[2016] A Widow's Love

by Christian Michael

  But it can be promised that, in all of the years Ida and Asher Blaine would live, that Christmas wouldn’t be forgotten. It didn’t look perfect, but it felt just as it should, as though all was right. As though it were, well, Christmas.

  And, after all, what really makes it Christmas?

  *****

  THE END.

  The Christmas Bride

  Mail Order Bride

  CHRISTIAN MICHAEL

  Hoboken, New Jersey 1890

  Kayla Anderson sat in her parent’s home looking at all the empty rooms where her memories were stored. Tears welled in her eyes and spilled past her lashes as she wept for the life that had been uselessly ripped from her hands. Two weeks ago she’d been happy, the well-loved child of doting parents. Now she was parentless and heartbroken, her only thread of hope, an advertisement for a mail-order bride.

  She scoffed at the idea. Just barely eighteen she couldn’t imagine being someone’s wife, but what other choice did she have? She’d spent every penny she’d had burying her parents. The advertisement said the man would pay her travel expenses and for a hotel when she arrived before any permanent decisions were made. The promise of security, even if the arrangement didn’t work out, was enough to have her sending the man a wire to see if he still needed a bride.

  Stopping by the post office, Kayla sent the wire, with a special request to hurry the reply. She had two more days and her parent’s house would be rented to a couple who’d just moved to the area. Sighing, Kayla headed for the grocery store. She had ten dollars left to her name to make the next two days livable. She returned home with some bread and peanut butter. It’d go the furthest in feeding her for the next few days as Kayla clung to the hope that her answers lay in Texas.

  ***

  Curt Langley breathed in the smell of fresh coffee as he sat on his porch. He watched the pretty purples and pinks of the sunrise spread over the horizon and wondered how anyone could question the existence of God. Just looking at his ranch, spread out across the plains of Texas, he could see the obvious fingerprints of a loving creator.

  It’d been a week since he’d posted an ad in all the East Coast newspapers. Desperate for a friend and someone to take care of him, Curt had decided that placing an ad for a mail-order bride was the quickest way to find someone to fill the position he had open. Being a fairly new state, Texas had nearly ten men for every woman. While he wasn’t looking for a wife, it was easier said than done to find a woman who’d stay on his ranch and cook and clean for him. Tired of eating hard tack and biscuits, Curt had put an ad in the papers back east for a woman who could cook and clean to come to his town.

  He’d thought about specifying an age, but wasn’t sure that was the best way to find capable candidates. He was so desperate he figured the more women who applied the better.

  “Senor Langley!” Curt’s foreman Tomas said, holding up a yellow slip of paper. “The post office man bring this by senor.”

  “Thank you Tomas,” Curt said, taking the paper. Convinced his workers should speak, write and read English, he never spoke to them in their native language, even though he knew it fluently. Looking down at his notice, it seemed a woman was more than willing to come to Texas and asked that he rush his reply if he was still in the market for a wife. Grinning, Curt had Tomas saddle his horse.

  “I need to go take care of this,” he told him. “I’ll be back as soon as it’s done.”

  “Yes sir,” Tomas said with a shake of his head.

  Curt wheeled his stallion around and took off for town. Forty minutes later he sat in the post office awaiting a wire answer from Miss Anderson. He mulled her name over in his mind. Kayla Anderson. He wondered how her parents had chosen her name. Was it just one they heard and liked or did it have a more sentimental tone to it than that. He’d wired enough funds to more than pay for her travel. He hoped she’d answer quickly. Once he knew for sure that she would come, he’d head over to Rose McClaire’s boarding house and rent a room for the month. That should be ample enough time for both Miss Anderson and himself to decide whether or not their arrangement would work out.

  ***

  Kayla had awoken for the first time in two weeks with a clear mind. She wouldn’t call it hope really, but there was a certain amount of anticipation in her step as she headed for the post office. She stepped through the door, thankful to be out of the chilly October air.

  “Hi Charlie,” she said, greeting the clerk who was on duty. “I don’t suppose there’s been an answer to my wire?”

