[2016] A Widow's Love

by Christian Michael

  Decision made, she wrote back to Jones agreeing to marry him. She told him about the situation she was facing with Williamson – he already knew about the botched marriage proposal and her response to it anyway. And it was far better to be honest with him now and let him know why she agreed to the marriage than for him to think anything else.

  Now to face Viola and Mary and Mary Ann. Viola and Mary deserved to know about Williamson’s threats since they were travelling with her and she couldn’t imagine marrying again without the three of them knowing! Mary Ann was already at the house; Carolina had rushed past her when she ran up the stairs to read the letter. She took both Jones missive and her own reply with her. She would let them read it, it would pretty much explain everything that was happening.

  The women were sitting down to breakfast when she entered the dining hall. “Carolina,” Mary said, “I was just about to send Vi up to get you. What’s wrong dear, you look disturbed. In fact you’ve been jumpy the last few days but I’ve chalked it up to nerves about leaving here. Is it something more bothering you?”

  “Yes Mary,” Caro sighed. “I’ve been keeping something from you because I didn’t want to worry you but it’s time you knew. Before I tell you what that is, I want to show you a letter I received from Jones today; then I will show you my response and I think you will be able to understand why I answered him the way I did.”

  They looked at her curiously and she handed the letter to Mary without another word. Mary began to read it out loud while Carolina busied herself getting and eating her breakfast. She was starting to become ravenous in the mornings. At least the nausea was gone now and she could stomach her food. By the time they read both letters, Carolina had finished her breakfast and was slowly sipping on coffee.

  MaryAnn broke the silence “Williamson did what?!”

  “That snake!” Viola said, “Oh I’d love to teach him a lesson.”

  They went back and forth but Mary was silent. Carolina waited for her to speak. Finally she cleared her throat and said, “I think you made a wise decision, my dear, not only in agreeing to marry Jones, but also in telling him the truth of why you decided to. Better he knows upfront.”

  “I agree,” MaryAnn said. “It’s better that he knows. And I am glad you told us as well.”

  “Thank you for understanding, Ladies.” Carolina replied. “I just feel so overwhelmed right now.”

  Viola patted her hand sympathetically. “It’ll be okay, you will see. We are going to be with you every step of the way.”

  Two days later, the three women hurried to the train station secretively in George’s carriage. They did not want anyone to know they were leaving sooner than planned so that Williamson would not know until it was too late. They boarded the train just as the porter made the last call. Carolina sank into her seat in relief and whispered a prayer, thanking the Lord that she was close to freedom.

  As the train slowly marched out of the station, a pale man stopped his horse at the junction and waited for the train to pass through so he could cross the street. No one noticed the anger which clouded his face when he caught a glimpse of two familiar young women and their elderly companion riding out of town.

  One week later, the train arrived in Montana. The women got off the train and looked around for Jones. They were weary from their travels though they had been relatively comfortable since Jones had provided sleeper cabins and meals for all of them.

  Matthew Jones spotted Carolina and made his way over to her and her companions. When he reached them, he introduced himself and thanked them for making the long journey. After the pleasantries were exchanged, they all climbed into his carriage and the driver took them to the ranch. When they arrived, Mrs. Sharm, the cook, met them at the door. She guided the three women to their rooms while giving them a brief tour of the house.

  “Now I know you all are very tired,” Mrs. Sharm said, “so why don’t you just relax and rest today and come out whenever you are ready, even if that’s only at dinner time. ”

  The three women murmured their appreciation and did just that. None of them made it up until the next morning.

  When Carolina came downstairs the next morning, she saw that Viola and Mary had already beaten her to the table. They were laughing with Mrs. Sharm while they peeled potatoes.

  “Why good morning, Ms. Hendricks,” Ms. Sharm said jovially, “Why don’t you come join us and have some coffee?”

  “Thank you Mrs. Sharm, that sounds lovely. And please, call me Carolina.”

  Carolina heard boot steps on the stairs and turned around to see a long pair of jean-clad legs descending the steps. The legs were followed by a narrow waist and a broad chest and shoulders and a handsome face. Matthew Jones had arrived. Suddenly, Carolina felt as if she couldn’t breathe, as if all the air had been sucked from the room. What is wrong with me? Breathe, you fool, he is just a man. But he’s a handsome man. Jones jammed his hat on his head with one hand and accepted his coffee from Mrs. Sharm with the other. His warm eyes wandered over his guests until it settled on his soon to be bride. Carolina swallowed hard.

  “Good morning ladies,” he drawled, “I trust you slept well?”

  The sound of his voice brought up the thought of sweet molasses in Carolina’s mind and she knew she was in trouble. Stop it Carolina. You are marrying him only to escape Williamson, remember? He doesn’t care about you and it will do you no good to be so attracted to him. Get a hold of yourself.

