Leora: Bride of California (American Mail-Order Bride 31) (16 page)

“Calm down, girl,” Mrs. Pleet scolded. “You look like you’ve got ants in your britches.”

“It’s one thing for the entire cast to show up and be so gracious and forgiving with Ophelia, and with me,” she answered. “But the townspeople might be something else entirely.”

“You don’t know us yet, Leora.”

She turned to her. “I guess I don’t. Life in the textile mill didn’t prepare me for being a pastor’s wife, that’s for sure.”

“What does it matter if you worked in a mill or a bakery? You are who you are, and you bring what you have to life’s table. Not everyone has the same thing, you know.”

“In my case, I didn’t have much to bring. I hope I can handle the job.”

“You’ve handled it admirably so far, Mrs. Drake,” Theron spoke from behind her.

Leora turned. “Theron! Did you see how crowded it is out there? And where have you been?”

“My father and I went to have a little talk with Prudence Stevens.”

“How did it go?”

Theron stepped aside to reveal the girl standing behind him. She looked at Leora, tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Drake. What I did was stupid … and selfish.”

“Prudence, I presume?” Leora said.

“Yes.”

Leora took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I forgive you, but yes, what you did was indeed foolish.”

Prudence looked away and said nothing.

Leora studied her. She was a pretty girl, and her looks alone could probably give her a choice of beaus. Too bad her mother had set her eye on Theron. He’d been right – the girl was indeed far too young.

“Now, I think we’d better get to work, don’t you?” Theron asked as his father ushered Prudence out of the office and into the sanctuary. “But first,” he said as he glanced around, “I want to give you something.”

She noticed they were suddenly alone. “But the play is about to start. I have to get out there.”

“Not until after I give you your present.”

“Present?! Oh dear heavens, I forgot all about getting you one!”

“That’s all right – I got something for both of us.” He pulled an envelope out of his pocket and handed it to her. “Open it.”

She shook as she pulled out what was inside. “Theron, these are …”

“Train tickets, yes.”

She studied them and gasped. “To Clear Creek!”

“I thought it was time I went home to visit.”

Leora started. “What? Home?”

Theron smiled. “Yes, I’m from there.”

“You are?!”

“Yes. I told you.”

“No, you told me you were from Oregon – you never said where. I assumed it was Portland or Salem or –”

He shook his head. “No, just Clear Creek.”

“Theron, Lottie is in Clear Creek!”

“She is? Imagine that …”

“I don’t remember if I told you that or not,” she said. “This last month has been such a whirlwind.”

“I think you need to learn how to slow down before tackling everything the town wants you to.”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll have lots of help. My goodness – Lottie! And you’ll get to see all your friends!”

He smiled. “You’re who I really want to see, Mrs. Drake. Besides, if Sam Cooke can spend his honeymoon on a train, so can I.”

“You know Lottie’s husband?” She suddenly sobered. “Theron Drake! You did know all along!” She gave him a playful slap.

“We grew up together.”

Leora burst into tears. “What are … the chances … of that?” she asked between sobs.

“Trust me, these things happen all the time where I come from. Merry Christmas, Leora.”

She fell into his arms. “Merry Christmas, Theron.”

“Now, let’s go have our play.” He kissed the top of her head and led her from the church office into the full sanctuary and its welcoming applause.

Epilogue

Clear Creek, Oregon, two weeks later …

“Leora and Lottie, may I introduce you to C.I. Sayer,” Theron said as he swept his hand to an old man with an equally old woman sitting at his side.

The sisters stared at the elderly couple. Lottie had told Leora that Clear Creek had an unusual number of elderly people, and she wasn’t kidding. These weren’t the oldest she’d met so far, but they were close. “How do you do?” she said, her voice cracking.

The old man glanced at the old woman. “What?” he yelled.

“They’re a little hard of hearing,” Theron explained.

“When it’s convenient for them,” Lottie’s husband Sam added dryly. “Don’t let them fool you.”

“We love your stories,” Leora yelled.

“We can hear ya, missy!” the old man yelled back. “Ya don’t have to shout.”

“I can’t believe you two are C.I. Sayer!” Lottie said excited. “And to think all this time I’ve known you as Cousins Cutty and Imogene.” She turned to Sam. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because, dear wife, I knew Leora and Theron would visit soon enough. I thought I’d leave it as a surprise. You
are
surprised, aren’t you?”

