by Sarah Thorn
She was just twenty and had concentrated on her family’s business and her secretary job since she was 17. She had only one boyfriend in her life so far. He had left with his family the year before and she had missed him ever since. She’d had no love interests since then and hadn’t really been looking. She was always busy with work, her family or the restaurant.
She pulled on her robe and went down the stairs, smelling the strong smell of fresh coffee. That meant her father and brother were either already up or about to. She and her sisters didn’t drink coffee.
She pushed open the door to the kitchen and saw her mother at the table, crying. When her daughter came in, Anna tried to stop, wiping her tears with a tissue. “Oh. Good morning, Caroline.”
“Good morning, mama. Are you all right?”
Her mother didn’t answer, just held in a new batch of tears. She shook her head.
Caroline went to her and leaned to put her arms around her shoulders. “It’s going to be okay, mama. Something will change this situation and make it right again.”
“I hope you are right, Caroline.” Anna got up and went to the stove. She stood there cracking eggs into the pan and moving a spatula around to scramble them. Caroline wondered how many she was going to put in the pan when she didn’t stop adding them. She went to the stove and took the egg batch from her mother and stopped her from her cooking.
“Mama, you must calm down. You must have faith. Something will make this turn around. I just know it.”
“I can’t imagine what will save us, dear.”
Caroline sighed. “God will provide, mama.”
Her mother only stirred the eggs around in the pan, listening to them sizzling as they cooked. She added some butter and continued stirring. “Yes,” She said, finally, in a calmer voice. “I do believe that.”
Caroline set the eggs in the refrigerator and turned back to her mother. “Good. You know, that’s gonna be the biggest batch of eggs you’ve made for just this family. There’s no way we will eat them all.”
Her mother didn’t reply. Caroline went to the table and sat down, pouring herself a glass of water first. She pulled her father’s newspaper to her and read the headlines. She pulled the paper to her when she saw the headline. New president of the United States had been elected. It was supposed to be a good thing for the country. They would see.
“Did you see this?” She asked, pushing the newspaper toward him.
“I just got up, Caroline,” He answered, nodding at his mother when she set a cup of coffee in front of him. “Thank you, mama.”
“Look at it.”
He pulled the paper to himself and read the headline. “Well good. That’s what this country needs. I’m glad.” He said, pulling it closer and reading the article, unfolding the paper as she had done to read the whole article. “It’s a good thing.”
“I agree.”
“Did you see this, mother?” David pulled the top paper from the rest and left it there on the table. He stood up and went to his mother, who took the paper from him.
Caroline looked down at the paper still on the table. She pulled it to her and read through the ads while they remarked on the new president. When her sister and father came in, they were notified of the event immediately. For a while, their personal problems were almost forgotten.
Caroline sat at the table, reading through the ads while they talked. There were jobs open and obituaries displayed there. One particular set of ads caught her eye and she slowed her scanning. There were men in the West looking for brides.
It wasn’t something she’d ever thought about or considered. She barely knew such a thing existed. None of them looked particularly enticing until she came to the second to the last.
Well-to-do casino owner looking for bride from the West. It said. Intelligent, kind-hearted woman requested. Any age.
Her mind began to spin. He had money. She rolled the possibilities around in her head. She looked up at her family, noticing they had their mind taken off their problem. She didn’t want to bring it back up.
In fact, she wasn’t sure she wanted to tell them about it at all. It was something she would need to consider herself. It was her whose life would change drastically. She couldn’t imagine being away from her family and the business. But sacrifices would need to be made. And if that’s what it took to save her family from ruin, she would do it.
She took the sheet from the others and folded it up. Her robe had a convenient small pocket on one side and she slid it in to hide it. She would think about it some more later.
They sat around the table eating breakfast and discussing the world as it was. They didn’t discuss their financial situation at all. Caroline was glad. Even Dottie seemed in better spirits than the day before. They looked hopeful and happy. The way she wanted them to be.
She got dressed for work in a hurry, brushing her hair and pulling it back into a ponytail. Her face and hands were clean and she rubbed a cloth over her teeth, hoping it would make them a little cleaner. She smiled at herself and was satisfied.
Before she left, she pulled the paper from the pocket of her robe, unfolded it and looked at it. The thought of going across the country and starting a new life was unnerving and discomforting. She wasn’t sure she could go through with it. Would she ever see her family again? Even if she went, there was no guarantee that the man would help her family’s finances. What would she have to do to convince him?
The thoughts that ran through her mind made her feel even worse about the situation. She swallowed hard and lowered the paper to her lap. She stared at the wall in front of her. It might be the only solution.
She didn’t have time to think about it long. The situation was desperate. She decided to take the day to decide, got up and went out the door.
