Mail Order Baron (The Brides of Tombstone Book 3) (2 page)

“Well, you will until one of us dies. The vows do say ‘until death do you part’. Are you sure you’re ready for that?” She jerked her chin up. “I won’t tolerate unfaithfulness.”

“Neither will I.” His countenance became very serious and he narrowed his gaze. “When I take those vows, I mean every one of them.”

“Then we should do well together.”

“We should. Do you want to unpack before I take you to dinner?”

“Are we really getting married tomorrow?” She shifted positions and their knees almost touched. “If so, then I do need to unpack.”

“Yes, we are, so I suggest you do. This suite will be your closet until we move into the new house in a few months. See that door there?” He pointed to the wall behind them.

“Yes.” She had noticed the door before but hadn’t thought much about it.

“That leads to my suite and will always remain unlocked. This will be like the mistress’s chambers of old. Your clothes will remain in here but you will sleep, eat and in any other way necessary live in my rooms. After we’re married you’ll move to my suite for the remainder of our stay here which should be less than two months. The house is getting close to being finished.”

“I’m excited to see it. I’ve never had my own house before.” Her parents home in New York, now belonged to her brother. Though he was just eighteen, he had inherited everything except one thousand dollars which was considered her dowry and which she had with her.

“As an unmarried woman, you would not be expected to own your own home yet. I on the other hand, haven’t owned a home since I moved to Tombstone. I had a small house in Philadelphia, where I came from. There, I was a men’s clothing store manager when the stories of the silver strike here in Tombstone came through. I quit my job, packed my bags, sold the house, and came here as quickly as possible. Tell me again why you became a mail order bride?”

“I, uh,” she took a deep breath. “I’m twenty-eight years old, and I want to have children. Men back home don’t want someone like me. They prefer someone with…less flesh on their bones.”

“I think you’re beautiful. You have curves in all the right places. Those men in New York were idiots.”

She pressed her hands to her cheeks and knew she blushed. “Thank you for saying that, but you don’t have to. I’m not easily insulted.”

He took her hands in his. “I will seek to never insult you. I speak only the truth as I see it. You are lovely and have the most beautiful eyes. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen that color before or with the black rim around the outside of the blue. Very striking.”

“My mother’s were the same except hers were a light green.”

“I hope our children have your eyes.”

She retrieved her hands and settled them in her lap. “That’s very nice of you to say.”

“You’re getting better, Julia. You didn’t blush quite so much that time…ah, there you go again.”

She stopped and shook her head. “Who is Julia?”

He looked startled.

“Oh, did I say, Julia. I’m sorry I did not mean to say that.”

“That’s all right.”

“As I was saying you blush a lot.” He grinned

She smiled back at him. “Is it going to be your mission in our marriage to point out each time I blush?”

He cocked an eyebrow and pretended to ponder for a moment. “Well, now that you mention it.”

“Oh, you, ornery…” He was close enough for her to swat him so she did or she tried to.

He caught her hand and pulled her to him.

“Now who’s the ornery one?” Ben lowered his head and touched her lips with his. His tongue pressed against her lips and begged for entrance.

The kiss was heady and wonderful. She opened and he slipped inside. The kiss deepened. She’d never had a kiss like this before, her blood raced, her heart beat faster and she felt her toes curl.

He broke the kiss and unwrapped her arms from his neck.

She didn’t remember putting them there and touched her fingers to her lips. “Oh my.”

He cocked a perfectly slanted brow. “Yes, oh my.”

Molly looked up into those gray eyes dancing with delight. “Can I expect more of those kisses?”

“Oh, yes. Many, many more.”

“Then I think perhaps I’ll stay and marry you after all.”

He smiled. “I’m glad to hear it. Now, it’s a few hours until I usually take dinner but you are probably hungry after your trip?”

“Famished.”

“Let’s get you a sandwich and introduce you to the kitchen staff. Then you can come back here and unpack.”

