by Kit Morgan
Mr. Markhel tipped his hat to her. “Darcy.” He went to a table in the back corner and sat.
Darcy blinked a few times and gave them her attention again. “I’m sorry … your order?”
Beryl was vaguely aware of Mr. Haverdash ordering the ham sandwich and potato salad for him and his wife, but her eyes were glued to Mr. Markhel. Yes, he was striking to look at, but mostly he was staring right at her. It unnerved her, like he was reading every movement, noting every hair on her head. At first glance he seemed simply curious, but she sensed it was more than that.
“Miss Branson?” Mr. Haverdash barked. “Tell the girl what you want.”
Beryl jumped in her seat. “The … sandwich and potato salad.”
The door opened again. “Oh, hello, Dr. Stone,” Darcy said this time.
The three of them froze for a moment before Mr. Haverdash stood. “Stone? Ephraim Stone?” he bellowed.
Petunia remained seated and squeaked. Beryl could only stare at the handsome man who’d just entered. This was her betrothed? Well, well …
The doctor looked at Mr. Haverdash and tipped his hat. “The same. Can I help you, sir?”
Mr. Haverdash grinned. If Beryl could’ve slid under the table, she would’ve. “I’ve brought you something, Dr. Stone.”
The doctor looked him up and down with the same curiosity as the giant in the corner looked at Beryl. “And that might be …?”
Mr. Haverdash pulled Beryl up by her arm and brought her to him. “Why, your mail-order bride, of course.”
Chapter Three
Ephraim Stone had seen a lot in his twenty-nine years. He came from a strange little town in eastern Oregon. Clear Creek, known for odd happenings and even miracles. It wasn’t the easiest place to grow up – people caught wind of the place and came to see it out of curiosity, if not seeking the supernatural. While his older sister, Lucinda, still lived there and was married with a family of her own, he’d left to find someplace less bizarre. He took comfort in the normal, in the science of medicine, in days passing without drama.
So it was a surprise to be accosted before lunch by a blustering red-faced stranger thrusting a young woman at him. “Here,” the man bellowed. “I say we go see the preacher right now!”
Ephraim stared at him, then at the woman. She was pretty. He turned back to the man. “And you are?”
“Never mind who I am! This is your mail-order bride. Miss Beryl Branson. I thought I’d deliver her myself.” The windbag looked proudly at the woman, who stared at him wide-eyed. “How far is the church?”
Ephraim pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m afraid there must be some error, sir. I don’t know who this woman is. I have not ordered a mail-order bride. I have not sent a letter to one, nor have I received one.” He let his hand fall away and looked at the woman again. She appeared to be in shock.
“I thought I might get here before you received my letter,” she mumbled.
The blustering fool next to her smiled, seemingly enjoying her discomfort. What a cad. Ephraim glanced at Mr. Markhel at his usual table in the back. He was supposed to have lunch with the man and go over the job he’d offered him with his organization. Mr. Markhel watched with interest, but made no move to interfere. Ephraim was on his own. “Miss … Branson, is it?”
“Beryl Branson, yes” she said, her voice firmer. “I was presented your application and letter by Mrs. Pettigrew in Denver, wrote one of my own and sent it that same day. I’m sorry you haven’t received it yet.”
She had some sand, this girl. Still … “I am sorry, but I sent no letter. I put in no request for mail-order bri …” He stopped and shook his head. “… oh, dear.”
Now Mr. Markhel stood and headed over. “Something wrong?” he asked, watching Miss Branson with interest.
“Nothing I can’t handle,” Ephraim replied. “I’ll be with you in a moment. Why don’t you order me the special?”
Mr. Markhel looked Miss Branson over a few times, then right in the eyes. Ephraim watched her go pale and stare back. He appeared to have paralyzed the woman with a look. The big man did have that effect on people – most of the town was frightened to death of him. Ever since they’d rescued Katie Haverdash – now Katie Diamond – Mr. Markhel had been hanging around, making his presence known.
“So let me get this straight,” the cad said. “You didn’t know this young lady was coming?”
