Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Braxton returned with George, got him settled, then joined Phoebe at the front windows. “Are you ready to go home?”
She glanced over her shoulder at Augusta, Margaret, and Josie, who were just coming out of the back parlor. “Yes, I believe I am.” She thought of their earlier conversation, and the offer they’d made her. Should she tell Braxton? Would he want to celebrate with her?
“Ladies,” Braxton said, smiling at the sisters, “I’m going to escort Phoebe home, if that’s all right with you. I believe we’re done for the day.”
“Of course it’s all right,” Augusta said. “Phoebe we’ll see you in the morning.”
“You too, Mr. Jones,” Margaret said, and winked.
He glanced at Phoebe. The sisters could be odd at times, but for the most part they were adorable.
“Until tomorrow, then.” He smiled at Phoebe.
Any time he could spend with her, he’d take it.
And if that meant returning to the sisters’ mail-order bride company and helping keep them organized, so be it.
He offered Phoebe his arm. “Let’s get your coat and things.”
She gave him a shy smile, looped her arm through his, and he escorted her to the coat rack. She put on her coat, hat, and gloves, and they bid the sisters one final farewell before stepping outside. Phoebe shivered.
“Is your coat not warm enough?” he asked.
“I suppose I’ll have to get a new one soon.” She shivered again.
“Why not now?”
She blinked a few times. “What are you talking about?”
“I say we go to my place, drop all of this off, and then go shopping again. Afterwards we can have dinner. What do you say?”
She blinked again, as if she couldn’t believe he was asking. Had she never been courted by a man before? He was beginning to think not.
“Phoebe, would you like that?” he prompted.
“Yes… yes, I would,” she said, a smile forming on her face. “My, what a day this is turning out to be.”
“Indeed,” he laughed. “An enjoyable one, at least I think so.” He got them moving before she shivered again. The sooner they reached his place, the better. She could warm up there and then he’d see about getting her a new coat.
When they reached the boarding house, they went inside, and he had her wait in the parlor while he put his purchases away.
When he came back downstairs, Phoebe was speaking with Mrs. Newport, one of the boarders.
Like him, she was visiting from out of town and wasn’t a permanent resident of the boarding house.
“There you are, Braxton,” Mrs. Newport gushed. “Your friend Phoebe here was just telling me about the Sisters’ Mail-Order Bride Company. What a fascinating place.”
“That’s one way of describing it,” he said, and winked at Phoebe.
She snorted softly. “It’s been an adventure, Mrs. Newport, that’s all I can say.”
“I always wondered what it would be like to be a mail-order bride,” Mrs. Newport mused. “But I have my Harold. Speaking of which, where is Harold?” She shook her head in annoyance. “You didn’t happen to see him upstairs, did you, Braxton?”
“No, ma’am. Unless he’s in your room.”
“That could be. I’d better check.” She turned to Phoebe. “It was lovely meeting you, my dear. Have a merry Christmas.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Newport. It was nice meeting you too.” They watched the older woman head for the staircase and disappear upstairs.
“Well then,” Phoebe said breathlessly. “Where shall we go?”
He offered his arm again. “There’s another set of shops not far from here. We can look through them and see what we can find.” He tugged gently at her coat sleeve, fingering the edge. “This is too thin, Phoebe. No wonder you’re freezing.”
She brushed a hand down the front of her coat. “I’ve had it a long time, and its served me well.”
“I’m glad to hear it, but I think a new one is in order, don’t you?”
She looked up at him, meeting his gaze. “Braxton, you’ve done so much for me already. I couldn’t possibly allow you to…”
He put a hand on her shoulder, getting her attention and cutting her off at the same time. “Phoebe, I want to do this.”
“Like you wanted to pay my rent for me?”
“As a matter of fact, yes.” He watched her face turn red as a beet. “Consider it a gift. Please don’t think you have to repay me.”
