Mail Order Barbara (Widows, Brides, and Secret Babies Book 14)

by Elissa Strati

  These people were really thoughtful of others, thought Barbara. This would be a nice place to live.

  CHAPTER 23 ― Welcome to Green River

  On their first day they were treated as guests and permitted to sleep in and recover from the rigors of travel. Emilene was a happy toddler and had been a good traveler—better than some of the others, thought Barbara. Poor Judith had suffered from motion sickness on the train to the dismay of others in their car.

  The men had been as quiet as possible attending to the morning chores but had been permitted to share a late breakfast with the ladies. A tub had been provided and fellows took turns bringing water from the well to the cauldron throughout the morning until everyone had had a chance to bathe and wash clothes.

  It was good that the girls had had a chance to rest and relax after the train trip, because they were meeting the whole town this evening at a dance. And it's a very good thing, thought Mother Evangeline, that we gave the girls some dancing lessons.

  Some had thought it frivolous to be teaching working class girls about the waltz, quadrille, and polka, but besides being good exercise for them, it also gave them grace and poise, fundamentals for almost any situation.

  The round and square dancing was even popular with the male orphans being cared for by the Franciscan Brothers, who relished the chance to get out, some to see their sisters, once a month.

  Knowing the potential for jealousy toward the new girls, who might be resented despite the rather overwhelming majority of men over women, both Father Francis and Reverend Joe had made a point of inviting the most popular young ladies at their churches to get together with the newcomers prior to the dance, to make friends and serve as personal ambassadors. Francis gave credit to Joe for coming up with the idea but both men had used their own wiles make the girls think it was their idea to be the first to greet the new girls as companions instead of rivals.

  CHAPTER 24 -- The Dance

  Billy watched as the young ladies entered the room in a group, looking like flowers wearing the latest fashions, but he has eyes for only one, his Barbara. Something about her sad still face made him think of his mother.

  But it was more than that. When she had written he had felt she touched him. And when they had met at the train and he had taken her arm and escorted her the wagon, he had felt he belonged by her side. He just knew his guardian angel was there with him, just as his mother had told him she would always be.

  He wasn't even aware he had started walking forward until he was in front of her and putting out his hand to her. His mouth spoke for him.

  “It is wonderful to see you this evening Miss McKevitt. May I introduce you to some people?”

  With a quick smile for the other girls she allowed him to escort her over to a woman who was talking with two young girls.

  Billy leaned toward her and murmured in her ear, “I know you’ve probably heard more about Tri Brands Ranch then you ever thought you'd care to know but they helped sponsor your visit. These two ladies and Miss Mary's husband are the owners of the three brands that merged to make a single operation. I met Miss Mary at a horse sale and she asked me to come work for her. I'm right fond of horses.”

  Barbara smiled up at him. He'd made that rather clear in his letters. It was somehow endearing to know how much he loved what he did. He brought her right up to the group and introduced her formally.

  “Miss Mary, Miss Dorothy, I'm sure you all met last night, but it does me great honor to present to you Miss Barbara Juliana McKevitt with whom I have been corresponding”

  Barbara raised her eyebrows in surprise at his formal mode. He had admitted to being relatively uneducated, so for him to use such a formal manner came as a surprise. The ladies all curtsied to one another and then Dorothy drew forth her daughters and introduced each of them.

  “Miss McKevitt, it is a pleasure to meet you again. Please may I make known to you my daughters, Harmony and Melody? Harmony, Melody, this is Miss McKevitt.”

  Each of the girls dropped graceful curtsies as well, as Barbara dipped her head toward them in acknowledgement.

  “You young ladies are beautifully turned out,” she commented.

  “My mama makes all our clothes,” piped up Melody.

  Billy chimed in, “And that's why I wanted to bring Miss McKevitt over to talk with you, Miss Dorothy. She's quite a seamstress herself and hopes to perhaps earn a living at sewing until she is ready to settle down to marriage. I believe she made all the dresses for her group of friends.”

  He nodded toward the young ladies who were beginning to mingle and be introduced.

  Mary spoke up. “I have been admiring all their outfits. They seem to be in the latest mode.”

  “Well, thank you,” replied Barbara. “I did try to incorporate some of the ideas from the latest Godey’s Lady’s Book without going to extremes. Some of the highest fashion looks rather uncomfortable to wear, does it not?”

  All of the ladies tittered softly behind their gloves and fans. Billy raise a finger to his neck cloth and tugged slightly in discomfort, before bowing to the ladies.

  “Say, I believe I see the band about to start up, and I would like to claim this first dance with Miss McKevitt,” he turned to her, “if I may?”

  Smiling, she gracefully excused herself to the ladies as she had been taught.

  “It was such a pleasure to meet you again.”

  “Yes,” replied Dorothy, “let's plan to talk soon. Perhaps after church on Sunday?”

  “Well I will be attending the mass at Saint Mary's with Father Francis, but I understand Reverend Peterson's flock will be joining us all afterward for a social. I hope to see you then.”

