[2016] Finding My Cowboy

by Christian Michael

  “I miss you mom and dad. I’m so grateful for Curt. He’s truly God’s biggest blessing in my life. God brought me to him when I was in desperate need and out of it I’m gaining a husband. I can’t believe I’m going to be a wife in a few minutes. Wish me luck and a great life. I’ll see you again someday.”

  Kayla turned when a knock came to the door. “Are you ready sweetheart?”

  “I’m ready,” Kayla smiled. “Is it okay to count today as part of the best Christmas I’ve ever had?”

  “I would,” Sadie said, a smile on her face. “I still look forward to every year when Pecos and I celebrate our marriage. I’ve got to tell you, I was blessed by God with the absolute best man, but Curt’s not a bad second place.”

  Kayla laughed and gave her new friend a tight hug. “Thank you for being here today. Thank you for standing with me.”

  “Absolutely. I’ve known Curt what seems like forever now. There’s no way I’m missing this wedding. Not to mention God brought me a sister in Christ to fellowship and share my heart with. That is nearly as much of a blessing as it is being a wife and mother.”

  “I think that must be scary, becoming a mother.”

  “When you first suspect you’re pregnant it’s a whole rush of emotions and when the baby comes it’s overwhelming at first. By the time the second babe comes though it’s like riding a bike. I’ll tell you about having three kids in about six months.”

  “You’re having a baby!” Kayla squealed.

  “Sh,” Sadie laughed. “We just found out this morning.”

  “How did you know?”

  “I’m having the same sort of symptoms now as I had with my previous two.”

  “And the baby’s okay?”

  “So far so good,” Sadie smiled. “Now enough about me, let’s get you to the church to meet your fella.”

  ***

  Curt stood nervously wringing his hands as the organist began playing the “Wedding March.” The doors to the church opened and Kayla stepped in looking like a man’s dream. Her white gown sported long sleeves that gathered at her wrist. The neck was high and gathered at the back in a row of pretty beads.

  Her beautiful, platinum blonde hair was done up in a bunch of small curls with wisps of it trailing down her back and over her shoulders. She’d left her face plain, the way Curt loved it most, and the only jewelry she wore was the ring he’d put on her finger himself. As she drew near, Curt felt everything in his life shift into place and the nervousness vanished.

  “You look phenomenal,” Curt whispered.

  “Thank you.”

  “Shall we pray?” the reverend said.

  Heavenly Father, we witnesses are gathered here on this beautiful day to participate in the union of Curtis Aaron Langley and Kayla Lynnette Anderson as one before you. We pray that you would bless their marriage from this day forward. We thank you that you will give them opportunities to build their relationship with you and each other. Bless their journey and bring them evermore closer to you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

  Curt and Kayla both repeated “Amen,” after their pastor and then the ceremony really got under way. Having written their own vows, both Curt and Kayla shared their hearts with one another in a sweet moment they would forever remember.

  “I vow to follow the admonishments of Proverbs 31 and 1 Corinthians 13. To love you in spite of your faults. To love you patiently and in kindness encourage you in your walk with God…” Kayla said.

  “I vow to love you as Christ loves the church and as I love my own self….” Curt read on. They exchanged wedding bands as well, repeating the words the pastor said. Then he concluded the ceremony.

  “Now, as these two have vowed to join their lives together if there is anyone who can show just cause why they should not be wed, let him speak now or forever hold his peace.” The moment of waiting passed and the pastor moved on. “Having vowed before God and this cloud of witnesses your eternal commitment to matrimony, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Curt, you may now kiss your bride.”

  Curt took Kayla’s hands and smiled as he pulled her closer. Looking into her beautifully green eyes, he pressed his lips gently to hers for the briefest of moments. “May I now present for the first time in history, Mr. and Mrs. Curtis Aaron Langley.”

  Curt and Kayla walked out of the church and Kayla was helped up into the covered wagon that Curt had brought out for today. Once she was settled, Curt joined her, covering her lap with a thick, winter, lap blanket. “Are you warm enough?”

