The Wrong Bride: A Christmas Mail Order Bride Romance (Brides and Twins Book 3)

by Natalie Dean

  "That was very strange behavior from the doctor," Lottie observed.

  "You noticed that too huh? I was joking when I said to him to come with us." Cecilia had heard from her tea shop's clientele, how the doctor looked like he was madly in love with this new young woman in town.

  "What do you think it means?" Cecilia asked trying to gauge if the attraction was mutual. But Lottie wasn't giving anything away. Cecilia continued, "So you were a nurse in the city? Those skills will be handy in these parts. You should work with the doc. What do you think of him?"

  But Lottie wasn't concentrating on Cecilia's inquiry about her impression of the doctor. "According to the Sheriff, I should go back home but I can't." Lottie shook her head. She didn't want to reveal what had happened.

  "I understand, Lottie. When my husband died, Clem Palmer tried to drive me off the land. He set fire to my barn. He ran my cattle off the land. It was horrendous, but I went up to him and said, "Pay me a fair price, and it's yours." I had no children and never planned to run a farm by myself. So he paid up. But I had left a past behind in the city. Everyone has a reason to come here. I stayed and opened my tea shop. But a word to the wise, Frank is not husband material for you. He tries, God love him, but he's not for you. Here we are. It's still called Parsons Place even though it belongs to Frank now."

  Lottie looked at the painted sign that was barely hanging by a nail. It had seen better days. She could see a little cabin, but it looked dilapidated. Lottie's heart sank. Although she had grown up in the orphanage, life with Mr. Peabody had given her a taste of the better things in life. Even the little hotel room had more charm than this place.

  "Oh, Cecilia. What will I do?"

  Cecilia put her hand on Lottie's arm to comfort her. The closer they got to the cabin, the more Lottie wished for the wagon to turn around. It was difficult to even see the windows with the amount of dirt that covered them. There was a very basic barn and a couple of cows in a field beside the house.

  "Mr. Ward. It's Lottie Cahill," Lottie called out. There was no reply.

  "Look the barn door is open, you go over there, and I'll check the house," Cecilia suggested, and Lottie nodded.

  The women called out for Frank, but there was still no reply. The cows began to moo at Lottie, as though they needed something from her. She walked to the barn, two horses were in their stalls. They were very agitated. Lottie had no experience with animals, but it didn't seem right that one of the stall doors should be open. The horse reared up as she approached.

  "It's okay. Let me help you. What's wrong?"

  The other horse began to neigh with its ears twitching back and forth.

  "Let me deal with your friend first, and then I'll come to you. Now, there's a good horse. Are you caught in something?"

  Lottie put her hands up to try to get hold of the rope that kept the horse tethered.

  "Good horse. Here we go."

  Lottie's focus was on the horse. Not on the ground. She kicked against something with her foot. She looked down and screamed. A man's body lay before her. She ran out as fast as she could.

  "Cecilia, there's a man…." she pointed before vomiting, "there's a dead man in the stall. It's horrible."

  She had seen many sights in her life but none as brutal as this. The horse had trampled on the body and in its agitated state hadn't stopped for a while.

  "Lottie, you have to help me move the horses."

  "Is anyone here?" Doc McLennon called out.

  "Over here, Doc. We've found a body."

  A shiver ran down the doctor's back, causing him to hesitate.

  "Frank's dead!" Cecilia called out to him as she and Lottie walked out with the horses.

  Although he felt horrible for feeling this way, Doctor McLennon felt relieved that Lottie wouldn’t be marrying Frank now.

  Chapter 4

  Doctor Hamish McLennon knelt beside the body. He had been one of the town's founders, and Frank Ward had been one of the early inhabitants of Bannack. When the new gold rush started in Alder Gulch, many of the people moved on. The Doctor and Frank Ward had remained.

  The Doc had started life in Bannack as a gold miner, but it soon proved more fruitful to instead sell the tools for gold mining. Also, mines would collapse, and his services as a doctor were required, so he had put his shingle out and stayed in Bannack. Mrs. Lavery, her husband, and a few others had set up their businesses in the place they called home.

