A Bride for Ransom

by Wendy May Andrews

  The last item in the pile was an envelope with her name on it. Her heart quickened slightly at the sight of his distinct scrawl, which was a stupid reaction. She couldn’t possibly be attracted to the man after he abandoned her so completely and so quickly. Ignoring the ridiculous sensation, Hannah opened the envelope, almost afraid of what it might contain.

  Dear Hannah,

  I hope you found this before too long after I left. I’m sorry to have left you so abruptly. You must think me the worst sort of cad. And I deserve that, to be sure. But please trust that it was important or I wouldn’t have done it.

  Hannah almost snorted. Yes, she thought he was a cad. While on the train, she had foolishly thought it would be good to not have an adult around to witness her learning, now that it came to it, she hadn’t expected to be abandoned the first day. She shoved the useless thought from her mind and continued to read.

  I know I don’t even have to ask that you be kind to Francine despite your anger toward me. I deserve it. She deserves better than she has gotten from life. I believe she will get that from you.

  In this pile is the paperwork for my bank account in town. Everything that is in it is at your disposal. Please use it however you see fit. Even if that is to pack up the three children and head back East. I would prefer if you don’t, but I will understand if you feel the need. I know you aren’t used to it here on the frontier and it might not be to your liking. I would appreciate it if you would send me your direction if you will not be here when I return.

  I will be in touch.

  Sincerely,

  Ransom

  The rat! Of course, he doesn’t have to ask that I be kind to Francine. She is a darling child, and he is completely accurate in saying she doesn’t deserve what she has been dealt with a rat for an uncle and being orphaned besides.

  Head back East? As if she could. A part of her would love to return to the familiar, especially now with the added responsibility of a third child. And an entire farm, she added to the growing list. But that wasn’t an option. She had to keep the children from her Uncle Jason’s clutches. Of course, with whatever money Ransom had left them and her own, she could take the children to a different city. They had passed a few on their way here. But Uncle Jason would expect that. He would never think to look for them on a farm. So, she would have to figure it out. And surely, she was capable. How hard could it be?

  ***

  “Isn’t Uncle Ransom coming in for lunch? Did you forget to ring the bell?”

  Hannah froze and almost dropped the plate she had been washing. It was too soon; she didn’t feel ready to face the children’s questions. She wasn’t over her fury but didn’t want to pass it on.

  Taking her time turning around, Hannah coughed to clear the lump from her throat.

  “Uncle Ransom has some business he has to look after in Oregon. He’s going to be away for a little while.”

  Brent and Maryanne barely looked up from the toast they were finishing, not bothered by the desertion of a man they had just met, but Francine’s wide eyes filled with tears.

  “But he didn’t say goodbye.”

  “I know, sweetie, but he asked me to tell you goodbye for him. He had to hurry to catch the train.”

  “But why didn’t he say goodbye to me himself? It wouldn’t have taken very long. Doesn’t he know he should say goodbye?” Francine’s tears spilled over, making Hannah’s fury toward her husband deepen. But she had to comfort the child. Carefully placing the plate on the counter, despite her desire to throw it, Hannah crouched down to be on eyelevel with the little girl.

  “The thing is, Francine, sometimes adults don’t like to deal with their feelings. I think Uncle Ransom would have been too sad to say goodbye to you, so he decided not to.”

  “That wasn’t very nice.” Francine’s voice was muffled as she shoved her face into Hannah’s shoulder.

  “No, it wasn’t,” Hannah agreed. “When he comes back, you can tell him not to do it again.” When the little girl continued to cry, Hannah had to think quickly. “Maybe we’ll make it a rule for this family. No one is allowed to leave the property without saying goodbye. Do you think that would be a good idea?”

  The little girl lifted her tearstained face and nodded vigorously.

  “Very well. It’s a rule. I promise I will never leave without saying goodbye.”

  “I promise, too.”

