Seven Brides for Seven Mail-Order Husbands Romance Collection

by Davis, Susan Page; Dietze, Susanne; Franklin, Darlene

  It was inevitable the boys would have questions about his injury. He just hadn’t expected it this soon. Might as well be honest with George. “Sometimes, when I get a blister on the stump.”

  The boy didn’t ask anything else, just nodded. “Go on in. She’s expecting you.”

  Luke waited until George had rounded the corner of the house then hobbled over to the front door and knocked. George might have given him leave to enter, but Luke didn’t think it was such a good idea just to walk inside. It reminded him too much of the past when he was courting Chardy, and he’d thought of this family as his own. But when several moments passed without a response, he opened the door slightly. “Hello?”

  “Luke? Is that you?” There was a gaiety in her voice that always made the corners of his mouth turn up. “I’m back here in the kitchen.”

  He stepped inside, clicking the door shut behind him, then turned. The parlor looked the same as the day he’d left to join the army, though the chairs looked more worn and the curtains faded by the sun. He’d dreamed such big dreams in this parlor, of owning his own farm and making a good living. A future that had always included Chardy. He could have stayed here in this place forever as long as she was with him. Then war was declared, and he couldn’t sit by while others fought and died for the freedom for all men.

  Oh how he’d paid dearly for that decision!

  Leaving the parlor, Luke hobbled toward the kitchen. No sense dwelling on the past. What was done was done. He was here to help Chardy with her brothers, to help them get their garden planted. Nothing more than that.

  At the kitchen door, he stopped to watch her for a few moments. Since the minute he’d met her, she’d bounced around like a tumbleweed in a windstorm, always moving and working on something. This morning was no exception. “Something smells good.”

  Chardy threw a smile over her shoulder at him. “I couldn’t decide what to fix, so I cooked a little of everything. I hope you like it, Luke.”

  He shouldn’t like the way she said his name with a kind of breathless quality that made his muscles clench. “Morning.”

  “Still a man of few words, I see.” She nodded toward a chair at the table. “Sit down and I’ll bring you some coffee.”

  “I’d appreciate that.” Taking a seat, he glanced over all the different dishes Chardy had laid out on the table. “Who are you expecting? Grant’s army?”

  She chuckled softly as she forked a piece of ham out of the frying pan. “You haven’t seen my brothers eat in a while. You’d think, by the way they act, I starve them to death.”

  “I doubt that.” He watched as she laid down the fork and removed the pan from the fire. “I guess it helps that you cook when you’re nervous.”

  Chardy stopped and stared at him. “You remember that?”

  “It’s hard not to when every breakfast dish known to mankind is sitting on this table right now.”

  “Oh.” She glanced around as if seeing all the steamy dishes for the first time then shrugged. “I didn’t realize I’d cooked so much.”

  “If you’re worried that I can’t handle your brothers, Chardy—”

  “No, that’s not it at all.” Her cheeks went a delicate shade of pink. “It’s just so much has changed since the last time you were here.”

  Luke stiffened. He wasn’t ready to talk about what had happened between them, but he wouldn’t back away from it either. “Yes, it has.”

  She shook her head. “What I mean to say is … it’s kind of hard thinking of you as a friend after,”—she pressed her lips together—“what we meant to each other.”

  A sharp ache started under his ribs. Had he being foolish, thinking they could be friends? Yet, the thought of being out of her life completely made him feel empty inside. Anything more was out of the question. “I’d like to be friends, but if it’s going to be hard …” He glanced out over the table again. “I don’t want you to cook yourself out of house and home.”

  “Well, nerves are not the only reason I cook.” Wrapping her hand in a thick cotton square, she picked up the coffee pot and walked toward him. “Remember the boys.”

  “You’d better get used to that.” He chuckled as she poured him a cup. “My mother had to buy more hens to keep up with the eggs my brother and I put away every morning.”

  “How is Matthew?”

