The Widow's Mail Order Husband (Mail Order Brides)

by Susan Leigh Carlton

  Immediately following the ceremony, Tom kissed his bride lightly on the lips, and they returned to the carriage and set out for the Lazy H ranch as a married couple.

  Chapter 5: Mary’s New Home

  The ride to the Lazy H was for the most part, open prairie land. As they rode along, Tom pointed out neighboring ranches and the names of the people living there. Mary was surprised when Tom pointed out the small town they were passing through was Bedford. “Why, that’s where Minerva lives,” Mary exclaimed. She married a man named Chase Barlow. He has a ranch outside town.”

  “It’s close enough for an occasional visit then,” Tom said. “We’re only about ten miles from the Lazy H right now.”

  “I would be nice to have someone from back home to talk to occasionally,” she said.

  “I can understand that. During the war, there were a couple of guys from here, in my unit. We used to get together and talk about what we were going to do after the war. At one time, we had quite a few from this area, but we lost them..” He pointed, “You can see the top of the house now. It won’t be too much longer.”

  “What will Rosa’s role be in the house, now that I am here?”

  “Whatever you want it to be,” he answered. “You’re the lady of the house. She’s taken on a big load since Caroline passed.”

  It was about thiry minutes when they turned onto a trail, with an iron arch across the road. In the center of the arch was the word “Lazy” and an “H” tilted to the left. “We’re home,” he said. “Welcome to the Lazy H.”

  She laughed. “I just realized where you got the Lazy H name.”

  “It’s our brand. It’s how we distinguish our cattle from those from other ranches that might have strayed here and vice-versa,” he said.

  As they drew closer, she could see a large white, two story house. Behind the house and just to the side was a barn that appeared to be enormous. “It certainly is impressive.”

  “My parents did it right, then Caroline and I added to it, anticipating the big family I mentioned to you,” he responded. “Ken, can you give me a hand getting the trunk into the house?”

  “Sure thing, Boss. I’ll put the horses and carriage away too” Ken replied.

  “Good. Thanks for riding shotgun today. I know it was a tiring day for you,” Tom said.

  “It beats rounding up strays,” Ken laughed. “Nice to have met you, Miss Mary. You’ll like living on the Lazy H.”

  “Well, thank you, I’m sure I will.” She followed them into the house.

  “Rosa, Emily, we’re home,” he called out.

  A large woman with Hispanic origin came into the room, wiping her hands on the most colorful apron Mary had ever seen. “Emilia is coming, Senor Tomas,” she said.

  “Rosa, es mi esposa, Mary. Mary, this is Rosa. She has been on the Lazy H almost as long as I have,” Tom said.

  Rosa curtsied, “Senora Maria, I am pleased to meet you.”

  “Don’t let her fool you, Mary, she speaks English better than I do,” Tom said.

  “I don’t know one word of Spanish, Rosa. Do you think you could teach me?” Mary asked.

  Before Rosa could answer, a small girl came into the kitchen. Mary immediately thought, “This is the most beautiful child I have ever seen.” Emily had raven black hair nearly to her waist. The hair was her crowning feature, but her flawless skin and green eyes were close behind. Mary knelt down so she could be at eye level with the girl, who was crowding Rosa’s space and holding onto her apron.

  Mary had produced a small doll from her carpet bag, bought especially for Emily. “Do you play with dolls, Emily?” she asked. “I brought this all the way from Maryland, just for you.” Emily’s response was to hide her face in Rosa’s apron.

  “She’s being shy,” offered Tom.

  Rosa had prepared dinner and had it on the stove to keep warm. Tom said, “I don’t know whether you have a sensitive stomach or not, but we have a lot of Mexican dishes here and some of them can run a bit spicy. They are pretty good if I do say so myself. Rosa has been using most of the recipes as long as she’s been here.”

  “I’m sure I’ll be fine. Spicy is better than no taste, and that’s the way a lot of my cooking was. It’s just a lot of trouble to cook for one person,” she said.

  After the meal, Mary stayed in the kitchen helping what little bit Rosa would allow. She figured it would be good to get Rosa on her side. While she was in the kitchen, Tom was off tending to chores in the barn.

  “Rosa, what is Tom like? He seems pleasant enough, but I think he’s holding something back. It’s almost like he’s protecting me from something.”

  “Senor Tomas, he is a good man,” she said. “He was, how you say, very dedicated to Senora Caroline. I think he blames himself. They were coming back from Grapevine and were caught in a storm. When they came home, Senora Caroline was very wet. She got a cold, and then the pneumonia. Senor Tomas thinks he should have taken her to the doctor sooner. It was too late, but it was not his fault. He didn’t make the rain.. He doesn’t not permit Senorita Emily to play in the rain. I think you will be good for him, Senora.”

  “Is she buried on the ranch?” Mary asked.

  “Si, in the family cemetery,” Rosa answered.

  “I’d like for you to show me tomorrow, please,” Mary said.

  Tom walked into the kitchen, “What are you two talking about? Me?”

