An Uninvited Bride on his Doorstep by Ava Winters
Chapter One
Westridge, Texas
May 27th, 1876
“Why, Miss Winona! You look absolutely fetching in that dress!”
Winona smiled at the portly middle-aged woman behind the counter. “Thank you, Mrs. Black.”
Mrs. Black put her hands on her hips in mock indignation. “Miss Winona, how many times have I told you to stop with this ‘Mrs. Black’ nonsense. Call me Cordelia.”
Winona laughed. “I guess it would just sound strange to hear you call me Miss Winona and me to call you only Cordelia.”
“Well, if you insist, I suppose you could call me Mrs. Cordelia.”
“Well then, thank you, Mrs. Cordelia.”
Cordelia beamed. “Now, what can I do for you today, Miss Winona?”
“Just a few odds and ends,” Winona replied. She handed Cordelia a scrap of paper and a woven basket.
The shopkeeper scanned the paper and grinned up at Winona. “Have you taken up drawing?”
Winona blushed. “It helps pass the time. I’m not any good but it’s fun anyway.”
“Well, I don’t know about that. I think I’ll have to reserve my judgment until I see an example of your work.”
Winona’s blush deepened, but she agreed to return the following week with a drawing for Cordelia. “Don’t tell me what it’s going to be!” the older woman insisted. “I want to be surprised.”
She left the counter and began gathering the items on Winona’s list: paper, pencils, oil sticks, various colors of ink and a set of writing quills. Most general stores didn’t carry art supplies, but Winona’s mother was an artist of local fame when Winona was a child and Cordelia maintained a stock of artist’s necessities in her honor.
While she waited, Winona wandered around the store, looking at the various items on display. When she came across the candy counter stocked with miniature barrels full of rock candy, gumdrops, and various other confections, she smiled. She’d loved coming here with her mother as a child. Her mother would always buy her a small bag of gumdrops and she would savor them one at a time as they walked home. She would tell her mother about school, and they would laugh and just enjoy each other’s company.
Her smile faded. Her mother died of cholera just a few days after her eighth birthday. Her father remarried three years later, and her stepmother, Audrey, was the opposite of her mother in every way. She seemed more concerned with her wealth and social status than her stepdaughter’s happiness. The worst part was the change in her father. Over time, he’d taken on his wife’s worst qualities until now he barely resembled the man she once knew.
“You’re never too old for a gumdrop, I always say.”
The rich, baritone voice startled Winona out of her musing and she turned to see Clarence Huxtable smiling down at her. Clarence was the manager of the bank and the male counterpart to Cordelia in portliness and kindliness. “I’m sorry to startle you, Miss Winona,” he said.
“Oh, that’s fine,” Winona said. “I was just distracted is all.”
“Winona! Your order’s ready,” Cordelia called from the counter. She glared at Clarence, but Winona noticed a flush come to Cordelia’s cheeks as she said, “Clarence, quit bothering that poor girl and let her shop in peace.”
Clarence smiled and walked over to the counter. “Well, now that I see you, Miss Cordelia, I promise you nothing else will command my attention.”
“Oh, go on with you,” Cordelia said, her blush deepening. She handed Winona her basket. “Thank you, dear. You run along. I’ll keep Clarence out of your hair.”
Winona smiled. “Thank you, Ms. Cordelia.” She turned to Clarence. “It was lovely to see you, Clarence.”
“And just as lovely to see you,” Clarence said before turning back to Cordelia.
Winona kept smiling as she walked out of the store and headed home. She was happy for Clarence and Cordelia. Cordelia’s husband died in the same outbreak that killed Winona’s mother and for years after that, the poor woman suffered deep melancholy. Then Clarence arrived in town and ever since, Cordelia’s smile had returned. Winona thought it was beautiful that the two of them had found love.
She wondered if she’d ever feel love for Jude like they felt for each other.
Jude Koch was the son of Sterling Koch, owner of the Heartland Railroad Company and the wealthiest man in town. Jude took a shine to Winona shortly after the Kochs moved to town and Winona’s father and stepmother practically leapt at the chance to secure their union. She agreed to marry him after eight months of courting, and their wedding was scheduled for September seventeenth, the one-year anniversary of their courtship.
