Brides of Noelle

by Kit Morgan

  “Er … yes, I’ve been known to carry a tune.”

  “Carry a tune?” Mrs. Jones said in astonishment. “Mr. Brooks, you’re good enough to perform professionally in my opinion. I’ve heard my share of good voices, sir, and you’re just as well voiced as any of them.”

  Walker’s chest swelled. He could sing, and liked to. If his voice were a gun, he’d be his father. But instead of a trail of bodies his wake, he’d hoped to leave behind faces covered with a peaceful countenance. His voice, he’d been told, had a calming quality to it that soothed the soul. “Thank you for sharing such a high opinion of me, Mrs. Jones.”

  “Clint and I both thought you were wonderful,” she said and then nodded at Miss Dolittle. “I’ll introduce you to Felicity just as soon as I’m able. She went to Cobb’s Penn for a few things. Perhaps when she returns?”

  “That would be fine. I’m sure Mr. Walker and I will have conducted our business by then.”

  Mrs. Jones smiled, looked at Walker and back, and said, “Good afternoon then.” She left the room, leaving the door wide open.

  Walker stepped into the hall. “Shall we go downstairs?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  He watched her grab a shawl off the bed and wrap it around her shoulders. Now that they were getting down to business, he felt a chill race up his spine. What on earth could the woman want?

  Downstairs they found a quiet table and sat. Seamus the bartender eyed them curiously for a moment before approaching their table. “Can I get ye anything?”

  “Two coffees Seamus,” Walker said. “Thank you.”

  Seamus lingered, as if unsure he should leave Miss Dolittle in his company. Had he heard about what happened at Nacho’s earlier? News traveled fast in Noelle, so it was possible. Between taking care of Jasper and Miss Dolittle’s mysterious proposition, he’d forgotten all about the earlier altercation. Would Seamus even know who Walter Brooks was? Maybe this far west the name had little meaning. At least he hoped so.

  “I’ll fetch those right away,” the Irishman said and left the table.

  “What was that about? Why did he hover like that?” Miss Dolittle asked.

  “I don’t know,” Walker said with a shrug. “Now, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?”

  * * *

  Daphne took a deep breath. “I…” she took another. “… I want you to consider something, Mr. Brooks.”

  His eyes skipped over her. “I’m listening.”

  Here goes, she thought. She took another deep breath and held it. “I want you to consider marrying me.”

  He sat, blinked twice, then his eyes went round as saucers. “You want me to what?!”

  Daphne straightened in her chair. “I want you to marry me, Mr. Brooks. It’s quite simple.”

  He gaped at her. “Marry you? Miss Dolittle I see nothing simple about it!” He glanced around to see if anyone heard his blurt. At this point Daphne wasn’t sure she cared. Then again, she’d best be discreet about this for now. If he turned her down, that meant she’d have to find someone else and didn’t want word getting out about her private business.

  “It’s a proposition, Mr. Brooks, a business deal, nothing more.”

  He blinked again and looked like he was struggling to gather his wits. Surely the man wasn’t daft? “Miss Dolittle,” he said, his voice lowered. “Are you out of your mind?”

  “On the contrary, Mr. Brooks. I am completely and utterly in my right mind. I came to Noelle to make an investment. In order to do so, I need to be married.” There, let him chew on that. She couldn’t make it any plainer.

  He sat back in his chair and stared at her for another moment or two. Daphne wanted to tap her feet, a nervous habit, but crossed her ankles instead. She had a 50/50 chance of success. It was either yay or nay at this point. She folded her hands on the table in front of her and did her best to look calm. “Well?” she prompted.

  “Investment? You want to make an investment?”

  “The silver mine,” she clarified. “You do know about the silver mine?”

  He made a quick, jerky movement with his head. “Of course I know about the silver mine, I work in it!”

  Daphne smiled. “Good. Now that we have that established, we can proceed.” She tried for the best business tone she could muster. “I need to invest in the silver mine but am told I need to be married. I have plans, Mr. Brooks. Plans that I would like to execute as soon as possible. I can’t do that until I’ve invested and know I’m getting a return on that investment. From everything I hear about this particular mine, I can expect that and more.”

