Misty's True Love (Mail Order Brides of Pioneer Town, Book 2) by Ruth Hartzler

evidence had been found to contradict
the accusation, but he refused to elaborate any further on the
subject. It was a good thing that the truth had been discovered,
but now a dark cloud seemed to be following her around everywhere
she went. It was a strange, odd sensation that she just couldn’t
shake, regardless of how hard she tried.
    Misty sat in the drawing room, sipping
from her morning teacup, when the sound of a gentle knock echoed
softly through the house. “I wonder who that could be,” she
whispered, looking around as if she would somehow see the visitor
by doing so. Since Indiana and Morgan had gone to town that
morning, Misty would have to greet the visitor and ask that they
return at a later time or leave a message.
    As she made her way to the front, she
could see a silhouette through the windows that lined the door.
Although the man’s face was blurred and hard to see, Misty was sure
that she recognized him. Pulling the door open in a hurry, she
stood there in shock when she found out that she had been right: it
was Cody.
    “ I wasn’t aware that you
would be stopping by today,” she said with delight.
    “ I was hoping that you
might be able to afford me some of your time,” Cody said, smiling
through a reddened face.
    “ Yes, of course,” Misty
said, unsure of what to think of his sudden arrival. Was he there
to tell her that the marriage would never happen? It would be in
line with her luck, wouldn’t it? First the earthquake threatened
her way of life back in San Francisco, and then her aunt’s passing
sent her off to an even more futile place. “I hope that there is
nothing is wrong.”
    “ To be honest, things are
better now than they were even a day ago. What I’ve come to say is
nothing unsatisfactory. There are just a few matters I’d like to
discuss with you in private, if I may,” Cody said, flashing his
sweet smile her way. “Shall we take a walk?”
    “ Yes, that would be lovely.
There is a beautiful walk along the creek,” Misty said, excited,
yet fearful at the same time, of having Cody join her at one of her
favorite spots on the ranch.
    “ That sounds lovely,” he
said, holding out his arm for her to join him.
    It had been a rather unexpected start
to her morning, but now Misty was walking Cody by her side. It was
all such a stark contrast to what her day had felt like just one
before.
    As they walked past along, the smell
of cows wafted through the air, filling her nostrils with the
unpleasant odor. She was finally beginning to grow accustomed to
the stench, having lived with Indiana and Morgan for a while now,
but even still, it caused her to sneeze and cough whenever she got
too close to the cattle.
    “ I see you have yet to
master the art of cattle-ranching,” Cody said, laughing as he
looked over at her. “It’s basically the same as any industry that
works with animals or even lumber, though. It takes time to become
accustomed to the dust and odors and whatnot when you’re living
right there with it all.”
    His words were reassuring and
comforting, but Misty’s last worry in the world right then was the
smell of animals. “If only the cows were the most troubling thing
about my time out here so far,” she said, the words escaping from
her tongue before she could pull them back.
    “ Pardon me? You’re speaking
of what happened with the sheriff, aren’t you?” Cody said, stopping
in his tracks.
    Misty was embarrassed. “I still don’t
even know why I was arrested or what happened to have me released
Misty said, sighing as she explained herself.
    “ Well, that is precisely
why I’m here.”
    “ Oh,” Misty replied, her
chest tightening as she stood there. “Well, the creek is just over
that small crest on the hill,” she added, pointing toward
it.
    “ Then let us go and see
this beautiful spot of yours,” Cody said, smiling as happily as she
had ever seen him.
    It was a good thing that the creek was
only a short trip from where they had briefly