Bid for a Bride Page 18

  Lucy turned down the corner of it to show them the other side which was of the night sky.

  Addy laughed. “This little girl is cuddled up with the stars and moon. That’s how she sleeps.”

  “Who said anything about sleeping?” Eliza asked. “I just think she looks nice with yellow. Besides, she’s not really asleep. She’s just resting her eyes.”

  Frank drank some hot chocolate and shook his head. “I don’t envy you, Brian. You’re going to be surrounded by women. It’ll be constant chatter all day long over things like blankets and what someone’s doing.”

  “And what’s wrong with that?” Addy asked him. “We have a daughter.”

  “I speak from experience,” Frank replied.

  “Oh, you!” Eliza waved her hand at him. “Behave.”

  “I don’t mind,” Brian said with a smile. “It’s better than the silence that used to be in this place.”

  John signed, There’s nothing worse than the silence.

  Eliza patted John on the knee. “Exactly. Women turn a house into a home. If it weren’t for us, you men would be lost.”

  “Amen,” Addy said. “Just this morning, Frank couldn’t find his hat. It was up to me to find it.”

  “Now, I’m telling you, Addy, that hat wasn’t there on the closet shelf when I looked,” Frank replied.

  “Oh? And I suppose it jumped up on there when you weren’t looking?” she asked.

  Frank shrugged. “Stranger things have happened.”

  Addy rolled her eyes.

  “You just need to pay better attention to where you put your things,” Eliza said.

  Lucy laughed as she watched her friends good-naturedly argue. Parts of it reminded her of how her brother used to tease her. Her smile waned a bit as she recalled the times she and her brother had walked by the lake. It’d been her favorite pastime, and he was the only person she’d shared it with. She wondered how he was doing with Teresa. Turning her attention to Charlotte, she caught the small dimple in her daughter’s left cheek, the same dimple her brother had. It warmed her heart to know a part of her brother passed on to her little girl.

  Addy handed Charlotte to Eliza who took the girl in her arms and cooed at her. Lucy grinned, noting the joy on Eliza’s face. After everything Eliza had been through, Lucy thought it was fitting that Eliza got to hold her grandchild. And this would be the first of other grandchildren Eliza would get to hold.

  Picking up her cup of hot chocolate, she took a sip and sighed. Looking back at Charlotte who gurgled in contentment as her grandmother continued to coo at her while the others talked, she couldn’t help but think maybe, one day, her brother and parents might get a chance to see Charlotte as well.

  ***

  Meredith adjusted her brown wig and turned the collar of her coat up as the stage coach neared the small South Dakota town. What a horrific ordeal the journey had been! She was glad to finally be here. Sneaking away and buying her train ticket to Sioux Falls and then arranging for the stage coach had not been easy, but she did it.

  She scanned the flat landscape with the businesses lining the streets up ahead. So this was where Mark dropped Lucy off. She had to admit the choice was a smart one. If she was going to quietly get rid of someone, she’d pick a place like this as well. It was far removed from a real civilization. Not that she came from a flourishing town either, but at least it’d been better than this dump. But this dump would be her home soon enough. Knowing Lucy, Lucy probably loved it here since it was quiet and peaceful—two things Lucy seemed to crave above all else. So Meredith had to play the part.

  Taking a deep breath, she sat back in her seat and wiggled her gloved fingers in anticipation. Finally. A new beginning. Finally, she could be perfect and loved by all.

  The stage coach pulled onto the main street in town where snow still scattered the ground in places where the sun hadn’t melted it yet. She hoped the driver had the good sense to stop in a place where she wouldn’t have to step over a pile of slush. Such incompetent foolery would cost him a tip if he did.

  When he came to a stop in front of the general store, she opened the door and was relieved to see he did have some common sense after all. She picked up her purse and dug out the necessary coin to tip him with. He came around to her door and widened it.

  “I hope you’ll enjoy your stay here, ma’am,” he said as he offered his hand to help her down.

  Accepting his hand, she stepped down from the coach and smiled her most charming smile at him. “Thank you.”

