The Unconventional Bride: The Ladies Club of Laramie Read online

  "Fun? You have been too sheltered and never experienced the hardships of life. You should be grateful I'm searching for a wealthy man and not a poor boy where you would need to work," her mother said.

  Oh, she had heard this same remark so many times, and it would be best if she kept her mouth shut and went to bed.

  "In the morning, I will check with Laura to make certain you were playing cribbage," she said, her eyes narrowing. "If you've lied to me, you will find yourself in a convent, taking the vows. Do you understand me?"

  Oh, how she wanted to smart off and say, I'll make a perfect nun, but that comment would only bring more trouble.

  "Yes, ma'am," she said. "Now may I be excused so I can go to bed?"

  "Don't forget we are to prepare baskets to take to the poor in town tomorrow at nine a.m.," her mother said.

  A groan gurgled up in her throat, but she quickly swallowed the sound, knowing any comment would be considered impertinence. Somehow she needed to retreat upstairs.

  "Yes, ma'am," she said. "Goodnight."

  As she went up the stairs, her parents’ voices raised in concern followed her up. Her father was probably defending her from her mother. Tonight she almost got caught. Even though marriage to a stranger would not be fun, living in a convent would be even worse.

  At the landing, her younger sister, Hattie, met her in her nightgown. "Are you in trouble again?"

  "Yes," she said, sighing.

  "When are you ever going to learn?"

  "Probably never. I like being independent, wild, and kind of free. And Mother, she wants to clip my wings and put me in a bird cage."

  Hattie giggled. "Promise me you didn't do anything bad."

  Being out late at night didn't mean she was out whoring or something worse. Only gambling. Oh, how she wished her perfect sister would experience her mother's punishment just once.

  "No, had some fun. Unfortunately, I let the time slip away from me and it was almost midnight when I saw the time and hurried home. Next time, you could lie for me. Tell them I'm staying over at Laura's house."

  "Oh no, I'm not going to aid you getting into trouble. At the moment, Mother is going easy on me and favors me. Currently, I'm in a sweet place."

  Hattie was the favored child and always had been. So favored that she could commit murder and her mother would pat her on the head and say dear, dear.

  "Sometimes, Hattie, I wish you would lose your favored position."

  "As long as I can, I'm holding onto that place," she said and walked down the hall to her room.

  * * *

  Minnie O'Brian was determined her daughters would have the best husbands she could find in Laramie. Already, her oldest daughter, Cora, had married the governor's son, and they lived on a ranch in Doggett.

  Now she searched for a husband for Jennie.

  And that poor girl needed someone to tame her. She would need a strong man with an iron will to keep her in line. Frankly, Minnie would be glad to turn over those duties. The girl required constant supervision.

  Sitting in the tea room of the Grande Union Hotel, the ladies of the Laramie Ladies’ Club had gathered for their weekly meeting. Sipping her tea, she glanced at her rival Fiona Quincy. "How is your daughter Kelly doing?"

  "Kelly is very happy. I'm so thankful she didn't marry the governor's son."

  Minnie smiled on the outside while on the inside a slow burn began. Fiona and she were always digging at one another. Even now, they tried to outdo the other.

  "Cora and August are expecting their first child," she said, smiling. The letter from Cora arrived today, telling her she would soon be a mother.

  Now her girls would see how difficult raising children could be. Especially young women like Cora and Jennie. Both headstrong young women, particularly Jennie, though Cora developed some fantasy of going to fashion school. Thank goodness her husband ended that dream. "Now I'm searching for a man for Jennie."

  Her nemesis gave her a wicked smile making Minnie cringe inside. The woman had some kind of juicy gossip to share.

  "Bo told me he saw Jennie at the gambling hall the other night. Shocked, he came home and asked me why you allowed your daughter to gamble," she said in a snarky tone.

  If this was true, Jennie would be begging her to find her a husband.

