The Bargain Mail Order Bride

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  “You want gold so badly you’ll go to the stream when it’s dangerous to be down there?” Abe snapped.

  “No! I want gold so Juliet and I can get out of here.”

  “Which can be done at any time.”

  Carl shook his head. Abe couldn’t understand the situation because there was no way Carl could tell him the truth.

  “Oh, that’s right,” Abe said. “Your father’s will is going to make you give the stream back to me in a little over a year. No wonder you’re desperate.”

  “This has nothing to do with our father.”

  Abe glared at him. “You mean your father.”

  “No. I mean our father.”

  “To be a father, you have to be worthy of respect. All that man did was take advantage of my mother.”

  “Take advantage of her? That’s what you think?” Carl straightened up as much as the injury would allow, so he could lean toward Abe. “He loved your mother.”

  Abe snorted. “Love had nothing to do with it. He was full of his own lusts.” He rose to his feet. “I’ll get something to hold your leg in place. It’ll heal on its own, but you won’t be able to move it for a while.”

  Before Abe could leave, Carl grabbed his hand. “Your mother wasn’t an object of our father’s lust. He did love her. And more than that, he loved you.” Abe tried to shake his hand away, but Carl’s grip remained firm. “It’s true. You weren’t there to listen to him tell me and my mother how disappointed he was in us. My mother wasn’t as pretty as yours. She didn’t cook as good. She wasn’t a companion. Your mother might have been his mistress, but she had his undying loyalty. And the same was true about you.”

  “He didn’t care about me.”

  “No? He would tell me he wished you were the son he could have given his name to. You were better than me with horses. You were a better hunter. You were the son of the woman he loved. I lived with that the entire time I was growing up. He owed me one good thing after all the misery he put me and my mother through, so don’t get all haughty over me wanting to get the gold that’s in the stream.”

  “I don’t need to listen to this.”

  Abe pushed Carl away, but Carl managed to hold onto his sleeve. “I never said I was going to keep the stream forever. You can have it once I get enough gold to get Juliet and me out of here.”

  “That’s what white men say,” Abe bit back. “But no matter how much gold they get, it’s never enough. As soon as you find a little, you’ll want more. And the more you get, the more you’ll want. You’ll never be satisfied.”

  “Not all white men are the same, Abe. You can’t lump the greed of a few into an entire group.”

  Abe lowered his head until his nose was almost touching Carl’s. “You tell that to my grandparents and aunts and uncles who died because they were forced to leave Georgia. My people were willing to be friends with your kind, and you betrayed us by sending your army to force us off our land.” Abe shoved him against the back of the couch then pointed at him. “Until you lose your family, don’t tell me that gold has no hold over you.”

  Carl made a move to shove him back, but Abe had already stepped away from the couch. As a result, Carl lost his balance and fell to the floor with a resounding thud. Ignoring the pain in his leg, he shouted, “You think you’re the only one who’s lost someone important to them because of something a white man did? Our father was a white man, and it’s because of his love for your mother that my mother killed herself! So don’t you dare preach at me about losing someone because of a white man’s actions!”

  A sudden silence fell over the cabin, and Carl and Abe both glanced over at the kitchen where the women were watching them, eyes wide.

  Abe muttered something under his breath and stormed out of the cabin. Carl would have done the same if he could. He didn’t want to be around Abe any more than Abe wanted to be around him. He’d warned Juliet that this wasn’t a good idea, but she had to do it. Well, maybe now she could understand why it was best that he and Abe have nothing to do with each other.

  Juliet and Phoebe ran over to him and helped him get back on the couch.

  “I better talk to Abe,” Phoebe said once Carl was comfortable.

  She left, and Carl let out a frustrated sigh. “They hate me,” he whispered to Juliet.

  “I don’t think they hate you,” Juliet whispered in return.

  “No? You saw what happened. Abe thinks the only thing I love is money. It’s all he’s ever thought, and it’s all he’s ever going to think. There’s no reasoning with him.”

