Anonymous Bride

by McDonough, Vickie;

  Three quick knocks sounded on the kitchen door. Rachel jumped as Luke slipped in.

  “About time you showed up. The brides went to bed an hour ago.”

  “Sorry. I got busy.” He studied the floor for a moment then glanced up, the lantern light shimmering in his coffee-colored eyes. “I have my suspicions as to what happened, but I haven’t been able to confirm them yet.”

  “Care to share?” Rachel crossed her arms and leaned back against the worktable.

  “Not ’til I know for sure. I could be wrong.” He captured her gaze, sending her stomach in a tizzy. How could he affect her so when she was still upset with him?

  He glanced at the stove where she kept his dinner warm whenever he missed a meal. His features relaxed when he saw the meal covered with an inverted pie plate. Had he thought she wouldn’t feed him because she was irritated?

  “Have a seat. You must be starving by now.” She retrieved his dinner and placed it on her worktable.

  For once he didn’t snatch his plate and disappear out the door. Luke washed his hands in the bucket of water sitting in the sink and dried them with a towel. He removed his worn Stetson, revealing a sweat ring that had darkened his brown hair, making it look black. He hung the hat on the edge of the ladder-back chair, sat, and picked up his fork.

  Rachel resisted the urge to sigh. As an adolescent, she’d dreamed many nights of Luke and her sharing a meal together in their own kitchen. But all of her girlish dreams had been dashed in one horrible afternoon. Luke avoided looking at her and put away his food as if it were his last meal. If he wasn’t willing to let her in on his thoughts about the brides, she might as well go to bed. Tomorrow would be a long day, and dawn came early. She walked toward the hallway. “I’m plumb tuckered out. See you in the morning.”

  “Rachel...”

  She stopped but didn’t turn to face him. How could he put such pleading into her name?

  “Look at me, please.”

  She took a deep breath, gathering strength, and then spun to face him, bracing her shoulder against the doorjamb. His miserable expression made her want to wrap her arms around him and tell him things would be all right. But would they? There was only one Luke Davis, and two women had set their hearts on marrying him.

  His lips pressed together so hard they turned pale. “I hope you know that I had nothing to do with this. I could never toy with a woman’s affections in such a manner.”

  That’s what her heart believed, but her mind wasn’t so sure. Someone had written to the women, probably even sent money. If some man had wanted a bride for himself, why pretend to be Luke? Everyone knew the city marshal’s pay wasn’t that great. Why, a woman would either need to be self-sufficient or very desperate to want to marry a low-salaried lawman who put his life on the line everyday. Or be in love. She glanced at him again, sitting there, wanting her support. He’d once supported her, helped her whenever things had gone bad. His had been the shoulder she cried on for so many years—when her pa died, when things were difficult—but that was a long time ago.

  She sighed heavily and tugged out a seat across from him. “I believe that you wouldn’t purposely dally with a woman’s affections, Luke.” Heaven knew she wished he’d toy with her affections, but he no longer looked at her with love in his eyes. At least he was talking to her now.

  “Thanks, Rach.” A soft smile tugged at Luke’s lips, sending Rachel’s heart pounding. He picked up his fork and attacked the pot roast, potatoes, and carrots. It was a good thing she’d gone ahead and fixed the meal, because Jack had returned home without any fish.

  “Would you like me to heat up your coffee? I was heading to bed, so I banked the fire and put the pot on the back burner.”

  Luke shook his head. “It’s plenty warm. So...” He glanced up. “How are the women faring? Are they terribly upset?”

  Rachel gave him a stern look. “Of course they are. Both had their hearts set on marrying you. They left their homes and traveled hundreds of miles, only to find out the man they planned to marry knew nothing about them. Oh, and did I mention there was instant competition for your attention, being as there were two brides, not one?”

  “It’s a fine mess, all right. When Gar—” Luke shoved another bite into his mouth, as if he’d said something he hadn’t intended on saying.