“Correct, I didn’t.” Ephraim saw the confusion in Miss Branson’s eyes and sighed. When would this stop? “It appears I have been a victim of …”
“The Mad Matchmaker’s back!” Mr. Gruber cried as he came out of the kitchen. “Is that what this is? Great, after all this town’s been through!” He turned and stomped back in again.
Ephraim returned to pinching the bridge of his nose. “What he said.”
The cad harrumphed in Ephraim’s face. “What are you talking about, a mad matchmaker? Did you or did you not request a mail-order bride?”
He looked the man in the eye. “To repeat, sir, I did not.” Was the fellow thick as well as rude?
The cad gaped at him, looked at the woman, then burst out laughing. Miss Branson closed her eyes and groaned.
Ephraim gritted his teeth. This wasn’t his first bout with such an event – he’d just spent the last two weeks helping Jace get through an ordeal with a mail-order bride he didn’t send for. Finding himself as the next victim – well, this was the sort of thing he’d left Clear Creek to escape.
Miss Branson opened her eyes and turned away from him, her shoulders shaking. Was she crying? He pulled his handkerchief from his pocket and stepped around her. “Here, take this.”
She looked at him, but instead of tears, it was clear she was trying to keep from laughing. “Thank you,” she squeaked.
“Oh, there, there, dear – how disappointed you must be,” a middle-aged woman said as she joined them.
“Petunia, you stay out of this!” the cad snarled. Was she the man’s wife? Did he treat everyone so horribly?
Ephraim glanced at Markhel and back. The giant looked bemused, obviously waiting to see what Ephraim would do next. “And your name, sir?” He might as well call the cad by his actual name, so he’d know who he was punching in the face. The man was getting on his nerves.
“I’m Katie Haverdash’s father and I demand to know where my daughter is!”
Ephraim’s eyebrows shot to the ceiling. “Her father?”
“What’s the matter, you have cotton in your ears? Where is she?”
“And more importantly,” the middle-aged woman said, “did she marry that lowly sheriff?”
“Petunia! And that silly waitress already said she did!”
“Well, it doesn’t hurt to ask.” The woman scurried back to the table, sat and pouted.
Miss Branson massaged her temples.
“Now let’s calm down and start over, shall we?” Ephraim said, trying to take control.
Miss Branson smiled at him. “Yes, let’s. For starters, if you didn’t send for a mail-order bride, who did?”
“That’s what I’d like to know.” Mr. Haverdash smirked at Miss Branson. “Or he took one look at you and deemed you lacking.”
Miss Branson narrowed her eyes, brought her hand up to slap the man –
– and a larger hand caught her wrist. Mr. Markhel looked at her and shook his head, as if he knew her.
“Do you two know each other?” Ephraim asked.
“I’ve never seen him before in my life,” Miss Branson said. “If I had, I’d certainly remember.”
“True enough,” Ephraim agreed.
Mr. Markhel studied everyone before his eyes settled on Ephraim. “What happened?”
“The Mad Matchmaker, what else?”
“Mad matchmaker?” Miss Branson said with a laugh. “You know, I would expect better from a doctor. After all, one has to have some semblance of intelligence to be one. If you had a change of heart or got cold feet when you saw me, then why not just say so?�
��
Mr. Haverdash chuckled.
Ephraim ignored him. “Miss Branson, if I did, I would. I have no reason to lie to you. We’ve had a recurring problem here of someone sending off for mail-order brides in the names of some townspeople – and not telling said townspeople. Mrs. Katie Diamond was one of those unsuspecting brides – her new husband was as surprised as … well, as I am now.”
“What?!” Miss Branson said.
“Are you saying that our Katie was brought here under false pretenses?” Mr. Haverdash bellowed. “That does it!” He went to the table, pulled Petunia from her seat and headed for the door. “We’re getting Katie out of here!”
Ephraim cleared his throat. “I’m afraid not. Despite the confusion caused by her arrival, she has married Sheriff Diamond. And they’re both quite happy, I might add. If you are indeed her parents, I’m sure she would love to visit. But I would not barge into Sheriff Diamond’s happy home with the intent to take your daughter. Trust me, it won’t go well.”
