The Brides of Chance Collection Part 51

"Then go." He crammed real paper money into her hand and shoved her onto the train.

Chance Ranch, Reliable, California

"Pretty as a princess," Daniel Chance recited as he pulled his comb through little Polly's hair. "Your mama was pretty as can be. Hair as soft and light as a moonbeam."

"Just like mine," his daughter said gleefully.

Polly never tired of hearing about her mama, and Dan wanted his daughters to grow up knowing what an extraordinary woman she'd been. It was part of their morning ritual, and it gave Daniel an opportunity to cherish his memories and pa.s.s them along. Just after the birth of their second daughter, Hannah pa.s.sed on and took most of his heart with her. What little was left, he devoted entirely to his daughters.

Daniel continued to comb the waves left by her nighttime braids. One of his sistersin-law would plait Polly's hair after breakfast. His big hands were made for chopping wood and branding cattle-not for braiding cornsilk-fine hair on a wiggly four-year-old.

"Mama in heben." Two-year-old Ginny Mae curled her toes on the cold floor and leaned into him for warmth.

"Yes. Mama's in heaven." Dan strove to keep his tone even. "Polly, go get your shoes and socks. Bring Ginny's, too."

Polly scampered through the "hall" to the adjoining cabin. The Chance brothers had connected the two cabins so Daniel would have sufficient s.p.a.ce. He'd refused to move out of the little cabin he and his beloved Hannah shared, but it grew far too cramped with the girls' bed. They didn't have enough room to turn around without tripping over something or b.u.mping into each other. The girls' cabin boasted a loft and a bit more room, but more important, it had a potbellied stove so it stayed warmer.

Daniel pulled Ginny Mae onto his lap and warmed her tiny feet in his hands."Piggy, Daddy!"

"This little piggy went to market...."

Polly came back carrying Ginny's shoes and one sock and wearing her own shoes on the wrong feet. "Sissy gots only one sock, Daddy. I can't find the other one."

Daniel grimaced. Ginny had had an accident last evening, and he'd intended to wash out the wet sock. Somehow he'd gotten distracted. "She'll wear one today."

Polly fidgeted as he slipped the sock and first shoe on her sister. Suddenly, she pointed at Ginny Mae's feet and sing-songed, "Diddle, diddle dumplin', my son John, went to bed with his trousers on."

"I a girl," Ginny protested. "I no wear tr'srs."

"One shoe off and one shoe on," Polly sang louder.

"She has both shoes on now." Daniel stood and set her down. He took a moment to make his bed-not because he thought it important, but if he didn't, Miriam, Alisa, or Delilah would do it. He didn't want his sisters-in-law doing more on his behalf. They already did his laundry, st.i.tched his girls' sweet little dresses, and minded his daughters. Much as he hated being beholden to them, he had no choice.

Besides, making the bed killed a few more minutes. He didn't like showing up to breakfast until it was on the table. Though he didn't begrudge his brothers their happy marriages, it hurt something fierce to stand by and watch them and their wives radiating early morning contentment. To their credit, they'd not pushed him to remarry, and they put up with his curt ways. Dan did his best to s.h.i.+eld his daughters from his grief, but it took everything he had to do just that. Fortunately, the girls' aunts and uncles stepped in and doted on them to help fill in the empty s.p.a.ces in their young hearts and lives. As soon as he wolfed down his breakfast and kissed his daughters, he could escape for the day. No matter how hard the work, though, he never managed to escape the soul-deep emptiness that plagued him since Hannah went to the hereafter.

"No need to waste good cash money on hiring a ride," Lovejoy Spencer said to her charges. "We'll walk. It's only seven miles or so."

"But we have our belongings!"

Lovejoy gave Eunice a pat. "I know you're a tad weary. Think on how each step's a-takin' you closer to your intended. That ought to make the load light."

Lois elbowed her sister. "She don't know how much you stuffed in your half of the trunk."

"We need to get directions." Tempy gawked up and down the busy street.

"Easy as fallin' off a log. Never seen so many folks in one place." Lovejoy looked about Reliable and silently compared it to Salt Lick Holler. White's Mercantile looked pert near as fancy as any big city store, and though it was Wednesday, the men all wore their Sunday-go-to-meetin' best.

It would take more than fancy duds to win Lovejoy's approval, though. She was far more concerned with whether the MacPhersons would be steady men and cherish the gals. "We'll get started right quick. I ken yore all eager to meet yore men."

Eunice quavered, "I brought every last thing I own."

Lovejoy smiled at her. "No shame in you bringing along your treasures to turn the house into a home. Now that I think on it, your trunk's right heavy. Mayhap the storekeeper'll know of someone headin' our way."