  “What?” Rachel’s mind raced as she tried to figure out what he’d almost said.

  “Never mind.” For the next few minutes, he wolfed down the rest of his food; then he leaned on his elbows, staring into his coffee cup. “I have a little money. I’ve been saving to buy a house. I suppose I could give each of the ladies enough cash so they could get back to wherever it was they came from.”

  Luke was going to buy a house? Rachel’s mouth dropped open. Could he have accumulated that much money on a soldier’s salary? Having a house meant he’d be staying in town. How could she spend the next twenty or thirty years living in the same town as Luke, watching him one day marry another woman and then raise their children? Dread melded her to her chair. She thought of the letters from her aunt, asking her to bring Jacqueline and move to Kansas City. Maybe now was the time to finally consider her offer.

  Luke glanced up, his forehead creased. “Do you think that’s a good idea, Rach?”

  “Hmm?” What had he said before tilting her world off its axis? “Oh, um ... I don’t know. I’m not sure either woman wishes to return where she came from. And if you weren’t the one to send for them, it isn’t your duty to provide for them. Why would someone impersonate you?”

  Luke’s guarded expression revealed nothing. “I don’t want to say until I’m sure.”

  Rachel scanned her mind, trying to think who might be out of town that he would suspect. The Ralstons had gone to Dallas to care for her elderly mother. Garrett and Mark Corbett were on a run, delivering freight for the company they co-owned. The mayor was at a convention in Dallas.

  Wait a minute! She slapped her hand on the table, receiving a curious stare from Luke.

  That was it! Rachel stood so abruptly her chair fell back and banged against the floor. Luke jumped up and spun toward the door, his hand reaching for his pistol. Rachel might have smiled if not for her building anger.

  He twisted back around, his diligent gaze checking the other doorways then finally settling on her. “What’s wrong?”

  Rachel scowled and heaved angered breaths out her nose. “It was them, wasn’t it?”

  “Who?”

  “Garrett and Mark. Those two hooligans have been pulling pranks for as long as I’ve known them. They were the ones who ordered the brides.” Rachel picked up her chair and set it aright. It was a good thing those men were out of town, because she wasn’t sure what she might do right now if they weren’t. “I’m a little surprised at Mark doing such a thing, or maybe Garrett did it on his own. I wouldn’t put it past him.”

  Luke’s gaze found something interesting on the floor, his ears turning red. “I told you I’d rather not say until I can confirm it.”

  She marched around the table and stopped a foot from him. “So, you do suspect them. They’ve done a lot of ornery things in their lives, but this takes the cake. It would serve them right if you made them marry those poor girls, except I’d hate for either one to get strapped with the likes of those two yahoos.”

  A tiny smile tugged at Luke’s lips. “It would serve them right, wouldn’t it?” He chuckled.

  Rachel was tempted to smack him, but a tiny giggle swelled up inside her, begging to be set free. She could imagine the pinched expressions on Mark and Garrett’s faces when Luke forced them into shotgun weddings. She pressed her lips together, but a little snort erupted, making Luke laugh. Rachel joined him, feeling a release of tension for the first time that whole day.

  Luke’s laugh deepened, and Rachel shoved her hand over his mouth. “Shh ... you’re going to wake the whole house.”

  Humor still glimmered in his eyes, but he pulled her hand down, keeping quiet. “My cousi
ns should be back tomorrow, and then we’ll see what they have to say about all this.” He shrugged. “Could be they aren’t even involved.”

  “Uh-huh, and it’s going to snow in July in Texas.”

  Luke tightened his grip on her hand, sending pleasant shivers up her arm. What he meant as a friendly gesture made her want to lean in and hug him. Pulling her hand from his, she stepped back, knowing that he wasn’t aware he’d let his guard down around her for only the second time since coming back to town. “It’s late, and tomorrow will be a trying day. Best we get some sleep.”

  Luke nodded. He claimed his hat and walked toward the door. “Sleep tight, sweet Rachel.”

