A Bride For Carter (The Proxy Brides Book 6) Read online

  “No, we need to keep my wife satisfied here. There’s nothing for us in Boston.” Carter could hear the determination in his voice and realized he didn’t sound completely reasonable, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

  “Not even your family?”

  Carter laughed but it sounded grim. “My family is most of the reason I don’t want to go back there. While I miss my brother, there’s no love lost between me and my father. And his friends. They would just make my life miserable. Besides after living out here where life is so large, I shudder at the thought of spending any time in a city.”

  “But why did you want a wife from there if you think the place is so bad?”

  “I figured she’d understand where I come from if she comes from there, too.” Now he sounded sulky. Carter was becoming fed up with himself.

  “Do you still think that now that you’ve met her?” Brent was curious.

  Carter shrugged. “Too soon to tell, I suppose.”

  “She sure is pretty, though,” Brent commented. “Not that I got that good of a stare at her, since you rushed her into the house so fast.”

  Carter could feel color rising in his cheeks and tried to ignore his embarrassment. “You and the other men aren’t to be looking at my wife.”

  Brent stared at his boss with his eyebrows reaching into his floppy hair. “Really?” he asked, his tone dry and sarcastic. “How are we supposed to accomplish that?”

  “Just don’t look at her,” Carter insisted.

  “Do you plan on keeping her locked up in the house?” Brent was now sounding incredulous.

  Carter thought about striking the man who was his right hand on the land as well as his friend. “Of course not.”

  “Then how do you expect us not to look at her?” Brent was obviously becoming frustrated. “If she needs a horse saddled or is offering us a meal, we’re gonna have to look at her, at least a little bit.”

  Carter stared at the other man for a minute before finally starting to chuckle. “I think I’m losing my mind.” He scratched his head, staring off toward the hayloft. Bringing his gaze back to his friend he finally admitted, “I didn’t expect her to be so pretty.”

  “You were expecting an ugly woman?”

  Carter shrugged.

  “Did you want an ugly woman?” Brent’s gentle emphasis on “want” and his gentled tone made Carter laugh again.

  “Not particularly, but I was expecting one. I just can’t figure out why she would agree to this arrangement. I expected someone who was desperate. She doesn’t look like she’d be at all desperate for a husband. Surely she could have her pick.”

  “Now I begin to understand your confusion.” Brent shrugged. “Like I said, you’ll have to talk to her about it. I can’t help you with this. What I can tell you is the crew is ready to ride out and collect the herd from the back lot whenever you give the word.”

  “Good. I don’t want to go tomorrow, though, since she just got here. She’d probably be nervous if I leave her completely on her own so soon. Let’s set everyone to checking fences tomorrow. We’ll ride out the next day.”

  Brent’s expression was skeptical. “Do you really think she’ll be ready to be left alone by the next day?”

  Carter shrugged again. “Don’t see why not.”

  Brent just shook his head and grinned as he turned away to put his tools away. The horse he had been working on was finished and ready to settle in for the night.

  “Have a great night, Boss,” he added as he left the barn, leaving Carter behind, still not finished with his tasks even though he was usually the fastest one done with the chores.

  Shaking his head, Carter tried to get his mind back on the matters at hand and away from wondering what his new wife was up to in his new house.

  Chapter Six

  E lla walked around the stark room. It certainly was spacious. Of course, space was one thing that wasn’t lacking out here in the rugged West. But there was nothing comfortable or cozy about the cavernous chamber. She gazed around again. Maybe it was because it was all so new. Perhaps with time it would mellow and grow cozy. Her gaze sharpened. Perhaps some curtains would help. Having so many windows was a luxury but with them all just there, open and bright, it didn’t really present itself as being very homey.

  Ella brightened. She knew how to make curtains. Of course, she didn’t have any fabric. But surely they would have some if there was a mercantile in the village nearby. Surely it couldn’t be called a village if there wasn’t a mercantile. Or if they ever went back to the Town where the train station was, she had seen at least two or three shops that would likely have fabric. She would have to speak to Mr. McLain about it. Actually, she suddenly recalled that he had mentioned there was a mercantile, when he had mentioned his distaste toward going to the Town. He had seemed quite convinced that it was sufficiently stocked. She would trust that they would have a fabric supply.

  She sighed. Ella should’ve asked him what he wanted to be called when he had been asking her. Imagine him wanting to call her Mrs. McLain. She would never answer him if he did that. It would certainly take some getting used to, that was for sure.

  Looking around the room again, Ella realized that it really did have a great deal of potential. A few homey touches here and there and it would be quite lovely. She could host all sorts of entertainments in a room this big. She couldn’t help but laugh over that thought. Who would she entertain out her in the middle of the great beyond? But it cheered her anyway. At least she wasn’t to live in a hovel.

  Ella peaked out one of the windows and saw the house he said he used to live in. Even it wouldn’t have been so bad. She had tried not to envision anything about her new home while she was riding out here on the train, but she couldn’t help imagining what it might be like. Unfortunately her imagination had conjured up worse and worse images the closer she got to her destination. So while she couldn’t say she loved her new home, it was by far better than what she had been dreading as a possibility. And really, with a few feminine touches, the new house could actually feel like a home rather easily.

