Holding her breath and with closed eyes, she reached out and grabbed one dress. No matter what, this would be the one she would wear. When she opened her eyes, dread filled her. The sleeveless white dress with its black velvet corset and bows over a layers of silk chiffon ruffles was a beautiful ballgown, but not anything a girl her age should wear to travel across the country. However, there was no other choice, so she quickly slipped into the dress.
From outside the small apartment window, she could see the sun beginning to rise which spurred her into further motion. Two more dresses, silk stockings, undergarments and leather boots, all bought by Blake went into her bag. Then finally, with a small stole wrapped around her shoulder, she woke Timmy with a whisper for him to be quiet.
His eyes flew to the door behind which his mother slept. Ruby recognized the look of fear. The boy was afraid of waking her, so he allowed Ruby to help dress him, never making a sound.
His behavior tore at her heart. He’d never been allowed to live as a normal child should. Mother insisted he be kept quiet and in the cradle most of the time. Anything would be better for Timmy than the life he’d led up until now.
Ruby could only hope that the man in Texas would accept the boy.
The last thing she noted was the ruby necklace which still lay on the sofa. She wanted to leave it behind, but knew it could be the only thing to keep her and Timmy from being destitute if Seth Miller decided he didn’t want to marry her. She also realized she couldn’t trust leaving the necklace in her travel bags. She’d have to wear it, although the thought made her cringe. Determination to save her little brother made her clasp the necklace around her neck. Grasping the small case and travel bag in one hand, she lifted Timmy onto her hip with the other hand and they quietly slipped out of the apartment.
Chapter Two
Seth Miller stood and wiped the dirt off his knees. He’d spent a half hour pulling the stray weeds off the small grave. Soon enough the rose bush beside the headstone would bloom. There was nothing more he could do here and the tears had long since stopped flowing. He shook his head and sighed.
How do I go on, Lord? It’s been a year already and all I can do is think about him. There’s nothing to fill the emptiness in my heart.
Seth ran a hand through his overly long blond hair. He hadn’t been to the barber in a quite a while; in fact, there were many things he hadn’t done or kept up with, but it was time for him to stop grieving and get back to work. Waterhole, Texas was a pretty quiet town, but he wanted to make it a family friendly town and that meant turning his sorrow into action.
The main thing Seth wanted was to close the saloon. As sheriff, he was able to arrest anyone who got out of line, drank too much or in general behaved badly, but he wasn’t the mayor and the mayor wanted to keep the saloon open.
Seth had decided the only thing he could do was run for mayor himself, in the upcoming election. He was confident he would win. Most of the folks in town were tired of the late hours, loud music and drunken cowboys who frequented the saloon and they all knew Seth was an upstanding, church-going man. As mayor, Seth could fix the problem. The only thing that kept him from the job so far was an old law which the mayor refused to change:
To be a mayor in Waterhole, Texas a man had to be married.
***
Seth sat behind the old wooden desk in the jail house and looked around. It wasn’t a typical jail. This one was painted inside, and decorated with a feminine quality. The last four sheriffs the town had before him were all women; sisters in fact. Each of them had served a term, fallen in love and given up their job. The last sister had stepped down two years ago, then Sheriff Les had also stepped down a year later. That was when Seth had come to town to fill the position.
Seth didn’t mind the décor, although it made him yearn for a wife seeing all of the girlish touches to the room. However, after Anne left him, he’d never even looked for one. Anne had been a wild, untamed girl when they met, but he loved her. They’d married when Seth was only nineteen and she only seventeen. For two glorious years, they’d been together until the baby came.
A boy they named James, after Seth’s father. A strong, healthy boy who needed attention, feeding, cleaning. All the things Anne didn’t want to do. She’d always been restless, but having a baby made the urge more powerful.
One day, she’d gone away. No note, no explanation, but she didn’t need to tell Seth why. He’d seen it in her eyes. Unable to stop her, Anne had left him alone with a one-year old son to care for and a town to watch over.
Seth didn’t try to follow her. There was no use. He knew her spirit had to be free. A year later, he received a small notice from a Doctor in Wyoming telling him Anne was dead. He didn’t know how or why, just that she was gone forever. And so, he’d trudged on, raising James with help from the town’s folk. Never even considering remarrying.
Then, four months later, came the small outbreak of yellow fever that lasted for a month, but took the lives of ten people in town, including James. After that, Seth had handed over his badge to Ron Strider and allowed him to uphold the justice in town while Seth did his grieving. The man had done a fine job for six months, until he was killed by a stray bullet shot out of the saloon door.
Since then, Seth had returned to work with a new vengeance and a plan: to rid Waterhole of the saloon. He just needed to find a wife. The women in Waterhole were all married, except for the saloon girls, and they were not the type of woman he wanted. The oldest single girl in town was barely fifteen, so Seth had searched his mind, wondering if an extended to trip to Fort Worth was in order, but after hearing about how men could place an ad for a mail order bride in big city newspapers, he’d finally decided to send an advertisement to some papers further east and see if he could find a wife.
