A Mail-Order Illusion Read online

  “Well, that’s where you’re wrong. We are engaged. Your parents have given their blessing.”

  Her expression fractured. “That was before you threw me over for another woman!”

  He shook his head and gave her a small smile, as if he found the situation amusing. “You’re quite wrong about that. I was confused and called off our engagement hastily. I wasn’t in my right mind. I soon realized that after you left town.”

  “I think what you mean is Abigail’s father didn’t approve your match, did he?”

  His eyes narrowed, and she realized her flippant remark had cut to the truth. She laughed harshly. “I should have known.”

  He sneered. “Such a look doesn’t become you, Violet.”

  “You know what doesn’t become me? You. You don’t become me. That letter got sent to my parents in error. I never intended to send it, never intended to return, and I certainly will never marry you. You can be assured of that.”

  “But your parents—”

  “—have no say in my life now. When they disowned me for leaving, it absolved me from having to do anything they say. I don’t care if they engaged me to you. I will never marry you. Of that, I’m completely certain.” Violet shook her head. “We both know you never loved me anyway.”

  “Of course I—” But when she gave him a disbelieving glare, he shrugged. “I loved the connection with your father.”

  Violet nodded, not surprised at all. What did surprise her though, was that the knowledge didn’t hurt as it would have a year ago. Richard hadn’t loved her, and even though she’d thought herself in love at one point, she’d hardly cared for him back then. She knew that with certainty now, because she was in love with Jimmy. A man who cared for her, was her friend, had made her laugh, had encouraged her to be more than the spoiled society brat everyone had trained her to be.

  He was who she loved. He was the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. “You know, Richard, I should probably feel sorry you wasted your time in coming here, but I don’t. I don’t feel sorry for anything. Actually,” she said as she cocked her head, “that’s not true. I’m sorry I didn’t see you for the snide, hollow man you really are.”

  She took a step toward the door to leave, but his hand snapped out and wrapped around her arm. “Don’t walk away from me.”

  She tried to jerk her arm away, but he only squeezed tighter and yanked her backwards, forcing her off balance. The skin under his grip twisted, and she grimaced in pain, but she refused to be cowed. “Unhand me.”

  He pulled her closer and whispered angrily in her ear. “If you ever embarrass me like this again, you’ll regret it.”

  She gritted her teeth, but before she could respond, the cafe door slammed open.

  Jimmy stepped forward like an avenging angel. “Release her. Now. And if you ever touch her again, you’ll be the one who regrets it.”

  Richard gave Jimmy a patronizing smile. “I don’t know who you think you are, but I’m Miss Morgan’s fiancé, and I’m here at her parent’s request to bring her home.”

  Jimmy glanced at Violet, scanning her for any other injuries, before turning his attention back on Richard. “I don’t care who the hell you think you are, or what right you think you have, but if you don’t release Violet right now, you’re going to find out how we handle things here.”

  Violet teared up but refused to let the moisture leave her eyes. She didn’t want Jimmy to think she was seriously injured. She wasn’t crying in pain. She was moved someone cared enough about her to step in, to demand she be left unharmed, no matter what Richard said his right was.

  When Richard didn’t make a move to release her, Jimmy stepped forward, his hands clenched. “I’ll tell you one more time. Release her.”

  Richard debated another second, before making a sound of disgust and pushing her toward Jimmy. Jimmy caught her with one arm and pulled her up against his side, never looking away from Richard. “There’s another train leaving in an hour. Make sure you’re on it.”

  Richard spluttered, but didn’t argue.

  Before she knew what was going on, Jimmy had whisked her out of the cafe and loaded her up onto his horse. “But Juliette and Willow—”

  “I’ll make sure they know where you are.” He climbed up on the horse behind her, and pulled her in tightly against him, before urging his mount forward.

  Juliette and Willow would be filled with questions, but Violet didn’t care about that at the moment. All she could think about was what had happened in the cafe with Richard.

  Jimmy dismounted at the mercantile, telling her he’d only be a few minutes, before heading in. Less than a minute later, he walked back out and mounted the horse. “I told them I’d take you home.”

  She nodded, not knowing what else to say. But when Jimmy neared the opposite part of town, she asked, “Where are we going?”

  “My house.”

  Her grip on the saddle horn tightened. He didn’t sound happy, and dread filled her. They obviously needed privacy for this conversation, but Violet didn’t know what he planned to say to her. Was he going to tell her he didn’t want to see her again? Was he going to look at her in disgust over writing a letter she’d never mentioned...and had never actually sent? What must he think of her? “Jimmy, I want to—”

  “Let’s wait until we’re in the house.”

