by Linda Bridey
After visiting the Brooks Agency, Tessa was on pins and needles as she waited for a response to the letter she’d written. Would the man she’d sent the letter to be interested? Should she have written something more or had she written too much? Doubts bombarded her but she did her best to hide her feelings.
She couldn’t afford for any of her family to suspect anything, so she went to her classes and worked hard at her writing and other studies. She also took home some books about Montana, where Mr. Samuels lived. It was wise to research the place where she might end up living.
Tessa hid the books away during the day and only brought them out late at night. She studied them closely and took notes. The more she read, the more excited she became. It was as far removed from the current life she led as could be. It would certainly be an adventure. She longed to hear a wolf howl and feel the cold winter winds and watch the cattle being driven.
The books also helped her understand the type of clothing she would need. She was sensible enough to know that high heels and ball gowns would have no place in somewhere like Montana. Now the problem would be to figure out how to start buying these things and where to store them.
Making the purchases wouldn’t be so hard, but there was no way to bring them home without being noticed. All three sisters liked to show each other new clothing and such that they bought. For Tessa to abruptly stop doing that would cause everyone to become curious about why she would suddenly be secretive about her shopping. That would put her plan in jeopardy.
She thought about places to stash her things until she needed them, but came up with only one place to do so. Her cousin, Edwina, was always pushing the envelope when it came to societal rules and Tess knew she would help her.
Edwina Bradbury was known for being a bit of a wild woman, but because she was the sole heir of her family’s vast fortune, everyone seemed to look the other way. With no parents left and no husband to whom to answer, Edwina enjoyed a freedom that few women of her social standing did. She had always been a sounding board for Tessa’s frustrations. Tessa loved her family but she felt like she was drowning.
Edwina understood how smothered Tessa felt in a world that was filled with the same thing day after day. She’d felt that way her whole life and so she was only too happy to help Tessa prepare for her journey, should it ever happen. Tessa left her fiery cousin a happy woman. Now if only a positive response came.
Two weeks later, Edwina contacted Tessa by note that a letter had come. Tessa left the house as quickly as possible, saying that she needed to go to the library. A short time later, she sat in Edwina’s ornate parlor. Tessa took the letter from Edwina. She was jittery as she opened it so she took a breath before beginning to read it.
Dear Theresa,
I was really surprised to get your letter. I didn’t think anyone would write to me because I have two children. It’s only a very special woman who would be willing to take on that. I’ll tell you about them. Sadie is just like her ma. She has golden brown hair and bright brown eyes. She turned eleven last fall. Jack is all boy and full of energy.
They’re both good children and I want the best for them. Our house is pretty big.
There’s a kitchen, parlor, four bedrooms, and a washroom upstairs. I keep it in shape along with the rest of the place. I’m not the richest man, but I keep our heads above water. My kids and my cattle are my life, but I’d sure like to share it with someone again.
Your letter was something else. I can tell that you’re a real lady and smart, too.
I’m wondering where you went to school and why a fine lady like you would want to come here. It’s pretty here, don’t get me wrong, but it’s a lot different than what you’re used to. The sky is so blue and on clear days, you can see across the valley. The sound of the cattle lowing and the horses nickering to each other is comforting.
You said you like to ride and we have plenty of good horses so that wouldn’t be a problem. Your schooling would be welcome because we don’t have a school close by here and the kids need to learn. Both are real bright and like learning new things.
I guess because you told me what you look like, and you sound very pretty, I should tell you about myself. I’ve been told I’m handsome. I have blond hair and blue eyes. Last I knew I stood six feet, two inches tall. I don’t know what I weigh, but I’m not fat at all. I work off most of what I eat. I have strong arms and a strong back and I provide well for my family.
That’s about it for now, but I hope I hear from you again soon. Let me know if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Dean Samuels
Tessa finished reading the letter and leaned back in her seat. The letter hung from her fingers and Edwina snatched it away and read it.
“Oh, my,” she said. “Tessa, you have a live one here. He sounds dreamy. A real man, not like some of the fops around here. Just think of how manly he must be from all that work. And blond hair and blue eyes? Cousin, if you don’t take him, I just might.”
Tessa looked into her cousin’s lively green eyes and laughed. “Hands off. Go get your own Montana man.” She took the letter back and stood. “He does sound wonderful, doesn’t he? And just imagine the trip. Why, I would have enough to write about for a lifetime with that alone!”
“See what the next few letters bring, but I wouldn’t wait too long to meet if all is satisfactory. You said other women write these men? Some other woman might beat you to it,” Edwina said. “Like me!”
“Stop your teasing, Eddie. You’re awful and wonderful. So you’ll help me?” Tessa asked.
