Indiana Goes West (Mail Order Brides of Pioneer Town, Book 1) (6 page)

Unable to silence the words before they left
her tongue, Indiana said bravely, “Mother, perhaps they were
made
to go to Texas. Not everyone gets a choice—at least,
not in my experience.”

Deborah shot her a furious glare but said
nothing. After the awkward silence settled over the room and
threatened to end the dinner party, the sound of glasses tapping
against each other removed the tension from the room. As she turned
toward the noise, Indiana saw Charles standing with a glass raised
in his hand.

“I propose a toast. We will be traveling back
to Wyoming once our business here has reached its conclusion, but
at least we were able to spend this delightful evening together,”
he said, making sure to hold eye contact with each of his guests
briefly as his gaze circled the room. “To my nephew, Morgan, and
his friend, Cody. And let us not forget the lovely Mrs. Deborah
White. I want to thank you and your lovely daughters personally for
attending our dinner party and being such gracious guests, as
always.”

“Of course, Charles,” Deborah said, rising to
contribute words of her own toward the honor. “Here’s to the
future, for Mr. Chase, Mr. Mills, yourself, and my daughters.”

“And let us not forget the man who couldn’t
join us tonight,” Charles said, his voice breaking as he spoke. “I
am sorry. This toast is in honor of all of us here, but most
importantly, my late friend, your husband.”

Just then, the chiming of glasses and chatter
rose up around Indiana as she fumbled for her glass so she could
take part in the toast. Charles was talking about her father, and
she had known where it was going from the moment he picked up his
glass. She missed him too, but the mess that his passing left
behind made grieving even more difficult than it already had to
be.

“Again, thank you all for coming,” Charles
said, as Indiana turned her attention to Morgan.

He approached her slowly, extending his hand
to help her from her chair. “May I?”

“Thank you, sir,” she said, her chest
heaving.

Around them, the others were also preparing
to leave, finishing their beverages and saying goodbye to each
other. In that moment, however, Indiana wanted to focus on nothing
other than Morgan. His strong, alluring charisma was something that
she just could not ignore whenever he was around.

“Permit me to escort you out,” he asked, his
eyes gleaming.

“I would be delighted,” Indiana said. “Thank
you kindly.”

The doors that led out to the streets of San
Francisco sat just a short distance away from the courtyard.
Charles and her mother led the way, most likely locked in small
talk and gossip.

“So, what did you think of dinner?” Morgan
asked her.

“It was lovely,” Indiana said. “I am
delighted to have your company for dinner.”

“As am I,” Morgan said.

Just as she was about to reply, Indiana
noticed someone standing off in the distance, far beyond where
Morgan stood. Concealed behind a large pillar, she could see the
curious eyes of a man, but little else. As her chest tightened and
the sound of her heartbeat rang in her ears, she realized who it
was.

Moments later, Cade Hollway was gone, leaving
her paralyzed and unable to speak.

Chapter 11

Morgan stepped inside the Palace Hotel,
finally shielding himself from the dry heat outside. As he
approached the grand reception desk, he peered up at the massive
clock that sat at its center. Its hands currently pointed at 10:47,
reminding him that he still had a long day ahead of him.

While heading toward the hallway back to his
room, Morgan noticed Mrs. Deborah White sitting at one of the
circular tables, her demeanor stoic and serious. She sipped at a
cup that steamed when she moved her lips away from it. Uncle
Charles had not mentioned anything about her being at the hotel
that day, so he wondered what her appearance might mean. “Good
morning, Mrs. White,” he said with a polite smile as he
approached.

“Good morning, Mr. Chase. Won’t you please
join me?” Deborah asked, her voice sweet and kind despite her
emotionless face.

“I would be honored,” he replied, pulling out
a chair and sitting down.

Mrs. White smiled. “How are you faring?”

“Well, thank you. How are you and your lovely
daughters?”

Deborah ignored his question. “There is
something specific that I wish to discuss with you,” she said, her
eyes never blinking or looking away from him.