  “Very well,” Hannah said with a smile and another hug for the child. “Now go wash your face and then all three of you can go back to playing whatever you were doing before lunch.”

  The little girl seemed mollified and hurried away to do as she was bid. Hannah looked at her brother and sister. Brent still seemed undisturbed, but Maryanne was watching her with worry written on her face.

  “Are you sad that he left?”

  How do I answer that question, Hannah wondered. “The four of us are going to be just fine together,” she said out loud.

  It didn’t really answer Maryanne’s question, but it seemed to satisfy her. All three children ran outside as soon as Francine hurried back into the room.

  Hannah watched them leave wishing she could be as carefree and innocent as they were.

  ***

  A few days passed during which she discovered just how very hard it could be to look after three children and a farm. Oh, not the farm work itself. Thankfully, Scott had stayed on and did the bulk of the heavy stuff with that. Even the milking. She had tried her hand at it and almost got kicked by the poor cow who hadn’t appreciated her clumsy efforts.

  Once Hannah had figured out how to collect the eggs from the chickens, she had shown Francine and Maryanne how to do it, and the two girls happily took over that task each morning. Brent had been a little harder to set to work, but he soon started following Scott around, helping him with various chores. When Scott suggested that Brent learn about the garden, there had been no resistance, although he had rejected the idea when it had come from Hannah. Maryanne was enthusiastically sharing with him things she had learned from the large tome she had read on the train.

  Hannah didn’t hold a grudge. Whatever it took to get the boy involved. She was just glad he was helping out, since she couldn’t do it all herself. Just preparing meals was a big chore. She had forgotten that when she had worked in the kitchen at home, there had been an entire staff to assist. She had only had to do one aspect, like chopping, or one dish, like baking a dessert. Here, she was the only one. She had to chop, stir, measure, monitor.

  She grimaced as she remembered when she had forgotten that last part. Monitoring the progress of the meal was important. Hannah was sitting at Ransom’s desk trying to compose a letter to him. She was debating what tone she should take. Should she tell him about her triumphs and failures? Should she tell him anything? Should she even be writing to him? She was living in his house. And even though he didn’t know it, he was still providing a refuge for her and her siblings. For that she had to be grateful. And it only felt fair to keep him apprised of Francine’s progress. Now that more than a week had passed, so too had the majority of her fury. She felt ready to write a civilized letter.

  Dear Ransom,

  We are well. I have to tell you, I’m still rather angry with you, but I have come to the conclusion that it isn’t really fair of me to remain resentful. Fred did tell me you needed a wife to care for Francine while you went further west. It isn’t really your fault I didn’t understand it was to be immediately. The children don’t seem to note your absence. Francine was upset that you didn’t say goodbye, so there is now a household rule that no one is allowed to leave the property without saying goodbye to the other family members. Just so you know for next time.

  I didn’t burn down the house yet. I didn’t even try to do so intentionally, but I thought I had done it by accident. It turns out you really can fill this entire house with smoke despite its size. Your room escaped unscathed as the door is kept shut, but every other room in the house needed to be completely air
ed out after I forgot about the cookies I was baking and went out to check on the garden.

  I wish I could ask you why you planted such a large garden. We are not enjoying the upkeep. To our advantage, we didn’t know which things were weeds and which were plants, so the garden isn’t as large as you had intended. Perhaps you knew that would happen and planted so much as a form of insurance. Surprisingly, Brent has actually taken a liking to the garden. With their little hands, the children are quite good at weeding. I ask them each to do a little bit each day so we can keep ahead of the task.

  You might not have realized this about us or maybe I told you when you were taking your leave, I don’t remember that brief period so well, but we had servants in Boston. I didn’t realize how very much they did for us. It is an adjustment learning how to do everything for ourselves. Brent and Maryanne objected quite vocally at first, as you can imagine, but are slowly accepting the new order of things. It might help if I explained to them why we have to be here. But I don’t want to burden them with that. Anyway, I’ve thought about hiring help around the house, but I don’t want to draw attention to us and I’m sure the neighbors would gossip about the new wife who can’t even keep house on her own. And it will surely do us all good to learn how to do things.

