Mail Order Mishap: Christian Romance (Kansas Brides Book 1) (4 page)

“Oh, where does Garrett work?”

“He’s a cowboy at a local ranch.”

“Oh. Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, Charles. It’s been a pleasure getting to know you.”

“It’s been interesting, and you’re much prettier than I imagined. I’m sure everything will work out for us.” He winked as he walked to the steps.

“I think so, too,” she said returning his smile.

Edna Smith served tea in the small sitting room. “Warm tea will aid in sleeping. I always have a cup of tea before turning in.”

“Back in Virginia we sometimes drink tea, but coffee is more popular. Do you ever serve coffee?”

“Oh, my, yes! But only in the morning, because Doc Ellis wants me to cut down, but if you’d rather have coffee—”

“No!” Amber cut in quickly. “Tea is better before bed. I’m afraid coffee would keep me up all night.”

“Well, if there’s anything you desire that I don’t have, let me know and I’ll be sure to try and get it for you.”

“You are very sweet. Thank you.”

Edna smiled at the compliment.

“What can you tell me about the Turner brothers?” Amber asked.

“They are as different as night is to day. Charles is the charmer; he’s such a delight. I’ve always favored Charles.” She winked at Amber. “You are a lucky woman to get him.”

Amber smiled. “I hope so.”

“Now, Garrett takes some getting used to. He’s a good man, but a bit on the wild side. He’s hard to know well since he tends to keep to himself.”

“What do you mean by ‘on the wild side?’”

“He frequents the saloons and hangs around saloon women. Not that it’s a terrible thing for a single man; mind you‒he goes to church every Sunday. It seems like a strange mix, doesn't it? Church and saloons? I suppose it’s a good thing he does go to church…I just haven’t figured him out yet.” She balanced her cup and saucer primly on her lap. “It seems Garrett changed after his mother died. She died quickly, of pneumonia, I think‒it happened so fast, I’m not really sure. One day she was hanging clothes on the line, and being buried the next, poor soul.”

Amber changed the subject, wanting to know more about Charles and not Garrett. “Why didn’t Charles pick a local woman to marry instead of resorting to the newspaper ads?” Amber asked. “He’s so very handsome.”

“He is that! But that’s easy to answer: there aren’t many decent single women in Hunter’s Grove. The few we do have are either spoken for or too young to be courted. Hunter’s Grove is growing, and in a few years, there'll be a lot more women, as we have a lot of children living hereabouts. Right now, we have only saloon women or women of ill repute who are of marriageable age. Often, we get widows because there are still so many gunfights, but they're usually much older and already have several children. The widows do get scooped up pretty fast by the older men in town, though.”

Amber considered this for a moment. “That's probably why his brother goes to the saloons—for female company.”

“That’s very possible. He isn’t a bad looking young man when he smiles, but that’s rare these days.”

“So you’ve known the family for a long time?” Amber asked as she set her empty cup on the table.

“Yes. I used to babysit the boys now and then, years ago.” She gazed upward with a nostalgic look. “I’d rock them and put them to bed when their mother worked in the garden or did canning. They were always good lads, but with entirely totally different personalities.”

Garrett avoided going to the Hunter’s Hole Saloon in order to evade the last saloon woman he’d flirted with. He didn’t want a steady woman. He did want, even yearned, to be with a woman, but not to be tied down. He'd never go down the same path as his parents had. He went to church, believed in God, and tried to live a life pleasing to Him, but living in Hunter’s Grove made it difficult. There weren’t any decent women to court, even if he wanted to settle down, which he didn’t. He did enjoy a bit of female company every now and again, owing to his affectionate nature. He guessed he enjoyed the ego boost that came with the attention the women paid him, but he hadn't ever found one he wanted to see on a regular basis.

He turned into the Showdown Saloon and ordered seltzer water. Polly walked by and he pulled her onto his lap. She giggled, and Garrett bought her a drink. As he held Polly on his lap he thought that maybe, instead of bunking with the boys at the ranch when Charles got married, he might get himself a room. He’d start looking for one tomorrow.

Chapter 4

Charles shook his brother to wake him. Garrett tried to pull the quilt over his head but Charles yanked it back.

“Wake up—it’s midmorning!” Charles said and shook him again.

“So what? It’s Saturday. Leave me be!”

“I need a big favor.”

“No. No favors; it’s my day off.” Garrett grabbed his pillow and put it over his head.

Charles shook him again. “I’ll tell Irma to make you a special dinner tonight. How about that pork roast you like so much?”

