“I….I, well I’m a mail-order bride and the man I’m supposed to marry didn’t want children. From his letter it sounded as if he didn’t like them.”
“My dear, look at the little cherub, a man would have to be made of stone to reject her. If my dear wife were still alive, we’d gladly take her.” He shook his head, his face etched with sadness. “I’m an old, semi-retired preacher, I couldn’t look after her.”
“I know, I’m the one who should have her, and I will.” Her decision was made.
They re-boarded the stage and Tilly knew she would never forget the sight of a fresh mound of dirt with a wooden marker on top of it.
They arrived at the stage depot about four hours later. Well, it looked more like a sprawling ranch house to her. There were several huge barns, or maybe they were stables, and horses grazed in neatly fenced paddocks.
The wooden house was a long, L-shaped building with a shingle roof and was well cared for if a little stark. A couple of lilac bushes and a scraggly lavender bush were the extent of the garden.
Chapter Five
Brodie strode out to meet the stage. They were over an hour late. What in tarnation had held them up?
“Howdy, boss,” Hank said. “We had a spot of trouble.”
“There’s a bullet hole in the door. What happened?”
“We were attacked by outlaws,” Hank explained. “If one of the passengers hadn’t helped us, we mightn’t have made it.”
“Is everyone all right?” Brodie asking frantically, stepping closer.
“No, unfortunately one of the passengers was killed.”
“Oh, no!” Brodie’s half raised arm dropped to his side. He had never had a death on his stage line. Shock roared through him. “What happened? Is everyone else okay?”
“Yes,” Hank said and gave him a brief version of events. “I’ll see to the horses, then fill you in on the details later.”
“Come up to the house for supper. I’m not sure what we can have. Liz left some stew. I guess it would be okay heated up.”
“I’ll bring the luggage inside,” Dave said.
Luggage, passengers, Brodie ran his fingers through his hair. He had forgotten about them for the moment.
Dave and Hank unloaded the luggage while he opened the door of the stage. An elderly man and a young woman with a squirming baby were the only passengers.
“Howdy, Sir, Ma’am. I’m Brodie Miller.” The strangest expression passed over the woman’s face. She sure was pretty.
“I’m Reverend Egan and this young lady is….”
“Your wife?” Brodie didn’t know why he wanted to know the woman’s marital status. After all he was expecting his mail order bride in a few days. He had no right looking at other women.
The old man chuckled. “Dear me no. She’s young enough to be my granddaughter.”
The woman didn’t tell him her name, instead she looked to be in shock. Well, she had survived a hold up and a fellow passenger being killed and was also struggling with a baby.
Clutching the baby tightly, she let him help her down. The man climbed down without assistance.
“Go straight inside, I’ll rustle up some coffee. Unfortunately, my housekeeper was unwell, and got caught up in town.”
Caught up was right. She had become distressed in the mercantile and Hamish had to call the doctor. Bed rest for a couple of weeks at least which left him in all kinds of trouble. If only Tilly Freeman would hurry up and get here.
“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Miller um Brodie,” she said in a soft melodic voice. “I’m Tilly Freeman.”
Shock punched the breath from his lungs. “What!” His loud exclamation caused the baby to jerk upright in her arms. Its little face screwed up and it looked ready to start bawling.
“You lied to me,” he growled.
“I did not.”
“I distinctly said no children.”
“It’s not my baby.” Tears filled her blue, doe-like eyes.
“What are you doing with it then?” His day had started out bad and was ending on an even worse note.
“She was traveling with Doris, the woman who was killed.”
“Thank goodness for that, the parents can come and collect her.”
“Her name is Daisy and she’s from the orphanage. Those dreadful people sold her to an adoption broker in Four Winds, and they are going to sell her to a rich couple.”
“What!”
“Selling her like an animal at auction.” Tears spilled out of Tilly’s eyes and he was moved by her tenderness toward a stranger’s baby. It showed she had compassion.
