by Tia Siren
“I like that you call her ‘Ellie.' It’s fitting for this little light.”
“Yes, I agree. And you don’t want to really be reminded each time you call your daughter, at least not until you’ve become strong enough to accept the loss of someone you loved so much. You need to show Ellie that through the death of her mother, you have found a fresh respect for life. You can’t drag in the mud forever. She needs to see you happy. She needs to see you.”
“You are such a good woman, Joyce. I am so glad you came here. God must have sent you to me.”
“Tom, I know it’s going to take you some time still to pull out of your grief. But you can do it. And I will help you.”
“You are a beautiful woman.”
Joyce blushed. “Thank you.”
“I don’t just mean on the outside, I mean on the inside, too.”
“I must admit I was thinking about leaving and going back to Virginia at first. I was very much contemplating it.”
“It’s natural you would feel that way. I lied to you. Well, I didn’t admit to the truth, did I? I just…I just couldn’t take a chance that the only response I got to my ad would not come because of my sadness and my little baby girl.”
Joyce licked her lips and moved closer to him. She put one hand up on his chest, and he put his hand over hers. “I will not leave you, Tom, if I can help it. You can’t stay in mourning forever. You must pursue happiness. You can’t expect it to just come to you.”
He nodded. “In this case, I think it did. You have come. You will help me feel better. I am blessed to have you. So is Ellie.”
“God has blessed us both, Tom. He gave us both what we didn’t know we needed.”
*****
THE END
A Bride’s Destiny – A Clean Western Romance
Olive stared out the window, watching as the scenery went by. There was a chill in the car, and she wondered where it was coming from. There didn’t appear to be any cracks in the strong plate of glass she was gazing through. The door to the cabin was closed. She glanced quickly at the other passengers in the car but none of them looked chilly. They were relaxed, reading books or newspapers. One older lady was knitting quietly, her needles clicking together softly every now and then.
Olive rubbed her arms softly and lifted her hand to shield a yawn. It would be only a few hours until she was in Nevada. There was a small town there that would be Olive’s new home. At 23, she was ready for a change. Her large family left behind; she looked forward to a more solitary lifestyle, with just a husband until she would perhaps have a child. No more hustle and bustle. No more noise, talking, clamoring, complaining.
She wouldn’t miss it.
As the train traveled further toward the West, she began to feel much warmer. She didn’t need her gloves and stripped them off. Soon, her shawl and bonnet also came off. She was wearing several layers under her outer dress, and she was beginning to regret it.
She was anxious to get there. When it was announced they would arrive at her Nevada station in 20 minutes, she pulled the envelope and letter from her pocket and read through it. The man who had sent her a ticket to come across the country and be his bride sounded like a professional but someone who also had compassion. He was a carpenter – a very successful one from the sound of it. He sounded charming from the letter. She was nervous and excited about the prospect of leaving her big family to be somewhere completely new and different.
Olive was hoping this man that she was meeting, Henry, did not want to have a lot of children. She’d been afraid to broach the subject because she was afraid he wouldn’t allow her to come if she revealed that she wasn’t interested in a brood of babies running around. She’d watched her own mother give birth too many times and wasn’t interested in the prospect at all.
There were only a few minutes left before the train would reach the station. She was warm now, very warm.
It was late spring of her 23rd year, pushing into summertime and she already missed the colors and vibrancy of Virginia. This place she was going to looked dry and dusty. It looked bleak and miserable. She had a feeling the people would look just as bleak and miserable once she actually stepped off the train.
She discovered she was right as soon as she placed a foot on the long wooden planks that made up the platform between the train and the building. She was ashamed that her hair and face were wet with sweat and patted herself with a handkerchief again and again. It didn’t seem to make much of a difference. The moment she pulled the cloth away, she felt the drips rise again.
Olive wondered if it was possible that the inside of the building was cooler. She hoped so. She picked up her carrying bag and her sewing box and went to the door. A man standing next to it, leaning against the wall, stepped in front of her and pushed open the door, allowing her to go through. She lowered her head, looking up with only her eyes and nodding. “Thank you, sir,” she said in a low voice.
“You’re welcome, miss.”
As soon as she went in the building, she could see that she was the only woman in the place. It was unlike anything she’d ever seen. Men were milling all around, talking, walking through, carrying boxes and other items.
She looked all around the room. Thankfully, the huge stone fireplace deep inside one of the walls was not lit and looked like it hadn’t been for quite a while. She moved to a bench and sat down, smoothing her skirts out in front of her and wishing she could take them off and wear pants like the men all around her. Even if she could just be wearing one skirt, it would be cooler than the layers she had on. She sighed heavily.
None of the men in the place looked like they were going to take notice of her. She didn’t know what Henry looked like, but she assumed since she was the only woman here, he should be able to find her easily.
She looked around again and wondered if Henry would look for her outside, see that she wasn’t out there waiting for him and leave. There could be little chance of that unless he were a complete simpleton to think she would stand out there in that heat watching for someone she wouldn’t recognize.
