Page 11 of Mail-Order Millie (A Mail-Order Mystery #1)

Eleven

M illie surveyed the cramped office, and her heart went out to Bram. “Is this what your other office was like?”

She ran a gloved finger over the desk. It was covered with dust. She wiped the finger on the skirt of her dress then gave him an expectant look.

Bram was staring back. “I… I know it’s not much.” He looked around. “But it was what I could afford.” He stepped her way. “You won’t think less of me?”

Her eyes rounded to saucers. “Of course not. I want to help you with your business. I could act as your secretary. I could write letters for you, help you with accounts. I’m very good with numbers, and the best part is you wouldn’t have to pay me and…”

He took her by the hands and pulled her toward him. “No, I want you to fix up our home. Can you do that for me?”

He tugged her closer, until she stood flush against him. She could feel the heat of his body, and liked how he smelled of leather, soap, and a spicy scent she could not identify. “Yes, I can do that.”

He lifted her hands to his lips and kissed them. “Good. But since you’re here you can help me straighten the place up.”

She looked around. “It could do with a good dusting.”

He nodded as he looked her in the eyes. Millie wasn’t sure if it was a look of admiration, or the fact his mere presence made her senses reel. But her heart did something in that moment, and she knew she was beginning to fall for him.

“Do you have a dust rag or a feather duster?” she asked in a soft voice.

He closed his eyes and made a small sound. When he opened them, he tucked a finger under her chin, tilted her face to his, and kissed her.

Millie immediately melted against him. She couldn’t help it. He drew her like a moth to a flame, and she reveled in the fact she was married to this wonderful man.

When he broke the kiss he drew back, and her heart stopped. Was that regret in his eyes? “Bram?”

He shook his head. “We should get to work.” He let her go and turned away. “I thought I saw a feather duster around here somewhere.”

She swallowed hard as disappointment filled her. It’s not that he didn’t like your kiss, Millie, she silently scolded. Nor is he disappointed in you. We have work to do, and he knows that. This is not the time or place for sparking!

Millie licked her lips as he continued his search. She could still feel his lips on hers and didn’t want the sensation to go away. She could fall hard for this man, her husband, and wanted to let her heart have its way. But he was still a stranger, and she needed to take her time and get to know him. He also needed time to get to know her. She didn’t want to try to please him at every turn the way she used to with Father. Nothing ever came of it. He still gambled his life away, just as he did hers and Mother’s.

“Here,” Bram said and handed her a feather duster. “I’m going to organize my bookshelves.”

She took the feather duster from him and watched him go to a bookshelf. She noticed several crates of books on the floor and studied them. “Is that your library?”

He tapped a crate with his foot. “Yes, such as it is. Also the accounts of past clients I should bring to the house for storage. There’s no use having them here.” He picked up a stack of new ledger books. “These are for my future clients.”

She smiled and started dusting the desk. “I’m sure you’ll have many.”

A group of people began to walk by. “Looks like the tailor shooed away all the people outside his shop.” He joined her at the window. “Perhaps the shop is closing.”

She gasped. “Really? What time is it?”

He pulled out his pocket watch. “Four-thirty.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I should have stayed home and gone for supplies.”

“Ruggles & Son is only a couple of blocks away. We can get what we need there when we’re done here.”

“Will they still be open?”

“Yes, they don’t close until six.”

She smiled and got back to work. Millie noticed Bram glancing her way now and then. Sometimes she’d catch him smiling, the rest of the time, she couldn’t read his expression. As if he didn’t want her to know what he was thinking. She hoped he hadn’t just spent all his money on her. One of her new dresses was more expensive than the others, and she hoped it wasn’t something he considered an extravagance.

She thought of what the women from the tailor’s shop said. If this Bella Weaver was a famous dressmaker, Millie could only imagine what she charged for a dress.

She tried not to think about it as she dusted the desk then started on a small bookshelf behind it.

Bram was removing books from the crates and stacking them on the desk. While he did that, she quickly dusted the other bookshelves for him. He smiled at her as she maneuvered around him and went to the windows. “I can wash these for you.”

He smiled at her. “I won’t argue if you do. There’s a small bathroom in the back. You’ll find a bucket there. I believe there’s some soap and a rag too.”

Millie smiled and got to work. Once she had some water in the bucket with a bit of soap, she started washing windows.

As she worked, a beautiful woman with dark hair with a bit of gray at the temples walked by outside. She was on the arm of a huge, good-looking man. Behind them walked another couple. This man was shorter than the other but no less handsome and wore a pair of spectacles. The woman he was with had red hair and was very pretty. The women’s outfits were well made, and she wondered if one of them was the famous dressmaker. “Oh, my…”

“What is it?” Bram asked.

She got back to work on the windows. “I think the dressmaker just walked by.” She craned her neck as she tried to see.

Bram laughed at her attempts. “Why not go outside?” He crossed the room to the door and stepped out.

Millie followed and stood beside him They watched the two couples as they continued down the boardwalk.

“I bet they’re heading for the livery stable or the general store,” Bram said.

“How do you know?”

He shrugged. “Other than a café, those are the only other business down that way.”

She nodded but didn’t say anything. She was too busy taking in the outfits of the two women. “Maybe you’ll get to meet this famous dressmaker while she’s here.”

He looked at her and to her surprise, took one of her hands in his. “Would you like a fancy dress? Like the kind those women are wearing?”

Her heart skipped. Not because of the question, but because of the tender look he was giving her. “Pretty clothes are nice, but not what I need.”

Bram cocked his head. “What do you mean?”

She gave him a tiny shrug. “There are the things I want, and then there are things I need. You are what I need, Bram. Not a fancy dress.”

His eyes roamed her face a moment. “Mrs. Ruggles is holding a ball. What if I got us an invitation?”

She half laughed, half scoffed at the suggestion. “Us? At a fancy ball?”

“I could find a lot of potential clients at a ball like that.”

Her jaw dropped. “You could?”

He nodded. “I could.” He bent to her. “Would you care to go to a ball, milady?”

Her heart skipped and her belly flipped! “Yes.”

Bram smiled, escorted her back inside, and kissed her like a prince kissing his princess. And that is when Millie vowed to herself to be the best wife she could possibly be.