by Jenna Brandt
“I’m just glad it’s all over. I thought I would have my past hanging over me for the rest of my life. It feels good to know I don’t have to worry about that anymore.”
“I’m still just trying to wrap my mind around the fact that we have a princess in the family now,” Becca teased. “To think, Uncle Martin, all this time, you thought she didn’t come from good enough stock to marry Mark. In actuality, it turns out, our stock wasn’t good enough for her.”
“Listen here, Becca Bennett Casner, we may not be imperialists, but we are Arizona royalty. Never forget where you come from, niece.”
“I can’t agree more. I’m proud to be a Bennett,” Miriam said with a big smile. “And I’m going to raise my daughter to be proud to be one, too.”
“So you mean we don’t have to call you, your Imperial Highness, then?” Mark teased.
“Only you do, when we’re alone,” she jested back.
“That reminds me, I have another dreadful joke for you,” Mark announced.
“Oh, no, not again,” Garrett whined. “I’m so sick of hearing them.”
“This is my house, and I want to hear his joke,” Miriam demanded with a wink. “You can plug your ears if you don’t want to listen.”
“Which is the favorite word with women?” Mark asked as he looked around the room.
Everyone shook their heads, making it clear they didn’t have the answer.
“The last one,” Mark answered, causing the entire group to laugh at the dreadful joke that had a bit of truth behind it.
“Promise me you’ll never stop doing that,” Miriam said as she leaned into her husband’s frame on the couch.
“Doing what?”
“Making me laugh.”
“How could I? It was part of our agreement in the advert. We always have to laugh at each other’s dreadful jokes.”
The Bennett family spent the rest of the evening discussing the mine, the church service on Sunday, and the details for Nancy’s christening.
“I hate to give her up, but it’s getting rather late,” Julia said as she placed Nancy in her mother’s arms. “I’ll come by later this week to spend some more time with the both of you.”
“I’ll look forward to it.”
Mark shut the door on the last family member to leave, then turned to face his wife. “I love having them over, but they sure do wear me out.”
“But it’s worth it. I always wanted a big, close family, and you’ve given that to me. Truthfully, you’ve given me so many blessings, I can’t keep track of them all.”
“It goes both ways, you know. Every day you give me something wonderful.” Mark leaned over and kissed his wife on the lips, then his daughter on the forehead. “I’m going to go get ready for bed. Come join me when you’re done down here.”
Miriam stared down at her sleeping infant daughter and knew that everything was right in the world. It didn’t matter what they escaped from, or how they ended up where they were. All that mattered was that they were right where they were supposed to be, living their life with the man who chose to love them both for the rest of their lives. Miriam couldn’t ask for anything more.
Sneak Peak of Mail Order Miranda
Early Spring of 1881
Lake Hope, Pennsylvania
The baby’s earsplitting cries echoed down the hall, causing Miranda Barton to cover her head with a pillow. Nearly every night for the past six months, her niece, Eleanor, woke bellowing at one in the morning. Her precise timing would be commendable if it wasn’t so exasperating.
“Please, Elle, just for one night, stop crying,” Miranda mumbled into the mattress of her bed. “I just need one good night’s sleep before I head to Texas in two days.”
As if to show who was in charge of the house, Eleanor’s cries increased both in tempo and shrillness.
Miranda threw the pillow off her head and rolled over, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. She might as well check on her sister, Elizabeth, who would no doubt be tending the baby while her husband, Albert, was fast asleep. It always stunned her how that man could sleep so soundly through such a grating nightly occurrence.
After slipping on her robe, Miranda padded down the hallway until she reached the nursery. She pushed the door open and observed from the threshold. Elizabeth was in the rocking chair, gently moving it back and forth in an effort to soothe the baby. Eleanor wasn’t having any of it though. Her tiny pink face scrunched up in a wretched scowl before another bloodcurdling scream projected from her mouth.
“Did you try offering her some bread with a little brandy on it?” Miranda inquired, moving further into the room. “Jane said it could help.”
“Yes, I tried it, and Elle promptly spit it out. She only cried harder afterward, making it that much more difficult to calm her down. Jane might be the pastor’s wife, but she isn’t an expert on everything, though she seems to think so,” Elizabeth stated sarcastically with a shake of her head. “I don’t know how much more of this I can take, Miranda. What if Eleanor never outgrows this behavior?”
“Here, give her to me for a bit.” Miranda reached out to take her niece. “You look as though you might break down and weep at any moment.” Miranda placed Eleanor’s stomach against her own chest and gently patted her back as she paced the floor. Within a few minutes, the motion did its trick and her niece drifted off to sleep.
“How did you do that?” Elizabeth marveled, with a hint of envy in her voice. “It never ceases to amaze me how good you are with her. I don’t know what I’m going to do without you when you leave in two days.”
“It’s all in the walk,” Miranda said, continuing to pace back and forth to make sure Eleanor didn’t wake up. “You just need to keep a steady cadence, and pat her back at the same time.”