  “You know he’s a papa now. He and Johnna have a little boy, Clay.” He caught her up on his family as she poured herself a cup. When she sat the pot down and walked over to the counter to grab six plates, he couldn’t keep his question to himself any longer. “Why aren’t the boys helping you?”

  She scoffed as she passed out the plates on the table then went back for the silverware and tin mugs. “Nobody expects boys to help out in the kitchen! It’s just not done.”

  “My parents must have missed that piece of news.”

  Her lovely eyes stared at him in wide-eyed wonder. “Your mother let you in her kitchen?”

  His heart thumped against his chest. Chardy was so adorably pretty. Would he ever get used to the affect she had on him? “When I was too short to reach the washtub, Pa stood me on a chair so I could help Matthew wash the dishes. When we were older, Ma taught us how to cook a few things. It helped out when we made camp during the war.”

  She pulled out the chair beside him and sat down. “That’s a lot of work for a little boy.”

  He shrugged. “Maybe, but a little hard work never hurt anyone.”

  “I know.” She released a tired sigh. “Papa would be so disappointed in how I’ve handled the boys. But I don’t know what to do between working at the mercantile and trying to keep them out of trouble.”

  Luke couldn’t stand to see Chardy whooped like this. He reached over and covered her hand with his, warmth traveling through his fingers and up his arm. “Don’t worry. I’ve got a few ideas on how to change that.”

  She gave him a slight smile. “I knew you would.”

  The trust that shone in her eyes when she looked at him made Luke sit up a little taller. Chardy always had the ability to make him want to be a better man. It was one of the things that had attracted him to her. What if he failed her? What if he made things worse with her brothers?

  What if they refused to take orders from a crippled man?

  Chapter 4

  Luke had a plan to tame her brothers!

  Praise the Lord! Because she was at the end of her very last rope where they were concerned. Between the fighting and the stealing and Neil finding every slimy creature under the sun, she was ready to throw up her arms in surrender.

  Chardy picked up the pot and freshened his coffee. “I’d like to hear about it.”

  He studied her for a moment, as if he were weighing the pros and cons, then took a sip. “It might be better if you don’t know all the details.”

  His answer startled her. What exactly did he have planned? “As their guardian, I think I have the right to know what you’re going to do with my brothers.”

  “You’re going to have to trust me on this.”

  Chardy hurried over to the stove and wiped down the iron surface as she thought. She’d trusted Luke with her heart and he had broken it into so many pieces, she wasn’t sure she’d even find them all again. If he wanted her trust again, he’d have to earn it. “I want to know what you’re planning.”

  If he was upset by her statement, he didn’t show it. Instead, he sat back in his chair, his arms crossed over his wide chest. “You’re not going to like it.”

  She hated when he tried to think for her. “You don’t know that.”

  “All right.” He leaned against the table, his hands fisted together as if in prayer. “Your brothers need a firm hand, and with everything you have to do, you can’t do that.”

  She blinked. “Excuse me, I’m very strict with them.”

  “Then why are they fighting and stealing in school?”

  She hated it, but he was right. “I told you I wasn’t good at this.”


  Luke shook his head. “It’s nothing against you. You’re spread so thin, trying to run the mercantile and manage this place, that the boys take advantage of you.”

  Chardy jerked back. If she wanted to be berated about her parenting skills, she’d give the ladies on the school board another go, but not Luke. She couldn’t bear his disappointment.

  “You think I’m that weak.”

  His gaze was filled with sympathy and respect. “The truth is you’re so sweet and love them so much, you can’t be the tough person they need right now.”

  “It’s just that they’ve lost so much in the last year.”

  “You have, too.” His voice was low and comforting. “You’ve been both mother and father to them. You need help.”

  She nodded. Luke was right, but was he the help she needed? Just sitting here in the kitchen, talking through her problems with the boys, reminded her of why she’d fallen in love with him in the first place. Could her heart withstand being his friend? She didn’t know.

  She hadn’t even realized he’d stood until she felt his strong hand resting on her shoulder. “Let me carry this burden for you. Please?”

