by Emily Woods
“I’m praying for you, pal,” Jackson said quietly. “Hope ain’t lost yet.”
Suddenly, the mail carrier dashed back up the steps of the general store. Jed raised an eyebrow and looked at Jackson, who appeared to be equally perplexed. The crowd instantly became silent.
“There is one letter left!”
Everyone gasped. The mail carrier must have misplaced a letter, and everyone’s hopes of receiving mail were resurrected as the mail carrier waved a small blue envelope above his head.
“Jed Harris,” the mail carrier said.
The citizens of Pinecone cheered. Jed had never received mail before. His entire family lived in Pinecone, and he knew no one outside of the county. Jackson began whooping and hollering, and he shoved Jed toward the direction of the general store. Jed’s heart was pounding, and he felt as though it took an eternity to climb the steps to the general store.
“Jed Harris,” the mail carrier repeated.
“He’s coming right now!” Jackson shouted.
Jed began perspiring profusely. The California sun was hot, but his nerves were the cause of his sweat. His heart beat furiously, and he thrust his hands in his pockets as he walked toward the general store.
“Jed Harris, a letter for you,” said the mail carrier kindly as Jed arrived at the top of the general store stairs.
The crowd cheered. Jed blushed. The mail carrier gave him the letter. Jed stared at the dainty handwriting in awe. Who had sent this letter to him? Jed stuffed the letter into his pocket and barreled down the stairs. The crowd began to disperse, but Jackson waited for him.
“That’s a mighty big surprise! I reckon it’s from one of the women, Jed!” Jackson said gleefully as Jed continued to blush.
“Let’s just get out of here,” Jed muttered.
“Pa! Gracie kicked me!”
“No, I did not! Evana pulled my braids! Don’t believe her!”
Jed furrowed his brow and pulled his hat down across his forehead. It had been a long, overwhelming afternoon outside of the general store, and Jed could hardly bear the shrill shrieks of his two little girls.
“Girls!” Jackson shouted, beckoning to Jed’s daughters.
The girls adored Jackson. He possessed a patience for them that Jed’s own siblings did not display, and they came running to his side.
“Uncle Jackson! Did you see Pa’s letter?”
“I want to read it first, Uncle Jackson!”
“You can hardly read, you dummy!”
“You are a dummy!”
“I’m not!”
“Yes, you are!”
“Uncle Jackson, make her stop!”
“No, make her stop!”
Jackson crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked down at the girls. They were beautiful, both having inherited their father’s light smattering of freckles and wavy auburn hair, and their green eyes sparkled in the haze of the afternoon. The girls each had one deep dimple on their round cheeks, and their lips were small and heart-shaped.
“If they were city girls, they would be debutantes,” Jackson thought as he looked at his best friend’s children. “But out here, they’ll be lucky if they survive each other with the way they fight! They look near like wild turkeys with the way they go after each other.”
Jackson held his hands up to signal the girls to stop their screaming.
“Ladies,” Jackson said.
The girls immediately stopped their quarreling. They smiled expectantly at Jackson. He usually had a treat for them tucked away in his pocket, and the girls were eager to see what Jackson had in store for them.
“Ladies, no more bickering. You two sound like a pair of wild turkeys. It’s time to stop. Your pa has had a long day. Here, take this penny and run up to the general store. You can pick out some candy! Go eat your candy and take a walk. Your pa and I need to talk, and I can’t have two harpies howling and screeching.”
The girls grinned. They held out their little hands and both yelped with excitement when Jackson placed a penny in each of their palms.
“Thank you, Uncle Jackson,” the girls said in unison as Jackson patted their heads.
The girls ran off, and Jed let out a sigh of relief.
“Thank you,” he said to Jackson.
“I don’t know how you put up with that real bad screaming. They ain’t easy, Jed, but hopefully, this letter will be from someone who can tame them!”
