ROMANCE: Mail Order Bride: A Sheriff's Bride (A Clean Christian Inspirational Historical Western Romance) (New Adult Short Stories) (82 page)

Chapter Seven:

The light streaming through the windows sent a wave of pain coursing through Caroline’s head as she blinked awake. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to stop the dizzying swirl of the room. Where was she? How had she gotten here? What was going on?

Her throat ached, and her limbs felt floppy. She was also finding it hard to focus. The thoughts that were flitting through her head seemed to swim away just as she was about to pin one down. Still, she focused on remembering, and an image of Elliot floated through her head. She gasped.

“Elliot!” she rasped.

“I’m here,” he said.

“Elliot?” She squinted up at him, relieved and confused to see him hovering over her. He reached out and took her hand, stroking her palm with his thumb. Shivers raced through her body, but she didn’t think it was from her illness.

“I’m here,” he repeated. As her eyes grew accustomed to the brightness, she realized through her haze that he looked much better.

“How? What?” she asked, not completing the thoughts that accompanied the questions.

Elliot reached out and smoothed a cool hand across her feverish forehead. “Just rest,” he said. “I’m going to talk to the doctor again, and then I’ll bring him in to explain everything.”

She leaned back against the pillow and closed her eyes. Putting the pieces together proved to be more confusing than she had anticipated. Somehow she had ended up … here, wherever here was, and Elliot had gotten better. She vaguely remembered driving the wagon into town, but anything that happened after that was hazy.

The door creaked open again, and Elliot re-entered the room followed by an older balding man with spectacles. “Ah, Caroline, it’s good to see you awake finally. I’m Dr. McGillium. You’ve been here at my office for over a week now. You’ve given us quite a fright.” He rested his hands on his rotund belly and smiled down at her jovially. Caroline liked him instantly, and she felt comforted that he had been caring for her while she had been ill.

“What happened?” she asked, coughing after she spoke. Elliot poured her a glass of water and held it up to her lips so that she could take a sip. She smiled up at him gratefully.

“From what we can piece together,” Elliot began, “you came into town to find the doctor while I was ill, and when you got here, you fainted.”

“You had influenza just like your husband, and it’s a good thing you managed to make it to my office when you did. You were nearly delirious from your fever, but you were able to tell me about Elliot. After I got you settled, I went out to your homestead to help him. He improved enough to come here to sit with you. He hasn’t left your side since.”

Caroline’s eyes widened. “But what about work?” she rasped.

“I took some time off,” Elliot said. “There will always be news to report when you are well.”             

She could have melted into a puddle right off the bed the way her insides turned to mush after he spoke.  “I’m afraid that while you are on the mend, this illness seems to have hit your system pretty hard.”

“I don’t understand what you are saying,” Caroline said.

The doctor sighed. “I think that you will need an extended recuperation time.”

“What can we do to help her get better, Doctor?” Elliot asked.

“Honestly?” Dr. McGillium said. “I think you should take her down to Hot Springs. The hotel just opened, and a good soak in the springs might be just the thing she needs.”

“We’ll go right away. Caroline, I’m going home to pack our bags and buy a train ticket. When I get back we’ll leave. I promise, I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Caroline smiled as she drifted back to sleep.

                                                                   ****

A short while later, Elliot helped her into the window seat on the train that was now running from Rapid City to Hot Springs. The journey would take the better part of the day, as the train had to go slowly through the twists and turns of the mountains, but Elliot assured her that the ride would give her a good chance to see the Hills.

“This is beautiful,” Caroline breathed as the mountains came into view. The pine-tree-covered slopes looked pristine, and she longed to walk beneath their cool branches. When she was well, that was exactly what she intended to do. As she looked up at the sky, she was struck by how intensely blue it looked, reminding her of Lake Michigan on a summer day. It was nice to have a bit of her old home here in her new home.

“I have something to tell you,” Elliot said.

Caroline sighed. She didn’t want this newfound relationship to falter under the stress of whatever he was about to say. “OK,” she replied warily.

“I wrote to your parents,” he said. Without waiting for her to answer, he rushed on, “You were so sick. I just thought that they should know that I was taking care of you. And that you took care of me. And that our life together will be wonderful. And … I invited them to visit whenever they wanted.”

Caroline gaped at him, her mouth hanging open in surprise. That she hadn’t expected. “Thank you,” she said.

“You aren’t angry?” he asked.

“No, not at all,” she replied. “I was planning to write to them once you were well, but obviously, then I got sick. I’m glad that you did. I didn’t leave on a good note. I didn’t even really say goodbye. All I can do is pray that they forgive me and understand that I needed to follow God’s path for me.”

“I think they’ll understand that someday,” he replied as he slid an arm around her shoulders. She leaned against him gratefully and closed her eyes.

