Mail Order Bride: Journey's End: A Mail Order Brides Western Romance (Love On The Line Book 2) (7 page)

Chapter 13

Alice ran into Elizabet's arms and squeezed her with a strong embrace. Glad to see her back from her honeymoon, she stepped back to look her over, "Have you put on weight?"

"You cheeky madam," Elizabet grinned. "I've only been gone a week."

"So what took you so long getting back? I thought you two were only going away for a few days," Alice asked. Seeing Elizabet smirk, Alice decided not to press that matter. "Forget that, I don't want to know."

"As if I would," Elizabet grinned.  "So how are you?" she asked, taking hold of Alice's hands.

"Fine."

"Liar, it's written all over your face. What's happened?" Elizabet asked.

"Well, John and I we-"

Elizabet took her hands away and clapped them together. "Oh, Alice, I told you you were right for each other-"

"Will you let me finish," Alice shook her head. "I was going to say, we got off to a rocky start, but now things are…"

"Are what?" Elizabet asked, grabbing Alice's hands once more. "Tell me everything."

Looking over at John in deep conversation with Tom and fearing she'd be heard, Alice lowered her voice. "Oh Elizabet, he's wonderful. Handsome. Caring. Great with his daughter. Handsome." Alice smirked. "Did I say he was handsome?"

"No, I think I missed that bit," Elizabet joked and squeezed Alice's hands. "Oh, Alice I'm so happy for you. I knew you two were made for each other."

"So how's married life?" Alice asked.

"Oh him, I'm bored with him already. Isn't that right Tom?" Elizabet called over. Stopping his conversation with his brother, Tom looked over at them.

"What was that?"

"She said she's bored with you already," Alice joked.

"Did she now?" Tom asked. "Maybe I married the wrong woman. Alice, are you still single?"

Alice looked to John for help.

"She's spoken for," John said.

"You old dog," Tom grinned and playfully punched his brother in the ribs. "What's been going on since we've been away?"

"More importantly, you're taking over the business for the rest of the week little brother," John said and slapped his brother on the shoulder. "It's about time you learned the ropes and time I took a break. That alright with you, Elizabet?"

Elizabet nodded to him. "Fine with me. But you're sure you want to leave it in his hands?"

"That's a fine thing coming from my wife. You think she'd be supporting me," Tom said and put on a hurt face.

"Maybe she knows you too well," John winked over at Elizabet and then poked his brother in the shoulder. "But you better not."

"Can't be that hard, you've been running it," Tom joked and ducked as John swung a lazy fist toward his head.

Ignoring the play acting going on between the two, Elizabet asked, "Going anywhere nice?"

"John's rented a little house up the coast. Thought it would be a good idea for the three of us to get away together," Alice said. "Amy's so excited she's been packed and ready for two day's now."

"Oh, that's sounds lovely. Maybe we'll have some news on your return."

Alice shook her head. "If you mean marriage, that's not going to happen anytime soon. We came across Walter in Woodward Garden's the other day -drunk of course-there's no way he'll ever divorce me."

"Oh, Alice I'm sorry to hear that."

"John's trying all he can legally to get it annulled, but I don't know what going to come of it," Alice said. "Looks like he's still winning."

"Pity someone wouldn't put a bullet in him and put him out of his misery," Elizabet swore. "Piece of filth."

Alice shook her head. "But I'm not going to let it get to me. I've got John and Amy now, it doesn't matter if we can't marry for a while. My lucks bound to turn sometime, right?" Alice watched Elizabet nod and say nothing. Looking like she was lost in thought for a moment, she came back to the present and patted her on the back of the hand. "Yeah, some things bound to change, you wait and see."

*****

Lying in bed that night, Elizabet played with the hair on Tom's chest.

"You're quiet tonight. Something the matter? You're not thinking about Charles are you? You heard what John said, now that they have this Murphy fella and his testimony, there's no way he's going to get away with what he did."

"No, it's not that. Although at least now I can challenge my fathers will and get my shop back," Elizabet said and lay her head on his chest. Staring at the far wall, she added, "Just thinking about what Alice said earlier. The way she and John can't get married. All because that piece of filth won't give her a divorce. I don't understand how a man can treat a woman like that and still think he can own her. Like she was a piece of meat or something."

Tom played with her hair and ran his fingers through it. "Yeah I know, real shame. John's said he's been trying to sort it out, but he didn't sound very confident."

"Tom I've been thinking…" Elizabet said.

"Never a good idea," Tom joked. Giving him an elbow in the ribs, Elizabet continued. "No. I was thinking, what if we could help them."

Tom stopped what he was doing. "Why is it I'm getting the feeling that I'm not going to like what you say next?"

