A Bride for Mason Read online

  Grandpa nodded. “That’s a good idea, but I think you should take Grace with you. You’ll need someone to talk to after seeing your brother, and she can shop for a new dress or two and some of those fripperies young women like.”

  Grace smiled. “I’d be happy to accompany you, Clay. Grandpa is right. This won’t be easy on you, and I’d like to be there for you.”

  Clay lowered his head for a moment and rubbed his forehead with his fingertips. He looked back up and smiled at his wife.

  “I’d love for you to come with me, but I don’t want you going to the jail to see Wade or go to the trial. Neither is a proper place for a lady, and I don’t want you to see any of Wade’s outbursts. You are well aware of how he can be when angry.”

  “I don’t want to see him either,” Grace admitted. “I forgave him for taking me and hiding me in the cabin to force me to leave town, but he also hurt Elizabeth. She came here with good intentions of marrying him and being a good wife. He lied and used her to try and get this ranch and still have his relationship with Lucinda. If I saw him, I might give him a piece of my mind.”

  Grandpa agreed with both Clay and Grace. “Clay will represent the family, and Grace will buy a lovely dress. When you come home, Grace, you can wear it to church services on Sunday.”

  “I’ll do that, Grandpa,” Grace promised.

  ~ * ~

  Two days later, Grace and Clay took the early morning stagecoach to Cheyenne. Clay’s foot bounced the closer they got to their destination.

  “Relax,” Grace whispered.

  “I can’t seem to be able to accept that I’m going to visit my brother in jail. I knew one day he might be arrested for something, but attempted murder. It’s a good thing I convinced grandpa not to come along. I’m not sure his heart could take what might happen in court,” Clay admitted and shook his head.

  Grace took his hand. “You’ll get through this. I’ll pray for you while you’re visiting Wade and during the trial.”

  Clay smiled at Grace and said, “I knew bringing you along was the best thing to do. I feel better knowing you’ll be close.”

  They felt the stagecoach lurch as it stopped. Clay took Grace’s hand and helped her climb down and then waited for their carpet bags to be handed down. He guided her across the street to the hotel and registered them. When she was settled in their room, he kissed her and left to find the sheriff’s office.

  ~ * ~

  Clay walked with purpose toward the sheriff’s office grateful to stretch his muscles after the long stagecoach ride. He’d already decided not to argue with Wade or be intentionally negative, but he still wasn’t sure what to say.

  After meeting the sheriff and explaining who he was, the sheriff allowed Clay back into the cell area of the jail. Behind the cell’s iron bars, Clay saw Wade lying on a cot with his arm over his eyes.

  He swallowed and took a step closer, “Wade.”

  Wade sat up and quickly stood. “Clay? What are you doing here?”

  Clay shrugged. “I’d rather be anywhere else than standing here seeing my brother through bars, but I couldn’t let you go through this alone.”

  Wade sat back down on his cot and ran his hands over his face. “Thanks, Clay. How’s grandpa?”

  “He’s getting stronger, but I didn’t think he was well enough for this trip.”

  “I understand. Tell him I’m sorry. You know, it’s strange, but all the time I spent alone riding from Montana, I let my anger boil over. I had one train of thought, and that was to get to Lucinda and Elizabeth. Now, I find myself praying the gambler doesn’t die, and I won’t be hung.”

  “The sheriff said the gambler is going to be all right. It was a shoulder wound, but not fatal,” Clay explained.

  “I messed up, Clay. I was so angry at Lucinda that I thought killing her husband would bring her back to me. I also ignored the fact my marriage to Elizabeth was annulled. I thought I could have them both. The local pastor came to see me, and we had a long talk.”

  Clay shifted on his feet, “I hope it helped.”

  “Yeah, it did, and it gave me something to think about. He helped me see that anger only causes pain. I have been angry since Ma and Pa died. Ma was the only person in this world that loved me, and she left me. I blamed Pa. Hate seemed easier than grief.”

  “You know Pa didn’t cause the wagon accident,” Clay said.

  “I know. I always knew, but it was still easier to take my anger out on Pa’s memory. It allowed me to do what I wanted without guilt. If Pa could take away my Ma, then no matter what I did would matter.”

