The Perfect Wife

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  Misled Mail Order Brides Series: Book 3

  The Perfect

  Wife

  Ruth Ann Nordin

  This is a work of fiction. The events and characters described herein are imaginary and are not intended to refer to specific places or living persons. The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and also represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher.

  The Perfect Wife

  All Rights Reserved.

  Copyright 2018 Ruth Ann Nordin

  Cover Photo images Dreamstime. www.dreamstime.com. All rights reserved – used with permission.

  Cover Photo images Period Images. http://www.periodimages.com. All rights reserved – used with permission.

  This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without expressed written consent of the publisher/author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Wedded Bliss Romances, LLC

  http://www.ruthannnordin.com

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  Next Book in this Series

  Already Available in this Series

  Books Featuring the Larsons

  All Books by Ruth Ann Nordin

  Find Ruth

  Chapter One

  The Day of Natalie and Mark’s Wedding

  August 1887

  Omaha, Nebraska

  Natalie Harper could barely contain her excitement as she dressed for her wedding day. At ten, she would stand before the preacher and exchange vows with Mark Larson, the most wonderful man in the world. Even though she hadn’t seen Mark since yesterday afternoon, the memory of his kiss still made her lips tingle.

  She checked her reflection in the mirror one last time. Her simple white dress that she’d inherited from her mother was a perfect fit. And her long blonde hair hung in waves down her back. She couldn’t think of anything else she could do to make herself more presentable.

  Soon, she’d be standing next to Mark and pledging to share the rest of her life with him. She had hoped to marry for love when she came to Omaha. Yes, the man she had expected to marry had turned out to be a horrible person, but then she was introduced to Mark and his twin brother, Tony. After sharing a few dinners with the two men, she fell in love with Mark, and, thankfully, he had fallen in love with her.

  Velma, no doubt, wasn’t going to be all that pleased to marry Tony, but the two had agreed to abide by Mark’s decision. Yesterday, Mark had come out to propose to Natalie. He had made his choice. Natalie would have smoothed things over with Velma if she was still sharing a room with her in Owen and Jenny Russell’s house. But Velma was staying at Mark and Tony’s parents’ residence instead. There was no time to pay Velma a visit. She would just have to talk to Velma this morning before the ceremony.

  She went to the dresser where she had laid out her grandmother’s shawl. She placed the Bible she had received when she was a little girl on it and then placed the lilac Jenny had given her that morning on top of it. Then she wrapped the Bible and flower up with the shawl. After everything was secure, she picked it up and gently set it in her arms so she wouldn’t crush the flower.

  “Are you ready?”

  Not realizing someone else was in the room, she turned to the door and saw Jenny, poking her head through the doorway.

  “I finally got Jeremy and Carl into the wagon,” Jenny said. “They’re old enough to be good, but they’re sure they’ll get bored during the ceremony. Emma is the only one who’s excited about it.”

  Natalie chuckled. “I think it’s because she’s a girl. Weddings are romantic.”

  “They are.” Jenny smiled at her. “I promise the boys will behave. They won’t get dessert otherwise. In the meantime, Owen has your trunk in the back. He said he’ll put it in Mark’s carriage once we get to the church.

  “Thank you for everything,” Natalie replied as she went over to her. “You and Owen have been very nice to let Velma and me stay here while we waited to get married.”

  “We enjoyed having you both here.” Jenny hugged her. “Mark and Tony are good men. You and Velma will be very happy with them.”

  Natalie returned her hug then left the room.

  When they arrived at the church, Preacher Ben Martin hurried over to the wagon. “Since this is a double wedding, we’re having Richard Larson bring Velma in from one side of the church.” He focused on Owen. “Do you intend to escort Natalie down the aisle?”

  Owen nodded. “That’s fine with me.” He glanced at Natalie, as if asking her if she wanted him to do it.

  “Yes,” she told the preacher as she secured the shawl, Bible, and lilac in one arm. “Owen can be the one to lead me down the aisle to Mark.”

  “Very well.” The preacher helped Natalie down from the wagon. “I’ll lead you and Owen to the side of the church. Richard and Velma will be on the other side. That way, you two won’t bump into each other on your way in.”

  Though Ben chuckled, Natalie sensed a hesitation in his voice. Before she could give it any thought, Jenny touched her shoulder. She turned to face her.

  “I’ll go into the church with Jeremy, Carl, and Emma,” Jenny said, motioning to her children. Then she smiled. “Next time we talk, you’ll be Mrs. Mark Larson.”

  Natalie’s face flushed with pleasure. She liked the sound of that. Up to now, the whole thing seemed like a dream. But it suddenly dawned on her that this was really happening. She was actually going to get married today. Sure, she came to Omaha expecting to get married, but she thought she was going to marry Mr. Dodson. She hadn’t even known Mark existed at the time. So much had changed in the short time she’d been here. Instead of marrying a stranger, she was marrying a man she had fallen in love with, and better yet, he had fallen in love with her.

