Adams, Eve - The Banished Bride [Brides of Bachelor Bay 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (22 page)

“Nice try, Gallagher. Since you seem to have all this money, you clearly do not need my niece. I, however, do. Come, Amelia.”

“Amelia.” Andrew looked at her, and she at him. He saw fear clouding her eyes but also saw something else. Determination.

“No! I refuse to go anywhere with you.” She stomped her foot, digging the heel of her boot into Robert’s toe. He dropped the gun and stumbled back.

Amelia ran to Andrew and almost made it.

And then the gun went off.

Chapter 14

Patience Steele’s Journal, Saturday, August 26
^th
, 1865

Port Steele, Washington Territory

Today is bittersweet. The newest shipment of brides has arrived and the entire town has turned out to greet them. I’m feeling well enough to accompany my husband down to the docks to stand by his side as he delivers the welcome address. Lizzie has agreed to work with them and get them settled in at Hattie Red’s Inn until a new spokeswoman for the brides is elected. I remember how I felt walking off that boat. Fear. Excitement. Encouragement. At least with brides already here, the new brides won’t have as difficult adjustment period as we did. I hope this shipment of brides is just as successful in finding their happiness as we were.

Now on to the reason for my tears. As I said, today is bittersweet. Today I say good-bye to my dearest friend. I haven’t stopped crying since I heard the news. I truly don’t know how Lizzie and Liv are going to survive without their little sister here with them.

* * * *

Andrew finished strapping down the last of their bags to take down to the docks. He turned and glanced up at the house he’d called home for so long and swallowed tightly. He needed this. He had to get away from Port Steele and all the ghosts.

“You ready?” Noah slapped his brother on the shoulder. He offered Andrew a smile. “This is the right decision, right? We’re doing the right thing, aren’t we?”

Andrew gave Noah a nod but didn’t bother with a smile. He didn’t feel much like smiling right now.

“Have you said good-bye to Aunt Mildred?”

Noah shook his head. “She’s still crying and I can’t stand it when she cries. She’s been crying for a week.”

“She’s in mourning,” Andrew said and ignored the pinch in his chest. They all were.

“For a woman who claimed to not like Amelia, she is certainly not doing a very good job at covering that up that fact.”

Andrew shot a look at Aunt Mildred’s house and let out a sigh as his shoulders sank. He remembered building that house. He looked around at all the houses in his sight, the memories of watching them go up fresh in his mind. His eyes misted.

“Are you crying?”

Andrew cleared his throat and wiped at his eyes. “I’ve got sweat in my eyes. I’ve been working my ass off all morning and it’s hotter than hell out here.”

Noah squeezed his brother’s shoulder. “It isn’t like we’ll never come for a visit. Logan is talking about building us a guesthouse for when we come up.”

“We’ll stay with Mildred.”

They both turned, and Andrew let out a relieved sigh. Every time he saw her since that horrific day Robert held that gun to her lovely throat, he simply wanted to stare at her.

“Amelia,” he breathed and smiled.

She had on a high-neck dress to cover the bruises on her throat Robert left by the gun. Her pretty blonde curls cascaded down her shoulder, and when she smiled, her beautiful blue eyes shined.

“Amelia, my love.”

She walked up to him and planted a kiss on his cheek. She then moved to Noah and planted a kiss on his.

“How is she?” Noah asked.

Amelia turned and looked at the house. “She’s distraught. She’s never killed a man before. The bloodstain on the carpet will never come out so I’ve made arrangements to have it replaced for her.”

Andrew checked all the straps again. He had to keep his hands busy so not to reach out for her, to touch her, to make sure she was real and not just a dream. The horrors of the sound of the gun going off echoed through his mind.

He’d felt the impact, the warm blood as it splattered all over him. He’d screamed out Amelia’s name, positive Robert had shot her in the back when in fact Aunt Mildred had shot Robert. When he fell forward, he grabbed for Amelia and she fell into Andrew’s arms.

Andrew held her tight and cried that day, positive he held his dead bride in his arms. When he spotted Robert on the floor, a pool of blood oozing around him, he held Amelia and swore to never let her go.

Noah, always oblivious to the emotions around him, asked, “What happened between you and Aunt Mildred that day, Amelia? I thought you two hated each other. Why would she be this upset over you leaving?”

“That’s between us girls.” Amelia teased him with one of her “come and get me” grins.

* * * *

“I’ve never been so scared in all my life, Patti.” Amelia sipped at her tea as she visited with her dearest friend and one she’d miss desperately when she left.

“I’m sure you weren’t the only one.” She looked out the window at the four men outside. Amelia followed her gaze and smiled to see them all laughing and sharing God-only-knew-what tall tales.

“They look happy.”

“They are.” Patti took a sip of her tea and set the cup on the table between them. “I have some news.”

Amelia brought her attention to her. Seeing the tears shining in Patti’s gray eyes scared her. She almost dropped her cup and carefully set it down. “What is it? Please tell me you’re not sick.”