  As he gathered her carpetbag and placed it on the boardwalk in front of the store, she brought her collar up higher and lowered her hat. If Lucy was still here, they might recognize her face, and that wouldn’t work. She needed time to hide and learn what happened to her sister. Hopefully, she could do this before her brother arrived. It sounded like he had to tie up a loose end at a trial first. Maybe that would delay him a good week or two. By then, she should be settled into her new home.

  The man turned back to Meredith so she handed him the coin. He tipped his hat. “Have a good visit with your grandma.”

  “I will.”

  She stepped back from the stage coach and watched as he hopped back on and drove off. Picking up her bag, she tried to figure out what she should do first. She caught sight of a boarding house. Perhaps she could work out a temporary arrangement. She wouldn’t need to stay there for long.

  Proceeding forward, she walked down the boardwalk, not paying much attention to the group of people who collected around the district. At the moment, she wasn’t in the mood to put on a pleasant façade with anyone. She was tired from travel and needed something decent to eat. As she walked, she forced a polite greeting to whomever she passed and forced a yawn to show them all how tired she was.

  Once she reached the boarding house, she knocked on the door and cleared her throat. A stout, older woman opened the door, so Meredith smiled and raised her voice an octave. “Hello, ma’am. May I speak with the woman who owns this boarding house?”

  “You’re talking to her.” The woman moved aside so Meredith could come in. “My name is Molly Richie.”

  As Molly shut the door, Meredith set her carpetbag down and turned to her. “I’m Cara Templeton. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  Molly smiled and ushered her forward. “Would you like a seat?”

  “Actually, I’m exhausted from a long trip. I was wondering if you have a room I might rent for a short time. A couple of days is all I need.”

  “You’re in luck. I’m between boarders right now for one of my rooms. I’ll still ask for a deposit which I’ll refund you when you leave.”

  “How much?”

  “I think $5 ought to do it. The $3 of that will be for the deposit. The fee includes food.”

  Meredith nodded and pulled out the necessary funds before she handed them to her. “That sounds fine, Mrs. Richie.”

  “Now, breakfast is at eight, lunch is at noon, and supper is at five. I also mandate that everyone bathe Saturday evening to get ready for the Lord’s Day. I have a schedule upstairs on when those baths will be. You’ll be in room 2, so you’ll go at 6:30.”

  “That sounds fine.”

  “Good.” Molly motioned for the staircase. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you to your room.”

  Retrieving her carpetbag, Meredith followed.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Meredith rested up enough so that she was able to put on her best façade as Cara at supper. She noticed the other boarders were significantly older than her. There were two older women and a man. She offered a polite greeting as she sat down to eat, hoping the wig with its bangs and its waves resting against the sides of her face were enough to dissuade them from looking at her too closely. Also, being older would probably give them less of a reason to worry about how people looked.

  After Molly said grace, she began passing the dishes around. “This is Cara Templeton. She’s only staying for a couple of days.”

  Me
redith smiled but avoided eye contact so no one would get a good look at her eye color. “Yes. I’m resting up before I head back out.”

  Molly motioned to the old woman next to her. “This is Constance.” Then she pointed to the old man and woman across from her. “They are Joshua and Maybelle.”

  “How do you do?” Meredith greeted, keeping her eyes on the mashed potatoes she was spooning onto her plate.

  “Aren’t you too young to be traveling by yourself?” Joshua asked.

  Forcing a pleasant tone since she couldn’t tell the old coot to mind his own business, Meredith said, “My sole remaining relative lives in Oregon, and I have no husband.”

  “Oh my, what a shame,” Constance replied. “Is this relative in Oregon someone you know well?”

  Meredith handed her the bowl of potatoes. “She’s my grandmother. In fact, she looks a lot like you. She’s a pretty woman.”

  Constance flushed and patted her hair before taking the bowl. “Oh, that’s a lovely sentiment. I’m sure she’s looking forward to seeing you.”

  “As I am her.” Meredith took the bowl of peas and scooped out her share.

  “Oregon?” Joshua asked. “Where have I heard that before?”

  Molly laughed. “Well, it is a state.”

