Prisoners of Love Boxed Set: Books 1-3

by Hutton , Callie

  He took a deep breath. “Can any of it be saved?”

  She shrugged. “I’m not sure. Hand me that pot over there, and I’ll scrape out as much of this as I can. There might be enough for us to eat.”

  “Is there bread to go with it?

  Her eyes lit up. “Yes, Mama Nelson sent a loaf of bread she just baked this morning. There’s some jam to go with it. Maybe we can eat that if this stew isn’t any good.” She turned her back, not wanting to see the disappointment in Jed’s eyes. After fumbling in the basket and pulling out the jam, she’d recovered herself a bit.

  “Here we go.” She handed him the loaf.

  “Where’s the knife?”

  She frowned. “Knife?”

  “Yeah, Mindy, where’s the knife to cut the bread?”

  “Oh.” She fumbled in the basket some more, but no knife. “Where did we pack the dishes and things your mama gave us?”

  He rolled his eyes. “They’re way toward the front of the wagon. I told you to take out what we would need for the trip, and leave that stuff out so we could use it while we traveled.”

  His tone had her teeth on edge. “Well how in tarnation was I supposed to know what to keep out for the trip? It’s not like I take a wagon train to Colorado every day.”

  “Common sense. You know we need dishes, cups and silverware. Napkins. Things we use every day.”

  Maybe he was so high falutin’ that he used them every day. She was happy if she could grab a hard roll, or a piece of fruit and cheese during her long hours at the saloon. She could count on two hands the meals she’d had sitting at a table, like a normal person. And almost all of those were eaten in Jed’s kitchen with his family. “I did take out the things we would need for the trip.”

  “And?”

  “And, what?”

  “And where is the knife?”

  She tapped her foot and crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t know, but if I did, I’d use it to cut off a part of your body that would leave you singing like a woman.”

  Despite her anger, she knew it should have been directed at herself, not Jed. He hadn’t done anything wrong. This was her first go-round with feeding them, and she’d made a mess of it. Lordy be, Mama Nelson had even cooked the meal for her. All she’d had to do was heat it up, slap it onto a plate and shove it in front of her husband. She couldn’t even do that right.

  Now they were snapping at each other, and she didn’t even know why. She knew she kept a bunch of silverware wrapped in a napkin separate from the rest of the stuff. Of course she had! How else would they have eaten lunch?

  Her spirts fell when she remembered they’d had sandwiches for lunch. They never used any silverware. As she watched, Jed removed a jackknife from his pocket and began to saw a piece of bread off the loaf. Her eyes filled with tears, and once again the words shouted in her brain.

  I’m not good enough. I can’t even put a meal in front of my husband. What have we done?

  * * *

  Jed shoved a piece of bread into his mouth, then ran his fingers through his hair. It had been a long day since they’d arrived around noon. He had stopped in to see Easton, the man who ran the wagon train, then re-checked everything they’d brought, making sure it was all tied down according to the instructions Easton had given him. Then he helped two other families re-load their wagons after they took a few things out that made the vehicle too heavy.

  His muscles were sore from not having been used for this kind of work for a while. Now all he wanted to do was grab a bite to eat, have a steaming cup of coffee over the fire, and retire to the wagon with his warm, willing wife by his side.

  However, there didn’t seem to be much of a supper, his new wife was in tears, and the two termagants that had plagued the wagon train all afternoon had finally been taken in hand by their father and new step-mother. But not until they’d created a mess that took him and three other men an hour to clean up.

  “Look, sweetheart, bread, jam and coffee will be fine for supper. I’m more beat than I am hungry.”

  “Coffee?”

  He pinched the bride of his nose and tried very hard to hold his temper. “You did make coffee?”

  “Oh, I knew there was something else I needed to do.” Her shoulders slumped and the tears she’d been holding back slowly slid down her face.

  The words his mama had said as she hugged him when they’d said goodbye came to mind.

  Just give her time, Jedediah. She will need a lot of help. And love.

  He wasn’t being very patient, or loving. This was all new to her, and even though he’d never traveled on a wagon train before, at least he knew more of the basics of living than Mindy did. He had to be a little bit more thoughtful. She was his wife, he loved her, and didn’t want to make her unhappy.

