The Accidental Mail Order Bride Read online

“I do just fine.”

  “Not according to Caleb.”

  “Caleb?” What did the seven-year-old child have to do with this?

  “Caleb says you’re lonely, and Caleb’s never wrong when it comes to figuring people out.”

  “Caleb doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” Travis snapped. Then, taking a moment to calm down, he added, “I meant no disrespect. It’s just that the boy is wrong. I’m not lonely. I came out here because I wanted to be alone. I like it that way.”

  A long pause passed between them, and Travis thought that maybe—hopefully—Eric was finally going to stop this nonsense about him getting married.

  “He is only seven,” Eric conceded. “And you know better than anyone whether or not you’re lonely.” After a moment, he added, “Alright. I suppose I’ll go out there and tell Allie you won’t marry her.”

  “Good. She’ll be better off.”

  Eric removed his hat, wiped his brow, and then put it back on. “I hope so.”

  Travis frowned as Eric turned to head for the door. He knew he shouldn’t ask the question, but something in Eric’s tone told him he was worried. “What do you mean you hope so?”

  Even as he asked the question, he kicked himself for it. This was a trap. That’s all it was. Eric was playing him. But it was like finding that dead body in the ravine. Travis hadn’t wanted to look, but he’d felt compelled to.

  Eric didn’t turn back to him. He stared at the door, his shoulders slumped. “I don’t want to trouble you with it. It’s not your problem. It’s mine. I just need to figure out a way to tell her she needs to work at the saloon.”

  “What?” Travis bolted up without even thinking. Realizing his error, he quickly crouched back down. “She won’t have to work at the saloon.”

  Eric shook his head as he turned back toward Travis. “I’m afraid there’s no other choice. Carl Richie has already posted a mail-order bride ad, and I heard he got a response yesterday when the mail came in. You’re the only bachelor of marrying age left in this town. Allie can’t go back home. She’s got a full family. After the war, they lost nearly everything and have been struggling. She came out here to make a better life for herself. You ever gone to bed hungry, Travis?”

  Travis knew he was going to regret answering, but he did anyway. “No.”

  “Well, I have, and I can tell you it’s a hard thing to go through. It’s even worse when you don’t know where your next meal is going to come from. She can’t go back. Her family is barely hanging on as it is. The last thing they need is another mouth to feed. Anyway, like I said, it isn’t your problem. It’s mine.”

  “Why can’t you hire her to help you and Caroline out?”

  “You don’t know much about women, do you?”

  “I don’t know anything about women.” He was surprised Eric even asked such a ridiculous thing. “My mother died when I was two.”

  “Oh, in that case, you really don’t. The thing is, I was supposed to marry Allie, but I married Caroline instead. Things would be too awkward if I hired Allie to help Caroline. I’m sure they’d make an effort to get along, but it’d be awkward nonetheless.” Eric shrugged. “I’ll see if the saloon owner will be easy on her. You know, not give her too many customers in a night. She hasn’t known a man before. She’ll need to be gently led into the business.”

  Travis let out a heavy sigh. Great. Eric was laying the guilt trip on pretty thick, and worse, Travis was falling for it. “You’re an impossible man to deal with, Sheriff.”

  “It’s only right I insist the owner go easy on her.” Then, probably sensing he’d done his part to make Travis feel bad for her, Eric headed for the door.

  “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”

  If Travis was smart, he’d call Eric’s bluff. He wouldn’t have to marry Allie, and Allie would be spared a lifetime of misery with him. But there was that small—albeit very small—chance Eric might be telling the truth. And God help him, but Travis couldn’t have that on his conscience.

  When Eric reached for the doorknob, Travis groaned. “Alright, I’ll marry her. But one thing we better get straight, and we got to do it right away. I won’t have anything to do with her. She can stay in the cottage. I’m staying out here. So you need to get all my clothes out of there and bring them here.”

  “Why don’t you just pull your hat low over your face so she can’t see you?”