  “No, it’s not that.” Joshua picked up his drink. After a loud swallow that made Meredith inwardly cringe, he added, “Didn’t someone else come here not too long ago who was on their way to Oregon?”

  “You know,” Constance began as she took the bowl of peas from Meredith, “someone did come here. A young lady, wasn’t it?”

  Molly nodded. “You’re right. The poor thing married a bigamist, and he dropped her here and ran off. A cold, unfeeling one, that fellow was. I hope they catch him. Bigamy is a crime, you know?” She glanced at Meredith with raised eyebrows.

  “How awful!” Meredith exclaimed, pausing as she placed the spatula in her portion of the pot roast. “I hope they lock him behind bars—and soon!”

  “We all do, dear,” Constance replied.

  Now that they took the bait, all Meredith had to do was reel them in. Once she got her piece of pot roast onto her plate, she handed the platter to Constance. “What happened to her? The young lady you mentioned.”

  “Fortunately, Brian Evans married her,” Molly said.

  “She’s married?” Meredith asked, surprised. Lucy hadn’t attracted any of the men’s attention in Minnesota, except for Mark.

  “That Brian’s a good man,” Constance said. “He did her good. Gave her a home and his name.”

  “A woman can’t ask for more than that,” Joshua added before he dug into his meal.

  “They just had a baby,” Molly added. “A cute little girl, from what I heard.”

  Lucky again, Lucy, Meredith thought as she picked up a forkful of mashed potatoes. Lucy had more luck than a person had the right to have. So Mark “married” her and dumped her off in this town? Lucy was still happy anyway. It all worked out for her. Every single time. How nice it must be.

  Constance smiled and pressed her hand over her heart. “It’s so nice when things work out like that, isn’t it?”

  “It sure is,” Molly replied. “I saw Eliza and John—” she glanced at Meredith—“those are Brian’s parents, and they looked as proud as grandparents could be when I saw them in church. Eliza was one of my boarders years ago, before she married John. The poor thing looked miserable back then. I was glad when John came for her.”

  “Oh yes,” Constance said. “I remember that. I’m in the room she used to occupy.”

  “I remember when Eliza came to town,” Molly rambled.

  Meredith tuned the rest of the discussion out as she thought over the implications of what she’d just learned. So Lucy was married and had a baby. Was the baby Mark’s or Brian’s? Maybe Lucy didn’t know. Even so, Lucy’s future was assured and she could rest easy. Meredith tightened her grip on the fork and stabbed it into the pot roast before she picked up a bite of it to chew. Perfect Lucy. Good husband. Cute baby. Perfect life. Perfect. Just simply perfect.

  “John and Brian made this dining table for me,” Molly said at one point, catching Meredith’s attention. “They work out that way, along the edge of town.”

  Meredith twirled the fork in her hand. Interesting. If Brian lived out there, then so did Lucy. Just how far out there were they? Far away so that if something were to happen to Lucy, no one might suspect it? Would it be easy enough for Cara to leave for Oregon while Lucy continued to live here?

  As Meredith rolled over how she might make such a thing possible, the others rambled, and this time, she didn’t bother paying any attention to them. She had plans to make, and she better get moving on them before her brother arrived.

  ***

  Lucy wrapped Charlotte in a blanket as tightly as she could and picked her up.

  Charlotte gurgled and Eliza chuckled from where she stood in the kitchen of Lucy’s home. “She’s going to be a talker, you just wait and see.” Eliza went over to them and tapped Charlotte on the nose. “Yes, you’ll be a talker, won’t you?”

  Lucy grinned. “She’s going to be a happy little girl.”

  “That she will.” She picked up her purse and adjusted her hat. “Are you ready to go to town?”

  “Almost. Will you hold her while I use the privy?”

  “Certainly.”

  She placed Charlotte in Eliza’s arms. “I’ll be right back.”

  “We’ll be waiting.” Eliza sat down by the fire and rocked her granddaughter while humming an upbeat tune.

