Mail-Order Grooms: The Complete Boxed Set Read online

  As if summoned to the task, Adam’s and Susannah’s buggy squeaked to a halt outside. They were already home from their supper in town, not even giving Betsy enough time to clean up the mess. The little girl quickly made herself scarce, dashing out of the kitchen as soon as she heard the horse’s nicker and leaving Betsy to face them alone.

  Betsy drew a deep breath and tried to settle her nerves. Susannah had always been like an older sister to her, and she likely wouldn’t stay cross for long. But Adam was known for intolerance when it came to mistakes. She knew this because her pa was the foreman of the Harringtons’ ranch and Adam was his boss. Adam was strict when it came to his ranch hands and his business, and he was quick to let a man go if he wasn’t up to snuff.

  Betsy enjoyed watching the children to earn spending money and didn’t want her job to end, but fear of getting fired wasn’t her main source of dismay. She wanted Adam to like her because she’d always respected him. Some five years back, he’d traveled all the way from Amarillo to Virginia City to marry Susannah, and his forbidding, no-nonsense attitude had made an immediate impression on everyone in town, including Betsy. People joked behind his back that he was a mail-order groom because he’d responded to an advertisement Susannah had placed in the paper asking for a rancher husband, but they didn’t repeat the same jokes to his face.

  Now that Betsy was a grown woman of eighteen and thinking about marriage herself, she thought Susannah had been smart to find a husband in that manner. A couple local suitors had asked Betsy’s pa for permission to court her, but she wasn’t interested in them. One in particular, a ranch hand named Johnny, still insisted on coming around even after she gave him the mitten. At best he would annoy her. At worst he would disgust her.

  Johnny’s topics of conversation never centered around anything she was interested in, such as music or art. He spoke loudly over her, bragging that he was the most skilled out of all Adam’s cowhands. He also made sure to point out that he deserved a much more lucrative occupation, since he’d received high marks in school and would have done well in college if he’d been able to afford it. It was only his lack of funds that prevented him from getting anywhere further in life. His face would twist into a grimace, expressing great bitterness at the world for his lot.

  After every one of these conversations, Betsy was convinced more than ever that she wanted to marry a gentleman, not a cowboy, and gentlemen were hard to find in Virginia City. Writing an advertisement specifying exactly the kind of man she wanted—someone from the east with good table manners who didn’t smell like cows or sweat—held great appeal.

  “Hello, Betsy!” The back door rattled open and in walked Susannah, followed by Adam, who closed the door behind them. Susannah appeared flushed and happy, with a big smile on her face, but her smile quickly faded when she spotted what was left of her pie on the table.

  “I’m sorry, Mrs. Harrington!” Betsy cried. “I wasn’t watching Mini as I should have been because I was helping Caleb with his homework in the other room.”

  Susannah sank onto the stool next to the table, appearing suddenly weary, though still as beautiful as ever. Her blonde hair, which Betsy had always admired, cascaded in perfect waves around her shoulders. Betsy thought her own hair was decidedly average in comparison—straight, dark, and long, worn in a single braid down her back.

  Adam frowned at the pie before looking at Susannah and saying, “I thought you told Mini not to touch it because it was for the potluck tomorrow.”

  “I did,” Susannah replied, scowling at him, “and she didn’t care. You’re too lenient with her. She knows she can get away with anything.”

  Adam didn’t deny it. He leaned back against the counter and scraped his fingers through his dark hair.

  Betsy felt near tears. She hated seeing Susannah so upset. “Please forgive me, Mrs. Harrington. I promise I’ll do a better job of watching her next time.”

  “It’s not your fault,” Adam said gruffly. “Mini knows right from wrong.”

  “Yes, she does,” Susannah agreed, “and we’re the ones raising a little hellion.” She stood and walked to the door. “Mini! Come here, please.”

  She returned to sitting on the stool next to the ruined pie while they waited for the youngest Harrington. Her tiny footsteps could be heard getting closer. Before the girl walked in, Susannah said to Adam, “I know she’s cute and can be as sweet as… well, pie. But she’s so naughty. You have to be firm with her this time.”

  Adam nodded. “I will be, darlin’.”

