Barton sighed with relief when their introductions were made. Now they’d see how the community viewed them.
“Barton, how old were all of you when you left the orphanage?” Pastor asked.
“I was ten. The youngest of our group, Squires, and Peter were four. The rest are aged in between.”
Mrs. Reagan looked at her friends again, and then at Kiowa Jones.
“Your vote?”
Barton knew what she meant. Did the women and the benefactor agree to them being the men picked for this project?
One by one the women nodded in approval.
“Kiowa? You have the final voice since you’re financing this project. They do have letters of recommendations from the fort chaplain and an officer who worked with all of them,” Mrs. Reagan asked the man holding their future in his hands.
“I like that they have shown respect to all of us,” the man said. “If there had been any doubt, I would have objected.”
Barton watched as Kiowa studied each of them, looking for any signs of distrust or weakness.
“Kaitlyn, I believe you want these men to be your next set of adopted ‘boys.’ If you feel this is right, then I agree,” Kiowa replied.
Barton released his pent-up breath and glanced around the table. Each person in his group had a different expression on their face, from pensive to relieved, to ecstatic in Tobin’s case.
“All right. I’m sure Cate will agree to our plan too. Kiowa, would you please outline what is being offered and the work entailed?” Mrs. Reagan asked of their benefactor.
This moment could define their lives forever. Barton wondered again if he’d done the right thing by reading and sharing Mrs. Reagan’s letter. But would the six young women even agree to the Peashooter Society’s scheme?
Chapter 2
“Who are they?” Amelia Shepard asked the Brenner sisters as soon as she slipped inside the dress shop. Maggie, Molly, and Maisie were staring out the front plate window at the men she'd just bumped into across the street.
"I don't know,” Maggie, the oldest sister, answered. "Why would six young men depart the train, look around town, then walk west? Did they say anything to you?"
"The first man apologized when we ran into each other, and the second man walking beside him asked if I was all right," Amelia replied while patting her chest. Why was her heart racing after the encounter?
"The first three men look like they could be brothers," Maisie the youngest sister stated. "Did they look like that to you too, Amelia?"
"I was so surprised I didn't look close. But yes, the first two men had matching brown hair and eyes the color of chestnut brown shoe dye," Amelia answered.
"You didn't look close? But you could tell the exact color of the men's eyes?" Molly, the middle sister, snickered.
One could never tell about siblings. Maggie and Maisie with light brown hair and bright blue eyes were true sisters, but Molly, the middle one, with ash blonde hair and hazel eyes, was adopted from a different family when Sarah and Marcus Brenner took in eight children at the same time.
Did you get a look at the tall man with jet black hair?" Maggie asked. "I like the looks of him."
"No, I was staring at the man who ran into me. He caught my arms, so I didn't fall, and stared into my face a moment."
And Amelia really liked the man's masculine face and those chestnut brown eyes.
"Step back outside and see where they've gone," Maggie urged Amelia.
Amelia slipped back out the door, staying close to the buildings until she peeked past the side wall of the pharmacy. The men were on the parsonage porch talking to Kaitlyn Reagan. The short, red-haired fellow was speaking at the moment. She was too far away to hear what they were saying, but Kaitlyn's stance changed when Pastor came out the door, probably wondering who his wife was talking to.
Amelia stayed in place until the men went inside with Kaitlyn, and the Pastor started walking toward downtown. She quickly made her way back to the dress shop just as Avalee Paulson left Doctor Pansy's office three doors down. Amelia motioned for Avalee to hurry and join her in the dress shop.
Both of the women slid in and shut the door as Pastor Reagan stepped on the boardwalk.
"Did you see those six fellows leave the depot?" Avalee asked, as soon as she caught her breath. She passed a hand over her curly copper hair because tendrils had sprung free as she rushed down the boardwalk. She hadn't bothered putting on her hat or shawl.
"Yes, we've been watching them," Maggie confirmed. "Amelia got a close look at two of them because she ran into them coming out of the mercantile."
