Mail Order Bride- Twenty-Two Brides Mega Boxed Set

by Emily Woods

  His heart lurched in his chest whenever he saw her. How could he apologize to her for his stupidity and ask her for a second chance if she was never alone? And surely, she wouldn't come to visit him the next time he was on guard duty.

  Finally, he realized that there was only one way to reach her. He'd have to write her a note and find a way to get it to her.

  Paper was in short supply on the wagon train. The only ones who seemed to think it necessary to bring any were the preacher's wife and Mrs. Pearson, a former teacher who gathered all the children each night for a lesson. Since it seemed wrong to approach the first woman, given that she was the mother of the object of his affection, he found himself in front of Mrs. Pearson shortly before lunch that day.

  “Hello, Mister Morris,” she greeted him politely. “How are you?”

  She was an attractive woman, older than him by several years, and he admired how resilient she was in striking out on her own, heading west after the death of her husband. However, she wasn’t really alone. There seemed to be a spark between her and the captain. Several people mentioned that they thought the two would be a good couple, and he hoped things turned out for them.

  “I'm good, thanks. You?”

  Nodding, she gave him a smile. “It's a nice day, and peaceful too, so I'm well enough. Can I do something for you?”

  Of course she would think that he wanted something. He'd never sought her out before now. For a moment, he thought of abandoning his plan, but something pushed him on. If he didn't act now, he might lose his nerve.

  “I, uh, was wondering if you have a small piece of paper I could, um, buy from you? And a pencil I could use? I just want to jot down a little note.”

  Without asking what the note was in regard to, she rose and went to her wagon. After retrieving a full sheet of paper, she handed over a pencil.

  “How much?” he asked timidly, hoping that it wouldn’t be beyond the coins in his pocket. He was well aware that paper was a precious commodity.

  She shook her head. “I wouldn't dream of charging you, Mister Morris. As a teacher, I'm happy to allow you the opportunity to take note of whatever it is that catches your fancy.”

  Clearly, she thought he wanted to make a note about the journey or something like that. He felt bad for allowing the fiction, but vowed to do her a favor in return when the opportunity allowed.

  “Thank you very much, ma'am. If there's anything I can do for you, just let me know.”

  He rushed off to find a place to write. Although it wouldn't be terribly moving or poetic, he knew he needed to make it eloquent enough to convince Hope to meet him once more. He stared up at the mountains in the distance and thought hard. Finally, he leaned over the back of the wagon and began to write.

  Dear Hope,

  Can you forgive me? I'm not the brightest of men, and I'm terrible at understanding women. If you can give me another chance, meet me on Thursday night.

  Gabriel

  It was a short note, but he didn't want to risk being discovered, so it would have to do. Now, he needed to find a way to deliver it.

  Spying Mrs. Pearson's youngest boy sitting by the edge of the river, he wandered over and squatted next to him.

  “Hey, Robbie. How are you doing today? Feeling better?” Everyone knew that he hadn’t been feeling well the day before.

  The boy looked longingly at his brother, who was running around with the preacher's sons.

  “Wish I could run good like them, but my leg ain't so strong.”

  “Still feeling sick?” he murmured sympathetically.

  He shook his head. “Nah. It’s because of my legs.”

  Gabriel looked down and noticed how one leg was slightly thinner than the other. He knew that some people contracted a disease that withered their limbs, but he was glad to see that Robbie hadn’t suffered too badly.

  “Well, I bet your leg will get stronger as we keep going and soon you'll be running like the others.” He had no idea if it was true or not, but it seemed like the right thing to say, especially when the boy's face lit up.

  “Really? You think so? I been praying and praying for that.”

  Grinning, he tousled the boy's head a bit. “Is that so? Well, I'll add you to my prayers too then.”

  “Thanks!” His eyes fell to the piece of paper in Gabriel's hand. “Is that a love note?” he asked. “I can deliver it for you if you like.”

  How had the boy figured that out? Gabriel was relieved and worried at the same time. “Uh, sort of, but it's a secret. I'm trying to figure out who I can ask to deliver it for me.” He hated how manipulative he sounded, but it couldn't be helped.

  “I'll do it!” Robbie exclaimed. “I'm real good at keeping secrets. Why, just the other day, I saw the captain kiss my ma, and I ain't told nobody about it!” His eyes shone for a moment before he realized what he said. Horror crept in. “You won't tell nobody, will you? I 'spect it's a secret, even though Ma didn't say so.”

  Now Gabriel had to suppress a chuckle. “Funny, isn't it? How everyone's worried about showing their feelings? It's the same with me. I’m not even sure if this girl even likes me, and I can't seem to get around to asking her, so I wrote this note.”

  Robbie nodded, but his eyes changed from fearful to shrewd. “How about you tell me who you like, I'll deliver the note and then you don't tell nobody what I told you about the captain and my ma?”

  Surprised and delighted by the boy's quick mind, Gabriel agreed. “You know Hope, the preacher's daughter, right?”

  “‘Course I do! Oh! She's the one?” Robbie nodded rapidly. “She's pretty. I can see why you like her.”