Mail Order Bride Wanted: Waterhole, Texas. Seth Miller aged twenty-three. Tall, blue eyes, blond hair; seeks single, moral woman to help civilize the town.
Seth laughed at the futileness of the ad. For two weeks he’d heard nothing, but then, one lonely letter arrived, written in lovely script:
I would love to be your mail order bride. I will be eighteen next month. I have brown hair and brown eyes. I am educated and would like to help civilize your town. I have no money, and need to move quickly. - Ruby Dawson
Seth had sent back a reply, telling her a bit more about the town and his hopes. He didn’t want any woman showing up in Waterhole, seeing how small the town was and what little it had to offer a woman from the city. He wanted her to know up front all there was to know. If a woman would still come to town, with all that information, perhaps she’d actually be able to handle the lifestyle required.
She’d written once more confirming her desire to help him, and assured him she hadn’t been frightened off at the sounds of the small town.
Seth carried the letter around for two more weeks, hoping to get a few other replies, but finally, out of desperation, he bought a train ticket and sent it with enough money for the two stage coaches she’d have to take to get to town.
That was several weeks ago. He’d heard nothing since then and wondered if he’d been taken for a fool. The girl, if she were even real, could have cashed in the train ticket and spent the money he sent. There was nothing he could do about it but learn a lesson.
I’ll have to take that trip to Fort Worth after all, he determined. But not until right before winter. For now, I’ll just keep trying to clean up the town by arresting the drunks and running the saloon girls out of town.
That was the one thing which bothered him the most. As long as there were saloon girls to entertain the men, he was going to have a hard time closing the saloon.
Seth set his head down on his folded arms and sighed. The future loomed ahead of him barren and dark, however, maybe it was better that the girl hadn’t come to town. This place was no place for a decent woman. Seth wasn’t sure he could actually go through with a marriage again; especially if there were any chance of ever having a child.
He’d buried his pride and joy; James. He could never love a child again.
***
Seth heard the stage as the horses slowed in front of the trading post. He stood and glanced out the window. It was his job to greet the stage, in case there was mail or money being moved from Fort Concho to the Waterhole Bank. His lethargic steps revealed his attitude, but Seth wasn’t one to shirk his responsibilities, so he reached the stage just as the driver jumped down and pulled open the door.
“This here is Waterhole, Miss.” Jericho, the driver called into the stage.
Seth stood beside the stage and watched as a slender foot, shod in a white leather boot, slid out the door. The young woman finally stood on the ground next to Seth and turned a smiling face up at him.
Seth’s ears started pounding as anger coursed through him. It was obvious from the sleeveless white dress with its black velvet corset laced across her chest and the layers of silk chiffon ruffles underneath, along with the garish red ruby necklace she wore around her petite neck, this was no Miss, this was a dance hall girl come to work in the Saloon.
Without allowing the woman to speak, Seth grabbed her arm abruptly and began to pull her toward the jailhouse. He didn’t stop to think or rationalize or remember that it wasn’t against the law for the saloon to hire girls. However, his anger was so great, he decided he would at least scare her enough to make her turn right around and go back to whatever place she’d come from.
He didn’t hear her insistent pleas to let her go and when she began to call out the name Timmy over and over again, he shut his mind to what that might mean. All he wanted was to throw her into the jail cell long enough for his own anger to cool.
***
Seth didn’t say a word. He dragged the woman to the jail house, pushed open the door and thrust her into the room and across to a cell. With a final heave, he slammed the cell door behind her, not caring that his shove had actually caused her to trip and fall.
Seth stomped to his desk and sat down, the blood pounding through him. He took several deep breaths trying to calm himself. He didn’t want to look at the woman, he knew what she looked like; a brazen beauty all painted with unnatural colors.
“Why… why are you doing this?” the woman’s young voice trembled, but Seth still didn’t look up.
“We don’t need any more saloon girls here.” He spoke through clenched teeth.
“I’m not a saloon girl!” Her words were adamant, and somehow the tone slipped through his ire. Seth looked up and met her eyes. This was not a painted face. She was young and beautiful.
Her head tilted a bit higher as he scanned her.
“You’re dressed like a saloon girl.” He slammed his hand down on the table.
“That may be true, but I’m not a saloon girl. However, the most important thing right now is that you made me leave my baby brother on the stage.”
Her words seemed incredulous. His eyes opened wide.
The girl placed a hand on her hip and stomped her foot. “Are you going to let me out of here so I can get him?” She moved closer to the cell bars. “Please!”
Seth wasn’t sure he was ready to believe her, but he knew he couldn’t keep her locked up. He ran his hand through his hair then moved across the room and unlocked the cell.
“Let’s go see this brother of yours.” He reached out to grab her arm again, but noted there was a bruise beginning to show where he’d held her so tightly.
“I’m sorry about that.” Seth lifted his hand and gently touched the bruise. The girl pulled her arm away and pushed past him. Seth had to jog to keep up with her as she hurried to the stage. When they reached the coach, Jericho smiled, revealing several gaps where his teeth had rotted away.
“Glad you came back; I wasn’t sure what to do with the little mite.”