“Come inside. Hank will ride into Eldorado tomorrow and bring the sheriff out. He can take charge of her.”
“I’m keeping her.”
“You can’t. You agreed to marry me, said you had no child.”
“I didn’t when I wrote to you, but now I have.”
“I don’t want a child here. I’m too busy to put up with it.”
“Too bad, Daisy and I are a package deal now.” She tickled the child under the chin and the baby gave a dribbling smile.
Brodie inwardly shuddered. Dribbling, crying, dirty diapers always needing to be changed. Nausea coiled in his stomach at the memory. He used to hate the messy little things and so many of them.
“Look, Miss, um, Tilly. There’s too much work around her for you to mind a child as well.”
“I can do it.”
He doubted she could do anything much as a puff of wind would blow her away by the looks of it.
“You better come inside. I’m in dire straits now my housekeeper isn’t coming back.”
The baby stretched her arms out to him, automatically he took her. He swore under his breath. He had no wish to hold the kid, wanted nothing to do with it, but could hardly hand her straight back.
“Tell me what you want for supper and I’ll prepare it after I’ve washed up.”
“You must be tired from the journey. Liz, my housekeeper left a stew. I only have to heat it up.”
“I’ll do it. You look after Reverend Egan. He’s badly shaken up, even though the dear man wouldn’t admit it.”
Dear man? He disliked Tilly admiring any man, even an old one. What was wrong with him? He was behaving like a jealous lover.
The baby pulled his hair and chortled. “Ouch, you’re a cruel little thing but a pretty little gal.” He had never seen such bright blue eyes before. Her plump little cheeks were rosy. The orphanage people had obviously fattened her up to increase her sale price. It was evil, criminal, and impossible to prove. It sickened him.
He could understand a soft-hearted woman like Tilly appeared to be, would want to keep her. She was letting emotion rule her head.
“Do you have a washroom?”
“Yeah, at the back of the house, down the hallway. The layout of the place is a little unusual. I added extra bedrooms to cater for more passengers, but now I’ll be ruined if I can’t get someone to cook and clean.”
“Hence your urgent need for a wife?”
“Yeah.”
“I understand if you want to renege on the deal, you didn’t get what you expected. I can’t let Daisy go. I won’t. I’ll do supper for tonight and when Hank goes into see the sheriff, he can take Daisy and me with him.”
“You’ve been through a harrowing ordeal, in the morning things will be clearer.”
“It won’t. I’ve made up my mind Brodie and nothing will change it.” She walked off with a slight sway of her hips leaving him holding the baby. What was he supposed to do with her? He was desperate to find out what damage there had been to the stagecoach. Hank and Dave would see to the horses he had no doubt about that. He needed to inspect the damage, yet he could hardly leave the old man on his own. Maybe he could offload the baby on to him for a while. With renewed hope he stepped into the guest sitting room.
“Sorry to have left you alone for so long. Could I get you a coffee? A Whiskey?”
“Ah, now you’re talking, my b
oy. A small one would be splendid.”
“Could you hold the baby for a minute. Tilly has gone to wash up and will start supper for us.” Was that condemnation in the old man’s eyes. “I didn’t ask her to. I tried to talk her out of it.” He wondered why he was trying to justify his actions. It was a low-down thing to do as she looked exhausted and would still be in shock after having a fellow passenger shot dead before her eyes.
“A brave young lady that one. When it looked like we were going to be overrun she picked up a gun and fired it. Hit one of the outlaws too.”
Brodie poured out two small glasses of whiskey and left the bottle out. Hank would probably need one when he came in.
“Are you going to marry her?”
“I’m not sure now.”
“You would be a fool if you didn’t. She has a generous heart, but she’s carrying some deep dark secret. Do you know what it is?”
“No.” Brodie sat opposite the old man and watched the baby playing with his fob watch. “We only exchanged a couple of letters. I needed a wife quick to help me run this place and she needed to get out of Coyote Crossing. I figured we could find out more about each other once we were hitched.”
