The mayor shrugged matter of factly. “Just part of the job,” he said. “Although it is true that things have been a tad lively around here of late.”
“Wouldn't be very interesting or exciting if they weren't,” Willard said, grinning.
“True enough,” Owen said, the brightness of his smile matching Willard's. “But I do have one other question.”
“And what might that be?” the town clerk asked.
“Your wedding date,” he said simply. “Have you considered where and when you wish that to happen?”
Lisa and Willard were married on Christmas day. There was a joint ceremony together with Sally and Carson, with separate ceremonies for each couple shortly thereafter. Virtually everyone in Last Chance made the trip to Fresh Start for the nuptials, which were officiated by Parson Robertson.
The first winter in Fresh Start was hard. As expected, heavy snow wreaked havoc on the initial efforts to settle in, but the plans that had been made to deal with it proved as solid and substantial as the houses that were built, rebuilt, or fortified.
Jake McCourty had a very busy winter building the new town, and he quickly became the linchpin to the success of Fresh Start. When it was finally christened in the spring, the municipal building was named McCourty Hall, which seemed quite fitting to everyone who'd been aware of the building process.
Lisa and Willard were very happy, both as newlyweds and town managers. Mayor Standard was overjoyed with having two managers to call on, and the added bonus for him was Lisa's ability to write his occasional speeches, which had always been an onerous chore for him.
The reputation of Fresh Start continues to grow, and the town was quickly designated as a sister town to Last Chance. The two towns are considered a kind of mini-gateway to Denver and the west beyond, and there are many stories of hospitality and achievement in both of them that quickly spread across the Colorado territory.
Some of those stories will doubtless appear in future books, so that modern readers can appreciate and understand how unique and wonderful both Last Chance and Fresh Start were back in the pioneer days on the prairie.
THE END
Author’s Afterward
Thank you so much for reading “The Mail Order Bride Marries the Mayor on Christmas Day!” I hope you enjoyed it
If you did, here are the links to my other books, all of which can be found on Amazon.com. All of them are free via Kindle Unlimited, including a recent boxed set that contains my first two series, “The Mail Order Bride and the Scoundrel” and The Mail Order Bride and the Faith Healer.”
I hope you enjoy them as well!
Yours in faith and hope,
Lucille Chisum
The Mail Order Bride and the Scoundrel: Lottie’s Claim (Book 1) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013NVSEIC/
The Mail Order Bride and the Scoundrel: Zeke’s Escape (Book 2) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013RF2HKU/
The Mail Order Bride and the Scoundrel: The Wedding (Book 3) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0147F24UM/
The Mail Order Bride and the Faith Healer: Rachel’s Dilemma (Book 1) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014MPMIIK/
The Mail Order Bride and the Faith Healer: The Tent Meeting (Book 2) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014O7DXQM/
The Mail Order Bride and the Faith Healer: Love’s Test (Book 3) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014VBNAQ4/
The Mail Order Bride and the Mail Order Husbands: The Fire (Book 1) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015D8F17U/
The Mail Order Bride and the Mail Order Husbands: Susannah and Clem (Book 2) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015D8LH2S/
The Mail Order Bride and the Mail Order Husbands: Jessie and Jake (Book 3) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015P911O4/
The Mail Order Bride and the Mail Order Husbands: Willa and Jasper (Book 4) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015TTJ2XC/
The Mail Order Bride and the Cowboy Stargazer http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016L18U26/
The Mail Order Brides of Last Chance Colorado: Six-Book Boxed Set http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017I5UIL0/
The Mail Order Bride Marries the Mayor on Christmas Day (Book1)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0186QP6DU
Book 4 - The Mail Order Bride and the Chocolatier (Book 4)*
* This book is a continuation of a previous 3-book series called “The Mail Order Bride and the Chocolatier.” This book is new, and is a stand-alone story.
Lucille Chisum
Part 1 - The Mail Order Bride and the Chocolatier
By Lucille Chisum
Time has passed, and the chocolate stores that Dominic and Luigi had opened were booming!
Their new factory could hardly keep up with production because they had taken a long time to rebuild it with more safety features—all of which were due to the efforts of Fire chief Eugene Amundson.
After saving their store from a previous fire and befriending Dominic and Luigi, the San Francisco city council had put him in charge of making sure all the town’s fire departments had ladders and all the other firefighting equipment they needed.
Eugene had taken the necessary steps to ensure a safer workplace for everyone in the city, and as he did he enjoyed stopping by to spend time with Noreen’s husband, Dominic, and her two sisters, Dorris and Ellen. All three worked in the chocolate shops, and they took special delight in saving whatever delicious offerings they’d come up with just for Eugene when he paid his visits.
But now it was the holiday season, and the coming of Christmas reinforced Eugene’s knowledge that he was, in fact, a lonely man. It was his day off, and he walked around the town looking at the decorations on the shops and in their windows to get in the spirit of the upcoming holiday.
