Mail Order Madness Read online

  “He was doing a story of a murder in Hell’s Half Acre. The Acre is an area in Fort Worth where the brothels and saloons are. He would never have gone there if he hadn’t had to for a story. He was really excited about meeting you.” David spoke quickly.

  Susan knew she should grieve Jesse, but frankly, she’d never met the man. She was grieving the life she had imagined having with him. Finally, she collected her thoughts. “I’m sorry for your loss.” But what am I going to do?

  David nodded. “Thank you.” He paused for a moment, looking at the girl beside him. He’d come planning to ask her to let him take Jesse’s place, but the shock on her face made him wonder if that was smart. “Let’s find you a boarding house for tonight, and we’ll talk about some options for you.” He stood and picked up her bag. “I made arrangements at a small boarding house to the south of town, because I live down that way. My buggy is this way.” He led her through the streets to the buggy parked in front of a lawyer’s office. “I had to talk to him about Jesse’s affairs this morning.”

  Susan wondered if there was enough to pay her fare home for a brief moment, but then decided no matter what, she was staying. Surely there was someone somewhere who needed a cook or maid. She wasn’t above working for a living. “Okay.”

  He helped her into the buggy, and she stared straight ahead, wondering what she could possibly say to the man sitting beside her. “I have a proposition for you if you want to hear it.”

  She turned to him quickly. “A job?” Oh, please have a job for me. I don’t want to go back and live with ‘the demon horde’.

  He shook his head. “No, more of an arrangement.”

  She sighed. “I need a job.” She turned to face the front of the buggy again.

  “Well, maybe not. You see, after Jesse told me he’d sent off for a mail order bride, I decided I’d do the same thing. I was about to send off for a wife myself. Would you be willing to marry me instead of Jesse?”

  Her eyes widened. “I don’t know anything about you.” Of course, she’d met him and she’d never met Jesse. She already knew him better than she ever knew his brother who she was planning to marry.

  “Honestly? I’m a lot like my brother. I’m a Christian. I’m twenty-eight years old. I’m a rancher. I inherited our parents’ spread a few years ago.”

  Susan’s mind worked rapidly. Would it be so bad to just marry him? Sure, she’d planned to marry another man, but he was dead. She couldn’t marry him, and since she’d never met him, she wasn’t exactly in love with him. The man beside her was handsome, and seemed intelligent enough. “Why haven’t you married already if you’re twenty-eight?”

  “I did. She died in child birth two years ago.” His voice sounded hollow.

  She looked over at him. He’d had so much loss in his life. His parents, his brother and his wife? “The baby?”

  “The babies were fine.”

  Babies? “Twins?” She had younger brothers who were twins. Did she really want to deal with two year old twins?

  “Yeah. Both boys.”

  Boys. Could she be an instant mother to two boys? It certainly wasn’t the situation she’d wanted, but she was good with children. “Are they well behaved?”

  He shrugged. “They’re two. I don’t really know if there’s another way to answer that.”

  She sighed. There really wasn’t. Two year olds were just two. They had their good moments and their bad. “Would it be okay if I met them before I make my decision?”

  He looked surprised, but nodded. “Of course. Why don’t I pick you up at the boarding house and have you over for dinner tonight?” He pulled the buggy to a halt and jumped down. “I’ll be here around five if that’s okay.”

  She had no clue what time it was, but guessed it couldn’t be much past noon. She’d have time to eat lunch, get a bath and maybe even a nap before going out there. “That sounds fine.”

  He carried her carpet bag to the house and knocked on the door. A woman who looked to be in her sixties came to the door. “Ah, Mr. Dailey. Is this the lady you told me about?”

  “Yes, ma’am. This is Susan Miller. Susan, this is Mrs. Duckworth.”

  Susan smiled. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Come in. Come in.” Susan stepped inside, but was surprised when Mrs. Duckworth stopped David. “Not you. This is a ladies’ boarding house.”

