Nelly's Mail Order Husband Read online

  Husbands for the Larson Sisters: Book 1

  Nelly’s

  Mail Order

  Husband

  Ruth Ann Nordin

  This is a work of fiction. The events and characters described herein are imaginary and are not intended to refer to specific places or living persons. The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and also represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher.

  Nelly’s Mail Order Husband

  All Rights Reserved.

  Copyright 2019 Ruth Ann Nordin

  Book Cover Design by: Yellow Prelude Design, LLC

  Cover Photo image of background Dreamstime.com. www.dreamstime.com. All rights reserved – used with permission.

  Cover Photo of couple Period Images. https://www.periodimages.com All rights reserved – used with permission.

  This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without expressed written consent of the publisher/author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  More Larson Books

  All Books by Ruth

  Where to Find Ruth

  Chapter One

  June 1893

  Omaha, Nebraska

  Nelly Larson wiped her mouth with the napkin next to her plate. If she ate another bite, she just might burst. She should have remembered how hard it was to resist her ma’s cooking, especially when Patricia helped her.

  Her ma set a plate of cookies in the center of the table. “Eat up,” she told Nelly’s pa and three younger sisters. “I don’t want any of these left after this evening. I have trouble resisting them since they have chocolate in them.” She sat at the opposite end of the table from where Nelly’s pa sat. “I can’t keep off the weight like I used to.”

  Nelly’s pa shook his head as he reached forward to grab a handful of cookies. “You’re just as slender as you were the day we married.”

  “That’s because I work at it,” her ma replied. “I’m not like Margaret. Margaret naturally keeps weight off. She can eat whatever she wants. It’s not fair.”

  “Margaret spends all day chasing her grandchildren around. That’s why she’s so slim.” He bit into a cookie then swallowed it. “How many grandchildren does she have anyway?”

  “Charlotte just had her second child.” Nelly’s ma paused and mouthed the numbers as she counted all of the grandchildren her good friend now had. “All together, she has seven. Bob’s wife will have another one before the year is up. So, she almost has eight.”

  Erin picked up a cookie and asked Nelly, “Isn’t Charlotte the same age as you?”

  Nelly bristled. “Just because we’re the same age, it doesn’t mean I have to do the same things she does.”

  “No one is saying that,” Nelly’s ma hurried to interject. “You and Charlotte are two different people. You both have your own paths to follow. Though,” came a wistful tone in her voice, “it would be nice to see you married with a child or two. Babies are fun to hold.”

  Oh no. Not this again. Nelly had to fight the urge to glare at Erin. Lately, it seemed that whenever her ma was reminded of the fact that she was the same age as Charlotte, her ma couldn’t help but compare them. After a moment, the perfect retort came to mind.

  “Erin,” Nelly began, “if memory serves, Charlotte was married at nineteen. That’s the same age you are now. Where’s the young man who’s coming by to court you?”

  As Nelly hoped, this shifted her ma’s attention to her sister. “That reminds me,” her ma said, turning to Erin. “I ran into Alex while I was in town today. He asked about you.”

  Erin’s nose wrinkled in displeasure. “I hope you didn’t tell him he could court me.”

  “Of course, I didn’t,” her ma quickly assured her. “I just told him you were doing fine and that I’d tell you he said hello. That’s all.”

  Erin breathed an audible sigh of relief.

  “Why is everyone in such a hurry to get married and have children?” Nelly’s pa spoke up. “The girls have plenty of time to do all of that. There’s no harm in waiting for a little longer.”

  “With that attitude, I’m surprised you let Nelly get her own homestead this year,” Nelly’s ma replied.

  He shrugged. “She’s twenty-three. It’s about time she managed her own farm.”

  Her ma leaned forward in a way that let Nelly know she was about to pose a differing opinion. “She’d have a better time managing a farm if she had a husband’s help.”

  “What does she need with a husband?” he argued. “She has me, a couple of uncles, and plenty of cousins to assist her. Why, planting season was so good this year that Dave, Tony, Adam, and I had no trouble offering a week of our time to offer our assistance. She doesn’t need a husband. She’s managing just fine.”

  “I have everything I need,” Nelly agreed, glad he never hesitated to support her.

  Her ma didn’t hide her frustration. “While this has been a good year for planting, it doesn’t mean every year will be this good.” She looked at Nelly. “There will be a time when you’ll need help from someone who’s living on the property with you. This isn’t just about you having a husband and children. I’m being practical.”

  “Her fence is secure,” her pa jumped in. “My brother helped us build her a nice home and barn made of lumber so she won’t have to worry about constantly repairing ones made of sod.” He glanced at Nelly. “That will save you lots of time so you can focus on the crops and animals.” He directed his attention back to her ma. “We made sure she had plenty of food stored up in the root cellar, and she knows how to use a gun if a coyote or fox tries to get to the hens. There’s no emergency that’s going to come up where she’ll need a husband.”