Jed looked at the ground. He reached into his pocket and felt for the envelope, wondering if the scene outside of the general store had been a dream. The envelope was still tucked away in his pocket, and Jed fingered it gently. The paper was soft, and Jed wondered about the sender. Who had replied to his marriage advertisement? Was his entire life about to change?
3
Anna smiled at her reflection. She had primped as best she could aboard the moving train, and now, as she stared at her reflection in the grimy train window, she felt happier than she had in years. She was only minutes away from arriving in Pinecone, California, and she was certain that God had orchestrated this turn of events.
“Miss? We’ll be arriving within the hour!”
Anna turned and grinned at the steward.
“Thank you,” she said.
“What’s a pretty thing like you doing all the way out here?”
Anna tucked a stray blonde lock behind her ear and sat up tall in her seat.
“I am traveling to Pinecone to get married,” Anna said primly.
The steward’s eyes widened.
“You are marrying someone from out here? There’s nothing for miles, miss. Where are you from?”
Anna smoothed her skirts.
“I am from Philadelphia, but my mother and grandmother lived in Pinecone.”
The steward nodded.
“Well, best of luck to you. This isn’t the place I would imagine for a city girl like you, but I hope it works out.”
The steward tipped his hat to Anna, and she turned back to face the window. She applied a dot of rouge on each cheek and was careful to blend the makeup so it looked more natural. Anna rarely wore makeup back in the city, but after nearly a month spent traveling west on the train, she did not want to look haggard when she met her husband-to-be.
As the train began to slow, Anna knew that she would soon be stepping foot in the same train station where her own mother and grandmother arrived in California so many years ago. Her heart raced as she imagined her mother and grandmother on the same journey to Pinecone, and Anna could hardly stand the anticipation of seeing the town for the first time! She ached to see the little schoolhouse her mother talked about, the dusty streets of the town, and the red door of the Pinecone Inn! Anna knew that the inn had been vacant since her grandparents’ death, and she was eager to see what had become of it since it had been empty.
Anna leaned back into the seat. It had been a long trip, and she felt more than ready to depart disembark the train and begin her new life. It had been exciting to travel across the country. Anna was astounded at the magnificence of America’s mountains, the crystal blue rivers, and the desolate valleys. She knew that she would likely never make such a journey again, and she savored each moment as it came.
Anna closed her eyes. She had managed to stave off homesickness for most of the journey, but now, as she quickly approached the same land where her mother had spent her girlhood, her heart ached for Inge.
“You are going where?” Inge had shouted when Anna revealed her plans nearly two months ago.
“Pinecone, California! I answered a marriage advertisement, and the man responded with an invitation to join him! He is a rancher in Pinecone! It’s just as grandmother did all of those years ago! Aren’t you excited for me?”
Inge shook her head at her daughter.
“You have no idea what it takes to travel across the country, let alone be someone’s wife! This is nonsense, Anna. I forbid it! You are going to the convent!”
Anna looked smug as she addressed her moth
er.
“I am nineteen years old. I am a woman, and you cannot tell me what to do!”
Inge clenched her fists. She narrowed her eyes at Anna.
“Your petulance is unbecoming, Anna! I have prayed and prayed that you would mature and move on from girlhood, and I am afraid that you never will! Do what you must, but know that I disapprove of your plans. I do not give you my blessing, and if your father were here, he would not approve.”
The smugness disappeared from Anna’s face.
“Mama? Mama, please understand. I would never be happy in a convent.”
Inge stared at her daughter with cold eyes.
“I will never be happy with such an insolent child.”
Anna felt as though she had been smacked. Her mother’s words stung, and she repeated them to herself over and over as the night wore on. Anna knew that she had never made Inge as proud as she could be, but she had never wanted to cause her mother to worry. Anna had been lively and spirited since birth, but she rarely intended to embarrass her own mother.
The next few days under her mother’s roof were awkward and tense. Anna and Inge hardly spoke, and as Anna prepared for her journey, she wished her mother were giving her more attention.
