The Thanksgiving Day Bride: Mail Order Bride Novels

by Sandee Keegan

  “What does it help a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul,” Steven whispered a Bible verse to himself. Looking up into Rose's warm eyes, he smiled.

  “Exactly!” she exclaimed, clapping her hands. “That is one of my favorite passages. Growing up as I did, with want for nothing, I clung to that principal to keep me close to Jesus. My relationship with him changed my heart.”

  “Jesus changed my heart, too,” Steven smiled. “I met Jesus right here in Snow Valley. Jacob introduced me to Him. He's what I call a silent preacher. I sure wish that man would get up on a pulpit.”

  “When God calls him,” Rose assured Steven. Hearing the teapot begin to squeal, she stood up. “You stay seated. I'll fix us both some honey water.”

  Steven watched Rose almost float across the kitchen, fetch two brown coffee mugs, and begin preparing the honey water. As he watched her, something deep in his heart began to tug at him. He heard a small voice in his heart tell him he was meant to love Rose. But how? He was only a cowhand that could barely read. Rose was an educated, incredible, beautiful, and amazing woman. Despite what she had said about not placing value in money and possessions, could he possibly be good enough for her?

  “Careful, it’s hot,” Rose warned Steven sitting the brown coffee cup down in front of him. Retaking her seat, she carefully sipped her honey water. “Very nice,” she smiled.

  Steven took a sip of his honey water. “Hey, that's good,” he said and took another sip. “I've never had hot honey water before. Is this some kind of drink they serve in St. Louis?”

  “No,” Rose said and then became very sad. “My daddy used to drink hot honey water. I remember that from when I was a child. It’s one of the only things I remember about him.”

  “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you,” Steven said.

  “It's not your fault. You didn't walk out on your daughter,” Rose sighed. “My father left when I was very young. One day he vanished into thin air, leaving my mother and me all alone. My mother has never forgiven him for deserting us.”

  Steven leaned back in his chair. “It just doesn't make sense. I've known Simon for a few years now. He's a good man. It just doesn't seem fitting that he would up and leave his family without cause. Why are you so sure he’s your Pa?”

  “I can’t explain it,” she said. It’s just something I feel. But my mother told me my father wanted to know me and Simon clearly wants nothing to do with me. Maybe I’m just crazy. Or seeing things I want to see because I’m desperate to know him and know why he left.” She shook her head and the tears came again to her eyes. “I just don’t want to be alone.”

  “You're not alone. You have your mother back in St. Louis and that fella you're going to marry,” Steven answered, the words bitter on his tongue.

  Rose wiped her tears away. “I love my mother, but her heart is guarded, and the man I'm agreed to marry, I don't love him. I agreed to marriage because I’m a dutiful daughter. Well at least I was a dutiful daughter. When I return to St. Louis, I may return to my mother and a future husband, but I will still be very much alone.”

  “Then why go back?” Steven suddenly asked Rose. “You're a grown woman. You can go anywhere and meet all sorts of folk.”

  “I wish I were that adventurous,” Rose stated. “This journey alone nearly scared the wits out of me, but I was determined to meet my father. All I truly want is to settle into a warm home and have a family of my own. I would be plenty happy spending my days tending my children and a man that I loved.”

  "That doesn't sound so bad," Steven told her.

  “You could travel, as well, yet you remain in Snow Valley. There must be something in this place that touches your heart,” Rose said to him.

  “The land,” Steven admitted. “I love the land.” Taking a sip of his honey water, he grew silent and listened to the blizzard outside. “I reckon no woman could ever want to love a simple cowhand like me. I mean, there are some women in Snow Valley who have tried to throw a rope around me, but they only did that because everyone thinks Simon is going to leave me his ranch when he dies since he has no sons. Before that silly rumor started spreading like wildfire, no woman gave me the time of day.”

  Rose appreciated Steven's honesty. “The men back in St. Louis only wanted to marry me for the money they think I have. And I, in return, agreed to marry a man for the money his own family has. It’s a truly sad state of affairs.”

  Steven smiled into Rose's kind eyes. “Say, when this storm is over, I would like to take you to a spot on Blue Diamond River. It's a mighty pretty spot. Now, we might freeze our noses off getting there, but I reckon it'll be worth it.”