Her jaw dropped as she stared at him. “A gift… but Braxton…” Her voice squeaked on his name.
He escorted her to the door and ushered her outside. “Don’t think another minute on it. I was glad to do it. The good Lord will bless me for blessing you. Don’t mess that up for me.” He wagged a finger at her, smiling, then guided her onto the sidewalk.
She let him pull her along without a word. He knew it was hard to argue with his logic about the Lord’s blessings. Besides, he enjoyed blessing her. It warmed his heart to no end.
When they reached the street with the shops, he took her into one he already knew carried coats. Nice ones. The shops here were more upscale than the ones they’d been in before.
“Oh dear,” Phoebe said, hesitating at the door. “This place looks expensive, Braxton.”
“It’s fine. They have a good selection here.”
“How would you know?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.
“Because the gifts I bought in the other shop for my mother aren’t the only ones I’ve purchased so far. I did a little earlier shopping for my brother and sister-in-law too.”
“Oh, I see.” She stepped inside and looked around.
Two saleswomen approached and smiled at him. “Mr. Jones, you’re back,” one of them said.
“I am. I’ve brought my friend Miss Hale with me. She’s in need of a new coat.”
They both eyed the coat she was currently wearing and frowned.
“Indeed,” said the older of the two. “You’ve come to the right place, my dear. We have a fairly large selection of coats right now. Follow us.”
They took Phoebe to a corner of the store with several mirrors, chairs, and a small dais. They had her stand on it, then hurried off.
“Oh dear, where did they go?” Phoebe asked.
“To fetch some coats, I reckon.” Braxton stuck his hands in his coat pockets and looked around. “They have some pretty dresses here too. I bet you’d love to look at some.”
“Oh no, Braxton, I couldn’t—please…”
“I don’t mind. Besides, Phoebe, it’s Christmas.”
“I know, but I… well, I’m not sure I’ll be able to get you anything.”
“You don’t have to get me anything, darlin’.”
“But… but what if I want to?” she hedged.
“Oh well… then who am I to stand in your way?” Braxton grinned and waggled his eyebrows at her. It had the desired effect. She laughed.
The saleswomen returned with at least half a dozen coats and set them on a chair. “Now let’s try this one on first,” the older woman said. “Please remove yours.”
Phoebe did as she asked and put on the coat offered. It was a lovely plum color and looked beautiful with her blonde hair.
“What do you think?” the older saleswoman asked, clasping her hands before her.
“I don’t know, it’s awfully fancy…”
“Phoebe, you look lovely in it,” Braxton said. “But try the others on. See which one you like best.”
She gave him a curt nod and proceeded to try on a green one, followed by a brown one, then a red one. They all looked good on her.
She finally settled on a blue coat, one she thought would go with most of her dresses. He smiled to himself and thought of the hat he’d have to pick up later from the shop they’d visited earlier. If not today, then tomorrow.
“You’re as pretty as a picture in that,” he told her. “Is that the one you want?”
“I like it best,” she said.
Braxton gave her a warm smile. He could tell she was nervous, and he’d have to figure out how to buy what he wanted for her without making her feel obligated in any way.
“We’ll take it,” he told the saleswomen.
“Very well,” the older one said. “Sally, put the coat on the counter.”
The younger saleswoman hurried to comply. The older woman smiled at Phoebe. “Would you like a matching hat and gloves?”
Phoebe’s eyes widened. “Oh no, I couldn’t…”
“She’d love them,” Braxton said, cutting her off again.
Phoebe frowned at him. “Braxton…”
He wagged a finger at her. “Remember, don’t ruin my blessings.”
She closed her eyes and looked as if she were counting to ten. Maybe she was.
By the time they were finished, Phoebe had a new coat, a lovely matching hat, and a pair of gloves to go with them. She wore them out of the store, her old coat, hat, and worn gloves tucked into a box. Braxton suggested the saleswomen dispose of them, but Phoebe insisted she could still use them.
