Mail Order Calamity (Kansas Brides Series #4)

by Barbara Goss

  Brock looked behind him. “Please, call me Brock. I thought my father was here."

  “Brock stops by every six months to go over my finances with me. His father is the banker, and he's in line to take it over one day,” Edna said.

  “I’ll leave you to it,” Elaina said. “I’m going to sit in the back yard for a while and then I’m going to walk down to the general store.”

  “No!” Edna said much too quickly.

  “What?” Elaina asked. She watched Brock take a seat at the table and open his satchel.

  “I don’t want you walking around town unescorted.”

  “Excuse me, ladies, but if she can wait until we’re finished, I’ll personally escort her to the store and back,” Brock offered.

  “Thank you, Brock. Would that be all right, Elaina?” Edna asked.

  Elaina noticed the gun showing between Brock’s pant leg and his boot. She supposed she’d be safe with him, should Rupert show up.

  “I suppose so,” Elaina said. “Thank you, Brock.”

  Elaina went to the swing, her favorite spot in the yard. It was a lovely, early summer day, the birds were chirping and the skies were blue. She'd be on top of the world if only she didn’t have the annulment hanging over her head. She sighed.

  No sense thinking about Pete ‒he certainly wasn’t thinking about her. She wasn’t sorry she'd left his house, but she wassorry she'd walked out of the marriage. She really did have a soft spot for Pete. She often tried to relive that kiss, but she wasn’t going back to that horrid house, with that dreaded stove, the chickens, the worn furniture, and the chipped walls ‒the place needed a complete renovation. She sighed.

  After a while, Edna called out that Brock was ready to leave. She hopped off the swing and went into the house.

  “I just need to get my reticule,” she said to Brock, as she walked to her bedroom.

  She thought about Brock while she fetched her bag. Surely he was wealthy, with his father being the banker; the suit he wore was certainly expensive. He wasn’t as handsome as Pete, or as muscular, but did have an interesting face. He had light, wavy hair, almost blond, and he wore a neatly trimmed mustache. His face was square, and he had gray eyes. She supposed he could be a possibility for her.

  She joined him and he escorted her to the street.

  “So, where are you from, Elaina?” he asked.

  “Ohio. I came here to marry Pete Mullins, but it didn’t work out.” She might as well be honest.

  “So you two never married then?”

  She supposed it was best to tell him since he’d find out anyway.

  “We did marry, but it will soon be annulled. We never…never—”

  “I get it,” Brock said. “I think it’s a good thing you found out before the…ultimate, though. The annulment will be a simple formality, then. Have you been to town hall yet?”

  “No, but it's on my list,” she said.

  “Would you like me to go in with you or wait out here?” he said once they'd reached the general store.

  “It’s up to you, Brock. I’m only going in to buy a bonnet.”

  “I’ll wait for you here,” he said with a laugh.

  Elaina picked out a bonnet to go with the blue dress she'd planned to wear to church on Sunday since Edna insisted they go together every week. She paid for it from the money she had left and then headed for the door to meet Brock. As she opened the door to leave the store, she saw Brock and Pete talking. Good grief! She couldn’t very well duck back into the store, so she stood quietly in the background while they chatted.

  “So,” Pete said, “Garrett will meet you at the livery at nine sharp. Are you onboard?”

  “Certainly, I am,” Brock said. He looked over and saw Elaina. “You know Elaina, of course.”

  Chapter 10

  Pete’s eyes narrowed slightly as they met hers, like he was trying to control his anger, but he simply nodded. “See you tomorrow, Brock.” He tipped his hat to Elaina. “Mrs. Mullins,” he said, emphasizing the name, and then he walked away.

  “Ouch,” Brock said. “I’ll have to explain to him I was simply escorting you. I want no trouble with Pete. He’s making a huge effort to protect our bank from some robbers that are headed this way.”

  “There won’t be any trouble with Pete. He’s aware I’ll soon be a free woman,” Elaina said. “It’s a mutual agreement.”

  They started walking toward Edna’s. “I'd like to get to know you better, then.”

