by Natalie Dean
Sarah was softly singing to the children when she heard the scuff of boots on the floor. It didn't sound like Carson and Lola growled. Sarah froze momentarily. She turned around to see a dirty man towering over them, as he spat tobacco on her clean floor. She wanted to run at him, but she had to consider the children. He kicked Lola out of his way, and the dog was now lying on the ground. Billy wanted to run to Lola, but Sarah held him. She had to keep the children close to her.
"Well, looky 'ere, Mad Dog. We've got a pretty little thing to play with," the man turned his head to the door but kept an eye on Sarah. Another shadow loomed at the doorway and agreed that Sarah would be excellent entertainment.
"My husband will be back any minute," Sarah warned.
"If it's the man in the barn, he's been taken care of," the man at the door chuckled and smiled to reveal a mouthful of rotten teeth. Billy called out for his father, but the man said, "It ain't no use boy."
The man grabbed the children by their collars, but Billy and Jane weren't easy to maneuver as they both kicked and screamed at the man. Sarah was trying to remember if there were any weapons she could use. She saw the pot of boiling water on the stove top.
"Don't hurt the children. Let me fix them their lunch, and I'll go with you," Sarah said.
"I'm hungry, Mad Dog. Let her fix us some food," the man said.
"Yer right, Felix, it's been a long time since we've had a home-cooked meal. Fix us somethin' good," Mad Dog said. Sarah tried to figure out a way to get them together. From the corner of her eye, she saw Lola move. She felt relieved that the dog was alive. She couldn't think about Carson. All she could do was focus on how to get rid of the men before they hurt her or the children. She looked at the children, and she could see Billy watching Lola. Afraid that he'd alert the men to the dog, she pretended to fall over.
"I need Billy to help me," she said, and the men agreed. Billy went to Sarah's side, and she whispered in his ear. The child nodded. He was a very bright and intelligent child. Sarah knew he'd understand. As she put her hands on the pot of boiling water, she nodded at Billy. Sarah threw the water on the man, Felix, as he was closest to her and he screamed out in pain. At the same time, Billy yelled at Lola to attack the other man. Lola sunk her teeth into the man's leg and with fury coursing through Sarah's veins, she banged the empty pot of water over the other man's head. He fell into a heap on the ground.
"Run outside quickly children," Sarah yelled as she rushed to the barn, not quite convinced that Carson was that easy to take down without shooting him first. She was right. Carson was trying to stand, and he looked up to see Sarah and the children coming towards him. He reached to his holster, but his gun was gone. The man who knocked him out must have taken it. But Carson had another gun in the tea chest. He rushed back, grabbed it and as he was running out of the barn, he told Sarah to stay inside. No one was going to attack his family again. Rage took over, and Sarah feared for Carson.
Sarah heard two gunshots. The children clung to her, afraid their papa was dead. She watched as the barn door opened and Carson came back unharmed. He hitched the wagon to the horses without saying a word. Sarah was sure that Carson wasn't a killer, but if he suspected these were the men who had killed his wife, anything was possible.
She and the children followed Carson and the wagon from the barn. Sarah thanked the Lord for their safety. Carson had the men tied up.
"You take the children to Bannack, I'll follow along with these two. Tell Sheriff Dexter to meet me."
Sarah nodded, and she and children made their way to Bannack. She hadn't driven a wagon before but being a quick study, she had remembered what Cecilia would do. "Mama didn't do it that way," Billy said raising an eyebrow as Jane chastised him for being mean to Mama Sarah.
They finally made it into town unscathed. With the alarm raised, Sarah could only wait for Carson to come to them. She prayed for his safety. Cecilia and Lottie watched as Sarah stood at the doorway, waiting to see Carson.
"Did you see the way her eyes lit up as she spoke about him?" Cecilia said, and Lottie nodded.
"She reminds me of you, Cec. Billy said she threw the pot of boiling water on one of the men. She's not leaving Bannack now. How could anyone return to life in the city after going through all of this?"
"They're coming in now," Sarah said as she ran out to meet Carson. "Is Lola alright? There wasn't time to see to her."
"She's fine. Glad to get her revenge. I saw what you did to these two. And I've something for you," Carson handed the locket to Sarah. She held it in her hands, never believing she would see it again. "It’s yours, isn't it?" he asked her, hoping he hadn't misjudged the situation. Sarah looked at him as her eyes filled with tears. "You mean Jane and Billy are Katie's?"
Carson nodded, "We adopted the twins before moving here. No one knew. But seeing you with them, you looked like you belonged together," Carson said as he drew Sarah into his arms. She looked up at him. After all this time, she was reunited with the babies. The Lord had answered her prayers. Carson leaned down towards Sarah and kissed her gently on the lips.
Two days later Sarah stood at the hotel entrance and looked at the stage coach that was heading back to the city. She looked the other direction to where the Church stood at the far end of Bannack.
"You don't want to be late for your wedding," Mrs. Lavery scolded as she joined Sarah and, linking arms, walked Sarah towards the Church. Sarah smiled as she saw Cecilia and Lottie with their husbands and children waiting for her. Then when she saw Carson holding Billy and Jane, her heart jumped with joy. These people were her home. Home was more than a physical building. It was being with people who loved her and whom she loved too. Sarah had finally found her home sweet home.