  “She is pretty for sure, but there's something else...” He stopped, wondering why he was trying to explain himself. “So, when she's by herself, can you just slip it in to her hand, careful not to let anyone see you?”

  He nodded solemnly. “You don't want Joseph to see, right? He's keen on her too. You probably don't want to fight, him being a man of God and all.”

  Again, the boy's rationale astounded him. “I hadn't really thought of that,” he admitted. “But you got a point.”

  Robbie jumped up and made a beeline for Hope before Gabriel could stop him. He could only pray that the boy would do as he'd asked, not just keep the secret, but deliver the note without causing notice.

  He watched as Robbie stopped about ten feet away from Hope, then wandered over to his own wagon where he talked with his mother for a minute. She gave him something to eat and then he casually strolled over to Hope, carefully looking around first.

  If anyone was observing him, they might have noticed how hard he was trying not to be obvious, but no one seemed to be paying attention. When he started talking to Hope, Gabriel's heart nearly burst in his chest, so worried was he that someone would see. But then, Robbie pretended to hold her hand for a moment, and he saw the tiny piece of paper. The transfer was complete, and no one aside for Hope seemed the wiser. He saw her clutch the note and push it deep into her pocket, her expression unchanging.

  However, he saw her turn to the side slightly, glance quickly in his direction and smile slightly. He decided to take it as a positive sign and went back to his own wagon with a light heart.

  Claiming that she needed some privacy, Hope wandered off into the bushes after lunch. Heart pounding, she opened the scrap of paper that Robbie had pushed into her hand. The writing was a little smudged, possibly from the boy's sweat, or maybe from her own, but the words were still legible.

  The message was short, but very clear. Gabriel wasn't rejecting her as she'd thought. He misunderstood or perhaps didn't want to assume anything.

  She smiled to herself. Everything that had seemed wrong with the world disappeared, and the sun shone a little brighter.

  “What's on your mind?” her mother asked a little later as they began walking that afternoon. “You're a lot more cheerful than you were this morning.”

  She wanted to hide her feelings, but it was hard.

  �
�Nothing special. Just thinking about how nice it will be to set up house.”

  That was the truth, but she let her mother think she meant setting up a home with her family in Oregon. In fact, she was thinking about what it would be like to set up a house with Gabriel...somewhere. She knew she was getting ahead of herself, but she couldn’t help dreaming about the two of them leaving the wagon train in the middle of the night and heading to a different part of the country, perhaps Nevada, or maybe they would leave when the group reached Idaho and just travel north, away from her family and everyone else. It made sense. Neither of them was happy with the future that others had decided for them. They were perfect for each other.

  Sighing with satisfaction, she pressed her lips together tightly so as not to form too big of a smile at the thought.

  It was going to be wonderful.

  5

  It was hard not to keep looking at Hope, but Gabriel knew he had to try harder. If his brothers noticed, there would be no end of teasing. She'd forgiven him his earlier blunder and seemed very happy to spend time with him. He knew he shouldn’t start making plans, but he couldn't help thinking ahead. Would she come with him to California or would he go with her to Oregon? Of course it was too soon to ask, but they didn’t have much time to decide.

  There was only one more month before their paths were to supposed to separate, and he would lead up to the question eventually. For now, he tried to content himself with the knowledge that she cared for him.

  The talk of the day surrounded how they were going to cross the river up ahead. Originally, Captain Holt had planned to use the newly constructed Reshaw Bridge, but now he worried that the water would be too high given the recent rain. Never having used it before, Holt was skeptical about its security.

  The men had been discussing the possibility of emptying the wagons, tarring the crates, and floating everything across the river as people had done in times past.

  “It's worked more times than not,” Captain Holt informed them gravely. “But I never thought I'd have to do it again after the ferries and bridges came to be.”

  Gabriel listened intently to all the options and then voiced his opinion.

  “How about if we watch other wagons cross and then decide?” he suggested. “Then we'd know if it's safe or not, right?”

  The other men furrowed their brows a little at the idea. It was clear that most of them didn't care for the Morris brothers, believing them to be some kind of hedonists seeking gold and pleasure instead of carving out a path of hard work like the others would in Oregon. It didn't help that he was the youngest man present as well.

  But Captain Holt seemed to like his idea.

  “That seems reasonable,” he agreed. “I'm sure there'll be a number of wagons ahead of us. If they make it across, we'll go too. It's expensive, but I included the cost in the fee.”

  There was a slight grumble at that, but then Holt went onto explain.

  “I was going to refund it if I didn't like the look of the bridge, but I thought it was better to do it this way than try to get more money from you now.”

  A large beefy man who had expressed his disagreement over smaller issues in the past stepped forward.

  “How much did you charge us?” he demanded, his eyes flashing.

  Captain Holt wasn't the least bit intimidated. “Same as what Reshaw charges, eight dollars a wagon.”

  “What?” the man exclaimed, clearly outraged. “That's way too much! I want my money back right now! You never told us that before. I'll take my chances with the river.”

  The rest of them looked at the expanse of river that was over a thousand feet.

