Copyright
Julia, Mail-Order Brides Club
Copyright 2014, Ashley Merrick
All rights reserved
Edited by Cindy Tahse
Cover design by http://www.stunningbookcovers.com/
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This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is purely coincidental.
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When Julia unexpectedly loses the accounting job she loves, and is unable to find another position doing anything in Boston, she decides to take her best friend Emma up on her offer to come to Montana. Emma’s husband Ethan has eight brothers and one of them, Liam, has his sights set on Julia. Liam seems almost too perfect, but then Julia discovers the secret that he struggles with. Will she stick with him?
CHAPTER ONE
Back Bay, Boston, 1896
“Julia O’Reilly shivered as a cold blast of air whipped across her face. She pulled her wool scarf a bit more tightly around her neck and tipped her head down to ward off the biting wind. It was only mid-November, but the air had turned decidedly cooler this week and the dark sky and wet chill promised the first snowfall of the year would be coming soon. Fortunately, her walk to work was a short one. Her employer was a small accounting office just a few blocks from the women’s boarding house where she’d lived for almost six years, since leaving the orphanage at age eighteen.
There was a cheery fire going when she stepped inside the office and Mrs. Greeley, who manned the front desk, greeted her with a smile. “Good thing you don’t have far to go. It’s getting right nasty out there.”
Julia agreed and stood by the fire for a moment to warm up before taking off her coat and scarf and settling in for the day. Her office was tiny, and adjacent to Mr. Pippins’, who had started the business nearly forty years ago. Julia had started with him as soon as she’d turned eighteen. Mrs. Richardson, who ran the orphanage, helped to place her there as she’d always excelled at math. Julia had grown up in a Catholic orphanage and it was policy there that as soon as the children turned eighteen, they had to leave, to ensure room for the younger ones coming in.
When she was first with Mr. Pippins, her role was that of an office clerk. Although he’d been told that Julia was gifted with numbers, he didn’t trust her to do more than file papers and fetch coffee for clients who came into the office. Over time, though, he began to give her small projects to help with and, as she well knew, to test her ability. She was a quick learner, and in recent years had completely taken over many of his clients’ accounts, handling all of their bookkeeping and accounting work from her little office. She had no contact with the clients, though. Mr. Pippins handled all interaction with them and she knew they assumed that he personally was doing their accounting work. Julia didn’t mind that at all, though. She loved her work, although she was a bit worried about Mr. Pippins as he hadn’t seemed especially well lately.
At a few minutes before five o’clock, when Julia was beginning to think about shutting down for the day and wondering what the group might be having for dinner, Mr. Pippins popped his head into her office.
“Julia, my dear, do you have a moment?” When she nodded yes, of course, he walked in and sat in the chair by her desk.
“I have some news, and I’m sorry to say it might not be good for you,” he began.
Julia said nothing but felt her stomach tighten, sensing that indeed what he was about to say would not be welcome news at all.
“As you may have noticed, I haven’t felt perfect lately. I’m no spring chicken, as my wife keeps reminding me, and, well, she’s been after me to retire for some time now. I really hadn’t considered doing so just yet, but I’ve received an offer to buy the business and she’s convinced me that it’s a sign that it’s time.” Julia said nothing and waited for him to continue.
“Smith and Son will be taking over the business and all of my clients as of next Monday. I told them how wonderful you are, how valuable, but they don’t think that they need another accounting clerk. I did insist that you receive a month’s wages, though.” Awkwardly, he reached into his inside coat pocket and pulled out an envelope, thick with cash.
“Here you go, my dear. Thank you for all you’ve done for me, and I’m very sorry that I wasn’t able to convince them to keep you on.” Julia took the envelope in a daze and then stood up and hugged the man who had taught her so much. His eyes looked a bit misty as he turned away for a moment to cough. The sound came from deep within and seemed to echo in the small room. Julia hoped that he’d be able to enjoy his retirement, but suspected that he might be sicker than they realized.
On the way out, she said goodbye to Mrs. Greeley as well, who also pulled her in for a hug.
“I will miss your smiling face each morning. But, I know the Lord has something special in mind for you. Just have faith. I will, of course, keep you in my prayers.” Mrs. Greeley was a devout Catholic, who attended mass each morning before coming in to the office. She was near Mr. Pippins’ age and only worked part-time, just to keep busy, so Julia knew this wouldn’t impact her life too terribly.
“You’ll be able to spend more time with your grandchildren,” Julia said with a smile.
“Yes, especially now that the kids know I’m available mornings. I’m sure I’ll have no lack of things to do. I really do wish you all the very best, my dear.”
Julia buttoned up her coat, put on her scarf and stepped outside. The promised storm was beginning to start, and as delicate snowflakes swirled around as she walked, Julia wondered what on earth she would do now.
###
“Your cookies are a huge hit.” Liam Donovan took a sip of the tea his sister-in-law, Emma, had just poured for him as he reached for a second cookie.
