Once Upon a Mail Order Bride

by Linda Broday

  Panic crossed her face. Josie calmly handed her paper and pencil, and Adeline wrote, “Tomorrow.”

  “Good. I have a room for you at the Diamond Bessie Hotel. Let’s get you settled, then we’ll nail down the details.” Ridge and Luke moved to the back of the wagon and lifted out two trunks. The small one was brand-new and would hold far too much for someone who’d just obtained freedom.

  When Ridge lifted an eyebrow, Luke explained, “The ladies did some shopping.”

  Adeline would’ve needed everything, he imagined, since people didn’t usually come out of prison with much more than the clothes on their backs.

  As he lifted her small trunk on his shoulder, thoughts ran through his head. Ridge now had a purpose and someone who needed him. That was reason enough to marry Adeline Jancy.

  * * *

  Adeline stood with Josie, her gaze following the men as they headed to the hotel next door. Ridge hadn’t disappointed her—at least not yet. Like his letters, he truly seemed to care what she thought. He’d already given her choices. Three years ago, the law had stripped her of the ability to make choices even about the smallest things. She’d lived in a world of silence that was so loud in her head, she often thought she’d go mad. Maybe she had, to some degree. In an instant, and for three long years, she’d become a mere number instead of a person.

  One bang of a gavel had left her utterly alone. Unloved. Terrified.

  The family she would never again claim became strangers who stared with questioning eyes and muttered words of hate.

  But then, even before prison, she’d never had much freedom to make her own choices. Her father had seen to that. “Pray without ceasing” had been drilled into her from age five.

  At first, Ridge’s former occupation as a preacher had given her much worry. She didn’t want another aloof, rigid lord and master like Ezekiel Jancy. But through Ridge’s letters, she’d found him refreshingly different. He’d written at length about his distaste for those who enslaved others.

  As your husband, I vow to never force you to my will. I don’t hold with those tactics, he’d written.

  She blinked at the bright sunlight, the sensation still making her eyes water even after a little more than two weeks. Ridge cut quite an intriguing figure. He walked with ease, his long legs encased in denim, twin Colts hanging low from his hips. Dark brown hair touched his shoulders, a bit unkempt as one might expect of an outlaw. But his sensitive amber eyes had told her the most.

  They spoke of deep hurt, of long, endless nights of the soul, and of biting disappointment and frustration. Maybe at his circumstances. At this point, she had no way of knowing.

  He’d never revealed in his letters what’d happened to change him into an outlaw. Adeline only got the impression he hadn’t left his ministry willingly. Something or someone had forced him out. From the start, he’d been quite honest about his current life as an outlaw and spoke of being hunted, of waiting for the agony of the bullet that would end his life.

  She knew about such a wait. Only hers had been for her body and soul to be set free. She was halfway there.

  Luke and Josie had visited the prison after hearing of her plight from Nettie Mae, and after being denied access to Addie, they’d sent messages again through her kindly friend. They’d assured her that only an outlaw like Ridge Steele could provide the safety she needed. Thus, she began her correspondence with the wanted man. Addie glanced at him through the hotel window. It appeared they might be correct. He had the bearing and manner of a man who, based on that critical first impression, had the strength and courage to stand up to anyone.

  “Shall we?” Josie linked her arm through Adeline’s, and they strolled up the hotel steps. “Ridge is a kind man with a caring heart, and he certainly is handsome. Oh my goodness! I get tongue-tied when I’m around him, and my brain doesn’t want to work right. I’m scared Luke will find out and be upset, so I try to avoid the man.” Josie laughed, paused a moment, and changed the subject. “My dear, we’ll stay a few days to make sure you’re all right.”

  Adeline wished she could speak. She’d tell Josie that she’d chosen to marry Ridge because she liked what he’d said in his letters, not because of how handsome he was.

  Life is 10 percent made up of what happens to you. Everything else is how well you cope with the events. Don’t waste time being bitter. A mistake is not a life sentence. We learn, we grow, and we move on—hopefully as better people.

