by Cyndi Raye
“How was everything?”
“Good.” He threw some coins on the table.
Jenna picked up the money, stuffing it in her pocket. “You seem like a decent man, Mr. Ward.”
“Call me Max. Seems my last name is a dirty word here.”
She nodded. “You can change their minds. I get the feeling you already thought about doing so.”
“I suppose so. Where can I find a wife? If everyone hates my name, I won’t be able to court anyone here.” Max had been alone for a long time. He never had time for a lady, except when the need arose.
Jenna laughed out loud. “Go down the street to Miss Addie’s boarding house. She’ll match you up with a mail order bride.”
“A what?”
“You heard me, a mail order bride. We have several here that found their true love. No one would know these women were mail order brides at one time.”
“I’m not interested in true love, just marriage, in name only.” If he were to present himself as a family man and turn the Ward name around, a bride would make him more believable. It may work after all and Marni and Mary would have a home, along with jobs for the rest of the ranch workers.
“Start with Miss Addie. She’ll interview you first then send you to Daniel Ashwood, our local newspaper man, to put an ad in the papers in several cities.”
He stood, determined to make things right. “Thanks, Jenna. You’ve been a big help.”
Jenna placed a hand on her hip while balancing his empty plate in her other hand. “Just so you know, Max, I know most things that go on in this town. If you try to fool anyone, I’ll be the first to know. And the first to let it be known.”
“Fair enough,” he replied, placing his hat on his head and headed down to Miss Addie’s boarding house. Several townsfolk stared at him as he walked by. He felt their rage, heard the whispers but kept on as if he hadn’t a care in the world. This was a tough lot. He had a lot to prove. He would do it, for Marni. For his aunt.
Two hours later, after an extensive interview by Miss Addie, Max got in his buggy and headed up to the newspaper office. He wanted to finish his business and get back to the ranch. Darkness was setting in the small town with a few lights here and there peeking from windows in resident’s homes. The streets could use a few of those gas street lamps but he knew they were expensive. Maybe he would start off with a good deed, providing street lamps for Main Street.
When he got to the newspaper office, it was dark inside. A note on the door said Be Back Shortly. He stood in front of the building to wait. No sense in going home until the matter at hand was finished. Max crushed his hat between his hands, not realizing he was doing so when a man carrying a woman across the street caught his attention. The closer they got, he realized it must be the newspaper man.
“Excuse me, are you Daniel Ashwood?”
“Yes.”
“I’m here to put an advertisement in the paper.”
“Come back tomorrow, I’m not available right now.”
“So it seems,” Max answered. He watched the two who seemed to have eyes only for each other as the man held on to the woman and carried her up the steps and through the door, closing the world out behind them.
Max turned to climb back in the buggy, turning it towards the livery. He’d have to spend another night at the hotel. He snapped the reins, anxious to get the advertisement for a mail order bride started.
His life was changing like the Texas weather. He knew there was a big storm brewing.
Chapter 2
Hannah slid the money inside the wall where her step-father would never find it. She did it just in time when he stumbled through the door to her room. “Whatcha got there, girlie?”
She straightened up, sliding the picture across the hole in the wall she had made special to hide her earnings. If he found out she was skimming off the top, he’d shake her to no end. She took a few steps and put out her hand. “Here!” As some of the money she earned got swiped up in his fist, her nerves got the best of her. She worked hard every single day, longer hours than anyone else at the clothing factory. He never failed to take her money on pay day. Except she was smarter than him. She coughed, called him a drunken louse under her breath.
He counted out the money. “It’s all here.” Turning, he looked back, his eyes filled with greed. “Maybe you can work a few extra hours. I need more money.”
Hannah stood tall, her hands clutched in her skirts where he couldn’s see the fists she made. “There’s no more hours at the factory. We’re lucky I get ten hours a day in. Heard talk of them slowing down some this winter.”
He stopped at the door. “You best hope not. I can’t be living on small wages. Better look around for a second job.”
Hannah stuck her tongue out as he slipped out, leaving the door open. She crossed the floor, grabbed the door and banged it shut before she turned the lock. The only way he was getting back in here was to knock it down. Although he had tried several times when he came home drunk after spending all her hard earned money, she had pushed a dresser in front of the door, laughing at his attempts to get in. He had been so drunk he probably didn’t know how to turn the knob.
Most mornings she would find him face down at the kitchen table passed out, a bottle by his side. What he didn’t know was she was working two more hours a day and hiding the extra money. She had told him she volunteered at the orphanage, it was her duty to do so since her mother was no longer able to. Now she wondered if her mother had done the same thing, except her mother was gone. Died of exhaustion. Hannah was not about to go down that same road, not in a city like this. Not in New York City.
She hated her step-father. Richard was mean, evil and a no-good lout who drank his life away. He had never earned a penny, expected her mother to earn the money. When she had died, he found a job at the same factory for Hannah, determined to make her his slave. Little did he know Hannah had been hiding the extra, working her fingers to the bone so she could leave and never come back. Not knowing where she would go didn’t matter, only that she got away from this life.
