Read Online Autumn's Angel by Robin Lee Hatcher - Free Book Online

Matthew placed paper and pencil on the counter in front of Clay.
    He, in turn, slid the items to Luvena. She hesitated a moment before taking up the pencil. Then, looking between the handbill and the telegram form, she crafted the request to Ada May Innsbruck. When finished she handed the message to Matthew. He looked it over, nodded, and moved to the desk that held the telegraph equipment.
    Clay sent up a silent prayer for a positive response from Mrs. Innsbruck. Not simply her availability and willingness to come to Grand Coeur but also that she would charge a reasonable fee.
    Matthew returned to the counter. “It’s sent. I’ll let you know when we get a reply.”
    â€œThanks.” Clay paid for the telegram.
    â€œI hope it turns out.” Matthew’s gaze shifted to Luvena. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss Abbott.”
    She nodded to him.
    â€œMy wife will want you and Clay and your family to join us for dinner sometime soon. You can expect an invitation before long.”
    â€œThat’s very kind, Mr. Dubois. I’ll look forward to it.”
    â€œ. . . you and Clay and your family . . .” Matthew’s words echoed in Clay’s thoughts as he and Luvena walked back to the opera house. “. . . you and Clay and your family . . .” There was something right about the sound of it.
    But how could it sound right when he knew just how wrong it would be?

Chapter Nine
    24 September 1870
    Mr. Melvin Hitchcock
    Proprietor, Hitching Post Mail-Order Bride Catalogue
    Dear Mr. Hitchcock,
    I am writing to advise you that someone employed by your catalogue company revised the letters I exchanged with Mr. Clay Birch of Grand Coeur, Idaho Territory. I now find that he and I are not to be married as expected because he had expressed his unwillingness to become a stepfather to any children. A crucial fact that was removed from his correspondence to me. Now, because of this, my sister’s children and I find ourselves without the home and means of support we thought were secured when we left Massachusetts.
    While Mr. Birch has not cast us out, we cannot continue to accept his charity. Therefore, I must ask that an advertisement of my own be included in your catalogue, free of charge given the circumstances. Please be certain it includes the information that I am the guardian of three children (ages eight to fourteen). I do not wish for there to be any further misunderstandings. I am writing a few other particulars regarding myself on the back of this letter and trust you will use them for an appropriate listing.
    I also trust that whoever was responsible for this interference with our letters will be summarily dismissed from your employment. That is the very least that should happen to the individual.
    Sincerely,
    Miss Luvena Abbott
    Grand Coeur, Idaho Territory
    The letter finished, Luvena blotted the ink, folded the paper, and slipped it into an envelope.
    There. Done. She should have written to the Hitching Post the very day she arrived in Grand Coeur. She should have expressed her shock and dismay over the cruel joke perpetrated upon her and Clay. Whoever was responsible, she hoped they received their just desserts.
    And now the search for a husband would begin again. It shouldn’t feel any worse than it had before, the idea of moving to a new place and marrying a stranger for the support a husband could provide. But it did feel worse.
    When she’d first considered the listings in that catalogue, she hadn’t known any unmarried men who would overlook the tragedy in her family. Nor had she known any men who made her feel the way Clay Birch made her—
    No, she wouldn’t think that. Clay had made up his mind the moment she’d stepped out of the stagecoach and identified Merry, Ethan, and Elsie as belonging with her. He hadn’t changed his opinion in the past nine days, nor was he likely to.
    As if summoned by her thoughts, Clay