“You’ll make it if you run.”
She offered a breathless thank you and farewell before gathering her skirts and running a few feet before pausing and turned back. “Oh, your handkerchief.”
“Don’t worry about that. I bought five for Mama, but she’ll be happy with four. Now go!” She smiled and then dashed away before hearing him shout, “I never asked your name!”
“Caroline!” she called over her shoulder, but it was drowned out by another whistle from the train.
Caroline whispered another prayer of thanksgiving she hadn’t missed her train in St. Paul while the outskirts of Pelican Rapids came into view. It had been quite a rush of excitement, stepping onto the stairs right as the locomotive pulled away, but not one she wished to repeat. She also thanked God for the nice man who helped her find the train station, knowing if he hadn’t been there, she would have never made it back in time and her belongings would have arrived in Pelican Rapids without her.
As the train pulled into the station, Caroline peered through the window at the people waiting on the platform. According to his letter, Lee Foster was supposed to be tall with black hair and gray eyes—a combination she imagined would be hard to miss.
He owned a large home near the town and planned to meet her at the station. She remembered Lottie’s letter, describing her first meeting with her new husband and how romantic it had been. Caroline could hardly wait.
With a limited view from her window, she gripped the handles of her portmanteau and smoothed her skirt before stepping off the train. As the crowd dispersed, she saw her cousin, Lottie and her maid, Miss Dash, standing next to an older brunette woman.
She rushed toward Lottie and enveloped her in a hug, careful not to squeeze too hard because of her delicate condition. Then she hugged Miss Dash. She had always been such a sweetheart when she came to visit Magnolia Glen in Atlanta.
Lottie beamed at her. “Welcome to Pelican Rapids. I am so glad you are here. I’ve missed you!”
“Oh, me, too. You look so radiant and happy.”
Lottie ran her hand over the slight bump beginning to grow at her midsection. “Thank you, Caroline. I can hardly wait to meet this little one.”
“When are you due?”
Lottie’s face glowed. “Sometime in late February or early March.”
“Bully! Now I’m marrying Lee and will be close when the little miracle arrives.”
Lottie nodded, but her smile faded some before turning to the woman standing beside her. “This is Miss Ella Milton.”
She shook the woman’s hand and offered a warm smile. “It is nice to finally meet you in person, Miss Milton. Lottie has told me so many wonderful things about you.”
“Yes, Miss Kennedy. It is a pleasure to meet you as well. Shall we make our way to the carriage?”
Caroline agreed and followed, but couldn’t help noticing both her cousin and Miss Milton seemed a bit distracted by something. She waited until they settled into the carriage before asking the question tingling on her lips. “When will I meet Lee? Forgive me, but I thought I would meet him at the station.”
Miss Milton smiled, but avoided her eyes. “Yes, we will talk about Mr. Foster upon our arrival at my farm.”
“Please, if something has happened, tell me now. I need to hear it, or I’ll imagine the worst.”
Miss Milton took a deep breath before speaking. “I’m afraid Mr. Foster backed out of the arrangement. I’m not certain why, but sometimes these things happen out of our control. He only told me just this morning of his change of heart.”
Caroline’s heart dropped as all the dreams she’d had about a new life in Pelican Rapids evaporated away. Had she made a mistake traveling to the north?
Chapter Three
“I have much more to say to you, but I don’t want to do it with paper and ink. For I hope to visit you soon and talk with you face to face. Then our joy will be complete.”
2 John 1:12 NLT
Caroline sat at Miss Milton’s table, drinking a hot cup of tea with her cousin, Lottie. After putting down her cup she unfolded the letter from Lee again. She read his farewell and eyed the envelope of money he had left for her return train fare to Atlanta. “I don’t know what I was thinking. My mother told me my decision to marry him was foolish. I should have listened. It was God trying to tell me to stay in Atlanta.”
Lottie shook her head. “This is a complication, Caroline. Please wait before you set your heart on returning south. Hear Miss Milton out.”