  She took his hand in hers. “I know you don’t want to be here, but at least he’s going to help you.”

  “He doesn’t want to help me. Can you ask Phoebe if she’ll get a horse so we can get to town? She or Abe can bring the horse back here.”

  “Phoebe said Abe has what you need to take care of your leg.”

  “He doesn’t want to take care of my leg.”

  “But he’s willing to. He wouldn’t have brought you here otherwise.”

  “Only because you wanted it.”

  “Right,” she said, offering him an encouraging smile. “And since I’m here, then he’ll keep helping you.” He grimaced, so she squeezed his hand. “We won’t be here for more than two or three hours.”

  “That long?”

  “Well, I hate to leave before we have the soup Phoebe and her mother are making. It would be rude after they brought us in here.”

  How he wished his leg was good enough so he could leave right away. Being trapped at Abe’s was the worst thing that could happen to him. Though Juliet offered him a supportive kiss, he didn’t feel much better.

  “I should go back and help Phoebe’s mother with the soup,” Juliet said. “The sooner we eat, the sooner we can leave.”

  After she returned to the kitchen, Carl let out a long sigh, settled his head on the arm of the couch, and crossed his arms. This was his fault. If only he’d listened to her this morning when she warned him it wasn’t safe to go to the stream. Then he wouldn’t be stuck in this predicament.

  ***

  Abe had gotten the horse out of the stall and was ready to put the saddle on it when Phoebe came into the barn.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m going to take Carl home.”

  “Right now?” she asked as she hurried over to him.

  He set the saddle on the steed. “Yep.”

  “But he isn’t ready to go anywhere yet. Not until you fix his leg.”

  “He’s not that bad off. All he needs to do is keep his leg completely still for a while, and he’ll be fine.”

  “Won’t he need something to help him keep it still?”

  “A couple of splints will do the trick.” He went to the other side of the horse and pulled the cinches, breast collar, and stirrup down so they hung neatly beside the horse. “The only other thing he might need is something to help him walk.”

  “You can’t expect Juliet to put his leg in splints and get a crutch for him.”

  He returned to the other side of the horse. “I’ll take him to Travis and Allie’s place. I’m sure Travis can help him just as well as I can.”

  With an exasperated sigh, Phoebe darted in front of him so he had to look at her. “I know you don’t like Carl, but didn’t you hear what he told you in there?” She gestured to the cabin. “About your father.”

  He shook his head. “That’s not what my father was like. My father only loved himself. He didn’t love me or my mother.”

  “Abe,” she placed her hands on his chest, “Carl believes what he said. May I tell you what I think?”

  Sure he wasn’t going to like what he was going to hear, he nodded. She was his wife, after all, and he owed it to her to listen to what she wanted to say.

  “I think your father hurt both of you,” she softly said. “I never met the man, but it’s obvious the only person he thought of was himself. You didn’t feel like he lov
ed you any more than Carl felt like he loved him. Your mother couldn’t live without him when he died, so she killed herself. Carl’s mother couldn’t live with him while he was alive, so she killed herself. I’m not saying Carl is my favorite person, but you two have a lot more in common than you think.”

  “I don’t know, Phoebe. He could be saying all of that to get your sympathy.”

  “He didn’t say any of that to me. He said it to you.”

  He took her hands and slipped his fingers around hers. “I know you mean well, but I have trouble trusting anything Carl says. Look at the letter he sent you. Not only was he pretending he was me, but he made it sound like the stream was mine.”

  “I didn’t say I agreed with everything’s he’s done. I know he’s not perfect. It’s just that… Well,” she shrugged, “I felt sorry for him back there.”

  “Because he reminded you of me?”

  She nodded. “When it comes to your father, yes.”

  He glanced at the horse, which snorted as if the steed was getting impatient for him to make up his mind on whether to saddle him or not. “Alright,” he said. “I’ll find something I can use as splints and get his leg set right. After that, I’m taking him home. I’m not keeping him here any longer than I have to.”

