A Bride for Blake Read online

  “But I don’t know what I need. You don’t have to do that,” Eliza insisted.

  “You are my wife. Of course, I have to make sure you have enough clothes. When we get home, I’ll send a rider to Deke’s ranch and have him deliver a message to Amalie. She and Faith can meet us in town tomorrow and can assist you in your purchases. My aunt and Constance won’t be up until late or ready to leave until after lunch. That should give you ample time.”

  Eliza sat stunned. She never expected Blake to purchase clothing or anything else for her. Theirs was a marriage of convenience, and she was grateful to be away from the Richards family and have a safe place to live.

  “I know I’m your wife but in name only. You’re offering me a home and food. I can’t expect more than that. I’ll never be able to pay you back for quite some time after I find employment,” Eliza said.

  Blake reined the carriage to a stop and turned to look at Eliza. “I’m grateful you agreed to this proxy marriage and offering you a home and food would be the very least I could do. You’ve met my aunt, although briefly, and can you imagine how my life would be with her here permanently or my going back East? Supplying you with a new wardrobe is my pleasure, and I never expect anything I give you to be returned or paid for. I would never keep your things the way your former employer did. My home is yours as long as we’re married, and I want you to feel at home.”

  “Thank you,” Eliza murmured.

  “Look ahead,” Blake said. “That sign over the road is the beginning of the ranch. Welcome to the Circle M.”

  Eliza saw a large sign hung by chains from two tall poles proclaiming Montgomery Ranch for all to see strung across the road.

  “I hope you’ll be happy here,” Blake said, offering Eliza his warmest smile.

  Eliza smiled back and said a prayer of gratitude for the kind man that saved her from her former life.

  Chapter 5

  Blake started the horses moving again, and after a few minutes, they crested a hill, and Eliza’s breath caught in her throat when she saw the spacious house in front of her.

  “Certainly, this isn’t your home?” Eliza asked.

  “No, it’s our home,” Blake answered and laughed. “I told you it was a dream to have a home like my grandfather’s, and this is a close replica. It took longer to buy and ship the lumber needed than it took to build the home. My neighbors thought I had lost my mind, but I’m happy.”

  Eliza continued to stare at the house and asked, “Is it as big as it looks?”

  Blake laughed. “It is indeed. I’ll give you a tour, but on the first floor is my bedroom, well, it’s ours now for as long as Aunt Hortense is in town, the guest room, kitchen, dining room, parlor, bathing room, and a room for doing laundry. There is also a small room off my bedroom that is meant to be a nursery, but I use it as an office. The second floor has the simply furnished bedroom I spoke of earlier, a library, and three other empty bedrooms.”

  “That’s a lot of room. Did you intend to use it all when you built it?”

  “To be honest, no. It was only the fulfillment of a dream, but after a year of living on my own, I thought it would be nice to fill the rooms with children, but I never found anyone to share my life with. I was still looking when I received the letter from my aunt telling me she was bringing me a wife,” Blake confessed.

  “It’s a wonderful dream, and you fulfilled it,” Eliza said.

  “I suppose I sound a bit pompous and spoiled, but I’m an only child, and I inherited my father’s estate, and he inherited half of his father’s estate, which was substantial. My grandfather was quite successful. Aunt Hortense’s husband, my Uncle John, inherited the other half. They never had any children, and she thinks she can run my life by withholding that inheritance from me, but I don’t want it.”

  “You don’t?” Eliza asked with a surprised voice. “Who wouldn’t want a fortune?”

  “Me. I already inherited half, which is more than enough for one man, and living out here doesn’t cost nearly as much as back East. I will never return East. I love my ranch and raising cattle. I could never be happy behind a desk in some office all day.”

  “Then,” Eliza said, smiling, “you made the right decision, and living a dream is never bad.”

  When the carriage stopped in front of the house, the door opened and a young woman a few years older than Eliza stepped out onto the porch.

  “Welcome back, Blake,” the pretty brunette said as she wiped her hands on her apron.