“All right,” Caroline agreed and dabbed at her cobalt eyes, using the silk handkerchief. “I’ll listen.”
A minute later, Ella placed a small tray on the table filled with tarts, cheese and fruit. Then she sat across from them with her cup of tea in hand. “I am truly sorry for this turn of events. I know it is very upsetting. However, I would like to reassure you, if you give me some more time, I will find a suitable husband for you.”
She shook her head. “Oh, I’m not sure. I believe perhaps this was God’s way of bringing me back to my senses.”
Lottie grasped her hand tighter. “Please, don’t leave. At least stay with me at Lady Slipper Cottage for a few weeks. While Miss Milton is searching for a suitable match for you, we will have time to catch up. If it doesn’t work out, you can always return home then.”
Caroline heard the longing in her cousin’s voice and managed a smile. “Very well. I will stay with you, Cousin, but no longer than three weeks. Any longer and I will feel as though I have overstayed my welcome.”
“You could never,” she whispered and hugged her tight. “Oh, Caleb will be delighted to meet you.”
Emmett Riley enjoyed a delicious supper at his cousin, Joshua’s home in St. Cloud, Minnesota. After his wife, Amy, served apple pie for dessert, they sat at the table talking.
“So, how did things go with the lawyer?” Joshua asked.
He swallowed a bite of his pie. “Pretty well. The funds will be distributed in a few months.”
“Praise God! The extra money will help with your business.”
He nodded. “Yes, but I’m afraid most of it will have to go into building a new house on my land.”
His cousin’s eyebrows lifted. “A new house? That’s surprising to hear. You’re still a bachelor, right? Is there something you’ve neglected to tell us?”
Emmett shook his head with an amused chuckle. “Yes, I’m still a bachelor. Don’t worry. I haven’t married anyone in secret.”
“Then what has changed?”
Emmett’s smile faded as he tried to find the words to explain. Finally, he raked his fingers through his blond hair and sighed. “Do you remember my friend, Peter, who died in the war?” When his cousin nodded, he went on. “Before he passed on, he made me promise to care for his family. I have been the past few years—going for short visits and bringing them food and supplies when I have the money. His two children started to call me Uncle Emmett. Everything was going fine, until a few months ago when their mother died suddenly of influenza.”
Joshua’s wife joined them at the table. “Oh, that’s awful. How are the children holding up after the loss?”
“As well as can be expected. I have taken on the role of their guardian, but my little log cabin is becoming too small for the three of us and my mother who has moved in to help. We need a bigger place to live.”
Joshua looked him in the eye with a knowing expression. “Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help.”
“Thank you, Cousin. I will. Right now, however, I must admit I am still in shock. They are nine and twelve years old. Honestly, I have no idea how to be a father, but I couldn’t allow them to be sent off to an orphanage.”
His cousin shook his head. “No, of course not. You did the right thing. I admire your courage. I don’t know how I would raise our two without Amy by my side.”
Amy cuddled close to her husband and kissed his cheek. “It’s all about teamwork. I don’t know what I would do without Joshua,
especially with another little one on the way.”
Emmett smiled at his cousins. “I’m happy for you both. I see you are very good parents. I have my mother to help me, but she is growing weary of the job while I work in the shop. I’ll have to find a better solution soon.”
Amy’s eyes lit up all of a sudden. “I think I may have a solution. One of my dear friends owns a mail order bride agency. Her name is Miss Ella Milton and she lives in Pelican Rapids. You should contact her and see if she can find you a bride before the winter comes.” She clasped her hands together like a sentimental school girl. “Oh, I just know she’d find you the perfect match.”
Emmett scoffed lightly at her suggestion. “That is the second time I’ve heard about mail order brides this week. I met a young woman from the south traveling here to marry someone she’s never met in person. No offense to your friend, Miss Milton and her business, but I don’t think I would want to rush into marriage so quickly. Besides, it would take a very special woman to take on what I would be asking for. These kids had their entire world turned upside down and so have I. Perhaps it would be wise to wait to look for a wife until our home is more established.”