  The tears she hadn’t shed in the cafe filled her eyes again. But this time, they ran over. She nodded her agreement, worried he’d hear the tears in her voice. Before, she’d been happy because she loved Jimmy, but now, she feared it. He had the power to hurt her unlike anyone ever had in her past.

  It all seemed so unfair, but she was responsible for this too. She had written that letter. If she’d been stronger, if she’d opened her eyes sooner, none of this would have happened. She’d written it just before she fell in the river and hadn’t written another since then.

  When they finally reached his house, he dismounted and reached up for her. Where before he would have lingered, holding her against him, he immediately set her aside, and a piece of her heart broke. She knew what was coming.

  She followed him up the porch and inside the house, moving into the sitting room. Restless, she stood by the fireplace instead of taking a seat. She wanted to leave immediately if things went how she thought they would. The town wasn’t far, and she could walk there instead of having him take her home. She couldn’t bear the thought of riding with him, of touching him, after he’d broken her heart.

  She crossed her arms and faced him, knowing she looked defensive, but couldn’t help it.

  He looked at her, and his shoulders fell, as if he didn’t know what to do. He cursed softly and ran his hands through his hair, before flopping onto a chair. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Just say how you feel.” She wanted him to just tell her. To end it, if that’s what he wanted to do. It was worse prolonging it.

  “How I feel?” he asked incredulously. “I feel angry. Frustrated. Upset. I want to go back there and punch him.”

  Every emotion he’d listed had felt like a lash against her skin, until his final sentence. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me. I’m not proud of it, Violet, but when I saw him grab your arm through the window, I lost it.” He scrubbed his face with his hands as if he were still searching for control.

  Her hands slowly lowered to her side as she tried to comprehend what he was saying. “You’re upset about that?”

  “Of course! I’m furious.”

  Confusion filled her. “I understand. But I assumed you were upset about everything else too.”

  He jumped up and came to her, holding her hands. “I’m angry, but not at you. I’m furious over the way he treated you, the way your parents are still trying to use you as a pawn. I was hurt and frustrated when you asked me to leave, but I didn’t get far. After about ten steps, I realized I was being an idiot and came back. When I heard him tell you that your parents had agreed to another engagemen
t, even after everything he’s done, and not even asking you, I was angry.”

  “You heard? How?”

  He nodded slowly. “The window was open, and Mr. Richard Edward the Third doesn’t speak quietly.”

  “You know I never meant to send the letter, right?” She heard the hope in her voice and wanted to squelch it but couldn’t. She didn’t want to hide anything from Jimmy. “I wrote it, but never intended to send it.”

  He nodded. “I know. I believe you.”

  Relief flooded her. “I was worried you thought I lied to you. That when you saw the letter, you’d think I wrote to my family and was just passing time with you until I left.”

  He lowered his eyes as if ashamed. “I did actually. For a moment, but then I realized you’d never do that. I know you, Violet. If you didn’t want to be involved with me, if you truly wanted to return east, you would have said so.”

  Relief coursed through her, threatening to overwhelm her. “I love you, Jimmy.” Fresh tears tracked down her cheeks, but she didn’t brush them off or look away from him. “I love you, and it scared me you would think that and wouldn’t want me anymore. When I thought about losing you, it gutted me.”

  Air rushed out of him, and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close so her face rested against his chest. “I love you too. You don’t ever have to worry I won’t want you. I’ll want you forever.”

  She let out a broken laugh, and when she glanced up at him, he sealed his lips over hers, bringing his hands up to cup her face. He pulled back, gently wiping her tears with his thumbs. “I don’t ever want to be without you. I know I said I didn’t want to get involved with someone who had someone else, that I didn’t want the tangles I’d gone through with Aria, but I realized the second I stepped out that cafe door, I wasn’t letting you go. I didn’t care what I had to do, I was going to convince you to marry me. You are the only woman I want.”

  Her lips quirked. “Is that a proposal?”

  He took her lips softly. “Only if the answer is yes.”

  “You have to ask first.”

  He looked deep into her eyes. “Will you marry me, Violet?”

  She leaned forward until their lips were a breath apart. “Yes. Absolutely yes!”

  His grin lit up the room, and for the first time, she felt pure, unadulterated joy. He whooped and scooped her up in his arms, before running out the front door onto the porch.

  She gasped. “What are you doing?”

  He grinned and called out for the world to hear, “I love Violet Morgan! And she’s agreed to be my wife!”

  She guffawed. “You’ve lost your mind.” But she loved it, every single crazy-filled moment of it.

  Still laughing, they kissed as he held her close in his arms. She found the other piece of her heart in the wilds of Montana, and she would never once think of leaving again.

  Epilogue

  Violet heard the lock in the door and jumped from the sofa in their luxury suite in Manhattan. “What happened?”

