His Unexpected Mail-Order Bride (Historical Sapphire Springs Book 1) Read online

“You need a wife. We need someone around here who can actually cook. Who will clean house during the day, while we’re out on the ranch,” he said, getting excited when Tobias didn’t stop him again. Taking his silence as agreement, not realizing Tobias had been momentarily stunned again, he continued on. “She’s supposed to even be able to keep the books straight. You know how much we all hate that chore.”

  Tobias snorted. “Somehow, I doubt she’s going to be able to do that.”

  “There’s only one way to find out,” his little brother huffed.

  He threw his hands up in the air with a roar. “I do not want a wife!”

  “Why not?” Thaddeus asked, truly sounding confused.

  “You know why.”

  His little brother stamped his feet, balling his hands on his hips. “We need a woman in this house.”

  “Then you marry her.”

  “She’s expecting a twenty-seven-year-old man, not a sixteen-year-old kid,” his younger brother said, throwing his own hands up in the air.

  “Oh, now you call yourself a kid?” Tobias shouted, starting to pace the small kitchen like a caged tiger.

  “You know what I mean. I’m not old enough to get married,” Thaddeus shouted back.

  During the course of their argument, both of them had steadily grown more agitated, and they had gotten quite loud. Their voices had risen enough in volume to draw the rest of the brothers to the kitchen with them. Though they had gone unnoticed, until Cade, raising his own voice above theirs, asked, “What are you two shouting about?”

  Tobias turned to face him, pointing back at Thaddeus, “This idiot sent for a mail-order bride for me. He thinks we need a woman in this house.”

  “Oh,” Cade gasped, turning to look over at Thaddeus. “Is Miss Johnson due in today? I thought we had another week.”

  That wasn’t anywhere close to the response he had thought he would get. “What?” Tobias snarled. “You mean you were a part of this?”

  Cade just shrugged his wide shoulders, letting one of the others answer for him. “Well, not until a couple of weeks ago, when he told us what he had done,” Ezekiel said, giving his brother a big grin.

  “You, too?” Tobias asked, this time just sounding shocked. “Have you three become a bunch of meddling, old women?”

  “Now that really was uncalled for,” Ezekiel chortled, obviously having way too much fun at his older brother’s expense.

  “Actually, we all know,” Cade answered. “And we agree with him. I’ll admit, at first I thought it was a bad idea, but after I gave it some thought, I reconsidered.”

  “Reconsidered?” their oldest brother roared. “Have you lost your mind? I don’t want a wife, and you all know why.”

  “That’s the biggest reason I think this is necessary,” Cade said, spreading his feet and crossing his arms over his chest, like he was preparing for a fight. “I don’t think you’re going to let go of the past, until someone holds you down and forces a future on you.”

  “I won’t do it. I don’t care if you have all agreed, I’m not marrying this girl,” he said with a shake of the head, walking back out the backdoor.

  “Well, that went well,” Cade grumbled in irritation.

  Ezekiel just chuckled. “I would say things went pretty good. The house is still standing.”

  *******

  Despite his assertion he would not marry her, Tobias’s brothers had managed to browbeat him into meeting the girl at the stagecoach office. Cade had told him if he was going to send her back, then he was going to have to do it himself. If one of the others met her, they would bring her home with them, which would leave him still dealing with her when she got out to the ranch. They had all refused to leave her just standing there, wondering what had happened to him. They had made him give his word that he would go after her, and they knew he would never go back on his word, no matter how odious the chore he was set to do.

  He had learned she really wasn’t much more than a girl. Thaddeus told him she had just turned eighteen January fifteenth when he gave him a description of her, so he could find her. He now stood in front of the post office, with his hands shoved in his pockets and a scowl on his face.

  The post office was straight across the street from the stagecoach office. He was now staring at what had to be Miss Sadie Johnson talking to the town rogue, Michael Bayheart. Not that the town hadn’t seen other rogues, but Bayheart was the only one who seemed to hang around after causing his brand of trouble.