  “Come here, Mindy.” He held his hand out, and she moved closer, then threw herself into his arms and sobbed. Rather than stand out in the open with everyone around them already gawking, he picked her up and headed to the wagon. He stepped up and deposited her inside, then climbed in after her.

  “I can’t d-d-do this, Jed. I t-t-told you it wouldn’t w-w-work.” Her head bent, she wrapped her arms around his chest, clinging to him as if he were an anchor in a storm. Which was how she probably viewed him right now. She was adrift on a sea of confusion.

  “It won’t be so bad once we’re on our way. We’ll dig out the things we need for the trip tonight, and then tomorrow we’ll start fresh. I make pretty good coffee, and I know the basics of flapjacks, although I’ve never done it over a campfire. Together we can figure out how to have flapjacks and coffee for breakfast.” He tilted her chin up. “Feel better?”

  “Yes, but I think we’re going to get mighty tired of eating flapjacks and coffee three times a day for two weeks.”

  Jed laughed and pulled her closer. “Why don’t you get undressed and we’ll find another way to occupy our time before we sleep?”

  It was the end of the second week of their trip to Trinidad. Easton had told Jed they would probably reach their destination in a couple of days. Jed couldn’t arrive fast enough. The entire trip had been a disaster. Trying to teach his wife how to cook, mend, do laundry, and just keep everything organized, had put them at such odds he wondered if they would even be speaking to each other by the time they arrived at the church.

  So far they’d ‘lost’ sheets, socks, dishes, spoons, and the container of coffee. He probably could have put up with a lot of missing things, but the coffee? At least Adelaide, one of the women who’d been in jail with Mindy, had given them some of their coffee.

  Adelaide had been a help with his wife, but she had her hands full with those two girls. He’d felt a great deal of sympathy when he’d found out she was the new step-mother to the little devils. They had settled down a bit since Adelaide had arrived in their lives, but they still managed to get into trouble most every day.

  Then when Mindy had brought Miss Nellie over to help, it had been worse. That woman had managed to get to almost forty years old without knowing anything. She admitted having servants do all her household chores. Luckily, the two women she was chaperoning to Santa Fe were able to take care of everything for them.

  Jed rotated his neck to ease the muscles that grew tighter with each passing mile. Tonight, the wagon train was going to stop early so the women could wash clothes in the Purgatoire River. The town of Trinidad sat in the Purgatoire River Valley, so they had to be close.

  He pulled the wagon to a halt and breathed a sigh of relief. Pretty soon they would be settled in their own home. Things would be much easier for Mindy if she had four walls around her, a real stove, and a place to do laundry. This trip was certainly a poor introduction into her duties as a wife.

  Except for one thing.

  She was certainly a fast learner when it came to bed activities. They’d kept the wagon rocking every night since they left Dodge City. She was as eager as he was to discover new ways to pleasure each other. He’d begun spending more
time on his daily prayers since he was having such a good time with his wife. There had to be a sin in there somewhere.

  But then, again, perhaps the Lord’s penance was Mindy’s cooking. Although, he still felt he’d gotten the better part of the deal.

  “Jed, do you remember where we put that pile of clothes to be washed?” Mindy stood with her one hand on her hip, staring up at him “I can’t find it.”

  “We put it in that wooden barrel. The one that used to hold the things for the trip, that is now half empty.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Oh, yeah, now I remember. Can you get it out, I want to get started early on the wash so it has time to dry before the sun goes down.” She turned and he watched her hips sway as she walked away. He had to remind himself there was a lot of work to be done before they could retire for the night.

  Jed climbed down, and strode around the wagon to lift out the barrel. “Try not to lose anything this time.”

  “That’s not funny.” She made a face and began to pull clothes out, dropping them into piles.

  Jed leaned on the barrel and grinned at her. “I wasn’t kidding. We can’t afford to lose any more clothes.”

  The hurt came into her eyes again, and he felt about as tall as a cricket. He knew she was trying, and once they were settled all of these mishaps would be behind them. He reached over the barrel and tugged her head toward him, and gave her a soft kiss. “I know, darlin’. Things will get better, I promise you.”