  He gave her a blank stare and slowly nodded. “So I hear.”

  “You have? Wonderful!” she said in delight. “But, if that’s so, then why haven’t you invested?”

  He gave her a little laugh and shrugged. “Maybe because I’d have to get married. That’s not a possibility around here at the moment. Besides, maybe I don’t plan to stay in Noelle.”

  She sucked in a tiny breath. She hadn’t thought about that. “Whatever do you mean? So long as there’s silver in the mine, don’t the miners stay and work it?”

  He furrowed his brow. “You don’t know much about mining, do you, Miss Dolittle?”

  “I know all I need to know in order to make this investment. With the money I make off the mine, I can follow through with my plans.”

  His head cocked to one side, giving him a boyish look. He folded his arms in front of him and arched an eyebrow. “Mind telling me what those plans are? They must be pretty important for you to ask a complete stranger to marry you.”

  “Not at all. I’m a traveler, Mr. Brooks. I…” Her eyes flicked around the room. What should she tell him? “I’m an adventurer.” She studied his face, but he showed little emotion at this point. The shock must have worn off. “One could say I crave adventure,” she said and then waited for a response.

  He looked her up and down. “You don’t look the type.”

  “I can assure you, Mr. Brooks, I am the type. In fact, I’m planning a trip to China.”

  “China?” he said in surprise. “Why on earth would you want to go to China?”

  “Why? Mr. Brooks, do you know nothing of the world? China has some of the most fascinating places to see. The Great Wall for example. There are temples, and the culture, the people…”

  He straightened in his chair, mouth half-open in astonishment. He snapped it shut and narrowed his eyes as if studying a painting on a wall, looking for flaws. “Where did you come from?”

  “Denver,” she stated matter of fact, doing her best not to take offense. “Where I lived a stifling existence and decided I wasn’t going to live like that anymore. There’s too much of the world to see, Mr. Brooks. And I plan to see it!” She almost stomped her foot for good measure but kept her ankles crossed. No mean feat when she was riled.

  He took a deep breath, blew it out, and shook his head. “Miss Dolittle, you are something. I’m not sure what yet, but something.”

  “Then we have an accord?”

  “Oh, no,” he said with a chuckle. “We do not have an accord.” His chuckling abruptly stopped as Seamus brought their coffee.

  “Will there be anything else?” the bartender asked.

  “No, thank you,” Daphne said.

  Seamus glanced between them. “Very well. Enjoy your coffee.” He turned on his heel and went back to the bar. A woman stood behind it cleaning glasses. She had to be his wife, Daphne thought.

  She gave her attention back to Walker Brooks. “My terms are simple. I’ll give you ten percent of the profits I make off of my investment. We will be married in name only. I plan to leave as soon as we’re wed, so I won’t be a bother to you.”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” he said and made stopping motions with his hands. “Slow down, woman.”

  “Those are my terms. You can either take them or leave them,” she said and tightened her ankles harder under her skirts. She hoped she didn’t cut her circulation off. Could
crossing one’s ankles do that?

  Walker’s hands fell to the table as he stared at her in astonishment. She had a feeling whatever came out of his mouth next, wasn’t going to be good. It wasn’t.

  Chapter Seven

  Walker couldn’t believe his ears, or his eyes for that matter. Everything on Miss Dolittle’s face said she was dead serious. “Woman, you’ve gone round the bend.”

  “Mr. Brooks,” she said in a tone that told him she was ready for a fight.

  “Not only have you gone round the bend,” he interrupted. “But you’re just plain loco…”

  “Mr. Brooks…”

  “… wanting a man to marry you … no, no, make that me,” he finished, jabbing himself with a thumb. “Just so you can invest in Mayor Hardt’s silver mine, make money, and travel around the world? Did I leave anything out?”

  She swallowed hard as her eyes flicked over him. “You’re forgetting about your ten percent.”

