Prisoners of Love Boxed Set: Books 1-3

by Hutton , Callie

  Before she had finished washing, soft lips pressed against the skin at the back of her neck. “I know you’re trying, honey. I also know it’s very hard.” He turned her around, and grabbed a towel from a hook over the sink, handing it to her.

  She dried her hands and Jed wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. “I’m finding my way, too. You’ve never been a housewife before, and I’ve never been a preacher with my own church before. We’re both feeling a little anxious, and snapping at each other won’t help.”

  “I’m still wondering if you miss your old job very much.” She looked up at him. “Sometimes I look at you and you seem far away, like you’re unhappy.”

  He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. This is what I’ve chosen to do.”

  Mindy rested her forehead on his chest. The comforting smell of clean linen, horses, and something that could always be connected with Jed eased her mind. True, he was struggling, too, and she had to remember that. What she couldn’t understand was why he was doing something other than what he loved.

  “I’ll tell you what,” Jed said, tipping her chin up with his finger. “Let’s do the wash together, and then we can go on a picnic afterward. Not for long, because I have someone coming by this afternoon, but at least for lunch.”

  “Oh, that sounds wonderful.” Her spirits perked right up, then took a crash “But I don’t have any bread. What will we bring on a picnic?”

  “I have a little money. We’ll stop at the hotel in town and have the dining room fix us a couple of sandwiches. We have apples here, and that, plus a jug of cool water will make a perfect picnic meal.”

  Mindy eyed the mess on the table. “What about the bread I was going to make.”

  Jed looked over at the table, the two of them staring at the lump as if waiting for it to say something. “There is a bakery in town. Perhaps we can buy our bread for a while.”

  She swooped the glop off the table, dumped it in the trash bin, then grabbed his face and gave him a very loud, sloppy kiss. “Thank you!”

  Between the two of them, they scoured the house and gathered up what she hadn’t washed on Monday. She collected the lye, soap, and washing board while Jed built the fire outside to heat the water for the wash tub. While the water heated, Mindy went over each piece of clothing like Mrs. Rogers had told her, to check for small tears, loose buttons, and other repairs that needed to be made.

  Since sewing was something she’d hadn’t yet mastered either, she breathed a sigh of relief when it appeared that job could be passed by.

  “Water’s ready,” Jeb shouted from the back yard. She carried the clothes out, and stopped to admire her husband. Sleeves rolled up, to reveal muscular arms dusted with light hair, his pants snug over his bottom as he bent over the pot, she thought of other ways they could occupy their afternoon besides a picnic.

  She scolded herself and joined him. That was certainly not the way for a respectable preacher’s wife to think. She pushed those thoughts aside, and they chatted easily while she scrubbed, he rinsed, and they both hung the clean laundry on the clothes line Jed had strung for her. When they got back from their picnic later, she would have to starch and iron his shirts. Hopefully, at least one in time for him to make his appointment.

  But now it was time for some fun!

  * * *

  The day was perfect picnic weather. As they rode out of town on the wagon, Jed felt himself relax for the first time in days. Truth be known, he was more concerned about his congregants than he thought he would be. Of course, since this was his first church, he had nothing to compare.

  The members of his father’s church hadn’t seemed so eager to gossip or cast dispersions on one another, but then, as pastor, Papa probably heard more than Jed had. It was his job to stop the gossip and encourage them all to be kind, and tolerant. To follow the Lord’s teachings was to be thoughtful of each other, not always looking for some flaw to comment on.

  It appeared he had his work cut out for him here at Grace Christian Church of Trinidad.

  “Oh, look. That’s a perfect spot.” Mindy pointed toward a small opening in the heavily wooded trees. A clear spring brook ran through the space, causing deep green grass to grow around it.

  “I agree.” Jed drew on the reins and pulled the wagon to a rolling stop. He jumped down, tied the straps to a tree and walked to Mindy’s side. She smiled down at him as he wrapped his hands around her small waist and lifted her to the ground. The sun shone on her face, her smile warming him inside. He truly loved his wife, and again reminded himself to allow her time to come to grips with her new life.

