Mail-Order Bride Ink: Dear Mr. Turner (4 page)

“Here now, slow down before you trip over your own feet,” Colin advised. “What’s your hurry? There’s nothing to worry about.”

“You tell me there’s a band of outlaws shooting at my future husband and you expect me not to be worried?”

Colin and Harrison both looked at her, aghast. “We said no such thing!” Harrison told her.

“Quite so,” Colin added. “We merely invited you to dinner.”

She gaped at them. “Maybe so, but you did it while my future husband is being shot at!”

“Well, if you don’t mind my saying so, he
is
the deputy sheriff,” Harrison pointed out. “One of them, anyway. He’s bound to get shot at on occasion. Part of the job description.”

“Among other things,” Colin said. He steered her toward a wagon parked down the street. “I think what you need is a good hot bath, a meal and a warm bed.”

“Yes, I quite agree,” said his brother. “That should set you to rights. Our wives will take care of everything.”

“It’s a wonder you’re both married!” Pleasant said. She knew she’d just insulted them, but at the moment was too flustered to care. And she couldn’t help but hear gunshots somewhere in the distance. Would she be made a widow before she even had a chance to be a bride? Good grief, she’d be stranded, at least until she had Aunt Phidelia send her some money. But then what?

“Allow me to help you up,” one of them offered. At this point she wasn’t sure which. They both sounded alike to her.

“Miss Comfort?” Colin asked. Maybe he was the one that spoke just now.

“This has been a most trying day for me, gentlemen. You’ll forgive me if I’m out of sorts.” She smoothed the skirt of her green traveling dress. Their talk had her so upset she hadn’t remembered to open her parasol against the sun. She did so now, almost stabbing Harrison in the eye. “Oh, I beg your pardon!” she said.

“Quite so,” he said brightly, recovering from where he’d ducked. “Can happen to anyone.” They helped her climb onto the wagon seat, then loaded her trunk and satchel in the back. He hopped into the wagon bed with her luggage.

Colin sat beside her to drive. “Right, then.” He gave the horses a slap with the lines. “We’re off!”

The wagon lurched forward and Pleasant grabbed at the seat to keep her balance. “How far out of town is your ranch?”

“Just a few miles,” Colin said. “We’ll be there in no time. You can have another cup of tea while you wait for your bath water to heat.”

“You’re sure it’s no trouble for your wives?”

“None at all,” Harrison said from behind them. “Besides, we’re quite adept at handling mail-order brides around here. Heaven knows we’ve had enough of them.”

“You have?” she said in shock and turned on the seat to face him. “How many mail-order brides?”

“We’ve hosted over a half-dozen at the ranch,” he told her with a grin. “Though we were related to most of them, they were still mail-order brides. But we’ve had others come through over the years.”

“Needless to say, dear lady,” Colin said. “You’re not the first, nor are you likely to be the last. And don’t worry – Eli knows what he’s doing, as does his brother.”

“His brother?”

“Yes – Sheriff Tom Turner, Eli’s older brother.”

“Oh,” she said. “Do they have other relations in town?”

“Yes, their sister Emeline. We’ll let Eli fill you in on all that.”

“We’ll have enough trouble filling you in on our family, should you care to ask about it,” Harrison said from behind them.

She didn’t bother turning around this time. “I take it your family is a large one?”

“Oh yes!” they said in unison.

Still in shock from everything else that had happened that day, Pleasant forbore from asking any more questions. What had she allowed herself to get into?

T
he Triple-C
Ranch was not what Pleasant expected. It was something between a plantation and a compound, with two large two-story ranch houses, a smaller one, a huge barn and several small outbuildings. There was also a small cabin on a hill about fifty yards away and what she thought might be a bunkhouse near the barn. Just how big was this place? The Cooke family must do quite well indeed. “Whatever do you raise here?”

“Cattle, mostly,” Harrison said. “Though we’ve branched out into horses of late.”