There was something missing, though. Eugene hadn’t taken a bride yet because he’d been much too busy keeping an eye on the ever-growing factories and the new shops opening up all over town. Not to mention the fact that he had to supervise and organize all the firefighters who were taking full-time jobs working for him.
Isidore and Ellen were across town now, running the bake shop. In addition, there was the chocolate factory; the newly built bread factory, which made their world famous sourdough bread; and the marvelous creations that the three sisters had come up with and produced in those factories. They had a large and growing family business!
Doris and Noreen were running the chocolate shop closest to the factory, and it was Doris who spotted chief Amundson looking wistfully at a family out window-shopping to see the holiday decorations being put up all over the small shops.
“Eugene looks lost in thought today,” she said to Noreen as she handed her things for the holiday display.
“You know,” Noreen replied, “it occurs to me that we haven’t seen him in the company of any lady friends for a long time.”
Doris nodded. “We did so well in coming here and finding our husbands. I think it is time to do some match making for him.”
Noreen smiled, watching as a mischievous gleam appeared in Doris’s eyes.
Meanwhile, Eugene moved on, thinking how much harder it was to see so many people happy and with lifelong companions who loved them.
I have had a busy few years with all of the expansions, he thought. And San Francisco is growing so rapidly.
Then he thought of the mail order bride letters he’d received. He’d placed an ad in the community section of the fire department newsletter, which was distributed far and wide.
Why not? Maybe someone will be interested in becoming a fire chief’s wife.
But neither of the prospects had panned out. There was the letter from Sally, who’d lived several states away, but she’d simply disappeared when he invited her to come meet him. And the other one, whose name Eugene couldn’t even remember now, had cancelled their meeting due to a supposed “illness” after inquiring as to his circumstances.
Eugene thought that he might start the search again once the holidays were over, but he still had reservat
ions. This entire matter of mail order brides seemed strange indeed, and he was close to the conclusion that he was just going to have to live his life alone.
So he finished his walk and headed back to the boarding house where he lived. Eugene had been saving money for some time to buy a house of his own—but what sense did that make when it would just be him, lonely and forlorn?
While he walked, though, Doris was scheming.
“We have a month yet before the holidays are on us, Noreen,” she said as they put together the display. “Do you still write to your girlfriends back in Ohio? Are they still looking for husbands?”
Noreen thought for a minute. “Yes, a couple of my friends are still single, and they have asked me for help since I have found such a wonderful husband here.”
Doris smiled and said “Well, we better get busy and write to them and see if they are still available!”
Once the shop had closed for the night, the two of them started writing letters to Noreen’s friends to see if they were still looking for husbands. Knowing it would take time for a reply, they posted the letters early in the morning for the next mail run to Ohio.
The sisters decided not to tell their husbands about their idea because of them being such good friends with Eugene; they would probably spill the beans to him in their excitement.
Dominic, Luigi and Isidore had been talking amongst themselves about the possibility of expanding the store and building another since things were going so well for them. The factory could be expanded and more people could be hired to take care of the extra demands of another store.
There were a few garment factories that produced clothing, including one that bordered their store. Eugene had warned them about these factories, how prone they were to fires, and sure enough, one day the knock he’d been dreading came.
It was the runner from the fire station, which was just up the street from where Eugene lived. “The garment factory by the chocolate shop is on fire!” he shouted.
Eugene grabbed his fire uniform and hard hat, and he rushed out to organize the already growing group at the station. The fire was already blazing close by, and he could actually hear the roar of the flames and the crashing of the timbers that held up the roof.
Fortunately, though, there was still a chance to save the buildings around it. Eugene had helped push for new laws that stipulated that each household had to maintain buckets of water, and cisterns were required for the factories as well.
Eugene, Dominic, Isidore and Luigi all helped to battle the fire and keep it from destroying any more of the buildings around it. They were still fighting it when the sun came up the next day, until finally it was just smoking embers that had to be watched. The other buildings were safe, although one or two had been scorched a bit by the blaze.
The garment factory, however, was nothing more than a pile of rubble. The oils and other combustible liquids used in the manufacturing had ignited, and since the wood was also soaked, it took no time at all for the building to become a lost cause. The good news was that there were only a few injuries, because the blaze took place on a Sunday morning and the factory had been shut down for the weekend.
chief Eugene, Dominic, Luigi, and Isidore were all covered in soot and sweat from the battle, as were the brave volunteers who fought the fire with them. Without the cisterns and new pipes within the factories, there would have been more than one building lost during this fire. They all stood vigil for several hours, and then went home to clean up and rest.
Doris and Noreen were in the chocolate shop as usual, checking some new ideas for the holiday chocolate line when the mail came.
“Look!” Doris said to Noreen as she came through the door excitedly waving a letter from Ohio. Noreen had sent out three letters, and this one was the only reply they had received so far.
“Open it!” Doris exclaimed.
