Mail Order Calamity (Kansas Brides Series #4)

by Barbara Goss

  Amber moved to sit next to her on the sofa and patted her shoulder. “It'll be all right. You’ll learn. I’m sure Pete's a patient man—at least, he seems patient.”

  “I hope so,” Elaina said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

  “I'd ask Pete to hire a helper for you,” Amber said. Her eyes lit up and she said, excitedly, “I know! I’ll go home, have my cook whip up something, and you can serve it for supper. Pete'll never know you didn’t cook it.”

  Elaina shook her head. “And what about tomorrow, and the day after that?”

  “Oh, I see. Well, you have a friend in me, and if nothing else, I can stop by now and again to give you some female company.”

  “Thank you, Amber.”

  After Amber left, she tried to think of what she might cook for their supper.

  Soup! She’d chop up some vegetables and make soup. How hard could that be to make? She filled a pot with water and put it on the burner. The fire was no longer blazing, so she threw some more wood into the stove.

  She went down into the root cellar, grabbed an apple for her lunch, and then went to the garden to pick some carrots and celery.

  She knew most soups needed meat. She wondered where the meat might be. She found a jar in the back of the root cellar that had something in it resembling meat.

  She diced the carrots and celery and threw them into the pot. She picked up the jar of meat and opened it after several tries. She sniffed the contents and thought it might be pigs’ feet. She dropped them into the water, skin, liquid, and all.

  Remembering how her mother used to make pea soup, she knew she needed some peas, so she trudged back down to the garden to find fresh peas. She removed them from the pods and threw them into the soup.

  She went upstairs to make the beds. When she came down, she checked her soup to find it was boiling nicely. She found a lid for the pot and placed it on top.

  Feeling proud of her accomplishments, she went out to the chicken coop to fetch the rest of the eggs. Luckily, the chickens weren’t sitting on their nests, so she scooped up about eight eggs and headed back to the kitchen.

  How does one make a cake? She remembered Amber had brought a covered dish of something with her. She went into the sitting room, saw it on the table, and peeked inside to find a coffee cake! Bless that woman, she thought with a smile.

  While the soup was boiling she went through the cupboards to learn where everything was kept.

  She’d forgotten to wash the teacups. She collected them, and put them into some soapy water. She began to feel better after having accomplished several tasks. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad there, after all.

  Elaina went back down into the root cellar to take a mental inventory. She hadn’t been back in the kitchen five minutes when she heard a horse gallop up the drive.

  Pete walked in the front door, wearing a big smile. “Hello!” he called.

  She went out to the sitting room to greet him.

  “Hmm, something smells good,” he said.

  “It’s just soup,” she said.

  “Let me guess, pea soup?”

  She nodded.

  “Good. I’m starving. I’ll go wash up.”

  Elaina felt pleased with her accomplishments. She opened the lid of the soup and gasped. The soup was watery and greasy, and the peas didn’t dissolve the way her mother’s always had. She hoped it might still taste good‒it was green, after all.

  Pete came in rubbing his hands together. “Let’s have some of that soup!”

  Elaina scooped him out a bowl, making sure to include a pigs’ foot in the dish. She set it in front of him proudly.

  Pete looked at it and grimaced slightly. “Are you sure this is pea soup?”

  “It has pigs’ feet and peas in it,” Elaina said.

  Pete tasted the soup and spit it back into the bowl. He didn’t speak for so long that Elaina felt she might burst out crying again.

  “You know,” he said. “It’s a rather warm day for soup. What do you say we go back to Rusty’s for some stew?”

  Elaina nodded, but tears ran down her cheeks despite her blinking in an effort to stop them.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked. “I thought you liked Rusty’s.”

  “I do,” she sniffled. “But I tried so hard, and it just isn’t going to work.”

  “What isn’t going to work?” he asked.

  “This,” she swept her hand across the room. “Us.”