"Did you see where they went?" Avalee asked.
"To the parsonage, and then Pastor walked this way as the men went inside with Kaitlyn," Amelia told them.
"Could he be getting someone to meet with them?" Avalee continued. Being Doctor Pansy Reagan's assistant, she was used to asking a lot of questions to find the source of a person's medical problem.
The five of them chatted while waiting to see who might be going back to the parsonage with Pastor. After ten minutes it was clear who was being summoned to the parsonage.
"Look! Lorna, Millie, and my mother just walked across the street to your pa's shop, Amelia," Avalee exclaimed, and then they all turned to look at each other.
"Huh. I bet the Peashooter Society is up to something," Amelia guessed.
"Grandma Cate must not know about the meeting, or she would have already driven to town," Maggie added.
"Now Pastor is walking back with his son, Mack, and Kiowa Jones. That could mean that there's a new construction project for the town. Mack always builds Kiowa's buildings," Amelia surmised.
"But why did the six men go into the parsonage? They might be hired to help with Mack's building business, but how are the Peashooter's involved?"
“Well, we’ll never know standing here,” Avalee stated. “While Mama’s at the parsonage, I’m going back to the hotel to talk to my sister. Maybe Nadine can overhear something about what’s going on when Mama tells Papa about it. She’s good at cleaning and eavesdropping at the same time.”
“Do you think Mack has told his wife anything about those men?” Maggie asked Avalee.
“I’ll ask Doctor Pansy, but they’re good at keeping secrets, even from each other,” Avalee answered, then tapped her finger against her lips. “I’m supposed to be wrapping bandages while Doctor Pansy went home for a bit. I best run home to the hotel for a minute and then get back to work.”
Avalee still lived in the hotel’s top floor apartment with her parents and five younger sisters. Her older sisters, Iva Mae, and Maridell, had already married and had homes of their own.
“Let us know if you hear anything, and we’ll do likewise,” Amelia called as the bell above the dress shop door tinkled at Avalee’s departure.
“I better get back to work too. I just walked down to the mercantile because I was out of heavy thread.”
“Let us know if your Mama lets something slip about the meeting when she gets home, Amelia,” Maggie asked as Amelia left the dress shop.
Amelia wiped a hand down her dirty apron. Why hadn’t she taken it off, so she’d look halfway presentable walking down the street? Because she didn’t think she’d plow into a handsome stranger on the boardwalk in their little frontier town.
***
Kaitlyn waited until the nine men left the dining room and walked away from the house before she spoke to the remaining women around the table.
“I know this isn’t how we thought this plan would go, and not nearly so quickly, but I think this is the right group of men to match with our young women,” Kaitlyn said.
“But how in the world did six men arrive so soon after you mailed the letter?” Darcie asked.
Kaitlyn filled them in on what Barton told her about the train robbery, finding the letter, and traveling here.
“All orphans trying to stay together. I like that idea. That will make six new families in our community,” Helen stated
, with a tap of her hand on the table.
“And this group has a soft spot for adopted children,” Darcie laughed.
“Now how are we going to get the girls to agree with our plans?” Lorna asked.
“We’ll introduce them, and then let nature take its course. Overall, they are a handsome bunch and have good manners,” Darcie suggested.
“How will they be introduced as for being in town though?” Millie tossed out, thinking like her marshal husband.
“Mack’s new building crew? Prospective owners of the businesses for sale?” Darcie asked.
Kaitlyn looked around the table at her friends. They all knew the young people needed guidance to get matched.
“Helen, could we reserve the hotel’s event room for this Sunday? How about we invite the girls, and the newcomers, to lunch after church as a way for the men to meet people their age,” Kaitlyn suggested, thinking of all the matchmaking that had happened around her Sunday dinner table.
“Oh yes! We can have individual tables set up for each couple we match together,” Helen wholeheartedly agreed.
“Do they need chaperones, though?” Lorna asked, and the group paused a moment to think about that.
