The Accidental Mail Order Bride

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  “He already explained that. The dress was a gift for his wife.”

  She snorted. “Violet wouldn’t wear a dress with that many buttons. She likes the ones you pull over your head because they’re easier to put on. But since you’re a man, you don’t even know how important that is.”

  “Well, since Jerry’s also a man, it stands to reason that he didn’t think of it, either. Implying that he’s having an affair is terrible, Ida. Just plain terrible. He’s the superintendent of the school for goodness sake.”

  She stomped her foot on the floor and glared at him. “He is having an affair! The only reason he got rid of that dress was to hide the evidence.”

  “Oh come on,” Eric replied. “If he was having an affair, the woman in the dress would have taken it back home with her. She wouldn’t have run off naked while he held onto it.”

  “He is having an affair!”

  “Stop it. I won’t tolerate any more of these rumors. While you’re in here, I want you to think about the damage you’re doing. If for no other reason, you need to think of his children and the effect this will have on them.”

  “Jerry should have thought of his children before seeking another woman’s bed.”

  Eric looked as if he was ready to yell at her, but then he glanced over at Travis and shut his mouth. Shooting her a scowl, he left her and went over to Travis.

  It was on the tip of Travis’ tongue to apologize for standing right there and listening to their conversation but Eric said, “Let’s go in the other room.”

  With a nod, Travis followed him to the little room where they would be safely away from Ida’s hearing. The last thing Travis needed was for Ida to tell everyone about what happened with Carl.

  “You said you have something to tell me about Carl?” Eric asked in a low voice.

  “I just came from his place. Someone attacked him.”

  Eric stiffened. “Is he alright?”

  “He’s fine.”

  “Did you see who did it?”

  “No. By the time I got to his place, he was lying in the stream. He was unconscious, and he was on his back. He said a man came up behind him and shoved his face into the water. The man threatened to kill him if he didn’t confess to killing Lydia.”

  “Does he have any idea who this man was?”

  Travis shook his head. “The man whispered, and Carl didn’t get a look at his face. The man also knocked him on the back of his head before he left.”

  “What about you? Did you see anyone or anything unusual?”

  “No, I didn’t,” Travis replied. “All I know is that Carl’s not safe, and he’s too afraid to tell you in case the killer goes after him again.”

  “As long as the killer didn’t see you go to Carl’s property, then he shouldn’t know you told me about this.” Eric rubbed his jaw. “Are you sure the person who threatened Carl was a man?”

  “Carl says the person had him pinned in the stream. Granted, Carl’s not the strongest man in town, but he can hold his own against a woman.”

  “Yes, you’re right. A woman would only have an advantage if she had a weapon, and it sounds like there weren’t any weapons involved.”

  “No, there weren’t. The person used his physical strength against him.”

  “Well, at least we can cross off Hank from the list of suspects.”

  “You thought Hank might have killed Lydia?” Travis asked.

  “He’s one of the suspects on my list. It turns out Lydia was expecting a child. Hank has money tucked away, and Lydia could have used the news of a child to blackmail him. You know how Hank is when it comes to money. I thought he might have been desperate enough to do something to stop her.”

  “How do you know she was with child?”

  “I wasn’t satisfied with the original report the doctor gave me. He only did a brief examination, and it didn’t give me any clues I could use. So I had her body dug up and sent it back to him last week. I stayed with him while he cut her open. I was grasping at straws, but the gamble worked. The doctor figures she was probably five months along.”

  “You think the father is the killer?”

  Eric nodded. “I think she told the father of the child, and I think he panicked and killed her to keep her quiet.”

  “Well, she was married to Carl. Is there any chance he was the father?”

  “I know he was trying to get her in the family way because of the gold he thinks is in the stream on his land, but she was too far along in the pregnancy for him to be a serious consideration. The two hated each other. There’s no way he would have taken her to his bed unless he absolutely had to, and he didn’t know about his father’s will when she conceived.”

  Travis hadn’t realized Carl and Lydia had such a bad marriage. The few times he’d talked to Carl, Carl hadn’t mentioned her, and Travis had never talked to Lydia. Until he saw her corpse, he hadn’t even known what she’d looked like. What a terrible thing to be married and miserable. Travis could say one thing about his unexpected marriage. He thought Allie had a sweet disposition about her. She was certainly thoughtful to make him meals even though she didn’t have to.

  “Hank might be sixty-two, but he’s still able to get a woman in the family way,” Eric said, interrupting his thoughts. “The problem is that he’s too thin to be able to hold a young man like Carl in the stream. We need someone who’s strong enough to do that. Off the top of my head, I can think of several men who fit that description. The good news is, it helps narrow things down.”

  In that case, it was a good thing Travis came by. “I’ll go out and check on Carl from time to time. If I see anything suspicious, I’ll let you know.”

  “Thank you, Travis. I want to make sure I don’t convict the wrong person.”

  “I had no idea it could be so difficult to find a murderer.”

  “Whoever did it was careful to cover his tracks, but, like with anything else, something will come to light sooner or later. The fact that he went after Carl tells me this news about Lydia’s pregnancy has him scared. And when men are scared, they’re likely to let a clue slip. I don’t think it’ll be long now before we find him.”

