Mail Order Brides: Western Romance Collection: The Brides of Wyldewood: Volume One

by Holly Blake

  “I sure will.” Cade admired admired John Barnaby. The man treated Cade like a son and taught him almost everything he knew. It was John that inspired Cade’s love of books. When John settled in Wyldewood with his young wife, he sent for his entire library from his family home in New York. Many a long winter evening had been spent by the fire enjoying those wonderful books.

  With his mail in hand, Cade left the mercantile and headed for the Inn, leaving a very happy Rex under the care of Peggy and John’s children, Margaret, Robby and Ricky until his return. Rex loved the children and the children loved him.

  Cade hoped Anna would be at the Inn. His heart ached when he thought of the misfortune Anna had suffered. She had arrived a few weeks ago as a mail order bride, only to find no one there to meet her.

  Instead of returning home she had taken a room in the Inn and started doing odd jobs around town to make a wage. She helped the Innkeeper clean the rooms and tend to guests, took in sewing jobs and, having been a nurse in a Boston hospital, she tended some of the minor sick and injured at the clinic under the supervision of John Barnaby. Letters she wrote to her betrothed had gone unanswered and she finally gave up hope of ever finding out what happened.

  Anna smiled brightly as he came through the door. “Hi Cade, I’ve got your curtains upstairs. I’ll grab them and be right back!”

  “There’s no hurry,” he said as she hurried off. “I’m going to enjoy a bit of lunch before I head back.” But Anna was off. Cade sat at a table and looked through the menu. He decided on steak, a treat he rarely indulged in. James Halverson came through the doors of the kitchen with an arm full of plates for another table of guests. He quickly set the plates in front of the guests and came over to Cade’s table sitting down in one graceful movement.

  “Well Cade, it’s only a couple of weeks until the big wedding. I have the food ordered and the cake…” He kissed his fingers and flung them in the air in a dramatic gesture. “Magnificent!” Cade smiled at his dear friend.

  James was the cook for the Inn and had learned everything he knew from his beautiful Italian wife, Theresa. Sadly, she had passed away a few short months ago, but James kept her memory alive in the delicious meals he created every day. Thanks to his amazing menus, the Inn’s reputation had grown and James was extremely grateful for Anna’s assistance during busy times.

  “Thank you James, I am looking forward to tasting all the delicious food you have planned. Today, I think I’ll enjoy one of your scrumptious steak dinners.”

  “I will put on my best cut for you Cade!” James said as he rose and glided into the kitchen again.

  Anna came down the stairs and into the dining room with a swath of material in her arms. “They turned out beautiful Cade, I’m sure Ivy will love them.” She smiled as she showed him her handy work. He admired the fine stitching and listened carefully to her instructions on how to hang them.

  Cade sometimes thought if the timing had been a little different he might have been anticipating marrying this wonderful young woman. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. He hoped that Anna would find a good man as soon as her heart mended. Cade still could not believe that a man would leave such a wonderful woman abandoned at the railway station. He was either a cad or a madman.

  “Thanks Anna. What have you got planned for this week?” Anna always seemed to have lots of things going on. She wasn’t happy sitting around so she busied herself with a whirlwind of activities.

  “I’m heading to the Pritchard’s to babysit for a few days while poor Mrs. Pritchard goes to the city for that operation they’ve been talking about. The woman is in so much pain. I feel so sorry for her. I’ll be there as of Thursday so if you need my help with anything you can find me there. I will still be decorating the church next week for your wedding, so don’t worry about that, and I might order some seeds for Mr. Halverson’s garden.”

  “Do you ever slow down?” Cade smiled at the bubbly woman. She seemed to be buzzing with energy every time he saw her.

  “Not really.” Anna answered with a smile.

  “You’re an amazing woman, Anna Duncan!” He almost told her she would make a fine wife but he swallowed the words before they left him. She seemed to realize what he was about to say and he noticed a wave of sadness cross her face in a flash and then it was gone.

  “Thank you Cade Montgomery, I know!” Anna grinned and headed back up the stairs just as James served Cade his steak.