  “Thank you, Abe.” She kissed him. “The soup will be ready soon.”

  He pulled her into his arms for a few moments, taking comfort in having her with him. Until she came into his life, he hadn’t been aware he had been missing something important. But now that she was here, he didn’t know what he’d ever do without her.

  When he let go of her, he smiled. “I’ll be in soon.”

  She gave him a smile before leaving him to put the horse back in the stall.

  ***

  Carl clenched the couch as Abe set his leg firmly against one of the thick pieces of long wood he was using as a splint.

  “Your bone was slightly out of place,” Abe told him.

  Carl couldn’t be sure, but he thought he detected a slight chuckle in Abe’s voice. “You don’t have to enjoy it.”

  “I didn’t say I was enjoying it.” Then, with a shrug, he added, “But then, I wouldn’t say I wasn’t enjoying it, either.”

  “I suppose you think you’re funny,” Carl dryly replied.

  Abe lined up the other piece of wood along the other side of Carl’s leg. “I’ve been known to laugh from time to time.”

  “Sure. I bet you’re getting a big laugh out of this.”

  “It’s no different from the laugh you got when the judge told me there was no way I was getting the stream that rightfully belongs to me.”

  So it was back to the stream again. No matter what else was going on, things always went back to the stream. “Look, I’m close to finding the gold I need.” When Abe’s eyes went heavenward, he added, “It’s true. There really is gold in that stream. In the past two days, I was able to pan out half a jar’s worth. And there’s more. A lot more. As soon as spring comes, I’ll be able to get the rest of it, and when I do, you can have the stream because Juliet and I will be out of here.”

  For a moment, Carl thought Abe was going to spout off something about a white man’s greed never being enough, but, thankfully, Abe didn’t say it. He only retrieved the strips of cloth and wrapped them around the splints holding his leg in place.

  Carl could have said more, he supposed, but it seemed that Abe wasn’t going to believe anything he said. So what was the point?

  Abe continued working in silence while Carl turned his gaze to the window. Never again. Never again would he do something if Juliet told him not to. If he’d listened to her, he wouldn’t be stuck here until the women decided it was time to go home.

  ***

  “Abe didn’t like their father any more than Carl did,” Phoebe whispered to Juliet as she stirred the soup that was simmering on the cookstove.

  “I don’t know anything about their father,” Juliet confided in a low voice while Phoebe’s mother set the table. “Well, except for the stream and Abe’s mother being his mistress. I knew I was putting you and Abe in an awkward position by coming here, but I was afraid to go all the way to town while Carl stayed outside in this cold weather.”

  “I’m glad you did. I had no idea how things were from Carl’s perspective. I assumed everything was good for him while he was growing up. Hearing him talk about their father made me realize Abe wasn’t the only one who was hurt by the things that man did. It just about broke my heart when he said his mother killed herself because of him. After hearing that, I can’t hate Carl.”

  Juliet bit her lower lip. She hadn’t known that at all until Phoebe found out, but she thought it was better not to admit it.

  “You know what would be nice?” Phoebe asked.

  “What?”

  “It’d be nice if we could share the stream. I mean, there’s plenty of it. Abe and I don’t have to be at the same section where you two are panning for gold.”

  Juliet didn’t know if she liked the idea of staying here indefinitely. If she could get out of the country, she stood a much better chance of not being found. It was possible that her brothers wouldn’t find her all the way out here, tucked away in a town surrounded by trees, but her brothers would never look for her all the way in Canada.

  “That’s very nice of you to suggest,” Juliet said, “but Carl and I would like to go somewhere else. As soon as we get the gold we need, we won’t be here anymore. Then you and Abe can have the stream all to yourself.”

  Phoebe turned to face her, her eyebrows furrowed. “Carl’s not planning to stay here?”