  He nodded. “Okay. I’ll leave her with you then. I’ll see you at five.”

  “Five,” Susan agreed. As soon as he’d closed the door behind him, Susan looked around. The house was clean and the furniture of good quality, although worn. “Is it possible for me to take a bath?”

  Mrs. Duckworth nodded. “I was going to insist.”

  Susan laughed. “I’ve been traveling for ten days. A little boy vomited on me on the train. Repeatedly.”

  Mrs. Duckworth made a face. “I can smell that.” She turned and led the way up the stairs. “I’ll show you your room, and then bring the tub up for you.”

  “Thank you so much. I promise, I don’t usually look or smell this way.”

  “I’m happy to hear it.” Mrs. Duckworth smiled at Susan. She showed her the room. “Your first two nights have been paid for. We’ll work out what to do after that.”

  The room was small, but adequate. There was a single bed, dresser and a small mirror. “This will be perfect for me. Thank you.”

  Susan waited until Mrs. Duckworth had left the room before collapsing on the bed and burying her face in her hands. How could her perfect wedding day have dissolved into the kind of mess she was facing?

  Chapter Three

  By the time David returned at five to take her to dinner with his family at his ranch, Susan had bathed and washed her hair, eaten lunch and taken a nap. She was dressed in her new lavender dress with her hair back in a tight bun that she hoped made her look older than eighteen. She wanted the boys to immediately see her as an authority figure, because if she decided to marry David, she needed to have their complete respect from the first day. It wasn’t terribly important with the twins being so young, but she wasn’t going to risk making a weak first impression.

  She waited for him on the front porch, amazed at how hot it was. She’d never felt heat anything like what she had felt since stepping off the train. There was a slight breeze, but not really enough to cool her down as she sat in the rocker watching for David.

  He came alone and jumped down from his buggy to help her up. “You didn’t have to wait outside.”

  She laughed a little. “I was hoping to catch a breeze if I sat on the porch, but there wasn’t much breeze at all.”

  “I know it’s hot. You’ll be thankful come winter, though, because our winters are very mild here. We get snow only once or twice a year if that.” He walked around the buggy to get in beside her. “We have running water in my house as well, so you can take a cold bath during the day to cool down if you want to.”

  She turned to stare at him. “Running water? Really?” Susan had never even seen running water, let alone used it. At home they hauled the water from the well, and used the outhouse. Running water was a true luxury.

  “I had it put in as a wedding gift to my wife.”

  “What was her name?” She wanted him to feel like he could talk about his late wife to her anytime he wanted, so she asked a question to let him know the subject was open.

  “Caroline.”

  “How did you manage newborn twins without a wife?”

  He shrugged. “I hired a round-the-clock nurse for them.” He didn’t add that they’d always used nurses for the boys. He didn’t want her to marry him because of the material things he could provide. He honestly wanted a woman who would be a good wife to him. He didn’t think she cared about his wealth because she’d agreed to marry his brother who had come right out and told her she would have to live frugally for at least the first few years of marriage, but he couldn’t be too careful. Of course, none of the women in the area would marry him even though they
knew how rich he was.

  He’d had a long talk with the boys before leaving the house that evening telling them they were to be on their best behavior while Susan was there, and he would give them each a dollar. He told them how important it was to him to get a new wife and that they’d better not mess things up.

  “How far is it to the ranch?” she asked, feeling more nervous than she’d expected to. She was relatively certain she’d end up married to him, just because she was in a situation that required her to make quick decisions. She didn’t really want to be an instant mother, but if it was her only choice, then she’d do it in a heartbeat.

  “It’s about five miles. The drive takes right at thirty minutes.”

  “That far?” Somehow she’d expected him to live in the city like his brother, although she realized that was ridiculous. How could he be a rancher in the middle of the city?

  “Will you be upset to be away from the city?”