Morgan was completely caught off guard by the
revelation, at once wondering what she needed to talk about. It
must have been rather important if she showed up at the hotel,
without being announced, for the sole purpose of speaking to him
about it. “Is something wrong?”

“I suppose you could say that,” she said. “I
do not know how much you have heard about my family’s situation. My
husband’s inheritance has gone to our nephews, and we have but
little time to put our affairs in order before we must leave,” she
explained. Tears formed in her eyes, but she quickly wiped away her
display of emotion with one hand.

“That is a most unfortunate state of
affairs,” Morgan said, wondering what the matter had to do with
him. His thoughts quickly filled with images of Indiana.

“May I speak frankly, Mr. Chase?”

“Of course, Madam,” Morgan assured her. He
wanted her to come to the point quickly, as curiosity had gotten
the better of him.

“There is but one option open to someone in
my situation. I must procure suitable husbands for my daughters,
starting with the oldest, Indiana,” she said. “Actually, that is
why I came here.”

Morgan was utterly confused.

“I have come to speak to you about Indiana,”
she added.

“Oh,” he said, still unsure what it all had
to do with him.

Mrs. White appeared embarrassed, yet
determined. “I found Indiana a man to marry from Texas, but she is
refusing to agree. I fear she doesn’t understand the gravity of the
situation.”

Morgan was delighted that Indiana had refused
to marry the man. Perhaps there was an inkling of hope for him,
after all. He had only known her for a short time, but his heart
leaped at the very mention of her name. Morgan glanced up at the
arched ceilings that lined each of the doorways in the lobby. It
made him think of stories about kingdoms far beyond the sea that
were read to him as a child.

“I am certain that is the case, but it
doesn’t free her from obligations that will determine her future
and social standing,” Mrs. White went on.

Morgan had been so lost in his thoughts of
Indiana that he had no idea what Mrs. White was talking about now.
Nevertheless, she was staring at him intently, clearly wanting him
to respond. “Are there no men in the city who deserve such a lady?
Perhaps your daughter is reluctant to leave San Francisco,” Morgan
said, looking down at his untouched coffee. He figured that such a
question would reveal whether Indiana had a distaste for the
ranching way of life.

Mrs. White shook her head. “As Indiana is
refusing Mr. Hollway, I need to find her another suitable match,”
she said, a half-smile showing on her lips.

Was the lady hinting at something? While
Morgan already felt a strong affection for the beautiful Indiana,
he worried about admitting such a fact aloud, even in a situation
as serious as the one in which he now found himself. Even if his
feelings for her were accepted by those he told, he worried about
what Indiana would think and how she would react. “I wish there was
something I could do to assist you,” he said carefully.

“There might well be,” Mrs. White whispered,
before sipping once more from her delicate coffee cup. She leaned
back in her chair and folded her arms, yet her eyes stayed focused
on him.

Morgan could feel a strange awkwardness
setting in over the table at that very moment, and it seemed as if
he had to wait an eternity just to hear her next line of
thought.

“The man she is set to marry is Mr. Cade
Hollway, a well-to-do rancher from Texas. Alas, and please forgive
me for saying so, he was not quite the gentleman I had hoped.” Mrs.
White lowered her gaze. “Perhaps if we found her a more suitable
match…” she continued, her voice trailing away.

Morgan’s heart leaped. Was she suggesting
what he thought she was suggesting? “And by more suitable, you
mean…?”

“Yes, you, Mr. Chase.” She raised the cup of
coffee to her lips, and looked at him over the rim of her cup.

“I’m sorry?” he managed to say, the words
falling from his lips as he tried to speak calmly.

“I am sorry to speak so boldly, but our
situation is an urgent one,” Mrs. White said with a catch in her
voice. “I think it is far more likely that Indiana would agree to
marry you rather than Mr. Hollway.” A tear rolled down her cheek.
“I just want to save my family before it is too late.”

Hearing it put in such a way was much more
than Morgan could bear. Someone he cared about was about to lose
everything, and so was her entire family. “What exactly are you
asking of me?” he asked quietly, shielding his voice from a group
of people as they passed by.