Epilogue: One Year Later
Sarah was making the finishing touches to a dress for Cecilia. She smiled as she realized the date. It was exactly a year since she'd arrived in Bannack and it had been the happiest time of her life. It was early in the morning. Billy and Jane were still asleep. Carson had woken before her and was doing his chores.
"That looks beautiful," she said smoothing out the material and standing back to admire her handiwork.
"You are very talented, Mrs. Edwards," Carson said as he slipped his arms around his wife's waist and kissed her cheek.
"I didn't realize I could sew until Lottie showed me. Cecilia's dress is my tenth order. She says Mr. Branson in the General Store has given my name to some women and I'll…" Sarah began to heave and rushed out the door. Carson ran out after her.
"I'm fine now," she said, but Carson wasn't convinced. She looked so clammy and rosy for the last few weeks.
"Maybe you should stay home. Preacher Jameson will understand, and I'll get Doc to call on you." But Sarah refused. She had promised to deliver the dress to Cecilia today, and it was her plan to give it to her after service.
"We'll be seeing Lottie and Hamish at their house, but I don't want to bother him on a social occasion. It seems to come and go. I feel better already. Let me go inside, the children are waking," Sarah went back inside to tend to them. Carson watched her. She was right, the sickness seemed to come and go. He hoped it wasn't a sign of something more sinister. Despite what she said, he was going to have a quiet word with Hamish.
The wagon journey to Bannack was unbearable for Sarah as her stomach lurched with every bump on the road. She kept tugging at her collar and the ties of her bonnet. Everything felt so tight. Carson wanted to stop for her, but she insisted that they keep going. Otherwise, they'd be late.
Lottie and Cecilia were waiting outside for Sarah and her family to arrive. They looked at each other as they saw the distressed look on Sarah's face. She looked dreadful but still insisted on going inside. The Church was cooler, and Sarah began to feel better. As Preacher Jameson began his sermon, Sarah had to leave the Church, and everyone watched as she ran outside.
"Sorry, Preacher Jameson, Sarah hasn't been well the last few days." Carson stood up to leave, but Cecilia and L
ottie said they'd attend to Sarah. They gave each other a knowing look as they found Sarah doubled over.
"I'm fine now," Sarah said. "It's the strangest thing, I've never known a sickness like it. I get sick more in the morning, but by evening I’m usually okay. Have you ladies ever had this?"
"Sure, we've both had it," Cecilia chuckled as Lottie smiled and put her hand to Sarah's clammy brow.
"How long does it take to pass?" the innocent Sarah asked.
"Oh, about seven months in all but the sickness should be over in a few weeks," Lottie said.
"Seven months. What illness lasts seven months?" Sarah asked.
"Sarah, my dear, you're pregnant!" Cecilia declared, and Sarah began to cry.
"But my mother and sister both died during childbirth. I don't want to die," Sarah sobbed.
"We'll take care of you and Hamish can find out from the city doctors if there's anything he can do to help you. We'll pray. The good Lord brought you here for a reason, and we must believe He has a plan. Try not to worry," Lottie said, and Sarah felt better by her friend's words. The good Lord had reunited her with her niece and nephew. She had to have faith that all would be well.
Seven Months Later
Sarah's fears evaporated as she held her newborn daughter in her arms. Lottie, Cecilia, and Hamish had attended her labor as Carson, and the twins paced back and forth outside.
"You can come in now," Cecilia said.
"Mama Sarah, did you get me a sister?" Jane asked. Billy was more hesitant, not sure he wanted anyone else in their family. Lola rushed passed the people to sniff at the new arrival.
"Look, Jane and Billy. She has your eyes, Jane. And Billy, she has the same color hair as you," Sarah said as Jane rubbed the baby's head. Billy leaned in closer to see that the baby did indeed have his black hair. He promised to take care of his sisters. Carson sat by his wife's side. He thanked the Lord for keeping Sarah and the baby safe. Carson felt grateful that all had gone well. Carson never thought he would have a child of his own.
"Meet Katie Maggie Edwards," Sarah said as she handed the baby to her husband. Carson gently kissed the baby’s head. Sarah had been a Godsend, he truly believed it, and the two mothers who departed this world would be remembered in this gift from the Lord.
THE END
MAIL ORDER BRIDE COLLECTION II
Written by Grace Weston
The Expectant Bride Heads West
By Grace Weston
Book Description
THE EXPECTANT BRIDE HEADS WEST
Brides of Laramie Book 1
A Western Romance Short Story
No place to go, and only one option…
She must become a mail order bride.
Bernadette Dixon was elated with joy over the news that the war was over. Even better was the good news the doctor gave her yesterday. Unfortunately, her world got turned upside down once she read the letter stating that her husband died in the war. In the blink of an eye, she has become a widow whose only hope for survival depends on finding a husband to provide for her and her unborn child. Problem is, who's going to want a pregnant bride!
