A Groom for Claire

by Patricia Pacjac Carroll

  Wanting to lie down and sleep forever, she instead forced herself to sew on Thomas’s shirt. He would like it. Blue, her son’s favorite color. She could see now that he struggled with the idea of having another man around the house.

  When Ethan Freemont came, she would have to have a talk with him about how to handle Tom. Her son was a good boy and didn’t cause problems, but she could already tell that he had no intention of sharing his farm with anyone else.

  She knew why he was inventorying the barn and the seeds and equipment. Tom wanted to make sure this man didn’t take things and sell them. They’d seen that happen to the widow Simpson.

  The woman’s husband died, and she’d remarried a year later. Everyone thought her new husband was such a friendly man until he left in the night with the widow’s money, horse, and wagon.

  Claire vowed that would not happen to her, and she would be sure to let Ethan know where he stood. On the outside. Like Rustler. The man better not have ideas of coming in and taking over.

  Chapter 6

  Ethan slapped the reins to get the tired oxen to keep up with Alex. The rain had started the third day out and had turned to snow the next. By his figuring, Ethan wasn’t sure they’d reach Last Chance by Christmas.

  Cold and soaked through, he hollered at Alex. “Let’s stop for the night.”

  Alex stopped his wagon and pointed to a stand of scrub trees and brush. Then he turned the wagon and drove toward the pile of brush.

  Ethan followed. Tonight, they’d make something hearty to eat and concentrate on keeping warm. He sure didn’t need to take sick and be a burden on the woman and her family. He wanted to help her and her family if they’d let him.

  Finally, they had the wagons somewhat sheltered from the north wind and set about making a rope corral for the livestock. Even with the corral, they still hobbled the animals. Ethan was glad he had followed the advice of the horse trader and had oxen pull the wagons. If nothing else, after they arrived at Last Chance, they could slaughter the steers for food. He had two steers and six cows.

  He wasn’t sure if the farm had a bull or not, but if not, he could buy one.

  Alex came by him. “I got the corral and hobbled the oxen and the horses. You look cold, Ethan. Go on and get in the wagon and into some dry clothes. I’ll get the stew and warm it up. That was nice of the lady at the café to sell us some. That sure will taste good tonight.”

  “Yeah, it will. Thanks for taking care of the animals.” Ethan climbed in the wagon and found his clothes to change into. He was cold, all right. “Lord, help me not get sick. I don’t want to be a burden to this family.”

  Alex brought in the pot and put it over the kerosene lamp. “Won’t be long, and we’ll have a good hot meal. You look better. I was kind of worried about you.”

  “I feel better. Thanks.” Ethan stirred the pot. I hope the sun comes out tomorrow.”

  “Why don’t you pray?” Alex grinned at him. “You seem to have a connection with God.”

  “Good idea. We’ll pray before we eat.”

  Alex handed him the bowls. “I worked up a powerful hunger. I threw out some hay for the animals. They were grateful.”

  “I bet they were. The weather’s cold and hard on them too. Hope we don’t get too much snow, but at least we have the runners just in case.”

  Alex looked outside. “I don’t know. Looks like a long night of snow. I bet we have to put the runners on tomorrow.”

  “I figure we’ve gone maybe ten miles. If we have, that leaves us with maybe three to five days until we reach Last Chance.” Ethan stretched and then dished out the stew.

  Alex held up his bowl. “Pray Ethan, get us to Last Chance safe and sound.”

  Ethan shook his head. Alex was something else and clearly didn’t know how to be reverent toward the Lord. Bowing his head, Ethan began. “Father in heaven, we thank you for watching out for us. Help us get to Claire’s farm before Christmas. Prepare their hearts for our arrival. In Jesus Name, we pray. Amen.”

  Alex nodded. “Amen. That was a nice prayer. What do you think that family is going to be like?”

  “Nice by the sound of Claire’s letters.”

  “Claire? Are you on a first-name basis already?”

  Ethan smiled. “Only in my head and to myself. When I get there, I’ll call her Mrs. Braden until she asks me to call her something else.”