  “It sounds wonderful,” Rose smiled back. “Perhaps we can pack a picnic. Picnics in the snow are some of my favorite things.”

  “Never had a picnic in the snow,” Steven admitted. “Frozen chicken and frozen biscuits,” he teased her.

  “Maybe,” Rose teased back and then giggled sweetly. “But I prefer to take hot coffee, cheese, and bread.”

  Steven began to say something, but Sheriff Tracy walked into the kitchen. “We've got trouble.”

  Rose noticed that Sheriff's Tracy coat was covered in snow. “You were outside?” she asked.

  “I went to get some more wood for the fire,” he said.

  Steven stood up from the table. “What's the trouble?”

  Sheriff Tracy nodded his head toward the kitchen window. “Nathan has a man waiting outside. I saw him hurry away when I walked out back to get the wood. I’m afraid that there might be more than one of them too.”

  Rose felt panic grip her chest a second before a gunshot rang out.

  *

  Following behind Sheriff Tracy and Steven, Rose hurried into the dining room. Simon was sitting on the dining floor holding his right hand over his left shoulder. A small amount of blood was soaking through his coat. “Outside,” he managed to say.

  “What happened?” Sheriff Tracy asked, kneeling down next to Simon.

  “He had a gun hidden on him. I turned my back for a second when I heard the lobby door handle rattle. He could have killed me,” Simon explained. “Help me stand up.”

  “Are you alright?” Rose asked, terrified. She had never seen a man shot before. “Is there anything I can do?”

  “I'll live. The bullet went clean through,” Simon told Rose in a voice that suddenly seemed different from the harsh voice he had shown her earlier. “I'm sorry Rose. I didn't have a choice. I had to lie,” he said staring into his daughter's worried face.

  Tears poured from Rose's eyes. “I knew you were my daddy. Why did you lie?”

  “To protect you. Now I get it,” Steven said as understanding dawned on him. “Nathan Bedford is the reason you left your family all them years ago, isn’t he?”

  Simon nodded his head. “Nathan came from the same woman, but not the same man. The man that raised us was Nathan’s Pa. He was a vicious man, poison to the core. The man beat my mother like she was a dog. One day, when I’d seen enough I took a rifle and ended his miserable. Nathan saw me kill his Pa and he vowed revenge.”

  “What did you do?” Rose asked.

  “My mother urged me to run away to Georgia. I did like she asked. I ended up getting a job and finding my way there. Eventually, I met your mother and we married. Oh, you were a beautiful baby. For a while, Nathan seemed far away. Then, one day, he showed up out of the blue. I knew that if he found out about your mother and you, he would hurt you to get to me. I had no other choice, I had to run as far away from you and your mother as I could,” Simon told Rose in a shameful voice. “I ran instead of fighting. I was afraid for you and your mother. I was a coward.”

  “No, you were a hero,” Rose cried and ran to her daddy and carefully hugged him. Simon put his right arm around Rose's trembling shoulder and hugged her back. “I love you, daddy.”

  “I love you, too,” Simon replied fighting back his own tears.

  Sheriff Tracy looked into the lobby toward the fron
t door. “Nathan is free and he has a man with him, Simon. Maybe more than one man, at that. He ain't gonna stand outside in that storm all night. He's come to kill you and he'll do just that unless we stop him.”

  Hearing footsteps running down the stairs, Steven saw Jacob making his way down toward the lobby with a rifle in his hands. “I heard a gunshot!” he yelled.

  “It's okay,” Steven called out to Jacob. Turning toward Rose, he drew in a deep breath. “I'll go stand watch at the front door.”

  “I'm going with you,” Rose told Steven. Letting go of her father she wiped at her tears. He nodded his head at her and understood.

  Before Steven could object, the front door exploded open. Nathan appeared, gun aimed at his brother. “Now listen to me, Simon,” he yelled as icy winds and snow blew past him into the lobby. “You have ten minutes to come outside with that daughter of yours and face me I'm going to burn this hotel and this town down to the ground and kill everyone in sight.”

  “Simon can't fight you,” Steven yelled at Nathan. “He's shot, you coward. Are you going to go gun to gun with a wounded man?”