Emma scowled at him. “Those are supposed to be for your customers!” Liam knew she was just teasing, though. He and Emma were really like brother and sister. They’d bonded even before Emma fell in love with his brother, Ethan.
“So, have you convinced any of your friends to come visit yet? How is Julia?” Liam loved hearing stories of Emma’s friends and their lives back east in Boston. He was especially fascinated with her descriptions of her best friend, Julia. She sounded lovely, and he’d always been attracted to long, red hair. Emma had said it was her best feature, next to her clear, green eyes and pale skin that was snow white, except for a sprinkling of freckles across her nose.
“She’s worried about her boss, actually. Said he hasn’t seemed well. I just sent a note off a few days ago. One of these days, maybe she’ll take me up on my offer to come stay awhile.” Liam felt a surge of happiness and then realized it must have been evident on his face because Emma quickly added, “Don’t get your hopes up, though. Of all my friends, Julia is probably the least likely to make the move. She loves Boston and loves her work. She’d never be able to get a job like that here.”
“Well, she wouldn’t have to work if she married me. Unless she wanted to help in the pub, of course.” Donovan’s Pub was Liam’s baby—a lifelong dream come true. With the help of his nine brothers, he’d built the pub just off Main Street, not too far from the train station. There was little competition, just a rundown saloon a few blocks away that catered to a very different crowd—those who drank too much, gambled and enjoyed the favors of the several prostitutes who lived on the second floo
r. Liam had no interest in that crowd. His dream was to offer a welcoming gathering spot, where friends and visitors could meet and enjoy a drink or a hot meal. As the most social of the ten Donovan boys, bartending was a perfect fit for him.
“That’s true. She could hand out the cookies,” Emma said with a smile. That’s why Liam had stopped by, to pick up the basket of cookies that Emma had baked for him. It had been Emma’s idea to give a fresh-baked cookie to every customer that came into the pub, and now Liam suspected some of them came in especially to satisfy their sweet tooth. It was a great idea, though, and quickly built customer loyalty.
“Well, keep working on her, will you? I’m not getting any younger.” Liam winked at Emma as he grabbed the last cookie that she put into the basket, and then was on his way.
CHAPTER TWO
“Miss O’Reilly? Mr. Davis will see you now.” Julia stood and followed the receptionist into a large office where a portly man in his mid-fifties sat behind a massive, polished oak desk. He stood when the women entered the room and held out his hand. “Miss O’Reilly? It’s a pleasure to meet you. Please have a seat.” The receptionist disappeared as Julia settled herself in the chair facing the desk. She was excited about this interview, but nervous, too. In the past month, she’d only managed to have two other interviews and they hadn’t gone very well. There didn’t seem to be anything else out there. She had to get this job.
“Thank you for seeing me,” she said politely.
“Mr. Pippins suggested I see you. I will be honest with you, though. I am not looking to hire a secretary. I need an accountant.”
“Well, that’s perfect. That’s what I did for him.”
“Really? Where did you get your degree in accounting?” He was holding her resume, so could clearly see what was and wasn’t on it.
“I don’t have a degree in accounting.”
“I see. So what exactly did you do, then?”
“I started as a clerk, doing administrative work. But I am very good with numbers, and started to take on some of the smaller clients. As I learned more, I was given more to do and larger clients to work with.”
“I see. So you handled the paperwork for these clients, communicated with them?”
“Not exactly. I didn’t communicate with them, but I handled all of their accounting.”
“I am familiar with some of the clients you claim to have done work for. I checked with several of them, and, funny thing, they all say that you were nothing but a secretary. That Mr. Pippins personally handled their accounting. Are you saying that is not true?”
“I know how it sounds, but I assure you, I am the one who did the accounting work and Mr. Pippins was the client contact. He thought it best that way, that the clients wouldn’t like to know that he wasn’t the one handling their accounts.”
“Miss O’Reilly, you seem like a nice enough young lady, but I hope you can understand that this is too much of a risk for me to take on. How can I hire you when I’m not convinced you can do the work? And when there are other qualified men, with accounting degrees and families to support?”
Julia sighed. “I understand.”
“If something were to open up in the secretarial pool, I’d be happy to consider you.” He smiled and held out his hand again. “Thank you for coming in. I do wish you well.”
“Thank you for your time.” Julia stood and left the office. It was almost five p.m. and her stomach rumbled a bit in anticipation of dinner. She’d been too nervous earlier to eat much for lunch. She’d had such a good feeling about this job, since Mr. Pippins had recommended her.
###
“How did it go?” Colleen asked anxiously as Julia walked into the boardinghouse kitchen.
“Almost exactly like the last few interviews I’ve had. They’re always polite, but I can tell that they don’t think I did any real accounting work. And there’s always a strong candidate they say they are leaning towards—a married man with a family to support. How can I compete with that?”
Julia flopped in a chair, shrugged her coat off and sighed. The past month had flown by much too quickly and she was completely out of job possibilities. But at least she would eat well tonight. She could smell a chicken roasting and Colleen was putting the finishing touches on an apple pie that was about to go in the oven. Colleen worked as a dress-maker’s assistant and was the only other girl from the orphanage who lived there.
