The Maverick's Bride-To-Order. Stella Bagwell

toward the door. “I don’t know what’s come over this town. It’s like some of them are still drunk on Homer’s punch. Especially the Daltons. All of a sudden Travis gets himself engaged and gets on a ridiculous reality TV show. Now another one advertises for a wife. Makes you wonder what’s going on with that family.”

      Even though Lydia agreed that Zach’s search for a wife was not taking the normal route, she wasn’t willing to call him either strange or wrong.

      “Some folks just have different ideas, Mom. And Zach seems like a very nice guy. Not the weird sort.”

      With her hand on the doorknob, she looked at Lydia. “Don’t tell me you’re going to sigh over the guy. All day at work, the young nurses were going on and on about how dreamy he looked in the photo and all the sacrifices they’d make just to have one date with the man. It was all so silly and sickening. I hope you’re smart enough not to make a fool of yourself over the man.”

      A strange little pang of regret touched a spot inside Lydia, but she carefully hid it with a casual laugh. “Oh, Mom, that’s the last thing you need to worry about. Zach Dalton would never take a look at me. And even if he did, I wouldn’t want a man who plans to choose a wife on how well she can cook.”

      Seemingly satisfied that she had no reason to worry about her daughter, Rhoda opened the door. “That’s my girl.”

      Lydia walked over and kissed her mother’s cheek. “Bye, Mom.”

      “Good night, honey.”

      Her mother stepped outside and Lydia quickly locked the door behind her, then turned back to the empty living room.

      I hope you’re smart enough not to make a fool of yourself over the man.

      Her mother had spoken the words in all sincerity and that had made them all the more painful. Maybe it was true that no matter the reality, mothers viewed their children as beautiful. But even Rhoda should be able to see that her daughter wasn’t the sort that men were attracted to. When a man looked at Lydia, he wasn’t inspired with thoughts of babies and matrimony. No, she was the sort a man wanted on his softball team. She was the buddy he wanted to share a beer with and share his troubles about his real girlfriend.

      Hating herself for having such self-pitying thoughts, Lydia walked over to an oval mirror hanging on the wall and stared at her pale image.

      Was she just as guilty as her mother about giving up and giving in? What would happen if she tried to doll up her tomboyish image? Everyone in Rust Creek Falls would probably laugh and point and say she was trying to be something she could never be.

      Turning away from the mirror, Lydia sat back down on the couch and opened the laptop. The screen had gone black, but once she instructed the computer to wake up, the endless emails to Zach Dalton popped into view.

      As she began to read the mushy lines, pleading for a chance to become Zach’s bride, she promised herself that someday she would meet a man who would love her just for being her and no other reason. And until that day happened, she wasn’t going to fret about Zach Dalton and his endless female admirers.

      * * *

      As soon as Zach had finished his allotted share of the morning chores on the Circle D, he didn’t bother changing clothes. He jumped in his truck just as he was and drove straight to Rust Creek Falls and the Gazette office.

      When he stepped through the door, a bell above his head jangled and he looked across the wide space to where Lydia Grant’s desk was situated. At the moment she was busy with a customer. A tall, older man with a bald head and an unlit cigar protruding from the corner of his mouth.

      “This will take care of it, Mr. Tuttle. Your subscription is paid up for two years and will be delivered to your post office box.”

      “You don’t plan on going up on the price between now and then, do you? I don’t want to have to come back in here and give you more money,” the man said bluntly. “I’m getting sick and tired of all the businesses around town going up on prices. They like to use the flood as an excuse, but if you ask me, it’s just downright greed.”

      Zach didn’t know how Lydia did it, but she gave the customer a bright, easy smile. “Don’t worry, Mr. Tuttle. Once your subscription is paid in advance, that’s it. You won’t be charged more.”

      “Darned good thing,” he muttered, then snatched the receipt from her hand.

      As he stalked toward the door, Lydia called out cheerfully, “Thank you, Mr. Tuttle. And be sure to tell your lovely wife hello.”

      The customer acknowledged her with a faint grunt before he walked out the door. As Zach watched him go, it was all he could do not to grab him up by the collar and toss him onto the sidewalk. But Zach was a gentleman and had been taught to respect his elders, no matter how rude they chose to be.

      When the door closed behind the man, Zach sauntered over to her desk.

      “Nice guy,” he said with wry sarcasm.

      She laughed. “If he didn’t have something bad to say, he’d be silent. How his wife deals with him is a mystery to me.” She leaned back in her chair and gave him a bright smile. “So how is your day going? Ready for your mail?”

      Zach felt his cheeks go warm. Even though he believed in what he was doing, there was something about Lydia that made him question his strategy. “That’s why I stopped by. To see if anyone had replied to the ad.”

      She gestured toward the hard plastic chair in front of her desk. “Have a seat and I’ll grab everything for you.”

      Zach eased his lanky frame into the chair and watched her walk over to a row of file cabinets lined against the back wall. Today she was dressed basically the same as yesterday, he noted as his gaze swept up and down her sexy figure. The only difference today was an army-green vest zipped over her white T-shirt.

      “I’ve printed out all the emails that have come in so far, but since I’ve not looked in the past hour, there could be more. And you’ll also find a few letters that were hand delivered here to the office.” She placed a stack of correspondence in front of him. “That should give you a good start on your endeavor.”

      Zach was amazed. “All of this stuff? It’s only been one day! I wasn’t expecting this sort of reaction.”

      Her blue eyes twinkled with something like comical disbelief. “Are you for real?”

      “Excuse me?”

      Shaking her head, she said, “Sorry. I—Well, I’m getting the idea that you’re not prepared for what you’re getting into. When it comes to eligible bachelors around here, women are piranhas. I’m fairly certain you’re going to be swarmed with hopeful females.”

      His gaze dropped to the stack of correspondence. From the looks of it, Lydia could be right. But he felt certain he could filter through them in an intelligent way until he landed on the woman of his dreams. “I think I can handle it.”

      She started to say something when a tall redhead somewhere in her early thirties appeared through the open doorway leading to the back of the office building.

      “Sorry I’m a little late, Lydia. Tack on another ten minutes to your lunch hour. I’ll handle things here.”

      The woman acknowledged Zach with a nod of her head, then suddenly seeming to recognize him, she walked over and offered her hand.

      “You’re the one! The man advertising for a wife!”

      Zach shook her hand. “That’s right. I’m Zach Dalton.”

      “I’m Jolene Sanders. I work in Proofing. I just want to tell you I think it’s great to finally see a man being honest about what he wants in a woman before he ever ties the knot.”

      Behind Jolene’s shoulder, he could see Lydia rolling her eyes.

      “Are you married, Ms. Sanders?”

      She