The Rancher's Mail Order Bride (Dalton Brides Book 1) Read online

  Bonnie and Libby exchanged another one of their knowing looks with each other. Gwen had just about had it. "What are you two keeping from me? You obviously have a secret, and I want to know what it is!"

  Bonnie sighed. "I guess it's time we told you anyway. Gwen­­--"

  "Weatherford station!" the conductor called out as the train came to a stop.

  Gwen bounced out of her seat, completely forgetting her sister was about to tell her something. They were finally going to get off this confounded train! In ten days they'd had three hours without the world moving under them, and that was just when they'd changed trains in St. Louis. She jumped into the aisle and took Libby's hand, pulling her to her feet. "Let's get off this train!"

  Bonnie bit her lip, but she stood, getting into the aisle at the center of the train with her sisters.

  Chapter Two

  Gwen rushed off the train and immediately started looking around for the stagecoach. Bonnie caught up to her, putting her hand on her sister's shoulder. "Don't run off now!"

  "I'm looking for the stagecoach. It's only another three hours, and we'll be there. I can't wait to see Anna." Really, it wasn't so much seeing Anna that she cared about. She needed to be in one place for a while. The journey had been much too long for her.

  "You didn't even like Anna," Bonnie argued.

  "Well, I love her today, because she's going to let me sleep in a bed that doesn't move!" Gwen looked at Bonnie. "The bed won't move will it? She doesn't live on a boat or something silly like that?"

  Bonnie laughed. "No, I don't think the bed will move." She led the way to the platform. "We need to wait for our trunk to be unloaded."

  Gwen laughed. "I was so excited to be on the stagecoach, I forgot all about my trunk. That was silly of me, wasn't it?"

  Libby and Bonnie exchanged looks. "Our trunk, Gwenny. We could only pack one trunk for the three of us or Mama and Papa would have gotten suspicious."

  "Are you serious? You'd better have packed my cornflower blue dress. It's my favorite." Gwen looked between her sisters.

  Bonnie sighed. "We couldn't. We didn't have access to your clothes at all, because you were locked in your room, remember? We brought some of Libby's dresses for you."

  Gwen made a face. "Libby's dresses? But Libby and I don't look good in the same colors. I'm blond, and Libby's a brunette." Besides, she wanted her own clothes. Clothes that had been made just for her.

  "I'll make you a new cornflower blue dress, Gwen. I promise. Just...don't make a fuss."

  Gwen looked at her sister, surprised by her words. "A fuss? Why would I make a fuss?" She could see by Bonnie's face something was still wrong. "What were you going to tell me?"

  Bonnie sighed. "Well, we're not exactly here to see Anna."

  Gwen raised an eyebrow, more than a little annoyed her sisters had lied to her. "Why are we here then?"

  "I..." Bonnie avoided Gwen's gaze, something she'd never done.

  It must be bad, Gwen thought. If Bonnie can't tell me what's going on, she's done something terrible.

  At that moment two men, who were obviously twin brothers, stepped between them. "Are you ladies the Blue sisters?" one of them asked. He had brown eyes and black hair. His shoulders were the broadest she'd ever seen. She wouldn't mind stepping out with him at all.

  Gwen nodded slowly. "Who are you?" She'd never seen these men in her life. Why were they looking for them? Were they there to drive them to their new home, wherever it may be? She still didn't know why they were in Texas.

  The man who'd asked the question grinned. "I'm Walton Dalton, and I pick you." He grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms before she had a chance to reply. His mouth covered hers and he kissed her, right there in the middle of the train station.

  Gwen stomped on his foot, enjoying the kiss, but she knew it wasn't proper to kiss a man she'd just met. "Unhand me!" She wiped her hand across her mouth, trying to stop the tingling that had started as soon as his lips had met hers.

  Walt smiled down at Gwen. "I'll unhand you for now. Preacher's standing by." He kept his arm firmly around his little fiancé's shoulders. "Which sister are you?"