Garrett’s one eye peeked out from under the pillow. “And an apple pie?”

“We don’t get fresh apples in the spring, Garrett, but we do have cherries. How about a plump cherry pie?”

Garrett sat up and sighed. “All right, what’s the favor?”

“I need you to have lunch with Amber and me today around noon. We need a chaperone.”

“Ha!” Garrett leaned his head back on the headboard. “And you think I qualify as a chaperone?”

“Well, you’re better than none.”

“All right, I’ll do it, but now I need a favor in return.”

“Anything,” Charles answered quickly,

“I need to keep this bedroom until I can find a place of my own. I don’t want to bunk at the ranch with a bunch of sweaty cowboys.”

“That’ll be tricky since I don’t plan on sleeping with my bride right away.”

Garrett rolled his eyes. “Has Clint returned from Topeka yet?”

“No. I’m hoping to be married before he returns.”

Garrett sighed. “You could always sleep on the sofa, and she could have your room if you insist on seeing this crazy idea of yours through.”

“You could sleep on the sofa as well or I could give you a free room in the hotel.”

“In that flea-infested excuse for a hotel? No deal.”

“All right, Garrett, but please, try to start looking for a place to live soon. This arrangement may prove to be an inconvenience.”

“Might?” Garrett shook his head and left the room.

When Amber arrived, she looked a bit nervous. Garrett knew that his attitude probably frightened her so he tried to act a bit more civil. He even gave her a half-smile as she walked into the kitchen.

Charles showed Amber around the house, which was in its usual spotless condition. Garrett wondered how he’d ever keep an apartment this clean, since he had no practice at all at cleaning or being neat. Charles had always cleaned and picked up after him, and he’d become used to living in clean and neat surroundings.

Garrett eyed Amber as she followed Charles into the sitting room. She wasn’t beautiful, but Garrett had to admit she had an appealing face. She was far too thin to be the type of woman he’d normally be attracted to, but she had a face that reminded him of the picture in his Bible of Mary, Jesus’ mother. Her face was unadorned by makeup, and pure and pleasant looking. She had large, green, almond-shaped eyes, an oval face, and a peaceful, serene look about her. Her dark hair was tied back in a bun, and judging by the appearance of it, he could tell her hair was probably waist-length, clean, and shiny. He almost felt sorry for her. Charles was definitely not husband material. He wished he could somehow warn her.

When they sat down at the table to eat, Garrett excused himself. “If you don’t mind, I have a few things to do in my room," he said. "I’ll leave you two for a bit, but if you need me…”

“That’s fine, Garrett. Thank you,” Charles said.

“It was a pleasure seeing you again, Garrett,” Amber said with a southern twang that Garrett found amusing, and he thought he might like to have stayed to hear more of it. Instead, he gave her a nod, followed by another half-smile, and left them.

When Charles returned after having escorted Amber back to Mrs. Smith’s, Garrett cornered him. “Why are you doing this to that poor, young woman?”

“What do you mean?”

Garrett shook his head. Charles didn’t even have the decency to look guilty or puzzled. “You can’t get married, you’re—”

“I’ve no other choice, Garrett! I need her dowry.”

“The young woman expects a normal, marital relationship with children. How can you deny her that? What will you give her to replace what she’s giving you?”

“A home and security,” Charles said. “I can give her all that.”

“I certainly hope you can, but you need to be a real husband as well,” Garrett said sternly. “And I certainly hope you’re right about Clint being all right with this plan of yours. Does he even know about this?”

“No. Don’t worry about it—Clint’s my problem.”

Garrett stared hard at Charles. He’d thought he knew his younger brother well and was sorry to discover he was wrong. He turned and walked out the door. He’d continue looking for an apartment. He couldn’t stay there and watch Charles destroy a young woman’s life. No woman deserved to be mistreated this way. He knew he couldn’t just stand by and watch him ruin her life, but it had already gone too far for him to stop. Charles wouldn’t listen to him, besides, so he had no choice but to leave so he’d not have to see her being mistreated.

“My, but you look lovely, Amber. Where are you and Charles going tonight?”

Amber twirled around so Mrs. Smith could see the newest rage, the bustle on the back of her dress.

“It’s lovely. Won’t it be uncomfortable to sit with?” Edna asked.

“It is a bit, but the dressmaker said I’d get used to it.”

“That light green sure brings out the color of your eyes; it’s lovely. Charles will be stunned.”

“I doubt that, Mrs. Smith. He seldom compliments me, or looks at me in the same way my fiancé had.”

