Bid for a Bride

by Nordin, Ruth Ann

  “Yes, but that’s usually after we’re in bed, so I like it best when it’s tangled.”

  Grinning, she got on her knees and leapt at him, knowing it would take him by surprise since he couldn’t see her. He fell onto his back and pulled her with him. She shouted, even as she laughed.

  “That’s sneaky,” he said, wrapping her in his arms.

  She giggled and kissed him. “Why? You don’t mind it when I get persistent in the bedroom. Why should you mind out here?”

  “We’re outside.”

  “So?” She scanned the property. “There’s no one around. Who says we can’t make love out here?”

  “Well, I…” He shrugged. “No one.”

  “Wouldn’t you like to be surrounded by the leaves while we make love?”

  “But it’s chilly out.”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck. “So? We can keep each other warm. As I recall, things heat up once we get started.” After she gave him another kiss, she asked, “What do you think? Your favorite time of year with your favorite wife?”

  Laughing, he rolled over and she landed softly on her back. He settled next to her. “My favorite wife? As if I have more than one? You’re a temptress, you know.”

  “Only with you.”

  Caressing her chin, his lips met hers.

  She brought her hand up to the back of his neck and massaged it right before she felt their baby move. She ended the kiss and took his hand so she could place it on her belly. “I felt the baby.”

  He waited, his hand on the small bulge, and when she felt the baby kick, a broad smile crossed his face. “Was that the baby?”

  “Yes. It’s your baby, Brian. I’m so glad it’s your baby.”

  “I can’t wait to hold him.”

  “Or her. It could be a girl.”

  “Or her.” He chuckled. “I hope it’s a girl. You seem to want one in the worst way.”

  “I have a girl’s name picked out but not a boy’s. It’d be easier this way.”

  “Then what will you do with the next one? Do you have another girl’s name picked out?”

  She blinked in surprise. “Well, no. I didn’t think past the first one.”

  “We should come up with a list of names then. You can write them down so we won’t forget.”

  “That sounds like a wonderful plan. Now make love to me.”

  Without another word, he obeyed her.

  Chapter Eighteen

  It was February when the butler told Phillip he had a telegram. “Here you are, sir,” the man added as he handed it to Phillip.

  “Thank you.” Phillip sat up in the parlor chair and frowned. Once he set aside the document he’d been reading, he turned his attention to the contents, his shock growing with each word. “Curse it!” He bolted from his seat and hurried out of the parlor. Glancing up the staircase, he yelled, “Teresa!”

  Before waiting for her to call out to him, he grabbed his coat and hat from the closet. He couldn’t believe it. This was horrible!

  As he grabbed his shoes, a pregnant Teresa came waddling down the stairs, her hand on her back. “What is it?”

  Sitting on the bench by the front door, he motioned for the butler, who stood nearby, to leave them alone. After the butler strode down the hall, he spoke in a low voice, “Lucy’s husband turned out to be a bigamist.”

  She gasped and brought her hand to her throat. “No.”

  “He’s been arrested, but no one knows where Lucy is and he’s not talking.” He finished tying his shoes and stood up. “He’s in Waterloo. My family is headed there to find out where Lucy is. I’m going too.”

  “So they have no idea where Lucy is?”

  He shook his head. “I’ll get him to talk if it’s the last thing I do.”

  “Do you want me to come along? Will you pack first?”

  Blinking, he realized packing would be a good idea. “Yes, I should bring a change of clothing.” He glanced at her large belly. “I don’t want you traveling in your condition. It’s best if you and the child are safe.”

  She nodded. “Alright. I’ll gather your things.”

  While she climbed the steps, he went to the kitchen where the cook and maid prepared the evening meal. The butler looked expectantly at Phillip, ready to do whatever he wanted.

  “I must leave at once,” Phillip said, buttoning his coat. “I have a family emergency to tend to. Teresa will stay here.”

  “Do you need me to call for a carriage, sir?” the butler asked.

