Mail Order Calamity (Kansas Brides Series #4)

by Barbara Goss

  “Ingenious!” Pete exclaimed. “Like bacon? I love that idea. Even the smell would draw someone there. I’ll put it on low enough that it'll sizzle without burning.

  “I think we got us a solid plan.”

  Elaina slipped out of bed at dawn, dressed, made her bed, and fixed her hair. She pulled a gray cape from the closet and put it on. She tiptoed to the door of the bedroom and carefully and quietly opened it.

  Darn that squeaky hinge! She crept silently to the closet and removed the derringer from the shelf. She knew it was loaded because when Edna had told her where it was she'd said it was kept loaded at all times. She told her to use it should anyone break in. Elaina slipped it into the pocket of her cape.

  She tiptoed to the front door and stepped outside. She flipped the hood of her cape up and stood on the porch wondering where she’d get a horse‒it that was one part of the plan she hadn’t thought of. As she walked toward the livery she was glad the street was quiet. However, there were no horses tied to posts along the street that she could borrow. She’d have to go to the livery and hope she could lie to Cole and Garrett successfully, and rent a horse. She’d tell them she was going to visit a friend, or something. Actually, she shouldn’t have to tell them anything other than that she had to rent the horse for a few hours.

  She walked by the hotel, and pulled her hood down further and walked faster, since she knew her antagonist was inside.

  The sun was up, and she was amazed at the transformation of the town, as it looked like a totally different place. There were no people swarming around, no shoppers loading wagons, and no music coming from the saloons; everything was quiet. She slinked to the livery and peeked inside. She saw one man, whom she didn’t recognize, brushing a horse. She walked inside.

  “Good morning, ma’am,” the older man greeted. “What can I do for you?”

  “I need to rent a horse for a few hours.”

  “You got a preference as to what kind of horse?”

  “Nothing too wild. A gentle mare, maybe, or a gelding.”

  “I got a nice woman’s saddle for ya, too. It’s brand new and just came in the other day. Real classy-like.”

  Elaina nodded and looked around. Cole and Garrett must not be in yet today.

  When the man brought the horse out, he saddled it and led it outside for her. She mounted the horse and looked around. People were now starting to move about the town. The blacksmith was starting up his hearth, the light went on in the bakery, and she could hear the saw in the mill on the next street starting up for the day.

  She nudged her horse and headed out to Pete’s place.

  Chapter 13

  At precisely seven in the morning, Cole and Garrett rode into Pete’s yard and hid their horses in the barn. When they walked into the house, Pete had coffee perking, and he’d made eggs and ham, saving the few pieces of bacon for the guests they expected. They sat around the table eating and laughing about one thing or another when Pete suddenly stiffened.

  “Shh! I heard a horse!” Pete stood. All three of them carried the dishes they’d used to the sink, and took their places.

  Garrett ran to the top of the stairs, Cole and Pete stayed in the kitchen. Pete put the bacon in a pan, put it on the hot burner to get the sizzle going, and then he’d move it off so it would simmer—if he had that much time. They stood there waiting silently, their hands poised on their guns inside their holsters.

  They heard the front door open and close. The bacon started to sizzle, so Pete moved it slightly off the burner.

  “They didn’t even knock!” Cole whispered.

  They strained to hear, but there was no sound. Suddenly, a shadow showed in the doorway. Both men pulled out their guns, cocked them, and crouched in a firing stance.

  Garrett started down the stairs. That was when the person entered the kitchen and screamed at the men with their guns pointed at her.

  “Elaina!” Cole and Pete yelled at once.

  “What in tarnation are you doing here?” Pete yelled.

  She stood there looking confused for a moment, then removed her hood and simply stared at them.

  “I need to talk to you, Pete,” she said calmly.

  “Now?” he asked loudly. “Do you have any idea what you’ve walked into?”

  She looked around. “No.”

  “Okay, we’re changing places…for now!” Pete yelled. “Garrett, you take my place. I’m taking Elaina upstairs, where I hope to God she’ll be safe.” He took her arm and started pulling her up the stairs. “Same game, different places, should they come,” he yelled to Cole and Garrett.