“Mama?” Anna whispered to her mother on the night before she was scheduled to leave. “Mama, I’m sorry.”
Inge shrugged. Anna could see the wrinkles in her mother’s face. Inge was beautiful, but for the first time, Anna could see the ageing in Inge’s face. Her heart sank as she imagined her mother alone in the city, and she ran to Inge and embraced her.
“I love you, Mama,” Anna said, burying her face in her mother’s narrow shoulder.
Inge softened.
“I love you, Anna,” she replied, wrapping her arms around her only child. “Read your Bible and pray during your journey. The Lord will prepare you for His plans.”
Now, as the train neared the station in Pinecone, Anna believed she was ready to be a wife and a mother to Mr. Harris’s children. She had read her Bible consistently throughout the journey, and she spent at least two hours each day praying about her new life. Anna had chatted with several passengers along the way as well, and she took special interest in the wives and mothers aboard the train, hoping to gain insight into their successes and heartbreaks.
“I am ready for this,” Anna thought as she spotted buildings in the distance.
Jed wrangled his daughters into the family wagon and departed their modest home for the train station. His stomach churned as they rode along the dirt road. The girls were screeching at each other, as usual, and Jed desperately hoped that they would tire themselves out and behave decently when they fetched Anna.
Anna.
Jed’s heart beat furiously in his chest as he thought of his bride-to-be. They had exchanged letters, and with encouragement from Jackson, Jed extended an invitation to Anna to join him in Pinecone. She sent him a letter of acceptance within weeks, and now, as Jed navigated his wagon to the station, he felt as though he were navigating himself and his daughters toward their destiny.
“Pa! I want to say hello first!”
“No, I want to meet her first!”
“You ain’t pretty enough to say hello first. You will scare her off!”
“I look just like you, Gracie! Pa, tell her to stop being mean to me!”
“Pa!”
“Stop!”
Jed turned to glare at his daughters, who were sitting in the back of the wagon.
“That is enough,” Jed hissed.
The girls’ eyes widened. Jed rarely lost his temper, and Evana and Gracie knew that their father was serious.
Ten minutes later, Jed guided the wagon off the dirt road and close to the train station.
“I expect the best from the pair of you,” Jed ordered the girls, who nodded obediently.
“Yes, Pa,” they said in unison.
Jed nodded at his daughters and helped them out of the wagon. The girls had been thrilled with the news of their new mother, and they had put on their best Sunday church dresses for the occasion. Each wore a simple patterned blue dress—Gracie’s was dotted with daisies, and Evana’s featured tiny yellow roses.
“At least they look nice,” Jed thought as they walked into the train station, each girl holding one of Jed’s hands.
Jed guided his family into the waiting room of the train station. He glanced around the crowded room and immediately saw Anna. He knew it was her. She was perched upon a wooden bench in the waiting room, her posture good and her head held high. She was even more beautiful than Jed had imagined. Anna had long, straight blonde hair that hung loose around her bosom. She was slender, and Jed felt his hands begin to sweat as he noticed her excellent figure. Anna was dressed in a dark maroon traveling coat and a matching hat that sat cocked on the left side of her head. She looked younger than Jed expected, but from the curve of her coat on her chest, Jed could tell that she had fully blossomed.
Jed kneeled beside the girls and gestured at Anna.
“Girls, there she is,” Jed said.
“Our new mother!” Evana cried.
“She’s here!” Gracie screeched.
The girls let go of Jed’s hands and ran over to where Anna was seated. Jed ran after them, but with so many people in the waiting room, he became stuck in the crowd.
“Please, Lord, don’t let her judge me by my naughty daughters,” Jed muttered to himself as he stepped around passengers and passersby.
When Jed finally reached Anna and his daughters, he was shocked to find smiles upon each female’s face.
“Hello, Mister Harris!” Anna said with a smile. “I am so happy to meet your girls; they are just little beauties!”
