Page 5 of A Groom for Millie
She needed someone honest, could handle a gun, knew something about horses, and was good with Mary Rose. As her pencil hovered over the paper she wondered if she should put down the next thoughts in her head.
Someone who will love me.
She quickly scratched it out and snapped the notebook shut.
No need to delay the inevitable. Unless she got married, Pastor Collins was going to insist that she return home. Why the Pastor was involved in everyone’s business was unknown to her. She simply knew that she didn’t want to have to deal with the curmudgeon coming around checking on herstatus.
Grabbing the first letter, she tore the envelope open. A few papers fell out filled with bold handwriting. Millie flattened the paper on the table.
Mr. Steven Macrony was running from the law. Millie snorted. At least he was honest.One check. He didn’t like children and didn’t want to take responsibility for a family. Millie tossed the letter aside. She didn’t think Mr. Macrony was a good match.
The next letter was much of the same. Although Mr. Watkins wasn’t a criminal, he made it clear regarding his thoughts of a wife’s role. Millie rolled her eyes. There was no way she was going to give up her teaching job so she could sit at home and wait on a man.
She tossed the letter on top of the first one.
The third letter wasn’t terrible. It was from a doctor named Charles Christopher Spaulding. Millie snickered that Dr. Spaulding used his three names. It reminded her ofOtis Ignatius Graham, who spent most of his time at the bottom of a bottle. Otis insisted that everyone use all three names.
Dr. Spaulding was very concise in his communication, letting his intentions be known that he was available to move to Last Chance immediately.He had nothing in his background that would be cause for concern and was considered very handsome in his small town. Mille read the rest of the letter.He was open to a woman with children and had never been married. He hoped he could find a wife before the end of the year.
She wondered if he could shoot a gun. Placing the letter aside she made a mental note to ask the questions when she wrote to him.He at least had some potential.
She opened the next letter and was surprised to see elegant penmanship.
It was from a Miss Rochelle Darby. Miss Darby was writing on behalf of her brother. He sounded sweet enough until Millie came to the part where he was only seventeen! That would be like marrying one of her students.That letter just landed in the no pile.
She put the letters that she had no intention of answering back into her satchel. The other women may be able to find partners in those letters. She wasn’t sure she should include Mr. Macrony’s letter. She’d talk to Linda Applebee about that. Linda was married to the sheriff that died as part of the rescue party to bring their men home.
Giving a sigh she reached for her coffee cup. Finding it empty she refilled it and then went in search of her stationery, ink, and pen.
Without giving much thought to her words she hastily scribbled a response to Mr. Spaulding. She sprinkled the letter with sand to dry the ink, then folded it in half and stuffed it in the envelope. Flipping it over, she scrawled his address and pushed the letter aside. There.It was done.
She eyed the last envelope on the table. Millie wondered what her mother could want. Her mother was not receptive when her only daughter headed west to be a bride. Even though Millie sent her mother letters, including news of Mary Rose’s birth, the responses were few and far between. She received one letter letting her know her father had died, and the rest were filled with news of her brothers’ families, the weather, and her disapproval of Millie’s choices.
Mille turned the letter over and used a knife to open it. Sliding the papers out, she quickly scanned the words. Oh no! Millie wanted to stuff the letter back in the envelope and pretend she had never seen it.
Dearest Millicent,
Since it appears you have no intention of coming home to Philadelphia, I have no choice except to come to you.
I will depart Philadelphia on November 7 and should arrive a week afterward.
I look forward to seeing you and perhaps both of us can be home by Christmas.
Your loving mother,
Regina Baker
The last person she ever expected to see was her mother. If Regina Baker was convinced that Millie should return home, then she had no choice but to get that letter to Mr. Spaulding in the mail as quickly as possible.
She looked at the date on her mother’s letter. It was written in mid-October. It was already the tenth of November, which meant that her mother was going to arrive tomorrow or the next few days. She looked around the small cabin and groaned.
She had no intention of returning home. Her mother didn’t indicate how long she was staying, but Millie planned on using every single minute to convince her mother that she and Mary Rose belonged in Last Chance.
Chapter Three
Flat River, Nebraska
Robert Taylor cupped his hands around his cards and gently fanned them. He scanned the cards from left to right and suppressed a smile. He never let the other players know what he was holding. He heard Flat River hosted a good card game. It wasn’t surprising, given that the entire town consisted of a dozen businesses, most of which were saloons or houses of ill repute.