  “The kids, think they’ll like you? I mean, it would be hard to have a man step in where their daddy used to be.” Alex watched him intently.

  “I don’t know. I’m not going to take their father’s place. I want them to look at me as someone who has come to help.”

  Alex shook his head. “That doesn’t sound much like a groom to me. Aren’t you going to marry the woman? You’re not going as a hired hand.”

  “No, you’re right there. But I’ll have to give them time to make the adjustment. I don’t expect her to marry me right away.”

  “How long are you going to work for her?”

  Ethan stared at his friend. Sometimes, Alex could ask the most challenging questions, but they were always aimed dead to rights on the heart of the issues. “I’ll just have to see how we get along. By the letters, we seem compatible.”

  “That doesn’t sound like love.”

  “No, it doesn’t. I believe that will come.”

  “Is that the same believing that you do when you pray?”

  Ethan drew in a breath. “You’re wearing me out with your questions.”

  “That so? Well, they seem like questions you should have asked yourself and her before you set out to drive to Last Chance in the dead of the worst winter in years. Not to mention dragging your best friend along with you.”

  Laughing, Ethan pointed to the stew. “Want another bowl?”

  “Yes, but you’re not answering my question.”

  “You’re right. I’m not answering.” Ethan ate the last of his stew and settled back against one of the buffalo robes they’d bought. The warmth from the fire, the stew, and their friendship stopped his chills, and he felt better and stronger.

  Ethan thought to what he knew of the disaster that had befallen the men of Last Chance. A blizzard coming on them so hard and fast that the one survivor had said the sky was like night and the snow so fast that it covered them in no time. All had been frozen but the one man.

  “Ethan, think there might be a woman for me to marry?”

  “Could be. The town lost all the men.” Ethan sat up and looked at his usually joking friend and noticed that Alex looked serious. “You ready to settle down?”

  “I’m not sure. But I’ve been doing some thinking. I’m going nowhere just clowning around. I see how you really care about this family, and you’ve never even met them. I might like to have someone to belong to. Sometimes, even with my joking around, I’m lonely.”

  “Yeah, I understand. That’s why, after I read the ad, I felt compelled to answer. Maybe it’s no accident that you agreed to go with me.” Ethan stared at his friend.

  Alex nodded. “I was thinking that too. That God of yours, He arranges things, so maybe He does see me and knows that I’m lonely and need someone. You think He wants to match me with one of the women in that town?”

  “Could be, Alex. Why don’t you ask Him yourself? You can pray silently or when you’re driving tomorrow, ask Him what he wants for you.”

  “That simple, heh? I might. Right now, I’m tired. See you in the morning.”

  Ethan soon heard the even breathing of his friend. Alex didn’t take long to fall asleep. Ethan figured it was because he was a man without problems to worry about. Ethan said a few quiet prayers for Alex and asked the Lord to guide him and have a wife for him in Last Chance.

  As he laid on the blanket and under the buffalo robe, Ethan prayed for Claire. That her heart would mend from the terrible loss of her husband. That she would have room in her heart to love him. Ethan had no desire to marry her as a hired hand. He wanted it all. The love and respect
that a husband was due.

  Plus, he wanted to love her with all his heart. Already, he cared about her and her children.

  A stiff gust of wind shook the wagon.

  Ethan pulled the buffalo robed tight around him. So cold. Was this an omen of things to come? Would Claire be cold toward him? Would the children warm up to him? Or would he forever be a stranger in their home?

  At the other end of the wagon, he heard Alex snore. The man never seemed to have a problem that could keep him awake or from smiling. Well, Alex was on an adventure while Ethan knew that he was traveling to a remote town to marry a woman who’d suffered a tragic loss.

  Ethan figured it stood to reason that he would have more sleepless nights. Still, he’d prayed and known this was what he was to do. He turned over away from the wind. It was time he put his faith in action. No wonder Alex just looked at him when he talked about the Lord. His friend hadn’t seen proof that he was trusting in the Lord. Not when it counted.