  Chapter 4

  Pete took her by the shoulders and studied her face. “You want to quit our marriage?”

  Elaina nodded.

  “I think we need to sit down and talk,” Pete said. He guided her to the sofa.

  She sat, took her handkerchief from her pocket, wiped her eyes, and blew her nose.

  “Tell me what’s happened. You seemed fine this morning. Did something happen?” Pete asked.

  “I just can’t do all this…” she waved her hands about, “domestic stuff. At home, my sister and I helped our mother, but we never had to do the whole job. We lived in the city proper and didn’t have animals. We bought our goods at the store. I’m just lost when it comes to farming stuff, cooking, and that horrible stove.” She started crying again.

  Pete pulled her closer and patted her back as she cried.

  “I think this is all my fault, Elaina,” he murmured softly. “Please forgive me. I just assumed that, because you were a woman, you’d naturally know how to do all of that. I’m sorry.”

  Pete held her head to his chest, patted her back, and let her cry. He was helpless as to what else he could do. Why had he piled so many duties onto her so soon? What would he do if she really did want the marriage annulled? He needed a woman. Up until then, he’d had to eat at Rusty's every night and do all of the chores when he got home, and it was wearing him out. Not to mention having to sleep alone and being in desperate need of companionship. That was when Cole and Garrett convinced him he needed a wife.

  Now he’d still have to eat out and do all of the chores, but he sincerely wanted a woman for companionship, as well as a helpmate. He sighed, which caused her to pull away.

  “I’m sorry, too,” she said between sniffles.

  “Let’s give it—shall we say a week?—before we start annulment proceedings. Give it a chance, at least, Elaina. It’s only been a day.”

  “I suppose that’s fair,” she said.

  She looked so cute to him, with her shiny, red nose and teary eyes. He didn’t occur to him he would stress her out with all of the chores. Now he felt like a monstrous husband. He’d have to try to make it up to her.

  “I’ll do my part to help you feel better,” he said. “If you tell me which duties you find difficult, I’ll do those jobs when I come home from work. I don’t mind. My plan had been to use the extra time to get to know you better, but I see that helping you is more important.”

  “Who did all of these jobs before I came along?”

  “I did,” he said. “I ate every meal at Rusty’s, and when I got home, I did all of the chores. I just thought that if you cooked, we could save some money and fix this house up a bit. I figured that, in the evening, instead of doing all of the chores, I could spend the time with you.

  “You have to believe me, Elaina, I never imagined I was giving you too many tasks or that they were too difficult. I just assumed, foolishly, that all women could do those things.”

  “I don’t like touching chickens, and I don’t know how to cook at all,” she said. “The stove's old, and the oven's broken. I’ve never canned or churned butter, either.”

  He felt disappointment surge through him. Only he'd get a wife who couldn’t cook‒it was just his luck. Maybe he should let her get the annulment after all. That way he'd be free to find a wife who knew how to keep house and cook. Still, she was so beautiful and sweet, his heart seemed to soften a bit more each time he looked at her.

  He took her hand and squeezed it. “I’ll tell you what: how would it be if we performed a
ll of these jobs together at first, until you catch on? I’ll have my deputy take over for a few days and we can work together.”

  Elaina nodded. “I think that would help. Everything's so new and different.”

  He smiled down at her. “To be honest, I don’t think I'd be able to walk into a strange kitchen and start cooking, either. I understand.”

  “Thank you,” she murmured.

  “Now,” he said standing, “let’s go to Rusty’s for some stew.”

  When Elaina came downstairs in the morning, she found Pete sitting on the kitchen floor in front of the oven, tools spread out around him.

  “Can you fix it?” she asked, disappointed he was even trying to fix the old thing.

  “I’m afraid not.” He held up a broken spring. “I could ask the blacksmith if he could fix the spring, but if he can’t, we’ll need a new stove.”

  “Can we afford a new one?”