  Now as he knelt beside Frank's lifeless body, Doc felt maybe this was better for Frank. No one could understand the guilt Frank had carried for these past few years. Because what the others didn't know was Frank Ward had come to Bannack with a wife. It was before Mrs. Lavery's time when the place wasn't fit for decent women.

  But, now was not the time to think about this. Doc made a cursory examination of the body. It surprised him how Lottie, who had regained her composure, came to join him.

  "What do you think happened?" she asked, concerns rushing through her mind about what was to become of her.

  "He may have fallen and hit his head, and then the horse trampled him. It's not a good way to go. I'm sorry to tell you this but Frank was a drinker, and he may have had a turn while locking the horses up. We may never know what really happened. What will you do now?"

  Doctor McLennon's frankness caught Lottie off guard.

  "I see you're surprised by my question. Around here you learn to get up and dust yourself off and move on." He turned to look at Cecilia.

  "Cecilia did it. But it's not a great place for women on their own. The men work and play hard, and good manners are cast aside."

  Lottie was frowning as she moved in closer to the body.

  Doc noticed her frown and asked, “What’s wrong, Miss Cahill?”

  "Let me wash this wound. Something isn't right about it."

  The Doc caught her hand as she stood up.

  "Don't go looking for what's not there."

  She didn't know what he meant, but something about the wounds wasn't exactly adding up. Why had poor Mr. Peabody crossed her mind as she looked at Frank's body? Maybe it was due to not being able to investigate Mr. Peabody's death, but Lottie was curious. The position of Frank's body was off to her.

  "Cecilia, where would I find water in a place like this?" Lottie looked around.

  "There's a well over there. I'll come and help. Why do you want it?"

  She explained her concerns to Cecilia.

  "Aren't you clever? What did the Doc think?"

  "He seems against it. In fact, ever since I mentioned Frank's name in his surgery, it appears to cause him discomfort."

  "Yes, he's definitely not his usual self. And he seemed keen that we not come out here. But what are we saying, Lottie? You don't think it was an accident? If you think the Doc knew that Frank was dead… You think he did it?"

  This piqued Cecilia's interest. A murder mystery.

  "Should we get the Sheriff?" Lottie asked.

  "No, he'll be of no use. You'll see that soon enough. Even if you find bullet holes in Frank, Sheriff Palmer will do nothing. Unless someone saw Frank's murder, he won't do a thing. I'll come back to the barn to gauge the good Doctor's reaction. I wonder what's up with him?" Cecilia looked towards the barn as she lowered the bucket into the well.

  Lottie looked in as she heard the splash. It was so dark in there, she couldn't even see the water. She helped Cecilia pull the rope to bring the full bucket back up.

  The doctor was conflicted. He had studied the area that attracted Lottie's attention. It was a different marking to the hoof prints. He looked around to see if the weapon was around. Nothing was obvious. He looked at the wound again and, wanting to see the subcutaneous layer, began to peel the skin back.

  "Doc, what are you doing?" Cecilia yelled as she saw the doctor doing what she thought was trying to tear the wound to distort it.

  "Nothing, I wanted to check the wound pattern under the skin," he knew he may have sounded feeble to them. The women seemed reticen
t to move closer. He could hear Cecilia asking if Lottie thought he was really just checking to see the wound pattern.

  Lottie shrugged. She had little experience with trauma wounds.

  "Please, believe me, I want to find out what happened to Frank. Cecilia, you know me. Why are you looking at me like that?"

  He stood up. Did they think he had done this?

  "I didn't do this. I took an oath to help people. How could you think such a thing?"

  Lottie looked at Cecilia who nudged her to speak up.

  "When I first mentioned Frank's name, your reaction was odd. You tried to stop us from coming out here and now this," Lottie gestured to his act of cutting the wound.

  Doctor McLennon sighed. He would have to reveal his secret.

  "I didn't want you to find out like this, but I can't have you thinking I harmed Frank. I know Frank, or should I say knew Frank very well. We arrived around the same time when the gold rush was on. He wasn't alone. He had a wife. So when you, Miss Cahill, mentioned you were to be his wife, I was taken aback. Frank didn't seem the marrying kind after the disappearance of his wife."

