Read Online One Heart to Win by Johanna Lindsey - Free Book Online
Authors: Johanna Lindsey
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lie to your father to give him a reason for you not showing up.”
Tiffany winced. “It won’t be the first time. She lied to him before to get him out of her life. She admitted it to me. So now she can do the same for me.”
“I simply don’t understand why you would even want to do this.”
That struck such an emotional chord Tiffany almost blurted out the truth, that she was terrified of coming face-to-face with Franklin Warren. Years ago all she wanted was to meet this faceless father of hers. Now she had no desire to know him. Her being in Nashart, Montana, had nothing to do with him. The engagement wasn’t even his idea. He obviously couldn’t care less if he ever met her. He just wanted to end the feud with the Callahans. That was the only reason he wanted her to show up.
But Anna didn’t need to know all that. “Have I let on even once that I’m pleased with this situation?” Tiffany demanded. “No, I haven’t. I’ve been viewing this trip to Montana as a two-month prison sentence, and the very moment the cell opens, we’ll be back on a train going home.”
Anna frowned. “I thought you told your mother you’d be open-minded about your young man.”
“He’s not my young man. And, yes, I’m going to be open-minded for all of one minute when I meet him. That’s all the time it will take me to decide he won’t do. He’s a cowboy, Anna. Can you really see me married to a cowboy ?”
Anna tsked. “You do realize that is not the definition of open-minded ?”
“Two months and not a day more,” Tiffany gritted out adamantly.
“You make this sound like a punishment, but I certainly don’t see it that way.”
“You’re not the one being asked to marry a stranger.”
“True, but then neither are you. You’re not going to be rushed straight to the altar. He won’t be a stranger for very long. And you could view this from a different perspective, you know. I agreed to come along because, unlike you, I thought I’d enjoy such an interesting new experience. New sights, new people, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. And other than that train robbery, I have been enjoying it. You’ve lived in the city your whole life, too. Aren’t you the least bit curious about how people live in this part of the country?”
No, she wasn’t, but Tiffany was tired of butting heads with Anna. For someone who hadn’t wanted to be her friend, Anna was sure overstepping herself on this trip. Yet the maid could ruin everything if she refused to go along with this, so Tiffany did need to give her a reasonable explanation.
“You haven’t considered all the ramifications, have you?” Tiffany said. “What if I do like my fiancé and think I can stomach it here for love’s sake, but after the marriage I find out he’s a horrible man? Then what? Run away like my mama did? And how will I know what he’s really like if he has to come to the enemy camp to court me? He’s either going to be extremely wary and not himself, or out to impress me with artificial behavior, so again, not really himself. But suddenly I have this perfect opportunity to find out what he’s really like before he puts his best foot forward. I don’t want to find out what the other foot is like after the wedding, when it will be too late to back out. So let me get to know these people before I have to deal with their insincerities.” Tiffany raised her chin stubbornly. “And if you don’t think that’s a good reason, well, too bad.”
Anna seemed to think about that for a few moments before she pointed out, “Sounded to me like they assume a housekeeper is also a cook.”
Not expecting that simple reminder but a torrent of objections and disapproval, Tiffany realized that Anna was conceding and burst out laughing. “So? I’ll set them straight on the duties of a housekeeper. Now, you still have the money Mama gave you, right?” Anna nodded. “So you should go ahead and get yourself a room as we planned, but just
Tiffany winced. “It won’t be the first time. She lied to him before to get him out of her life. She admitted it to me. So now she can do the same for me.”
“I simply don’t understand why you would even want to do this.”
That struck such an emotional chord Tiffany almost blurted out the truth, that she was terrified of coming face-to-face with Franklin Warren. Years ago all she wanted was to meet this faceless father of hers. Now she had no desire to know him. Her being in Nashart, Montana, had nothing to do with him. The engagement wasn’t even his idea. He obviously couldn’t care less if he ever met her. He just wanted to end the feud with the Callahans. That was the only reason he wanted her to show up.
But Anna didn’t need to know all that. “Have I let on even once that I’m pleased with this situation?” Tiffany demanded. “No, I haven’t. I’ve been viewing this trip to Montana as a two-month prison sentence, and the very moment the cell opens, we’ll be back on a train going home.”
Anna frowned. “I thought you told your mother you’d be open-minded about your young man.”
“He’s not my young man. And, yes, I’m going to be open-minded for all of one minute when I meet him. That’s all the time it will take me to decide he won’t do. He’s a cowboy, Anna. Can you really see me married to a cowboy ?”
Anna tsked. “You do realize that is not the definition of open-minded ?”
“Two months and not a day more,” Tiffany gritted out adamantly.
“You make this sound like a punishment, but I certainly don’t see it that way.”
“You’re not the one being asked to marry a stranger.”
“True, but then neither are you. You’re not going to be rushed straight to the altar. He won’t be a stranger for very long. And you could view this from a different perspective, you know. I agreed to come along because, unlike you, I thought I’d enjoy such an interesting new experience. New sights, new people, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. And other than that train robbery, I have been enjoying it. You’ve lived in the city your whole life, too. Aren’t you the least bit curious about how people live in this part of the country?”
No, she wasn’t, but Tiffany was tired of butting heads with Anna. For someone who hadn’t wanted to be her friend, Anna was sure overstepping herself on this trip. Yet the maid could ruin everything if she refused to go along with this, so Tiffany did need to give her a reasonable explanation.
“You haven’t considered all the ramifications, have you?” Tiffany said. “What if I do like my fiancé and think I can stomach it here for love’s sake, but after the marriage I find out he’s a horrible man? Then what? Run away like my mama did? And how will I know what he’s really like if he has to come to the enemy camp to court me? He’s either going to be extremely wary and not himself, or out to impress me with artificial behavior, so again, not really himself. But suddenly I have this perfect opportunity to find out what he’s really like before he puts his best foot forward. I don’t want to find out what the other foot is like after the wedding, when it will be too late to back out. So let me get to know these people before I have to deal with their insincerities.” Tiffany raised her chin stubbornly. “And if you don’t think that’s a good reason, well, too bad.”
Anna seemed to think about that for a few moments before she pointed out, “Sounded to me like they assume a housekeeper is also a cook.”
Not expecting that simple reminder but a torrent of objections and disapproval, Tiffany realized that Anna was conceding and burst out laughing. “So? I’ll set them straight on the duties of a housekeeper. Now, you still have the money Mama gave you, right?” Anna nodded. “So you should go ahead and get yourself a room as we planned, but just
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