Mail Order Menace: Brides of Beckham, #21

By Kirsten Osbourne

Tired of being remembered only for her misdeeds as part of the demon horde, Ernestine Miller agrees to go out West to marry a banker in need of a wife. When she arrives in Montana, she discovers her groom has met with a fatal accident, and she has two choices. She can either find a way to support herself or go back home in shame. So she uses her former fiancé's home to start a boarding house, happy to have a use for her superior cooking skills.
When Clifford Solomon moves to Prairie Dog, Montana, he's thrilled to find a boarding house where he and his business partner can stay. It doesn't take him long to fall for the beautiful woman running the home. Finding himself married in the blink of an eye, he does everything he can to get Ernie to fall for him. Will the town gossips be able to keep them apart with their lies? Or will Cliff and Ernie be able to face them down to find love with each other?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Unlimited Dreams
• Release date: Feb 8, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393548423

Book preview

Chapter One

Ernestine Miller hugged her sister goodbye as the train whistle blew. Elizabeth had helped her to find a husband through her mail order bride service, and now she was off to Montana to marry him. She waved one last time as she stepped onto the train, her heart beating a mile a minute. She was heading west—away from all the people who believed she was a menace to society. Away from everyone who knew her as just one of the children who made up the demon horde. Never again would she have to hear those words applied to herself.

She moved to an empty seat halfway down the coach and pulled a letter from her reticule. It was from Robert Simpson, who preferred to be called Bert. It was the letter he’d sent inviting her to come and be his bride in Prairie Dog, Montana. He was a banker, and he owned the biggest house in town. She liked the idea of being the wife of a banker, but not for the reasons one would expect.

Ernie didn’t particularly care about the money involved in being a banker’s wife, or even the prestige. No, what she was looking for was respectability. She had spent her entire life with people looking down their noses at her. That was about to end. She would be a wife—and hopefully a mother—soon, and she would be someone people could look up to. Yessirree, Ernie Miller would no longer be the girl people warned each other about.

She sat straight in her seat, her embroidery on her lap. Starting now, she would be the very model of decorum.

*****

Ten days later, Ernie got off the train, more than a little worse for the wear. She’d held a baby for part of the journey, and she could see some spots on her dress where the child had drooled through most of Minnesota. She’d tried to clean it off, but without proper bathing facilities on the train, it was hard.

She stood straight and proud on the platform, her eyes scanning the crowd. The only person to approach her, however, was an older gentleman she knew couldn’t be her Bert.

Are you Miss Ernestine Miller? the man asked, sorrow filling his eyes.

Ernie nodded, trying to keep her expression even. Surely this man wasn’t Bert. She said a quick prayer that Bert had been detained and she wouldn’t be expected to marry this man. He wasn’t bad to look at, but he was at least sixty, and Ernie was only twenty-two. She had no desire to marry a man who was old enough to be her grandfather. I’m Miss Miller.

The man removed his cowboy hat and held it with one hand to his chest. I’m Mr. Simpson’s attorney. I’m sorry to inform you that he was killed in an accident last week.

Ernie gasped. What kind of accident?

He was out riding and thrown from his horse. He landed wrong. The man shook his head, his eyes filled with sympathy. He lived long enough to tell me about you and to make certain that I knew his house would be yours.

Her mind raced. What would she do with a house in the middle of Montana? I see. She took a deep breath. Thank you for letting me know, Mister...

Jackson. Benjamin Jackson.

Thank you, Mr. Jackson. I’m not at all certain I’ll be able to stay in your lovely town. What would I do here? Her mind raced to think of something she could do. Anything would work for her. She couldn’t go back to a place where everyone was waiting for her to pull the next prank. She just couldn’t.

At least let me show you the house. There isn’t a great deal of money, but there’s enough for you to live for a month or two should you decide to stay. The train won’t be back through until this time tomorrow, regardless.

Ernie bit her lip, thinking on the situation, before nodding and taking his proffered arm. I’d like to see the house.

Mr. Jackson stopped in front of the biggest house Ernie had ever seen. It was even bigger than her sister Elizabeth's house. She stopped and stared in awe. Are you sure this is the right place? It was much too fine for her to live there.

Of course I'm sure. Bert spent a great deal of time making sure the house was exactly what he wanted. All of the furniture was imported. He was very proud of this house and the fact that he would be able to provide his future bride with a beautiful place to live. He shook his head. I'm just sorry he wasn't here to see you in it.

He said it was the biggest house in Prairie Dog. I just had no idea it would be this big. Ernestine braced herself. Surely there was something she could do with a house that size. She was a good cook, so maybe she could start a boarding house. It was a thought. She'd have to see how the layout was first.

I think you'll find it to your liking. Would you like me to accompany you inside?

Ernie shook her head. I don't think so. I can show myself around. Now that she was getting used to the idea, she wanted to explore the house on her own. She couldn't wait to see the inside. She could never be happy that Bert had died, but maybe her new circumstances would lead to a better life.

Mr. Jackson handed her the key. If you need anything at all, my office is just down the street.

Ernie nodded. The town was small enough she knew she wouldn't have a hard time finding anything. Thank you very much. With the key firmly in her hand, she walked to the front door. As she pushed open the door, she braced herself for the worst. Bert had been a man living alone, so she had no idea how messy the house would be. She knew how bad her brothers were about throwing their belongings everywhere.

There was a small entryway just inside the door, and to her right was a parlor. The parlor was decorated in blues and greens, and was a place she could see herself being comfortable. She slowly made her way through the house, and everything fell into place in her mind. There were six bedrooms. There were even two indoor bathrooms. She was shocked to see such a convenience so far out in the West. She’d expected to find a very basic home, but instead, it was more comfortable than her home back in Beckham.

When she was finished exploring, she found a pen and paper from Bert’s desk and sat down, quickly writing herself a list of what she would need to do to turn his house into a boarding house. Never mind that she had no experience running a business. She needed to stay, and to do that, she needed to use the resources at her disposal to make a living.

*****

A week later, Ernestine had a sign in her front window announcing, Rooms for Rent. She was a bit apprehensive about opening her home up to strangers, but maybe it would turn into a place for well-bred ladies. Of course, if there were a lot of well-bred ladies in Prairie Dog, it was unlikely that Bert would have sent off for a mail order bride. No matter. She’d had a lock installed on her bedroom door, and she wasn’t afraid to use it!

She went into the