The Anonymous Bride (17 page)

“Two dollars, which includes your meals, or twelve dollars for a full week.”

“Oh, blessit be, I uh ... can only afford to stay two nights. I thought I would arrive and be married right away. Perhaps you might need some assistance here? I’m used to hard work.”

Compassion for the woman surged through Rachel. The girl couldn’t be more than seventeen or eighteen. Rachel couldn’t afford to hire any help, but maybe someone else in Lookout could. “Don’t worry about that now. Things will work out.”

Rachel met Luke downstairs and motioned him to go outside. She paced the front porch, arms crossed over her chest, waiting on Luke to get his nerve up to talk to her. If her heart hadn’t been split in two, she might have been tempted to feel sorry for the man.

He lifted his hat and slapped it against his leg. “Look, Rachel, I didn’t write to those women. I knew nothing about them before you stopped me at the depot.”

“Do you think this is some kind of sick prank? Those women have traveled who knows how far to marry you, and I’ve just learned that at least one of them has very little money.” Rachel sighed and looked across the street. “If you’re not responsible, who do you think is? Who would toy with two women like this?”

“I have my suspicions, but I want to do some investigating before I say anything.”

Rachel nodded. “All right. Do you want to question the women?”

Luke shrugged. He’d probably never talk to them if he didn’t have to. If Rachel wasn’t so disturbed by the whole event and what it could mean to her, she might have found some humor in the situation.

“I’ll try to get back before supper.”

“Maybe we should talk after that. No sense in spoiling anyone’s meal.”

Luke nodded and walked away but suddenly stopped and turned back to her. “Oh, hey, Mrs. Fairland gave me a note earlier and asked me to pass it on to you.”

Rachel puffed air into her cheeks and took the message. She knew what the schoolteacher had to say but opened the note anyway. Scanning the message, her frustration grew. That rascally child. She had been one of the children who was supposed to take the test this afternoon.

Wadding up the paper in her hand, Rachel watched Luke’s long legs take him away. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she’d hoped they could have a second chance. He’d seemed truly surprised about the two brides, but was that just for her benefit? None of it made any sense. If he wanted a mail-order bride, why would he order
two
of them?

The stagehand nodded as he passed Luke, carrying a crate on his shoulder. Her lamp. In all the hubbub she’d forgotten about it.

Rachel stepped aside and allowed the man to pass in front of her. “Where do you want this, Mrs. Hamilton?”

“Just set it on the parlor floor for now, and thank you so much for your help.”

“My pleasure, ma’am.”

He lowered the crate to her decorated rug, and the sound of clinking glass only added to her misery. Her new lamp was broken, just like her heart.

CHAPTER 15

Rachel finished sweeping the kitchen floor and glanced outside again. The sun had set, and darkness covered the land. She swept the dirt out the back door and stood listening to the crickets. Where was Luke? Had he gotten tied up smoothing out a disturbance, or was he simply avoiding the confrontation with the brides?

She shook her head. For a lawman, he avoided females like a mouse hid from a tomcat. With his gentle ways and soft-spoken demeanor, he was far different from James. That alone made him attractive to her.

She took the stack of dried dishes from the counter and set them on the shelf near the dining room door. Glancing around the tidy kitchen, a measure of satisfaction filled her. The flickering glow of the two lanterns mounted on the wall illuminated the room. Soft yellow walls looked cheery with the light blue gingham curtains. Every utensil had a place, and each item was in its place. At least it was as long as Jacqueline wasn’t in the kitchen. The girl used things and set them down, never thinking to wash them or put them away.

Rachel shook her head, still tired from her battle with Jacqueline. When she’d told her daughter that she’d get no pie after supper because she had lied and skipped out of taking that test, Jacqueline had pitched a royal fit. Both the brides had declined pie themselves and had quickly disappeared into their rooms. Mr. Sampson, one never to refuse dessert, had taken his slice and eaten it on the porch to avoid the girl’s ranting. Glancing down, Rachel noticed her white-knuckled grip on the back of the chair. She released her hold and glanced at the ceiling. “Lord, help me raise this child You’ve given me.”

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 cousins 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.”