A Mail-Order Wish (Miners to Millionaires Book 2) Page 6

A little nick of guilt sliced through him. “I hope you always feel that way.”

  “I can’t imagine why I wouldn’t.”

  That’s because she was too innocent. He could think of plenty of reasons she would feel that way. “I think that if we—”

  Lawrence Adams’ inspector stepped up to their table. “Mr. Briggs, I’m sorry to interrupt.” He tipped his hat at Olivia. “Mrs. Briggs.”

  Ronan watched as Olivia’s eyes widened at the title. She would think that word of their marriage had already spread through town, and he was grateful for that. The fact that this man thought they’d been married for a long while would hopefully never come to light. “What can I help you with?” Ronan asked, diverting the man’s attention away from his wife.

  “I would wait for a more convenient time to speak with you, but I just received a message from Mr. Adams, and I thought you should be made aware of it immediately.”

  If Lawrence had sent a telegram already, then something was wrong. Already. “Go on.”

  “There is another mine that Mr. Adams is considering instead of this one, and if you wish to still sell it to him, you’ll need to leave for Georgia immediately.”

  Ronan’s jaw clenched, but he made certain to keep the hand holding Olivia’s relaxed. “I see.”

  What was Lawrence playing here? Most men wouldn’t deal with the hassle of traveling to the buyer, but with this much money involved, few men would reject the condition if it meant a sale.

  “I’m sorry to inconvenience you.” Lawrence’s man glanced between the two of them.

  Olivia took compassion on him. “You’ve only done your job, and we thank you for that. Besides, we’d planned on going to Georgia soon anyway, so going earlier isn’t that much of an inconvenience.”

  The man’s face brightened up. “Do I detect a Georgian accent, ma’am?”

  “You do.” She laughed lightly, and Ronan wanted to squirrel her away so only he could enjoy her smiles. “I’m from a town not far from Atlanta.”

  “I hope you’re looking forward to the trip then. Peachtree is in that area as well.”

  “Excellent.”

  While Olivia chatted cordially with the man, Ronan’s mind went to work. What was Lawrence playing at here? Why would they need to leave immediately? Perhaps Ronan had pressed him a little too hard financially, and his old friend was desperate. That would make sense.

  When their conversation tapered, Ronan said, “Please let Mr. Adams know that he can expect us to arrive about the middle of next week.”

  “That will be agreeable.”

  “Will you travel on the train tomorrow?” The last thing Ronan needed to worry about was being spied on.

  “Yes, I have no more business here.”

  They would need to be very, very careful on their journey. If Olivia did or said anything to cause alarm, his plans could be ruined. “We’ll see you on the train then.”

  The man said his goodbyes and Olivia turned to Ronan with a smile. “I must confess, I’m excited to go. You’re not upset by the change in plans, are you?”

  He smiled, aware of Lawrence’s man a few tables over, and hoped Olivia wouldn’t notice his brittleness. “Of course not. It makes little difference.”

  “I’ll need to stop by the house to get my things after we eat. Unless you can think of a more convenient time?”

  “That will work fine.” And by fine, he meant he’d rather poke his eyes out with a fork. Their marriage, and the spontaneity of it, would whip the other women into a frenzy. He had no desire to be there when they heard the news, but there wasn’t anything he could do to avoid it. They might as well get it over with as soon as possible. “I expect it might take some time.”

  “To pack my things, not long at all.” She didn’t make eye contact as she buttered a roll. “To tell the others…”

  She didn’t need to finish. “I understand.”

  She nodded as if guessing he’d have already realized the upcoming drama. “What will happen to the mine while we’re gone? Should we hire someone to work it until we return?”

  Ronan cursed silently. That mine was suddenly a thorn in his side. “I got enough gold out of it recently that the others will be fine until we return. I’ll continue to work it once we get back.”

  “All right.”

  He blinked a moment when she didn’t argue. All right? That was all she said, agreeing with him immediately. When had anything ever been so easy? “Thank you.”

