Mail Order Magic: Brides of Beckham, #31

By Kirsten Osbourne

When widow Ruth Arbuckle discovers her ranch foreman is stealing from her, she decides to do something completely unorthodox—she sends for a mail-order husband. She refuses to continue to lose money, and she wants someone competent to run all aspects of her ranch, including the financial side. It's purely business, but when the man arrives to marry her, she's stunned to find him so compelling. She has no idea what to think or feel!

Sebastian Miller toils away in a bank in Beckham, Massachusetts, wishing for the opportunity to work outdoors while occasionally playing with the numbers he's come to love. When his sister Elizabeth comes to see him with a plan for him to go west, he jumps at the chance—it's as if Ruth's letter was meant just for him. He gets on a train just days later, determined to woo his wife until she falls in love with him.

Will the two of them—each looking at things from very different perspectives—be able to find love together? Or will they have the loveless marriage Ruth initially planned?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Unlimited Dreams
• Release date: Feb 10, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393913931

Book preview

One

Ruth Arbuckle sat at her desk, looking at the ledgers in front of her. She’d never really had the opportunity to attend school, but her mother had taught her as much as she could at home, and she could do enough cyphering to know there was something very wrong with the bookkeeping in front of her.

When her husband had died six months before, she’d been left in charge of his vast ranch, and she had no idea how to properly run it. She’d kept her husband’s foreman on, thinking he would do a good job for her and keep the ranch running. Unfortunately, though the ranch seemed to be running as well as ever, there were discrepancies in the books, and on paper at least, it was losing money. She was sure Bradley, the foreman, had been pocketing a great deal of the profits.

Though she knew she needed to bring in someone she could trust, she had no idea how to go about it. She leaned back in her chair and rubbed her hands over her eyes. A widow at twenty-two, she was in an isolated area with no prospects for the future. It was an hour each way if she just wanted to attend church or go to the local mercantile to post a letter. Surely there was an easier way to find a man who could come in and run the ranch the way it was meant to be run.

Ruth pulled the local paper toward her and saw an ad that struck her as a possibility. It was an advertisement to find wives for lonely men. If a wife could be found for a man, why couldn’t a husband be found for a lonely widow? She pulled out a pen and paper and quickly wrote out a letter. Hopefully someone would be willing to move all the way out to Wyoming to take on a young widow and a ranch. Only time would tell.

She pushed the long blond curls that had fallen out of her bun away from her face and stood up. She’d have to drive the letter into town to be mailed today. Ruth needed someone fast!

Sebastian Miller sat in his tiny office in the back of the bank checking over the ledgers from the previous day. His entire job consisted of numbers. He didn’t know how or why, but he had a gift with numbers that few others had or even understood. If he was given a string of numbers, he could add them up quickly in his head almost instantaneously.

He loved what he did, but he needed more variety. Spending day after day in a dingy back office was not what he was meant to do. He thought of his brothers who all were able to spend as much time out of doors as they wanted, and he was jealous. Very jealous. If he could spend one day per week inside working with numbers, and the other six outside, he would be in his very own version of heaven.

He sighed and moved onto the next ledger, his body aching to be outside. His job paid well, though, and he was happy to have extra money to save for his future, though he had no idea what that future would be. Every time a young lady caught his eye, her father would refuse his suit. They all had a problem with him for the misdeeds of his youth.

When his older sister Elizabeth knocked on his open office door, he smiled and jumped to his feet, taking the infant from her arms. He loved to play uncle to all of his siblings’ children. He was one of the middle siblings of a huge family, and he loved each and every one of his brothers and sisters dearly. Even if they had all been nicknamed the demon horde by locals.

This is a great surprise, Lizard Breath! What brings you to my dingy office in the middle of this fine afternoon?

Elizabeth shook her head at him. I can’t believe you still use that horrid nickname you gave me. You’re a pain in my backside, Sebastian.

I think it’s a great nickname! It’s always suited you well. He sat down behind his desk with the baby in his arms and nodded toward the only other chair in his office. Sit down and tell me why you’re here. And don’t tell me you don’t need an excuse to visit me, because you’ve never been here before, and I’ve worked here for five years.

Elizabeth laughed, folding her hands properly on her lap. Elizabeth was always proper, but it suited her and her station in life. She ran a matchmaking business out of the biggest house in town, which had been handed over to her by its previous owner—along with the business. You’re right. I’m here for a reason. She fidgeted a little, obviously not sure how to say what she wanted to say.

What’s wrong? You’re not sick, are you? He looked at her for a moment, taking stock. Her cheeks were as rosy as ever, and she looked as if motherhood agreed with her. The infant in his arms certainly wasn’t suffering if she was ill.

I’m perfectly fine. She took a deep breath. I have a proposition for you.

You shouldn’t go around propositioning men, Elizabeth! You’re a married woman. Besides, I’m your brother.

She rolled her eyes at him. He’d always known how to make her act like a child. She pulled a letter from her reticule and pushed it across the desk to him. I received this letter today. I think you’re the right person to respond.

Sebastian frowned. Me? Her business involved sending women out to marry lonely men. He’d only heard of two instances where she’d sent men out, and they’d both been his brothers. He picked up the letter, not even certain he wanted to read the contents.

You. As I read the letter, it seemed to scream your name to me. I think you need to respond. Quickly.

He stood and handed the baby back to her before opening the letter and reading it through.

To Whom it May Concern,

I’m in need of a husband. I realize that you are not in the habit of sending men out to marry women, but my situation is unique, and I’m hopeful you can find a man who will suit my needs. My name is Ruth Arbuckle, and I’m a twenty-two-year-old widow. I married young, and my husband was much older. He passed away six months ago, leaving me his ranch to run. I know nothing about running a ranch, so I kept his foreman on, and he is continuing to do the job my late husband hired him to do. As I go over the ledgers, though, it seems that money is missing. I have a feeling he is pocketing all the profits from the ranch.

I need a man who can not only run this ranch as foreman, but he needs to be good with numbers and able to find where the missing money is. I’m considered nice-looking with blond hair and green eyes. I keep a clean house, and I’m a decent cook. I just need someone to continue to run the ranch and carry on my late husband’s legacy.

If you can find that man for me, I need him here as soon as he can be sent. I’ve enclosed a bank draft for your fees and enough money for a train ticket and travel expenses. I