They started down the street, and he steered her into a bookshop. “You do like to read, don’t you?”
“I do,” she said, following him to the front counter as she looked around. “What a lovely shop. I had no idea this was here.”
“I would imagine not. If you don’t get out and explore, how would you know?”
She nodded, her cheeks growing pink. He knew she probably hadn’t ventured this way before. Most city folks didn’t stray far from their own neighborhoods.
They perused the shelves, commenting on different books. He found a book of poetry he liked and brought it to the counter. Phoebe glanced at the title and smiled. “You like poetry?”
“I do. Does that surprise ya? I even like to write it.”
Her smile widened. “You’re a man of many talents, Braxton Jones.”
“I try.” He winked, then glanced at her empty hands. “You didn’t find anything ya liked?”
“Oh, I… um…”
“My treat, Phoebe.”
She shook her head.
He wagged his finger at her again. “Ah, ah, ah…”
She rolled her eyes. “That’s not fair. Stop using your blessings excuse to buy me things.”
He grinned like a Cheshire cat. “It’s working, isn’t it?”
She crossed her arms. “I admit it makes sense, but… you’ve done enough for me already. Besides, soon I’ll be able to afford more.”
That got his attention. He straightened. “Oh?”
“If you must know, the sisters hired me. I now have a paid position with them.”
His chest tightened. “You do?”
She nodded once. “So, you see, I can pay you back in time…”
“No, you won’t.” He shook his head. “But I’m happy for you, Phoebe.
I know you need the work.” He also knew he was going to have his work cut out for him.
What if she gave up on the idea of finding a husband and decided to simply work and live her life?
She could now. If Phoebe was able to support herself, she’d want to stay put.
How could he ask her to trade a life of independence for the hard work of caring for a large ranch?
He took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair. “What happens when Miss O’Malley returns from Wild Rose Ridge?”
“They’ll have two of us to help. Augusta, Margaret, and Josie have discovered that having two helpers is much better than one.”
“Well, I’ll be,” he drawled. “Doesn’t that beat all?”
“What’s the matter?” she asked.
“Nothing. I’m happy for ya. Now ya can… take your time finding a husband.”
“Yes, indeed I can.” She fingered the drawstrings on her reticule. He should have bought her a new one. It looked as careworn as her old coat.
“Pick out a book, Phoebe,” he said gently. “It’s Christmas, and I like giving presents.”
She studied him for a moment. “You’re a good man, Braxton. Thank you. But… this is hard for me. I’m not used to having someone…”
“It’s all right, darlin’. I understand.” He smiled, then gave her a gentle nudge toward the nearest aisle. He thought of her father. From the sound of it, the man had taken from Phoebe and her mother more than he’d given. If he showed up again, would he try to take Phoebe’s hard-earned money?
The thought rankled, and his jaw tightened.
After a few moments, Phoebe returned with a book. A romance novel. Braxton smiled and added it to his own. The shopkeeper took his money, then wrapped both books in brown paper.
“Thank you again,” Phoebe said. “You didn’t have to do all of this.”
“I know, but I wanted to. Soon you’ll be able to do the same for someone else.” Braxton fought the urge to run a finger down her cheek. Her skin looked soft and creamy, and he wondered how she’d fare in the Texas sun.
They left the shop and wandered through a few more stores before he led her to a restaurant. It took a bit of coaxing, but he finally got Phoebe inside, and soon they were seated at a corner table near the fireplace. He wanted to be sure she stayed warm.
Braxton gazed at her across the table and realized he wanted to do this with her every day.
But what did he have to offer her now that she could provide for herself?
City living was easy compared to what awaited her on his ranch.
The work would be harder. There were rattlesnakes and storms, cattle rustlers, coyotes, and a dozen other dangers that came with ranch life.
For the first time since he’d realized he was falling for her, Braxton worried he might not be able to win Phoebe Hale.