  She forced herself to smile innocently at him and replied, “I can’t speak for Vi and Mary but I know I slept very well. And thank you for your generosity in supplying us with sleeper compartments and meal provisions, Mr. Jones”

  “Please, Ms. Hendricks, call me Matthew. Mr. Jones was my grand-father; besides, we are to be married soon and I hope we will not stand on formalities despite our circumstances.”

  This time Carolina had no problem smiling warmly. “Then you must call me Carolina, or Caro. I too do not wish to stand on ceremony. By the way, when will I get to meet Rosy?”

  “Soon actually,” Matthew replied. “She should be coming down any minute now.”

  Even as he spoke they heard a squeal of excitement followed by the patter of small feet as the child flew down the stairs and straight into her father’s arms.

  “Morning, Pumpkin, did you have sweet dreams?”

  “Yes Daddy, I did” before she could go on any further she suddenly seemed to realize that there were strangers in the room watching her. Overcome with shyness, she stuck a thumb in her mouth and buried her face in her father’s collar.

  Carolina’s heart turned over watching their interaction and she smiled gently at the little girl when she dared to peer over her dad’s shoulders. Carolina decided it was better to introduce herself first.

  “Hi Rosy,” she began, “how are you? You’re Daddy’s told me a little bit about you. My name is Carolina.”

  Rosy stared at her for a solid minute before mumbling softly, “You’re supposed to be my new mommy, right?”

  “Only if you want me to be. I can be your friend too.”

  “I don’t have any friends.”

  “Well now, that’s a thing of the past I think. You just made three new ones. You already know me, but these are my friends Viola and Mary. Would you like to meet them?”

  Rosie shrugged shyly but nodded eventually. She wiggled for Matthew to put her down and slowly walked over to the table. Viola and Mary introduced themselves and Mary asked if the child wanted to sit on the table. She nodded and moved towards Mary who smiled with delight and picked her up. Soon the room was filled with peals of laughter as Viola played with the little one. Carolina turned her head and looked at Matthew. He was watching his daughter with a tender smile. As if feeling Carolina’s eyes on him, he turned to look at her and mouthed a thank you. She acknowledged it with a nod and a grin.

  Matthew beckoned her to follow him to the porch and she trailed him there.

  He began the conversation after
a moment of quiet. “I just wanted to make sure you are still okay with the wedding.”

  “Yes,” she replied, “I am.”

  “I know it’s not an ideal courtship and that I sprang it on you at the last minute but I want you to know that while this may only be a marriage of convenience, I will do my best to do right by you. I have always imagined a marriage based on friendship and trust and I hope we can have at least that.”

  Carolina sighed in relief. “I think we can, Matthew. I would really like that.”

  “If you would like to, I can take you and Viola and Mary to the dressmaker’s shop today so you can order some clothes for the wedding. I know you were rushed into coming here and it looked like none of you packed very much.”

  Carolina nodded gratefully, “That sounds delightful.”

  They decided to marry in three days, on Saturday. That would give him time to procure the license and her the time to get some dresses.

  That evening all of them headed into town together. The ladies each ordered two pairs of dresses to begin with and matching accessories. Carolina bought some hair ribbons for Rosy as well, thinking the child would probably love to play dress up the way she had done when she was Rosy’s age.

  The next day, Carolina rose early and decided to take a walk to get familiar with some of the land around her new home. Matthew’s ranch was expansive; she knew it would take her a few weeks to cover it all but she was eager to start. As she started down the tree line path in front of the house, she let herself relax and soak in the beauty of the lush green nature around her; birds sang from trees, cattle snorted in the background and small chipmunks darted all around. While she walked, she prayed, thanking the Father for the unexpected blessings that had come her way and asking that he help her marriage grow into something more than friendship.

  She had watched Matthew closely the day before and she loved how he interacted with his daughter and his men. He treated Viola with respect and Mary with the deference due her age. He was very kind to Carolina as well. What he said about wanting friendship and trust in their marriage warmed her heart and gave her hope for more. She felt herself opening up to the possibility of loving Matthew the more she interacted with him. They were far from where they could be but they had a good start.

  Her mind drifted from Matthew back to John. She would always love him – he had been her first love. But she knew that she had grown up in the last three months in ways she could not explain and while she mourned him and missed him, he was a tender memory now. She felt somewhat guilty that she was already thinking about a new man just months after burying her husband but she also knew that if their roles were reversed, she would want John to find happiness in the present day instead of clinging to the ghost of past joys – no matter how wonderful they were.