  “Actually, I just received a wire answer and a transfer of nearly five hundred dollars. To be given to you should you read the answer and agree.”

  Kayla didn’t want to show her surprise, but it wasn’t an easy thing to hide. “May I have the wire first please?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Charlie said, handing over the common yellow paper.

  Dear Miss Anderson Stop Thank you very much for answering my ad Stop So far you’re the first woman to do so Stop I suppose this is because of its unusual nature Stop I hope this letter finds you well and that you still plan to come to Texas Stop If so, please find enclosed a sum of five hundred U.S. Dollars Stop Come with all haste Stop I will be ready when you get here Stop Please send reply of confirmation or declination Stop Truly Yours, Curt Leopold Langley Lubbock Texas Stop

  “Charlie, will you please send this in reply to Mr. Curt Langley,” Kayla said. “Dear Mr. Langley Stop I gladly accept your invitation to come to Texas Stop I greatly appreciate your paying my passage Stop Please expect me within the week as I plan to leave this very afternoon Stop I’m hopeful this arrangement will benefit us both Stop Kindly Yours, Kayla Anderson Stop”

  “Sure will ma’am,” Charlie smiled. “Although it’ll cost quite a sum to send that much wordage.”

  “That’s fine,” Kayla smiled. “Please deduct it from the sum Mr. Langley sent.” After waiting for the message to be sent, Kayla took the leftover funds and headed for the train depot.

  “May I help you Miss?”

  “Yes, sir. I’d like a one way ticket to Lubbock, Texas.”

  “Are you traveling alone ma’am?” the depot master asked, obviously concerned.

  “Technically yes, but I’ll have plenty of company on the train.”

  “Oh, I don’t doubt that ma’am. You just be sure to find a nice woman or couple to travel with most of the way you hear?”

  “The Lord will carry me through and guide me where I need to be, when I need to be there.”

  “Well good luck to you ma’am,” the depot master smiled as he handed Kayla her ticket.

  “Thank you.”

  ***

  Curt waited anxiously the following Saturday as the hour drew near for Kayla’s train to come in. She’d sent a reply within minutes a week ago to tell him she’d be on the next train. Now he was pacing up and down the boardwalk, awaiting a woman he’d never even seen. He just hoped she could cook and clean.

  The train whistle blew and Curt looked down the tracks to see the huge steam engine leading the passenger cars, one of which carried Kayla Lynette Anderson. He’d wondered about her ever since he’d gotten her response to his ad. He’d inquired about her travel arrangements but hadn’t expected the surprise of her traveling alone. It wasn’t entirely unheard of, but it was an odd and extremely concerning path, especially when he’d sent for her personally.

  The train came to a stop and passengers filed off in droves. It seemed more and more people every day were coming to stake their claims on the land of Texas. It was sort of nice knowing a woman would be coming to his home. He waited patiently for everyone to clear out, figuring he’d know the woman he was looking for when she was the only one left there.

  As the massive crowd began to thin, Curt caught site of a woman who mesmerized him and took his breath away. The mixture of her platinum blonde hair and pretty blue eyes enchanted him. He thought about asking her what her name was, but he knew it’d be rude to the woman he was actually waiting
for. As the crowd thinned even more however, Curt realized that this stunningly beautiful woman had yet to meet anyone who might be waiting for her.

  “Ma’am, might you be Miss Kayla Anderson?”

  “I am,” the beautiful woman smiled. Curt knew that if she’d taken his breath away earlier, he’d be completely tongue-tied if he spent too much time thinking about her and her future at his home. “I take it you’re Mr. Langley?”

  “I am,” Curt said, extending his hand. He shook Kayla’s hand, picked up all of her belongings and seeing what else needed to be toted to his carriage. “Please call me Curt. I hope you don’t mind not having some of the modern conveniences.”

  “It’s not a problem,” Kayla reassured him. “I’ve cooked on everything from a fire outside to a hearth fire to a wood stove. Whatever you might have I’ll make do with.”

