A Bride For Bode (The Proxy Brides Book 21)

by Marisa Masterson

  Laying a hand on Bode’s arm, she smiled at his stunned expression. Not commenting on her kiss, she instead spoke about her plans for the day. “Do you need to work today? If so, I’d like to stay and watch what you do.”

  Looking pleased, he leaned down and placed a quick kiss on her lips. “I’m happy you’re interested and, to be honest, a little surprised that you’d come into the saloon.” Threading his fingers through hers, he drew her with him through a door in the far corner of the room.

  They entered a room stacked with kegs and bottles. Its only source of light came from a series of small windows high up on the wall, probably placed there to deter theft. He dusted a keg off with a handkerchief and helped her onto it. “Your chair, m’lady.” A deep bow accompanied his teasing words.

  The warm humor in his voice had her playing along. “Thank you, kind sir.” They grinned like silly children and for a moment she forgot that she sat in a tavern on a container filled with beer. She leaned toward him and he met her halfway. All lightheartedness disappeared at the first touch of their lips. What began as a warm meeting turned into a desperation. She craved to satisfy a type of hunger that was new to her. Confused, she pulled away from him and stared at his mouth.

  He groaned and stepped back from her. “Well, we will suit in that part of marriage, I think. Not that I know much more about it than I expect you do.”

  Since he’d brought up the subject, she decided to question him about Rex’s insinuation. “Your partner hinted that you often pass the night with company in your bedroom. So that’s not true?” Violet focused on his features as she spoke. When she saw amazement rather than dismay, she confirmed that his partner had lied.

  Shaking his head, Bode’s look suggested that he searched his mind for an explanation. When none came to him, he shrugged. “Maybe you misunderstood him. There was a woman in my room yesterday, but I left soon after she entered. I don’t go looking for that kind of company.”

  The mention of yesterday’s encounter intrigued her. “Why did she come to your room?”

  Again he shrugged. Her husband betrayed an innocence that seemed counter to his position as a barkeep and saloon owner. “Not to be indelicate, but she claimed she wanted to serve me. I promised my mother to wait on having relations until I married so I left when Fifi insisted on staying.”

  Violet’s laugh confounded Bode. She saw that and still didn’t stifle her giggle. “I’m sorry. Her name tickled my funny bone, I guess. It can’t be real.”

  Understanding the reason for her humor, he also chuckled as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Oh, it’s as real as her French accent. I asked Rex to send her away considering the odd idea she’s gotten into her brain.”

  Prickles of dread filled her when his tone changed from humor to concern. “What odd idea?”

  Consternation and annoyance showed in his eyes as he faced her. “She filled in for you during the proxy ceremony. The woman claims she’s really my wife, being that she stood next to me and not you. I explained everything to her again, but she ignored what I said. That’s when I left her in my room.”

  He reached out then. Caressing her hand, he sent ripples of warmth up her arm and straight to her belly. “I can tell you believe me from your expression. Thank you.”

  Sighing with contentment, she squeezed her fingers around his. “When it’s just the two of us, all feels right with the world. Odd that I’ve only known you a day and I already feel that way.”

  Pulling her hand away, she changed the topic. “Will we need to live here?” Her gaze watched his face and satisfaction filled her at the regret she caught there.

  He opened his arms with his palms up, the posture asking for her understanding. “I don’t have money right now for anything else. I had to take out a loan against my inheritance and the payments take most of my earnings each month.”

  At her nod, his shoulders slumped in relief. She smiled and then looked down at her hands as she softly probed his willingness to rent a house. “If we receive unexpected funds, are there houses to rent?”

  “Hmm.” The sound at least meant that he didn’t oppose the idea. She glanced up at his face and felt pleased with the wistful expression there. Still, he didn’t speak.

  Violet wanted to rush into an explanation or ask another question. Aunt Tessie had always given Uncle Ralph, her husband, time to respond. Even while the man had been dead for six years now, she remembered her aunt’s example of wifely behavior and followed it now.

