The Mail Order Brides of Last Chance

by Lucille Chisum

  “True,” Eliza said. “I suppose I have been rather hard on him lately.”

  “I know,” Delilah replied. “Don’t you think it’s time to ease up on him a little? He really does love you, you know.”

  Eliza sighed. “I know,” she said. “I just don’t want him to bring up that Lisa Bell again.”

  Her friend nodded. “Maybe this is his way of telling you he won’t do that,” Delilah said. “That he wants to put all that behind you.”

  “You could be right,” Eliza said, tilting her head and considering the possibility. “Maybe I’m overreacting a little.”

  Delilah shook her head. “I think you’re overreacting a lot,” she said, and finally she just stared at her friend. “There’s no doubt in my mind that the two of you would be very happy together.

  “Really?” Eliza said. “Do you really think so?”

  “I know so,” Delilah said emphatically. “You just need to stop thinking so much about it.”

  Eliza nodded. She trusted Delilah implicitly, and Eliza knew her friend was almost preternaturally accurate about such things.

  “So what should I do?” she asked.

  “Say yes!” Delilah replied. “The Christmas tree walk is in two days, if I’m not mistaken.”

  “You’re right about that, I think,” she said. “I guess I’ve been too hard on him.”

  “You have,” Delilah said. “And there’s something else you need to think about with all this.”

  “What’s that?” Eliza asked.

  “You should remember how handsome Benjamin is,” she said. “Girls around town look at him all the time, and some nearly stare. If you don’t take him up on this, he’ll be taken by someone else, and very quickly at that.”

  “Oh. I hadn’t considered that at all.”

  Delilah smiled wryly. “Believe me, it’s as obvious as the nose on your face.”

  Eliza sighed. “All right, then,” she said. “I’ll make sure he knows I want to do this as soon as possible.”

  “We’re going where?”

  Seth laughed. “It’s like I just told ya,” he said. “You’re gonna have to just go with me on this one.”

  Benjamin shook his head, looking back and forth as they walked up Main Street together.

  “I’ve never even seen this place, you know,” he said.

  Seth nodded. “Most haven’t,” he replied. “It’s new, and it’s small. Its behind everything else, but believe me, folks are starting to find it.”

  Benjamin cocked his head and looked at him. “So how did you find it, then?” he asked. “Don’t exactly sound like the kind of place a fella like you would know about.”

  Seth laughed again. “It’s not,” he said. “Blossom told me about it.”

  “Ah.” Benjamin nodded. “Well, that explains it.”

  Seth was about to nod again, but then they came up on the bank. He found the spot between the bank and the saddle shop next to it and he pointed.

  “It’s right in there,” he said. “Let’s go.”

  Benjamin shook his head, and he followed. There was barely a walkway between the two buildings, and he felt like he was sneaking off somewhere, with no real idea where.

  The passage between the two buildings got narrower as they continued, until Benjamin thought they might have to turn sideways to get through it.

  Suddenly, though, the passage opened up again, and Seth turned to him.

  “See? It’s right here,” he said, pointing at a tiny cottage.

  “What’s here?” Benjamin said, staring at it. “It don’t even have a sign.”

  “That’s because it’s temporary,” he said. “The location, I mean. I’ve been here a couple of times, and I’ve gotten to know the owner a bit.

  “She’s getting a place out on Main Street after the holiday. Either that or Blossom is thinking about letting her sell out of the hotel, setting up a shop for her.”

  “Really? I had no idea.”

  Benjamin was impressed by this information. He didn’t know Blossom all that well yet, but he had spent time around the hotel, and he was impressed by what her and Seth were doing together. There was nothing like it anywhere.

  Seth walked him to the door, and Benjamin glanced through the window as Seth knocked.

  “Sure does look cozy,” he said.

  Seth nodded. “That’s the point,” he replied. “It’s called Katie’s Craft Shop, just so you know. I’ve been trying to get her to put up a sign for weeks now.”

  Benjamin frowned. “And she won’t do it?”