  Clay nodded and began to understand his brother a little better. “Grandpa said he’s praying for you I will, too. He said when you get out of prison to come back to the ranch.”

  Wade laughed, “By the time they let me out if ever, Grandpa will probably be dead.”

  “Maybe, but I’ll be there and once you’ve paid your debt, come home.”

  Wade smiled for the first time. “Thanks, Clay. Oh, and tell Elizabeth she can come back from Texas. I know she considers the Hutchison family as her own, and I can’t see her living in Texas when she can be with all of you. I won’t be around to bother her.”

  Clay returned the smile. “I’ll tell her. I’ll also be in court tomorrow.”

  “Thanks,” Wade replied. “I really do appreciate it.”

  Clay turned to leave and looked over his shoulder, “Try to get some rest. You look tired.”

  ~ * ~

  The following afternoon, Grace busied herself folding the two new dresses she’d purchased, along with a gift for Cora and one for Elizabeth. She had just placed them into the satchel she’d brought along to hold her new purchases when the hotel room door opened.

  Grace turned and greeted her husband. “Clay, I’m happy you’re back. I didn’t know when to expect you. Is the trial over?”

  “Yes,” Clay responded.

  “Was it bad?” Grace asked, taking his hand and pulling him toward the bed. “Sit down and rest. You look a bit pale.”

  Clay sat next to his wife and said, “It could have been worse, but the gambler was well enough to testify that Wade walked straight up to him in the saloon and fired his gun. The judge said usually he would sentence a man to ten years for shooting another, but it seemed to the judge that Wade planned this and went out of his way to hunt down the gambler. He sentenced Wade to fifteen years at the territorial prison.”

  Grace drew in a quick breath. “That’s a long time.”

  Clay nodded, “It is, but Wade broke the law. It’s a good thing the gambler didn’t die, or I would have had to tell grandpa Wade would be hung. I know grandpa is waiting for word so I sent a telegram to him and the same one to Mason so he and Elizabeth would know. I couldn’t find the right words, so I just sent two: ‘Fifteen years.’”

  Grace hugged Clay. “That’s enough. They’ll understand, and you can explain it all to grandpa after we get home tomorrow. I’ll write Elizabeth a letter. She and Mason can come home now.”

  “I was able to see Wade after the hearing and told him to come back home after he serves his sentence. He’ll only be forty-five. If, God help him, he survives, he has a home. I know grandpa feels that way, too, and he still hasn’t changed the will. I think half the ranch will still be Wade’s when he’s released.”

  Grace laid her head on Clay’s shoulder and said, “You can write to him and give him encouragement. I know grandpa will send him letters. It’s a long time, but God willing, he’ll learn a lesson and come back a better man.”

  Clay said a silent prayer for his brother, kissed his wife, and said, “I’m hungry. Let’s have supper and get some sleep. The stage home leaves early in the morning.”

  Chapter Ten

  Chicago

  Mason arrived home a bit early, and Elizabeth asked, “Are you feeling well? You’re early.”

  He smiled and said, “Yes, I’m feeling well, but we need to talk. Please sit down.”

  Elizabeth wipe
d her hands on the towel she held and sat next to Mason. Her heart raced, worried that there was a problem.

  “Please tell me what’s wrong,” Elizabeth said.

  “Nothing is wrong, really. It’s just that we’re going home sooner than we expected. As soon as we can pack and buy train tickets.”

  Elizabeth’s brow knitted and she asked, “Why? You still have two weeks left on your contract, and we don’t know what’s happening with Wade.”

  “I can answer both of your questions right now. Clay sent me a telegram. Wade’s trial must be over. All his telegram said was ‘fifteen years.’ I can only assume that’s Wade’s sentence. As far as my job is concerned, Victoria did her best, but it doesn’t matter. She did have her father speak to the hotel’s owner about me.”

  Elizabeth shook her head, “I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”

  “Nonsense, Victoria is vindictive. The owner and I had a talk today. Victoria’s father suggested that the hotel might suffer some setbacks if I continued to work there. Victoria’s father said he could let other business owners know that the hotel was employing a cad and scoundrel.”

