Mail Ordered Deception

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Jackson's point of view

Jackson sat at the desk in his room, his plate of supper staring him in the face. Despite the aroma being one that should tempt even the least hungry, he had no desire to eat. Questions plagued his mind that he was unable to answer; how could he save his ranch, and would Lily approve of his remarrying. Her picture sat at the edge of his desk, and her eyes seemed to look directly back into his. At least Jackson could admit one thing about today, and that was that Monica and Bethany seemed to hit it off almost immediately. It revealed to him something he should have seen sooner, and that was that Bethany needed a woman in her life.

Without having taken a single bite, he put his tray of food next to the door and rang the bell for it to be picked up. When neither Wesley or Lauren showed up after several minutes of waiting, Jackson decided to investigate. He had nothing better to do with his time, and he could admit some guilt of curiosity. The kitchen was empty and so were the bathrooms. After twenty minutes if searching, he finally saw Wesley and Lauren both looking away from him and into the dining room. This was confusing to Jackson because no one had eaten in the dining room for years. Upon walking closer, he found all of his indoor staff looking into the room. Curiosity again got the better of him and he stretched out onto his toes to see above his staff.

There, at the ten-person dining room table, sitting next to each other, was Monica and Bethany eating their suppers. The two were smiling and talking between bites. Jackson was shocked at the sight before him, if only for the fact that he had not seen Bethany smile that much in a very long time. He did not notice that he had been leaning too far until he had his hand on Wesley’s shoulder. As if shook out of a trance, he looked at Wesley and Wesley looked back at him. Jackson was surprised at himself for spying and took a step back.

“Excuse me, sir,” Wesley said, somehow apologizing for Jackson’s mistake.

“You do not need to apologize, Wesley,” Jackson whispered, not wanting to be caught by Bethany and especially not Monica. “I will be returning to my room now and I am not to be disturbed." He began to go back to his room but stopped for a final word, only slightly louder than before. “Everybody, this is not a show, back to your duties." Almost embarrassed, they went their separate ways quietly. Jackson wandered back into his room, unsure as to what he was feeling. He wanted Bethany to be happy, but that should be with Lilly, not with a stranger. Once he reached his bedroom again, he closed the door behind him and sat back at his desk. The picture of Lilly stared back at him again.

He listened as someone’s footsteps approached the room. He heard the tray get taken away and regretted not having eaten. His stomach growled and he wanted to call for the tray to be returned. Instead, he decided to turn in early, wanting to sleep. Tomorrow would be a big day and he needed to be fresh before the sunrise. Jackson pulled up the blankets and changed out of his clothes. Having slept alone for four years, he grew accustomed to sleeping only in his underwear. His clothes, once off, he took to the wall where a square hole was that led down to the laundry room. He dropped them and listened as they fell, hitting the sides of the chute as they fell down. Once the sounds faded beyond his hearing, he moved to his bed and laid down, pulling the comforter to his chest. As he lay there, though intending to sleep, his thoughts kept him awake.

Monica seemed like a decent girl, so why would she offer herself up to him as a bride? What was it about her that had Bethany so taken with her? Were she and Monica still together? Would she be turning in soon as well? These questions and more caused him to toss and turn. Sleep was not going to come easily.

Monica’s Point of View

Supper was finished and Bethany had been talking throughout the meal. Her childlike energy was infectious and she learned much about her. Bethany loved learning to read, and her favorite horse was named Misty. She had a toy rabbit that was her best friend, and her favorite color was yellow. Bethany also loved dancing in the ballroom and singing anything that popped into her little head. All in all, Bethany was a wonderful girl and Monica was very much enjoying getting to know her. She knew then that she would have to remind herself often not to get too attached. This was a temporary situation and could not afford to lose sight of that.

“Monica?” she heard Bethany say. Monica looked at her softly.

“Yes, Little Beth?” Bethany looked down, as if unsure whether or not to continue. “What is it, honey?” With that endearment, Bethany looked back up at her with a smile.

“Will you play with me?” Monica smiled at the simple request and took her hand.

“Absolutely." They stood up together and Bethany led them to her floor. They played pretend with the dolls, drew on some papers and carried on like friends. They did not notice the hours passing until Wesley approached them from the stairs.

