What Comes My Way

by Tracie Peterson

  “Something else we got in common.” He grinned, and Mara felt her heart thud a little harder.

  “We always went to church on Sunday,” she said. “The family went to the white folks’ church, and we went to the black folks’ church. I always wondered if they had a different God than we did, but Mama assured me there was just one God. I prayed a prayer to get saved from my sins when I was about seven. I was afraid not to. I was afraid God might not let me come to heaven, and I knew that’s where my mama was gonna go when she died.”

  “So you got saved to be with your mama.”

  “In a way that was my first thinkin’,” Mara admitted. “Later, I got to know God better and wanted to be with Him too.”

  “Maybe you’ll get to know me better, and you’ll want to be with me,” Abe said, but this time his expression was serious.

  It dawned on Mara that he was just as struck with her as she was with him. It seemed silly to pretend otherwise. They were clearly taken with each other.

  She gave him a hint of a smile. “I ’spect I know you well enough now to go with you on a walk.”

  He grinned and snatched up his hat as he stood. “I was hopin’ you might see it that way.” He held out his hand to help her from the chair.

  Mara trembled as she put her hand in his. Somehow, she knew without a doubt that this was the man she would spend the rest of her life with.

  “This came for you,” Lizzy told Ella as she came into the arena to observe the Roman riding practice. “I believe it’s a letter from Phillip.” She held it out. “I wish Wes was as considerate. I’ve heard nothing from him. I suppose he’s much too busy to worry about my feelings.”

  Ella handed Lizzy the reins to a pair of matched black geldings and eagerly opened the envelope. She immediately recognized Phillip’s poorly managed print. “I’m sure Wes is just busy trying to keep Phillip from drinking.”

  My dear Ella,

  I don’t have much to say, but that I miss seeing you every day. I’ve been spending most of my time breaking horses that we bought off a man in Miles City. I haven’t had a drink since leaving Colorado, but I still want one. I don’t know if that feeling ever goes away, but I’m praying it will. I hope you are doing well. Your promise keeps me going.

  Phillip

  There was no mention of love or flowery words of romance, but it gave her the most important information. He was well and working hard. And he hadn’t been drinking.

  “Is Phillip all right?” Lizzy asked.

  Ella nodded. “He says he is. Says he hasn’t had a drink since leaving the show, but that he still desires one. I know it can’t be easy for him. I’ve heard such horrible things about alcohol.” She handed the letter to Lizzy and took back the reins while Lizzy scanned the note.

  “He mentions your promise.” Lizzy looked up with a grin. “Did he propose, and you accepted?”

  “Not exactly.” Ella felt her cheeks warm. “He asked me to wait for him. He wants to make himself a better man—worthier of me is what he said. He asked me to wait for him so he could prove himself, and I agreed I would.”

  Lizzy smiled all the more. “I think that’s very nearly as good as a proposal.”

  “Maybe.” Ella knew she would have been fine with it had it been exactly that. But then her reason warned her that Phillip would be worthless as a husband unless he was able to lay his demons to rest. “He has to overcome alcohol first. I can’t marry a man who’s controlled by drinking.”

  “No. You can’t. The liquor would always come first. But I know if anyone can help Phillip, it’s Wes. There’s a special bond between brothers, and that will give Phillip the extra strength to overcome. I remember my father helping Uncle Oliver stop drinking. It wasn’t very easy, but that bond between brothers was what saw them through.” Lizzy’s expression grew fretful. “I worry he’s going to start down that path again, and I don’t know what I’ll do.”

  “Amanda really hurt him, didn’t she?” Ella hoped talking about Amanda would keep Lizzy’s mind off Wesley’s silence.

  Lizzy sat on a bale of straw. “She did. He was so certain she truly loved him. I wish he could have seen her for who she was right from the start.”

  “I do too. Oliver is such a nice man.”

  “He is. He’s kind and gentle and simple. There’s nothing pretentious about him. He treats everyone the same—black or white, man or woman. He deserved so much better than what Amanda did to him.” Lizzy twisted the note in her hand, not seeming to realize what she was doing.