  “Yes, thank you. I expect to be gone for about a week.” Without waiting for anyone else to respond, he returned to the parlor and placed his document where it belonged in his desk before he locked it. Then he wrote his client a note explaining the sudden emergency and returned to the entryway. When he saw the butler coming back into the house, he gave him the note. “Make sure Henry Stewart gets this. The trial will be delayed.”

  “I will do that, sir.”

  Phillip turned when he heard his wife coming down the stairs with his leather traveling bag. “Thank you, honey.”

  “I hope you find your sister.” She gave him the bag and kissed him. “Take care of yourself.”

  He smiled and patted the small of her back. “I’ll be back in a week,” he promised before he left.

  ***

  Phillip checked into a hotel in Waterloo before he went to the room the clerk told him his family was staying in. He knocked on the door.

  His mother opened the door and hugged him. “Thank goodness you’re here, Phillip. Your pa is at the jailhouse trying to see if Mark will tell him where Lucy is.”

  Phillip pulled away from her. “Mark?”

  “We just found out Adam Nilles’ real name is Mark Wilson. His wife—the first one he married—found out what he’s been up to when he was supposed to be selling things door to door in different towns. She came over to identify him. Oh, Phillip, it’s just awful.” She dabbed her puffy eyes and red nose with a handkerchief. “He makes it a point to marry women who come with a dowry and then finds a place to drop them off.”

  Phillip looked past his mother to Meredith who sat by the small window, seeming content to stare out of it. Gritting his teeth at Meredith’s lack of concern, he focused on his mother. “How many women have gone through this and have any been found?”

  His mother shook her head. “He’s not saying, but the sheriff’s identified two other women. He’s asking the other lawmen across the country if they’ve had women dropped off by a man who meets his description. You know, I thought something was wrong when Lucy didn’t write. I just knew it!”

  Tears sprang to her eyes, and Phillip held her. “I hope Lucy’s alright.”

  The thought that his sister was stranded in a strange town made him shudder. How could a woman be expected to provide for herself in such a situation? His gaze returned to Meredith who finally glanced his way. She didn’t look the least bit concerned over the events. In fact, from the way she sighed and returned her attention to looking outside the window, she seemed bored by the whole thing. He closed his eyes and reminded himself that now was not the time to deal with her. Right now, he needed to figure out what he could do to find Lucy.

  He opened his eyes. “I’d like to go to the jailhouse and talk to Ad…Mark.”

  “I’ll go too,” Meredith said as she stood and reached for the coat draped across the back of the chair.

  “I will too,” his mother added. “One can only handle so much waiting. Your pa insisted we wait for you, you know.”

  He picked up his mother’s coat and helped her into it. “I just got here. I left as soon as I got Pa’s telegram.”

  Meredith brushed past him and headed down the narrow corridor. Phillip and their mother followed close behind. The walk to the jailhouse proved a frustrating one since the icy roads didn’t slow Meredith down while making it impossible for him to keep up with her.

  “Why did Meredith come?” he asked his mother in a voice low enough so that Meredith
wouldn’t overhear.

  Her mother sniffed and dabbed her eyes with the handkerchief. “Oh, she was most distressed when she learned what happened, as we all were.”

  Somehow, he doubted that. He suspected an ulterior motive at work, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. But now wasn’t the time to dwell on it.

  As soon as they stepped inside the building, Meredith ran over to the potbelly stove and warmed her hands. His mother, not seeming to notice how ‘distraught’ her daughter was, ran over to the sheriff who was shuffling through some papers on his desk.

  “Good afternoon, Sheriff,” his mother began. “I’m Mrs. Barnes. I believe my husband is here.”

  “Oh yes.” The middle-aged man stood up and waved her forward. “He’s trying to talk to Mark Wilson.”

  “Has he had any luck?” Phillip asked, surprised Meredith even bothered to follow them as they went down the hall to where a row of cells were.

  “Not that I can tell.” The sheriff motioned to the last cell along the row. “There you go.”

  Ignoring the other prisoners, Phillip stepped up to the cell where Mark sat, arms crossed, and glaring at his father. Phillip gripped the bars, wishing he could get in there. He bet he could make Mark talk if Mark had the right incentive.