  “Hello, Sarah,” Blake answered as he jumped from the carriage and hurried around to help Eliza step down.

  Blake took Eliza’s hand and walked with her to the front wrap-around porch. “Eliza, I’d like you to meet Sarah Adams. She keeps this place from falling apart, and her husband, Jack, is my foreman. Sarah, this is my wife, Eliza.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Missus Adams,” Eliza said.

  “Missus nothing, I’m Sarah. We don’t get fancy around here,” Sarah said as she wrapped Eliza in a welcoming hug.

  “You may change your mind about that,” Blake said. “When I went into town to pick up Eliza, my aunt and her traveling companion were also on the stage. Aunt Hortense fainted when she learned I was already married, and she and Constance are spending the night at the hotel, but they’ll be here tomorrow afternoon.”

  Sarah frowned for a moment before her smile returned, and she said, “I’ll do my best to make everyone welcome.”

  “I’ll help,” Eliza offered.

  The two women began chatting as they walked into the house, leaving a smiling Blake standing on the porch. Things seemed to be going well if only Aunt Hortense didn’t cause any problems, but Blake had his doubts that his aunt would act civilly when it came to Eliza and his marriage.

  Blake carried Eliza’s things into the bedroom and then followed the sound of laughter coming from the kitchen. When he entered the kitchen, he found Sarah wiping flour from her hands and Eliza slicing apples.

  Eliza smiled and said, “We’re making an apple pie. Sarah said it’s your favorite. I need to know all these little things about you. I have a feeling your aunt is going to ask me a lot of questions, and if she knows we were just married by proxy, I think she’ll cause more trouble.”

  “I agree with that, but the laughter I heard couldn’t have been about apple pie,” Blake said as he took a slice of apple and popped it in his mouth.

  “No, it wasn’t,” Eliza explained. “Sarah was telling me about one of your new horses and how the first time you rode him, he wasn’t happy. I understand after you dismounted, he nudged you hard enough to knock you over into a puddle of mud.” Eliza giggled again, her eyes filling with merriment.

  Blake raised his eyebrows and looked at Sarah. “If you’re going to tell stories, I hope you also share happy ones.”

  Sarah laughed. “That was a happy one. We all laughed. Remember? You weren’t hurt, and you and that horse now have a great deal of respect for each other.”

  Blake shrugged. “I remember. The horse is still spirited. I’ll introduce you to him later, Eliza. He seems to like the ladies better. He never acts up around Sarah.”

  “Smart horse,” Eliza said, and she and Sarah burst into more laughter.

  “Seriously,” Blake said. “I don’t know why you need to share these stories.”

  “Most people share things about themselves while they’re courting. We didn’t court, and you certainly don’t want your aunt to know that, so you should tell me all about you. What you love and hate. Favorite color, food, time of day. Is there anything you refuse to eat? I dislike fish, and I do my best to avoid it. You need to know things about me, too,” Eliza said as she handed the bowl of sliced apples to Sarah.

  “All right,” Blake relented. “I’ll tell you about myself while I give you a tour of the house. Since we’ve officially been married a few days, you should be familiar with the house. Come on, we’ll start upstairs.”

  Eliza nodded and followed Blake up the wide
staircase to the second floor.

  Blake opened the first door, and Eliza gasped at all the empty bookshelves. One bookshelf was full of books and sat beside a large fireplace.

  “Do you intend to fill all these empty shelves with books?” Eliza asked as she lovingly ran her hand over the volumes on the full bookshelf. You must have over fifty books now.”

  “Someday, I will. I buy books when they come into the mercantile or if I read about one in the paper that sounds interesting, I’ll order it. You can do the same. Just tell the mercantile owner the titles of any books you want, and he’ll order them,” Blake explained.

  “Truly?” Eliza answered. “This would be my dream to be in a room full of books. Not a public library but one where I live. I mean, I know I won’t live here long, and I shouldn’t order books since I might not be able to take them with me, but it was generous of you to offer. Now, I know one more thing about you. You’re generous.”