  Curtsies, and nods shared all around, Billy escorted Barbara onto the dance floor. The band consisted of a few of the cowhands and some of the townsfolk who enjoyed fiddling. There was even a Spanish guitar quartet of music makers presently on stage. They started with a waltz.

  Barbara was surprised to discover that Billy was rather accomplished at dancing.

  “I guess I forgot to tell you that my brothers did make me learn certain accomplishments even though they didn't encourage me to go to school. They told me our mother had drummed into them how to be gentleman and they felt kind of guilty for not having bothered to teach me, so as I became old enough to attend dances they sort of made up for letting me run wild.

  “Over the last few years they gave me a few lessons in society behavior. I had almost forgotten about it until you ladies came about. The cow hands don't have much use for manners and such.”

  Barbara was utterly charmed.

  Despite his uneducated letters, Billy was a beautiful dancer and the first waltz ended far too soon. Both had been caught up in the music and their shyness, so hadn't spoken much, but their enjoyment seemed to glow from within.

  Rather than returning to the edge of the dance floor when the music included, they paused together, standing perhaps a little closer than propriety would dictate, but not quite touching, ready to begin the next dance.

  Billy jerked when he felt a touch on his shoulder, then realized Sam was standing next to him with a grin on his face. My turn to cut in partner and then Sam swiveled and bowed to Barbara, offering his hand for the next dance.

  Knowing that conventionally she should only be dancing one dance with each gentleman she gazed back at Billy with regret and accepted Sam's hand with a gentle smile.

  Sam simply did not have any grace on the dance floor. He had lots of energy and enthusiasm but Barbara made sure to take small steps, keeping her feet directly under her body in an attempt to avoid his stomping. Fortunately, this was an open reel so that three-quarters of her dancing was others in the set, although she winced when she heard Juliet squealing when her own toes were stomped. But everyone was laughing by the end of the dance, and as she was whisked away by one cowboy after another, the enjoyment of dancing enveloped her and all the girls.

  When she finally was permitted a break for refreshment,
she found a small queue of girls awaiting her assistance with ripped and torn flounces from over-enthusiastic dancing.

  Turning to look at the group on the dance floor, Barbara chuckled softly, tilting her head toward Judith to comment, “I think we need to design somewhat shorter gowns for use here.”

  One of the other girls overheard her comment, which spread rapidly to the merriment of all. Barbara had brought her sewing kit with her, because wardrobe malfunctions were not unknown at dances.

  She went over to where the children were being minded by a rotating group of mothers and older siblings, doing rapid repairs on their costumes so that the girls would not trip over drooping hems, and grateful for a chance to catch her breath.

  She was surprised, when she looked up, to see Billy by her side offering her a glass of lemonade. His smile was still shy but there was a twinkle in his eye.

  “The next dance is the supper dance, and I would be honored if you would be my partner.”

  Barbara sipped at her drink. She was surprised to realize she had gotten through all the minor repairs and one or two more major ones.

  “Do we have a moment to check on Emilene?” she asked.

  “Always,” he replied simply, and followed her over to where Emilene was sleeping next to several other toddlers on a blanket. Soft toys were cuddled by or scattered among the children. The girl who sat watching them grinned at Barbara.

  “You wouldn't believe the chaos earlier and now look at them all dropped off to sleep despite all the ongoing noise.”

  Having spent a lot of time at the orphanage Nursery, Barbara was well aware of the resilience of babies and shared the grin.

  “You're Harmony, right?” Barbara asked.

  “I'm surprised you remember my name among all the people you've met in the last day.”

  “But it is such a pretty name and seems to suit you.”

  Harmony dimpled and dropped her eyes at the compliment. Even from her sitting position she seemed to execute a small curtesy of thanks.

  “You made right quick work of all those repairs. Mama was a bit put out at me for forgetting to bring my own mending kit and she has run out of thread. Our ladies don't have such fancy dresses so they don't get stomped on quite so much. Although I guess there are always these little accidents when you let those big boots get near pretty silks,” Harmony laughed.

  “But I can hear the musicians getting ready to start the dinner dance. And I see you have your escort awaiting you, so you and I can chat later.”

  Barbara smiled, bowing slightly, and turned back toward Billy, who escorted her to the dance floor. Again, a comfortable silence lingered between them and Billy cleared his throat.

  “You know,” he said, “I am as taken with you in person as I was by your letters and your picture. I would like to ask your permission to court you formally. Do I need to talk with your matron?”

  Barbara had found herself drawn to the cowboy from his first letter, and closer acquaintance had not put her off, but there was so much going on in her life that she needed to process, including the grief she was carefully tamping down. Biting her lip she took a deep breath, expelling it slowly and then looked up into his eyes as they continued their stately steps around the floor.

  “While I am much inclined to accept your offer, I don't want to be hasty, and we have in fact only just arrived. Before we make any decisions, there is so much we need to talk about. I understand the two churches are putting on a big breakfast for everyone after services. Perhaps we will have a few minutes then to chat.”

  “Then may I sit with you at Mass?” he queried.

  To that she smiled and nodded.