“How about if each of us, including Cate, be in charge of a couple? Be their chaperone, guide, or whatever you want to call us,” Helen suggested.
“It might help the man out since he won’t know the woman or the community. Someone he can talk to for advice,” Lorna said, and they all nodded in agreement.
Kaitlyn stood to pick up the notepad and pencil she had laid on the buffet, then sat back down again.
“From our first impressions, who should be matched with who?” Kaitlyn asked the group, ready to write down their plan.
“And who should sponsor each couple,” Lorna continued with her idea of a chaperone. “Do you want to work with your own daughter, Helen, and Darcie?”
“No,” each said in unison.
“Amelia would pitch a fit if I was involved,” Darcie laughed.
“As would my daughters. Best Avalee and Nadine were helped by one of you instead of me,” Helen agreed.
“Okay, let’s talk about your daughter, Darcie. Which man would you like to match with Amelia?”
“I think she’d be attracted to the blonde man, Wesley. And I think she’d do best with you as the chaperone, Kaitlyn.”
Kaitlyn wrote down the first couple, then thought of another potential problem.
“We don’t know who Mack and Kiowa will match with the employment positions and housing available.”
“Either Avalee or Nadine, with their husband, will have to live in the extra apartment upstairs because that’s one of the places available for a couple. And an assistant manager is one of the jobs,” Helen stated.
“Which men do you want to be matched for your girls then, Helen?”
“Both Avalee and Tobin Billings are short, and I think Tobin would do well talking to guests. The other man who I think would do well in the hotel is Gordon Miller. I guess, match him with Nadine.”
“Their sponsors?” Kaitlyn asked as she wrote down the next two couples.
“I’d like to take Avalee, and I’d suggest Cate for Nadine,” Lorna said.
“All right. That leaves the Brenner girls,” Kaitlyn wrote down their names. “Let’s see, who are the men?” This was starting to get complicated.
“Two Miller boys. Put Maggie with Squires and Masie with Barton. That will be a combination of sisters marrying brothers. And I’ll be Maggie’s chaperone,” Millie suggested, and Kaitlyn wrote the names down.
“I’ll take Maisie under my wing. Wait did we just match the boys right? Isn’t Barton the oldest? Should he be with Maggie?” Helen asked.
Kaitlyn inhaled a deep breath, held it a second, then slowly released it. She didn’t want to start scratching and changing names around. This could get out of hand.
“Let’s leave the couples as is for now.”
“That leaves me taking Molly Brenner and Peter Gehring,” Darcie smiled as if it was as simple as that.
Was it as simple as that? For being a cool fall day, Kaitlyn was starting to sweat.
Chapter 3
Barton stood beside Mack Reagan as the big man talked about the projects in town that he, with Kiowa Jones’ backing, had built over time. Kiowa Jones hadn't said much, rather let the other man talk about the town's businesses.
They stood in a semi-circle halfway down Main Street as Mack pointed toward buildings. Barton listened intently to learn about Clear Creek and the residents.
"The depot and Clancy's Café across the street from it were the first businesses in town. You met my oldest brother, Angus, at the depot. His wife, Daisy, had the pharmacy you see across the street.
"Another older brother, Fergus, and his wife, Iris, have the photography shop. The next brother to me, Cullen, is the postmaster, and his wife, Rose, is the librarian." Again, the man's arm swung across the street back and forth to both buildings."
"You said you had five brothers? What do the others do?" Tobin asked.
"Seth and his wife, Lily, manage the Straight Arrow Ranch for Isaac Connely, raising and training horses. You'll meet them in church on Sunday.
"Our youngest brother, Tully, and his wife, Violet, travel and write about national parks for a Chicago newspaper," Mack concluded.
"And you said your wife's name is Pansy? All your wives' names are flowers," Tobin commented.
"Yes. Tully knew he had no choice but to stay married to his childhood friend, Violet, when they were accidentally married, since her name was a flower too," Mack chuckled.
"Accidently? How do you do that?" Tobin continued.