  Elizabeth blinked tears from her eyes and dropped her head to look at her hands. Mason lifted her chin with his hand and smiled at her.

  Mason continued, “My employer said he had no intention of letting me go just to please his lawyer, but I offered him a compromise. I wasn’t sure how badly such rumors could hurt the hotel, and since my contract is up in two weeks and I’m going back to Wyoming, I suggested I leave his employ immediately. That way, I could get back home sooner, and he wouldn’t have to take a chance with his hotel’s business.”

  Elizabeth returned Mason’s smile and said, “That works well for everyone, but it isn’t right that Victoria can try and ruin someone’s life. I suppose she wins and that’s all she cares about.”

  “No, sweetheart, she doesn’t win. I do. I can leave Chicago, go back to Wyoming sooner, and I have you.” He drew Elizabeth into his arms and kissed her soundly.

  Elizabeth’s arms snaked around his neck, and she held him close returning his kiss. She whispered, “And I have you. We do win.”

  “Now, wife, I suggest you put on your best dress and allow me to take you on the town one last time. Tomorrow we will pack up and catch the train the following day,” Mason told her.

  “I can do that, and I’d love to go out with you, husband. Oh my, I had a large delivery of food delivered today. I was putting it away when you came in. If we’re leaving, we don’t need it. Would you mind terribly if I took the food to the Widow Omslow? She lives in that little brown house across the alley. We’ve had tea a few times. Her son is supposed to take care of her, but he drinks and forgets at times.”

  Mason hugged Elizabeth harder. “You have a beautiful soul, Elizabeth. Of course, I’ll even help you carry them over tomorrow.”

  “I’m not sure about my soul, but I do know what it’s like to be hungry and if I can help her, I’d like to. Last time when I took a plate of cookies to her, the way she looked at them, I wondered if she’d eaten anything that day or the one before. I didn’t stay long so she could eat them without embarrassing her,” Elizabeth confided.

  Mason kissed her again. “You definitely have a beautiful soul to match your face, and you’re mine. I love you, Elizabeth.”

  Elizabeth giggled. “I love you, too. Now let me change, and we can start our evening.”

  Mason winked and said, “I look forward to coming home, too.”

  Elizabeth blushed and hurried to dress.

  ~ * ~

  Mason and Elizabeth each ordered steak, a baked potato, and fresh vegetables at one of their favorite restaurants and began discussing their move back to Wyoming.

  “I can’t believe all of this is happening so fast. I expected to file for an annulment, not fall in love with you, and I never expected you to return my affections. Now, we’re going home to Wyoming. I can see Grace, Cora, Clay, and Grandpa Hutchison again. I never expected to see them again,” Elizabeth said, wiping a happy tear from her eye.

  And that’s not all,” Mason added. “We own a ranch, and when we get back, I’ll buy enough stock to get it up and running.”

  Elizabeth smiled, and then a cloud seemed to pass over her face, and she whispered, “Victoria is here. She’s walking toward our table. Is she having someone follow us?”

  Anger filled Mason’s eyes as he responded, “I wouldn’t put it past her.”

  Victoria breezed up to their table with a smug expression on her face. She glared at Elizabeth and smirked at Mason.

  “I told you that you’d be sorry if you didn’t leave Chicago. Now, Mason lost his job, and you’ll be penniless and living on the streets where you belong,” Victoria said to Elizabeth.

  Before Elizabeth could respond, Mason answered. “Actually, your father did me a favor. I planned to leave Chicago in two weeks, but now I am free to leave sooner and go back to Wyoming.”

  “Wyoming,” Victoria spat. “What’s there except a ranch you’ll never own. You know that banker in whatever town you’re going to will sell the ranch out from under you.”

  Mason laughed, “Good try, Victoria. The mortgage is only temporary until I can return and pay it in full and then purchase enough stock to build the ranch properly.”

  Victoria shook her dark curls and said, “That sounds like a pretty story, but you worked at that sad excuse for a hotel because no one else would hire you and you desperately needed money. You can’t possibly buy a ranch or anything else.”

  Elizabeth bit her lip to keep from laughing at the obnoxious young woman.

