RNWMP: Bride for Theodore (Mail Order Mounties Book 0) Read online

  After dinner in the hotel’s restaurant, they walked the eight blocks to the Forsythe Theater. It was a beautiful night, though a little warmer than Miss Hazel wanted. She kept fanning her face with her hand and mumbled something about “blasted hot flashes” under her breath.

  As they waited in the lobby of the theater for the doors to open, Miss Hazel struck up a conversation with a woman who was close to her age. “I’ve never been to Boston before, have you?”

  The woman, a striking blonde with beautiful green eyes, nodded. “I have lived very close to Boston my entire life. My hometown, Beckham, is just a thirty-minute train ride from here.”

  “Do you come here to see plays often?” Jess asked, very curious about how things were done in the USA. She knew their countries had similar backgrounds, and geographically were close, but how similar were their daily lives?

  The blonde shook her head. “No, I wish I did. I have a matchmaking business, and I spend most of my time working or raising children. My husband insisted we needed to get away for a while, though.”

  The blond man beside her put his arm around her waist, as if he seemed to think she was in danger. “The doors should be opening any minute, Elizabeth.”

  “A matchmaking business?” Miss Hazel asked. “I didn’t realize it was the custom to have a formal matchmaker here in the states.”

  Elizabeth laughed. “No, it’s not at all. I match women from the East up with lonely men in the West. Mail order brides are my business.”

  Miss Hazel’s eyes widened. “And people you’ve matched are happy?”

  “Oh, yes. I haven’t failed yet.”

  Jess stood quietly watching as Miss Hazel seemed to light up from within, the same way she had at the church when she’d announced they were going to travel the world. She was almost nervous at what the older woman must be thinking.

  Finally, Miss Hazel looked at Jess. “Jessica Sanderson, you’re about to become my son’s mail order bride and my daughter-in-law!”

  2

  Jess stared at Miss Hazel in shock. “You can’t just decide to marry me off to Theodore! I really don’t think he’d appreciate your meddling.”

  “I’m not meddling. I’m helping him. He misses my cooking. We’ll go home, and I’ll teach you how to fix all of his favorite dishes. Then I’ll write him a letter and tell him we’re coming to see him.”

  Elizabeth frowned. “You really must get a man’s permission before you bring him a bride.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry, I should introduce myself. I’m Elizabeth Tandy.”

  “I’m Hazel Hughes. My son is a Mountie, fighting in the West. Men outnumber women all over Canada, but it’s so much worse out West. I’ll feel much better about him being gone once I know that he’s happily married and has three decent meals a day.”

  “Miss Hazel, this is not a good idea.”

  “Oh, you hush. You’ve never been in love. What do you know?” Miss Hazel rubbed her hands together eagerly. “We’re taking the first train back to Ottawa tomorrow. I’m sure Teddy will thank us both.”

  “But…” Jess needed to find a stronger argument. She loved Theodore so much, but if he had no feelings for her, she didn’t want to be married to him.

  Miss Hazel frowned. “Would it help if I got his permission?”

  “Yes! That would help a great deal!” Jess shook her head. “You can’t control his life now that he’s thirty, and a Mountie besides!”

  Mrs. Tandy shook her head. “I think you’re making a mistake, but as long as he agrees to it, you’re fine.”

  “Yes, I am fine. Thank you for the brilliant idea, Mrs. Tandy!”

  “You’re…welcome.” The couple went into the theater to find their seats and they were separated then.

  Jess had a feeling her life would never be the same.

  Just over a week after they left Ottawa, Jess and Miss Hazel returned. On the journey back, Miss Hazel had been very specific with what the plan was. Jess would stay with her, learn everything she needed to learn to be a good wife to Theodore, and they would leave as soon as they had permission to come from Theodore.

  She’d argued that she needed to live with her parents, but Hazel had flat out refused. They had been in favor of her being Miss Hazel’s traveling companion, and they’d travel together in another couple of weeks.