“Oh, yes. And more than that, I’ll lend you the money for the trip. You’re going to need more than your allowance and there’s no way to access your dowry, of course. There’s no telling what you’ll come up against and it’s best to be prepared,” Edwina said.
Tessa was shocked. “You can’t do that! I won’t take your money.”
“You’re not taking, you’re borrowing, dear. Besides, I have money to burn and watching you live out your dream is a real pleasure for me. I’ll live vicariously through you. Accept the money or I won’t help you,” Edwina said. Her expression was serious.
“Blackmailer,” Tessa accused. “Very well. I accept.”
Edwina clapped her hands. “Wonderful! Now go home and write to your cowboy immediately so it reaches him as soon as possible.”
The letters began coming on a regular basis over the next two and a half months and Tessa was hooked. Dean’s description of Montana and their lives made Tessa want to go there all the more.
Marcus was having a blast playing matchmaker and enjoyed writing the letters. He felt that Dean would be a lucky man to get a woman like Tessa and was a little jealous. Dean didn’t say so, but he liked Tessa’s letters, especially the way she wrote about her sisters. They sounded like a lively bunch and Tessa’s vivid writing made him feel like he could almost see them.
He could tell she was a smart woman and sometimes, he had to get a dictionary to tell him what some of the words meant. When she asked questions about Sarah, Dean froze up and told Marcus to not go into detail about her or his grief. He felt that was his business alone.
Other than that, he mostly left writing the letters up to Marcus and rarely read them. It seemed like Marcus was doing a good job and that was good enough for Dean.
One day, during the middle of July, Marcus showed up, waving a letter. Dean smiled because he knew it was another one from Theresa. He’d actually come to look forward to them.
“You’re going to love this one,” Marcus informed him.
Dean took it and opened it.
Dear Dean,
I will come right to the point. I have enjoyed our correspondence immensely and it seems you have as well. I think that it’s time we meet and would like to make the trip forthwith. Please reply to let me know if this is acceptable to you and if so, I will make the final plans.
In your earlier missives, you have told me that the closest railway would stop in North Dako
ta and that I would come by coach from there. You warned that it would be a long journey, but I am willing to take that risk. I have the means to hire a first rate guide and have no fear of the journey, which I think will be well worth any effort.
Yours,
Theresa
By the time Dean finished reading the letter, panic had begun to set in. When it had started, he’d never expected it to go this far. Now, half a continent away, there was a woman who was ready to leave her life and come west to meet him.
“Breathe, Dean. It’ll be okay. Ain’t that something?” Marcus said. His delight brought Dean to anger.
“How do I explain this to the kids? Where is she going to stay? What am I supposed to do with her?” he said.
Marcus laughed at the fear and bewilderment on Dean’s face. “Well, I know it’s been a while, but it’s kind of like when you fall off a horse. You just get back on and it’ll all come back to you.”
Dean grabbed Marcus by his shirt collar. “It’s not funny, you idiot! I should have never done any of this. I shouldn’t have let you talk me into it!”
Marcus laughed all the more and Dean could have choked him.
“Dean! Knock it off! The fact is, you wanted to do it or you never would have said so,” he said and yanked his shirt out of Dean’s fist.
“I didn’t say so! I was joking! I didn’t know you’d take me seriously and put that ad in the paper,” Dean said.
Marcus nodded. “Yeah, but you told me to go ahead and send a letter back. You coulda just never answered, but you told me to write back.”
Dean stood very still as he recalled their conversation. “Shoot! You’re right.” Dean put a hand to his forehead. “What do I do now?”
Marcus crossed his arms over his chest and gave Dean a speculative look. “The question is; what do you want to do? I think you want to meet her but you’re scared to death. You never told me to stop writing her or tell her it was off.”
Dean was cursing his stupidity. He felt bad about not stopping the letters and now didn’t know what he wanted to do. “You’re right. It’s not your fault. Let me think about it today and I’ll let you know tomorrow.”
“Okay. That’s fine. Dean, the worst that can happen is that things don’t work out and she goes home,” Marcus said. “At least you would have given it a try.”
“I’ll think on it,” Dean said.
That night, Dean wrestled with the decision that lay ahead. Should he take a risk and have this woman come? What would he tell his children? He needed to talk to someone other than Marcus about this. He needed a woman’s point of view.
The next morning, Dean rode his stallion, Twister, over to the Benson’s place. At the sound of a horse’s hooves, Lydia Benson looked out from behind a sheet she was hanging on a wash line.
“There’s the woman I’m after,” he said with a smile as he climbed down off Twister.
Lydia chuckled. “Don’t let my husband hear that. He’s the jealous type.”
