by Jaclyn Hardy
As soon as she touched the ground, Samantha lifted her skirts so she could run faster. The few hundred feet to the stables were nothing thanks to all the races against her brothers over the years. Servants worked out in the cotton fields, and several called out as she ran past, encouraging her to move faster. Samantha ran straight for her horse, Clover, and climbed up. Edmond apparently knew she would be escaping, because Clover was already saddled. Which meant that the other servants knew that she was going to have a suitor show up as well.
Mama had let everyone know but Samantha, which meant she knew it was a match her daughter wouldn’t like. Samantha took off, headed in the opposite direction of her grandmother’s estate. Mama would expect her to take solace there. In fact, that’s probably where Mama had sent the man who was to court her.
Charleston was loud and chaotic, just exactly what Samantha wanted right then. She rode through the streets and took several detours before she finally ended up at a saloon. Not a place someone of her status should be found.
Some of the patrons looked up from their drinks, but most kept to their own business. Samantha found a spot near the back to sit and slid into a booth, then picked up a menu. Breakfast had been hours ago, and she’d skipped lunch as soon as she heard about the plans for that night, so she ordered chicken and potatoes.
A pile of old newspapers sat near the fireplace, waiting to be used as fuel. Samantha flipped through them, looking for something to read while she waited for her food. Mama always begged her to keep up on the news as she would take over the estate one day and needed to know what was going on in business, but Samantha usually avoided it.
She pulled a paper out from the pile and checked to make sure no one was watching before she opened it. The ink had faded since it was a month old, but it was still legible. There was a lot about politics throughout the paper, but that made sense as it was an election year. One article caught her eye as she was closing it. She folded the paper and set it on the seat next to her so the waitress wouldn’t see it.
The waitress set Samantha’s food in front of her and smiled. Her eyes flicked to where Samantha had hidden the paper, but she didn’t mention it. “I haven’t seen you here before. Are you new to these parts?”
“No, I grew up here. I just don’t usually come into a saloon.” Samantha picked up her fork. “Thank you for the meal.”
“You’re welcome.” The waitress beamed and moved on to the next customer.
The food was greasy and used completely different spices than what she was used to, but she actually preferred it cooked this way. She would have to come back the next time she needed an escape.
Once her food was gone, Samantha pushed her plate to the side and pulled the paper back out. The article was on mail order brides—a concept Samantha had heard about, but hadn’t done any research on it. The article was moving. This woman obviously loved the man she’d ended up with. The idea was great, but only if the bride married someone she cared about. Still . . . it was better than being set up with a suitor of her parents’ choosing.
Samantha rolled up the paper and slid it inside the pocket of her gown and paid for her lunch. “I was wondering if you could direct me to the nearest post office?”
“It’s about five blocks west of here, but you’d better hurry. I believe they’ll close soon.” The barkeeper slid her coins off the counter and into his hand.
She nodded and pushed the doors open. Clover looked up from chewing on the grass under her feet. Samantha patted her horse’s side. “Come on, girl. We need to hurry down to the post office. I’m about to do something I hope I don’t regret.”
***
The sun had already set by the time Samantha finally arrived at home. She brushed Clover and led her to her stall, then smoothed her dress and strode to the front door. It would have been better to sneak back up to her room so she could change and redo her hair, but Mama already knew she’d left so the rest of the charade wouldn’t matter.
Guests stood in the hallways of the mansion, talking and laughing. Mama hadn’t told her dinner that night would be in the form of a party. By the stares from the guests, Samantha probably should have gone to change after all. She waved and escaped up the stairs.
The second floor seemed empty except for her personal maid, who sat sewing a tear in one of Samantha’s other gowns.
“You’re a little late, my dear.” Edith looked up from the dress and smiled. “I do hope you enjoyed your adventure. If your mother has her way, it will be the last one for a long time.”
“I wish her luck with that. Could you please help me change?” Samantha went into her room and found the dress that had been laid out for her. It was a dark purple that her mother favored. Samantha preferred lighter colors, but when it came to these parties, it was always up to Mama. She’d never forced Samantha’s brothers into these parties, but it didn’t stop her from showering Samantha with parties, cotillions, and an endless parade of suitors.
Edith helped her out of the gown she wore and made a face as she set it to the side. “What were you doing, exactly?”
“Riding Clover. I stopped for lunch at a saloon, and the people there are quite fascinating.” Samantha left out the part about applying to be a bride. Edith was the most wonderful of maids, but she didn’t always keep secrets like Samantha hoped she would, and this was the biggest of them all.
Once she’d changed and had her hair redone, it was time to go down and pretend she was happy to be there. Mama was busy talking to their neighbors when Samantha walked into the ballroom. If Samantha played it just right, maybe Mama wouldn’t notice that Samantha was late.
The Duncans stood to the side, so Samantha figured they were the best place to start. She pasted on a smile and walked up to them.
“Thank you for coming tonight.”
Mrs. Duncan turned away from her husband. “Samantha, darling. I wondered where you were.”