“More than you know,” she said with a smile.

“How did the two of you come to write all those penny dreadfuls?” Leora asked.

The man called Cutty glanced at his wife. “We love ‘em as much as the next person. When we ran out of ones to read, we started makin’ up our own.”

“It became a hobby,” Imogene said.

“I still can’t get over that I’m related to you now,” Lottie said in awe. “To think, my new distant cousins are in reality C.I. Sayer!”

“Don’t let it go to yer head,” Cutty cracked.

“Don’t mind him,” Sam said with a chuckle. “How about some lunch?”

They had gathered at Mulligan’s Saloon, and now took a seat at Cutty and Imogene’s table. Within minutes Mr. Mulligan had served them each a glass of water and taken their orders.

“How do you like Clear Creek so far, Leora?” Sam asked.

“It’s lovely. Much different from Nevada City.”

“I wish you could stay,” Lottie said.

“So do I, but we have to be getting back,” Leora said. “I have a lot of responsibilities there. You’ll have to come visit us next.”

“I’ll see to it,” Sam said. “I’d love to show Lottie a few things in California.”

“Like San Francisco?” Leora asked, hopeful.

“What do you say, Sam?” Theron asked. “We could spare a few days and go with you.”

“That sounds wonderful!” Lottie exclaimed.

Leora sat next to her and gave her a hug. “Who would have ever thought we’d marry men from the same town?”

“It’s a miracle, is what it is,” Lottie said. “But then, I’ve come to learn that this place is full of them. I just hope the rest of our friends from the mill find the same happiness we have.”

Leora took her hands in her own. “I’m sure they have. Judging from the letters I’ve received, some have had a rocky start, but they’ve all ended well.”

“And to think such happiness came out of one tragedy,” Theron said. “What’s that fellow’s name again – your old boss?”

“Bob Brown,” the sisters said in unison.

“A toast to Mr. Brown,” Theron said as he raised his glass of water. “If not for him losing his factory, however he did, we wouldn’t have married such wonderful women.”

Sam raised his glass. “May he rest in peace. Good really can come out of bad. You two ladies are proof of that.”

“It’s true,” Leora agreed. “Lottie and I have heard from quite a few of our friends from the mill, and, as I said, most are doing well.”

“Most?” Cutty barked. “What about the rest?”

Lottie and Leora glanced at one another. “We haven’t heard from everyone,” Leora said. “But we hope to.”

“We want the gory details,” Imogene said. “Maybe we can use them in a story.”

“Imogene!” Sam said. “Don’t be absurd!”

“Hey, we gotta get story ideas from somewheres!” Cutty said. “Might as well be from these gals.”

Lottie laughed. “We’ll be sure to keep you informed.”

“Ya do that,” Cutty barked.

Leora smiled. “I wonder what stories we haven’t heard yet. Who went where, what kind of groom they got. I wish we could hear from everybody.”

“Don’t worry,” Lottie said. “Someone will hear from someone else and eventually, we’ll know what happened to all of us.”

“How many of you were there?” Theron asked.

“Fifty,” Leora told him. “Fifty mail-order brides scattered across the country. Each with their own story to tell, no doubt.”

Theron and Sam glanced around the table. “Well, then,” Sam said. “I can’t wait to hear them.”

Leora sighed as she glanced at Lottie. “As do we.”

The End

If you enjoyed reading this book, there are 49 more in the series! Find out about the rest of the American Mail-Order Brides
here
.

And if you’re curious about the story behind Rev. Mark and Lydia Wingate, you can find all the details in Ray Anselmo’slatest novel – and first Western
–
just look for The Circuit Rider’s Bride, A Tale of the Old West. You’ll find it on amazon.

About the Author

Kit Morgan is the author of over thirty Westerns, including the Prairie Brides, Prairie Grooms and Holiday Mail-Order Brides series, and is a contributor to the Dalton Brides series with Cassie Hayes and Kirsten Osbourne.
Lottie: Bride of Delaware
is the first of her two books in the American Mail-Order Brides series
and
the first story in the series; her second,
Leora: Bride of California
, is the 31st in the series. Kit lives and works in the Pacific Northwest.

You can keep up-to-date on future books, fun contests and more by signing up for Kit’s newsletter at
www.authorkitmorgan.com
.