  Ella tied up the horses and sat beside her friend. “It’s going to be all right. We’re all here to help, but you know very well that Oliver has to want to stay sober. He has to want it for himself. Do you know for sure that he was drinking with Amanda?”

  “I don’t, but she was always giving it to him. I saw it on more than one occasion. Commented on it too. She didn’t care. She said there was nothing harmful in a little drink. She just didn’t care that Uncle Oliver couldn’t handle it.”

  “Well, she’s gone now.”

  Lizzy nodded. “Yes, and I worry that she took Uncle Oliver’s resolve with her. If Wes were here I wouldn’t worry so much. Oliver listens to him.”

  Ella could see Lizzy slipping into a melancholy mood. “I’m sure Wes will write soon. Come on. You’re supposed to help me, and you can’t do that if you’re sitting here feeling sorry for yourself and worrying. I’m going to drive this team around the arena and jump the bar. You raise it for me after I make each successful pass. If we don’t clear it, we’ll do it again at the same height.”

  “I’m ready.” Lizzy got to her feet while Ella retrieved the horses.

  Smoothing out the pad on first one horse and then the other, Ella spoke in gentle tones. “There you are, Bart. Nice and comfortable.” She turned to the horse at her left and rubbed his nose. “Buck, you are in fine form today.”

  The horse nuzzled her hand, looking for treats. When none were to be found, he pulled back.

  “Treats come later,” Ella assured him.

  She mounted Bart and rode the team to the end of the arena where they would start their run. For Roman riding, she wore a thin-soled dance slipper. It helped her have better control on the horse’s back when she could feel the movement beneath her feet.

  Once she had the team in place, Ella stood and carefully took one set of reins in each hand. For her, the hardest part of Roman riding was keeping the horses close enough together that she didn’t do the splits. Being short was definitely a disadvantage and probably the biggest reason she preferred trick riding.

  “All right, the first bar’s in place,” Lizzy called.

  “Move on,” Ella called to the horses and gave the lines a little snap.

  The matched blacks stepped forward, and Ella put them into a trot. She made one circle without jumping the bar, then urged the horses to gallop. She bent her knees as best she could to keep her balance and noted the rhythm of each horse. It took only a moment for them to match each other’s stride.

  The horses knew what was expected of them and easily cleared the bar in unison. Ella praised them and headed them around to do it again. They made passes for about fifteen minutes, and Ella’s legs burned from the strain. She brought the team back around and halted them in front of Lizzy before sliding down to sit atop Bart.

  “They have no hesitation,” Ella declared. “I think we’ll be just fine for the show.”

  “This winter we’ll teach them to jump fire,” Lizzy said, giving Buck a gentle pat.

  Across the arena, Mara and Abe were walking together. They were caught up in talking and didn’t seem to realize anyone else existed.

  “I think Mara and Abe are sweet on each other,” Lizzy said, taking the reins.

  Ella slid from the horse and nodded. “I don’t really believe in love at first sight, but I think that’s what happened with them. I never saw Mara so much as look at any of the men on the farm. But then, maybe it was forbidden.” She frowned. “Maybe
she was afraid to fall in love for fear they’d be sent away.”

  “Did she know how things were?” Lizzy asked.

  “Not exactly. We talked about it. She knew it was a matter of having an obligation and a contract. She knew they weren’t allowed to go anywhere without special permission. Otherwise, there was no one around to tell them they were in a bad way, I guess.”

  She saw Abe put his hand at the small of Mara’s back as they stepped over the threshold into the area where the horses were kept. Ella was happy for her friend. Maybe this was Mara’s first chance to truly consider love.

  “I hope they find happiness together,” Ella said.

  “Even if it takes her away from you? I know you’re very close.”

  “I am, but when I left the farm, I knew I might never see her again. I always wanted to send for Mara but never felt I was in a position to do so. I knew my folks would never have agreed. Now I’m worried about her situation. If Daddy has papers that says she owes him and has to stay, then what if he sends the authorities after her?”