  What bothered him was her reluctance, heck, her refusal, to say she loved him. He’d given her a lot of opportunities, and he was sure her feelings for him were strong, but it was almost as if she was afraid to commit to love. Something was holding her back. He would just have to work harder. He needed her love.

  He retrieved the hamper and blanket, and hand-in-hand, they strolled to the area they’d picked. Mindy shook out the quilt, and they both sat, with the basket between them.

  “Jed, I always seem so busy doing everything wrong.” She peeked at him under her bonnet brim. “Do you think I’ll ever be able to learn the right way to do things?”

  “Of course you will.” He moved forward and gave her a gentle kiss on her lips. “This is all new for me, too. That’s probably why we’re at odds so much. You’re anxious, and I’m unsure of myself.” He reached into the hamper and started to remove their food.

  “Why would you be unsure of yourself?” Mindy asked as she unwrapped the cheese sandwich. “At least you had training for this job. I’ve had none.” She handed the sandwich to Jed.

  “I was prepared to offer counseling, conduct services, help the poor and needy, and teach the bible to the children. What I wasn’t prepared for was all the in-fighting, gossiping, and back-stabbing I’ve encountered.”

  “Was it different at your father’s church?”

  Jed swallowed a sip of water. “I don’t know for sure. I worked with him while I was training, but the pastor probably knows more about what his congregants are like, than either Micah or I would have known.” He shook his head. “I never asked, but I don’t remember him talking too much about the discontent I’ve seen here.”

  He’d sent a letter off to his papa to ask his advice. It seemed everyone Jed spoke with at the Grace Church was embittered in some way. It was his job to find out where this all started, and why everyone seemed so quick to criticize each other. He didn’t try to fool himself that everyone should be deliriously happy at all times, but the level of unease he’d encountered so far had concerned him.

  Mix with that his own insecurity about this job, and, truth be known, his depression on having left his artist job. It surprised him how very much he missed the work. He tried to make time each day to draw, since he found it very relaxing, but there was always someone needing him for one thing or another.

  “Well, let’s just enjoy our picnic. What do you think of the sandwiches?”

  Mindy had just taken a bite, and nodded her head as she chewed and swallowed. “Delicious.” She grinned. “But then, everything I don’t have to cook or prepare is delicious.”

  Jed reached out and pulled her toward him. She slid along the blanket until she rested alongside him. “Ah, darlin’. Don’t put yourself down. You’ll do fine, eventually.”

  “Yes, perhaps. But will we be starved down to skin and bones before I get the knack to put together a meal?”

  He tucked a loose curl into her bonnet. “Time, sweetheart. Time.” He leaned over and took her lips with a tender kiss.

  How much time did she need to admit her feelings for him?

  8

  Two weeks later, Mindy took a deep breath as she checked her hair in the mirror, and made sure her dress was buttoned properly. She grinned at her reflection. Today she was going to teach her very first children’s bible class. Jed had gone over her lesson plans several times, making sugges
tions and offering advice.

  Imagine, her teaching! She picked up her bible and the lesson for the day and left. She was to meet the children at the church.

  The church was cool inside, reminding her to ask Jed to make a small fire in the wood stove before her next class. Four children sat in the front pew, three girls and one boy. “Good afternoon, children,” Mindy greeted them.

  They all turned as one, the girls smiling brightly, the one boy scowling. She imagined he preferred to be somewhere else. “It’s chilly in here. What do you say we hold our class outside in the sunshine?”

  Once they all trooped out behind her, she led them to a spot under a large oak tree. After settling on the ground, Mindy, took out her lesson and glanced at the top line.

  Introduce yourself and ask everyone their name.

  “If you don’t know, my name is Mrs. Nelson, and Pastor Nelson is my husband.”

  Silence and wide-eyed staring. Had she done something wrong?

