Once Upon a Mail Order Bride: Mail Order Brides: Book One (2 page)

             
“Good to see you doing well Baxter,” Clayton greeted the man. “I’ll be needing some more canned fruits and meats, probably a bag of potatoes to if you have em’.”

“I don’t think you’ll be need them next time you roll around to coming in here, boy,” Baxter said with a sly smile.

              Clayton frowned at the old man confused. “Why do you say that?”

             
“Cause you got a letter!” the old man cheered, waving a folded letter around in the air.

             
Suddenly Clayton felt as if he had been struck by lightning, his heart fluttering in his chest. He swallowed and nodded slightly.

             
“You think it could be a reply?” he asked.

             
The old man nodded with a grin. “See I told you answering that ad would do you some good. It’s about time you got married again. Been almost ten years if I remember right, you deserve to be happy again.”

             
Clayton reached out and took the letter from the man reading the gentle cursive handwriting on the front.

Carrow Cole

“I thought it was finally time to move on. I’ve grown tired of being alone for so long, Baxter. A man can only fill t
he hole with so much work. I loved Jenny, but she’s been gone for over ten years now,” Clayton said quietly looking at the letter then to his old friend. “Do you think she’ll forgive me?”

             
“Jenny’s been dead and gone for a long time. That woman would have wanted you to grieve her then move on quickly. The fact that you took ten years to come to your senses in quite enough; if she were still here she would tan your hide for taken so long. She would have wanted you to be happy. If a mail order bride is what it takes then so be it,” Baxter sniffed.

             
Clayton felt his cheeks burn as color raised in them. “Yeah, I think it’s time.”

             
“Let’s just hope you get a pretty one with a nice heart. Nothing like a willing woman’s charms to heal a man’s heart,’ he said with a wink and walked away to get what Clayton came for.

             
Clayton felt a smile grow into a grin as he opened the letter to read what was inside and as he heart flutter nervously. But it was a good nervous.

             
As soon as he got his food, he raced home and sat at the kitchen table writing his reply. With a determined stroke of his hand he finished and sealed the letter and ran it back to the mercantile where Baxter laughed at his hurried reply.

             
But Clayton didn’t care, he walked slowly back home with a grin on his face.

Chapter Four

New York State

2 weeks later…

             
“Emmy, they’re here!” Carrow squealed as she raced for her sister’s room.

             
“What is here,” asked a deep older voice from behind Carrow from where she was on the stairs. Carrow turned to spy her great uncle. Carrow thought quickly as what to say.

             
“Oh nothing much, Uncle. Just our garden catalogues. We are very excited to start the garden for the summer. We were thinking of adding some new-”

             
“Go on with you, girl, I have no time for gardens and such,” he growled as he continued on toward the kitchens.

             
Carrow bit her lip and raced for Emmy’s room where she didn’t bother knocking and let herself in, locking the door behind her.

“Emmy, they are here!” Carrow cheered one more time as she ran to her sister who was reading a book in the windowsill.

Emmy dropped her book and snatched the letters out of Carrow’s hands. “Oh my! This is really it isn’t it?” she asked, eyes wide.

Nodding Carrow took
her letter back and tore into and started to read, Emmy followed suit.

Closing her eyes Carrow hold the letter to her chest and held herself back from crying.

“What is it? What’s wrong,” Emmy asked. “Did he not want you?”

Carrow opened her eyes and shook her head. “No, he asked me to come out as soon as possible. See he sent me the train tickets I would
need to get there,” she said holing them out for inspection.

“Mine too,” Emmy said smiling shyly, doing the same.

“We have to pack today and we will have to leave tonight. I have a plan. I was going to ask Uncle if we could have a weekend stay with our friend Lilly and her family. Uncle has been looking for a way to get us out of the house so he can do something, so it shouldn’t take much for him to agree. Start packing and I’ll be right back. Might as well ask him while he is here in the house.”

Carrow raced for the kitchen and did something she never thought she would have done.
She took up her Uncle’s hands and gave him the ‘poor waif’ look.

“Dearest Uncle, I have a favour to ask of you,” Carrow said with a pout.

Her uncle’s eyes narrowed. “If it is about money, I don’t want to hear your weekly allowance isn’t enough.”

“Oh no, Uncle, I would never! I was just wondering if you would let me and Emmy go visit and stay with our friend Lilly’s family for the week end, maybe for even a week. I do miss her so and
haven’t seen her since Mama and Papa passed away.”

Carrow could tell she had her Uncle hooked
, for his eyes returned to normal and she saw a spark of a plan begin in them.

He pretended to ponder the thought a great deal then slowly nodded his head. “I think it wise for you girl
s to spend time with your friend. It does you no good to be kept up here at the house all day. If it is a week with her family you wish, then you may have it. If you feel the need I shall allow you two weeks.”

Yes! We have him!

“But if you are going to do so, leaving today might be a grand idea. I shall have the house
cleaned
while you are gone. I shall even call the carriage around myself in an hour for your luggage. I myself will not be here to help you load, but do ask the staff. I shall see you upon your return, girl,” he said and with a swish of his over coat was out the front door without a backward glance.

Grinning she went back up to her sister’s room.

“The old goat gave us his permission for a two week trip and he’s even calling the carriage around himself,” Carrow chortled with glee.

Emmy bit her lip and nodded, Carrow sobered.