  She watched in the moonlight as he strode toward his house, and then she closed the back door. Had he purposely used that endearment, or had it just slipped out? Rachel scraped his plate and set it in the sink along with his cup. She turned down the lantern and ambled toward the downstairs bedroom she shared with her daughter. Her hand caught the doorknob, and she paused, thinking how warm and soft Luke’s lips had felt against her fingertips when she’d covered his mouth. A sudden thought sent warm hope traveling through her being. If Luke had no intention of marrying the brides, maybe there was still hope for her.

  ***

  The next morning, Luke rode Alamo back into Lookout after a brisk ride. With most of his duties in town, he’d neglected to exercise his horse. Both he and his mount had benefited from the long ride. He breathed in a deep breath when he saw his cousins’ wagon parked outside the freight office. He didn’t care for confrontations, and having been a cavalry officer, he’d had his share of them, but this was different. Innocent females had been given false hope—their emotions toyed with, their dreams smashed. “Help me not to lose my temper, Lord.”

  Luke tied his horse to the hitching post outside the freight office and stormed inside. He shoved his hands to his hips and eyed both men. Mark and Garrett looked up from their desks where they’d been working and exchanged a glance. “I reckon you heard what happened yesterday.”

  Both men had the audacity to grin.

  “Good morning to you, too.” Mark chuckled.

  “This isn’t a laughing matter.” Luke crossed his arms and glared at the two. “I can’t believe you would do such a low-down thing.”

  “What thing is that?” Garrett leaned back in his chair, hands crossed over his stomach, obviously trying to look innocent.

  “You know good and well what I’m talking about.” He paced the room, casting glares at his cousins. Too bad this wasn’t a legal offense or he’d haul them both of to jail and see who had the last laugh. Then again, maybe he could arrest them for impersonating a lawman.

  Mark tapped a finger on his desk, his blue eyes gleaming. “Well, you did say you’d marry if the right woman came along.”

  “When did I say that?”

  “The evening of your birthday,” Mark said.

  “That’s right. We just figured you needed some help finding her.” Garrett nodded as he straightened a stack of papers on his desk. “We wrote to several women who had advertisements in the newspaper but sure didn’t expect more than one would be willing to travel all the way to Lookout.” Garrett leaned back in his chair and put his feet on his desk, crossing his hands behind his head. “We didn’t know the brides had arrived until we got back in town this morning and stopped at the café for breakfast. Weren’t sure any of them would show up.”

  Mark nodded. “Everyone was talking about it.”

  “Them? Just how many did you write to?”

  “Five.” Garrett stretched, holding up all the fingers on one hand. “But a couple weren’t interested in moving to Texas.” He stroked his chin with his index finger and thumb and waggled his brows. “Two did, huh? Guess you get to pick which one you like best. Are they pretty?”

  Luke couldn’t believe his ears. What were they thinking? Mark and Garrett had always been rascals, but they’d never been purposely hurtful. “How could you trifle with those women? Don’t you realize they’ve left their homes and families and traveled hundreds of miles in hope of marrying me?”

  “Well, you can make dreams come true for one of them at least.” Mark grinned. “So, are they pretty?”

  Grinding his back teeth, Luke spun toward the window and checked to make sure things were still quiet outside. It wouldn’t do to let his cousins know both women were pretty enough to catch any man’s eye. “They’re nice enough, I suppose.”

  “What do they look like?” Garrett’s chair squeaked.

  Luke shrugged one shoulder. He might as well tell them, or they’d just hurry out the door and go see for themselves. “They’re very different. One’s blond with blue eyes. The other is shorter and has reddish brown hair and green eyes.”

  Mark chuckled. “I thought you weren’t interested. Sounds like you looked them over real good. Mmm ... I always imagined falling in love with a redhead. If you don’t want her, maybe I’ll try my hand at wooing her.”

  Luke turned back to face the two scoundrels. “These are people we’re talking about, not horses or cattle. You can’t play with a woman’s emotions. They’re not like us. They’re sensitive.”