  It was close to three weeks later when the letter arrived from Theodore saying that he would be happy for Jess to come. Jess couldn’t believe it. She’d been sure Theodore had no feelings for her. He probably couldn’t even remember who she was. No matter, he’d agreed to marry her, and she was thrilled. In two days, they’d be on a train and headed to British Columbia.

  Jess had clothes strewn all over her room the following day when her friends JoAnn and Lisa arrived. JoAnn leaned against the wall, while Lisa stretched out on Jess’s bed. “I don’t want you to go,” Lisa said. “I want you to stay here so we can be friends forever.”

  Jess frowned at her friend. “We’re going to be friends forever whether I live here or in British Columbia. I’ll write every week.”

  Lisa threw one of Jess’s pillows at her head. “It won’t be the same!”

  JoAnn hid a smile. “I’ll still be here, Lisa. We’ll have fun together.”

  Lisa looked for another soft projectile but came up with only a shoe. She deliberately threw it a foot to the left of Jess’s head, because though she wanted to express her frustration, she couldn’t bear to hurt her friend.

  Jess glared at Lisa. “Stop throwing my possessions!”

  “But you’re leaving me!”

  Jess walked over to sit on the bed beside Lisa, patting her friend’s good arm. Lisa had been deprived of oxygen at birth and she had something called cerebral palsy. Her left arm didn’t work right all the time, and she walked with a bit of a limp. “I am leaving. But part of me will always be in your heart. You can write to me anytime. And I believe that someday, they’ll have telephone lines that stretch all the way across Canada, so we’ll be able to talk to each other when that happens.”

  “Still won’t be the same,” Lisa said, a tear coursing down her cheek.

  “No, it won’t. But you’ll have JoAnn and your parents. You’ll still have a life that is full. I’ll miss you terribly.”

  Lisa gave a half-smile. “That’s what I needed to hear. That you’ll miss me too.”

  Jess nodded. “How could I not? You and JoAnn are the sisters I’ve always wished for. I’ll miss you both every day. But…I want to marry and have babies. This is the way for me to do that.”

  JoAnn walked over and sat on Lisa’s other side. “We’ll endeavor to have so much fun that Jess with regret leaving, because we’ll send her letters full of all the things we’re doing without her.”

  Jess held her hand palm up for Lisa’s. “Friends forever.”

  Lisa nodded, resting her head on Jess’s shoulder for a moment. “Friends forever.” She reached over and grasped JoAnn’s hand as well. “Friends who will be together and rubbing Jess’s nose in it forever.”

  JoAnn laughed. “I’ll miss you, Jess.”

  Theodore and his small group of Mounties were stationed in Squirrel Ridge Junction, but they served many villages in the area. They took turns riding out to different parts of their vast territory, and one of the men usually stayed at the base so they could keep the peace.

  Their base consisted of five small homes and an office building with a jail. The train stopped right there in Squirrel Ridge Junction, a town consisting of mostly trappers and farmers.

  Theodore and his friend Joel had gone to the academy together, and they were thrilled to be working there together. Joel was in charge of the post, which meant he was often stuck with office duty, which suited Theodore just fine. He liked to be outdoors, riding around the countryside. His horse was his only companion when he was out in the field.

  Theodore wasn’t thrilled that he was the one in the office, but his mother and her traveling companion were due to arrive on the
afternoon train. He was going to bunk with Joel while they were in town, and give the ladies his cabin. It wasn’t much, but it was better than sleeping in a tent. He was looking forward to a few days of his mother fussing over him and some good homecooked meals. She’d never come to see him before, and the idea of her cooking was enough to make bunking with Joel worth it.

  When he heard the train whistle, he plopped his hat atop his head and strode out of the office toward the station. It had been several years since he’d seen his mother, and he was ready. It was time.

  When he spotted her, the girl beside her looked a little familiar, but he couldn’t figure out at first where he knew her from. And then it hit him. Jessica Sanderson. She was the girl who had followed him home from school one day. She was—well as nice as Jessica was, she’d always been so busy mooning over him that it had made him uncomfortable. Why was she here?