  Tobias started across the street, the scowl on his face growing darker with each step he took. He reached her side in time to hear the very pretty, little brunette introduce herself to Bayheart.

  “I’m Sadie Johnson. I’m waiting for Tobias Townsend,” she said, taking a step back from the rogue, who for some reason, was doing everything short of wrapping his arms around her. Tobias was sure, if it wasn’t for them standing on a very public street, he wouldn’t have been restraining himself even that much.

  “Well, speak of the devil. You are in luck. Here he is,” Bayheart said, giving her a very predatory look. “Townsend,” he said in greeting. “I was unaware you had any family other than your brothers.”

  “I don’t,” Tobias growled.

  “Oh, I’m not related to him,” she gasped, working to catch her breath. She was in a state of shock. He was absolutely the most gorgeous man she had ever laid eyes on. He had to be at least three inches over six feet, with the broadest shoulders she had ever seen on a man. His hair was dark and wavy, and cut short enough she wouldn’t have noticed if he hadn’t taken his hat off when Bayheart first introduced them. And his light blues eyes held a touch of sadness in them she hoped she could help heal. “Not yet, anyway. I’m here to marry him. I’m his mail-order bride.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” the man chuckled. “Townsend doesn’t want to get married. Do you, Townsend?”

  “If you don’t mind, Bayheart, I need to get Miss Johnson settled into a room at the hotel for the night,” Tobias snarled, taking her arm to turn her toward the hotel down the street.

  “Miss Johnson,” Bayheart called out behind them. “When he dumps you at the altar, come find me. I’ll show you how a real man is supposed to treat a woman as beautiful as yourself.”

  Sadie glanced back at him, a shocked look on her pretty face. When she turned back to Tobias, she had tears in her eyes. “What does he mean, you don’t want to get married? Then why would you have sent for me?”

  “Ignore him. He doesn’t know what he is saying. He’s just trying to stir up trouble. That seems to be the only thing he is good at,” Tobias said, not looking up at her. He had to find a way to get her back on the stage tomorrow without the rogue finding out. He may not want to marry her, but he didn’t want to see her life ruined by the likes of Bayheart.

  “Then why are you taking me to the hotel?” she said, panting, struggling to keep up with his long stride.

  He slowed down, matching his pace to hers when he realized how much she was struggling. “I figured you would want a night to rest, and I can’t take you home with me until after the wedding,” he said, opening the hotel door for her. “This way you can get a bath and be well rested in the morning when I come back to town for you. You really don’t want to get married with all that dust from the stage covering you, do you? It was my thought that women liked to be fresh and all prettied up for these things.”

  She gave him a big grin. “Yes, I guess you are right. A bath sounds really nice.”

  Once she was settled in her room, and washed up a bit, she went back down to the lobby where he asked her to meet him. She walked over to where he stood propped against the counter, giving him a big smile. “Okay, what did you want to do now?”

  He swallowed hard, staring at her like a man dying of thirst. It was amazing what getting rid of a little dirt, and straightening her chestnut curls had done. He had known she was beautiful the moment his eyes had landed on her from across the street, but now, with her brig
ht blue eyes shining whit happiness and her delicate pale skin washed of the dust of the trial, she was absolutely stunning. She was a tiny little thing in comparison to his six feet three inches. The top of her head just reached his chin. If he were to marry her, he’d always be afraid he was going to break her.

  “Mr. Townsend, are you okay?” she asked, her beautiful face puckering up, her delicate brows drawing down in concern.

  He shook his head to clear it of his current thoughts. “Sorry. Are you hungry? You’ve been on the stagecoach for a few days. I’m sure you didn’t get much to eat.”

  “Yes, something to eat sounds wonderful,” she said, breathing a sigh of relief, thinking she had made the right choice, coming out here to marry him.

  He gave her a big smile. “I thought you might feel that way. Does going over to the Sapphire Springs Café sound good to you?”

