His Unexpected Mail-Order Bride (Historical Sapphire Springs Book 1)

by Angie Campbell

  He had her on her feet, and wrapped in his arms, before she could finish her thought. His mouth crashed down on her lips without mercy. He didn’t know yet how he was going to make all this right, but he was determined now, that he would.

  At first, she kissed him back, just grateful she had cleaned her teeth and rinsed her mouth out, after throwing up earlier. It didn’t take long for reality to sit back in, though, and she pushed him away.

  “Please, don’t,” she whispered. “This all hurts enough, already.”

  She whimpered when he tried to pull her back into his arms, and he let her go. For the moment.

  “Sadie, I thought if I gave you children, you wouldn’t leave me. I never dreamed he’d tell you what I said. I only said it because I didn’t want anyone to know how I really feel.”

  “How do you really feel?” she asked, wrapping her arms around her waist and looking down at the floor.

  “I love you.”

  She snorted, giving him a glare. “Right? It sure doesn’t feel like you love me.”

  “I knew when I set eyes on you, I was in trouble. You drew me in immediately, but I was desperate not to love you,” he sighed. “You asked me once about my first wife.”

  “Yes, but you never would tell me what happened to her.”

  “She died,” he said, gently pushing her back down into her chair.

  “How?”

  “She fell from a horse she had no business trying to ride. She was running from me. We hadn’t been married twenty-four hours yet. She left a note that said she had never wanted to marry me.” He sighed. “That horse was every bit as big as Gray Wind, and she didn’t have the good sense you did to ride him astride. That’s probably why she couldn’t stay mounted when he got startled. She had been riding all of her life.”

  She gasped, looking back up at him. “That is why you were so upset about my taking off on Gray Wind.”

  “Upset?” he questioned, shaking his head. “I was terrified I wasn’t going to reach you in time.”

  She nodded her head, and swallowed, finally understanding something of her husband’s emotions. “Why hadn’t she wanted to marry you?”

  “Her mother left her father and went back east to live with her sister. When her father wouldn’t let her take Rachel with her, she made sure Rachel was absolutely terrified of the marriage bed.”

  “Oh, my,” she gasped. “That’s horrible.”

  He nodded his head, and continued. “She begged her father not to force her to marry me, but her pleas fell on death ears.”

  “But that was hardly your fault,” she said, furrowing her brows. “Or mine.”

  “I just very recently learned this part of the story. I always thought it was me she feared, or hated. Not all men. I feared you would eventually feel the same way, and want to leave me.”

  “Tobias, I love you. I do not fear you,” she said, placing her hand on his cheek, and looking him in the eyes. “All I have ever feared since arriving here, is you sending me back east.”

  “I love you, Sadie. I will never do that.”

  Chapter 14

  Tuesday, June 29

  A knock sounded at the door, bringing Sadie’s head up from where she was kneading bread dough. “Oh, bother. Thad, Wally, could one of you get the door, please? I’ve got bread dough all over my hands.”

  “Yeah,” she heard hollered down the hall, accompanied by what sounded like a herd of stampeding cattle.

  “I want to answer the door,” Wally hollered just before she heard something crash to the floor.

  “I’m older. I get to answer,” Thaddeus replied, rather loudly.

  “Boys,” she shouted in frustration. “Answer the door. Please, don’t fight.”

  “Hello, ma’am. I’m Thaddeus.” She sighed in relief. At least they were being polite to whoever was at the door. “I’m one of Tobias’ younger brothers. This is Wally. He’s our youngest brother.”

  “Well, it’s nice to meet you both,” she heard in greeting, coming from a very familiar voice. “Is Sadie home?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” they answered together. “She’s in the kitchen. Right this way,” Thaddeus continued.

  Sadie had already turned to stare at the doorway to the front room by the time their visitor had made it there. “Momma?”

  “Yes, Baby.”

  “How did you get here?” she asked with wonder.

  “Your husband sent for me,” she answered, walking over to hug her daughter.

