A Time to Love

by Al Lacy

  Betty bounced on the couch to adjust her position. “Well … have you ever heard about the mail order brides who are going west?”

  “Why, yes. I’ve heard about the mail order bride concept. Started back in the gold rush days, didn’t it? About 1848 or 1849?”

  “Yes.”

  “I really don’t know much about it.”

  “Well, I read recently that out west there are about two hundred single men for every single woman. And for the most part, the only women who go out there are those who go with their husbands. So, in order for those single men who are already out there to come up with a wife, they have to get them from here in the East. And that’s what they’re doing.”

  Linda nodded. “Mm-hmm. Advertising in eastern newspapers for women to come out there and marry them. I remember reading something about it not too long ago. Must have been in a magazine. I hardly ever read a newspaper. We don’t have them around the house.”

  Betty nodded. “Linda, let me tell you what I did. You know the Lord hasn’t yet brought the right man into my life for marrying.”

  “Not up till now, at least.”

  “Well … I answered an ad in the Boston Herald several weeks ago.”

  Linda’s jaw dropped. “You what? You answered an ad about being a mail order bride?”

  Betty giggled. “Yes! The ad was written by a born-again man in New Mexico who was looking for a born-again woman to come and be his wife.”

  “Betty! You didn’t! You’re kidding me!”

  “No kidding about it, honey. I did. And yours truly is going to New Mexico!”

  “Betty! You’re going to marry a man you’ve never met? Just because he says he’s a Christian?”

  “It’s not exactly like that, Linda. Let me explain it. His name’s Clint Jackson. He’s twenty-six … four years older than me.”

  “Go on.”

  “His letter came real soon after mine had gotten to him. I anticipated that he would want to hear my Christian testimony and what church I go to. So I put it in the letter, telling him I’ve been praying for the Lord to send the man of His choice into my life. I asked for his testimony of salvation and what kind of church he attends.”

  “And what did he say?” Linda asked, suddenly intrigued.

  “In his letter, he told me how glad he was that I asked him for his testimony. He attends a Bible-believing church just like ours. The testimony of how he got saved rings as true as can be. His father was an officer, and he was raised in army forts. A chaplain at one of the forts led him to the Lord.”

  “So what does he do out there in New Mexico?”

  “He’s foreman on a huge cattle ranch. Being raised around horses in the forts, he grew to love them. He worked on a cattle ranch in Texas for a couple of years, he said, before going to this one in New Mexico.”

  “I see.”

  “Linda, we’ve exchanged exactly ten letters now, and I’m satisfied that Clint is a genuine, dedicated Christian, and a hardworking man. He told me about several cowhands on the ranch he has led to the Lord.”

  “That sounds good, Betty. Just where in New Mexico is this ranch?”

  “Near Santa Fe. Oh, Linda, up until now the Lord hasn’t seen fit to bring the right man into my life, but after much prayer, I’m convinced it’s God’s will that I marry Clint.”

  Linda frowned. “But Betty, what if you should get out there and find you’ve made a mistake? I mean, you’re human. And we can sometimes misjudge what we think is the Lord’s will. In a case like that, you could seriously mess up your life. You can’t really get to know a man by writing letters. You have to meet him in person.”

  Betty smiled as she nodded her head in agreement. “Clint and I discussed this in our letters. We’ve agreed to have a reasonable amount of time for a courtship. We’ve left it open that if during that time either of us doesn’t have peace in our hearts about the marriage, we won’t go through with it.”

  “Oh. Well, I’m glad to hear that. From what little I’ve known about this mail order bride business, if a lady tells a man she’s coming and he sends the money to get her there, the deal is on, no matter what.”

  “That’s the way it is with lots of them, but Christians wouldn’t do it that way.”

  “Do you have a photograph of Clint?”

  “I thought you’d never ask.” Betty reached for her purse and took out a small photograph of Clint Jackson from an inside pocket and handed it to Linda. “Here. Take a look.”

