Dorthy's Disasters: A Ryders Legacy Historical Book (The Alphabet Mail-Order Brides 4)

by George H. McVey

  The look of hunger in the man’s eyes showed what kind of business person he was. “Just a minute, young fella, I didn’t mean to offend you. I’m sure I have just what you’re looking for.”

  Sam picked up the certificate and put it back in his wallet. “I’m not sure you do. You see, I was looking for a man who took a man at his word and didn’t make snap judgements based on his age or apparel. Have a good day, sir.”

  It took a while but finally Sam got directions to a different jeweler and when he entered there the man and woman behind the counter smiled. “How can we help you today?”

  “Getting married. I’d like to see an engagement ring, wedding ring and a gold band for myself.”

  The man smiled. “Congratulations. I’m going to let my wife help you with the engagement and wedding ring then I’ll help you with your band, if that’s alright?”

  “That’s great. Thank you.”

  Soon enough Sam walked out with the perfect ring. The minute the owner’s wife had laid it on the counter Sam knew it was the ring for Dorthy. It had a one carat, oval cut, deep blue sapphire in the center with a round cut, three quarter carat diamond on either side all woven into a rose gold ring. The wedding band was a simple rose gold band that would nestle up against the jeweled ring. The one for him was just like the one his brother and father wore, a simple plain gold band.

  He stopped at the church closest to the hospital and talked with the preacher, making arrangements for a ceremony the next evening. He figured they’d invite the doctor and nurse and his niece to stand with them. Then he went by a restaurant and had two dinners boxed up so he and his bride could share a meal together. With his pocket full of rings and a picnic basket in his hand he headed back for the hospital to spend time with his lady love.

  Chapter Five

  The next day was a whirlwind of excitement. Doctor Spurlock true to his word released Dorthy first thing and both he and Nurse Houlihan promised to be at the church to stand as witnesses to her wedding. Then Samuel informed her that he had arranged for her to have a bath at the hotel where he and Cindy had been staying, and after that, breakfast in the dining room.

  Once those necessities were taken care of Sam surprised her again by taking her to one of the premier dress shops in town. The owner was expecting her and began to pull out several premade dresses in her size, and with a few simple nips and tucks she had three new day dresses and a lovely plum colored Sunday dress that she would wear for her wedding.

  Dorthy couldn’t understand the amount of money her new husband was spending on her. She thought he was a small-town Sheriff and yet in the last two days he’d spent what she knew had to have been a month’s worth of salary on her. She kept staring down at the engagement ring that fit her finger like it was made for it. The contrast between the sapphire, diamonds and rose gold was beautiful and every time Sam caught her looking at it he’d lift her head and kiss her, sweetly telling her it wasn’t half as lovely as she was.

  Once her dress was bought and the seamstress promised that the minor alterations would be made immediately, Sam took her to a restaurant for a nice dinner and then back to the hotel to rest before their wedding later that afternoon. By supper time tonight she wouldn’t be an orphan with a borrowed last name. No, by supper time Dorthy James would have disappeared to be replaced with Dorthy Ryder, wife and part of a family.

  Dorthy entered the room that she was sharing with Cindy for the time being. Inside she found the other woman waiting on her. “Oh good, you’re here, now we can get to know each other better.”

  The ginger haired girl gave Dorthy a big hug. “I’d like that. Sam said your name is Cindy?”

  The woman smiled and nodded. “Well that’s what everyone calls me. My name is actually Lucinda but no one ever calls me Lucy. I was named after a girl who threw herself in front of an outlaw’s bullet to save my mother’s life while she was pregnant with me. Everyone called her Lucy, but my Pa didn’t want to, saying that while he doesn’t believe in luck he didn’t want to tempt fate either. Probably a good thing as my Uncle Tim met another woman the next year named Lucy, and she got shot on the day after their wedding. Our family is kind of hard on Lucys.”

