The Sister’s Mail-Order Bride Company’s Christmas Calamity

Chapter 1

Chapter One

Augusta, Margaret, and Josie Merriweather hovered around their assistant, Valentine O’Malley.

Ever since Val had come into their lives, their business, The Sisters’ Mail-Order Bride Company.

had flourished. Unfortunately, Val was now leaving to escort a group of brides to Wild Rose Ridge.

A town out west that, if the name was anything to go by, was probably as wild as could be.

“We have everything under control,” Augusta, the eldest sister, said. “We got along fine before you came along. We can get along fine without you.”

Val arched an eyebrow. “We both know that isn’t true.” She turned to Josie. “Now, mind ye feed Cleopatra. Ye know how that cat starts to wail if she isn’t fed on time.”

“I’ll not let the cat starve, young lady.

You remember to feed your brides.” Josie, the youngest at sixty-five, eyed the group of mail-order brides huddled off to one side.

They were a pretty lot, and the sisters, along with Val, hoped they were up to the rigors of a small town located in the middle of nowhere.

Val rolled her eyes. “Young ladies are not the same as cats, Josie. Of course I’ll remember to see they eat.” She huffed out a cloud of breath and eyed the three sisters. Augusta, Margaret, and Josie Merriweather weren’t the most organized. And they all knew it.

“Are ye sure ye’ll be all right without me?” Val asked, her Irish brogue thickening. “Ye remember where I left the list of instructions, right? Oh, that reminds me.” She reached into her reticule and pulled out an envelope. “Emergency instructions. Keep this in a safe place.”

“Emergency?” Margaret gasped. “What sort of emergency?”

“It’s just in case,” Val said with another huff. “If the three of ye can’t keep things in order, this list tells ye the things that must be done. The rest can wait until I return.”

The three sisters stared at their assistant as if she’d grown a third eye.

“What in heaven’s name makes you think we’ll need an emergency list?” Augusta asked, indignant.

Val gave them a lopsided smile as a train whistle blew. “Just put that in a safe place.”

Augusta stuffed it into her coat pocket and gave it a pat. “Consider it safe.”

The train approached the station and the sisters watched as Val clucked at her group of brides and got them ready to board.

“Goodbye, ladies!” Margaret called. “Fall in love quickly!

Several in the group blushed as the train pulled in.

“Take care,” Augusta shouted over the noise. “Clara, did you leave that recipe for me?”

“I did, Miss Merriweather!” Clara shouted back.

Augusta leaned toward the others. “I wish she’d have married someone local. Such an excellent baker.”

“Indeed,” Josie said. “Do you think they’ll be all right?”

“Of course they will,” Augusta said. “They’re in good hands with Val. Let’s face it, none of us could make this trip. Val was the obvious one to escort them.”

“You’re right, sister,” Margaret said. “With Val to guide them, what could possibly go wrong?”

The three smiled at each other as they watched their assistant and her charges board the train bound for Portland. From there, a steamer would take them up the Columbia River and on to Wild Rose Ridge.

Margaret dabbed at her eyes. “What are we going to do without our Val?”

Josie gasped at her. “Are you crying?”

“Yes! And you should be too,” Margaret said. “Ever since we hired Val, business has tripled. She’s so organized. How will we get along?”

Augusta slipped an arm around her. “We’ll be just fine, you’ll see.”

Back at the office, they removed their coats, hats, and gloves and stared at the four desks spread throughout the space.

It was a large, cheery room with yellow-flowered wallpaper and dark wood trim.

Filing cabinets lined a far wall, and a fireplace graced another.

A small kitchen, parlor, and bathroom sat in the back.

Four tall windows overlooked the street outside.

The office took up the building’s main floor, while upstairs held two levels of living quarters.

There was a parlor, dining room, library, and kitchen on one floor, with a sewing room, three bedrooms, and a bathroom on the next.

The three-story building had been in their family for years and had once housed a newspaper office.

“Well, I suppose we should get to work,” Josie said. “I’ll make some tea first.”