  Walker sat back in his chair with a chuckle. “Oh, yes, that,” he scoffed. “You’re going to pay me a whopping ten percent to marry you.”

  “Don’t look at me like that, Mr. Brooks,” she scolded. “I feel it’s a generous offer.”

  Walker laughed. Not over her offer, which in truth, as well as the mine was doing, he’d make just as much money of it as he did working in the mine. But at the look on her face. She was dead serious, the little fool. But, now that he was over the initial shock, maybe he shouldn’t be so quick to say no.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” she said.

  He cocked his head and smiled. “Do you? Pray tell, Miss Dolittle, what’s going through my mind?”

  “As you said, I’ve gone round the bend, that I’m loco, that I haven’t a brain in my head.”

  “You added that last one, not me.” He looked her up and down. She was a pretty thing. “So, tell me, Miss Dolittle. If we were to marry, would that include everything that goes with …”

  “I said we would be married in name only,” she stated emphatically.

  He let his shoulders slump. “Too bad. Hmm, in that case you better make it fifteen percent.”

  “Fifteen!”

  “Better yet, twenty,” he drawled. He also wanted to see how far he could push her. Maybe she wasn’t as serious about this plan of hers as she thought.

  “Twenty!” A hand flew over her mouth. She’d said it louder than she intended.

  Walker chuckled in response. “You’re not very good when it comes to negotiating, are you, Miss Dolittle?”

  She quickly lowered her hand. “Fifteen. Take it or leave it.”

  She was really flustered now. Her cheeks had gone pink and a crease formed on her brow. “Fifteen,” he said as he rubbed his chin with a hand. “In name only, you say…”

  “Yes, you… you… extortionist!”

  He looked at her in shock, though only half of it was real. At this point he leaned more toward amusement. “Extortionist? Me?” he said and put a hand on his chest for good measure. Getting her riled up was rather fun. “Miss Dolittle, I’m hurt. And you obviously have your own best interests in mind with this deal. But know that I’ll do the same. Look out for my best interest.”

  “Fifteen percent, Mr. Brooks. That is my final offer. And may I remind you again that this union will be in the name only. I will leave Noelle. And you will never see me again.”

  Walker rested his elbows on the table and leaned toward her. “And what do you think Reverend Hammond is going to say about this?”

  Her eyes widened. She obviously hadn’t thought about that.

  He smiled. “People not only have to be married in order to invest in the silver mine, but from what I hear, be of high moral character and standing. Marrying a poor fellow like me and then leaving me all within a few days … tsk, tsk, tsk. Now that’s what I call downright scandalous.”

  Her mouth formed a firm line as she narrowed her eyes. “Then what do you suggest, Mr. Brooks?”

  He rubbed his chin again. “Well, it can’t appear to be in name only. We’d have to look like we were really married. That means we have to act like it,” he finished with a smile.

  He had her now and knew it. Even if she got up and walked away, he could laugh about this for weeks.

  “Fine. We can tell people I went to… to visit my aunt. Who lives in Europe…”

  “You mean China,” he corrected.

  “No, Europe. But if we happen to leave Europe for China for a visit so be it.”

  “We?” He drawled. “And I suppose Jasper is your great Aunt Mary?”

  She closed her eyes and made a tiny growling noise. She was adorable when angry. Walker wondered how long he could keep her riled up. “Your friend has nothing to do with this.”

  “Except for playing the part of your Aunt Mary. Who doesn’t exist,” he stated matter of fact. “All lies and deception just to take a trip.” He made a show of shaking his head in dismay. “You shock me, Miss Dolittle.” In truth she did, a little. She was bold. He’d give her that.

  She folded her hands in her lap and then sat as if someone had shoved a rod up her back. “You’ve heard my offer, Mr. Brooks. Now it’s up to you to decide. You have twenty-four hours.” With that, she took a delicate sip of her coffee.

  He watched her a moment and took a sip of his own. “What if I say no?” After all, how desperate was she to make her little trip to China?

  She gave him the tiniest shrug. “Then I’ll have to make my offer to someone else.”