  Travis hoped Eric was right because he’d sure hate it if someone was after him to confess to a murder he didn’t commit. Deciding he’d be vigilant to keep an eye on Carl’s property, he left the jailhouse.

  Chapter Nine

  A week later, Travis caught someone coming up to Carl’s property. It was just past noon, and Travis was riding through the land. Travis figured Carl was hiding in the cabin since he didn’t see him anywhere.

  Travis slipped off his horse and tied it to a tree. He crouched around one of the trees and watched as the person continued walking. After a minute, he realized the person was a woman, and more than that, she didn’t seem to be going toward Carl’s cabin or the stream. Her steps were too random. She didn’t seem to even know where she was going.

  Realizing she didn’t pose a threat to Carl, he stopped hiding and headed in her direction. He tipped his hat low over his forehead then called out, “Ma’am, do you know where you are?”

  She paused and glanced his way. From the distance, he couldn’t make out who she was, but she must have recognized him, for she screamed and ran off in the opposite direction.

  He chased after her. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he called out to her. “I think you’re lost. I can help you get back to town.”

  Apparently, his words weren’t reassuring since she continued running. She was no match for him, of course. He might be big, but he could outrun a woman. He caught up to her just as she tripped over a tree root and fell on her face.

  “Here, let me help you,” he said, reaching for her.

  “Stop! Don’t touch me!” She turned over, and it was then he saw it was Ida Conner. When their eyes met, she let out a piercing scream.

  He jerked back. What on earth was she doing that for? He hadn’t even touched her.

  “You get away from me, you monst
er,” she said, her voice trembling as she struggled to her feet. “Don’t you dare touch me! I’ll have my husband hunt you down and shoot you if you do.”

  She tried to run again, but she let out a startled cry and fell back to the ground, this time landing flat on her behind. She got up again and limped away from him. This was pointless. Even if he’d wanted to hurt her, she couldn’t escape, especially when it was apparent she’d sustained an injury the first time she fell.

  “Ida, I’m not going to hurt you,” he said as he followed her, careful not to get too close lest she try to run again and suffered more injuries because of it. “I just want to help you get back home.”

  “Who says I want to go home?” she snapped, glancing over her shoulder.

  His eyebrows furrowed. He didn’t sense she was angry with him, but she was definitely angry at someone. “If you don’t want to go home, then where do you want to go?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You don’t know?”

  “I just needed time to myself.” Still limping away from him, she added, “That sheriff treated me like a child, and my husband let him do it.”

  “Are you running from town because Eric put you in the jailhouse?”

  “No. I’m taking a much needed break because my idiot husband thinks that just because I’m a woman, I don’t have enough sense to know when his brother’s having an affair.” She stopped then and turned to face him. “I gave twenty years of my life to that ungrateful man, cooking and cleaning up after him, and I’ve been raising his children, too.” She pointed her finger at him. “That’s no easy feat, you know. All you men do is talk about how hard you work, but I’m telling you, no one works harder than a woman.”

  He didn’t know enough about Ida or her husband to consider her argument, so he opted to take her word for it. It was apparent she was frustrated. She probably had a right to be. Even so, wandering around in an unfamiliar place wasn’t a smart idea. Who knew if she’d end up seriously hurt, or worse?

  “When are you going to return home?” he asked.

  “Why do you want to know?”

  “Because it’s not safe for a woman to be out here by herself. There are large animals out here that will attack you.”

  Her eyes widened as if she’d just remembered something, and she turned to hurry away from him as fast as her limp would take her.

  He sighed. “I’m not an animal. I’m a human being.” Why was he wasting his time? She had her mind made up. “Look, I won’t touch you, alright? But this isn’t a safe place to be, especially when it gets dark.” When she didn’t reply, he added, “Think of what’s best for your children. You want to be safe for their sake, don’t you?”

  Her steps slowed then, an indication he’d finally gotten through to her.

  Encouraged, he said, “If you don’t want to go home tonight, then at least stay at my place. My wife can take care of you until you’re ready to go home. You won’t have to deal with me once we’re there, either. You and my wife will have the entire cottage to yourself.”

  She stopped and turned back to him. “Where do you live if you don’t live with your wife?”

  It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her he lived in a cave since she seemed to think he was a monster. Monsters, after all, didn’t live in civilized places like houses or buildings.

  A sound from behind him caught his attention, so he glanced over his shoulder in time to see Carl hurrying their way, a rifle in his hand.

  “It’s alright,” he called out to Carl. “It’s just Ida Conner.”

  Carl slowed down but asked, “Is anyone hurt?”

  “No.” Then, remembering her limp, Travis added, “Well, she fell and hurt her leg.”

  “It’s my ankle,” she said.

  “Her ankle hurts,” he amended.

  Carl waited until he reached them before he asked her, “Is it broken?”

  “I don’t know,” she replied. “I’ve never had a broken ankle to know what it feels like.”

  “We should take a look at it,” Travis said, taking a step toward her.

  “Oh no, you don’t!” She held out her hand to stop him. “I won’t have any man but my husband or the doctor taking a look at my ankle. Some things are too private, and my ankle is one of them.”

