”

  “Farfetched or not, it worked for me,” Grace said, smiling at the woman she considered a sister and friend.

  “Oh, I didn’t mean your marriage to Clay. That was the right thing to do. I feel as if I’m going to be a millstone around Mason’s neck until we’re sure Wade won’t hurt me and I can have this marriage annulled, too.”

  Grace bit her lip to keep from saying what was on her mind regarding Mason’s feelings for Elizabeth and instead took her hand. “Wade knows where all of the Hutchison family lives in Texas, and it wouldn’t be hard for him to find any of grandpa’s friends. Telling him grandpa sent you to Texas will keep Wade away from you until we can work something else out. Maybe if he finds Lucinda, they’ll both leave Wyoming for good.”

  “We can only hope. If Wade weren’t here in town, I would come back. I will miss you, Clay, Cora, and Grandpa terribly. I’ve made friends in town. They’ll wonder why I left without an explanation,” Elizabeth said and blew a strand of blonde hair from in front of her eyes.

  Rain began to pelt the window, and Elizabeth lost the battle with her tears. They ran freely down her cheeks, and she turned to Grace and said, “My heart is breaking. I thought I finally had a home and a name.”

  Grace wrinkled her brow and said, “You have a name, Elizabeth Anne Bishop. It’s a lovely name.”

  Elizabeth shrugged, “But is it truly mine? I was left on the doorstep of the orphanage when I was a few months old. No note, nothing. The nuns named me after two saints and thought Bishop would work well. It didn’t bother me until I was older, and some of the girls laughed at me because I was born without a name. I knew what they meant, and it hurt.”

  Elizabeth walked away from the bed and glanced out the window. “When Wade married me, I finally had a name that was truly mine. It’s why I tried so hard to ignore the way he treated me and tried to be a good wife. I should have left two days after we married, but I so wanted to be part of everything the Hutchison name brought me. Love, family, and a home.”

  Grace wrapped her arms around Elizabeth and whispered. “Don’t cry. We all love you no matter what your name is and, in a few hours,, you’ll be Elizabeth Callen. The Callens and Hutchison are as close as family, and you’ll be part of that.”

  Elizabeth tried to smile. “No, I’ll be a Callen in name only for a month or however long it takes for Wade to forget about me and then I’ll be a Bishop again. I think I’ll join the convent. They’ll give me a new name. I certainly am never getting married again.”

  “I don’t think you’ll have to change your name again. We all know Mason is smitten with you,” Grace insisted.

  Elizabeth snorted, and her hand flew to cover her mouth. “Sorry, I know Mason is a flirt. I saw how he watched me in the stagecoach when we traveled here from Cheyenne. You remember how he was. The three of us shared that coach.”

  Grace stood and straightened her skirt. “Yes, we did, and I remember how heartbroken he was when he learned you were on your way to marry Wade.”

  Elizabeth’s head shook back and forth before she sat on the chair in front of her dressing table. “Attraction doesn’t mean love.”

  “Perhaps not, but love can grow.”

  Elizabeth rolled her eyes.

  “All right, we won’t discuss it anymore,” Grace suggested. “We need to have breakfast and leave for church. “What are you going to wear?”

  Elizabeth waved her hand at the closet, “I think my yellow dress.”

  “What about the blue one with the lace collar? It’s lovely.”

  “Yes, it is, but it’s meant for a party and not church,” Elizabeth answered.

  “Then wear it to dinner and for the wedding,” Grace suggested.

  Elizabeth stared at the ceiling and twisted her lip. “This isn’t a real wedding. Judge Clancy will say a few words and Clay will answer in Mason’s place, and it’ll be over.”

  “Yes, just the way Mason stood next to me and spoke for Clay when I had my proxy wedding. Look how well it turned out for us,” Grace said beaming.

  “I know, but you and Clay were both expecting to be married and planned it. I never thought I’d do this and who knows what Mason thought when he offered me his name as protection.”

  Grace giggled and said, “Maybe he thought he’d finally win your heart and I’m sure he’d love to see you in your wedding dress. You can wear it to supper in Chicago, and tell him you wore it when you said your vows. Wear the blue one.” She hurried out the door before Elizabeth could respond.

  Staring at her reflection in the mirror above the dressing table, Elizabeth wondered how she’d gotten herself into this predicament. Her story could be added to the list of frightening mail-order-bride stories, but Wade’s ad sounded sincere. She frowned at herself and doubted if she could ever trust another man.

  Blowing out a deep breath, she rose, donned her yellow dress, and joined the family in the kitchen for breakfast.

  Cora pulled a cake out of the oven as Grace placed bowls of scrambled eggs, sausage gravy, and biscuits on the table. She was busy pouring cups of coffee when Clay walked in the back door after finishing his morning chores.

  “Good morning, husband,” Grace greeted Clay.

  “Good morning, wife,” Clay responded and winked at Grace.

  Elizabeth smiled at the happy couple and asked Cora if she needed any help finishing breakfast.

  “No, dear, just sit down and eat something. Grace cooked breakfast while I baked your wedding cake.”

