BRIANNA: A Sweet Western Historical Romance (Mail-Order Brides Club Book 4)

by Ashley Merrick

  “Children, this is Mrs. Sullivan. She’s going to be your teacher for the next few months. Pay close attention to her, and be nice.” One by one, she introduced Brianna to all of the children. As Brianna had suspected, the two late students sitting in the front row were Millie and Peter Thomas. They smiled angelically at her and she smiled in return, fighting back a chuckle because she could read the looks in their eyes, and it was anything but angelic. Ellie spent a few moments letting Brianna know what the children were working on and then she left her to it. The rest of the day went fairly smoothly, and the children were all well behaved. Brianna guessed that they were busy sizing her up and curious to see what the new teacher would be like. She knew that once they felt comfortable, their true personalities would emerge.

  By three o’clock, the school day was over and Brianna was exhausted. It wasn’t that the work itself was tiring. It was more the mental energy spent trying to learn her way around the new students. As she walked from the school to Donovan’s pub, she caught a second wind, though. It was a nice, ten-minute walk and the air was slightly cool but the sun was still shining. It was a beautiful day. Tentatively, she walked through the front door of Donovan’s pub. Colleen had told her to meet her there, but she still felt a little bit like she was interrupting. However, once she stepped foot inside and took a look around, that worry went away. The restaurant was practically empty. As Colleen had said, the late afternoon was a quiet transition time. It was too late for lunch, and too early for dinner. So it was when they tidied up and got ready for the next shift. Colleen was coming out of the kitchen and saw her as she walked towards the bar.

  “Perfect timing,” she said. “We finished up a bit early, so I can leave now.”

  As they walked outside, instead of heading towards the buggy, Colleen turned in the opposite direction. “I thought we might stop into the mercantile,” she said. “We can say hello to Hannah, who you met on Sunday, and maybe we can pick up some fabric. I’m slow on sewing projects this week, and I’d love to make you a new dress that you could wear out to dinner with Paul on Friday if you like.” Colleen looked excited at the idea and Brianna was stunned.

  “You don’t have to make me a dress. You’ve done so much already by letting me stay with you.”

  “I know I don’t have to, but I want to. Sewing is fun for me, and relaxing.”

  Brianna could tell that Colleen’s mind was made up.

  “Okay, but at least let me pay you for the dress.”

  “Absolutely not.” Colleen made it clear it was not up for discussion. But still, Brianna persisted.

  “I won’t pick out any fabric unless I can pay for it.”

  Colleen nodded and reluctantly agreed. “All right, you can pay for your material.”

  With that settled, Brianna followed Colleen into the mercantile, said a quick hello to Hannah, who was married to Joshua, the oldest Donovan brother, and then they started looking through the many beautiful fabrics in the back room. She was having a hard time choosing, when Colleen drew her attention to one that she was looking at. “What do you think of this?”

  Colleen held up a length of the most gorgeous soft, blue material that Brianna had ever seen. The shade of blue reminded her of the ocean and she had a fleeting moment of homesickness, thinking of Boston. She reached out and touched the fabric. It was smooth and silky under her fingers and she knew that it would feel wonderful on.

  “I love it.”

  “This is the one, then?” Colleen asked.

  Brianna nodded, and Colleen carried the bolt of fabric over to the front desk and handed it to Hannah who cut the amount that Colleen requested.

  “You’re going to look gorgeous in this dress. Paul is going to fall madly in love with you, if he hasn’t already.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Brianna said. She felt herself blush and then felt guilty for it. Surely, Colleen was joking. It was far too soon for her to even think such a thing.

  “Just wait,” Colleen said with a smile.

  * * *

  Thursday night, Colleen dropped Brianna off at church for choir practice. Pastor Ben welcomed her warmly and introduced her to the others in the choir. There were about a dozen total, seven women and five men. They were a mix of ages. Several of the women were about Brianna’s age or a little older and the rest were in their late 50s and early 60s. The men were mostly older as well, except for one who was about Brianna’s age.

  Pastor Ben handed Brianna a copy of the book of songs that they were using and pointed out the ones that they would be singing in church that Sunday. They spent the next two hours going through all the music and Brianna enjoyed herself immensely. She loved to sing and to lose herself in the music. When they finished and she was waiting for Colleen to return to pick her up, she chatted with Gertie, one of the girls that seemed to be about her age.

  “Have you always lived here?” Brianna asked her.

  “No, I just moved here with my family a little over a month ago. I’m getting used to the area myself.”

  Brianna was intrigued. “Where did you move from?”

  “New York City. I have to admit, I still miss it.”

  “Why did your family move here?”

  An uncomfortable look crossed Gertie’s face. “My father lost his job. It’s a difficult economy still in New York City. Many people are struggling. My uncle moved out here about six months ago, and he wrote to my father and sent train fare for all of us. He loves it here, and he said the area is growing. I’ve never seen my father happier.”

  “I still miss Boston,” Brianna admitted. “I don’t say that to many people, because I’m also very happy to be here. But it is hard to adjust overnight. Especially when you’ve lived your whole life somewhere else.”

