Mail Order Love (Sweet Mail Order Bride Historical Romance Novel) (Oregon Mail Order Brides) (19 page)

Jared rode faster than he had ever ridden. Every muscle in his body strained. He pushed harder, driving Jessie on. Against the green of the prairie, Jared and the horse were one black mass of straining sinews, black hat, black boots, and glistening sweat. All those times he had raced the setting sun for the sheer joy of it served him well now.

Jared panted in time as Jessie galloped, and his mind streamed over recent events. His sickness at feeling he might lose her had turned into vigor. Every part of him was alive and awake, ready to fight for what he wanted with all his heart.

Jared kept his eye steady on the horizon. Maybe this was God’s lesson for him. He had dreamed up his so-called ideal, the blonde and buxom wife. Then God had placed her right in front of him, like a joke at Jared’s expense.

Jared had learned his lesson. He realized that he had no idea what was best for him. It was not for him to decide who would be his right partner. It was something God would show if a man was willing to see.

But had he taken too long to see it?

Jared blamed himself for being slow. It had taken him too long to wake up to what was right under his nose. His perfect woman. His ideal bride. Living in his house as his housekeeper. Ordered by Grammy due to a mistake which had turned out to be the greatest gift he could imagine.

Ellie had stolen his heart away before he had realized it, then she was gone. All because he had not declared himself before the moment disappeared.

Jared tried to race faster as if he could turn back the hands of time. He had to get that train. Catch his last chance at happiness before it left forever.

If she went today, there was no way he could think of to find her again.

He had no address for her in Boston. Her advert had been placed through an anonymous number code. He knew none of her friends or acquaintances. She had no family he could contact. He had to catch that train. He would hold it back with his bare hands if he had to.

Jared flicked the reins and urged Jessie on faster.

I will catch that train. Wait for me Ellie.

As Jared approached town he did not slow down. People stopped and turned to watch as he galloped down the main track on his black horse. Jared pulled the reins and Jessie reared up in a cloud of dust. Jared jumped off and tied Jessie to the hitching rail with the fastest clove-hitch knot he had ever tied. He sprinted straight into the station.

As Jared rounded onto the platform, he caught sight of the back of the train. Green paint reflected in the sunlight as the train steadily receded toward the horizon, leaving only a puff of steam in its wake.

Jared could only stand there and watch his dreams leaving with that train.

Chapter 37

Ellie methodically peeled apples, breathing in their honeyed sweet scent like pear wine. Sunshine bounced off the red and green striped skins as she carefully pared off the peel in one bouncy coil for each apple. She chopped the apples into even pieces: thud, thud, thud on the chopping board. All Ellie thought of was to chop.

She reached for the basket of blueberries and caressed them under cool fresh water, coaxing them free of dust. She scanned the little kitchen, keeping her mind clear and fixed on the task at hand as she placed butter and sugar in a pan.

Ellie added the chopped apples, letting them soften at the edges before she added the blueberries. She reached for the spices she had just purchased from the store, each in a separate twist of paper. Using her nose to detect the degree of sweet and sour rising in the fruity steam, she precisely pinched the right amount of each spice for a perfect balance. She stirred the mix, letting the spices meld into the butter and unite the flavors into harmony.

Ellie was feeling a degree of peace and acceptance. She had surprised herself by how quickly she had calmed down. Chopping and preparing food in this kitchen was probably the best activity in the world for her right now. So much had happened in the past few hours. She had never imagined she would end up here, cooking in this kitchen, but here she was. And cook she would.

In her desperately unhappy and rushed state, somehow she had made it to town in the buggy. She had kept checking over her shoulder, afraid to be seen, afraid to be chased down and made to stay. Or maybe she wanted to be made to stay. She had kept imagining she heard the clatter of hooves racing behind her, of Jared refusing to let her leave and coming to stop her.

But he hadn’t chased her.

She had got to the station in good time. She had found the stationmaster and got him to arrange a trustworthy man to return the buggy back to the Ford household. She paid him in full and went to purchase her ticket to Boston. She had been shocked to discover she did not have enough funds. In her panic, she had miscalculated her savings. That had left her stranded in town with no way to get out.

Ellie measured out the buckwheat flour and sifted it with salt. She poured the buttermilk, broke the eggs, and began to whip up the fluffiest batter she had ever made in her life.

There she had been, marooned in town without enough money to get out. As a last resort, she had gone to the saloon to rest and get her bearings. With some tea and calm thought she hoped to work out a solution to her problem.

Bill, the master of the saloon, had seen she was upset and had made every effort to draw her out in conversation. He kept gently inquiring until Ellie had relented and decided to confide in him. She admitted to him her problem in finding the train fare and immediately swore him to secrecy.

And that was how she had ended up here. Bill had jumped at the chance for some help. Ellie was to cook behind the scenes in the saloon kitchen. In addition she would act as a maid, doing what cleaning she could. In return she would get room and board, and Bill would pay her a small salary. In a few days she would have enough money to afford that ticket and continue on with her plans.

She just had to lie low for a couple of days so that Jared, Grammy, Michael, David, or Joe and his wife would not come in and see her here. She knew she could not face seeing Jared again. She felt ashamed for having left suddenly without saying goodbye in person.

She couldn’t tell him the truth of why she had left. The truth was that she had left because she loved him. Thankfully she was safe here in this cozy kitchen. No one in the saloon could see her, and she had made Bill promise not to tell a soul she was here.

Ellie placed the pancake batter to one side and set about whipping up soft fermented cream cheese with maple syrup and tiny poppy seeds. It would be sweet and crunchy, an airy cloud to serve alongside the pancakes.

