Page 2 of Mail-Order Avis (A Mail-Order Mystery #3)

Two

R eed stared at the woman like she’d grown a third eye.

Okay, despite the shock she’d just given him, he realized she was pretty. She had sable-brown hair and hazel eyes, wide enough for him to see the gold flecks in them. Still, she’d just slapped him with her words, and he blinked rapidly, trying to recover.

He probably looked like an idiot.

She put one hand on her hip and closed her eyes a moment. “You didn’t send for me, did you?”

“Um… no.” He ran a hand through his hair. What was this all about? Reed turned to her, his face twisting in confusion. “You’re a mail-order bride? You came to Fiddler’s Gap looking for a man named Reed Barclay?”

“Exactly,” she said. “You are Reed Barclay, are you not?”

“I am,” he replied. And unfortunately, the only Reed Barclay in town. But he wasn’t about to tack that on out loud. “I’m sorry, Miss…um, Miss?—?”

“Prescott,” she filled in. “Avis Prescott.” She waved the letter in front of him. “And you sent this.”

He took it from her and shook his head. “I’m afraid this isn’t my handwriting, Miss Prescott. I don’t know who would have done such a thing, but I did not send for a mail-order bride.”

She snatched the letter back. “Then who did?”

Reed shrugged. “I’m afraid I don’t know. I couldn’t begin to guess either. It seems you’ve been made part of a practical joke.”

“A joke?” she squeaked. Miss Prescott paced back and forth a moment. “You mean to tell me someone sent off for a bride—for you —as a joke?” She threw the letter in the air. “How horrible. That person is playing with lives!”

“I’m sorry, Miss Prescott,” Reed said. “But I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do about it other than offer to pay your train fare back to wherever it was you came from.”

She spun on him. “Absolutely not.”

“Oh. But… wouldn’t you like to go home?”

Her hand went back to her hip. “Sir, if I wanted to go home, I never would have left it. I’m here because home had nothing to offer me. That is why one becomes a mail-order bride.” She poked him in the chest for good measure, then took a step back.

“Oh. Yes. Of course. My apologies.” Good grief, what was he going to do? He tossed Samuel a helpless look and a shrug.

Thankfully, his friend took the cue. “Miss Prescott, considering this set of circumstances, might I suggest you get a room at the hotel until we figure this thing out?”

“The hotel’s full up,” Reed said. “Remember, we’ve got guest musicians here and a lot of tourists. There won’t be room.”

“Oh yes, you’re quite right,” Samuel said, rubbing his chin a few times. “Well, Miss Prescott, my wife and I run a boardinghouse next door. You’re welcome to a room there.”

Miss Prescott swallowed hard and wrung the top of her reticule. Oh dear, she was suddenly nervous. The poor thing probably didn’t have any money.

“I’ll put her up,” Reed said before he could stop himself. “It’s the least I could do after what poor Miss Prescott has been through.”

She stared at him a moment. “Thank you, Mr. Barclay. That’s very generous of you. But the problem is, I don’t know how long I’ll stay. It all depends on whether I can find work here.”

She gave him an imploring look as if to ask, Unless, of course, you marry me… will you?

“I understand,” he said as gently as he could. “And there may be a few options here for you. Perhaps Samuel, Alicia, and I can come up with some ideas. In the meantime, you’re probably tired from your journey and want to rest.”

She put a hand to her forehead and nodded. “I admit I’m exhausted. And this has come as…well, a shock to both of us, I’m sure.”

“I agree.” Reed turned to Samuel. “Can I get her checked into the boardinghouse?”

“Certainly,” Samuel said, then turned to Alicia.

She gave him a curt nod and headed down the church aisle toward the door. “I’ll just fetch a room key. I was polishing them.”

Miss Prescott stared after her. “She polishes the room keys?”

“Polishing silver and keys and whatnot relaxes her,” Samuel said. “Just like target practice relaxes the sheriff.”

She gave him a weak smile and nodded. “Well then, I’ll be waiting next door at the boardinghouse.”

“I’ll escort you.” Reed closed the distance between them and offered her his arm. “Again, it’s the least I can do. I’m awfully sorry this happened, Miss Prescott.”

Her shoulders shook for a moment, and he wondered if she was trying not to cry. “I’m sorry too,” she said softly, and it almost did him in.

Reed escorted her outside and next door to the boardinghouse.

In town, it was affectionately known as The Murray House .

The Murrays, longtime friends of his, had decided to build and open it when there wasn’t enough room at the hotel during its expansion a few years back.

Even with the expansion, there still wasn’t room.

The boardinghouse would be full up this weekend too.

“I’m sure we’ll find something for you, Miss Prescott,” he said, hoping it was true.

Reed opened the door to The Murray House and ushered her into the front parlor that doubled as a lobby.

Cyrus Van Cleet, a shipping magnate out of Boston, had suggested they build the house and even helped fund it.

It had already paid for itself with how many guests the town received every weekend.

And as the town grew, sometimes entire families stayed there while they built their homes.

More than a half dozen families had moved to Fiddler’s Gap since the railroad went in a few years ago.

“Your town is tiny, Mr. Barclay,” Miss Prescott said, breaking into his thoughts. “I’m not sure I see much hope for me here as far as work goes.”

“Oh, you’d be surprised,” he said, hoping to comfort her.

Her lower lip trembled. She looked about the parlor and blinked back tears. “I need to make a living, sir, and be able to eat. That can’t be done doing laundry. Does the hotel need a chambermaid?”

“Er…no. They have Lester,” he said.

“Lester?” Her eyebrows shot up. “A man ?”

