Charlotte's Mail Order Husband (New Montana Brides series) (4 page)

chapter Eight

Helena At Last

It was after dark when the stagecoach was brought to a stop in front of the
Cosmopolitan Hotel in Helena.

Lottie was
sitting on the far side of the stage was the last to disembark. She took the driver’s extended hand and stepped down onto the dirt street.

As she stepped up onto the board sidewalk, a handsome,
well-dressed man moved from the shadows. “Excuse me, but are you Charlotte?” he asked.”

Smiling, she said, “Yes, I’m Charlotte Jenkins.”

“I’m Zebulon Parsons. I can’t believe you’re finally here.”

“I can hardly believe it myself,” she laughed. “It has been a long trip.”

“If you point out your bag, I will take you in and get you registered.”

“Will we be going to the ranch tomorrow?” she asked.

“If you feel up to it, we will. I’m afraid it will be a few days before it will be ready for you,” he said. “I would be surprised if you’ve had a decent meal since you left Baltimore. The Cosmopolitan has a good dining room. I suggest we have dinner and can talk about it then, if that is all right with you.”

“That sounds wonderful. I would like to freshen up a bit, and get some of the grime of the road off. I must look a fright.”

“Not at all. You look lovely,” he said.

“You sir
, are too kind. But I like it.” She extended her hand, “I am pleased to meet you, Zebulon.”

. . .

When Zebulon took her hand, his first thought was,
She has the softest skin I have ever touched
. “The pleasure is all mine, Charlotte.”

“Please call me, Lottie
; Charlotte seems so formal.”

At the desk, he addressed the hotel clerk, “This is Miss Charlotte Jenkins. You are holding a room for her, I believe. May I have the key? The spare key is to be given to no one, myself included, other than Miss Jenkins
, if she should need it.”

“
Yessir, Mr. Parsons,” replied the clerk.

Zebulon
handed the key to Lottie. “I will be staying here until we move to the ranch. My room will be down the hall from yours. I will not have access to your room.

“Shall we?” he asked, indicating the stairs.

He picked up her bags and escorted her to her room. He waited while she unlocked the door. “I hope this is to your satisfaction. It’s the nicest room they have.”

“I’m sure it will be,” she said.

“Will an hour give you sufficient time?” he asked.

“It will be plenty. Thank you again,
Zebulon.”

Cosmopolitan
Hotel Helena Lobby…

Ten
minutes early, and wanting to make an impression, Lottie walked down the stairs and into the lobby. Zebulon was already there, and he rose to greet her. “Darn,” she said. “I was going to be early and make an impression and you’re already here.”

“You made an impression when you got off the stage,” he said.

They were shown to a corner table, previously arranged for by Zebulon. After they were seated, Lottie asked for iced tea while Zebulon had coffee. “You’ve obviously been here before, what do you recommend?”

“As a cattleman, I usually have steak, but the chicken and pot roast are also good,” he said.

After they ordered, he said, “First, the reason I am staying in the hotel is because they are putting the finishing touches on the ranch house and it won’t be ready for about three days.”

“You’re really building a new house?” she asked.

“Yes, I didn’t think my wife would like to sleep in the bunkhouse with the ranch hands. It can get ripe in there at times.”

“Tell me about how you came to Helena all the way from Baltimore,
” she requested.

“
The gold rush in Colorado grabbed me, but by the time I got there it had pretty well played out. There were six of us that traveled together. We were in Idaho Territory for a while, and then into Montana.

“I separated from the group and went off on my on up Grasshopper Creek,
where I had some pretty good luck for about three or four months. I moved on to Last Chance Gulch outside Helena. I worked that for a little over two years, and sold the claim to a mining company. I figure I got out just in time.

“That’s when I got into the cattle business. I bought some land
, and some cattle, and started the Circle P. There you have it. The last five years of my life in a nutshell.”

“You have led an exciting life. Compared to yours, my drab life as a bank teller pales. My Papa, Mama, and I left Ireland after the third year of a potato famine
, and came to America. Papa works hard as a stevedore on the Baltimore docks. I’ve been a teller since I finished Saint Anne’s School for Girls. I thought about being a teacher, but the pay is not as good as that of a teller, which truth be told, is not that great either.

“
Zebulon, you are a man of wealth; you could have married any number of women. Why did you go this route?”

