Love Inspired Historical November 2014 (46 page)

The sweet fragrance of apples drifted from the cup. Leah noted it was only about half full and didn't steam like her coffee or Jake's larger drink. She picked up the cider and handed it to Molly. It was warm to the touch, not hot. “Thank you.” She offered a wobbly smile.

The older woman dropped into a chair at the head of the table. “You're welcome. I'm Agnes Frontz. Me and my husband, Charles, run this pony express station. He's at the general store picking up supplies but will be back in time for supper.” She pointed to one of the two men. “This here is Will. He's one of the pony express riders that lives here when he's not working.”

The rider tilted his head in her direction. He looked no more than sixteen years old. His blue eyes sparkled in her direction as if he knew something she didn't.

Agnes moved on to the big man. “And I believe you've already met our stock tender, Jake Bridges.”

Her heart sank. Leah looked at the big man. Light blond hair and brown eyes the same shade as Molly's looked back at her. She'd planned to find Molly's uncle but had hoped to delay her separation from the little girl for as long as possible.

Oh, Lord, please give me the strength to leave Molly in the care of her uncle.

* * *

Jake nodded at Leah before lifting the sweet cider to his lips and drinking deeply from the cup. He held her deep crystal-blue eyes over the rim. She had to be one of the prettiest women he'd seen in a long time. What was she doing out here in the middle of nowhere?

Her voice shook as she said, “It's nice to meet you all. My name is Leah Hollister.”

“What brings you to our neck of the woods?” Mrs. Frontz asked.

Leah raised her head and looked Mrs. Frontz in the eyes. “Thomas Harris and I are to be married.”

Mrs. Frontz poured more coffee from the metal pot into Will's cup. “Is he coming for you dear? With the weather it might take a while, but you're welcome to stay here and wait for him, if you'd like.”

Jake watched Leah's lids slip down over her eyes as she shifted in her seat.

“I've some unfinished business before I let him know I've arrived.” Her gaze rose to Jake's face, as if her business had something to do with him, before lowering once more. “But I'm sure Mr. Harris will be happy to pay for my room and board when he arrives.”

The little girl slurped her drink and giggled. She was a cute thing but didn't look much like her mother. Jake wondered how long Mrs. Hollister had been a widow.

His first impression of her had been that she had good looks but no brains. Who else but a clueless city girl would stop in the middle of the yard like that and look about like a lost lamb? Hadn't Mr. Edwards, the stage coach driver, told her that this was a pony express station? That riders came in fast and hard?

Mrs. Frontz stood and picked up the coffeepot. “Don't you worry none about that. I'm sure the Harris men will take care of everything.” For a moment she stared at Leah, the coffeepot extended away from her body, a questioning look in her eyes. Jake saw Leah's shoulders stiffen almost as if she dreaded giving the answers Mrs. Frontz required. She barely hid her surprise when Mrs. Frontz turned to the kitchen, calling back over her shoulder, “Boys, gather up the lady's bags and carry them up to one of the guest rooms.”

Jake and Will pushed back their chairs to do as they were told.

Leah's soft voice stopped them. “I can take them.” She set the little girl down and was on her feet in an instant.

“Oh, no, you won't.” Mrs. Frontz set a bowl of steaming stew on the table and took Leah's arm. “You are going to sit right here and warm up while I feed you both. Then we'll send you off to your beds.”

Jake hid his smile as he watched Leah do as she was told. Agnes Frontz was a hardworking woman who always got her way. She cooked and cleaned up after the riders and expected them to obey her every word.

She wasn't hard on them, but she did like to mother them. It looked as if Leah Hollister was about to receive the same treatment.

Jake picked up two of the bags he'd brought in earlier. The first time he'd seen the cases, with Mrs. Hollister standing in the middle of them, it had scared ten years off his life. He'd called to her that the rider was coming, and for a split second Jake had thought she was deaf or something. She'd stood as still as a statue before her sense had kicked in and she'd grabbed up the child and raced for the cabin.

Her soft voice stopped him at the foot of the stairs. “Mr. Bridges?” He heard a catch in her throat.

Jake turned. “Yes?”

Her words came out in a rush. “I'd like to speak with you alone.”

His head shot up and a light eyebrow cocked upward. She returned his gaze, a determined glint in the eyes that stared unblinkingly back at him. Her hand gently stroked the little girl's hair.

“I'm not sure alone is a very good idea,” Mrs. Frontz announced.

Jake nodded and handed the bags to Will, who juggled them but continued up the stairs. He looked to the older woman. Jake knew Mrs. Frontz meant well, but from the determined look on Mrs. Hollister's face, Jake felt he needed to hear her out. “We'll be over by the fireplace, Mrs. Frontz. If you don't mind taking care of the child for a moment, I'm interested in Miss Hollister's business with me.” He walked toward the big overstuffed chair that sat beside the fireplace.

Mrs. Hollister looked to Mrs. Frontz, who simply shrugged her approval. Leah placed her napkin on the table. “Thank you for watching Molly. I promise this won't take long.”

Jake leaned against the rocks of the fireplace and waited. He couldn't help but be curious. What could she possibly want to talk to him about? They were strangers.

