by Rye Hart
“Well I supposed he’s almost to California by now. He said I would find you interesting. Oh yes, he also wanted to know if you changed your mind about the book you are writing.”
I had completely forgotten about the journal until she mentioned it. I was a bit embarrassed to admit that a few chapters did mention Clayton in them.
“How do you know Mr. Reeves?” I wondered.
“He’s my nephew,” Clara said simply. “He did gush quite a bit about you in the short layover before we boarded the coach. I decided to see who this young woman who captivated my dear Clayton so was all about. I must say, his assessment of you was right on the nose,” she concluded.
I was stunned into silence, not sure of what to say to that. I had been certain that Clayton had only been after a story and found myself disappointed to learn that he was in California now.
Rose, sensing my discomfort, changed the subject. “Tell me Clara, have you decided on where to open your business?” she asked.
“Well I was thinking just a small place as I will need only to have a desk and possibly a few chairs.”
Jason smiled. “There’s a store front right across from the newspaper office if you are interested.”
“That’s sounds perfect. Do you think I can talk to the owner tomorrow?” Clara asked.
“You’re talking to him right now. I own the building and I’d be happy to rent the space to you.”
Without thinking, I blurted out, “I can help you! I work as a secretary in a law firm back home. I can help draw up contracts for you.”
I looked over to Rose who was eyeing me with curiosity.
“Why that sounds like a wonderful idea,” Clara said joyfully. Jason stood up with the glass in his hand. “I’d like to make a toast to the-” he stopped and looked at Clara for help.
“Clara’s place. It will do for a start,” she said, beaming “To Clara’s Place.”
Early the following morning, Jason took Clara to the small office. It needed a bit of cleaning but it wasn’t totally impossible. Rose looked around the room, already with ideas on how to make it homey.
“Clara, what you want is to make this the reception area with a desk and a few chairs here, and have your office in the back in that smaller room. Some curtains and fresh coat of paint and this would be perfect.”
Clara had to admit the idea was tempting. “Well ladies it looks like we’ve got our work cut out for us,” Clara said.
That evening Clara returned the favor by inviting Eden and her family to join her for supper in the hotel dining room. Clara had requested her party be escorted to her table on the patio with a breathtaking view when they arrived. A smile came to Clara’s face when she saw Eden and her party enter the dining room. Oh Clayton had been spot on described her; she was a lovely girl and it was going to be a pleasure to get these two together. After how much he raved about Eden, she knew he had finally found a girl he was serious about. That’s where the idea of the mail order bride company came about. It made her happy to see Clayton had found a woman to hold his attention for more than a second in time. With all the lovely young ladies in Boston none seemed to hold his attention as this Miss Eden had. Before he left for California, he had told his aunt there was something about this girl that held his attention. It was that comment that made Clara determined to meet this young woman.
Clara had successfully paired many of her friends over the years, but this match would be her best effort.
Eden was the first to greet her.
“Oh Clara, I’ve had so many ideas for your advertisement, I’ve been working on it all afternoon.”
“Thank you dear but I don’t want you to take too much time away from helping Rose.”
“I don’t mind one bit Eden helping you,” Rose said. “Besides I was measuring the windows for new curtains for you today.”
Clara clapped her hands in excitement over the sisters’ enthusiasm.
Jason held Rose’s chair as she sat down and then did the same for Eden who looked completely overwhelmed as she glanced at the menu. “What’s the matter Eden?” Rose asked her sister.
At once, Clara picked up on the problem and came to Eden’s rescue. Poor girl had no idea what to do in a place so fancy.
“May I suggest we start with a salad, followed by steak and baked potato, and for desert well have some cheese cake,” Clara suggested, and everyone nodded their approval.
The evening had turned out to be lovely and we had thoroughly enjoyed being together. Rose and I had so many ideas for Clara’s office we totally forgot about Jason alone in the front of the carriage. He looked back at his wife and smiled.
“Don’t forget Clara said you should take it easy,” he reminded.
