A Mail Order Bride for the Fur Trader: Joy & Henry (Love by Mail 3)

by Christina Ward

  Another set of footsteps, clearly audible this time came from the other side of the make shift camp. The hunter walked through the shrubs too busy adjusting his pants to pay attention to his surroundings.

  Another branch cracked behind Henry and he shivered. Something told him it was not a fox sneaking up on them. But he had no time to ponder that matter or even act.

  Bang!

  “Y’all pay for Dan!” A voice shouted behind the nearest tree.

  Jim grabbed his shoulder, his shirt quickly stained with blood. Still he did not hesitate and reached for his gun immediately and shot back at the attacker.

  Henry rolled to the side taking cover behind the stack of saddles and bags. He aimed and shot while he dragged the half-awake sheriff to safety with his free arm.

  Bang! Someone tried to shoot him, but missed. Bang! The hunter took another shot. They were like sitting ducks next to the embers. He threw his jacket over the campfire and jumped right next to the tree. He grabbed the dark figure. The man gasped surprised by the sudden attack. Just like when he fought with the bear, he struck first, since the opponent was expecting he would run.

  Chapter 7

  Joy rolled over to the other side of the bed. She woke up early and stared at the ceiling. When will Henry be back? Maybe she pushed too hard and he ran off after helping out the sheriff. Four days had passed and there was no word about the party. The deadline she had set was almost up. Would she just receive a polite letter declining her marriage proposal?

  The barking of dogs echoed nearby and Joy turned her head to the sun beginning to rise outside. She shuddered. Maybe he didn’t run away, maybe something bad happened. She dared not think of that. Instead she muttered a low prayer.

  Joy wondered what she would do that day. She wouldn’t open the store on a Sunday and the mass wasn’t till later. Maybe she could help Claire around the house? Repay her for all the kindness.

  She dressed up quick and with the fan in her hand she went downstairs. Chuckling to herself on the way. Oh, how just a few days with these women had changed her. Excited about work? Virginia would be horrified.

  “Claire?” she looked around the empty kitchen.

  “Here Joy,” her host called from the garden.

  She joined Claire outside and asked, “Can I help in any way?”

  “Oh, actually, you can,” Claire said lifting a measly looking carrot. “That won’t be enough for dinner. Be a dear and see if Hannah has some to spare.”

  “No problem.”

  Excited she had something to do, Joy grabbed a wicker basket from the hallway and marched to the farm on the other side of town. Hannah wasn’t there, but her husband sent Joy back with a full basket for the preacher.

  She asked around town about the sheriff, but no one heard anything new.

  “I’m so worried about those men too.” Mrs. Haynes said handing Joy a fresh roll. “You never know what the outlaws will do.”

  The older lady definitely didn’t help calm down Joy’s nerves.

  “Isn’t there any way to find out?”

  “Well, a stage coach did come by earlier.” Mrs. Haynes paused. “Since they came from the direction the sheriff went, they might know something. Then again, it was just an older couple travelling with a young man – I saw them disembark and pass by my windows. Surely if there were news I would have heard.”

  But Joy stopped listening half way through. It couldn’t be.

  “You’re right, Mrs. Haynes.” She nodded, waved goodbye and quickly went home.

  Joy didn’t know what she’ll do, but one thing was sure. She did not want to cause a scene in the middle of the street.

  * * *

  Joy paced up and down, opening and closing her fan. Maybe she should pray again? She knelt beside her bed. Please Lord, let it be someone else. Both Claire and the pastor were out when she got back. She couldn’t even confess to her lies and ask for their help.

  She got up and stood by the window watching the people walking down the road. Hidden behind the curtain she considered her options. But there was nowhere else to run. And Henry, her only chance, was still nowhere to be found.

  If it really were her parents… with Earnest. She placed her head in her hands and gave a strangled scream.

  A sudden knock on the door made her jump. Was it them?!

  “Hello?” Thankfully that wasn’t her Ma’s voice.

  Joy rushed to open the door, then shut it close after Hannah stepped inside.