  Continuing her investigations, Ella felt bad that she wasn’t enraptured with the house. It was obvious that a lot of work had gone into its construction. Clearly her new husband was a hard worker. And he had included many practical touches, like hooks on the wall beside every door so that things could be kept tidy. She would appreciate that when it came time to clean. She couldn’t help grinning. She was going to be responsible for cleaning an entire house. Her mother would be aghast. But if her parents hadn’t wanted her to end up in this situation, they should have been more careful with their own actions, she thought with a mental flounce.

  And since they hadn’t been careful, they should be relieved that she was ending up in a reasonably decent environment. Her husband seemed like a gentleman, even if he appeared to be somewhat moody. And even though she was far from shopping and society, if you asked her, that was a blessing, not a curse. She had experienced more than enough of society’s views, and she could do without it for the time being at the very least. Ella was looking forward to getting to know her own company for a while.

  Approaching the stairs, Ella wondered if she should venture upstairs. She felt as though she were prying or being nosy. But he had said to make herself feel at home. Surely if she felt at home she would know every single corner of the house. She was standing with one foot on the bottom step, still debating with herself about going up to see what was surely bedrooms, when Carter burst through the front door.

  When he saw her standing there, hesitating, his eyebrows rose.

  “Have you been upstairs yet?”

  “No,” she admitted. “I felt as though I was invading your privacy.”

  He laughed. “I suppose it’s your privacy now, too. You’ll have to take one of the bedrooms upstairs, too. Unless you would prefer I move out to the barn for the time being.”

  Ella bit her lip. A part of her wanted to agree wholeheartedly wit
h his suggestion, but since they were legally wed and this was the man’s home, surely it would be unseemly to ask him to sleep with the cattle. She supposed she could offer to do so. She brought herself to task, mentally at least.

  “Don’t be silly, we can manage quite well if there are separate bed chambers here.”

  “Very well, then let’s go up and you can pick which room you’d like to use for the next three months.”

  Ella bit her lip again at the reminder that her reprieve was temporary. Surely by the end of the three months she would know her husband better and feel more comfortable with actually being married to him. Or at least she most wholeheartedly believed so. She hoped her sigh wasn’t audible as she preceded him up the stairs.

  Her concerns were pushed from her mind when she reached the top of the stairs and looked about. While it was still rather stark from a lack of any warming touches, there was a great deal of potential to be seen. There were four rooms down a short hallway, each with their own doors. And it would appear that each room also had its own window, some rooms appeared to even have two windows in them. The luxury of it was rather decadent. Ella took a deep breath in anticipation of how fresh the air was sure to be.

  “Either you have a great deal of money or there is no window tax out this way,” she remarked.

  Carter chuckled from behind her. “Not much taxes of any sort hereabouts,” was all he offered in the way of information, though. Ella chose not to pry even though she wanted to press for more information. Was he not afraid that such a tax would arrive? Even her parents, who had been quite well to do, had chosen to have a couple of their windows bricked up to reduce their taxation.

  He interrupted the flow of her thoughts by stepping past her.

  “I’ve been using this room, as it’s the biggest, but you can have it for now, if you’d like.”

  “Oh no, I wouldn’t want to put you out of your chamber.”

  “I don’t have much stuff and surely, as a woman, you’ll have more than I ever will.”

  Ella’s face heated. She didn’t really have many things either. “I don’t have much with me either. I can manage quite nicely in one of the other rooms.” She peeked her head into one. “In fact, this looks like it will do just fine.”

  “The morning sun comes in on this side. It’ll wake you up for sure.”

  “That’s probably a good thing, isn’t it? Won’t we need to be up with the sun? Without something to wake me, I doubt I’ll do so on my own.”

  Carter chuckled again. Ella couldn’t be sure if he was mocking her spoiled background or pleased that she was willing to adjust. She didn’t think Fred had told him much about her, so he probably didn’t know about her spoiled background. As a man, her gowns probably didn’t tell him as much as they would tell a woman. She felt a little lighter at the thought. He was probably pleased with her. That was a comforting thought even if it wasn’t necessarily true. She really ought to try to communicate with him. Maybe when she felt a little more settled.

  Now that was circular reasoning at its best, she mocked herself. She would communicate with him when she felt more comfortable with him. But how was she to feel more comfortable with him without communication? It was a conundrum she wasn’t going to be able to solve at that moment.

  Her new husband was rubbing his hands together and looking at her expectantly. “I’m feeling quite hungry after the long drive. What do you suppose we should have for lunch?”

  Ella stared at the man, wondering if he was again mocking her. He was returning her regard, not revealing his thoughts, his face impassive. She blinked first and offered him as bright a smile as she could muster.

  “I have yet to examine the larder, I’m afraid. Shall we retire to the kitchen to see what we can manage on short notice?”

  She was gratified to see that he was surprised she had not run screaming from the room at his words. What did he think I was going to do, refuse to cook for him? While she didn’t have much experience, Sybil’s staff had been as thorough as possible in her brief lessons.