  Dorthy smiled; while this woman couldn’t be much younger than her it was obvious she had the enthusiasm of a younger girl. “How is it that you and Samuel look so much alike if he’s adopted? If I didn’t know you were his brother’s daughter, I would have assumed you were his sister.”

  “I know it’s weird, isn’t it? You know what is even weirder, his sister has black hair and dark eyes. They don’t look anything alike.”

  The women talked and Cindy told her all about her desire to become a Detective, or to work for her Pa or Uncle as a lawman, but mostly to work for Pinkerton Detective Agency. She’d put in an application the day before and they were going to let her know in about a week if they wanted to hire her.

  Dorthy talked about Wiggie and how she had sent her and her “sisters” out to start or reorganize schools because she was dying. She explained how she’d never had a real home or family. Even though Cindy was Samuel’s niece she told her how worried she was that he wouldn’t let her teach, or that living in town they wouldn’t have room for a garden. She also confessed to Cindy that she was worried about all the money Samuel was spending.

  Cindy laughed. “You and Sam have got to talk about these things, Dorthy. It’s a good thing you’ll have three days on the train to talk. Listen, you don’t need to ever worry about money. Samuel isn’t the Sheriff for the pay. Our family and your soon-to-be husband are very well off. Sam has one fourth of the family mining business, plus a large trust given to him by my grandparents, and on top of all that he also owns a third of my grandparents’ ranch and farm, which is the second biggest one in our area of New Mexico. Money is one thing you’ll never have to worry about again. I don’t know how much he has but I promise it’s more than the two of you could spend in a lifetime. Talk to him about it.

  “The two of you have a connection, I get that and I understand why you are marrying each other right now. But I’ve watched my parents and grandparents, my aunt and her husband and family friends. I’ve also watched people whose marriages seem terrible. You know what makes my family’s marriages and our family work? We can all talk to each other. You and Sam need to learn how to do that together.”

  Dorthy thought about the things her younger niece-to-be said and agreed that she and Samuel needed to learn to communicate better. Their connection was important, she knew that even if she didn’t know why it was important, but it wasn’t enough to have the kind of marriage she wanted. “Thank you, Cindy. I can see why you would make a good detective, you see things others can’t. You’re right, Samuel and I may marry today but we do have a way to go to have a good marriage. Communication will be vital and we need to learn how to do that better.”

  Cindy looked at the clock sitting on the mantle in their room. “Well, if you’re going to marry Sam we need to start getting you ready. It’s almost time to walk over to the church. Hurry and get your dress on and I’ll do your hair.”

  Dorthy quickly washed up and dressed in the plum colored dress that had been delivered to the room. The high neck, long sleeves and fitted bodice showed off her figure while still keeping her covered and modest. Cindy took her hair and pulled it back using a clip to pin most of it to the back of her head, allowing one long section of her waterfall curls to drape over her shoulder just past her left ear. Cindy looked her over. “Alright, you look lovely. Let’s see now. We’ve got the something new and something blue covered. How long have you owned those shoes?”

  “A few years.”

  “Good, so something old covered. Now you just need something borrowed. Oh! I know! She dug around in her trunk then pulled out a bracelet made of two small strands of pearls with a silver clasp. “Grandmother gave me this for my birthday. She thinks I don’t dress or act enough like a lady so she gave me a set of pearls to convince me to be more ladyli
ke. I would have preferred the new finger print kit I asked her for, but she is my grandmother.” She smiled, “You however, are a lady through and through so I think they’ll look good on your arm.” She snapped the clasp around Dorthy’s wrist. “Perfect. Let’s head over to the church. Your doctor and nurse friend should be there soon and knowing Sam, he’s there pacing in the front already.”

  They arrived at the church and sure enough Doctor Spurlock and Nurse Houlihan stood out front waiting for them. Cindy with Dorthy greeted them then excused herself to go check on her uncle. Doctor Spurlock kissed her cheek. “You look lovely, young lady. How are you feeling?”

  Margaret slapped his arm “Clifford, stop, she is fine. Put your doctor side away right now. We are here as her friends, not her medical care.”