  The sound of a bell clanging made her jump and she realized it was the breakfast signal. She had been out walking for over an hour! She hurriedly turned around and walked back to the house. As she walked she couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that she was being watched. She looked over her shoulder several times but couldn’t find anything. She heard the sound of horse hooves and turned in its direction. A smile curved her lips when she recognized Matthews’ tall form on the black horse he was riding.

  “What are you doing all the way out here?” He asked as he drew up beside her.

  “Oh nothing, really, I just thought I would take a walk.”

  “You seemed a little nervous when I came over, is everything alright?”

  “Yes, I think so. It’s probably just my imagination but I could have sworn someone was watching me just a little while ago.

  “I will send some men to check it out after breakfast.”

  “Oh no, it’s alright. Like I said it was probably a figment of my imagination.”

  “It’s better to be safe than sorry, Carolina.” Matthew said softly.

  Reluctantly, Carolina conceded, “I suppose you’re right.”

  Matthew offered her a ride back to the house and she agreed. He helped her clamber up in front of him. As she settled in more comfortably, she became very aware of the muscular chest against her back, the strong arms around her and the masculine scent now surrounding her.

  Suddenly she felt a warm breath against her ear as he whispered, “I feel it too.”

  Carolina blushed, wishing she wasn’t so easy to read.

  In a desperate bid to distract herself, she blurted out, “Tell me about Rosy’s mom.”

  Matthew stiffened behind her for a minute and Carolina felt worse. She began to apologize when Matthew cut her off. “It’s ok, you should know. Rosy’s not really my daughter. She’s my niece. My little sister was her mother.”

  “You have a sister?” Carolina said in shock. Whatever she had expected, it wasn’t that. “Wait. Was? What happened?”

  Matthew sighed, “She fell in love with a man who used her and didn’t look back.”

  “Oh dear.”

  “She found out she was pregnant some time later and confided in me. She was terrified of letting Grand-father know. But somehow he found it. To protect her reputation, he spread the word that she was traveling to Italy for a few months to study the arts – she loved to paint, you see. She stayed home for the duration of her pregnancy and did not see anyone.” His fingers tightened on the reigns and bitterness and sorrow crept into his voice. “She was frail of health though and the whole situation made her depressed. She died on the child bed. We staged a funeral for her saying that she died in an accident and I pretended that Rosy was my child from some indiscretion. Society is far more forgiving of men.”

  “Oh Matthew, I am so sorry.” It sounded trite, but she didn’t know what else to say. Silently, she leaned back against his chest and put a hand on his forearm in solidarity.

  Matthew didn’t say anything, he just patted her hand - but she understood every word he didn’t say.

  Carolina didn’t see Matthew again after that but she found Rosy staring out a window on the top floor at the horizon beyond. She invited the child to come to her room and she followed. Inside, she gave the ribbons she had bought to the little girl and chuckled when her entire face lit up.

  “Can you put it in my hair for me?” Rosy asked.

  “Sure sweetie, do you want a braid?”

  Rosy nodded and Carolina took her time brushing out her soft but thick blond hair.

  “I really like your hair, Rosy. It’s so nice and thick. I wish my hair was like that.”

  Rosy giggled, “I was thinking that I want hair like yours when I grow up!”

  “No you don’t silly, hair like yours is the best. I bet everyone will be jealous of it.”

  She was happy Rosy seemed to like her. They talked about everything from dolls to horses to shoes and clothes. When she had finished braiding Rosy’s hair, she let the child admire herself in the mirror and she watched.

  Rosy came back over to where she was seated and hugged her. “Thank you Carolina,” she said softly, “I really like it.”

  Carolina smiled gently and promised, “I am glad honey. If you get up early, I will do your hair again before the wedding.”

  Rosy smiled and ran out of the room shouting for Viola.

  “Well,” a cold voice said from behind her, “Aren’t you handy with children?”

  Carolina stiffened, “You! How did you get in here?! Get out of here right now!”

  Williamson stepped out of the closet with a tight smile.

  “I saw you leaving the station in Boston and I followed you here. I don’t give up what’s mine, Carolina, and you are mine.”

  “I am not yours!” she hissed.

  “No, indeed, she is not.” a new voice interjected.

  Carolina whirled around, “Matthew!” She put her hand on her chest to calm her racing heart and stumbled over to where he stood. He took her in his arms and pulled her against him, rubbing her back with a strong, firm hand.

  At the possessive display, Williamsons face mottled. “No!
” he shouted, “She’s mine. Do you hear me? Mine.” He turned to her in rage, “I did not do everything I have done just to lose you to another man again.”

  Matthew protectively pushed Carolina behind him. “Just what have you done Ben?” he asked softly.

  Williamson was not listening to anyone. He seemed lost in his own head, mumbling incoherently.