  “He’s not sending me back with you, is he?” She had finally started to relax, believing she had found her place. Now, she was starting to feel uncertain again. What if he had changed his mind, and decided he didn’t love her after all? She didn’t think she could survive that.

  “No, no, no,” Wally and Thad started in together. “Your momma’s moving here with us,” Thad said with a grin. “Tobias didn’t want to leave her in New York all by herself, with no family, and with very uncertain living conditions.”

  “Since you are her only living family, and you are married to Tobias, that makes her our family,” Wally continued. “Tobias decided she needed to be here with all of us.”

  “Your husband sent money and a train ticket for me about a month ago,” her mother grinned, but shook her head. “He contacted Mrs. McBride and had her find me. I didn’t realize you didn’t know.”

  “Well, at first he didn’t want her to know, because he didn’t want her to get her hopes up. He didn’t know how long it would take Mrs. McBride to find you, or how she would…,” Thad paused in his explanation. “Well, how she would find you when she did,” he finally finished.

  “Then after he found you, he decided he wanted to surprise her,” Wally shouted out of excitement. “We’ve been bursting at the seams, wanting to tell you,” he added, turning a very bright smile in his sister-in-law’s direction.

  “Yeah, the little cabin we’ve all been working on is for your momma,” Thad said, beaming with pride. “It’s so she has a place of her own, but she’ll always be close by, so we can all help take care of her, as well.”

  “Oh, my. This is so wonderful,” Sadie said, wiping the tears from her eyes. “I was so worried about you.”

  “You don’t have to worry any more. I’m right here.”

  “I’ve missed you so much. And now you’re going to be here when the baby comes.”

  “Baby? You’re already pregnant?”

  “Yes, Momma. I’m not showing yet, but it won’t be long.”

  *******

  “So, how many brothers did you say there were?” Mrs. Johnson asked as she watched two large men walk in the kitchen, ask Sadie how long till supper, then walk on through.

  Sadie smiled, understanding what her mother really wanted to know. “There are seven of them, including Tobias, who is the oldest. That was Zachariah and Josiah.”

  “My, but they are large,” she said, putting a hand over her chest. “Is your husband that big?”

  “Well, almost,” she grinned. “He’s certainly not small. Zachariah is one of the largest. Cade is actually bigger. However, we’re not sure Zach is done growing. He is only twenty, and Cade is only a little bigger than him.”

  “Have I sent you to live with a bunch of giants?”

  “Maybe,” she chuckled. “But I assure you, they are all very gentle giants.”

  “Well, how big is your husband, anyway?” she asked, shaking her head.

  “I’m about six feet three inches tall, according to my tailor,” a deep voice sounded from the door to outback. In her surprise over the size of the brothers, she had missed it opening. “Thad and Wally told me you had arrived safely, Ma’am. I’m Tobias Townsend. Your daughter’s husband,” he said, walking over to offer a hand in greeting.

  When she started to rise, he shook his head. “No, don’t get up. I’m sure you are tired after all your traveling.”

  “Well,” she hesitated. “I was wanting to give you a hug for saving, first my daughter, and now myse
lf. And when I got here, she told me she is already expecting my first grandchild. You are responsible for all my current happiness.”

  He smiled. “You can certainly have a hug, but if you hadn’t sent your daughter out here, I wouldn’t be as happy as I am, either.” This time when she started to rise, he reached out, hugging her close. “These days, I have a lot of people to thank for my current happiness,” he said, looking over at Thaddeus.

  He let go of his mother-in-law, and walked over to wrap his arms around his wife. “Hello, Beautiful. How are you feeling today?”

  “I’m feeling wonderful. Since Thad has taken over cooking breakfast, and I can go at a slower pace in the morning, I’m not having as much trouble with the morning sickness.”

  “Good. I didn’t like seeing you so pale and tired,” he replied, kissing her on top of the head. “Do you need help with supper? I can come back and help you, once I’ve cleaned up a little bit.”