  Her brows crinkled. “For what?”

  “For agreeing with me.”

  Her expression softened. “Of course. I’m your wife, I’m on your side.”

  When had anyone ever been on his side? He couldn’t remember the last time. He manipulated people, gambled against others, took their fortunes, ruined their lives. Lawrence had turned his town against him, his home. No one had ever been on his side.

  Chapter 8

  It wasn’t until Olivia stood in front of the other women in the parlor, alone, that she began to regret her decision to have Ronan stay outside. It would’ve been nice to have him by her side, his presence constantly reassuring her that she’d made the right choice. That it hadn’t been a mistake to marry him.

  But with him gone, as she faced the other women, the whole situation seemed insane.

  There wasn’t anything left to do but inform them. Their marriage hadn’t been consummated, but she’d made him promises. Promises she intended to keep for the rest of her life. She cleared her throat. “Thank you all for being here.” She smiled at Clara. “Especially you. I had no idea you were visiting today.”

  “Spur of the moment,” the recently married woman said. “I missed you guys.”

  Clara had been the mother hen of the group until her recent marriage with the sheriff. She didn’t live in the house with the other women anymore, but she was still one of Ivan’s brides, and one of Olivia’s closest friends. “We’ve missed you too.”

  The women waited for Olivia’s announcement, perched on their seats. They didn’t call meetings like this that often anymore. There hadn’t been a need. Until now. “I have something to tell you all.”

  “We guessed,” Willow said. “Just tell us already. We can tell you’re struggling with it.”

  Belle agreed softly, “It’ll be easier if you just tell us straight.”

  Until that moment, she hadn’t realized that the others were apprehensive. They were probably reading her emotions and echoing them. She was worried how they’d react. She swallowed hard. “It’s nothing bad. It’s very good, in fact.”

  None of them moved, and they didn’t appear as if they believed her.

  She nodded, twisting her hands. “It’s true. I wanted you all here, together, so I could tell you that… So I could tell you…” The others leaned forward. “I married Ronan,” she finally blurted out.

  Chaos ensued as the women spoke over each other.

  “What? When?”

  “What happened?”

  “Why would you do that?”

  Olivia’s jaw dropped open, her gaze darting from one woman to another, unable to answer any of them. This was so much worse than she expected.

  At that moment, the front door opened, then closed, and Ronan moved silently to stand beside her. Wrapping an arm around her, he shielded her from the renewed outbursts from the action.

  He leaned down to her ear and asked, “Are you all right?”

  But Olivia couldn’t answer. She couldn’t get past the shock of the others’ reactions. She knew it would be bad, she knew they’d be shocked or even slightly upset that she’d married their miner, but nothing had prepared her for this.

  Ronan took the situation in hand. “If you’ll all calm down, we can discuss this.”

  “What’s there to discuss?” Victoria asked, now standing in front of the sofa. “Seems as though you already went around us and married her.” She shrugged. “Doesn’t seem like there’s much we can do about it.” And with that final statement, she le
ft the room.

  One down, seven more to go. “If you’ll all just calm down, I’ll answer your questions.”

  “Quiet!” Clara yelled, and the group began to settle. “Heavens! I know we’re all surprised here, but let her speak. She can’t answer our questions as we throw them five at a time.”

  The other women nodded, quieting down and letting Clara take the lead. Olivia would’ve smiled had she not been in the middle of this mess. Even though Clara didn’t live with them, it was like she’d never left. She was still the mother hen.

  Clara rose and came to stand in front of both Ronan and Olivia. “Let me be the first to congratulate you.”

  And with a smile full of relief, Olivia reached out to the woman who’d become like a sister to her. “Thank you.”

  Clara opted for a handshake from Ronan. “Now,” she turned back to the group, “why don’t we let Olivia say her piece? If she’s willing to answer questions afterwards, that will be her choice.” She raised her brows to the group.

