Amy shushed him.
“Come on, I have to get you up.”
She struggled beneath his weight, but together, they were able to get him into the house. Amy Anne guided him to his room, and laid him on his bed. She put her hand to his forehead, and turned to go.
“Where are you going?” He slurred, trying to stir.
Amy shushed him and told him to lie still.
“I’m going to get the doctor. You are Mary are sick. Stay here, I’ll be back as quickly as I can!” She pulled her shawl tightly around her and headed for the barn. Within minutes she had a horse saddled and was heading for town as quickly as she could possibly go.
Mary slowly opened her eyes. Amy Anne was in her room, sponging off her forehead and neck.
“Hey, you’re awake.” She said with a smile.
“I have been praying that you would wake up soon. How are you feeling?” Amy put her hand on Mary’s forehead, and Mary closed her eyes.
“Where’s my Papa?” She asked, weakly.
“He’s in the other room, asleep. You and your Papa have been very sick for almost 2 weeks now, but the doctor says you’re doing better.”
“Is my Papa ok?” Mary asked, suddenly trying to get up. Amy Anne held her down, gently calming her.
“Your Papa is very sick Mary, but we pray to God that he will get better.”
Mary started to struggle, tears running down her cheeks.
“No no no! Don’t let my Papa die! Don’t let him die like my Mama!” She cried.
Amy Anne shushed her, and lifted her close into a hug. For the first time, Mary didn’t try to pull away, but rather she sank into Amy’s arms and sobbed.
“God hates me! He let my Mama die! I don’t want Him to let my Papa die too!” She sobbed.
Amy Anne stroked her hair, and said softly. “God doesn’t hate you, Sweetheart. He is going to take care of you.”
Mary was sobbing.
“But why did my Mama die? Why did my Papa get sick?” She was struggling to get the words out, but Amy continued to hold her.
“I don’t know why that happened, Little One, but sometimes bad things do happen. My parents were killed when I was a little girl, close to your age. I don’t know why, but I know that God still loves me, and He still takes care of me, just like He is going to take care of you.”
Mary looked up at Amy, tears still in her eyes.
“Your ma and pa died?” Her eyes were wide as she spoke, and Amy nodded.
Mary didn’t say anything, but laid her head back down on Amy Anne’s lap. For a long time Amy sat there with Mary lying on her lap, until finally, Mary spoke.
It was so soft that Amy could barely hear it, but her eyes filled with tears at the 2 little words Mary breathed.
“I’m sorry.”
Chapter 8 – Love at Last
Jason lay in bed, drifting in and out of consciousness. He didn’t need the doctor to tell him what was wrong with him, he knew what it was. This was the illness that had claimed the life of his wife, Lucinda. Scarlet Fever.
“It sneaks up on you, taking you by surprise,” the doctor had told him when his wife had fallen ill. “There’s not a lot we can do for it, but we are doing all we can.”
Now, those words flowed through his mind every chance they got. It didn’t matter how much money he had, it didn’t matter what he wanted to do with his life, it didn’t matter what he had done with his life. He was now sick, and all he could do was pray that he would get better.
Every now and then Jason would wake up and Amy would be in his room. She would be placing a cold washcloth on his forehead, or preparing a bowl of broth for him to eat. Every time she was in there, he would ask her about Mary, and every time he asked, Amy told him that she was doing a little bit better.
“I don’t know if I could go on if I lost Mary,” Jason told her as she fed him a bowl of broth. “Ever since her mother died, she has been the light of my life. I wanted to be able to give her everything, I wanted to be able to bring you into our family and make you happy, too.”
He would try to continue, but Amy would always quiet him, and tell him he needed to rest. She knew what he was trying to say, and she knew that he often forgot that he had tried to say it all before. Delirium would take over, and he would rant and rant if she let him.
Amy Anne spent her days going back and forth between the rooms, and keeping the farm running. She would do the chores and take care of the animals, then she would go inside and take care of Mary and Jason.
Amy didn’t know what she would do if she lost them. They were the closest thing she ever felt she had to a family, and the idea of losing them was crushing. Every day she would dutifully go into both of their rooms, hour after hour, morning, noon, and night.
Whether it took a day, or a year, Amy was going to do everything she could to get them well again.
Jason and Mary’s recoveries were slow. Jason got a lot worse before he got better, but Mary had a slow and steady recovery from the beginning. As soon as she was able, she helped Amy Anne with the chores around the house, and with taking care of her father.
Amy Ann was careful not to push Mary in her interest in what she was doing, but she was always careful to answer all of Mary’s questions about her and to tell her about anything from her own past.
Little by little, Mary started to spend more time with Amy. She would follow her around the house when she was home from school, and she would walk with Amy Anne to and from school. She even started going to church with Amy on Sundays.
“I think Papa would like to go to church as soon as he is able. Mama… I mean my real mama… she liked to go to church, and me and Papa used to go with her. Papa stopped when Mama died though.” The more comfortable Mary was becoming with Amy, the more of a glimpse into her past Amy was able to get.