  Linda saw a tall, slender man in a ten-gallon hat, standing beside his horse. She could tell by the look in his eyes and the smile on his face that he was an amiable person. “Nice-looking man,” she commented, handing the picture back to Betty. “He has a warm smile.”

  “I think he’s got a warm heart, too,” Betty said, looking at the picture wistfully, then placing it back in her purse. “Well, Linda, I must be going.”

  “How soon are you leaving for New Mexico?”

  “Day after tomorrow. I received the train fare from Clint yesterday. I don’t think I’ll have time to come back and see you again. So this will have to be good-bye.”

  A spark of interest had been kindled in Linda’s mind about Betty’s mail order bride story. She said nothing to her parents that evening about Betty’s departure to New Mexico. It would keep for a day or two till she could think about it.

  That night, as Linda lay in bed with silver moonlight coming through the windows, she pondered Betty’s situation. She seemed so happy. Linda hoped it would work out as planned.

  As she pondered it further, Linda told herself that if the same thing could happen to her, it would be the way to get out of Boston and escape the shame, embarrassment, and stares of the people who knew about her wedding fiasco. Though she doubted she could ever fall in love with a man the way she had with Lewis, still she could feel affection for him and be a good wife. Her “time to love” might never really come. Still, it would be better than staying in Boston as a recluse.

  But how many genuine Christian men would use the mail order bride system?

  Linda thought about it long into the night. Finally she came to a decision and fell into the first dreamless sleep she had experienced since that heartwrenching day on the ninth of June.

  Linda was up early the next morning and took renewed interest in her personal appearance. She spent more time on her hair than usual. After trying on and laying aside several dresses that no longer fit, she found one that would do.

  There was a spring in her step as she made her way to the kitchen to start breakfast. She built a fire in the cookstove and had bacon and eggs frying when Adrienne entered the kitchen to find her stirring pancake batter in a bowl.

  Linda looked up with a bright smile on her face and said, “Good morning, most wonderful mother in all the world! Sleep well?”

  Adrienne saw the gleam in her daughter’s eyes and took note of the work she had put into her hair. “Why … yes. Yes, I slept well, honey. I didn’t expect you to start breakfast ahead of me. We always do that together.”

  “Well, I thought it would be nice today if I got up a few minutes earlier than usual and saved you a little work.”

  Adrienne was delighted to see the change in Linda. She hadn’t smiled like that or had a lilt in her voice since—

  “Looks like breakfast is on a bit early this morning,” Nolan said as he entered the kitchen.

  “Good morning, most wonderful daddy in all the world!” Linda said, flashing him a pearly white smile. “Did you sleep well?”

  Nolan noticed the change in Linda’s appearance and looked at Adrienne, who raised her eyebrows as if to say, I don’t know what brought this on, but I sure like it!

  Nolan hugged his daughter. “Yes, honey, I slept like a log.”

  Linda surprised her parents again by giggling as she said, “And just how does a log sleep, O Father of mine?”

  Nolan chuckled. “Well, it doesn’t. That’s just a figure of speech.”

  Linda po
ked a playful finger at his nose and said, “Well, that figure of speech doesn’t tell me a thing, then, does it? Maybe if a log could sleep, it still wouldn’t sleep very well.”

  Nolan flicked a glance at Adrienne and winked, then wrapped Linda in a tight hug. “You know what I do to smart-aleck, mouthy females?” he said.

  Linda giggled. “No. What?”

  “I hug ’em till they can’t breathe!” As he spoke, he squeezed her until she ejected a little grunt and squeaked, “Okay! Okay! I give up! I’ll be good!”

  As the three of them sat down to the table and joined hands, they bowed their heads and closed their eyes. Nolan thanked the Lord for His blessings on them, for Calvary, and for the food they were about to eat. Before he closed, he said, “And Father, it’s so good to see our little girl with a smile and a happy glint in her eyes. Thank You! We praise You in Jesus’ name, amen.”