  His father sighed and rubbed his eyes. “I’m glad you came, son.”

  Phillip nodded but didn’t take his gaze off of Mark. “Where’s Lucy?”

  With a smirk, Mark shrugged. “I can’t seem to recall which one she is. Why don’t you describe her? It might jog my memory.”

  Phillip shook the bars and turned to the sheriff. “Let me in there!”

  The sheriff shook his head. “I can’t do that, but his legal wife is going to testify before the judge. He’ll be behind bars for a long time. No need to worry about that.” With a sigh, he glanced at Mark. “Too bad you didn’t think of those three children of yours when you were out cattin’ around.”

  “You have children too?” Phillip demanded, outraged that Mark would do this to his children on top of everything else. “Is there no hole deep enough that you won’t sink into?”

  “I’ll leave you to him,” the sheriff said. “Good luck getting anything useful out of him.”

  After the sheriff left, Meredith approached the cell.

  Mark’s gaze traveled from Phillip to her and he chuckled. “Oh, I remember Lucy now. Prettiest little thing I ever laid eyes on, even if she had that mole on her left breast. I remember it because it was the only blemish she had.”

  Phillip shook the bars while his mother burst into tears. “You’re lucky I can’t get in there or else I’d strangle you!”

  His father put his hand on Phillip’s arm. “Wait. Just wait.” Turning to Mark, he said, “All we want to know is where Lucy is. We’ll leave you be if you just tell us.”

  Mark shrugged. “There’s nothing in it for me if I tell you.”

  His father clenched his hands and gave Phillip a look that told him he was angry but also getting exhausted.

  Phillip banged the bars, wishing he could say some choice words but knowing he couldn’t. Putting his head in his hands, he groaned. This was a horrible nightmare. He could only imagine how scared and lonely Lucy must be.

  “This is pointless,” his father finally said. “We might do better to talk to his legal wife.”

  Mark snorted. “She won’t be any help. I was careful not to tell her where I went.”

  “Well, you got caught didn’t you?” Phillip hit the bars again. “Someone recognized you and turned you in, you pathetic rat!”

  “How long did you get away with it?” Meredith asked.

  The question was so unexpected that Phillip and his father turned to her. For a moment, Phillip had forgotten she was even there.

  Mark rubbed his chin and looked at the ceiling. “Oh, I don’t know. It’s been quite awhile ago, but I think it was a good seven years.”

  “And you chose Lucy because…?” she asked.

  “I couldn’t exactly take both of you, sweetheart.” He scanned her up and down. “Though I assure you, I would have had it been allowed.”

  Phillip’s mother cried harder into her handkerchief and Phillip growled at Mark. He’d love nothing more than to wipe that smirk off of Mark’s face.

  “This is getting us nowhere,” his father said. “Let’s get out of here.”

  “Yes,” Mark replied. “Get on out. You’re all a boring lot anyway.” His gaze went to Meredith. “Well, except for one.”

  Her father grabbed Meredith’s hand and glared at Mark. “You won’t treat any other woman with such disrespect again!”

  Reluctant to leave, Phillip joined his family as they returned to the sheriff’s desk. “Jail’s too good for that man,” he grumbled.

  “Poor Lucy,” his mother said, sniffing again. “I want my baby back.”

  His father put his arm around her shoulders. “We’ll find Lucy. It’s just a matter of time.”

  The sheriff looked up from his work. “No luck, huh?”

  “We’d like to talk to Mark’s wife. Can you tell us where she’s staying?” his father asked.

  The sheriff pointed to the left. “She’s over at the preacher’s house. It’s down two blocks that way. You can’t miss it. It’s a bright yellow house. The only kind in town.”

  “Thank you.”

  Phillip gave one last look in the direction of the cells and clenched his jaw. How he wished he had five minutes in that cell with Mark. He’d make the rat talk, and by the time he was done with him, Mark would wish he’d never touched a woman.

  “Are you coming, Phillip?” his mother asked.

  With a heavy sigh, he nodded and exited the building with his family.