  “Nothing could chill me today,” Kayla beamed. Smiling, she grabbed Curt’s suit jacket and pulled him to her, pressing her lips warmly to his. “Drive us home Mr. Langley.”

  “Absolutely Mrs. Langley.”

  Epilogue

  Kayla Langley learned through firsthand experience that Sadie had been spot on. A year after becoming Mrs. Curt Langley she gave birth to a handsome little boy they named Albert Aaron after his grandfathers and his father. He was the spitting image of Curt, except for his beautiful green eyes, which he took from his mother.

  “He’s darling,” Sadie said when she stopped by to see Kayla one afternoon.

  “He is the pinnacle of the love we share,” Kayla smiled. “I never knew I could have so much love in my heart and survive. So many different loves as well.”

  “I know what you mean,” Sadie smiled, holding her little one on her lap. “This little munchkin is so unlike her brother and sister. Barely twenty-two months and she already has her own personality, a beautiful combination of myself and Pecos.”

  “Did you find it difficult to adjust everything with your first one?”

  “Not really,” Sadie smiled. “For me it was not calling the doctor out every time Pecos sneezed. If he even looked weird I wanted to have the doctor visit. Big Pecos showed me how to trust that God had everything under control. I learned to lean on God through my husband. I think that’s the true testament to a strong, God-centered marriage. That our weaknesses become strengths as we allow God to use our spouse to help us.”

  Sadie stayed through the afternoon and helped Kayla with dinner. “Will you and Pecos stay and eat with us?”

  “Not tonight,” Sadie smiled. “Your little one will fall asleep and trust me at four months, you and Curt need some alone time together. Don’t forget, my friend that being a mother doesn’t negate the fact that you’re a wife as well.”

  “I’m not sure I know the meaning of the word right now,” Kayla laughed, exhaustion coating the sound.

  “Trust me, you will. It will get easier and you’ll once again find the longing for your husband undeniable.”

  “How do you and Pecos manage it with three children?”

  “The jump was difficult, especially because Pecos and Rachel are so much older already, but we learned as all parents inevitably do, to take things one day at a time. Eventually it all irons out and life becomes a routine that everyone can live with.”

  “I sure hope so,” Kayla chuckled. “Alright my friend. I will strive to remember that I am both a mother and a wife. You do me a favor and enjoy both your husband and your kids as well.”

  “I plan to,” Sadie laughed. “We’ll see you next weekend for supper. Maybe I can cook this time.”

  ***

  Curt came in later that afternoon to get washed up for supper. “Was that Sadie I saw leaving earlier?”

  “Yes,” Kayla elaborated. “She came by to visit and see how I was doing adjusting to life after Albert’s arrival.”

  “That was sweet of her.”

  “Truly,” Kayla smiled. “She admonished me to remember that I am equally a wife and mother.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “I just think she wanted me to remember that being a mother doesn’t mean I’m not a wife. That I should remember you, as well as, Albert.”

  “You do remember me, don’t you?”

  “Maybe not in the areas I need to, although I do try.”

  “Albert’s only four mo
nths old, surely intimacy can wait.”

  “Sadie has a point,” Kayla said, bringing a spoon of spaghetti sauce over so he could taste it.

  “Fabulous,” Curt said. “And what would her point be?”

  “That being parents doesn’t negate that we’re married, that we’re spouses who are supposed to love each other.”

  “So holding off on intimacy is a symbol of not loving each other?”

  “I’m not saying that,” Kayla said, her frustration growing. “I’m just saying that it’d be nice to spend some time with you that doesn’t revolve around the ranch and Albert and everything else. To just sit with you and enjoy a cup of coffee, even if we never say a word to each other.”

  “I’m sorry Kayla,” Curt sighed. “I promised to be honest and upfront with you and I haven’t been. The truth is, I’m terrified to touch you. I’m scared that we’re not ready, that you still need to heal. I’m scared of getting pregnant too soon after Albert. I’m afraid that I’ll fail him and you.”

