Chapter Four
Seth leaned forward in his rickety front porch rocking chair and brought the hot metal brim of his coffee cup to his mouth. The stout black liquid coated his tongue and rolled to the back of his throat, warming him nicely as he stared out at the morning sky.
He would never get tired of looking out at the sunrise over his family’s ranch.
The ranch was big, but it was a lot smaller than it had felt when his family had first settled there. He was a lot younger then. Life was simple… nothing like it was now. That seemed almost a lifetime ago.
He gazed out at the vivid horizon as the morning sun crept up, painting the sky with hues of pink and orange.
A half-smile turned up the corner of his mouth.
He could still remember Ma sitting in this very chair; his sister Lilian playing at her feet, both of them waiting for him and Pa to finish their chores.
He took another sip of coffee, a sigh stirring in his chest. Nowadays, the ranch wasn’t as pretty as it used to be. Perhaps it was a reflection of him, in a lot of ways. The grizzled face he saw every day in the mirror, weathered and worn by life’s cruel twists.
But the weather-beaten look of the place didn’t matter much to him.
It was still his, and it was still all he wanted in this world.
He’d never needed anyone here. The work, the quiet, the dust—all of it was enough.
“Time to get to work,” he grumbled, taking a final swig of his coffee before he set the mug on the porch rail.
He stood slowly, wood creaking beneath his feet, and stretched his arms high, a guttural groan escaping him.
He’d been working hard to get fence lines put up, and his body was starting to feel it.
Taking a deep breath, he headed down the front porch steps, making for the barn. The morning wind stirred the dry grass underfoot with a fresh, restless sound. He took another deep breath, a soothing one, as the smell of the sweet hay from the nearby barn wafted to his nose.
He smiled. He loved the smell of hay in the morning.
I could live like this forever… and that’s what I plan to do.
Without the intrusion of anyone else—least of all a woman. At least, that’s what he kept telling himself. He didn’t like the fact that she had been on his mind more than he would ever have admitted.
That woman… Annabelle Matthews.
She was beautiful. That was for sure. One of the most beautiful women Seth had ever seen.
Her face was sharp and soft, all at the same time.
She wore a cross necklace on a dainty gold chain, and although she was thin, she didn’t strike him as the dainty type at all.
To his mind, her stance had seemed a little too firm for a genteel East Coast bride ready to meet her husband.
Her eyes were fierce, the most gorgeous chestnut brown he’d ever seen, but there was something more to the look in them—something hidden, something he was almost tempted to discover.
She’d looked tired and burdened, in a way that just long travel couldn’t do.
It was like she’d seen things—hardships.
Seth recognized that look. He’d seen it in his own reflection many times before. She unnerved him a bit, but he couldn’t quite put a finger on why. Not yet.
But why should any of that surprise him? Mail-order brides were supposed to be pretty, and tired from traveling, and a little reserved… right?
Doggone it all, how should I know about any of this? Henry was the one who’d arranged it all. He’d written the letters for the three sisters. He should know it all.
Seth reached the barn and swung the doors open, and a heavy groan escaped from the hinges. He walked inside and began gathering up feed to distribute to the livestock.
Annabelle.
Her name still sat heavy in Seth’s chest like a stone he wasn’t strong enough to dislodge. The memory of her face lingered. One thing he did know—she looked much different than what he’d expected… not that he knew what to expect.
The rumble of hooves somewhere outside broke his reverie. He set the feed down and quickly turned on his heel and strode back out of the barn as the hoofbeats grew steadily louder. Who’s showing up this early?
He turned the corner of the barn just in time to see two horses riding up the front drive into the barnyard, their riders immediately recognizable. Henry and Jack.
“You ready to go?” Henry called, pulling back on the reins of his silvery-grey mare. Jack, riding a black mare beside him, flashed Seth a half-smile, his long, brown hair fluttering wildly in the wind.
“To go where?” Seth grumbled, folding his arms.
“To see the women,” Henry explained calmly. “They’re waiting for us at the boarding house.”
His voice was gentler now, which was wise of him, considering how pushing might very well tempt Seth to knock him square in the jaw. Seth had to hand it to the man: He knew him well enough to see when he was getting irritated.
“I ain’t goin’ there,” he retorted gruffly. “I have too much work to do today.”