“Oh, dear,” Margaret blurted. “We’re out of sugar. I forgot to get some yesterday when I was at the general store.”

Josie and Augusta gasped together. “No sugar?” Augusta cried. “Margaret!”

“I’m sorry.” Margaret waved her hands, already hurrying to the coat rack.

She grabbed the nearest coat, Augusta’s, and slipped it on.

Then she seized the nearest hat, Josie’s, and pinned it at an odd angel on her head.

“I’ll be right back!” With that, she dashed out the door, leaving Augusta and Josie staring after her.

A loud wail sounded behind them. Cleopatra, their Siamese cat, padded toward them with the entitled air of royalty.

“Fine, I’ll feed you.” Josie scooped her up. “You grouchy thing. You’d better hope Val isn’t right and we forget to feed you.”

“Come now, sister,” Augusta said. “We’re not that bad.”

Josie arched an eyebrow at her. “I don’t know, it took a Val to get this place in shape. Obviously we couldn’t do it on our own. You know how much business she’s brought in.”

Augusta looked around the cheerful space. “Yes, you’re right. But surely, we can last a month or so without her?”

“Let us hope.” Josie set the cat down and headed for the kitchen. “I’ll feed Cleopatra as soon as Margaret gets back. Then I’ll make tea, and we can look over the list of tasks Val left us.”

“Indeed, we will,” Augusta agreed.

As soon as Margaret returned, Josie and Augusta stepped out of the kitchen… and stopped short. Margaret wasn’t alone.

“Isn’t he wonderful?” Margaret gushed, beaming.

Augusta and Josie stared wide-eyed at the biggest sheepdog they’d ever seen.

Josie pointed. “What is THAT?!”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Margaret said brightly. “Augusta, Josie, may I introduce you to George?”

“George?” they echoed.

Augusta facepalmed. “Margaret, what have you done? Why have you brought that beast in here?”

“Well, if you must know,” Margaret said indignantly, “Mr. Barr at the general store said this dog has been hanging around his place for several days. He’s obviously lost. But look at that magnificent coat!

Surely someone is looking for him. And Mr. Barr was getting tired of feeding him, so I volunteered to bring him home. ”

She smiled at the dog. “He’s quite intelligent. Watch. George, lay down.”

The dog immediately lay down.

Margaret beamed. “George, get up.”

George got up.

“George, play dead.”

George flopped over with a thud.

Josie laughed. “Oh goodness gracious!”

Margaret grinned ear to ear. “George, sit.”

George sat and panted happily.

“How on earth does he see through all that hair?” Josie asked.

A wail sounded from the kitchen. George perked up, barked once, and bolted toward the sound.

“George!” Margaret yelped. “Come back here!”

George tore through the office after Cleopatra, who leapt onto Augusta’s desk. So did George. He skidded across the polished surface, scattering papers everywhere.

“George!” Margaret cried. “Come here this instant!”

“Someone grab Cleopatra!” Josie shouted, making a beeline for the cat, trying to cut her off. Cleopatra dove under a desk as George gave chase.

The dog thundered after the cat around the office, then straight into the parlor and the staircase leading to the upper floors.

“Great Scott, is the door on the landing closed?” Augusta asked.

“Yes, thank goodness,” Josie said. She shot Margaret a look sharp enough to cut fabric. “Get that dog under control, sister!”

“Right away!” Margaret hurried into the parlor. George was barking frantically. Cleopatra hissed from somewhere up high, then a yelp of pain came from George, followed by the unmistakable sound of shattering glass.

“Oh, that better not be our lamp!” Augusta huffed. She and Josie rushed into the parlor. It wasn’t the lamp that had shattered, but an old vase that belonged to their mother.

“Not Mother’s vase!” Augusta cried.

“I’m so sorry, sisters.” Margaret winced. “George, sit!”

Josie rushed forward, snatched Cleopatra off a bookcase, and hurried her out of harm’s way.

Margaret had George by the collar, struggling to restrain him.

