A Man Too Many — Jeanne Bowman

Pretty "postmistress" Adrienne Akars had left herself get as drab as her life, but she didn't care -- until four good-looking strangers came to town and the one who mattered treated her like a piece of post office furniture...

Adrienne's quartet...

There had been an Akars in The Oaks post office since pony express days. Adrienne, the last of the line, was resigned to carrying out her dead father's wishes by acting as assistant post-mistress -- particularly since under the terms of his will, she and her flighty young stepmother, Nolga, could not liquidate the estate and leave The Oaks for seven years. So when for attractive, apparently eligible men came to them -- so to speak -- arriving in town within hours of each other. Adrienne, though, pleasure was dimmed when one of the handsome strangers -- Rodman Burrows -- looked at her...and seemed to look right through her. Jolted, she realized how much she had been neglecting her appearance lately, but then she hadn't had much reason to look into her mirror. Now there were four of them -- all of them flatteringly eager to get to know the "new Adrienne" better.

Welcome Strangers...

"Such a wonderful day, Adrienne," Nolga bubbled. "Guess what! There are men in town. Real ones, eligible ones, and with money!"
"Don't tell me they gave you a financial rundown, as part of their introduction!" Adrienne laughed.
"Silly, you could just tell, by their clothes and the rooms they took. And they've moved in--they've not just overnighters. That is, two of them moved in. The third is staying at the Bay Motel.
"And what's more," she caroled, "another man came in just as I was leaving..."
"That," sighed Adrienne, "is one too many."

Hero: Rodman (Rod) Burrows
Heroine: Adrienne Akars