A Bride Idea Read online

  Copyright

  ISBN 978-1-59789-620-7

  Copyright © 2007 by Yvonne Lehman. All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the permission of Heartsong Presents, an imprint of Barbour Publishing, Inc., PO Box 721, Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683.

  All scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

  All of the characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events is purely coincidental.

  Our mission is to publish and distribute inspirational products offering exceptional value and biblical encouragement to the masses.

  one

  West Virginia, 1916

  WANTED: A bride of convenience for one year. A strong, young woman to marry an established man. Care for and be a companion to an incapacitated woman (no nursing experience necessary). The position requires some cooking and management of other employees. Respond by mail to DNMC, General Delivery, Post Office, Sunrise, West Virginia.

  Olivia Easton never would have read such an advertisement in the Sunday Sunrise Gazette had she not been visiting her aunt, Stella Easton Kevay, in Canaan Valley. “Stella, look at this. It has to be a joke.”

  Her aunt’s shoes pattered against the hardwood floor as she stepped gingerly from the stove to the kitchen table. She set her coffee cup down and looked over Olivia’s shoulder.

  Olivia tapped on the ad.

  After reading for a moment, her aunt gasped. Then she read the entire ad aloud. Olivia watched her step back and plant her hands at the sides of her trim waist. “Well, I’ve seen some fantastic things in my travels as an actress, but this beats all.” She shook her head of copper-colored curls, cut in the latest short style. “How desperate a man must be to advertise for a wife.” She picked up her cup and walked around the table.

  Olivia nodded. “And how ridiculous a woman would be to consider such a thing.”

  “True,” Stella agreed. She sat across from Olivia on the long bench. “Here, let me see that again.”

  Olivia handed the paper across to her.

  “Hmm,” Stella mused. “The man can’t be too stupid, using words like ‘established,’ ‘incapacitated,’ and ‘respond.’ If he wrote the ad, he must be educated.”

  “He may be educated, but he’s got to be too old or ugly to get a wife.”

  “Maybe.” A gleam of mischief appeared in her green eyes. “But ugly can be overlooked if he’s rich. This does say he’s established.”

  Olivia wrinkled her nose. “That means rich?”

  “Well, it means he’s not poor. He has a job or a business. He probably owns a restaurant or a hotel. Now that’s an interesting thought.”

  “Maybe. But there’s also an incapacitated woman.” Olivia thought for a moment. “Incapacitated? But she doesn’t need a nurse?”

  Stella waved her hand. “Oh, he’d have a nurse for her since he’s a man of means.”

  Olivia lifted a finger for emphasis. “Ugly man of means, remember. But why would he want a wife for one year? I know.” Widening her eyes, she spoke in an ominous tone. “He marries a woman for a year, incapacitates her, and then seeks another.”

  Stella leaned over the table, speaking dramatically. “We have a killer here. Like Jack the Ripper or the ogre, Iago, in Shakespeare’s Othello.”

  Olivia loved this silly game they were playing. As far back as she could remember, she’d admired her colorful, fun-loving aunt who was considered the outcast of the family. Her father’s stories of Stella’s escapades were supposed to dissuade her from wanting to pursue an acting career, but they only made Olivia more determined to be like her.

  That’s what got her in trouble with her father who finally said, “All right. Go spend time with your aunt this summer. See how different her life is than ours and ask yourself if you want to end up like her.”

  She’d been here for a month now. She saw how Stella lived and preferred her aunt’s cozy cabin more than her father’s rambling, lonely big house in the city. She’d rather be like her warmhearted aunt who encouraged her dreams instead of like her father who stifled them.

  Olivia searched for more job opportunities. “There’s an ad for a telephone operator and a nurse in Sunrise and factory workers in the city.” She sighed, feeling defeat settling upon her. She’d hoped to find a job in Canaan Valley and live with Stella so she could save her money. Sunrise was ten miles up the mountain, too far for her to travel back and forth, especially since the roads would be too treacherous in winter months.