Chapter Eight:

The town of Hot Springs was more beautiful than she could have imagined. From her seat on the porch of the massive hotel they were staying in, Caroline had a perfect view of the red sandstone bluffs that surrounded the town and the downtown area that was made from the same red sandstone. The river that ran through the center of town was fed by the hot springs, and small waterfalls trickled down the cliffs. The green of spring had burst into full brilliance during the week she’d been sick, and now she luxuriated in the beauty of the season.

“How are you feeling?” Elliot asked her as he sat in the chair beside her.

“Better,” she said. “I’m going to take another soak today.”

“So, I have some news,” Elliot said.

“Yes?” Caroline’s stomach knotted with nerves. She still hadn’t been able to let herself relax when he said that he wanted to talk to her. Even though she knew that her fear was from all her years being her father’s daughter, but she couldn’t stop the reaction no matter how hard she tried.

“Well, I was thinking that this town is right on the cusp of experiencing a population boom,” he began.

“It certainly seems like they are doing well here,” she agreed.

“I went down to the local newspaper office, and it turns out that they are looking for an editor. With my experience, they offered me the job if I wanted it.” He turned to her with arched eyebrows, but she wasn’t sure what he wanted her to say. Her father had never included her mother in any business conversations so she wasn’t sure how to respond.

“That sounds … good?” she replied, searching his face to see if she had given the correct answer.

“I just need to know if you could see living here,” he said.

“In Hot Springs? Oh, yes, I love it here,” Caroline replied. “I don’t understand, though. Why are you asking me?”

Elliot’s brow furrowed. “Why wouldn’t I talk to you about this kind of thing? It’s a move that involves both of us.”

The feeling that had begun the moment she got off the train broke forth, and she realized that she had fallen head over heels in love with Elliot. He was the exact opposite of her father, and she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Lord had led her here, to this moment, to be Elliot’s faithful wife.

“Thank you,” she said softly. “But I trust you. Anywhere you think that we should live is fine with me.”

Elliot smiled at her, leaning close across the chairs, bridging the distance between them. “I knew there was a reason I loved you,” he said before pressing his lips to hers.

Caroline sighed and leaned into the kiss. When they broke apart, she said, “I love you, too.” Just at the moment that she should feel happiest, she felt a wave of sadness wash over her.

“What’s wrong?” Elliot asked, concern etched onto his handsome face. “Are you feeling sick again?”

“No, I feel OK,” she said. “It’s just, I wish that I hadn’t left my parents the way I did. I know that you wrote to them, but I think maybe it’s time that I do, too.”

Elliot nodded. “I’ll go get you some paper and a pencil,” he said.

After he disappeared into the building, Caroline peered up and down the street again. She was going to live here now, and that thought made her ridiculously happy. Somehow she needed to convey the feelings that she had about this place and Elliot to her parents. She wanted them to know how truly happy she was and how sorry she was that she had left the way she had.

“This was waiting at the front desk for you,” Elliot said as he sat down beside her again.

Caroline took the envelope and smiled as she saw her mother’s familiar handwriting. “I can’t believe she wrote back,” she said, opening the letter. “I’ll read it out loud.”

“You don’t have to,” he said.

“No, I want to share all of this with you,” she said as she began to read. “My dearest Caroline, You have no idea how relieved I was to get your letter. Even though Mrs. Danforth told us what had happened, I nearly went crazy with worry. When your husband told us that you were ill but that he was taking care of you, I realized that you were right where the Lord needed you to be.

“We never intended to make you run away. I should have listened to you when you told us that you didn’t want to be married to one of your father’s connections. He wants you to know that he will write to you himself soon. I won’t lie to you: We were both angry and disappointed in your behavior, but then we realized that you were no longer a little girl.

“As a married woman, you will have the responsibility of caring for your own family now. Put your best self forward, and pray. Listen to the Lord. I admit that I often need to be reminded of that part of the plan. I know that you will have the best life, and your father and I wish you nothing but unending happiness. Please write to us as soon as you get the chance. We can’t wait to hear from you.

“And if you’ll have us, we will visit just as soon as we can. Your loving mother.”

They were silent for a while after Caroline finished reading the letter. Finally Elliot said, “It sounds like things with your parents are OK.”

“They are,” she said. “Thanks to you. I can’t imagine where I would be right now if I hadn’t listened to God’s prompting me to come here.”

“You are definitely the answer to my prayers,” Elliot replied, as he leaned in to kiss her again.

When they broke apart, Caroline grinned, feeling better than she ever had. Maybe it was the fresh mountain air or the fact that things with her parents were OK. But she had a feeling that it really had to do with the love of the good man sitting right beside her, as he would be for the rest of their lives.

The End

Clean Western Mail Order Bride

By: Samuel Grace

Chapter One

The train ride from North Carolina was rather brutal. Esther would be lying if she said she wasn’t exhausted from it. She sighed as she stepped off of the train car and picked her dress off the ground to avoid soiling it. Wyoming was a very dry state this time of year, and there was dust everywhere.

