Mail Order Mayhem (4 page)

Anne grinned. “I have eight brothers, but for the life of them, my parents couldn’t give me a sister. I’m so thrilled I’m getting one in you!”

Maude smiled, hugging her new friend. “How much time do we have?”

Anne hurried out of the room to consult the mantle clock. “We’re a minute late as it is. We need to hurry over there.”

Maude sighed. She really wished her parents could have been there. This was a huge step to take without their knowledge or consent. She didn’t feel bad about leaving Horace, but she felt terrible about running off without letting her parents know she was leaving or where she was going. She should have left a note, but was too afraid they’d follow her and put an end to her plans.

“My father is going to give you away. I thought it was better than not having someone to do it for you.”

Maude smiled. “Thank you for that. I wasn’t looking forward to walking down the aisle by myself in front of so many strangers.”

Anne hugged Maude tightly.
“
Don’t think of us as
strangers. We’re future friends.”

Chapter
Five

Maude’s heart was pounding so loudly during the minute walk to the church, she was surprised people weren’t rushing out of their homes to find
out who was beating a drum. Anne walked calmly beside her chattering happily about everything from her preparations for the baby to the wedding supper. Maude knew she was talking to try to steady her nerves, but it wasn’t helping, and was actually making her a lot more nervous.

When they reached the church, Anne took a bouquet of flowers that was left on a chair just inside the door and handed them to Maude. She reached up and fussed with Maude’s hair for a minute, and then whispered, “You’re beautiful. John is going to swallow his tongue.” She picked up her own bouquet and the woman who’d been hovering at the back signaled someone to start playing the organ.

As she took short even steps toward the front, Maude thought,
She must be my matron of honor. I didn’t even know!
Maude looked to the couple standing next to her. The woman, who had signaled the organist, whispered to her. “I’m Anne’s mother, Judy Allen. This is my husband, Harvey.”

Maude mumbled softly, “It’s nice to meet you.”

Harvey Allen held his arm out for Maude to take and slowly walked with her up the aisle. John was waiting at the front with a huge smile on his face, obviously pleased Maude was finally here and they were about to marry. When her hand was placed in John’s she felt a quick burst of panic.
What am I thinking? I’m standing here in front of total strangers about to marry a man I met just a few hours ago. I have to get out of here!

John squeezed her hand as if he realized the panicked thoughts rushing through her mind. His eyes met hers and his steady gaze was all Maude needed. She smiled tentatively and turned to the pastor, listening to him talk about the importance of marriage.

She never knew later how she was able to give all the right answers at the right times, but apparently she’d done okay, because a few minutes later, the pastor announced they were man and wife and invited John to kiss her.

Maude had only ever been kissed by Horace, and she wasn’t looking forward to kissing John in front of all these people. She hoped he didn’t try to stick his tongue down her throat as Horace had.

His head lowered to hers slowly, and she closed her eyes as his lips brushed hers softly.
Maude was surprised when it was over so quickly, and even more surprised that she wanted it to keep going. She opened her eyes and saw John smiling down at her, and she smiled
back feeling more positive about her future than she’d dreamed possible.

They turned to the congregation gathered there and the pastor introduced them as Mr. and Mrs. John Powers. Maude breathed a sigh of relief. Even if her parents were able to find out what had happened and arrived now, it would be too late. She was married.

The wedding supper passed in a blur. She was introduced to so many new people
she knew she’d never keep them all straight. Through it all, John was at her side. They ate the meal provided by the ladies of the town, and talked to everyone around them. The only person Maude really wanted to be speaking to was her husband, but she didn’t have a chance.

Finally, after two hours of talking to strangers, John took her hand and led her to his wagon. Someone had helpfully stowed her bags in the back, so they didn’t have to worry about getting them. Everyone waved as they drove away, toward the house that would be her new home.

A casserole had been given to her for their dinner so she wouldn’t need to cook on their wedding day. She held it on her lap as if it would protect her from the unknown. As they left the town for the country roads, she heard herself breathe a sigh of relief.