  “No. From the day we married, he expressed his desire to leave once he got enough gold.”

  “Really?”

  Juliet nodded.

  After a moment, Phoebe went back to stirring the soup.

  “Did I say something wrong?” Juliet asked.

  “No,” Phoebe said. “I just didn’t know that was his plan. I thought he intended to stay here for the rest of his life.”

  Phoebe’s mother came over to them. “Is the soup ready?”

  “Yes.” Phoebe lifted the pot off the cookstove and carried it to the table. “We should pour a bowl and carry it to Carl. He’s in no shape to sit at the table.”

  “I’ll take it to him,” Juliet offered.

  “We’re glad you came so we could help him,” Phoebe’s mother said, giving Juliet’s arm a friendly pat.

  Juliet smiled her thanks. After Phoebe poured soup into two bowls, she handed them to Juliet, and Juliet went to eat with Carl while the others ate in the kitchen.

  Chapter Eighteen

  That evening after Juliet helped Carl into the bed, he said, “I hope I never have to go through another day like this for the rest of my life.”

  Offering him a sympathetic smile, she asked, “Was it really that bad?”

  “I think it would have been less painful if I had been allowed to freeze to death by the stream.”

  “Oh Carl, you can’t mean that.” She sat beside him. “I would be terribly grieved if that happened.”

  He settled back onto the pillow and gestured for her to lie next to him. She did, but she was careful not to irritate his injured leg that remained immobile by the splints. She slipped her arm around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder. He, in turn, wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

  “I never thought I’d hear anyone say they would miss me if I was gone,” he admitted, his tone soft. “Besides my mother, no one cared for me.”

  “It sounds like she was a good woman.”

  “She was. This place was too harsh for her. She was brought up in a wealthy home, and my father married her to get his hands on the money. Needless to say, he squandered it in some bad business ventures. When he heard there was gold in this part of the country, he brought me and my mother here. I was four at the time, so I barely remember Boston.”

  “That must have been difficult for your mother to go through.”

&nbs
p; “It was. She used to tell me about the large house she grew up in and all the fine foods she used to eat. She took it all for granted, she’d say, and then she’d hold me and cry.” He paused. “She made a few attempts to leave. My father didn’t know about the jewelry she’d kept hidden, but she used to tell me the plans she had to go to her sister’s in Canada. Then, she said, we could finally be happy.”

  He swallowed and took a deep breath. “She wouldn’t say anything to my father, and she’d wait when he was occupied with Abe’s mother to take me to town. He always found us and brought us back, though. He wouldn’t let her leave. She was his wife, and he wasn’t going to be disgraced by having her leave him. One time we made it a hundred miles out on the stagecoach before he found us. It was at this point he realized she had the jewelry. As you probably suspect, he ended up taking it.”

  “Did he beat her?”

  “No. He didn’t lay a hand on her. He didn’t have to. All her will to live left after that. She gave up on trying to get us out of this town. A couple of months went by, and then one day when I was helping my father pan for gold, she drank poison. When we came back, she was already dead, and there was nothing I could do to bring her back.”

  Noting the way his voice wavered, she lifted her head and brushed his tears away. “You couldn’t have known she was going to do that.”

  His gaze went to her. “People around here think she died of natural causes. They think the harsh living conditions were too much for her. I was so angry at my father that I tried to hurt him, but I was only fourteen. I was no match for him.”

  “I’m sorry, Carl,” she whispered.

  He took her hand in his and pressed it against his heart. “It happened so long ago that sometimes it seems like a dream, but talking to Abe today just brought it all back. I don’t like thinking about our father.”

  “No one can blame you for that.”

  “I just want to be happy.” He squeezed her hand. “I didn’t think it was possible to be happy until you came into my life.” He cleared his throat. “I was never happy with Lydia. My father arranged for that marriage. He didn’t want me marrying a woman from town. Not that I was interested in anyone. But my father would never have allowed such a union even if I was.