  “Tell me about these bank robbers,” Elaina said.

  “I don’t know much, except that they’re hitting banks all through Kansas. They robbed the bank in Hays, and authorities think they’re headed this way. Pete’s got a good plan to keep them from robbing our bank. I’m going to do a stake-out of the bank with Garrett tomorrow.”

  “Is there danger involved?” she asked.

  “Sure. We’ll all be armed and waiting for them,” he said. “Someone could get hurt, although we’ll try to keep it at a minimum, of course.”

  Elaina fretted. What if Pete gets killed? She got a strange feeling in her chest.

  “Would you like to go for dinner and a carriage ride tonight?” he asked.

  Elaina was worried about Pete, but she hadn’t been out of the house in days. It might feel good to get out, and she trusted Brock completely.

  “I’d love to,” she said. “I like Rusty’s.”

  “Rusty’s?” he asked. “No, I don’t go to Rusty’s. There’s an elegant restaurant in Harris, only fifteen miles away. We can take a carriage ride before and after dinner,” he said with a slight laugh. “If you’d like to, that is. Then we won’t have to worry about running into Pete again, either.” He winked.

  About five o’clock, Brock showed up in a fancy carriage, white with red velvet upholstery. There was room for just two on the seat, and he sat close beside her, with his driver sitting on a perch in front of them ‒she’d never ridden in such style.

  As they progressed through town, she spotted Pete standing in front of the livery, talking to Garrett and Cole. She saw Cole nudge Pete and nod at the carriage. Pete swung around. The look on his face when he saw them made her feel sick. Elaina read the hurt in his eyes, and it caused her to hurt, too. Why that should happen, she didn’t know. She’d have to think about it later, as she really wanted to enjoy this once in a lifetime ride.

  “See the house on the left?” Brock pointed.

  She nodded, having seen the palatial home, surrounded by gardens and a large stable.

  “Is that your home?”

  “It was, but I have my own place, now‒you’ll see it in a minute,” he said. “There, to the left again, that’s my place,” he said proudly.

  The house was beautiful and almost as prestigious as his father’s. “Do you have servants?” she asked.

  “Oh, yes, plenty of them. I have about twenty people on my staff.”

  Now, here’s a man she could easily be happy with. He was rich, fairly good looking, and she’d never have to nudge chickens, churn butter, or cook.

  It took almost an hour to reach the restaurant, which was in a hotel dining room with glass chandeliers and real silver. She felt a bit underdressed, though, since the other women were decked out with diamonds and furs, but Brock didn’t seem to care. He’d been giving her romantic looks all evening.

  “How’s your steak, Elaina?”

  “It melts in my mouth. I’ve never eaten anything like it.”

  He winked again. “Stick with me and you’ll soon get used to this life.”

  Elaina knew that she easily could.

  After they’d eaten their steaks, Brock ordered dessert. It was called mousse, and it tasted like a rich pudding; it was delicious.

  Brock then placed a rather large sum of money on the table, and he escorted her back to the fancy buggy. It had grown dark, so his driver had lighted the lamps attached to the sides of the buggy.

  Brock whispered something to the driver, and they were on their way
back home. The driver made a sharp turn, and before them was a beautiful view of the Smoky Hill River. The town, like Hunter’s Grove, had a river front area on the same river.

  “Would you like to get out and walk a bit before we head home?” he asked.

  “I’d love to.” She smiled at him. This was the way to live.

  They walked close to the water and the moonlight cast ripples of light on the river, giving it a romantic look. Brock must have thought so, too, because he grabbed hold of her hand and held it as they walked.

  “Do you plan to stay in Hunter’s Grove, or return to Ohio?” he asked.

  “I miss my family, but I like Hunter’s Grove’s quaintness, too. I haven’t made up my mind.”

  He stopped and turned her to face him. “I’d like it if you decided to stay.” He pulled her close and bent down to kiss her. She allowed him to kiss her, because she really needed something to compare Pete’s kisses to. She even returned his kiss, slightly, which caused Brock to pull her closer. Elaina thought Brock deserved a kiss after the charming ride and dinner they'd had, but the kiss didn’t move her at all. Here she was, kissing a rich man with servants and a mansion, yet she felt nothing from it. What in Sam Hill was wrong with her?