“Oh we’re alright Jason, besides women have babies every day,” she said with a wave of her hand.
“Well maybe so but it would make me feel better if you took it easy.. Eden it’s your job to keep her from get over tired,” he said.
“Yes sir!” I saluted him and Rose and I collapsed in a fit of giggles.
“So have you picked out names yet?” I asked when we regained our composure.
Rose looked at me shyly. “We were thinking of Bannon Saunders for a boy. That way he would be both family names.”
“Papa would like that,” I said without thinking.’’
Rose nodded and held back the tears.
“Oh Rose, there’s no need to cry!” I tried to comfort her “Papa will come around. Even though he’s too stubborn to admit it out loud, I know he’s excited.”
Rose wiped at her eyes and nodded, not sure if she believed me or not.
“What about a girl’s name?” I asked, trying to change the subject.
She looked at me and put her head down. “Oh no, don’t tell me you’re going to name that poor baby something like Beatrice or Agnes or-”
I saw a smile come to her face and she looked up. “Eden Ciara is the name we decided on.”
Her words came as a total shock..
“Jason said I missed you so much that the only thing to thing to do was to name our daughter after you. That way my Eden would always be with me.”
Then it was my turn to cry.
Clara, Rose, and I were so busy, I hardly noticed two months had passed by. It was a slow afternoon when I decided to fill out one of the questionnaires in Clara’s office. I had never intended to place it on Clara’s desk but somehow it ended up there. It was early afternoon when Clara called me in her office.
“Eden dear, I see you filled out a questionnaire. Are you interested in a young man from back home or-”
“Oh no!” I interrupted her. “It’s just that I see so many woman fill these out and they struggle with some of the questions. I thought maybe if I filled one out, I might be able to better help them. I don’t know how that ended up on your desk.” “What a wonderful idea,” Clara said, beaming. “You’re always thinking of the clients. I like that.”
Later that day Clara placed my questions in the active file without my knowledge She proceeded to write to Clayton telling him she’d like him to read the profile of a young lady she felt would be a great new writer for his company.
Three weeks later Clayton Reeves, on his way back to Boston, stopped in Colorado Springs to see Clara and this mysterious woman who was perfect for his company.
Chapter Five
It was a sunny morning when Clayton walked into the office and I looked up, startled to see him standing in front of my desk. “Well hello there,” he said with a smile.
All I could do was smile back. It took me a few minutes to compose myself. He was as I remembered, tall and handsome with eyes that twinkled when he smiled.
“Fancy running into you here,” he offered.
I finally regained my composure and answered him. “Yes, quite the irony isn’t it?” I wasn’t sure if I should tip my hand and let him know that I knew about his conversation with Clara but I decided to play coy and let him make a move.
�
�Clara told me you’d be stopping by, she’s expecting you,” I said and waved my hand toward her office..”
“Thank you,” he said as he walked to the door, gently knocked, and went in.
It was all I could do to keep from putting my ear to the door to listen to what was being said. Luckily, a prospective client walked in and I busied myself with helping her navigate the questionnaire.
It was nearing lunchtime and Clara and Clayton were still holed up in Clara’s office discussing who knows what. I had promised to meet Rose in town to pick out fabric for curtains for the nursery so I left a note for Clara that I would be back later and turned the sign to ‘closed.’
It was late afternoon when I got back to Clara’s Place and I found
Clara at my desk. I noticed, with some disappointment, that Clayton was nowhere to be found.
“Where is Clayton?” I asked, trying to feign nonchalance.
Clara smiled up at me, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “He’s back in my room at the hotel resting from his trip,” she said. “Why don’t you join us for dinner tonight?” she asked.
I wasn’t quite sure I could sit through a dinner with Clayton without turning bright red at his every look but I hated to be rude to Clara.
“Yes, that would be very nice,” I said.
“Well, I don’t think we will be seeing much more action here today,” Clara said. “Why don’t we close up and get on home?”