  Finally, Bode asked his question with hope imbuing his voice. “Are we playing ‘what if’ or do you have money coming that I don’t know about? I could use a cash infusion about now.”

  Would he take her money? She wanted it to be their money not his and needed to convince him of that. “Any money I might have, I hope it’s ours to spend and not just yours. I don’t think I can live in this place.”

  Whatever response he might have given was lost as Rex poked his head into the room and guffawed. “Hey Bode, sorry to interrupt your courting, but Joey’s here with a telegram for the missus.” Violet wondered if her suspicion colored the man’s laugh or if it was as sinister as she thought.

  Bode left her on the beer barrel and moved to retrieve the message. An instant later he handed it to her and watched as she read it. “Good news for us?” He emphasized us, letting her know that he would indeed consider any money she received as theirs and not just his own.

  She placed a hand on his shoulder. “Five hundred is at the Western Union office and another forty-five hundred will arrive by train before a week passes. My dowry is on its way.” Wary about his partner, she whispered the news near his ear and then used his shoulder to maneuver off of her seat.

  When he would have shouted with joy, she laid a hand across his mouth. Bewilderment clouded his eyes and he quieted immediately. She sensed that his response showed a trust developing between them, even though he didn’t understand her reasoning. Warmth at his response filled her, the same as if he had caressed her. If only this man owned a different business, he would be perfect.

  Presenting her with his arm, he grinned with anticipation. “Let’s go claim it and see the mayor. He’ll know of any houses for rent in town.”

  The day spent with him proved to be very satisfying. After pocketing the money, Bode lunched with her at the Table Creek Café, located near the banks of that creek. Following that, they viewed the three houses that the mayor knew were available.

  One house could be rented while the owners of the other two wanted to sell them outright. Sitting on the swing of the only one that had a porch large enough to fit her fantasies, Violet hoped her husband was as drawn to the house as her. It had seven rooms, including a large dining room, and a fairly new cookstove stood ready for use in the kitchen.

  Evidently, he could see her interest in it. He groaned and rubbed a hand to the back of his neck. “You know it will take a chunk of our ready cash. I’ll try to talk them down to one hundred and twenty dollars for it. There’s no saying the owners will accept.”

  Ecstatic at his words, she jumped up and twirled across the porch, her skirts flaring out like the blossom of a flower. “I do love it. Maybe the mayor or Reverend Brown will know where we can buy used furniture, but we won’t have to fill all seven rooms right away.”

  As she came to a stop, his chuckle drew her eyes to him. “I take it that you’ve agreed to marry a saloon owner after all.”

  She gave him a flirty look from under lowered lashes. “Only if he comes with this house.”

  The lighthearted mood continued throughout the rest of the day. The owner had quickly telegraphed back, accepting their offer. The mayor, also one of the town’s lawyers, quickly prepared the forms for Bode to sign. With his secretary as a witness, he had turned them into homeowners before they left his office.

  Using the key she’d been given, Violet unlocked the door to the rooming house. At the sound, Miss Andersen approached with a frown on her face. Even the landlady’s dower
look couldn’t dampen Violet’s mood. “You won’t believe the house we’ve purchased today, Miss Andersen. Now Bode and I just need to fill it.”

  At that moment, an infant’s cry echoed in the house. The landlady cast a dark look in Bode’s direction before returning her gaze to Violet. “I think you’ve already got a start at filling that house and it’s in a basket in my kitchen.

  Chapter 6

  Bode heard Violet gasp. He turned his head from side to side, denying the woman’s unspoken accusation. “You don’t think that I…It can’t be my…” He couldn’t bring himself to complete those sentences.

  Miss Andersen’s body bristled with indignation. “An improperly dressed French woman left a baby here. She told me that your new wife could have it since you didn’t plan to make an honest woman of the child’s mother.”

  Before he could respond, Violet stepped in front of him, acting as a buffer between him and their frosty hostess. “Whatever you might think about my husband, I can guarantee he did not father that child. Have no doubt of that.” His wife’s haughty demeanor and reserved tone instantly cowed the other woman.