  Nathan squinted his eyes and nearly hissed at Steven. “You, boy,” he said through gritted teeth, “can take Simon's place. “

  A bullet shattered the back window in the dining room and struck the front wall. “That's a warning,” a man yelled from outside. “If anyone tries to run, we'll cut you down.”

  Nathan laughed. “Ten minutes. Be outside.” And with that, he turned and slammed the front door closed.

  “I fight my own battles,” Simon told Steven. Bending down, he snatched his rifle up off the floor. “I'll go out and face my brother. I was a coward in the eyes of my daughter once. I'll never be a coward again.”

  “You're not a coward,” Rose told him. Torn between the man she was falling in love with and her father, she begged God to show them a way out of her nightmare. “No one needs to go outside.”

  “Nathan will burn us out,” Simon told Rose looking over his shoulder. “And we can’t escape out the back. “Sheriff, even if I cut Nathan down, his men will end it for me and then force their way inside the hotel.”

  “Assuming he has more than one man,” Sheriff Tracy told Simon. “I guess there ain't much we can do except go bullet to bullet and hope the Good Lord gives us a miracle.”

  Simon began to talk again, but before he could, Steven pulled out his gun and aimed it at Simon. “Simon, you're ain't going outside to be killed. I'm going in your place. Now, you can fire me if you want, but I ain't gonna let a wounded man walk into a gun fight.”

  Rose watched Steven slowly back up to into the front lobby. Jacob lowered his rifle and let Steven pass. “No,” Rose cried out and ran up to Steven. “Please, there has to be another way.”

  Steven paused. With his left hand, he wiped Rose's tears away. “If I live through this, do I have your permission to fall in love with you?”

  “Yes,” Rose promised through trembling lips. “Only if you give me permission to love you back.”

  “It's a deal,” Steven promised. Looking deeply into Rose's tear-filled eyes, he leaned forward and gently kissed her lips. “Even if I die, I die a man who finally understands what it means to love.”

  Rose grabbed Steven's left hand and kissed it.

  “You have your daddy now,” Steven told Rose. “He needs you. It's time to heal from your wounds.” Pulling away from Rose, Steven rushed toward the front door. This time it was Jacob who stopped him. Firing a warning shot, Jacob ordered Steven to stand still. “What are you doing?”

  Jacob grabbed Rose's hand and pulled her to Steven. “I see that God has brought your hearts together. If anyone is going outside and face down that killer, it will be me. In my day, I was mighty fast on the draw. Now, hurry, put your hat and coat on me.”

  “Jacob no, this is crazy,” Steven began to object. But when Jacob looked into his eyes, he knew to obey. The look in Jacob’s eyes told Steven that God was speaking.

  “Time to use my gun one last time and then maybe I'll be able to stand up on the pulpit,” Jacob told Steven and winked at Rose. “Tonight the old gunfighter in me will fight his last fight.”

  Chapter 4

  Miracle

  “I'm going outside with you,” Rose told Jacob watching him strap on Steven's gun belt.

  “No, dear, you're not,” Jacob informed Rose. With much affection, he leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I'll see you in a bit. Steven, open the door.”

  “I can't let you,” Steven tried once again.

  “You can and you will. Now open the door,” Jacob replied in a stern tone. “Faith, boy, have faith.”

  “I'm not a coward,” Steven pleaded with Jacob. “I can fight my own fights.”

  “Then fight for this young lady's heart because that's the only battle you need to win,” Jacob told Steven. “Now, open the door.”

  Rose reached out and gently took Steven's hand. “Open the door for him,” she whispered. “I know you were willing to go outside. You'll always be my hero for that. But can't you see, God is sending someone in your place, because you can't kill that awful man waiting outside.”

  Steven bowed his head and opened the front door. Jacob patted his shoulder and disappeared into the darkness outside.

  Steven began to speak, but the corner of his eye caught movement. Looking toward the top of the stairs, he saw a man appear with a rifle. The man was aiming his rifle straight at Rose. “Get down,” he yelled and threw his body in front of Rose just as the rifle erupted.