  “If you order books, I’ll be sure to ship them wherever you want to go. After all, it wouldn’t be generous of me to give you books and then take them back,” Blake said, giving Eliza a deep sweeping bow.

  Eliza giggled again. “You’re also funny. See how easy this is. You only need to add a few details.”

  They left the library and walked down the hall toward the only open door. “This is the simple bedroom I mentioned. I’m not sure Constance will like it.”

  Eliza glanced in and agreed. “It is quite simple. If you had more time, we could add a colorful quilt and some nicer curtains. This does look like a room that would appeal to a man.”

  Blake shrugged. “There might be a quilt stored somewhere. We’ll ask Sarah, but it’s too late to add curtains.”

  As Blake showed Eliza the three empty rooms, he said, “My favorite color is red, I prefer sunsets, I eat just about anything except I don’t care for tomatoes, but Sarah insists they’re good for me and I’ll eat them in a stew or soup but not plain, and I broke my left arm when I was ten trying to swing out over the pond and missed. I hit the ground rather hard.”

  Eliza winced. “That must have been painful.”

  “It was. Do you have any favorites?”

  “My favorite color is blue, and I also love watching sunsets. I told you I don’t care for fish, but I love sweets. I suppose that’s because I had very few growing up.”

  “Who could deny a pretty little girl her sweets?” Blake asked.

  “I grew up in an orphanage, we did without a lot, but I made some dear friends and I survived,” Eliza said as she headed back down the stairs.

  Chapter 6

  When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Blake suggested, “Why don’t we sit for a bit, and you can tell me a little about your life. If I know my aunt, she will be far more interested in you than in what I’ve been doing. I think I should at least know how and where you were raised and about your employment.”

  Eliza nodded and took a seat in one of the large chairs near the fireplace.

  “There isn’t much to tell,” Eliza said. “A neighbor dropped me off with a few belongings when I was three days old. She told them that my father was killed in a horse-riding accident about a month prior, and my mother became weaker after I was born and died the night before. I was more fortunate than some because the kind neighbor who dropped me off left what little my mother had collected for me, the family Bible, and told them my name.”

  “It’s a good thing you know that much,” Blake said. “I suppose many infants were handed over to orphanages with no information whatsoever.”

  “Yes, I was fortunate in that regard. According to the family Bible, both my parents were orphans, and both were only children, so I have no relatives at all.”

  “I’m surprised no one adopted you.”

  “I was sickly as an infant and a bit puny as a child. People believed I might get ill or not be strong enough. Many people adopted children to help them work on farms or in stores,” Eliza explained.

  “For what it’s worth, you have me. I’m your husband now, and I’ll treat you with as much respect as you deserve. No one besides Amalie, Deke, Faith, and Nate, and the judge in town knows about our proxy marriage. Well, Sarah and her husband Jack know, but they won’t say a word. Everyone else believes I met you a few months back when I was out of town on a business trip. That’s also what I’m going to tell Aunt Hortense,” Blake said.

  “Thank you, but you’ll have to have a reason for being in St. Louis since I have never lived anywhere else. I’m not sure how many questions I could answer,” Eliza confessed, biting her lip.

  “I’ll handle that. I doubt my aunt will ask you many questions. That wouldn’t be proper, and my aunt is a very proper lady. Oh, and before I forget to tell you, I think you’re beautiful just the way you are.”

  Eliza laughed. “I’m a bit short and not very strong.”

  “I think you’re perfect,” Blake said, holding out his hand. “Let me show you the rest of the house.”

  Eliza was impressed with the guest bedroom. “This room is lovely. I think your aunt will be pleased. If only we could add a few of these touches to the room upstairs.”

  “Sarah,” Blake yelled out the door, and Sarah hurried to the room.

  “You bellowed, Blake,” Sarah asked with a hint of a smile crossing her face.

  “I didn’t mean to shout. Do we have any linens or whatnots that might make the little bedroom upstairs more suitable for a lady? My aunt’s traveling companion will use that room.”