  Adrienne was brushing tears away as Linda and Nolan raised their heads. She squeezed her daughter’s hand and said, “Has the Lord done something special, honey? Something to cheer you up and put the old smile back on your lips?”

  Linda glanced at her father, then back at her mother, and said, “I can’t really describe it, Mom. Let’s just say that He’s given me uplift of heart and soul. Maybe I can tell you more as time passes.”

  “Well, He’s answering prayer,” Adrienne said, a glow on her face.

  While they were eating, Linda said, “Daddy.

  “Yes, honey?”

  “Would you do me a favor?”

  Nolan grinned. “Name it.”

  “On your way home from work this afternoon, will you buy me a copy of the Boston Herald? I know that newsstand is just outside the main door of your office building.”

  Nolan gave her a quizzical look. “I’ll be glad to, but why do you want a paper?”

  “There’s something I’ve heard about in the classified advertisement section that I want to check out.”

  “Oh. Sure. I’ll bring you a copy.”

  When the head of the Forrest household arrived home from work late that afternoon, Linda was waiting for him at the door. He had the newspaper rolled up in his hand.

  “Oh, Daddy!” she said, smiling. “You remembered!”

  He put the paper behind his back, grinned impishly, and said, “How bad do you want it?”

  “What does that mean?” she asked, giggling.

  It was a joy for Nolan to hear Linda giggle again. “It means, do you want it bad enough to give your old father a big kiss to get it?”

  “Well, of course!”

  Linda raised up on tiptoe and planted a loving kiss on her father’s cheek.

  He touched the spot and said, “I’ll never wash that side of my face again!”

  The paper was still behind his back.

  Linda laughed and held out her hand. “All right, Father dear … the paper, please!”

  Nolan laid the rolled-up afternoon edition of the Boston Herald across her palm.

  “Thank you!” she chirped, then dashed toward her room with a private smile on her lips.

  When the sound of her door closing echoed through the house, Adrienne stood at the open door of her nearby sewing room and said, “Can you believe the change in her?”

  “It’s almost like I’m dreaming,” Nolan replied, shaking his head. “I had to pinch myself every time I thought of her today.” He moved to Adrienne and took her in his arms, kissing her sweetly.

  “Did she tell you what she’s expecting to find in the classified section of the paper?” he asked.

  “No, dear. I figure she’ll let us in on it sooner or later.”

  Nolan nodded. “I’m sure she will. Do you suppose whatever she’s looking for in the Herald has anything to do with this wonderful change in her?”

  “I have a feeling it does, but I didn’t want to pry.”

  “Of course not, but it sure stirs up one’s imagination, doesn’t it?”

  “Does it ever!” Adrienne said with a sigh. “I haven’t the slightest idea what it could be, but whatever it is, if it helped bring her out of that shell, it has to be good!”

  Linda closed the door behind her as she entered her room and hurried to the desk. She opened the paper and flipped pages to find the classified advertisement section, then laid the paper open on the desk and took a deep breath. “Dear Lord,” she said with a tremor in her voice, “You did a wonderful thing for Betty by letting her find Clint right here in the Boston Herald. I’m not saying You have to do the same thing for me, but I sure don’t want to be an old maid. Especially one who’s a recluse. I want to get back among people—especially Christian people, but I just can’t do it here in Boston. I sure would appreciate it if You would do for me like You did Betty.”

  The classified ads filled two complete pages. She ran her eyes up, down, and across both pages, but there were no columns labeled “Mail Order Brides,” or anything akin to it.

  There was a tap at her door. “Linda,” came Adrienne’s voice as she opened the door a few inches, “it’s time to start supper.”

  Suddenly Linda spotted a black-bordered box in the lower right-hand corner of the page that said: Mail Order Bride section on next page.

  Her pulse quickened. She wanted to turn the page immediately, but she closed the paper and said, “Okay, Mom. The assistant cook of the Forrest household is now on duty!”