  Mrs. Johnson stepped forward, smiling at the couple. “You go on, and get cleaned up for supper. I’ll help her finish with the cooking.”

  “I couldn’t ask that of you, Ma’am,” Tobias started.

  “Sure, you could. And call me mom, please. Not ma’am.”

  “Okay… Mom. But you’ve got to be tired after traveling from New York.”

  “Yes,” she nodded. “But I’ll survive a while longer. Besides, it’ll give me a few more minutes with Sadie, before we all sit down for supper.”

  “Well, if you’re sure,” he said, giving Sadie a quick kiss on the mouth, before leaving the kitchen.

  “I see you two have already grown to love each other.”

  “Yes,” Sadie agreed with a serene smile. “We had a rocky start, but we’ve come a long way.”

  “I can see that. He loves you very much. He looks at you the way your father used to look at me.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes,” her mother nodded. “I prayed, when I sent you out here, you would find love, but the most I really hoped for was that he would treat you well. I can see now, I have nothing to worry about.”

  Epilogue

  Friday, December 29, 1876

  Sadie stood at the counter, working on the bread dough, humming a Christmas song to herself when she heard the backdoor open. She turned and smiled as Tobias shook the snow off his cowboy hat, and stomped if off his boots before coming on inside, tryng to make sure most of the snow landed outside on the porch, before looking up to smile back at her. Once he was happy most of the snow was off, he came in, hanging his hat on a nail as he headed toward her.

  “Hello, Beautiful. Something smells amazing.”

  “It’s just beef stew. I figured as cold as it was out there, you all would need something hot and filling to warm up with.”

  “Stew sounds wonderful,” he replied, taking his coat off to hang over the back of a chair.

  “Tobias,” she said, turning to fully face him, giving him a bright smile.

  “What, Beautiful?” he asked, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close.

  She snuggled against his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist. “I have a surprise for you.”

  “What’s that?” he asked, leaning down to kiss her on top of her head.

  “You’ll have to wait till supper time.”

  “Wait till supper time? Why?” he asked, sounding more curious than before.

  “I want to tell everyone at once.”

  “Oh,” he said, leaning in to kiss her on the mouth. It took him several seconds before he was ready to raise his head. “Is your mother coming over for supper?”

  “Yes,” she said, raising up on the tip of her toes to kiss him again. When their lips made contact this time, he groaned, picking her up to let her feet dangle several inches above the floor, and held her tight.

  He heard someone clear their throat, and seriously thought about ignoring them. When they cleared their throat again, he sat her down on the floor, but didn’t let go of her. He turned, his eyes on the man standing in the doorway, and glared. “What?”

  “I just thought maybe you should wait till bedtime to continue,” Cade grinned. “The rest of us would like to eat supper before it burns.”

  “Yes, I need to finish with the bread,” she said, trying to hide her blush as she turned back to the counter.

  “Sorry, Sadie. I didn’t mean to embarrass you,” Cade smiled. “How much longer till supper is ready?”

  “I just have to get these rolls baked. It won’t be much longer. Everyone should get cleaned up.”

  *******

  Sadie waited till everyone had taken their seats and they gave thanks for the meal set before them, before she brought up the surprise she had mentioned to Tobias earlier. Just as she was getting ready to speak, little Nathan threw his spoon and chanted, “Da, Da, Da, Da, Da.”

  Tobias looked over at his little son, and grinned. “Did he say dad?”

  Sadie chuckled, and nodded her head. “He’s been saying it all day. He looked so surprised when he said it the first time, it was just adorable. I wish you had been here. That’s why I did not want to say anything before he said it where you could actually hear him. I wanted it to be a surprise.”

  Tobias looked back over at his little son, and smiled, running his hand over the little boy’s soft hair. “Your first word, little man. Daddy’s really proud of you.”

  “Yeah,” Thaddeus chuckled. “Sadie’s been trying to get him to say mom ever since.”

