Montana Bound: A Sweet Mail Order Bride Historical (Mail Order Bride Journeys Book 2) (8 page)

Again, Owen felt that same rise of jealousy in his chest, but swallowed it back down, convincing himself that even if he and Grace were a couple, he had nothing to worry about because Virgil was all but engaged to his sister.

The two men waved their good byes, and after Grace had stepped into the diner, Virgil gave the horses a few clucks and then headed out of town.

“I’m sorry to say it, Owen, but you are a fool if you don’t snatch that one up real quick.”

“You know that I have a girlfriend back east. Remember?”

“Well, you know what they say… a bird in the hand is better than –“

“Yes, I know what they say.” Owen interrupted, annoyed that Virgil was making it so much more difficult for him by pointing out the obvious.

“Are you sure that your girlfriend hasn’t moved on? And do you really know her anymore? It’s been over three years since you have seen her, and from what you say, it doesn’t seem that she is writing as often as before.”

Owen knew it was true, and he had begun to question more and more as time moved on exactly why he was so set on marrying her. It was just a youthful promise anyway, and it was a fact that he really didn’t know her like he used to.

“I don’t know. But I think it is only fair to her that I keep my word… in case, she is waiting for me.” Owen really wasn’t sure he even believed his own words, but said no more.

“Well, okay then. But don’t be upset if Miss Russell is no longer available when you snap out of your puppy love.”

The men rode in near silence the rest of the way to the lake, both lost in their own thoughts. Once they arrived, they set up on the shoreline, baited their hooks, and cast their lines.

Owen attached a bell to each of his lines, so that he could be alerted if a fish started to toy with his bait, and then leaned back and shut his eyes as if he were napping. He couldn’t nap though, as he thought about Virgil’s words. He knew Virgil was right, and it would not take long for some smooth talker to sweep Grace off her feet. He also realized that he cared more about that happening than if he should find out that his girlfriend had moved on.
What should I do?
He questioned himself, the answer of which, he was still not sure of.

CHAPTER 9

Grace did not take long to get a job offer. Elias had been so happy to hear that his old friend had recommended that she stop in to see him, and after a short conversation about her experience, he had offered her the job on the spot.

She requested to be allowed a week to figure out the logistics of getting to work every day, and decided to approach the owner of the inn to see if she could work out something to be able to pay for a room in arrears. That had not worked out, and she was still deep in thought about what to do about her lodging when the men returned.

“Hello! Any luck with the job hunt?” Owen called out to her as they approached.

“Oh, you guys are back so soon?” Grace asked as the buggy pulled to a stop in front of her. “I thought you’d be fishing longer.”

“The fish were very active this morning, so we are bringing back a good catch to cook up this evening.” Virgil chimed in. “I thought I could cook them up over the fire, and treat Constance and you to a leisurely evening for a change.”

“That sounds wonderful, Mr. Thomas!” Grace said, her face just beaming, “I’m sure that Constance will enjoy taking an evening off as much as I will.”

Grace noticed Owen flash an annoyed glance in Virgil’s direction, but was unsure of why. The other man hadn’t apparently noticed, however, as he continued to look at her with a proud grin across his face.

“If you need more time, we’d be happy to wait here in town for you.” Owen interrupted. “I could introduce you to a few people in town that might have some suggestions for work, if you’d like. I’ve gotten to know some of the townsfolk since I’ve lived here.”

Realizing that she had never answered Owen’s earlier question, Grace replied, “Actually, Elias offered me the job shortly after hearing that you recommended me. Apparently he really values your opinions.”

“That’s great!” Owen said with a huge grin, though Grace noticed that he lacked his typical sparkle in his eyes that she had come to appreciate so much.

Owen hopped down from the buggy and approached Grace. “Well then I guess we’d better get back home. We have these fish to clean, and I’m sure you want to share the good news with my sister.”

Taking Owen’s outstretched hand, she allowed him to guide her to the buggy and help her into her place on the seat.

“Thank you, Mr. Miller. You are such the gentleman.” She said with a teasing smile.

“Well, I wasn’t exactly born in Montana.” Owen replied with a wink, and a nod in Virgil’s direction.

“Hey there… we native Montanans are not exactly uncouth, you know.” Virgil replied, laughing.

“I don’t think anyone could accuse you of being uncouth, Virgil.” Grace laughed.

“Well—besides me?” Owen asked as if teasing, but Grace thought she heard something behind his words and wondered if something had happened between the men. It was so uncharacteristic to hear Owen criticize or put down anybody. He generally seemed to like everyone.

