Billionaire Flawed 1(33)

The time came when David spoke up, revealing what they were all thinking. “Dad, have you thought anything more about our financial problem?”

The family fell quiet. Dottie moaned a little and lowered her head, sitting back in her chair.

“I think I have a solution.” Caroline spoke up. They all looked at her. Dottie’s eyes were wide. She looked at them all and tried to smile. “I have answered an ad for a bride to go to the West. There is a wealthy man there who placed the ad I responded to.”

She recognized shock on their faces. Her announcement had rendered them speechless.

“I know it’s a surprise. I didn’t even think of such a thing until I saw the ad in the paper today. I…think it’s the only thing we can do at this point.”

“But…we’ll never see you again,” Dottie said, her voice weak. Caroline could see she was about to burst into fresh tears.

She got up and went to her sister, who stood up to meet her. She wrapped her arms around Dottie and held her close.

“Of course you will,” She said. “He has a lot of money. I’ll come back often. And if I am able, I will ask him to help our restaurant.”

The rest of her family got up and surrounded her.

“It’s going to be all right,” She said, softly, feeling surrounded by their love. “You will see.”





Chapter Three

Caroline read the letter from the man, George O’Doyle, as she rode on the train. He sounded very businesslike. She wondered if he had a kind heart. She wondered if he was interested in what was best for the bride he had sent for or if he was just trying out something new.

Marriage was serious business. She felt it was, anyway. It was a bond between a man, woman, and God. She wondered if he felt that way, too. She hoped so. There was no mention of his religious beliefs in the letter. He described his house, which was apparently massive and mentioned that he owned a casino and several restaurants in the state. He traveled a lot, to keep track of his businesses. The post was not fast enough, he remarked. Plus, he wanted to see how the businesses were being run with his own eyes. He wanted to know all of his employees and make sure they were being rewarded for hard work.

Her eyes stuck on the word “restaurants”. She was impressed that he took the time to comment that he wanted to know his employees were taken care of. That was how her father had always run his business. He gave incentives to his employees so that they would stay and work hard for him. In her initial letter, she had said that she worked in a restaurant and as a secretary without saying that it was her father’s restaurant. That might have given him more of a reason to choose her. It had apparently worked.

She did tell him her family owned a business and that she was looking to start a new life. She wasn’t sure what else to say. She glanced to the side and looked at the newspaper sitting beside her on the bench. More headlines about the president. His first month in office had been a success so far. He was liked.

She looked back at the letter, scanning his handwriting. It was elegant and legible. She had no trouble reading it. That had to be from all the business he wrote. She lowered the letter to her lap and looked out the window at the passing scenery. It would be a while before she got there. She decided a nap would be best so that she wouldn’t be too tired when she got there. The motion of the train would help her sleep, she was sure.

A few hours later, she woke with a start, opening her eyes wide awake. She pushed herself up from the cushion she had put under her head and looked out the window. It certainly didn’t look like Virginia.

“Do you know where we are?” She asked one of the other passengers in a soft voice. He looked up from his book.

“I believe we are in Arizona. Where are you going?”

“Flagstaff.”

“That should be the next stop. Good thing you woke up.”

She nodded. “Yes, that’s true.”

She waited patiently, just gazing out the window. When the attendant came to announce the next stop, she began to gather her things. She patted her hair down and put her bonnet on. She started to pull on her coat when the young man who had spoken to her said, “You won’t need a coat. It’s not cold out here. You have never been here in Arizona before?”

She shook her head. “No, I haven’t.”

“Well, it’s plenty warm here. You won’t want to wear too much. You may overheat and that would be bad for your health.”

She nodded this time. “All right. Thank you for the advice.”

He nodded back. “Anytime, young lady. Enjoy your stay in Arizona.”

“Thank you very much.”