Sherri Shackelford - His Substitute Mail-Order Bride

There’d be no running this time.

“Did Susannah confide in you?” he asked.

Susannah’s letters tended to be unfocused and rambling. He might as well get to the heart of the matter rather than wade through a sea of frivolous words.

“Just what you already know,” Anna said. “Susannah wanted me to send her sincerest apologies. She didn’t mean to fall in love with someone else. It just, well, it just happened.”

“Just happened, huh?” Russ didn’t bother to disguise the bitterness in his voice. “I’ve heard that before.”

How could he fault his father for running from his mistakes when there were times when Russ wanted nothing more than to do the same himself? Cowboy Creek was a fresh start, but now he felt like the boy he’d been all those years ago, his pride wounded.

No matter his own feelings, Susannah’s change of mind didn’t explain Anna’s unexpected appearance. While Susannah’s letter might shed light on the matter, Russ wanted to hear what Anna had to say first.

This time, he wasn’t falling for a change of subject. “How do you know Susannah?”

“She’s a friend.” Anna twisted her hands in the material of her skirt. “More of an acquaintance, really.”

“And you hand-delivered a letter, traveling hundreds of miles across patches of hostile territory, from an acquaintance?”

“The social groups in Philadelphia overlap. Surely you remember how things were? When Susannah fell in love, she came to me for advice. Since you were once engaged to Charlotte, she thought I might be of help.”

“I see.”

He didn’t understand anything. Why compound the betrayal by introducing someone from his past?

“I borrowed Susannah’s ticket,” Anna said. “I hope you’ll excuse the imposition, but I’m unable to reimburse you for the fare right away. I promise I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.”

“A train ticket is the least of my worries.”

He wasn’t a struggling law clerk pinching every penny anymore. While his heart wasn’t involved, there were practical decisions to consider. How was he going to explain to his mother and brother that he’d been jilted yet again? Seth might have laughed at him before, but now that he had a family of his own, he was eager for his brother to follow suit. Adam, if he were here, would probably call him foolish for sending for someone he’d never met in the first place.

There was also his political career to consider. Married men were considered more attractive candidates to hold public office. He’d set his plan in motion to run for mayor, and single men didn’t win political races.

Anna glanced at him from beneath her eyelashes. “Susannah mentioned that you were quite successful in Cowboy Creek.”

A prickly sensation raised the hairs on the back of his neck. “Business is going well.”

“Considering our past connection, I was hoping to ask a small favor of you?”

His heart beat a strange, uneven rhythm. “Other than using my fiancée’s train ticket?”

Anna’s already pale complexion turned ashen. “It was nothing.”

“I’m sorry, Anna.” Russ scrubbed a hand down his face. All the tattered feelings had come rushing back. He’d been looking forward to starting a new life and raising a family and hadn’t yet adjusted to the disappointment. Having the sister of his former fiancée staring at him like a lost waif wasn’t helping matters. “For Charlotte’s sake, I’ll do whatever I can to help you.”

“You have every right to be angry with me.”

“I’m not angry, Anna. I’m frustrated. Have you ever been traveling along a path, only to find that nothing is turning out the way you expected?”

“I’ve had that sensation. Yes.”

A jolt spiked through him. That’s all he felt. Frustration. Not sadness or disappointment. Not heartbreak. If anything, he was annoyed. He and Susannah had struck a deal, and now she was changing the deal. He’d approached their relationship as though he was approaching a contract negotiation. They both wanted something the other had: Susannah had craved the security a husband could provide, and he’d wanted a family and children. While emotions were best left out of contract negotiations, they seeped into personal matters.

“I’m sorry,” he said. The weary note in Anna’s voice sent a pang of regret through him. “I shouldn’t have asked. You’re not in the middle of this any more than you were in the middle of what happened between Charlotte and me.”

“You don’t have to apologize.”

He’d been so young and naive with Charlotte. Anna had been even younger. They were a thousand days and a thousand miles from who’d they’d been all those years ago. He’d approached his relationship with Charlotte as an eager schoolboy, and he’d kept a level head with Susannah. Neither approach had saved him from disappointment.

Rehashing the past wasn’t doing either of them any good. “You said you needed a favor. How can I help?”

There was an exhausted slope to Anna’s shoulders that reminded him of the battle-hardened soldiers he’d met during the war. Her eyes spoke of a soul-deep sorrow, and his heart softened.

“I need a job.” She rushed ahead. “I’m a hard worker. I can cook and clean. I even assisted my late husband in his law office. I heard there’s a new hotel in town. Perhaps they need a maid? You must know people.”

He barely managed to hide his shock at her request. What catastrophe had forced her on this path? Her family had been quite well off. Had she fallen on hard times before or after her marriage? Why did that even matter? She was here now. Here and in need. Plenty of men had gained and lost fortunes while the country rebuilt. Following the war, more than one man had made imprudent investments.

“You’re exhausted,” he said. She was in no shape to clean hotel rooms. “We’ll settle everything after you’ve had a chance to rest.”

“Never mind. I shouldn’t have imposed.”

Russ flipped back the edge of his coat and planted one hand on his hip. The throbbing in his head intensified. He wasn’t putting her off. He was truly concerned about her current state. Why did she insist on reading the worst into his innocent words?

The deep creases around Anna’s eyes spoke of too little sleep and too much worry. She was fatigued beyond a lengthy train journey.

Russ looked at her for the first time. Really looked at her. A thousand tiny clues added together. Anna was widowed. She was riding the train on a borrowed ticket. She was too thin. She was desperate for a job but hadn’t gone to her sister for help.

Something had gone terribly wrong in her young life.

She was evading the real question, and though it pained him to push her, he craved answers. “I could better help you if you told me the truth.”

Chapter Three

Why did Russ have to be so perceptive?

Pursing her lips, Anna pointed at the distant horizon. “Is that Cowboy Creek?”

“Yes.”

“It’s larger than I expected.”

“The train route helps. We have a thriving depot.”

“That’s nice.”

“I promise I only have your best interests in mind,” Russ said. “If you reconsider, and you’d like a friend, I’m here for you.”

She was desperately trying to evade his questions. Most men enjoyed talking about themselves. Why must he keep turning the conversation back to her?

“You know the truth.” She twisted a bonnet ribbon around her finger. “I’m a widow. I borrowed Susannah’s ticket. I need work. You know everything there is to know about me.”

Her pulse thrummed in her ears. Though she longed to confide in someone, she caught the words before they escaped. If he knew what they were saying about her in Philadelphia, he’d never agree to help. At best, he’d treat her with pity, at worst, derision. This was her one chance to start over. She didn’t have any other choice but to remain silent.