As Ellie cooked she felt more and more at peace. Even though it had been just hours since she had left the Ford household.

Ellie realized that she could not hoard happiness. Happiness was a gift, fleeting and precious. All she could do was absorb happiness when it arrived and give thanks for every beautiful moment. She gave thanks now for the joy of the past four weeks. And when happiness left, which it would, she knew she had to let it go with a light heart. She would welcome the gap that was left, trusting life to fill it back up again in time.

Ellie relaxed into the flow of her cooking as she hopped around the kitchen. She dropped the batter into accurate circles on the hot buttered pan, guarding the pancakes as they sizzled and turned golden brown. A delicious nutty yeasty smell wafted up to greet her nose.

Ellie had been given a precious gift during the past four weeks. She had been accepted for who she was by Jared and Grammy. She had blossomed under the warmth of their love and it had healed the years of being thought the worst of at Ursula’s house.

Being honored had built Ellie back up again to the woman she was supposed to be. She had regained the connection to her spirit that she had almost lost in the dark years after her family had died. Ellie would go back to Boston with nothing to show for it on the outside, but on the inside she would be filled with strength.

Ellie had learned that good spirits always recognize their kind. The good men, the good women, and the good animals. They would always see her true nature and would not be distracted by her outside appearance or her failures. It had happened here in Oregon, and it would happen again.

Ellie took a plate from the pile and prepared a sample of her dish for Bill to try. A stack of buttermilk buckwheat pancakes, teetering slightly in an artful arrangement. A drizzle of maple syrup and a pat of butter on top. To the side, a generous dollop of blueberry apple spiced compote, and a flourish of sweet whipped crunchy cream cheese. A couple of curly pea shoots to decorate.

She carefully wiped around the plate with a clean towel and checked the whole for balance. She smiled. There was satisfaction in small things, even in preparing a dessert to the best of her ability. She was living in spirit. Her heart might have been broken open, but the love in her heart was not lost. It spilled out into every task that God gave her. Including making these pancakes just so.

Chapter 38

Jared stared into the distance, sitting on the dusty ground to the side of the train station. After seeing the train wind off into the distance, he had stumbled out of the station and collapsed on the ground. People didn’t notice him here, slumped in the shadows to the side.

His mind was fogged from tiredness but he could not sleep. His stomach lurched in pain every time he thought of what had happened.

I’ve lost her. She’s gone.

He didn’t know how long he had been there. Hours. Jared looked through slit eyes at the track leading from the station out of town.

As he watched, Jared thought he saw a shadowy spot move along at the horizon of his view.

A trick of the light. Maybe I’ve had too much sun today.

Then the spot doubled up into two spots. The two spots formed into two gray blobs. The blobs were getting bigger. They came toward him, gaining ground every minute. They were running.

Jared sat bolt upright. It was Eric and Fairy. Running as fast as they could to seek him out. They ran up the track, coming right at him at full speed like greyhounds.

Jared leapt up to greet them, and as they reached him they jumped up with their paws to his shoulders. They woofed triumphantly, overjoyed to have found their master.

“Eric, Fairy! You came all the way to find me here. You must have been running for hours! You found me. Good dogs, good dogs.” Jared ruffled and scrubbed their wiry fur with both hands as they panted delightedly.

Jared shook himself out of his stupor. Hope had come back to him when he had least expected it. In the form of two hairy affectionate packages. Hope had chased him down.

Jared hugged them both again as they woofed in joy, tired from their long journey but exhilarated to be here.

“I love you boys. Let’s get you some water, you need it after your long trip.”

Jared went to the pump, found a couple of containers, and served out water for the dogs. They slurped it up noisily and Jared slaked his thirst too.

Jared wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and watched them drink. When he felt lost, being with Eric and Fairy always grounded him back down again.

After letting the dogs rest a while, Jared decided to take a short walk through town with them before leaving for home.

The three of them walked down the center of the wide main street. It was quiet at this time of day and the three figures walked along slowly. One tall man with an oversized dog on each side. They threw three long shadows behind them on the dust as the sun fell lower in the sky. In two or three hours, it would be sunset.

No one looking at Jared would know how he felt. He showed no hint of it on his face or in the way he walked. Since his parents’ death it had become habitual for him to hide his emotions within. It was easier that way.

Ellie had gone, and it hurt so badly. He was crying inside as he walked down that street.

But having the dogs with him gave him strength. He could not let this beat him. Jared mused on what had happened and felt that this was a test that God had dropped into his path. That is how Jared decided to see it. He would not let her get away. Jared resolved to knock on every door in Boston until he found her.

“And you’ll help me won’t you, Eric, Fairy? You’ll be there every step of the way. You tracked me down, and together we’ll track her down.”

The dogs raised their heads at the sound of their names and looked up at Jared with their adoring brown eyes.

They walked on a while longer, making their way down the street. Then Fairy lifted his head. He began to twitch his nose, lifting it higher in the air as if to catch a fragrant breeze. He sniffed some more, fascinated by the information he was picking up on the wind. Eric caught the scent shortly after Fairy. They both started to whine as they sniffed, calculating with their noses the direction and location of the tempting smell.

“What is it, you smell something interesting? I can’t smell anything.”

Eric and Fairy exchanged glances with each other and broke step, scampering off to the side. They came to a stop outside the saloon. They stood and barked until Jared caught up with them.

“I get it, I get it, you’d like a break and some food maybe. We’ll see if Bill doesn’t have some meaty bones for you then, how does that sound?”