Mail Order Lila

by Patricia Pacjac Carroll

  He sat back in his chair and thought about the delicious stews and biscuits and bread and the desserts she’d make for him. He could hardly wait for her to arrive.

  Zandy was a little nervous about the fact that she hadn’t really told him much about herself. He hoped she could cook. Although he figured most women could, he hadn’t asked. In fact, he’d asked very few questions. Mostly, he told her about himself.

  The moon rose over the newly plowed field and showered the earth with its silver light. Zandy hoped he could go to sleep and be refreshed when he went into town to pick her up. The thought that she wouldn’t like him had never crossed his mind until now.

  He paced his room and then finally sat down and prayed. “Lord, I ask Your blessings on this marriage. I want Mattie to be happy here. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

  Well, that wasn’t much of a prayer, but it was from his heart. He’d have to work on that. He’d be the head of his household now, and it was his responsibility to pray for his family. He intended to take that seriously.

  Finally, he went to bed and looked around his room and hoped this would be the last time he’d have to fall asleep alone.

  ***

  Lila handed the babies to Stubby first thing in the morning. He’d made more rice and said he’d feed them while she changed into Mattie’s clothes and read some of the letters. Too bad Stubby wasn’t younger, and she could leave the babies with him. He certainly knew how to take care of them.

  Zandy sounded like a wonderful man. She only hoped he hadn’t known Mattie and would accept her as the mother of the babies. Although none of the letters had mentioned the children.

  Stubby called to her. “Time to get on the stage, Miss.”

  She came out of the room, feeling like a stranger in Mattie’s nice clothes. Lila shrugged. “I guess I’m ready.”

  Stubby had a baby in each arm. “You look like a mother and sweet girl, Lila. I hope this works out for you. That man is getting a bargain.”

  Lila could only stare at him. She doubted very seriously that the man would think she was any kind of bargain.

  Stubby helped her onto the stage and handed her the babies. “Good luck, Lila.”

  She smiled at him. “Thanks, Stubby. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll come back for you.”

  He laughed and blushed. “You do that.”

  Funny, in all her life and moving around, she’d never met anyone like Stubby, who she’d instantly felt close to. She glanced at the babies. They were happily sitting on the floor, playing with a doll made of cloth. Stubby was a man of many talents.

  They’d been on the road for maybe an hour when Mark, the rancher who’d buried the woman, pointed at the babies. “They need changing.”

  Lila stared at him. “Changing into what?” She had to admit, someone was really stinking up the coach.

  Mark laughed. “You really don’t know anything about babies. What did you think Stubby was doing with them last night when you took a walk?”

  “He said he was giving them a bath. I guess I should have watched, but it’s only been a night. They couldn’t get that dirty in a night.”

  “Lady, Lila or Mattie, whoever you’re going to be, the babies need their nappies changed. All that food and milk Stubby fed them is probably coming out.”

  “Coming out? You mean, oh, I never thought about it.” She glanced at the children who looked all happy and innocent. “How do we do that?”

  “We? You’re their mother now.” He darted a look at her. “Oh, never mind. I’ll show you on one, and you do the other.”

  He hollered for the driver to stop. “We need to get to the trunk.”

  The driver jumped down and ran to the door. “What do you need?” Once he opened the door, he stepped back and held his nose. “I see. Sure. Come on out and get the nappies.”

  Lila was a little put out that everyone seemed to know about babies but her. Well, it was a good thing to learn now before she met her husband-to-be.

  Within a few minutes, Mark came back in and handed her a clean piece of cloth. “First, we clean them up, and then we put the new one on. I’ve had to that on my kids a few times. I have five.”

  “Oh, my. I’m sorry. I feel so inadequate. Maybe I should—”

  Mark smiled at her. “Relax. Everybody has to learn. You’ll do fine. I think you have a good heart. Mattie must have thought so.”

  “Oh, right. I was the only woman to come along.”

  “No, I saw her look at you when you walked in. It was relief that I saw on her face. I think she was hanging on waiting for you to come.”