  ***

  Phillip sighed as he placed the cup back on the table in the parlor. He wasn’t in the mood to drink anything, no matter how delicious the coffee was. The sight of Vivian, Mark’s legal wife, depressed him to no end. Her body sagged in the chair, her face was pale, her eyes were sunken in, and her hands trembled as she twirled the napkin in her hands.

  This must be how poor Lucy looks was all he kept thinking. He felt sick to his stomach. Vivian’s children, thankfully, weren’t in the room, but the sound of children running back and forth upstairs made him wince. Three children she now had to raise without a spouse. He prayed Mark didn’t get Lucy with child. It was bad enough knowing he dropped her off somewhere without adding a child to the mess.

  “Do you have anyone to help with the children?” Phillip asked.

  With a shaky breath, she said, “My parents and his.”

  “I know this is hard for you,” Phillip’s father began in a gentle voice, “but did he mention any places he’d been to during his trips as a salesman?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Let me think.” She stared at her hands as she continued to twirl the napkin in her lap. Though the cup and a small plate of cookies remained on the small table next to her, she didn’t bother touching them. “Um… Well… Cincinnati was one place he often went to.”

  Phillip’s father turned to him. “Do you think Lucy might be there?”

  Phillip shook his head. “Too obvious. There are too many people there. It’d be too easy for others to track him down.”

  Phillip glanced at his sister who sipped the coffee from her chair by the window. She had her legs crossed and was swinging one of her legs as if she didn’t have a care in the world. His gaze fell back to his parents who sat on the small couch, holding each other’s hands and leaning into each other. Why didn’t they notice the way Meredith was acting? Were they truly that blind to what was going on right in front of them? Teresa had told him that some parents looked at their children and saw what they wanted to see, and maybe she was right.

  Vivian shrugged. “Kansas City, St. Louis, Des Moines, Fargo. I think Minneapolis on occasion.”

  “Minneapolis is where Lucy met him,” Phillip said. “Actually, it was in St. Paul, but the two cities are close enough. He c
laimed to be a distant relative of Teresa Comwell. Does that name ring a bell?”

  “Mark has no relatives, distant or otherwise, in Minnesota. Our families have been in Ohio for two generations, and no one has ventured west of that.”

  Phillip thought over Vivian’s words. If Mark went west in his travels, then it made sense he’d drop a woman off out west, especially far away from his family. And he wouldn’t go to a big city. Maybe he picked up a woman in a big city, but then he made a point to leave. He tapped his fingers on his lips. He had told Lucy he was taking her to Oregon.

  He glanced at his father. “If he married Lucy in Minnesota and was heading west, then he’d have three states to go through before he ended up in Oregon: South Dakota, Wyoming, and Idaho. She’s got to be in one of those states.”

  At that, Meredith looked over at Phillip, her eyebrows raised in interest.

  “Good. Good!” His father looked relieved. “Now we’re getting somewhere.” Turning to Vivian, he asked, “Has he been to any of those states? Has he said anything about them?”

  “I’m sorry,” Vivian replied. “I don’t recall. There were many things he said, but I don’t know which were true and which weren’t.” Her lower lip quivered and she returned her gaze to the napkin.

  “We’re sorry to have bothered you,” Phillip said, wishing he could ease her pain but knowing he couldn’t do or say anything that would suffice. Sighing, he stood. “I think we should see if the sheriff will talk to the other lawmen in those states, including Oregon. Maybe one of them will know something.”

  His parents got up and went to thank Vivian while Meredith finished her coffee, gently placed the cup on the center table, and eased out of her chair. She adjusted her broach before she headed for the entryway. Phillip frowned. While his parents expressed their sympathies to Vivian over what Mark did to her, he slipped out of the parlor and cornered his sister.

  “Could you show any more contempt for Lucy or the rest of us?” he hissed.

  She picked up her coat which was on top of the others on the chair by the front door and shrugged into it. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  He grabbed her elbow and turned her around so she was facing him. “I’m not blind. I can see what you think of this whole thing.”