“I could perform the marriage ceremony.”
Brodie gasped in shock.
“I’m still an ordained Minister of the Presbyterian church. Semi-retired now.”
“Oh?”
“I do a little relief work. After my dear wife left me to go to the Lord, well it gets lonely. I only had one son who is a busy lawyer in Austin, so I don’t see much of him or my two grandchildren. He wants me to retire completely and come and live closer to him.”
“Why don’t you?” Brodie swirled the contents of his glass.
“Maybe in a couple of years I will.”
They lapsed into silence. He would normally show his guests to their room, only he didn’t want to do that, or he would be lumbered with the baby. Even though she was a pretty little gal it was impossible to have her here. Would Tilly really leave if he refused to let the child stay?
He suddenly smelled biscuits cooking and his mouth watered. Obviously, Tilly had started supper. For a moment he was tempted to go and check on her, then worried about leaving the old man with the baby. What if he dropped her? He wasn’t that selfish and uncaring.
A few minutes later, Tilly came in carrying a tray with cups of coffee on it, cream and sugar and a plate of Liz’s cookies. “Couldn’t wait to get rid of her, Brodie?” She gave the reverend such a sweet smile, that had he been standing he would have buckled at the knees. Recovering himself he stood and took the tray from her.
“Thank you. You didn’t have to bother.” He didn’t know why he sounded so defensive. Yes he did, he was acting like a selfish…..
“I’ll take Daisy off you and give her a bottle.” She took the child from the old man and the little hands made a grab for her hair. “I know you said your son is forty, but do you know what a baby this age could eat?”
“Bread soaked in milk, runny oatmeal.” The words left Brodie’s mouth of their own accord.
“How would you know?”
She was obviously still upset about him not wanting the baby and not afraid to show it.
“I had to help look after my fifteen brothers and sisters.” He couldn’t hide the bitterness in his voice. Having been forced to take on the duties of a nursemaid at such a young age had ruined his childhood.
“I’ll go and feed her now. Is the milk in the bucket on the table fresh?”
“Yeah, weaken it with a bit of hot water.”
“My goodness, you sound experienced with babies, my son.”
“I was, only because I was forced to be.”
“Reverend, if you’d like to wash up before supper the door down the end of the hall is the washing room,” Tilly said.
Brodie kicked himself for not having thought to mention it.
“Thank you, my dear. After I finish my coffee, I might just do that.”
“Looks like you’ll be having company on your trip to Four Winds,” Tilly said.
His bushy white eyebrows shot up. “Oh? I thought you came here to marry Mr. Miller.”
“I did, but as he doesn’t want Daisy, I told him I’m not prepared to give her up.”
Brodie’s cheeks burned. They had a deal, didn’t they?
“What a pity I was looking forward to marrying you. I love performing wedding ceremonies.”
Tilly walked off leaving Brodie squirming like a fish on a hook. Spoken out loud his ultimatum sounded even more heartless and contemptible.
“She’s not happy with you. It’s a pity she’s leaving, she’d be a perfect wife for a man in your position.”
He got the distinct impression the old man was enjoying his predicament – take on the baby or risk losing a woman who was not only pretty, but obviously capable as well. Nothing about the situation was how he envisaged it to be – a simple, straight forward marriage of convenience with a plain looking, unmarried woman.
And what does he get? A pretty young woman with a tender heart who was prepared to change her plans to help an orphaned baby.
Chapter Six
Hank walked into the room grinning. “Howdy, boss. Did I hear you right? You’re not going to get hitched to Miss Freeman, even though I supplied you with a preacher and all.”
Brodie glared at him.
“If you don’t want her, maybe I could….”
“I didn’t say I didn’t want her,” he growled. “I just don’t want a kid. I’m too busy.”
“She sure is a pretty little gal baby. I wouldn’t mind.”
“You’re forty-five years old and a confirmed bachelor,” Brodie scoffed.