Elizabeth shook her head. “You make it sound so easy, but I’ve tried doing exactly that. It’s not what you do, or even how you do it. It’s you, Miranda; you have a gift when it comes to children. They bond with you in a way that is very special.”
Miranda hoped her sister was right. She was going to need that special gift if she was going to be capable of taking on the job of being a mother to twin almost three-year-old boys. When she saw Cade Tanner’s advert for a mail order bride in the Matrimonial Times, she nearly passed it up when it mentioned the children. She hadn’t been sure if she was interested in having an instant family, but when all the other adverts were placed by morally bankrupt scoundrels or old men looking for a young wife, she decided children might be the least of her problems.
Elizabeth insisted that she didn’t need to leave, but Miranda didn’t want to be a burden anymore. Her sister and her husband were barely surviving on his income as a constable. Miranda supposed she could have tried to get a job herself, but with no education or experience to speak of, reputable jobs for a woman were scarce.
“You’ll be fine,” Miranda encouraged, as she placed Eleanor in her crib. “You’re a great mother. Eleanor will get through this, and soon all her fussiness will be a distant memory.”
“I hope you’re right, but that doesn’t change the fact I’m going to miss you so much when you leave.”
“I’ll miss you, too, but you can come visit any time.”
“I’d like that,” Elizabeth stood up and squeezed her sister’s hand. “I’ll pray for safe travels for you. It’s a long train ride to Texas.”
Tomorrow, Miranda would be setting off for her new life in Rockwood Springs. All of her belongings were packed and ready for the trip. She had her ticket and traveling money her future husband had wired to her safely tucked in her tapestry bag.
A nervous excitement was in the pit of her stomach as she held Eleanor in her arms. Gently, she patted the infant’s back just the way she liked it. Once Elizabeth and Albert returned from the market, they would help her with her final arrangements before departure. In no time at all, she was going to be barreling down the rails heading to Cade and his sons.
“I’m going to miss you, El
le, but this is going to be better for everyone,” Miranda whispered in her niece’s ear. She didn’t like the idea of leaving her behind, but it had to be this way. “I know I’m a burden to your parents, and that isn’t fair. I need to find a way to make a life for myself. Cade and his boys need me, and I can make a life with them. I hope one day you’ll be able to come and visit me.” She turned her face and gently kissed the baby’s cheek, trying to repress the tears that were forming in the corners of her eyes.
There was a knock at the door, and Miranda moved from the parlor into the entry hall of the house. Maybe it was some of the women from church coming to say goodbye. Most of them hadn’t been the most supportive in the beginning when she told them her plans to be a mail order bride, but there were still a few that might come to wish her farewell.
She opened the door and on the other side stood men wearing dark blue constable uniforms. She recognized both men from her sister’s wedding as well as from church. What put her on edge was they both had a look in their eyes that didn’t bode well for why they were there.
“Good morning, Miss Barton, can we come in?” the taller of the men asked politely.
She nodded, stepping back to let them enter. “Please, follow me into the parlor.”
“Miss Barton, you might want to sit down for what we need to tell you,” the shorter, portly man said with a sad smile. “This is going to be difficult to hear.”
Miranda’s stomach tightened with dread. “What is it?”
“There was a robbery at the market today. The owner of one of the stores pulled a gun to defend himself, but the thieves shot back. Unfortunately, your sister and Albert were caught in the crossfire.”
“Are they going to be all right? Are they at the hospital?” Miranda inquired, already figuring out in her head who she would ask to watch Eleanor while she went to tend to her family. She’d have to write her future husband, of course, and explain she would be delayed for a few days, possibly weeks, but hopefully he would understand.
“I’m sorry to say, Miss Barton, neither of them survived. Their wounds were too severe,” the taller constable informed her with a sympathetic look.
Miranda’s whole body started to shake, her knees were suddenly weak, and the room was spinning out of control.
“Miss Barton, here, let me help you. You don’t want to drop the baby,” the shorter constable shouted as he came up beside her and guided her onto the sofa nearby.
The baby, what was going to happen to Eleanor? She was an orphan now, just like Miranda. She never hoped to share such a heartbreaking connection with her niece.
“Can we get someone for you, Miss Barton? Do you have any family nearby?” the shorter constable offered.
She shook her head, tears falling down her cheeks in rapid succession. “My sister was all the family I had left, she and my niece. What is to become of the baby?”
“Albert didn’t have any family left either, did he?” the taller constable asked.
She shook her head, and forced herself to swallow the lump in her throat so she could answer. “We were all orphans. We often lamented that it was what bound us all together.”
“I suppose you would be charged with taking care of her then, if you’re willing,” the taller man explained. “You’re the only family she has left.”
Miranda looked down at her sleeping niece. Eleanor was her responsibility now. She needed to do whatever it would take to take care of her. Her protective instincts kicked in. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do, but she needed help.
“Can you fetch Pastor Phillips and his wife for me?” she inquired.