  "He was married?!" Lottie exclaimed.

  "I didn't know he had a wife. Did his wife die?" Cecilia asked.

  The Doc shook his head at their questions. He looked at Frank and then back at the women.

  "I don't know. All I know is she was here one day and gone the next. Frank came to see me with nasty wounds. I thought he had been in a fight, which he didn't deny but it was around the same time his wife went missing, and he wouldn't tell me how he got the wounds. Cecilia, you knew what Frank was like. He'd tell you he took on a whole tribe of Bannack Indians to elaborate a story. You've got to remember there’s no law or order around here. I was scared for you, Miss Cahill. And I didn't want to see you mixed up with him, that's all," the doctor looked down at the ground. As he spoke, he shuffled and kicked at the dirt. He looked back up at them, but his focus was on Lottie.

  "That's the truth, I swear it. Now let's take a closer look at Frank’s wounds. I see you have water to clean them."

  Lottie wasn't sure what to make of this strange turn of events. She looked to Cecilia for guidance.

  "His wife could have upped and left," Cecilia said as she walked towards the body with Lottie behind her. "But why not say that. He never spoke of her again. I did ask after her, but he would always change the subject."

  The three of them knelt down, and Lottie used the end of her dress to clean the source of her concern. The doctor had pulled back the skin, but the damage was deeper than the hoof marks.

  "Look, the skin shows a different strike. If Frank fell from drunkenness, he would fall forwards, not on his back. It looks like he was turning away and was struck on the temple and left for dead. We should look for clues. There has to be some evidence of the person who’s responsible for this."

  "Oh, we know who's responsible!" Cecilia looked at the doctor as she stood up.

  "It's going to be Palmer. He was trying to drive Frank off the land. He was so angry when Frank wouldn't sell. The man threatened me too, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a hand in this."

  Lottie felt a little disappointed. The man responsible would get away with murder. It seemed there was one rule for the rich and another for regular people.

  "We can't let him get away with it. Not again."

  "What do you mean ‘not again’," the doctor asked with concern.

  "I mean privileged men, the ones with money who threaten to destroy a person. That's what brought me here. I rushed into an arranged marriage to escape someone like this Palmer you mention." Lottie was angry.

  "Let's not jump to conclusions. It could be the gang," the doctor said as he thought out loud. Lottie was walking around the barn to look for anything that might identify the killer. The doctor came close to her, and they spotted a broken piece of wood at the same time. Both bending down to take hold of it, they banged heads.

  "Ouch," Lottie laughed as she rubbed her head. The doctor leaned in closer to check if she had a bump on it. His hand gentle as he rested it and rubbed her forehead. She looked at him, and their eyes met.

  Lottie felt her heart jump and she gulped for air. She could feel his breath upon her. Sensing his closeness, her skin tingled, and her heart raced. Her corset feeling very tight as she gasped for air trying to regain composure. Then remembering her surroundings, she side stepped him.

  "Do you know what this is?" she asked, trying to have some semblance of normality.

  Doc's mind wouldn't focus. His heart still raced as the thought that she could be his took over. Her hair smelled like lavender. He had closed his eyes to breath her in. She was beautiful to him when he first met her, but now that she had freshened up, she was even lovelier.

  He was aware of Cecilia asking a question.

  "I'm not sure what it's from. A piece of a stick. Where's the rest of it?"

  They looked around and found nothing.

  "Let's try the house. Although it'll be dark soon. Cecilia, I'll need to put Frank into your wagon." Cecilia nodded.

  He turned to Lottie. "We can examine him more thoroughly in the surgery. That is, if you'll help me?"

  Lottie felt like he had asked her to the most fabulous ball. They would discover what had happened to Frank and if luck was on their side, bring his killer to justice. With the body in the wagon and the women ready to go, Doc jumped on his horse.

  "I'll let the Sheriff know what happened," he said.

  As he rode off, Cecilia looked at Lottie. "What did you think of this strange turn of events?"