  His mother spotted him and hurried toward him. She moved like a woman half her age and size, and he always worried he was going to have to remember every bit of his first aid training when he saw her run that way.

  He opened his arms wide, hugging her tight. “I missed you, Mom.”

  “Oh, pshaw. You missed my cooking!”

  He laughed softly. “That too!” His eyes went to Jess, standing a bit behind his mother. “I’m going to stay with Joel so you and Jessica can have my cabin.”

  “You remember Jess?” she asked, excitedly. “I’m so glad! I brought her to be your bride! There is a preacher in town, isn’t there?” She looked around her as if she expected a preacher to pop his head up at any moment.

  Theodore stared at his mother for a moment before shaking his head adamantly. “I’m not marrying her. I don’t know her at all, and what I do know of her is not something I want to be married to. It’s not happening, so you can just take her right back to Ottawa.”

  “Theodore! Don’t you be rude!”

  “Me? You don’t think it’s rude to bring me a bride with absolutely no notice?” He took a deep breath, trying his best not to lose his temper. She was his mother, and he loved her. “Why?”

  “You told me how lonely you were.”

  “I never said any such thing!”

  She frowned at him. “I can read between the lines. You said that you missed my cooking, and you’d marry if there were women available.”

  “That I did not say. I said I knew you’d tell me to marry, but there were no women available. Those are two very different things!”

  “Maybe so, but I taught Jess to make all your favorite meals. She’s a lovely young lady, and I think if you’ll take the time to get to know her, you’ll adore her as much as I do.” She shrugged. “I always figured that if I could choose my own daughter-in-law, I’d choose her.”

  “But, Mom, you don’t get to choose your own daughter-in-law. Of all the crazy schemes you’ve come up with, this is by far the worst! I’m not marrying someone just because you think I should.”

  Jess couldn’t stand there another minute. She was humiliated. She walked over to Theodore and offered her hand. “I see you remember me. Your mother told me you’d agreed for me to come. I thought you wanted to marry me. I’m very sorry for the confusion.”

  Theodore frowned. “I did agree for you to come. As her traveling companion. Nothing was ever said about marriage!”

  Jess couldn’t believe it. How could Miss Hazel do this to her? “Well, you know what? If you feel that strongly about not marrying me, then I’ll just take the next train home to Ottawa. I’m sorry to have inconvenienced you this way.” She walked over to a bench on the boardwalk in front of a small store, plopping her bottom onto it. “When does the next train come through?”

  Theodore removed his hat and ran his fingers through his hair. “Thursday.”

  “Well, that’s perfect then, isn’t it? It’s Thursday.”

  “It is Thursday. And the train that would pick you up just left.”

  Jess sighed. “I guess we’re stuck with each other for the next week then.”

  “I guess we are.”

  The whole time they were getting settled into the cabin, Jess said nothing to Miss Hazel. As much as she loved the woman, she’d crossed a line. Jess had traveled for days thinking she was going to meet the man she loved and spend the rest of her life with him. He’d had no idea he was expected to marry her.

  She sighed as she started a fire in the stove. She was sure there was another bachelor in the small town who would marry her, but she couldn’t bear to spend the rest of her life living that close to Theodore, knowing he felt nothing for her. She put a pot onto the stove and added the chicken so it could boil. Theodore had the ingredients for chicken and dumplings—his favorite meal—on hand so his mother could cook. She’d help. That was why she’d learned to make it, after all.

  Miss Hazel walked up behind Jess and put her hand on her arm. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

  Jess shrugged. “I’ll survive.”

  “I didn’t know you were in love with him.”

  Jess closed her eyes, embarrassed beyond belief. “Was it so obvious? Do you think he knew?”

  “Oh, no. He wouldn’t have known…but he’s a man, and he doesn’t know you like I do. If I’d asked you to marry someone else, would you have agreed?”

  Jess shook her head. “How can I marry someone else when I’ve been in love with Theodore since I was ten years old? It’s just not possible.”