  “We’ll go over to this side of the church,” the preacher told Owen and Natalie.

  Taking Owen’s arm, Natalie let him lead her to the church. She briefly caught sight of Velma and noted how beautiful Velma looked. Tony would be pleased. But then, Tony was in love with her. He would have been pleased even if she’d worn rags.

  Velma might think she needed fancy gowns and money in order to be happy. Having grown up with very little, Natalie knew such wasn’t the case. Her parents had loved each other, and they had passed on that love to her and her younger sisters and brothers. People didn’t need wealth to be happy. They just needed to be with someone who loved them and could accept them as they were.

  Once they reached the side of the church, the preacher said, “Everyone else is already here. We’ll get started in five minutes. Do you have a pocket watch?”

  “I think so.” Owen patted the pockets of his suit and pulled it out. “Yep. It’s right here.”

  “Good. I’ll tell Richard and Velma we’ll get started in five minutes.” The preacher hurried off to the other side of the small building.

  Owen chuckled. “I’ve never seen a preacher so eager to get someone married.”

  Natalie laughed. “Maybe it’s because it’s a double wedding. There’s twi
ce the joy in such an event, don’t you think?”

  “Yes, I suppose there is. Of course, Ben and Mark have been friends since they were children. I think they were six when they met. Mark stopped another boy from trying to steal Ben’s lunch.”

  “He did?” That was a lovely thing for Mark to do.

  Owen smiled at her. “You can’t go wrong with a Larson. They will do anything they can to help others out.”

  “I’m glad it never worked out with Mr. Dodson. I can’t believe he was going to auction me, Velma, and Angela off just so he could get money. I’m glad Sep told you what was happening so you could free us. Now, saying all of that, I would go through that experience all over again if it means I could be marrying Mark today.” She hugged him then let go of him. “I have so much to be thankful for. You and Jenny have been so kind to take me and Velma in.”

  “We’re just glad things turned out alright,” he replied. “Mr. Dodson and those men could have done worse. There are some things I’ve seen in my years of law enforcement that I hope I never see again.”

  She was tempted to ask him what could have been worse than what she’d gone through, but it was time to go into the church.

  When they got inside, Richard and Velma were already waiting to be summoned to the front. At the moment, a middle-aged man was playing the violin, and Mark and Tony were standing on either side of the preacher. Natalie tried to figure out which twin was Mark and which was Tony, but she couldn’t. The two were dressed in the same suit. Not only that, but their hair was combed in the same manner, and Tony had shaved his stubble.

  She glanced at Owen. Would he know which man to take her to?

  Catching a movement out of the corner of her eye, she turned her attention to Velma. Velma offered her a smile. That was a promising sign. Velma was willing to marry Tony after all. Relieved that things were going to be alright between them, Natalie returned her smile.

  The violinist began a different song, and the preacher waved them forward. Richard led Velma down the aisle. Owen and Natalie followed a few steps behind. Once they were at the altar, the preacher instructed Velma to go to the twin on the right, so Natalie went to the twin on the left.

  To make sure she had the right twin, Natalie whispered, “Mark?”

  He nodded, took her hand in his, and squeezed it. Well, that was good. It’d be embarrassing to end up with the wrong twin.

  The preacher began the ceremony, and at first, Natalie thought he was speaking a different language because she couldn’t understand anything he was saying. She’d only heard one person who could speak that fast, and that was her great uncle when he was overseeing an auction.

  She focused on him in hopes to filtering out the parts of the ceremony that related directly to her. She knew she had to say “I do” at some point. But for the life of her, she couldn’t make out when that was supposed to be until he looked at her expectantly.

  Startled, she stumbled for a moment then finally managed to say, “I do.”

  Mark followed suit, and then the preacher was back to his whirlwind spiel. She ended up giving up on trying to decode his words. She had no idea why he was doing this. Surely, he didn’t speak at such a speed during his sermons. If he did, no one would attend this church. No one wanted to work this hard to figure out what the preacher was saying.

  Finally, the preacher announced that each couple was married and told the couples to kiss. Mark lowered his head to hers and gave her a kiss that was just as fast as the ceremony.

  Then, right after the preacher brushed past them, Mark took her hand and hurried with her down the aisle and out of the church.

  This wasn’t anything like she had imagined her wedding would be. She had dreamt of this moment her entire life. She had pictured a wonderful ceremony where the preacher spoke about the virtues of marriage while the groom snuck sweet glances her way to let her know how excited he was to be marrying her. She, in turn, would blush and offer a shy smile in return.

  Once the ceremony was done, they were to stay and talk with family and friends. People would congratulate them. The women would offer her advice as she began her new life as a wife, and the men would tell Mark what to expect as a husband. Then, when everyone had spent enough time together, Mark was to lead her to her carriage where everyone would wave and wish them many happy years together.

