RNWMP: Bride for Nolan (Mail Order Mounties Book 3)

by Cassie Hayes

  Tilly pulled away and stared up at him, tears slipping down her cheeks. “Nolan, I—“

  Two shouting men ran up from the direction of the stable. “They’re gone! The Chinee escaped!”

  The crowd gasped and looked around, as if the shipwreck survivors might be standing amongst them trying to blend in. Nolan sighed deeply and slowly pulled himself up to his full height. Before addressing the frantic men, he held his hand out to Tilly and helped her up.

  “What seems to be the trouble?” he asked one of the men. His tone was firm, but he looked surprisingly calm, considering a boatload of his prisoners had gone missing.

  “Them blasted Chinee!” the man screeched, near hysteria. “They broke out of the stable some time in the night! We gotta go after ‘em!”

  Several men in the crowd muttered their agreement, but Nolan held up a commanding hand.

  “Hold on, now, tell me what happened.”

  “Dunno! Stuart swore the doors was locked up tighter than a drum when he left to help you with those drunks, and no one but you came along during my shift. I went in to check on ‘em after the gunshot rang out, and not a one of ‘em was in there.”

  Nolan looked thoughtful, but Tilly thought she saw a sparkle in his eyes. “Huh. Wonder how that happened. Better go take a looksee.”

  The guard and his friend ran back toward the stable, while Nolan wrapped warm fingers around her hand. Instead of running, as the other men had, he sauntered as if they were taking a leisurely morning stroll. Tilly glanced up at him.

  “Why are you smirking like that?”

  “Who, me?” he asked innocently.

  Tilly looked around to make sure no one was listening in. “Yes, you. You don’t seem too surprised the Chinese escaped. What do you suppose happened?”

  As if she didn’t know.

  Nolan shrugged and looked anything but concerned. “Oh, I guess I must have been so tired last night I forgot to lock the stable.”

  Tilly gasped, honestly shocked at his confession. She stopped in her tracks and faced him.

  “But Nolan, what about your vow to uphold the law?”

  This time it was Nolan’s turn to check for eavesdroppers. He kept his voice low and grasped both of her hands.

  “Tilly, the vow I took for my country comes second only to the vows I made to you. The rabble rousers last night almost set that stable on fire. If they’d succeeded, the men, women and children inside would have been burned alive — and possibly spread to other buildings in town. My assignment was to keep those people safe, not keep them prisoner. At least, not when their lives were in danger. After all the hatred I witnessed yesterday, I had no reason not to believe someone else might try to finish what those other men had started.”

  Tilly wondered what she’d done in her life to deserve such a wonderful man. The career she’d spent years building in Ottawa, the career she’d mourned the entire train ride west, meant almost nothing to her now that she’d found someone to share her life with. Cooking would always give her joy, but it was just a flicker of a candle’s flame compared to the roaring bonfire of her love for Nolan.

  “Nolan, I don’t want to wait another minute to tell you how much I love you. I’ve known it all along, really, but I was afraid.”

  “Of what, my love?”

  Nope, she’d never grow tired of hearing that.

  “Oh, everything. I was afraid of telling you about why I left Ottawa. I was afraid of keeping it a secret. I was afraid of what kind of man you’d be. I was afraid I’d miss my family and my job. But mostly, I was afraid you wouldn’t like me.”

  Nolan’s laugh surprised her, but she melted into his embrace when he hugged her.

  “I was afraid of that too, Tilly. But I think Miss Hazel knew exactly what she was doing when she matched us up. And not just because you’re such an amazing chef.”

  “And you’re always hungry,” she teased, grinning up at him. “Oh, speaking of which, have you had breakfast yet?”

  Nolan groaned so loudly his stomach followed suit. “No, and I probably won’t get a chance for some time. I’m duty-bound to organize a search party to find the escapees — though I can tell you right now, I’ll be handpicking every single man that rides with me. In fact, I really should get started or they might form a vigilante mob. I’ll see you tonight.”

  He dropped a kiss on her nose, then headed off toward the growing crowd around the stable. Tilly fumbled for something in the pocket of her wool coat and called after him.