“You said we know where to find you,” Henry reminded him.
“Well, you found me,” Seth muttered.
“And you need to do this favor for me!” Henry replied as he dismounted his horse.
“You said every eligible man in town is gonna need to get married, and by my count, there’s only three brides here so far. Get another guy. I’ll wait.”
“It has to be you, Seth,” Jack laughed. “Grumpiest bachelors first!” His sharp-tongued humor was inevitable, no matter how charged the situation.
Seth’s jaw clenched. Henry clearly noticed—he lifted placating hands, but Seth’s blood was already boiling.
“Is that so?” he shot back at Jack, spitting at the ground. “You gonna be serious for once and give me a real explanation?”
He turned to lock eyes with Henry. Henry should be the one to tell him the truth, not Jack.
Henry was his best friend. Jack had always been the little brother.
He’d had his own friends growing up, but now it was just Seth and Henry—and Seth might have been stuck with Henry’s little brother as a friend, but it didn’t mean he was going to let Jack boss him around.
Henry was quite enough Landry for bossing a body around. Seth didn’t need another.
Henry let out a long sigh. “I… might have promised the mayor that I’d get a wife out here for this ranch. It’s the biggest ranch for miles, Seth, and there needs to be a woman out here.”
“I’m not in the mood to play this game,” Seth muttered under his breath. “Let the other men with ranches deal with it.”
But now Jack was dismounting too, wearing a cocky grin. “Don’t be a coward. They’re not going to bite.”
“Let’s just see how it goes,” Henry pleaded. “Come get to know the girls we’re marrying. We’ve known each other since we were boys, Seth. Could you at least grant me that? Do it as a favor for me?”
“What’s in it for you?” Seth muttered.
“Well… I really like Mary so far. She’s beautiful—and she’d make a lovely wife.”
Jack gave a sharp laugh. “Sophie’s a looker, too. And she seems fun. Challenging, but I like to be kept on my toes.”
Seth shook his head in scorn. “You two really believe in this fairytale stuff?”
“No,” Henry laughed. “But I believe in love and family. Your parents loved each other just like ours do, Seth. You know as good as I do what a good woman in your life can do for you. Just see how it goes. That’s all I’m asking you to do.”
Seth sighed. “Fine. I’ll get my horse saddled. I reckon you two can feed my animals while I do,” he said, spitting at the fence line again.
Henry laughed. “Will do. And word to the wise? Maybe don’t spit in front of them when we get there.”
Seth rolled his eyes and headed back to the barn, still irritated about the whole thing. Henry was supposed to be his best friend. But after all this mail-order bride nonsense…
Why do I get the feeling that he’ll be the death of me?
***
When they finally rode into town, the sun was already high in the sky. Their shadows followed them directly underfoot on the dirt road as they passed the familiar buildings of the town Seth had visited—unwillingly—twice already this week.
The town was a bit louder today than it was the first time. People were out and about, hanging out in doorways, talking animatedly on porch steps. Seth was sure it was the chatter circling the girls’ arrival. He paid no mind. He was only here as a favor. Nothing more.
As soon as they walked up to the boardinghouse doors, Seth could hear voices on the other side of the door, laughing, cheering. Immediately, his chest tightened, and his tongue went as dry as the dirt beneath his boots. He wasn’t in the mood for all the hoopla.
He wasn’t one for small talk, and he wasn’t one for optics. Unfortunately, it looked like he’d have to deal with both. He knew this town, knew its people. As soon as he walked through those boardinghouse doors, he would run into them, just waiting to pass judgement.
He would no longer be just a rancher. Not here. He would have to be a man who was expected to take part in something he’d never wanted in the first place. Something he didn’t even understand.
Why in tarnation would anyone wanna be a mail-order bride, anyway? What was in it for them? Husbands? The girls were pretty enough. Couldn’t they find husbands for themselves back East?
Henry and Jack swung the doors wide open, cutting Seth’s thoughts short.
“Good afternoon!” the both shouted, a little too happily for his liking.
Wooden floorboards creaked beneath their feet as they filed inside the small entry hallway into the large dining room.
Oil lamps were ablaze at every table, already fairly crowded with guests and ill-disguised busybodies.
The girls were seated around the nearest table.