No One's Bride (Escape to the West Book 1)

by Nerys Leigh

  She grinned up at him. “I’m glad I’m staying.”

  The hint of a smile tugged at his mouth. “I’m glad too, girl. Now get to work. These stalls ain’t gonna clean themselves out.”

  ~ ~ ~

  By the afternoon, Amy’s sleepless night and early morning were catching up with her. When her yawns had reached the rate of roughly one every ten seconds, George sent her home with the order to “get some sleep before you fall over.”

  She trudged back to the post office and entered through the back door to the sight of Adam stretched out on the settee with an open book balanced on his chest, his eyes closed and breathing soft and regular. Amy tiptoed across the room and lowered to her knees beside him.

  She gently moved a wayward strand of dark hair from his forehead, resisting the urge to press her lips to his soft skin. As she gazed at his slumbering face such an intense feeling of love swelled inside her that she almost laughed. She understood now why anyone would risk the pain and devastation of losing a husband or wife. For the chance to feel like this she would risk anything. This was true love, and it made her feel like she could fly.

  He shifted a little in his sleep and the book slid from his grasp. Amy caught it before it dropped to the floor and replaced his bookmark.

  Adam’s eyes opened slowly, his lips widening into a sleepy smile when he saw her. He raised one hand and stroked it down the side of her face, making her heart stutter.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep for so long. I was going to have supper ready for when you got home.”

  “It’s only two,” she said. “I was yawning so much that George sent me home.”

  Sitting up, he swivelled his feet to the floor and patted the seat beside him. When she sat next to him he wrapped both arms around her and leaned back so she could rest her head on his chest.

  “I’m not clean,” she murmured, closing her eyes and relaxing into him with a sigh.

  “I have no complaints.”

  She smiled, snuggling in against him. “Is this another one of those scandalous moments?”

  “Oh, absolutely.”

  “I was thinking that when it gets around that we’re courting, people are going to disapprove even more of us living under the same roof.” Feeling his chest shaking in a silent chuckle, she raised her head to see him smiling. “What’s funny?”

  “Just the thought that we weren’t courting before. I’ve been courting you since the day you got off that train; you just didn’t know it.”

  She stretched up and placed a soft kiss on his lips. “Well maybe I was courting you too.”

  He cradled the back of her head with one hand and drew her close for another kiss, this one lingering until its warmth filled her all the way down to her toes.

  “I went to see Pastor Jones today,” he said when their lips parted. “He said we can have the wedding whenever we want.”

  Amy lay her head back down onto his chest. “In that case, I vote for making it as soon as possible.”

  He kissed the top of her head, relaxing beneath her. “My thoughts exactly.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Amy woke with a start at the sound of someone knocking loudly on the front door.

  She sat upright as Adam groaned and rubbed one hand across his face.

  “Whoever that is had better have a very good reason for waking us up.” He kissed her cheek and pushed himself off the settee. “Waking to your beautiful face I have no objection to at all. With anyone else, I take exception.”

  He trudged from the room. Ten seconds later, Amy heard Mr Vernon’s voice.

  She scrambled to her feet and brushed at her clothing, looking down ruefully at her work clothes. She really should have washed and changed before she fell asleep.

  Lifting her hands to check her hair, she found it loose. Despite her horror that she was even more dishevelled than she’d thought, she couldn’t help smiling at Adam’s sneaky unravelling of her braid again. She found the band on the arm of the settee and just managed to tie her hair back before Adam returned with Mr and Mrs Vernon in tow.

  The uncertainty in his expression and slight shrug as they passed him told her he had no more idea what they were doing there than she did.

  “Uh, good afternoon, Mrs Vernon, Mr Vernon,” Amy said. “Please forgive my appearance, I haven’t had a chance to change from my work clothes. Can I get you anything to drink?”

  “Oh no, dear, thank you,” Mrs Vernon said, smiling as if they were close friends. “We won’t be long.”