  “Nope.”

  “Why not?” he asked.

  Seth just shrugged. “She says she wants to be a bit more established before she does something like that,” he explained. “Said it’s ostentatious . . . whatever that means.”

  “Well, it’s a nice little shop,” Benjamin said. “I’m happy to give her the business if she can do what you’ve suggested.”

  “Oh, she can,” Seth said, rapping on the door again, this time a little harder. “I’m completely sure about that part.”

  Benjamin waited with him, and suddenly he was looking forward to this. He’d never been to a craft shop in his life, although Lisa had tried to talk him into going into one back in Oklahoma, a shop that was for knitting and such.

  Finally, the door opened, and a young woman answered. Benjamin’s first thought was that she wasn’t much older than Eliza, for he’d been expecting someone much older.

  “Hi,” she said shyly, nodding at Seth and then turning to Benjamin. “I’m Katie Harmon.”

  “Howdy. I’m Benjamin Tucker,” he said. “Seth suggested I come here for something I need.”

  She smiled, and Katie’s face lit up. “Well, thanks for stopping by and thinking of me,” she said. “Come on in, I’ll try to help you if I can.”

  Benjamin nodded, but he let Seth take the lead as they entered the shop. He was still nervous about going to a craft shop, and the truth was Benjamin had no idea what do expect.

  The coziness of the shop put him at ease. There were knitted blankets and shawls everywhere, along with knick-knacks that were obviously hand-made and the product of many hours of hard work. If anyone would have what Seth had suggested, it would be Katie Harmon.

  “Wow,” Benjamin said. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

  “See?” Seth said, stepping back so Benjamin could see everything that was on display. “I told you it would be like this.”

  Katie just smiled. She’d only just come to Last Chance from Topeka in the spring, but she continued to be amazed by how friendly everyone was.

  “I’m glad you like it,” she said. “And I’d be happy to try and help you with whatever you’re looking for.”

  Benjamin nodded. “Thank you,” he said. “I think it might be best if I let Seth explain all that. At least the first part of it, anyway.”

  “All right.” Katie looked from one to the other, trying to imagine what these two were up to. They seemed an unlikely pair, but then again most of her customers were pretty unusual, one way or the other.

  Benjamin took a step back, and Seth shook his head at his shyness. That had never been a problem for him, and he was happy just to help out.

  “He needs an ornament of some sort,” Seth began. “It’s a bit of an unusual request.”

  Katie shrugged, as if it was nothing. “I get requests for custom ornaments all the time,” she said. “What’s so unusual about this one?”

  Seth just grinned. “This is where I’m gonna have to step back and let Benjamin here explain,” he said.

  Katie looked at Benjamin and saw that he was blushing a little.

  “It’s all right,” she said, feeling the instinct to protect and comfort him for some reason she couldn’t explain.

  “Let’s start simple,” Katie suggested. “Who’s it for?”

  Benjamin took a deep breath. “Well . . . it’s for a girl,” he began.

  Katie smiled slightly. “I suspected
as much,” she said. “And it’s for Christmas?”

  “Sorta,” Benjamin replied, nodding. “But I actually need it a lot earlier.”

  “All right,” she said. “I think I can manage that.”

  Then she paused. “But I get the feeling there’s a particular set of circumstances?”

  “There are,” he said, nodding again. “I need to put something in it. So it needs to be big enough to hold that.”

  Katie nodded again. “I see,” she said. “Well, I’ve done that kind of thing before. And what is it you’re looking to put inside?”

  Her question changed the color of his blush immediately. Benjamin turned bright red, and Katie looked over at Seth, wondering what in the world this was about.

  Seth just smiled. This was the moment he’d been waiting for, in a manner of speaking, and he was determined to enjoy it to the fullest.

  Then he nodded toward Benjamin. “Go ahead,” he said playfully to him. “Tell Miss Katie what’s going to be in the ornament.”

  Benjamin looked down at the floor, and then he barely managed to look up.

  “A ring,” he said softly.