  “There’s nothing in Canaan Valley for me. I can’t be a logger or become a blacksmith.” Trying not to sound morbid, she added, “Too bad there’s not an opening for a stagecoach driver.”

  That sparked Stella’s interest. “Oh, but wouldn’t that have been fun? Too bad stagecoaches aren’t really used anymore. Being on the road is never dull.”

  “Oh, Stella. You’re such fun.”

  Her aunt grew serious. “Your visiting with me these past weeks has been wonderful, Olivia. Much of my time is spent being alone, living with my good memories of the past.”

  “At least you have those. Since Mama died, I haven’t had many good experiences to make good memories.”

  “You’re young, dear. And your father is right in wanting you to be sure about your future.”

  “Father thinks I should find a man and make a home for him.” She made a face to show her disdain of that idea.

  Stella laughed. “You don’t want that?”

  “I don’t want to live my life for a man. I want to live it for me. Isn’t that what you did?”

  “Yes, but Kev was an actor. We were on the road together. I would like for him to be here with me now that my acting days are over.”

  Olivia noticed the familiar melancholy look that came to her aunt’s face whenever she talked about her husband who had died several years ago. Stella had truly loved George Kevay, or “Kev,” as she always called him.

  “Since Kev, I haven’t met anyone I want to settle down with.”

  Olivia sighed. “Maybe I’m condemned to a life of tragedy as a spinster schoolmarm or a piano teacher and living with my father for the rest of my life. I just can’t do that.”

  “Well, it looks like you’re as stubborn as I am.”

  Olivia agreed. “That’s what Father says.”

  Stella laughed lightly. “What he doesn’t realize is that he’s more stubborn than the two of us put together. But don’t despair,” she added in her optimistic way. “Tomorrow we’ll hit the shops in town again. We’ll even go to the logging companies.”

  ❧

  Olivia tried to be optimistic on Monday through Thursday mornings when she sat beside Stella in the wagon. The old gray mare pulled them along the dirt roads until they came to the gravel streets of the town and its stores. She loved spending time with Stella, walking down the streets and frequenting all the shops. But being told there were no job openings finally wilted her spirits.

  By Friday morning, she’d given up. Barely touching her breakfast, she moaned, “Oh, Stella, I’m doomed to a dreary, lackluster life. I’ll have to go back to Father and do exactly what he says. I finished college like he asked, but he refuses to pay one penny on my acting career. What am I going to do?”

  Stella didn’t make a quip this time but looked very serious. “It’s not easy, Olivia, doing something your family doesn’t approve of. And actresses don’t have the greatest reputation, you know. There are hard times and heartaches.”

  Olivia nodded. “But isn’t it that way with everyone? Father lost his wife. I lost my mo
ther. I have friends who did what their parents demanded, and some are not happy. Oh, Stella, I want to be happy.”

  Stella put her arm around Olivia’s shoulders. “Hon, the life of an actress isn’t always fun, either. And sometimes a person has to laugh, even at herself, to keep from crying. But in being an actress, you can escape into the personality of another character. I love that. But you have to love it more than anything and know it’s right for you.”

  “Oh, it is, Aunt Stella. I have to be an actress, or I’ll never be happy. Father let me visit with you this summer to get the idea of acting out of my system. But it’s in my system even more.”

  “It has to be your decision, Olivia. But you know you can stay with me as long as you like. You’re a big girl now, and Herman needs to recognize that.”

  Olivia nodded. She didn’t want to think badly of her father. “He means well. He really wants the best for me. Now that John and Sarah have married and moved to Wheeling, I’m sort of all he has.” Her hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, I don’t mean—”

  “I know, dear. Herman has me as a sister but doesn’t want me. He has such a stiff neck.”

  Olivia saw the sadness that appeared for a moment in Stella’s eyes before she quickly recovered and smiled. “You owe your father respect, but you’re not obligated to sacrifice your life for him.”

