by Natalie Dean
Since she was already in the general store, Barbara decided to give her friend’s suggestion a chance, and she walked over to a stack of papers that was sitting on the counter.
“Excuse me, are these current?” she asked the clerk who had been watching her like a hawk, though he was doing his best to appear as though he was reading a book. He glanced up in surprise at her addressing him, then gave a curt nod. She thanked him and grabbed the pile, then tucked them under her arm and left.
It was unusual for her to read any papers. That had always been Mark’s hobby. If there were anything he found interesting, he would share it with her. Otherwise, she was fine with letting him be the one who knew what was going on around town and the country.
So, when Barbara arrived home, she didn’t have any idea where to even begin with the papers. There were many news articles inside, and she saw a few that were referring to her situation as well as her husband’s case, but she refused to allow herself to read them, knowing that they were only going to upset her further. She moved past the politics and the news from around the country, telling herself that she had more pressing things to worry about than who was the best candidate for the next election.
At last, she came to the back of the paper. And that’s when she gasped to herself.
She couldn’t believe all the different ads and posts she found. There were dozens of men from all over the western part of the country looking for women who would be willing to come out and marry them. Some claimed to be farmers, others were ranchers. Some held jobs such as bakers or even bankers.
It seemed that there were every occupation and age she could think of looking for a girl who would be willing to move away from everything she knew to come to the West to be a bride. At first, Barbara laughed at the idea, but when she thought about her own situation, she couldn’t help but feel grateful.
If it weren’t for men like these, then she would find herself trapped in a bad situation and completely unable to get away from it. And she knew she was running out of time.
However, Barbara soon found that it wasn’t going to be an easy choice. With all the different ads coming from all over the country, she didn’t know how she was going to possibly choose the one that would be right for her. But then, she wondered, would any of them be right for her? She had fallen in love with and married the man she had wanted to spend the rest of her life with, now she was being forced into a situation she didn’t agree with, all to escape a situation she knew wasn’t going to end well for her.
Suddenly, her eyes fell on an ad that stood out from the rest.
Lawyer Looking for a Bride
33-year-old handsome lawyer looking for a young woman with an eye toward matrimony. Live in Wyoming territory in South Pass City and can comfortably support myself and a wife.
Jake Cowell
Barbara read over the ad a few times, making sure that she didn’t miss any details that would indicate that he would be a bad idea. She thought it funny that he was a lawyer, considering her current plight, but she also promised herself that if she were to leave, she would be leaving everything behind.
Barbara also thought it interesting that she recognized the name of the town Mr. Cowell lived in. South Pass City. A couple of years prior, her husband had told her of a story in the paper of a woman named Bess Brown – a wealthy woman who had gone to South Pass City to escape a malicious gang member who had brutally murdered her husband.
Though Barbara didn’t know all the details of what had happened, she knew that the Miss Brown had narrowly missed being murdered herself, though the men responsible for the crime were now locked up in jail in New York City.
She could put her money in the bank and have it wired when she needed it – something that may not be a bad idea considering she didn’t know anything about this man. Barbara lingered over the ad for a few moments in silence. She tried reading through others and seeing if she could find one that sounded like a better match, but no matter how hard she tried, she found that she kept coming back to the same ad again and again.
There was something simply irresistible about the writing. Something she found intriguing. Of course, she would have chosen to have Mark back in a heartbeat, but she found that in her situation, she was almost excited to meet this man from Wyoming.
Barbara took a moment to breathe a quick prayer to herself. If there was one thing she had learned from her husband, it was to never make any big decisions without first asking God what His will would be. A tear rolled down her cheek as she thought of Mark, and she moved her lips as she silently said “Amen,”
With a final surge of resolution, she tore the ad from the paper and walked over to her writing desk, pulling out her finest stationary. After several moments of debating what to write, she began. Barbara was extensive in her description of herself, but she intentionally hid many of the details of her life.
The last thing she wanted her new husband to know was that she was suspected of murdering her last one.
Running Away
Barbara looked around her house, trying to find anything she may be leaving behind. She had received a letter back from Mr. Cowell, and he was most eager for her to start her journey. She thought it very kind of him to include money along with the letter to pay for her train ticket, as she hadn’t told him she was a wealthy woman herself.
She hadn’t really told him much – primarily just what she looked like. As she didn’t have any photos of herself alone, she knew she couldn’t send him one, or he would be certain to ask who the man was in the photo with her. At 33 years old, she knew he was quite a bit older than herself, but it didn’t both her. If he were still alive, Mark would have turned 30 in just a couple of months.
In the weeks it took to receive the letter back from Mr. Cowell, Barbara had been through several interrogations with the sheriff. More than once they came into her home, searching for anything else that could be considered part of the crime, but each time they ended up leaving without finding a thing. Barbara thought it disrespectful that they never apologized to her for barging in on her like they did, nor did they act as though there was a chance they were wrong and she was innocent after all.