  “When did the man that I love become so fearful?” Kayla asked, coming over to him. Pressing a hand to his cheek she brought his beautiful baby blues to her face. “I love you Curtis Aaron Langley, no matter what life throws at us. I don’t care if we have two babies of twenty. I don’t care if we have this ranch or a two-bedroom shack. As long as I have you, Albert and God, I’m happy and I’m home.”

  “I don’t deserve you Kayla. But I swear I’m trying to be worthy of you.”

  “Oh hush,” Kayla scolded him. “You are worthy of me. If you weren’t we wouldn’t be happily married with a beautiful little boy and a life that fulfills us.”

  “Once again you’re absolutely right,” Curt chuckled. He brought Kayla into his arms and pressed a tender kiss to her hair. As they walked into the kitchen to start supper, Kayla thought about her ticket to Texas. She thanked God again, that she’d only asked for a one way ticket. It was all she’d needed.

  *****

  THE END.

  A Widow’s Love

  Mail Order Bride

  CHRISTIAN MICHAEL

  Chapter 1 – A Crazy Idea

  “Pa! Pa! Save me! Pa!”

  Grace ran into the room to quiet her child. He was thrashing about on the bed, wrestling in his blankets and wrapped up with one of his pillows.

  “Sh! Sh! There, there now… it’s okay. You were having a nightmare, Darling.”

  Grace pulled her sobbing child to her and held him tightly in a hug.

  “I- I was dreaming about Pa again.”

  Sam could hardly get the words out before he broke down and sobbed. Grace held her son and stroked his hair, trying to soothe him as best she could. It was hard these days, working all day to put food on the table for both of them, and trying to keep her son happy at night.

  It had been a rough few months for both of them. Samuel’s father, Mr. Samuel Maroon was a sailor. He had gone to sea on a grand voyage to bring back whale oil nearly 9 months ago. Instead of Mr. Maroon returning to his family with wealth and prosperity, they received a letter from his captain explaining that there had been an accident at sea.

  In spite of all their greatest efforts, Mr. Samuel Maroon was lost in the waves, and swallowed by the ocean.

  That had been months ago, but Grace and Sam were still trying to pick up the pieces. Grace did her best to help Sam get through it, but he struggled. There were times when he seemed to be doing very well, then there were nights like tonight.

  “I dreamt we were on his boat together. He told me to bring him the rope, and when I got back, he was in the ocean. I tried to throw the rope to him, but it was so heavy, and I just couldn’t.” Sam sobbed as he related his dream to his mother, who hushed him as she stroked his hair.

  “It was just a dream Sam. Try to get some sleep. You need your rest.”

  She gently rocked him back and forth until he finally drifted off to sleep once more, then she laid him back on the bed.

  Grace silently rose and crept over to the door. She felt terrible for her son, and wished there was something she could do to help him, but the doctor insisted that time was all that could help.

  She slid through the door and poked her head back into the room. She could hear her son breathing deeply, and a feeling of relief swept over her. As long as he was sleeping well she knew his thoughts were on sweet things.

  Back in her own room, Grace stared up at the ceiling. She felt her husband’s absence, too. She felt it even deeper than Sam did in some ways. Lying alone in the dark, next to that open space in her bed made his absence feel almost crushing.

  Grace rolled over on her side and faced the wall. Her bed didn’t seem so empty when she faced the wall. It was almost as though she were a little girl again, lying in her bed with her dolls, dreaming of the future.

  With a sigh, Grace pushed herself over onto her back once more and stared at the wooden ceiling.

  I never thought it was going to be this hard. When I was a girl I imagined a life that was happy. A husband and a son and a home of our own. Not this shanty. Not this sorrow.

  A tear rolled down her cheek, but she brushed it away with a scoff. She hadn’t cried at all since receiving that letter. It was the last time she really felt anything. Ever since that day life was just one large feeling of numbness, and she was at the center.