  “Why don’t you come out and just admit the truth?” her ma asked. “You don’t think any man is going to be good enough for her. In fact, you don’t think any man is going to be good enough for any of our daughters.”

  “That’s not true. I’m sure there’s a man or two out there who are good enough for them. They just haven’t come along yet. We need to be patient and wait for them.”

  Though Nelly’s ma rolled her eyes, she didn’t persist in arguing with him. Instead, she drank her coffee.

  “Well, I’m going to get married,” sixteen-year-old Daisy, the youngest, piped up. “I’ve already made out a list of what he’ll look like and what he’ll be like. That way, when I meet him, I’ll know he’s mine right away.”

  Patricia, who was twenty-one, laughed. “You can’t predict what your future husband will be like.”

  “Why not?” Daisy asked. “Eva and I think it’s best to be prepared for the future. We see no reason to take our chances. We want to make sure we’re smart about picking the perfect man to marry.”

  Erin frowned. “Didn’t Eva pick Isaac to be her future husband?”

  Daisy nodded. “She did, but it didn’t work out. He married Emily instead.”

  Nelly’s pa’s eyes widened. “Is this your cousin Isaac? Dave and Mary’s kid?”<
br />
  Daisy looked at him in disbelief. “What other Isaac is there?” As her pa gave her ma a bewildered look, Daisy told Erin, “Eva and I are working on a new list for her. This time we’re going to make sure we don’t get things wrong.”

  Patricia snickered at her. “If you two messed things up with Isaac, how can you be sure you’ll get the next one right?”

  “Because we thought about it and realized Eva could never be happy with a farmer,” Daisy replied. “She loves learning, and she says he was never serious about his studies. She doesn’t even know why he went to school for as long as he did.”

  Erin giggled. “I can answer that. He went to be close to Emily. I could tell he was sweet on her since we were little. The two used to play games all the time until Uncle Dave put a stop to it.”

  “Not that it did any good,” Patricia pointed out. “The two eloped.”

  “Eva was devastated when she found out about it,” Daisy said. “She renewed her contract to be a teacher for another year.”

  Nelly shook her head. “I hope she didn’t do that just because of Isaac. I hope she did it because she wanted to continue teaching.”

  “She wasn’t going to renew her contract if Isaac had married her,” Daisy replied then ate one of her cookies.

  “What a silly thing to do. Doesn’t she enjoy teaching?” Nelly asked.

  Daisy nodded and sipped her milk. “Of course, she does. She loves the pursuit of knowledge and sharing it with others, but she also wants to get married and have children. She can’t do that and teach.”

  “Not everyone is like you, Nelly,” Erin said, a wistful look in her eyes. “In fact, most young women are hoping the right man will come along and whisk them off their feet.”

  “Right,” Patricia agreed. “There’s nothing wrong with a little romance in your life. Though you wouldn’t know that since your mind is always on the farm.”

  Nelly groaned. “If I was a man, no one would pester me about getting married. Plenty of men my age are still bachelors, and they’re happy.”

  “Your pa wasn’t happy being a bachelor,” her ma said. “When I met him, he was asking every young woman at the barn dance if they would dance with him. Why, he didn’t even have his own homestead at the time, and he was nineteen.”

  “That was a long time ago,” Nelly’s pa interrupted. “And besides, things are different now. With women insisting on doing more things themselves, it’s only right they decide whether or not they get married and, if they marry, there’s no rushing into it. Nelly can be a bachelor as long as she wants to be.”

  “The term wouldn’t be bachelor; it would be spinster,” Erin said.

  “Or old maid,” Patricia added.

  Erin and Patricia chuckled.

  Nelly sighed. She’d had enough. She rose to her feet. “I need to get home before it gets dark. Thanks for a good meal.”

  Her ma jumped up and followed her to the parlor. Nelly half-expected the rest of her family to do the same, but they remained seated. She couldn’t hear exactly what they were saying, though she was sure Erin made a comment on how difficult it would be for Nelly to marry at all when she insisted on wearing men’s clothes all the time. So what if Nelly liked to wear cotton shirts and denim pants? They made working on a farm much easier. Plus, when it was windy, she didn’t have to worry about her skirt flying up so everyone could see her bloomers.

  Nelly reached the front door and retrieved her hat from the hook.

  “You don’t think marriage is a horrible thing, do you?” her ma asked.

  She put the hat on her head then turned to face her ma. “You and pa are happy. Of course, I don’t think it’s horrible. I just don’t see why I have to get married just because I’m a woman.”

  “No one is saying you have to get married because you’re a woman. It’s just that marriage is a beautiful institution. I never regretted marrying your pa. He’s a wonderful man, and he’s been a good father to you and your sisters.”