  Dear??

  “Please, have a seat,” Adam said, indicating the settee.

  The Vernons sat and Amy took the armchair facing them, Adam pulling up a seat from the table. Suddenly nervous without knowing why, Amy wished she could hold his hand.

  “First of all we’d like to say how very sorry we are about everything you went through at the hands of that awful man, Miss Watts,” Mrs Vernon said. “And about how badly you and Adam were treated by people who should have known better than to believe malicious gossip. It was disgraceful the way some people were so quick to jump to conclusions without all the facts.”

  Amy kept her face carefully straight. Inside, her jaw was on the floor. Adam glanced at her and his utterly neutral expression told her he was thinking the same thing. Mrs Vernon seemed to have conveniently forgotten that she had been the instigator of the ‘malicious gossip’ that so shocked her now.

  Mrs Vernon elbowed Mr Vernon in the ribs.

  He jumped. “Erm, yes. And in light of what has happened I would of course like to offer you your job back at the bank, Mr Emerson.”

  Mrs Vernon elbowed him again as she smiled at Amy and Adam.

  “And as you are such a loyal and valued employee,” he continued, “I would also like to offer you a rise of one dollar per...”

  Mrs Vernon smacked his thigh with the back of her hand.

  “...one dollar fifty per week.”

  “Well that’s, um, thank you, Mr Vernon,” Adam said. “I accept.” He reached out to take Amy’s hand. “The extra money will be very welcome, now that Amy and I plan on being married as soon as possible.”

  He glanced at Amy and she struggled to contain a sudden urge to giggle. It was as good a way as any to let the town know of their impending wedding.

  Mrs Vernon’s squeal was so loud and high, Amy almost expected to hear dogs start barking.

  She clutched her husband’s arm. “Oh, that’s wonderful news, isn’t it dear?”

  “Wonderful,” Mr Vernon said, giving them a relieved smile. “Congratulations.”

  “And of course you shall have a few days paid leave for your honeymoon,” Mrs Vernon said.

  The smile disappeared from Mr Vernon’s face. “He will?”

  She turned to him and raised her eyebrows. His shoulders slumped.

  “Naturally, you can have a couple of days...”

  She squeezed his arm.

  “...three days...”

  She gave him another poke with her elbow, this one so hard it made him yelp.

  “...four days and that’s as far as I’m going, woman.”

  She smiled at him and patted his arm. “Thank you, dear.”

  “Thank you,” Adam said, looking stunned. “That’s very generous of you.”

  “Yes, it is,” he grumbled, glancing at his wife.

  “Well,” Mrs Vernon said, standing, “we’ve taken up enough of your time. I’m so thrilled you will be staying in our little community, Miss Watts. I’m sure we will be great friends. Come along, Emmett.”

  Adam walked them to the front door, casting an astonished glance back at Amy as they left the room. She walked over to get supper started and when he returned he strode up to her, picked her up and spun her around, laughing.

  “I have no idea what just happened,” she said as he lowered her to the floor, “but I do know we serve an amazing God.”

  “Could you believe what they were saying though? As if they weren’t the worst ones in the
entire thing?”

  She touched her fingertips to his face. “We’re together, you have your job back, and we’re going to be married. I’m going to try very hard to let the rest go.”

  Covering her hand with his, he kissed her palm and then dipped his face towards her. Their lips met and Adam stepped forward, pressing her back against the dresser behind her.

  A thud startled them apart. They looked down at the Bible that had fallen onto the floor.

  “You’d better pick it up,” Adam said with a wry smile. “I’m pretty sure if I do, it will open to a verse about forgiving those who do you wrong.”

  Chapter 39

  Dearest Amy,

  I am very happy to hear that you are praying about our future too. Since I sent my last letter to you I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. I promise that I am usually far more cautious than this, probably too cautious for my own good, but I feel so strongly about this that I can’t ignore it. I know we’ve only been corresponding for a relatively short time and, truthfully, no one could be more surprised than me that it has happened so fast, but I believe God’s hand is in all of this.