The taller constable nodded, then leaned over and whispered to the other man, who a couple of moments later, scurried off towards the front door.
“I can stay with you until they arrive if you’d like,” he offered.
She nodded, the constable accepting the gesture as a sign that he could take a seat in the nearby chair.
They sat in silence while they waited, neither of them having any words that could make the situation more palatable. Eleanor started to stir, causing Miranda to shift in her seat. She hoped the baby couldn’t sense the tension in her body. The last thing she needed was for her niece to wake up and start crying.
A half hour later, the constable returned with the middle-aged pastor and his wife. It was clear from the expressions on their faces that the constable already told them what had happened.
“Oh my, dear, I’m so sorry,” Jane stated in a soothing tone as she took a seat next to Miranda on the couch. “We’re here for you, whatever you need.”
“Thank you,” she pushed out through the lump in her throat, trying to respond the way she was raised to do.
“Do you want us to take a letter to the post office to be sent to that man you were planning to marry in Texas? I’m assuming that absurd idea isn’t happening now,” Jane stated in a way that made it clear she didn’t approve.
Miranda hadn’t thought about Cade since she found out about her sister and Albert’s deaths. It didn’t mean that she didn’t want to follow through with her commitment, because she did. She just wasn’t sure how she could do that now that she had Eleanor to consider.
“Jane, I can handle that on my own. What I need help with is planning the funeral. I don’t know the first thing about it since Elizabeth took care of it for our parents.”
“I can handle all of that in the next couple of days,” Pastor Phillips offered.
“No, tonight,” Miranda stated firmly. “I can use the little bit of money my sister had saved up for the funeral but it has to be done tonight.”
“Why is that, dear?” Jane asked with confusion. “That’s awfully quick.”
“Because, I have a train ticket I need to use tomorrow. I need all of this settled before I go.”
Jane’s eyes grew round with shock. “You’re not seriously thinking of still going to Texas, are you?”
“I don’t have much choice, Jane. I know my sister and Albert were already in a dire financial situation. It’s why I was leaving in the first place, so I wouldn’t be a burden on them anymore. The funeral will take up what little savings they had, so afterward, I have to go to Texas and marry Cade Tanner.”
If Miranda had the money, she would’ve sent a telegram to Cade and told him about her new unexpected circumstances. She didn’t have enough money, however, to both bury Elizabeth and Albert and send a telegram, nor the time to send a letter and wait for his reply. She also couldn’t find it in herself to beg others to help take care of her and Eleanor. Everyone was having a difficult time providing for their own families since the mill burned down six months prior. It was the major source of income for the town.
“At the very least, then, you should leave Eleanor with us,” Jane suggested. “Such a long trip across the country would be difficult on a baby. Besides, you have no idea what’s waiting for you at the end of it. Would your intended even want another, unexpected mouth to feed?”
Miranda worried about that, too. Would Cade be upset if she arrived with a baby in her arms? He’d placed an advert for a mail order bride, not a mail order baby. Would he turn them both out once she got there?
Her mind flashed to the last letter she received from him.
I will not lie to you, Miranda. My heart still aches for my dearly departed wife. It is wounded and needs time to heal. I know; however, my children do not have the luxury of waiting while that happens. They need a mother now.
I love children, and know that I have the capacity to love as many as the Lord is willing to bless us with through our marriage. I vow to you I will be a kind and considerate husband, just as I am a father.
She had to believe from the promises he made in his letter, that if she brought Eleanor with her, he would take her in as his own.
Sneak Peak of Mail Order Misfit
Dakota Territory, 1885
The sprawling Great Plains of North America continued to pass by through the window of the train. Th
e steep, flat-topped hills, better known as buttes, dominated the landscape of the James River Valley. Soon Cara McGregor would be arriving in the town of Mitchell, where her whole life would change forever.
She read the letter from her future husband another time, still trying to accept that she was traveling out West to meet the man willing to marry her. James Cassidy sounded like a good man, a man she could find contentment with, since love wasn’t in the cards for her.
Considering her reputation back in her hometown of Hull, Massachusetts, she was glad the man hadn’t requested to know more about her family situation. It wasn’t good. She left behind a place filled with Irish folk from the Old Country, whom by the end of her time in Hull, treated her like a leper because of what happened with her parents.
She wished she could have gone back to that day and been at the house when her mother was killed. If she had seen what happened instead of being off with her beau, the townspeople wouldn’t have blamed her father and hung him two months later for the crime.
She not only lost her parents that day, but her beau along with any future prospects of marriage, since everyone in town viewed her as the spawn of the devil himself. It was as if everyone forgot what a good man her father had been; looking out for his neighbors, helping at the church, and taking care of his family.
The little money her parents had saved ran out by the end of the second month. She couldn’t get a job for the same reasons as she couldn’t land a husband. All that was left was to start over somewhere else, and she remembered that Josephine Little had found a groom out West through a mail-order advertisement. With nothing left to lose, Cara found herself scouring The Matrimonial Times.