  Sniffing with disapproval over the situation, Miss Andersen took on the role of the injured party. “What was I to think? And really, why should I be expected to care for a baby, especially at my age?”

  Nodding regally, the younger woman stepped forward to pat her arm. “Of course we can’t expect that of you. Please take me to the child and I will take over. Its wails sound quite distressed.”

  Within the wicker basket that sat on the dining room table, a small red face stared up at Bode. He’d never been around children and had no desire to change that. Violet, on the other hand, didn’t hesitate to reach in and pick up the unhappy creature.

  “Oh, you poor dear. You’re soaked. Did that woman leave you any diapers?” She looked at Miss Andersen as she asked that. The woman indicated a negative response with a shake of her head.

  Bode felt the trap closing around him. From the mention of a French woman, he knew Fifi was behind this. Why did she want to damage his marriage? Until Violet arrived, the woman had only occasionally even noticed him. “She probably didn’t leave a bottle either. Fifi must want us to have to hurry to the mercantile to purchase those things and set tongues wagging.”

  Squaring her shoulders, Miss Andersen took charge of the situation then. “I refuse to be a party to this woman’s plot. The neighbor’s children are just past infancy and I am sure she’ll have the items we need.”

  An hour later, kind Mrs. Myerson supplied them with clothes, diapers, and bottles. She also sold them her baby buggy and crib, saying how happy she was to no longer need them. Buying the furniture made the situation seem very permanent and Bode hoped that Violet would be able to keep the baby. It would be just like Fifi to arrange for the real mother to show up and say they’d kidnapped her baby boy.

  If Violet didn’t need him, he decided to visit the sheriff as well as return to the mayor’s office for legal advice. Whatever plot was afoot, he was glad of two things: Violet believed him and he had a chance to head it off before the town gossip crucified him.

  Explaining his intent, he kissed his wife goodbye. “If he calms down, perhaps you could take him out in the buggy to visit Mrs. Brown. Either she or her husband might know of a foundling baby boy. After all, the mother might have visited them seeking help or money.”

  Leaving his wife happily involved with the infant she’d named Barry he headed toward the sheriff’s office. When she’d announced a name for the baby, he’d known she meant to keep the little guy and he’d need to do all in his power to see that happen.

  Speaking with the sheriff proved to be a mere formality. A deputy wrote down the details Bode provided and asked if Violet and he could keep the child for now. When Bode mentioned that they hoped to adopt the infant, the other man shrugged indifferently.

  Mayor Lewis, being a lawyer, provided more help than the deputy. He asked questions to flesh out the details told him. Then he promised to speak with the judge that evening and, as the weekend was starting, suggested that Bode and his wife bring the baby into his office on Monday.

  When Bode asked whether Lewis thought there would be an impediment to their adopting the baby, the man nodded his head. “If that baby’s been snatched from a decent home, he’ll have to go back. If some woman’s sold her baby so it can be used in the scheme you described, well, the judge won’t be letting her have the child back. That I am sure of.”

  Satisfied that Mayor Lewis would get to work on the mystery of the baby as well as their adopting him, Bode shook the man’s hand and left. He needed to check in with Rex so his partner didn’t think he was shirking his share of the workload.

  Customers filled the bar and smiling girls circulated with trays of drinks. Bode searched the room to be sure Fifi wasn’t among them. Satisfied that the girl had been dismissed, he walked across the room to his partner. “You’ll never guess what Fifi’s done this time.”

  His partner listened intently, his expression grave. When Bode asked if the man knew any women who had tried to find a home for a baby boy, the man denied it. “I haven’t heard anything, Bode. I’ll keep an ear out and ask the girls. Meantime, I need your help with the books.”

  The remainder of the evening, issues with The Ferryman demanded his attention. His partner knew he hated to be around the customers, yet he found one excuse after another to force Bode to stay downstairs. Bode didn’t drink and hated the smell of the hard liquor. His father’s warnings about strong drink came to him more and he felt a niggling regret that he’d invested in a bar.

