Taking A Chance on Love (Book 1 Of The Tombstone Brides)

Chapter 4.

"So as I was saying, my name is Laura Blackthorn and I am recently a widow. My husband Nathan and my father Jeremy Shaw died of Cholera two months ago, and though it may seem presumptuous that I am considering marriage so soon after his death, I must look towards the future and safeguarding not only myself but my precious daughter Katie as well. My daughter is two years old and has just learned to call me mama, though at this time she doesn't remember her father. I've come today to meet with you, Ms. Hastings because I am desperate. A Loan Shark that had business dealings with my late husband has confronted me and demands that I pay him back the money by Husband borrowed from him. I have used every penny within my possession to try to pay him off, but he insists that it is not nearly enough. Then because as my status as a widow, he is now suggesting that I sleep with him and perform other demeaning and deplorable fantasies for him, saying that soon I will become desperate and give in. But I tell you now I will NOT!

What's more, my late husband's grandfather is threatening to take my daughter away, now that Nathan is dead. My expectations are not high in the slightest so don't think that just because I am one of the 'BlackThorn's' that I feel I am entitled to marry into money, which I am not. I simply want a stable man who will treat me kindly and will come to care for my daughter. It does not matter to me if he is young or old, handsome or poor, or if he is a widowed man or a divorced one. I just want to settle down and raise my daughter in peace. So will you be able to help me?" I pleaded. 

Isabel looked at me in a rather pensive state. She dabbed at her mouth with her handkerchief after she finished swallowing her lemon tart, then she smiled. "Let's start with what you said about you being one of the BlackThorn, I am not a judgemental woman and I do not group people together based on their families wealth or status, rather I do the opposite. I myself am from a large family that has genes that go back to the Victorian era. Which means that I too come from money, and I have seen what the greed of money and power can do to the dynamics of a family. That being said, I would be honored to help you, Laura. Not out of high society mannerisms, but what I hope to be genuine friendship."

 She said, then she fished out a document from the pocket of her skirts, "I have recently been sent a letter asking for my help in almost the same manner. What's more, I believe that this arrangement can help both of you out, as this is a packaged deal. They are both brothers and in need of wives, both of them are widowers and have children. The one for you, Laura is a man named Jordan Green and he is a blacksmith in Tomb Stone Arizona. He has a young son named Logan who is eight years old and is in desperate need of a mother." She then turned her gaze to Victoria, "His brother is named Landon Green and is a widower as well. His late wife died in a drowning accident and has left him to become both the mother and the father to his precious fourteen years old daughter, named Hayden. They both share the land, but it is Landon who runs the ranch. Since you two are already best friends, I think that you wouldn't mind becoming sisters either would you?" She asked us. Victoria was the first one to react to the news first and pulled me into a hug. "Can you believe it, Laura? We're going to be sisters!" She said as she hugged me again. I pulled out of her embrace and smiled, "It is something amazing to behold, I am thrilled to see you happy Vic."

Isabel cleared her throat to get our attention, then she smiled at the both of us and proceeded to take out two sealed envelopes and hand them to us. "I figured that from our conversations that these would come in handy to have on hand, I just didn't expect you two to do so well. Here this one is for you Laura and the other is for you Victoria. Either read them when you have the time or right now if you wish. When you are ready to reply to them and accept their proposals, come back to see me and we will work out an arrangement to get you two to your destination." We thanked her for her assistance and got up from the sofa, and after gathering our cloaks from the maid that greeted us earlier, we decided that Victoria would accompany me home, where she would spend the night, and we would read our letters together.

Sometime later that evening...,

"So what does yours say?" Victoria asked me. I hesitated for a second then after taking a deep breath, I began to read the letter:

"To Who It May Concern...,

My name is Jordan Green and I live in Tomb Stone Arizona. I am not a fluent speaker neither am I eloquent master of words. I am a down to earth type of man, who is content to appreciate the glorious creations of life and to run my business and support my family. My late wife, Colleen Green, died three years ago from a nasty case of influenza that struck our town. I have tried to raise my son in a respectable manner where I am both mother and father to him but it seems that my efforts have been in vain. I want my son to grow up to have the education to become something better than what I am.

 I am a blacksmith and I am a hard- working man but I don't want my son to decide to become a blacksmith like me because he feels that there are nothing else to do with his life. I do miss my wife and I will always love her, even if she has departed from us, but I know that it is time for me to move on.

And so I write this letter to whomever it is received to and hopes that we will get on rather nicely. I don't expect love to begin right away, for we have to get to know each other. But I hope in time love will develop between us. I look forward to seeing you, and marrying you, and starting a life with you.

Sincerely yours, Jordan Green."

I look up from my letter and saw the look on Victoria's face. "What?"

I asked her. She hesitated for a second then she started to laugh. Confused I gave her a look the clearly stated my confusion. "What are you laughing about?"

She was finally able to regain her breath, then she smiled at me. "My letter says almost the exact same thing, it was like they both sat at that kitchen table and wrote the letters together and my prospective husband copied off of your prospective husband's paper. It's funny if you think about it, it's something similar to what I used to do when I was a kid, I remember copying off of your paper because I was jealous that you were smarter than me."

"You did what now? How could you be jealous of me? I was nothing special, in fact, I thought you were smarter than me. What a pair we make don't we? You were jealous of me and was being jealous of you.

Now we won't have to be like that, you and I will be sisters, and married to brothers and then we will hopefully become Neighbors.