“Don’t tell me what will or won’t go well,” Mr. Haverdash snapped, continuing toward the door.
Miss Branson looked frightened. “He means what he says.”
Ephraim watched the older couple leave. “I doubt the sheriff will care.”
“Please, I’m good friends with Katie. She’s here because of me. Help me help her. They’re going to try and ruin her marriage.”
“I don’t fancy their odds.”
Mr. Markhel looked at the door, his eyes narrowed. “I see you have other business to take care of today,” the giant told Ephraim. “We will meet another time.”
“Thank you.” Ephraim took Miss Branson’s elbow and steered her toward the café door. “We’d better help nonetheless. If Jace is home, father or no father, he won’t let that man near Katie.”
She smiled in relief. “Thank you so much.”
Outside, Ephraim noted Katie’s parents were going in the wrong direction. Good. This gave him time to speak with Miss Branson about the mix-up.
“Aren’t we going to follow them?”
“There’s no need. Jace and Katie live that way.” He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder.
“Oh, thank Heaven.” She sighed wearily. “I’m so sorry about this.”
“No sorrier than I am. You traveled all this way only to be disappointed.”
She smiled weakly. “Well, yes and no.”
He thought about her attempt to keep from laughing earlier. “Did you not want to be a mail-order bride?” He noted her pretty blue traveling dress, matching hat, light brown hair and sea foam-green eyes. Good heavens, how did he not notice until now? He wouldn’t have minded her being his mail-order bride … had he sent for one.
She glanced at Katie’s parents. “Maybe I should start from the beginning.”
“I’m all ears.” He motioned to the bench in front of Professor Hamilton’s bookshop. “Shall we?”
“Thank you.” They went to the bench and sat. “I helped Katie leave Denver and become a mail-order bride because her parents had arranged a marriage for her with a very … unlikable fellow.”
“I recall hearing something about that,” he said with a nod. “But why are you here?”
“Because Mr. and Mrs. Haverdash got it in their heads they could come get Katie, drag her back to Denver and force her to marry Ronald Finch anyway.”
His eyebrows rose. “That’s presumptuous of them.”
“Very,” she agreed. “Anyway, they dragged me off to see the matchmaker …”
“Mrs. Pettigrew.”
“That’s the one,” she said with a smile. “She told the Haverdashes where Katie was. One thing led to another and …”
“… here you are,” he finished for her. “And as a mail-order bride to boot?”
“Well, you see …” She sighed. “Mr. Haverdash claims I put Katie in danger by talking her into becoming a mail-order bride. I said there was no danger involved and that I’d prove it by becoming one myself. Feel free to point out that I have a big mouth – it’s hardly a secret.”
Ephraim stared at her. It was hot and he was beginning to sweat, but the woman was so intriguing that he didn’t want to move. “So that’s why Katie’s father presented you the way he did.”
“Yes. He made me so angry … silly, I know, but I wasn’t about to let him come here and ruin Katie’s life!”
He pushed his hat back and laughed. “So to prove a point, you became a mail-order bride?”
She looked at the ground. “That sums it up.”
“Little knowing that I hadn’t sent for one,” he pointed out.
“Truly,” she said with a smile.
He took his hat off and ran his hand through his hair. “Well, doesn’t that just take the cake? So I take it you didn’t want to get married in the first place?”
“Someday, maybe, but not this minute,” she admitted.
By now the Haverdashes had disappeared, which meant they were probably banging on doors looking for their daughter. It was only a matter of time before someone gave them the right directions. Ephraim put on his hat. “Well, I guess the only thing to do is to help Katie and Jace.”
“You mean the sheriff?”
“Yes, Jace Diamond.” He smiled reassuringly. “He’s my friend and a good man.”
“I’m happy to hear that. I’ve only heard from Katie once since she left, but she didn’t mention any trouble.”
“Well, maybe she didn’t wish you to worry, but we have had some recently. I’m sure she’ll tell you about it now. In the meantime, we should speak with her before her parents do.”