  Nelly offered her a wry smile. “You like being with him because he gives you everything you want. Why else would he allow this house to be painted pink? No man in his right mind would allow such a ridiculous color to be on a house.” Even she had opted for the color green when it came time to paint her own home.

  “There’s nothing wrong with the color pink,” her ma replied. “It’s a lovely color.”

  “It’s not just the color of the house. You have frilly curtains in every room. You have flowers on the furniture, and most of the furniture is pink. Ma, I love you, but sometimes when I’m in this house, I feel like I’m stuck in a cake that Aunt Mary decorated. Pa only allows it because he loves you.”

  “Which is why marriage to the right man is a wonderful thing. I agree that you shouldn’t settle for just anyone, but with the way you’re acting, I’m afraid you’ll never give any of the bachelors around here a chance. I hate to say this, but when a woman reaches a certain age, she becomes less desirable. What if you wake up one morning and wish you had gotten married and had children? By then, it might be too late.”

  “It’s my life,” Nelly said. “Don’t I have a right to do what I want with it?”

  “Yes, you do,” her ma relented, “but I wouldn’t be doing my due diligence if I didn’t warn you to make sure this is really what you want. I don’t mind you running your own homestead. That part is fine. I just worry you’ll get lonely. Marriage is about companionship. It’s about sharing your life with someone.”

  “I share my life with you, Pa, and my sisters.”

  “I know, but it’s not the same. The right man can fill a void in your life that no one else can.”

  “I’m fine, Ma,” Nelly insisted as she opened the door. “I’m telling you the truth. I don’t need a man to make my life complete. I’m happy with things as they are.” Before her ma could offer another argument, she hurried to add, “I love you.” Then she quickly stepped outside and shut the door behind her. If it weren’t for her pa, she might go insane.

  Breathing a sigh of relief, Nelly hurried to her horse so she could go home.

  ***

  Meanwhile in Boston, Massachusetts

  Valentine Silverton had no money to his name. Actually, his family had no money. His father had just lost all of his money in a single investment. And that meant he had no inheritance. It meant his younger sister had no inheritance, too, but since she was only fourteen, he didn’t think she understood how serious the situation was.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have put everything I had into one investment,” his father said from across the dining room table. “I should have spread my money out across multiple investments. It’s just that for the past year that one investment has paid twenty percent of what I put into it. I never expected it to go bankrupt overnight.”

  Valentine slowly chewed his steak. This was probably going to be the last time he would eat a steak. From now on, he was going to be eating poor people food. He didn’t even know what kind of food they ate. He’d never had to think about it before. All he remembered was overhearing someone say that poor people had nothing but shoes to put in their soups. He was sure that person had been exaggerating. No one, after all, could eat a shoe. But perhaps the foods they did have were no better than shoes.

  Either way, he was probably going to find out what they ate soon enough. Which meant he should get as much enjoyment out of this meal as possible. So, in an effort to do so, he chewed the steak slowly, taking the time to savor it.

  “Valentine, the reason I’m bringing all of this up, as unpleasant as it is,” his father continued, “is because your mother and I have decided to go back to London.”

  Valentine stopped eating and stared at his father in disbelief. Then he glanced at his mother, who nodded that he’d heard his father right. Turning his attention back to his father, he asked, “Why would you go all the way back there?”

  “My brother will benefit from having me there since I am an earl.”

  Valentine couldn
’t believe what he was hearing. “What good is a title if you don’t have money?”

  “A title isn’t any good in this country. No one cares if you’re an earl or not. But over in London, a title is a huge benefit. My title may be the one thing your younger sister needs in order to secure a wealthy husband.”

  Valentine turned his gaze to his sister, Rachel, who, like his mother, had chosen to remain quiet.

  “If your mother and I can establish good connections,” his father continued, “then she will do well when it’s time to marry. We are hoping she’ll marry a wealthy gentleman who also has a title. Then her future will be secure.” He paused to sip his wine. After placing the glass back on the table, he took a deep breath. “Your future is not so certain. You’re twenty-five. Despite every lady I’ve introduced you to, you haven’t secured a betrothal.”

  “That’s because none of them interest me,” Valentine replied. “They’re all…” He struggled to come up with the right term, but it was impossible to nail down exactly why he hadn’t been inclined to propose to any of the ladies he’d been encouraged to court over the past six years. Finally, he settled for saying, “None of them seemed real.”

  “They’re just as real as you or me.”

  “Sure, they’re real as in being physically there. You can touch them and see them. It’s just that it’s hard to relate to them.” After a moment, he asked, “So, we’re all going to London?”

  “No. You’ll stay here. The rest of us will go to London,” his father replied.

  “Why?”

  His mother set down her fork and gave Valentine a smile that indicated he wasn’t going to like what she was about to say. “Rachel is a girl, and that being the case, her chances of marrying well are better than yours. Your uncle doesn’t know any ladies in London who would be willing to marry someone without any money.”