  “Joy, are you all right?” Hannah asked. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost!”

  “Yeah, my own.” Joy went to the bed and dropped down in a heap.

  Does this have anything to do with - your parents?”

  “Oh no!” Joy gasped. So it’s true! “How’d -?”

  “They were at Mercy’s house.” Hannah furrowed her brows. “You already had a fiancé back home?”

  “No! Earnest isn’t my fiancé!”

  “But your mother kept saying -”

  “They want me to marry him, but - but I don’t want to!” Joy placed trembling hands on her forehead. “He’s a bad man, and - and I don’t love him...”

  Joy fanned herself, feeling her cheeks flush, and her hands go cold. The very thought of what she saw that vile man do to Margret. Of course no one would believe Joy when the victim herself denied anything had happened when Joy confronted her afterwards. Still Joy knew very well what she saw. Though it didn’t help that the only reason she knew was due to her own improper behavior.

  “I’m so sorry about this, Hannah. I didn’t want to marry him. I wanted to be the one to choose.” She placed a hand on her forehead. “Please don’t think ill of me. I...”

  Hannah gripped her hand and took a seat on the bed beside Joy.

  “I understand. Everyone has secrets. There are many reasons for someone to go West, to make a new life for themselves.” She squeezed Joy’s hand tight and smiled. “You’re not alone.”

  Joy wiped away the tear forming in the corner of her eye.

  “Thank you. You’re such a good friend.”

  Just then she heard a quick knock on the door. It opened even before she could answer and Claire stepped in.

  She took off her shawl and said in a stern tone Joy remembered from the very first conversation she had with the preacher’s sister.

  “Joy! We need to talk.” Claire stopped in place when she saw the farmer’s wife on the bed next to Joy.

  “Oh, what brings you here Hannah?”

  “Just visiting,” she shrugged.

  Claire folded her shawl and sat facing them both. “Is there something you forgot to tell us Joy?”

  Joy sat up straight and clenched her hand around the fan. “I… I-”

  “You have a fiancé?” Claire answered for her. “Named Earnest?”

  Joy put her palms together.

  “I can explain.” Her eyes swelled with tears. “My parents want me to marry Earnest. But I didn’t… I don’t...”

  She sniffled under Claire’s gaze.

  “I prayed for a solution and then… I saw Henry’s ad. He sounded nice, confident, and trustworthy.” She didn’t ad rich and handsome to the list, not when Claire looked as if she were to send her straight to hell. Not that those things mattered to Joy anymore, either. “I want to marry Henry, not Earnest.”

  Claire took a deep breath, and Joy wiped away a few stray tears.

  “But why Joy? What’s wrong with Earnest? From what your mother said he seems nice, and polite, and surely your parents have your best interest in mind.”

  “He seems all these things.” Joy sniffled again. “Oh, trust me, that’s all just an act.” And it was getting old, too.

  “Maybe you two just never got the chance to get to know one another?” Claire said and touched Joy’s hand. “I’ve heard he knows the Bible by heart. Your parents completely adore him. And he is courteous to everyone! Even the children, the laundrywomen, the cook...”

  Joy closed her eyes and s
hook her head. “I’m sorry, Claire, I can’t.”

  How she wished she could tell them the vile things he did. But who would believe her now? And in turn she wished she hadn’t lied to Claire, to Hannah, to… Henry.

  “But your parents are insisting. We can’t have a wedding without their blessing!”

  “There must be a way,” Hannah pleaded for Joy. “Just look at her Claire. We all have our rea-”

  They all fell silent at the knock on the door.

  The door opened and Joy’s heart jumped to her throat when an older woman rushed passed Claire and threw her arms around Joy’s shoulders. “Joy! We finally found you!”

  * * *

  Joy was on the brink of tears. They all sat in the pastor’s living room and she had to listen to the Reverend talk about broken promises, and not listening to the elders. In all the scenarios that ran through her head when she imagined the day she'd get caught Joy had pictured her mother screaming and crying her eyes out. Instead she sat impassively and nodded quietly to the words of the pastor.