  He pulled her into his bedroom, mainly because it was facing the front of the house and he could look out the window while he listened to why in the world Elaina would come to see him.

  He sat on the bed facing the window, and patted a place beside him. She sat down where he'd indicated.

  “I’m sorry I came at a bad time. I know who you’re waiting for, but I didn’t plan on you, Cole, and Garrett being here yet.”

  “You came here knowing that Rupert was going to show up?” he asked.

  “This is all my fault. I won’t have you dying because of me,” she said. She took the derringer from her pocket. “But I didn’t come unprepared.”

  Pete looked at the tiny pistol. “You thought that little thing would protect you against three burly bank robbers?”

  She looked at the gun and nodded.

  “You shouldn’t be here! We’re doing all this to protect you, and you show up and put yourself in danger? Why would you do that?” Pete asked.

  “Because…” she said softly, touching his cheek lightly, “I love you.”

  “Elaina, please don’t joke about this,” he warned sternly.

  “I’ve loved you ever since that Saturday night when you comforted me and kissed me. I just couldn’t contend with the housework and cooking. I don’t like this house, either. I just wanted out, but while I dislike all those things, I never said I didn’t love you.”

  “Oh, Elaina! Come here.” He held her tightly and said, “I love you so much,” into her ear.

  He found her lips and they fell back onto the bed, kissing each other with deep emotion. Pete slowly broke the kiss but held the embrace.

  “This is such bad timing, my love,” he said, trying to control his breathing. “Those ruffians will be here sometime this morning, and I wanted you safe at Edna’s.” He kissed her forehead.

  “Do you want me to leave and go back to Edna’s?”

  “No!” he exclaimed. “You might pass them on your way back. You’ll have to stay here, but I’m going to hide you. Will you promise to follow my instructions, no matter what happens?”

  Elaina studied his face. “You’re scaring me. I don’t want you to get hurt, Pete, I couldn’t bear it. Why can’t you tell them we’ve split up and I’m no longer here so they'll go away?”

  “And you’ll live in fear for years to come, Elaina. No, we’re going to do this. Do you promise?”

  Elaina nodded, and sighed. “I promise.”

  “If you don’t follow my directions exactly, I could get shot. So think carefully about breaking that promise. I’ll do what I have to. If you get in the way, I’ll get shot for sure, because there's no way I’ll let them touch you. They’ll have to shoot and kill me to get to you, I swear that.”

  Elaina threw her arms around his neck. “Hold me, Pete.”

  He squeezed her tightly. “If all goes well, you’re staying the night and we’re going to consummate this marriage. Are you all right with that?” He kissed her neck..

  “I’d do it right now if that were possible," she said, smiling up at him. “So, yes, I’m fine with that.”

  He stood and walked to his closet. He pulled on a small knob on the ceiling, and a set of stairs swung down.

  “I want you to go up into the attic and stay there. You might hear shots, and all sorts of noise, but you're not to come out until Cole, Garrett, or I come for you. Do you un
derstand?”

  She nodded, tears running down her face.

  He wiped them and kissed her fiercely, one last time. He put all the love he had into that kiss, and she did the same. Just like she had on that Saturday night, she clung to him, reluctant to let him go.

  He pulled away. “I have to go, love. There might be mice or bats up there…but if there is, try not to scream or make any noise. Here,” he raced to the bed and pulled off the quilt. “Put this over your head and stay quiet and still. My life depends on it, and the same goes for Cole and Garrett.”

  Elaina grabbed the quilt and climbed the steps. Pete closed the hatch, and then returned to the kitchen.

  Cole asked, “Where’s Elaina?”

  “I’ve hidden her in the attic accessible only from my closet. I’ve instructed her to stay there until one of us comes for her.”

  He sent Garrett back to the top of the stairs. “Same plan,” Pete said.

