Cullen's Love (Grooms With Honor Book 5)

by Linda K. Hubalek

  Richard pointed at Cullen. “That’s Cullen’s fault then because he wrote the letters.”

  Cullen faced the woman, sure he was going to get a good scolding from this pint-sized miss.

  Oh, oh. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his mother arch her eyebrow toward his father. Their silent communicating always meant trouble for one of their sons.

  “Miss Leander,” his mother interrupted, “although Mr. Kandt is a nice man, his ranch is not suitable for a woman to live there yet—and it may be for a long while due to his financial situation. Would returning home be an option for you?”

  “No, I left for a reason, and I will not return to Illinois,” Miss Leander said with conviction.

  “You’re welcome to stay with Pastor and I at the parsonage until you decide what to do,” Cullen’s ma offered as he knew she would.

  That meant Adolph Bjorklund would be at next Sunday’s family dinner then. He was always on the lookout for a bride. Maybe he’d get lucky with Miss Leander.

  “I have a better idea,” his father said, and Cullen felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise.

  “Cullen, since you wrote and read the letters to and from Miss Leander, and paid for part of her train ticket, I strongly suggest you fulfill your obligation.”

  “What do you mean, Pa?”

  “You marry Miss Leander.”

  “But, I—”

  “You have a secure job and can support her.”

  “Yes, I make a living, but I live in a small upstairs room above the café.”

  “Cartwright’s house is for sale. I suggest you buy it for your bride,” Cullen’s father smartly said.

  “But Miss Leander might not like that idea,” Cullen nervously wished the woman would whistle to stop this silly idea.

  “Actually, I would be in favor of marriage with Mr. Reagan. I am a passionate reader and writer of novels. I think we’d have a lot in common.”

  Her last sentence caught Cullen’s interest, more than the first. “You write stories, Miss Leander?”

  “Yes, my first romance novel has been mailed to a New York publisher. And I gave them Clear Creek, Kansas as my new address to correspond with me.”

  “Cullen’s an avid reader, and he writes poetry,” Mack said, before stepping out of Cullen’s arm’s reach. Cullen would pound his brother’s shoulder for letting out his secret hobby—if his parents and Miss Leander weren’t standing there with him.

  “I think we’d have a lot in common, Mr. Reagan. I accept your marriage proposal.”

  “What? No! I didn’t send off for a mail-order bride! Kandt did!”

  “You were an accomplice then, but you’re still responsible for me becoming a Clear Creek resident, Mr. Reagan,” Miss Leander said.

  Cullen cringed as Angus slapped and kept his hand on his left shoulder and Mack’s colossal hand gripped his right shoulder.

  “Face it, little brother, you’ve met your match and getting married as soon as you can move into your new house,” Angus laughed.

  “I’ll even do any house repairs at a discount fee for you and the new misses too,” Mack added.

  “Your wedding will be a week from Sunday, Cullen. Welcome to the Reagan family, Miss Leander,” Cullen’s father pronounced.

  “No. I am not marrying Miss Leander!” Everyone turned at his outburst.

  “Fine,” Cullen’s mother stated, which meant Cullen was in deep trouble now.

  “Miss Leander, if you want to stay in Clear Creek, we have other bachelors who would be very interested in marrying you next Sunday. Would you be interested in meeting them?”

  Cullen didn’t like the curious look on the woman’s face.

  “Yes, I’d like to marry a nice man and stay here. Who would be my possibilities for a husband, and what do they do for a living, so I can narrow the field of whom I want to meet?”

  What? Narrow the field? Miss Leander was getting picky.

  “The top man actively looking for a bride is Adolph Bjorklund. His shop sells meat, eggs, and butter,” his mother leaned forward as if to tell her a secret.

  “He sounds like a decent candidate. We’d always have food for our family,” Miss Leander nodded.

  “Then there’s Kiowa Jones, the blacksmith, besides a few other younger men I could introduce to you in church tomorrow.”

  “And we have another son, Seth, who is available. He raises horses and has a charming home. He lives a few miles north of town,” Cullen’s father added.

