Mail Order Vow

by Alix West

  “In that case, I’ll take them both. I don’t like the idea of that sumbitch taking either.”

  Nick grinned.

  Seth shook his head. “Pretty good sales tactic there.”

  “I don’t need sales tactics. My horses sell themselves.” He whistled, and the horses slowed to a walk. When he reached inside his coat pocket, the animals came to him, nosing his pockets, searching for a stick of candy or a cube of sugar.

  Seth shook his head. “Ridiculous.”

  “They’re like kids,” Nick said. “You need to ask a lot and spoil a little.”

  “What do you know about kids?”

  “It’s what I figure works and if I’m blessed with children, that’s what I intend to do.”

  His brother’s words made Seth think about Laura. He wondered if she would do as he told her. Yesterday was the first time he’d ever spoken to her. He’d forced himself to tell her she needed to leave Colter Canyon. Pain stuck in his heart. The way she’d looked at him almost made him change his mind. Almost.

  Nick came to the side of the corral and leaned against the top rail. “You really going to send that little girl away?”

  Nick often seemed to know what he was thinking. He and his brother were only ten months apart and folks liked to talk about them being twins. There was more to it than that, though. Nick knew what others were thinking too. Even animals. Maybe that was why he was so good with horses.

  “It’s for her own good. Melvin’s been storming around town, telling everyone that Clarice is keeping him from what’s his. Now with girls getting robbed and even banged up some, I want her gone.”

  “You could offer for her.”

  “She’s scared to death of me. Besides, she told Clarice she’ll never marry.”

  Nick heaved a sigh. “Melvin’s a bastard. I should go pay him a visit.”

  “I’ve done that already. He got his hackles up, saying things about Laura bein’ a whore and offering favors to men. He won’t keep his mouth shut about the girl. Can’t seem to understand why she won’t be a little sweeter to him. It’s Clarice he needs to convince.”

  Nick arched a brow. “I don’t think you want him to do that.”

  Seth shook his head. “I don’t want to do that at all. What I want is to get on the train with her day after tomorrow, and take her away and court her properly.”

  “You ought to,” Nick said. “You’ve been about as easygoing as a nest of bees ever since she came to town.”

  Seth warmed, imagining getting on the train with Laura and going far away, for a bit. The outlandish idea came to him after he took her sketchpad. Laura had drawn pictures of the women who worked at the Magnolia. Drawings that made the women more beautiful than they actually were, but still, were true to the women’s form. In one she drew Clarice as she studied her poker hand and captured perfectly the expression on the woman’s face. But what surprised him the most about the drawings were the ones of him, mostly because they hadn’t as much as said hello to each other, or even been in the same room.

  Sure, they’d seen each other, but not for more than a few seconds here and there. Seth had made it a point to make a couple extra trips to the bank and walk past the Saloon windows, and visit the Mercantile a few extra times just to see her. And clearly, she’d seen him too. The sketches looked just like him, at his best moments – smiling, proud, powerful. In the drawings he saw the man he was, at times, and the man he wanted to be, always.

  The few times he’d caught her eye he thought she might be sweet on him, but she’d scurry away, or nearly faint whenever he stared too long or moved closer. The drawings made it clear, she liked him.

  Prior to the robberies, he’d imagined a slow courtship, time for Laura to get her mind off Melvin and see that not all men were rabid. He was just about to start, then the robberies began. Now, with girls getting hurt in town, and even girls who worked at the Magnolia, it would be impossible to steal her away. She was frightened and fragile, and the best thing for her would be to get far away from Colter Canyon and start over, with a little money in her pocket.

  “The girl is just now settling down after Melvin’s foolishness. I don’t want to scare her even more,” Seth said quietly. “She’s claimed she won’t marry and I’m sure she has good reason.”

  “Seth Travis,” a shout came from behind the barn.

  “The hell?” Seth said, turning towards the barn.

  “Get your hands up,” the man shouted. “It’s Sheriff Holden. You’re under arrest.”

