Melissa And The Cowboy (Western Night Series 1) Read Free Page A

be preyed upon by a man likely to blow every penny he ever earned and more on a card game, or in the saloons in Stephenville.
    “Sure,” he said and set to writing a brief, almost unpleasant response. Bartlett walked about him, insisting on things he should include. Caleb lifted up the sheet of paper, and read out words he hadn’t written to Bartlett.
    “That sounds perfect. She’ll be here on the next train after that. Thank you Caleb. I’ll not forget your help on this,” Bartlett enthused, sounding so excited that Caleb almost picked up the letter and threw it in the fire to start again and write the one he had told his neighbor he had written, but he knew he could never live with it on his conscience that a young woman had come here expecting more than this man could ever provide her with.
    Bartlett made his exit, clutching happily at his letters and Caleb decided to leave the door open a while to get rid of the stench that always seemed to take an age to get out of his nostrils. He prayed that the woman was as intelligent as she had seemed in her own letter, that she would be able to read between the lines of what he had written – that she would see that Bartlett was not the man she should pin her hopes on.
    He slouched against the door, hands in his pockets. He pulled out her letter, he must have unconsciously snuck it into his pocket. He opened it up and perused it once more. She had the most beautiful script, and her words were put together so lyrically. He was almost tempted to write to her himself, but a quick look around his cabin, at the calf by the hearth, and the platform bed that was barely wide enough for him alone and knew he had some time to wait before he could consider bringing a woman to be a part of his life.
    Exhausted, he shut his door and banked the fire carefully. He stripped to his undergarments and clambered into his bed. Wrapping the blankets around him and snuggling down, it was not long before he was fast asleep, his dreams filled with thoughts of a gentle and kind wife, like Miss. Melissa Haldane. He imagined her to have a gentle touch and a soft voice. But try as he might, he couldn’t bring himself to give her a face. That would make it too hard to bear, would make it all too real. He jolted awake, a sense of loneliness he hadn’t ever felt overwhelming him. He decided that maybe when he awoke it may be time to pay a visit to the town carpenter, and make the plans for his ranch house after all.

 
    Chapter Three
     
    The letter had finally arrived. Melissa could hardly believe that he would have chosen her. He had even included the rail ticket for her to join him in Stephenville, Texas immediately. She was so relieved that she would finally be able to leave this house and the oppressive life Colonel Grantchester imposed upon her, that she barely read anything more than that Bartlett Greive wanted her to be his wife.
    She ran to her room, packed her trunk hurriedly, not caring if things would wrinkle. She was determined to be on the next train to Texas. She could hardly wait to see the look on the Colonel’s florid features as she told him that he was alone, and that there would be nobody to care for him. He had done his best to ensure she never met any young men, and had politely rebuffed the invites that had come in for her after her Mama’s passing. Eventually they had stopped coming altogether, and she had felt more and more alone as they had dwindled to a complete halt.
    She picked up her own trunk and bundled it down the three flights of stairs. A year of hard work had toughened her muscles, and there was little she could not do for herself. She dragged it through to the grand entrance hall, and left it in the middle of the floor. She burst into the library; the Colonel’s private domain, a place that was never to be breached under any circumstances. She took a deep breath, and then spoke loudly and clearly, before he even had a chance to bellow some nonsense syllables at