  “Well, I’m happy to meet someone my own age here. And especially someone from back east. I feel like we have a lot in common.” Gertie smiled, and then added, “See you on Sunday.”

  Brianna saw Colleen waving at her, and realized that she’d pulled up in front of the church but Brianna had been so busy chatting that she had missed it.

  “My friend is here to drive me home. I’ll see you soon.”

  * * *

  “So, how was it?” Colleen asked once they were both settled in the buggy and on their way home.

  “It was fun.” Brianna then told her about Gertie and how she was excited to meet someone else that was also from back east.

  Colleen wiggled her brow, trying to place Gertie.

  “I don’t think I know her.”

  “She said she’s new here. Her family just moved to town a little over a month ago.”

  “Oh, that explains it, then. I still don’t know everyone in town, especially those who are new.”

  When they pulled up to the house, Colleen said, “I have something exciting to show you.”

  “What is it?” She could sense her excitement.

  “What do you think? Come see.” Colleen scrambled out of the buggy, tied up the horses and then they went inside. Colleen walked toward the den, where she kept her sewing machine. A moment later, she came back holding a breathtaking blue dress and held it out to Brianna.

  “Go ahead, try it on.”

  “I can’t believe you finished it already!” Brianna was amazed. It hadn’t even crossed her mind that the dress might already be done.

  “It doesn’t take me long. I worked on it some this morning before breakfast and finished it up while you were at choir practice. I need to check the length, though. I still might want to bring it up a little.”

  Brianna took the dress into the bedroom and slid it on. She walked back into the main room and turned so that Colleen could fasten the back.

  “What do you think? It feels good,” Brianna said. The smooth and silky material felt lovely against her skin.

  “Paul is going to be star-struck,” David said as he strolled into the room.

  Colleen smiled. “I really think he might be. The dress looks beautiful on you. There’
s a mirror in my room. Go take a look.”

  Brianna walked into Colleen’s bedroom and turned in front of the mirror to get a good look at the dress. It wasn’t very fancy, but the color and the cut of the fabric were very flattering. Brianna realized that Colleen had left room in the middle, and the dress had more of an Empire waist, so that it was snug around her ribs but then flowed open so that even as she gained weight over the coming months, she would still be able to wear it. It was very cleverly designed. She walked back out into the room and gave Colleen a big hug.

  “Do you have any idea how talented you are? This is incredible, and I’ll be able to wear it for a long time.”

  Colleen’s eyes twinkled. “Yes, you will.”

  Chapter Seven

  Brianna was on edge all day Friday, somewhat nervous about the evening ahead and anxious to get fully settled at school. The children were still on their best behavior, but she sensed that was bound to change. And it did, just before lunch, when they were outside for their mid-morning recess. She and Ellie took turns supervising the children when it was time for their short break. Today, Ellie was on duty, and Brianna took advantage of the time to go over her lesson plans for that afternoon. She had just closed her planning book and was expecting the children to return to the classroom any moment when there was a loud, angry scream, followed by yelling and the shuffling sound of movement outside, which she guessed was children fighting. She stepped outside to see what all the commotion was about and saw Ellie attempting to break up two children that were throwing punches at each other. She got the two of them separated just as Brianna walked over. Peter and a slightly older boy, Michael Simpson, were both disheveled and smudged with dirt.

  “What was all this about, then?” Brianna asked the two boys. Neither said a word, just looked down at the ground.

  Millie stepped forward then and put her hand on her brother’s shoulder.

  “Michael started it. He stole Peter’s lunch.”

  Michael looked up then, in surprise. “I did not! I just hid his apple. I was only fooling around.”

  “We don’t fool around with food,” Peter said quietly.

  “That apple is his lunch,” Millie explained to the two teachers. Peter looked down again, and Brianna sensed that he was ashamed. She also guessed that it was the same for Millie, as well. No wonder Peter was so upset. How could an apple possibly fill them up?

  “Michael, do you have the apple?” Brianna asked sternly.

  Michael walked inside, and then returned a moment later and handed her the apple.

  “I was never going to eat it. I really was just kidding. I’m sorry.”

  Brianna handed the apple to Peter, who clutched onto it with all his might. No one would be able to pry it from his hands. The poor thing. Brianna tried not to show her fury, because it was not directed at the children, but rather at a parent who thought it was okay for a child to have nothing but a piece of fruit for their mid-day meal. An hour later when it was time for lunch, Brianna called Millie and Peter to the front of the room.

  They shuffled forward hesitantly, and both looked as though they were expecting to be in trouble again. Brianna smiled to put them at ease.

  “I wonder if the two of you might do me a favor?” she began. “I’m afraid my stomach is a bit off this morning and I’m really not very hungry. I brought a turkey sandwich in and I hate to see it go to waste. Perhaps the two of you could share it?”

  Millie looked at her with gratitude. “We would be happy to, Mrs. Sullivan. Thank you.”