Before the day was through, she had decided. It was the only way to save her family. She walked back from work the same way she always did but this time the trip was a little different. When she passed the three boys, the friendly one stopped as she went by. The other two continued on.
“Hello,” He said with a smile.
She stopped in surprise. “Hello.”
“My name is Mark.” He held out his hand.
“I’m Caroline,” She responded, taking his hand to shake.
“I’ve seen you every day for months. I have wanted to say hello for just as long. Are you coming from work?”
“Yes, I work as a secretary for a clothing company.”
“Do you enjoy your job?”
She nodded. “I do.”
“That is good to hear.”
“And you?”
“My brother and I work constructing buildings.”
“And the other man you walk with?”
“Boss.”
“Oh.”
He smiled at her. “I am glad to learn your name.”
“Good to know yours, Mark.”
He took a few steps backward to indicate he needed to leave. “I gotta catch up with them. I’ll talk to you tomorrow?”
She smiled. “Perhaps.”
They nodded at each other and she turned to walk away. Before she reached her street, she turned into the post building. She paused at the door and turned back to look down the road, even though the men were long gone. Why did he choose to speak to her today?
Her heart torn, she opened the door and went in.
She was nervous as she wrote out a response to the ad. The clerk was eyeing her in a strange way. He knew her, she often came in to get the mail for her family. She had seen him here nearly every time, convinced he must be the only one who worked there. She knew he knew what she was doing and it made her even more anxious.
She handed the response to the clerk. He took it, looked at it and then at her. She could feel him judging her as he looked at her. She lifted up her chin and tilted her head to challenge him to say something.
“That will be five cents,” He said, setting the paper she’d given him to the side. She dug out five p
ennies from her bag and gave them to him.
“When will the letter be sent?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Do you know when it will arrive in Arizona?”
“Should be near the end of next week, I’d say. If you want it there sooner, you have to send a telegraph.”
“No. I will wait.”
“As you wish.” He turned away as if he was dismissing her.
She didn’t say anything and turned back to the front door.
As she walked home, she thought about Mark. What a coincidence. He starts talking to her the day she decides to leave and travel all the way across the country, probably never to return.
Though if he was wealthy, perhaps he would be kind enough to send her home for the holidays. Or maybe he would want to come along, too. Maybe he would be a kind and generous man who would take care of her the rest of her days?
Or maybe he was looking for a new housekeeper or a workhorse.
She shook her head and laughed softly under her breath. A wealthy man wasn’t going to need a wife to be a workhorse. He could pay anyone he wanted to do work for him. She debated whether she wanted to tell her family. Should she warn them that she was leaving? Surely, she couldn’t just disappear. She had to tell them. She had to tell them tonight.
She helped her mother prepare dinner and even set the table for the family. While she set the plates down, she noticed her mother watching her. She stopped and looked at her. “What is it, mother?”
“You are very helpful tonight. Is everything okay?”
Caroline smiled. “Yes, of course.” She shook her head and went about what she was doing.
When the family was all seated and they gave thanks for the food, her mother stood to fill the plates.
Caroline debated when she should tell them – before or after they ate. They seemed comfortable, free from the problem that was haunting them. She waited for the right time.
The time came when David spoke up, revealing what they were all thinking. “Dad, have you thought anything more about our financial problem?”
The family fell quiet. Dottie moaned a little and lowered her head, sitting back in her chair.
“I think I have a solution.” Caroline spoke up. They all looked at her. Dottie’s eyes were wide. She looked at them all and tried to smile. “I have answered an ad for a bride to go to the West. There is a wealthy man there who placed the ad I responded to.”
She recognized shock on their faces. Her announcement had rendered them speechless.
“I know it’s a surprise. I didn’t even think of such a thing until I saw the ad in the paper today. I…think it’s the only thing we can do at this point.”
“But…we’ll never see you again,” Dottie said, her voice weak. Caroline could see she was about to burst into fresh tears.
She got up and went to her sister, who stood up to meet her. She wrapped her arms around Dottie and held her close.
“Of course you will,” She said. “He has a lot of money. I’ll come back often. And if I am able, I will ask him to help our restaurant.”
The rest of her family got up and surrounded her.
“It’s going to be all right,” She said, softly, feeling surrounded by their love. “You will see.”
Chapter Three
Caroline read the letter from the man, George O’Doyle, as she rode on the train. He sounded very businesslike. She wondered if he had a kind heart. She wondered if he was interested in what was best for the bride he had sent for or if he was just trying out something new.
Marriage was serious business. She felt it was, anyway. It was a bond between a man, woman, and God. She wondered if he felt that way, too. She hoped so. There was no mention of his religious beliefs in the letter. He described his house, which was apparently massive and mentioned that he owned a casino and several restaurants in the state. He traveled a lot, to keep track of his businesses. The post was not fast enough, he remarked. Plus, he wanted to see how the businesses were being run with his own eyes. He wanted to know all of his employees and make sure they were being rewarded for hard work.