  She shook her head. “Not at all. I wasn’t looking forward to living in the city. I’ve always lived on a farm, so that’s what’s familiar to me.” She really didn’t think she’d like city life. Living in the country was something she’d always enjoyed.

  “Really? A farm? I didn’t realize. I never read your letters to Jesse, so I don’t know what you told him.”

  Susan nodded. “We had a few horses, some cows, and lots of chickens, but we were mainly crop farmers. I assume you raise beef cattle?” From what she’d read about Texas, beef was one of the primary exports.

  “Yes. I also have a side business where I train horses and sell them. It’s not the moneymaker the cattle are, but I enjoy it a lot more.”

  “How did you get into that?” She wasn’t sure what to say to him, and she found asking questions about others made for lively and interesting conversations.

  He shrugged. “I’ve actually been training horses since my parents were alive and owned the ranch. It was my own business that I used to make money. After my parents died, I made it a part of the ranch.” He looked over at her and smiled. “The boys love the horses. I think Albert may end up following in my footsteps and being a horse trainer.”

  She laughed. “You can’t tell that much about their personalities at two.”

  “Albert’s my eight year old.”

  She turned to stare at him in shock. “Eight year old? I thought you had two year old twins?”

  “I do. I have an eight year old, a six year old and two year old twins.”

  She swallowed hard. Four of them? He’d only mentioned two! “All boys?”

  “All boys.” He sighed. “We were hoping for a girl the last time. Caroline really wanted a daughter.”

  She wanted to insist he turn the buggy around and take her back to the boarding house immediately. She couldn’t do that, though. She had nowhere to go really. She sighed. “Four boys.” Could she deal with four boys? Were they both wasting their time?

  He gave her a surprised look. “You don’t like boys?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t not like boys. I was really hoping to not be an instant mother, though. Four boys is a lot to take on.”

  He needed her to change her mind. He needed a wife and a mother for his boys before he went through every nanny in the state of Texas. “Will you meet them before you make your decision?”

  She nodded reluctantly. She really didn’t feel like she had a choice in the matter. “I’ll meet them.”

  He took her hand in his and squeezed it. “I’ll make you a deal. If you don’t want to marry me, I’ll pay your train ticket home, no questions asked.”

  She turned to him in surprised. “You’d really do that?” She couldn’t fault his generosity. He didn’t know her, and he didn’t have to agree to do something like that for her.

  David nodded. “But you have to agree to give my kids a chance. They’re good boys.” Deep down somewhere, there’s good in them. No, I’m not being fair. They are good. They’re just a lot more active and rambunctious than most women like to see.

  He pointed out his property line as they passed it, and she stared at the open expanse of prairie land. There were barbed wire fences that came up to the road, and she could see a herd of cattle grazing in the field. “Wow, so many of them. And all yours?”

  He laughed. “This is one small portion of the herd. I keep them divided up into ten sections for grazing.”

  Her eyes opened wide in awe. She’d gone to Texas to marry a struggling newspaperman, and she was being offered the opportunity to be the wife of a rich rancher. If money meant anything to her, she would jump on the chance. In fact, she knew a lot of girls who would marry him just for his wealth, but she wasn’t one of them. She would judge him on his own merits.

  It was a full five minutes before he pulled up in front of a large white wooden house and parked. The house was as big as any she’d ever seen. Harriett Long’s house had certainly been more elegant, but it wasn’t any bigger than David’s house.

  He walked around the buggy and helped her down, handing the reins off to a man. “Unhitch it for me. I’ll let you know when I’m ready to take her back to town.”

  “Yes, sir.” The young man was around her age and obviously was one of David’s employees. Her family farm was just that. A family farm. Every member of the family who was old enough worked hard to keep it going. David obviously employed people to keep his ranch working for him.

  David slipped his hand beneath her elbow and led her up the three steps to the front porch. The porch was huge and went around the house. There was a porch swing along with several rocking chairs. Her feet were mauled by three black and white puppies as she stood there. Giggling, she crouched down to stroke their heads. “They’re adorable.”