She stood. “I couldn’t agree more.”
“I’m sorry you didn’t get to eat lunch.” He stood as well. “Perhaps I can make it up to you, buy you something to eat when we’re done?”
“Thank you, Dr. Stone,” she said with another smile. “That is most kind.” They went in the opposite direction Katie’s parents took. There was still no sign of them, so they had a little time.
“Gruber’s serves a good steak, and their sandwiches aren’t bad. Pie’s good too. The fried chicken …” Ephraim waggled his hand. “… I think they sometimes undercook it, but that’s a personal taste. When they do it right, though, it’s wonderful.”
“That’s nice to know,” she said, eyes straight ahead.
“Seeing as it’s Tuesday, Katie should be home right now. Normally she’s in that bookshop we were sitting in front of, helping out Professor Hamilton.”
She stopped, smiling bemusedly. “She’s working?”
“Yes, and she enjoys it. She likes books. Jace has read more in the last week than I’ve seen him do in I don’t know when.”
Miss Branson chuckled. “Katie loves to read, always has. She volunteered at the library in Denver for years.”
He smiled, doing his best not to stare at her. The more time he spent with the woman, the more he noticed about her. She smelled sweet, like wildflowers and honey. The sun made her hair glisten. Her eyes were filled with relief knowing her friend was safe and happy. He almost wished she really was in town to marry him instead of to settle a disagreement with Katie’s father. “What does this gentleman Mr. Haverdash wanted Katie to marry say about all of this?”
She rolled her eyes. “I don’t know if Ronald Finch cares. He might not even know she’s gone.”
“So they think they can take their daughter back with their choice of husband being none the wiser?”
“It is an unfortunate possibility,” she sighed. “They’ve been awful throughout this whole business. Well, mainly Mr. Haverdash. Petunia is sweet, just too loyal to her husband.”
“There, at the end of the street.” Ephraim pointed. “That’s Jace and Katie’s place.”
She stopped and stared. “It’s so small.”
Ephraim noticed she looked worried, and studied the little one-story white house. He knew it had two bedrooms, a parlor, a small dining room, a kitchen and a privy out back. It had no barn, so Jace kept
his horse at the livery stable. They didn’t own a wagon, a buggy, or really anything one could consider an extravagance. There weren’t many people in Independence who did – why would they, when they could get to everything they needed by walking? “Is something wrong?”
She took a deep breath and let it out. “I don’t know if she’ll be happy or upset that her parents are here.”
He took her elbow again. “Then we’d best find out.”
She bit her lower lip and nodded. He could tell she was apprehensive. And who wouldn’t? After meeting Katie’s parents, he was beginning to feel sorry for Jace. Or should he feel sorry for them? He wasn’t sure.
They went to the door and knocked. After a moment, Katie opened it. “Beryl!” She launched herself at Miss Branson and hugged her. “What are you doing here?”
Miss Branson hugged her back. “I had to come. I know this is unexpected.”
Katie pulled away. “Has something happened? Are my parents all right?”
Ephraim chuckled and scratched the back of his head. “Oh, they’re quite all right.”
“Doc, what are you doing here?” Katie asked, then looked at her friend. “I see you’ve met Doc Stone.”
Miss Branson glanced at him. “Oh, yes. May we come in?”
“Of course,” Katie opened the door wide. “I can’t believe you’re here! Wait until Jace finds out.”
Ephraim chuckled again. “Yes, won’t that be a hoot?”
Miss Branson smiled and tried to keep from laughing. “Indeed.”
He motioned her to precede him. “Shall we?”
She nodded, then said quietly, “Well, here we go.”
Chapter Four
As they entered, Beryl took a moment to study Katie’s home. There was no front hall – the door opened directly into the parlor. The dining room was beyond it, the kitchen beyond that. The walls were papered pale yellow with a tiny floral pattern. A brick fireplace dominated one wall. The room was cheery, light and bright. She noticed a doorway in the dining room that probably led to the bedrooms. Or bedroom, considering how small the house was.