Rugged and Relentless (6 page)

“What? That can’t be right.…” Evie trailed off as Lacey and Naomi nodded that it was, indeed, the case.
Now it makes sense. They’re relieved he’s alive but stupefied by his foolishness!

“First I say good-bye because we plan to reunite. Then I get news of his death and struggle to make peace with it.” Cora’s eyes reddened, but no tears fell. “Now I hear he is alive—but doesn’t want me.” She didn’t make it a question or even an exclamation of disbelief. It sounded almost as though she were making it real by speaking the words.

“That’s not true.” Evie didn’t know how or why she was right; she just knew it with everything inside her. “Braden loves you and that can’t have changed.” Then it clicked into place. “Head injury? He’s not thinking straight and he’s been through a terrible ordeal.”

“Exactly.” Lacey’s eyes widened with understanding—and obvious relief. “In fact, with his legs crushed, he might think you want a different husband. It would be just like Braden to want you to be happy, no matter the cost.” She all but bounced next to Cora as she convinced herself.

Evie wasn’t convinced entirely. In fact, that ordeal and head injury were all that stood between Braden Lyman and her righteous fury over his treatment of her sister. But now was the time to look after Cora, whose color began returning.

“That could be it.” Cora blinked a few times, glancing at Evie in something akin to apology before turning to Lacey. “We must go to him.”

“Yes. Lyman Place will be put up for sale. Naomi and I will leave before the week is out to oversee Braden’s recovery.” Lacey looked as though she might say more but stopped herself.

“My engagement still stands, no matter what Braden has to say about it.” Cora’s chin lifted. “I’m going with you.”

Evie’s mouth went dry.
Here it is, then. With Braden alive and in need, everyone is going to Hope Falls despite the fact the town will fail. But there’s nothing for it
. … “Where Cora goes, I go.” She answered the unspoken question hanging about the room like the sword of Damocles. “Wilma will hire help and run the café here while I’m in Colorado, as we planned.”

“We’re in this together.” Lacey’s smile demanded one in return. “Which is a blessing. There’s so much to do, so many things to oversee, supplies we’ll need to make this work—”

“Starting with the most important item on our list.” Naomi’s usually quiet voice rose with a determination demanding their attention. She paused to draw in a deep breath before clarifying. “Husbands.”

Silence reigned for a good, long while.

“No, thank you.” Evie kept her tone polite.
Perhaps if I treat it as something inconsequential, it will become so
.

Lacey burst out laughing. “‘No, thank you?’” she parroted. “Evie, you sound as if someone offered you liverwurst!”

“Liverwurst, while unpleasant, is fleeting. Marriage binds you to a man for life. It’s not something to be undertaken on a whim or with an eye to free labor.” Evie shook her head.

“The Bible calls a wife a helpmeet, a partner. These days, women are viewed as secondary. Why don’t you think of this as an opportunity to find a man who would be a true partner in all the areas of the life you’d share?” Lacey’s words tattled that the heiress had been waiting for a chance to reopen the discussion. More dangerously, her argument struck a chord.

Haven’t I given up on the idea of marrying simply because I know it would be the end of my independence, the end of being respected for what I’ve accomplished through hard work and prayer? What would it be like to share my life with a man, instead of be expected to fit into his?

“We can do so much more than you give us credit for, Lacey.” She turned the tables. “You’ve run a household here and set up a mercantile in Colorado. I’ve a café awaiting me. Cora will see to Braden, and Braden’s claim to the land won’t be challenged by the mining company for fear of legal reprisal. Hire a solicitor to see to gathering workers for the sawmill, but don’t throw your life in with a stranger!”

Unbidden, an image of the stranger from the café strode into Evie’s memory before she shook it free. Now wasn’t the time to reminisce over a handsome customer with mischief in his eyes.

“Braden’s in no condition to look after us.” Cora added her thoughts for the first time. “It must be why he tried to keep me from going at all! With his legs healing, he won’t be able to guard and protect us in an untamed land with several men to every woman. It won’t be safe for us to live alone, and hiring guards poses the same problem.”

Fear bit into Evie at the mere mention of Cora and her friends being unprotected in the wilderness, possible prey to lonely, unscrupulous men. “And Hope Falls is a railroad stop.” There’d be no avoiding any passengers—indeed, such passengers would be their only hope for revenue until the proposed sawmill began to turn a profit.

“If any of us had a father, or another brother or two, or even a close male cousin, things would be different.” Lacey spread her hands in a gesture of helplessness. “I considered all of this. Husbands aren’t something I would suggest except as a last resort. And with Braden in need, I’m more than willing to take this leap of faith.”

Of course Lacey would. She’d been the one to dream up this zany scheme! Evie looked to Naomi’s better judgment.

“I don’t see an alternative. Husbands will offer the personal and financial security we need.” The words rang with confidence, but a shadow of pain held out against the hope in Lacey’s gaze. “Think of it this way, Evie. In this circumstance, as a landowner and investor, you’re in the position to choose your husband instead of waiting for one to choose you!”

Here lay the cause of the shadow haunting Naomi’s green eyes. At three years older than Evie’s own twenty-two, Naomi ranked as a spinster. So far as any of them knew, she’d never received an offer of marriage before becoming Lacey’s governess, then companion, and certainly had not since.

Even now, Naomi didn’t own a business or land, nor did she bring a significant dowry to a prospective husband. For her, the notion of choosing a man instead of waiting—always waiting—to be chosen would be appealing.