  Elaina had never been a praying person, but lately she’d been attending church and Edna had been sharing her faith with her. Elaina had even met with Reverend Flannery and started praying regularly. Crouched beneath the quilt, she prayed harder than ever before. She didn’t hear any critters up there, but she sat still, just in case.

  She had time to think while she huddled on the floor. She thought about her first prayers at Edna’s when she’d asked God to help her sort out her feelings and help her find what she’d been looking for. She felt that God had indeed answered her prayers because here she was, back with Pete, both of them in love, and planning to consummate their marriage that night. She prayed with all her might that Pete wouldn’t die or be injured, or she'd never forgive herself.

  She began to wish she hadn't witnessed that bank robbery in Ohio, but then she realized it had been meant to be. If it hadn’t happened, she’d never have left Ohio and met Pete. Edna told her that God worked in mysterious ways, and she knew now how true that was.

  Then she heard a loud noise and she jumped. Had it been a gunshot? No, she thought perhaps it was just a door slamming, or someone knocking loudly on the door. Maybe the outlaws had finally arrived.

  She started to pray again.

  Once again, Cole and Pete cocked their guns. They heard footsteps coming closer. Pete prayed one of them wouldn’t go upstairs, and then all three of them burst into the kitchen. Since they expected to find a woman frying bacon, the intruders were momentarily shocked to find two men with guns pointed at them, which worked to Pete and Cole’s advantage.

  “Throw your guns on the floor,” Pete yelled. “Now!”

  The three men didn’t move. One of the men was older than the other two. Pete pegged him as Rupert, the leader of the party.

  “The constable said drop the guns,” Cole repeated.

  “Wait, you have two guns and we have three. Let’s see who kills quicker, you two, or us,” Rupert said, as he moved his hand slowly toward his holstered gun.

  “I wouldn’t do that, if I were you,” Garrett called out from behind them.

  Garrett shoved the muzzle of his gun into Rupert’s back.

  The three men undid their gun belts and threw them down onto the floor. Cole put his gun into his holster and bent to pick them up, while Pete searched them for more weapons.

  Pete brought out a length of rope and handed it to Garrett and Cole. “Tie them up. I get Rupert,” he said. He grabbed Rupert and punched him square in the eye.

  “What’s that for?” Rupert yelled. “I did what you asked.”

  “That’s for threatening to kill my wife, and for robbing her family’s home,” Pete said. “Where’s Jeb Lowery?”

  “He ain’t got a thing to do with this,” Rupert said as Pete tied his hands behind his back.

  “I’d like to know, anyway,” Pete answered.

  “He went home.”

  “That so? I’ll have the judge go easier on you if you tell us where to find him.”

  Pete turned to Garrett and Cole. “I’ll bring out the wagon, and we’ll take this scum to jail.”

  When Pete returned, they pushed the men into the back of the wagon. “I’ll be right back. I have to get Elaina.”

  Pete took the stairs three at a time, rushed into the bedroom closet, and pulled down the stairs.

  “Elaina, it’s okay. Come on down, sweetheart.”

  Elaina came down the stairs dragging the quilt. She flew into Pete’s open arms.

  Pete hugged her to him like he never had before, and she clung to him. Finally, he pushed her gently away.

  “I have to take some trash to jail. Wait here for me?” he asked.

  “Do I need to say hurry back?” she asked. “Can you tell Edna where I am?”

  He nodded. “I’ll tell Edna. Don’t worry. Just be ready for me,” he whispered in her ear as he hugged her.

  He kissed her lips hurriedly, but emotionally, and then flew back down the stairs and out to the wagon.

  Chapter 14

  After Pete had the three men locked up, and had wired the Federal Marshal, and filled out the a report of the incident, that the marshal would need, he collapsed into his chair.

  “Thank you for helping,” he said to Garrett and Cole.

  “It was actually kind of fun,” Cole said.

  The two lounged around talking, but Pete became anxious to get home and consummate his marriage. Just thinking about Elaina waiting, excited him. Yet, he couldn’t tell his friends to leave.

  “So, are things back to normal with you and Elaina?” Cole asked.