At the end of each interaction, the sheriff would always remind her that they were investigating every source they could imagine, and advise her that it was best for her to stay in town until they were able to come to a conclusion in the case.
Barbara, on the other hand, knew that it was only a matter of time before he arrested her. She could sense it with every interaction they had. It appeared to her that he wasn’t looking for information to see if it could have been someone else, he was looking for enough information to convince a jury that she had, in fact, murdered Mark that night.
But, Barbara knew she was innocent, and though she didn’t like the idea of the sheriff coming into her home to go through her things, she knew that he would never find anything that would convince a jury she would have done such a thing.
Mark and Barbara had a wonderful marriage. She’d agreed to marry him when she was just eighteen years old, and he had promised to take her to London when they had been married for ten years. It was a trip she had very much been looking forward to. In addition, Mark had been a wealthy man all his life, and Barbara herself had come from money, so there was no reason to believe that she would have murdered him for financial gain.
Especially since it was well-known around town that Mark was always doting on his bride, and there wasn’t a thing she could possibly want that he wouldn’t give her.
As Barbara walked through her house one final time, she couldn’t help but feel a wave of sadness wash over her. Just weeks before, she never would have imagined herself in the position she was in right now. She never would have thought that she would become a widow so young, nor that her husband would pass on in such a terrible way. She wanted nothing more than justice for him, but she knew the longer she stayed, the more likely it was she was going to end up in the ground next to him.
Barbara had already taken most of the money out of the house and deposited it into the bank, telling the banker that she wanted to ensure that it was secure without her husband around to protect her anymore. She knew that she ought to do that as soon as she wrote the letter to Mr. Cowell, knowing that if she deposited a lot of money shortly before she left, the sheriff would be on her trail faster than she would be able to reach Wyoming.
Barbara closed the door behind her and slid her key into the heavy lock. No doubt it wouldn’t be long before the sheriff – or whoever murdered her husband – broke into the house, but she felt better knowing she had left it locked. She stopped by Melissa’s house to tell her friend goodbye and left the key in her keeping.
“I don’t know if he’s going to come to you for information or not. I wouldn’t doubt it,” Barbara said as the two women embraced. Melissa had tears in her eyes, while Barbara had tears running down her cheeks.
“I don’t care if he does. Let him come – all I care about is that you get out of here and that you are safe. There’s something not right about this situation, and the longer you stay, the more likely it is something bad is going to happen to you.” Mellissa lightly kissed her friend on the cheek, giving her a final pat before Barbara gathered her carpet bag and left.
It was early in the morning – the sun was just barely starting to come up over the horizon, and she knew she had to hurry. Barbara had intentionally chosen the earliest train leaving the station, knowing that few people would be around to see her board. She had no knowledge of the sheriff actively watching her, but she didn’t want to take any chances.
As she hurried through the dark, bare streets, she couldn’t help but glance over her shoulder from time to time, expecting to see him following her, asking her where she was going, asking her why she had the carpet bag. Another part of her worried that when she turned, she would see a different dark figure – one that she didn’t recognize. The night Mark died flashed through her mind for a brief second, and she quickly shook her head, trying to rid herself of the moment once and for all.
When she finally arrived at the train station platform, she nervously paced back and forth. The hard heels of her shoes left a deep thud with each step she took, but she didn’t care. There were dozens of men and women bustling about, all trying to get off the train and find their way to where they were going.
It was more common for people to be arriving on the early train than it was for them to be leaving, so as Barbara glanced around, she was surprised to find that there was a small group of people waiting to board along with her.
At long last, the conductor stood outside the train and motioned for the people to start boarding. One by one the men and women began pushing their way toward the door of the train car, and Barbara immediately felt lost. She suddenly felt the absence of her husband’s hand on her lower back quite strongly, and she realized she had never done anything like this before without him.
She always deferred to him whenever they planned anything like this, and he always led her through it. She’d never been frightened to do anything when he was right there with her, and now that she stood on the train platform alone, she couldn’t help but feel exposed and vulnerable.
With shaking hands, she handed the conductor the ticket. He looked first at the ticket then back at her and gave her a kind smile.
“Is this your first time traveling by train, Miss?” he asked, and she nodded, her face as white as a sheet.
“Well, don’t you worry, just go inside and find a seat you feel comfortable in. I recommend the back rather than the front, there’s less smoke back there.” She thanked him as she took her ticket back, and all at once she found herself inside the train car.
As the conductor suggested, she hurried to the back of the coach and took her seat in the very last row. Setting her carpet bag on the seat beside her, she sighed. There were tears in her eyes, but she quickly brushed them away.