“If that beast is going to stay here, he needs to get along with Cleopatra. Otherwise he’s got to go!” Josie spat.

“But he doesn’t have a home,” Margaret said, near tears. “Well, he does, but he’s lost. He needs us!”

“Oh dear…” Josie’s voice drifted from the office. “Just look at this mess!”

Augusta and Margaret hurried to join her, George dragging the latter behind him.

Augusta blanched. “Oh no.”

Papers and files were strewn everywhere. Every desk had been cleared of its contents as though a cyclone had blown through.

Margaret swallowed hard. “Oh, George…” George looked up at her and whined.

Josie and Augusta glared at the dog. “It’s going to take us days to sort this out,” Josie said. “Maybe weeks. Val had everything perfectly organized. How are we supposed to make sense of any of this?”

Margaret gulped again. “Don’t worry. We’ll sort it all out in time. And George didn’t mean it. He’s a dog. Dogs chase cats.”

Josie spun on her, face red with anger. “You don’t understand. With the six brides Val’s escorting to Wild Rose Ridge, I think we’re beating her numbers this year!”

Margaret’s eyebrows shot up. “Numbers?”

“Yes,” Josie said with an eyeroll. Mrs. Pettigrew’s numbers. Or have you forgotten?”

Margaret gave Josie a sheepish look. “I don’t pay attention to all of that like you do.”

“Well, you should,” Augusta scolded. “Adelia Pettigrew’s is the top matchmaker in the country, and if we can beat her, what a boon that would be…

” She broke off, eyeing her desk, then the piles of papers around it.

“Well. At least we have Val’s emergency list.” She glanced at the coat rack, then Margaret.

“Take off my coat, sister, and hand it over.”

Margaret complied and passed it to her.

Augusta shoved a hand into one pocket, then the other. Her face drained of color. “Oh no. Where is it?” She searched the pockets again. “Margaret!”

Margaret lifted her hands in a panicked shrug. “I didn’t do anything! All I did was get the sugar.”

“And bring home a demon dog,” Josie muttered.

George whined again.

“Don’t take it personal, George,” Margaret said soothingly. “She doesn’t mean it.”

“I mean every word,” Josie said. “That dog is a menace.”

“He is not,” Margaret shot back. “He’s doing the best he can.”

“All that dog cares about is getting fed and having a warm place to sleep,” Josie said. “Go put him in the kitchen and help us clean this up.”

“Oh, very well.” Margaret grabbed George by the collar. “Come on, let’s go.”

George followed dutifully.

“That dog,” Josie said with another eye roll. She turned to Augusta. “Where’s the list?”

“I don’t know. I put it in my pocket. Maybe it fell out when Margaret went to Mr. Barr’s General Store.”

“Well, that’s it then.” Josie threw her hands into the air. “We’re never going to make sense of all this. And we have brides coming in this week for their train and stage fare. I don’t even know which bride goes to which groom. Do you?”

Augusta gave her a guilty look. “No. Val took care of all of it.”

“Good heavens, what are we going to do?” Josie pinched the bridge of her nose, one hand on her hip. “We’re doomed.”

“Nonsense,” Augusta said. “We just have to clean up this mess. As soon as Margaret secures the beast, we’ll get to work.

Everything will be fine, you’ll see.” She brushed at her skirt and swallowed hard.

“We’ll get the brides sent out, handle any new correspondence, and run this place the way we did before Val came along. ”

Josie stared at her. “Before Val came along, this place was a disaster.”

“But we still ran it,” Augusta insisted, wagging a finger. “We did it once, we can do it again.”

One corner of Josie’s mouth curved up. “If you say so, sister dear. But a disaster is a disaster, no matter how you spell it.”

“That may be true, but there are three of us,” Augusta said briskly. “We’ll get this cleaned up and organized in no time.” She put her coat back on.

“Where are you going?” Josie asked.

“To Mr. Barr’s General Store, of course. I want to see if I can find that list.”

Both of Josie’s hands went to her hips. “And if you can’t?”

Augusta let out a long, weary sigh. “Then heaven help us.”