  “How are you going to do that?” Holt asked him, his expression bland. “It's going to take you all day just to unload your wagon and secure the items. Then you're going to have to lead your animals and float the wagon. Your wife and children will have to swim alongside it, and you can’t expect us to wait for you on the other side. You’ll have to join up with another wagon train.”

  “Harold?” a timid voice at his elbow said. “I can't swim, dear.”

  The man seemed to deflate at the soft words. After looking from his petite wife, whom he obviously adored, to the churning waters ahead, he blew out a long breath.

  “Fine,” he mumbled, all the fight gone out of him. “I already paid it, so I guess we'll do it this way.”

  Captain Holt secured their spot in line, which was behind more than fifty other wagons, so they had ample opportunity to watch the others go over. The water lapped at the bridge, but the structure didn't waver.

  “Looks secure,” Holt commented, looking at the others for confirmation. When he got it, he said, “Let's go.”

  One at a time, the wagons went over, slowly so as not to spook the horses. The rain had started up again, making the base of the bridge slippery, so they had to use extra caution. Gabriel started out by riding his horse over, but the creature was so spooked that he slid down and walked alongside, the Rileys’ wagon in front of him.

  He didn't like the way Hope was walking so close to the side. There was a railing built up, but she was so slight that the strong wind could whip her over the side.

  A flash overhead startled the horses that whinnied in fear. Gabriel knew what was coming. A loud rumbling noise started in the distance, but then increased in volume as the storm drew near. Preacher Riley's horse reared at the sound, causing Hope to jump back in surprise. Then, in the blink of an eye, she was over the edge.

  Without hesitation, Gabriel let go of his horse's reins and dove in, his eyes fixed on the place where Hope had fallen in. As he hit the water, he heard voices shouting from above, but all that faded away. When he surfaced, he scanned the water, looking for a sign of Hope, but he couldn't see anything.

  “Please, God,” he mumbled as the water slapped his face. “Please show me where she is.”

  Then a speck of dark blue, the color of Hope's dress, appeared about ten feet to his right. He propelled himself toward it with all his might and was rewarded to see that it was indeed her dress. Grabbing onto the cloth, he righted her and looped his arm under her chin, but she struggled and clawed at his arm.

  “Don't fight me,” he shouted in her ear. “I've got you.”

  He felt her body relax a little as he swam for shore. Thankfully, the destination was closer than the starting point, and he reached it within five minutes. He was also grateful that the water wasn't as cold as it looked, although it was cold enough to chill his bones.

  Upon reaching the bank, he shifted his arm under her ribs and hauled her onto the grass. She coughed and spluttered, choking on the water that had undoubtedly filled her lungs. He helped her to get on her fours and cough it up, pounding her on the back.

  It felt like hours before she took a deep breath, but in reality, it was only seconds.

  “Okay?” he asked, helping her into a sitting position.

  She nodded weakly and collapsed against him. Shivering, she instinctively sought his warmth and without thinking it through, he pulled her into a kind of half-embrace to give it to her. His mind was empty of everything except for gratitude that she was alive. The rest of the world faded away as he rubbed her arms in an effort to warm her.

  This was how her father found them.

  “Get off my daughter!” the man shouted. “What are you doing?”

  “Papa,” she said weakly. “He was...”

  “I know what he was doing!” he continued, his rage apparent. “Get up!”

  Horrified, Gabriel watched as she struggled to her feet and then collapsed. He started to help her, but her father came forward and hauled her to her feet.

  Finally, it became apparent that she was too weak to stand on her own and Preacher Riley scooped her up into his arms and strode away without so much as a word of thanks. Gabriel shook his head and breathed deeply, thanking God for rescuing them both.

  Hope couldn't stop shivering and crying. The rain that pelted them felt warm in comparison to the w
ater in the river, so she suspected she was shivering more from shock than from cold.

  “There, there, daughter,” her mother comforted as she helped her into the wagon and covered her with a blanket. “You're okay, now.”

  The tears refused to stop, even though Hope knew she was safe. Why was she still crying?

  “Father was so horrible to Gabriel,” she whispered. “Why did he yell at him like that? He saved my life.”

  Grace shook her head and frowned. “He was crazy with worry, daughter. He didn't realize what he was doing. All he saw was a man holding his precious daughter.”

  Unwittingly, Hope released a small snort. “So, all he cared about was how things looked. He didn't care that I was freezing and that Gabriel was keeping me warm.”

  Her mother seemed to be at a loss for words and just kept rubbing her back. A few minutes later, her father's face appeared at the rear of the wagon.

  “How is she?” he fairly growled, but before his wife could answer, he started in on Hope. “What were you thinking, daughter? How could you be so careless as to fall into the river? And then I find you in the arms of that...that...”

  “Hero,” Hope finished, her eyes steady. “If Gabriel hadn't jumped in to the water to save me, I'd be dead. You know I can't swim.”

  Her father blustered for a moment but went quiet when his wife laid a hand on his arm.

  “She's right, John,” she said quietly.

  It seemed as though he still wanted to argue, but then his shoulders sagged and his face fell.

  “When you fell over the side, my first thought was that I would never see you again,” he mumbled, stretching out his hand to cover hers, but Hope was still angry and pulled away. It was more defiance than she’d ever shown in her life.