Amy Anne didn’t ask her a lot of questions. She didn’t want Mary to feel as though she were prying, but she did always remind Mary that her mother loved her very much, and that she was glad she got to be in a part of Mary’s life, too.
Jason clucked to the horses, making them pick up their feet faster as they headed home. It was the first Sunday Jason felt well enough to be up and out of the house, and Mary begged him to join her and Amy Anne at church. Reluctantly, he agreed, and they had gone.
Amy Anne for the first time in her life felt completely comfortable sitting with Mary and Jason. Mary seemed to be completely happy to stand next to her, and to hold her hand when they were getting ready to go.
Now, she rode behind them in the wagon, standing up in the back with her hand on each of their shoulders.
“I was thinking,” Mary said, breaking the silence with her shrill little voice.
“Yes?” Jason asked, looking back over his shoulder at her.
“Amy… can I call you Ma?”
Amy Anne and Jason looked at each other, Amy put her hand over her heart, and gasped. She felt her eyes well with tears, and Jason smiled.
“I would love that,” she said.
Mary squealed and sat down in the back of the wagon, content to now look at the rocks that slid back and forth as her father drove over the bumps in the rode. Jason put both of the reins in one hand, and used his other hand to cover Amy’s.
For the first time in her life, Amy felt that she belonged. Jason and Mary, they felt like her family. She felt like she was a part of theirs, and she didn’t feel like she could ever go anywhere else.
That lonely feeling was gone for good.
Amy Anne had finally found love.
THE END.
Sisters Find Love for Christmas – Book 1
Mail Order Bride
CHRISTIAN MICHAEL
St. Louis, Missouri
October 1876
“Well, this is it.”, Cora Darcy sighed as the train lurched into the crowded station, belching puffs of acrid smoke, as it came to an abrupt halt in front of a rough-hewn platform.
Taking a deep breath, she smiled reassuringly at her
sister, Ida, who suddenly seemed much younger than her eighteen years. Her fiery red hair and pale skin framed emerald green eyes.
Ida had always reminded Cora of one of the fairies in the stories Mama had told them before bed. Wispy and fragile, it had always been Cora’s job to protect her little sister. Not only was Cora older, but she was the exact opposite of Ida in every way.
Cora had a mane of unruly dark curls, her skin was almost alabaster it was so light, the only thing remarkable about her were her ice blue eyes that assessed the world around her with a calculated coolness that almost detracted from their beauty. She was no wisp of a thing, but she was sturdy and capable, both qualities that suited her just fine.
At twenty-eight, she had resigned herself to the life of a spinster. Truth be told, she was quite happy with the arrangement. Most of the young men she had met, along with the older ones, had either bored her to tears with their inane babbling or been intimidated by Cora’s bold intelligence.
“I suppose we’ll have to carry our things. We both have a long way to go and I’m rationing the last of the money Mr. Witmer sent for my passage.”, reasoned Cora. “If you’ll manage our reticules, I think I can carry our bags.”
As she hefted the bags onto the platform, looking for a place where they could compose themselves after their arduous journey.
As confident as she had been the day she contacted Bachmann’s Brides to inquire about arrangements for Ida and herself, she was doubting the hasty decision today.
After Mama and Papa had died in the fire, the girls had been left homeless, penniless, and unable to settle the taxes that were owed on the property.
Finding respectable employment in Briarwood, Kentucky was next to impossible. Seeing the ad posted in the mercantile had seemed most fortuitous.
Neither sister knew much about their prospective husbands. Mr. Bachmann assured them that they were God-fearing men of the utmost moral character. Both owned homesteads and were well established.
Both had sent brief descriptions of themselves in their lone correspondence, which pleased Ida as she had always wanted to marry a man who was dark and handsome. For the life of her, Cora couldn’t remember much about Ulrick, except for the fact that he had blond hair and was fairly tall.
Because of the girl’s dire situation, there had been no time for a lengthy courtship. In fact, it was Mr. Bachmann that contacted the gentlemen and set up the hasty arrangements.
It was decided that Cora would go to Antler, North Dakota with Mr. Ulrick Witmer, a widower of thirty-two. Ida would travel to Silverbell, Arizona. Mr. Asher Blaine was due to meet the sisters in St. Louis where he and Ida would head to the courthouse to “seal the deal”, as Mr. Bachmann had said.
The idea of frail Ida traveling across the country by wagon train with a complete stranger completely unnerved Cora, but their circumstances left them no other choice. Orphaned, with no living relatives, this was their only hope.
After freshening up a bit, the girls found a bench so they could rest. If Mr. Blaine didn’t arrive soon, Cora would have to leave Ida alone to wait on the platform. It wasn’t a cold day by any means and after the stuffy conditions on the train, the cool Autumn air felt refreshing. But, to stay out in the open for any length of time, would result in Ida becoming chilled, and the very thought left Cora looking about the platform, biting her lip.
An hour passed, then two, the sisters split a sandwich that had been stowed away in Cora’s carpet bag. A dipper of cool water peppered with soot from the passing trains topped off their meal.