I set about closing the place up for the night, making sure curtains were closed and the door locked. I walked with Clara to the hotel and hailed myself a coach back to Rose’s.
“I’ll see you tonight dear, seven o’clock sharp,” Clara said, patting my arm.
I climbed into the coach and groaned out loud. What had I gotten myself into?
When I arrived at Rose’s house, I nearly tripped up the front steps in my effort to get inside.
“Good Lord, Eden. What on Earth is wrong with you?” she asked, taking one look at my red face.
I sat down heavily at the table and Rose gestured for Martha to bring me a glass of water. I gulped the cold liquid and set the glass down a little harder than I had intended, startling even myself.
“He’s here,” I finally managed to say. “He’s here and I have to have dinner with him tonight.”
“Wait, who’s here?” Rose asked
“Clayton Reeves, Clara’s nephew,” I sputtered.
Rose sat back and smiled. “Ah, the handsome gentleman you spoke of in your journal. The one with the ‘dreamy eyes,'” she said.
I nearly died of embarrassment right then. “I can’t believe you read my journal!” I said loudly.
“Well you left it out in the open,” Rose said defensively.
“Oh Rose, what am I going to do? I think Clara is trying to get us together,” I said, starting to panic.
“And what is so wrong with that?” Rose wanted to know.
“Oh Rose, he’d never want a girl like me. He comes from a wealthy family and surely wants a girl who is refined. I froze when looking at the menu at Clara’s hotel!” I said, mortified. “I can’t go, I just can’t. I’ll make a fool of myself,” I whined.
“Now you stop right there Eden O’Bannon. Any man would be lucky to have you on his arm,” Rose scolded. “So what if you don’t know exactly which fork to use for which course? A man worthy of you will love you for who you are, not for your table manners.”
With that, Rose ushered me upstairs where she helped me wash and set my hair and rouge my cheeks. She lent me a gown in a beautiful deep purple and helped me to fasten the buttons.
Once I was dressed and my hair was fastened away from my face with a pair of pearl barrettes, Rose stood back and looked me over.
“Oh Eden, you are so lovely,” she whispered.
We went downstairs and Jason, who was waiting to escort me to the hotel, let out a low whistle.
“It’s a good think Clara is going to be there to chaperone you two,” he said with a wink.
I walked into the dining room and spotted Clara and Clayton sitting at a table near the window. Clayton’s eyes found me and he stopped in mid-sentence, his mouth hanging open as he stared. Suddenly I felt claustrophobic and had to fight the urge to run from the room. Clara said something to Clayton that broke the spell and he rose at once, coming to escort me to the table.
“Miss Eden, you look absolutely stunning,” he said, taking my hand and leading me across the room.
Clara rose to give me a peck on the cheek as we approached the table. “My dear, you are a sight!” she exclaimed gleefully.
I noticed Clara look between Clayton and I with a knowing smile but ignored it. All could focus on right now was not embarrassing myself in front of these two who had much more experience with fine dining and etiquette.
“So Eden, how are you liking Colorado Springs so far?” Clayton asked once we were all settled in our seats.
“I am loving it here,” I admitted. “The sunsets are spectacular and the people are very friendly.”
“Yes, Aunt Clara has told me some stories of the people you’ve met at her agency. Some of them have very interesting backgrounds.”
“Yes, that is very true,” I replied.
“And what about you?” Clayton asked. “Have you given any thought to filling out one of Aunt Clara’s questionnaires?”
“Good Heavens, no!” I exclaimed, blushing hotly. “I mean, I pass no judgement on those who do but it’s just not for me,” I quickly explained, not wanting to insult my employer and friend.
Clayton nodded thoughtfully. “Well if you were to fill one out, what would it say?” he asked curiously.
I picked up my water glass and took a long drink to quench my parched throat. Good Lord this man and his questions made me nervous. I wondered where he was going with this line of questioning but thought to myself that he was just trying to make small talk and I didn’t want to seem rude. I cleared my throat.