  Smiling, Lucy headed out of the house. She stepped onto the porch and inhaled the brisk air. Good. It was warming up nicely, and the patches of snow on the property were starting to melt. Maybe when Brian returned home from work, they could go for a nice stroll along the creek. It’d been a long time since they’d been for a walk, and she missed it.

  She made her way across the property and did her business. As she left the outhouse, something hissed at her. Surprised, she spun around but didn’t see anything unusual. A squirrel darted across the property and up one of the trees by the house. With another glance from where she heard the unfamiliar sound, she was assured nothing was there.

  Taking a deep breath, she walked toward the well. Just before she reached it, someone clamped their hand firmly over her mouth. She brought her hands up to try to pry the hand away from her mouth, but the person jabbed something hard into her back, causing Lucy to let go so she could try to grab the hard object. As much as Lucy tried to scream and fight, the person succeeded in dragging her behind the outhouse and behind some trees lining the creek.

  After the person let go, Lucy only had enough time to look over her shoulder when a bat made contact with her face. Lucy fell back, not sure who was attacking her and aware the side of her face throbbed in pain. She tried to move away, but the bat came down on her back and forced her on her stomach. Her hands went up to her head before the person hit her again with the bat. She tried to scream but no sound came out and though she made an effort to scramble away, the person kept hitting her with the bat. So she did the only thing she knew and protected her head as much as she could before everything went black.

  Panting, Meredith stood and waited for Lucy to move. When she didn’t, Meredith glanced at the house, assured they were far out of anyone’s view. She quickly pulled off her coat and dress before she rolled a bruised Lucy onto her stomach. Pressing her fingers to Lucy’s neck, she felt her pulse. She reached for the bat when she heard someone call out Lucy’s name.

  Stiffening, she stood, cleared her throat, and yelled, “I’ll be right there! I found something. Go back in!”

  The shutting of the storm door notified Meredith that the woman, whom she suspected was Eliza, went back into the house. She breathed a sigh of relief. That was close. Too close. She turned to Lucy and gritted her teeth. She didn’t have time to kill Lucy now. She’d have to come back and do it later.

  She quickly un
dressed Lucy until all Lucy had on were her undergarments and put on Lucy’s dress and coat. Then turning to the clothes she’d been wearing, Meredith ripped enough of the fabric to keep Lucy detained until she could return without anyone noticing. She rolled Lucy onto her stomach and tied her hands behind her back. Using another ribbon of fabric, she tied Lucy’s feet together and then finished by wrapping a gag around Lucy’s mouth, making sure to secure it to the back of her head.

  Scanning the area, she caught a fallen log and dragged Lucy’s body to it. Nearly out of breath, her muscles strained as she shoved Lucy into it. She stepped back and inspected the area. Good. No one could tell Lucy was there. When she turned, she caught sight of the blood on the snow and quickly used her boots to smear the snow into the muddy ground.

  There. No one would be the wiser.

  “Lucy?” the woman called again.

  Cursing the woman, Meredith hastened to the outhouse. She saw the redhead, who held a baby, looking out from the porch. After she grabbed her ripped clothes, Meredith shoved them behind the outhouse. She’d hide those later.

  With a quick pat on the type of bun Lucy typically wore, she emerged from her hiding place and smiled. She hurried up to the house. “I’m sorry I took so long. I thought I heard something.”

  Eliza nodded. “As long as you’re alright.” Chuckling, she added, “I had this strange feeling something was wrong, but here you are.”

  Meredith stopped and laughed. “Yes. Here I am.”

  Eliza walked down the porch steps. “Would you like to hold Charlotte on the way to town or drive the buggy?”

  Her gaze fell to the sleeping child. So this was Lucy’s child. And the name was Charlotte. Meredith recalled how Lucy loved that name. It figured. Everything Lucy wanted, she got. First, the husband who was good to her and now the little girl she named Charlotte. Was there anything Lucy didn’t have?

  Forcing aside her irritation, Meredith said, “I’ll hold her.” Once Eliza put her in her arms, she inspected the baby, feeling as though she had truly stepped into her sister’s place. She walked beside Eliza as they made their way around the house. “She’s quite the doll, isn’t she?”