He glanced at her, speaking for the first time since they’d left the church. “Glad it’s over?”

She laughed and nodded. “I know I’m supposed to enjoy being the center of attention on my wedding day, but I don’t know any of those people. It just felt strange.”
She didn’t add that she wouldn’t have enjoyed being the center of attention even if she had known everyone there.

“I’m sorry. I guess I just assumed you’d want a big wedding, so I arranged it. I probably should have asked you what you wanted.
I just didn’t have the chance.
”

“No, this was nice. I’m glad I’ve at least met everyone.” She paused looking out over the pretty prairie. “I liked Anne. I think she and I will be fast friends.”

“Anne’s a good person. She’s really excited to have a sister. She told me it was my duty to marry and provide her with a sister she could be friends with.”

Maude couldn’t help but grin. “I can just hear her say
ing
that.”

He l
eft the main road and drove the narrow path to his farm. “I’m sure you’re going to need to make some changes to the house. Do whatever you need. If you need supplies, let me know, and we’ll go into town to get them.”

She was pleased to hear he didn’t mind if she made changes. She loved the idea of setting up her house the way she wanted it. “I’ll take stock and see what we need to get. If I’m going to be cooking for you, I’m sure I’ll need to get some supplies.”

“Anne stocked me up with a lot of things. She said you could at least start with what I have on hand.”
He paused. “Before you see the house, I’m going to warn you. I tried to get it cleaned up, but I’m just not very good at the type of thing. Anne would have helped me, but with as pregnant as she is, I didn’t want her to be doing any heavy cleaning for me when she has to do it all at home already.”

Maude wondered if it could possibly be as bad as he was making it out to be. After he helped her down from the wagon, she walked toward the door. He opened it for her and she looked inside. She swallowed hard as she saw the mess. He hadn’t exaggerated one bit.

The front door opened up to a large room which was a kitchen, dining room and sitting area combined. She could see the piles of dirty pots and dishes. There was a thick layer of grime on the floor throughout. The sitting room had books and tools of some sort scattered everywhere.

The house was a two story, and she could see the stairs leading to the second floor. “What’s up there?” she asked with a smile, trying her best to hide how she felt about the filth. She knew what she’d be doing for a long time to come.

“Why don’t you go have a look around? I’ll get your bags from the wagon.”

She slowly climbed the stairs apprehensive about what she’d see. There were three bedrooms, the largest of which was the messiest. The two smaller bedrooms didn’t look as if they’d been touched for years, so they were covered in dust, but they didn’t have the same level of chaos as the main bedroom. There were clothes thrown everywhere in the
master
bedroom. The sheet was filthy, and she knew she wouldn’t be sleeping there until she’d changed the sheets and washed the quilt.

The furniture was well made and of quality wood, but the neglect it had seen over the years was obvious. She sighed and immediately began picking up the clothes from the floor. By the time John arrived with her bags, she’d already stripped the bed and had made a pile of things to be washed. She hoped he had spare linens because she wouldn’t have time to wash and dry the bedding before nightfall.

She felt the anger wash over her in waves. He’d left this huge mess knowing she was coming to clean it up. Why couldn’t he have spent just a couple of hours to make the house semi-presentable for her? Did having a wife mean nothing to him?

He walked into the room behind her and carefully placed her bags in the corner. She didn’t turn to him, even though she had to know he was there. He sighed heavily. She was angry, and honestly, she had every right to be. He knew he’d messed up by not getting the cleaning done. He kept promising himself he’d find time for it, but he’d wanted to get the crops in the ground before she arrived, and he’d barely made it as it was. He was half afraid to speak to her.

“I’ll uh…I’ll just go and milk the cow
s
and put the horses in the barn. I’ll be back in about an hour.”
Or two
, he thought to himself as he quickly left the house. He felt like he’d really been fortunate to find someone as pretty as she was to come all this way to be his wife. He hoped he hadn’t messed everything up by not doing more to prepare for her.