  “Well, we aren’t rich, but we do have a bit of savings. We can buy a new one, but it'll take away from the remodeling fund.”

  “Let’s get a new stove,” she said. “I have some great ideas for the house that won’t cost much at all.”

  “Like?” he asked.

  “Well, the chipped paint on the walls‒I can repaint them. The furniture is old and worn‒I can make covers for them,” she said. “The bedrooms need wallpaper and curtains‒I can make curtains, hang wallpaper, and more.”

  “You know, that’s a great idea. And I could do some carpentry work and save us a bundle. I have a few friends that would be happy to help, as long as we feed them,” he said with a wink.

  “All right. Let’s work on the cooking first, then,” Elaina said.

  “Let’s go into town and have breakfast at Rusty’s. I’ll drop the spring off at the blacksmith’s, give Seth Porter some instructions, and have him temporarily deputize Alan Taylor, which will give me a few days to work with you,” he said.

  “I thought we were going to buy a new stove?” she asked.

  “We will, but it has to be ordered, and we need one now,” he explained. “If our smithy, Bert, can fix the spring, even temporarily, we can use this stove until the new one comes in. Would you like to pick out the new stove? The furniture store has a catalog.”

  “I’d love to!” she said. “Who are Seth Porter and Alan Taylor?”

  “Seth's my deputy. Alan's an old friend, one of the men I can call in whenever I need a posse. I trust them both completely,” he said. “However, if an emergency should arise, I’ll have to be called, so let's hope things stay quiet.”

  Pete stood up. Elaina noticed a grease spot on his cheek. She reached up and wiped it off. He grabbed her hand and kissed it, which shocked her, but not unpleasantly. She smiled and they made their way out to their buggy. Her hand still tingled from his kiss, which she thought odd.

  Pete didn’t know what made him grab her hand and kiss it, but it earned him a smile. He supposed he needed the points if he was going to keep her as his wife. He felt sure he wanted to keep her, even if she couldn’t cook. He also thought they should find out more about each other and their lives in the past to better understand one another. He didn’t dare initiate a romantic relationship if she planned to leave the marriage, as it would be painful and unwise. It would also make it almost impossible to get the annulment.

  While they were eating at Rusty’s, he decided he needed to find out more about her. “Tell me about your family in Ohio,” he said.

  “I miss them terribly,” she said. “My father's the kindest man. He's an accountant, for a large hospital. My mother's the disciplinarian, but she's always fair. I have an older brother, Joseph, who married and moved to Columbus, Ohio, and a sister, Ethel, the one I saved from Frank Fillmore.”

  “So you had a pleasant childhood?” he asked.

  “Yes, I did. We had a nice home in the city. We had friends and all attended school.”

  “But not church?” he asked.

  “We went to a Lutheran church on Easter and Christmas, and we were all baptized.”

  “I see,” he said. “I think you’ll like our church. The minister is Reverend James Flannery, a young and vibrant man. Church is a wonderful place for social interaction and spiritual growth.”

  She looked at him as if he'd had two noses when he said "spiritual growth," so he asked her, “What’s wrong?”

  “You aren’t a religious fanatic, are you?”

  “I’m not sure,” he said with a grin. “I'm very enthusiastic about my beliefs, but I don’t think I go overboard. God is, however, a very important part of my life. I try to live my life according to His Word, if I can. I sometimes slip and make mistakes because I’m human, but I know if I’m sorry and ask for forgiveness, it’s granted without question.”

  “Now, tell me about your early family life,” she said, dipping her toast into her egg yolk.

  “You do that, too?” he asked. “I can’t eat a sunny side up egg without dipping my toast.”

  They both laughed.

  “I also have a brother, Alex," Pete said when the laughter died down. "He lives in Hays, is single and visits occasionally. When he hears I married, I’m sure he’ll come around.”

  “What does he do in Hays?”