The girls grinned, clearly enamored with Anna. They beamed at her, and she smiled back at them.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Anna,” Jed said shyly, extending a hand to his bride-to-be.
“I’m so happy to be in Pinecone, Mister Harris!” Anna replied.
Jed shook his head.
“Please,” he said. “Call me Jed.”
As Anna shook Jed’s hand, both parties felt a jolt of electricity surge through their veins. The attraction was instant; Anna and Jed both looked down at their hands, and then into each other’s eyes.
“She is a beauty,” Jed thought as Anna smiled demurely. “I didn’t reckon anything like this would happen.”
When Jed had placed the marriage advertisement, he had not considered his own needs, but rather, the needs of his daughters. He hoped that he would get along well with a wife, if he ever remarried, but his priority had been his family. Now, as he stared into the pale blue eyes of his wife-to-be, he felt his body burn with desire for his betrothed.
“We’ve been real excited to see you. We have been praying for you, right, girls?”
The girls nodded earnestly.
“We’re real happy to have a mother!” Gracie said.
“You are real pretty!” Evana chimed in.
Jed smiled down at his daughters. They had been pleasant thus far, and he hoped that they could sustain their good behavior.
“I reckon you must be real tired,” Jed said, seeing the dark circles under Anna’s eyes. “I’ll take us home to have a proper supper, and then we can get on over to the church. The minister is gonna marry us real quick tonight, just as we talked about in them letters between us. Well, let’s go.”
Anna did not move. Jed stared at her.
“What’s wrong?” Jed asked.
Anna giggled. She gestured downward with her chin, and Jed realized he was still grasping her right hand. Embarrassed, he quickly let go.
“Sorry,” Jed muttered.
Anna’s eyes danced with mischief, but she said nothing.
“Let’s go, girls. Out to the wagon!”
The quartet walked outside, and Jed helped his daughters and bride-to-be into the wagon.
“It’s a real quick trip home,” Jed assured to Anna. “We’ll have you home quick, and
you can rest up and prepare for the wedding.”
Anna shook her head and looked up at Jed.
“I want to see Pinecone first,” Anna said, gently placing a hand on Jed’s elbow. “Please? Can you take us around a bit first?”
The girls started to bounce with excitement in the back of the wagon.
“Yes, Pa!”
“Pa, show her the school!”
“Let’s show her the town!”
“Please, Pa?”
Jed sighed. He was tired, but he did not want to deny Anna’s request.
“Of course,” he said, pulling back on the reins and redirecting the two strong oxen pulling the wagon.
“Is there an inn here?” Anna asked innocently.
Jed shook his head.
“There used to be an inn, but the owners died a few years back. Their children moved east and west and out of town, and there is no one left to run it. The place is all rundown.”
Anna cocked her head to the side.
“Can we go past it anyway?” Anna said.
Jed furrowed his brow in confusion.
“Now, why would you wanna go do something like that?” Jed asked.
4
Anna studied her husband-to-be as he drove the wagon toward the Pinecone Inn. Jed was undeniably handsome. With his wavy, thick auburn hair that tumbled boyishly across his forehead, almond-shaped eyes, and a broad, muscled chest, Anna could hardly contain the lust that swept through her body the instant she first laid eyes on the man she had chosen to wed. Anna had not put much thought into her husband-to-be along the journey to Pinecone. She had hoped he would be nice and fun to be married to, but she had been thinking more about the Pinecone Inn and escaping her impending admittance to the convent. Now, as Anna watched Jed’s biceps bulge from beneath his shirt as he guided the wagon, she felt the heavy tug of desire in her belly.
“We ain’t far from the inn now,” Jed said to Anna.
Anna smiled at Jed. She ran a hand through her long blonde hair and adjusted her maroon hat.
“Thank you for bringing me here,” Anna said. “I wanted to see more of the town where I will be living!”