  It was decided they would wait for Earnest to come back and take the evening coach. Joy was to go back and marry the man she hated and despised. There was no reasoning with her mother anymore.

  Hannah held Joy’s hand as they both sat on the small sofa in the living room. Her parents, Claire and the pastor sat at the table.

  “More tea?” Claire broke the awkward silence lingering in the room.

  “Oh, I don’t know. We wouldn’t want to cause any more trouble.” Ma glared at Joy. “I’m sure Earnest will be back soon. He was searching for you on the other side of town.”

  “No one asked him to.” Joy pouted.

  “He was kind enough to offer to cover the larger area.” Ma ignored Joy’s comment and patted her own knee. “These old legs can’t walk far. Such a decent man. Whatever in the world you have against him child, I do not know.”

  Joy blushed. Her heart pounded hard. She wanted to shout out the secret, but after all the lies, they would surely say she made it all up. So she just slumped lower on the sofa.

  “What’s going on out there?” The pastor got up and with a biscuit still in his hand he walked up to the window. “What is that racket?”

  A few people shouted as a rider galloped through town. “Make way!”

  Joy rose up to and clutching the fan to her chest looked through the glass. She didn’t know the rider. But she recognized the horse. Sheriff’s horse. Cold sweat rolled down her neck. Why was the man in a hurry? Why was he alone? Where was the sheriff? Where was Henry?!

  The rider stopped outside the house. The pastor already stood in the door.

  “What’s going on?” He asked the rider.

  “They’re at the doc’s house.” The man could barely catch his breath. “Dead, injured. We need you there Reverend.”

  “Henry?” Joy whispered, though she wanted to shout.

  “I’m ready to go. Lead the way.” The pastor stepped outside.

  “Do you need more help?” Claire asked rising from her seat at the table.

  “No, just the Reverend, ma’am.” He lifted his hat to her and rushed back to his horse.

  “Is Henry al-“ Joy ran after the two men but her mother blocked her way.

  “Where do you think you’re going!” Her Ma put her hands on her hips as Pa stood beside her.

  The door slammed shut behind the preacher.

  For a moment Joy weighed her chances, but in the end it was clear. She wouldn’t be able to wrestle past both her parents. And even if she did, then what? Resigned she hung her head and marched back to the sofa.

  Chapter 8

  Henry flinched as Sarah applied a tonic to his scratches. The woman with strange scars covering half her face had been tending to the injured since they arrived. But she wasn’t just a random wife or sister called in to help carry supplies. No, Sarah seemed well versed in medical terms and tools. Though despite her professional demeanor, she did rush to check if her husband Hank was alright first.

  He looked away not wanting to stare. How did he always get himself tangled in situations like that? What was meant to be a quick favor for the sheriff turned into a four day long escapade that nearly cost him his life. When would he learn to say no?

  The moans of the wounded echoed in the room. He had a lucky escape, getting away with just a few scratches and bruises. Two of the bandits had died in the fight, but they caught the others. Three out of the four survivors were injured. Two of them panicked in the darkness, without the leader they ended up shooting each other. Jim and the sheriff both got shot too, thank the Lord Hank overpowered the sharp-shooter before things got out of hand.

  “Is the sheriff all right?” Henry asked unable to see behind the white sheet dividing the room in two. It’d been a while since they took the older man to the other side.

  Sarah started wounding the bandage around his arm and looked up.

  “He’ll live, but his leg’s pretty bad. He might need a cane after this.”

  Another low moan came from the cot in the far end of the room.

  “He says Angel Creek needs new blood. Says he’s gonna retire and take his wife away for a second honeymoon.” She giggled. “He’s got it all planned out.”

  Sarah finished wrapping Henry’s bandage.

  “Can’t blame him.” Henry said. “If you ask me, he’s got the right idea.”

  Sarah chuckled. “Well, he did nearly die from the gunshot wound. Took me and the doc a while to stabilize him.” Her expression grew serious again. “Death can make people realize just who it is they don’t want to lose.”

  She got up and went to tend to Jim who had a bandage around his head.