As he unhitched the horses he found himself hoping she’d be the kind of bride he needed. Would she be willing in bed when she had to spend time just making the room clean enough to sleep in?

Maude dug through the chest of drawers in the corner of John’s bedroom, slamming each drawer in turn as she searched for clean linens. Finally, she found a clean set of sheets and a pair of pillowcases.
What was wrong with him that he was willing to live in that kind of filth and not clean up after himself?
She thought wistfully about the maids she would have had as Horace’s wife, and then she stilled. She could feel the way her skin crawled when Horace touched her. No, she’d made the right decision.

Chapter
Six

John tiptoed into the house an hour later, not certain what state of mind he’d find his new bride in. He stopped and stared as he walked in. She’d done up the dishes and scrubbed the table. The floors weren’t clean yet, but all of the cooking and eating surfaces were. He could only assume she’d done the same in his bedroom. He smiled. For someone who looked like a perfect lady, she certainly knew how to work.

He walked through the house looking for her. She was nowhere to be seen. He climbed the stairs and found her putting her clothes away alongside his in his chest of drawers. His room had been swept and the bed was made with clean linens. The soiled clothes and bedding were nowhere to be seen. “You’ve been busy.”

She jumped in surprise at his voice. “You startled me!”

“I’m sorry. I figured I was loud enough you’d have heard me when I came in.” He smiled at her. “The house looks a lot better. I appreciate you working so hard on your wedding day.”

She shook her head at him. “I couldn’t live in the filth so there was really no choice. I’ll give it a proper cleaning tomorrow.” She turned back to her clothes and packed the last of her nightgowns into a drawer and closed it. “I’ll have the house whipped into shape within a week or two.” She forced a smile as she thought about the laundry that waited for her, not to mention the window washing and the
hours of floor scrubbing.

“I really am sorry about the mess. My plan was to get it done, but I was late putting the crop in, and just never found the time. Will you forgive me?” He’d walked to her and took her hands in his as he asked the question.

“Of course, I forgive you. I won’t start our marriage in anger.” She was surprised by how soft and sweet her voice sounded. The last of her anger had faded away as she’d remembered the feel of Horace’s hands on her. She couldn’t be angry with the man who’d taken her out of that situation and provided her with a home.

“Thank you.” His eyes met hers and he slowly lowered his head to brush his lips against hers. Her eyes fluttered closed as he moved his arms around her waist and kissed her softly. “I think I’m going to like having a wife.”

Maude smiled up at him. “I’m sure I’m going to like being one.”

John glanced toward the window, knowing full well it was still over an hour before dark. What would she think if he insisted he was so tired they needed to go to bed now? He almost laughed at his silly thoughts. He didn’t want to wait, though. He’d thought of nothing but his wedding night since he’d first sent the letter looking for a bride. Maybe he could rush her along to bed after all. “I’m getting hungry. Will it take long to heat up the casserole for dinner?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think. I’ll run down and get it started right away.” It was only six, and they’d eaten at the church supper at two, so she was surprised he was already hungry, but she hurried down the stairs and lit the fire in the stove. She’d found the cellar and had put the pot down there so it would stay chilled and not spoil.

Forty five minutes later, they sat down to an informal meal consisting of only the casserole which had been sent home from the wedding. She needed to bake some bread and churn some butter, but those things would need to wait. She hadn’t even taken the time to do an inventory of the kitchen shelves yet to determine whether or not she had everything she needed.

While they ate, they chatted amiably about the area. She asked him about the crops he put in. “Mainly wheat. That’s the big cash crop around here. I do a bit of corn for the livestock.
We’ll need to talk about whether or not you want to put
in a kitchen garden, but if you do, I’ll need to plow an area for you right away. It’s getting too late in the year to start one.”

She tilted her head to the side considering. “I do need to put in a garden, I think. That way we’ll have vegetables all winter long. The cellar has plenty of shelves for storage.”