  Sheriff Tracy spotted the man and fired off three shots. The man on the stairs grabbed his chest and dropped forward, falling down the stairs. “No,” Rose cried dropping down onto her knees. Steven was lying face first on the floor. “Daddy please,” she called to Simon.

  Simon ran to Steven, bent down, and with dread, rolled Steven over as Sheriff Tracy checked to make sure the attacker was dead.

  “He's dead, how is Steven?”

  Rose carefully placed Steven's head in her lap. “Daddy, is he?”

  Simon began checking Steven's chest for blood. “I don't know. I can't tell.”

  With her vision blurry from her tears, Rose closed her eyes and began to pray for a miracle. “Please Dear Lord, please don’t take him. Not now. I love this man and he loves me. Please don’t take him from me.”

  “Well, will you look at this,” Simon said.

  Rose opened her eyes. She saw Simon pull a Bible out of Steven's coat with his good hand. The Bible had a bullet lodged in it. And then, suddenly, Steven began coughing. “That's it, son, come back to us.”

  Slowly, Steven began to open his eyes. “What happened?”

  “My hero,” Rose whispered. “You saved my life.” Leaning down, she kissed Steven. A single shot rang out from outside and everyone in the lobby went still.

  Simon stood up. Grabbing his rifle, he prepared for the worst. Sheriff Tracy walked to Simon's side and waited. “Old Jacob was a great gunfighter in his day.”

  “I know,” Simon said. Looking down at his daughter, he thought about how God was working miracles in the blizzard. “One more miracle, Lord, please.”

  “Prayers aren’t going to help you now,” Nathan said.

  Spinning around, Simon saw Nathan appear in the dining room door. Nathan was pointing his gun directly at Rose.

  “Don't,” Simon begged.

  Nathan leaned back his head and laughed. “Don't,” he laughed, “don't what? Don't make you suffer? I'm going to make you suffer, Simon. I'm going to kill your daughter and let you live.”

  “What of Jacob?” Sheriff Tracy demanded.

  “Beats me,” Nathan shrugged.” “One of my other men dealt with him.”

  Rose looked down into Steven's eyes. Steven painfully stared up at her. “Don't let go of me,” he begged her. “I'll protect you,” he said struggling to move.

  Nathan fired a warning shot into the air. “Get up, girl,” he ordered Rose. “Stand over by the door.” />
  “No,” Simon said putting his body between Rose and Nathan. “You will have to kill me first.”

  “And me,” Sheriff Tracy said backing up to Rose. “You might kill one of us but you can’t kill us all.”

  Nathan narrowed his eyes. “Get out of the way,” he hissed trying to get a clear shot at Rose.

  “Do your business,” Sheriff Tracy spat at Nathan.

  “You killed my Pa,” Nathan growled at Simon. “In cold blood.”

  “Your Pa was vermin,” Simon yelled back. “What kind of man beats a woman with his fists? Go on, Nathan, and kill me. I'm tired of hearing you whine over a piece of trash. I killed your Pa because he was beating our mother to death. I put that skunk six feet under and I don't regret a single second of it. So go on, do your business.”

  “Please God, one last miracle,” Rose prayed. And then, out of nowhere, she saw a woman appear at the top of the stairs holding a rifle. The woman aimed her rifle at Nathan and fired. He was dead before he hit the floor

  “I don't like trash in my hotel,” Jacob's wife yelled down the stairs and then turned and walked away.

  “Well I'll be,” Sheriff Tracy said and then whistled into the air. Hearing the front door open, he spun around with his gun drawn. Jacob entered through the front door and slammed it shut.

  “Mighty cold,” he smiled. But when he saw Nathan lying dead, his smile faded. “Who did I fight outside?” Then he looked down at Steven. “Steven!”

  Simon held up the Bible with the bullet in it. “God has spoken tonight, Pastor.”

  Rose looked down into Steven's eyes. Together they listened to the storm howl outside. And like all storms, the blizzard would eventually pass. “Can I still be your hero?” Steven asked.

  “Always and forever,” Rose smiled and softly caressed Steven's head. “Our new year will begin with love.”

  *

  Steven walked Rose through a snowy backfield. He pointed toward the mountains that were covered with a white blanket. “Those mountains, this land, makes me feel free.”