  When no one argued, Ronan gave her a little squeeze, and Olivia appreciated he was letting her handle the situation. She hesitated a moment, unsure of what exactly she should say. Should she be completely honest about everything? But if she did that, was she breaking some sort of trust she and Ronan had? He hadn’t exactly given her permission to talk about his situation and she didn’t want to start their marriage off on a bad foot.

  Oh, why hadn’t she asked Ronan these questions before they even got here? “Well, you all know that Ronan agreed to work for us. Since that time, we’ve gotten to know one another a little better. I’d like to think there was a bond that grew during those times.” She glanced up at him to gauge his reaction. When she couldn’t read him, she wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

  Belle pursed her lips. “I can’t say I’m too surprised.” She glanced at the other women. “When Clara was kidnapped, Olivia and I rode to find Sawyer up at the mine. He was with Ronan at the time, and they must’ve sensed something was wrong. Ronan pulled Olivia off the horse, before she’d even fully stopped, and checked her for injuries.” She slid a smile at him. “I noticed you weren’t concerned about any of my possible injuries.”

  Olivia’s cheeks pinked. She remembered that moment well. It was the first time a man had ever handled her that way, and it wasn’t something she soon forgot.

  Ronan smiled at Belle. “My mistake. I should’ve checked you both for injuries.”

  Belle laughed.

  “Go on,” Clara prodded. “What happened recently that pushed you two toward marriage?”

  “I found something of his not too long ago. Something important to him, and I returned it. After that, I went to see him and pushed my way into his life.” Juliette gasped, but Olivia didn’t care. She might be stretching the truth, but it wasn’t stretched too much. At least this way, she wasn’t breaking a confidence. “He proposed, and we decided to forego the large wedding and just begin our lives together right away.”

  Aria sighed at the romance of it all. “That’s the way I want to do it. Nothing and no one but my husband and I. In love.” She smiled dreamily.

  Olivia shifted uncomfortably. She hadn’t mentioned they were in love, but she didn’t rush to correct her friend. Really, what could she say? She couldn’t very well say she didn’t love him. That would seem odd. Plus, it would set off another round of questioning which she wasn’t prepared to answer. But letting Aria believe that Ronan and she were in love felt too much like a lie.

  She opened her mouth to correct the impression, but Ronan squeezed her tightly to his side and she snapped her mouth shut.

  Looking up at him, Olivia tried to see if he’d known what she’d been going to say and had wanted to stop her from telling the others, or if he’d just wanted her to be silent regardless, but she couldn’t tell.

  Willow considered the newlyweds another moment before asking, “How will this affect you working in the mine?”

  “Willow!” Juliette scolded. “I don’t think that’s appropriate.”

  Ronan held up his hand. “No. It’s a fair question.” Willow nodded her thanks before he continued, “I will keep working the mine as agreed. If the situation changes, I will do as we discussed before and work the mine until I have a replacement. However, Olivia and I will be traveling for the next two weeks, and mining will cease while we’re away.”

  Aria’s eyes bugged out. “A honeymoon!” She squealed and raced over to grab Olivia’s hands. “I’m so happy for you! Where are you going?”

  Olivia swallowed hard. They were traveling for business, but Ronan had said they could see her family and they’d turn it into some type of honeymoon. So, it wasn’t completely a lie if she let the others believe it was strictly that. This was all getting much more complicated than she had wanted. “Georgia.”

  “How romantic. He’s taking you home.”

  “Yes,” she said softly, doubt creeping in as the conversation dug her farther and farther into a lie.

  Sadie, who’d been quiet up until that moment asked, “When do you leave?”

  There was no judgment in her tone or expression, but Olivia suddenly felt the petite woman knew everything. “Tomorrow.”

  Her answer set off another flurry of questions, and both Ronan and Olivia did their best to answer what they could. Finally, after almost an hour, they finished up the conversation with the others, and she packed her things in lightning speed before heading out.

