A Bride for Cody is a book from the multi-author series Mistaken Identity Mail Order Brides. A man orders a mail order bride and when she arrives, she is not as advertised. The man has to decide if he will accept who arrives or reject her. This excerpt is at the beginning of the book. Fans of mail order bride, western historical, and strong heroine romance will love A Bride for Cody.
Chapter One
Near Boston, Massachusetts, 1874
Orlena Worth sat at her desk and scrutinized the balance in the family accounts after she’d paid their bills. Her sweet uncle’s improbable activities repeatedly created knots for her to unravel. Since Uncle Ambrose fell for a fake investment scheme at the height of the financial panic six months ago, she needed to pull funds from thin air. Except, someone forgot to give her a magic wand.
As if he materialized from her thoughts, Uncle Ambrose rushed into the room. His silver hair stuck out in every direction, he gasped for breath, and his face bore a frenzied expression.
“Hurry! They’re coming after me.” He snatched a sheaf of papers with one hand and a book with another, and then shoved both into a briefcase.
She grasped his arms. “Slow down, Uncle Ambrose. Who’s coming and why does it matter?”
“Just now…” He cast a furtive glance over his shoulder. “I went to see if Delphine and Antoine’s visitors had left.”
“You really shouldn’t have. Delphine will come for Hugo when she’s ready for him.”
“But you see… I wanted to show Antoine an article I found… oh, never mind that.” He waved a hand dismissively. “The worst has happened.”
Her uncle plopped onto a chair and covered his face with his hands. “The door wasn’t closed properly and I saw into the parlor. Two men were there, and I heard everything they said.”
He had tears in his eyes when he raised his head. “Oh, Orlena, they killed both of them.” He sobbed, “When they started searching for Hugo, I ran.”
The air left her lungs and she couldn’t inhale another breath. Her legs gave way and she barely reached a chair without falling. “Delphine and Antoine murdered? Uncle Ambrose, are you certain they’re dead?”
“Positive, and I heard the men say that’s what they plan for Hugo—only they called him ‘Antoine’s brat’.”
“But Delphine said they expected the attorney today, not… not assassins.” She gasped again. “Could these men have seen you?”
He scrubbed a hand across his face as if wiping away the memory. “Not clearly. I must have cried out or made a noise because one rushed to the door. He yelled at me to stop, but I ran as fast as I could in the opposite direction from here. Obviously, they don’t know the neighborhood. I darted through alleys and gardens and circled back.”
She wrung her hands. What should they do? If they summoned authorities, they’d take Hugo. More than likely they’d give him into the care of those who wanted him dead. The best they could hope for was that the law would do nothing except place Hugo in an orphanage. Even that was unthinkable.
“No wonder Delphine worried about Antoine’s Bonheur relatives now that his grandfather has passed. Apparently a large fortune is at stake.” She rose and paced the room. “If those men start asking questions, they’ll know we’re the only people the Bonheurs trusted to care for Hugo.”
“That’s why I urged you to hurry.” He ran his fingers through his already messy hair. “How can we get away and where can we go to hide? Oh, if only I hadn’t lost our family’s money.”
Deep in thought even though her heart ached, she didn’t answer him immediately. Her mind searched for a possible solution as she paced the room. How could they escape and take Hugo? Limited cash hindered their choices. Selling the house would take time they didn’t have
Uncle Ambrose’s voice rose as he stood, “Orlena Mae, we must hurry.” Using her middle name meant he was not only upset but impatient with her.
“I understand, but this is almost too much to absorb. Let me sort through all you’ve told me and make plans.”
He grabbed her arms. “Are you crazy? What kind of sorting? We don’t have a minute to delay.”
Orlena pulled away gently. “We have to plan or we won’t escape.” She swiped at the tears streaking her cheeks. “This is terrible. Our good friends gone. Little Hugo orphaned and at risk. Us in peril. I’m trying to make sense of this tragedy.”
“What can we do to get away? We can’t let them kill little Hugo. I don’t want them to kill us either.”