Seth watched as the lovely woman reached into the stage coach, then straightened, holding a small child; a boy. After checking him over, giving the boy a kiss, she turned around to face Seth again.
“Now, can you please tell me who Seth Miller is?”
Seth stepped back as if he’d been slapped. “Why?” His stomach tightened.
The girl glanced around the town once, then settled back on Seth.
“Because, I’m his mail order bride.”
Chapter Three
Seth picked up the two cases Jericho had set on the ground, then turned on his heel and began to stomp away. Over his shoulder he called, “Follow me.”
Ruby held back for a moment, not sure what to do. This man had already thrown her in jail once, she wasn’t sure if he were heading her back there now, or to find Seth Miller. She looked around. There was no one in the street or on the boardwalk nearby. Jericho had scrambled back onto the seat of the stage coach and was getting ready to slap the reins.
“Sir! Mr. Jericho. Can you tell me if you know someone named Seth Miller?” She cupped her hand over her eyes as she tilted her head up so she could see the man in the bright afternoon sunlight.
Jericho took off his hat and scratched his head, a look of confusion on his face. “Sure, Miss. I know him.”
“Could you tell me where I can find him?”
Now Jericho really gave her a strange look. “Miss, you was just talking to him. He’s the one who’s got your bags yonder down the street.” Jericho pointed at Seth Miller’s retreating back.
Ruby held in a cry. The man who’d tossed her in a jail cell was her intended? She shook her head in despair and stepped away from the stage coach as Jericho slapped the reins and steered the horses out of town.
Ruby wanted to run after the coach and get back on it, but she knew she had to stay here and see this through. It was the only hope she had right now. She held Timmy closer and began to scurry down the boardwalk, trying to catch up with Seth Miller. When she looked up, he had stopped and turned back to stare at her. She could see the irritation on his face.
This had not been a good idea after all. For whatever reason, he hated saloon girls and he thought she was one. Her dress had convinced him of that. She wasn’t sure how she would ever convince him she wasn’t that type of girl. She noticed a flash of impatience on his face. Ruby hurried until she reached his side. She could see the anger flashing in his eyes, but then they seemed to settle on Timmy.
“Your letter said nothing about you having a child.”
“He’s not my child, he’s my little brother.” She held up her chin defiantly.
“Even so, there was no mention of a child. I don’t want a child.” He stepped closer to her, towering over her. “What a fool I’ve been. At first, when you didn’t show up for so long, I figured you’d just taken my money, but I think that would have been better than this.” He looked her up and down, an expression of disgust on his face.
“The last thing on earth I’d want is a saloon girl for a wife and another child.” He dropped her bags and stood glaring at her.
A tear escaped from Ruby’s eye. She didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t explain things here and now and she was sure the man felt betrayed.
“Do you want me to leave?” Her words were barely audible.
Seth nodded. That was exactly what he wanted.
Ruby’s shoulders dropped. She looked at the ground. “When is the next stage? I’ll be on it.”
Just then Timmy tried to push out of Ruby’s arms. He’d noticed a small dog which had wandered up and was standing on the boardwalk beside them.
“No, Timmy. We don’t know who that dog is. He might bite.” She squeezed him tighter, then asked, “Is there somewhere safe I can put him down for a few minutes? He hasn’t been able to crawl around for several days.”
The man blinked as if he’d been awoken from a dream. “The jail is probably the best place. It’s not much, but he’ll be safe there.”
Ruby didn’t move a step. Was it only a ploy to get her back into the jail cell?
He must have noted the fear on her face, because Seth actually laughed. “You don’t need t
o worry about me locking you up. I’m over my tantrum. I’m trying to clean this town up, which begins with getting rid of the saloon. I was just upset to see yet another saloon girl arrive in town.” Seth spoke and lifted her bags again, stomping away.
Ruby grit her teeth. She wasn’t a saloon girl, but she didn’t want to scream the truth at his back, so she followed.
Lord, I thought this was the right thing to do, coming here, but this man can’t possibly be the answer to my prayers. He doesn’t even want me here.
Seth held open the door and allowed Ruby to step into the room. She moved further in and he closed the door behind her. Ruby scanned the area, looking for the safest place to set Timmy down. He was just starting to crawl.
“The cell is probably the best place. You can sit on the bed.” Seth’s words were spoken softly. She looked up at him in surprise.
“I don’t want you to think I’m going to lock you in.” Seth walked over to the desk, pulled out a set of keys and held them out to her. “These are for the cell.”
Ruby shook her head and swished past him, grasping the keys as she went. She stepped into the cell then sagged down onto the cot. After unwrapping Timmy from the Rose and Tulip Quilt, she set him on the floor. He immediately began to crawl around.
***
Seth sunk into the chair behind the desk and watched the woman. She was very young looking. When she’d told him she was almost eighteen, he hadn’t thought of someone so young.
Of course, that wasn’t all he’d been wrong about. Now, here he was stuck with a girl, obviously a saloon dancer and a child. She claimed the boy as her brother, but there was no proof he wasn’t her own child.
Seth shook his head, trying to erase the situation.
What am I supposed to do, Lord?
Mail Order Ruby Page 2