  A shiver went through Betsy, and she looked longingly at the back door, trying to determine if there was a graceful way to exit. She didn’t relish the thought of being around while Adam was firm with anyone, let alone his daughter who she was fond of, even if she was bad sometimes.

  Before Betsy could make her escape, the little girl walked in and glanced around the room with wide, brown eyes. She was an adorable child and a near equal blend of both her parents. She had Susannah’s fair skin and button nose and her father’s brown eyes and dark hair. Ringlets curled around her heart-shaped face. Both of her chubby cheeks and her lips were stained purple, as was the hand that had grabbed the pie.

  Susannah pointed at the ruined dessert. “Mini, did you eat the pie I told you was for the potluck tomorrow?” It was a question everyone knew the answer to, of course, especially considering the proof smeared all over the child’s face.

  Mini looked at the pie, then back at her ma and shook her head. “No, Mama, I didn’t eat it. I saw a ‘coon tryin’ to get in through the door while you were fixin’ to leave. I shooed it away, but I reckon it scooted in later and ate your pie.”

  Adam coughed and turned his head away quickly, but not before Betsy saw the smile he tried to hide. She relaxed a little, guessing that Adam likely wouldn’t be too harsh with Mini if he was feeling amused instead of angry.

  Susannah, however, wasn’t impressed in the least. “Adam!” she exclaimed. “Did you hear that balderdash coming from your child?”

  Adam cleared his throat and adopted a sober expression, with difficulty it seemed. “I did. Come here, Mini.”

  Mini skipped to him without reservation, not seeming the least bit concerned about being in trouble with her pa. Adam scooped her up and set her on the counter. He picked up a strip of cloth and dipped it into the water basin. After wringing it out, he applied it to Mini’s cheeks and mouth. “You know what I’m doing right now?”

  “Yeah,” she said, giggling. “You’re washing my face, Pa.”

  “That’s right. I’m washing the blueberry pie off your face.” His mouth formed into a firm line, but his eyes twinkled hopelessly.

  Mini stopped giggling, suddenly seeming to understand that she wasn’t going to get away with her stunt. Her gaze darted between her parents as Adam cleaned her up.

  Setting the cloth aside, Adam repeated Susannah’s question in a stern voice. “Did you eat the pie after your ma told you not to, Virginia?”

  Mini’s eyes flooded with tears. “Yes, Pa.”

  Adam raised a brow. “So not only did you eat your ma’s pie, you also lied about it when you tried to blame a raccoon, didn’t you?”

  Her lower lip quivered before she whispered, “Yes.” She looked down at her hands, which were clutching and twisting her skirt.

  “You know better than to lie to your ma, and you know better than to disobey. Now no one at the potluck will be able to eat pie because Mama doesn’t have time to bake another one. What if Mrs. Pierce wanted some or your friend Clara? Now they won’t get any.”

  “They won’t?” she asked in a small voice, sounding devastated.

  Betsy’s heart went out to the girl, who didn’t seem to understand until that moment that her actions could have any negative effect on others. She could be naughty, but she wasn’t mean-spirited.

  Adam must have thought the same. His voice gentled. “No they won’t, honey. That’s why your ma told you to leave it alone ‘til tomorrow, so that other
people can enjoy it.”

  She let out an anguished sob and leaned forward to bury her face against his chest. “I want Mrs. Pierce and Clara to have pie too. Please can you give them some?”

  “They’re going to have to wait until the next potluck, when Mama will bake another. And you’re not going to ruin that one, are you?”

  “No!” she sobbed.

  Adam wrapped his arms around her and pulled her off the counter. She clung to him and cried, her legs wrapped tightly around his waist and her arms around his neck. He glanced at Susannah with something like a helpless expression. It was clear he was undone by his daughter’s tears. He rubbed her back and held her until she calmed down, then set her on her feet in front of him. She stared up at him with red-rimmed eyes and a runny nose, hiccupping and twisting the hem of her dress in one hand.

  She looked so tiny and vulnerable in the room full of adults, all of whom were focused on her and her wrongdoing. Adam regarded her mournfully for a moment. Finally, he sighed and said, “Go say you’re sorry to your ma and then go straight to bed, Mini. I expect you to be obedient and honest from now on. Is that understood?”