  She cleared her throat. “Can you tell me your names?”

  Silence and wide-eyed staring.

  Starting to panic, she pointed to the girl directly across from her. Brown hair and eyes, light freckles across the bridge of her nose. “Your name?”

  “Mary Ann.” Mindy had to bend forward to hear the girl’s whispered answer.

  Breathing a sigh of relief, she said, “It is nice to meet you, Mary Ann.” Turning to the next girl, she smiled.

  Silence and wide-eyed stares. What the hell was wrong with these kids?

  “And what is your name?” She smiled sweetly, trying to ignore the sweat beading on her forehead and upper lip.

  “Judy.” At least that is what Mindy thought she said. She gave her name to her lap in such a soft voice Mindy had to guess. “Welcome to bible class, Judy.”

  The girl’s head popped up. “I said Julie.” Her voice was a bit louder, and had she said it that way before, she wouldn’t have made the mistake.

  “I’m sorry, Julie, It’s nice to meet you.”

  She turned her attention to the young boy, who shouted before she could ask. “Patrick.” Perhaps after the issue she had with Julie, he thought her deaf. Then he nudged the girl sitting next to him. “This here is my sister, Polly.”

  Mindy smiled at the boy and his sister. Most of the four seemed to be around the same age. Not being real familiar with kids, she would guess the boy and two of the girls were around eight years, and the younger one—Patrick’s sister—she would take for five or six.

  “First I want to tell you how happy I am that you are all here.”

  “I won’t be here much, teacher.” Patrick spoke up. The only one, apparently, who was going to talk.

  “Why?”

  “Cause next week when I’m old enough, I’m going to work with my pa in the mine.” His young shoulders straightened and he looked quite pleased with himself.

  Mindy was shocked. He was only a kid. “How old do you have to be to work in the mine?”

  “Nine.”

  She knew very little about mine work, but one thing was for sure. Nobody his age should be working underground. Growing up in Dodge City, she’d seen a lot of kids quitting school to go to work. In fact, many times her ma told her she didn’t need schooling, and why was she wasting her time there when she could be earning some money to help out.

  How she would help out in a brothel was something she didn’t want to think too much on.

  “Maybe we can do a lot of bible learning before you go to work.”

  Now that they all knew each other, it was time for her lesson. She opened her bible to the passage Jed had marked for her and began to read. Since she’d never been a good reader, it was slow going, but Jed had made her practice a lot the last couple of days.

  “Why do you read so slow?” Julie wanted to know.

  Pulled away from her reading, she looked up at the girl. “What?”

  Julie pointed to the bible. “You read so slow. Why?”

  Shame at being caught by the girl, who probably could read better than her, she said, “If I read slow, then we can all understand the lesson.”

  Silence and wide-eyed stares.

  Taking a deep breath, Mindy continued, but soon slammed the book shut when she realized them all staring at her was making her so nervous, her reading was becoming worse. “Why don’t we talk about what I just read?”

  Silence and wide-eyed stares.

  With shaky hands, she picked up the paper her lesson was written on, but had a hard time reading that, too. Everything she had practiced flew out of her head. Trying her best not to cry in front of four kids, she shoved the paper at Julie. “Why don’t you read our lesson for us? Then we can all talk about it.”

  The girl reached out and slowly took the paper from Mindy’s hand. She looked down, and in a clear voice, she read what Jed had written for her. The knots in her stomach lessened, and she was able to remember what she had planned to talk to them about. At least she could probably get through this lesson, and practice her reading more before the next one.

  Rescued by a kid. How embarrassing.

  * * *

  Jed tried once more to explain to Mr. Monroe that having his young son working in the mines was not a good idea. The man was stubborn, and kept insisting the boy was old enough. “He needs to be a man. With eight mouths to feed, we need the money to help out.”

