“Which one,” the old man asked. “They’s two. They’s Clarence, and they’s Chris.”
“Chris Simpson is the one I want,” Cal said.
“Wa’al, Chris Simpson’s place is about five mile down the road toward Hickory Grove. He’s dead though. Killed in the war, he was.”
“Could you tell me how to get there?” Cal asked.
“Yep, I kin.” He looked Cal up and down. “That’ll be ten dollars for the horse and buggy. In advance.”
With the directions in his mind, Cal headed the carriage in the directions indicated by the old man.
He turned off the main road onto the path marked by the tall hickory nut trees on each side. He tied the reins to the hitching post in front of the faded white clapboard house.
He knocked on the door. He heard noises within, so he waited. The door opened…
chapter Fifteen
Jennie? I’m Cal
When Jennie opened the door, she was surprised to find a well-dressed man in his thirties standing there, holding what she would call a cowboy hat in his hand. He was one of the handsomest men she had ever seen. He was not from around Yorkville; she knew everyone there, and there were not many men his age in the county.
“Yes?” she said in her soft voice.
Cal saw the door had been opened by a lovely woman in her thirties, wearing a yellow dress, protected by an apron with a floral print. Her hair was tied up in a green scarf. She brushed back the strand of red hair that escaped from beneath the scarf.
“Jennie? I’m Cal,” he said.
She dropped the feather duster she was holding in her right hand, her hand covered her mouth. “OhmyGod! You’re Cal and you came all this way to see me! I don’t believe it.”
He smiled. “After I got your letter, I realized you had never traveled, and I was asking you to travel over fifteen hundred miles to a place you had never heard of. I decided it was a bit too much and that I should be the one to travel.”
“I can’t believe you’re here. How long did it take?” she asked.
“I just got here. It took four days,” he said. “The ranch won’t even know I’m gone.”
“I’m forgetting my manners. Come in, come in and sit down,” she said.
He followed her into the living room. There were two chairs, a davenport and a table. On the mantle over the fireplace was a faded ambrotype of a serious looking young couple. “Is that you and Christopher?” he asked.
“Yes, Papa had that taken as our wedding present. It’s the first picture ever taken of me. Also the only one I should say.”
“Where’s Chris?” Cal asked.
“He’s working. I think he’s looking for worms on the cotton. We have to be careful. They can wipe out a field in a day. He stays ahead of it mostly, but he works hard,” she said.
“I guess it’s like any decent work, hard if you do it right. The cowboys have to be out with the herd in storms because the noise can spook the cattle into a stampede.”
The sound of the screen door in the kitchen told Jennie Chris had come in. “Chris, come in here. You’re not going to believe this.”
The strapping young sixteen year old came in; his overalls dirty from the soil he had been working with. “Not going to believe what?” he asked.
“This is Cal Pierce. Cal, my son Chris. Cal came all of the way from Wyoming to see us,” she said. “He’s the one your Grandpa sent the telegram to.”
“Sir, we…
Cal held his hand up. “I would have done the same for my Mama. There’s nothing wrong in a man looking out for his mother. I admire what you did, son.”
“What are you planning to do here, sir?” Chris asked.
“I hope to convince your mother to go back to Cheyenne with me as my wife, I also hope to convince you to go with us.”
“What would I do in Cheyenne?” Chris asked.
“The same thing as we do. Make sure the grass for the cattle is good, and the cattle are ready for the market.”
“Mr. Pierce. How many cattle do you have any way?
“Our last count had us around 4,500 head after the fall roundup and sale. The Circle CP has around 35 thousand acres after the last purchase. A man can never have too much land in Wyoming, because the growing season is so short.”
“That’s a lot of cows,” Chris said.
“Cattle. We milk cows, we sell cattle,” Cal said. “A lot of our cattle get shipped east for processing and to the stores in the big cities. My first herd was made up of cattle I paid four dollars a head for and sold for as much as sixty-two dollars a head. Now, we’re increasing the size of the herd and don’t have to drive them 900 miles.