  “You don’t know everything, Victoria. I worked at the Quincy Hotel for experience, not income. You and I were never close enough for me to share my past or to explain to you about the inheritance I received from my grandmother.”

  “Inheritance? Why didn’t you ever mention an inheritance, sweetie?” Victoria crooned.

  Elizabeth had heard enough, “Go away, Victoria. We’re celebrating our leaving Chicago and going home. You don’t really want to brawl right here in the middle of the restaurant, do you?”

  Victoria’s eyes flew wide open, and she stamped her foot. She screeched, “You two deserve each other” before she marched off toward the exit.

  Mason raised one eyebrow, “Brawl?”

  Elizabeth shrugged, “I might have given her the impression that I know how to street brawl the way boys do having grown up in a difficult orphanage and all.”

  Mason did his best not to laugh but couldn’t. “That’s one of the funniest things I have heard in a while. Elizabeth, you are a charm. I tried for months to convince Victoria I was not the man for her and one sentence from you sent her running. Now, I don’t condone violence, but this is still funny.”

  “Honestly, I don’t know how to street fight exactly, but the boys did teach some of the girls how to defend ourselves. I do have a good right hook, or so I’ve been told,” Elizabeth blushed and smiled.

  “Let’s order dessert and then go home and pack. If we pack all the food tonight, we can take it to the Widow Omslow first thing in the morning, then gather our things and head for the train station. I need to send a telegram to my father in the morning, too, and let him and my mother know we’re coming home,” Mason said.

  “What about Grandpa Hutch? He’s going to want to know about me,” Elizabeth asked.

  “I’ll ask my father in the telegram to send word to the Hutchison ranch. We’ll send another telegram from Cheyenne letting them know when the stagecoach is scheduled to arrive. When I left Wyoming, it only traveled toward home twice a week,” Mason said,

  Elizabeth offered, “I think you’re right. I know it doesn’t arrive every day.”

  “Spending a night or two in a hotel between the train and stage might do us good. I know you don’t care for traveling.”

  “It’s not that I don’t care for traveling, it’s that I was so nervous when I met you and Grace. It was the first time
I had been away from home traveling anywhere, I was heading to marry a stranger, and my stupid hat wouldn’t stay in place no matter what I tried,” Elizabeth answered. “I know I appeared to be a mess.”

  “A beautiful mess,” Mason said as the waitress placed plates of peach pie in front of them.

  “I’m going to miss fresh peach pie when we leave. Baking a pie with canned peaches isn’t the same,” Elizabeth commented as she took a bit of the warm pie.

  “For you, my love, I’ll be sure to order fresh peaches when they are available. If you want, we could buy a bushel and take them back with us,” Mason suggested.

  “I’m not sure if we can keep them cool on the long train ride. Maybe we could find some in Cheyenne and bring them home.”

  “Anything you want, my dear. All you have to do is ask.”

  Mason winked.

  Elizabeth blushed.

  Chapter Eleven

  Wyoming

  The stagecoach rolled into Prairieville shortly before noon. The bright August sunshine nearly blinded Elizabeth as she looked out of the stagecoach’s window to see if she was truly home once again.

  “We’re home,” Mason whispered when he took her hand and squeezed it gently.

  “Yes, we are,” Elizabeth answered, her bright blue eyes sparkling with happiness.

  The stagecoach lurched to a complete stop. Mason pushed the door open, stepped out, and turned around to offer his hand to Elizabeth. She took the offered hand and stepped down fighting back happy tears that she was home in Wyoming and would soon see her family again.

  Elizabeth turned when she heard Grandpa Hutchison’s voice. “Welcome home, Elizabeth.”

  She turned and was immediately wrapped in the elderly man’s arms. She couldn’t stop the tears now and said, “I’m so happy to be here, Grandpa.”

  Elizabeth had to smile when she saw Mason hugging his mom with one arm, and his dad pumping his free hand in an excited greeting.

  Glancing past Mason, she saw Grace, Clay, and Cora standing on the steps in front of the mercantile. Grandpa pulled her toward the rest of the family while Mason called for her to come and see his folks. Elizabeth was surrounded by more love and joy than she thought possible.