  “It will be,” Pete said, “once I get home.”

  “Aha!” Garrett said. “No wonder you’re so fidgety. You want us to leave, don’t you?”

  “If I were in your boots, I’d just leave us sitting here wondering where you went to,” Cole said.

  Both men moved toward the door, smiles on their faces.

  “I’m happy to hear you two are back on track,” Cole said.

  “Me, as well,” Garrett said. “Go home, Pete!”

  “Garrett, I need one more favor: would you stop by Mrs. Smith’s and tell her about today and where Elaina is?”

  “You bet. Now, go home!” Garret said.

  “I have to wait for my deputy to relieve me. He should be here any minute,” Pete said.

  “I’ll stay,” Cole said. “You go home and make yourself a family.”

  As Pete rode home, he thought about how he could make things better for Elaina. He knew that once they'd consummated their marriage she’d stay, but for how long? And even if she stayed, she'd never be happy. Tonight was just a bandage on a wound, and that wound had to be healed to fix the situation.

  He could hire a maid‒he’d already looked into the matter, and he could afford it‒but, what about his old farmhouse? Did he have enough money to make it a home Elaina would love?

  He galloped as fast as he’d ever ridden home, anxious to make love to his wife. He’d think about fixes to their problems later.

  Elaina had no clothes at Pete’s anymore, so she visited the outhouse, washed from head to toe, and slipped into one of Pete’s shirts. It fell all the way past her knees, and the sleeves reached nearly as far, but she rolled them up. Pete’s flannel shirt felt no different to her than a soft nightgown. She crawled into his bed and awaited his return. The only problem was trying to stay awake. Having gotten up so early and having had such a traumatic day, she couldn’t keep her eyes open once her head hit the pillow.

  Pete put his horse in the barn, promising to groom him later, and rushed into the house. It was now dark, but Elaina had left a lamp on a table near the stairway. He grabbed it and proceeded upstairs to his waiting wife.

  As he carried the lamp into the room he noted that the room was dark and she was lying in bed.

  Elaina?” he said a bit louder. He leaned over her, holding the lamp so he could see her. She was sound asleep.

  Pete tried not to feel disappointed‒it had been a hard day for them both. Stress often had that effect on people, and th
ey’d both started their day with the roosters. Yet he did feel some frustration. He'd wanted to consummate the marriage that night. He'd wanted to make the marriage binding. He'd also wanted to make her his in every way.

  He went back downstairs, visited the outhouse, came back up to the bedroom, and carefully slipped into bed. He was laying with his arms behind his head, thinking about perhaps making love to her in the morning, when he felt her move closer to him.

  He put his arm around her and pulled her closer than he'd ever dared before. She felt so good. Her hair smelled liked Jasmine, and she’d unpinned it so it fell down her back. He picked up a few strands, held them to his nose, kissed the hair, and let it go. His wife, he thought proudly. And in no time his hold on her loosened, since he was fast asleep.

  Pete didn’t know how long he’d been sleeping when he felt an arm go around his waist, and a sweet-smelling head rest on his chest. It startled him at first, since he’d always slept alone, but then he remembered: it was Elaina. He stroked her back and couldn’t resist hugging her to him, as close as only a husband could press his wife.

  He heard her soft breathing stop and looked down at her. There was enough moonlight in the room to see her looking back up at him.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  “Don’t be. We both had a tiring day. We have the rest of our lives to make love.”

  “I don’t want to wait any longer, Pete.”

  “You don’t? Well, I don’t either.”

  He found her lips, kissed her, and they made love with wild passion, as if it were their last act on earth.

  Afterward, he held her and kissed her forehead. “I love you so much, Elaina. Please don’t ever leave me again.”

  “I won’t,” she said, letting the last word hang like it wasn’t the end of the statement. “But we do have to make some adjustments.”

  “And I will, I promise. I will never, ever make that mistake again. You’re a wife first, a mother second (I hope), and the rest is unimportant. I want you to be my life’s companion and my lover.”