Her soft skirts swished across the wood floors. Leah Hollister was a beautiful woman. She held herself with regal grace as she approached him but her sea-blue eyes betrayed the unease she felt. She was probably the most eye-catching woman he'd ever seen. How long would she be staying?

For a moment he allowed himself to imagine what marrying a woman like her would be like. He pushed the thought away. Jake had no business thinking about women, period. He'd decided a long time ago to keep his distance from them. It wasn't that he didn't like the fairer sex, but he'd learned from past experience that they couldn't be trusted.

Today should have been his wedding anniversary. Instead his brother, John, was celebrating his own marriage. Five years ago, his brother and Jake's fiancée, Sally, had ripped his heart out. The betrayal had been almost more than he could bear. An hour before they were to meet at the church for Sally and Jake's wedding, Sally had arrived at the Bridges' farm. She had stood with her head down, not looking him in the eyes, while his older brother wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders and confessed that they'd married that morning in the wee hours of dawn.

Hurt by his brother's betrayal and the loss of Sally's love, Jake had taken the bag he'd packed for his honeymoon and left. Since his parents had already moved on to be with the Lord, he knew John and Sally would take over the small farm. There was no place for him there any longer. He'd not looked back, except once a year to reflect on the pain his heart had endured and to vow never to allow another woman into it again.

Maybe he was a fool, but Jake had taken the time to write his brother and tell him where he'd landed over the years. Jake had asked that they not write back unless he was truly needed and John had abided by his request.

Jake had determined in his heart that he'd never fall in love again. It hurt too much when the one you loved betrayed you.

Once she was seated, Leah spoke, pulling him from his sad thoughts. “Please, Mr. Bridges, sit down. I really don't want to crane my neck to speak to you.”

She seemed to have the upper hand in the conversation, so Jake did as she asked. He sat down on the footstool with his back turned away from the dining table where Mrs. Frontz and Molly waited. He could hear the older woman speaking to the child. Jake turned his attention to Leah. “All right, I'm sitting. What is it you have to say to me?”

Leah dug into the pocket of her dress and pulled out an envelope. He watched her swallow as she looked down at the cream-colored paper. “I think it would be best if I just give this to you. Then you can ask me any questions you'd like.”

He nodded his agreement and took the packet. Dread filled him as he turned it over.
To: Jake Bridges. From: John Bridges
was written across the front of the envelope.

What could his brother have to say that hadn't been said the day he'd left? He'd claimed to love Sally and couldn't live without her. He'd begged Jake to understand and asked him to reconsider leaving. But none of that mattered. John and Sally had betrayed him and he couldn't face them, not yet, maybe never.

But why had John sent a letter with a complete stranger? He looked up at Leah Hollister. He saw sorrow in her eyes and a deeper sense of dread filled him as he slid his finger under the sealed flap and opened the envelope.

He forced his gaze from her eyes and focused on the letter.

Dear Jake,

By the time you get this letter I will be dead. Sally passed away last night and the illness that took her has now consumed me, as well. I am writing this letter in hopes that you have forgiven us by now and that you will not hold our daughter, Molly, accountable for the harm that we did to you. Please take care of my daughter and love her as if she were your own.

John

More lines had been added below John's signature but Jake couldn't bring himself to read them, not yet. He stood and walked to the fireplace. He was thankful Miss Hollister didn't say anything as he passed her.

As surely as if someone had closed their hand about his throat, he felt the air squeeze from his lungs. Time had passed and with it the life of his brother. Never would Jake be able to make amends. He felt hot tears burn the backs of his eyes at what he'd lost and what his stubborn pride had cost him.

That same pride forced him to read the elegantly printed lines below his brother's. He flicked the paper open once more and continued reading.

Mr. Bridges,

Your brother passed away a few weeks ago. I am sorry for your loss. We will be sending his daughter to you since there is no room for another child at the orphanage and you are her only remaining relative that we can locate. It is our fondest hope that Molly will find her voice and happiness with you. Mr. Johnson, the bank president, has requested you contact him in regard to your farm.

Mrs. Wilkins, Sweetwater, Texas.

Jake swallowed the lump in his throat. He'd lost his brother and was about to become guardian to a niece that he'd met for the first time moments ago. If he understood the letter correctly, Molly also didn't speak. His throat felt dry, his eyes stung. His heart broke again.

He stood and leaned his forehead against the cool rocks of the fireplace and grieved.
Lord, what am I going to do? I have no room for a child. No place to keep her. I'm not sure I can do this.

Copyright © 2014 by Rhonda Gibson

ISBN-13: 9781460342466

The Bride Ship

Copyright © 2014 by Regina Lundgren

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MISTLETOE MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE

When Jake Bridges suddenly finds himself the guardian of his orphaned niece, he knows he needs a wife. What does a stock tender at a pony express station know about raising little girls? A marriage of convenience to the child's caretaker is the most practical solution.

A mail-order marriage seems like Leah Hollister's last chance to know the simple joys of family life. But then she receives word that her would-be groom is dead. Now Jake proposes she marry him. She knows love isn't necessary. Yet the more she learns of sweet Molly's kindhearted uncle, the more she dreams of a true partnership with the man who has unexpectedly captured her heart.