Her dark blonde hair was blowing in the breeze and her brown eyes smiling up at him. She looked at Dean closely. She’d known him and his brothers for ten years now and could tell when something was on the man’s mind. His furrowed brow and the look in his eyes gave him away. Dean had become a little brother to her and she wondered what was bothering him.
She’d loved Sarah and had grieved right along with Dean when she’d died. Lydia still felt guilty about not being able to save Sarah and their baby. It had been another boy.
“Can we talk?” Dean asked.
“Sure, hon. C’mon into the kitchen. I could use some coffee, how about you?” she said.
“I can always use a cup of your coffee, Lydia,” Dean answered and followed her into their house.
The kitchen was large, as was the table. It had to be with four children and a couple of ranch hands to feed. Meals were lively at the Benson’s and Dean and his kids had eaten many a meal with them. It had a homey feel to it and the surfaces of the wooden table and benches were worn to a smooth patina from so much use. Charlie had installed plenty of cupboards and bought Lydia a nice buffet to house all of their dishes and various cooking equipment.
“Sit,” Lydia said and set about getting their coffee. When it was ready, she poured it and sat down at the table with Dean. “What’s going on?”
“I’m not sure where to start. Seems I’ve got myself into a pickle,” Dean said. “Back in May, Marcus decided to put an advertisement in a paper back East for a mail-order bride. He thinks I need a wife and he said this was the perfect way to go.” The words started coming fast once he’d started. “I was joking when I said go ahead and put the ad in. Next thing I know, a letter comes and it’s from a woman. I read it and damned if I wasn’t interested. She’s educated and seems very nice and doesn’t mind that I have kids. She was really sorry to hear about Sarah and doesn’t want to try to take her place. We been writin’ back and forth and now she wants to come and meet us. I don’t know if I should or not. What do you think?”
Lydia was laughing softly. “Oh, that Marcus. I think he did a good thing. It sounds to me like you like her, or at least her letters. You know, a lot of men are beginning to work at getting’ wives that way. Nothing wrong with it. Do you think your heart is healed enough to entertain the idea of meeting another woman with the idea of proposing marriage?”
Dean felt his stomach drop at the idea. “I don’t know. I don’t know if I could ever go through that again. What if we get married and things are good and then she dies?”
Lydia laid a hand on his. “Dean, I know you’re scared, but what if she comes here and you get married and you die? You know as well as I that your work can be dangerous. You’re not the only one taking a risk.”
Dean looked at Lydia in surprise. He had been so busy thinking of his situation that he hadn’t considered what Theresa would face. She obviously had a lot of courage, maybe more than he did. She would be traveling a very long distance just to meet his family and him, without any guarantees. Shouldn’t he be just as willing to take that step and at least meet her?
Dean gulped down his coffee, then rose and kissed Lydia on the forehead. “You are the wisest person I know. Thanks.” He kissed her cheek and quickly left.
Lydia chuckled as she finished her coffee and went back to hanging her laundry.
Dean rode on to Marcus’ place. It was a slightly run down house with only four small rooms. Marcus kept it in fair repair, but wasn’t overly concerned with making it more attractive because he had no intentions of getting married. His one small barn housed two horses and a mule. An outside shed gave his five steer shelter during the winter months. A few chickens and a rooster roamed free on his land. Marcus didn’t have any need to keep a lot of animals, only what he needed to feed himself.
A small vegetable garden occupied an area off to the right of the house, where it had a nice combination of sun and shade from a large oak tree that stood sentinel along the edge of the patch. Roscoe, Marcus’ big mongrel, started barking and running toward Dean and Twister. His tail wagged furiously when he saw that one of his favorite people was there.
Marcus sat in a rocking chair on the porch that ran the length of the house. He was whittling on a piece of wood. It seemed like Marcus was always whittling something. He made beautiful pieces and many people in the area hired him to make specific things, which they liked to give as gifts and such.
He didn’t get up, just kept whittling as he called out, “C’mon and have a seat. What brings you?”
Dean leapt up onto Marcus’ porch and dropped down into the chair next to him. He rocked for a few moments in silence, scratching Roscoe’s ears and petting his head. Marcus started whistling, another one of his habits.
“Send the letter. Tell her to come ahead,” Dean said. He got up and jumped down the stairs. Dean gathered Twister’s reins and climbed aboard the stallion. He gave Twister a light kick and the stallion sprang forward and set out at a canter. Dean rode home fast, enjoying t
he speed of the big stallion under him. He had to leave right after his statement to Marcus or else he would have changed his mind. Dean knew Marcus well enough to know that he wouldn’t waste any time getting that letter written and sent off.
Chapter Five