  The old man chuckled “You’re correct, of course.” He turned to look at Dorthy. “Now young lady, if you would like it would be my honor to walk you down the aisle. No young woman should have to walk the wedding aisle by herself.”

  Dorthy smiled as tears came to her eyes. She’d never even thought about having anyone escort her down the aisle, she was an orphan after all. She quickly dabbed at her eyes with the hankie she had stuffed into her sleeve. “Thank you Doctor, I would appreciate that.”

  Margaret smiled at her and patted her hand. “I’ll meet the two of you up there and let your groom and the preacher know we are ready to start.”

  Margaret headed into the church and soon there was the sound of music playing. Doctor Spurlock held out his arm and Dorthy took it. “Well now, let’s get you down the aisle and to your groom, shall we?”

  Dorthy smiled. She could feel the connection with Samuel through the door; he was as nervous as she was which helped calm her just a bit. As she started up the stairs to the door she tripped, and had it not been for Doctor Spurlock she would have fallen again. Another of Dorthy’s Disasters avoided, she thought. Then they stepped through the door into the church and everything but the handsome cowboy waiting on her faded from her thoughts.

  Samuel paced across the front of the church. He knew she was coming, he could feel her getting closer but for some reason he couldn’t stop pacing. Trouble was coming, too. Not today, but soon. Was it aimed at him and his bride? He didn’t know. It wasn’t like other Calling’s he’d gotten in the past, it was more of an all-encompassing feeling of trouble on the horizon. Nothing specific, nothing he could latch on to and say this is where and when, just a general get ready for trouble feeling.

  Cindy came through the doors and smiled at him, coming to stand near him. “Settle down, your bride is just outside. I knew you’d be in here pacing but she’s here now, so stop worrying.”

  Sam shook his head. “It’s not Dorthy. I knew she’d be here.”

  Cindy’s face wrinkled in worry. “A Calling? Where?”

  Sam fought to not run his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know, it’s not specific. This is more like trouble is coming. I can’t figure out where or when or for whom.”

  “Then just stay vigilant and move on. You want to be happy and excited when she comes through that door, Sam. She deserves to see you excited to marry her, not worried about some unspecified trouble.”

  Samuel nodded and stilled. He took a deep breath and let himself feel the fledgling connection to Dorthy. He locked the worry away for now and thought about the woman he was about to pledge to love, honor and nurture for the rest of his life.

  The door opened and Sam looked up only to be disappointed. It wasn’t Dorthy, it was Margaret Houlihan; she came down the aisle and spoke as she came. “She’s here and she’s ready.”

  Then the woman slid behind the piano and began to play a lovely arrangement. The door opened and in stepped the woman who had already caught his heart. Beside her walked the doctor who was responsible for saving her life and keeping her from being a victim of Colton Saunders.

  She looked so beautiful in that plum colored dress. Her reddish gold hair falling down the left side of her body, stopping just over her heart. The heart that even now Sam could feel beating in time with his own. Two hearts beating as one. He wanted nothing more than to run down the aisle and scoop Dorthy up into his arms and carry her to the altar, but he restrained himself and watched as the most beautiful and graceful woman he’d ever seen floated to him on wings light as air.

  Once she arrived at the altar, the doctor turned her hand over to him and together Samuel and Dorthy stepped up to where the minister stood. The man cleared his throat as they turned to look at each other. “You look beautiful, Dorthy.”

  She smiled and blushed. The pastor cleared his throat again and then launched right into the ceremony. “We are gathered here today in the sight of God and these witnesses to observe the joining together of Samuel Ryder and Dorthy James in the sacred institution of matrimony. God’s Word describes marriage as a man leaving his father and mother and cleaving to his own wife and the two becoming one flesh. I would challenge the two of you to cleave to each other, rely on each other above anyone else. To become of one heart and mind together. Remember the words of the Apostle Paul, ‘Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.’”

  Turning to look at Dorthy he spoke. “Do you, Dorthy James, take Samuel Ryder to be your lawfully wedded husband to honor, love and comfort in sickness and in health, in want and in plenty, in good times and bad times, forsaking all others until death do you part?”