Her eyes stuck on the word “restaurants”. She was impressed that he took the time to comment that he wanted to know his employees were taken care of. That was how her father had always run his business. He gave incentives to his employees so that they would stay and work hard for him. In her initial letter, she had said that she worked in a restaurant and as a secretary without saying that it was her father’s restaurant. That might have given him more of a reason to choose her. It had apparently worked.
She did tell him her family owned a business and that she was looking to start a new life. She wasn’t sure what else to say. She glanced to the side and looked at the newspaper sitting beside her on the bench. More headlines about the president. His first month in office had been a success so far. He was liked.
She looked back at the letter, scanning his handwriting. It was elegant and legible. She had no trouble reading it. That had to be from all the business he wrote. She lowered the letter to her lap and looked out the window at the passing scenery. It would be a while before she got there. She decided a nap would be best so that she wouldn’t be too tired when she got there. The motion of the train would help her sleep, she was sure.
A few hours later, she woke with a start, opening her eyes wide awake. She pushed herself up from the cushion she had put under her head and looked out the window. It certainly didn’t look like Virginia.
“Do you know where we are?” She asked one of the other passengers in a soft voice. He looked up from his book.
“I believe we are in Arizona. Where are you going?”
“Flagstaff.”
“That should be the next stop. Good thing you woke up.”
She nodded. “Yes, that’s true.”
She waited patiently, just gazing out the window. When the attendant came to announce the next stop, she began to gather her things. She patted her hair down and put her bonnet on. She started to pull on her coat when the young man who had spoken to her said, “You won’t need a coat. It’s not cold out here. You have never been here in Arizona before?”
She shook her head. “No, I haven’t.”
“Well, it’s plenty warm here. You won’t want to wear too much. You may overheat and that would be bad for your health.”
She nodded this time. “All right. Thank you for the advice.”
He nodded back. “Anytime, young lady. Enjoy your stay in Arizona.”
“Thank you very much.”
She stood up when the train stopped.
The platform was quite empty. She was one of a handful of people who stepped off the train. She immediately spotted George O’Doyle. He was an outstanding man, his red hair, and stout figure a sight among the rest. He was dressed in clothes that looked new and held himself up straight. He held his hat in his hand and when she looked at him, he didn’t look away.
She smiled and he smiled back, taking steps toward her. She picked up her bag and went toward him.
“You are Caroline?”
She nodded. She liked his voice. It was friendly. She was glad of that.
“And you are George.”
His smile widened and she could see straight teeth in his mouth. She wondered what he did to keep them so clean. She hoped he would let her in on his trick because her parents’ methods had never made her teeth as clean as she wanted them.
He put out his hand and she shook it, politely. Then she curtsied to him and he laughed.
“Well now that the formalities are done, shall we go? Are you hungry? We can stop for food if you are.”
“I am definitely hungry,” She said. “I would love something good to eat.”
“We’ll go to my restaurant in town. You can have anything on the menu and as much of it as you want.”
Her stomach grumbled appreciatively and she looked up at him as they walked.
“I think my stomach just thanked you.”
He la
ughed. “You’re welcome, Caroline’s stomach.”
She laughed with him and felt more comfortable than she had expected. He was several inches taller than her, with a broad chest and his jeans fit him well. She pressed her lips together.
“I got this for you,” He said, holding out a small folded fabric fan to her. She spread it out to look at the picture painted on it. It was a field of yellow with a great many colorful butterflies flittering around.
“This is beautiful, George! Thank you so much!”
He looked pleased that she liked it and nodded. “You’re welcome. I want to make you feel as much at home here as possible. You’re going to need this because it’s going to be a while before you need a coat or jacket. It can get a little chilly here in the evenings and at night, but you won’t typically need a coat like you would in Virginia.”
She noticed almost immediately that everyone in town showed George a lot of respect. They deferred to him in the street and greeted him in friendly voices. His response was always, “How are ya?” in a loud voice without waiting for an answer as he went on.
As they drove through the town in a lovely carriage that didn’t look like any of the others, she looked around her, taking in the incredible difference she saw from her hometown. The first thing she noticed what that it was very dusty. Very dusty. There weren’t very many women here and none that she saw were dressed like her.
Then again, she was a stranger here. She assumed she would quickly assimilate, wearing the same light dresses she saw all around her. There were more stores and shops here than she expected. She saw a saddle shop and a blacksmith and several other places that were hard to find in Virginia. The main road was crushed rocks mixed in with the dirt. There were side streets off of the main road that seemed to stretch on for miles, heading off into the distant mountains. Small cottages and shacks lined the roads with plenty of land in between them.
The carriage rocked back and forth as they rode. She was jostled a little and grabbed the window of the door.