“Ellis and Arabella Palmer own the hotel. Lester is Arabella’s uncle. He lives with them and helps care for the place.”

She drew in a deep breath and held it a moment, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I see.” She let it out slowly and looked at him. “Well, I’m afraid I can’t shoe a horse or fix a wagon wheel, so getting a job at the livery is out of the question.”

Was she trying to make a joke? Reed wasn’t sure. “Can you cook?” he asked.

Her head snapped up, and she met his gaze. “I can.” Her posture changed as she closed the distance between them. “Is there a café or restaurant in town that’s hiring? The hotel, perhaps?”

“There’s a café,” he said. “It was supposed to be a combination café and bakery. I’m told the last person to lease the space left in a hurry. I’m not sure why. I’m still getting to know everyone.”

She cocked her head. “Are you just visiting?”

He stuck his hands in his pockets. “Samuel invited me to come to Fiddler’s Gap.

He thought living here would be good for me.

I’m tired of the big city, so I decided to take him up on it.

” He rubbed the back of his neck a few times.

“Which makes this all the stranger, as I’ve not been here very long, just a few months. ”

“Oh,” she said, raising her eyebrows. She looked around the lobby area. “Where do you live?”

“Here. Or rather…up there.” He pointed at the ceiling. “Room number three.”

She gaped at him. “I see. And are you planning on staying in Fiddler’s Gap?”

“I am. Samuel has it in his head that I’d make a good mayor.”

Her eyes went wide. “So you came all the way out here to be mayor of this tiny town?” Her hand went to her chest, and she turned away. “Goodness gracious.”

Reed removed his hands from his pockets. “Is there a problem with that, Miss Prescott?”

She turned to him and sucked in a breath through her nose. “Not at all, Mr. Barclay.” She spun away, and it was obvious she was angry. Reed just couldn’t figure out why, other than the obvious.

Alicia came through the front door, a key in her hand. “Here we are, my dear. Follow me upstairs. I’ll put you across the hall from Reed here. You’ll be in room number four.”

Miss Prescott’s eyes widened, as if the thought of being across the hall from him was horrifying. She glanced at Reed, then at Alicia. “Do you have any other rooms?” she asked.

“Room number four is a little larger than the others,” Alicia said. “It has its own bathroom. Since you might be staying a while, I thought you’d like it better.”

Miss Prescott stared at the floor a moment. “Is it expensive?”

Alicia stepped behind the counter and pulled out a sheet. “Here are the prices for each room. If you’d like a smaller one, I can accommodate you. But those guests use the hall bathroom. They usually only stay for the weekend concerts.”

Miss Prescott looked over the sheet, then back at Alicia. “Everyone keeps talking about concerts. What is this town?”

“Well, for one, it’s a town full of musicians,” Alicia said with a smile. “And two, it’s become a tourist destination for folks as far away as Seattle and even San Francisco. We’re quite proud of it.”

Miss Prescott stared at her and slowly nodded. “I see. Well then, I look forward to attending one of these concerts one day. That is…if I stick around.” She shot a dagger of a glare at Reed.

He sighed and motioned toward the staircase. “I can take her up, Alicia.”

Before the woman could protest, he took the key from her and ushered Miss Prescott up the stairs.

She stomped up them like an angry bull. When they reached room number four, she crossed her arms and glared at him. “I’m sorry I’m so angry. But I can’t help it. This is a disaster for me. You must understand.”

“I can only imagine. And again, I apologize. I’ll do what I can to uncover the culprit who did this to us.” Yes, he was upset it happened, but he hadn’t lost as much as she had. Still, he wanted to know who thought it would be funny to send off for a mail-order bride in his name.

It couldn’t have been Lester. He knew better. Of course, they’d been playing a lot of chess lately, and Reed had been winning almost every game. But to do something like this? No. A sore loser wasn’t going to send off for a mail-order bride just to get back at him.

Reed unlocked the door, opened it, then handed her the key. “I hope you’ll be comfortable here. The beds are nice, and there’s a desk, at least in my room.” He peeked into hers and nodded. “Yes, there’s one by the window.”

“Alicia loves to cook,” he added, trying to lighten the mood. “She makes wonderful dinners. Sometimes the three of us just eat at the parsonage.”

“The parsonage?” she repeated.

“Yes, Samuel and Alicia’s home next to the church. That is, if Alicia doesn’t feel like coming over here to cook. It’s sort of fun sometimes. Shewaslooking for a cook for this place, but one of the young ladies that recently moved to town took that position. Tamsin McEnder is her name.”

Miss Prescott slowly nodded. “Fine. Then I’ll ask about the café and bakery. Maybe I can get a job there.”

“The problem with that, is that no one’s running it.” His eyes lit up. “Unless you’d like to.”

“What?!” She blinked a few times, and it looked like her eyes were misting.

“I’m sorry, Miss Prescott. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“No, no, it’s fine,” she said, her voice breaking. “In fact, it’s perfect …if it can be arranged. But I don’t have any money, and I don’t know…” She sucked in a breath and buried her face in her hands. “Please leave me alone. I need to think.”

He gave her a sympathetic look and nodded. “Very well. If you need me, I’ll be next door at the church, as will Samuel and Alicia. Dinner is at six. I’ll see you then, if I don’t see you before.”

She nodded, sniffed back tears, and closed the door.

Reed couldn’t tell if she was happy about the idea or falling apart at the thought of trying to run her own café. Either way, she was upset, and as far as he was concerned, he was going to make things right no matter what it took.

He also planned to find the blackguard who did this to them. And in short order.