Elizabet turned and looked him in the eye. "What if we got Walter to sign, oh I don't know---a confession or something or other? You know something that they could use to help in a divorce."

"And how would you do that?"

"I thought maybe you could-"

"Me? You want me to beat the guy senseless and make him write it all down?"

Elizabet sat up in bed, the excitement growing in her voice as she explained her plan. "No, no. Just threaten him, scare him. You wouldn't need to get him to write anything down. I could make up a letter of confession and you could get him to sign it."

"You're serious?"

"Come on, Tom, after all she did for me," Elizabet said, resting her chin on his chest. "If it hadn't been for, Alice, I probably wouldn't be here right now. God knows where I would have ended up. And as for John, wouldn't you like to see him happy?"

Tom shook his head. "I can't believe you're the woman I married. Little did I know the devious brain that was behind those beautiful eyes."

Elizabet fluttered her eyelashes and pouted. "So what do you think? You think it could work?" Seeing Tom smile, she asked him. "Wouldn't you like to see him get his comeuppance?"

"Alright, but if I'm doing this I'm doing it alone, and I'm doing it my way."

Chapter 14

Watching from the safety of the beach, Alice watched John at play with his daughter in the sea. Starting off in a simple water fight, their antics grew until Amy found herself hanging upside down by the ankles. Threatening to dunk her head under the water, Alice found Amy calling for her.

"Help me, Alice!"

"Yes, come and save her, Alice," John grinned, putting his daughter back upright and splashing her.

"You know I can't swim," Alice called back.

"Aw, come on Alice, boys against girls," Amy said. "Please!"

"I think she's chicken, Amy," John said.

Getting up off the sand, Alice crossed the beach and stopped at the water's edge. "Come here and call me that again," Alice grinned. "Unless you're afraid."

John pointed to himself. "Me?"

"Chicken."

Seeing him run through the water toward her, Alice took off running in the opposite direction. "Run Amy, save yourself. I'll lead him away." Hearing him chase after her, Alice slowed her run and let him catch up with her. Now right behind her, she turned and faced him.

"That was a pathetic getaway," John grinned.

"Who said I was running away, maybe I was luring you into a trap," Alice replied.

Looking around him, he asked. "And that trap is?"

Stepping forward to give him a kiss, Alice changed her movement at the last second. Moving quickly, she wrapped a leg behind John's and placed an arm around his neck. Pushing off with her other leg and using his weight against him, she tripped him up and sent him crashing to the sand. Moving in for the kill, she straddled him and pinned his arms to the sand with her knees. "That trap."

"Where the hell did you learn to do that?" John asked, struggling to free himself.

"It's called Judo, I learned this move from one of the Chinese waiters that worked at the hotel. Good isn't it. Now, what was that you were calling me?"

"Chicken," John teased.

Alice looked up. "You hear that Amy?" John tried his best to see what his daughter was getting up to. "Who do you thinks better, boys or the girl, Amy?"

"Girls," Amy replied and dropped a lump of seaweed on her father's face.

Lifting the seaweed off his face, Alice asked. "Well, are girls better?"

"From where I am, they are," John smirked. "I could stay here all day."

"I think you need some time in that cold sea," Alice said.

"Care to join me?"

Alice looked up and was relieved to see Amy had grown bored with their antics. "You know I can't swim."

"Who said anything about swimming?" he said.

"Boys." Alice sat up and shook her head.  Trying to make herself comfortable, she found herself quickly thrown over and pinned to the sand.

"Girls." John smiled and kissed her. "Now you've fallen into my trap. Think you can escape?"

Not even trying to do so, Alice wrapped her hands around the back of his neck and pulled him to her. Taking him in a long and passionate kiss, she held his head there and wouldn't let him straighten himself. "Think you can escape?"

"I don't want to…"

"Me neither," Alice said and pulled her to him once more. Feeling his chest lay on hers, she ran her fingers through his hair and pulled him close to her. Losing herself in a longer and more passionate kiss, she felt her body yearn to be with his. Pushing him away she looked at him to see if he felt the same way. "Cold water?"

John nodded and copied her. “Cold water.”

Watching him get to his feet, Alice found a hand offered to her and pulled upright. Holding her in an embrace, John looked into her eyes. "For a while, I thought I'd never know what it was to fall in love again. I'd always thought that you only find love once in this lifetime." Taking his hand, Alice felt him pin back a piece of her loose hair before putting his hand on her cheek. "But you, you've shown me how wrong I was. It scares me a little, but I don't think my life would be the same without you."

Alice felt a tear break free and run down her face. "I love you."