  The sound of a trigger being cocked made Nick swear. Seth cursed under his breath as well. The last few weeks, tensions had run high in Colter Canyon. He’d been so caught up in his concern about Laura that he hadn’t thought of much else. Holden was under pressure to arrest someone and in a flash of clarity, he understood things - that someone was him. It would be payback for past differences of opinion.

  “Do as he says,” Nick muttered. “Sheriff Holden likes to shoot first and ask questions later.”

  Seth raised his hands.

  The sheriff came closer, his rifle to his shoulder and aimed at Seth.

  “You better have a damn good reason for coming onto my property and arresting my brother,” Nick yelled.

  “You put your hands up too, Nick. I don’t want any trouble.”

  The sheriff and the men moved forward cautiously. Seth knew the man didn’t like him or any of his brothers. They’d locked horns a time or two before. Once at a cattle auction and another time when the sheriff had refused to go after some rustlers. The rustlers had moved on, but the bad feelings between him and Sheriff Holden remained. Still, there had never been guns drawn.

  “This is horse shit,” Seth muttered. “If they take me in, you make sure Laura gets on that train. I want her out of Colter Canyon.”

  Several deputies trailed the sheriff, guns aimed at Seth and Nick.

  “What’s this about, Sheriff Holden?” Nick asked in his usual, perfectly reasonable voice.

  “Your brother robbed a girl at knifepoint.”

  Seth shook his head and tried to keep from scoffing. “You’re lying. You’re making that up.”

  “He ain’t lyin’, Seth,” one of the deputies muttered. The man circled behind Seth and took his gun out of his holster.

  “Son of a bitch,” Seth snarled.

  “Hands down, nice an’ slow,” the sheriff said. “Mind your manners and we’ll cuff you in front.”

  “Do as they say, Seth,” Nick said. “Let them take you in. I’ll get to the bottom of this.”

  “You can lower your hands now, Nick.” Sheriff Holden scowled.

  Nick lowered his hands.

  The sheriff went on. “Besides, I’ve got Clarice and other folks threatening me something ugly if I don’t find out who’s doing this. I’ve got to start somewhere. Might as well be you.”

  Seth shot his brother a look. Nick nodded.

  “Well, good for you,” Seth snapped. “You’ll look like a man hard at work since you arrested someone.”

  “For starters, I need Clarice off my back,” Holden snapped.

  Any other time, Seth might have laughed. Clarice could probably stare down a charging Brahma. Everybody in Colter Canyon knew that. He gritted his teeth, wondering if she suspected him too. If Laura had told her about his demand that she leave Colter Canyon, Clarice might have a list of grievances with his name at the top.

  Two deputies escorted him to his horse, tied at the hitching post.

  With his hands cuffed in front of him, he was still able to swing into the saddle albeit, a little more awkwardly. They handed him his reins.

  “There’ll be hell to pay for this, Holden,” Nick said quietly. “No one tangles with the Travis family and gets away with it.”

  “I aim to make this a quick trial, Nick. The townspeople are riled up and they won’t care that Seth’s a Travis. They’ll care that the women of Colter Canyon are safe.”

  With that Seth nodded a curt good-bye to his brot
her.

  Nick’s expression sobered. “I’ll take care of everything, Seth. Don’t you worry.”

  Chapter Three

  Laura

  Over the next two days, Laura tried to forget that Seth Travis wanted her to leave Colter Canyon. She vowed to stop searching for him when she looked out the window. She pushed thoughts of him from her mind. She tucked the money he’d given her under the mattress, determined to give it back to him one day.

  On the third morning, she woke to hear that he’d been arrested for the robberies. The news had shocked her to her core. She knew he hadn’t robbed anyone. The arrest was a farce but the thought of him in a cold jail cell made her want to cry all over again.

  She tried to collect her thoughts, so she could make breakfast for the girls. Amidst the clatter of pans and potatoes sizzling in bacon fat, Laura didn’t hear anyone enter the kitchen, but she did hear Clarice’s words loud and clear.

  “What the hell do you want?” Clarice demanded.

  She whirled from the stove to see a man standing in the doorway. In an instant, she knew he had to be a Travis, but why he was here she couldn’t imagine.