  “This is the deal I’m making. You want me to save her from the saloon and starvation? Then we’re going to do this my way.”

  “You’re right. I’ll do what you say.”

  Good. At least Travis was having one thing go his way. “Like I said, I want all of my clothes out here. I’ll also need one of my blankets. You’ll have to provide me with some paper and a pencil.” After a moment, he asked, “She knows how to read and write, doesn’t she?”

  “She does.”

  Eric turned to leave, and this time Travis let him. God help him. God help Allie. He was about to make a vow to trap them both into a situation neither one would be happy in.

  Chapter Two

  “He’s a nice person,” Caroline was saying—again—while Allie and the judge waited.

  Caleb, who was chasing a rabbit, was spared Caroline’s relentless speech on how good Travis was.

  Allie’s stomach kept twisting into knots. The fact that Eric and Caroline wanted her to marry a man who hid in the building as soon as he saw them wasn’t promising. It wasn’t promising at all. All Allie could remember was how large he was. He had to be about six and a half feet tall, and he was built like a bear.

  “I’m wasting my time out here,” the judge muttered. “The sheriff is taking longer than a woman getting ready for church.”

  “That’s only because Travis is terribly shy,” Caroline replied. “Eric’s taking the time to explain the situation to him.”

  “Travis ought to be glad anyone’s willing to marry him,” the judge said. “No other woman would be brave enough.”

  “Is that true?” Allie asked, turning her gaze to Caroline. Was Travis so horrible no one would have him?

  Caroline let out a long sigh. “You might as well know the truth, Allie. People around here have made up all kinds of rumors about Travis, but those rumors aren’t true.”

  “What are they saying about him?” Allie asked.

  “Nothing that matters,” Caroline quickly replied. “They speak nothing but nonsense.”

  “You might as well let her know what she’s getting herself into by marrying him,” the judge told Caroline. “She’s going to hear the rumors sooner or later.”

  Caroline hesitated, shifting from one foot to another, before saying, “No good comes from rumors. They’re laced with lies.”

  “Even so, Allie has a right to know since they’re about the man she’s going to marry.” The judge faced Allie. “No one’s seen Travis’ parents. It’s as if he appeared here one day and took up residence. The couple who lived here before reportedly sold this place to him and headed on out, but no one saw them leave.”

  “Well, I hadn’t heard anything about the people who lived here before Travis did,” Caroline said.

  “I knew the couple. A kindly elderly husband and wife who built this homestead before the gold and silver rush. They had three children who all moved away.”

  “How sad,” Caroline replied.

  “It is, especially since a year after the youngest left, they seemed to disappear. No one heard from them after that. One day they were here. Another, Travis had taken up residence.”

  “What are you implying?” Allie asked, sensing there was something he wasn’t telling her.

  “I don’t want to upset anyone’s sensibilities, but it is strange they were never seen or heard from again,” the judge said. “Not a single missive. No good-byes. Nothing.”

  “Maybe the people left and figured it was no one’s business,” Caroline objected.

  The judge turned to Caroline. “I realize you need t
o think that because you’re planning to marry this young woman to him, but it doesn’t change facts.”

  “Are you saying you think he killed those people so he could live here?” Allie asked.

  “No one can say anything for sure,” the judge replied. “It’s just strange, that’s all. That couple knew people in town. If they left, why didn’t they tell anyone?”

  Caroline put her hand on her hip and shot the judge a pointed look. “Because this town is full of busybodies who have nothing better to do with their time than to gossip. I’m surprised at you. I would think you’d know better since you’re a judge.”

  “I’m not making up rumors,” the judge said, his tone indignant. “I’m stating facts. And the facts are that the couple was here one day and gone the next. No one knows how or why. Now,” his gaze went to Allie, “as for the things people are saying about the man you’re about to marry, I think you have every right to know what those rumors are. Don’t you?”