Cora would have to board the train headed northwest in an hour. Surely, Mr. Blaine would arrive by then…
The loud chug and whistle of an arriving train announced the arrival of Cora’s train, quite early. It would take time for the train to prepare for the trip north, WHERE was Mr. Blaine?
Ida’s green eyes shone brightly with unshed tears, she was trying to be stoic, but the very thought of her older sister having to leave her on the platform alone scared her to death. Her eyes scanned the crowd for any sign of Mr. Blaine to no avail.
The coachman bellowed an impatient, “Alllll aboard”. Cora had no choice, she had to get on the train in order to meet her connections as she traveled northwest. Surely, Mr. Blaine had only been slightly detained and would arrive at any minute, hat in hand full of apologies.
“Ida, if you don’t want me to go all you have to do is say the word, and I’ll stay right here.”, fussed Cora.
With tear filled eyes Ida put a frail hand in Ida’s capable one and gave a squeeze. “Go on ahead, you have to. Mr. Witmer sent a great deal of money for your travels and I’m quite sure that Mr. Blaine will be arriving momentarily.”
The sisters exchanged hesitant smiles and hugged for what could be the last time. Ida was right, Mr. Witmer had spent a great deal on her passage, and it wouldn’t do to leave her new husband standing in the middle of nowhere, with no wife in sight.
Cora gave one last wave and blew a kiss to her baby sister. “Dear Lord, please watch over her, she’s in Your hands now.” Cora made herself comfortable for the long journey ahead.
********
Minot, North Dakota
October 1876
Cora woke to the familiar chugging and sputtering that indicated that the train was pulling into another station. While riding on the train was comfortable enough, Cora grew restless of seeing nothing but grass filled prairies, tired looking towns, and the ever-changing faces of her fellow travelers.
But this stop was different, as the train wheezed into the station at Minot, North Dakota, Cora was nearly there. In mere minutes, she would be meeting the man that she would vow to love honor and obey until death did them part. The idea had excited her at first, but after days of travel with nothing to do but gather wool she was full of emotions.
What had she done? Part of her wanted to head back to St. Louis, gather up Ida and head for Kentucky and home. Except Ida was on her way to Arizona and the sister’s childhood home was a pile of ash and cinder. There was no choice before the day was out, she would be Mrs. Ulrick Witmer, for better or worse.
********
The wind had gone from chilly to downright cold as Ulrick made the two-day trip to pick up his bride. He couldn’t quite wrap his mind around the fact that by sunset, he’d be a married man. Running a work worn hand through his wheat blonde hair, he sighed. What kind of fool marries a woman sight unseen? Hopefully, she’d be comely and not afraid of hard work. Wouldn’t mind if she could cook, too.
********
Cora stepped on to the platform. A worn station house stood sentinel at one end of the station, the vast North Dakota prairie stretched out to the North. An already brutal wind swept in from the north, offering just a hint of the Winter that was to come.
Cora shivered and huddled into her coat as she carried her bag into the station house to wait for Mr. Witmer. Even with the potbellied stove fired red hot, the room was far from warm. But at least, she was out of the wind.
Sitting primly on the bench, Cora took note as a variety of men passed through the station house. Most of them wore faded jeans, bleached by the sun that seemed to match their faded eyes. Plugs of tobacco were inserted into toothless mouths, and to her horror, gravely tobacco stained bits of tobacco littered the floor.
The least these men could do was use a spittoon. But there wasn’t one in sight. Worn hands reached up to tip dusty hats in a brief greeting to the newcomer. Cora forced a smile and looked at the door.
A tall man with hair the color of golden prairie grasses stood in the doorway. His tall stature and wide shoulders practically filled the doorframe. His faded blue eyes scanned the room and quickly met Cora’s. Could this man be her future husband?
********
Ulrick didn’t like the change in the wind or the gray clouds that were rolling in as he drove into Minot. North Dakota weather could be brutal this time of year. Snow wasn’t uncommon in October, especially this far north. The sooner he and his
new bride were on their way the better.
Scanning the station house, he noticed a raven haired beauty with ice blue eyes sitting on the dilapidated bench against the wall. She sat regally on the dilapidated bench, taking in the room around her. Her eyes flickered with recognition when they met his, and he could tell by her quick appraisal that she was pleased with what she saw, and to be honest, the feeling was mutual.
Ulrick offered a hesitant smile before removing his hat as he approached the lone lady in the room. This had to be her, after all, how many unaccompanied women showed up in this windswept town in the middle of nowhere?
“So I’m guessing that you’re Miss Darcy?” Ulrick offered.
Standing to her feet, Cora lifted her chin and replied with her usual brisk efficiency, “I am. I’m assuming that you are indeed Mr. Witmer?”
Her voice was soft but somehow exuded authority. She met his gaze dead on, instead of lowering her lashes and flirting a bit like most of the ladies he’d encountered. She had grit, and that was just the thing a woman needed to step beside her man and tame this land.
“Seeing how we’re going to be hitched before the day is over, maybe we could drop the formalities? Mr. Witmer was my Pa, I’m just Ulrick.”
[2016] A Bride's Journey Page 16