  Those words had spoken to her. She would try each day to make Ridge proud of her and make sure he had no regrets for marrying a convict. As for her, she had no qualms about tying herself to an outlaw. No one else could keep her safer than someone who lived free of rigid rules and social norms. He’d spoken of his own principles and rules he’d set down for himself, complete with lines drawn in the sand that he’d never cross. She shared her personal conviction with him that those were much more important than the dictates of others.

  Before going inside, Adeline stood on the hotel porch for a moment and gazed out at Hope’s Crossing. The town sat in a canyon rimmed with high rock walls and only one way in or out. Luke said it had once been an outlaw hideout and very easily defended. Now businesses lined one side of the wide town square like staunch soldiers, with dwellings on the other.

  A group of children played chase, and two dogs barked alongside them. Two women walked together, talking and laughing, while another hung wash out on a line. A tall windmill rose next to a church, which was surrounded by a white picket fence.

  The calm and peace floating in the air seeped deep down into her bones.

  Here she would rest and heal. Then she’d make sure no one found the stolen child. The motherless boy would be three years old now, still vulnerable. She’d die before she gave him away. And she very nearly had landed in a grave. She shivered as fragments of the nightmare passed through her mind. If she did nothing else in life, she would keep him safe.

  Adeline pulled her thoughts back to the view. One thing seemed curiously missing—the public whipping post. Maybe, hopefully, these people were more civilized than where she’d come from. She allowed herself a snort. Funny the differences in people’s perceptions of a civilized society.

  These simple people in Hope’s Crossing seemed content with what little they had. Josie said they were kind and welcoming, not closed off and ruled by suspicion and fear. Time would tell the truth.

  Painful memories swirled and twisted the picture in front of her into horrible scenes of suffering and despair.

  Adeline shuddered and took the images inward into her hiding place. Ridge had assured her that the people of Hope’s Crossing would open welcoming arms, for each person here had a checkered past and now focused only on the future. But how much could she believe? It would take actions to convince her.

  Her whole life had been built on terror—where the only way to survive was not seeing, not hearing, not feeling one single blessed thing.

  Only when it had come down to her moment of truth, she hadn’t been able to keep her head buried in the sand.

  The days and months ahead would decide what kind of future she had. Yet how could she get acquainted with the women when she couldn’t speak? A frisson of worry rose and knotted in her stomach.

  “Coming?” Josie asked.

  Adeline nodded and went inside. The hotel was nice, but then according to Luke, it had been built only three years prior. She liked the bright, airy feel, the high tin ceiling and pretty wallpaper.

  Ridge collected a key from the clerk and strode toward her. “You’re on the second floor. Lead the way, and I’ll carry your trunk.”

  With a nod, she turned to the stairs, and he followed. At the landing, he told her to turn right to Room 205. A few moments later, she stood inside, glancing around. The room was inviting, a handful of wild red roses set in a vase on a small table. A pretty quilt of pink and yellow covered the
bed, and it looked very comfortable, a nice change from the hard ground she’d slept on during the journey and the cold slab she’d called a bed for the last three years.

  She moved to the flowers and lifted a rose to her nose. A long-forgotten memory flooded over her. A cool arbor. Wild summer roses that shielded her hiding place—the refuge she’d often escaped to when things became unbearable. She bit her trembling lip and fought to swallow past the lump.

  Ridge set down her trunk and took a wide stance. He seemed a bit uncomfortable in her presence, jerking off his hat and holding it in his hands. She watched him from beneath lowered lashes. “I picked the flowers. I hope you like them.”

  Surprised by his thoughtfulness, Adeline smiled and reached for her paper and pencil. “Wild roses are my favorite. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. I thought you might need some cheer.” Ridge glanced around the room as though checking to make sure it was suitable before turning his attention back to her. “It’s not home, but it’ll do for one night. Luke and Josie are just down the hall.”