  6

  Trinidad, Colorado was nothing like Mindy had expected. In some ways the town reminded her of Dodge City, but this one had a lot more people. Probably twice as many, Jed told her. He’d talked with several of the church elders who were familiar with the town after they had given him the assignment. One of them only wanted to talk about the scandal created by the preacher he was being sent to replace.

  It seemed a more peaceful place, too. Dodge City always seemed to have fistfights and shooting going on all the time, but especially on Saturday nights, or when a new bunch of cowboys came into town. The cattlemen, cowboys, and other men drifting into Dodge made it a dangerous place to live.

  They had separated from the wagon train earlier in the afternoon. She’d hugged Becky, Miranda, Abigail, and Miss Nellie, feeling lost. They’d shared a jail cell, and had grown close to each other on the trip. But now it was time for her to start her new life as a preacher’s wife.

  Lordy, be. What had she gotten herself into?

  According to Jed their home and church was not too far from the center of town. They visited the mercantile and replenished some of their supplies, and introduced themselves. The woman behind the counter, Miss Wolfe, worked there with her father who owned the store. She told Mindy she was so happy to see this preacher had a wife with him.

  That made her wonder what she’d meant by that, but once they rounded a bend and saw the church for the first time, her mouth dried up so that she couldn’t even think about anything else. This was real. They were here to minister to these people. Jed had done a lot of studying, but all she knew of her bible was what she’d learned sitting in church on Sunday.

  Panicked, she turned to Jed. “I don’t think I can do this.”

  “Mindy, don’t worry, honey. It will be fine.”

  “But I don’t know a verse from a psalm, or a saint from a sinner. How can I talk to these people? They’ll know I’m not one of them. Oh, Lord what did I do?”

  Jed pulled the animals up short and after wrapping the reins around the dash, turned to her, taking her cold hands in his warm ones. “Now stop this. You will be fine. I’ll be doing the preaching, and all you need to do is take care of us, have tea with the ladies, and work on projects that help the poor.”

  She placed a shaking hand on his cheek. “Why do you have faith in me, Jed? I’m a saloon girl, raised up in a brothel.”

  “You’re my wife. That’s who you are. What you were in Dodge City is not important. Give them time, and they’ll love you as much as I do.”

  “Oh, Jed.” She smiled and pulled him in for a kiss. He was so sweet to her, and so patient with her mistakes. It had gotten harder and harder each day to keep reminding herself that he would realize one day she wasn’t worth the trouble she caused him. She had to be careful not to give him her heart.

  That was the scene that greeted Mrs. Noah Peterson, head of the Women’s Committee for the Betterment of the Congregants of the Grace Christian Church of Trinidad. “Well, I never,” she huffed.

  Jed and Mindy sprang apart.

  The woman narrowed her eyes. “Are you the new preacher?”

  Jed jumped down and approached the woman, giving her a warm smile. Mindy tried very hard to get her blush under control.

  “Yes, I am the new preacher. Reverend Jedediah Nelson.” He turned to help Mindy down from the wagon. “This is my wife, Mindy.”

  “I am Mrs. Noah Peterson. I head up the Women’s Committee for the Betterment of the Congregants of the Grace Christian Church of Trinidad.” She looked Mindy up and down. “What sort of a name is Mindy?”

  Mindy gave Jed a nervous glance. “It, ah, it’s really Cinnamon, but I prefer Mindy.”

  The woman’s eyebrows rose. “Cinnamon? That’s not a Christian name. What were your parents thinking? Well, if I were you, young lady, I would prefer Mindy, also.”

  Mindy flushed, not sure if the woman was being nice or nasty. Since she was now a preacher’s wife, and learning to be polite instead of taking offense, as she’d done in the saloon, she smiled, and said, “Thank you.”

  The woman looked at her curiously, then turned her attention to Jed. “I am the head of the Welcoming Committee for the Grace Christian Church of Trinidad. I have been expecting you, and seeing as how I live right across the street, I noticed you pulling up.”