  Lottie didn't know what to think.

  "I know one thing for sure, Doc is sweet on you, Lottie. He'll give you a reason to stay. For a long time, we've been hoping he'd marry. But he hasn't had an interest in any young woman we've put his way. Until now. With Frank gone, the way is clear for you to live how you want."

  Then why did a shiver rush through Lottie's body? Could life really be that simple for her? Could this bad situation end up being a blessing in disguise? She wasn't quite sure.

  "I can't think about the doctor right now Cecilia. How are we going to find Frank's killer? And what of his wife. Would the farm be hers now?"

  "I don't know, Lottie. He was here before my time that's for sure. The prospectors that were here have moved on. I'll talk to Moll Sanders, she runs the girls in the saloon. She's in the ideal position to know what's happened. Decent folk don't tend to talk to her, but I like her."

  Lottie was confused. What did "run the girls" mean?

  "Cecilia, what does Moll do?"

  Cecilia laughed, "You're quite the innocent. Let's just say those ladies have a lot of gentleman friends."

  Lottie's cheeks flushed, she should have known. Cecilia was right. Moll was there, observing and listening and would know what went on in the minds of men. She might know who would want to kill Frank.

  "You'll see her while I go to the surgery?" Lottie asked. Cecilia nodded.

  The plan was set. The information they gleaned may be able to solve two cases.

  It was dark by the time they arrived back in Bannack. Cecilia stopped outside the surgery. The doc's horse was tethered to the post outside, and he was sitting on his porch.

  "The Sheriff wasn't there. I was thinking Moll Sanders may know something."

  "I'll talk to her. You and Lottie figure out if Frank was, indeed, murdered." Doc and Cecilia exchanged glances, Lottie noticed but she said nothing.

  With the body on the table, Lottie set about cleaning it. Doctor McLennon took drawings of the injuries. They worked quietly, each engrossed in their job.

  "Look at this," she looked up to find Doc staring at her. She wished he would stop looking at her with such intensity. Lottie was sure he noticed her hand shake as she began to mumble.

  Doc took her hand and held it. Her heart beat so fast, she was sure she would faint. Then he let it go. Lottie let a breath out. She wanted him to draw her close. This wasn't a feeling she
had experienced before. Romance was for someone else. Not for her. She was in a haze, and Doc was talking to her.

  "Miss Cahill, what do you think?"

  Lottie looked down at the body which forced her back into reality.

  "We know he was hit. Whether it killed him, and then the horses trampled him, or knocked him unconscious and the horses killed him, I don't know." This flummoxed Doctor McLennon. If he couldn't prove this was murder, then he would have to rule Frank's death an accident.

  Lottie was determined to prove murder. There was no way another murder was going to get passed off as natural or an accident. No one here was going to threaten her into silence.

  "Let's take it that this is the first wound inflicted, to render him unconscious. There's blood, so we know he was alive. What about this wound, could it be another blow?"

  Doc looked more closely at Frank's chest. A bruise formed around a wound in the chest. The wound itself jagged and different to those applied by the horse which was more rounded.

  Lottie lay on the floor to act out the murder.

  "So I've received a wallop to the head, and I fall on my back. I scream out, and you wallop me with the weapon, and it strikes my heart." Lottie made the action of something coming down on her.

  Doc took over the story and stood over her, acting out the scene.

  "Then as the killer, I would want to make this look like an accident. How do I do it? I smack the horse to make it wild, and the horse rears up and tramples Frank who is already dead. Let me help you up."

  He reached his hand out towards Lottie, and he pulled her towards him. They stood for a moment. Doc wanted to pull her into his arms, but it wasn't appropriate. She may leave for the city in a few days now that Frank was dead. Doc didn't want to be the reason she stayed so he stepped back.

  "If we're saying he was dead when the horse got to him, then the wounds must be different," Lottie said as she watched the Doc look at the wounds in greater detail.

  "Look, Lottie, these are different. He was dead when these hoofs struck him, I would swear it."

  She looked at him. He had called her Lottie, and it sounded nice. Mr. Peabody had called her Lottie, but it never sounded so sweet.