  “Is that the surprise you were talking about earlier?”

  She shook her head, “No, there’s something else I need to tell you. It just so happens you get two surprises today.”

  He gave her a huge smile. “Well, what’s the other surprise?”

  “We’re having another baby.”

  “Another baby?” he asked, sounding awed.

  “Yes,” she smiled, nodding her head, tears of happiness welling in her eyes when she noticed how happy her husband looked. She thought about how they had started out, and glanced over at her brother-in-law. If it hadn’t been for a certain stubborn teenage boy, she wouldn’t be here. She wouldn’t have everything she could have hoped for. Love and a wonderful family to share it with. For that one reason alone, Thaddeus would always be her favorite of the brothers. After Tobias, of course.

  Tobias stood, pulling his wife from her chair. He pulled her close, hugging her tight. When he felt her giggle, he pulled back to look her in the eyes. “What?” he asked, smiling down at her.

  “I guess getting married on Saint Patrick’s Day proved to be lucky, after all.”

  “No, it’s not luck, Sweetheart,” he said with a shake of his head. “We’re blessed.” He kissed her on the forehead and pulled her against his chest once again. “I thank God your mom sent you out here to me, not the luck of the Irish.”

  She nodded her head, squeezing him tight. “Yeah, me too.”

  Keep reading for a preview of the next book in the Townsends series. Thank you! Happy reading!

  Excerpt from Married in Vegas:

  Prologue

  Saturday, July 4, 2009

  Jenny had her back to the door when she heard it open. It didn’t matter. The second he stepped in the room, she knew without looking who it was. It was the most peculiar feeling. And she had never been able to get used to it. But ever since she was about twelve, when Mark walked in the room, if she had her back turned to him, she could feel it was him. His very presence would always send chills running up her spine. She still, to this day, didn’t understand what those chills were trying to tell her. She had no idea they were both about to find out.

  Her parents were having their annual fourth of July party, and everyone else was still outside eating. She had gotten tired of the heat from the summer sun, and decide she wanted to find something to watch. She was still looking for a movie when Mark stepped up behind her. He was close enough, she could feel his body heat coming off of him.

  She shivered a little and did her
best not to turn and run from the room. The nervous butterflies in the pit of her stomach was something new to go with the butterflies. “So, Mark, do you want to watch a movie with me?”

  “Sure,” he answered, humor in his voice. “But can you answer a question? I’ve wanted to ask for a while now.”

  She done her best not to give into the need to swallow nervously. “Okay. What do you want to know?”

  “How do you always know it’s me? You never have to turn and look. It’s almost a little freaky how you do that.”

  “Thanks,” she snorted. “A little freaky is putting it nicely.” She could tell he was struggling not to laugh, and it made her more nervous. She ended up just saying the first thing that popped into her head. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s your size.”

  That just caused him to struggle harder not to laugh. He shook his head, a smile breaking out across his face despite his best efforts. “You’ve been doing this for a long time. The first time I noticed, I wasn’t more than fourteen or fifteen. I know I was big for my age, but I’ve not always been this big. There’s got to be more to it than that.”

  “I really don’t know what it is. But I...,” she shook her head unable to continue. “I don’t think I should tell you.” The more she thought about telling him, the more nervous she got.

  “Oh, come on. It can’t be that bad. Tell me.” Her reluctance to tell him was making him more curious, causing him to take a step closer. It surprised him when he heard her breath catch, and he didn’t understand why, but he had to fight the urge to step closer. He shook his head, his smile turning to a frown.

  He managed to force himself to take a step back and give her more room. He was used to people being put off by his enormous size, but he had never noticed her reacting that way before. For some reason, that he didn’t understand, that really bothered him.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize my size bothered you,” Mark said, sounding hurt.

  Jenny could hear the pain in his voice, and she just turned around and stared at him for a few seconds, wondering if he had lost his mind. “It doesn’t. Why would you think that?”