  Brianna separated the sandwich and handed each child a half. Truthfully, her stomach had been unpredictable, so she often packed a variety of things that might settle it and had an extra slice of plain bread, a handful of nuts and a slice of cheese in her bag and that would be plenty to take the edge off. She also knew she’d be having dinner out that evening, so she certainly wouldn’t be going hungry.

  She was concerned about those children, though. What would they be having for dinner? For lunch the next day? She decided to pack a little extra tomorrow as well, just in case, and to pay closer attention to what these two had to eat.

  * * *

  She didn’t know where Paul was taking her that evening, but David had passed along the message that he would be by at 6:00 p.m. to pick her up. Even though she knew that they were just going out as friends, she still couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous. She hadn’t been out with another man even on a purely friendship basis ever, except for Ted, so it felt strange, and unfamiliar.

  The dress fit perfectly, though, and it turned out that Colleen had gotten the length correct on the first go around. She didn’t need to have it hemmed at all. Brianna twirled in front of the mirror and felt a bit like a princess—one with an ever-expanding stomach, that was. She wasn’t showing yet, but she knew it was probably just a matter of a few more weeks and then everyone would know. But in this dress, she felt beautiful.

  Colleen helped her with her hair, tying it back and securing it with two silver combs that pulled the hair off her face and let it tumble down just past her shoulders in soft waves.

  She walked back into the other room just as there was a knock on the door. David opened it, and Paul walked in. He was speechless for a moment, but then he quickly gathered himself together and said, “You look lovely.”

  “Thank you. Colleen made this dress for me.”

  “Have fun, you two,” Colleen called after them.

  Brianna followed Paul outside and he helped her into her side of the buggy. As they drove towards town, he told her about their plans for the evening.

  “There’s a show tonight, at the opera house. A musical. I don’t know much about it, but I thought it might be something fun for us to do. We have time to have dinner first, at Donovan’s pub.”

  “That sounds lovely.” Brianna was excited to see a show at the opera house. She had loved seeing musical shows in Boston. There was a vibrant arts community there.

  Paul was easy to talk to, and they chatted comfortably on the ride into town. Before she knew it, they had arrived at the restaurant and Paul jumped out to tie up the horses. He helped her out of the buggy and they went inside. It was starting to get busy. Liam saw them walk in and came out from behind the bar. He took a quick look in the reservation book, then took his pen and scratched something out. He wrote something else in instead and then led them to their table. It was a table for two and was by a large, bay window that looked out over Main Street.

  “Thanks, Liam,” Paul said as Liam handed them both menus before heading back to the bar.

  “This is a nice table,” Brianna said.

  “It’s the best one in the place,” Paul said with a smile.

  Their waiter, Billy, came over a moment later and took their drink order. Paul ordered a glass of milk and Brianna a cider.

  “Are you sure that you want milk? I really wouldn’t mind if you’d rather have a beer or something? “Brianna said.

  Paul chuckled and then said, “I love milk. I don’t really care for the taste of alcohol.”

  “I don’t, either,” Brianna admitted.” I couldn’t have it now anyway,” she said with a smile.

  Billy returned with their drinks and a basket of warm bread. He told them the specials and then they put their orders in. Brianna decided on a roast chicken and Paul chose the steak.

  While they nibbled on their bread, Paul asked her more about what her life in Boston had been like. She told him about the orphanage, and her friends and her happy life with Ted, before it all ended so suddenly.

  “So you really weren’t married very long, then? Just a little over a year?” Paul looked sad at the thought of a happy marriage cut so short.

  “We courted for a little over a year and then were married for about six months when Ted died. It really was sudden. Unexpected.” She hesitated then, and Paul seemed to sense that she was leaving something out.

  “What is it? You look troubled about something.”

  “It�
��s nothing. Nothing I want to think about, anyway. I’m trying to just focus on being here, and being happy.”

  “Are you sure? Sometimes it does help to talk about things.”

  Brianna hesitated again. Maybe it would help to talk about it.

  “Well, there is something. To be honest, it’s the main reason why I decided to come out here when I did. I had sold my house and had enough money that I could stay in Boston if I chose. I had a room at a female boardinghouse, a nice place. I lived there before I got married. Colleen did, as well.”

  Paul leaned forward, listening attentively. “Go on,” he encouraged her.

  And so she told him. Everything. He was frowning when she finished and tapping his finger repeatedly against the table. She could tell that he was mulling over what she had said.

  “It’s definitely disturbing. I think you made the right decision to come out here when you did. As your lawyer said, and I think it was putting it mildly, those men sounded unsavory. I don’t know what your husband was mixed up in, but it sounds like he may have been involved with some dangerous people who thought that he knew something damaging and may have shared that with you. Boston is not a safe place for you right now.”

  “I agree. That’s why I came here, and I’m glad that I did.”

  “I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that here. Boston is far away, and I can’t imagine that they would be concerned about you being a threat any longer.”

  “I was never a threat to them. They just didn’t realize it.”

  * * *

  The food arrived and they began to eat. Brianna’s chicken was delicious, and the roasted potatoes melted in her mouth. They were lightly buttered, golden and crispy on the outside and tender and soft in the middle.