She glanced back and offered her hand to her sister, allowing her to step off the train carefully. The last thing she wanted was for her sister to go tumbling to the ground. Hannah looked around with wide blue eyes at the dusty landscape. Great mountains rose in the distance, though their tops were completely flat. It was a change of pace from the rolling hills of North Carolina and the great peaks of the Smoky Mountains.

Neither of the sisters knew what to expect when they had boarded the train headed West. The only thing they knew of the West was that it was brutal and nearly impossible to survive without a husband. It wasn’t the ideal place for them to be, but it was their only option. Two women on the run didn’t have much choice in where they ended up.

The only reason they’d been able to come West is because two brothers would sponsor them and give them the money for train tickets if they agreed to marry them when they arrived. Marriage in the West seemed to be much different than the way it was in North Carolina. Esther and Hannah shared a lot of reservations about their new home, but they had prayed for help, and this was God’s response. They weren’t going to turn it down.

They stepped off the train platform and into the main station where women in plain dresses walked around with coffee and water. They each took a metal mug of water and sat down on the wooden bench that ran the length of the wall farthest from the door.

Hannah was the first one to take a drink and gasped, wincing when the coppery water hit her tongue. She pulled the cup from her lips and wiped her mouth quickly, shaking her head.

“Oh, that is awful, Esther. Don’t drink it.”

Esther sighed and shook her head a little, sipping the water and wincing, though she managed to hold it down.

“We ought to get used to it, sis. This is what all of the water around here is going to taste like. We aren’t in Edenton anymore,” she chastised gently.

Hannah dropped her head, her fiery hair falling into her eyes. “Do you think this will be a safe place for us?”

“I don’t know. I hope so. God led us here, so we have to believe that he did so for a reason.”

Hannah nodded and rested her head against her sister’s shoulder. She closed her eyes and sighed. Everyone who walked past offered them strange looks. Their skin was pale and flawless, and their gowns were far too fashionable and flashy. Women in Wyoming often wore men’s clothing for work and plain dresses when they weren’t working. It was strange to see women dressed in such fancy clothing.

By the time the sun began to set, Esther was starting to feel nervous, even a little hopeless. Hannah was still dozing on her older sister’s shoulder. Esther was always the more responsible one, the one who kept their lives structured even when things were at their worst.

Just as Esther was considering finding an inn for the night, two tall men walked through the door of the train station. One of them was clearly scanning the room for someone or something, and the other took to chatting with the coffee woman.

Esther’s eyes lit up when they man’s stormy gaze fell on her. He crossed the room, hands shoved in the pockets of his black slacks. Both men were dressed nicely compared to some of the other men around town. They wore black pants, gray dress shirts and black vests. Their shirt sleeves were rolled up to their elbows, and their dark hair was slicked out of their eyes.

The man with the gray eyes came to stand in front of Esther, looking between her and her sister. “Esther and Hannah Miller?”

Esther looked up at the man and nearly jumped up, but she carefully eased her sister off of her shoulder so she could offer the man a polite curtsy. Hannah woke up and blinked blearily at the man, who was soon joined by his more social brother.

“You two must be the Henry brothers?” Esther said, twisting her hands in her skirt nervously.

“We are. Terribly sorry about the delay, ladies. We were busy with a client at the funeral home,” the second brother explained.

They were nearly identical, though the more reserved brother had steely eyes like a storm and the more talkative one had eyes as green as meadows. Green-Eyes offered Esther his hand and smile.

“I’m Caleb, and this upstanding gentleman is my brother, Aaron.”

Esther took their hands and shook them as Hannah stood up to shake their hands as well. In theory, they were already married to these men. They’d sent the documents out ahead of time, and the sisters had signed them before the money was sent. It was an insurance policy to keep mail-order brides from running off with the money.

Esther smiled and bowed her head to Aaron, whom she was married to, and Hannah moved to stand beside her husband.

“We hit the jackpot, brother,” Caleb said playfully, wrapping his arm around Hannah’s waist, making her giggle a bit.

“We did, didn’t we?” Aaron said with a smile, offering Esther his arm.

She took it hesitantly, blushing a little as they were led out of the train station and over to two horses. Esther and Hannah grew up riding horses, though they’d never been on one without a saddle. The brother’s helped them up and lead the horses down the muddy road.

“Sorry to rush you, ladies. I’m sure you wanted to see the town, but we need to get home before dark. You don’t want to be out on these roads after sundown.”

“Why not?” Hannah asked.

“There are bands of roaming thieves that come out at night and take advantage of people who are out when they aren’t supposed to be,” Aaron said, giving the two women serious looks as if to tell them they were those people.

Esther smiled and tucked some blond hair behind her ear. “You don’t have to worry about that with us. Hannah and I have been afraid of the dark for a long time. We try to stay inside when the sun isn’t out.”

“It’s a good practice to keep up while you are here,” Caleb said seriously as he walked beside the horse carrying his wife. “There are animals that come out at night as well. We just need to be cautious.”

Captious was Esther’s philosophy. She didn’t want to be out past sunset any more than her husband wanted her to be. After a long week’s travel, she was just ready to get home and lie down.