Chapter 3   

Katie wandered through Brian’s orderly mercantile, fingering fabric, sniffing fragrant soaps, and simply enjoying the fact that she could linger there as long as she wanted. Life in New York had been such a struggle when they first came to America with their parents. Though she was only two when they first arrived, she could remember being cold in the winter and hot in the summer. But what clung to her memory the most was being hungry all the time and how her mother fretted over the lack of food. Whenever her mum tried to talk to Da about the lack of food, he would get angry and say he was working as hard as he could, and then he would leave and not return until after she and Keeley had gone to bed.

Sighing, she turned several cans of vegetables so that the labels faced forward. She glanced at Brian, where he stood tall at the counter, helping a customer look for a plow in a catalogue. He was a handsome man with his dark hair and blue eyes. He was slim but strong, as he proved when he carried several heavy crates to Mrs. Davies’s wagon earlier. He felt familiar somehow. Was it because Keeley had read all of the letters she received from him to her?

He glanced up and smiled, making her rebellious heart flutter. Thankfully, his gaze didn’t linger. Keeley should have come today, since she was the one betrothed to Brian, but she had wanted to wash their clothing and clean the house. And besides, Katie had almost been beside herself to come to the store. Would Brian allow her to help once he knew she wasn’t his betrothed?

She moved through the store again and noticed a supply of spices on a shelf. Ginger, cinnamon, mace, cloves, nutmeg, caraway seeds, and another half dozen spices she’d never heard of before. Brian was so tidy that she found it odd the spices weren’t in alphabetical order. She glanced over her shoulder. He had moved around the counter and stood beside his customer with his back to her, bent over the catalogue. Her heartbeat tripled its normal pace as she quickly rearranged the small tin cans in alphabetical order. It only made sense, after all, and it would make shopping a bit quicker for his customers. When she was done, she opened the lid of a small metal box and peeked inside. It was a spice set with eight smaller tins and a nutmeg grater. With a sigh, she closed the lid, thinking of all the wonderful things she and her sister could bake if they owned such a set.

Aunt Colleen had a sweet tooth, but the only spices she kept on hand were cinnamon and ginger. She was quite stingy with her sugar and flour, except when it came to baking scones. To be truthful, her aunt was tightfisted with pretty much everything. Did she miss them the least bit? Or was she angry with them for spoiling her plans to marry them off?

“What do you think … um … Daisy?” Brian walked up to her.

Katie spun around. “’Tis a grand store.”

“You two didn’t take very many items yesterday, and I know for a fact that Connor doesn’t keep many groceries on hand. I want you to make a pile of supplies to take home with you when we close. Do you like ham?”

Katie nodded. “Aye, very much.”

“Good. I just got several in on trade. I’ll get one from the back for you to take home. Also, I would suggest you look through the ready-made dresses and see if there’s any that will fit you. You’re likely to faint in those wool dresses out here in the heat of Texas.”

“Oh no, I couldn’t.”

“Once we’re married—if you actually are Keeley, that is—you’ll be able to choose whatever you need, so please, go ahead and take a couple.”

Her sister was the lucky one, since she would be marrying Brian. “You’re quite kind, but it doesn’t seem right to help myself to anything I want.”

“Need and want aren’t the same. A person has basic needs, and those shouldn’t be ignored. Come over here.” He walked across the store to the ready-made section. “What’s your favorite color?”

Her mind raced. She and Keeley had read one another the letters they’d written to the men before they mailed them, and they’d shared the four letters Connor and Brian wrote back, but she couldn’t remember if her sister had ever told Brian what her favorite color was. “We like most colors except orange, although blue, lavender, and green are our favorites.” She needed to remember to tell Keeley what she’d told Brian.

He frowned, as if disappointed his ploy hadn’t worked. He tapped his lip with his index finger and pulled a calico dress off the rack that reminded Katie of the prairie violets that snuck into the yards of the well-manicured homes she’d worked at back in Chicago. “This light blue would look good on you.” He handed it to her.

“’Tis lovely.” Katie held it up and looked in the long mirror in the clothing section of the store. She’d never worn a dress made from fabric that felt so thin. It would be like wearing her nightgown, except of course, she’d have on her petticoats and unmentionables. Her cheeks warmed at the thought.

“This soft green might look nice on you, but if you both want something that matches, we’ll either have to order dresses from the catalogue, or you can pick out fabric and make something yourself. Do you have a preference?”

She couldn’t remember ever having a new off-the-rack dress. Most of what they wore had been donations from the church, not that her aunt was all that poor, but she wasn’t about to spend her money on them if she could avoid it. “I do like this blue one. I’ll have to try it on to see if it fits though.”

“Take it home with you. And if you see one that you think Lark would like, feel free to take it to her to try.”