  “I guess,” she answered with a shy smile. “Obviously you would know better than I would.”

  “Well, how do you feel about fried chicken and mashed potatoes with gravy?” he asked with a grin. If he ever did wish to marry, he would hope to find someone like her. She truly was very beautiful. Unless she was doing an incredible acting job, she also had the sweetest nature a man could ever hope for.

  “That sounds amazing.”

  “Good,” he grinned. “Tuesday is fried chicken. Roast beef is Friday. My second favorite.”

  Originally, he had planned on just dropping her off at the hotel, then leaving. Now he felt it was necessary to give the impression he intended to marry her, without an outright lie. So, placing her hand in the crook of his elbow, he led her out the door and across the street to the restaurant.

  She picked up the skirt of her dress, doing her best not to pick up anymore dust, and smiled at him. “Are you saying fried chicken is your favorite?”

  “Yes, I love fried chicken, and cherry pie. Though apple is a definite close second.”

  “I’m starting to get the feeling you really love to eat,” she laughed softly.

  “Eating might just be my favorite pastime,” he grinned. “I hope you are ready to cook.”

  She laughed softly, smiling up at him. He was going to have to get her out of Sapphire Springs fast, he thought to himself, when he realized what he had just said, or he was going to be in deep trouble. He feared he already was.

  Chapter 2

  Wednesday, March 17

  Ezekiel made his way down the street toward the hotel after leaving Wally with the preacher’s wife at the church, Cade, Zach, Josiah and Thaddeus with him. They were getting ready for their oldest brother’s wedding. A wedding he didn’t know he was going to have, yet. When they cooked up this scheme yesterday, while Tobias was in town meeting Sadie, they hadn’t thought about today being Saint Patrick’s Day. The entire town looked like it had been splattered with green oil paint, and the holiday probably accounted for the number of people already in town today. There had never been an official town celebration for the holiday, but there was a number of Irish descendants living in and around Sapphire Springs, and there was always a festive feeling on the day.

  Their mother had been Irish and had loved the holiday. He could remember her still having quite an Irish brogue when he was little. He smiled at a little girl who ran by with green ribbons bouncing in her curly, blonde hair, thinking his mother would approve of her oldest son getting married on Saint Patrick’s Day. He just hoped his brother came around to agreeing soon.

  The brothers passed several people on their way to the hotel, getting stopped several times for individuals to ask them if it were true their oldest brother was getting married today. If one person told them they were going to be there, fifty did. Most just wanting to see if he would really go through with it. What they didn’t understand, was all of them attending the wedding was one way to make sure Tobias went through with the wedding. That was why they had made sure to tell a couple of their friends to make sure and spread the word. By the time they made it inside the hotel, he was starting to think the whole town might just show up at the church, making their brother’s wedding the biggest one in the history of the town.

  Ezekiel walked up to the hotel counter with the four others behind him. “Do you think we have enough Irish in our heritage to make getting married on Saint Patrick’s Day lucky?” he asked, looking around at all the green. Someone had hung a green banner around the room, wishing everyone a happy Saint Patty’s Day, and there were green table clothes on the tables in the small dining area for the hotel guests that chose to eat there instead of across the street at the café. Mostly the tables were used for breakfast, or afternoon tea with a little dessert. Mrs. Slatter didn’t offer a lot of variety. Just something for those who were too tired from traveling to want to get out and go across the street.

  “Well, Mom was Irish, with the red hair and temper to prove it,” Zach chuckled.

  “You remember her temper?” Ezekiel asked, giving him a skeptical look.

  “Well, I remember her getting really loud when I was in trouble,” he replied sheepishly.

  Cade chuckled, shaking his head at his two younger brothers. He remembered more about his mother’s temper than her getting loud when he was in trouble. He used to run and hide in the barn when he knew he or one of the others were going to be in trouble. Problem was, it never really worked. She always knew just where to look. Thinking back now, he realized he probably should have tried to come up with a different hiding spot, but he never thought to.