  So many things rushed through her mind, making sleep even more difficult than it usually was.

  The bills are stacking up, and so are the chores. There’s no way I can keep this house and both of those horses. Not with Sam being so young yet.

  Poor Sam! He isn’t doing well at all. He needs his father back in his life… how else is he going to learn all the things he will need in life? I know how to cook and clean and tend to his studies, but I don’t know the first thing about tools or wood or anything like that!

  The tears came again, but this time, Grace didn’t stop them. She didn’t feel sad, she felt drained. She felt as though all of her strength were gone, and she had no energy to try to find more.

  She prayed. She prayed that God would give her the strength she needed to get through the next day, and the strength she needed for Sam.

  “And if You could bring a father into Sam’s life, I would be much obliged.” Grace said the end of her prayer aloud, wondering if that would help her feel better. She sighed as she still felt the same.

  How was she going to find a father for Sam when she hardly had time to keep food on the table? And with the bills stacking up she knew it wouldn’t be long before the bank came calling. It all felt so helpless.

  Pfft. I would do just about anything to get Sam a father right now. Not to mention me a husband! I don’t think I could ever love anyone like I loved Samuel Maroon, but I need someone who is going to put the roof over our heads and the bread on the table.

  Even if he just reads the paper on Sunday I’d be… wait! That’s it! The paper!

  Grace sat up in bed, energy suddenly flooding through her. She had an idea.

  It might be crazy, it might be impossible, but it was an idea, and she was going to give it a try.

  Chapter 2 – A Chance in the Paper

  “How was school today?”

  Grace asked as Sam came running in through the door. A few weeks had passed since Sam had a nightmare. He seemed to do better during the day, especially when he got to spend the day at school.

  “It was all right I guess. Say Mama?”

  “Yes Sam? What is it?”

  “Do you think I could be a sailor one day? Just like Pa was?”

  Grace stopped kneading the dough she had on the table in front of her, and looked up at her son. Sam had always said he wanted to be a banker, with lots of money and fine clothes. The sea had never much interested him before.

  “I suppose you can be anything you set your mind to, Sammy dear. Now hurry and wash up, I am going to have supper on the table shortly.”

  Sam’s face broke into a smile at his mother’s reply, and he headed back outside
to the well. He greatly preferred splashing water on his face out of the well. In spite of all her encouragement, Grace just couldn’t get him to use her washbasin indoors.

  When Sam came back inside, he pushed his book bag under the sack of flour on the table, and headed for his room.

  “Wait just a minute young man! You need to come recite to me your studies.”

  Grace knew he was going to try to do that, and chuckled at his grumbling as he came back and grabbed his bag. When he pulled his tablet out of the bag, his chalk landed on the floor next to an envelope.

  “What’s that?”

  His mother stooped to pick up the letter, and Sam explained that Mrs. Gravadge at the post office had told him to give Grace the letter, but he had forgotten.

  “Sorry Ma, I was sorta thinkin about more important things. You know, frogs and bugs and things.”

  “Never mind Sam, and never mind your studies. I’ll trust that you did them at school, and I expect to see all of your work tomorrow, now here’s an apple, run along and I’ll call you in for dinner.”

  “Gee whiz! I got time to catch a frog or two!”

  “Sam grabbed his hat and jammed it on his sandy head on his way out the door, and Grace called after him not to get too muddy. She then turned her attention to the envelope.

  She didn’t recognize the handwriting, and with nervous fingers she opened the top, and slipped the letter into her hand.

  It read:

  Dear Mrs. Maroon,

  Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jasper Farris, and I have a ranch out here in Montana. I couldn’t help but notice your ad in the paper this last Sunday, for you seem to be just whom I am looking for.

  You see, I have a lot of things in life, but what I don’t have is a family, and you and your son would be just the miracle I need to make that dream come true. If you will have me, I would like to send you these two tickets to come out here.