  A small murmur of distress rippled across Laura’s throat. She clasped her hands silently as she gazed at Seth’s brother. The questions she’d yearned to ask him lodged like a lump in her throat. While she couldn’t imagine asking this man about Seth, she prayed Clarice would at least ask about Seth, and if he would get out soon.

  “Why, nothing’s wrong with me, Clarice,” he said easily. “Other than the usual ailments. Ornery. Recalcitrant.”

  Even though it had been Clarice that asked the question, Nick addressed Laura with the answer.

  “When is Seth getting out of jail?” she asked softly, unable to resist. Her normal fretfulness outweighed by her fear for Seth.

  Nick took a few steps closer, removed his hat and stood silently for a long moment. His eyes were etched with worry. His Adam’s apple bobbed a few times.

  “They think my brother robbed those girls. And now they’re talking about some girls who got killed in Laredo. My brother’s never stepped foot in Laredo.”

  Laura listened in disbelief. It wasn’t possible he was a suspect for robbery, much less murder. Not Seth. He’d come to her room, uninvited, and been domineering and impossible. She’d felt both angry and hurt too, but she’d been pleased in a way. It felt nice that Seth noticed her and cared about her safety.

  “They’re thinking about having a trial. Maybe next week,” Nick said. “If they do, they’ll bring in a judge from Austin or Houston. A man who doesn’t know Seth.”

  Laura lifted a trembling hand to her mouth.

  Clarice cursed under her breath.

  “I’ve come up with a plan that might help my brother. It came to me right at dawn.” He raked his hand through his hair. “Couldn’t sleep a wink last night.”

  Laura nodded. She understood a little of what he felt. Bile burned in her throat. Nick’s words frightened her. Could it be possible that Seth would be sent to the gallows?

  Nick reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. His hand shook as he set it on the table. "It’s a marriage proxy.”

  Clarice scoffed and shook her head. “You can’t be serious.”

  Nick went on. “If he had a wife sitting in the courtroom, it would make him look a little more sympathetic.”

  Clarice peered at the paper. “Seth already signed it?”

  Nick shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Not exactly.”

  Laura flinched. “What do you mean by ‘not exactly’?”

  “I forged my brother’s signature,” Nick said.

  Laura drew a sharp breath and crept closer to look at the paper. Scrawled along the bottom was Seth Travis’s name.

  “I hate to trouble a girl Seth hardly knows, but I wanted to ask anyway. I know he gave you money to leave town. I know he’s worried about Melvin and I wouldn’t blame you for saying no, or leaving town. But I had to ask. In the last two days, things have gone from bad to worse.”

  He kept his gaze fixed on Laura.

  Her mind spun. Seth was in trouble. She’d hardly been able to breathe thinking about him in any sort of peril. Now a chance to help Seth was put in front of her. She didn’t like the idea of supporting a falsehood, not at all. But to help Seth, a man she loved and a man she knew was falsely accused, why… she was certain she’d do anything to help Seth Travis.

  “I’ll sign,” she whispered. And in a voice that was a little stronger, she added. “I’d do anything to help your brother.”

  Clarice said nothing.

  Nick nodded and set a pen on the table. “Me too.”

  As Laura signed her name below Seth’s, her hand shook, but just barely. A strange calm settled over her. She felt certain he’d be freed, but if she could do some small thing to ensure that or to shorten his stay in jail, she would do it, whole-heartedly. She felt not even a glimmer of hesitation.

  She set the pen down and lifted her gaze to Clarice. “If I’m playing the part of a married woman, I should take my husband lunch, shouldn’t I? The food in the jail can’t be worth eating.”

  Clarice stared at her, a smile slowly curving her mouth. “I suppose,” she said slowly. “That’s what a wife would do for her husband.”

  Nick cleared his throat. “I’d be much obliged, Laura. I don’t mean to put you out.”

  Laura felt a surge of pleasure. She didn’t relish the idea of visiting a jail, but she’d see Seth. Talk to him and perhaps even be able to offer a little comfort. The idea made her almost giddy.

  “It’s no trouble,” she said, hoping she didn’t sound completely delighted.