“I would like for you to accompany me to church Sunday at the Christian Church.
There, you will see there are no women my age, and not many of any age. The pastor’s wife, Letty Owens, is probably the only one you’ll see, but Jack would call on God to strike me down if I approached Letty. I joke of course. They are both very nice people.”

“That’s the same sort of situation I had back home. M
ama was starting to suggest some of the older men as possible husbands. Some were as old as Papa!”

“Tomorrow morning, I would like to introduce you to Jack and Letty. They are about our age, and as nice a couple as you could hope to meet.

“Then, if you aren’t still worn out from your trip, we’ll take a ride out to the ranch. It’s about an hour’s ride, maybe a little more.

chapter Nine

The Circle P Ranch

“We have a nice café down the street
, where I’ve had breakfast many times. Would you care to try it?”

“Let’s
,” she said and hooked her arm through his.

It seemed the breakfast rush was over. “Did you save some back for us, Minnie?”
Zebulon asked the waitress.

“Sure thing, Hon. Always,” she replied.

They placed their order, and Zebulon said, “Minnie, do you think you could scrape something up for us to take with us. We’re going out to the ranch.

“Sure, Hon,
it’ll be ready when you leave,” Minnie said.

During breakfast, Lottie talked about her family and b
eing the oldest of four sisters. “There was no privacy, and none of your personal belongings were safe. The only one of the three I was close to was Martha, the closest to my age. I told her about my plan to come out here before I told Mama. She was concerned about it, but understood why I felt I had to do it.”

“Mary and I were the only two in our family. We had the usual squabbles growing up
, and only became close after our parents passed away. It was hard for me to leave her, but she has her husband and daughter. The nights were always the worst for me,” he said.

Lottie said,
“There was never any loneliness in our house. With four girls in the family, someone was always around, and I helped Mama with the others.”

“Will it be difficult not having a Catholic Church here?” he asked.

“I don’t think so,” she said. “After all, we worship the same God.”

“If you’re ready, let’s walk over to the church and I’ll i
ntroduce you to Jack and Letty, and then we’ll go out to the ranch.”

As they walked along,
Zebulon paused in front of the general store. “Let’s kill two birds with one stone. Let’s go in the store, and I’ll introduce you to Silas Farmer, the owner. You can see what he has on his shelves for future reference, if you decide to stay in Helena.”

She put her hand on his, and looked directly into his eyes. “
Zebulon, if you think, as I do, that we’re compatible, then I’m not going anywhere, but to the ranch.”

“It’s a relief to hear you say that. I think you will make a wonderful wife.”

When they opened the door and walked into the store, a bell jingled above their heads. “Be there in a second,” a voice called from the rear.

A man walked from the rear, clad in jeans, and a brown shirt, wiping his hands on the apron tied around his waist.

“Howdy, Zebulon, how are you today?”

“I’m fine so far
, Silas. Lottie, this is Silas Farmer, the proprietor of this fine establishment. Silas, this is Charlotte Jenkins. She’s just arrived from Baltimore and is going to be my wife.”

“Miss Jenkins, it is my pleasure to meet you, and we
lcome to Helena. We think a lot of Zebulon, hereabouts.”

“Mr. Farmer, the pleasure is mine, and please, I’m Lo
ttie.” She extended her hand, and Silas shook it gently.

“Why don’t you take a look around, and if there’s som
ething I don’t have, just tell me, and I’ll have it shipped in on the Wells Fargo wagon.”

“Thank you, Silas. I’ll do that.”

Jack and Letty Owens were in the church, making it ready for the Sunday services. Even with a scarf on her head, Lottie could see Letty was a beautiful woman. The warmth in her voice and her smile revealed she was a warm person as well.

“
Zebulon has told us he was expecting you,” Letty said. “Your trip must have been exhausting. Don’t let him drag you all over the place. Let our air work its magic and you’ll bounce back in no time.”

“I’m sure I will,” Lottie said.

“Jack, as soon as Lottie is comfortable with the situation, I would like for you to perform the wedding ceremony.”

“I will look forward to it,” Jack said.
“Nice to have met you Lottie. You will grow to like Helena. There’s some fine people here.”

“I have met several of them already,” Lottie said.

“Are you ready to go see your new home?” Zebulon asked Lottie.

“I am,” she said.

“By the way, Lottie is staying at the Cosmopolitan until our house is ready, which should be Tuesday or Wednesday.”