Jude was a decent enough man. He was kind and generous, and he was clearly fond of her. She liked him well enough, but she didn’t love him. He seemed too fond of his wealth. He didn’t lord it over others the way Audrey did, and he didn’t seem to carry the same disdain for the working class his father did, but he carried himself with a similar sense of superiority and entitlement.
She’d agreed to marry him more to escape her stepmother’s thumb and finally have a life of her own than out of any affection for Jude. He’d gotten less superior over the past several months and Winona hoped that with time, he could shed the last of his arrogance and earn her love.
She turned a corner and began walking through the poorer quarter of town. The houses here were little more than shacks, some of them barely qualifying for that name. Her stepmother disapproved of Winona frequenting these neighborhoods, concerned it might affect her reputation to be seen there, but Winona ignored her. These people were fine folk; they just weren’t wealthy. Several of them greeted Winona as she walked.
After a few minutes, she heard voices up ahead. One of the voices was familiar. As she approached the house the voices were coming from, she recognized it as Jude’s voice. What was Jude doing out here? Maybe he was finally humble enough to spend time with the less well-to-do residents of Westridge.
As she drew close, however, it quickly became clear Jude’s intentions were not benevolent. His voice was raised in threat, and the other voices were clearly fearful of him. Her heartbeat quickened as she turned the corner and saw them. An older couple stood outside of their home, a tar paper shack barely larger than Winona’s bedroom, and argued with Jude. The woman’s hands were clasped in front of her while the man’s were raised in front of him, palms outward, as though to protect himself. Jude stood with his shoulders squared, his hands balled into fists at his side. Winona quickly ducked behind a fence and watched the interaction.
“I don’t care what your father says, this is our home and we ain’t leaving!” The older man’s words were brave, but his voice trembled, and Winona could tell he was frightened of Jude. That didn’t make sense to her. Jude had never before struck her as a violent man. What was going on?
“Yes, you are!” Jude barked. “And neither I nor my father are interested in your opinion. You get on up out of here by sunrise tomorrow or we’ll tear this—” his lips curled downward, “—hovel down on your heads.”
“Please, Mr. Koch,” the woman begged. She wrung her hands and even from a distance, Winona could hear she was crying. “This is all we have!”
“Had,” Jude said. “By the next time the sun rises, this land will be the property of Heartland Railroad Company.”
“Now, look here,” the man said. Anger seemed to have driven his fear away. He strode forward and stuck his finger up at Jude. “I don’t care what that piece of paper in your pocket says. Everyone knows your father has the judge on his payroll. This is our home. We’ve lived here since before your father came to this town and poisoned it with his gold, and we’ll be here long after you move on.”
Jude didn’t reply immediately. He looked down at the defiant older man, his face expressionless. Then he smiled. Ice crept up Winona’s spine at the sight of it. He smiled, but there was no hint of friendliness on his face. It was the grin of a snake preparing to strike, a predator regarding his prey and anticipating the meal he was about to enjoy.
Jude moved so suddenly Winona didn’t at first register what had happened. He reached forward and grabbed the old man, throwing him to the ground. The man fell heavily, grunting with the impact and the old lady shrieked and rushed forward. Jude grabbed her and held her back, preventing her from reaching her husband.
“You let her go!” the man called out, fear for his wife overriding his pain. He got back to his feet and rushed Jude. Jude flashed his snake smile again and slammed his fist into the side of the man’s head. The man collapsed to the ground and began trembling violently. The woman struggled and shouted for Jude to let her go but he held her tightly, watching the man seize under him with devilish glee.
Winona watched numbly, shock driving her emotions away. This couldn’t be real. It had to be a sick nightmare. She would wake and things would be as they were. Jude would no longer be a monster but a decent, if rather haughty, man. These people would be allowed to keep their homes and her father would not be business partner to a ruthless criminal.
Her father. Did he know about this? She shook her head slowly. No, her father couldn’t have known. There was no way. Could he really ally himself with someone who would do something like this? She began breathing rapidly and a moment later her vision swam. She steadied herself against the fence and forced herself to breathe slowly and evenly. When her vision cleared, she saw Jude staring straight at her, shock and horror on his face.