  Lila smiled. “You think so? That makes me feel kind of honored.” She pulled off the girl’s dirty cloth and nearly gagged. “Oh, my. How can something so cute and lovable do this?”

  Mark had the boy already changed. “Just wipe her off and put the clean one on. I brought several clean ones to use. We’ll set these outside, so they don’t smell up the coach.”

  “Can’t we just throw them away?”

  Mark grinned. “I hate to tell you, but these little ones do this several times a day. So, by the time we reach Brazos City, you’ll be able to change them without thinking about it.”

  “That’s somehow not comforting. Oh, baby.” She tried to get the nappy to stay on until Mark came over to help her. In seconds, he had it securely on the wiggling baby.

  “Thank you.”

  He looked at her. “What are their names?”

  “I don’t know.” She grabbed the letters. “Here you go through these, and I’ll look at these. We can’t just call them boy and girl.”

  Mark flipped through his and took a few of hers. “She didn’t tell you?”

  “No. I didn’t even know they were there until I saw a little foot come from under the blanket.” Lila put down the last letter. “Well, what can we call them?”

  Mark went out to the back of the coach and went through the trunk again. Finally, he came out with a grin on his face. “I found it. A spoon with the name Griffin that must be the boy’s name. And this little spoon says, Grace.”

  “Oh, thank you.”

  The driver looked in. “All ready?” He smiled and waved at the babies.

  “Yes, we are. Thank you for stopping.” Lila grinned at him. One thing she saw was the babies tended to bring out the best in everyone.

  “Thank you for finding their names. Griff and Gracie. What sweet babies.” She picked up Gracie and held her. Then Griff started crying.

  Mark laughed and picked up the boy. “You’re going to have to master the art of picking up both of them.” He grinned at her. “Have you thought about letting the groom think you are Mattie?”

  Lila darted her gaze to him. “I couldn’t do that. He’d know right off that I’m no lady. I figure I can give him the kids, and then I’ll be on my way.”

  “Where, Lila? Where are you going to go?”

  “I was headed nowhere. So, I guess anywhere will do.” She hugged Gracie, who was babbling happily in her lap. “I hope Mr. Zanzibar Smith is a good man. I don’t want to leave these babies to just anyone.”

  Mark shook his head. “By those letters that I read, he doesn’t have a clue that the little ones are coming. I think it would be best if you include yourself with the children. He sounded like a nice enough man.”

  Lila shrugged. “I guess I could try. He wouldn’t be the first man I’ve lied to.”

  Mark lowered his gaze. “Why don’t you tell him the truth? You helped Mattie, and she gave you the children to take care of.”

  Lila was about to protest when she got a whiff from Gracie. “What did you do, little girl? They can’t go again that quickly, can they?”

  Mark laughed. “Yes, they can. Go ahead and clean her up and see if you can get the nappy on. It will be good practice so you can show Mr. Smith that you can take care of babies.”

  “Oh, good idea. I never dreamed I’d have children or a husband. I just wasn’t brought up that way.” She pulled out a clean cloth and und
id the pins holding Gracie’s beyond dirty diaper. Wishing she had something to cover her nose, Lila did her best to clean the baby, and then she attempted to get the clean one on.

  “There you go, fold it over and pin it.”

  Lila tried again and smiled as she accomplished the project. She just hoped Griffin held off for a while. “There. I might just make it by the time we get to Brazos City.”

  Mark grinned and laid a sleeping Griffin on the seat beside him. “This one is tired out. That little girl is cute as a button but looks to be the wild one.”

  Lila adjusted the bonnet the little girl wore only to have the child yank it off. Gracie looked at her and smiled.

  “I know so little about children.”

  Mark nodded. “That’s how we all are. You have to learn with the first one. But each child is different, so each one becomes a learning experience.”

  “I hope Zanzibar is a quick learner.” She glanced out the coach window. The land is pretty. Green and some trees. Do you live near Mr. Smith? Or even heard of him? I’d think a name like Zanzibar would stand out in a person’s mind.”