  Ethan began saying the Lord’s prayer and the twenty-third Psalm over and over in his mind, and somewhere after being led to still waters, Ethan fell asleep.

  ***

  Tom ran inside. “At least three feet of snow and drifts up to six feet by the barn.” He shook his head, shaking snow across the room.

  Claire set down the morning dishes and stared out at the white desert. There were no trees to block the cold air. If the temperatures continued to drop, she’d have Tom put up the shutters. She had hesitated because it made everything so dark, but it did help keep the house warmer.

  Leah ran to the window. “I think it’s beautiful.”

  Relieved that her daughter still found beauty in the world, Claire went to her and looked outside with her. “Yes, it does have a certain beauty. Tom, does it look like there will be more snow?”

  He stared at her, worry crossing his brow. “I don’t know. There’s still clouds, but they don’t look as heavy as they did last night.”

  Claire nodded. “Let’s watch the temperature. If it is still getting colder, we’ll have to put on the shutters. How were the livestock?”

  “Hungry and cold. I gave hay to Molly and Gretta and threw some scraps of hay to the chickens. They should be all right.” Tom sat on the bench and took off his boots.

  Her son was trying to be the man of the house, but she could see that he was bothered by the low temperatures.

  Claire went to him and took his coat and hung it up. “Your socks aren’t wet, are they?”

  “A little.” He admitted.

  “Take them off and put on some dry ones. We’re well-stocked, so there is no need to worry.” She hugged him and kissed the top of his head. She could only do that because he was still sitting down. He was as tall as she was now.

  “Christmas is only two days away. I don’t think we’ll get a tree.” Tom looked at her with disappointment in his eyes. “Leah will be sad.”

  Claire smiled. “We’ll make do with what we have. It will be all right. After all, the real reason we have Christmas is to remind us of the birth of our Savior. We’ll make do. It’s what we Bradens, do.”

  “Yes, Mama.” Tom gave her a weak smile. “I’ll make it the best Christmas for Leah.”

  “I better get to those dishes. We all need to pray that the snow melts so we can drive into town to church on Christmas day.”

  Leah squealed. “Can we? Sally Jenson and I have plans. I made up a story for her.”

  “That’s a lovely gift, Leah. I’m sure she’ll love it, but we’ll have to see how the weather is if we’ll go into town or not.”

  Claire said a silent prayer for her children, asking the Lord to clear the weather and bring warm temperatures so they might travel. Just how much disappointment could they take?

  Chapter 7

  Ethan had grown to appreciate the big steers and cows as they plowed through the thick snow along the road to Last Chance. The hard part was staying on the road, but so far, he thought they’d managed to.

  He pulled out the map that Claire had sent him. Her farm was before the town of Last Chance just off the main road. There was a gate with the name Braden Farm over the top of it. So far, he’d seen nothing resembling a gate.

  The postmaster back in St. Louis had given him the compass readings so that Ethan could navigate to Last Chance. To traverse through the snow, Ethan walked one side of the road and periodically jabbed the snow to make sure they were on the road. Alex did the same on the other side.

  Finally, the sun came out, and the temperature warmed. It was good for melting the snow, but it made slogging the muddy roads harder. The rough weather had slowed them down, but by Ethan’s calculations, they should reach the farm tomorrow morning, Christmas Day.

  ***

  Claire finished wrapping Leah’s dress in the brown paper and tied it with a red ribbon. She placed it with Tom’s shirt and hoped her children would take some comfort in her gifts. The presents weren’t much for Christmas morning. With no tree and no trip to town, Claire’s grief and disappointment for her children overshadowed the day.

  She was about to go out into the main room when she heard Leah scream at the top of her lungs. Fear shot through Claire. Now what? She threw open her door and ran out to see Leah jumping up and down and pointing out the window.

  “It’s Santa Claus. Just like in the story Pa used to read.” She whirled around and ran to her. “What if it’s Pa? What if Pa didn’t die?”

  Claire pulled Leah to her and hugged her against her skirt. “Leah, your father died in the blizzard. He is not outside.” She caught Tom’s eye and nodded to the rifle over the door.