  The good news is, the children are really looking forward to the start of school. They expect that their chores will disappear when they are occupied with school. I haven’t explained to them yet that it isn’t likely. Of course, I will have to lessen their chores, but I won’t be able to manage everything by myself. And how fair would it be if I did, anyway? Surely, I shouldn’t have to do it all.

  Anyhow, this probably has the air of complaint. I’m sorry for that. It wasn’t my intention. I just wanted to let you know that we are surviving. I haven’t poisoned anyone with my attempts at cooking and none of the children have yet run away from sheer terror. And I haven’t yet had to use the gun, although I am getting faster at loading the stupid thing and my aim is also improving. Brent, of course, is much better than I am. We’re going to need more ammunition soon.

  I don’t really know what is involved with a claim, so I can’t even make an appropriate comment but I hope your business is progressing successfully.

  Sincerely,

  Hannah

  She wasn’t completely satisfied with the letter but she wasn’t going to rewrite it. She hated wasting paper. The cost of it had come as a shock. With a smile, Hannah thought about how far her view of finances had changed in the short time she had been on the frontier. Since she didn’t want to contact the lawyers for money until she was desperate, she had to hoard the funds she had brought with her. Hannah hadn’t yet felt comfortable enough to go to the bank in order to inquire into the extent of Ransom’s account. And since she had only met him for one day, even though she had the license to prove their marriage, she didn’t truly feel like his wife, so spending his money was a strange thought anyway. So, they would make do with what they had for as long as possible. Which meant no more wasting of paper.

  Chapter Eight

  Ransom reread the letter for the fourth time, enjoying it more each time. He could almost hear Hannah saying it as he read. He could feel his smile stretching his face. It was his first time to smile since he had left ten days ago. He was exhausted from the heavy work but relieved to have found everything intact. It seemed no one had discovered his mine, so his claim was still safe. He would have to set up security and hire help before he returned to Nebraska the next time.

  Ransom looked around for some paper on which he could write a reply. His rough cabin was not very well supplied. Not that he really knew what to say to her. He wasn’t ready to tell her why he was in Oregon. Ransom couldn’t even explain to himself why he was reluctant to tell her, so he certainly wouldn’t be able to explain it to her. But since she had written to him, he ought to write something in return.

  Dear Hannah:

  I’m thrilled to hear the house is still standing (or at least that it was at the time of your letter writing). I am well. I reached Oregon without incident. It didn’t even take three full days. The speed of modern technology is amazing!

  I think you would have enjoyed the scenery along the way. I noticed while we were driving from the train station that you had seemed fascinated with the changing scenery. Of course, you might’ve just been watching the scenery to avoid looking at me, but you had seemed to enjoy it. Between Nebraska and Oregon there are a several changes. The train passes through the Rocky Mountains, which are breathtaking in their grandeur. I hope you will get to see them one day. And the children, too, of course.

  Have you continued to manage all right with the children? I trust they aren’t giving you too much trouble. Francine, I’m sure, is happy to follow your lead. Your sister, too, seemed a meek child, but I doubt if your brother is willing to follow your direction without comment. Boys of his age can be a challenge. I know I was when I was twelve. The antics my brother and I got up to would curl your hair. I hadn’t really thought of that when I left. Did you tell them yet that their chores will continue even after they start school? I’m not sorry I’m going to miss that scene.

  My work here is progressing, but I won’t be able to leave as quickly as I had hoped. I do sincerely hope to return before winter, though. I don’t want to be stuck in Oregon through the deepest cold. This is a beautiful, rugged state. I find myself wondering what you would think of it. Which is foolish, really, considering I don’t even know what you think of Nebraska. I’m sure it’s going to change swiftly now that the train comes all the way here. I hope you’ll get to see it while it is still wild and free.