  “No, but by what his letters said, he’s north and west while I’m south and east. Still, we could ride out and visit. My Missus enjoys company. Our youngest son is about their age. I’d say a year and a half.”

  Lila frowned. “A real mother would know.”

  “You’re doing good with them, Lila. And you look pretty, too. Mr. Smith will be happy when he sees you.”

  If only. Lila didn’t say anymore and turned to pick up Gracie and rock her to sleep.

  Chapter 3

  Zandy did the chores and fed the stock before he rushed in and cleaned up. Today was the day. A quick trip to town, a stop at the pastor’s office, and he’d be home with his bride tonight. Just thinking about her gave him a tingling rush.

  “No more lonely nights or suppers alone.” He grinned at Flower. “I’m going to bring you someone home that will love and scratch your ears.”

  The dog wagged its tail as if she understood.

  He ran out and hitched up the horse to the wagon. Excitement made him move quickly until finally, an hour before he planned to leave, he was ready. He patted the big horse. Diamond was part mustang and somewhere in his breeding a draft of some sort. But he was gentle and impressive to look at.

  Climbing in the wagon, Zandy slapped the reins. “Let’s go, Diamond. I’ve got a bride to meet in town.”

  It was a sunny spring day. Perfect day to pick up a bride. He’d talked to Pastor Coates about the possibility of performing the marriage today. There wouldn’t be any people to watch, but he wasn’t sure how it would look to take a woman to his house without marrying her.

  But Zandy was flexible. If Mattie wanted to wait until they got to know one another, he’d sleep in the barn or get her a room at the hotel. Whichever one made her more comfortable. He wanted to please her in every way to let her know he wouldn’t take advantage of her.

  He wanted this marriage to be for love and keeps. Yes, it was a little odd to marry someone on the first day you meet them, but they’d written the letters. So, it wasn’t as if they were strangers.

  Finally, and after more than an hour of trying to figure out what he should say and do when he met her, he drove the wagon into town. Thinking she’d have a good amount of luggage, he drove to the stage depot and waited.

  The agent assured him that the stage had left on time and should be in around three. Zandy led the horse over to the trough and let him drink, and then brushed Diamond so that his dark chestnut coat shone, making a contrast with his almost white mane and tail.

  Zandy had bought a new jacket and trousers and shined up his boots. He was ready to meet his bride. He spent the next hour pacing the boardwalk. After he finally sat down, he heard the hooves of pounding horses, and the stage came around the corner.

  Smiling, Zandy stood and waited for the coach to stop. He pulled open the door and was handed a baby. A man stepped out and nodded to him. “You’re a lucky man, Zanzibar Smith.”

  Zandy didn’t know who the man was, but the baby started crying, and Zandy hugged the child to his chest. He looked in and saw a woman with another baby.

  She looked up at him and smiled. “Zanzibar, Zandy, Smith?”

  He nodded and took the other baby that she handed to him.

  “I’m Mattie, well, not really. I’m Lila.” She stepped down from the coach and smiled at him almost apologetically, and then took the baby from him. “This is Grace. You’re holding Griffin.”

  Zandy looked back inside the coach.

  “Is there somewhere cool we can go and sit down. I have a lot to tell you.” She pointed to the stage driver. “That’s my trunk. And that carpetbag, too.”

  “I was looking for Mattie Windom.”

  The woman nodded. “I know. I’m really hungry, and these little ones could use a drink of water and some food.”

  “Where’s Mattie?” Zandy was getting worried. Had she changed her mind? Yet her letters had sounded so sure.

  “Long story. Follow me. I see a café across the street.” She didn’t wait for him or to even see if he was following, and he had one of her babies. What kind of mother was she?

  Once inside the café, she found an empty table and set the little girl down on the floor. She nodded at a chair. “Get some chairs and make a corral for them. I found it works well. They can stretch their little legs and not get into trouble.”

  Zandy grabbed a couple of chairs and soon had a nice sized little area for the toddlers to roam around in.