  Katie frowned. “A what?”

  Seth’s smile grew into a full-blown grin. “Looks like you’re gonna have to say it louder, I’m afraid,” he said.

  Benjamin glared at him for putting him on the spot like this.

  “A ring,” he said, slightly louder.

  Her frown deepened. “What kind of ring?”

  Seth cackled, clearly intent on wringing every ounce of hilarity from the moment that he could.

  “Go ahead,” he repeated, shaking his head. “What kind of ring?”

  “An engagement ring,” Benjamin said firmly, suddenly finding his voice.

  Katie blinked, obviously confused. “I don’t quite understand,” she said. “I think you’re going to have to explain this to me.”

  Finally Seth’s smile diminished, and he knew it was time to let Benjamin off the hook.

  “It’s pretty simple,” he said, nodding again at Benjamin. “Go ahead, tell her what you’ve got in mind.”

  Benjamin took another deep breath, suddenly realizing how hard it was going to be to explain this to a stranger.

  “I met a girl, here in Last Chance, not too long ago,” he said, and he paused, gathering himself.

  “That’s fairly common,” Katie replied, seeing how shy Benjamin was.

  He really is sweet, she said to herself. Whoever this girl is, she’s very lucky. “But what does that have to do with needing an ornament?”

  Benjamin shrugged, wondering if Seth’s idea wasn’t stupid, now that they were presenting it to a stranger in the light of day.

  “It was Seth’s idea,” he said, nodding toward the older man in a way that was nearly accusatory. “He thought it would be an interesting way to propose to her during the Christmas tree walk.”

  Katie smiled softly, wishing there was something she could do to make it easier for Benjamin to talk about this.

  “Now that does sound intriguing,” she said, trying to sound as encouraging as possible. “But I think I need to know how it would work.”

  “Simple,” Benjamin said, although it really didn’t sound simple at all now that he was trying to talk through it. “I’ve invited her to the Christmas tree walk, so I’d spend some time with her during that.

  “And then when we get there, after the tree is selected, I give her the ornament and tell her to look inside. That’s when I propose to her.”

  Katie’s face lit up. “What a wonderful idea!” she exclaimed. “And was this your plan?”

  Benjamin shook his head and grinned slightly. “Naw, I can’t take credit for it,” he said, and he nodded over at Seth. “He was the one who came up with it.”

  Katie smiled at Seth and nodded at him. “Well, I am impressed, whoever had the idea,” she said. Then she paused, trying to think through how to do this. “So what kind of ornament do you think you want?”

  “Umm . . .” Benjamin stammered and shook his head, and he realized he hadn’t given this part of it a lick of thought.

  “I don’t have any idea at all,” he finally admitted.

  “Huh.” Katie shook her head, taking all this in, and then she looked over at Seth.

  “And how about you?” she asked. “Since it was your idea. What are your thoughts about what the ornament should be?”

  Suddenly Seth turned sheepish. “Why, I rightly don’t know,” he said. “I was kind of thinking that might be something you could come up with, or help us out with.”

  Katie shook her head and laughed slightly. “I see,” she said. “So, it’s all on me, is it then?”

  “Yes ma’am,” Seth said, and he waved his hand lightly around the shop. “It is what you do, after all.”

  She nodded, and Katie turned back to Benjamin. “And how about you?” she asked again. “Any other thoughts about the matter?”

  Benjamin shrugged again. “Maybe something to do with the holidays, although that’s probably too obvious to help much,” he said. “I was thinking maybe something subdued.”

  “Subdued,” Katie repeated, rolling the word around in her mouth.

  “Yeah,” he said, and then Benjamin looked down at the floor. “I don’t know if that helps much or not.”

  Katie looked at him directly. “It does, actually,” she said earnestly, trying to sound as encouraging as possible. “It gives us a direction to go in.”

  She thought about the matter, and as she did, Katie began to walk. She made a circle around the tiny shop, and then she did it again.

  “Not a lot of room in here for that,” Seth said with a smile.