She turned and ran back the way she came, instinct driving her away from this monster she was destined to marry. The thought of breaking off the engagement didn’t occur to her in that moment. Nothing occurred to her but escaping from this vile creature, this predator that fed on the weak and innocent.
“Winona!” Jude called.
Winona quickened her pace and turned back onto the main road. She quickly slowed to a walk. Something told her it would be better not to attract attention from anyone. She forced herself to proceed slowly across the street, her heart pounding with every step. She managed to control her pace until she reached an alleyway across the street.
Then she heard Jude call her name once more and her self-control fled. She sprinted through the alleyway, then ran up the residential road behind it. Several passersby called her name, but she ignored them and ducked through another alley. She came out behind the livery and worked her way through the back roads behind the saloons and brothels of the town’s aptly named Devil’s Corner.
A minute later, she reached the fence that cordoned off the section of land destined to become the town’s train station.
She heard Jude call again and began to scale the fence. Her dress and walking shoes made it difficult to climb and it seemed an eternity before she finally reached the top and leapt down to the ground.
“Winona, stop!” Jude called. “Wait!”
Winona ran toward the opposite fence. Past that fence were fields of prairie grass that grew head high after a few hundred yards. If she could make it there before Jude caught her, she could lose him. She hitched her dress up and ran as fast as she could. Her feet throbbed in her calfskin walking boots. When she heard Jude crash into the fence behind her, she reached down and tore the boots off, one by one.
Her feet free of the confining leather, she was able to run much faster and reached the opposite fence just when she heard the sound of Jude’s boots hitting the ground behind her.
She climbed quickly and landed on the other side before Jude reached the fence. She looked up and saw him running. His face was twisted in a mask of rage. She went white and turned to flee but her dress caught on the fence. Panicking, she tore it free, leaving behind a long strip of fabric.
Her dress was now open over her right leg nearly to the hip, but she didn’t have time to be embarrassed. The tear actually allowed her to run faster, her movement no longer restricted by her skirt. Jude called her name but each time he sounded farther away. Her heart leapt and she quickened her pace further, running through the tall grass until she could no longer hear him calling her.
When she felt she’d lost him, she slowed and put her hands on her knees, gasping. After a moment, she remembered something her grandfather taught her and stood straight with her shoulders rolled back. She walked slowly, taking deep, measured breaths until her heart stopped pounding.
She leaned against a pile of wooden planks destined to become part of the station’s boarding platform once work resumed tomorrow. and struggled to collect her thoughts. She couldn’t believe what she’d seen. Jude had severely injured that poor old man! Maybe even killed him.
She shivered. How could she have been so blind? She’d been close with him, allowed him to touch her, to kiss her hand. The memory of his lips on her palm made her skin crawl and sent a wave of nausea through her.
She walked through the grass, tortured by her thoughts, until a distant rumble of thunder crashed overhead. She looked up, startled, and a raindrop splashed on her face. She blinked and rubbed her eyes then looked up again. The sky was suddenly dark. Clouds roiled on the horizon, flashing every few moments with lightning.
Winona turned back to the town, but the town wasn’t there. At least, she couldn’t see it. The grass grew tall as a horse’s withers out here and everywhere she looked was a tangled maze of vegetation.
A new panic took hold of her and when lightning crashed to the ground a few hundred yards distant, she lost control and ran blindly ahead. She screamed for help or thought she did, but the noise of the thunder deafened her cries. A moment later, the rain came, steady at first, then torrential, with sheets of water falling from the sky to obscure her vision even more than the grass.
Water coursed down her cheeks, and she couldn’t be sure if it was the rain or her tears that stung her eyes. She ran and cried and screamed for what seemed an eternity. Then her foot stumbled into a gopher hole. She fell forward, twisting her ankle with a sickening snap. She screamed but an instant later, her scream was cut off as her head slammed against a rock. The world went black, and the only sound was a soft buzzing that seemed to come from somewhere behind her.
Then there was only silence.