  "I'm Gwendolyn. Why do you persist in touching me? I don't know you!" She struggled against him, but realized it was futile. He was much stronger than she would ever be.

  Bonnie smiled at Walt. "I'm Bonnie. I'm the oldest sister. I believe I'm the one you're supposed to marry."

  Walt looked back and forth between the sisters. "I don't care who's oldest. I'm marrying this one." He nodded at Nate. "That's my brother Nate. Bart should be here by now, but I'm sure he'll be along." He'd better be along. He'd promised Walt he'd be there by three. It was quarter after.

  Bonnie glared at Walt and turned to Nate, who was openly staring at Libby. "Libby's the youngest," she announced, seeming to think that would matter to the brothers.

  Nate looked back and forth between Walt and Bonnie. "I thought we were here to see a man about some cattle."

  Walt grinned at his brother. "Surprise! Since Bart isn't here, you get next pick. Which one do you want for your bride?" He didn't expect a lot of problems from Nate. Bart was the one who would protest the loudest.

  Nate blinked. "You sent off for brides for us? The cattle salesman was a lie?"

  Walt shrugged. "I didn't think you'd come if I told you why we were really here." He kissed the top of Gwen's head as if they'd been in love for years. "Pick one." He wasn't letting this little beauty go. He'd expected all three sisters to be homely. Gwen had been a fabulous surprise.

  Nate pointed at Libby. "I guess I'll take the youngest." He leaned close to Walt and whispered, "I'll take care of you later."

  Gwen gasped in shock. "You can't just pick me and say you'll marry me. No! What on earth is happening here? Bonnie? What have you done?" As grateful as Gwen was to her sister for rescuing her, she was furious about this arrangement. She had no desire to marry a stranger or anyone else for that matter.

  Bonnie blinked as if fighting tears. "Libby knew why we were here. We just didn't want you to be stubborn. We rescued you after all."

  "Rescued me? You kept me from marrying a crazy old man, yes, but he was at least someone I knew! Now you expect me to marry a total stranger? He has a stupid name! I can't marry a man named Walton Dalton! Who would name their child that? What if he thinks we should name our child Dalton Dalton or something?"

  Walton flushed under his tan. "You're my bride. You have no right to be making fun of my name like that. My pa's name was Alton, and he wanted to have another special name like that for me." What right did she think she had to make fun of his name?

  Gwen turned on him, inexplicably angry with the stranger. "Special? You think your name is special? Well, let me tell you, it's not. It's just plain silly. I can't marry a man who has such an awful name. Find someone else."

  Walt put his hands on each of her shoulders and leaned down until they were on eye level with one another. "I've found my bride. We're marrying today. Don't make me take you over my knee as soon as we get home."

  "You're threatening to spank me? Really? Because I'm not just falling in line to marry you? I thought I was coming here to visit an old school friend. I had no idea the real reason I was here was to marry a stranger. You can't blame me for getting angry about that."

  Walt shrugged. "Maybe I can't get angry for that, but I can certainly be mad at you for the way you're talking to me. I didn't trick you. Your sister did. Take it out on her."

  Gwen glared at everyone. "I'll be back." She turned on her heel and headed for the outhouse she'd seen at the back of the train station.

  She was halfway there when she realized she was being followed. She spun around. "What exactly do you want now? I'm afraid I need to relieve myself, and you're not exactly welcome to help me do that."

  Walt nodded. "I can understand that, ma'am." He stood looking at her, saying nothing else.

  Gwen wanted to kick him, but she turned around again and went to the outhouse, fli
nging the door open and slamming it in his face. She'd never met such a hardheaded, handsome man in her life.

  She sighed. She really didn't even need to relieve herself. She just needed some time away from him. She closed her eyes and thought about her options. She had no money. She knew no one except Anna, who was another three hours away by stagecoach. A stagecoach she couldn't afford to pay for.

  Did she really have a choice? Could she not marry the stranger? Maybe there was a job she could find. A place she could go to meet people who might want to hire her. Of course, she had no real skills other than flirting and looking pretty, but maybe someone would want her.