  “Maybe you could write to him and offer to buy out her contract. I’d lend you any extra money I have. We could probably even appeal to Henry for help.”

  Ella’s eyes widened. “I never even considered that. I don’t know if Daddy has bothered to consider that she might be with me, but I could write and explain that I want to purchase her contract.”

  “But then he’d know that you understand what he’s doing.” Lizzy’s brows knit together. “That probably wouldn’t help Robert’s situation. I hadn’t thought it through when I mentioned buying her contract, but if you say anything, then your father will know that someone has figured out what he’s up to. The last time that happened, it got August Reichert killed.”

  Lizzy was right. Ella needed to remain silent. “I won’t write to him. I’ll just suggest to Mara that she not go out alone or make herself overly visible. We have to give Robert time to do whatever it is he plans to do.”

  “I agree. We’ll all keep watch to make sure no one tries to steal her away. Your father may very well suspect she’s here with us, so I’ll let the boys know to be on their guard. If they see any strangers around, they can let us know.”

  Ella worried her lower lip for a moment, then sighed. “I’m really sorry for all the trouble I’ve brought your family. You’ve done nothing but help me and extend kindness from the beginning. I still remember how terrified I was at the thought of staying on the farm and being forced to marry Jefferson. You were so good to help me. I can never hope to make it up to you, and now here you are helping Mara as well.”

  Lizzy handed Ella the reins. “It’s nothing less than what God would want. I wrestled at first, thinking maybe I was in sin helping you run away, but the more I prayed about it, the more it felt like the right thing to do. You know, sometimes in the Bible folks were called to do something that seemed foolish or even wrong, but it was for God’s glory, and that made it right. I wanted to help you so that you weren’t forced to marry that evil murderer who wants to keep mistresses and continue in his wicked ways. I figured it was rather like saving one of God’s sheep.”

  “Well, I’ll never forget your sacrifice and the way you risked yourself for me. If I can ever return the favor, I will.”

  “Your friendship has been reward enough. Besides, if things go as I think they might, we may well be sisters one day. And I always wanted a sister.” Lizzy smiled and walked toward the gate. “Let’s get these animals put away and get back to the train for some lunch. I’m famished.”

  “Lizzy!” It was Henry Adler. He looked excited about something.

  Lizzy and Ella waited until he crossed the performance area to join them. “We were just going to get lunch,” Lizzy said. “Would you care to join us?”

  He shook his head. “No, but I have something important to ask of you, Lizzy.”

  She looked curious. “You have my attention.”

  Ella smiled. “I can go ahead with the horses.”

  “No, stay,” Henry insisted. “I think you might be able to convince Lizzy to do as I’m asking.”

  Now Ella was intrigued. “All right. Please continue.”

  “I didn’t find out until this morning, but we have lost one of our trick riders. That new girl, Suzanna, just up and quit. Said she was homesick. She left me a note and not much else in the way of explanation.”

  “That leaves just Ella and Catherine,” Lizzy said. “And Catherine is so new at this that her tricks are still very simplistic.”

  “Exactly. Lizzy, I’m begging you to consider helping out. Would you please perform again? At least here in America. I can manage to scale things down, maybe even pick up another rider, for Europe.”

  Ella gave Lizzy a smile. “It would be just the thing to keep your mind occupied. Why don’t you say yes?”

  “Wes wanted me to quit performing,” Lizzy murmured.

  “But Wes isn’t here,” Adler replied. “Besides, this is an emergency. We’re losing so many performers that the show is going to suffer and the audiences won’t be happy. Before you know it, word will get around, and no one will want to attend. I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t important.”

  Lizzy nodded. “I know.” She shrugged. “I’m terribly out of shape. I don’t know if I can get my skills back to performance levels in time.”

  “Just do easy tricks for the first few nights,” Henry encouraged.

  “Yes, you know, the ones that are simpler but look difficult,” Ella declared. “I’m sure you can manage it.”

