Mail Order Mayhem (3 page)

Maude didn’t breathe deeply again until she was in her bedroom with the door closed and back in her nightgown. The riskiest part of the entire plan was over. She always spent Monday mornings at the orphanage, so it wouldn’t surprise anyone when she left for the train. She wouldn’t even be questioned.

*****

Maude slowly sipped her milk as she toyed with the eggs on her plate Monday morning. Her mother looked at her with concern. “You’re not eating? Are you starting to get pre-wedding jitters?”

Maude almost laughed out loud. Yes, she was getting pre-wedding jitters, but for her wedding
with John, not with
Horace. Horace had only inspired pre-wedding nightmares. “A little. It’ll be strange to not live here with you and Father. I’ve never lived anywhere else.” She’d never slept anywhere but her own bed.

Lilly smiled encouragingly. “It’s the natural order of things. You grow up and you marry. You’
ll enjoy being in charge of your own home. And you’ll have plenty of servants to help you adjust.”

Maude just shrugged, knowing there would be no servants for her. Thankfully she’d learned to cook and take care of small children at the orphanage. Her parents had raised her with no real skills except playing the piano, and that would do her no good at all on a farm in Iowa. All the homemaking skills she had were learned from her volunteer hours at the orphanage.

Her father looked up from his morning paper. “I got word Friday that Mr. Templeton will be home this coming Sunday.
He was able to finish up his business early.
We’ll have him over for Sunday dinner and you’ll be polite and make it clear to him you want to be his wife.”

She nodded. “Yes, Father.” Inside she felt a moment of panic. He was coming home early. She was making it out just in time.
She forced herself to breathe steadily. She just had to make it to the train station, and she was gone. They would have no way of finding her.

She looked around her as she made the short walk to the train station. She hated the thought of leaving this beautiful little
city
so close to the Atlantic Ocean. She woke up in the morning smelling the sea air.
What would Iowa smell like?

She took her time walking, knowing the train wouldn’t leave for another hour. It was strange knowing she was walking the streets of
Beckham
for the last time. She’d said goodbye to her parents as if she were leaving for the day, but inside, she’d known she was leaving for good.
Dear God, please let John be a better man than Horace!

Harriett was waiting with her bags at the train station. She took them from her friend and held the ticket in her hand. It would take
four days to reach Iowa, so she would be meeting John on Friday, and having her wedding Friday afternoon.
“Promise me you’ll write as soon as you get there.”

Maude smiled at her friend. “I will. Thank you so much for all your help. I don’t know how I’
d have gotten away without you. I’ll keep in touch.”

Harriett hugged her quickly. “Have a safe trip. I’ll be watching for your letter.”

Harriett watched as the train headed down the tracks with a loud blow of the whistle. She’d only had her mail order bride business for a couple of months, and Maude was the first bride she’d seen off. She said a silent prayer for her friend, hoping she was off to a better situation than she had here.

Chapter Four

It was late morning when the train pulled into the station in Ogden, Iowa.
Maude felt disgusting
after
the long train ride. She’d done some spit baths along the way, but more than anything she wanted to soak in a hot bath for hours to get clean.
She didn’t want to meet John looking like she’d been traveling for days even though she had.

She stepped off the train looking around for a man who looked like he was looking for her. She should have asked him what he looked like, but she hadn’t thought of it. Frankly she hadn’t cared as long as he wasn’t Horace. After a moment, she saw a man holding up a piece of wood with her name painted on it. She headed straight for the sign, searching the face of the man holding it.

He’d mentioned in the first letter that he was in his mid-twenties which seemed like a good age to her. He was a tall man, with blond hair. She couldn’t see his eye color across the distance, but she was pretty certain they’d be blue or green. As she got closer to him, she held out her hand to shake his. “I’m Maude Abernathy.” She was pleased to see he’d dressed in a jacket and tie to meet her and for their wedding. She’d expected a man in dirty britches and suspenders. It was nice to see she was wrong.

He smiled broadly, taking her hand in his and shaking it. “Did you have a good trip?”

“It was tiring, but exciting. This was my first time on a train.”

He looked around for her luggage, but didn’t see anything. “Where are you things?”

“They were in the baggage car.” She led him through the crowd to the large crate with all of the bags for the Ogden, Iowa stop. They waited patiently as a uniformed young man emptied the crate.

After her name was called, he carried her two bags to his wagon and helped her up onto the seat. “It’s a two hour drive to
Hudspeth. The wedding is at one, and I thought we could eat at the reception. Does that sound good?”

She nodded. “We’re having a big wedding?” She was surprised he’d had the time or inclination to plan anything.
She’d really expected him to find a pastor or a justice of the peace on the way home, but didn’t think anyone would be in attendance for the ceremony.