  “I think you hit a nerve there, my friend,” he said to Cade, looking up the stairs after Anna. “Someday she will be over it, but not today I’m afraid.” James smiled sadly and headed back to the kitchen.

  Chapter Three

  It had been nearly a week since the last letter from Ivy and Cade wondered where on her journey she would be now. He had risen early and got his chores done but his mind was filled with thoughts of Ivy’s arrival.

  Rex knew what early chores meant. The dog would be on his own for the rest of the day as Cade went off to the mill to work. On these days Rex began his mope before breakfast and became more and more dramatic as the hours passed until it was time for Cade to leave. Just as Cade was heading to the door Rex flopped himself on the ground and went into full pout, chin resting on the floor between his paws as he looked up through his eyebrows at his master. Cade knew it was coming and waited till just the last minute. “You wouldn’t want to come to town and play with the children would you Rex?”

  The dog bounded up and nearly jumped into Cade’s arms with excitement. He didn’t usually bring Rex into town on days he was working but changing the wheel could take more than a day to complete and Peggy had already offered to have Cade to dinner that night. She even made up the bed in his old room just in case he would need to spend the night.

  Cade and Rex headed into town, Rex on the seat beside Cade; some lessons wore off sooner than others with Rex. Cade found himself smiling all the time now. He was anticipating his future with Ivy on a regular basis and the joy just wouldn’t subside. He hoped that he could calm down once she arrived. He didn’t know if he could sustain this intensity of happiness much longer. He laughed to himself wondering how he could possibly be worried about being so happy. Rex growled under his breath and looked at Cade with uncertainty. “I’m fine old boy.” Cade said and rustled the scruff on the dogs head. “I’m just so happy to be alive is all!”

  ****

  Once Rex was safely in the loving arms of Peggy and her children, Cade headed over to the mill to meet John who was already there. Several of the men who worked at the mill were also there and a few of the townsmen volunteered to help as well. Changing the wheel was a big job. The wheel weighed a ton and it took several men and horses to take one wheel off its moorings and away from the mill and put the other one on and fasten it into place. The men all stood around drinking the warm coffee that Anna made for them that morning. She dropped it off before taking the Pritchard children to school. Cade saw her and the children as he approached the mill.

  “Good morning Anna, beautiful day isn’t it?” He smiled to the young woman.

  “It is a lovely day.” Anna said but Cade noticed she didn’t sound as chipper as she usually did.

  “Anything wrong, Anna?” he asked, concerned.

  She smiled wearily. “I didn’t sleep well last night. Little Tommy had nightmares most of the night, poor child.” She looked into Cade’s eyes and her smile faltered. “Be careful today ok? You have a bride arriving in two days!” She rode off with a concerned look on her face.

  Cade thought the warning strange but quickly put it out of his mind. He helped to change the wheel once before and although he knew that caution was the rule, nothing had ever gone wrong before. With the river low in winter and frozen over the wheel couldn’t move anyway. It was the best time to change it.

  “Good morning Cade!” John said. He took a deep swig of the hot coffee and stood staring at the wheel.

  “Good morning John.” Cade said to his brother-in-law. “Tim, Pete, Sven,�
� he said nodding to the other early arrivals. The three said their good mornings and continued to stare at the old wheel. “What are you all looking at?” Cade asked, following their gazes.

  “The moorings for the wheel look like they’ve rusted. We aren’t sure if we can remove it safely before something snaps,” John said, still staring intently at the old wheel. “The new wheel might prove too heavy for the moorings if they are rusted, but either way we have to get the old wheel off as soon as possible so we can get a better look.”

  Cade stared at the areas John had pointed out. He was right, the moorings didn’t look right. Cade headed over to get a closer look. He noticed that not only had the mooring straps rusted but the seat for the axle had broken and a large chunk was missing from it. Cade got closer to the seat and felt around the broken area trying to figure out what had happened.

  He heard John yell and looked back at his brother-in-law, panic on the older man’s face. Cade heard the water rush, felt the wheel leap into motion but before he could pull away from the wheel, the axle had jumped its moorings and knocked Cade flying. He heard voices, the rush of water, and the creaking of the wheel as it began to break to pieces under its own weight. Then there was nothing but darkness.