  CHAPTER FOUR – Next Chapter

  ~~~

  And they lived happily ever after!

  The End

  PLEASE POST A REVIEW

  https://www.Amazon.com/review/create-review?&asin=B0896ZKPBZ

  ~~~

  Why, you ask, are authors always asking for reviews? Well, mainly because it helps people find our books. You don’t have to say much. “I liked it because . . .” or even just “I liked it!”

  Of course I hope you liked it! But do feel free to share with me what I could have done better (you’ll find all sorts of links below), or if you’d like to see someone else get her (or his!) own story.

  And, thank you for reading!

  ABOUT THIS SERIES

  The Widows, Brides, and Secret Babies series presents Mail Order Brides with a twist—a secret baby, whose existence was not mentioned in any correspondence.

  My volumes are scattered through this multi-author project, each volume standing alone, but permit me, please, a moment to brag. My previous title in this series, Mail Order Megan (Widows, Brides, and Secret Babies, Book 11), was not only a runner-up in the AllAuthor Cover of the Month contest, but on its first day out actually garnered the coveted orange “#1 Best Seller” banner on Amazon!

  Here’s where you can find the rest of the series:

  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084WYL1QX

  NOTES ON MAIL ORDER BARBARA

  (Or, More Than You Ever Wanted To Know About My Upcoming Books)

  In my mind there is a map of the world which includes layers for various eras. It is gradually being populated in my imagination by the people about whom I write—and their ancestors and progeny! Everyone has a place in this world, but many may never cross paths with even one of the others. It is a big world, after all!

  On the other hand, a great many characters do appear in more than one story, a few in featured roles, many more in the background. This particular tale starts in the east with an entirely new cast of characters. But wait! It seems Sister Evangeline has a brother (and a great many other siblings, but for now they serve merely as background).

  Said brother, Father Francis, has a parish in Green River, Kansas, and his best friend is the Reverend Joe. Pastor Joe ran the Christmas pageant you may have attended in Rescuing Christmas (Christmas Rescue series). The story of the Tri Brands Ranch (TBR) begins to unfold in that volume. Obviously, if you are reading this (unless you read from the back—many folks do!), you know that while the fact of that operation is critical to this story, its origin is merely “history.” But if you want to know more about Charles Barnett, Rescuing Christmas is his story.

  And what about Billy Stuart? My very first book, Love’s Odds (originally part of the First Street Church Kindle World and later with the First Street Church series from Sweet Promise Press), features a woman whose family tree stretches back to the Stuarts in Scotland. That story was told in Love’s Laird but awaits expansion and re-editing before being again available (that and another book, Love’s Sweet Memories, became unavailable when Amazon closed down its Kindle Worlds). And, yes, Billy is one of those Stuarts.

  Do you recall Charlie Sue from Rescuing Christmas? She’s a bit of a handful who enjoys life in a big way and we met her again here. But there is more to her than just a young hoyden who gives as good as she gets (and makes divine lace), she admitted to me one day. Her adventure will be the next one told, in Overwhelmed in Oklahoma (Yours Truly: The Lovelorn series). Now that tale is set almost fifteen years in the future from this one, but there will still be one or two people you know in it.

  And, isn’t Dorothy Cooper a lovely woman? A widow rearing two lively young girls, she not only does the bookkeeping for TBR, but does special sewing for the town’s womenfolk. You will be able to learn more about her in Rescuing Barnabas (Christmas Rescue series), also coming soon.

  But wait, there’s more! At least three additional novels are on my schedule which will take place in Green River. (Just be sure to follow me on one of the links below.) And, no, unless you are hooked on Ancestry, none of these interrelationships are important except to the characters themselves. It helps them feel secure.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  (Including Contact Links)

  A few decades ago I “retired” from the corporate world and announced I was going to write a romance no
vel. I then spent the summer at the beach and the next year on the road visiting friends and relatives in some forty states and multiple Canadian provinces and Mexican estados. I chalk this—and the many intervening years before I finally actually published a book—all up to research. And I still love to travel!

  In the meantime I’ve honed my editorial skills, gotten a history degree and learned a fair amount about antiques, running a business, and restoration of orphan buildings, the last several in conjunction with my charming spouse. And for us the adventure continues, although I seem to be writing a bit more (check out my Upcoming Books, above for a partial publishing schedule!).

  As my own inbox is filled with far too many newsletters, I’ve chosen not to write one and instead focus on social media to share my stories. Naturally I’d be tickled red, white, and blue were you to follow—or contact—me on any of the links below:

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElissaStratiAuthor

  Twitter: Betababe [@AvenueAntiques]

  Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Elissa-Strati/e/B077GLWD94

  Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17307510.Elissa_Strati

  BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/elissa-strati

  Sweet Promise Press: https://sweetpromisepress.com/authors/strati

  AllAuthor: https://allauthor.com/author/elissastrati

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  No man is an island. This makes my seventh published work of fiction and the list of folks who’ve helped me along the way continues to grow. I might never even have started this journey without the encouragement and support of author Melissa Storm, founder of Sweet Promise Press. At the time she had been invited by Amazon to create a Kindle World known as First Street Church. I wrote three books for that world, starting with Love’s Odds.