MAIL ORDER MOUNTIES

Bride for Malcolm

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CHAPTER 1

 

"I think coming here was a big mistake. I don't know what I was thinking." 

 

Annie stood up, reaching down to pick up one of her bags from the floor. "I'm sorry for wasting your time, Miss Hazel. I got caught up in the romantic notions when my friend found love with her Mountie husband and somehow believed it might be possible for me too. But now that I've had time to think, I realize how silly I've been."

 

"Young lady, you're not going anywhere. You've traveled all this way to see me, and I would never turn a girl away who needs my help. And furthermore, I believe in my heart there is a perfect match out there for everyone. We just need to find him."

 

The older woman reached out and put her hand on her arm. "Claire told me you were a bit headstrong but I've never met a woman, or man for that matter, who was more stubborn than me. So you may as well sit back down and let me finish."

 

Annie looked at the woman she'd come here to see—Miss Hazel Hughes. She was one of those people who you could tell genuinely cared about someone, even if they'd just met. Annie had only arrived a few minutes ago, but she sensed that Miss Hazel was exactly how her friend Claire had described her.

 

It was hard to believe that just a few days ago she'd been in Alberta, celebrating Christmas. Her life had changed drastically all within a short time when her father was charged with numerous crimes and was now awaiting trial. Now, the sheltered life she'd led had been turned upside-down.

 

Finding out your father was one of the most despicable criminals alive had a way of doing that.

 

Her mother was left with no money or anything to care for her or her sister, so Annie had taken matters into her own hands. She'd watched her friend Claire fall in love with a Mountie she'd been matched up with, and she had decided that's what she wanted too. It would ease the burden on her mother, and maybe she could find happiness like Claire had done.

 

However, in all of the turmoil and upheaval that had been going on, Annie realized she might not have thought it all through. She'd packed a couple of bags and boarded the next train to Ottawa, never letting herself second guess her decision.

 

Claire had suggested giving her the chance to wire Miss Hazel first to see if she could help her, but Annie hadn't wanted to wait. She'd known if she did, she wouldn't go through with it. Truthfully, she was afraid Miss Hazel would say no, and she wanted to get as far away from her father and the life as she'd known it, which had just fallen apart within a matter of days.

 

Now she realized that hadn't been fair to Miss Hazel. 

 

She'd shown up on her doorstep less than an hour ago, and the poor woman hadn't even had a chance to figure out what to do with her. Claire had managed to send a wire which had arrived shortly before she did, but there hadn't really been any time to prepare.

 

Annie set her bag down and eased herself back onto the settee. Her eyes moved to watch the flames that were flickering in the fireplace beside her. She could hear a young child's laughter coming from the hallway and she wondered who it could be. Claire had said Miss Hazel lived alone. 

 

"Oh, I'm sorry, Miss Hazel. I didn't realize you had company." A voice from the doorway made Annie turn her head. A beautiful woman with hair the color of gold stood with a young girl beside her, holding a doll. Annie smiled at her.

 

"It's quite all right, dear. This is Annie Hastings." 

 

Annie stood back up to accept the woman's outstretched hand. "Annie, this is Minnie and her daughter Olivia. They are staying with me for a few days."

 

Annie self-consciously brought her fingers up to cover her lip as she noticed the young child staring at her intently. While most adults tried to act like they weren't looking at her disfigurement when they spoke to her, children weren't as able to hide the questions from their eyes.

 

"You have an owwie on your lip."

 

The words were said so innocently, but they still stung when she heard them. It wasn't the first time she'd been asked about it by a child, so she put on her best smile and did what she always did to try and explain it to them.

 

"Yes, I do. But it's all better now. The doctors fixed it when I was a little girl like you, so now I have a scar that will be there forever." Her surgery to fix her cleft palate had been successful, but the scar would always be a reminder, as would the slight difference in her voice compared to other people. 

 

Her father had never accepted her and hadn't wanted to waste any money to get it fixed, but her mother had insisted. 

 

The little girl tilted her head then came closer to her. "Well, I think it makes you look cute."

 

Annie's mouth opened to speak, but she didn't know what to say. She'd never had a child say she looked cute. Normally they just kept staring until the parents would uncomfortably force them to look away.

 

She looked up at Miss Hazel who was smiling affectionately at the little girl. 

 

"I'm so sorry. Olivia is a bit inquisitive I'm afraid." Minnie reached out and pulled Olivia back over beside her. She looked upset that Olivia had mentioned anything.

 

Smiling at the other woman, Annie shrugged. "Its fine. I've never had a little girl tell me I'm cute before, so I can already see Olivia is a wonderful child with a kind heart." She didn't want Minnie to feel bad, especially when Olivia had been so sweet.

 

"Besides, I'm used to people staring or asking about it. It's a part of who I am, so I've had to learn to live with it."

 

And she'd had to learn to accept that not everyone could see past her scars. She'd never truly believed she would ever be able to find a man who could love her for who she was, or who would think she was beautiful, but somehow knowing a little girl thought she was cute had given her heart a much needed squeeze.

 

"Well then, Annie, take your bags and Minnie can show you the room across the hall from hers. In a few days, there will be four Mounties arriving to pick out their brides, so we will spend some time getting you ready to head off to your new home."

 

She spun around to look at Miss Hazel in confusion. "What do you mean?"

 

Miss Hazel just laughed, and Annie was almost sure she could see a twinkle in her eye. "I believe you'll be the perfect bride for one of the men who are coming here. It will be up to you of course, but let's see if my hunch is correct. I've never been wrong before."

 

For the second time in less than a minute, Annie was left speechless.

 

She'd hoped Miss Hazel could help her, but she'd never imagined it would happen so fast.

 

But the woman was already shooing them toward the doorway. "Once you get settled, we'll start working on preparing you girls for being the perfect brides for your Mounties."

 

Minnie just grinned and shrugged. "You may as well just do as she says. When Miss Hazel gets an idea in her head, there's no arguing."

 

Annie followed the other woman up the stairs, wondering exactly what she'd just gotten herself into.