"Ask Ma sometime. She loves to tell the story," Mack said as he moved down the street.
"What jobs or businesses are you wanting us to do?" Gordon asked, getting a little impatient. Barton didn't say anything, but he was getting antsy too.
"We have four businesses in town that need to be re-opened so to speak," Mack said, then turned to Kiowa to continue.
"I own the barbershop building. The shop downstairs is equipped, and the upstairs is furnished," Kiowa pointed to the building.
"Why'd the barber leave town?" Gordon asked.
Kiowa and Mack looked at each other before Kiowa answered a bit sternly. "His son was arrested for arson after he tried to burn down the blacksmith and my home."
Mack pointed to another building with the sign “Taylor's Mercantile" above the door.
"The Taylors are getting older but don't want to completely retire. They want to move to the new smaller building I built down the street and just sell housewares. Someone needs to keep the mercantile running for groceries and general merchandise."
"What about clothing? Will it stay with the mercantile?" Tobin asked, and Barton wondered if Tobin would be interested in running the store.
"The Brenner girls bought my wife's dress shop. They could easily handle ready-made clothing in their store," Kiowa said.
Barton thought about the pretty woman who ducked into that store when they walked down to the parsonage. Would he see her again today? What was her name? Amelia.
Mack started walking down the street, and they all followed.
"Ethan and Helen Paulson would like an assistant manager for their hotel. There is an apartment on the top floor. I assume it would be best that whoever assumes that job will marry one of the Paulson girls," Mack said as they walked by the hotel.
Barton and Gordon exchanged glances. This was getting complicated, matching jobs, housing, and wives.
"The town needs a blacksmith. The smithy has a living quarters in the back. Peter, I assume with your size and stature this job might be to your liking," Mack continued as he walked by the building.
Peter raised an eyebrow as they walked behind Mack and Kiowa. The older men were assuming wrong about Peter. He'd be better at cutting hair than cutting hot iron.
They stopped in front of the livery, obviously in dire ne
ed of painting outside, and a thorough mucking of manure inside judging by the odor.
"Lucas Boyle wants someone to take over his business and his house because the old man needs to move in with his daughter. He'll leave for her home in Kansas City as soon as there's someone to take care of the stock.
"One project for your group will be to clean and renovate both places. I won't lie, the house looks and smells about as bad as the livery. When Mrs. Boyle died, everything went to pot, literally."
"What's the sixth job?" Barton asked, already knowing which job he'd like.
"I need a carpenter, someone at the other end of the board so to speak. Besides Kiowa's projects, I repair and add on to homes," Mack said.
"Where will we live until we're married to our brides?" Tobin asked.
"The apartment above the barbershop is available to use. You'll be in charge of your own cooking, cleaning, and laundry while you are bachelors," Mack supplied the information.
"We won’t want for meals. Possum is a good cook," Tobin announced, then paused when everyone turned back to stare at him.
"Well, he is. He can turn shoe leather into a tender steak," Tobin retorted.
"Possum?" Mack grinned down at Tobin.
"Ahh! I'm so sorry, Peter! We're supposed to use our real names instead of our nicknames!"
"Don't worry about it. My brothers and I had nicknames for each other too, depending on the situation, of course," Mack assured him.
Barton noticed Kiowa even cracked a smile.
"I started nicknames on the orphan train as a way to make us feel like a family," Barton said to cover Tobin's embarrassment.
"Okay, now I'm curious. Peter is Possum. What's the rest of your nicknames?" Mack asked.
Here they were standing in the middle of the street with their benefactors, and they wanted to know their childhood names? What else could Barton do but explain?
"I went with a... kind of a rodent theme. I'm Badger," Barton started, then continued around their group of men.
"Gopher for Gordon, Squires, is Squirrel, Peter is Possum, Weasel for Wesley—"
"And I'm Tobin the Toad for obvious reasons since I'm short and kinda pudgy looking when I sit down."
Amelia Changes her Fellow Page 2