  One of the waitresses came over and handed each of the children a cookie. “Is it all right if they have one?”

  The woman nodded. “Sure. If you have any rice, that would be good too.”

  “Right away.” The waitress smiled. “They are just adorable.”

  “Yes, they are.” The woman stared at him. “I suppose you’re wondering where Mattie Windom is?”

  “Yes, as a matter of fact, I am.” Zandy settled down in the chair opposite her.

  “I’m Lila Swanson. I almost lied and told you I was Mattie, but I just couldn’t. Not that I haven’t lied before or done things that the Good Lord would frown on if not toast me with a lightning bolt, but my name is Lila.”

  “You do fit her description.”

  “Yes, I noticed that too. But the truth is, I am Lila. And the other awful truth is Mattie died at the stage depot a ways back. I had just got in, and she saw me and smiled. I was excited to see another woman on the trip and sat beside her. She was sick. Very sick. So, I helped her to her room.” Lila got quiet and then gave him a serious look. “She made me promise to take care of them. And she died.”

  “Oh, I, she was my mail-order bride.”

  “I know. Me and Mark read all the letters that you and Mattie wrote to one another. She sounds like she would have made a wonderful wife and mother.”

  “Mother?”

  Lila swept her hand toward the toddlers. “Those are Mattie’s babies.”

  “Mattie’s? She never told me she had children.”

  “We wondered because we didn’t see any sign of it in the letters. But they were hers all right.”

  Zandy shook his head. “I agreed to marry her, but not to take her babies.”

  “Well, from where I’m sitting, it looks like they are yours now. They sure aren’t mine.”

  “You brought them with you.”

  “Only because I couldn’t just leave them in the shack with those men.”

  Lila looked around and then at him. “I can help you take care of them. I’m pretty good at putting their nappies on. Mark taught me.”

  “Nappies?”

  Lila grinned. “Yeah, you’ll find out soon enough. Do you have room for us?”

  “Us?”

  “Me and the babies. I don’t have anywhere to go, and I can help you out with the children.” She pulled on a lock of her red hair and smiled at him as if she’d just requested the most reaso
nable thing.

  “But they aren’t my babies.”

  “Well, they don’t belong to anyone. I grew up in an orphanage, and I know you don’t want to put them in one of those. Trust me on that. You’d never forgive yourself.”

  “Lady—”

  “Lila. Trust me. I’d say by rights, the babies are yours. We can ask a judge, but I’m willing to help if you give me room and board.”

  Mattie hadn’t mentioned the children once in her letters. They definitely weren’t his children. He’d just ordered a woman to be his wife. And that was if they got along and agreed on certain things.

  He was about to storm out when Pastor Coates entered the café. “There you are. I was wondering what you were going to do.” He smiled at Lila and the babies. “So, you got a package deal. Aren’t they cute?” He smiled at Zandy. “You make such a lovely family. Are you ready for me to perform the wedding ceremony?”

  Lila’s head went up. “Wedding?”

  The pastor nodded. “It is customary for mail-order brides to marry their grooms.”

  “Oh, well, I’m not a mail-order bride.”

  Zandy stared at her. “We could try it out.”

  Pastor Coates raised his hands. “Whoa, marriage isn’t a trial and error proposition. It’s a covenant between two people.” He grinned. “Maybe in this case four.”

  “What if she came home with me, and I stayed in the barn. If it worked out, then we would come to town so you could marry us proper.”

  Lila stared at him. “Wait a minute. I said I’d help you with your babies, but marriage, I’m not sure about that. You don’t even know me.”

  Zandy shrugged. “I see you. I think you’re pretty. You read our letters. You must think I’m acceptable. We could give it a try. Otherwise, I don’t know what to do with the children.”

  Lila stared at Griffin and Grace and couldn’t bear the thought of them being stuck in some orphanage. She glanced at Zandy. He’d be getting the raw end of the deal. Once he found out about her, she was sure that he’d kick her out.

  Yet for now, she had nowhere to go and no one to go to. “Why not. As I said, Mattie told me to watch out for the children.”