“I’m going to be okay now. I’m going West,” she whispered as the train whistle blew.
Mr. Jake Cowell
Barbara had to admit that she had no idea what to expect at any point in her journey. Throughout each of the stops they made, each of the hotels she had to stay at, and each time she boarded a new train in the morning, she felt the absence of her husband strongly. She missed not only having him there to guide her through all the difficulties, but she missed his companionship.
She missed hearing the sound of his voice first thing in the morning and having his strong arms around her when she went to bed at night. She had never met a man she found more attractive, and she wondered what life was going to be like married to someone else.
Barbara spent most of her trip thinking about Mark and Jake. She missed Mark terribly, and it was difficult for any time to go by without her thinking about him once more. At the same time, she was intrigued by the idea of Mr. Cowell. He hadn’t described himself to her at all, though he had stated in the ad that he was attractive.
Mark had been shorter than most men, and he had a very stocky build. Though he was taller than her, he wasn’t much taller, making her feel as though the two of them belonged together perfectly. Mark had blonde hair and blue eyes, and his smile was very kind. Mark was always so proper. He never dressed in anything but a suit, regardless of what they were going to be doing that day. Of course, as a businessman, he was able to do that without too much trouble. But, she couldn’t help but wonder if Jake was going to be the same way.
She knew she was soon to find out when the conductor walked through the train car, announcing her stop next.
“South Pass City! Everyone getting off at South Pass City get ready! South Pass City!” Barbara marveled at how the man was able to walk through the train cars with his hands behind his back, so steady against the hustle and bustle of the car. She feared if she even shifted in her seat too much she would be knocked off balance, and she now grabbed her carpet bag with both of her hands.
The train slowed to a gradual stop, and at once Barbara was struck by how small the town was. Compared to Boston, it looked like something she had read about in a book. There was a small main street that stretched away from the train platform, and businesses dotted both ends. The walkways were made of wood rather than cobblestone, and it appeared as though the men and women merely walked where they felt they wanted to, rather than staying on the directed walkways.
There weren’t nearly the carriages as had been in Boston, and most of the men appeared to prefer riding on the backs of their horses directly, rather than be drawn around in a coach of some kind. Barbara was also struck by the people. There were far fewer than she expected there to be, but at the same time, all the people milling about made her nervous.
She had no idea how she was going to identify Mr. Cowell, or if he was going to be able to find her in the sea of faces. Once the train came to a halt, however, she had no choice but to get off and figure the problem out herself.
“Lord, please guide me – and help me find Mr. Cowell quickly!” she breathed.
Though she felt she would be better able to see from standing on the stairs leading down to the station platform, Barbara was nervous and wanted to reach the ground as soon as possible. She kept her head down as she grasped the rail, trying to mind her footing as she stepped down to the platform.
When her feet were finally safely on the wood, she sighed a huge sigh of relief. She wondered how she was going to find Jake, but at the same time, she felt far more secure standing on her own two feet than she did sitting in the rickety train coach. Suddenly, she saw a man waving to her. Looking around to make sure it was really her that he wanted, she then grabbed her bag and hurried over.
“Hello? Mr. Cowell?” she asked breathlessly. He nodded, looking down at her with a pleased expression on his face.
“My dear, you did not do yourself justice, it is a real pleasure to meet you. Please, call me Jake,” he said, offering her his hand. When she took it, he lifted her fingers to his
lips and kissed them, impressing Barbara.
“Barbara Hill, but just Barbara is fine. I tried to be honest without going too much into myself,” she said with a nervous laugh. She had to admit, he was far different than she thought he was going to be, but she still found him quite attractive. He was tall – much taller than she. He was a thin build, not too much muscle, and he had very dark hair. His eyes were blue, but they were a different shade of blue than Mark’s.
“Well, you must be exhausted. Would you like to go get something to eat? Or might I take you to your room at the hotel? We could get married straight away if that is what you would rather, I figured if you wanted to move in with me right away you could take the bedroom and I would take the guest room until you were good and settled. The preacher is going to be in town until tomorrow, so if you would rather spend the night at the hotel, I completely understand,” he gave her a flashy smile, and Barbara felt herself blush.
“I suppose we may as well get the legal part out of the way first. You never know what could come up with the preacher, and I would rather settle in and get comfortable than I would spend another night in a hotel,” Barbara laughed as she spoke, and she could see that he was pleased with her decision.
“Excellent. I did tell him that it was possible that I would be stopping by with you this afternoon, so if you are ready, then he ought to be expecting us,” Jake took her carpet bag then placed his hand on the lower part of her back. It was the exact same place Mark had so often put his hand, and the pressure was the same. For a moment, she almost closed her eyes and imagined that it was Mark.
But, she knew she couldn’t be doing things like that – not if she wanted to be happy here with Jake.