“Chris, if you’re worried about me being able to care for your mother, don’t be. The ranch house is large, and less than five years old. It is comfortable. I have fifteen ranch hands and a foreman. I also have a housekeeper.”
“How long are you going to be here?” Jennie asked.
“”As long as it takes, or until you tell me I’m wasting my time,” he said.
Chris said, “I need to do the milking and feed the hogs.”
“Would you mind if I came with you?” Cal asked.
“You might get dirty,” Chris said.
“I’ve been dirty before,” Cal said. “You have water, don’t you?”
Chris grinned. “Yessir, we have water.”
In the barn, Chris got hay for the cows, and with a pail and stool, sat down to milk one of the two cows. “Why don’t I milk the other, and we’ll finish up sooner?” Cal asked.
Chris pointed to a table that had another pail on it. Cal got it and a stool, and began to milk. He quickly saw Cal was no stranger to the task. When they finished, they set the pails on the porch and then took care of the hogs.
They washed up under the pump that was on the edge of the back porch. “What do you think of my marrying your mother?” Cal asked.
“It helps that you’re here,” Chris said. “It helps a lot. I didn’t like the idea of her going off by herself.”
“You’re protective of her, aren’t you?”
“Yes sir. She’s had no one to take care of her since Papa went off to war. I wasn’t even born, and she had to go through all of that by herself. Then Grandma and Grandpa Wisher died and all she had left was Grandpa and Grandmama Simpson and me. She has had to work hard all of her life, but never complained about it.
“She was really upset when I quit school, but I had to. Else we would have lost the farm.”
“A lot of responsibility for a sixteen year old boy,” Cal said.
“Yessir, I guess it is.”
“How would you like to go back to school?” Cal asked.
“I can’t do that, Mr. Pierce. Too much work around here to do. There’s no time for school.”
“If your mother and I marry, and if you come back to Cheyenne with us, you can go back to school,” Cal said.
“For true?”
“For true,” Cal said.
“I’d like that,” Chris said. “Are you going to ask Mama to marry you?”
“I am.”
“Good.”
chapter Sixteen
Will You Marry Me?
They returned to the kitchen and set the two pails of milk on the counter. “Well, that was quick,” Jennie said.
“Mr. Pierce did one, so we finished a lot sooner,” Chris said.
“I’m impressed. Gold miners can milk too,” Jennie said.
“I grew up on a ranch in Texas. Milking was one of my chores before school and before supper,” Cal said. “I did the milking until I left for the gold fields.”
Sitting in the living room, Cal took Jennie’s hand. “Jennie, I would like for you to be my wife. We’ve only met a few hours ago, and I don’t want your answer now. I want you to be sure it’s what you want. I only intend to marry one time, so I want it to be right. I’m going back to the hotel, and I’ll be back tomorrow. Think about it and me.”
She glanced at her son. “Chris and I tal
ked about it. If you agree, he will be coming with us,” Cal said.
“I will, Mama,” Chris said.
“Cal, there’s no need for you to go back to town. Stay here,” Jennie said.
“I don’t believe that would be appropriate,” Cal said. “Besides, you and Chris probably need to talk and you can do that better without me here.”
“You are a thoughtful man,” Jennie said. She laid her hand against his cheek, feeling the stubble of his day’s whiskers. She stood on her tiptoes, and kissed him on the cheek. “You’re just like I pictured, from your letters.”
The next morning…
Shortly after nine, the carriage stopped in the yard by the hitching post. Jennie opened the door and came out to meet him as he got down. She’s a vision of loveliness, Cal thought. The sun’s rays reflecting against her long shiny red hair made her unlike any woman Cal had ever seen.
She took his hand, and said, “Come in, come in. Did you rest well?” she asked.
“I guess I tossed and turned a bit, thinking about what you might decide,” he said.
Holding both his hands, she looked into his brown eyes, and said, “Cal Pierce. I will marry you. I want to be your wife. The sooner the better.”