"It occurs to me, as many strapping men as there are hereabouts"-Lois flashed a smile and waved at a pair of men by the saloon's. .h.i.tching post-"if things don't work out with the MacPhersons, I'll still be able to find me a husband."

"Last thing you need is a man who likes his likker." Lovejoy scowled at the men, but to her dismay, they weren't discouraged. They ambled across the road and doffed their hats.

"Good day, ladies." The smooth talker flashed them a smile that would do any snake oil salesman proud. "What a wonder it is to find such a bevy of beauties here in our fair town."

"Nice of you to swap howdies with us, but we're here to meet up with the MacPhersons." Lovejoy stepped forward and sensed Tempy at her side. Between the two of them, they shoved Eunice and Lois behind them. They'd perfected this move by now after five days of travel.

"The MacPhersons?" One of the men hooked his thumbs in his suspenders and craned his neck so he could catch a better view of Lois and Eunice's flame-haired beauty. "My, my. We didn't put much store in their boasts that they had brides coming."

Tempy bristled. "Mike MacPherson's no flannel-mouthed liar!"

"Don't get your back up, miss. He was just making conversation." The first one flashed Tempy that same smile again.

Lovejoy took exception to how he spoke to her sister. Before she could say a thing, the other tacked on, "It's always a pleasure to have available women arrive."

Lovejoy pressed her hand to her bosom and used the other hand to shove Tempy behind herself with the others. "Sir, I'll have you know these are not *available women.' They're ladies, and they're already bespoken."

"Least they're not getting snapped up by the Chance brothers this time," another man said as he moseyed up.

"We're due at the MacPhersons'." Lovejoy scanned the rapidly growing semicircle of men.

Several men volunteered to take them, but they all seemed too willing. Lovejoy was about to announce they'd walk when a woman came out of the mercantile. She called, "Todd Dorsey's at the blacksmith's. He's the MacPhersons' nearest neighbor. I've sent my husband to fetch Mr. Dorsey. You gals come on in here to wait."

"Much obliged, ma'am." Lovejoy shepherded the girls to safety and knew she'd met an ally when the woman blocked the mercantile door.

"You men get back to your own business. I won't have you pestering these women." She shut the door and turned. "I'm Reba White."

Lovejoy introduced her charges and repeated, "Much obliged to you, ma'am. That was quite a pack of curly wolves."

"I promised the MacPhersons and Chances that I'd keep an eye out for you." Reba grinned. "They didn't have to ask. I can't tell you how delighted I am to have a few more good, G.o.d-fearing women moving to Reliable."

They didn't have to wait long at the mercantile. Good thing, that. Tempy and Eunice started mooning over every last wondrous, new-fangled thing in the place. Lois satisfied herself by standing at the specialty display case, choosing her favorite wedding band from the three shown there alongside fancy gold pocket watches. Mr. Dorsey loaded the trunk and their satchels on the wagon, and then they all clambered aboard.

About a mile down the road, Mr. Dorsey cleared his throat. "If you all don't mind me stopping off at my place, I can drive you the rest of the way tomorrow."

"It's a mighty fine offer, but we're expected." Tempy smoothed her skirts. "Helping us out even partway was right neighborly of you."

Awhile later, as they stood on the dusty road and waved good-bye to Mr. Dorsey, Lois said, "He's got mean, beady eyes. I didn't trust him a lick. Good thing you said we wouldn't go home with him!"

"Mrs. White back at the store spoke highly of him." Lovejoy looked at the other fork in the road. "Best we jump to what lies ahead rather than waste time judging what's past."

Another mile down the road, Eunice set down her end of the trunk and wailed, "I cain't do this. It's too heavy."

Dust swirled as Lois dropped her end and plopped down on the trunk. "She's right." Her brow puckered. "If 'n the MacPhersons are expectin' us, why didn't they fetch us?"

"I told the truth. They are expecting us. I just didn't say when." Tempy fanned herself.

"Men cain't very well stop everything and go to town each day-leastways, not hardworking ones." Lovejoy stared at the trunk. "This is a genuine opportunity. We'll show them you're just as tireless."

"There!" Lovejoy stood back about half an hour later and surveyed their creation. They'd lashed hickory broomsticks to the ends of the trunk with a length of clothesline rope. "Why, it's just like how they carried the ark of the covenant in the Old Testament."

"I hope it looked better than this," Lois muttered.

Lovejoy started to laugh. "Sure and enough, it did. After all, our rods are sideways."