  “That was enchanting,” Brock said.

  Elaina simply smiled.

  They walked back to the carriage, and Brock asked, “So, tell me about your marriage to Pete.”

  Elaina hesitated. Even though they were separated, she felt the need to keep their relationship private. What went on between her and Pete was no one else’s business.

  “I identified my sister’s fiancé as the man I saw robbing the bank in Cuyahoga Falls. His father threatened me, and I had nowhere to hide. My best friend was writing to Pete, and he’d sent her a ticket to Hunter’s Grove. She gave it to me so I could get away. So I took it and married Pete right off the train. We kept separate bedrooms and tried to get to know one another, but it just didn’t work out. That’s it.”

  “I wondered, only because I felt a bit of anger from Pete when he saw you with me at the general store,” he said. “It was a bit awkward.”

  “I have no idea why he’d be angry.”

  “Shall we do this again soon?” he said, helping her into his buggy.

  She wasn’t sure what to say. His kiss did nothing for her, and his touch didn’t faze her either. Oh, why couldn’t he be Pete? She imagined Pete in this buggy and living in that house. What a difference it would make.

  She mumbled, “Perhaps.”

  Edna had already turned in by the time she'd returned home, so Elaina locked the house up, turned the lights out, and went to bed herself. As she lay in bed, she relived the whole evening. She had to admit it was delightful. The ride, the carriage, and the dinner were so wonderful, yet, she couldn’t scrape up feelings for Brock enough to make a relationship with him work.

  Why couldn’t he have been Peter Mullins?

  Then she recalled the look on Pete’s face, when he’d seen her riding with Brock. If she'd thought he didn’t care for her, that expression was enough to change her mind. The hurt in his eyes was indescribable. She’d never set out to hurt him, because he was a kind and caring man. He really did try.

  She remembered him taking a few days off from his job to work right alongside her to help her learn the household duties. She just wasn’t cut out for the kind of work he expected from her, but if she could be anywhere at that very moment, she’d pick to be in Pete’s arms.

  That night she dreamt about Pete. The dream was a bit mixed-up, as dreams usually are, but she was trying to make biscuits. Brock was setting the table, but when they sat down to eat, it was Brock who grimaced at the biscuits, but it was Pete who then held her in his arms and kissed her. She awoke with a sigh. Try as she might to get back to the dream so she could experience the kiss again, she couldn’t find it again. Instead, she dreamt about polishing silver, the way she and Edna had done earlier in the day.

  Pete should have been worried about the bank robbers who might already be in Hunter’s Grove, lying in wait to pounce on the bank in the morning, but he worried about his loss of Elaina, instead.

  Of course, she’d be attracted to Brock; he had everything. She’d be happy with him. If he really cared about her, shouldn’t he be happy she’d found herself a decent fellow? She’d never have to cook if she married Brock, and she’d live like a queen. Yet deep inside, he wanted her still, although he knew he could never provide for her like she deserved. He made up his mind that no matter how much he loved her, he’d be happy for her. She deserved Brock, she really did.

  Cole confessed to him that he’d talked to Elaina and persuaded her to wait until she returned to Ohio to file for the annulment, and Pete wished he hadn’t now. She needed to be free to marry Brock. He’d go to the town hall and start the proceedings himself. He convinced himself that if he really loved Elaina, he’d want her to be happy, the way he could never make her.

  First thing in the morning, Pete opened his office and waited there for Brock and Garrett to arrive‒it was fifteen minutes until nine. He paced and prayed that no one would be seriously hurt that day. He stood and browsed the posters. The one about the Lowery gang bothered him.

  Why the new gang member?

  Why did his name have to be Rupert? It wasn’t a common name. What a coincidence that Elaina’s bank robber had the exact same name. He scowled.

  Elaina was safely ensconced at Edna Smith’s, so he told himself it made no difference. Whoever he was, he’d be run out of town soon.