  “Nolan!”

  When he turned to her, she tossed the item at him. He caught it deftly and gave her a puzzled look.

  “That’s to tide you over until tonight. I’ll be making apple pie for dessert, so don’t be late.”

  He broke into a dazzling grin, then took a big bite out of the bright red apple.

  Epilogue

  “Did you tend to Miss Parker?” Joel asked Tilly when he came into the office after meeting the train.

  “I did. Fed her and gave her a change of clothes, but…she’s a feisty one. I don’t think we’re going to get her out of those foul-smelling rags before we escort her to Vancouver.”

  “She’s a spitfire all right,” Kendall added. “I heard the names she called you, Tilly.”

  Nolan chose that moment to walk in. “Who called my wife names?” he demanded.

  Tilly laid a hand on his arm and smiled. “It’s fine, my love. I can handle it. I’ve dealt with much worse over the last couple of years.”

  The indignance fell away from his face, replaced with a smile. “That you have. Remember ol’ Black Jack Bitters?”

  Tilly rolled her eyes and wrapped an arm around his waist. “Boy, do I! I thought you were going to let him kidnap me, so I did what I had to do.”

  Nolan gasped in mock outrage, as if they hadn’t played this teasing game many times over the years. “You simply understood the plan I’d already worked up to secure your freedom from that scoundrel.”

  She laughed. “Oh, is that how it was?”

  “That’s the way I remember it!”

  She was happy to let her husband have bragging rights on bringing down Black Jack Bitters. When he’d lost the gunman in the forest, Nolan had wanted little more than to do right by their dear friend Silas MacGruder. After sending Black Jack to stand trial in Vancouver on the steamer carrying ten of the Chinese who’d been recaptured, Nolan had proudly informed Silas he’d finally “got his man.” She couldn’t bear to take that away from him.

  “Tilly,” Joel said, “I can’t tell you how happy I am you’re here. Before you all blessed our lives by marrying us, we rarely had to deal with female prisoners, but now that we’ve had an influx of women up in these parts, it’s nice to have a matron to take care of them.”

  “I’ve enjoyed every minute, Joel,” Tilly said, although that wasn’t entirely true.

  After returning to Squirrel Ridge Junction from Prince Rupert, Tilly had decided she wanted to be of more service to her new community. She’d always had a job, so why should it be any different now? Nolan had been so impressed with her cool demeanor with Black Jack, he’d suggested she become an official RNWMP Matron to assist the squad as needed.

  Most of her duties had involved cooking for prisoners on their way to the courts, but also she’d cared for random female prisoners who’d found their way into the Squirrel Ridge Junction jail. Occasionally, Nolan even took her on assignment, when it wasn’t too dangerous. Some of the places they had to travel to were far more primitive than Tilly cared for, but they’d always had so much fun on their adventures, she knew she’d miss them.

  “Mail’s here, if you want it,” Joel said, dropping a bundle on his desk.

  Tilly sorted through it, passing it out to each man. By the end, Nolan had a postcard and she had two letters.

  “Huh. Another blank postcard from Chinatown in Vancouver,” he said, winking at her.

  He’d received eight such blank postcards since eleven illegal Chinese immigra
nts had escaped into the dense rainforest of British Columbia. Just three more to go!

  “Oh, it’s a letter from Miss Hazel!” Tilly exclaimed, and left the office to read it outside.

  As she read, a massive dark shadow loomed over her and giant flat teeth nipped at the edge of the letter.

  “Shoo, Monty!” she said, pushing the moose’s big nose away. “I’ll give it to you when I’m done.”

  Monty snuffled her hair for a moment then retreated to a patch of grass to wait for the delicacy of writing paper. Silly moose!

  “What’s the old dear say?” Nolan asked, leaning back against the wall and propping a boot behind him.

  “She’s getting ready to escort yet another batch of ladies to their new Mountie husbands,” Tilly said, smiling up at him. “Will she never tire of playing matchmaker to Mounties?”

  “Well, her track record so far has been pretty good,” he said, pulling her into his arms.