  The young woman held her hand out to Richard again and waited for him to take it, before giving his hand a firm shake.

  “Since there are other available grooms, I won’t hold you to your agreement to marry me. Thank you for the train ticket to Clear Creek, and I hope you find a suitable bride soon.”

  Just like that, Miss Leander dissolved her agreement with Richard, after all the time and effort Cullen spent writing to the woman?

  “Come along, dear. I’m sure you’d like to rest after your long trip,” Cullen’s mother said as she pointed Miss Leander toward the parsonage.

  Everyone went back to work, leaving Cullen and Richard standing on the boardwalk.

  “Dang. I’m out money, but at least I didn’t have to marry her.”

  “You still owe me five dollars, Richard. I wrote letters and got her here for you. You’re the one who rejected her, and that wasn’t my fault.”

  “How about we wager a bet, Cullen. I’ll pay you the five dollars when she marries someone, but not if you turn out to be her groom,” Richard said as he held out his hand to shake on it.

  “I’ll take that bet because I won’t be marrying anyone next Sunday,” Cullen told Richard with confidence.

  We’ll see,” Richard said while reaching into his vest pockets. “I won’t be needing her letters anymore, so you give them back to Miss Leander, or pass them around to her prospective grooms.”

  Cullen took the bundle of letters from Richard, enjoying the rose perfume scent that drifted to his nose as he stuffed them in his own vest pocket. Cullen had read the letters to Richard when they arrived in the mail. Maybe he’d reread them before giving them back to Miss Leander—just to help find a suitable groom for her.

  Cullen felt responsible for her being stuck in Clear Creek without a husband, but he was relieved the delicate lady wasn’t going to be living with Richard. Being there wasn’t an outhouse, of course.

  He watched Miss Leander and his ma walk down the boardwalk chatting as if they were already good friends—or plotting the end of Cullen’s bachelorhood.

  Cullen prayed Adolph was interested in Miss Leander because he knew Kiowa wouldn’t be. And heaven forbid if Seth took a shining to her because then Miss Leander would be at every Sunday family dinner.

  But why would that bother him? Because Cullen met her first?

  Chapter 2

  “If you want to go home, we can raise funds for your train ticket, Miss Leander,” Mrs. Reagan told her for the second time.

  “No, I prefer to stay here, and start over,” Rose answered without giving any more details as to why. She’d liked the idea of being a rancher’s wife, able to write in solitude, but she was glad the Reagan’s changed her plans. Mr. Kandt seemed nice, in a rumpled way, but Rose was drawn to Cullen because he’d written her letters and she felt as if she already knew him. Plus, Rose liked Cullen’s blonde hair and arresting blue eyes.

  “Mr. Kandt is a kind soul, but he immigrated here from Germany without two nickels to rub together. Homesteading his claim and building a cattle herd is more important to him than his living conditions, for himself or someone else.

  “Cullen, on the other hand, needs a wife and his postmaster’s job can support a family.”

  “But he isn’t looking for a wife,” Rose said as they walked toward the parsonage.

  “Cullen needs love and will be a good husband and father if he’s pushed into it. Of all my adopted sons, I’ve always worried about him the most.”

  “Adopted so
ns?” Mrs. Reagan’s comment piqued Rose’s curiosity.

  “I raised six boys but only gave birth to the youngest.”

  “The three I just met didn’t look alike now that you mention it.”

  “As different as night and day in their looks and personalities.

  “Angus, the depot master, and Seth, now a rancher north of Clear Creek, were my husband’s children with his first wife. Angus’ wife is Daisy, and she owns the pharmacy in town. They have a toddler and an infant.

  “Seth is a quiet and patient man, but you’re more suited as Cullen’s wife. Seth stays on the ranch except for Sundays when he comes to church and to visit us.”

  “When Patrick’s wife, Shona, died, he wrote back to Ireland for a mail-order bride, and I sailed in.”

  “You were a mail-order bride too?” Rose thought of how different it would have been to come from another country to marry a stranger. Mrs. Reagan made a serious commitment with no turning back.