  “Well, listen to him,” Mary said. “Were your ears burning?”

  “More like someone walked on my grave,” he said. Mary exchanged startled looks with Rosa, who just shrugged her shoulders.

  “Mary, let’s tuck Emily in bed, okay?”

  She followed him up the stairs to what was obviously a little girl's room. Tom started to enter, but Mary held him back. She knocked on the door frame. There was no response. She knocked again, but still no response. Tom walked into the room, where Emily was in bed. “Sweetheart, didn’t you hear us knocking?” There was still no response. “She’s never done this before, that I know of,” Tom said. He put his hands on Emily’s shoulders, “Stop fooling around. Did you hear us knocking on the door?” A nod, but no words.

  “She’s a big girl, Tom. Maybe she doesn’t need to be tucked in any more.”

  “If that’s the case, it happened suddenly. I tucked her in yesterday,” he said.

  Chapter 6: Our First Night

  They walked down the hall to the bedroom Tom had previously identified as theirs. “Mary, would you like to sleep in another bedroom?” he asked.

  “Will you be in there?” she asked. Looking at him, she said, “Then to answer your question, no. If this is our bedroom, then here I’ll sleep. They walked into the bedroom, and Tom closed the door behind him.

  “Well, here we are,” he said.

  “Indeed,” Mary said.

  “I put your trunk in the corner,” he said needlessly, since there was no way she could have missed seeing it.;

  “I see it,” she said.

  “This is uncomfortable for both of us. Let’s just get ready, and get into bed,” she said.

  “Sounds like a plan,” he said. He turned his back and began doffing his clothes, folding them neatly, and placing them on the chair.

  Mary did the same, and the silence became deafening. She decided to take the first step. “Tom, could you help me with this, please?” and lifted her arms over her head. He pulled the chemise over her head, and before he could put it down, she turned into his arms, intertwined her arms around his neck, and tilted her head for a kiss. He pressed his roughened lips against hers, and found them soft and inviting. He pulled her tighter, crushing her bare breasts against his chest. As he moved his lips, she deftly slid her tongue between them and traced his teeth. His mouth opened a little wider and their tongues met. Electricity shot from them, down her neck past her neck and in the unexplored areas of her body.

  Taking his hands, she slid them down her body until they were covering her breasts. “I’ll bet you think I�
��m some sort of fast woman, don’t you?”

  “No, no,” he protested, “I don’t.”

  “Well, I’m not,” she said.. “There’s been no one since Joshua went back to the war. That’s been thirteen years. Do you know how long thirteen years is, Tom? It’s a lifetime. A lifetime of lonely nights and lonely days. I have been waiting for you a long time. I just didn’t know it.”

  “Would you like to get in bed now?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  He removed his shirt and drawers, then turned out the lantern. He climbed into bed alongside her. Once in bed, they lay facing each other, she was idly running her fingers over his face, memorizing every inch of it, tracing the outline of his lips with her finger. He moved his hands until they found the soft, smooth mounds that were her breasts. He began rolling the nipples between his fingers, feeling the tissues tighten and firm up.

  “You know what I would like?” she asked.

  “What would that be?” he countered.

  “I would like for my brand new husband to make love to me,” she answered.

  “I think that might be arranged,” he said, as he moved one hand down past her navel, and through the wiry hair guarding the entrance to her vault. At the entrance, he found she was wet, and ready. He sheathed himself and lubricated his staff with the juices from her body. Instead of entering the inner chamber, he moved a finger inside and began probing the surfaces inside. He passed lightly over the magic spot and heard the soft groan. Moving his finger back and forth over the spot, her moans became louder. Then she was caught in the throes of her first climax in nearly fourteen years. She was pushing, thrashing and thrusting upward until she went limp.

  He was not limp. She took him in hand and moved his staff around the edges, and then inside. “Push it in, Tom. Push it in all the way,” she urged. He did, feeling her tense as she approached another climax. He began and in and out motion, with her pushing her hips up as he came down. Then, in perfect sync, they rode the wave of passion all the way to the top and over the edge. He was pumping hard, as he emptied himself. Spent, he lay on top of her. “Mrs. Hartness, you were nothing short of magnificent,” he said.

  “You weren’t so bad yourself. It has been so long, I had forgotten what I had been missing,” she said.

  “I’m glad I was able to satisfy you,” he said.

  “That you did, my good man. That you did.”

  The newly married couple fell asleep in each others arms, and slept through the night. Mary was awakened by a noise in the room. Startled, she sat up in bed, “Where are you going so early? It’s still dark outside.”

  “A cattleman’s day begins early.” Tom said. “When I get through with my chores, I’ll come back for breakfast.”

  Mary asked, “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  Tom laughed at the idea. “Not unless you know how to milk and feed the cows. You finish out your sleep and I’ll see you later,” he said.

  “You could teach me. I’m a fast learner,” she said.

  “Maybe some day, but not now. You just get acquainted with Emily, Rosa, and the house. I need to get going. The hands will poke fun at me if I’m late. Thanks for asking though. I appreciate it.” He kissed her on the cheek and left the room.