“At least Mrs. Abel and Miss Russell support me.” Virgil said with a nod toward Grace. “I guess I’ll just have to try harder to win over Owen.”

“Oh, come on. I’m just teasing you.” Owen said in an exaggerated way to emphasize his innocence. “But what do you say that we get moving along so that we can take care of these fish before they spoil in the heat?”

The two men continued the back and forth between themselves on the way back home, at times causing Grace to almost come to tears from laughing so much. It seemed to Grace that she was mistaken earlier when she though she saw something behind Owen’s antics, because it was clearly just good-nature fun on the way home.

Upon arriving home, Owen suggested that he would clean the fish himself, and that Virgil could heat up the wood-stove inside so that it would be ready when the fish were. It also would give Virgil an opportunity to spend some time with Constance while Owen wasn’t underfoot.’

Taking Owen’s lead, Grace suggested that she could help Owen with the fish. “Besides, I’ve never had the opportunity to clean fish myself before, having usually only prepared fish that were purchased at the local store. It’s a skill that I’m sure will come in handy out here.”

“That’s actually a good suggestion,” Owen began, “but though I’d welcome your company, but why don’t I teach you how to clean fish another time? Virgil and I are supposed to allow you two gals the evening to yourselves. We’ll take care of everything.”

“Alright then. I’ll just observe today. But only on the promise that the next time you go fishing, you’ll take me with you and teach me how to fish too. Afterward, I can learn to clean them.”

“You have yourself a deal.” Owen extended his hand and the two of them shook as if having completed a complicated negotiation.

“Okay, while you two do that, I’ll fire up the woodstove then, and I’ll get some corn and green beans ready to cook up. If I’m not mistaken, there were a few bread rolls left from dinner last night that we can eat too, provided that you all didn’t feast on them this morning.” Virgil interjected.

“I can’t speak for Constance,” replied Grace, “but we didn’t have any of them this morning, so there should be plenty. Sounds like you really know your way around the kitchen, by the way.”

“Well, when you’ve lived on your own as long as Virgil has, you’re bound to have picked up a few tricks along the way.” Offered Owen. “I’ve had his cooking once when he wanted to impress my sister, and I have to admit that it was pretty good.”

Owen led Grace around to the back of the house to where a couple of chairs were placed near the back door, separated by a small table large enough for two people to use to place their meal upon. She imagined that Owen and his sister had probably enjoyed some quiet evenings watching the sun set in the west while finishing up their supper, though she had not seen them do that since she had arrived.

She took one of the seats. Owen handed her the stringer of fish, and then walked into the house while she waited outside. A short time later he emerged with a knife with a long, thin blade, a cutting board, a bucket, and a large plate.

Having placed the items that he had brought with him around the chair that he then sat in, he reached for the stinger of fish. “I’ll take those now.”

He took the fish off the stringer and placed them on top of each other on one of the plates, then selected one and began to clean and filet it.

“It sure was fun watching Mr. Thomas and you teasing each other on the way back here.” Grace said. “He seems like he will make a good husband for your sister.”

“He’s a good man from what I can gather. My sister certainly has a thing for him.” Owen paused and looked like he was contemplating what to say next. “I have to admit though that I wonder if she knows him well enough. He is not able to come by very often, and I’m not sure if there has been enough time for her to really get to know him. I want her to be happy though, and it seems that she wants to marry him something awful. I just hope that she isn’t just so desperate to marry that she isn’t seeing the full picture. A wrong decision could ruin her life.”

“I know what you mean. I think that it is even more important for the woman to be sure about the man that she is marrying, because she is the one taking the biggest risk.” Grace replied. “But Mr. Thomas does seem to be a good man on the surface, though admittedly I haven’t had enough time that I’d be able to speak with any real confidence about his character.”

“Enough about Virgil though. Let’s talk about something else.” Owen said. “Are you excited about getting started at the diner?”

“I am, yes. I think it will be good for me.” Grace said, taken a bit off guard by the sudden change in topic.

“Elias and his wife are good people, and I’m sure they’ll treat you fairly.” Owen said, then paused and swallowed heavily. “But I want to make sure that nothing has happened to make you unhappy here and cause you to want to leave.”

“No. Absolutely not. I have really enjoyed my time with your sister and you. You two have basically saved my life, when I had no other options. I’ll be grateful forever.”