A rapping at her bedroom window caught Hannah’s attention. She ran over, slid open the lock and let her best friend inside. As the other girl climbed through the window, Hannah giggled at the sight.
“Sh, Hannah, you’re going to get me in trouble.”
“No, Becky, he’s out cold, face in the bowl by now. Maybe I’ll get lucky and he’ll drown in his own dish of soup.” She left him dinner warming on the stove earlier. Each night she came home, there was supper to fix before she retired to her room. Hannah didn’t want to speak to her step-father although at times she had no choice.
“Here, I brought you two dollars to add to your fund.”
“Are you sure? I know you need the money, too.”
Becky smiled, her cheeks getting red. “I won’t be needing it any longer. I’m getting married.”
Hannah pushed aside the wall hanging and slid the two dollars in her hiding place. As she turned, a shadow slipped past the window. She put a finger against her mouth, quickly marching over to the window to peek out. It was quiet, too quiet, but at least there was no one there. Maybe she had imagined a shadow. She had worked so many hours with only a fifteen minute break to gobble down some bread and cheese. “All is clear.
There for a moment I thought someone was outside. Now Becky, did you tell me you are getting married? To whom? I didn’t know you were even courting anyone?”
“Oh, I’m not. I found an ad for a mail order bride.”
“Mail order bride! Oh, for heaven’s sake! How can you trust someone you don’t even know?”
Becky gave her a hug. “Hannah, does it matter? Anything has to be better than life here, working every day in that awful sewing factory, day after day after day. I want more. A husband. Children. He’s a widow and has two kids, a working farm and he wants me to take care of it all.”
Hannah’s eyes widened. “He wants you as a slave.”
Becky shook
her head. “If you look at it that way. Why, I heard life is wonderful out there. Freedom to do and live as you please. I want that,
Hannah, I want it so bad I can taste it.”
Hannah gave her a hug back. Who was she to be negative about her friend’s dreams. “When are you leaving?”
“Tomorrow, the first train out. I haven’t told a soul except for you. Here.”
“What is this?” Hannah took the rolled up newspaper.
“If you have to get away, there are many ads in there, a whole column of wanted ads for mail order brides.”
Hannah spewed. “I refuse to be someone’s bride. When I leave, it will be on my own. I’ve already proven I can earn a living.”
Becky turned to the window, her one leg through. “Think about it. You never know when you may need to run.”
<><>
“How could you do this!” Hannah fell against the wall, her back sliding down until she sat on the floor staring in horror at the hole in the wall. The painting had been flung across the room, smashed against the dresser.
“I’ll teach you to hide money from me!” Her step-father stood above her like a boar ready to pounce on its victim. His arm came out so fast it was all Hannah could do to duck. Luckily, he was too drunk to aim straight.
He leaned down, teetering a bit before his nose connected to hers. The man was getting too brave. He had never stuck his face in hers before. A tiny wisp of fear engulfed her. Hannah sucked in her breath, afraid to lash out any longer. “Girlie, hiding this from me was a big mistake. Seems like you need to be making more money now. Gonna have to hire you out to a few of my friends.”
“W-what do you mean?” she stuttered, hating that she sounded so meek in front of him. She usually had the upper hand, was able to control his drunken state. He was acting so much different tonight.
He laughed, his stinky liquor breath making her gasp and hold her own. “I find myself owing a lot of money these days. I’m sure my new friends will accept you as payment.”
“You can’t do that.” A deep fear struck her that he could do as he wanted with her. Hannah had to flee. She couldn’t let this happen. But without her stash, she was stuck here in this horrid apartment with him.
“I can and I will. Next week on payday. You can bet on having a visitor or, two.” He pushed himself up and staggered to the door. Turning, he laughed out loud. “I held myself back from hiring you out but after the disloyal thing you just did, I don’t’ give a rat’s behind about you any longer.”
“You never did,” Hannah mumbled. She covered her face with her hands, allowing herself one cry. For fifteen minutes she shed tears, letting them stream down her face before standing up and washing them away in an act of defiance. Looking in the mirror on the wall, she stared at her red cheeks, determined to find a way out.
The rolled up newspaper caught her attention in the mirror. It still sat on her night stand as if begging her to open it up. Hannah had no choice. She wasn’t about to be violated by any man. Not now, not ever. If it was going to happen, then she would be the decision maker.
Sitting on her bed, she unrolled the paper to find the advertisements. Two columns of ads stood out, but one caught her eye immediately.
Looking for a well organized lady who isn’t afraid of a challenge. I own a large ranch in Wichita Falls, Texas, where I am responsible for many families, men and women. I am looking for a wife who will be at my side at all social events and help me to become a fine, upstanding citizen. This is a business only arrangement and will not expect anything more. If you are up to the challenge, please see Aloisa’s Matchmaking Services on 3rd Street, who works with Miss Addie in Wichita Falls. She will interview, oversee and choose a bride. Sincerely, Maximilian Ward.
Hannah never backed down from a challenge. Rolling up the newspaper, she grabbed her coat from the rack by the front door, making her way towards 3rd street. If this was the only way to get out of this mess, then so be it. She wasn’t about to become a whore for her horrible step-father.