“I was here and there. Have you enjoyed the night so far?” Samantha took an hors d’oeuvre from a nearby tray.
“It’s been wonderful. Although I hoped dinner would have started by now. A storm is supposed to roll in tonight and I’d rather not ride home in it.” Mrs. Duncan patted her hair.
Samantha frowned. “You haven’t—I mean, I’ll go see what the problem is.”
Mama had moved on to another group by the time Samantha found her. She pulled on Mama’s arm to get her alone.
“I have people wondering when dinner will be ready.”
“We were waiting for you to make your appearance. Now that you’ve decided to finally join us, I will announce dinner. And don’t think we’re not going to talk about this later.” Mama turned and clapped her hands loudly. “Sorry for the delay. Dinner will be served in the dining room. Please make your way there now.”
Samantha breathed a sigh of relief. Mama hadn’t tried introducing her to anyone during the reception, which meant that there would be no uncomfortable conversations with a man she knew nothing about. For now.
Papa was already seated at the head of the table when Samantha made it into the dining room. She sat next to him and set a napkin on her lap.
“How’d you escape the reception?”
“I told your mother I had an important meeting. Unfortunately for me, I’ve been sitting here for nearly an hour waiting for dinner. The upside is that I figured out what I want to do with my new land.” Papa patted Samantha’s hand. “May I ask where you disappeared to today?”
Samantha made sure Mama wasn’t around and leaned closer. “I was up to something that you may not appreciate. We’ll talk later.”
Papa chuckled. “I hate to see where this is going. I assume this means that our business venture with the Ellisons is in jeopardy?”
Ellison? That’s who Mama had tried to set her up with? Spencer Ellison was perfectly horrible. Samantha shuddered. “Consider it canceled.”
“That’s one alliance I am happy to break. I would like to hope that it will be the last, however.
You can’t run away from marriage forever.” Papa nodded toward the front of the room, indicating that the conversation was over.
Mama stood there with Spencer, waiting for it to quiet down. “Welcome, everyone. I hope you enjoy our dinner. I hope too, that this evening will bring another celebration soon with the engagement of our daughter.”
Papa covered Samantha’s hand with his. She hadn’t realized she’d clenched her fists. It was bad enough that she kept trying to play matchmaker, but then to make a spectacle of the whole thing? It just made everything worse.
Samantha nodded so he’d know she would control herself. For now. The only thing that kept her going was the thought that any day she would have an escape to the west. If someone offered to take her as a mail order bride and she didn’t feel like it was right, she could still say no. But at this point, anything was better than the matches her mother had come up with.
Spencer bowed to Mama—earning an eye roll from Samantha—then came and sat at the table. “Well, hello. It’s nice that you finally arrived. I do hope your need to flee has been spent.”
“Never.” Samantha stabbed her fish, earning a chuckle and cough from Papa. “How are the pigs?”
“Excuse me?” Spencer asked wiping his mouth with a napkin.
Samantha sighed. “That’s your father’s business. How are things going with the business?”
“Ah. I thought—never mind. Things are well.” Spencer took a large bite of fish. “What about yours? I see that you’re already making preparations for the coming year.”
“I wouldn’t know. I’m stuck inside all day.” Samantha grimaced and looked away. Apparently, no one had taught him how to eat with his mouth closed. “Mrs. Duncan, could you please pass the potatoes?”
Mama glared at Samantha’s response, but said nothing. She was most likely taking note of all the things she would lecture Samantha on later.
But that didn’t matter. It would be done soon enough.
David tossed the last of the hay into the cow troughs and wiped his brow. Laughter came from the direction of the house. Most likely it was his brother Nathaniel and his wife, Madeline, on their way into town for the day.
Their carriage pulled away from the house, leaving David to do the last of the chores. Not that he minded. David needed money to open his butcher shop in town and this was the only job available. Unless he wanted to work at the silver mine with Matthew and he’d already had enough of that.
Mother would be inside caring for Nathaniel’s baby, Mark—her favorite pastime now. This was so much different from where they lived in California, but he had to admit he enjoyed it here. It was more relaxed, and there was a freedom that he hadn’t felt before.
David hefted the last milk can into the wheelbarrow and pushed it toward the house. Mother would churn it into butter later when Mark was down for a nap. He set the cans just inside the door.
“Mother? I’m headed to town to check on the house and shop. Do you need anything?” David washed his hands and face in the sink.
“Nathaniel already has my list. I would like to see the house sometime soon if possible.” Mother held Mark in her arms.
David kissed his mother’s cheek. “I’ll take you tomorrow. I promise.”
Mother smiled. “I’ll hold you to that.”
“I know you will.” David grabbed his hat and coat and went out to his horse. The breeze was chilly, but he didn’t mind as they galloped toward town. Normally he would take the wagon, but he didn’t have anything to take with him, and this was much faster.