"I love you too. I swear I'm going to try everything I can to get this divorce thing sorted-" John said, before Alice placed a finger to his lips.

"I can wait. Do you honestly think I couldn't wait?"

"Well no, but I'd like us to be married before Amy is," John joked. "I don't think even you could wait that long."

Feeling a tone of frustration in his voice, Alice took his hand and led him along the beach. "Let's not think about that for now. This week with you and Amy has been one of the happiest of my life, let's not spoil that."

"You're right. It has been for me too. I'm glad we came away like this, just the three of us. Amy's had a great time having us both here to spoil her."

"I'm glad, it can't have been easy for her. Her mum gone, and you away a lot."

"Thankfully she was too young to really notice. It's now that I can see how she's paying attention to things—you know she asked me something the other night?"

"About what?"

"About you," John said. "She said, she didn't know what to call you. She knows we're getting married and all, but I think she's having trouble calling you Alice. And then with her mum's gone she's struggling to find the right name."

Alice watched the child at play and felt her heart go out to her.

"But she settled on one."

"She did?"

"We got to talking, and I said that you brought happiness to both of us. Kinda like magic the way you cheered us both up. I suppose that's where she got the idea from-"

"For what?"

"She's started calling you, Fairy Mom," John said.

Alice felt her eyes flood with tears and wiped them away. Feeling like running up the beach and holding her in an embrace she'd never escape from, John leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

"That's what you are to both of us. The woman that brought happiness back into our home." 

Chapter 15

Standing beside the door, Tom heard the doorknob turn and a man curse on the other side. Pulling his gun free, Tom listened to the drunken muttering that went on before he heard metal coming into contact with metal. Hearing the key being turned in the keyhole, he braced himself for action and held the muzzle of his gun at the height he presumed the man's head would be. Waiting for the door to open Tom allowed the man to enter before slamming the door behind him. Putting the gun to his head, Tom watched him freeze.

"Walter, I presume," Tom said. Expecting to hear a garbled reply, Tom was surprised by how quickly the man sobered up.

"Who's asking?"

"Let's just say, we've have a mutual friend," Tom said.

"Is this about money? Because if it is I promised that I'd pay-"

Pulling back on the hammer of his gun, Tom listened as its click silenced him. Letting him stew for a second, Tom said nothing and pushed the muzzle deeper into his neck.

"You gonna kill me?"

"That depends," Tom replied.

"On what?"

"On you being able to write your name," Tom said. Seeing Walter try to turn around to look at him, Tom dug his gun in deeper. "Try that again and I'll plaster this room with your brains. Understand?"

Walter nodded his head slowly. "I don't understand."

"You see that table in front of you?"

Walter nodded.

"How about you make yourself comfortable in the chair beside it." Walking in step with him, Tom made sure that his gun stayed in contact with the man. "Now sit down." Now with Walter in a chair, Tom walked to the other side of the table and turned up the paraffin lamp on it. Now with the room lit in a bright glow, he watched Walter fight against its brightness with a hand to his eyes.

Struggling to see, Walter asked, "Who are you? What do you want?"

"How about your life for a signature?"

"What?"

Tom took out the pre-written letter from his pocket and tossed in on the table. "Sign it." Seeing the man picked up the piece of paper and try to read it, Tom wondered if Walter could even read the words on the paper.

"What's this?"

"It's a confession."

"For what?"

Tom took a pen from his pocket and tossed it to him. "Giving Alice grounds for divorce due to your abuse of her."

Walter pushed the paper away and laughed. "So this is what this is all about. In your dreams. That bitch is married to me and that's the way it's going to stay."

"I was hoping you'd say that," Tom said, stepping out of the shadows. "I knew this would be a waste of time. But, then again bullets are cheap."

"Tell her it's not going to happen."

She doesn't know anything about this, Tom said. "I could blow you away right now and no one would care."

"You wouldn't dare-"

Firing off his gun, Tom watched the tip of Walter's right ear disappear in a pink mist. Watching the man scream out and put his hand to the side of his head. Tom replied, "I would. Now do yourself a favor and pick up that pen. The next bullet is going between your eyebrows." Trying his best to hold both his ear and write with the pen, Tom watched Walter scribble down a signature at the end of the page. Reaching over to retrieve the letter, Tom make sure that Walter got a good look at him. "I never want to see your face anywhere near her again, you hear me?"

Walter nodded in silence.

"Good. Now every time you look in the mirror I want you to realize how lucky you were today. Only she's a good woman, I would have killed you at the door," Tom said, tucking the letter into a pocket with his free hand. "Now you have a good day, Walter." Leaving at that, Tom made a hasty exit, satisfied with a job well done.