“All right.”

He extended his hand. “May I have your key?”

She got the key from the pocket in her skirt and handed it to him.

They both stood, and she followed Ben out of the suite.

He held the door for Molly then closed and locked it and returned her key to her.

When they reached the kitchen Molly saw a large, woman in a black dress wearing an apron that was probably white that morning but was now splattered with all varieties of food and grease. Her gray hair was in a neat bun at the nape of her neck.

“Molly, meet Sadie.” He waved his hand between Molly and Sadie. “She’s the best chef in the Arizona Territory. As my chief cook she runs the kitchen. Anything you want you ask her. Sadie this is Molly, my fiancée.” He took Molly’s hand and put it in the crook of his elbow and then patted her hand. “We’ll be married tomorrow.”

Sadie came forward and took Molly’s hand in one of hers, the other held a large cooking spoon. “Pleased to meet you Miss Molly. I’ve wanted Mr. Ben to get himself married for a long time now.”

“Hello, Sadie. Very happy to finally meet you, too. I remember Ben writing and saying how happy he was to have extracted you from that restaurant in Tucson.” Tilting her head, she turned her gaze to Ben. “You think being married will settle him down any?”

“When you give him a passel of little ones he’ll settle down.”

Molly watched Ben redden and look away. She couldn’t hold back a laugh.

“Sadie, do you think I could get a sandwich? The trip on the stage was long and uncomfortable to say the least.” Molly’s mouth watered at all the wonderful smells of baking bread, fried chicken and even an apple pie, that surrounded her. “And the offerings at the way stations were completely devoid of anything actually resembling food.”

“You sure can. Do you want roast beef, turkey or maybe you’d like some fried chicken instead? That’s our special today. I got a plate with all the fixin’s right here you can have. I’ll fix another for the waiting customer.”

“If you’re sure you don’t mind. I’d love it.” Molly was afraid she was beginning to drool.

“What about you, Mr. Ben?” asked Sadie as she took that spoon, dipped it into a large pot on the stove and began to stir. “What do you want to eat?”

“You might as well eat, Ben,” said Molly. “Then you can show me the town and introduce me to your friends. I’ll unpack afterward.”

“Okay. Sadie, give me the fried chicken, too.” He turned to Molly. “She makes the best fried chicken you’ve ever had.”

She turned to look at Ben. “I’ll have to get the recipe so I can make the dish at home. What will you do when you have to settle for my cooking?”

“He’ll do just fine.” Sadie waved her cooking spoon in Molly’s direction. “If you’re not already a good cook, I’ll make you one. You’ll see. It will be all right.”

Molly and Ben sat at the square wooden table in the kitchen, usually used by the help, and ate their meal. Each of their plates had two pieces of chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, a dinner roll and butter. Molly was ravenous. She finished everything on her plate and probably could have eaten more.

Sadie must have read her mind because she brought two pieces of apple pie to the table and half a cup of fresh cream to spoon over the tops.

Molly took a bite and thought she’d gone to heaven. The crust was flaky and the apples just a little crisp, not completely soft and mushy. The dessert was perfect.

“That does it. Sadie is coming home with us. There is no way I can compete with perfection.”

She watched the older woman smile and blush under the praise.

Molly smiled. She was sure she’d just made a friend.

CHAPTER 2

After their meal, Ben took Molly’s hand and put it in the crook of his elbow. Together, they walked up and down the boardwalk. He introduced her to the business people and to his friends along the way. Lastly they went to the doctor’s office.

“Are you ill?” Molly asked with some concern, her grip tightening. What if he was sick and just wanted her to take care of him? No, she was being silly. He was the epitome of health.

“Not at all. My best friends are the doctor and his wife. They have a daughter, Hope. I was there when she was born.”

“You were there? Where was the doctor that he couldn’t deliver his own child?”

