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Pine Haven, he pulled to the side of the road and stopped the wagon. Lord, help me to know which one, if either, or possibly both, that I should respond to, he prayed before carefully opening the first envelope.
    With his hands shaking from nervousness, though he figured he’d blame the chilly, fall weather, Zach unfolded the letter in the white envelope and read it:
    Dear Mr. Sawyer,
    I hope this letter finds you well. I am responding to your advertisement for a mail-order bride in the Marriage Times.
    I am an extremely handsome woman of twenty-two years of age with long, ebony hair, brown eyes, and a shapely build. My extraordinary personality has been considered one of the finest by those who know me best. As I have been told many times, I am surely without fault. My education is far superior to that of most other women in the region, and I come from one of the finest, wealthiest families in the Baltimore area.
    I desire to marry a well-to-do husband in the West with whom I can maintain the lifestyle to which I have grown accustomed. (The West holds a great deal of intrigue for me, as one of my ancestors was a French fur trader who traveled throughout your area.)
    I have mailed a copy of this letter to each of the potentially suitable men in the Marriage Times advertisement listings. Consider yourself privileged to be among them. When the responses return to me, I will take my time to determine which advertisements are worthy of continued correspondence.
    It would be in your best interests to respond as quickly as possible, as I imagine the competition for my hand in marriage will be fierce. Only those men with significant wealth, high social standing, excellent dispositions, and above-average appearances will be considered as candidates for matrimony.
    Yours truly,
    Dovie Patrick
    126 12th Avenue
    Baltimore, Maryland
    Zach sat motionless for a moment, staring at the letter he had just read. Did this Dovie Patrick honestly believe men would respond to someone who had sent out the same letter, with the exception of the salutation, to multiple men? It appeared she was in search of the best offer and would reject anyone who did not meet her strict criteria. I waited two months for a response like this? Zach thought. Hesitant to bother reading the second letter, he sat in silence pondering if wealth and prominence were the only items on the mind of every woman who answered an advertisement.
    “I knew this was a crazy idea,” he said with a sigh. He recalled the day Lucille had talked him into the plan just two months ago….
    ***
    “You know, Zach, I’ve been thinking,” Lucille said as she filled his order. “There aren’t many eligible women in Pine Haven, and you’re not getting any younger. Have you ever thought of finding a wife?”
    Zach laughed. “You know, Lucille, come to think of it, I have given that some thought in recent days. But, as you say, the pickings are slim in our town.” He paused. “Plus, you were already taken,” he teased.
    Lucille blushed. “Now, Zach Sawyer, if I was thirty instead of fifty, I might consider you. But as it is, I am a happily married woman and far too old for you,” she teased him back. She cleared her throat. “Let’s get serious. We shouldn’t let the fact that there aren’t many women in Pine Haven stop you from finding a wife. Have you ever thought of looking elsewhere for a bride?”
    Zach eyed the woman with suspicion. “What do you mean, Lucille?”
    Lucille looked around the mercantile, as if to be sure no one would hear the words she was about to speak. When she was confident it would be a private conversation, she continued. “Remember when my sister, Laverne, came to visit from Kansas City a few months back?”
    “Yes.” Zach recalled the day well. It was the day that he discovered Lucille had a twin sister who was the same as Lucille in every way, except that Lucille was married to Fred, and Laverne was married to a man named Theo. It was almost eerie