“But our stock and trade, Miss Comfort, are cattle,” Colin informed her. “The horses we raise for ourselves, not to sell. The Jones brothers own the main horse-breeding ranch around here, and I doubt we could compete with them.”

“The Jones brothers?”

“Seth and Ryder. Their ranch is several miles on the other side of Clear Creek. They raise some of the finest horses in the state there.”

“Some of the finest in the
Northwest
,” Harrison corrected.

“I believe so,” Colin said. “If you’re in the market for a fine horse, they’re the ones to see.”

Pleasant nodded slowly as Colin brought the wagon to a stop in front of what she assumed was the main ranch house. The ranch and its grounds were pristine and well-kept, and a pang of jealousy struck as she remembered her beloved Comfort Fields with its park-like grounds. Would she ever see it again?

According to Aunt Phidelia, no, she wouldn’t. Her running away had seen to that, and the thought pummeled her with guilt. Her father may have been about ready to lose everything; her departure had assured it. Her family had probably already disowned her – and at this point, she couldn’t say that she blamed them. There would be no going back…

“Colin! Harrison!” a woman called from the front porch. “Where have you been?”

Pleasant pulled herself from her thoughts. The woman wore a simple blue calico dress and apron. Her brown hair was braided and piled on top of her head, but stray wisps floated on the breeze around her face. And she had the most beautiful blue eyes. Was she a servant?

“There you are, wife!” Harrison called as he hopped down, then lifted Pleasant’s trunk out of the back of the wagon. “We have a houseguest.”

Okay, decidedly not a servant. Pleasant glanced around the grounds a second time. Did these people
have
servants?

“I can see that,” the woman said. “Don’t tell me … is this Eli’s mail-order bride?” She had a Southern accent, but quite different from Pleasant’s – Texas, maybe?

“One and the same,” Colin carried Pleasant’s satchel onto the front porch and handed it to the woman. “Sadie, meet Miss Comfort.”

The woman arched an eyebrow at her. “How do you do?”

“Very well, thank you,” Pleasant said from her perch on the wagon seat. “And you?”

“I’m just dandy.” The woman looked her up and down. “Colin, help Miss Comfort down so she can come inside. She’s probably tired after such a long journey.” She turned to her husband. “Harrison, where’s Eli?”

“Remember that outlaw gambling house Tom told us about the other day?”

“Oh no,” she said in alarm. “Did they go after them?”

“Yes, dear wife, and I suspect they’ll be hauling them in later this evening. We happened upon Eli as he was riding out of town after them. He told us to take care of Miss Comfort here until he returned,” he said as he watched Colin helped Pleasant out of the wagon.

Pleasant went to stand before Sadie, but before she could say anything the woman grabbed her hand and pulled her into the house. “You poor thing! Come into the kitchen and we’ll fix you right up! Harrison, put her things in the girls’ room.”

“You heard the woman,” Harrison told his brother. “To the girls’ room!” He snatched up the satchel and headed up the flight of stairs next to them in the foyer.

Colin shook his head. “I should’ve seen that coming and grabbed the satchel myself.” He hefted Pleasant’s trunk onto his shoulder and headed for the staircase.

“You’ll have to be quicker next time,” Sadie said with a laugh. She then led Pleasant down the hall and into a huge kitchen.

“Oh my, this is a large room,” Pleasant remarked. “And Harri – Col – one of the gentlemen said you have a large family. I hope I’ll be able to keep track of them all … eventually.”

“It’s okay if it takes a while. I’m sure everyone will introduce themselves properly when you meet them. I gather Harrison and Colin did so in town?”

“Yes, they did. I also had the, er … pleasure of meeting a Mr. and Mrs. Dunnigan.”

Sadie’s eyes widened, and she chuckled deep in her throat. “Well, I can’t think of two better people to meet your first day in town – if only to get it over with. Irene Dunnigan is … well, we do have a few odd characters in town, but she’s the only one that’s in any way dangerous.”

“I see!” Though she wasn’t sure she did.