  But none of that happened. Instead, Mark whisked her out of the church and led her to his carriage, which was waiting for them at the entrance.

  Mark urged her into the carriage, and she barely had time to sit before he was shutting the door. Before she could ask him what was going on, the carriage moved forward and she fell against Mark.

  Mark chuckled and brought his arm around her shoulders. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep you steady.”

  “What’s going on?” she asked. “Why are we in such a hurry?”

  “I have to take care of some business before the hour is up. I told the client I was getting married, but he has to leave Omaha shortly, so I promised to meet with him. You don’t mind, do you?” He shot her a heart-melting smile that put all of her questions to rest.

  “No, I don’t mind.” She shifted so that she was more comfortable. “I’m surprised, that’s all.”

  “I would have told you before we married, but you know it’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding.”

  “Is it? I never heard that.”

  “Oh, yes. It’s true. Ben says it’s important that the groom and bride wait until the actual ceremony before seeing each other.”

  She’d take his word for it. She opened the shawl to make sure the lilac was still alright. Fortunately, all of the commotion hadn’t damaged it.

  He gave her a kiss. “You’re a wonderful wife. I’m excited that we’ll get to spend the rest of our lives together.”

  “I’m excited, too.” She showed him the items on her lap. “I have my grandmother’s shawl, my childhood Bible, and the lilac your aunt Jenny gave me to remind myself of this day. I plan to tuck the lilac at the very beginning of the book of Ruth. Did you know that book is a romance?”

  “No, I didn’t.”

  “It is, and since you and I have a beautiful romance, it’ll always remind me of this day. Then when I tell our children about how we met and got married, I can show these things to them.”

  “I had no idea you were sentimental.”

  “I like to remember good things when they happen. Today is one of the best days of my life. I want to make the most of it.”

  “Well, I’m glad you ended up with me instead of someone else. From the moment we met, I knew I wanted to marry you.”

  He did? “How is that possible when you didn’t know anything about me?”

  He shrugged. “I just had a sense about it. I’ve always let my instinct guide me. It’s never led me in the wrong direction. In fact, if I don’t pay attention to it, then I run into trouble. It’s served me well in business and in my personal life over the years. It’s certainly served me well in picking a wife.”

  “At least you got to know me, so you knew what you were getting into when you proposed.”

  With a chuckle, he gave her another kiss. “I’m glad this day is one of your favorites. It’s mine, too.”

  He brought his mouth back to hers, and he didn’t stop kissing her until they arrived at her new home.

  Chapter Two

  “Don’t you need to see the client?” Natalie asked as Mark led her into his bedroom.

  He closed the door. At the moment, the butler was taking her trunk to her bedroom, which was adjacent to his. Which made his bedroom the one to go to so he could finally be alone with her.

  “I can get to the client later,” he said as he brought her into his arms and kissed her.

  She gently pushed him away and laughed. “But you said you had to see him before the hour was up.”

  Did he? He knew he had made up some excuse about needing to rush out of the church to deal with a client, but he couldn’t
remember the details at the moment. Right now, all he could focus on was Natalie.

  She set the shawl, Bible, and lilac on his dresser. “I don’t mind waiting. I should probably change into another dress anyway. This was my mother’s wedding gown. I want to make sure I tuck it away in my trunk so that our daughter can wear it for her wedding someday. This dress brought my mother a lot of luck, and I have no doubt it’ll do the same for me and for our daughter.”

  “You know, now that I think of it,” Mark began as he approached her, “the client said he wanted to meet me before noon. He didn’t say it had to be within this particular hour. I got a little confused.” He took her hand in his and kissed it. “You can’t blame me for that, can you? I love you. I’m the luckiest man in the whole world because you’re my wife. In my excitement, I forgot when I’m supposed to meet him.”

  She blushed, and he took that as his cue to kiss her.

  He was hoping she would let the matter go, and fortunately, she did. She wrapped her arms around his neck and allowed him to deepen the kiss. He’d kissed a couple of young women in the past, but he hadn’t loved any of them. He did, however, love Natalie. Kissing her was much better than kissing any of them. It only reaffirmed the fact that she belonged with him.

  If it hadn’t been for Velma’s reluctance to admit she was better off with his brother, he wouldn’t have had to make up an elaborate scheme to get her to marry Tony so that he could be with Natalie. While Tony had all the patience in the world, he didn’t. Velma would have continued waiting for months, if not years, to realize she was better off with Tony.

  He had no doubt that Velma was currently upset with him, which was why he had bolted out of the church with Natalie as fast as possible. But she’d calm down soon enough, and when she did, she’d be forced to give Tony a chance. The two shared an obvious connection. Mark had noticed the way Velma blushed whenever Tony was near her.