  Take care of yourself,

  Ransom

  He reread it before sealing the letter. He wasn’t quite satisfied with it, but he wasn’t sure what else he could say. He wanted to reassure her that he was returning and tell her how glad he was that she hadn’t returned East at the first sign of trouble. On his second read through he realized he hadn’t even mentioned that. He added a postscript.

  Thank you for taking care of our home in my absence.

  That would have to do, he thought with a mental shrug. It’s not like he could send her hothouse flowers through the post. The best he could do is let her know he appreciated her efforts. And that he would be returning home as soon as possible.

  Ransom scratched his head in thought. He had never in his life been eager to return home, even though he enjoyed Nebraska and was proud of the house he had built. He supposed it was the fact that it had always been empty until now so it held far less appeal to return. Now, knowing he had a beautiful wife and the three youngsters there waiting for him, he was thinking of returning. Before, his home had been nothing more than where he went when he didn’t have somewhere else to be. Ransom wasn’t comfortable with the tug he felt toward home now, so he shoved the thoughts away and got to his feet to head back to his claim.

  ***

  Hannah blew her hair out of her face for what felt like the three hundredth time that day. She was trying to wash the laundry. Her hands had already shriveled up and were starting to hurt. She suspected she had put too much soap into the wash water. That would account for the burn of her skin and the difficulty she was having in rinsing the garments. She should’ve asked for instructions when she purchased the soap at the mercantile, but she hadn’t wanted to embarrass herself or Ransom by admitting her ignorance to the shopkeeper. Which was ridiculous. Ransom wasn’t even in the same state as her. How would he even hear about her ignorance, let alone be embarrassed by it? And really, she oughtn’t be embarrassed to ask a question. How else would she know if not to ask? Well, she could learn the hard way as she was doing now, she thought with a snort as she yet again blew her hair away from her face.

  The hot water she was using for the laundry had frizzled her hair and her vigorous scrubbing had encouraged it to slip from the braid she had twisted it into that morning. Hannah thought longingly of the maids she had left behind in Boston. They
would know how to do the laundry with the least amount of fuss. And they would get it done without flooding the floor and themselves with the hot, soapy water, as well. Hannah sighed. There had to be a first time for everything.

  She had put off the dreaded task as long as she could, but the children, and she, herself, were running out of clean things and she couldn’t allow them to think it was all right to wear dirty clothing. They might be in the middle of nowhere Nebraska, but she couldn’t allow them to lose their civilization. Brent especially. He, even more than the girls, would love to turn into a mountain man. But she needed to prepare him to return East. She had every intention of sending him back to attend university, and he would have to be prepared to take over their father’s business interests when he was older. He couldn’t do that if he became an uncivilized ruffian.

  Scrubbing harder, she thought that maybe he could be a ruffian just for the rest of the school break. She shook the traitorous thought from her head with an impatient rattle. She was not willing to live with the stink. The laundry needed to be finished now that she had started it.

  Dumping the water out the back door, Hannah was pleased that very little of it ended up on her this time and almost all of it made its way outside. She refilled the tub, marveling once more that there was running water in her kitchen. She hadn’t realized that was a luxury until Scott had explained it to her. There was a spring in the hills behind the house so gravity fed the pressure in the pipes Ransom had laid for his lovely house. If not for that, she would have had to pump the water from the well he had shown her before starting the task of laundry.

  Technology certainly sped things up, she admired, shuddering to imagine how much more onerous the task would have been. Of course, she could have asked Brent or Scott to help with hauling the water, but Scott, especially, had enough to do without her adding to it. No, this was much better. Well, she admonished herself, let’s not get carried away. It’s still a dreadful chore, but at least she was saved from carrying the water further than necessary. She still had to dump it each time. And she still had to somehow get all this soap rinsed out of the clothes. And then she had to lug the wet clothes out to the line. She thought longingly of her bed. A nap would be wonderful right about now.