The last time Jennifer got on a plane was when she moved from Colorado to Oregon, giving up the life she'd built so far to ensure her mother stayed alive. Now, she flew with a similar purpose: doing whatever it took to save her mom.
Even if that meant flying to the other side of the country and marrying a perfect stranger.
Jennifer strode from the airplane, turning on her cell after the long flight. She was met with a missed call from Arabelle, a concerned text from Lily, and another text from an unknown number.
No, Jennifer hadn't told Lily or Arabelle what she was doing ... and it was going to stay that way for now, until Jennifer knew exactly how this was going to work. For now, she ignored their text and call and opened the one from the unknown number.
Hi, this is Jake. I'm an associate of Mark's. I'll be at the airport to pick you up at 3 p.m. sharp. Black SUV.
Succinct. Hm. Jennifer had been expecting to meet her future husband right away, but maybe this was better.
She didn't need to be as nervous about meeting Jake, and instead, she could get a feel for what her husband was like—who he was .
She started for the front of the airport, weaving around other travelers and taking the stairs to the lowest floor and toward the exit.
Based on what the mail order bride site said about him after they were matched, he was wealthy.
Just how wealthy, though, Jennifer had no idea.
Regardless of how much money he did or didn't have, that wasn't the first topic that she could broach with her new husband or one of his business associates.
First of all, it was rude. For all Jennifer knew, the man might have truly 'ordered' her looking for real love.
She wasn't going to make any promises about falling in love with him, but she had to admit she was curious.
The website claimed that whoever she was matched with, she would fall for them. Maybe she would.
And if she did, that would be amazing ..
. it had been so long since she'd felt the rush of love in her veins and head.
With each step she took toward the front of the airport, her excitement grew.
She wanted to meet Mark, and Jake, to at least know if she made the right choice in coming here . .. or if she made a horrible mistake.
That brought on the second problem. Jennifer wasn't exactly confident enough to straight-up ask for the $100,000 she needed to save Arabelle's life.
In fact, the idea of asking at all made her so uncomfortable she thought she would throw up.
The number alone made her anxious but asking for someone to give her that money . .. she couldn't imagine it.
Her parents raised her on the idea that all money was earned, that she had to work hard to receive her wages and purchase the things she wanted.
Of course, buying essential treatment for her mom was different than buying new clothes, but that didn't change how it didn't feel right to ask for, and then use, money she didn't earn on her own.
It seemed wrong. And she definitely didn't want to leave Mark, or anyone else for that matter, with the impression that she was just in this for the money. While her primary motivation had to be saving her mother ... it was the dream of love that pulled her in this direction.
She wouldn't ask for a dime. She couldn't. Right now, she could afford the first four pills from the last of her savings, and with her remaining credit and the expenses she saved on by moving out of her apartment to live with the man who would become her husband.
In that time, she would make a plan that didn't involve asking for anything. She would work for every penny she received.
And maybe, in the meantime, she would fall in love ... like her mother always wanted for Jennifer.
Outside the airport, she spotted the black SUV waiting in front. She checked her phone again, seeing that it was 3:05, and then opened the passenger door.
"Are you Jake?" she asked the man behind the steering wheel.
"That's me. You must be Jennifer. Hop in."
She slid onto the leather seat, stuffing her bag of essentials between her legs—that was all she brought with her. Jake extended a hand to her once she settled in place, and she took his firm handshake.
"Nice to meet you," she said. "Do you usually run errands for Mark?"
He chuckled and put the SUV into drive, circling through the airport and toward the highway. "I wouldn't exactly call picking up Mark's future wife an errand," he said, "but to answer your question, no. I made an exception for you."
"Is that right? What do you usually do?"
"Security. Not that there was any particular concern in getting you back to his place in one piece, but it adds some peace of mind."
If Mark had his own security workers, that seemed like a good sign. He might have a large property that needed maintaining. If she was lucky, maybe he had a business that she could work for as a way to pay for her mom's medical expenses without working three minimum wage jobs.