“In fact, the Dunnigans are Colin’s in-laws of sorts. He’s married to their niece Belle. She and Colin live in the house next door. They used to live in this one with Harrison and me, but we outgrew this one years ago. Too many children.”

“How many families live on this ranch?”

“Well, Harrison and our four children live here. Colin and Belle and their five live next door. The smaller house belongs to our foreman Logan Kincaid and his family, and the cabin is occupied by Jefferson Cooke and his wife Edith. Jefferson is Colin and Harrison’s stepfather. And of course, the ranch hands sleep in the bunkhouse.”

Pleasant would feel more at home here than she thought. “I declare, you do have a large operation here.” She glanced around the huge kitchen. “Where’s your cook?”

Sadie laughed. “You’re looking at her.”

Pleasant’s jaw dropped. “You mean you actually cook for that many people?”

“No – I cook for a lot more than that when you throw in the ranch hands. But I have myself and four other women to help me. Well, three and Belle’s daughter, but she’s not quite a woman yet – she’s only fourteen.”

Speaking of fourteen, Pleasant’s eyes fixed on the huge kitchen table. It was long enough to seat at least that many. “How many people live in this house?”

“Just the six of us, but this was the original ranch house, so everyone gathers here. I guess it’s what we’re all used to. More often than not, Colin and his family and Jefferson and Edith eat supper here. Would you like a cup of tea or coffee?”

“Tea would be lovely, thank you.” Pleasant then remembered something. “I hope it’s not too much trouble, but the men spoke of …”

“I’ll heat the water for a bath while you have your tea. Are you hungry?”

Pleasant stared at her, her mouth half-open. “You knew what I was going to say?”

Sadie smiled. “Oh, we’ve taken care of enough mail-order brides over the years to know the routine. You’re probably tired, hungry and desperate for a hot bath, am I right?”

“That about sums it up.”

“Then let’s take care of you, shall we? By the time you meet your future groom, you’ll feel like a new woman.”

Pleasant sighed wearily. “I certainly hope so, Mrs. Cooke. At this point, I’d like to be.” If she was, maybe she could forget what she’d done to her family.

* * *

“
D
agnabit
!” Sheriff Tom Turner huffed as he crouched next to his brother behind an outcropping of rock. He was breathing hard, as was Eli.

“They got us pinned, Tom,” Eli said. “Where are the others?”

“I think Anson and Bran are over behind those trees.” The group from Clear Creek had chased the outlaws to the tree line that bordered the prairie to the north of town. It was a good place to get ambushed because of the many outcroppings of rocks and boulders.

A shot rang out before Eli could reply, ricocheting off one of the rocks above their heads. “Consarnit! That was close!”

“Too close,” Tom agreed. “Sorry ya hafta be out here on yer weddin’ day.”

“This ain’t my weddin’ day, brother. I plan on courtin’ her first.” Another shot, another ricocheting bullet. Both men glanced quickly around. “That is, if’n I get the chance.”

“Ya will. My guess is Anson and Bran are tryin’ to circle around behind ‘em. We best keep them busy so they can do that.”

“What’s our brother-in-law doin’ helpin’ us anyway?” Eli asked.

“He was ridin’ into town as I was ridin’ out. Ya must’ve still been talkin’ to the Cooke brothers. He’s a good shot, and the more the better, I figger. Besides, Henry’s gettin’ too old for this sort of thing. Ya know how bad his eyesight is nowadays.”

“I know. Just so long as we don’t make our sister a widow today, I’m fine with it. Bad enough we’re out here.”

“Yeah, but it is
our job,” Tom countered.

Eli peered around the rock and took aim. “True, but sometimes I think we don’t get paid enough for this. Heck, Anson don’t get paid at all.” He fired, the sound of the gunshot immediately followed by the scream of a man. “Bullseye. Got him right in the butt. That’ll teach him to turn tail and run.”

