Page 34 of Miles. Alton & The 9:04 (Modern Mail Order Brides #19)

“I saw no reason for us all to be bunched together in my house, so I built this so you all can be comfortable,” he said.

“Mr. it has a private bathroom.

Jae and Rae, you can pick either of the other two bedrooms. Girls, you're in the pink room, and guys, you're in the blue.

A teen hangout spot is in that corner, complete with gaming console and a Firestick for streaming.

Family, there is a great room here. The pantry and fridge are stocked with stuff Mae said you like to eat.

There are beers, sodas, and fruit juices, and I grilled burgers, dogs, chicken sausages, chicken dogs, turkey burgers, and more. We can eat whenever you're ready.”

Jae walked over to Thom and extended his hand for a shake. “Well, damn. This is alright.”

The kids noticed the sporting equipment and started asking a million questions. Thom held up his hand. He was trying to explain it all as best he could.

“I only have three ATVs, so if you want to explore the property, we may have to double up,” Thom said.

“Kids, there are bikes and pickleball, tennis, and badminton rackets, and other stuff in that area over there. A hoop is on the side and basketball is here, along with a soccer ball and anything else that will break a sweat.”

Rae Weston stood in the middle of the floor. “You own all of this?”

“Yep, my little kingdom of peace,” Thom said.

“And the old train station, I remember it. You own that as well?” Rae Weston wanted to know.

“Yeah, that is where I keep my train collection,” he said.

Bae asked, “And the house, you said you built the house?”

“Took a while, but yeah. I lived in the train station, restoring it, before I started on the house,” he said, walking out the rear door being followed by the family.

“Over there is Mary's office. Big Black is home and parked in there, along with all her tools and goodies.

She's so cute when she puts on her engineering overalls. Gives me all kinds of goosebumps.”

Rae looked at him. “How did you and Mae meet?'

“She drove her train into that station, stepped off the engine and said she was looking for me,” he said.

“I heard angels on High singing and immediately fell in love and asked her to marry me, and she started to laugh. She stayed the weekend in the guest room while she was here for her job. I sang to her and it went from there.”

Rae snarled his lip a bit, looking side eyed at Thom, and said, “You seduced my baby?”

“No sir,” Thom said. “She tried to seduce me and I turned her down.”

Thom burst into laughter. Rae didn't want to smile, but he did.

He also didn't want to like Thom Brown, but he was starting to dig the vibe of the unassuming man.

Mae called everyone to come wash up and asked her father to bless the food.

Everyone in the family sat at the long picnic table eating the prepared meal, talking, when a truck horn blew. Jiminy had arrived.

Thom didn't move, but Megan was all smiles. “He has a surprise. Well, more than one,” she said holding up her hand.

Megan was wearing an engagement ring. She and Mae began jumping up and down hugging while everyone stared at the odd man, unloading what looked like animals.

Jae asked, “Are those...porcupines?”

“Hey!” Jiminy said. “Yep. Yessir. That is Petr Qwill, and would you believe that joker returned last night with a woman and three children? Brought his baby mama and little porcupettes right up to my door like I was running some rehab center for porcupines.”

Rae Weston's eyes were large. “That man has pet porcupines.”

“Hey, the one in the back, I dubbed him Quilliam Shakespeare, the little girl is Flutternutter, and the bigger one, well that one is Dart Vader,” he said, laughing.

“The Mama, I named her Pickles McQuillface. I had to turn them over and take a look at their business to see who was a boy and who was the girls.”

Jiminy was grinning his butt off when he was looking at Thom. Rae leaned over, his forehead furrowed. “Is he alright?”

“Alright is a relative term,” Thom said. “He's good people and can be counted on when needed. Jiminy, if those creatures start chewing on my new chairs, I will gut them and throw 'em on the grill.”

“Whatever, you love my porcupine family as much as you love me,” Jiminy said with a head nod.

The kids were fascinated by the porcupines, listening carefully as Jiminy turned into Steve Irwin, giving an unasked-for class in porcupine care.

Thom continued to eat as if none of it phased him, bringing Mae full circle on how they had met and the beginning of their relationship, which of course became a topic of conversation later.