  He slapped the other two on the back and declared. “I believe a little Irish goes a long way,”

  “Let’s hope so. I’m afraid we’re going to need all the luck we can get,” Josiah added.

  Ezekiel shrugged, doing his best to think positive. “Don’t worry. Everything’s going to work out just fine. We’re only trying to do what’s best for him.”

  “I know we said that, but I didn’t expect him to get so angry when he found out.”

  “Come on, Joe. We all knew starting out, he wasn’t going to go down easy.”

  “Yeah, I know,” he said, picking up a paper cutout of a four-leaf clover someone had painted green. “Do you think wishing on a paper four-leaf clover would work? Maybe we could fold it up and stick in his pocket.”

  It was just now after eleven in the morning. They had all left the care of the ranch with the hired hands, and their oldest brother still asleep. They were all planning to ambush their pigheaded brother to make sure this wedding took place. Like Cade had said, they were going to have to force a future on him, or he would never get over the past.

  Speaking of, Cade laid his big hand on the counter, leaning over only far enough to ding the little bell to alert someone of their presence. It wasn’t but a couple of seconds before the owner’s wife, Mrs. Annie Slatter came out of the office door located behind the counter.

  “Well, hello boys. I hope your having a good Saint Patrick’s Day.”

  “Hello to you, as well, Mrs. Slatter.” he said giving her a big smile. “And that remains to be seen. Is your husband around?”

  “He sure is,” she smiled back. “Are you all her to fetch your brother’s bride? Are you all afraid she’s going to run off?”

  “We are here to fetch her, but we hadn’t thought of her running off,” Cade said with a frown.

  “She’s more likely to with all five of you here to fetch her,” she said, giving them all a concerned look. “You are a little likely to scare her. You all look rather intimidating, being as big as the lot of you are. She might think you look like you are marching her off to prison. She is a little thing, and she is probably nervous already. That can make the imagination rather active.”

  “Oh, no. Zach and I are here to wait for Tobias,” Cade grinned, shaking his head. “We’re going to escort him to the church. Just in case he develops cold feet.”

  She gave him a curious look, crossing her arms in front of her. “You’re not afraid he’ll grow cold feet before he gets here?”


  “Oh, no. Some of the hired hands are going to make sure he gets here,” he grinned.

  She shook her head at him. “Why do I have this feeling in my gut that you all are up to something?”

  Cade just gave her a big grin, full of confidence, not saying a thing. The lady was smart, for sure, but she didn’t need him to tell her that.

  Tobias would be here, because he didn’t know yet that he would be getting married. He was also certain he would make it on time, because he had asked the man he had left in charge, John Wilson, to make sure and cause a loud disturbance to wake his brother up about thirty minutes after they all left. He told him, he didn’t care what the disturbance was, just as long as his brother didn’t realize it was intentional. Of course, he also added, make sure no one, or any of the animals got hurt. They didn’t need anyone down with an injury, or to lose any of the animals over a little prank.

  She noted his stubborn look, and just nodded her head in resignation. “Well, if they are here to fetch Miss Johnson, what do you need my husband for? She is in room two oh one. It is right at the top of the stairs. I know for a fact she is already dressed, and packed to go. She had a bath taken up two hours ago. She is real excited to be marrying your ornery brother, today.”

  “Well, Ma’am, she’s not met us, as of yet. Tobias did mention she had met your husband,” Cade grinned. “We thought he might help ease things along by introducing these three to her. You know, to make it less intimidating for her. Like you said, they’re liable to scare her running for sure, if they just show up at her door unannounced.”

  “Oh well, in that case,” she grinned back, still feeling like they were up to something, but her gut also told her it was probably for the best. “I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to help. I’ve not met the young lady yet, myself. I only saw her from the back, for a second on her way up the stairs yesterday. He said she was a real pretty, young lady, and sweet as the day is long.”

  Cade gave her a curious frown. “You did say he was here, didn’t you? Is he busy?”