  I live right across the street.

  Mindy groaned inwardly. Just what she needed, someone with her nose so far up in the air she would probably drown if it rained. Most likely Mrs. Peterson spent a great deal of time looking out her perfectly clean windows, and would see Mindy making a mess of things on an hourly basis.

  Jed gave her his best preacher smile. “Thank you for welcoming us, Mrs. Peterson. We appreciate knowing someone was looking out for us. Once we get moved in, and settled, my wife will be happy to have you over for tea.”

  Mindy’s head whipped around so fast she thought it would fly through the air. Lordy be, she was only here no more than ten minutes and already Jed was inviting this woman—who scared the shit out of her—into their yet-to-be-seen home for tea!

  Her husband glared in her direction and darted his eyes toward Mrs. Peterson. Mindy frowned and gave him a questioning look. The three stood in silence until Mindy realized she was supposed to mention tea, also. “Yes Mrs. Peterson, I would like for you to, ah, come for tea.”

  Holy hell, her hands were sweaty, beads of perspiration dotted her upper lip, and her heart beat a tattoo in her chest. She was not meant for this sort of social life. Give her a bunch of smart-mouthed cowboys and she could handle herself. But this disapproving woman—not likely.

  “Very well, then. I await your summons.” She sniffed and made to cross the street.

  What in tarnation did that mean?

  “Have a pleasant day, Mrs. Peterson.” Jed took Mindy by the elbow and escorted her up the path to the house. “I have a key that the church elders gave me.”

  He inserted the key into the lock and opened the door. Mindy gasped and stepped back, the heel of her half boot landing on Jed’s foot. “Ouch.”

  * * *

  Jed rubbed his foot against his leg and agreed with Mindy’s gasp. The house was a mess. Whoever the last preacher had been, aside from running off with a married woman, he also hadn’t the first idea how to keep a house. Usually bachelor preachers would have a local woman come in to cook and clean. Of course, there was the possibility that the woman he’d hired was the very one who he’d run off with.

  He sighed and looked over at
Mindy.

  “Where do we start?” she mumbled. He swore there were tears in her eyes.

  He rubbed his hands together, trying to appear more encouraged than he felt. “Today is Thursday and I have my first worship service for Sunday all written out. That means we can both work for the next few days to set the house to rights.”

  “But you invited Mrs. Peterson for tea.”

  “Yes. Well, for now that will have to wait.” He walked into the next room. “Oh, no.” He turned to Mindy who was still eyeing the parlor. “Don’t come in here, darlin’.”

  So, of course she immediately joined him. She clapped both hands on her face. “This is a disaster.”

  “Hello!” They both turned at a voice from the parlor. The voice turned into a woman, middle-aged, and plump. She had a bright smile on her face until she took a look around and her jaw dropped. “Oh, dear.” She tsked and moved further in. “I assume you’re the new preacher?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Reverend Jedediah Nelson. And this is my wife, Mindy.”

  She took Mindy’s hands. “What a sweet name. I’m sure you’re just as sweet, too. My name is Bessie Harding. But you must call me Bessie, everyone does.” She shook her head, blonde curls waving as her head moved. “But this. This is a mess.”

  “My word, exactly.” Jed said.

  “I don’t know what Mrs. Peterson was thinking. She was in charge of the welcoming committee.” She tapped her chin. “We must get some of the women from the church to come and help. This is too much work for the two of you. And, not a very nice welcome, is it?”

  Jed breathed a sigh of relief. He looked over at Mindy who appeared just as hopeful as he was at Bessie’s remarks. Things were looking up.

  Bessie rolled up her sleeves. “Well, let’s get started. Reverend, you start unloading your wagon. Mindy and I will start by throwing out all this garbage the last preacher left behind. Then you can fill your wagon with it and haul it out of town.”

  Grateful beyond measure to have someone who knew where to start, he headed out of the house. He carried in a few things, with Bessie telling him where to put them. Mindy had found a bucket, and was busy with a cloth and water, attempting to clean the dirty, sticky, kitchen table. A pile of boxes, dirty plates, and burned pots sat in the corner of the kitchen.