Cal took a small box from his pocket, and extracted a ring. He took her left hand and slid the ring on the finger next to her little finger. “Last chance to say no. Jennie Simpson, will you marry me?”
She put her arms around his neck and kissed him. Full on the lips. “Yes, Yes, I will be your wife,” she murmured, her eyes glistening with tears of happiness.
She waved her hand in front, looking at the ring. “Is this a diamond?”
He nodded.
“I’ve never seen one before. It’s beautiful,” she said.
“It is beautiful, but you are more beautiful,” he said.
Her eyes filled with tears. Do you have any idea how long it has been since someone said that to me?”
“No, but get used to it. You will be hearing it often.”
Arm in arm, they went into the house.
“Where’s Chris? I’d like to tell him,” Cal said.
“Let’s go find him,” Jennie said, taking Cal’s hand.
They went out the back door, and with Jennie leading the way, they went to the edge of a field. They could see Chris, bending over a cotton plant. Jennie put her fingers in her mouth, pursed her lips, and out came a shrill whistle. She waved her hand over her head. Chris straightened and began walking toward them.
“I’ve called him that way since he was a little boy,” she explained to Cal.
“Cal has asked me to marry him and I said yes,” she said. “We’re going back with him to Cheyenne.”
“Good,” Chris said. “I’m glad.” He shook Cal’s hand, Thank you Mr. Pierce.”
“Cal. Call me Cal. No more Mr. Pierce.”
“Yessir, Cal,” Chris said. “Now I’ve got to get back to work. Still no worms, Mama.”
Back in the house…
“Cal, would you go with me to tell Papa Clarence and Mama Bess?”
“Of course. When would you like to go?” he answered. “We haven’t talked about when the ceremony will be, either,” he said.
“As soon as possible,” she said. “I’m tired of being a widow, and I don’t mean to be disrespectful of Christoper’s memory. I want to be a wife again. Your wife. I would like for it to be in church.”
“I agree. We will have to get a license,” Cal said. We will need to do that before the weekend.”
“We also need to talk to the pastor. We’ve got a lot to do,” she said.
“Since the license is a necessity, let’s get it, and talk to your pastor first, then you can introduce me to the Simpsons. Would that be okay with you?” he asked.
“Good idea. I’ll get dressed and we can go do it, she said.
“I don’t want to embarrass you, or Chris, but does Chris have enough clothes?”
Her cheeks flushed. “He has mostly overalls. We haven’t had much to spend on clothes. Mine aren’t a problem; I’ve made several dresses from cloth left over from things I made for others.”
He placed his hands on her shoulders. “You don’t have to do that anymore.”
They went to the County Clerk’s Office in Yorkville, Cal paid three dollars and they had a marriage license. Their next stop was the church. Jennie introduced Cal to the pastor. “We would like to get married. I am a member of the First Methodist Church in Cheyenne. We have the license. Can you perform the ceremony?” Cal asked.
“I certainly can, Pastor Roberts said. “When would you like to have it done? A week? Two weeks, perhaps.”
Jennie said, “Pastor Roberts, we are moving to Wyoming, the day after the ceremony. We can’t wait two weeks. Cal, we can go before a justice of the peace.”
“Wait, I didn’t realize the circumstances. Would you like to have it after services this Sunday?” the pastor asked.
“That would be perfect,” Cal said. “We’ll see you then, and thank you.”
“One more stop, and we’ll be ready for your in-laws,” Cal said.
There was a clothing store down the street from the hotel where Cal was staying. He led Jennie to the store. “Now, no argument, I want you to get what you need,” he said.
“Cal I don’t…”
“No argument, get what you need. In the end, she picked out two dresses. Cal told the clerk, “We’ll take the other three too.”
“But Cal…”
He put his finger to his clips in the classic “shh” sign. “Jennie, what about,” and he whispered in her ear.
She colored. “No argument, remember?” Cal said. “I’ll leave if this makes you uncomfortable,” he said.
“Please,” she said, her cheeks still a deep pink.
When he returned, he asked, “Now, what about Chris?”