  “I suppose I really have no choice if we’re to have a decent show. Good thing the horses are trained for multiple riders.” Lizzy considered the situation for only a moment longer. “I’ll do it.”

  “It won’t be much longer and you’ll be Mrs. Christopher Williams,” Chris said, pulling Mary onto his lap as she passed by.

  She smiled, gave him a peck on the cheek, then jumped back up. “But I’m not yet, so I hardly think it’s appropriate to sit on your lap.”

  “I suppose not,” he said with a sigh. “How I do suffer.”

  Mary giggled and pulled up a chair. “How’s your book coming along?”

  He turned his swivel chair back toward his typewriter and laced his fingers behind his head. “It’s coming along well. Adding Angel to the performers has allowed me to explore yet another side of things. I always figured I’d catch up to Bill Cody’s troupe and interview some of the Indians who were hired on, but talking to Angel has me very excited about devoting an entire portion of the book to native people.”

  “You don’t plan to leave me before the wedding, do you?”

  It was his turn to chuckle. “Not on your life. We’ll be near Bill when we’re in Europe. He’s touring extensively there this year. I’m sure it will be easy enough to catch up to him and interview anyone who’s willing.”

  “So you really don’t mind this life on the rails?” Mary watched his face, knowing that his expression would reveal the truth. To her relief, he remained all smiles.

  “I find it invigorating. I enjoy being a part of your act and seeing you receive the applause and accolades you deserve, and I love the travel. Always have. I traveled constantly to write for the magazine before I quit to work on this book.”

  “Yes, but it can be grueling, and I know Henry has given you additional jobs.”

  “Writing jobs, which is what I’m happiest doing. It’s not a problem to earn my keep by taking on Henry’s requests, so don’t fret about that. I suppose I would like to know, however, if this is what you want to continue doing. Or would you rather settle down somewhere with a house and a little picket fence and a garden? Or maybe an apartment in the city.”

  Mary scrunched up her nose. “That doesn’t begin to appeal to me. The fact is, I don’t know what I want, but I know I’m not ready to settle in one place. I hope that doesn’t shock you or cause any problems regarding our future.”

  “Are you joking?” He leaned toward her and took he
r hand. “I couldn’t be happier. I’m not ready to settle down either. I’m quite content to roam—at least for now. Once any children start to come, we can reevaluate the situation.”

  Mary felt her cheeks flush. “I’ve thought a lot about that too. I don’t suppose there’s any reason we wouldn’t be able to . . . conceive right away.” She looked at her hands, feeling embarrassed by the topic.

  “And if we do, it will be wonderful. And if you want to raise them on the show—I will support that as well. We can have half a dozen little girls who look just like you. We’ll call the act Mama Mary and Her Six-Shooters.” He chuckled. “Of course, you can’t have the play on words unless you give up that five-shot Smith & Wesson.”

  She looked up to find him smiling tenderly. “Truly? Do you think we could actually do that? Have a family and keep performing with the show?”

  “Why not? We’ll hire a nurse. She can watch the baby when we’re performing and help with all our other needs, like making baby food and washing diapers. Then, when the children are old enough, we’ll make them a part of the show. Maybe one day we could have our own family troupe.”

  Mary could see the possibilities. “It seems you’ve thought this all out.”

  “I’m a planner,” he replied. “I look at all the possibilities and try to create a reasonable plan for each situation. No matter what happens, I love you, and I know we can make it work—if we work together.”

  “And are always honest with each other. I want no lies to save my feelings or ease my worry. Please promise me.”

  He nodded. “I promise, but you must as well.”

  Mary thought for a moment. It wasn’t as if she would ever intend to keep things from him. “I promise.”

  “Then we should be the two happiest married folks in the world,” he said, leaning close to kiss her.

  “I don’t know about that. Honesty doesn’t always equal happiness. Sometimes honesty is very hard and painful.”

  He stopped short of the kiss and straightened. “That’s true, but I believe that even painful truth is better than lies. Don’t you?”