  “He’s a barber,” Pete said. “Leo, the barber in Hunter’s Grove, took him on as an apprentice. Once he'd learned enough he wanted his own shop, but not one that's in competition with Leo's. He has friends in Hays, and he went there, rented a shop and now he owns it.”

  “I know your folks have passed away, but did you always want to be a constable?” she asked.

  “No!” he said. “I wanted to build things and work with my hands. I worked with several local contractors, and I loved the work, but after I fell off the roof—”

  Elaina gasped. “You fell from a roof?”

  “Yes. Broke my leg. Cole was the temporary constable about the time it finally healed, and he deputized me. Then the town council, voted, and made me the constable.”

  “Do you like the work?”

  “I like it well enough when things are quiet, but it can get frustrating at times, too. It’s often a dangerous job, but it was once very perilous here and we’ve become a more peaceful town in the last five or six years. The town council did everything possible to bring good families in and provide a school and churches, and it’s my job to keep things peaceful.”

  By then they’d finished their meal and walked out of the eating-house and onto the wooden walkway.

  “Sarah, my best friend, has to start all over in her search for a connection as a mail order bride. Do you know anyone that might be interested? I feel responsible, since she gave you to me.”

  “There’s my brother, Alex. Or Seth. Alan’s married.”

  “I almost forgot: I promised Sarah and my folks I’d let them know I arrived safely and where they could write to me,” Elaina said. “Would you happen to have Alex’s address in Hays? I’d like to give it to Sarah. I feel like I owe her a favor.”

  “Sure.” He scribbled it down on an old envelope he had in his pocket and handed it to her. “The post office is inside the general store,” Pete said. “I’ll drop you off there. You can write and post your letters while I visit the blacksmith. I’ll meet you at the general store.”

  The storekeeper gave Elaina paper and a pencil. She wrote a quick note to Sarah and one to her parents telling them to keep her location a secret, and then she posted the letters. While she waited for Pete, she walked along the aisles, looking at the merchandise. She especially looked for material for dresses, of which she sorely needed. She discovered several racks of ready-made dresses. They were plain, but from what she could see, most of the women there wore plain dresses. She picked out four and was carrying them to the counter when a man stepped in front of her.

  “How about I buy you a drink?” he asked.

  “I don’t think so,” she said. She tried to walk by him, but he blocked the whole aisle and refused to move. He was a big ma
n with a burly chest, and a very hairy face. He smelled like whiskey and smoke. She backed away, turned around, went to the back of the store, and tried to walk down another aisle, but he beat her to the end of the aisle and blocked that one, as well.

  “It’s very rude to refuse an honest offer for a drink,” he said.

  “I’m married,” she said. “I don’t drink with other men.”

  “Where’s your ring?” he asked, looking at her left hand.

  “I don't have one, yet. I’m married to…” She was about to tell him she was married to the constable when she looked up and saw Pete, walking down the aisle, frowning, and she was truly afraid. What if the man killed Pete? He was much bigger than Pete was. Elaina stood there, frozen and afraid.

  Chapter 5

  Pete walked right up to the huge brute and said, “Move aside, Clyde!”

  “The little lady refused a drink with me,” Clyde said without turning.

  “She’s my wife, Clyde. Now move aside and go back to the hole you crawled out of, and take a bath while you’re at it.”

  Clyde gave them both a look of hatred and walked around Pete and out of the store. Elaina let out a sigh of relief. She liked the way Pete had said “my wife,” like he was proud of her.

  “I think I need to get you a wedding ring,” Pete said. “We’ll do that today, too.”

  “I don’t understand why that huge man obeyed you when you ordered him out,” she said. “I feared the two of you would fight.”

  “Oh, that’s Clyde. He's just a bit of a drunk and all 'round bad egg. He’s practically a jailhouse resident,” Pete explained. “Now that he knows you’re my wife, you’ll be safe from him.”

  “Thank goodness!” Elaina said.

  Pete took the dresses from her arms and started toward the counter.