Mattathias Jacobs is about to purchase a farm of his own with his boss's help...or so he thinks! What he needs is a sharp-witted bride to help him straighten things out. Will she still want to be with him when she finds out he's only a worker on the ranch? Better yet, will he still want to be with her when he finds out she's pregnant!?!
Chapter 1
Frank was dead.
No matter how many times Bernadette Dixon played the words over in her mind, no matter how many times she read them on the wrinkled piece of parchment in front of her, she couldn’t make herself believe it.
Her husband, Frank Dixon, the man she had vowed to love forever, was gone. Dead on a battlefield in Virginia.
They said that General Robert E. Lee had surrendered there. At Appottomax Court House. They said the war was over.
Just yesterday, Bernadette had been elated by this news. She had laughed with her sister-in-law, Lizzie. Both women had joined others at Lizzie’s boarding house in drinking to the victorious Union.
Yesterday had been a day of celebration and good tidings on many fronts. Even Bernadette’s visit to the doctor, at first fear inducing, had proved to be a joyous occasion.
Now, sitting alone in her dark boarding room, the room she used to share with Frank, yesterday’s joy seemed little more than a distant memory.
Two letters sat side by side on the wooden writing desk beside the bed. One in Bernadette’s own happy, loopy handwriting, the other in the careful, measured hand of an unknown soldier.
She’d received the letter that morning, just as she made her way down the boarding house steps to mail her own letter to Frank. The letter telling him the good news that the doctor had given her one day before.
The letter that proved they were about to become a true family.
When Lizzie handed Bernadette the letter addressed to her, Bernadette had known instantly that it was not from Frank. She knew her husband’s writing as well as she knew her own. Frank’s hand was hurried, slanted and sometimes illegible. It always looked as though he was so eager to get his thoughts down on paper that he had no time to worry about form, penmanship or readability.
This straight, measured hand was as foreign to her bright, energetic husband as it was to her.
Her heart had attempted to prepare itself as she opened it. Her heart had told her that this could mean nothing good.
All the preparation in the world could not have kept her from crumpling against the wall when she read the words.
Mrs. Dixon,
It is my unfortunate duty to inform you that your husband, Frank Dixon, has perished on the battlefield.
Now, sitting at the writing desk, she stared at the words again. Hoping or perhaps fearing that, at last, they would sink in. At last, she could fully understand their meaning and begin to rebuild.
Rebuild.
Create a new life.
That seemed impossible now. For the past two years, when Bernadette thought of her life after the war, she had always imagined Frank by her side.
When the war ended, she had pictured them buying a piece of farm land in rural Pennsylvania. Of course, Bernadette had never worked on a farm before. She knew only the basics of cooking and nothing about hunting eggs or keeping livestock. But, in her fantasy, it wouldn’t matter, Frank would be there to help her, to guide her and show her what to do.
She imagined their children, at least three, surrounding them.
Now, all these fantasies disappeared in the foggy haze that had begun to form in her eyes again.
She tried to force them back as her eyes moved from the letters to the only other item on the desk. The one that had been sent to her along with the letter.
Swallowing hard, she lifted Frank’s tattered Bible from the desk. As she opened the leather cover, she could feel the age of it in her hands. The pages had yellowed and become brittle with wear. Some were slightly torn and smudged. The little book carried evidence that it had been read thoroughly.
This was the Bible Frank always carried with him. The Bible that his father had given him when Frank was baptized. The Bible she imagined she would give to their son…
Swallowing back more tears, she opened the cover to the first page. There, he’d copied down his favorite verse.
“Be strong and courageous,” it said. “Do not be afraid. For the Lord, your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Bernadette closed her eyes, trying her best to remember what those words meant. Trying her best to feel strong and courageous just as Frank would have wanted her to.
She did not feel either at the moment. And, despite her best attempts to feel strong, to take comfort in the Lord, she did indeed feel terrified.
Unable to stop it any longer, Bernadette felt a lone tear slide down her cheek. She opened her eyes just in time to see it splash onto the open Bible, smudging the words that Frank had wri
tten there.
Almost as soon as the tear splashed down and smudged the ink, a knock sounded from the door.
“Bernadette?” Lizzie’s voice sounded from the hallway. “Bernadette? May I come in?”
“Just a moment,” Bernadette called out, fully aware how thick with tears her voice sounded.
As she closed the Bible and set it back on the desk, she wiped her face with a nearby handkerchief. Her mother’s words from when she was a little girl came back to her inexplicably.
“You must always do your weeping in private, Bernadette,” she would say. “A true lady can never show her greatest weakness.”
After she had run off to marry Frank, Bernadette had made a great effort to forget about her parents. Indeed, when Frank was alive, there were days that she felt that she was just a simple soldier’s wife. That she was not a disgraced Philadelphia socialite.
But, today, all the habits and breeding her mother and various governesses had pressed on her from childhood came back. It was almost like a carrier pigeon who, while the world is falling apart around him, clings to the instinct to fly home.
It was this instinct that forced Bernadette to quickly pat down her dark blonde hair, making the knot atop her head as neat as she could manage. It was also this instinct that caused her to free her bright brown eyes of tears that still threatened to drop, straighten up as best she could and give Lizzie a sad smile as she opened the door in greeting.