  Immediately, Minnie started to shake her head. "Bo is mistaken. None of my daughters will ever enter a saloon, a gambling hall, or any den of ill repute. As young girls, we warned them they would be sent to a convent if they disobeyed. No, Jennie may push the boundaries, but never that."

  The memory of her coming in after midnight and the smell of smoke on her daughter made her insides cringe. No, her daughter would not be so stupid as to go into such a haven of sin.

  Her grandfather taught her the game of poker, and she was quite good. But she wouldn't go into that place, would she? A woman alone?

  The gray-haired woman leaned over, and Minnie resisted the urge to grab her hair and pull her out into the street. "Now, Minnie, you know Jennie has always been considered your wild child. I'm sure there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for her playing poker with the men. Maybe you should make certain your daughter is not misbehaving."

  The woman giggled as she made the announcement and the other ladies turned their heads, their eyes wide with fear. This wasn't the first time Minnie and Fiona had gotten into a skirmish at the ladies' tea club.

  Sooner or later, the two women would come to blows and Minnie knew how to throw a mean right hook, courtesy of her brother.

  "Fiona, I guarantee you my daughter would not step into a gambling hall. Jennie played cribbage at Laura's that night."

  The woman laughed. "She was playing all right, but not at Laura's. Laura's family traveled to Cheyenne that week."

  A raging fire built inside Minnie. Jennie would soon find herself at the convent. If the girl didn't think she was serious, by the time she got a hold of her, she would know where she would be spending her time. On her knees praying.

  Chapter Two

  Milton heard the twins whooping and hollering before he ever walked in the door. How could two five-year-olds be so ornery? He only hoped that when he came home, they would calm. After working all day, he liked his home to be peaceful and quiet.

  As he opened the door, the mess that greeted him was a shock.

  Toys were strewn all around the living area, and play arrows were jammed in the sofa. Astounded, he saw their nanny, tied to a chair in the middle of the chaos, a rag stuffed in her mouth. Piles of paper were stacked under her feet in a ring of rocks like kindling. All it needed was a match struck to the heap to create an inferno.

  Oh my God, what if he hadn't come home on time? The poor woman's eyes were large and frightened.

  "What is going on here," he cried as he hurried toward the stricken nanny, knowing instinctively he would need to give her a raise.

  "We're Indians," George said as he stared at him. "Don't untie her. We captured her and now she's going to burn."

  Where did his children learn this kind of stuff? And how did two little boys tie up this woman?

  "You do not do this to anyone. You do not do this to your nanny, do you understand me?" he said, raising his voice to his sons. "Can't you see you've terrified the woman?"

  As he gazed at her, he realized not only a raise, but possibly even a bonus to keep her from quitting. Right now, the way she glared at him, he feared the worst.

  Paul came up to him. "She wasn't nice to us, Papa. She made us pick up our toys and clean our rooms."

  Anger rushed through him and the boys didn't understand. "This morning before I left, I told her to tell the two of you to straighten your rooms. It's what good children do."

  "We're not very good," George said, looking at his father, proud of his announcement. "We don't want to be good."

  Milton wanted to thrust his fist at the sky and ask the Lord why? Why had he taken his wife, leaving him to raise these two little hellions? They needed his wife; th
ey needed a mother and not a father. His job was to provide for them while a mother was to teach them and he couldn't do both.

  Not knowing how to respond to the twins’ declaration of being bad, he quickly pulled the rag out of the lady’s mouth and began to untie her hands.

  "I quit," she said, standing on unsteady legs.

  "Miss Harper. How did this get out of hand? They're just being boys," he said, thinking he couldn't remember a time when he acted this way.

  The woman turned on him. "They're hellions. Do you understand me? You can't pay me enough money to continue to work with these boys. They need a father who makes them behave and you, sir, are not that person."

  With a sigh, he gazed at the woman and understood there was no convincing her to stay. Turning, he glanced at his sons. What could he say? The nanny was right. At this moment, he didn't know how to be a father. The raising of children, he always considered to be his wife's job, not his. But she wasn't here.