“You’re a very generous man, Brian Barnett.”

He flashed an embarrassed smile then shrugged. “Just looking out for my own.”

“You’re only marrying one of us, and yet you’ve offered two dresses.”

“Family is important. Connor is the closest thing to a brother I have. My mama had five babies, but I’m the only one that lived. One was stillborn, two died as infants, and another got sick and died just after his second birthday. Connor’s folks died when he was only nine, so my ma took him in and mothered him too.”

“I’m truly sorry that your mum lost nearly all of her babes, Brian. Where are your parents now?” She folded the dress then crossed to the counter and laid it down.

“Gone. Pa died when I was sixteen, and Ma got sick two years ago and passed.”

“My mum died when I was only eight. I still miss her.” She pursed her lips, dreading to mention her da.

“What about your father?” He walked over and leaned his hip against the counter.

Staring at the dress, she fingered the white button on one cuff. “Gone, but I don’t know where. After mum died, Da took us to Chicago to live with our Aunt Colleen. He stayed a few weeks, but he and our aunt fought all the time. One day he went to work and never came back.”

Brian reached out as if to touch her but drew his hand back. “I’m sorry. That must have been so difficult, especially after losing your mother. At least you had your aunt to care for you.”

Katie shrugged. “She did not like us. Life there was almost as bad as when we lived in the New York tenements. After we got older, Aunt Colleen kept having men over, hoping we’d marry one of them.”

Brian leaned back against the counter. “No wonder you became mail-order brides. And now it makes sense why you want to wait to marry until you know us better. You’ve had few people in your life whom you could trust.”

Katie’s heart soared. He understood.

He took her by the shoulders and stared into her eyes. “I can promise you that Connor and I are honorable men. We keep our word, and we’ve been raised to respect women. Connor might holler a bit when he’s angry, but he’s all steam, and it passes quickly—same for me on occasion. I can assure you that you two have nothing to fear from us.”

Katie smiled, and her eyes stung with unshed tears. “I’m quite relieved to hear that, Brian. I hope you will be patient with us.”

He released her and stepped back. “Take all the time you need.”

The door jingled as a gray-haired woman walked in.

“How are you today, Mrs. Green?” Brian walked toward her.

“I’m quite fine, thank you. This must be your lovely assistant. I’ve heard a lot about her and her sister. Identical twins. That’s a first for Cactus Creek.”

The elderly woman smiled at Katie and walked toward her. “I’m Florence Green. Welcome to Cactus Creek.”

Katie curtsied. “Thank you, ma’am. ’Tis a pleasure to make your acquaintance. You may call me Daisy, for now.”

Mrs. Green smiled and placed her hand on Katie’s. “You won’t find any better men in our town than Brian and Connor, except for the pastor, but then, he’s spoken for.”

“’Tis grand to know that, ma’am. Thank you.”

Mrs. Green turned back to Brian. “Don’t you adore her singsong accent?”

Brian flashed Katie an apologetic look. “How can I help you today?”

Katie wandered over to the fabric stock and looked through the colorful calicos, ginghams, and solids shades. She loved the cheery ginghams. She’d never had a checkered dress before. After thumbing through the cloth, she noticed the thread rack. The two dozen colors were haphazardly placed, in no order at all. She glanced over her shoulder. Brian was adding things to a pile for his customer.

Once again, her heartbeat took off as she contemplated organizing the thread. Ladies would appreciate having the various shades of the same color together when they were searching for a specific thread. She took a deep breath and plunged ahead. In short order, she had the colors looking good. Surely Brian wouldn’t object to her help.

He tallied up Mrs. Green’s order.

She handed him the money. “I don’t suppose you could run these over to my house, could you? I was in the middle of my baking when I ran out of sugar. I’ll need another five-pound bag, as well as several other items.”

“Um … well, it’s Daisy’s first day here. I—”

Katie hurried to the counter. “Go! I’ll be fine alone for a few moments.”

“Are you sure?”

“Aye.”

“Very well. I shouldn’t be gone more than ten minutes at the most.”

As soon as Brian left, Katie walked behind the counter. What a grand time she’d have if this were her store. She opened the lid of the big glass jar that held the peppermint sticks and took a whiff. She and Keeley had received one for Christmas from Da right before he left them. She put the lid back on before she was tempted to sneak one.

The door opened and two ladies walked in. They glanced around, obviously surprised not to see Brian. Katie surmised the two were mother and daughter, based on their blond hair, blue eyes, and features that closely resembled one another.

“I’m Elizabeth Sawyer, and this is my daughter, Anna.”

Katie smiled at them. She guessed Anna to be fairly close to twenty, as she was. “You may call me Daisy for now. I’m sure you’ve heard it’s not my real name but the one I’m going by at the moment.”