  Olivia felt torn. She’d lost her mother, and her stillborn sister, at an early age. She didn’t want to lose her father, too. That would leave her only family as her brother, John, and his wife, Sarah. And she wasn’t really close to them, either.

  Despondency settled in, but Stella had the cure. “Did you forget? This afternoon you get to see me shine. Now let’s make sure our duds are ready, and we’ll go paint the town.”

  ❧

  That afternoon, Olivia sat in the nickelodeon audience. Stella’s exuberance at the piano, playing the background music for the movie, was more entertaining to Olivia than the action on the screen. Especially during the automobile chase scene.

  “You were wonderful,” Olivia said on the way home.

  “Honey,” Stella said, “this is nothing compared to the stages I’ve played on, where there are voices attached to the action.”

  “Oh, but the audience loved you. And all of them wanted your autograph.”

  “Three people wanted my autograph. But thanks just the same.” Stella flicked the reins, and the mare trotted faster. “I’m more fortunate than most actresses in their forties, especially since movies are becoming more popular than the stage. I can’t keep up with all the young actresses vying for the movie roles, much less for the roles on the stage. I’m afraid my days of ‘kicking up my heels’ are over.”

  “Humph. I’ve seen you wind up your phonograph and kick up your heels.”

  Stella laughed. “All right, so maybe I can, but the audience and the producers want young people. You need to know these things.”

  “I’m young,” Olivia said. “And the stage would be okay. But I want to train to be a movie actress.” She sighed. “All I need is a job.”

  Saturday’s paper showed no promise. Olivia tried to count her blessings. At least she had this time with Stella.

  Olivia liked sleeping late on Sunday morning and having a leisurely breakfast while reading the newspaper. “Oh, that ad is in here again from the man wanting a wife.” Olivia sighed. “I guess that poor man just can’t find one.”

  Stella laughed. “Not poor, remember. He’s a man of means.” When there was nothing fun going on, Stella made her own fun. “You know, we need to check out that man. Like you said, he may be a killer. It’s up to you and me to catch him.”

  Eager to get her mind off her failure to find a job, Olivia joined in. “What could ‘DNMC’ mean? Does he have four names?”

  “Oh no, it’s some kind of code. Like. . .Dinner Nightly at My Castle.”

  “Or,” Olivia said menacingly, “it may be a warning, like Do Not Marry Crazy. Remember, he’s a murderer.”

  Stella nodded. “I’m not going to be satisfied until I find out what this is about.”

  “Are you—”

  “Maybe I am crazy,” she said, finishing Olivia’s sentence. She laughed, as if “crazy” were a most desired state of mind. “This is too good to pass up.”

  Olivia’s heart raced at the prospect of doing something so adventurous, maybe even dangerous. “We can’t let somebody like that think we’re serious.”

  “Of course not. We won’t use your real name. And we’ll put our address as General Delivery in Canaan Valley. We have to satisfy our curiosity, don’t we?”

  There was only one answer. “Yes, we do.” She laughed with her aunt. “Now, what name will we use?”

  Stella tapped her cheek, and her green eyes gleamed with mischief. “Well, for this Romeo, what else but. . .Juliet?”

  two

  On Tuesday, Dr. Neil McCory picked up a letter from General Delivery. He had received two letters the week before and had promptly torn them into small shreds and deposited them in the post office trash can. The letter writers eagerly accepted his invitation of marriage.

  One, a not-so-young grandmother, vowed she was young inside, needed the job, had managed a household of thirteen children, and could cook anything over a fireplace, including possum.

  The other came from a woman who told her story of loneliness for all of her thirty-five years, was strong since she had grown as large as her lumberjack brothers, and always prayed she’d someday be established. Except for having copied the word “established,” her vocabulary indicated she hadn’t had a day of schooling, and he could barely make out the scrawl.

  He dreaded opening this letter. At least his address on the envelope was neatly printed. If only he could have found a solution other than advertising for a wife.