  I have been praying for so long for the right woman, God’s choice for me, a wife who I will love and cherish and share the rest of a happy life with, and I believe I’ve finally found her in you. I can’t even adequately explain how I feel and it’s a bit overwhelming! Many times over the past weeks I’ve wondered if I was being foolish, but foolish or not I want this more than anything.

  So I’m asking, Amy, will you marry me?

  Please forgive my untidy writing, my hand is shaking! If your answer is yes and you agree, I will send a train ticket for you to come as soon as you are able. I hope you are as excited at the thought of our future together as I am!

  Yours hopefully and with kindest regards,

  Adam.

  ~ ~ ~

  Amy’s heart pattered inside her chest as she stood outside the church. Whether it was from excitement or nerves, she couldn’t tell. Maybe a little of both.

  Next to her, George ran his finger around the starched collar of his white shirt for the fifth time.

  “Stop fidgeting with it,” she said, “you’ll make it dirty.”

  “My neck is itching.”

  “But you look very handsome.”

  There was a pause. “Well, I know that.”

  Amy laughed and pushed his arm.

  “So,” George said, shifting his feet and looking up at the cross at the top of the church, “I guess you won’t be coming back to the livery.”

  “Why ever not?”

  He waved a hand at the church door. “You’re getting hitched. You’re going to be a wife now, looking after your husband and having young ’uns and such.”

  Amy planted her hands onto her hips. “First of all, Adam’s been looking after himself for years so he’s perfectly able to cope with me not being home all the time. Second, whenever we have children I’ll work things out then. But right now don’t you even think of hiring someone to replace me. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.” She prodded his chest with her finger. “Is that understood?”

  The corners of his mouth twitched. “Yes, Ma’am.”

  She nodded. “Good.”

  Inside the church, the multi-talented Mrs Goodwin launched into a spirited rendition of the wedding march on the slightly out of tune piano.

  Feeling a sudden rush of affection for George, Amy reached up and kissed his cheek. “Thank you for agreeing to give me away. I know you aren’t one for ceremonies.”

  His face creased into a rare smile. “Still not sure why you asked me, but I’m pleased to do it.”

  “I asked you because if I had a father, I’d want him to be just like you.”

  His mouth dropped open and, to Amy’s utter surprise, his eyes began to mist over. He looked away, blinking rapidly, and cleared his throat. “Well, um, I... I’m right pleased to know that.”

  Not caring if anyone saw them, Amy wrapped her arms around him, laying her head against his shoulder. After a moment, he returned her embrace.

  “If I had a daughter, I reckon I’d want her to be just like you too.”

  Drawing back, she wiped at her eyes, smiling. George offered her his arm and she slipped her hand through it

  “Come on, girl,” he said, “let’s get you married.”

  To Amy’s astonishment the modest church building was packed, with some people at the back even standing. After everything that had happened since she arrived four weeks ago, it seemed she and Adam were the talk of the town. Whether that was good or bad she couldn’t be sure, but the faces she saw around her all seemed glad to be there. Sara, Lizzy, Louisa, Jo and Mrs Jones sat near the front, their happiness for her shining through their smiles. The front two rows on the other side were filled with Adam’s family. Isaiah sat in the next row back, grinning from ear to ear.

  And then there was Adam. He was wearing the grey suit, his only suit, she’d learned, that he’d worn to meet her at the station what seemed like so long ago. Somehow he looked even more handsome in it today, but maybe that was what happened when you were in love. His eyes didn’t leave her the entire time she was walking up the aisle on George’s arm.

  Reaching the platform, George kissed Amy’s hand then left her to take his seat next to a beaming Millicent Courtney who slipped her arm around his. He took her hand and returned her smile.