  Her words made his guts twist. Was she serious? If so, then she really had gone round the bend! The woman had no idea what she’d be getting herself into. Come to think of it. “Why did you ask me?”

  Her face softened. “Because…” she swallowed and licked her lips. It almost did him in. “… because you’re kind.”

  Okay, so maybe her little pink tongue skimming over her pouty lips didn’t quite do him in, but that did. She was scared, plain and simple. That, and she thought him safe. He wouldn’t harm her and she knew it. Walker closed his eyes and sighed. “Miss Dolittle, do you have any idea what you’re doing?”

  “I know exactly what I’m doing,” she said. She hadn’t snapped at him, but close enough.

  “Woman, if I say no and you ask someone else, you have no idea what you’ll be getting yourself into.”

  “Then that’s a risk I’ll have to take, isn’t it? If you tell me no. If you say yes, then what do I have to worry about?”

  On the one hand, Walker’s chest swelled with pride. On the other, she was taking advantage of his kind nature. That didn’t sit well. “If I say yes, then we’re going to have some rules.”

  “You already have fifteen percent, what do you need rules for?” she asked and turned toward the door. Several miners strolled into the saloon. Regulars at this time of day, they went to a table and sat, intent on starting a poker game. Any one of their lot would jump at the chance to marry Miss Dolittle, and like him, they’d be making up rules. Their own rules, and whatever she said about them wouldn’t mean a thing. The thought made his chest tighten. She’d be a goner. Raped, abused, and all within the confines of the marriage contract. The little fool was going to get herself killed if she wasn’t careful.

  “Twenty-four hours?” he mused aloud.

  “Yes, and I shan’t give you any more time than that,” she said as her eyes lowered to the table.

  Maybe she’d thought the same thing, that yon table full of men was a table full of prospects should he say no. And devil take it if he did, he’d be putting her life in danger. Worse, she had no idea the fix she was putting him in. “Very well, you’ll have my answer in twenty-four hours,” he told her. “But know this, Miss Dolittle, that if I say yes, I will bring a list of rules. And you will accept them, is that understood?”

  The steely look in her eyes wavered, indicating she knew he’d just stripped her of her power. It would be the same with any man she tried to strike a deal with. Only the others wouldn’t look out for
her as he was trying to do. They’d take advantage of her in every possible way. And once married, there’d be no turning back. Miss Daphne Dolittle would have dealt her life away.

  * * *

  After her meeting with Mr. Brooks, Daphne returned to her room, sank onto her bed and let her head hit the pillow. She threw an arm over her eyes to shield them from the afternoon light. “What have I done?”

  Indeed, what had she done? Walker Brooks turned the tables on her and she began to realize that if he could do it so easily, what would dealing with other men be like? And he was the best candidate! She prayed he accepted her offer. After all, he’d gain a lot from the deal. Money, his freedom, and a chance to leave Noelle if he so chose.

  Daphne sat up. “Oh, dear. What if he wants to marry one day? Really marry?” She hadn’t thought of that. If married to her, he couldn’t marry another, even if theirs was in name only. “Oh, dear,” she said again and cupped her cheek with a hand. This was a dilemma. She didn’t take that into consideration at all. “He must think I’m awful.” Worse, she was beginning to feel that way. Her hand moved to her temple and she massaged it. “I am a terrible, terrible, person.”

  Daphne stood and paced the room. “What am I going to do?” She half expected him to turn her down. In fact, he more than likely would. But no matter, she’d come up with an alternate plan, one that was more thorough and detailed than this. She didn’t take the time to think this one through. She wouldn’t make that mistake again. If she did have to approach another man, she’d best have a list of qualifications. If the man didn’t meet them, she’d have to move on to another.

  Daphne went to a small desk, found paper and pencil, sat down and began to write. “Let’s see, he’ll have to be kind, gentle, of good moral character, and…” she tapped the pencil against her chin a few times. “And, most importantly,” she said and started to write again. “He must not want to marry another.” If she found a man who never planned to marry, and married him, then he’d have a viable excuse not to get married. Her face screwed up at her own logic. “Makes sense.”