"Hope the cherubims don't take offense." Tempy giggled. She pointed to the satchels and valises piled atop the trunk. "The angels' wings are supposed to meet over the ark. That baggage looks more like gargoyles."

"What're gargles?" Eunice scratched her elbow.

"Gargoyles are funny-looking stone critters on old, old churches," Tempy explained patiently.

Lovejoy felt a spurt of pleasure at her sister's book learning. Tempy was better educated than any other woman in Salt Lick. That wasn't saying much, but at moments like this, when Tempy shared her knowledge, Lovejoy knew the sacrifices she'd made on her baby sister's behalf were worth it all.

"So gargoyles are sorta like those dog-ugly wooden owls Otis Nye keeps a-carvin' and setting up on his barn?"

"I never thought of them that way, but you got the drift of it." Tempy looked at Lovejoy. "Reckon we ought to pick this up and step lively."

Each of them took hold of the hickory broom handles and hefted. "Let's sing so we step in time," Lovejoy suggested. She thought for a moment then started in, "We're marching to Zion, beautiful, beautiful Zion...."

The sun had set, and she'd begun to worry that they'd made the wrong decision about which fork to take a mile ago when she spied a group of buildings ahead. "Pony up, gals. The chimney's smokin', and yonder's your future."

The tempo of the hymn and their footsteps picked up. Just as they drew even with the first building, a huge bear of a man stepped from the shadow and blocked their path. "This isn't Zion, so you can just turn around and march the other way."

Chapter 2.

The short, brown-haired gal closest to him laughed.

Daniel glowered at her.

"Now there speaks a man in sore want of his supper." Merriment rang in her voice. Even in the twilight, her hazel eyes sparkled. As she spoke, she somehow managed to ease something into his hand. A stick.

"If you tell us where to go, we'll be happy to put together something that'll fill your belly."

The stick was attached to an odd affair and carried considerable weight. How a sc.r.a.p of a woman managed to carry it was beyond him, but Daniel refused to be sidetracked. "Ma'am, I already told you where to go-turn around and march the other way. You'd best be quick about it. It's going dark."

"He's 'bout as friendly as a riled porcupine."

"I'm fixin' to tell my intended to turn him loose and let him find labor elsewhere."

The s.p.u.n.ky one up front cut in, "Gals, be charitable. He's probably worked long and hard today." She tried to take the stick back from him.

Daniel refused to let go.

"You cain turn loose now, mister. I brung hale gals. They mebbe tired, but you'll see they don't quail at totin' a fair load."

"Daniel!" Gideon called from a ways off. "Who are you talking to?"

In the slim minutes since he'd met the troop of women, the sky had darkened significantly. Daniel hated admitting defeat, but he couldn't send four defenseless women into the night. "Don't know who they are."

"That other feller don't sound like he's from back home," one of the redheads in the back whispered.

"I'm Lovejoy Spencer, mister. These gals are under my wing. I'm to deliver them to the MacPhersons." She stared up into his eyes and tacked on, "And I'm figurin' we shoulda veered t'other direction back at the road's bend."

"Give me this." He tugged her out of the way and hefted the entire load onto his back. "Gideon, the mail-order brides got turned around. I'm walking them over to the MacPhersons'."

"Way too late for that. Ladies, come on in. The women are setting supper on the table."

"We don't want to be a bother."

Daniel snorted. "Miss Spencer, it's the nature of women to do just that."

"Pardon Daniel. He's always surly. I'm Gideon Chance."

To Daniel's relief, his brother a.s.sumed half the burden. How were those scrawny little women hauling this? "We can take this on over to the barn and-"

"The main house," Gideon interrupted. "Ladies, you'd do well to follow along behind us." He raised his voice and called to his wife, "Miriam!"

Daniel didn't move. He squinted at Lovejoy and the woman standing by her side. "The bows and quivers aren't going inside."

"Bows and-oh! 'Tisn't that a'tall. Mine is a dulcimer, and Tempy's toting a mandolin."

"Wonderful," Gideon said as he started walking so Dan had to move to keep from dumping the trunk. "Perhaps you could grace us with a tune or two after supper."

Once they got inside the main house, Dan set down his end of the trunk and turned to get a better look at the women. Miriam and Delilah were making a big fuss over them. The redheads and the one with a mandolin across her back all jostled about the washstand. Lovejoy knelt on the floor on the far side of the table. She had her head tilted to the side and an arm about Polly's shoulders, while gently dabbing at his daughter's runny nose.

"Polly. Ginny Mae." He clapped his hands. "Come to Daddy."

Lovejoy released Polly and nimbly gained her feet. "The Lord sh.o.r.ely blessed you with such la.s.sies, Mr. Chance."