  Jimmy chuckled as he closed the door and came to her, sweeping her in his arms for a kiss. When their embrace finally broke several moments later, she looked up at him expectantly. When he didn’t answer immediately, she lightly slapped his shoulder. “I’m going to die if you don’t tell me! What happened? Did they take you up on your offer?” She’d been waiting hours while Jimmy was meeting with several railroad moguls. They’d been in New York for a few weeks, and all their work had boiled down to this moment.

  “Are you sure you want to know?”

  Her eyes narrowed, and he laughed as he set her down. “All right!” He held up his hands in surrender. “I want to live.”

  “Then tell me!” She snorted, surprised she could feel any amusement when she was so wound up inside. She knew how much this meant to him, and she wanted it just as much.

  His face lit up, and she instantly knew how it had gone.

  “They accepted my offer! I’m in!”

  She screamed and launched into his arms, squeezing him as tightly as she could. “I knew it! I knew they’d accept you! Didn’t I tell you? You fit right in.”

  He laughed between kisses. “You were right. But I couldn’t have done it without your help. Those lessons gave me the edge I needed.”

  “Yeah? Well I could teach you a little something more.” She rolled her shoulder with a saucy flourish as she slowly stepped toward the bedroom.

  His eyes darkened just as she knew they would. It was amazing how much she’d come to know him in the short time they’d been married.

  He stepped toward her, a hungry look on his face. “That isn’t fair. I want to hear how brunch went with your parents.”

  Love filled her. No matter his physical desires, he always made sure she was the priority. “It went well, actually. They apologized for everything that happened. My mother cried even, and while he’d never admit it, I could tell my father was happy to see me. It was miraculous, actually.”

  With quiet determination, Jimmy took off his tie and started unbuttoning his shirt as they continued a slow dance toward the bedroom. “Are we going to be seeing them again?”

  “I invited them to dinner, so they could meet you. If you’re all right with that, of course.” Jimmy was her priority, and if he didn’t want to go, that would be the end of it.

  His eyes softened. “Of course we’ll go. If we can work it out with your parents, I’d like to.”

  Violet would have never thought so, but she wanted that too. She’d never be as close to them as she once would have liked, but she didn’t want there to be any bad feelings either. “I think we can.”

  “Good.”

  “Now,” she said as she started unlacing the front of her gown, happy when his eyes dropped to watch the movement, “are we done talking about my parents?”

  “Uh huh.” He nodded but continued to watch as she disrobed.

  “Are you sure?” she teased, pausing her hands. “Because I can tell you everything we said and wait for your lesson a little longer.”

  With a growl, he leapt and scooped her up in his arms. “I think you can relate the details later. I’m interested in something much more pressing.”

  She wrapped her arms around him. “And what is that?”

  “Loving you.” He sealed his mouth to hers and took the last few steps to their bed, before placing her on the covers.

  As Violet watched him undress, she couldn’t help but marvel at how wonderful her life had turned out. If she needed to suffer through society or the neglect of her childhood again to end up where she was, she’d do so gladly.

  There was nothing better in the world than being in Jimmy’s arms. She’d found her home and her love. Nothing could replace it.

  Titles by Janelle Daniels

  Miners to Millionaires

  A Mail-Order Heart (Miners to Millionaires - Book 1)

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

  A Mail-Order Hope (Miners to Millionaires – Book 3)

  A Mail-Order Dream (Miners to Millionaires – Book 4)

  A Mail-Order Chance (Miners to Millionaires – Book 5)

  A Mail-Order Dawn (Miners to Millionaires – Book 6)

  A Mail-Order Escape (Miners to Millionaires – Book 7)

  A Mail-Order Illusion (Miners to Millionaires – Book 8)

  Scandals & Secrets

  Scandal of Love (Scandals & Secrets - Book 1)

  Masquerade Secrets (Scandals & Secrets - Book 2)

  Secrets in Mourning (Scandals & Secrets - Book 3)

  A Kiss with Scandal (Scandals & Secrets - Book 4)

  A Christmas Secret (Scandals & Secrets – Book 4.5)

  Single Title Romance

  Sunkissed

  My Only Wish

  Collaborations

  Kitty: Bride of Hawaii (American Mail-Order Brides)

  Falling for a Duke (Timeless Regency Collection)

  The Witches of Redwood Falls

  The Witching Moon (The Witche
s of Redwood Falls - Book 1)

  The Witches Craft (The Witches of Redwood Falls - Book 2)

  Discover other titles by Janelle Daniels

  www.JanelleDaniels.com

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  A MAIL-ORDER ILLUSION

  Dream Cache Publishing

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  www.janelledaniels.com

  Copyright © 2018 by Janelle Daniels

  Cover Art © 2018 Erin Dameron-Hill

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.