Deborah smiled weakly. “I think you already
know what I’m going to ask you. Would you be interested in marrying
Indiana?”

So that was why Mrs. White had waited for him
in the hotel. But would Indiana agree to such proposition? She
already denied one man vehemently, so who was to say that she
wouldn’t reject him as well?

Morgan swallowed hard, forcing down the lump
in his throat. He stared at her as his chest tightened. He was
unable to speak.

“Unfortunately, you are my only hope,” she
continued. “If you do not agree to this, then Indiana will have to
marry Mr. Hollway, after all. There is no other option.” Mrs.
White’s voice was grave.

Morgan paused to collect his thoughts and
slowly calmed himself down. He then looked back up from the table
and nodded slowly. “Do you believe that Miss Indiana will agree to
such a proposal?” he asked.

Mrs. White took a deep breath; her eyes
focused steadily on his. “I cannot presume to know what Indiana
might think or say, but I do not think her response will be
anything like it was for Mr. Hollway.”

Morgan closed his eyes and took a deep
breath, letting his thoughts focus on the appropriate words to use
next. He slowly looked up and spoke sincerely. “If it will save
your daughter and your family, then I will certainly consider
it.”

Relief flooded the lady’s face. “You must
consider it quickly then, because time is running out. Mr. Hollway
is only in town for a short time before he returns to Texas, and I
am sure he will refuse to return without her,” she said, “not
unless she’s already married to someone else.”

Morgan took a few moments to think things
over, but he just wasn’t sure how to respond. While marrying
Indiana sounded like a gift from God, the answer to his prayers, he
felt that it might not work out as well as he hoped it would. What
would Indiana think of her mother asking him to marry her like
that? Such a matter was sure to cause tension between them. “If I
am to agree to this marriage, then there is one request that I must
first make.”

“Of course,” Mrs. White said, an obvious look
of relief on her face.

“I do not wish Indiana to feel pressured into
this marriage like she was with Mr. Hollway. She has to want this
and agree to it of her own accord. I will not marry her against her
own will,” he said.

Deborah took another sip from her coffee.
“That is fair.”

Morgan glanced down at his still-full
beverage, its steam barely noticeable now. “I do not wish to become
the man she dislikes, before I have a chance to be the man she
loves,” he explained, earning a nod from Deborah. Even though he
wouldn’t have thought so moments earlier, maybe she did understand
where he was coming from.

“I assure you that Indiana will not be forced
to accept your proposal, but if she rejects it, she will have to
marry Mr. Hollway.”

“I understand,” Morgan said, “but please do
not put it to her like that. Even if she consents to marry me, I do
not want her to feel she has no option.”

“Mr. Chase, there is one thing that you have
to do in return as well,” she shot back.

“What is it?” he asked, another lump forming
in his throat as he waited for her response.

“You must not tell Indiana of my involvement
in this, not at all. Even if she were to be completely enamored
with your proposal, she cannot know my hand in this. She might be
happier if she thinks it all happened naturally,” Deborah said.

Reluctant to lie to the woman he cared for so
much, Morgan sighed loudly. “I cannot agree to that,” Morgan said,
“but I will ask Indiana to marry me. The rest is in her hands,
however.”

Chapter 12

As midday approached, Indiana was in her
bedroom, frantically searching for something to wear. Of course,
she had a closet full of dresses, but she had yet to find the
perfect one.

“I don’t have anything to wear!” the young
woman groaned as she fell backward onto her bed, wearing her
smallclothes and corset. Her friend and maid, Misty, was with her,
standing before her spacious closet. She pushed dress after dress
down the pole on which they hung.

“Are you joking?” Misty asked. Although Misty
was a lady’s maid, the two had become close friends over the time
that Misty had been in service.

“Well, I have those things, if I want to look
positively hideous!” Indiana said, covering her face with her
hands. “It’s hopeless! I’m going to have to cancel.”

Misty laughed. “My sweet, you are always far
from hideous. Pick a dress, put it on, and let’s get downstairs,
because that young man is going to be here at any moment, and if
you’re not ready to go and have lunch with him, I will.”