“Mrs. Gunderson always put in a huge kitchen garden. She’d spend weeks and weeks canning vegetables for us.”

“Do you miss her?”

He shrugged. “In a way, I do. She wasn’t much of a mother to us, honestly. She was more of an employer who let us board here, but she made sure we always had plenty to eat, and had clean clothes. I can’t complain, but the affection just wasn’t really there.” He took a bite of his food. “Al left the farm as soon as he was old enough to get a job somewhere else. He hated farming and everything that went with it. Not me, though. The first time I planted something and watched it grow, I knew I was meant to be a farmer for the rest of my life. I’m thankful the Gundersons left me this farm. I wouldn’t have been able to afford one of my own. Especially not with a house like this. If not for them, I’d have brought you home to a sod house.”

“You do have a beautiful home. I can’t wait until I have it all cleaned and polished. It’s going to be a wonderful place to raise a family.”
She’d finished eating and got to her feet, walking the few steps to the
basin to wash the few dishes
. “I’d like to send a couple of letters home on Monday if that would be okay.”

“Of course! I’m sure your folks are anxious to know whether you made it here okay. I’m half surprised they didn’t come with you.”
He shook his head. “I couldn’t have let my daughter get on a train to go far away and marry some man she’d never met.”

“They probably are anxious. And I promised my friend Harriett I’d send her a letter right away as well.”
She knew anxious was an understatement to what her parents would be feeling. Horace would have arrived home from his business trip this evening, and they would have had to try to explain her disappearance. She forced her mind away from Horace. The idea of him finding out where she was frightened her.

He brought her his plate as he finished eating, taking his seat to continue their conversati
on. “Harriett? The one who runs
the mail order bride business? I didn’t realize the two of you were friends.”

“We met the day I answered your letter,” she told him honestly. “We’ve become good friends in the time since, though. I’m going to miss her.” She dried off the last of the dishes and put them away. “Do you know who this pot belongs to? I’d like to take it back when we go into town.”

He shrugged. “One of the church ladies, I’m sure. We’ll take it to church with us on Sunday morning and someone will claim it for her own.”

She carefully set the pot at the end of the counter where it would be out of her way, but she wouldn’t forget to take it back into town on Sunday morning. “I’d like to do a quick inventory of the kitchen to see what I’ll need. I’m hoping there’s enough that I can make it through until Monday. I need to go to town Monday anyway to mail the letters.”

“That’s fine. Let me get you
some
paper and a pencil so you can make a list.” He stood and walked into the sitting area, coming back with the items for her. He resumed his seat watching her as she carefully dug through the canisters on his counter and made notes of what she needed.

Maude had changed out of her wedding dress while he was outside seeing to the livestock. She was wearing a plain blue work dress that brought
out the color of her eyes. He couldn’t get over the fact that she had answered his letter for a mail order bride. What was wrong with the men out East that none of them were interested in such a beautiful woman? He certainly wasn’t complaining, because he was thrilled to have found her.

Maude felt his eyes on her as she did her inventory. He had just about everything she needed in a very small quantity. She’d need to do a large shopping trip for supplies, but it could be put off until Monday morning. She was thankful she wouldn’t have to run out the following day to get it done. She needed to stick close to the house to get started on the cleaning and laundry. She liked to plan things out, so she’d make herself a schedule for what cleaning she’d do on which day, but that would have to wait until she had gotten the bulk of the heavy work done.

Finally, she covered her mouth with her hand to stifle her yawn. She was tired, but wasn’t in any hurry to go up to bed. She kept telling herself she’d done the right thing by coming here, but when it came right down to it, she was about to go to bed with a total stranger. Harriett had been kind enough to explain to her what happened in the marriage bed, so she didn’t have any questions, but she certainly wasn’t looking forward to what sounded like an uncomfortable experience.

John saw her yawn, and suggested, she make her trip to the outhouse first, and he’d wait. He was pleased to see her head straight out. He was looking forward to the coming night as much as she
seemed to be
dreading it.