He patted her hand. “You misunderstand. Hope is adopted. Her mother died in childbirth and her father blamed both Julia and Hope for his wife’s death. Finally the father came around but then he was killed, so Julia and Matthew adopted Hope. They have raised her since the day she was born. You’ll have to get Julia to tell you the whole story sometime.”

“That is such a sad story and yet it sounds fascinating.”
So this was Julia. The doctor’s wife. What would cause him to call me by her name?

“It was the scariest thing I’ve ever heard. Hope’s mother screamed in pain.” He shuddered. “I don’t know how women have babies all the time. I couldn’t do it.”

She cocked her eyebrow. “That’s why women have babies and not men. We’re stronger.”

He looked down at her and then threw his head back in laughter. When he recovered, he said, “I like you Molly. I think we will get along well together.”

Molly thought they would, too, as long as her past didn’t come calling. Surely this was so far out of the way that Tom couldn’t find her here. Sometimes she regretted the day she’d stumbled on the embezzlement and reported it to the authorities. And then to have him escape from prison…she said a quick prayer that he stayed away, far away.

The attorney for the bank had contacted her to let her know about the escape. She had written to Ben then and moved up the wedding date, wanting to get as far away as possible from New York.

“You’re thinking awfully hard about something.” Ben furrowed his brows. “You’re frowning.”

“What?” She shook her head and forced a smile. “Oh, it’s nothing. Just thinking about the wedding tomorrow. Let’s go meet these friends, and then I must unpack.”

Molly followed Ben into the doctor’s office where they were met by a very beautiful redhead who was clearly expecting very soon.

Ben hurried forward. “Julia, what are you doing working? Shouldn’t you be in bed?”

“Hello to you too, Benjamin.” She leaned her neck to the side so he could give her a kiss on the cheek.

The woman was making circuits of the office. She walked around them again and again.

“Stop and sit down would you please?” Ben asked.

“No, I won’t stop. Matthew is getting Hope ready to bring to you. I’m having this baby today.”

“Today? Are you crazy?” asked Ben, wide-eyed.

“Absolutely not. I’m ready. He’s dropped and is in the right position to be born. Besides that, my water broke and I’m having labor pains about every three minutes. No, I’m definitely having this child today.”

Molly gasped and watched Ben turn pale. By the time Julia finished talking he’d lost all color. Of course, Molly figured she was probably fairly pale herself. She’d never heard such frank talk about having babies before, and definitely not in front of a gentleman.
So this is Julia. The woman is beautiful. Even pregnant, she is striking with the most beautiful emerald green eyes I’ve ever seen.

“Who is your friend, Benjamin?” Julia jutted her chin toward Molly.

“Oh, forgive me, both of you. Your condition threw everything out of my mind. This is Molly McGregor. We’re getting married tomorrow. I intended to ask you and Matthew to stand up with us.”

“Glad to finally meet you, Molly. Benjamin has talked about the mail order bride he had coming. I understand you used the same service, Matchmaker & Co, that I and Lizzie Brandon used.”

“Yes, that’s correct. Maggie Black is a wonderful woman and takes very good care of her clients.”

“Yes she does,” agreed Julia. Then she turned her head toward Ben. “You’ll have to get someone else. I will be in bed tomorrow with my new son. Try Lizzie and Mal Brandon.”

“How do you know it’s a son? By the way, pleased to meet you.” She stuck out her hand and Julia gave it a quick shake on her way by.

“Forgive me for not stopping but I believe that walking helps to make the delivery faster and easier on the mother. And I just know he’s a boy.” She rubbed her hand over her belly and smiled. “I can’t tell you how, I just know.”

“Oh my, I guess you’d better keep walking then. Anything to make delivery easier,” said Molly who remembered the screams coming from her mother when her brother Robert was born.

“My thoughts exactly,” said Julia as she continued to walk. “Ben, as I said, Matthew is bringing Hope to you, remember our discussion a month ago? We’ll be rather busy and won’t be able to look after her properly.”