  Realizing he wouldn’t change the man’s mind, and might, instead, cause him to turn from the church, Jed dropped his argument, and got a promise from the man that he would allow his son time to study at home. He provided Monroe with a couple of school books to help him along. With the hard work involved in mining, Jed doubted very much if the boy would have the energy at night to do more than gulp down his supper and sleep.

  It had been a trying day. Mrs. Peterson had continued to drop in unexpectedly, always seeming to question him and Mindy, and everything they did. Knowing it was his Christian duty to be tolerant and kind, he’d been swallowing his annoyance all day. In fact, he was beginning to understand why the previous preacher had run off.

  He’d had a stream of congregants in his office all day. One woman, a widow, wanted his help in disciplining her son who had begun to run wild once his pa had died. A young wife came with her baby and two other young ones, wishing to set up a baptismal. He’d been happy to do that, but she had effectively dodged his questions when he noticed a bruise on her chin. In the short time Jed had been in Trinidad, he’d already heard rumors—something his members were good at—that Mrs. Wayfair’s much older husband indulged quite a bit in drink, and was more than likely to use his fists on his wife after a few shots of whiskey.

  Jed had always hoped the good Lord had a special place reserved for men who abused those entrusted to their care—women and children—who needed loving hands, not brutal ones. Since Mrs. Wayfair had no other family, there was no one to champion her. Perhaps one day he would visit Wayfair at the stable in town where he worked and have a chat with him.

  He pushed back his office chair and stared out the window. Although satisfied with his work so far, he had an uncomfortable feeling that all was not right in his church. There seemed to be a lot of discontent and downright nastiness. Hopefully, after he’d been here for a while he’d be able to address the issue. He was still feeling his way.

  Maybe this is just not the life for me.

  Early the next morning, shortly after Mindy had left for the green grocer, a knock at the front door drew him from his musings. A young girl stood on the doorstep. “Preacher, my daddy got hurt in the mine, and is doing real bad. The doctor is at my house, but my mama asked if you could come and pray.”

  “Of course.” Jed reached for his jacket hanging on the hook by the door, picked up his bible, and left with the girl. “What is your daddy’s name?

  “Mr. Stratford.” She had a slight lisp, and appeared to be about ten years old. As they walked, she slipped her little hand into his.

  “And your name?”
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  “Betsy.”

  Jed couldn’t recall a Stratford, but that didn’t mean they weren’t church members. After a few weeks, he was beginning to put names and faces together, but it would probably be a while until he knew everyone. Counting children, the rolls showed the church had about seventy members, which was a good sized group. He would love to hold on to those now attending, and gather more as time went on.

  Though not as wild as Dodge City had been, Trinidad still had a need for comfort and spirituality. There were a few saloons, but since it was not part of the trail the cowboys took from Texas, they didn’t have the constant influx of trouble-makers. The school would need more space, and from what he’d learned, there were families in need that the church could help with.

  The train had finally reached Trinidad, and with two trains passing through each day, that would encourage more families to settle in the town, making it a more desirable place to live.

  After about fifteen minutes, he and Betsy walked up the path to a small cottage. A well-tended garden took up part of the side yard. A ball, bat, and doll were scattered around the front yard.

  Betsy opened the door. ”Ma?”

  An attractive, but very tired-appearing woman hurried to the door, wiping her hands on her apron. Once he saw her, Jed recalled her from a few services. If he remembered correctly, she had two children, little Betsy, and a boy who he thought was around five years of age.

  “Oh, thank you so much for coming, Reverend. We are in dire need of your prayers.” Mrs. Stratford pointed in the direction of a door on the right side of the main room. “My husband is in there with the doctor.”

  “May I ask what his injuries are?”

  The woman glanced at Betsy. “Please find your brother, I believe he’s in the kitchen drinking his milk. Take him outside to play in the front, please.”

  “Is Pa going to be all right?” Betsy chewed her lower lip and regarded her mother with fearful eyes.

  She touched her daughter gently on the head. “The doctor is with him now. We’ll see what he says. You go on now, and take care of your brother.”