  Sarah nodded. “I think I can arrange that. We do have a quilt with some yellow and pink that I never use in your room because I know you would frown at the colors and flowers. I can also remove that painting of the buffalo and switch it with the one of the mountains in your office and add a flower vase with a few flowers from the garden.”

  Eliza clapped her hands. “That sounds wonderful. It will change the appearance of the room, and hopefully, your aunt and her friend will be happier. Neither looked well today.”

  Blake admitted, “I don’t know Constance well. We haven’t seen each other since I was fourteen. My aunt can be quite dramatic and high strung, which is why she fainted. I think they will both be well tomorrow if for no other reason than to see where I live and let their opinions be known.”

  Eliza frowned. “I hope we pass your aunt's approval.”

  “Don’t fret. I’m not worried about her opinion of you, me, or our home. My biggest concern is that she will try and make you uncomfortable enough to leave, and she will try to force me to accept Constance.”

  “I may be small, but I’m tough. You don’t grow up to be a sissy when you’re raised in an orphanage. I remember having to do dishes for a month after I punched Jimmy Brown in the nose for yanking on my braids.”

  Blake laughed. “I don’t think you’ll have to fight my aunt, but I’m happy to hear you will stand up for yourself.”

  “If I didn’t, who would? It wasn’t always easy, especially once I left the orphanage.”

  “Let’s see the rest of the house while you tell me about your employer. You’ve seen the kitchen and dining room. I’ll show you where you’ll be sleeping.”

  Eliza explained about Mister Richards and how the offer from the judge saved her from unemployment or worse, and Blake could only shake his head. “I don’t understand men like that.”

  “There’s something else I know about you, Mister Montgomery. You’re a gentleman.”

  “That is one thing I’ll agree on, Missus Montgomery,” Blake said as he opened the bedroom door. “This is our room.”

  Eliza stepped in and said, “It’s nice and big.”

  “But a bit plain?” Blake asked. “You can change it any way that you like. It’s your room, too,”

  “But only until your aunt leaves and I leave, too. It wouldn’t be fair to make changes.”

  Blake shrugged. “I understand, but my aunt may expect something a bit more feminine since you have been here for several days. Ask Sarah wh
at she has stored around the house. Maybe some flowers or umm, I don’t know what ladies like. Ask Sarah and see if you two can make it nicer.”

  “It is nice. It just looks like a man’s room, which is good except maybe your aunt might question it. I think I will tell her I haven’t had the time to make changes yet. That isn’t a lie, and hopefully, she’ll understand,” Eliza offered.

  Blake agreed that his aunt might believe that and pushed open the door in the corner of the room. “This is my office. I think it was supposed to be a nursery. The architect had some liberties with the plans after I drew him a picture of the outside of my grandfather’s home and told him how many rooms were needed.”

  Eliza peeked around the corner and agreed that it was a nursery. “The Richards had a nursery in their home similar to this, but they never needed it, they had me.”

  “Do you miss being there?” Blake asked.

  “At times, I miss their son, Tommy. He was a good boy when his parents weren’t watching. When they were, he liked to scream and throw things. They ignored him a lot, and I think he wanted attention, especially from his father,” explained Eliza.

  “How sad. I would never ignore any child of mine that way.”

  “Another thing I now know about you. You’d be a good father. That’s important for a woman to know when she marries. I can confide in your aunt that I think you will be a good father and maybe she’ll think we knew each other and courted properly. I’m not used to making up stories unless they’re about heroes that enthrall a two-year-old boy. I hope your aunt believes me,” Eliza said, blowing a loose curl from her forehead.

  “I think she will, and even if she doesn’t, we’re married. She can’t change that. It’s done and legal. Now, let me show you where the bathing room is, and you can wash up after your trip if you like. You’ll meet Jack at supper. He has supper with Sarah and me every evening before Sarah goes home for the night. All that’s left to see is the laundry room off the kitchen and the back gardens. Do you have any interest in the barn? I can show you that, too,” Blake said, pointing to the door at the end of the hall.