Tom shook his head before he also took aim. “Li’l brother, ya like what ya do. In fact, I’d go so far as to say ya’d do it whether ya got paid or not.” He fired. Another scream rent the air.

“Doc Drake’s sure gonna be busy later,” Eli commented with a smile.

Tom grinned. “He sure enough is. And nobody’s fault but theirs.” He glanced off to one side and nodded. “There go Anson and Bran. Let’s give ‘em some cover, shall we?”

“Yessir.” Eli gave his gun a twirl. The brothers stood and opened fire. Eli had counted at least eight outlaws, but with two of them wounded the odds were improved. He and Tom had wanted to round them up and get them locked away before the noon stage got in. But he’d had a feeling that morning that it might take longer than expected, so he’d asked the Cooke brothers to meet his future bride if he didn’t get back to town in time.

Sure enough, it was after three o’clock now and he was worried they might not get it wrapped up before sundown. It was a good thing Anson White had tagged along – the man was a good shot, better than Henry, and maybe better than Eli and Bran. But no one was better than Tom, and between the four of them, they had the advantage.

More gunshots were heard, but they were coming from Anson and Bran, who’d managed to get behind the varmints and flush them into the open. Two of them limped out – make that three – with their hands in the air and no guns in sight. “Don’t shoot!” one of them cried. “We’re unarmed!”

“What about yer friends?” Tom yelled. Neither he nor Eli were fool enough to come out in the open for what might be a decoy.

More men began to emerge from behind trees and rocks, and Eli did a headcount. “That’s thirteen out of fifteen. Where are the other two?”

“The other three,” Tom corrected. “I don’t see Snake, Frog, or their leader, Lizard.”

“Lizard, gizzard, buzzard,” Eli grumbled with a roll of his eyes. “Where do these outlaws get such silly names?”

“Everyone wants to be famous, li’l brother,” Tom said. “My guess is they sacrificed these fellas so they can make a run for it.”

“Poor saps.” Eli stepped out from behind their cover and aimed his gun at the bedraggled group of men as they approached. “Toss yer guns, gents, or we’ll shoot ‘em outta yer hands.” The few pistols remaining quickly dropped to the ground.

Anson and Deputy Bran O’Hare emerged from the trees, their guns also trained on the outlaws. “I sure hope I brought enough rope,” Tom commented as he noted their catch.

“I’ve got extra in my saddlebag – don’t worry,” said Eli.

They quickly rounded the outlaws up, handcuffed those they could and bound the others’ hands behind their backs. Eli ordered them into a line and used the remaining rope to string the outlaws together to lead them back to town on foot. One of them, younger than the rest, gave him a pleading look. “Please, Deputy, mah horse is back thar.”

“Yers and everyone else’s, I ‘spect,” Eli said, tying the rope around the man’s waist, placing him last in line.

“Ya don’t unnerstand. Mitzi, she’s gonna foal. Ah shouldn’t even be ridin’ ‘er.”

Eli looked at him in shock. “Yer darn tootin’ ya shouldn’t. What idjit rides a horse about to foal?!”

The youth hung his head. “She ain’t
that
close, but close ‘nough. She’s a good horse, ‘n the sire’s a might fine piece o’ horseflesh too. If’n Ah’m goin’ to jail for the rest o’ mah life or … or gonna hang, I wanna make sure she’s taken care of.”

Eli studied him a moment. “How old are ya?”

He straightened. “Fourteen.”

“Fourteen! What got ya tied up with these fellas, if’n ya don’t mind my askin’?”

“See the one up at the front o’ the line? That’s mah brother Teddy. He tole me to come along. He knew Ah didn’t have no other horse to ride.”

“Told ya to come along and be an outlaw?” Eli asked in shock. “Do yer folks know where ya are? Where do ya live?”

The young man’s cheeks flamed red under the dirt and grime on his face. “Oregon City.”

“And ya just decided to up and join this bunch?” Eli asked.

“Er, yessir, I s’pose.” He looked away again.

“How long ya been running with these men?”

“A little over two months.”