  As they faced Pastor Jones, Adam took Amy’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

  “Well, ladies and gentlemen,” the pastor said, “I think we can all agree that Miss Watts and Mr Emerson’s has been one of the more eventful courtships we’ve had in Green Hill Creek.” He paused as laughter rippled around the gathered crowd. “But praise be to our Lord and Saviour that He worked to bring these two deserving young people together. Adam, Amy, I can honestly say that I see God’s hand in everything that has happened, and I have no doubt He is going to bless your marriage with much happiness and joy. Would you face each other, please?”

  There were vows and promises and at some point Amy knew she spoke the words she was meant to, but somehow all she remembered afterwards was staring into Adam’s eyes through the whole ceremony and seeing everything she now knew she’d ever wanted. And a feeling of pure peace settling over her.

  And then the pastor said, “You may kiss the bride.”

  And Adam kissed her as if the whole town wasn’t watching.

  Chapter 40

  Amy stood on the hill overlooking Green Hill Creek.

  The town stretched out before her, the line of the railroad tracks bounding it on one side and the creek itself hidden beneath a wide canopy of trees and bushes snaking towards the river in the distance. From her vantage point she could see several farms spread out over the surrounding countryside, each a cluster of barns and farmhouses at the centre of fields of crops and grazing animals. She wasn’t sure, but she thought she could identify Sara and Daniel’s farm far away to her right.

  She raised one hand to her neck, touching the Indian-made turquoise and silver necklace at her throat, a gift from Adam on their wedding night.

  Home, she thought. This is where I belong. This is home. Thank You, Lord.

  Low grey clouds hung overhead and it would probably be raining soon. A gusting breeze sent her loose hair flapping around her face. She’d abandoned pinning it up when she and Adam were alone since sooner or later he invariably found the chance to unfasten it. It was just simpler this way.

  She smiled as his arms encircled her waist from behind and his lips pressed to the side of her neck.

  “Happy?” Adam said, his warm breath caressing her skin.

  She leaned back into her husband’s embrace with a contented sigh. “Very.” She’d never imagined it was possible to feel this happy. “You have a wonderful family.”

  “We have a wonderful family. They’re yours now too. You have a mother and father and brothers and sisters and aunts and uncles and nieces and nephews
. Whatever happens, you won’t ever be alone again.” He paused. “Whenever we visit there may be times when you come to regret that.”

  She laughed. “Never.”

  He smiled against her skin and kissed her again. “I’m going to miss that bunkhouse.”

  Amy’s cheeks heated up and she bit her lip. “It was so thoughtful of your mother to set that up for us rather than have us stay in the house.”

  “Ma always has been very practical.”

  “And it was nice how she made it all pretty and comfortable.”

  “And private.”

  “You are shameless,” she said, trying to sound disapproving but failing badly.

  He chuckled and nuzzled against her neck. “I can’t help it if I love my wife more than any man has ever loved a woman in the whole history of the world.”

  She sighed again, her smile returning. “I think I must be the most blessed woman on earth.”

  She linked their fingers at her waist and they stood in silence, listening to the rhythmic sound of grass tearing as Stride and Clementine gave the lush, untouched grass at the top of the hill a trim.

  “Are you disappointed you didn’t get to your fancy hotel in San Francisco?” Adam said after a while.

  Amy turned around in his arms and looked up into the blue eyes she loved so much. “Not even one tiny bit. How could I be disappointed when I have everything I’ve ever wanted?”

  An uncertain frown creased the space between his eyebrows. “But mucking out horses and living in a tiny, three roomed house way out here instead of in luxury in the big city...”

  “Is the best thing that could ever have happened to me. All I ever wanted was to be safe and happy and loved and I’ve got all that and so much more.” She pushed up onto her toes, placed her mouth against his and whispered, “As long as I’m with you, I will never ever be disappointed.”

  She closed her eyes and slipped her arms around his neck and when they finally parted, Adam’s frown was gone. He led her to where the horses were grazing and helped her onto Clem before mounting Stride.