“Will we see you in church Sunday?” Jack asked.

“Yes, absolutely,”

“Bye, Jack, Letty
, see you soon,” Zebulon said.

“They sure seem like a nice loving couple,” Lottie said, and took
Zebulon’s arm, as they walked toward the livery stable for a carriage.

“They are. We’re lucky to have them here.”

“You said it will take a little over an hour to get there?” she asked.

“Thereabouts. I always enjoy it unless it’s raining or snowing. With the mountains as a backdrop, the scenery is almost spectacular.”

Later, she said, “I see what you mean. It is so… so unspoiled looking.”

“That is a good way to describe it. Th
is is Circle P land on both sides of the road, now,” he said.

“Well, that didn’t take nearly as long as I thought,” she said.

He chuckled. “We’re not there yet. There’s still a ways to go.”

“How much land does the Circle P have,” she asked.

“Between ten and twelve thousand acres,” he said.

“I don’t know how much that is,” she laughed.

They came to a side road. Spanning the road was a thick squared off log supported by stone pillars on both sides. Burned into the log were the words, ‘Circle P Ranch.’

“We’re getting close now. It’s only about half a mile, over that rise,” he said and pointed off to the side.

When they topped the rise, he pointed to a copse of trees. “The house is in that grove. The outbuildings, the bunkhouse, and the barn are behind the house. The river is just beyond the grove of trees. You can barely make out the trees along the bank.”

“Helena seems to be a busy place. Why don’t the steam boats come on up the river? Is it too shallow?” she asked.

“
There is a steep change in elevation, and several waterfalls that make it impossible,” he said. “Look you can see the house, now.”

She saw a white two story house, with a porch running across the entire front
, with chimneys at each end. “From here, it looks complete, ” she said.

“
There are just a few things inside to be done.”

He held out his hand to assist her in getting down from the carriage. After she was on the ground, she still held on to his hand as he led her into the house.

“Zebulon, it’s beautiful. And so large, too.”

Still holding her hand, he led her through the house. There were four bedrooms, a living room, dining room and the kitchen
. “I love it,” she said, and leaned toward him.

He put his arm on her shoulder, and said, “Look at the
mountains,” he said, and led her to the window of the bedroom.

“This is what I’m going to see every morning when I get out of bed. It’s fantastic.” She turned into his chest and hugged him. He responded by tilting her chin upward, and brought his lips to touch hers in the
tenderest of kisses.

When they broke the kiss, she ran her tongue across her lips, still
tasting him. “Our first kiss, and in our bedroom, too. It seems appropriate.”

“The first of many, I hope,” he said, and led her to the front porch.

This is magnificent,” she breathed. “I love it. I’m going to be very happy here.”

They walked around the house. “I can picture flower beds across the front,” she said. As they rounded the rear corner of the house,
Zebulon pointed out the bunkhouse, which was a rather large single story building, and the barn.

“How many men do you have working with you?” she asked.

“It depends. There’s usually from six to eight, except at roundup time, then we have gotten as high as fifteen. The foreman told me the other day, we need to think about adding a couple more. We will need them for the fall roundup, and were thinking about taking them on early. We have a cook that doubles as a wrangler.”

“What is a wrangler?” she asked.

“He works with the horses,” Zebulon said.

I guess roundup is where you get all of the cows toget
her,” she said.

“Cattle,” he said. “Cows are for milk, and they don’t run with the herd. Cattle
are what we raise for profit. Cattle are for food and breeding. At roundup, we do bring them all together, and search the grazing areas, and canyons for strays. We cull out the ones belonging to the other ranches, and we exchange them with their owners.”

“Where are the neighbors?” she asked.

“The Lazy J is two or three miles in that direction,” he said and pointed to the southeast. That’s Case and Carrie Jamison. You’ll see them in church, Sunday. The land to the north is Indian land. To the west, as far as the river, is ours. You saw what is east of us on the way out here. It’s government land between us and town.

He gently turned her to face him. “When were you thin
king about a wedding? I don’t mean to push you, you take your time. It’s your decision to make.”

She looked up into his eyes, and said in a soft voice, “As soon as possible.
Zebulon, I would like to ask one thing of you.”

“What is that?”

“I would like to have a proposal. I want something to remember, not something that resembles a transaction,” she said.