  Chapter Four

  The train station was full of people when Ivy arrived. She hoped that she would recognize Cade from his description, but she saw no tall blonde, curly haired men on the platform. She did see a woman with blonde ringlets who seemed to be staring at her. Ivy headed into the station to both see if she could find Cade and to get away from the woman who appeared so unusually focused on her.

  Ivy spent half an hour combing the station and its perimeter before she realized that Cade was not there. She sat down on a bench in the station and watched as the last of the crowd ebbed away. Just as she was about to go and buy a return ticket home the blonde haired woman approached her. Ivy braced herself for the assault she assumed would escape from this woman. Why had this woman picked her out of the crowd of strangers? She was not in any mood to hear someone else’s problems.

  “Are you Ivy Sullivan?” Ivy watched warily as she continued her approach.

  “I am yes.” She responded carefully.

  The blonde woman suddenly looked relieved and calm and Ivy realized she wasn’t angry, only upset. “I am so sorry I didn’t approach you earlier, I just wasn’t sure and didn’t want to embarrass myself, although I probably have done so anyway. I am Peggy Barnaby, Cade Montgomery’s sister. There’s been a terrible accident and Cade is badly injured. My husband, John, has treated the injuries but Cade….” She began to sob uncontrollably after the rush of words that paraded from her like a rushing stream.

  “It’s ok Peggy. I remember you from Cade’s letters. Calm down and let’s go and have a cup of tea and a rest before we get on the road to see Cade.” Ivy put her arm around Peggy’s shoulders and tried to sooth the woman with her words and embrace.

  “You still want to come to Wyldewood?” Peggy looked into Ivy’s eyes. The woman was in shock and Ivy’s calmness seemed to penetrate Peggy’s confused state.

  “Of course, I came to marry your brother and that is still what I intend to do. You said he’s been injured, how badly Peggy?”

  “He was hit on the head by the millstone when it came off the moorings. The moorings had become badly rusted. I don’t really understand what happened but my fool husband let my baby brother go and check the wheel just before they were to move it. Cade’s hand was crushed and John had to amputate.”

  Peggy looked at Ivy with such utter sadness that Ivy could only hold her and allow her to cry. The piteous sobs racked the young woman’s entire body as she rested against Ivy’s shoulder. Ivy directed her to a bench and they sat together as Peggy cried for what seemed like an eternity.

  Patience had always been one of Ivy’s many strengths but they were being stretched to the limits as she waited for Peggy to regain her senses. She felt for her future sister-in-law but she wanted to get to Cade as soon as possible to assess the damage to her fiancée herself.

  John Barnaby was a medic, not a doctor. She was sure the man had done his best but she knew what some of the civil war amputees looked like when she worked at the hospital in Boston. Some of the limbs had to be re-cut or bones re-shaved because of the butchery on the battlefields. Medics were forced to do rushed work because there weren’t enough doctors and there were too many wounded at every battle to take the time to do things properly.

  Peggy gradually regained her senses and she and Ivy headed back to Wyldewood as quickly as possible; there was no time to stop for tea. Ivy was relieved.

  When they got to Wyldewood Ivy was pleased to find a well stocked clinic. She noticed a surgery room along with a small ward and an office. She met Anna in the ward and recognized the bubbly young woman at once. What a small world it was. Anna had been a nurse working at the same hospital as she in Boston. Ivy was certain that Anna too, would recognize her former colleague. Problem was, she would remember her as Doctor Ivy Sullivan, a secret that she had hoped to keep.

  Anna’s face reflected her recognition but she said nothing. She showed Peggy and Ivy to Cade’s bedside and gave an updated report. “He’s still unconscious I’m afraid.” Anna sighed. “It’s to be expected so don’t worry Peggy, he’s going to be ok.” Anna then turned to Ivy. Ivy shook her head and looked to the ground hoping that Anna would keep her secret. She hadn’t told Cade that she was a doctor; she didn’t want anyone here to know.