  Nick went on. “Still, I’d like to point out that Seth doesn’t know all the details of this marriage just yet. I aim to tell him soon. But he might be a tad irritated when I do.”

  Clarice snorted. “A tad irritated. Damn, Nick, you wily fox. I thought I was a good matchmaker. Look at you, marrying off Seth Travis without his knowing it. I’m impressed.”

  “This is just temporary, Clarice,” Laura said. “I’m doing this because I care about Seth’s welfare. Once the problem is resolved, we’ll get the marriage annulled. I’ve heard of mail-ordered brides canceling their marriages,” she added.

  She couldn’t help feeling a little wistful. This arrangement was a sham but so were the charges against Seth. One day the proxy would be canceled, but for now she had a job to do. A part to play.

  Nick gave Clarice a weak smile. “I just hope the judge looks kindly on my brother.”

  “What are you going to do when Seth gets off and finds out he’s married?”

  “It might be me leaving town for a few days,” Nick muttered. “Hiding.”

  He gave her a wistful smile.

  “It can be undone,” Laura said quietly. “Seth can deny having any part of the arrangement.”

  Clarice turned to her. “Wear the burgundy dress I gave you. It’s somber, but pretty. Leave your hair down. I’ll finish lunch.”

  Laura spent the next half hour changing out of her simple muslin frock and putting on Clarice’s dress, one she’d never worn before. Clarice had given it to her, explaining that she’d only worn it once, to a holiday party in Atlanta. The dress was pretty without being ostentatious. She studied her reflection, wondering what Seth would think when he saw her.

  She wore a cloak and walked the quiet streets of Colter Canyon, carrying a basket of food. She entered the jail with a purposeful step and stopped at the desk. The front entrance was sparsely furnished beyond the worn desk and a few chairs. A deputy sat at the desk and worked on a report.

  Men’s voices echoed in the halls behind him. Two men argued, and another told them to shut the hell up. She didn’t hear Seth’s voice. Her heart stuttered. Was he even in there? Would he be angry with her?

  The deputy, gray-haired and balding, looked up at her in confusion. “Ma’am?”

  Laura wondered if she would be able to say
the words. Steeling herself against the lie, she drew a deep breath for courage. “I’m Mrs. Travis. I’ve come to bring my husband his supper.”

  She half-expected him to laugh or shout at her to get out of the jail. He’d expose her lie and run her off. But he did none of those things. He grunted, took a ring of keys from a hook on the wall, and shuffled out of the room.

  With her breath ragged in her throat, Laura followed. The odor of sweat and other vile smells greeted her. A twist of pain made tears burn in her eyes. Seth Travis had spent the night in this wretched place and might spend a number more. She might be terrified by what she was doing, but the sacrifice was worth it, if she could spare him even a single night in this place.

  Men leered at her as she passed, but they seemed too shocked to see a woman in the jail to make any sort of crude remark. She held her chin up, and fixed her gaze on the back of the deputy’s head as he walked in front of her.

  He stopped at the end of the hallway, and shoved the key in the lock. The door swung open, squeaking on rusted hinges. Laura froze, keeping back a few paces from the door. A man’s growl rumbled from the depths of the cell. It sounded more beast-like than human and for an instant, Laura considered turning on her heel and fleeing the jail.

  She gripped the basket. Her knuckles whitened and her hand shook. Inside the basket, the plates rattled, giving away her trepidation. The deputy nodded, waiting for her to enter the cell.

  She stepped past him, over the iron threshold and came face to face with Seth. His eyes widened. His mouth twisted. His gaze swept over her and another growl sounded in his chest.

  Behind her the door slammed shut and the lock turned.

  “One hour for conjugal visits,” the deputy muttered.

  The man’s words shook her to her core. Suddenly the entire plan seemed even more reckless. Perilous. She knew Seth was innocent, but here in the depths of the jail, standing in a shadowed cell, he looked dangerous. He was unshaven. His clothes rumpled. He eyed her with a hungered, predatory look.

  “Conjugal visit?” Seth asked, his voice rough. “What the hell is he talking about?”

  “I think…” Laura’s words faded. Her heart hammered. “He presumes we’re married because I’ve brought you supper.”