“You’re not thinking of backing out now are you, this was your plan.”

“No, I’m just nervous is all. I’ve never been the wild child before like you. Though we share the same face, we are not much like-minded.
”

“It will be fine, you’ll see. I have all of my pin money father gave me since I was six saved up, we’ll have plenty if we need anything.
I have my allowance as well.”

“Me as well. I have already started packing. I think I can be done within the hour.”

“I’ll meet you down stairs in an hour then. I still have to pack. This is going to be an adventure! I can’t wait to meet our new husbands. We should write them letters telling them we have left and when we’ll be there. We can drop them off before we get to the train station.”

“Good idea Cara. Now go and get ready!” Emmy giggled.

Chapter Five

Washington Territory 1869

One week later…

The trip was quite something, one would never guess the land between the two oceans were so different, the East was warm and humid, the Plains were dry and had little by the ways of trees; and finally as they reached the edge of the Plains and into the mountains that would take them on the last leg of the journey, the twin saw that this side of the country they were to live in was rich in trees and rain! It seemed the closer they got the more it rained on the final days.

When the train pulled in the station they were surrounded by green and a fine mist. It was raining lightly and the girl
s giggled as they looked out the window as people started leaving the train cars.

Carrow looked at her sister with wide green eyes and smiled. “This is it! Are you
nervous?”

Emmy nodded and bit her lip, her nervous habit. “I think
so; I’m just not sure what I am going to do without you.”

“We are in the same town, it can’t be so bad. We can me
et at the mercantile on Main Street every day to see each other. When we both get settled in we can visit each other. I hope you and your new husband gets along. I wish you the best Em.”

Emmy pulled her in a tight hug and sniffed a little and wiped her eyes with a silly smile. “There is that at least. I hope he is kind to you.”

“There is going to be a plus side to being married other than just being free of Uncle. There is the bedroom sport as it were,” Carrow said wagging her eyebrows.

“Carrow!” her sister gasped in surprise.

“It’s not like I would know, but I have friends who were married and they did so enjoy their tea time talks,” Carrow giggled. “From what I hear most enjoy it but the first time is a bit of a pinch. I hope his is good in bed, it would make liking him so much better, I think.”

Emmy whacked her on the shoulder. “
That is enough, you are being crude!”

“I am the wild child. I might even dare to start wearing pants instead of skirts while I am here,” Carrow said winking at her sister. She grabbed her carry on carpet bag and dismounted the
station onto the platform and was greeted by a wave of stream that nearly blew her hat off her head. She reached up to keep it on with a laugh.

She had never felt so free or alive. This was going to be her adventure and she was going to get everything she could out of it.

She opened her eyes after the stream stopped and turned to look at the other end of the platform. Her mouth opened in surprise.

Standing at the entrance of the platform stood a very tall man in a plain dark blue cotton work shirt, dark tan work pants, dark blonde hair falling around his chin line in a windswept look; a five o’clock shadow
covering those high cheeks and all Carrow could think was that he was sin born to flesh. Surely it was a sin to look that good and go around breaking the hearts of woman with nothing more than a glance.

Someone bumped into her from behind and she heard her sister say, “Move over Cara I can’t get off. What are you looking at?”

Carrow turned her sister’s face from her own with a finger under her chin. When her sister saw the walking sin she breather, “Oh my!”

“Oh my indeed, Sister. Let’s hope that one is for me,” Carrow said dazed.

She moved away from the train and the man was still staring at her, but when he got a good look at the two sisters, a look of surprise covered his face.

He moved forward slowly and came up to them and smiled slightly.

“Are either of you Ms. Carrow?” he asked, his voice as rich as chocolate.

“I am,” Carrow said quietly, suddenly shy.

The man looked between the two of them, took her hand and bowed slightly over it and kissed the back of her hand. “Charmed, Ms. Carrow. I don’t believe in the letter you send your sister was indeed a twin. An identical twin at that. She is just as beautiful as you are.”

Emmy blushed and smiled shyly at him. “Thank you, sir.”

A grin curved his lips and Carrow about faint. She never fainted.

Just then another man came up from behind Emmy and cleared his throat looking embarrassed. He was handsome too if you liked the dark rouge look, his dark honey colored eyes eyed us with
curiosity.

“Would one of you be Emmy Cole?” he asked.

Emmy turned around to the hand and she grinned. “I am, and you must be Mr. Eric Forster.”

He tipped his hat. “Indeed I am, my good woman.” He flashed us a grin and looked over to the other man in surprise. “You too, huh, Clay? Well doesn’t that beat all odds and twins
too?”

Clayton Stone smiled at the other man and n
odded taking Carrow by the hand. Carrow noticed the man wore a silver star pinned to his shirt. So her sister was going to marry the sheriff, huh? Good for her.

“I’ll see your later
Emmy. We’ll meet tomorrow right?”

Her sister nodded and walked away with the man, hand in hand. Carrow was suddenly nervous to be left alone with a man she barely knew, but they were going to be married soon.

“So…its nice to meet you,” Carrow said shyly.

“I’m glad you came,” the man said simply and suddenly he bent to kiss her gently on the lips.

As quick as he was there he was gone. Carrow stood stunned to the spot as she watched him walk away to collect her trunk and spare bag. She could swear the man’s face was flushed. She had never been kissed before and it left her stunned to the spot in delightful shivers.