Anna stepped forward, her blue eyes shining. “I think you are wise to wait to get married until you know the men better. I mean, how does any mail-order bride do that—just arrive in town and marry a complete stranger?”

“Anna, please.” Her mother pursed her lips. “You promised not to run off at the mouth.”

“I know, Mama, but just imagine—”

Mrs. Sawyer lifted her eyebrows.

“Oh, all right. I’ll go look at the fabric.”

“We’re going to be making Anna a dress for the Independence Day celebration in July. I realize it’s a bit early, but we wanted to select fabric before it’s picked through.”

Anna held up a navy-and-gray stripe and a red gingham. “What do you think about the blue stripe for the skirt and the gingham for the top?”

Her mother’s eyes widened. “Oh no, that’s far too gaudy.”

Katie turned away, smiling at the thought of the dress Anna wanted. Maybe she and Keeley should consider the celebration when picking out a dress, although the garment would need to be practical enough for everyday use. Perhaps she could wear a blue dress with a red sash, and maybe Keeley could go with red fabric and a blue sash. She turned around the catalogue that still lay on the counter and paged through it to the fabric selection.

The bell above the door jingled, and she assumed Brian had returned. She scanned the page of fabrics for sale then turned to the next.

A shadow darkened the counter, and feet shuffled toward her. “Give me your cash box.”

Katie glanced up and found herself face-to-face with a pistol.

Connor made his usual rounds through town, although he rarely encountered a problem, other than when the cowboys were in town on the weekends or when there was a case of cattle rustling. The sun shone bright, but the heat of summer hadn’t yet settled in.

“Hey, Marshal, how’s them gals doin’?” Alfred French jogged toward him. He stopped and hiked up his worn overalls.

Connor sighed. He was so sick of talking about how the twins had tricked him and Brian. Everyone in town wanted to jaw on about them. How was he supposed to uphold the law and earn folks’ respect when the twins had made him the laughingstock of the town? “I reckon they’re fine. Haven’t seem ’em this morning.” He’d thought he might run into the gals at the diner, but they must have cooked their own breakfast.

Alfred shook his head. “Don’t seem right what they did, takin’ yer money and gettin’ yer hopes up. You shoulda sent ’em packin’. Then again, I reckon that’s a mighty hard thing to do when they’s prettier than a spring mornin’.”

He’d actually thought about sending them back, but he’d grown to care for Katie through her letters, and he wasn’t ready to let her go. Maybe he should stop by the house and see how she was faring. “I’m a patient man. I’ll wait a bit and hope she grows used to me.”

“Sounds like what I had to do with the last horse I broke.” Alfred grinned then sobered. “Guess ya have ta be patient to be a lawman.” He slapped Connor on the upper arm. “See ya around. Gotta see if my horse is shod yet.”

Connor watched the bowlegged cowboy shuffle away. Alfred had to be seventy-five if he was a day. He smiled at how the man had compared the twins to a green-broke horse. Brian rounded the corner, saw him, and waved. Connor pushed his feet into motion and met him in the middle of the street.

“What are you doing outside?”

“Had to make a delivery.”

“How’s Lark working out at the store?”

Brian glanced toward the building that housed the mercantile. “Daisy showed up. Not sure why they traded—unless, of course, she’s Keeley—but she’s been helpful. She’s a quick learner. In fact, I left her in charge of the store while I did my delivery. I should be getting back though.”

Connor nodded. “I’ll walk with you. You think that Daisy is Keeley, and that’s why she decided to come today since she’s the one you’re marryin’?”

“Don’t know. It’s possible that Katie came today merely to throw us off, but then, she could be Keeley.” Brian batted at a fly that was pestering him. “I wish they’d just told us who was who right off so we could woo our own gal. I don’t like not knowing which of them I’m talking to. It’s awkward, plus I’d hate to say something romantic and have her turn out to be your gal.”

“I hadn’t thought about that.” Connor rubbed his hand down the side of his face, feeling the same frustration his cousin did. “How long you figure they’ll make us wait?”

Brian kicked at a stone and sent it flying. “Daisy told me some things today. Sounds like they’ve had a very difficult life. We need to be patient and prove to them that we’re men they can trust. When they were just little girls, their pa dumped them at their aunt’s house shortly after their mother died, and he never returned.”

“That’s rough.”

“Especially since the aunt resented having to care for them.”

Connor stared at his cousin. “They never said a word about that in the letters.”

“I’m sure it’s what drove them to become mail-order brides.”

Connor nodded.

Suddenly a woman’s scream echoed down the street. Connor’s gaze flicked from one building to the next as he started jogging in the direction of the scream. A man ran out of Brian’s store, holding his arm. He raced around the corner into the alley.

“Go!” Brian swatted his hand in the air. “Get him. I’ll check on Daisy.”