Joshua smiled and place his hand on Emmett’s arm. “Or perhaps it is God’s will for the special woman you speak of to come into your life at this moment. I am a firm believer in His perfect timing, Cousin. He works behind the scenes in ways unknown to us.”
Emmett nodded. “I cannot argue with that. I will spend much time in prayer over this during the next week.”
A smile spread across Amy’s face as she put down her coffee cup. “We will be in prayer as well. In whatever direction God leads, we will support you.”
After going to bed in Joshua and Amy’s guest room that night, Emmett couldn’t sleep no matter how hard he tried. Their conversation about him contacting the mail-order-bride agency remained in his thoughts. The thought of marrying a complete stranger seemed unorthodox, yet Miss Milton had created a successful business finding matches for her clients. Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to have a meeting with her before leaving Minnesota.
Chapter Four
“Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.”
Psalm 27:14 NLT
The cool October breeze whipped through Caroline’s hair as she rode over the soft hills at Lady Slipper Cottage Farm. Horseback riding for enjoyment had always calmed her nerves and today was no exception. The fall colors painted in the trees and grass took her breath away.
Lady, the pretty mare she rode, was so gentle and made her morning ride enjoyable and almost therapeutic after what transpired upon stepping off the train in Pelican Rapids. The sting of rejection still remained but was not as sharp as it had been two days before. In truth, she’d spent most of the first day and a half in Pelican Rapids sobbing in the guest room of Lottie and Caleb’s cottage. However, this morning she woke up determined to stop feeling sorry for herself. She unpacked her clothes and stored them in the dresser, taken Lottie’s advice a morning ride would help clear her head and now she felt content to spend the rest of the day catching up with her dear cousin.
Lottie approached the barn with her little white dog, Pepper, in tow. “How was your ride?”
Caroline dismounted and handed the reigns to one of the stable hands before smiling at her cousin. “I enjoyed it immensely.” She paused to remove her riding hat and gloves. “Thank you for lending me one of your horses. A morning ride was exactly what I needed to clear my head.”
Her cousin’s face beamed at her in the morning light. “I am glad to hear it. Now, would you like to enjoy a midmorning tea in the sitting room? Miss Dash has everything prepared for us.”
“I would love it.” She followed Lottie up the garden path to the house, pausing once more to enjoy the lovely fall colors. Then they entered the house and made their way to the sitting room. When they were settled in, Miss Dash brought out the tea, along with some delicious little tarts.
Caroline sat in silence for a minute, taking in the room. It was smaller compared to Lottie’s childhood home at Magnolia Glen, but still suited her refined cousin. She could recognize little elegant touches Lottie had added to the space, making it her own.
Lottie placed her tea cup on a nearby table and patted for Pepper to sit in her lap. “Have you settled into your room? I do hope it is comfortable for you.”
Caroline nodded. “Oh, yes. It’s lovely. You and Caleb are so generous to allow me to stay here while everything is so unsettled.”
“Of course. We would never turn you away.”
She turned to gaze out the window. “It is hard to believe I would most likely be married by now if…” Caroline paused as her lips trembled. “I’m sorry. I suppose I am still a bit emotional.”
Her cousin reached forward and gripped her hand, causing Pepper to wiggle uncomfortably on her lap to readjust. “It’s all right. There is no need to apologize. You’ve been hurt and it will take some time for your heart to mend fully.”
Caroline nodded while pulling out the blue silk handkerchief she had received in St. Paul and dabbed at her eyes. “You know, I think I had a feeling something was amiss. Lee was so faithful about sending the first three letters. Then he stopped sending them about two weeks before my arrival. I assumed the mail was running slow. Now I know he’d been having second thoughts about our marriage.”
“At least he discovered he wasn’t ready for marriage before the wedding. Being left at the altar would have been more humiliating, or discovering you were ill-suited after the marriage. That would have been the real tragedy.”