  “Cade suffered a head injury when the wheel struck him on the right side of his head,” Anna explained in simple words as if she were explaining to any lay person. Ivy was relieved. Anna continued her recounting of the injuries and tried to get across to Ivy that the surgery that John Barnaby had performed was done to the highest standards. “I worked with a Dr. Dean in Boston who did many of these types of surgeries and Mr. Barnaby did as good a job as I ever saw Dr. Dean do.” Ivy glanced up at Anna and gave her a sheepish smile. Anna looked away quickly, not wanting to reveal Ivy’s secret.

  Peggy stayed with them for a few hours and then headed home to see her husband and children. Alone at last, Anna took Ivy’s hands in hers. “Dr. Sullivan? Dr. Ivy Sullivan? It is you isn’t it?” Anna queried.

  “Yes, Anna, it’s me but please don’t tell anyone.” Ivy pleaded, her life placed in the hands of a nurse from her past.

  “Why don’t you want anyone to know? You were the best Doctor in all of Boston, even better than Dr. Dean, he said so many times himself.”

  “I find that hard to believe Anna. I guess you had already left when young Miss Cummings died.” Ivy sighed. The last thing she wanted was to have to explain what drove her from Boston.

  “No, I heard about it shortly after I arrived in Wyldewood though. Mary O’Byrne and I correspond often. She is Dr. Kline’s nurse.”

  “Yes, I remember Mary, a very kind woman, exceptional with patient care as I recall.”

  “She is that!” Anna said, a smile of remembrance warming her eyes.

  Over the next week Anna helped Ivy in her subterfuge. Ivy was a doctor to Cade only when no one was around. Peggy had insisted that Ivy stay in Cade’s old room at the Barnaby house just behind the mercantile but Ivy only stayed a couple of hours per night and then returned to Cade’s bedside, reading to him and singing to herself while knitting. She wouldn’t leave his side for fear he should awaken and be alone when he realized his arm was gone.

  When Cade did finally wake up, he felt nothing but pain throughout his whole body. The room was dark, and except for a figure sitting in a chair across from him, he couldn’t see anything. He was in a place he didn’t recognize. He tried to sit up and strained to see around him. Suddenly the pain became more intense and he fell back against the bed. Just before everything went dark he saw a face so beautiful he thought he must have died and gone to Heaven. The only problem was the pain. There was no pain in Heaven, was there?

  For several days Cade woke up for brie
f moments in this strange place. It began to look vaguely familiar. The pain was becoming less intense but the weakness he felt stayed with him. He couldn’t keep his eyes open. He heard the most beautiful voice reading to him from time to time, and sometimes the voice hummed absent mindedly. He longed to see the face again. He felt comfort in the voice. He heard other voices as well. He heard Peggy crying and admonishing her husband for not taking better care of Cade. He wanted to speak to her and tell her that it wasn’t John’s fault, but he couldn’t get his mouth to work.

  He heard Anna’s soothing voice telling him everything was going to be ok. He just needed to hang in there and it would all be over soon. He couldn’t understand what she was talking about. He felt a weight on his left arm and supposed that he was wearing a splint. He must have broken his arm when the wheel came off its moorings. He had never broken anything before but this must be what it was like. He didn’t feel anything in his arm and just a little tingling in his fingers, but mostly there was just heaviness from below his elbow.

  He lay with his eyes closed but felt awake for the first time in what seemed like forever. He heard her voice again, the angel that read to him. She was talking to Anna.

  “He’s been unconscious for seven days; I’m starting to worry that he’ll never wake up,” Anna said to the angel.

  “Anna, you’re a nurse, you know better. He is healing well but it takes a lot of energy to recover from these kinds of injuries.” The angel spoke with a firm and confident tone. How could Anna talk to angels? “I’m more concerned about how he will react to the loss of a limb,” the angel said.

  Cade suddenly panicked. He rallied all his strength and forced his eyes open. He looked around the room for the patient they must be talking about, and then realized with dread that it was him. He looked down at the heavy arm at his side and saw only a stump where his left hand used to be. He groaned with horror and looked from Anna to the angel. The angel was even more beautiful than he remembered.