“Please, call me Edna—you had a fiancé?”

“I did. Frank. He was killed in the war.”

Edna patted her shoulder. “I’m sorry about your betrothed, but you have to realize that men out here in Kansas are a bit different. In fact, I’m sure you've found many differences from what you're used to in Virginia.”

“Edna, you have no idea how different all of this is. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wondered if I made the right decision in coming here.”

“I bet that’s Charles coming in now.” She cupped her hands to her mouth and called out, “We’re in the sitting room, Charles!”

Charles walked in, nodded to Edna, and took Amber’s hand. “I’m taking you to The Soup Bowl.” He pulled her toward the door. “You look lovely. Let’s go.”

Amber tried to hide her disappointment. Soup Bowl? She knew she was overdressed, but he didn’t even look at her before saying she looked lovely. She hoped Edna was right, and it was just the difference between southern men and western men.

The place was clean, at least, and the food tolerable. Afterward, Charles took her for a stroll alongside a small creek. She hoped he'd kiss her so she'd be able to tell if they were at least physically attracted to one another.

Charles led her to a large area near the creek where the land had been cleared and a number of benches had been set so they were at an angle to the creek.

“This is our park. Garrett and I used to come here and catch frogs on the banks of this creek. People come here often to picnic, mostly on Sundays,” Charles said, as he led her to a bench. He sat down beside her and took her hand. “Our reverend conducts baptisms here too.”

“It’s lovely,” she told him. In her mind, she tried to compare this park to Richmond’s Gambler’s Hill Park, and found this one lacking, since it hadn’t any statues, pigeons, or paths for buggies here, just a few benches and a muddy creek.

Charles’s hands felt warm and soft, and she wished with all her might that he’d look at her with some desire. Was it too soon for that?  Should she try to encourage him?

She turned to him and said, “Charles…”

And at the same time, he turned to her and said, “Amber…”

They laughed, and that seemed to break the tension.

“What were you going to say, Charles?”

He cleared his throat and squeezed her hand. “I wondered when would you like to marry?”

“Do you
really
want to marry me, Charles?” she asked.

“Of course I do. You’re perfect.”

“Why do you want me for your wife? I want children and a happy home, yet our relationship so far has been somewhat…detached.”

“I want to marry you because I like you, your appearance, and your personality. I enjoy being with you, and I think we could be very happy together. Affection will come, before long, I’m sure of it.”

Amber frowned.

“What is it?” Charles asked with concern. “Was that the wrong answer?”

Amber looked down at her hand in his. “How will we know if we're physically drawn to each other?”

“Don’t worry,” he said with a chuckle. “I have two friends who married women from newspaper ads and they're doing very well. They said it takes time—that you learn to love each other, and the physical desire comes later. I'd planned for us to marry and sleep separately for a while until we both felt that desire.”

Amber thought about what he'd said, but she wasn't convinced. “I’ll need some time to think about this,” she said.

“I got the marriage license this morning, so whenever you’re ready, just say the word.”

“I will, but shouldn’t we kiss or something?” she asked with a shrug.

Charles’s eyes widened. “I’m not sure we're ready for that step yet, but if it'll help you make up your mind, I’m willing to oblige.” He gave her a boyish smile.

“I would actually,” she said with a blush.

Charles shrugged, leaned over, gave her lips a quick smack, and then sat back and smiled as if he'd accomplished something daring.

Early Sunday morning Edna woke Amber up. “C’mon, church starts at nine sharp, and we have to eat first. The coffee is perking.”

Amber sat up and rubbed her eyes.

“Unless you’d rather not go. I never did ask if you were a church-goer or not.”

“Oh, yes, I am. My family has their very own pew at Immanuel…at least, we did before the war. After the Yankees set our church on fire we took turns with other parishioners having services in our homes until a new church could be built.”

“I am so sorry, dear. War is a horrible thing.” She turned to leave, “Eggs and toast all right?”

“Yes, that’s fine, Edna.”

Edna and Amber walked the short distance to the church, which turned out to be the smallest church Amber had ever seen. It had no steeple or double doors but was a single floor, square, clapboard building with a huge bell hanging near the front door. Edna explained that the building also served as the schoolhouse during the week.

There were no pews as there were in Amber’s church, but someone had set up a row of crude benches. Edna and Amber were some of the first to arrive and they took a seat in the third row.

“The first two rows are reserved,” Edna explained.

“Oh, for the richer families?” Amber asked.

“Oh, my, no!” Edna said holding her hand to her chest. “The first two rows are for the children and the schoolteacher.”