  Katie stopped and shrugged. “Don’t need a lot of room,” she said. “It’s just something I do every now and again to get myself started.”

  “Started how?” Benjamin asked, frowning slightly.

  “Started in thinking about something,” Katie explain, and then she looked back at Seth. “All right, so tell me. I need to know something about this Christmas tree walk, because I’ve never done it before.”

  Suddenly it was Seth who felt put on the spot. “Dang, it’s been a long time,” he said, thinking back to his drinking days. “And I wasn’t in the best of shape back then.”

  She shrugged. “Just tell me what you remember,” Katie suggested. “That should be enough.”

  He shook his head. “There ain’t a lot to it, at least not from what I remember,” Seth said. “Everyone gathers in the center of town, and then they walk up to where the trees are. I can’t remember if the mayor makes a short speech or not.”

  “Probably,” Katie said, smiling. “I hear he’s rather known for that sort of thing.”

  “He is,” Seth replied, nodding. “He does go on for a bit when he gets in the mood.”

  She laughed. “I’ll have to remember that,” Katie said. “Then what happens?”

  Seth shrugged. “I’m not sure who actually selects the tree,” he said. “Maybe the mayor? Or the parson?”

  “Parson Robertson?” Katie asked. “I’ve met him a couple of times before.”

  “He’s the best,” Seth said. “If he selects the tree, I’m sure it’s done in the classiest way possible.”

  She nodded. “So then what happens?” she asked.

  He grinned. “I think a group of men cut down the tree,” Seth explained. “They may be chosen in advance, I think. I seem to remember something about that, but I’m not sure, to be honest.”

  “Huh.” Katie paused. “So is there a ceremony or anything? I’ve never been. I was planning on going, but of course this would be my first time.”

  Seth shrugged again. “Like I said, there may be,” he said. “But if there is it’s very brief.”

  Then she turned her attention back to Benjamin. “So what do you think about all this?” Katie asked.

  “I don’t know,” he said. “I mean, it sounds real nice, but I’m like you, I’ve never done it before. I just thought i
t might be a nice way to propose.”

  “It is!” Katie assured him. “We just have to think about the best way to do it.”

  Then she started walking again in a tight circle. Seth and Benjamin smiled and just watched, wondering how many times it would be before she stopped.

  “Wait a minute,” Katie said, finally coming to a halt. “Is anything done with ornaments when the tree is selected?”

  Seth frowned as he tried to remember. “You know, I really have no idea,” he said finally. “There may have been, but a lot of things were foggy for me back then.”

  Benjamin seemed to perk up a bit. “Why, what are you thinking?” he said, looking at Katie.

  She shrugged slightly, but it was clear from her animated expression that Katie had some kind of idea, or at least the beginning of one.

  “Well, think about it,” she said. “What’s the one ornament that everyone remembers? When there’s an ornament on the tree.”

  Benjamin grinned, suddenly getting it. “An angel,” he said. “At the top.”

  Katie nodded eagerly. “Uh huh,” she said, nodding. “So what if we made your ornament an angel, and we made it so you could put the ring inside?”

  “Wow.” Benjamin shook his head, and he beamed at her. “That would be perfect, just about.”

  “Yeah,” Seth said, nodding in agreement.

  “Can you do it?” Benjamin asked. “And can you do it in time?”

  Katie nodded. “I can do it,” she said, but then she frowned slightly. “In time is a different problem entirely, though.”’

  Benjamin gave her his best pleading look. “Well, it would mean the world to me,” he said.

  “It would,” Seth echoed, nodding.

  Katie shook her head, and she laughed at the double press they were putting on her.

  “Such wonderfully romantic gentleman,” she said. “Who could refuse you?”

  Benjamin grinned. “Hopefully not you,” he said, smiling, and then he paused. “Seriously . . . I would appreciate it more than you could know.”

  Seth nodded once again, thinking about how Benjamin had left out the part about the fight he’d had with Eliza about Lisa Bell. His heart had gone out to Benjamin when he’d told him about it.