Luckily, she was but a few blocks from the matchmaker’s agency. Hannah saw the sign the moment she turned the corner. It stood out in bright yellow colors like the sun peeking out on a cloudy day. Hannah took that as a sign she was doing the right thing. She took the few steps and entered the building, a bell tinkling as she walked through the door.
A dark haired woman dressed in an elaborate two piece skirt and top with a colorful scarf around her neckline smiled and ushered her to the desk. “Sit, please. I’m Aloisa, proprietor here. I’m betting you are in desperate need of my matchmaking services?”
Hannah nodded. Was she that obvious? Scared at first, the woman put her at ease in a matter of moments. “I’m terrified my step-father has awful plans for me. Is there any available husbands immediately? I need one before next week.”
Aloisa frowned. “I’m not sure I can find you one so quickly. This is almost certainly a process each time. However,” she contemplated, tapping her forefinger to her chin, “there may be one here to solve your current situation.”
Bustling about in her two piece dress, Hannah watched as the woman shuffled through a large pile of letters. “Aha, here it is.” She put on some spectacles, pushing them down her nose and read the words to herself. “Aha, aha,” she nodded while Hannah watched with trepidation. Was she really in a matchmaker’s office, ready to pounce on the first offer she received?
“Maybe I’m making a mistake.” Hanna rose, ready to dart out the door.
Aloisa held up her hand. “No, please, stay. This one is the perfect solution. I even have received his monies and a train ticket. Can you leave in two days?”
Hannah crushed her hands together. “Two days?” she whispered, more to herself. “I, uh, I believe I can.” There really was nothing stopping her. “Can you at least tell me a bit about the man I’m going to marry?”
Aloisa folded the letter, handing it to her. “Read it on your way. Now sit back down, we need to do an extensive interview and make sure you are the right person for him, although I’m good at receiving people and I am fairly sure you are a perfect match.”
<><>
Hannah wore her Sunday best for the long ride to Wichita Falls. The colorful flowered material with orange, red and yellow hues was fading but it was all she could afford. In two days time, she had altered her mother’s favorite dress to fit her. All of Hannah’s work dresses were haggered and thin, not suitable at all for travel. This one, with its long sleeves and thick material would provide protection while on her long journey.
Hannah gazed at the white gloves on her hands. Even they were faded and worn. At least she had a beautiful traveling hat Aloisa had given her before she boarded the train. The woman was a saint. She had pinned the beautiful hat on Hannah’s dark hair and when she saw herself in the looking glass, Hannah couldn’t believe how attractive it made her feel. Blue violets adorned the dark velvet hat. It made her hair look soft and silky. At least she would appear to her intended looking like a well-maintained lady, even if she was not. Long days at the factory gave little time to dote on her appearance. Most nights she was to tired to do anything more than to make supper and fall in to bed.
Those days were over. Hannah was free of her stepfather’s rule and she would never, ever go back. Even if this mail order bride situation didn’t work out, she would find a way to survive without having to go back to that evil man.
A whistle blew in the distance. The conductor announced two minutes until Wichita Falls. Excitement coursed through her veins. This is it, she told herself. Don’t be afraid, you can do this! Her hands squeezed around the handle of her small carpetbag. She didn’t have much to bring along, a nightgown and two other dresses. The rest she left behind, even though she only owned four dresses.
Her new husband would have to understand. She stretched her neck to see if he was already on the platform at the train station, but it was too hard to see that far ahead. Hannah’s heart began to pump so fast, she placed a han
d over it to still the beating, thinking those around her could hear.
A few minutes later she found herself standing on the platform, waiting as men and women walked by her. Several men walked towards her but then turned to meet up with someone else. Hannah began to worry. She bit her bottom lip, tapping her fingers on the carpet bag handle. Where was her husband to be? Had he forgotten?
The conductor yelled out over the platform the train would be leaving in two minutes. “All aboard!” he said for the last time before disappearing.
Hannah was alone when the train shook the platform as it left the small prairie town. She looked ahead to see houses and small business’s on either side of a dirt street. Sooner or later she would have to walk down that street to find her husband to be, who obviously was late. Or, perhaps, not coming at all. Had he changed his mind? Luckily, there was some money left over from travelling. She doubted it would be enough to live on for more than a week or so.
Hannah was not the type to panic. Not yet. She was strong and brave and held her chin up as she made her way down the steps from the train depot. Squaring her shoulders, she stood for a few more minutes and waited. She’d give Mr. Ward one more chance to show up.
The fear seared inside of her but she wasn’t going to show it outwardly. If there was one thing losing her mother proved, it was Hannah could persevere in the worst conditions. Being stranded in a prairie town, thousands of miles from home was nothing compared to the awful horror her step-father had in store for her.
No. She was better off here even if this man never showed. She would make her own way. Some way. Somehow. A new opportunity was right in front of her.
Beads of sweat began to form under the brim of her hat. Hannah took her gloved hand to wipe her brow. How long had she stood here? Her head jerked around to a side street where a dark brown buggy with a beautiful horse trotted towards the train station. The buggy stopped, forming a cloud of dust in front of her.