  “Will you let my wife take a look at it?” Travis asked.

  She paused. “Well, I suppose there’s nothing wrong with another woman looking at it. But will she recognize a broken ankle if she sees one?”

  Travis shrugged. “I don’t know. If she doesn’t, she can take you to the doctor.”

  She glanced from him to Carl.

  “I can tell if an ankle’s broken,” Carl told her.

  “Maybe you can, but I won’t have my reputation soiled by showing my ankle to either one of you. Gossip gets spread much too fast in this town,” she replied.

  “We know,” both Travis and Carl said at the same time.

  Surprised, Travis looked over at Carl, wondering what he had to deal with from the people in town. Up to now, he’d assumed he was the only one who had to deal with the whispers and snickers. But maybe he wasn’t.

  Ida’s face went red from embarrassment, and she lowered her gaze.

  “Do you trust us enough to carry you to Carl’s wagon so we can take you to my place?” Travis asked. “Like I said, my wife can tend to your ankle.”

  She glanced back up at them, her eyes going from one to the other. “You won’t take liberties with me?”

  Carl snorted. “After being married to Lydia, the last thing I want to do is touch another woman.”

  Her eyebrows furrowed, and God only knew what she was thinking. Travis said, “We promise to be respectful the entire time.” When she didn’t seem convinced, he held his hand out to Carl. “Let’s give her the rifle. I think it’ll make her feel safe.”

  After a moment, Carl handed it to him, and he held it out to her. “There. You hold onto this while I carry you. If Carl or I do anything wrong, you can shoot us.”

  She stared at the rifle and gulped. “I’ve never touched a gun before.”

  “There’s nothing to it,” he said. “This is the trigger. You pull it and the bullet will fly right out.” When she didn’t grab the rifle, he added, “You can shoot over there to test it out if you want. Just make sure to tuck this part,” he gestured to the end of the gun, “to your shoulder.”

  She shifted from one foot to another and let out a yelp. She knelt down to rub her ankle.

  “You’re in no shape to walk all the way to his wagon,” Travis said.

  She let out a sigh. “You’re right. I’m not.” She took a deep breath then accepted the rifle with a trembling hand.

  For a moment, Travis questioned the wisdom in handing the rifle to someone who was obviously frightened. She could very well pull the trigger without meaning to. From the way Carl frowned, he could tell the other man had the same apprehension he did. But it was what it was.

  “I’ll be careful not to touch you anywhere inappropriate,” Travis assured her. “Are you ready to be picked up?”

  Clutching the rifle to her chest, she nodded.

  Well, at least her hand wasn’t on the trigger. That made him feel much better about this arrangement. He bent down and scooped her up into his arms.

  To his surprise, she let out a chuckle.

  He looked at her, and too late did he realize that, by carrying her, he was giving her the perfect view of his scarred face. Was she laughing at him like so many others had in the past?

  She cleared her throat then explained, “It was fun being swept up like that. My husband only picked me up once, and that was on our wedding day.”

  Relaxing, he returned her smile. “Well, you hardly weigh anything. It won’t be any trouble taking you to the wagon.” He turned to Carl. “I’ll follow you.”

  Carl glanced at the rifle, which Ida was still holding, though not as tightly as before. With an uneasy look, he turned his back to them and led the way
to his barn.

  ***

  Allie was pulling weeds out of the long-ago abandoned flowerbed by the cottage when she saw the familiar frame of her aloof husband guiding a wagon up the hill leading to their home. Squinting, she noticed that a woman was sitting next to him, and a man was riding a horse behind them.

  She had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. Not only was Travis coming her way in broad daylight, but he was with other people.

  Putting aside her gardening tools, she walked to the clearing between the cottage and building and waited for them. As they neared, she realized the man on the horse was Carl Richie. She didn’t recognize the woman sitting in the wagon, but the woman was grimacing and rubbing her ankle.

  She couldn’t help but try to get a better look at Travis’ face. As he pulled to a stop, she darted over to his side of the wagon. The ploy worked. For the first time, she got a good look at his face. He didn’t have an extra eye, nor did he have two noses or some other deformity. He looked just like any other person. Except he had scars on his face.

  She blinked in surprise. Why did he insist on hiding his face? There was nothing scary about him at all.

  He ducked his head, so he was no longer in her viewing range. “Ida Conner has a sore ankle,” he said as he set the brake. “Would you mind taking a look at it?”

  Ida Conner? As in the Ida Conner who’d spread rumors about Caroline? Forcing aside her shock, Allie said, “My uncle was a doctor, and I helped him on occasion. I’ll see what I can do for her.”

  Carl gave Allie a wave before he led Travis’ horse into the barn. Meanwhile, Travis helped Ida down from the wagon and then carried her to the cottage.

  Curious, Allie followed him. This was the most time she’d spent in Travis’ company, and never in a million years did she think Ida Conner’s being hurt would be the reason for it.

  Travis gently placed Ida in the chair. He made a move to leave the cottage, but Allie blocked his exit. If she didn’t speak to him right now, who knew if she’d ever have the chance again?