“My sister-in-law decided that we couldn’t just speak our words in front of the pastor. She invited the whole church and planned the reception. It won’t be elaborate, but it should make it a bit more special than anything I could have thrown together.”
He kept watching her out of the corner of his eye as he drove out of the town. Why would a woman who looked like she did have to come all this way to find a husband? Why wouldn’t she have just had her pick of all the young men in her hometown?

She smiled at that. “I’m glad.” She thought about her wedding dress tucked into one of the bags in the back. “Will I have time to change into the wedding dress I brought?”
She really wanted to wear the dress she and her mother had made together. It would make her feel closer to her mother on her wedding day.

“Absolutely. My brother’s house will be open to you. It’s just a few doors down from the church. My sister-in-law,
Anne
, will probably beg you to let her do your hair.” He glanced over at her. “You have beautiful hair by the way.”

“Thank you.” She was surprised she didn’t feel more nervous around this total stranger she’d be married to in just a few hours. “What is your farm like?”
She stared at the countryside as they drove slowly out of the city. She looked forward to a quiet life on a farm.

John seemed like a good man, and she wasn’t sorry she’d left Beckham. He was handsome in a rugged sort of way, and she didn’t have the overwhelming fear for him she’d had for Horace. She was nervous, of course, because she was about to marry a stranger, but not afraid as she would have been on her wedding day back home.

He shrugged. “It’s just a farm. Not too big, but not too small. I grow wheat. I have a
couple of
cow
s
that I use for milk and a few
laying hens
for cooking. Not much else right now.” He paused for a moment. “I need to warn you now my house is a mess. I meant to clean it, but I just didn’t have time with the farm chores. I hope you won’t hate me when you see it.”

“That’s fine. I don’t mind cleaning.” She had done more than her share of scrubbing floors at the orphanage during the past two years. She certainly wouldn’t complain about doing the same in her own home. “Do your parents live near here?”
She realized then she knew absolutely nothing about the man beside her other than the fact he was a farmer.

He shook his head. “My brother and I came out here on the orphan train. An older couple took us in. They needed help with their farm and in exchange provided us with a home and an education.”

“How old were you?”

“
Eleven. My brother was thirteen. Our dad was killed during the war.”
His voice held an air of sadness as he mentioned his father.

“I’m sorry.” She didn’t ask about his mother, knowing that many children had been put on the train by their mothers when they couldn’t afford to care for them. “Where are you from?”

“New York City. I love it here, though. The fresh air, the open land. It’s the most wonderful place God created.”

She looked around her, taking a deep sniff of the air. It didn’t smell like the ocean, and she knew she’d miss that, but she would have someone kind to be with. “I’ve always lived near the ocean. It smells different here.”
She wrinkled her nose a bit. “It smells more like animal manure here.”
She studied his profile as she talked.
She wouldn’t describe him as handsome, not in the traditional sense. His eyes at close range were a dark green. His nose had obviously been broken at some point in time.

As he drove out of the small city to the country, she noticed him sneaking glances at her. She’d always felt like she was odd looking with her almost black hair and her pale blue eyes. She wondered what he thought of her. “Why didn’t you marry some man back in Massachusetts? You’re a pretty girl. I’m sure there were men asking to court you all the time.”

She shrugged. “My father didn’t like
any
of the men who asked to court me. I never really felt like I was in a hurry to marry. My life was full with my volunteer work.”
She purposely left out the information about Horace. How would he feel knowing she was engaged to marry two different men? She’d taken off her ring and left it under her pillow at home, knowing someone would find it.

He nodded. “What type of work did you do? You didn’t mention it in your letter.”

“I volunteered at a local orphanage.” She smiled thinking of the children there. “I worked there after school from the time I was fifteen. After I graduated, I went on to working there full time.”

“So you like children?”
His voice sounded hopeful as he asked that question.

“Oh, yes. I love them. I’d like a whole houseful.”

He took her hand and squeezed it in his. “I’d be happy to help you with that.”

She felt the blush creep up her neck and cover her whole face. When he touched her, she felt a tingle run up her spine. It was so different than how she’d felt when Horace had touched her. She cleared her throat, searching for a new topic. “What were your adoptive parents like?”

“They were fine. Strict, but good. They didn’t beat us or anything, but they sure expected us to work hard. So we did. They let us go to school in the winter when it didn’t interfere with farm chores.”

“Do they still live near here?”

He shook his head. “Mr. Gunderson died when I was sixteen. I stayed on and helped Mrs. Gunderson, but she died a few years later. They left me the farm. My brother works in town at the mercantile.
He always hated farming and moved to town as soon as he could.
”

“It sounds like you and your brother are close.”