Jennie picked out pants and shirts for Chris. Cal paid for the purchases, gathered the packages, loaded them into the carriage, and they headed for the other Simpson farm.
chapter Seventeen
We’re Getting Married
“This is Cal Pierce, Mama, and Papa. Cal, this is Clarence and Bess Simpson. The best in-laws one could hope for.”
Cal extended his hand. “A pleasure to meet you sir,” Cal said. “And you ma’am.”
“I hope mine and Chris’s little thing didn’t make you mad,” Clarence said.
“On the contrary. It just showed me there were people that cared for Jennie. I took no offense and was glad to answer your questions.”
“We’re getting married Sunday,” Jennie said. “After church.”
“Well good for you. Jennie deserves a good man, and you are getting a fine woman, Mr. Pierce. We’ve always been proud of her,” Bess Simpson said.
“Papa Clarence, Chris is going with us. I hate to see the bank get the benefit from all of his hard work. Can you take care of the cotton,” Jennie asked.
You’re dang right I will. I don’t want that… “
“Clarence…” his wife warned.
“I don’t want that scalawag to get anything. We’ll take care of it and send him the money for the sale.”
“Great, thank you Papa Clarence,” Jennie said.
“Are you staying at the farm, Mr. Pierce?”
“No ma’am. I’m staying in the hotel until the wedding.
After they were in the carriage and headed back to Jennies, she said, “She just had to check, didn’t she?”
Cal laughed and patted her hand. “They love you, Jennie, that’s all.”
Back at the farm…
Cal carried the packages into the house, and put them on the table.
“You are the most generous person I have ever known,” she said, and came into his arms. They shared their first real kiss.
“You deserve nice things, now go try one on. I want to see what my bride-to-be looks like in her new dress,” Cal said.
When she returned, she was wearing a light blue gingha
m dress with white trim. She stood in the center of the room, shy about being the center of attention. “It looks wonderful on you,” he said. “What do you think?” he asked.”
“I’ve never had store bought clothes before,” she said. “I feel pretty,” she said.
“Pretty doesn’t describe it. Beautiful is the word you want.”
Chris came in as they were talking. “Is that a new dress, Mama? It sure looks pretty,” he said.
“Go look on your bed, Chris. You have a surprise.”
When he came back, he said, “Thank you, Mr.… Cal. I really do appreciate it.”
“It was my pleasure, Chris.”
Sunday…
Following the regular service, with most of the congregation remaining in attendance, Chris walked his mother down the aisle, and placed her hand in Cal’s. Pastor Roberts conducted the ceremony, and pronounced Jennie and Cal to be man and wife.
Following the ceremony, the three of them, accompanied by Clarence and Bess Simpson had lunch in the café next to the hotel.
Raising his glass of iced tea, Cal said, “I propose a toast to my lovely wife, Jennie, Chris, Bess, and Clarence. I drink to the good health of you all. May you lead a long and prosperous life.”
“Amen,” said Clarence.
“When are you going to leave?” Bess asked.
“We will leave on the Wednesday train,” Cal said. “We will get to Cheyenne Saturday afternoon, and spend Saturday night at home on the Circle CP.”
“Grandpa, I’ll bring the cows and the mule over Monday,” Chris said.
“Will you need any help?” Clarence asked.
“I’m going to help,” Cal said. “Tuesday, we’re going to the bank and give them the keys.”
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to make a suggestion. If Bell knows the house is vacant, he might try to put someone else in there and do Chris out of the money for his cotton. I’d like to keep the farm until the crop is in. We’ll take care of that and the ginning, and you’ll have your money before Christmas.”
“Thanks, Grandpa. That eases my mind a little bit.
“Mama Bess, Cal got a trunk so we’re only going to have room for our clothes and maybe a few other things. Why don’t you come go through what’s there. There may be something of Christopher’s you’d like. You can’t have the picture though. I want to keep it.”
Cheyenne Mail Order Bride (Mail Order Brides Book 13) Page 6