  She nodded, walked to the french doors that opened onto a small balcony, and stepped out. After her dank underground cell, she couldn’t get enough fresh air. A large overhang shaded her from the sun.

  Ridge followed, crushing the hat he still held. His large presence frightened her, at least a little. He could knock her across the room, break bones if he chose. It would take time to trust, time to heal, time to know his heart. Though he’d gently courted her through his letters, his tender words were just words in the end. Ezekiel was most adept at using words to wound.

  But something in this outlaw reminded her of a tall oak with thick branches stretching out, shielding her from harm.

  Tense muscles in her neck and shoulders relaxed. This path felt right and good.

  At least for now. Time would tell for sure.

  “I have no idea what you’re thinking, but it has to be very difficult to marry someone you’ve never met. I’ll give you all the time you need.” His voice was low, deep. “I’ve never forced any woman to my will, and I won’t start with you.”

  Adeline swung around and met his gaze. The lines in his face had deepened, and she wished she could smooth away the worry, to say that she’d find a way somehow to be a real wife. Only she had no idea what that looked like. She’d never seen a marriage worth modeling hers after, with the possible exception of Luke and Josie’s. They seemed to have the right idea, but she’d known them only a short time. People often projected misconceptions.

  Maybe Ridge did too, and would make her a fool for trusting so quickly. Yet believing in something seemed better than this yawning, lifeless hole inside that tried to swallow her.

  After several beats of silence, Ridge cleared his throat. Shadows filled his eyes. “I don’t know what you expect of me. Hell, I don’t even know what to expect myself. But I vow never to raise my hand to you in anger. Our marriage will be one based on respect, not fear.”

  She nodded but wished with all her heart she could unlock her words and tell him that she could take anything, as long as he didn’t hurt her.

  But of course, she just stood there like some mute.

  “I’m sure you have a lot of questions. I built a house for you just outside of town. I hope I thought of everything, but if you need something else, I’ll get it. I’d like to take you there after you’ve rested and we’ve discussed the wedding plans. Would you like that?”

  Her nod brought a gentle smile to his face that revealed a flash of white teeth. Josie was right—he was handsome. She’d be tongue-tied too, if she could remember how to form words in the first place.

  Ridge sauntered toward the door, his gait loose and easy. “You don’t seem to recall, but we’ve met once before—in Fort Worth. It was dark, though, and you were having quite a tussle with a drunk bent on spending time with you.” He swung around with a teasing grin. “I’d like some advice about where to best wallop a person with a shoe for maximum damage.”

  Surprise swept through her. She studied him, wracking her brain. The mention of the shoe jogged her memory. When she’d gotten off the train, she’d gone the wrong direction and wound up on that dark street in the clutches of that disgusting drunk.

  So Ridge had been her savior. He’d handled the inebriated fool with ease.

  She covered the space between them and reached for the paper and pencil on the table. She wrote: “Thank you for coming along and freeing me from that wretch’s hands. He terrified me.”

  “You certainly didn’t look scared. Just mad as a soaked cat.”

  “Looks are often deceiving. What were you doing in Fort Worth?”

  “Picking up schoolbooks for the teacher. The freight haulers are on strike and we had no other way to get them here.”

  Images of her old one-room school crossed her mind. She’d loved being a teacher. Until…

  She grabbed hold of the table, her legs wobbly.

  Ridge steadied her. “Anything wrong?”

  “I’m just a little tired.”

  “Then I’ll leave you to rest. Josie will come get you soon.” He gently kissed her cheek and left.

  Adeline stood rooted to the spot, her hand covering the place his lips had lightly pressed. Tears gathered in her eyes. Twenty years old and no one had ever kissed her before—not on the cheek, or hand, or lips.

  The sensation of his warm mouth on her skin would be enough for a whole new type of dream.