  “Wedding cake?” Elizabeth stammered.

  “Of course,” Cora continued. “Every bride deserves a wedding cake.”

  Elizabeth signed, knowing she would never win any argument with the members of this family when it came to treating others with kindness and just said, “Thank you.”

  Elizabeth’s mind was lost in worries about Wade and her proxy marriage to Mason all morning, and she barely heard any of the sermon at church or the chatter on the way back to the ranch after they left the church.

  She was aware that Judge Clancy followed them home in his buggy and her apprehension grew, but she gave in to the wishes of Clay and grandpa, knowing they wanted only the best for her.

  After a delicious meal that Elizabeth forced herself to eat, Judge Clancy spoke to Clay and Elizabeth.

  “My counterpart in Chicago sent me a telegram saying all the paperwork has been completed. Mason signed the wedding certificate the same as you did Clay when we arranged your marriage to Grace. All we need to do now is have you stand in for Mason, exchange vows with Elizabeth, and the two will be man and wife.”

  Elizabeth sat speechless as she listened to the judge speak about marriage in such a casual manner, but Grace jumped from her chair and said, “Give us a few minutes, Judge Clancy. Proxy marriage or not, every woman wants to loo
k her best, and I’m going to help Elizabeth change.”

  Grace pulled Elizabeth by the hand and hurried to Elizabeth’s room, where she insisted that Elizabeth wear the blue dress.

  “I’m sure Mason will take you to supper to celebrate your marriage when you arrive in Chicago and be sure to wear this dress. Let him know it’s your wedding dress. It’ll make him happy, I’m sure,” Grace suggested.

  Elizabeth nodded and allowed Grace to help her into the blue satin dress. A few minutes later, she stood in the parlor of the Hutchinson home and repeated the vows that would bind her to Mason. Still not understanding the glee the rest of the family felt, she followed them into the dining room where she enjoyed wedding cake and a glass of wine.

  Chapter Four

  Chicago

  The train ride from Cheyenne to Chicago was long but not boring or uncomfortable. Grandpa Hutch had paid for Elizabeth to enjoy the comfort of a sleeping berth, gave her more than enough money to enjoy meals offered in the dining car, and a thick sealed envelope he said was just in case Mason didn’t treat her right, but he added, “If he doesn’t, I’ll shoot him.”

  Grace had gifted her with two books: The Mysterious Key by Louisa May Alcott and Henry David Thoreau’s Walden. She spent most of her waking moments reading and watching the scenery fly by out the train’s window. She was grateful that Mason insisted on a wedding ring which Cora somehow produced during the wedding because it kept several overly friendly men from taking the seat across from her.

  When the train pulled into the Chicago station, Elizabeth exhaled a sigh of relief to finally arrive and shook off the apprehension that gripped her when she thought of seeing Mason again. He was Clay’s best friend and flirted with her when they shared a stagecoach when she and Grace arrived in town, but she couldn’t understand why he offered to protect her. Surely, she would have been safe in Texas.

  Elizabeth gripped her carpetbag and allowed the conductor to help her alight from the train. She saw Mason striding toward her and smiled despite herself at the handsome man that had been so kind to her on the trip from Cheyenne to the Hutchison Ranch.

  Mason waved, “Hello, Elizabeth. Welcome to Chicago.”

  Elizabeth gave a small wave back and waited for Mason to draw closer before answering. “Hello, Mason, it was kind of you to assist me in disappearing from Wyoming before Wade returns. I have no idea what he expects, but Grandpa Hutch is worried for my safety.”

  Mason took her carpetbag and said, “You’ll be safe here. I have rented rooms for us near the hotel where I’m sure you will be comfortable.”

  “Rooms? I thought I’d be staying at the hotel.” Elizabeth said as she stopped to look Mason directly in his eyes. “What will it look like if I share living quarters with you?”

  Mason laughed, “Don’t worry. We’re married remember. It would cause more of a stir if we lived in separate rooms at the hotel. Your virtue is safe with me, I promise.”

  Elizabeth blushed. “I’m not worried about that. I know you are a gentleman. I didn’t think all of this through very well. I know I have your name, and you offered it as protection from Wade, but I didn’t stop to think we would have to look married to the rest of the people in our lives.”

  “I’m sure we can pull it off,” Mason answered and offered her his arm. “The rooms are more private and out of the public eye unless we go out and I think you’ll find them comfortable. They came furnished, but I replaced all the bedding with new. I had it cleaned, and you can add whatever curtains, drapes, or whatnots that are to your liking.”

  Elizabeth smiled. “Thank you. You went to a lot of trouble.”

  “I promised Clay I would take care of you and I don’t go back on my word.”

  “That’s good because Grandpa Hutch told me if you didn’t treat me well, he’d shoot you.”

  Mason laughed again. “I believe that. He loves you like his own.”

  “Yes, he does, and I will miss the entire family,” Elizabeth admitted.

  “Not for long. My contract at the hotel is up in a month, and I plan on going home. I’m not a businessman at heart, and I miss ranching. We’ll move back to my parent’s ranch, and then we’ll find land of our own.”