  “We’re just keeping one. We’re looking for homes for two of the others.”

  She stood up. “I love dogs. We’ve had several back home.” She wondered if any of them had been painted lavender since she’d left.

  He opened the door and said a silent prayer that all would be well. He’d left Mrs. Hackenshleimer, the boys’ new nanny, in charge and she seemed to be a no-nonsense type woman. She’d raised five boys of her own and now was more than willing to take on the task of other people’s children.

  Mrs. Hackenshleimer had the boys sitting on the couch, all formally dressed and looking out of place. She walked to the door and held her hand out for Susan. “I’m Ada Hackenshleimer,” she said in her thick German accent.

  Susan smiled at the woman. She was tall, and round, with dark hair and dancing brown eyes. “Are you the boys’ nanny?” The woman nodded at her. “I’m Susan.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, miss.” She turned to David. “Would you like me to stay this evening?”

  David thought about it for a moment, and decided to keep her there for the evening. She had a calming influence on the boys because she hadn’t been their nurse long enough for them to find her weak points. “Yes, please. Will you have dinner with us?”

  Mrs. Hackenshleimer shook her head. “Absolutely not. I’ll eat in the kitchen with the rest of the staff. I’ll be out as soon as you’re finished dining.”

  David was afraid to argue with her pronouncement. She intimidated him as much as she did the boys. He wanted to say, “Yes, Ma’am” as she left, but that last time he’d done that, she’d told him to stop being cheeky, so instead he watched her disappear into the kitchen. He could hear her tell Sadie the cook and housekeeper who had been with the family since before he was born that the family was ready for dinner.

  David took Susan’s hand and introduced her to the boys. “This is my oldest boy, Albert. He’s eight. Next to him is Lewis. He’s six. Then the twins are Thomas and Walter. Thomas is the red head and Walter is the blond.” He pointed to each boy as he introduced them.

  She smiled down at the four of them all looking up at her expectantly. “It’s nice to meet you all. I’m sorry to hear about your uncle.” She hadn’t decided yet if she was more sorry for them or for herself, thoug
h.

  Albert nodded solemnly obviously the spokesman for the four boys. “We really miss him. He was our only relative other than Pa. I sure hope you’ll decide to stay and be our ma.”

  “Well, I’m here to meet you and we’ll decide.” She looked at the boys trying to memorize their names quickly. She noted that the two older boys both had dark brown hair like their father, while the twins were lighter. Albert and Lewis looked so much like their father it was startling, while the twins had a totally different look. They must take after their mother, she thought.

  They all turned at the call of dinner from an older woman. Susan watched her as she placed the food on the table. If she wasn’t a relative, then who was she? Surely he didn’t have two servants in the house!

  David saw Susan’s confused look and introduced her. “Sadie, this is Susan. She’s the woman I told you about. Susan, this is Sadie. She’s been with my family since before I was born. She runs this house, although she lets me think I do.”

  Sadie put the platter of fried chicken on the table. “Don’t you try to sweet talk me now, David. I already made your favorite dessert. There’s nothing else you need from me.” She turned and went back into the kitchen.

  Susan could see that the table had already been set and they were just waiting for her and David to arrive to put the food on so they could all eat. Sadie emerged from the kitchen again with a huge bowl of mashed potatoes and another of gravy. Then she went to the kitchen to return with a bowl of green beans and some bread on a wooden board shaped like a paddle.

  Susan smiled at Sadie. “That all looks delicious. I’ve been eating train food for over a week. A home cooked meal will do me a world of good.” She truly was thankful to have food other than sandwiches to eat.

  Sadie looked Susan up and down. “You’re too thin. You need to eat up. If you come live with us, I’ll do my best to fatten you up.”

  Susan laughed. “I don’t know that I need fattening, but I appreciate the gesture.” David held out a chair for her at the foot of the table and she took her seat, trying to act as if she were seated by a man every day, but feeling very awkward.