  She nodded and sniffled.

  “Yes, Pa?” he prompted.

  “Yes, Pa,” she repeated.

  “Go on then.”

  Mini trudged to her ma and apologized through hiccups, sounding very remorseful, which caused Susannah’s gaze to soften. Neither of her parents could stay upset with her for long, it seemed. After Mini left the room to go to bed, Susannah rolled her eyes. “Well, you sure told her.”

  Adam chuckled and shook his head. “I’m sorry. I should have punished her with more than an early bedtime for that, but it was hard enough for me to scold her. Then when she starting crying and looking at me with those big, sad eyes…”

  Susannah scoffed and addressed Betsy. “He wasn’t always this lenient. He’s gone soft.”

  Betsy grinned, enjoying the lighthearted direction the conversation had taken, and also greatly relieved that Adam had been so lenient with the little girl.

  Adam grunted. “That’s because you and Caleb plumb wore me out. Where is that boy, anyway? I don’t reckon he’s ever stayed away from the kitchen this long before.”

  “Oh, he’ll be here shortly, I’m sure. You should pay Betsy so that she can get on home. Sorry for keeping you, honey.”

  “We appreciate you being here,” Adam said, and retrieved his wallet. “As you can imagine, it does me and Susannah good to get away from the kids for a spell.” He handed Betsy her pay as Caleb joined them in the kitchen. Now a strapping boy of ten years old, Betsy remembered him at Mini’s age, which was when Adam had come to marry Susannah and be a father to the little boy.

  Caleb looked at the pie, and his eyebrows shot up. “Mini’s doing?”

  When everyone nodded, he asked, “Don’t suppose I could eat some?”

  “Go right ahead,” Susannah said, waving her hand at the mess. “Not taking that to the potluck.”

  Caleb grabbed a fork, sat down on a stool next to his ma, and dug in. “Delicious!” he reported. After swallowing his first large bite, he asked, “Pa, can I go fishing with William tomorrow?”

  “Don’t see why not,” Adam said. “Did you finish your homework?”

  He nodded. “Yup, all done.”

  Mini returned to the kitchen then, her eyes dried and cheerful demeanor returned. Adam frowned at her. “Didn’t I say to go to bed?”

  “I wanted to say goodnight to Miss Betsy,” she explained, and wrapped her arms around Betsy’s waist.

  Betsy returned the hug. “Sweet dreams, Mini. I’ll see you tomorrow at the potluck, all right?”

  “All right.” Mini released her hold on Betsy.

  Caleb set down his fork. “Say Pa, can you help me find worms tomorrow before I go to the fishing hole?”

  Before Adam could respond, Mini spun around and exclaimed, “I wanna go fishing too, Caleb!”

  He glared at her. “No! You’re not coming, Mini. You’ll only get in the way.”

  For the second time that evening, Mini’s eyes filled with tears. “Ma, make Caleb say I can go with him!”

  Susannah let out an exasperated sigh. “Your pa will take you fishing another time. Go to bed, Mini. You’re tired.”

  She dropped to the floor and wailed, “But I want to go fishing with Caleb!”

  Adam groaned and strode forward to pick her up off the ground. She laid her head on his shoulder as he chided her. “You can’t always get what you want, Mini, and that’s no reason to pitch a fit.”

  She only cried in response.

  “Such big feelings for such a little girl, huh?”

  “Yes,” she sobbed. “Caleb is mean and he never wants to play with me.”

  Adam frowned at Caleb. “I expect you to be a little gentler with your sister, son. She only wants to spend time with you because she looks up to you.”

  “I didn’t mean to make her cry,” he grumbled.

  “I know, but there was a nicer way to tell her she couldn’t come. Maybe you could have offered to stack blocks with her tomorrow for a few minutes instead.”

  A look of resignation crossed Caleb’s face. “I could do that. I’m sorry, Mini.”

  “I-I forgive y-you,” she said magnanimously through her tears, her head still resting on Adam’s shoulder.

  Adam’s lips quirked up briefly and he winked at Caleb. “All right, that’s settled and it’s this one’s bedtime,” he announced, heading for the door. “Betsy, you have a good night now.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Harrington. You too.”