She nodded after hearing her cousin’s wise words. “Yes, I suppose I have that to be thankful for. A loveless marriage is certainly something I wish to avoid.”
Lottie offered a knowing smile. “I know God has the right man waiting for you somewhere, whether he is here in Pelican Rapids, back in Atlanta, or somewhere else. Now is the time for prayer and waiting for God’s perfect plan to reveal itself.”
Caroline dabbed at her eyes again. “Yes, I know you are right, my wise cousin. I have always been horridly bad about waiting.”
They shared a laugh and then Lottie squeezed her hand a little tighter. “Perhaps a little excursion will help? You are looking for fabric for your Grandmother’s quilt, right?” She nodded. “It sounds like the perfect excuse to go into town. Would you like that?”
Caroline’s eyes brightened. “I’d love it.”
“Very well,” Lottie said, lifting Pepper off her lap and rising from her chair. “You can go change out of your riding clothes while I inform Caleb of our plans.” She gave Caroline a playful wink and then disappeared around the corner.
Caroline walked with Lottie as she pointed out the features of Pelican Rapids. For a little town, it sure had appeal and there were quite a lot of people hustling about. They could have chosen to go directly to the general store on Oak Street, but her cousin thought she might like the grand tour. Caleb had taken them west down Washburn so she could admire some of the lovely homes in town. Then he parked on Pelican Street to shop for a few things he needed for the farm at the Mercantile. They would walk all the way down Main and then he would pick them up off of Oak Street later.
Soon they passed the sheriff’s office on the right. The friendly red-haired lawman happened to be heading out to make his rounds.
Lottie waved in his direction. “Good day, Sherriff Kouch.”
“Ladies.” He tipped his hat in their direction and then disappeared around a corner.
After they passed Ash and Broadway Street, they came across the flour mill to the right and a charming little barber shop to the left before catching a view of Pelican River.
The weather was warm enough to spend the afternoon outside, but she was grateful she’d brought her shawl because of the wind. It had picked up since her ride earlier. Caroline gazed at the river and happened to see a pelican flying to the edge of the bank to land. “Wow, do you see a lot of
those around?”
Lottie smiled while watching the bird glide into the shallows of the marshy section of the river. “Yes, they are around quite a bit. Miss Dash especially enjoys watching and painting portraits of them.”
They crossed the bridge over the river and then took a left on Oak Street. Lottie seemed in a pleasant mood, offering waves and smiles at more of the townspeople as they passed by. It was obvious she had grown to know many of them well in the short time she had lived in Pelican Rapids.
From what she heard from her letters, many of them had aided in her rescue after her former fiancé, Ryan, kidnapped her. Now Caroline could see why her cousin seemed so content in her new life in Minnesota. The people were very kind, protective and welcoming—like a close-knit family.
After passing the Lutheran Church to their left, the general store came into view. Lottie turned to her and spoke in a whisper. “Pay no mind to the store owner, Mrs. Theodora Carter. She tends to gossip, so I wouldn’t say anything while we’re inside that you don’t want spread across the entire county. Word spreads quick around these parts.”
Caroline chuckled softly. “Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.”
The door dinged when they entered and Mrs. Carter’s head sprung up from behind the counter. “Good day, Mrs. Brooks. What brings you here today? Is this your younger cousin we’ve heard so much about?”
Lottie gave the older woman a warm smile. “Yes, Mrs. Carter, this is Miss Caroline Rose Kennedy, from Atlanta.”
“I’m delighted to meet you, Miss Kennedy.” The store owner shook her hand and studied her with prying eyes. “I can certainly see the family resemblance between you. I was so sorry to hear about the….um complications with your marriage to Mr. Foster. I would have given that man a piece of my mind, running off on you like that, but that muggins skedaddled out of town before I could. It was unacceptable what he did.”
Caroline's Quilt (Brides 0f Pelican Rapids Book 2) Page 2