“Sick? Who said I was sick?”

“Barbara said you were sick and I didn’t know. Patti, I’m your dearest friend. If you’re sick, please let me help.”

Patti laughed. “I’m not sick, Am. I’m pregnant.”

The rest of Amelia’s babbling died on her lips. She stared at Patti in shock until the words sank in. She then squealed and leaned over to her to give her a hug.

“That’s wonderful!”

“Am, I can’t breathe.”

“Sorry.” She pulled back and straightened her dress. “I’m thrilled for you, Patti. You’ve always wanted to be a mother. Raven and Adam will be wonderful fathers.”

“As will Andrew and Noah.”

Amelia smiled and watched her men talk with Adam and Raven. “Someday. I’m not ready to be a mother quite yet.”

“Have you decided which one you’ll marry?”

She crinkled her brow. “I don’t want to choose. I want to marry them both.”

“I may have a solution for you.”

Amelia snapped her gaze to Patti. “Do tell.”

“Marriage licenses are rarely filed on time, and here in Port Steele, paperwork does seem to get lost.”

“What are you saying?”

“It’s not proper for a single woman to travel with a single man, let alone two. Marry one here in Port Steele and then you’ll be a married woman traveling with her husband and his brother. Once you arrive in San Francisco, marry the other brother.”

“But the second marriage won’t be legal.”

Patti shrugged. “More than likely it will be the first marriage that won’t be legal since I’ll make it a point to delay the filing of its proof.”

“You can do that?”

She smiled. “I’m the mayor’s wife. I do have a little pull around here.”

Tears sprang to Amelia’s eyes. She’d be able to marry them both as she’d always wanted.

“Thank you,” she whispered and wiped at her tears.

“I love you, Amelia Gallagher.” She kissed Amelia on the cheek. “You might as well get used to the name.”

Amelia laughed through her tears and stood to go. “I’ll be back in the spring to visit. Will you have the baby by then?”

“I think so.”

“Well, if not, I will simply stay until you do. I love you, Patience Steele.” They hugged. “You have always been my dearest friend and always will be.”

After a tearful good-bye, Amelia allowed Noah and Andrew to take her away from the Steeles’ homestead.

“Don’t be sad, my dear.” Andrew took her hand. “We’ll be back in the spring.”

“It’s the start of a new life for many. New brides are here, Patti is going to have a baby, and we are starting over in San Francisco.” Although she knew this was for the best, it still hurt knowing she’d no longer live in the coastal town that had changed her life. Still, with her men by her side, she knew she’d be happy.

As they passed the church, she smiled through her tears. “We have one more stop to make.”

Chapter 15

Amelia Gallagher’s Journal, Sunday, December 10
^th
, 1865

San Francisco, California

It’s official. We’ve unpacked the final box and Andrew and Noah have signed the paperwork Mildred sent. The house is now ours. She gave it to us as a wedding gift and what a beautiful house it is! Three stories of the most luxurious living anyone could ever want. I protect my new home with everything I am. No one is allowed to set a glass down on any of my tables. They are antiques and were all gifts from Mildred. I refuse to allow even the slightest scratch on them. I go through and clean everything at least twice a day, just to be sure. I never thought I’d be the type of woman who kept a perfect house without the help of servants, but I refuse to have it any other way. It is the satisfaction I feel at knowing I’d done the work myself.

I’ve met quite a few new friends here and we have dinners together one Sunday out of the month. Tonight after dinner we will all take carriage rides through the streets to go caroling. I haven’t gone caroling since back in Boston and cannot wait to go out with all my new friends. I’ve spent the last two weeks decorating my home with as many Christmas adornments as
I could find and I must say, it looks like heaven right now.

After marrying Noah back in Port Steele and then marrying Andrew here, I realize I really do have everything I’ve ever wanted. I have two beautiful men who’ve accepted me for who I am and love me without reservation. And oh how I love them. I also discovered I had nothing to worry about over having two husbands. It seems what I feared is actually quite the standard here in a big city. So many women have more than one husband and aren’t shy about it. Some even have three!

It’s my turn to host the dinner for the first time. I pray I don’t burn everything. Andrew has hired me a sweet Chinese woman by the name of Mrs. Ping to help me with cooking, cleaning, and the like. She’s been teaching me so much but I refuse to allow her to wait on any of us. She is under our employment, not our reign. Tonight she’s teaching me to make brazed duck with roasted potatoes. There’s an amazing satisfaction of doing things for oneself that I never would have learned had I not spent that time with Mildred. I thank her every day for what she’d taught me and we write each other at least once a week. She tells me about everything happening in Port Steele and I tell her stories of my new life here. I know she’s living vicariously through me so I must make sure I keep her happy.

Well, Journal, I must say good-bye for now. I hear my husbands stomping the mud from their boots and will need to clean the foyer before our guests arrive.

I love my new life and pray all the new brides will find their happiness, whether they find it in Port Steele or anywhere else.