She sighed again and glanced at each of the men in her line of sight to see if any of them showed any interest in the only woman sitting in the room. They were watching her. They were looking at her. But they weren’t showing the kind of interest she was looking for. They looked curious. There was no real intention behind their glances. They were just as much in the dark who she was as she was them.
The hour ticked by, then another. Olive had taken to shaking her head and wondering what was going on. The sun was going down rapidly. Soon it would be pitch dark. She wasn’t sure the place would be open much longer.
She stood up and went to the clerk’s window. He was looking down at a list of names and destinations, running his finger down one at a time. He looked up when she cleared her throat.
His face was immediately surprised, and he raised his eyebrows. “May I help you, miss?”
“It looks like my ride forgot about me,” Olive said, her voice coming out smooth and soft. “I don’t know what to do.”
He tilted his head to the side and glanced behind her at the men milling about the room. “None of these men catch your fancy?”
Her face flushed, and she felt hot. “Sir, I was supposed to be picked up by a gentleman and taken into town. I am not here for any other purposes. As you can see, I have two bags with me, and I am not exactly dressed for this weather, am I? The man who sent for me paid ahead of time for the ticket. Perhaps he is in the book of yours, and you can find him for me.”
The surprise on the clerk’s face was renewed. “Pardon me, miss. What is your name? I will look it up.”
“My name is Olive Kelsey. His name is Henry. Henry Lewis.”
This time, the look that crossed the clerk’s face was one of recognition. “Oh, I will send a messenger to go find him. Please go ahead and sit back down. I will let you know when we find him.”
“Thank you.” Olive turned away and walked slowly back
to the bench. She had been sitting there for over two hours. She didn’t want to sit down again. She wanted to leave. She would rather have walked to town than sit on that bench for another moment. Instead of sitting, she went to the biggest window she could find and stood in front of it, staring out. As it got darker, she could see people lighting lanterns, and a man was walking down the street, lighting the gas lanterns that dotted the street with a long, lit torch.
Directly in front of the window, across the street, she could see a very small general store, a place where people could get eggs, sugar, and salt. To the right of the store, there was a grain mill and on the other side, a saddle shop. There were several different shops lining the street, but she couldn’t make out the names or the purpose of the shops in the dim light.
The town stretched on from there, but she could only see the street in front of her, to the left and to the right. The road was made of dirt and there were horses with riders passing by almost constantly, kicking up the dust. She saw only a few women. From the look of them, she understood why the clerk may have mistaken her for one of them. There didn’t seem to be any women of quality, at least not on this street. Soon the sun was completely down. She continued to watch the flickering lanterns until she felt a tap on her shoulder.
“Miss?”
She turned and had to look up. The man was at least a foot taller than her, with a broad chest and kind brown eyes. “Yes?”
“You were brought here by Henry Lewis?” he asked.
She nodded without answering.
He gave her a complete look, from her eyes to her shoes and back up. She avoided doing the same. She didn’t want him to think she was rude. “I…I am his brother, Eric. I’m sorry there was confusion and that you had to sit here waiting for so long. It seems…Henry didn’t tell us you were coming. May I see the letter he sent you?”
Olive kept herself from sighing. She still had the letter in the pocket of her dress, and she pulled it out, handing it to him. She felt like she was having to prove she wasn’t lying. It offended her that she wasn’t just picked up and taken to her destination, as promised.
Her face must have betrayed her thoughts because the look on his changed and he leaned forward a little. “The clerk has already verified that Henry really did send for you. I would just like to see the letter he sent you because, as I said, we were all surprised to hear that he did this.”
He opened the letter and read it quickly. She couldn’t tell what he thought by the look on his face. Then he refolded it and handed it back to her without a word about it.
“I will take you to the family house so we can decide what to do.”
It was Olive’s turn to look surprised. She tilted her head and bunched her skirt up in one hand. “What to do? I don’t understand. I was supposed to be picked up and taken back to the home where I would be married and stay with Henry. What is going on?”
Eric looked down, pressing his cheek out with his tongue and then licking his lips, nervously. “I’m afraid there’s been an accident.”
Olive frowned and tilted her head to the side. “An accident? What kind of accident? What do you mean? Is Henry all right?”
He hesitated before answering, glancing over her shoulder and out the window. She wondered what he was thinking and what had happened.
“I’m afraid not,” Eric answered, finally, dropping his eyes back to her face. “He’s been killed.”
Chapter Two
Olive didn’t know how to feel. She followed Eric to the wagon in silence. She hadn’t known Henry other than from the letters. He’d sounded like a decent man, a good man. But Eric didn’t seem too broken up about the loss of his brother. He was, in fact, quite complacent, helping her into the wagon and snapping the horses into action with a whistle and a flick of the reins.
“I’m sorry you’ve been shocked by this, Olive,” Eric said once they were on the road. “I am afraid he didn’t tell anyone that you were coming.”