Noreen looked at the address. “It’s from Ruth!” She opened the letter and read it to herself while Doris was practically dancing with anticipation.
“What does she say?” Doris asked.
Noreen held up her hand. “Hush, I am still reading!”
When she finished the letter, Noreen sat and started to relay the letter’s contents to her excited sister.
“Ruth says she and her friends are well. Her friends have recently married to two military men and have moved away. She is lonely there with no friends left to just go and visit on a whim.”
After that, Ruth wrote of her interest in the mail order bride section of their paper, but so far no one had put in an ad she really liked.
They grinned at each other, and at that moment Dominic entered.
“Hmm,” he said, glancing from one to the other. “You two have been up to something. I know that look.”
Thinking quickly, Doris said, “Oh, we were just thinking about the new treats we are going to come up with for the Christmas season, and we got a bit silly.”
“Oh, I see” said Dominic. “Well, you ladies always come up with something amazing. I have no doubt you will this season as well, especially with the new breads that are coming out to complement the amazing holiday treats.”
“Yes, that’s all it is, dear,” Doris said, looking slyly at her sister.
“All right, then,” Dominic replied. “I am going to leave the shop in the capable hands of you ladies while I go home to sleep. It has been a rough night and day for me.” Dominic turned and left the store, shutting the door behind him.
“Whew! That was close! He almost found us out!”
Doris shook her head as she spoke, and she began looking at their supplies so she could actually work on the new treats ahead of time.
Noreen pulled the letter from her dress pocket and started to re-read it so they could formulate a reply. After all, the holidays were approaching, and there was no time to waste!
Once the shop closed for the night, Noreen and Doris sat at the corner table and started to write their reply to Ruth:
Dear Ruth,
We are so glad to hear of the weddings of your two close friends and wish them much happiness. I am surprised to hear you are not yet betrothed.
Since you are considering the mail order bride adventure, may I introduce you to our Fire chief, Eugene Amundson?
He is a very observant and active man when it comes to the safety of the town and keeping the fire departments on their toes with new equipment and fire fighting drills.
He has saved many here from loss of life, and saved their homes with his speedy responses to fire emergencies.
Eugene is kind, attentive and well liked here in San Francisco. I am sure you will enjoy his company as much as he would enjoy yours. He has never married. He hasn’t had much time for that until now, and with things settling down, he is looking for a good woman with whom to make a home.
Please say you will come west and visit us. He does not have to know the reason beyond you are here to visit your friends. We look forward to your positive reply!
God Bless,
Noreen and Doris
“There,” Doris said as she got an envelope for the letter and inserted and sealed it. “I will stop and post this first thing in the morning, and hopefully, we will have an answer by next week!”
“With good weather for travel, she could be here soon enough that there will be plenty of time for them to get to know each other before the holidays are here!”
The next day, Dominic had a brief conversation with Luigi.
“Now that the fire is over with, what is going to happen to the remains of the factory?’ Dominic asked him.
“I am not sure if the owners are going to rebuild or not,” said Luigi. “But we can ask Eugene and see if he knows anything.”
Dominic nodded. “Maybe they will sell the land and we can buy it to put up an extension to the chocolate shop. We have a good amount put away for the extension of the shop, so we can combine the breads and chocolate in one place instead of our customers going across town for their breads.”
Luigi went in search of Eugene to get his opinion since he knew the fire chief was interested in joining them in the next venture.
He found him in front of the chocolate shop enjoying one of the cake treats that the shop made every day.
“Eugene, we need your opinion about something we are considering,” Luigi said.
Eugene looked up with interest as Luigi explained the plan to him, and then finally he spoke.
“Have you talked to Dominic and Isidore yet?”
Luigi replied he had talked to Dominic and he was looking for Isidore to get additional thoughts on the expansion.
“It sounds like a very interesting proposition,” Eugene said. “When you have met with Isidore, come find me, and the four of us can discuss the details and options on this new expansion.”
The next morning, the four men met in the general store, around the old potbelly stove that served as a social spot for the patrons.
“I think it is time to discuss the plans for expansion that everyone has been entertaining for some time,” Eugene began, “now that there is an empty space between your factory and the shop.
Isidore, Dominic, and Luigi all nodded in agreement.
The planning began for the new building, and the men threw themselves into drawing up the plans and including the latest fire safety equipment.
This kept them quite busy, and the ladies were able to continue writing to Ruth and making plans to get her to come out to them before the holidays.
They were also able to clue Ellen in when she came for a visit; she didn’t get the chance to visit often, since the bake shop she ran was at the other end of the town.
As they continued planning, Doris, Noreen, and Ellen decided to have a surprise party for Eugene, since his birthday fell not long before the holiday. Then they gathered to tell their husbands, who needed to know that the party would be taking place.
Christmas Miracles: Mega Mail Order Bride 20-Book Box Set: Multi-Author Box Set Page 80