  The way he said it, low and soothing, made Chardy’s heart melt. Being this close to him and not being able to share her love for him would be so painful. Why was the man being so stubborn? Didn’t he realize how much they needed each other?

  “Will you trust me with this, Chardy?”

  She stared up at him. There were so many reasons not to believe him, but silly woman that she was, she did. Luke was throwing her a rope, and she would grab it with both hands. Chardy drew in a steadying breath. “Of course, I trust you.”

  “Good.” He moved away and she instantly missed his touch. If Luke had ever had any tender feelings for her, they’d been blown away by his time in the war.

  Maybe Emily Peabody was right. Maybe Chardy did need a husband. She couldn’t deny the boys needed a father figure; Luke had just as much as said so. Maybe if she married, she’d be too busy with her new family to think about Luke and the feelings she had for him. Grabbing a dishtowel, she pulled a pan of biscuits out of the oven. “Maybe, you’re right.”

  “Right about what?”

  “That the boys need the steady presence of a man in their lives.” She rubbed a knife across the butter and slathered it on the bread. “You can handle the boys while I get ready for the groom auditions.”

  Luke glared at her as if she’d lost her mind. “What are you talking about?”

  “You heard about the ad the mayor put in the newspapers back East? About needing men for marriageable young ladies?”

  “What’s that got to do with you?” he growled.

  She gingerly picked up a hot biscuit and moved it to a plate. “I was thinking maybe one of them might suit me.”

  His mouth fell out then he slammed it shut. “I didn’t think you wanted to get married now.”

  “I don’t.” She snatched her hand from the hot pan and blew on her fingers. “But my brothers need a father to teach them how to become good men. I have to think about them.”

  Luke walked to the other side of the room like a caged animal. “That’s a sorry excuse for getting married.”

  Chardy pressed her lips together. He had some nerve, judging her. Well, he’d given up any right to have a say in her life when he’d broken off their courtship. “It’s not just for the boys.” She grasped her hands together. “The truth is I’m ready to settle down, maybe start a family of my own.” Her laugh held no humor. “Can’t do that without a husband.”

  “I see.”

  Blast him! He didn’t have to sound so angry. Did he expect her to live out her days alone simply because he had chosen to?

  Or was it the idea of another man in her life that upset him?

  “You don’t like the idea of me interviewing for a husband.”

  “It’s just …” He stumbled for the words. “You deserve to marry for love.”

  Chardy sighed. Dear goodness, this was getting them nowhere. “Who knows? Maybe it will turn into a love match. It’s been known to happen.”

  He shook his head. “Right.”

  But he didn’t sound convinced. She must’ve been daft to have asked Luke for help. Just sitting across from him, even arguing with him, reminded her of all they had lost. Years of building a home together, having children. Hard times, yes, but good times made all the sweeter by sharing them with him.

  Only that wasn’t going to happen now, and her brothers needed help. Chardy wiped her hands on a dishtowel then brushed at her skirts. “I need to go over the ledgers before I open the store. There’s biscuits and ham you can have for lunch.” She glanced at the table. “And I’m sure there will be leftovers from this.”

  As she rounded the table, Luke grabbed her hand. “Are you really going to interview for a husband?”

  There wasn’t any anger in his question, just a vague kind of acceptance that felt like a punch to her stomach.

  If only Luke could see himself as she saw him. Until he did, it was hopeless. “Can you give me a reason why I shouldn’t?”

  He didn’t say anything, just shook his head and let her go.

  Chapter 5

  Chardy was hunting for a husband.

  The door to the kitchen clicked shut, startling Luke out of his shocked stupor. He glanced around, half expecting to find her bustling around or washing dishes at the counter. Only her mug sat on the kitchen table.

  He picked it up. It was still warm from the coffee, and her touch. Maybe it was best if Chardy found herself a husband. If ever a woman was meant to be a wife and mother, it was her. He’d known that almost since the moment he’d laid eyes on her at the church social four years ago. She’d been barely seventeen then but already a mother to her brothers after the loss of their own. It was one of the things that had attracted him, the way she took care of her family. Well, that and the sweet smile she’d given him when he’d asked for a second helping of her blackberry cobbler.