Colleen bit her lip and frowned before finally saying, “What about broadening your horizons? Looking outside of accounting? You could look for a position as a nanny or cook’s assistant.”
Julia chuckled at that. “Those jobs are just as difficult to get and I’d be competing with girls who have actual experience. Besides, you’ve had my cooking.”
“That’s true.” Colleen smiled, and then added, “But you do bake an excellent cake!”
“Well, that’s different. Baking is easy.”
“So what will you do, then?” Colleen looked worried.
Julia reached into her pocket and pulled out the well-worn letter she’d been carrying around for the past few days. She’d read it so many times that Emma’s words were practically committed to memory.
“This is an open invitation to come to Montana. Liam is especially dying to meet you, but just come out and stay with us. I’d love to visit with you and have you meet Ethan’s family. I’ve told them so much about you, and if Liam is not to your liking, there are six other single brothers.”
“I’m seriously considering going out west—to visit with Emma for a while. I have some money saved. If it doesn’t work out, I suppose I could always come back.”
Colleen looked shocked for a moment, then said excitedly, “You should go! Emma always sounds so happy in her letters. Maybe if it works out for you, I might come out sometime, too.” She looked wistful for a moment and Julia’s heart went out to her. Colleen had been one of the only girls in their group with a serious boyfriend. Frank drove a cab and lived just a block away. He was a flirty charmer but seemed crazy about Colleen, and she had fallen equally hard. Just a few weeks ago, Frank had taken her out for what she thought would be a special dinner, complete with a marriage proposal. Instead, he’d broken her heart over dessert. He’d made a terrible mistake, he explained—an unforgivable lapse of judgment that had resulted in Sally Cummings being in the family way. So, of course, he had to do the right thing and marry her immediately. He’d made matters worse by insisting that he would always love Colleen.
“I’m so glad you’ve been here for me these past few weeks. I think you should go, even though I will miss you like crazy.” Colleen’s voice broke a little as she turned her attention back to the pie.
“I’ll write and tell you everything. Hopefully, we’ll get you out there, too.”
Colleen slid the pie in the oven and then turned back to face Julia. “How soon will you go?”
“I think it needs to be soon, before I lose my nerve. I’ll post a letter tomorrow to let Emma know I’m on my way and then I’ll get on the next train heading out, so probably within the next few days.”
Now that Julia had decided, she was anxious to set her plan into motion and she was eager to see her best friend, Emma, again. It had been too long. They both wrote regularly, but it wasn’t the same as chatting in person. Julia was both terrified and oddly calm. It felt like she was doing the right thing and was hopeful that it would work out.
CHAPTER THREE
“You’re awfully jumpy today, and you keep looking out the window. You waiting on a delivery or something?” Old Nick was a regular at Liam’s pub and didn’t miss much. Liam refilled his beer mug and then satisfied his curiosity.
“It is a delivery, of sorts. Emma’s best friend, Julia, arrives today from Boston. She’s single, and if she’s even half as pretty as Emma, I want to be first in line to sweep her off her feet.”
“A city girl? Might not be so easy. Life is very different here. She might not take to it.”
“Or she mig
ht love it. Like Emma does.” Nick’s glass was always half-empty while Liam’s was half-full. He was optimistic, but truthfully had the same concern that Nick had expressed. From what Emma told him, Julia sounded like even more of a city girl, someone who had done a man’s job, though she was having a hard time finding employment. So, he knew that she was probably here as a last resort and might not be as keen as he was to get married.
“Sounds like it’s coming now,” Nick said as he reached for the sandwich Liam had just delivered.
The bar was quiet now, as it was mid-afternoon. Liam left Nick to enjoy his meal and walked closer to the big, bay window near the pub’s entrance. He had a good view of the train station from here and, sure enough, in the distance he could see the shadow of the train approaching and moments later, the whistle sounded as the train pulled into the station and came to a stop.
He watched as a half-dozen or so men and a few families exited the train, and then, finally, a slim woman of average height and with the most beautiful red hair that he’d ever seen, stepped off the train. He saw Emma waiting and then waving as she spotting Julia. Julia ran over as soon as she saw Emma’s wave and hugged her. Liam wanted so badly to walk over and introduce himself, but Emma had made him promise to wait until she brought Julia over to his parents’ house later that evening. She said she knew that Julia would want a hot bath before meeting him anyway, and he understood. Though from what he could see, he couldn’t imagine her being any prettier.
###
Julia felt both exhausted and exhilarated when the train finally pulled into Bozeman, Montana. She’d mailed her letter to Emma the day before she’d left, nearly three weeks ago, so Emma should be there to greet her. If she wasn’t, then she’d have to figure out a way to find her.
She was the last one off the train and glanced around the platform as she waited for her bags to be unloaded. There weren’t very many people there, so within seconds, she saw Emma waving furiously and ran over to her.
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