  And now his boys had become devious little demons and he didn't know what to do.

  "I'll write you a check for your time," he said, gazing at the woman, thinking maybe this was for the best. Obviously, she had no faith in him.

  "I'm going to pack and then I would like a ride to the train station," she said, whirling around. The twins stood in front of her grinning.

  "Bye-bye," they both said and laughed as they ran to their rooms.

  The little devils had somehow known how to manipulate her into leaving. Smart little kids who he sometimes felt outsmarted him.

  What did he do now? No woman in town would watch them. This nanny came from a service in Denver. Would they send another woman?

  The image of the young woman who played cards with him several nights ago came to mind. A strong personality that he watched turn away drunken cowboys and focused on her card playing.

  Would she be as determined with children? Could she make his sons behave or would he come home and find his house burned to the ground while his boys sacrificed a hostage.

  With a sigh, he knew he was running out of options.

  * * *

  For the last week, Milton tried to find another nanny for his children and no one in town was willing to babysit the twins. Even for a large sum of money. Then he contacted the agency he used before and thought someone from Denver would take the job.

  The woman sent him a terse telegram telling him not to contact their agency again. That none of her nannies would ever work for him.

  There was one last chance. Yesterday, he penned Mrs. O'Brian a note asking her to meet him for tea at the Grande Union Hotel at ten thirty. When he gave the missive to his secretary, the man glanced at him, stunned. "Are you certain you want to do this? This woman is tough as nails."

  "It's a last resort," he said.

  When he took them to work, the boys terrorized his office, and cook told him she would quit the next time he asked her to watch them.

  As it was, he paid a woman to babysit them, double the amount normally required, and she would only sit with them for a couple of hours a day. That was all she could take of his ruffians.

  Sitting in the tea room, he waited for Jennie's mother to appear. He glanced at the entrance to the dining room when he saw a portly, well-dressed woman enter like she owned the establishment.

  Milton stood, knowing this had to be the famous Minnie O'Brian, Jennie's mother. Maybe there was a reason Jennie was considered a wild child. And her reputation made him believe she would be perfect for his boys.

  "Mrs. O'Brian," he said, stepping in front of her.

  "Yes," she said. "Are you Mr. Wardell?"

  "Yes, please come and take a seat," he said, pulling out her chair for her. "I've taken the liberty to order us tea and crumpets."

  Her eyes warmed and she smiled. "Thank you."

  He poured her a cup and leaned back. The woman sat looking him up and down, and he wasn't certain he met with her approval.

  "Why do you want to speak to me, today," she asked.

  The memory of Jennie flashed before his eyes, and he sighed. "I'm looking for a nanny for my children. My twin boys are rebellious and unruly and need the guidance of a strong woman."

  The lady chuckled. "I don't babysit children."

  How did he approach this without revealing how he knew her daughter?

  "No, not you," he said. "What about your daughter, Jennie? Could she become the twins’ nanny?"

  Mrs. O'Brian stared at him, her eyes assessing him. "You own the Myra mine, do you not?"

  "Yes, ma'am," he said.

  "Why don't you just hire one?" she asked.

  While he didn't want to tell her the truth, she needed to understand his desperation. "The boys have run off five nannies and the agency I used refused to send me anymore."

  "What makes you think Jennie could handle them," she asked. "My beautiful daughter is not going to work for someone."

  For some reason, he thought they could work together. "Jennie has a reputation of being a wild child. My sons are running wild and need taming. Who better to make them mind than a woman who herself is boisterous and out of control?"

  "I take exception to you calling my daughter wild. Jennie will never be some man's nanny living in his house as an unmarried woman. You're a widower, correct?"

  Oh, no, this was what he feared would happen. If things were different, Jennie would be someone he would consider, but not after Myra. Once was enough. Especially when left to raise the children alone.