  Curt couldn’t believe that the woman talking to him would be cooking and cleaning for him. If he were going on looks alone, he might rethink getting married. Still, she was here and he’d promised to put her up until she decided if this arrangement would work for her.

  “May I take your bag?”

  “Yes please. Thank you.”

  “You’re most welcome,” Curt smiled. “Do you have a trunk as well?”

  “I don’t. I didn’t want to spend too much of the funds you sent so I only brought my satchel.”

  “Alright,” Curt said. “We’ll get you settled and then we can go to the café, if you’d like, and discuss our arrangement.”

  “Okay,” Kayla agreed.

  ***

  She’d never have imagined that Curt Langley would be so handsome. The contrast between his dark, curly hair and his beautiful and bright blue eyes was shocking to say the least. She imagined plenty of women stopped and stared at him. She wondered, not for the first time, why he hadn’t been able to find a wife here in his hometown. Then she stepped into the street and realized that the number of available women was scarce, to say the least.

  “I must admit Mr., er Curt, I at first found your ad a bit odd.”

  “I don’t doubt it,” he laughed. He helped her up into the wagon and saw her settled before sitting down next to her. “It took quite a lot of thought before I was ready to send it. As you can see though, the number of women I could choose from is slim to none.”

  “I do see,” Kayla said, nodding in agreement. “So where will I be staying?”

  “I’ve reserved a room for you for the next month at Rose McClaire’s boarding house. It includes your room and two meals a day. I took the liberty of presuming you’d perhaps eat lunch or supper at the ranch during the day.”

  “I’d like that,” Kayla smiled. “Thank you.”

  “It was my pleasure Miss Anderson.”

  “Please, if I am to call you Curt, you must call me Kayla.”

  “Alright Kayla,” he said, his eyes all but burning her with their directness. Still, she liked the way her name rolled off his tongue. So far he’d been nothing but a gentleman and Kayla found herself comfortable in the presence of Curt Langley.

  They checked her into the boardinghouse and Kayla was thankful that Curt waited while she was given the tour. “Obviously men are not allowed up to your room and will only be allowed to visit from nine in the morning until four in the afternoon during the weekend and on Saturday. Sundays the visiting is from noon until four.

  “Breakfast is at eight AM sharp, lunch at one PM and dinner promptly at six PM. If you’re going to be late I will hold a meal for you if given proper notice. If you’re not going to attend at all I’d greatly appreciate advanced notice as I cook for all my guests.

  “Mr. Langley has paid for your stay for the next month. Should you need to stay longer than that the cost is fifty cents a day, which includes your meals.”

  “Thank you Ms. McClaire,” Kayla said, adding a smile.

  “You’re welcome dear. Please, call me Katie and don’t worry about lunch today. I have it on good authority that Curt will be taking you out for the noon meal.”

  “Do you know much about him?”

  “Only that if I were fifteen years younger I’d give you a run for your money. Truthfully he’s quite a mystery. He’s quiet most of the time and likes to keep to himself. That I know of he’s quite well off, but doesn’t flaunt it like so many easterners like to do when they come here. He’s a regular at church so my guess is his faith is important to him and he’s one of the kindest men our town has. If I were you I’d make my soul searching quick before another woman came along to snatch him up.”

  Kayla didn’t know what to say to that. She liked Curt Langley, but she wasn’t at all sure that this arrangement would be about anything other than securing her future for now. Desperation had made her answer his ad and while he was certainly good looking and a gentleman; that didn’t mean she was ready to call it love, not even close.

  Kayla deposited her satchel in her room, freshened up a bit and met Curt downstairs about ten minutes later.

  “How are the accommodations? I’ve heard Katie McClaire runs a tight ship.”

  “They’re nice. The rooms seem clean and Katie is nice.”

  “Good,” Curt smiled. “I’d hate to imagine you hating being here.”

  “On the contrary Curt, I’m increasingly glad I came.”

  “Excellent,” he agreed. “Now, how about some pie and coffee?”

  “I’d love some.”