  In her heart, Adrienne praised the Lord for the sudden change in Linda as they walked toward the kitchen together.

  9

  AS THE FORREST FAMILY ATE SUPPER TOGETHER, Nolan looked across the table at his daughter and said, “Linda, did you find what you were looking for in the Herald?”

  “I’m not sure, Daddy,” she replied after swallowing a mouthful of mashed potatoes. “I might have. I have to do some more reading before I’ll know.”

  Adrienne looked puzzled. “Linda.

  “Mm-hmm?” came the response as Linda chewed fried chicken.

  “Honey, I really don’t mean to pry. I told your daddy that you’d let us in on this sooner or later. But you’ve got my curiosity screaming wildly inside me. How about sooner?”

  Linda swallowed the mouthful of food. “I really have to do some more reading, Mom, before I can tell you.”

  Adrienne studied her. “Are you looking for a job?”

  Linda smiled. “Well, yes, in a manner of speaking. As soon as I have something definite to go on, I’ll talk to both of you.”

  “May I ask you this, then?”

  “What, Mom?”

  “This mysterious something you’re looking for in the Herald, which is a job in a manner of speaking.

  “Mm-hmm?”

  “Has it got anything to do with the fact that you’re at least partially back to your old self?”

  Linda grinned. “Yes’m.”

  Adrienne and Nolan exchanged glances.

  “Okay,” Adrienne said. “That’s good enough for now. Whatever the mystery is, I’m going to like it because its bringing my baby girl back to her old cheerful self.”

  After supper, Linda helped her mother clean up the kitchen, but her mind was on the newspaper waiting in her room. She had high hopes that a mail order bride ad like the one that had brought Clint Jackson into Betty’s life would bring God’s chosen man into her life, too. A move west to start a new life away from where her horrendous devastation took place would be the answer to her dilemma. As she helped her mother with the dishes, she silently asked the Lord to let her go west and start a new life.

  When Linda returned to her room, she rushed to the desk, picked up the Herald, and found the Mail Order Bride section.

  She began reading slowly, starting at the top and working her way down. The ads took up more than half a page and were from almost every state and territory west of the Missouri River.

  Linda had to laugh at some of the ads. Others gripped her heart as she thought of the lonely men who had written them. As she read on, there was nothing that mentioned being a Christia
n, or anything near it. She was about to despair when the words “born-again Christian” caught her eye.

  She held her breath as she read the ad. It had been placed by a twenty-seven-year-old banker in Sacramento, California, whose name was Blake Barrett. He had never been married, and stated that he was looking for a young woman near his age who was also a born-again Christian. This information was followed by a list of strict qualifications that an interested young woman would have to meet. He had added the words, “Please do not reply if you don’t meet the qualifications listed above.”

  Linda read through the ad two more times and felt a thrill of excitement.

  She could now tell her parents what was on her mind. But what if they were against it? She wouldn’t want to displease them.

  Linda decided to talk to them right away lest she lose her nerve. She paused to ask the Lord to work in her parents’ minds so they would be in agreement with it if it was His will that she become a mail order bride. Then she picked up the section of paper that contained the classified ads and went to the library, where her parents were spending a quiet evening of reading.

  When she reached the door, she paused and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her thumping heart. “Help me, Lord,” she said softly, and then moved inside.

  Nolan and Adrienne sat in identical overstuffed chairs, sharing a glowing lamp on a table between them. They faced the fireplace, which of course, had no fire in mid-August. Both parents looked up from their books when Linda planted herself in front of them, holding the newspaper.

  She knew that if this Blake Barrett should want her to come to Sacramento in view of becoming his mail order bride, it would be a difficult thing for her parents to handle. She could go without their consent, but she wouldn’t do that. She wouldn’t hurt them the way Janet had.

  Janet had gone off to New York and had not so much as sent word that she was all right. Unless God intervened and Janet got saved, Nolan and Adrienne Forrest would probably never see their oldest daughter again.