  She sighed. Truly she knew better. There were no jobs for women who didn't know how to do anything. None. No, she was going to have to marry the man. Walton Dalton indeed.

  She stepped out of the outhouse finally to see Walton standing a few feet away with his back to her. Why had he waited that whole time? "Why are you still here?"

  Walt turned to her. "I couldn't leave you here alone unprotected, ma'am." He tipped his hat to her. "Even if you don't want to marry me, it's my job to keep you safe until you decide what you do want to do."

  Gwen sighed. "I'll marry you." Her voice was a mere mumble.

  "What was that?"

  "I'll marry you. There's really no other logical solution." She shrugged and started back toward the others.

  "No."

  "No?" she asked. What did he mean by 'no?'

  "That's not what you do when you agree to marry someone. When you get engaged, you let your man kiss you. Let me demonstrate." He looked around. They were back behind the train station, which had been bustling mere moments before but now was relatively quiet. He caught her hand and pulled her to him until their chests were pressing together.

  As his head lowered toward hers, she noticed his brown eyes and was struck again by how handsome he was. Even with all the men she'd stepped out with in Beckham, this man was the best looking of them all. She pressed her lips against his, knowing that she was going to marry him. Besides, she liked kissing.

  As soon as their lips met, Walt took control of the kiss. He put his hands at her waist and kissed her for all he was worth. This little spitfire was exactly what he'd been needing. She made his blood boil, with both anger and passion. He couldn't believe how lucky he was.

  When they broke the kiss, both of them were out of breath. "We're marrying today."

  Gwen raised a brow. "Today? Isn't it a little late in the day for that?" He wasn't going to give her time to get used to the idea? To make a pretty new dress for the occasion?

  "Preacher's standing by. We just need to wait for Bart."

  "Is Bart going to marry Bonnie?" Suddenly she worried about her older sister. The other two had been quick to reject her. Would their brother Bart do the same thing?

  Walt shrugged. "He's going to have to. He just doesn't know it yet."

  *****

  They rejoined the others, Walt constantly giving Gwen amorous looks. She'd never been openly stared at the way Walt was staring at her, and it made her uncomfortable, but there was more to it than that.

  By the time Bart finally arrived, she couldn't force herself to pay attention to the conversation, but instead she continued to watch as Walt dealt with his younger brother. She didn't care at all about Bart, though. If he made Bonnie unhappy, well then it was her own fault. She was the one who had decided to force them all to leave home and marry anyway, wasn't she? Even as she thought the words, she felt a pang for her sister. Poor Bonnie.

  Less than two hours after they got off the train, they walked through town to the preacher's house. Gwen was nervous, but she wasn't going to let that stop her. She had to marry or she'd have nowhere to go. She could do it. She knew she could.

  She couldn't remember anything of the ceremony later until the pastor said, "You may now kiss your brides." She'd never forget what happened then.

  Walt took her into his arms and pulled her against him, kissing her as if he had every right in the world to hold her and never let her go. She shuddered as he straightened. Her sisters were both glaring at her as she stood there blushing. Why were they angry with her? She'd only done what they wanted her to do and married the man, right?

  Walt and Nate had brought their own wagons, and she ignored her sisters as Walt helped her into his. She wanted to hug her sisters goodbye not knowing when she'd see them again, but she couldn't force herself to do it. They'd deceived her and brought her to the middle of Texas of all places. For a visit was fine. To dream about marrying a handsome cowboy was fine. To force her to marry a man she didn't know at all? That wasn't fine. She wasn't certain she'd ever speak with either of them again.

  The last she saw of them was Bonnie crawling into the back of Nate's wagon while Libby sat on the seat beside her new husband. Bart was riding along beside them on his horse.

  Walt drove in silence, his eyes on the road. They were ten minutes out of town before she couldn't stand it another minute. "Will I ever see my sisters again?"