  “Yes, so I can tell you what it’s like to start over in a new place. But I have a twist in my story. I befriended a young woman with two young sons on the ship. When she died, I claimed her boys as my own and brought them to Kansas with me.”

  “I bet Pastor Reagan was surprised.”

  “He took it all in stride when I showed up with the boys, Fergus and Mack. Fergus and his wife, Iris, have the photography studio across the street. You met Mack, the carpenter, and his wife, Pansy, is the town’s doctor.”

  “When and how did Cullen join your family then?”

  “It’s a touchy subject to him, especially since everyone knows his background. His mother worked in a brothel in the neighboring cowtown, and Cullen lived in the house with her. When she died, Cullen was kicked out of the brothel and left to fend for himself.”

  “How old was Cullen when it happened?”

  “Six years old. Cullen survived eating scraps out of the trash behind cafés. Patrick heard about his plight, and the whole family went searching for him.”

  “That’s so sad. How did you get Cullen to leave with you though?”

  Mrs. Reagan laughed. “Our boys tackled him, then bribed him onto the train with a sandwich and peppermints.”

  Rose could imagine the scene realizing how Cullen, Angus, and Mack had acted toward each other a few minutes ago. The older brothers protecting but teasing, and Cullen grudgingly admiring them.

  “Our youngest son, Tully is living and working with Seth at the Straight Arrow Horse Ranch. Seth manages it for Isaac Connely, and both Isaac and Seth are good influences on Tully, rather than us, his parents now.”

  They went past a variety of businesses as they walked toward the school, church, and parsonage at the end of town.

  “Young widow Mary Jenkins has the dress shop. Frank Tolbert the barbershop. I told you about Fergus’ photo studio, Daisy’s pharmacy, and Doc Pansy’s office.”

  Rose would have time to explore the town’s business district tomorrow.

  “On the other end of downtown is Lyle Elison’s Lawyer’s Office, the Clancy Café, Taylor’s Mercantile, the bank, the post office, the marshal’s office and jail, Shepard’s Saddle Shop, Paulson’s Hotel, and the livery.

  “Oh, and Adolph Bjorklund’s Meat Market. He’s a tall Swedish immigrant who has done well in town. Adolph is actively looking for a wife, but he won’t go out of town to meet a woman or write to an agency to find a bride. If he hears in church that we have a guest at the parsonage, he’ll invite himself to Sunday dinner to meet her.”

  “Maybe Mr. Bjorklund would be a better match for me since your son doesn’t want to marry me.”

  “I won’t count Cullen out yet, but Adolph could be a possibility. Cullen doesn’t realize it, but he’s opened up and formed a friendship with you, even if it was supposed to be between you and Richard. Cullen is a shy and private man, but you have many things in common.”

  “What about the other man you mentioned?” Rose asked, hoping there were more than two men to pick from.

  “Mr. Jones isn’t looking for a wife, but I threw out his name to make Cullen squirm.”

  All this talk of strangers made Rose uneasy. When Rose performed, she could smile at people, but never had to talk to them. In Clear Creek, she was going to be spending hours with the people Mrs. Reagan was mentioning.

  Rose needed to fly, literally, to calm her nerves, but she hadn’t been able to swing on the trapeze since her accident. The ability to walk on a high wire was also gone because her left arm wasn’t available to balance her body anymore.

  She watched two carpenters framing the second story of a building down the street while she stood at the depot waiting for her groom. Rose could imagine tiptoeing across the top two by four board, twirling in place before flipping into a handstand.

  She’d done acrobatics since she was a toddler because she’d grown up in the Flying Leander Family. But her life changed with the circus train accident.

  The train wreck pushed Rose’s decision to leave the traveling life. She’d always yearned for a normal life, as she’d seen people have in the towns they’d stopped in to perform.

  She could have stayed with her family, doing menial jobs for the circus, hoping that her shoulder would heal, but the range of motion she needed for the safety of herself and others wasn’t coming back.