  Miss Hazel pulled her down into a hug. Jess was tall for a woman, and Miss Hazel wasn’t. Her back hurt a little by the time the older woman released her, but the hug had felt good. Motherly. For all of her years expecting to spend the rest of her life a spinster, she’d never felt as completely alone in the world as she had since she’d set foot in Squirrel Ridge Junction.

  “I’m so sorry I’ve hurt you so. I’ll make it right. I promise.”

  Jess laughed. “How on earth do you think you can make this right? He doesn’t love me, and he’s angry with me for being here. Of course you can’t make it right!”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  “Don’t. Please. Don’t try to throw us together. Don’t try to make him love me. If he can’t see what a gem I am, then he’s not worthy of my affection.” Jess said the words lightly, trying to sound as if she was joking. The tear trickling down her cheek gave her away, though.

  “All right, dear. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you.”

  Theodore stood outside the door to his own cabin, feeling like a heel. He’d hurt Jess’s feelings, and he knew it. He hadn’t meant to, but the shock of his mother bringing him a bride—well, it was too much even for him to bear. Now he had to be extra kind to Jessica to keep from feeling even worse.

  He knocked twice on the door, and his mother opened it wide. “Teddy, come in. Jess was just finishing up supper. She made your favorite.”

  He winced. His mother was going to keep trying to throw them together. He could feel it. That was the last thing he needed. “Thank you for cooking for me, Jessica.”

  “Please, call me Jess. No one calls me Jessica except my mother when she’s angry with me.” Her eyes didn’t meet his, but she didn’t seem upset. That was a good start.

  “Okay, Jess. Supper smells wonderful.” He’d brought over a couple of extra chairs from the office so there would be a place for them all to sit. “One night while you’re here, you’re going to have to cook for all of my friends, Mom. We all miss home cooking, and their moms cook for me when they visit.”

  “I’m not sure I’m going to feel up to it. I feel a cold coming on. I’m sure Jess would do it though.” Mom stood, rubbing the back of her hand against her forehead. “In fact, I think I’m going to go and rest. You two have supper without me.”

  She walked into the small bedroom and shut the door, leaving Theodore alone with Jess. “I…I’m sorry I was rude to you earlier,” he said, hating that they were alone. He wanted to throttle his mother, but he was an officer of the law, and that would
never do.

  “It’s all right. In your shoes, I have no idea what I would have said. Please know that I had no part in her scheme. I truly thought you knew that I was coming.”

  Theodore watched her as she put the food on the table, feeling worse by the minute. “I believe you. Mother is…well, she doesn’t seem to follow the same rules that the rest of the world does. She didn’t mean to hurt either one of us.”

  “Oh, I’ve known Miss Hazel forever and I absolutely adore her. I know she wouldn’t hurt me for anything.” Jess sat down and put her napkin in her lap. “Would you mind saying grace for us, Mr. Hughes?”

  He nodded, bowing his head and saying a simple prayer. He took a bite of his chicken and dumplings before saying another word. “These are wonderful. They’re even better than Mom’s, but don’t tell her I said that.”

  “Oh, of course not. She thinks she taught me to make chicken and dumplings, but the truth is I’ve been making them for years.”

  He grinned. “You surprise me.”

  “Oh? How so?”

  “I remember you as a little girl with your hair in braids and scabs on your elbows. You followed me home from school one day, and you didn’t seem to even know where you were. You were a little bit spooky.”

  She laughed gaily, trying to hide the hurt. “I’m sorry. I was daydreaming and just ended up following you, I guess. That was a strange day.”

  “It was.” He didn’t bother to mention how many times he’d caught her following him at recess. “So what do you do back in Ottawa?”

  “Until your mother talked me into quitting my job so we could travel the world together, I was a teller at a bank. Now I suppose I’m unemployed, but I did get to see Boston.”

  “Mom wrote that she was going to travel the world with a companion, and the next thing I knew, she was coming here. Why didn’t you continue traveling?” he asked, taking another big bite of the dumplings. He hadn’t been lying when he said they were better than his mother’s. He’d never eaten anything that tasted quite so wonderful.