“Ma’am, I’m sorry to interrupt, but it is well past Bethany’s bedtime." Bethany frowned and looked up at him with the most adorable sad puppy eyes that Monica had ever seen.

“Just five more minutes, Wes. Please?” Wesley chuckled at her attempt at persuasion.

“I’m sorry Little Beth, but you know that your father is strict about your sleep schedule."

“It’s okay, Bethany.” Monica said. “We will play more tomorrow, I promise." Smiles were seen by all three of them and Monica stood up to leave. She waved at the child and then at Wesley before going up the second flight of stairs to where her own bedroom was. Still not used to the room, she sat on the couch and watched the fire. Someone had been feeding it while she was out because it still burned brightly. The flames flickered, casting shadows on the walls and her eyes wandered to the door that led to Jackson’s room. She wondered if he was sleeping and for a moment, questioned if the door was still locked. Slowly, she stood back up and walked to that door and put her hand to the handle. She jiggled it and was satisfied when it did not turn. It was silly that she wondered about that, she thought and she changed into her pale blue nightgown that reached the floor and had a flattering neckline. She got into her bed and closed her eyes.

The sun shining through the balcony doors woke Monica up pleasantly. Never before had she had a better sleep and she stretched out on the massive bed. As she sat up, she heard a knock on her door.

“Who is it?” she called out. A woman’s voice answered back.

“My name is Lauren, ma’am. I have brought you some coffee." The thought of fresh, hot coffee that she did not have to make caused Monica to practically hop out of bed and skip to the door. She opened it to find a woman who seemed to be in her early fifties with warm brown eyes and a smile that was motherly. She held a tray with a cup filled with coffee and two dishes that had cream and sugar. Monica stepped to the side and Lauren stepped into the bedroom, setting the tray down on the vanity. She then proceeded to make Monica’s bed without missing a beat.

“So, how long have you worked for Jackson?” Monica asked as Lauren worked, feeling ill at ease for not having made her own bed.

“Jackson himself, since he started the ranch five years ago. For his family however, I’ve worked with them as Jackson’s personal maid since he was born.” Lauren smiled and looked away as if seeing something that was not there. “He was a special child, that one. Oh, the messes he could make…” she trailed off noticing Monica looking at her. Monica wanted to hear more but did not press. “I should go now and allow you to get ready. Bethany will be awake soon anyhow." Lauren left then and Monica went to her coffee. Adding some cream and sugar, she stirred the cup with a spoon that was on the tray and took it out to the balcony.

The sunrise overlooking the mountains was the most beautiful view she had ever seen. I could get used to this, she thought. She shook her head, trying to physically remove that from her head. Based on the height of the sun, she had two hours until they were to be at the courthouse and she wondered what the ceremony would be like. It was then that she heard a door open and close. Monica allowed herself to glance over to the right and saw Jackson standing on his own balcony also taking his coffee. He was wearing a robe that was loosely tied around his waist. It lazily exposed a glimpse of hair on his chest and he seemed more relaxed than the day before. Monica let her gaze linger and she imagined herself standing next to him on that balcony.

Jackson’s Point of View

He stretched his arms out and took in the warmth of the sun as his coffee also warmed him from the inside. The day was a beautiful one and promised to be full of sunshine. For a moment, he forgot his plans for the day, but only for a moment. His peripheral vision caught some movement to the left and he turned to see Monica standing there looking his way. Jackson’s breath caught in his chest as he saw her standing in the morning sunlight. Her nightgown gently moved in the breeze and her eyes fixed on his. He offered her a smile and raised his coffee cup in greeting. She smiled back and took a sip from her own cup. Monica looked as though she wanted to say something, but instead turned around and walked back into her room. Jackson continued to look where she was just standing. He continued to drink his coffee until it was gone, then he too went inside. The room seemed cold in comparison to the sunshine and view of the outside. With a feeling of going through the motions and nothing more, he put on his suit, one piece at a time.

Though this wedding ceremony would be nothing like the first, nerves began to creep up on him. It happened so slowly that he did not notice until his forehead felt wet and he was warm again but in an uncomfortable way.