  Ridge Steele had made a contract with her, and he seemed a man committed to keeping his word. Still, she’d watch him carefully. Some men lied. Tomorrow she would stand at his side and become his wife, and she’d brave every bit of adversity thereafter planted next to him—come rain, come shine, or come the hereafter.

  Because that’s what a good woman did. God so help her, she wouldn’t let others ever define her again. Despite being locked away, she was decent and good.

  * * *

  Midafternoon, Ridge sat with Adeline in the hotel lobby. Luke and Josie joined their conversation, and he was grateful for their help because he didn’t know beans about weddings. Or, more importantly, silent brides.

  Adeline sat with eyes lowered, hands clutched in her lap. He admired the curve of her delicate jaw, the sweep of her dark lashes, and a determined tilt to her chin. Despite her silence, timid was not a word he’d use to describe her. Adeline Jancy had strength.

  After a little small talk with Josie and Luke, Ridge turned to his prospective bride. “This is your wedding, Adeline. What do you want? Would you like it in the church?”

  Panic crossed her green eyes. She gave him a definite shake of her head. No.

  “All right. The church is out, and frankly I’m relieved. We’re not formal people.”

  “Ridge, how about up on the bluff overlooking the town?” Luke suggested. “Quite a few marriages have happened up there, and it’s a beautiful spot.”

  Hope formed on Adeline’s pretty features, and she nodded.

  “All right, the bluff it is. Noon tomorrow?”

  Adeline agreed.

  So far so good. A list formed in Ridge’s head. Find a wedding ring. Dig out his best suit. Polish his boots. “I’ll make arrangements with Brother Paul.”

  Another question—this one quite delicate—would require some stealth. When they rose, Ridge pulled Josie aside. “Does Adeline have a dress? The small trunk I carried up to her room wasn’t large enough to hold much more than a few changes of clothes.”

  “Relax. This isn’t our first wedding to see to.” Her furious whisper told Ridge she was offended at the notion that she and Luke would let Adeline be embarrassed. “Luke and I bought her a dress. It’s in our room.”

  “How was I to know that?”

  “We’ve overseen how many marriages in this town?”

  “Quite a few I suppose.”

 
“And how many brides appeared without a dress?”

  Ridge frowned, a little perturbed by her tone. “None.”

  Josie’s eyes narrowed. “I rest my case.”

  “I apologize, Miss Josie. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with my bride.” He hurried to put Luke between them. Josie should’ve been the outlaw, he thought sourly.

  Soon he and Adeline were in a borrowed buggy and riding between the cliffs out to where three homes dotted the prairie beyond. They were spaced wide, room for more between them in the future. “Town was getting overcrowded, so some of us built out here. I predict more will come.”

  During the short drive, he told her about the twenty acres of land he’d staked out around their place.

  “It’s not much to look at right now, but next year I plan to plant fruit trees. Peaches grow pretty well here, and we can have a garden. I dug a well on our property, and the water is sweet.” He glanced at her and found her green eyes dancing, a smile on her lips. Happiness filled him that she was satisfied with such pitiful offerings.

  Adeline grabbed her paper and pencil lying on the seat and scribbled. “Can I have a cow and some chickens?”

  He stopped the buggy and took her hand. “Adeline, you don’t have to ask for anything. Just let me know whatever you want, and I’ll get it. Your wants, needs, and even whims are as important as mine. We’re equals. Understand?”

  She swallowed and gave a slight jerk of her head. The breeze lifted a tendril of gold and laid it across her eyes. Ridge brushed back the strand and found the texture like fine silk. Adeline flinched, pulled her hand away, and scooted as far from him as she could get on the bench seat. They weren’t even married yet, and already he’d made a mistake. Dammit! Luke had told him to be patient, that this would take a while. She’d reacted like he was going to hit her.

  For sure someone had. A muscle worked in his jaw.

  “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying…” He picked up the reins and set the horse in motion. Best if he kept quiet, so they rode the rest of the way in silence.