  Tilly’s skin pebbled as he gazed into her eyes. She’d never known love could be such a world-shifting force. Miss Hazel had given her the shove, but her overpowering love for Nolan had changed her entire life.

  “That she has,” she replied softly, reaching up on her tiptoes to plant a quick peck on his lips.

  “Mmm, Mrs. Wheeler…” He pulled her tighter.

  “That’s enough, Mr. Wheeler,” she laughed, pulling away and opening her other letter. Monty ambled by and chewed on the envelope she’d dropped on the ground as she skimmed the letter.

  “It’s from my mother! The family’s fine…blah blah blah…father’s shop is doing better than ever…blah blah blah…my brother Adam has found a good job…blah blah blah…”

  Tilly gasped.

  “What is it?” Nolan asked, a worried look in his eyes.

  She wanted to answer him, to tell him the good news, but a fit of laughter caught her off-guard. He smiled at her delight, but she couldn’t speak for several hilarious moments. Finally, she managed to catch her breath.

  “Oh…it’s too wonderful! Apparently Mr.—“ She caught herself before she spoke his name, a name she’d vowed never to utter again. “Apparently, my old employer was rousted from Parliament due to some unsavory scandal involving the Prime Minister’s daughter! His wife is divorcing him, and his business partner is suing for sole control of their company!”

  Nolan joined her in laughing until their sides ached. The man’s fate couldn’t have delighted her more.

  “What’s so funny?” Rose asked as she held a squirming Claire in her arms. The other brides and their beautiful children joined them.

  As was her custom, Tilly pulled each baby into her arms and kissed each one on their impossibly soft cheeks. She couldn’t wait to have her own to smooch on.

  “Nothing of importance,” she said, crumpling up the letter and tossing it over to Monty, who immediately gobbled it up.

  “We just came to see if there’s any mail,” JoAnn said, cradling a drowsy Hazel.

  “I got a letter from Miss Hazel, and I’m certain I saw one for each of you, as well.”

  After the women scurried inside, Nolan draped an arm around her shoulders. “Are you excited to escort Miss Parker down to Vancouver? It’s been a few months since we’ve been. Maybe we can catch a show at the Pantages Theatre.”

  “You know how much I love vaudeville.”

  “It’s a date! Maybe on our next trip we can see a film.”

  Tilly scuffed her shoe in the dirt, unsure what to say. “I… I’m not sure I’ll be going on many more escorts, Nolan.”

  “Why not? I thought you enjoyed them?”

  “I do! I love them, it’s just…”

  “Aw, c’mon, Tilly. We have so much fun. Don’t make me go with one of those other cretins. Especially, Elijah. That man can’t cook worth a lick!”

  Tilly laughed. “Nolan Wheeler, I do believe I’ve spoiled you.”

  “You have! That’s why you can’t leave me to his horrible devices.”

  “Well, my dear, you could learn to cook. I’m an excellent teacher.”

  Nolan sighed. “I’d rather eat Elijah’s shoe leather meat than cook for myself, you know that. Are you really going to abandon me like that?”

  “I’m afraid I have to.”

  His brow pulled together. “Why? Why do you have to? You know Joel loves having you here.”

  “I know, and I love helping, but my time as a matron is over.” Tilly took Nolan’s hand in her own and placed it on her tummy. “You see, I’m going to be far too busy taking care of our baby.”

  Nolan’s eyes grew wide, then he whooped and lifted her into his arms. Twirling her around in circles didn’t help her morning sickness in the slightest, but their combined joy did. When he set her down, she laughed and held onto him until the world stopped spinning.

  Before she could get her bearings, Nolan’s lips were on hers and her head spun around all over again, but for a different reason. When they finally broke apart, they both panted and grinned at one another.

  “We just need to do this nine or ten more times and our family will be complete,” he said, holding her close.

  Tilly laughed. “I’d love that, but I’ve been thinking…”

  Nolan pushed her to arm’s length and gave her a look she’d grown to recognize. The look said, ‘What are you up to now?’ He knew her so well.