  "But I'm not looking for a wife."

  "And Jennie is not looking for a job, so it seems we're at an impasse," the coy woman said, gazing at him. "Now, if you married Jennie, you would not only have a nanny, but a mother. Your boys need a mother not a babysitter."

  Pain gripped his chest. The woman was right. They needed someone to love and care for them and turn them into young men he would be proud of.

  "You don't understand. Their mother died," he said. "And I don't plan on ever marrying again."

  The woman's brows raised. "I'm sorry to hear about your wife. But don't you think she would want some woman to do the job she is unable to do, raise your children?"

  The pain of losing Myra came over him, and he swallowed a groan. No, he would never marry again and take the chance of killing yet another woman. If Myra hadn't gotten pregnant, she would still be at his side. Sadly, he would never have sex again with a woman he loved, because he didn't want to risk getting her with child and watching her die.

  What woman would want to be in a loveless marriage?

  "No, I'm not getting married again," he said with finality.

  The woman stood and shook her head, a frown on her face as she stared at him.

  "Mr. O'Brian will never allow his daughter to live under a man's roof unless she's his wife. I'm afraid, Mr. Wardell, we've reached a stalemate. Right now, I'm searching for a man to marry my Jennie, not be his servant." The woman sighed "Good luck in your search for your boys a new nanny."

  Minnie O'Brian walked out the door, and he watched her go, his chest aching with disappointment.

  A servant? Did his twins need a woman who loved them and treated them like their own mother?

  His own father never showered him with affection or was around much and while he tried to show his boys tenderness, it was hard. Milton didn't know the first thing about raising children and his lack of knowledge showed in their troublesome behavior.

  Whatever he was doing with his boys wasn't good enough. They needed a woman's touch and no servant would shower them with the love that a mother would, even a stepmother.

  Jumping up, he rushed out the door, racing after Mrs. O'Brian. When he reached the street, she stood waiting.

  "Mrs. O'Brian," he called.

  She turned and gave him a smile. "Why don't you come to dinner tomorrow night. Let's see if you and my Jennie are compatible. Don't bring the twins. This time will be just our family. Later if you and Jennie are meant to court, you can introduce her to the boys." />
  The woman had obviously been waiting for him. Somehow she understood he would acquiesce. For a moment, he considered her proposal. One dinner wouldn't be a commitment, but rather a chance to see if Jennie was the right woman for the job. Because, that's all their union would be. The job of being a wife and mother.

  "What time?" he asked and she smiled.

  * * *

  Something was going on and a bad premonition kept skittering up her spine. The servants worked to make the house spotless while cook prepared a feast. And her mother told her to dress in her finest gown and be downstairs at six.

  "Why?" Jennie asked. "Is someone coming to dinner?"

  For the last week, she had not gone to the gambling hall, trying to stay out of trouble. After being caught coming in so late, her mother's temper was short with her. Usually, she came home from her ladies’ club meeting all a twitter with the latest gossip, but this time, she'd been mean.

  Downright cold and Jennie realized she better behave or find herself being shipped to the nearest convent.

  "Do what I say and be down here at six looking like a proper young lady," she said as she whirled around to leave.

  "What about me?" Hattie said, calling to the back of her mother.

  She said over her shoulder as she went into the kitchen. "Yes, six in your finest."

  Oh, no, this could not be good. Why would her mother be going to such a great effort? Unless a man was coming to dinner. And he could only be here for Jennie.

  Hattie grinned and taunted her. "Someone is meeting a man tonight."

  A trickle of fear gripped her stomach. This was her biggest concern that her mother finally found someone suitable for her.

  "After she sets me up, you will be the next in line to receive her attention. Is that what you want?"

  "Depends on the man. I'll consider him if he's wealthy and I can continue doing what I want."

  That might be one way to run the man off. Give him a long list of requirements for marrying her. Insist he let her carry on with her wild romps.