  The two of them barely spoke on the ride back to the hotel, and Olivia was grateful for the silence. It seemed odd that, as newlyweds, they said nothing to each other, but she simply wasn’t up for conversation.

  The talk with the other women hadn’t gone as she’d hoped. Instead of feeling relieved, she felt like she’d lied to them all. She hadn’t exactly said anything that wasn’t incorrect, but she hadn’t corrected their assumptions either. She’d let them believe things that just weren’t true. Wasn’t that exactly the same as lying? She worried her lower lip.

  They pulled in front of the hotel and Ronan rounded the wagon to help her down. “Come on.” He lifted his arms to catch her around the waist and lowered her slowly until her feet touched the ground.

  Shivers ran over her skin as his hands slid up her sides a moment before he released her. She swayed, bemused by the loss of his touch.

  How could he light her up like that when she was in such turmoil? He made her forget everything else when he touched her. She wanted more of that. More of the good things of their union and less of the bad.

  She linked her hand with his as they made their way through the hotel to his room.

  As she waited for him to open his room—their room—she wondered over the fact that she’d only arrived here a handful of hours ago, determined to help him. She had no idea when she came here that she would end up married less than five hours later.

  A small smile crested her lips.

  Ronan turned to her in time to see it. “What is it?”

  “Just thinking about today. No wonder my mother warned me against going to a man’s room alone.”

  He grinned in response. “Just make sure you don’t go to any other man’s ever again. Unless it’s mine.”

  She gasped when he swept her into his arms. “What are you doing?”

  “Carrying my bride into our home.”

  Her stomach flipped. Their home. The words meant everything to her. She’d wanted a home of her own, a husband, someone she could care for, someone that would need her. She’d finally found that man.

  The situation may not be perfect, but it would work out. It had to!

  She wrapped her arms around his neck as he strode through the doorway and closed it with his boot. Anticipation surged through her. They were married and alone. Her mother had explained some of the basics of what happened between a man and woman, but Olivia would be lying if she said she’d understood it all.

  But she wanted to be with Ronan. Wanted it to the core of her.
Being with him like that would seal them together in a way she’d never been with another. She craved that connection, that bond.

  Ronan set her gently on her feet, but she didn’t move away from him.

  “Is there anything you need?” he asked.

  “Just you.”

  Her words seemed to shake him, and he stepped away from her. Uncertainty washed through her. Had she done something wrong? “Am I not supposed to say that?”

  He laughed hoarsely. “No. You can say anything you want to me. There doesn’t have to be anything hidden between us.”

  She relaxed instantly, grateful he felt the same way as her. “Then why did you step away from me?”

  “Olivia?” he questioned. “Do you know what is going to happen between us, now that we’re married?”

  “Yes,” she said, but she didn’t sound confident.

  “What will happen?”

  She blushed. “The marriage act.” Had she really needed to say it?

  He stepped a little closer to her. “And what happens during the marriage act?”

  “Well, you…you…” She gestured by putting her hands together.

  “Join?”

  “Yes, exactly.” She sighed with relief. His mouth twitched, but she couldn’t figure out what he thought was funny.

  “And how do we join?”

  She frowned. Well, her mother hadn’t exactly been specific about that. She just said that their bodies would join and that was how children were made. It all seemed rather easy when she’d said it, but now, with Ronan questioning her, she wasn’t sure it was really so simple. “I’m not sure. Do you know?”

  He smiled. “Yes, I know.”

  Well, at least one of them did. “And will you tell me?”

  He shook his head.

  “You won’t?” Disappointment filled her. She hadn’t thought it was going to be such an issue. “Why?”

  “Because I’d rather show you.”

  “Oh.” Flutters filled her belly once more. “Now?”

  “Now,” he agreed before scooping her back up into his arms and heading for the bedroom tucked beyond the next door.

  She couldn’t wait to find out.