"I hope you don't mind me asking," she said, "but what is Mark like?"
"Nothing to worry about, I understand you're probably nervous. My wife was a mail order bride, too. If you're willing to approach this scenario with an open mind—unlike I did—I think you'll find yourself pleasantly surprised."
Jennifer smiled, tilting her head in Jake's direction. "What, did you order a bride and then change your mind?"
"Not quite." He laughed. "The story is far more complicated than that—but what matters is that we're happy now. I couldn't imagine being without her. I wish as much luck and happiness to you and Mark. He's a good guy, if a little strange."
Jake seemed like a nice guy, too. Hearing that he, too, had a mail order bride story and ended up in a happy marriage reassured Jennifer.
Maybe meeting someone this way could result in true love after all .
.. just like she was promised. A prickle of anticipation buzzed in her chest. She wanted to meet Mark more than ever, and with each passing moment, her desire became more unbearable.
"What do you mean by strange?" she asked after a while.
"Well, for one," Jake started when he turned off the main highway and onto a secluded road into the trees, "he lives alone in a mansion in the woods."
"Sounds like the start of a horror film," she joked.
"Trust me, I thought the same when he first told me about it. The place is set up like a fortress ... but, well, you'll have to see it for yourself to believe it. We're almost there."
Jennifer wanted to ask more questions about Mark and what he did, but she didn't want to pry too much.
Those were questions better saved to ask him directly, but not knowing dug into her nerves and made her squirm.
She couldn't stop thinking about Arabelle, about the incredible cost of her medical bills.
Jennifer was her only hope at living to see another year.
But it wasn't just that. Jennifer left Portland without saying a word about her intentions to either Arabelle or Lily ... she made arrangements for Lily to watch Arabelle for a few days while Jennifer found a more permanent solution, and that was it.
No word about how she moved across the country, how she sold all her belongings except for her phone, tablet, a couple of keepsakes and other essentials, to make sure she had enough cash on hand to pay for Arabelle's first few treatments.
The guilt of her decision was a heavy one, but she had no other options. There was no way either of them would have let Jennifer become a mail order bride if they knew the truth.
Now it was just up to Jennifer to make this work.
She stopped paying attention to her surroundings, and when the SUV pulled to a stop, she glanced outside to see a vast ocean of trees in every direction. No mansion or house in sight.
"We're here," Jake said, and cut the engine.
But whatever he saw, she didn't.
Oh God, had she made a mistake?
***
Heart in her throat, Jennifer took her bag and joined Jake outside. Despite the summer warmth, a chilly breeze made her shiver. Good thing she was wearing a hoodie.
The intense thicket of branches and leaves from the forest canopy overhead blocked most warmth, casting most of the area in shade, but it was still early enough in the day for the bit of light that made it through to illuminate the forest. If it weren't for the apprehension growing in her gut about having been promised a mansion and ending up in the middle of nowhere instead .
.. she might have found the forest peaceful, even beautiful.
Jennifer squeezed the handle of her bag. "Is this a joke?"
"No, not at all," Jake laughed. "It messed with my head the first time I came here, too." He came up beside her and pointed into the trees. "When you see it, you'll understand. Look between those two trunks there ... can't you see the reflection in the glass?"
Jennifer squinted, trying to follow the direction of Jake's pointer finger.
But all she saw were the bright green maple leaves in every direction, the branches of pine needles.
The two trees he pointed at were thicker than the others, but they were the same .
.. wait. Jennifer blinked when she saw the flash of sunlight against glass.
"Is that a window ?" she said.
Jake tucked his hands in his pockets. "Yep."
With the window as her center point, Jennifer re-examined her surroundings.
Now she saw it: the two central beams— beams , not trees—that supported the highest point of the mansion's front wall.
Between them was a small window looking down from the highest room, maybe an attic.
Down lower, the beams formed the frame of a massive set of doors camouflaged behind an array of leaves.
Now, she noticed how other trees had an unnatural bend to their trunks and limbs, all of them working together to forge the supports of a mansion hidden in plain sight.