  Mark grinned. “I had no idea you knew that much about females. Is that why you avoid them?”

  Luke studied the dirt on his boot tips. Did he avoid women? Maybe one in particular. “I see women all over town every day.”

  Garrett dropped his feet to the floor with a loud thunk. “Married women don’t count. When was the last time you showed interest in a gal of marrying age?”

  Luke glanced at the walls of the freight office as he contemplated Garrett’s question. A large area map hung on one unpainted wall with pins stuck in it indicating the smaller towns that his cousins delivered freight to. Papers littered Garrett’s desk in haphazard piles while Mark’s were neatly stacked. Boxes and crates waiting to be shipped filled one wall.

  His cousins didn’t understand the position he was in. “If I show attention to anyone past school age, I’ll have all the mamas in the county wanting me to come for dinner and court their daughters.”

  “Oh, to eat good food with a pretty woman. What a cross to bear.” Mark folded his arms over his chest and leaned his hip on his desk. “I might believe that if there were any marriageable women in Lookout.”

  “We’ve provided the perfect solution,” Garrett said. “Pick one of the brides, marry up with her, and then all the mamas will turn their eyes on someone else.”

  Luke smiled for the first time since entering the freight office. “Yeah, like you two yahoos.”

  “Hey, I don’t mind a home-cooked meal and a pretty woman to share it with once in a while. It’s just too bad there aren’t some in this town.” Garrett picked up a pencil and started shaving the end with his pocketknife. Mark scowled at the mess he was making on the floor.

  “I think the best thing would be for you two to marry the brides.” Luke held back his grin and tried to appear stern.

  Garrett stood and pointed a finger at Luke. “Now hold on a minute. We ordered those brides for you, not us. I’m sorry that two of ’em showed up. I figured when it came right down to it, they’d back out. I never expected to get so many responses to my advertisement.”

  Luke stiffened. “You posted a notice about me?”

  “It sounded like a good idea at the time,” Mark said.

  “What did you say? That I’m a desperate marshal who needs a wife? I don’t even own a home, for Pete’s sake.”

  Garrett shrugged and tried to keep a straight face, but it wasn’t working. “Just that you were handsome, well established, friendly. Stuff like that.”

  “Well established? Did you also tell them that I live in a one-room cabin next to the boardinghouse where I take all my meals? I don’t even own a cookstove. What woman would want to live in a cabin with no stove?”

  Mark grabbed a cup off his desk and filled it from the coffeepot he picked up at the café each morning. “Want some?”r />
  Luke scowled at him. “No, I don’t want coffee. This is serious business. We need to decide what to do with those women.” He fingered his pistol handle. “I’m still of a mind to march you down to the boardinghouse and make you two marry those gals.”

  Mark sat and took a sip from his cup. “Have you spent any time getting to know them?”

  Luke stared at the ceiling. This conversation wasn’t going as planned. Perhaps he should have let Rachel join him as he confronted his cousins, but he’d told her he could handle them. Could be he’d overestimated his abilities. “No, I haven’t. They just arrived yesterday while you two were conveniently out delivering freight. I got them situated at the boardinghouse while I tried to figure out what in the world was going on.” He picked a paper off of Garrett’s desk and examined the script, receiving a scowl from his cousin. “Once I recognized the handwriting in the letters those gals showed me, I knew pretty much what had happened.”

  Garrett squirmed and looked at Mark. “We were just trying to help you. Like get you a bride for your birthday.”

  “My birthday was weeks ago.”

  “Yeah, well, it takes time to communicate with a woman. You can’t hurry them, and you have to answer all their nitpicky questions ’cause they’re suspicious,” said Mark.

  “I wonder why.” Luke shoved his hands to his hips and glowered at them.

  “What you need to do is get to know the women. You can’t be certain one of them isn’t the gal for you unless you spend time with them. Why not take each one to the café for dinner or supper?” Garrett’s gaze lit up as if he’d just solved the dilemma.