  Just then, Garrett and Brock walked in. Pete made a special effort to show Brock every sign of friendship. He greeted them both with a slap on the back and then gave them directions.

  “I’m hoping we can get through today without a single injury,” he told them as they left for their stations.

  Then Cole came in. "Reporting for duty," he said. "Where are the others?"

  “I told them to meet us in the back. Let’s go and see if they showed up.”

  Cole and Pete walked to the back of the constable’s office. There stood fifteen men from neighboring ranches and farms, all armed and eager.

  Up on the large hill overlooking Hunter’s Grove, Jeb Lowery stood watching the town. He studied the layout and noticed the two men leaning against a hitching post in conversation near the bank. He glanced over at the constable’s office and noticed a crowd of armed men behind the building.

  Jeb turned and said to his men, “There’s no way we’re going to rob this bank. They’ve been warned. Let’s just split our money now and retire while we’re all still alive to enjoy the money."

  “I’m fer that,” Sam said.

  Abe agreed by nodding, since his mouth was full of chewing tobacco.

  Robbie cocked his head. “We could hide out here and rob it tomorrow or the next day, when they aren’t expecting it.”

  “You know what, Robbie? Do you remember the story of the dog and the bone?” Jeb asked.

  “I dunno,” Robbie said.

  “A dog had a good-sized bone, but he crossed a bridge and saw a bigger bone in his reflection in the water, so he dropped his bone, dove into the water for the bigger bone, and drowned,” he said. “I say we quit while we’re ahead.”

  “Did the dog get the bone before he drowned?” Robbie asked, scratching his head.

  Jeb rolled his eyes. “I’m leaving and going back to Indiana.”

  Rupert stepped up. “What about your promise to me? If I helped you pull off the last two robberies, you promised to help me kill the female in Hunter’s Grove. I don’t want her just dead‒I want her tortured, first.”

  Jeb scratched his head and swore. “They have a blasted arsenal down there waiting for us. I’m no fool.”

  “Hey, Rupert,” Robbie said. “Didn't you say I’d get first chance with that dame?”

  “I did.”

  “I’ll stay and help, then,” he said to Rupert. To Jeb, he said, “Let’s split the money.”


  Chapter 11

  “Now wait a doggone minute! Jeb, you promised me. We had a deal,” Rupert said.

  “Take a look down there for yourself,” Jeb snapped. “Only a fool would try to rob that bank.”

  “I’m not worried about robbing the bank. I want Elaina Andrews, or whatever her name is now,” Rupert said. He took the wrinkled letter from his pocket. “Elaina Mullins. Since you’re my cousin, Jeb, those sons of mine are your kin, too.”

  “It’s a trap, Rupert!” Jeb exclaimed. “What would you have me do?”

  “I’ll tell you what,” Rupert said, “I’ll help you rob that bank and I’ll not take a cent from it. All I want is help to get the woman.”

  “Okay,” Jeb said. “What if I help you get the woman and forget robbing the bank? How much money could be in that little bank anyway?”

  “You got a plan, Rupert?” Robbie asked.

  “I was thinking that since they’re expecting a bunch of bank robbers, we trot into town nice and easy like and pretend to be travelers on our way to Abilene. We can stay at the hotel in town and nose around. When we find where the dame is, we’ll find a way to get her by holding someone ransom, or something,” Rupert said.

  “While I’m keeping the lawmen busy, you four can rob the bank and I don’t take a cut,” Rupert said. “What d’ya say?”

  “I say you guys go down there like you said, Rupert. Get a bite to eat and talk it over some more,” Jeb said. “But if all five of us go down there, that spells Lowery gang. Since my picture is probably on a wanted poster, it’ll kill your plan, cousin,” he said to Rupert. “You take the rest of the men and get her good for me.”

  “Where will you be then?” Robbie asked.

  “I’m going back to Indiana, and I’ll meet up with Rupert later.”

  “Is everyone in agreement?” Jeb asked.

  They all nodded, except for Abe.

  “I’m gettin’ too dang old for this. I’m going with Jeb. Rupert’s plan will work better with just the three of you,” Abe said.