He left to go outside when she came back into the house. She didn’t say anything, and could barely look at him as she passed him. She couldn’t believe how nervous she was.

She climbed the stairs and quickly changed into her nightgown
. She braided her long hair into a single braid down her back so it wouldn’t tangle and
climb
ed
under the covers and pulling them up to her chin. She lay on her back, wondering what he’d do if she pretended to be asleep when he got back. She took several deep breaths trying to calm herself.
It couldn’t be that bad
, she thought,
or no one would do it more than once, and then they’d never
have
more than one child.

She lay in the bed, staring at the ceiling waiting for John to join her. She’d hoped he’d offer her more time before consummating the marriage, but she was going to do what she’d promised to do before the pastor in church earlier that day. If he wanted to be intimate with her, then she would be intimate. He’d saved her from
a life
with
Horrible
Horace, whether he knew it or not, and she owed it to him.

John went to the barn after using the outhouse, wondering how long she’d need to get ready for bed. He had never been with a woman before and couldn’t stop thinking about the beautiful woman waiting for him in his bed. He’d honestly expected to find a homely woman getting off the train and still couldn’t believe his luck. Maude was the prettiest girl he’d ever seen, and he couldn’t imagine a reason she would have had to resort to being a mail order bride.

He patted the neck of his black stallion, midnight, talking to him in a low voice. “I know you’ve done it before, but I never have. I’m not sure I’m going to be any good at it, but I hope I don’t disappoint her. Did you see how beautiful she is? I’ve never seen anyone like her. How long should I give her to get ready do you think?”

Midnight snickered at him, nudging him with his nose.

“You think she’s ready?” He took a deep breath. “Okay, pal, I’ll trust you on this one.”

He made his way slowly from the barn to the house, giving her any extra time she may need. He made certain to tread heavily as he climbed the stairs, hoping she would hear him and not be startled.

He opened the door to the bedroom, and immediately wondered if he should have knocked, but saw her lying in the bed with the covers pulled up to her chin. He wondered if they’d be able to make this work with as nervous as they both were. Slowly, he walked into the room, and turned down the kerosene lamp on the dresser. He quickly kicked off his work boots and stripped out of his shirt and pants.
Would it make her nervous if he climbed into bed naked? She was already nervous, so how could it matter?

He slipped beneath the covers and reached out his hand to stroke along her arm. She was wearing a long sleeved nightgown, and he couldn’t feel her skin at all. “Maude?”

She turned her head toward him, barely able to make out his outline in the dark. “Yes?”

“I know you’re nervous, and I’m going to be just as gentle as I can. Okay?”

Her heart was drumming in her chest so strongly it almost hurt. “Okay.”

He scooted closer to her under the covers and traced her cheek with his finger. “You’re so beautiful.” His lips brushed against hers, just barely a whisper,
and
then he pulled back.
His hands stroked up and down her arms, trying to get her used to his touch. “If I do anything you don’t like, just tell me.” Again his lips dropped to hers, but this time his tongue traced the seam of her lips, silently asking her to open her mouth for him.

She opened her mouth and felt his tongue come inside, softly stroking hers and tracing the inside of her upper lip. She turned on her side to face him, liking the feel of his mouth on hers. It was nothing like when Horace had kissed her. She wanted to touch him, but didn’t know if that would be okay. Surely he’d let her know if it wasn’t.

She moved her hand to his shoulder, surprised to find it bare. Her father had always slept in a sleep shirt, and she had assumed John would do the same. He didn’t tell her to take her hand away, so she stroked the shoulder under her fingers, enjoying the feel of his strong sinewy muscles. He looked so lean with his clothes on, she hadn’t realized just how strong he was.

He reached down and grabbed her hips, pulling her closer to him. She went willingly, answering the strokes of his tongue with strokes of her own. He groaned softly, the sound swallowed up by her mouth. She pulled back and looked at him. “Did I do something wrong?”