  After a furtive glance around, he turned toward the trash can in the corner. Sighing, he tore open the envelope, took out the sheet of paper, and read the brief note.

  Dear DNMC:

  I am interested. Please send more information.

  Sincerely, Juliet Kevay

  General Delivery, Post Office

  Canaan Valley, West Virginia

  At least this one had enough sense to question the sanity of the situation and want some clarification. He could appreci-ate that.

  His slim ray of hope was immediately dispelled, however. Why in the world would any decent, respectable, halfway lucid female consider such an arrangement?

  ❧

  Olivia and Stella rode to the Canaan Valley post office on Wednesday, only to find they had received no mail. Afraid their fun was over, Olivia shook her head. “I knew that couldn’t be serious. Somebody put that ad in the paper as a prank to see if any silly person would answer it.”

  “We only posted the letter on Monday. Give it time. Now let’s prance down Main Street and go into every shop and pretend we might buy out the stores.”

  Olivia laughed. “Not being a woman of means, I can practice my acting.”

  Stella shook her head of curly red hair that Olivia admired so much. “Ah, my dear, you’re my niece. And contrary to what some relatives might think, I’ve made some wise moves. After Kev was killed in that bar brawl, I had sense enough to begin saving for my old age. Not a lot, mind you, but I’m not destitute.” She leaned over and whispered, “Don’t tell ol’ Stiff Neck.”

  On Thursday, Olivia stayed in the wagon while Stella went inside the post office. Soon Stella hurried out, her skirts bustling, waving the letter in the air. “It’s from Sunrise.”

  “Open it,” Olivia said. “I can’t wait to see what a desperate man—or a killer—has to say.”

  “We must do this right,” Stella said dramatically. “Let’s sashay up to the restaurant.”

  Olivia hopped down from the wagon, hardly able to contain her excitement.

  “This is better than any play I’ve acted in, Olivia. But we have a lot to figure out, so let’s get a cup of coffee and mull this over.”

&n
bsp; They scurried along the sidewalk, drawing some questioning looks from passersby.

  Stella asked for the corner table at the window. After the waitress brought their coffee, Stella used the handle of the coffee spoon to cut along the edge of the envelope. She took out the sheet of paper.

  Olivia scooted her chair around to see it as Stella read the typed words.

  Dear Miss Kevay:

  Thank you for you interest. I will be glad to meet you at a place of your choosing for an interview.

  Sincerely,

  DNMC

  General Delivery, Post Office

  Sunrise, West Virginia

  Olivia balked, dubious about the whole thing. “But of course we can’t do that.”

  “Oh, you shouldn’t have said that word,” Stella wailed.

  “What word?”

  “Can’t,” Stella said. “When anyone says, ‘I can’t’—” She broke off her sentence and began to laugh. So did Olivia. The whole thing was so hilarious. And Olivia knew that Stella had always been a daring person. She wasn’t surprised when her aunt laid out a plan.

  “Let’s take the wagon and go up to Sunrise.” She squeezed Olivia’s hand. “Isn’t sunrise a beautiful word? It’s like. . .a new beginning. The start of a new day.”

  Stella’s enthusiasm and optimism were winning. And if Olivia was going to be like her aunt, what better time to start? “Well, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to look around.”

  “Exactly.”

  “But,” Olivia cautioned after the bill was paid and they were hurrying toward the wagon, “you know I could never consider marrying anyone for a job.”

  Stella stopped and faced Olivia. “Of course not.” Then she grinned. “But I could. And maybe this man of means would let you work there, too. And I’m sure, Olivia, you and I together could overcome that murderer.”

  The mountains seemed to echo with the sound of their laughter. But Olivia thought Stella might really consider this. She was in her forties but looked and acted young and was beautiful. She made anything seem possible.

  On the ride up and around the mountains, Olivia marveled at the beauty of the lush green mountainsides forested with pine, sugar maple, oak, and spruce. One peak rose above another. Rhododendron, laurel, and wildflowers flanked the narrow dirt road.