“Why would he do that? Why didn’t he tell you? You’re his brother.”
Eric nodded. She looked at him with narrow eyes, scanning his face closely. He had a strong profile, and she thought he was very good-looking. She wondered what Henry had looked like and if they had shared any traits.
“Yes, but we aren’t a close family. We don’t have a lot of time we spend together. We all do our own thing.”
“How many of you are there?”
“Henry is the oldest brother. Then there’s me. We have a younger brother and three younger sisters.”
Olive’s heart sank. “You have a big family.”
Eric shrugged. “Not too big. It’s about regular size, I’d say.”
Olive thought about her family back in Virginia. There were too many people in that house. No matter how big the house got, there still seemed to be too many people in it. She wondered if that’s what it would be like where she was going, too. It made her want to jump out of the wagon and throw herself in front of the horses.
She realized Eric was looking at her and lowered her head, blushing.
“Don’t look so horrified, Olive,” Eric said, gently. “We are good people. You don’t have to worry about not being accepted.”
She shook her head. “It’s not that. My family in Virginia was large, as well. I was praying to get away from that.”
Looking at her, Eric was surprised that she mentioned praying. She didn’t look like the type that would consult God to help her. She looked like she relied on herself more than anything else. “What is your family in Virginia like? Do you have a lot of brothers and sisters?”
She nodded. “I have four brothers older than me and three sisters younger. Not to mention my aunt and uncle moved in last year and brought their four children with them. They are all hellions. Little ones, 6, 8, 10 and 12.”
Eric raised his eyebrows and whistled. “That’s a lot of people in the house.”
“Yes,” Olive said simply, her voice cold. “It was.”
“Our family isn’t that big.” Eric consoled her. “And we don’t have any little children around anymore. We’re all grown.”
“Your sisters don’t have children?”
“Not yet.”
“So they are married?”
“My sister Helen is. My other sister Jane isn’t, and we don’t expect that any time soon. My youngest sister is only sixteen and not ready for those thoughts.”
“They don’t live in the family home anymore?”
“Helen and Matthew have a home. My brother William and his wife Cynthia also have a home. But neither have children.”
Olive thought for a moment, her heart calming down a bit. That eliminated a lot of her grievance. “Where are you taking me?”
“I will take you back to the family home, where me and my brothers and sisters grew up. You can stay in one of the rooms until we…” He stopped. He’d been about to say “figure out what to do with you” but that sounded rude and harsh. His heart was soft for Olive. He felt sorry for her because she was in a strange place with people she didn’t know very far away from her home. But he also felt a little relief for her. Henry had not been the best character in the world. It didn’t come as much of a surprise to find he had ordered a bride from the East. It was more of a surprise that anyone had responded.
The letter he’d written to Olive didn’t sound like him at all. Eric had been taken aback by the letter but hadn’t mentioned it to her. Best to let her think his brother had been a good man than to reveal the truth, even if she realized how closely she had dodged a bullet. Plus, she was a beautiful woman and in his heart, he knew Henry would never have treated her well, even with her beauty. He was impressed by her long black hair and smooth pale skin. Her lips were small but full and stood out in her features. She had light green eyes, another aspect that had surprised him. Dark hair and light green eyes were a rare combination that Eric wasn’t sure he’d ever seen before. He liked it.
“I know you must be nervous and upset about t
his but please don’t be. We will make things all right for you. We won’t ship you back to your…huge family.” He smiled at her, and she felt a wash of warmth flow through her when she looked at him. He was being so nice to her. How could she stay in a sour mood?
“I appreciate you not sending me back.” She jostled into him when the wagon went over a hole in the road. “Oh! I’m so sorry!” She looked up at him fearfully, righting herself in the seat and pressing her hands together in her lap as if that would keep her steady.
He laughed. “You nearly knocked me off the wagon, woman!” He said in a teasing tone.
She pressed her lips together to keep from smiling.
“It’s okay, Olive.” He continued to smile at her.
She pulled in a silent breath and held it for a moment, letting it out slowly. She was trying very hard not to be nervous. She was truly surrounded by strangers now. Henry was her only contact, and he was apparently dead.
“So what happened to Henry?” She asked and then was terrified she had overstepped by asking the question.
“He was thrown from his horse this afternoon and landed in the creek behind the house. Hit his head on a rock. He was gone before anyone got to him.”
“I hope he didn’t suffer much.”
Eric shook his head. “Not likely. From the size of that rock and the way he was…laying there, I don’t think he was conscious at all. Probably went like that.” He snapped his fingers. He looked at her again with worried eyes, his smile gone. He didn’t want to frighten her any more than she already was. “How long did you correspond with him?” He asked the question to distract from the current topic. He didn’t want to see his brother in his mind lying in the creek bed any more than he wanted to talk about it.
“We exchanged letters for several months. I wrote four to him, the first being the initial response to his ad.”