  “The baby won’t come for several months, and who knows how long until the next one comes along. I mean, this one took two years. I’ll go crazy sitting around for two years at a time, so I thought…what I mean to say is…”

  Tilly’s cheeks flamed red as she tried to spit out the fantasy she’d dreamed about for the last couple years.

  “You can tell me anything, my love,” Nolan encouraged softly.

  “It’s just with the new train schedule, more and more people are stopping in Squirrel Ridge Junction, and even more are moving here. The one thing this town lacks is…”

  She chewed on her lip, wondering if he’d think she was crazy. But he surprised her.

  “A restaurant.”

  She gaped up at him. “How did you know?”

  “How did I know my wife, a world-class chef, might want to one day open a restaurant? Hmm, I wonder.”

  Tears sprang to her eyes. He really did know her!

  “What do you think of that idea?” she asked quietly, hopefully.

  Nolan pulled her into a tight hug and kissed the top of her head. “What I think is that it’s time you had a talk with Silas.”

  “Silas? Why?”

  “Because he’s been holding onto his old building since he moved to the bigger one, just in case you wanted to start your own restaurant, that’s why.”

  Nothing could have surprised Tilly more. “No! Really?”

  “Cross my heart.”

  They stood quietly wrapped in each others’ arms for a few moments, letting all this new information settle in. Finally, she tipped her head back and gazed up into her wonderful husband’s deep blue eyes.

  “Then I guess the only thing we need to figure out is what to call it. I have an idea.”

  “So do I,” he replied with a wicked little smirk.

  “Okay, on the count of three, we each say it. One…two…three! Monty’s!”

  “Hazel’s!”

  They broke down laughing, but Tilly found her voice first. “Oh, I love them both.”

  “They are good names. How can we possibly decide between them?”

  “I know!” Tilly said, excitement fluttering in her tummy — or maybe it was just the baby. Nolan’s baby. She rummaged around her reticule and found what she was looking for deep in a pocket.

  “Heads it’s Monty’s, tails it’s Hazel’s”

  Then she flipped the coin.

  Did you enjoy Bride for Nolan? I’d love it if you would spare a moment to leave a review on Amazon!

  Curious to know which name won? Find out in the Mail Order Mounties Readers Group, a Facebook group for fans to discuss the boo
ks, chat with the authors, enter exclusive contests, and other fun stuff!

  Keep reading for the first chapter of Bride for Joel, Book 4 in the Mail Order Mounties series.

  Mail Order Mounties: British Columbia

  Bride for Theodore by Kirsten Osbourne

  Bride for Kendall by Kirsten Osbourne

  Bride for Elijah by Kay P. Dawson

  Bride for Nolan by Cassie Hayes

  Bride for Joel by Amelia Adams

  Sneak Peek of Bride for Joel

  A Sneak Peek of the next book in the Mail Order Mounties series

  Chapter 1

  After what felt like the longest journey ever undertaken by man or beast, Evelyn Murray stepped off the train in Squirrel Ridge Junction and looked around with a deep sigh of satisfaction. It was just as beautiful as Miss Hazel had said it would be. Tall pine trees of a deep green hue she’d never seen before, a sky so blue, it seemed unreal—this would be her home. She could already feel it calling out and welcoming her.

  When Miss Hazel had approached her about becoming a mail-order bride and marrying a Mountie, she’d known immediately that she would do it. Her father was Inspector Harold Murray, retired, and her four brothers were also in the service. She couldn’t imagine any other sort of life for herself, and so she had agreed without any hesitation. She’d probably startled Miss Hazel with her enthusiasm, but it was difficult to hide how very much she wanted to marry a man in red and by extension, do something to help the Canada she loved.

  As she stood there on the train platform, she was so taken with her surroundings that she wasn’t paying much attention to what was going on around her until she heard someone say that the Mounties were gone chasing an outlaw, and only two had stayed behind. One of those was Joel, the man she had come to marry. But if he was still in town, why wasn’t he here to meet her? It seemed to her that if a man had sent for a wife and she’d traveled all this way to be with him—and even taken the trouble to learn some new dishes to cook for him, which was certainly going above and beyond the call of duty—he’d at least meet her at the train station.