A crazy idea occurred to her. She stopped pacing to face her uncle. “Start packing while Hugo is having his nap. I have an idea of what we’re going to do. Be ready to leave when I return.”
Looking more like his normal self, he stood. “I can do that. I’ll get the trunks and pack them. You find a way for us to escape.”
Orlena hurried three houses down the block to the home of her friend, Evelyn Nesbitt. What if the killers were watching? Heart pounding, she slowed her steps to a normal walk.
When Evelyn answered the bell, she wore her hat, as if she planned going out. “You look frantic. What’s happened?” She guided Orlena to a chair.
Orlena sagged onto the cushions and fought her panic. “An impossible situation has occurred. Are you still intent on breaking your engagement? If so, have you written to your fiancé yet?”
“I do feel guilty about changing my mind, especially at this late date, but Papa is firm. Truthfully, I realized Papa is right. I don’t want to travel so far from my family and marry a stranger. But I did as you suggested—I wrote the letter yesterday, but waited a day to consider carefully before mailing it. You caught me on the way to the post office.” Evelyn removed her hat and set it on a table. “There’s no hurry, so please tell me what’s upset you.”
“Evelyn, this will sound crazy, but I’m serious. Would you let me take your place as a mail order bride?”
“But… but why? I know your uncle’s scheme left you struggling financially, but you’re so clever, you’ll find a way to recover. Orlena, Montana Territory is so far away and has terribly long, cold winters and hot summers.”
Orlena explained the situation.
Tears gathered in Evelyn’s eyes. “Delphine and Antoine both murdered? That’s horrible—and right on our block. Have the police been notified?”
“I don’t plan to notify them. They’d take Hugo into custody and likely give him over to the very people who want him dead.”
Evelyn gasped and clutched a hand at her throat. “You’re probably right. Oh, poor little boy. Think how frightened he’d be with strangers, even if he ended up with kind people. What do you plan to do? Is there any way you can keep him?”
Orlena’s relief was palpable. “We have enough to pay my uncle’s way, but not enough to pay for both of us to get very far. Plus, we’d need more money to re-establish our home elsewhere. We don’t have time to sell the house. This Mr. Hudson, whose letters you let me read, sounds reliable and resourceful, even kind, with a sense of humor. As his mail-order bride, I’d have a safe haven in a place so far away the killers would never find us.”
Evelyn handed the sealed envelope to Orlena. “I’m so sorry this has happened, Orlena. Obviously you have to go somewhere right away. But are you sure you want to do this?”
Orlena slid the correspondence into her skirt pocket. “I’m sure I don’t want to, but I can’t think of another way to quickly escape these men. Not only will they kill Hugo, they’re not likely to leave my uncle and me alive as witnesses.”
Evelyn gasped again. “You’re right. If they’re that ruthless, they won’t leave anyone who can identify them.”
Orlena rose slowly on unsteady legs. “I’ll go out the back door if you don’t mind. When I came here, I worried about the killers seeing me. I don’t even know what they look like. I expect they’ll ask questions. Probably they’ll bribe a policeman to ask details at each house in their quest to find Hugo. Be very careful not to arouse their suspicions or give them a hint where we’ve gone.”
Evelyn hugged her. “You can count on me. Please take care and write to me when you’re settled. I don’t know what I’ll do without you to visit. You always listen to my troubles and help me come to a decision.”
She fished in her pocket for a key and held it out to the other woman. “This is our house key. When we eventually can send for our other things and sell the house, will you let in the estate agent?”
Evelyn accepted the key and deposited it in a vase on the mantle. “Of course I will.”
Inside, Orlena quaked with terror, but she forced a tenuous smile for her friend. “Maybe I’ll meet the man who’s perfect for you. Then, I’ll have to convince you to come to Montana Territory after all.” Sadly, she knew Evelyn’s father would never allow her to travel so far from home. This was the last time she’d see the woman who’d been a good neighbor and friend.