  Mary got up, dressed and went to the kitchen. She found Rosa putting biscuits in the oven. She offered Mary a cup of the coffee she had prepared for Tom before he went to the stable.

  “Good morning, Rosa. How are you this morning? Tom certainly gets out and to work early doesn’t he?”

  “Yes, he does, Senora. There is much work to be done.” Rosa answered.

  “Do you normally get Emily up and dressed? Mary asked.

  “She will get up and dress herself, and have breakfast with the senor when he returns. I lay her clothes out the night before,” Rosa answered.

  “I would like to help with Emily,” Mary said. “Is she normally talkative? Last night, she didn’t speak one word to me. Not even a grunt.”

  “The senorita doesn’t talk much. I think she’s still angry about her mother leaving her. She doesn’t know who to be angry with, so it's everybody. She will talk to me some, but not a lot,” Rosa said.

  “Well, I would like to earn her trust, and get to know her. Being a school teacher, I’m fairly accustomed to the ways of children. I’ll find a way to get through to her, sooner or later.”

  Chapter 7: Getting Emily To Talk

  “Emily, do you like fairy tales,” Mary asked. Emily shook her head. “At least she responded,” Mary thought. “Back where I lived in Maryland, I was a school teacher,” Mary said. “I read books all of the time and I brought a few of them with me. I’m going to go into my room and read one of them. You may come in and listen, if you like.”

  There was no response. “I’ll leave the door open in case you change your mind.” She went into the room, and took out one of the children’s books she had brought with her. She adapted the story as she read, trying to draw Emily into the room.

  She began reading. “ Thumbelina is the story of a tiny girl about the size of a thumb. All of the normal sized children made fun of Thumbelina so she decided to run away from home. She ran into the forest and hid in the bushes. A giant bug found Thumbelina and was going to eat her for lunch. He changed his mind, and decided to eat some leaves instead. Thumbelina was afraid of all of the creatures in the forest and didn’t know what to do. A small mouse found her crying. “There, there, little girl. Don’t cry. You can come live in my house if you want.”

  Mary looked up and caught a glimpse of Emily standing outside the door, peeking in. She continued reading. “One night, after Thumbelina fell asleep in her tiny bed, A hoppy toad came along and needed a bed, so he decided to take the bed and the tiny girl. “I’ll just give this tiny girl to my son and she can marry him.” Not knowing what to do, Thumbelina began to cry. A butterfly came fluttering past where the toad had put the bed. “I’ll help you little girl,” the butterfly said. Thumblelina climbed on the back of the butterfly and they flew off to a faraway place where she would be safe.

  “That’s enough reading tonight. Maybe I’ll read some more tomorrow,” Mary said aloud. She put the book away and went to the kitchen where she helped Rosa with some of the cooking for the dinner that night. She sat at the table with a cup of coffee. Emily came into the kitchen and Rosa got her a glass of milk and some cookies.

  “A mouse can’t talk,” she said in a small voice.

  “You could play like they can talk. The same way you talk to your doll when you’re playing. Do you ever talk to your doll? Does she talk back to you?” Mary asked.

  “Sometimes,” Emily said. “You can’t ride on a butterfly’s back either,” she said.

  “Did you ever sit outside and watch the birds and think about flying with them? Can you imagine flying with a bird?”

  “I saw a bird catch a ground hog, one day,” she said.

  “You did? I would really like for you to tell me about it. If you tell me about it, I’ll read the rest of Thumbelina to you. Would you like to do that?” Mary asked.

  Emily nodded. “Okay, it’s a deal. After your Papa has his breakfast and goes back to work, we’ll do that. Would you like to read in your room or in our bedroom?” Mary said, choosing her words carefully, letting the little girl know she was here to stay.

  They heard the stomping of feet on the porch, as Tom tried to prevent dragging dirt into the house from the corral. “Good morning, everyone,” he said cheerfully. “What have you been doing this morning?”

  “Emily’s going to tell me about the time she saw a bird get a groundhog, and I’m going to read Thumbelina to her.” He bent over Emily and hugged her, then he kissed Mary on the cheek. “Sounds interesting. I wish I could stay, but after breakfast, we have to fix the fence where some strays got out. Maybe you could tell me about it later.”

  After eating, he said, “I have to get back to work and see if any more of the fence is broken. I’ll see you folk
s later. Thank you for the breakfast, Rosa, the huevos rancheros were delicious as usual.” He left the ladies in the kitchen and went back to work.

  “He works hard, doesn’t he?” Mary asked, as she began clearing the table to help Rosa.

  “Si, he always works hard. He is a good man, Senor Tom,” Rosa said.

  “Emily, are you ready to tell me about the bird?” Mary asked.

  Emily nodded, “Well, this bird was sitting way high up in the tree, then he flew down and grabbed the groundhog in his hands.”

  “My goodness,” Mary said, “I’ll bet the ground hog was frightened by that. What did the bird do?”