  ***

  They were seated quickly and ordered two slices of apple pie and coffee. “How do you take yours?”

  “With cream and sugar. My mom used to say that I got it from her, but as I grew older I realized that my dad did pretty well with the cream and sugar as well.”

  “She used to say that?” Curt asked, his eyes already full of sympathy.

  “My parents were killed in an accident three weeks ago. Forgive me for saying so, but answering your ad was an act of desperation. The only money I had left went toward burial costs and I had nothing left.”

  “I’m so sorry Kayla,” Curt said. What else could he say? His parents were still alive and kicking. He could say he knew how she felt, but he was beyond sorry that she’d lost both her parents in one day, especially at such a young age. She couldn’t be more than twenty. “May I ask how old you are?”

  “I’m eighteen. We celebrated my birthday just a month before they passed.” For eighteen Kayla seemed so much more mature than other women he’d had conversations with since taking over his parent’s ranch.

  “Happy belated birthday Kayla,” Curt said. “Can you tell me what you hope happens from here?”

  “Well, your ad said that you were looking for a mail order bride so I guess I’d hope that we would move in that direction. I know God’s leading is extremely important. I’m just having trouble figuring out what that will is at the moment.”

  “When I was much younger, my little brother was climbing a tree that I had convinced him he could climb. He fell and hit his head. He had a broken arm and several cracked ribs as well. By the time the doctor could make it out to our house, my brother was unconscious. He passed away two days later. The doctor said the hit to his head had been too severe to manage properly.”

  “Oh Curt,” Kayla sighed. Curt felt her hand squeeze his, her pretty grass green eyes welling with tears. “I’m sorry about your brother.”

  “Me too,” he said, his own voice shaky. “I carried the guilt around for a long, long time. One day something happened at the ranch that I couldn’t prevent and God used that incident to show me that even though I had encouraged my brother to climb the tree; it wasn’t my fault that he fell out of it. It still took me a while, but I was able to finally forgive myself.”

  “I’m glad,” Kayla said. She smiled and made Curt smile in return. Already she was effecting him. Her smiled and positive attitude were infectious. He found that he liked it. They spent time talking more about the arrangement and their individual lives. It wasn’t until Curt told Kayla his idea of the
ir arrangement that things ground to a halt. “So you’re saying that you don’t intend to make this a permanent thing? You just had me come out here to cook and clean for you?”

  “When you say it like that it doesn’t sound as nice as I’d originally thought.” Curt didn’t know what to do now. She didn’t seem happy about the terms of the arrangement now that he’d told her he wasn’t interested in marriage. “I just…I didn’t know how to ask a woman to come all the way out here to be my maid. It sounded better to say that I needed a mail-order bride.”

  “It would have been more honest.” He couldn’t refute that point. Forgive me Lord. Kayla has a valid point; I should have been honest about my real intentions.

  “I can’t take back what’s happened Kayla, but I’m more than willing to make it worth your while to stay.”

  “Then we should change this conversation to an interview. I learned to cook at my mother’s side. This is the first time I’ve eaten at a restaurant in ten years probably. I also learned to clean at her side. I can clean your laundry, dishes, mop your floors and anything else you need done. I’m also an average seamstress, should you need anything mended or made.”

  Curt could tell by the tone of her voice that she wasn’t happy about the sudden turn of events. He couldn’t really blame her. She’d spent a week expecting to meet a man she hoped to marry. He was dashing her dreams before she’d ever really made them. “I’ll need you five days a week and you’ll have Saturdays and Sundays off. You’ll work from ten AM until three PM with plenty of time for lunch, which will be provided for you.”

  “Alright,” Kayla said, that new demeanor still in place. “Well this has been a great business meeting, but I need to be going. I have to get settled before I start work in the morning.”

  “Don’t you want to see the ranch?” Curt asked.

  “There’s no need. I can see it in the morning and it’ll save us both time. Have a good day Mr. Langley.”

  She stuck her hand over the table and dismayed, Curt shook it. “Have a good day as well Miss Anderson.”