  Betsy turned to Susannah. “Sorry again about your pie, Mrs. Harrington. I’m glad Mr. Harrington wasn’t too hard on Mini. I would’ve felt even more terrible.”

  Susannah smiled and shook her head. “He’s a good father, even when he’s hard on the children. Never loses his temper and is always fair.”

  “I hope to get married to a nice man soon,” Betsy said. She picked up her duster from where it hung over a chair and shrugged her arms into it.

  “I imagine a pretty girl like you is attracting suitors like bees to honey.”

  Betsy giggled. “There are a few men who are interested in seeing me, but the trouble is, I don’t like any of them. They’re immature and dirty and they smell like cowboys.”

  Susannah threw back her head and laughed. “Well, honey, that’s probably ‘cause they are cowboys. And cowboys can be washed, you know.”

  She shrugged. “I suppose, but I wish I could meet a gentleman, like someone from the east who dresses in fine clothes. Maybe a musician or a businessman.” Betsy pulled the duster around her tightly. It was chilly outside, but she didn’t have far to walk. Her parents’ house was within sight of the Harringtons’.

  “Now that sounds nice and all, but you have to make sure he can earn a living, not just strut around in fine clothes,” Susannah admonished. “With cowboys, you know they can take care of a family because they work hard to earn their pennies.”

  “Yes, ma’am, that’s what my parents say.”

  Betsy considered sharing with Susannah that she’d been thinking about putting a mail-order groom ad in the paper just like Susannah had done, but she decided against it. She didn’t want Susannah to laugh or try to discourage her, so she said goodbye and headed home.

  The wind howled around her, and Betsy shivered and quickened her steps toward the cabin. Because her head was bent down, it came as a surprise when Johnny Miller suddenly stepped out from behind a tree in front of her, preventing her journey to her cabin from continuing. “Hello, sweet thang,” Johnny drawled. “Nice evening for a walk.”

  “Hello,” she said politely, and tried to step around him, but he sidestepped and prevented her from moving forward. She sighed. “Please let me pass, Johnny. I’m cold and I want to go home.”

  “What’s the big hurry? Seems you’re always in a rush whenever I wanna talk to you.”

  A whiff of cow manure filled her nostri
ls. Likely it was stuck to his clothing. She wrinkled her nose in disgust as her annoyance bubbled to the surface. Why wouldn’t he get the hint and leave her alone? Betsy had been taught to be polite and nice to everyone, but doing so with Johnny had only caused his attention to continue. Perhaps it was time to be a little more forceful.

  “I always seem in a rush because I don’t want to talk to you,” she said firmly. “I’ve told you I’m not interested in courting you, but you don’t seem to believe me.”

  It was likely the rudest thing Betsy had ever said in her life, but she didn’t know how else to make her feelings clear. She watched as Johnny’s fair cheeks flushed red, and she felt a tug at her conscience. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings or humiliate him, and it was clear she had from the look on his face.

  “You think you’re something special, don’t you? Think you’re too good for me.” He spat the words, his eyes flashing with hurt and something else—anger. Betsy felt alarmed by his expression.

  She looked around, feeling alone suddenly, and cleared her throat. “I don’t think I’m too good for you, I’m just looking for a different type of man,” she explained in conciliatory tones. “I’m sure you’ll find a real nice girl, Johnny.”

  Her explanation only seemed to make him angrier. He loomed over her, and Betsy noticed for the first time how tall he was. “You’re going to regret being such an offish bitch to me,” he snarled.

  She swallowed, her throat dry, and took a step back. Her mind raced. She was closer to the Harringtons’ cabin than to her own. Her instincts told her to run, but she hesitated, thinking perhaps that would be overreacting. Johnny was annoying, but surely he wouldn’t actually hurt her.

  She’d no sooner thought that when he reached out and clutched her arm with a hard grip. Her heartbeat quickened. His hold on her felt out of control, like he didn’t understand his own strength. “Let me go, Johnny!”

  He didn’t. Instead, he shook her. “No one will treat you as good as I will, if you’ll only let me prove it,” he told her, a desperate look on his face. The irony of him saying that while hurting her escaped him.