  Allie’s heartbeat picked up in dread. Yes, she did. But did she really want to know?

  Without giving Allie time to decide, he said, “Some people say he has only one human parent. The other parent is a spirit or some kind of monster lurking these parts.”

  “Please lower your voice,” Caroline told the judge. “I don’t want Caleb hearing any of this.”

  “You’re right,” the judge conceded. “We don’t want to frighten the child.”

  Allie’s eyes widened. Frighten the child? Caroline and Eric wanted her to marry a man who could frighten children?

  “Some people say,” the judge continued, “he is hideous to look at. He has a beastly face. That’s why he hides it as much as possible. And it’s a good thing, too, they say, because if you look directly at his face, something bad will happen to you.”

  Caroline groaned. “Nonsense. This is all nonsense. I looked at him myself, and nothing bad happened to me.”

  “Are you saying he doesn’t have ghastly markings on his face?”

  “Scars.” Caroline’s gaze went to Allie, her expression pleading with Allie to believe her. “They’re only scars.”

  “Scars from what?” the judge pressed.

  Caroline shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “Then how can you say there’s nothing strange about them? Maybe when you looked at him, you were bewitched. Maybe he only made you think you saw scars. Maybe he really is a beast in appearance. He could have three eyes or two noses. Maybe he’s missing a mouth.”

  Allie gasped. Could such a person possibly exist?

  Caroline shook her head in irritation. “I would think someone who is a judge would have better sense than to say such things.” She turned to Allie. “Don’t pay him any mind. He doesn’t know what he’s saying.”

  “It’s what the people in this town are saying, not me,” he replied.

  “You’re just as bad as they are by repeating it,” Caroline hissed, her polite demeanor quickly giving way to anger.

  “She has a right to know,” the judge said, choosing to speak slowly as if Caroline didn’t understand him the other times he’d told her this.

  “She has a right to know the truth, and you’re not telling her the truth,” Caroline insisted.

  The door of the building opened, and Eric came out. Allie held her breath, waiting to see if the monster…the man they wanted her to marry…would come out, too. If she could see him for herself, she’d feel much better about this whole thing. As it was, her stomach was tensing up into all sorts of horrible knots.

  This wasn’t good. It wasn’t good at all. Her luck had gone from bad to worse. If only she hadn’t been delayed in Missouri. Then she would have married Eric, and this wouldn’t even be an issue now. Caroline could have married him instead. Judging by Caroline’s persistence in defending him, she would have been a much better choice.

  Eric shut the door behind him, signaling Allie would not get to see Travis after all. She didn’t know if that was good or not. While she had to see what he looked like so she could know the truth, she was afraid to find out.

  “Good news,” Eric said, looking directly at her, seeming very pleased with what he was about to tell her. “Travis has agreed to marry you.”

  Caroline let out an audible sigh of relief. “That is good.”

  Allie glanced at the judge to see if he would argue that this wasn’t good news, but he kept quiet. Why was it he’d felt free to voice his opinion only moments ago? Was the fact that Eric was standing in front of him preventing him from doing so? Allie didn’t know how much influence a sheriff had this far out west, but she did know they had significant influence where she’d grown up.

  “Travis did have some requests,” Eric continued.

  Noting the hesitation in his voice, Allie’s attention went back to him. “Oh?” As much as she hated to find out what those requests were, she felt compelled to ask. “What does he want?”

  “He’s a little insecure about his looks,” Eric began.

  The judge’s eyebrows raised in a way that indicated “a little insecure” was an understatement, but he kept his mouth shut.

  “He has some scars on his face,” Eric said, his voice lower, probably so Travis wouldn’t overhear. “It’s nothing bad, though some in town will make it out to be as if it is.”

  “Exactly,” Caroline chimed in. “I’ve seen him for myself, and people exaggerate.”

  “But you won’t even have to worry about seeing him,” Eric told Allie. “He will give you the cottage all to yourself, and he’ll live in the building.” He gestured to the building he’d just come from.