  When they reached the kitchen, Ella blessed the Boston cook for her foresight in realizing she would need some easy, simple recipes. At first, when Ella had approached the woman asking to be taught, Ella had visions of roast duck dripping in orange sauce and cheese soufflé with lobster bisque, but Cook had declared the need to keep it simple. She didn’t have time to learn fancy fixin’s, and there would be little need out in the frontier for such things, anyway. They were a little far from the harbor for lobster, that was for sure.

  The larder was better equipped than the cook had feared, and Ella was relieved to recognize some of the items. But she was tired and hungry herself. She couldn’t be bothered to go to too great an effort. Lifting the latch she had spied in the floor, she was relieved to see a cold cellar beneath the floor.

  “Would eggs and toast, and perhaps some fried ham, suffice? I’m afraid at this point I’m too tired to attempt anything else.”

  Mr. McLain, who had been watching her carefully without comment, grinned. “That would hit the spot just fine, thank you. Perhaps a cup of tea or coffee wouldn’t go down hard, either.”

  Ella was dismayed. Coffee was one of the things she had trouble mastering. She could never get the measurement just right. She hadn’t realized she had such finicky tastes, nor how perfectly her former staff had brewed the beverage. Whenever she made it, she found it was either too weak or too strong.

  “Would tea be satisfactory to you? I’m not so good at making coffee.”

  “I’m decent at it. If you’d like a cup, I could make it.”

  She tried to hide her surprise at his offer. At least the man didn’t intend to simply stand by and watch her. While he had offered his assistance on the drive to his property, she hadn’t really expected him to follow through. She smiled her appreciation. “I would love a cup, thank you.”

  They bustled around, working in surprising harmony although the room didn’t feel nearly as spacious as she had first thought with the both of them in it. She was distractedly aware of the large, handsome man as she moved around the room, trying to avoid brushing against him as they exchanged places. It was beginning to almost feel like a dance. Like a cotillion where the partners kept changing. She suppressed a smile at the thought. There would be no more debutante dances for her.

  The room began to fill with the heady aromas of the frying foods, and Ella’s cheeks heated as her stomach grumbled audibly.

  “I thought you ate enough at breakfast to no longer be starving,” McLain remarked.

  Ella had nothing to say in response, keeping her head bowed in a vain attempt to hide her burning face.

  “It would seem your hunger extended beyond just a missed breakfast.” She could feel his gaze burning into the back of her head as she continued busily at the stove, still without an answer.

  “Did they run out of supplies on the train?” he persisted in questioning her.

  “I couldn’t really say.”

  “Why not? Why did you allow yourself to go hungry? Seems mighty foolish if you ask me, and you don’t really strike me as a fool.”

  Ella was momentarily gratified by his observation. But it wasn’t sufficient to distract her from her concerns. She didn’t really want to reveal the depths of her desperation. Although why that was, she couldn’t have really explained. Pride, no doubt.

  “Are you trying to keep secrets from me, Mrs. McLain?”

  Her eyes finally flew to his face. Despite his pleasant tone, his face revealed that he was becoming angry at her silence.

  “I had no money,” she told him grudgingly. “Must you force me to spell it out? Did you expect you were marrying an heiress?” She was going on the defensive.

  “Of course not, but why didn’t you ask Fred to lend you some funds? I would’ve arranged to reimburse him.”

  “I wasn’t to know that, though, was I? We’ve never met before today.”

  “I’m surprised Fred didn’t think of it. Did
he not know your circumstances?”

  Ella shrugged. “It really doesn’t matter at this point, does it? I’m here now and from the looks of it, I needn’t go hungry again. I thank you for the provisions.”

  “I’m not looking for your gratitude, Ella, I’m looking for information.”

  “What information do you want?”

  “All of it,” he declared in frustration.

  Her face must’ve revealed her confusion because he finally elaborated while his face remained inscrutable.

  “I want to know why you accepted my proposal through Fred. Were you just looking for an adventure out West and thought this was the best way to accomplish it? Aside from your hunger, nothing about you declares desperation, so I’m trying to understand why you agreed to this.”

  Once again, Ella went on the defensive. “Were you looking for a desperate wife? What’s wrong with you that you needed to take advantage of a woman’s desperation? Why couldn’t you find a wife on your own without getting Fred to find some poor female who has fallen on hard times and has nowhere else to turn?”

  She might have gone too far with her questions as Carter’s face reddened. She feared she had angered him, so she was shocked when he burst into laughter.

  “I can see your point. Clearly I hadn’t thought the matter all the way through when I asked Fred to find me a wife. It was only after you were already on your way that I questioned what manner of woman would agree to such an arrangement. To be honest, it was me who was desperate. I desperately did not want to return to Boston, but for some inexplicable reason, I wanted my wife to be from there, as though that would somehow give us common roots.”

  Ella nodded. “I can see the sense in that. Common roots could lead to common values.”

  Carter nodded too, but then shook his head. “But I’ve been out here so long, I’ve probably been molded in a different way than your experiences have molded you.”