  Her son understood and took down the rifle.

  Leah gasped. “Don’t shoot Santa Claus. Please.”

  “We’re not going to shoot anyone.” Claire walked to the door, took the rifle from Tom, and opened the door. With the gun aimed out but down, she nodded at the two men who were walking toward the porch.

  She’d never seen them before. The first one was tall. The other shorter, but he had a charming smile and twinkling eyes. Both carried presents. “Who are you?”

  “Merry Christmas. Are you Claire Braden?”

  She nodded.

  “I’m Ethan Freemont, and behind me is Alex Gantry.” He smiled at her. “Merry Christmas.”

  Claire stared at them. Ethan, he’d written that he was going to try to come before Christmas. Apparently, the snow had slowed him down. But he was here, and it was Christmas.

  Tom touched her arm and took the rifle from her.

  Coming to her senses, Claire swallowed to wet her dry throat. “Come in.” She turned and looked at Tom. He held the rifle and stood guard. Claire opened the door and went to stand beside Leah, who was beaming.

  It wasn’t that her daughter’s obvious delight troubled Claire, yet the feeling that she was betraying Thomas. Leah should still be mourning. Claire put a hand to her face. She should still be mourning her husband.

  Claire couldn’t believe that she’d gone along with this crazy idea to invite men to come to Last Chance to marry the widows. Heather had convinced them it was the only way to survive, and Claire knew she was right.

  But now that her groom was standing in her house ready to take over, the only thought in her mind was to run.

  “Mama, the nice man brought us presents.” Leah was running around the room as if she didn’t know what to do with herself.

  Claire felt the same way, but for entirely different reasons.

  “If it’s alright with you, we’ll set the Christmas tree up if you’ll tell us where to put it.” Ethan gave her a slight grin, but the look on his face told her he wasn’t at all sure what he’d signed on for.

  Claire looked to Tom, who was still holding the rifle.

  Getting the message that she wanted him to choose, Tom put the rifle back over the door and pointed to the window. “I’ll move the table.” Tom pulled the small table from the window to make room for the tree.

  Alex went outside and
brought in the spindly cedar tree and set it up. He grinned at Leah. “Do you have any decorations?”

  Claire finally came out of her fog. “We have some. Tom, they’re in the closet on the top shelf.”

  He nodded, looking as confused as she felt. Only Leah was full of joy and welcoming their guests into the house. The fact that they were putting presents under the tree added to her daughter’s excitement.

  Claire pulled Leah to her and held onto her and stared at the man she’d chosen. Her groom. “You didn’t have to, Mr. Freemont. That was most kind of you.” She stopped short of telling him that they certainly didn’t have a gift for him. Perhaps she should have thought about it.

  “That’s all right. You’ve been through a hard time. I just want to make things easier on you.”

  Tom came out with a box and set it down. “Want me to put away your livestock?”

  Alex went to the door. “I’ll help. I hope you have room. We brought some hay and feed.”

  “They’ll need it.” Tom went out of the door with the man.

  Claire noted that Tom was almost as tall as Alex. Regret sifted through her as she wondered how Tom felt about having to share his farm with another man. What had she done?

  “Mrs. Braden, I brought food. I have some for a pantry and some for a smokehouse. If you don’t have one, Alex and I can build one.”

  “Of course, we have one. My husband knew how to take care of his family. That he chose to go hunting and was caught in a deadly blizzard was hardly his fault.”

  “Yes, Ma’am. I didn’t mean any disrespect.” Mr. Freemont looked at her. Sorrow in his eyes and embarrassment pinked his cheeks. “We also shot a turkey for Christmas dinner if you don’t already have one.”

  For some reason, her only feeling was anger. Why did he think they were so needy and incompetent? Yet, they didn’t have a turkey for dinner. Not even a chicken to spare. She’d prepared porridge and thought that they’d eat that throughout the day. Not a holiday meal, but one that would be filling.

  “I apologize, Mr. Freemont. The turkey would be most welcome.”