Evie knew, because she felt the same way.
No man ever chose me, either
. For a moment, she let herself be swept away in the fantasy of choosing a business partner for a husband, standing on the closest thing to equal footing that a woman could enjoy with a man. It had benefits, but somehow left her cold. Still …

“I’ll do it.” For Cora. For herself. For all of them. And as for the husband?
I’ll just not think about the fact he didn’t choose me and may never have wanted me in the bargain
. She shoved the thought away. No sense anticipating heartache. “Now the real question is how do we find these husbands?”

“Now that I’ve planned for.” Lacey bounced out of her seat. “We’ll go about selecting husbands the same way we’d fill any other position.”

“Spread word around town?” That was how Evie’d always found girls in need of respectable work when she needed help at the café. The very thought of asking around after eligible men brought on a queasiness on par with riding in a carriage for long distances. A closed carriage. On a bumpy road.

“We can’t put it about we’re looking for men!” Naomi sounded scandalized. “You’ll be ruined.”

“That’s not what I meant. We won’t ask around for husbands.” The smile sliding across Lacey’s face made Evie’s stomach plummet. “We’ll hire them.”

     FOUR     

W
hat can you be thinking, Lacey? That’s akin to …” Naomi’s voice dropped to a scandalized whisper. “
Prostitution
.”

“Pishposh.” Lacey waved away her companion’s worries. “It’s nothing of the sort. Marriages of convenience and arranged marriages make society go ’round, after all. The only difference here is we’ll be making the arrangements ourselves.”

“To portray it as hiring someone implies he’ll be compensated for what he provides. In this case, the groom provides himself.” Evie, not surprisingly, took up Naomi’s perspective. “So he would be, in effect, selling himself. You can call it whatever you like, but Naomi’s right to object.”

“By that logic, you’re calling Braden some sort of …” Cora groped for the words before managing, “Unsavory sellout. He received a sizable dowry upon our engagement.”

“That’s different!” Evie spluttered.

“Not really.” Lacey seized on the opening, throwing a quick smile at Cora.
I knew I could count on her!
“In olden days they demanded a bride price. Money has bought more marriages than love ever could have managed alone. Why not decide what we want from a spouse, gather options, and make our selections?”

“Because no matter how you twist social convention to suit your argument, you cannot buy a husband.” Naomi lost enough of her reserve to roll her eyes. “And you cannot simply choose what you please and send away for a spouse!”

“Yes, we can.” Lacey dug around in her reticule and withdrew the folded paper with a flourish. “If men can send away for wives, there’s no reason we can’t apply the same principle. Out in Hope Falls, there’ll be no one to judge us.”

“‘Mail Order Brides.’” Cora beamed in triumph as she read the advertisement. “If that’s not sending away for a spouse, nothing is! Better yet, no one calls it prostitution.”

“Are you proposing we pen an advertisement to catch the attention of available bachelors?” Humor and curiosity laced Evie’s question—far better than the scandalized outrage she’d shown earlier.

“Precisely.” Lacey maintained her decorum. Hopping about in victory wouldn’t make the others confident about their plan, after all. “We’ll telegraph it to all the major papers, who’ll run it immediately upon receiving the wired fee. I’ll take care of everything once we’ve written the ad itself.”

“So we’ll state what we’re looking for, and they’ll write letters or telegraph us back.” Thoughtfulness softened the worry in Naomi’s eyes. “We’ll read them, choose our favorites, and arrange for meetings. Although … what if it doesn’t go well?”

“If you don’t want to marry the man, send him back.” Lacey wanted to be absolutely clear on this point. “Any sign he’d be abusive, any hint that makes you uncomfortable, don’t choose him. We need to be mindful of time, but these are our lives. I’d never forgive myself if you rushed into wedding the first bachelor you met simply because you felt forced.”

“No—none of us will do that.” Evie slanted a hard glance at Naomi, as though demanding agreement.

“Of course not.”

I’m glad. Naomi’s the one I’m most worried about accepting the first
proposal to come her way. She thinks she has nothing to offer—and I don’t have long to change her mind
. But she’d start that project soon enough. “So, ladies,” Naomi mused aloud, tapping her forefinger against her chin, “what does each of us want in a husband? What makes a man the sort you’d want to live with?”

“Or, at the very least,
be able
to live with.” Evie’s joke shook loose their laughter. “No man’s perfect, after all.”

“Braden’s taken.”

“Nice of you to prove your sister’s point,” Lacey teased Cora. She, of all people, knew her brother to be far from perfect. Cora knew the same—she just needed some time with Braden to remember it! “Let’s each list three qualities we’d like to find in a husband. No repeating. Naomi goes first.”

“God-fearing, strong character, and appreciation for the little things,” Naomi suggested without even needing to think.

“Sharp mind and an easy smile—no, make that a sense of humor. The smile follows.” Evie’s own smile made Lacey wonder what man her friend was thinking of. “And cares about others.”

“I’d say curious with an adventurous bent.” Lacey watched Cora add it to the list. “And hardworking. We’ll need that.”

“But as nice as these sound, they aren’t practical enough. Well, most of them.” Evie frowned.

“She’s right. We’ll need to have an age requirement—say, twenty-four to thirty-five?” Naomi shrugged. “Old enough to take it seriously, at least, but not so old they won’t work.”

“Perfect! We should ask for sawmill experience, too. Someone needs to know what needs to be done to get things started.” Evie shifted in her seat, obviously uncomfortable with the idea of beginning a business about which she knew nothing.