“A man can change his mind if the right gal comes along.”
He didn’t like where this was going. Didn’t like that Hank might fancy Tilly.
By the smirk on the old man’s face he was enjoying this exchange.
“Tell me what happened with the holdup. Were the horses harmed?
“No.” Hank told him what had happened in more detail.
“Sons of….” He cut off the curse because of his guest’s presence.
“I’ll report it to the sheriff tomorrow, too late to go in now. The undertaker will have to go out as well. I’ll tell you this, that gal of yours showed a lot of courage.”
That was more like it – his gal, and that was exactly what she was. All he had to do was get her to stay. By the appetizing aroma from the kitchen she was obviously a good cook. He hadn’t heard a squeak out of the baby. His siblings had been bawling and squawking all the time. They probably didn’t have enough to eat. The realization suddenly hit him. How many times had he gone to bed hungry?
His stepmother had not been particularly maternal, just kept popping one baby out after another. There had been a couple of sets of twins. She did the barest amount of house chores, the kids, mainly him, had to do them.
“Excuse me, I better go and see how Tilly is getting on.” If he wanted her to stay it was time to eat some humble pie.
“I’ll go.” Hank leapt to his feet.
“No, I will.” As he left the room, he heard the two men laughing, probably at him. Thank goodness the horses had escaped harm. That poor woman being killed was a tragedy although it could have been far worse. He shuddered just thinking about it. Hopefully those varmints would be caught, not that he thought it likely. They would be well and truly gone by now.
He stepped into the kitchen, his gaze settling on a dozen or so biscuits cooling on a rack. Everything was orderly, not that it had ever been untidy as Liz was a fussy housekeeper. He had left a few used things lying around.
Tilly was sitting with her back to the door. He could see the creamy white flesh of her neck exposed where her hair was pulled up and was tempted to reach out and touch it.
He had to persuade her to stay. If she agreed, dare he risk suggesting they have a real marriage. What kind of fool wouldn’t want to consummate their union
? Had she been a hag it would have been easy. Not now, though.
He cleared his throat.
She turned toward him. “Oh, it’s you.” Her voice was arctic, her expression cold.
Stepping around the chair he stood in front of her. She was feeding the baby bread soaked in milk as he had suggested. It was obvious he knew more about babies than she did.
“Um, I was thinking I might have been too hasty. I want you to stay Tilly, and go ahead with the marriage like we planned.”
“And the baby?”
“She can stay too.” He tried not to sound too grudging.
“I thought you didn’t like babies.”
She wasn’t going to make this easy for him. “I don’t dislike them, I mean her.”
“Daisy.”
“Yes, she’s a sweet little thing.” She was with her little rosebud mouth lined with milk, her big blue eyes bright and focused on him. There was nothing else for it except tell Tilly about his childhood. Once he started, the words kept flowing.
She listened intently, making sympathetic noises as she fed the baby. She had wrapped a drying up rag around the child’s neck to keep her clothing clean. A smart move if ever there was one. He felt almost light-headed with relief once his story was finished.
“That’s terrible, what a sad childhood you must have had. Actually, no childhood at all.”
“Yeah, I had to help my pa with ranch chores too. My mother died when I was about four years old, and within weeks I had a stepmother. The soil on the ranch was dry and hungry, nothing much would grow there and with all those mouths to feed it was a constant struggle.”
“I’m sorry, Brodie.”
Tilly watched shadows pass across his face. She understood his position with regards to children but needed an assurance this was more than just a grudging acceptance of Daisy because he was desperately in need of a housekeeper.
His rugged good looks appealed to her. She had been amazed at the feelings he had aroused in her when they first met. She finished feeding Daisy and wiped her mouth. “Maybe I could get her a bottle now then she might go to sleep.”
“No, wait a little while. If she falls asleep now, she’ll wake up in the middle of the night.”
Mail Order Matilda (Widows, Brides, and Secret Babies Book 18) Page 4