  She looked into eyes as deep as two pools of green fire and felt her heart settle and her mind calm. “I do”

  The pastor turned to Sam. “Do you, Samuel Ryder, take Drothy James to be your lawfully wedded wife to honor, love, nurture, protect and provide for in sickness and in health, in want and in plenty, in good times and bad times, forsaking all others until death do you part?”

  Samuel smiled at her. “I do.”

  “Do you have rings to exchange?”

  Dorthy looked at Sam who nodded. “We do.”

  “Then Samuel, place your ring on Dorthy’s finger and say: With this ring I thee wed, with my body I thee worship, and with all my worldly goods I thee endow.”

  Samuel reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a ring. It was a small gold band that, as he slid it on her hand, molded perfectly to the engagement ring he’d placed on her hand the night before. “Dorthy, with this ring I thee wed, with my body I thee worship, and with all my worldly goods I thee endow.” He slipped the simple band into her hand as he let go of her finger.

  The pastor looked at Dorthy. “Dorthy, place your ring on Samuel’s finger and say: With this ring I thee wed, with my body I thee worship, and with all my worldly goods I thee endow.”

  Dorthy swallowed as she slid the ring on his finger, her own hands shaking with nerves. “Sam, with this ring I thee wed, with my body I thee worship, and with all my worldly goods I thee endow.”

  Sam gently squeezed her hand and winked at her, helping her nerves settle a bit. The pastor smiled at them both. “I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride.”

  Samuel took her face in his hands and leaned in, placing a sweet and gentle kiss on her lips. It wasn’t the kiss he wanted to give her, but he knew that out of respect for her, Cindy and their guests, this was all he could give her here in the church. He’d kiss her like he wanted to after they were alone. However, kissing was all they were going to do tonight. That and talk about things. He wanted to get to know her and let her know he valued her before anything else happened between them.

  Yes, they had that amazing connection but until he knew he loved her and she loved him he wasn’t going to take his husbandly rights with this woman he’d just pledged to honor and protect. Until then he’d protect her, even from himself, and in that way show her how much he honored her a
lready.

  They signed the marriage license, as did Margaret and Doctor Spurlock, and then they said their goodbyes. Samuel tucked Dorthy’s hand into his as they walked with Cindy back to the hotel. They went into the restaurant together to have their wedding meal and then the two of them needed to go to the room and have a talk. Once they’d eaten, Sam turned to Cindy. “We are going to take our leave from you Cindy. Dorthy and I need to talk so we’ll see you in the morning. The train leaves at one, so be ready around twelve and I’ll have our things loaded on the Pullman before then.”

  Cindy nodded and hugged his wife. “I’ll see you two tomorrow. Have a good night.”

  “You too.”

  Once they were alone Dorthy turned to him and he could see the worry and fear on her face. “Don’t worry Dorthy, I meant it, we are just going to talk. Nothing else. Well, maybe a few more kisses but not what you’re worrying about.”

  “Alright.”

  They stood and Sam directed her to the stairs with a hand on her back, the other on her elbow, which was a good thing because she tripped at least four times going up the stairs. “You’ve got to settle down love, or you’re going to hurt yourself again.”

  “I know, I’m just accident prone. Sorry.”

  Sam smiled at her. “Nothing to be sorry about, Mrs. Ryder. I’m here and I’ll keep you safe.”

  Then he scooped her into his arms and carried her up the stairs and across the threshold into their room.

  Dorthy laid her head on her husband’s shoulder as he carried her up the stairs and into their room. This was something she’d never experienced before and she was going to allow herself to fully enjoy the experience, in case after he found out about her bad luck, he let her go. In his arms she felt safe and cared for. Was it love? She didn’t think so, not yet, but it was something. Maybe the first step to love? Who was she kidding, she was half in love with Samuel Ryder already. It wouldn’t take much of anything to make her heart fall the rest of the way.