However, after dinner, the menfolk wanted to see Thom's collection of trains, and he led them up the hill and across the tracks to the old station. He unlocked the doors and flicked on the lights, and every man gasped.

“Good grief!” Rick said, looking around. “You bought all of these?”

“I actually bought very few,” he said. “Most were gifts from family and friends. I mean, I have been a train man since I was 13. I got my first train set when I was six, so you're talking about 30 years’ worth of collections.”

Rae asked, “You set all of this up?”

“Most of it,” he said. “The station was falling in, and the City of Alton wanted it off their books.

So, I bought it and got the right of way on the land since the 9:04 line is inactive.

I lived here while I remodeled it, then drove in my box cars where they'd been stored. My sister and Aunt Sue spent a weekend helping me set up. Jeremy helped build the shelving, and Lebeau, well, he was here.”

Jae asked, “And after you remodeled it?”

“Aunt Sue told me no woman would want to live in an old train station, and I needed a house,” he said, “so I built the house.

I realized after talking over my initial vision with Mary that the house is too close to the museum.

After thinking it over, I don't want strangers roaming around out here, especially with Mae being here alone during the day, so I put up the privacy fencing.”

“Man, how do you get all of this done?” Rick asked.

Thom walked outside, looking over his land. In his mind, it was all simple. Create a place of peace overlooking the valley of not have to. If he could do that, then life, in general, would be good.

“My wife said she needed four things to be at peace here in her new home,” he explained.

“She wanted a garden. Her train engine needed to be where she was, and now it has a home. Also, she required a vehicle to carry around all the plants and other shit she keeps buying that she finds at local little weird shops. So, I bought her one once she turned in the lease on the Audi. She also wanted space for when her family came to visit. I did all of that, so now she can leave me the hell alone.”

Thom burst into laughter. The men all laughed with him, understanding the quiet statement said aloud. Happy wife, happy life. He smiled as he ushered them outside. “Anybody want a cold one?”

“Sounds good,” they said, following Thom down the hill to the barndominuim.

****

M AE TOOK THE LADIES on a walkthrough of the home she and Thom shared. Her mother recognized a few of the pieces from her apartment, but not the china cabinet or chairs by the window. Mae tried to sound humble as she spoke.

“He left the house for me to decorate,” she said. “Each week, I pick a wall or a project to work on. So far, it's coming along nicely.”

Her mother wandered from the group, and Mae quickly found her in the master bedroom, riffling through drawers.

“Ma? What are you doing?”

“Oh, just checking how these drawers are laid out,” Bae offered, blushing.

“Nope, come on out of here,” Mae said, laughing, leading the ladies out to the back deck.

The bug zappers were on, and Mae brought out a large pitcher of lemonade, cookies, and bits of cheese and fruit. A bottle of vodka materialized to go into the lemony drink for any who wanted it. Sherryl spoke first.

“Mae, how did you meet Thom?” she inquired.

Mae sipped, “He'd been writing the company, wanting to do a partnership, or rather a sponsorship, of a jazz festival here on the land. I was sent to find out what he was on about, so I drove in on the 9:04 Line, right into that station there. He was shocked to see the train, on the dead line, and me.”

Fae asked, “What did he say when he saw you?”

“I told him I was looking for Thom Brown,” she said, laughing, “He asked if I was single and if I hunted fairies.”

“Fairies?” her niece asked.

“Baby, he wanted to know if your Auntie was crazy,” she said. “I told him who I was and why I was here, and he brought me into the house and made me breakfast that we sat and had with Megan and Jiminy.”

“And how did you meet Megan?”

“She was, believe it or not, his mail-order bride,” Mae said to the shocked faces. “Megan was supposed to come meet him, but she packed up everything she owned and moved here, but she was a fairy chaser, and he was like nope, especially after he saw all of this sexy.”

“Wait, you stole her man and now are besties?” Ella asked.

“He wasn't technically hers. Megan was hoping, but he wasn't interested,” Mae said.

“He helped her get set up in a new space and looked out for her.

I didn't know anyone here and neither did she, and it worked out.

She's marrying Jiminy who is over the moon with a woman who actually likes him, and his porcupine has come home.”

Her mother, drinking plain lemonade, asked, “I'm still missing something. I’m not getting what made you quit your job and move here? That part is confusing me.”