  But interview for a husband? The thought made his head throb. Chardy deserved so much more than some mail-order groom. She needed someone who would love and respect her, who could make her laugh after a hard day at the mercantile, and hold her when she needed a shoulder to cry on. Someone like …

  Luke shook his head. No. Any thoughts he’d had of marrying Chardy had been destroyed the day his leg had been ripped to shreds by a rebel’s mini ball. If only he’d followed orders instead of going after that rebel sniper. Maybe then …

  “Where’s Sister?” a sleepy voice asked from the kitchen door.

  Luke looked up to find a small boy, his blond hair rumpled from sleep. The younger boys called Chardy Sister, so was this Emmett or Neil? “Your sister has gone to the mercantile, so I’m staying with you today.”

  Another boy joined the first one, then seeing Luke, launched himself across the room into his arms. “Mr. Luke! It’s been a long time since you’ve come to see us. I was beginning to think you forgot where we lived!”

  “Good to see you, too, Emmett.” He hugged the boy, tousling his hair before letting him go. “You’re not a little kid anymore.”

  The boy puffed up his chest, a snaggletooth smile splitting his face. “No sir! I’m almost ten.”

  “No, you’re not.” The younger boy scowled as he sat down at the table. “You just turned eight.”

  “You don’t know math.” He glared at his little brother. “I was rounding up. Just like Miss Green taught me.”

  “Sounds like you lied to me,” Neil mumbled as he grabbed a handful of bacon.

  Emmett jerked the boy back by his nightshirt. “I ain’t no liar!”

  Luke had to stop this before a brawl broke out. “Sit down, the both of you. Or there won’t be any breakfast.”

  Both boys stopped and stared at him. Finally, Emmett spoke. “But Chardy fixed breakfast for us. It would be rude to let it go to waste.”

  Oh the boy was a smooth one. Luke leaned forward. “Just beca
use she made it don’t necessarily mean you’ll get to eat it, especially if you start another fight at the table. Is that understood?”

  Both sat meekly in their chairs. “Yes, sir.”

  “Good.” Luke dished some eggs onto a plate then handed it to Neil. “How are you, this morning?”

  The boy eyed him for a moment then took the plate. “Why don’t I remember you?”

  “That’s because you were just a baby when Luke left to join the army.” Emmett forked a stack of pancakes onto his plate then grabbed some sausage as he sat down. “As far as I can tell, you’re still one.”

  “I am not a baby!” Neil swiped a cake from the other boy’s plate and stuffed it in his mouth.

  “That’s mine.” Emmett yelled. “You little baby.”

  Neil reared back his hand, but Luke was faster, grabbing his balled fist in his hand. He pointed the boy toward the door then turned back and grabbed Emmett by the back of his shirt as he tried to escape.

  “Breakfast is over.”

  “What? But I’m hungry!” Emmett struggled like a wildcat but Luke wouldn’t yield.

  “I told you it would happen if you fought at the table. Now, you’re going to do without.” With his free hand, he gripped his cane and hobbled to the door. “Come along, Neil. Time to get dressed for work.”

  “I don’t think I like you,” the smaller boy mumbled.

  “That’s okay, because right now, I don’t like you much either.”

  The boy stopped and stared up at him. “Really?”

  “He don’t mean it,” Emmett answered. “Right, Luke?”

  Luke looked from one boy to the other. “I don’t like the way you behave.”

  Both of the boys nodded. “We’ll do better.”

  “Sounds good.” Still, he’d guard the kitchen door to make sure they didn’t try to get back inside. “There’s work to be done.”

  “But Chardy says we’re not old enough to work,” Emmett protested.

  No wonder there wasn’t any joy in Chardy’s expression, what with these two. She had trusted him to help her brothers, and he wouldn’t let her down. “Your sister left me in charge, and I say we work.”