Nathaniel and Madeline’s carriage was parked near the general store when David passed by. He climbed off his horse and tied it on the post in front of his butcher shop. The walls were finished, and the stone was almost finished for the freezer area. He ran his fingers along the counter, pride filling him. This was his business. He would no longer be working for someone else.
He picked up his tools and started on the back counters where he’d do most of his work. The base was made of wood, and he had to make sure it was sturdy enough to hold the stone. His neighbor and good friend, Joshua, had done a lot of the carpentry work, so now David just needed to reinforce it.
The wood that had been delivered was a little warped, but he would make it work. He measured and cut a few more posts to add. His work wasn’t necessarily nice to look at, but it did the trick.
“I thought we’d find you here.” Nathaniel’s voice made David jump and hit his head on the counter. “Need some help?”
David rubbed his head. “Could you check to see if it’s level? I have this last one to add.”
Nathaniel picked up a marble and set it down on the counter. It rolled a little to the left. “You need just a little on this side to balance it out.”
David pointed to a pile of wood to the side. “See if there’s something in there that can help balance it. I need to get this one nailed in.”
“Got it.”
Two more nails, and then another few boards across the top and they were ready. The countertop would be delivered that evening along with the rest of the stone for the freezers. If all went well, he would be able to open by the end of the week.
Madeline stood at the front counter organizing the platters in the display case. When she caught David looking at her, she backed up. “Sorry. I just wanted to make sure it looked right. Oh, and I brought some paintings. Nathaniel told me that you didn’t want any decor in here, but I still think it would be nice to have something.”
She picked up a stack and set them on the counter. “Whatever you don’t use we can take home. Or you can use them in your house if you’d like.”
David went through them. Cows in pastures, mountainsides, flowers, and a variety of others. He chose a couple and set them aside. “I’ll take these. Have Mother go through the rest of them. She’ll know what works better in the house than I do. Oh, and speaking of Mother, she insists that she gets to see the house tomorrow, so I’ll be taking your babysitter for the day.”
Madeline nodded. “That’s all right. I plan on staying home tomorrow anyway. I have sewing to do.”
“All right.” He turned to Nathaniel. “The shipment comes in later tonight, so I’m going to work on my house. Would you be able to come back later to help install the counter? If not, I can just do it tomorrow.”
“I should—”
“Why doesn’t he just stay here with you?” Madeline interrupted. “I’ll take your horse, and he can keep the carriage. I don’t mind it, and you could get more work done on your house.”
David glanced over at Nathaniel. “I could use the help if that works for you.”
Nathaniel shrugged. “I don’t have anything to get back for, and if Mother wants to see the house tomorrow, we should probably get the roof up.”
Madeline beamed. “Wonderful. I’ll see you two at home, then.”
She was gone before either of them could say anything else. David shook his head. How Nathaniel could find anyone so perfect was beyond him. Feisty, head-strong, and beautiful.
“Did you have anything else you needed to do here?” Nathaniel set the marble down in the center and whistled. “We got it.”
David shook his head. “We can’t do much else until the freezer and counter are finished. Let’s head over to the house.”
“I’ll be right there. I need to put these paintings in the carriage so I don’t forget them.”
David nodded and left through the back door. His house wasn’t too far from the butcher shop, which was perfect with his early hours. The frame of the house was done. And while Nathaniel had a log home, David had decided to go with a framed house. The walls were made with plaster and slats and because of the cold weather, they were taking a little longer to dry than he’d hoped.
The house consisted of a kitchen, living room, two bedrooms, and an attic. It was a little excessive for the homes here, but his mother and Matthew would both be living there until Matthew found a home of his own.
T
he bedrooms were mostly done, as was the attic. The roof had taken some time because they had to wait for the trusses. Those had come in the day before, thankfully. Now it was time to get them put up.
He couldn’t wait for Nathaniel to get started, so David added water to the plaster and applied it to the living room wall. He wished there was a way to better insulate it, but these walls would still be fairly thick from the wood.
Footsteps sounded on the stairs outside—more than one set. David stood and turned to find Nathaniel there with several other men.
“Sorry, about that. I was discussing prices with Clarence and mentioned that I needed to go help you. Next thing I know all these people volunteered to help. Tell us where you want us, and we’ll get to work.” Nathaniel grinned.
“Thank you. I think right now we need to get the roof finished more than anything. If you want to head that up, I’ll keep a few of these guys down here to help with the walls. I want to make sure they’re strong enough to support the roof and the attic.” David wanted to hug his brother for stepping up like this. This would have taken ages to do on his own.
Nathaniel sent some men out to start on the roof, then pulled some papers out of his vest. “These are for you. They’re the new advertisements in the catalog. So, you’re really serious about a mail order bride, then?”
“It worked for you. Besides, I need a companion that can help me out when I need her. I’m just hoping I can find someone who will do even half of what Madeline does for you.”
Nathaniel handed him the papers and clapped him on the back. “Brother, there’s no one like Madeline so don’t go expecting that. But I have to admit there are a few good ones that just came in. I think you’ll be lucky if you can get any of them.”