  Allie’s stomach tensed. That didn’t sound like something a normal man would want. A normal man would want to share the cottage with his wife.

  “He’s shy around women,” Eric explained as if he could read her mind. “I’m sure once he gets used to having you around, he’ll want to go back to the cottage. In the meantime, I told him I’d take his clothes out to the building. Ron, you mind helping me?”

  “When will we be getting on with the wedding?” the judge—Ron—asked.

  “As soon as we get his things out there.” He nodded to the building.

  Ron shrugged. “Why not? It’s better than waiting out here.”

  Looking far too happy about this, Eric hurried over to the wagon and took Allie’s trunk from it. “You should come in and look around since this is going to be your home,” Eric called out to her as he made a beeline straight for the small home hidden by trees.

  Despite her apprehension, Allie forced her feet forward, Caroline joining her. Caroline was saying something about how quaint a cottage was, but Allie wasn’t paying attention. She was finally taking note of her surroundings, and the entire place seemed to be in a state of despair. Weeds covered most of the landscape, preventing flowers from flourishing here. Vines crawled up the sides of the barn, building, and even the cottage as if they wished to consume them.

  Once she slipped past the trees, she realized the branches blocked out most of the sunlight, making her feel as if it’d just become twilight. She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. This cottage wasn’t the least bit quaint. She didn’t even know how Caroline could think such a thing. There was nothing charming or pretty about it.

  It’s because she doesn’t have to marry Travis. It’s easier to see the good in things when you’re not the one who has to go through it.

  “Ron, get the door,” Eric told the judge.

  The judge did as he asked, and the wooden door creaked on its hinges.

  Allie slowed to a stop and took a deep breath to steel her resolve. She had nowhere else to go. Her family could no longer afford to take care of her.

  There weren’t enough men to find a husband back in Tennessee. The West, however, was teeming with them. With all the single men who’d come out to find fortunes in gold and silver, there was a lack of women. It seemed like a safe bet. The men needed women to tend to their homes, and women needed men to provide for them.


  “Surely, the man you marry will be so grateful to have you that he’ll be good to you,” her mother had told her as they packed her things.

  But the man she was about to marry didn’t seem at all interested in her, and she doubted he was grateful to have someone there to help him.

  “Come on,” Caroline gently urged.

  Allie glanced back at the wagon. What other choice did she have? No other man had responded to any of her replies. Eric had been the only one, and she’d had the impression he was a good, decent man. That impression had been right. She could tell that he made a good husband by the way he treated Caroline. He loved her. He cherished her. And he’d ended up with her all because Allie had made the decision to stay in Missouri and testify before a jury.

  Allie wanted to resent Caroline for getting to Eric before she could. Really, she did. But Caroline had such a sweet disposition that Allie couldn’t hate her. And for some reason, that only made her feel worse about her own predicament.

  The men went into the cottage, but Allie lingered outside. Once she stepped inside, this whole thing would be real. She wouldn’t be able to turn back.

  She turned to Caroline, who stood next to her. “There’s no other option for me? There’s really not another bachelor or…or…a job I can get?”

  Caroline put her arm around her shoulders. “I’m afraid all the marriageable bachelors are taken. Well, there is one who recently became available, but his wife was murdered so I’m not sure that’s an ideal choice.”

  Murder? Someone was going around murdering people in this town? Was it…could it be… Travis didn’t go around killing people, did he? Allie would have asked this if her throat hadn’t gone dry. Maybe that was why people were afraid of him. Maybe they had a reason to be afraid. Caroline and Eric could be wrong about him. What if Travis seemed nice to them but really wasn’t? How could an entire town—and a judge—be wrong about him?

  “As for jobs,” Caroline added, not seeming to notice Allie’s growing unease, “this town doesn’t present any worthwhile opportunities to ladies. The only job you could get is at the saloon, and Eric told me this wouldn’t be a good thing.”