  Elizabeth’s mouth dropped open, but she quickly closed it and kept walking next to Mason. He said they would go back to Wyoming and find a ranch. Was it a slip of the tongue, or did he intend to take her back with him? In a month she should be able to have the marriage annulled. She had considered her life after the annulment, but she never thought of life with Mason beyond the next few weeks.

  Mason smiled at her, and Elizabeth decided the best way to live through the next month or more was taking each day as it came. Eventually, Mason would own his ranch and could find a wife to help him, and she would disappear somewhere and start her life over.

  Elizabeth stopped and asked Mason, “What about my trunks?”

  “Trunks? I thought you only had this carpetbag. It’s all you had when you arrived in Wyoming.”

  Elizabeth’s smile brightened her face all the way to her eyes. “Grandpa Hutch is very generous and spoiled me terribly. Each time we went into town, he insisted I purchase something. Many of the items were sweet, but frivolous and Cora said it made him happy to treat me as a granddaughter.”

  Mason nodded, “Hutch is a wonderful man. When Clay and Wade’s folks passed, he raised the two of them without hesitation. He’s been good to them and to me. I spent as much time there as at home, and when I wasn’t there, Clay was at my house.”

  “I bet you two were mischievous.”

  Mason winked, “I’ll never tell, but Hutch did threaten us with a switch more than once, but as far as I know he never raised a hand to either Clay or Wade. Maybe that was a mistake with Wade.”

  “I don’t think it would have made a difference. In the orphanage we were punished, sometimes harshly, and many children became angry, but more became good adults,” Elizabeth said. “Look at Clay. They were raised the same and yet they are quite different. There must be something that makes Wade how he is, but I don’t understand what.”

  Mason confided, “He always had a mean streak, but don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”

  The hired carriage pulled up at a large building, and Mason explained, “This is your new home. I hope you like it. Our lodgings are on the second floor. The neighborhood is quiet.”

  “I’m sure I will. It was kind of you to go through all this trouble,” Elizabeth answered as Mason helped her from the carriage.

  Elizabeth was surprised with the apartment. She assumed it would smell musty, but the scent of lemon oil teased her senses as Mason held open the door. Before she could say anything, Mason scooped her up in his arms and carried her over the threshold.

  Elizabeth gasped, and Mason winked. “We have to keep up appearances.” But he held her a moment longer than necessary before setting her down on her feet.

  The apartment was larger than she expected, and Elizabeth took note of a narrow bed in the parlor alcove.

  “Why is there a bed in the parlor? Isn’t there a bedroom?”

  “Yes,” Mason answered, “but the bedroom is for you. I’ll sleep on the spare bed in here. If anyone comes to visit, we can close the curtains to the alcove, and we won’t have to explain the extra bed.”

  Elizabeth nodded. “That was well thought out. Thank you for giving me the bedroom. I was afraid to ask about the sleeping arrangements.”

  “I promised to protect you, and that includes protecting you from me,” Mason explained while carrying her carpetbag to the bedroom.

  Elizabeth bit her lip wondering how to respond to Mason. Finally, she asked, “Do I need protecting from you?”

  “No, but you are a beautiful woman and my wife.”

  Elizabeth blushed.

  Mason changed the subject and showed Elizabeth the bathing room. “We have hot water available at all times. If you’d like to clean up from the train ride, please feel free. Then we can send a telegram t
o Clay to let the family know you’ve arrived and we’ll have supper. There are several wonderful restaurants in town.”

  “That sounds delightful. I’m surprised you want to leave here and go back to your folk’s ranch.”

  Mason shrugged. “My parents hoped I would take up a job doing something that wasn’t as hard as ranching and one that would ensure my future, but after a year working in the hotel, I know that my heart isn’t in it. I can use the business classes I took in college to help grow the ranch.”

  “You won’t miss the city?” Elizabeth asked her forehead wrinkling in confusion. “I think you’d be spoiled by now.”

  “No, there are a lot of things I love here. The theater, library, restaurants, and shops, but to be honest, I miss barn dances, potlucks at church, and open ranges.”

  Elizabeth smiled. “That I can understand. I never thought I would love life on the ranch as much as I did. I’ll miss it.”

  “Not for long,” Mason assured. “Once we know you’re safe from Wade and my contract with the hotel is finished, we’ll go back home.”

  Home. Elizabeth loved that word, but sadly, Wyoming was home for Mason, not her. Maybe it could be, but she knew better. She needed to find a home of her own regardless that Mason seemed to include her in all his plans. If only he’d stop winking at her and making her heart race. She said a prayer and asked God to lead her to a home where she could be safe and happy.

  Chapter Five

  Wyoming

  Wade sat his sorrel gelding at the edge of town pondering whether to go to the ranch or into town first. He didn’t want to confront his grandfather, so he turned his horse and trotted into town, hoping to find Lucinda.

  He reined up in front of the hotel, thinking that Lucinda and the gambler would want a room at the hotel rather than the saloon. He climbed down, stepped up onto the boardwalk, and pushed the hotel’s door open.