  Before he left for the night, shouts in the saloon drew him out of the office. A man who had to be almost seven feet tall roared, “Parker, face me like a man.”

  Confident that both his partner and the crowd of people in The Ferryman would back him up, Bode moved forward. Stopping a few feet away from the giant, he squared his shoulders and stood with his arms crossed over his chest. “I’m here. What do you want?”

  The man spat into his face. Bode removed a dirty handkerchief from his pocket and calmly wiped the spittle from his eyes where it had landed. He expected Rex’s bouncers to intervene at this point and looked around the room for them. Curiously neither were present even though it was a busy Friday night.

  “You were man enough to get my little girl pregnant so come on. Try to take me.” He bared yellow teeth and growled in Bode’s direction. Whoever was behind this scheme, they intended to make it public since this man accused him before dozens of customers.

  “You’re a liar. I stay clear of girls and scheming women so I can say with certainty I didn’t touch your daughter, whoever she is.”

  The man roared, the sound echoing in the strangely silent bar. Then he rushed the few feet toward him. The light from the numerous hanging lamps glinted off the knife in his hand.

  Bode moved to the side and watched the man fall forward. Distantly, he heard the percussion of a gun and watched red blossom from a whole in the giant’s back. Stunned, he searched the crowd and saw an older man who looked vaguely familiar standing close by. He put his derringer pocket pistol back into his coat and shook his head sadly. “Couldn’t let that liar stab you.”

  The sound of gunfire brought one of the bouncers back into the saloon. He caught sight of the derringer before the older man pocketed it and grabbed Bode’s rescuer by the arm. “Get out. No one brandishes guns in here.”

  The man wrenched his arm out of Simmons’ grip. “Don’t you think I’d better pay my bill before I leave.” The condescension in the man’s tone nagged at something in Bode’s memory. In the aftermath of the situation and nearly overcome by the rush of anxiety, he couldn’t place what it was.

  Composing his panic, he crossed his arms over his chest as he glowered at the straying bouncer. “Simmons, the man saved my life. Get the deputy or Sheriff Reynolds and stop bothering him.” To the older man, he offered a hand in thanks.

  As they shoo
k hands, Bode again thought he should recognize the man. Not wanting to embarrass himself by asking the man’s name, he ignored the feeling. “I appreciate your quick action. Don’t worry about your tab. It’s on me tonight.”

  Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Rex and Stubbins, the other bouncer, enter by the front door. Where had they been and why did their absence seem staged?

  At that moment, Sheriff Reynolds bolted through the door, gun drawn. He searched the room for danger and, seeing none, holstered his gun while glaring at Simmons. “Heard a man was shooting up your place, Parker. Seems kind of quiet in here for a Friday night.”

  Bode recounted the events for the sheriff. With a sigh, he asked if the deputy had shared the details about the abandoned baby with him. At the sheriff’s nod, Bode waited for the man to comment or make the connection with the giant’s accusation. When he didn’t Bode grew frustrated. He snorted before attempting to vocalize what he thought should be obvious. “Don’t you think this all has to be a part of the same plot? The girl accusing me and then the same from the dead man. Not to mention this is the second attempt on my life in twenty-four hours.”

  Visible interest showed in the sheriff’s expression. “Two attempts you say. Tell me about the first. Don’t remember you reporting it.”

  Rubbing the back of his neck in chagrin, Bode remembered as many details as possible for the sheriff. “You can interview my wife and Miss Edna Andersen. Both witnessed it and got a much better view than I did. I was too busy jumping into the bushes to see much.”

  Reynolds nodded and moved off to speak to the heavy-set man who had killed Bode’s attacker. To the sheriff’s back, Bode asked if he had any more questions for him. At the sheriff’s quick shake of his head, Bode hurried over to tell Rex he planned to go up to his room.

  Irritation filled his partner’s features as Bode approached. When Rex realized his partner stood near him, the expression rapidly changed to concern. Had he imagined the other?