  Henry leaned against the wall and ran a hand down his wounded arm. The sheriff wasn’t the only one who had been thinking about family during the standoff with the bandits.

  Henry had thought about his brother, their parents long gone... and Joy, the girl with a lovely smile who always took him by surprise.

  He had wanted to get to know his bride a bit more through letters but... He sighed as he pictured her face. Could you really fall in love with someone you’ve just met? He would have said no before. In fact he’d probably laugh. But Joy was... He hadn’t met a woman like Joy.

  “Henry? Henry!”

  His brother, Elias, ran to him and gripped his shoulders with dark, calloused hands. Over the last hour, as news must have spread of their return through town, the family members have been coming in.

  “You all right there, fella?” He nodded at Henry’s arm.

  Henry grinned. “I’ve been better.”

  Elias sighed and sat beside him on the cot. “And you’ve been worse, too.”

  Henry chuckled. “Yeah, hard to beat a bear fight.”

  Elias patted him on the shoulder, then looked around. “Joy here?”

  “No...” Henry leaned back against the wall. “I dunno if she even knows I’m back. I was hoping she’d come see me. You haven’t told on me have you?”

  Elias laughed. “Goodness no. And she’s one clever lass. She did not spend your money even when ol’ McDoug got all serious with her. We weren’t sure if he’d be able to keep a straight face through the whole ruse.”

  Henry smiled and closed his eyes, then cracked one open.

  “But she’s still in town right?” He suddenly remembered his one week deadline was already gone.

  “Yep. Saw her this morning running an errand for Claire.”

  Henry exhaled. “Elias, what do I say to her?”

  “Whaddaya mean what do ya say to her? You hit your head or something?”

  “I mean... I don’t know how to approach her... what to say to her...”

  Elias rubbed his forehead. “You wanna marry her or not?”

  “At first, I didn’t know. I just met her - and we hadn’t even exchanged letters. But then...”

  Elias chuckled. “Then you saw her rosy cheeks and pretty hair and… the shop didn’t burn down while you were
away.”

  Henry elbowed his brother.

  “But seriously Henry, she actually brought lots new customers.”

  Henry looked at him, surprised. “Really?”

  His brother nodded. “That lass is tougher than you think, boy.”

  Henry’s eyes sought the cross on the wall before him. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God. He dropped his chin to his chest and rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hand. He was going to go to Joy and -

  “Sarah? Where’s Sarah? Doc!” A lumberjack, covered from head to foot in dust and some blood on his cheeks burst through the door.

  Doc popped his head from behind the hanging sheet. “What’s going on there? What is it?”

  “Broken arm, bleeding leg,” the man said on one breath. “Should I call the fiancée?”

  “Let me have a look at him first.” Doc waved his arm. “And call Sarah.”

  Henry turned to Elias, who watched the exchange with a grim look in his eyes. “You think he’s gonna make it?”

  Elias took a deep breath. “We can only hope, but Sarah and Doc are the best you’ll meet.”

  “Right, I better not take up space here then. I’m gonna go see Joy.” Henry headed for the door. “Don’t want her worrying about me.”

  “Right you go, then, lad.”

  Suddenly Sarah appeared in front of them. “Henry,” she began, “I know you were hurt, but we need help.”

  “What is it?” Henry asked, noting her flushed face. She had been working non-stop to help the wounded. “What can I do?”

  “We need to get some supplies from town. I’m afraid we’re running low on bandages, ointments, some alcohol, too, ‘cause these men are gonna need it.” She glanced at shadows behind the sheet. Henry could clearly hear the groans.

  He nodded. “No problem.” He turned to Elias. “See you later, Elias.”

  “And Joy?”

  “I’ll see her once I’m done here.” He smiled. “She must have been busy anyway.”

  He followed Sarah outside. The horses tied nearby turned their heads towards them. He untied his stead and brought Sarah’s mare over, too. As they rode out towards the town they passed the Reverend galloping with another rider in the opposite direction. Even bandits deserved to see a preacher on their deathbed, Henry thought.