“But I sometimes feel like maybe you are leaving because I’ve offended you somehow.” Owen said, shuffling slightly in his seat and without looking into Grace’s eyes.

“Uh—no. No, I—um.” Grace struggled with her words. “It’s not you. I just think it would be for the best.”

“That’s not very convincing.” Owen said somberly. “If I offended you somehow, I assure you it was unintentional… and I apologize.”

“No, really Owen. I just feel like I shouldn’t overstay my welcome. I should have looked for work long before now before everything became so confusing.”

“What are you so confused about? My sister and I are happy to have you staying with us. In fact, having you here has been—um—a breath of fresh air.”

“It’s just,.. It’s just. I don’t know. I talked to your sister about it the other day, and she agreed that I should leave.”

“So my sister put you up to this?” Owen said through tight lips, an angry scow across his face. “Why? Why would she want you to leave? She never said anything to me about it.”

“Noooo. That’s not what I meant. She didn’t ask me to leave, she just feels that my reasons to get out on my own make sense.” Grace said, feeling more and more uncomfortable as the conversation went on. She wanted it to end, but a part of her, —a part deep inside, hoped that he would tell her that he loved her, and beg her to stay. Beg her to marry him.

“Okay, fine.” Owen said after a brief pause. “But I will be talking to my sister about this.”

She knew that she should tell him not to talk to her, but she couldn’t get herself to say the words. More than anything, there was one pressing question on her mind —
Why? Why do you care so much whether I stay or go?

She was relieved when Owen announced that the fish were all cleaned and fileted, and stood to go inside the house. She had not even noticed that while the conversation took place, he had kept working on the fish. He asked her if she would take the bucket out away from the house and dump it. Without waiting for her reply, he turned and walked into the house.

Grace picked up the bucket and emptied its contents away from the house, and then returned and finished cleaning up, Owen’s parting words going through her mind the entire time.
What if he asks Constance and she tells him the truth about the way I feel about him?
She couldn’t decide whether that would be a bad thing or not.

As she walked back into the house, the smell of the fish cooking on the stove excited her senses. It had been a while since she had eaten fresh fish, and she was really looking forward to it.

Constance was busy setting up the table for dinner, while Owen and Virgil cooked the fish and the vegetables that they were serving with it.

“Is there anything that I can do to help?” Grace asked.

“Not really. Why don’t you sit down with me? The guys won’t let me lift a finger in the kitchen. I had to practically twist their arms just to get them to let me set the table.” Constance said as she sat down at the table. Grace sat down opposite of her.

“You just seem like you can’t take a rest. We told you we’d take care of everything tonight.” Owen said to his sister. “You work so hard for us, you deserve to be pampered every now and then.”

“He’s right. Let’s enjoy watching the men slave in the kitchen for a change.” Grace giggled.

Dinner was served and everyone agreed that the fish was delicious. Owen had cooked them to perfection and the flaking meat just melted in the mouth. The women started to gather the dishes afterward, but Owen stopped them and insisted that they allow him to take care of them.

“It’s going to get dark within the hour. Why don’t you go outside and build a fire while I wrap things up in here. You can sleep here tonight.” Owen suggested to Virgil.

“That sounds good. It’ll be cool tonight, and the sky is clear so it should be a beautiful night to take in the stars.” Virgil suggested.

“I didn’t know you were such a romantic, Mr. Thomas.” Constance teased.

Grace went outside with Constance and Virgil, while Owen stayed behind to do the dishes. It was a funny thought, Owen washing dishes. She had never seen him even scrape his own plate clean before, and was actually curious if he would even know how to properly clean the dishes off.

Outside, Virgil had the fire going in no time and the women had placed four seats together next to the fire. The sun was already setting when Owen came out.

“Wow! That took you a while!” Grace teased.

“Hey, it’s not like I do the dishes often.” Owen retorted.

Looking at Owen’s soaked shirt, Grace laughed and then said, “You should have worn an apron. You would have looked cute.”

“Actually, I did. You should see the apron.” Owen laughed.

Grace knew that he was teasing about actually wearing an apron, but the thought of the strong, masculine man in an apron caused her to laugh enough that her eyes filled with tears. “Now that is a sight I would have paid to have seen!”

Owen took the remaining open seat, which was located on the end of the row, beside Grace. Virgil and Constance were soon deep in their own conversation, having had several weeks without seeing each other.

“They really are pretty, aren’t they?” Grace asked, her eyes turned up to the heavens.