  “Why did you decide to become a mail-order bride?” Mrs. Reagan continued with her questioning.

  What should she say? She wanted to live in one place, have a typical family with a husband and children, instead of visiting another town every few days?

  “The train accident made me think about my future, and I wanted to get away from the crowded city.”

  “Do you still have family in Chicago?”

  “Bloomington, Illinois, actually. Yes, my grandparents, father and several other relatives still live there.” Anyway, that’s where her family and other trapeze acts practiced when not on the circus route.

  “What did they think of you leaving home?”

  What did they think when she couldn’t perform anymore? They hated to see her leave, but they also acted as if she was no longer part of the family since she couldn’t perform.

  “They wanted what was best for me, and we can still write back and forth. I can travel back to Illinois to visit too.”

  Mrs. Reagan nodded, but she looked as if she wanted to ask more questions.

  They passed the white schoolhouse, empty for the summer, but children still played on the swings and teeter-totters beside the school.

  What would people think if she sat down and swung?” Or tied the ropes higher so she could dangle upside down from the swing?

  “Here’s our community church and the parsonage,” Mrs. Reagan proudly pointed out. “The wooden church was built in 1868 shortly after the railroad built through the area, and the town was started. The founders of the town built a church first thing, hoping it would make it a law-abiding town. Patrick was looking for a place to start over after his wife died and answered their newspaper advertisement.”

  “And you arrived shortly after that?”

  “Yes, after Patrick decided he wanted a wife again. That’s why we want Cullen to marry. He doesn’t believe it, but a wife and children will give him what’s he’s wanted for years—a family.”

  The rumble of the wagon and hitched horse met up with them as they stepped onto the porch.

  Pastor Reagan drove the wagon up to the porch, and Angus jumped out of the back where he’d been sitting on one of her two trunks.

  “Why are the trunks stamped with ‘The Flying Leanders,’ Miss Leander?” Angus asked as he pulled the first trunk out of the wagon bed.

  Rose stopped to turn toward the wagon. She hadn’t written about her previous life to Richard, for fear he’d think poorly of her. People liked to go to the circus but tended to look down on the people who traveled from town to town to perform.

  “Miss Leander, were you and your family in the terrible train wreck last January which k
illed performers and animals?” The depot agent just revealed her past because she’d failed to cover or change the name on the trunks.

  What could she do but reveal the truth? Rose was standing in front of a pastor and his wife.

  “Yes. That’s how I was injured and why I left my family.”

  Chapter 3

  Cullen held the letter under his nose, inhaling the floral scent wafting from the envelope. He’d read Rose’s letters so many times this afternoon he could almost recite them by memory.

  His heart jerked to a stop when he first looked into Rose’s beautiful mesmerizing eyes three hours ago. Rose looked at him before Richard when she was standing with Cullen’s parents.

  Now he knew what Mack felt like when Mack announced he’d marry Doctor Pansy the first time Mack had seen her standing on the depot platform.

  Cullen had scoffed at Mack’s declaration, even calling the woman a big moose because of her size and wide-bowed brown hat.

  But Rose was to marry Richard Kandt, so Cullen pulled his heart and feelings back into his chest. Until the couple decided not to marry by mutual agreement. Cullen was surprised Rose didn’t have a crying fit and demand a return train ticket, as many women would have reacted.

  No, for whatever reason, Rose was calm and agreed to his father’s suggestion to marry someone else in the area, after Cullen rejected the notion of him marrying her.

  The idea of being close to a woman made Cullen panic. He’d never kissed a girl when he was a teenager or ever courted a woman. Even hugging his ma was quick and light so he didn’t have to make their contact last too long.

  What was wrong with him that he wasn’t girl crazy when he was young, or wanting a wife now?

  A flash of scenes from his early childhood is why. A man pushing his real mother up against a wall and groping her body while pressing his mouth hard against his mother’s. Her moans a combination of pain and acting as if she liked it.

  But why did Cullen think only of that, when he’d seen tender moments between his adoptive parents, and his brothers and their wives?