“As close as brothers can be. His wife was the one who insisted I send off for a bride. She said she wanted nieces and nephews to spoil.” He smiled down at her as he drove. “They don’t have any children yet, but she’s in the family way.”

“I can’t wait to meet them both.”

“
Anne
’s been chomping at the bit to meet you since your letter came. Al is excited, but not like
Anne
is. Of course, Al’s pretty laid back. Nothing much gets him riled up.” He pointed off into the distance. “That’s my farm over there.
I wish I could take you to see it now, but we really don’t have time.
”

She strained her eyes looking at the house. It was bigger than she’d expected. She figured she’d end up in a small sod house in the middle of nowhere. The house was made of wood and looked sturdy. She could make out a barn as well. “How much further to town?”

“A few miles. We’ll be there in about twenty minutes or so.”

She smiled. Twenty minutes wasn’t too far to drive if she needed supplies, or just craved some female companionship. Her life wouldn’t be nearly as desolate as she’d imagined. “It’ll be nice living so close to town.”

He nodded. “I like it. I’m close enough to go in when I need to, but not so close my neighbors are constantly banging on my door needing something.” He pointed to the right. “Our closest neighbors live over there. They’re a family of seven. Five kids. All red heads with freckles. Name’s O’Malley. Trust me, you’ll know them as soon as you see them.”

As they drove into the small town, she looked around her with wide eyes. There was almost nothing there. There were several houses, a
general store, and a small church. That was all. “Is there no school?
No doctor?
”

He shook his head. “The church doubles as the school. No sense in putting up another building when they’re never used at the same time.
The doc works out of his home.
”

He stopped the horses in front of a small white house with
roses and tulips
growing in the yard. He walked around and gave her his hand to help her down. “This is my brother’s place.”

A young woman with blond hair piled high on her head and dark blue eyes hurried outside. “You must be Maude! I’m so happy to meet you.” She threw her arms around Maude and hugged her tightly. “I’m Anne. Let’s get you ready for your wedding!” She kept an arm around Maude’s shoulders, calling over her shoulder, “Make yourself useful and bring in her bags, John!”

The house was small, but welcoming. Maude inhaled deeply of the scent of fresh cookies. “Something smells good!”

Anne grinned. “I’ve had a real craving for sweets the last few months.” She patted the huge mound of her belly with an affectionate sigh. “Only
two
months to go.”

“Do you want a boy or a girl?”

Anne shrugged. “I’d be happy with either one, but I keep telling Al it’s a girl just to get his goat. He thinks you should always have a boy first so he can fight off the suitors of any girl that comes along.”

John stepped into the house with Maude’s bags. “Where do you want them, Anne?”

“Put them in the spare room.” After he set them down, she made a shooing motion with her hand. “Go away for a bit. We’re going to get your bride ready.” She looked at the clock on her mantle. “We’ll see you at the church in thirty minutes.”

After he’d left, Anne gave her full attention to Maude. “You’ve been on that train for days. I had Al heat up some water, so there’s a bath ready for you in the spare room.” She led her to the bedroom with the bathwater already filled. “Take a quick bath, and I’ll fix your hair for you.
We don’t have time for you to wash your hair and dry it, so just leave it pinned.
”

She closed the door after giving her instructions, and Maude breathed a sigh of relief. She undressed quickly wishing she had enough time to wash her hair for her wedding. At least she’d be clean, though, and that was what really mattered.

She bathed hurriedly stepping out of the tub ten minutes after Anne shut the door. She reached into her bag and pulled out the wedding dress she’d carefully folded and wrapped in paper to keep it from wrinkling. She put on fresh undergarments and stepped into the dress her mother had painstakingly sewn for her. She wished her mother could be there to see her marry, but she immediately pushed the thought from her mind.

She couldn’t reach the buttons on the back, so she opened the door and called Anne. “Would you help me button up?”

Anne immediately hurried into the room buttoning her quickly. When Maude turned to face her, her eyes were twinkling with excitement. “That shade of pink is just perfect on you. You make a beautiful bride.” She pushed Maude into a chair and went to work on her hair. “I thought something simple would be best for the wedding. We don’t really have time for anything elaborate.”

As she worked with her hair she chatted quickly, talking about all of the women in town most of who had helped with her wedding supper.

When she was finished, Maude turned to a mirror and looked. Anne had expertly fixed her hair into a dramatic up do with a few loose curls left to frame her face. Maude was surprised at the effect. The lack of sleep from the days on the train had given her a fragile look that wasn’t at all normal for her, but worked well with the hair. She was amazed at how she looked. She smiled and thanked Anne. “You’re going to be a good sister.”