“Well I guess I would say that I am looking for someone to share my life with, to be a true partner. Someone who is educated and likes to read,” I said.
“And what about travel?” Clara asked.
“Well yes, that would be nice as well. My trip to Colorado has piqued my interest in what else there is to see in the world,” I answered.
“What about looks?” she asked.
“What about them?” I replied.
“Well do you like tall men?”
“Yes.”
“Blonde hair or dark?”
“Blonde I suppose.”
“Blue eyes or brown?”
“Blue-“ I stopped speaking and my cheeks flushed a deep red as I looked to Clayton who was staring at me with a dazzling smile. I quickly looked away from him and swung my eyes in Clara’s direction. She looked like the cat that ate the canary, with a smile as bright as the sun. I was mortified to realize that I had just described Clayton Reeves to a tee.
“Um, excuse me, I think I need some air,” I said, rising from the table. I gathered up my skirts and all but ran out of the dining room and out onto the patio. I took large gulps of fresh night air and jumped slightly when I felt Clayton’s hand on my elbow.
“Eden are you alright?” he asked, sounding worried.
I swallowed and nodded, willing my heart to slow to its normal rhythm. Clayton guided me over to a chair and helped me to sit. He perched on the chair next to me and took my hand in his.
“Do you know what my questionnaire would say?” he asked softly.
I shook my head, unable to speak.
“It would say that I am looking for a spirited woman who loves her family so much that she would travel across the country by herself to be with them. A woman who befriends old ladies and helps them start a business. I would say that I’m looking for a woman who writes about her journey but is too modest to thing anyone else would be interested in her story. I would say that I want you, Eden,” Clayton finished, bringing my hand to his lips.
“Oh Cla
yton, I don’t know what to say,” I gushed, my cheeks burning bright.
“Say you’ll come back inside and finish dinner before Aunt Clara sends out a search party,” he chuckled.
I nodded my head and allowed Clayton to lead me back into the dining room.
The next several days were spent getting to know Clayton better. Clara declared herself able to handle the agency alone for a few afternoons, allowing Clayton and I to stroll through the streets of the city. We visited a few shops where I picked out some fabric for clothes for Rose’s baby, as well as shops where Clayton bought me sweets and flowers.
What our courtship lacked in length, it made up for in intensity. After just one weeks’ time, Clayton and I knew without a doubt that we wanted to be together forever. Clara, Rose, and Jason were all thrilled for us and Clara and Rose couldn’t wait to start planning the wedding.
There was just one obstacle left to overcome.
Chapter Six
For the next two weeks Clayton was in upstate New York convincing papa and mama that he would make me a good husband. Papa was reluctant to let his baby girl go, and so far away, but mama reminded him of what his stubbornness had done to their relationship with Rose. Papa finally agreed to give Clayton my hand and when I received that word, Rose and I danced for joy. Well, I danced, Rose waddled.
Clayton needed to be in Boston for a few months to take care of the publishing company and I missed him terribly but we wrote to one another regularly. The days were growing shorter and the air took on a distinct chill. Winter was approaching, and with that, Rose’s due date. Things at the agency had slowed while everyone was getting their crops and cattle ready for the approaching cold so I was able to stay close to home with Rose.
November third at four in the morning Bannon Saunders was born. He had his mother’s red hair and a pair of lungs that would wake up the neighborhood. I looked at my beautiful sister with her husband and child and I felt truly happy. I pictured that one day, Rose would be the one at the foot of the bed looking on at me with Clayton and our child. There was so much to be hopeful for now.
With Rose recovered from having Bannon I felt it was time I headed back home. I said my goodbyes to them all and climbed in the coach to start my long journey home. I sat by the window and watched the landscape in reverse. I let my mind wander to Clayton, wondering what he was doing and if he was still as excited about marrying me as he had been nearly six months ago now. I closed my eyes and dozed, only to wake moments later with the feeling that I was being watched. Before I could even open my eyes and look up, I heard a voice that I knew so well.