  Walt laughed. "We set up the ranch so that the three houses were each on our separate parcels of land, but they're only about a hundred yards apart in a triangle. We wanted to be able to go back and forth easily." Poor girl had thought she'd never see her sisters again. He knew his bond with his brothers was closer than most brothers, but he couldn't imagine spending the rest of his life without them.

  Gwen closed her eyes with relief. She wouldn't be alone in a place where she knew no one after all. "That's good. I would miss my sisters," she said simply.

  Walt understood exactly. She'd been deceived about coming to Texas, but she still loved her sisters. It was exactly how he felt about his brothers. Even though they made him crazy at times, he loved them with everything inside him. How could he not? Looking at them was like looking into a mirror. "We'll see a lot of them, I'm sure. I wouldn't be surprised if you ladies got together every day while we men did the real work on the ranch." He tore his eyes from the road and looked at her. "Do you want me to make a list of my favorite foods so you know what to cook for me?"

  Gwen gasped in shock. "You don't have servants to do the cooking? I thought you owned a ranch." He didn't really expect her to do menial chores, did he? She didn't know how!

  Walt blinked a couple of times. "I do own a ranch, but it's a ranch we just started earlier in the year." He laughed briefly. "You really thought you wouldn't have to do your own cooking and cleaning? You're in for a real surprise, little lady."

  She shook her head. "I don't cook or clean. You married the wrong sister if you want someone who's good at domestic chores."

  Walt sighed. "Well, whichever of your sisters is good at those things can teach you, I suppose. How hard can it be to learn?"

  "Very hard if you have no desire to learn," she mumbled beneath her breath.

  "What was that?"

  "Oh, nothing."

  "I'm sure you said something." Walton was beginning to realize that his bride was the spunky one. Maybe he should have taken the red head after all.

  "If it had been meant for your ears, I'd have said it loudly enough for you to hear me." She stared at the vast fields of dry grass. "How far is it to the ranch?"

  "Bout three hours from town. We won't make it before dark."

  Three hours from the nearest town? Really? "Is there nowhere closer to buy supplies?" She thought of the dress her sister had promised to make for her. Would they even be able to find cornflower blue fabric here in this godforsaken place?

  "There's a smaller town up the road apiece. You'll go there for supplies." He was glad she was thinking about the things they'd need. Even if she couldn't cook now, he was certain her sister could teach her.

  When they finally reached the dirt road leading up to the cabins, he smiled. Every time he pulled onto his own land, it made him happy. He'd done a lot of things since he'd left home at the age of eighteen, but always he'd dreamed of having his own land. A place where he could raise a family.
With the beautiful woman beside him, he could start that family.

  He helped her down from the wagon and told her to go in without him while he took care of the horses.

  Gwen stood in front of the tiny cabin, filled with shock. This was where she was expected to live? She felt a tear trickle down her face. Sure she was glad she didn't have to marry old man Bellafonte, but a hovel? In the middle of nowhere? What would she do for fun?

  She walked into the house and was pleased to see that it wasn't filthy. Obviously he was a man who took pride in his surroundings. That would serve them both well. If he was already used to cleaning the house, he could just keep doing it. It would be no different than before, so shouldn't be a problem at all. It hadn't been her idea to marry him, so he really couldn't expect her to clean for him, could he?

  By the moonlight streaming through the window, she found a lantern and lit it. The cabin was even smaller on the inside. Didn't he know he needed to be able to provide for a wife before he sent off for one?

  She sat at the table and removed her gloves and bonnet. She was tired and hungry. She couldn't help but wonder what he planned to serve her for supper. Nothing was cooking, and she was very hungry.

  Walt finished with the horses and wandered to the house, smiling to himself. He'd gotten a spirited little wife, and despite her lack of cooking skills, he was going to be happy.

  When he stepped into the house, he found his little bride sitting at the table with her hands folded in front of her. She'd obviously done nothing other than light the lantern. "What's for supper?" he asked.

  "I already told you, I don't know how to cook. What are you fixing for me?" She was hungry, and being hungry always made Gwen a bit testy. She tried to keep it from her voice, but she knew it had shone through.