by Indiana Wake
“I better go.” Grace picked up her carpet bag and strode to the passenger car.
George waved to her, but Cynthia didn’t bother, she was already turning on her heel, impatient to get home. Mercy pressed her handkerchief against her face, and her shoulders shook with sobs. Grace waved back. Then she settled herself in her seat. She clenched her hands together in her lap to stop them from shaking, and she kept her eyes fixed directly in front of her. If she looked right or left, if she looked down at her family disappearing from her life, she would lose her nerve.
She sat stiff and still all the way to Chicago, where she had to change trains. It was a very roundabout journey to get to Chicago. Grace was sure that there must be more direct trains, but Mercy had insisted that this one was the best choice. Eventually she arrived. Her hand ached from clutching her carpet bag, but she hurried out of the car and found the notice board with the connections posted on the station wall. She found her platform and moved toward the passenger car door.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of two young women waiting to board the train. She turned to smile at them and stopped dead in her tracks. She could barely believe her eyes. “Mercy! Emma! What are you doing here?”
Emma laughed, and Mercy laid her hand on Grace’s arm.
“I am sorry to have deceived you. I was never more happy for you than when you decided to become a mail order bride. I only wish I could have said a proper good-bye at the station, but Mother and Papa wouldn’t have understood, and would never have allowed me to accompany you even if I had pleaded with them.”
“Accompany me?” Grace responded, shocked at this new revelation.
Mercy and Emma exchanged glances and smiled. “We convinced our parents that we were so devastated over you leaving that we had to go on vacation for a while. We’re supposed to be visiting Emma’s aunt.”
“What do you mean, you’re supposed to be visiting Emma’s aunt?” Grace protested.
Mercy stood up straight. “We’re going with you, Grace. We’re going to Cheyenne.”
“But....” Grace stammered.
Emma interrupted. “You don’t think we would let you travel across the whole country by yourself to marry a stranger, do you? What if this Jackson Pikes is not being entirely honest in his letters? What if he is like one of the elderly suitors your stepmother picked out? We can’t let that happen. You need a chaperone, and we’re it.”
“I don’t need a chaperone,” Grace shot back. “I’m twenty-four years old, and you two are only nineteen. If anyone needs a chaperone, it’s you.”
“We couldn’t leave on the same train as you,” Mercy went on. “Our parents would never have let us go if they knew the truth.”
“Neither would I,” Grace told them. “I never would have let you leave without your parents’ permission.”
“Grace, Do you honestly think Mother would have allowed us to accompany you to your destination? As much as it pained me to lie, all I could think was to tell them we were going to console ourselves with a short stay with Emma’s aunt Mary,” Mercy told her. “They think we’ll be back home in no more than two weeks. If everything works out between you and Mr. Pikes, we will be. Please, Grace, this is so important to us. We love you, and simply cannot allow you to travel to an unknown future alone. We need to know you are safe, and well taken care of. Mother and Papa will understand once they know how happy you are with your new husband. Besides, the tickets are purchased, and our train will be leaving directly.”
Grace frowned. “This was foolish even for you, Mercy. I ought to send you back to Boston on the next train.”
“You couldn’t send me back,” Mercy replied. “You only have enough money for the fare out to Cheyenne.”
“That’s what you think,” Grace returned. “Papa gave me some extra money when no one was around.”
Mercy and Emma looked at each other again. Then Mercy pressed Grace’s hand. “Don’t send us back, Grace. We went to a lot of trouble to find a good man for you. Let us come with you and see you happily married. Then we’ll go home with no fuss. I promise.”
Grace wagged her finger at her sister. “You better. I’m responsible for both of you now, and I won’t stand any nonsense. Do you hear me?”
Mercy grinned and held Emma’s hand. “I promise we’ll be extra good.”
Mercy had always been impetuous. Such a passionate heart was hard to reign in, and every so often it would burst the seams and run off and do something wild. Grace was used to her sister, and felt like scolding her for her irresponsible ways. Deep down though, she felt relieved that she was not heading West all by herself. With her disfigurement, facing the world was a challenge for her even in familiar surroundings. She had no idea what to expect on arrival in her new home, and doing so with the support of her two best friends would make the fear she was now facing a little more bearable.
The conductor leaned over the rail and yelled, “All aboard!” The three women climbed into the passenger car and rolled away toward Cheyenne.
CHAPTER FOUR
Cheyenne
GRACE STEPPED DOWN from the passenger car and looked around at Cheyenne, Wyoming. For a fraction of a second, her courage faltered. Then she straightened her back and motioned to Mercy and Emma. “Come on. Let’s get our luggage.”
Mercy stepped down next to her and looked around, too. “Oh, heavens!”
“You can’t back down now,” Grace told her. “This whole mail order bride business was your idea. What did you think the Wild West was going to look like?”
Emma studied the wagons and men on horseback passing them on the street. “It’s not as bad as I thought it was going to be. I thought it would be squalid and dirty, but it’s really quite stunning and beautiful when you see it for the first time.”
“Stunning!” Mercy cried. “Beautiful! You call this stunning and beautiful? Look at this place. The street is one solid mass of mud and horse manure. The buildings are falling over, and you can hardly read the signs over the store windows. They’re all faded with the sun and wind. Don’t these people care at all about the town they live in?”
“The sun and wind must be much stronger here than in Boston,” Grace pointed out.
“And look at those mountains over there.” Emma pointed to the towering peaks lining the horizon just beyond the town. “Did you ever see such mountains in your life? And look at the sky. I’ve never seen such a brilliant blue. It rises right up to Heaven. You can almost hear the angels singing when you look up into it.”
“Oh, Emma,” Mercy groaned. “You’ve lost your mind.”
“I agree with Emma,” Grace told her. “Forget the horse manure and the faded signs, and it really is a wonderful place. I’m so glad you convinced me to come out here, Mercy.”
Mercy groaned again. “Let’s go home. Forget all about this mail order marriage. Let’s find you a man in Boston instead.”
Mercy felt responsible for her sister, even though she was the younger of the two. She certainly felt responsible for this ridiculous dream of a Frontier marriage, and feared for her sister’s safety in this wilderness town. What if some ruthless bandit carried her off? She reminded herself to think before acting in future, and silently prayed for God’s protection over them all, and especially for her sister, Grace.
Grace took a firm hold of her carpet bag. “I’ve already been through all the men in Boston, and none of them will marry me. It’s Jackson Pikes or nobody. You arranged this marriage, Mercy, and now I’m going through with it. Now, come on, both of you. We’re getting our luggage, and then we’ll see about finding Mr. Pikes.”
She took one step toward the luggage car when a tall man in a dusty grey hat stepped into their path. He put out his hand. “You must be Grace Oakes. I recognize you from your picture. I’m Jackson Pikes.”
In one glance, Grace took in his rugged boots, tall and sturdy frame, and his blonde hair and blue eyes. She shook his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
; He waved his hand to one side. “If you don’t mind, I have my wagon waiting here. I can take you around to my brother’s church and he can marry us right away.”
“Just a minute, Jackson,” Grace replied. “We have to get our luggage first.”
“We?” Jackson looked around.
“This is my sister, Mercy Oakes,” Grace told him. “She very much wanted to come along and make sure I got happily married.”
Jackson turned toward Emma with his hand out. “And who is this?”
“This is Emma Johnson,” Grace replied. “She’s an old friend of the family.”
Jackson’s eyes lingered on Emma’s face, and he held onto her hand for a long moment. “I’m so glad you came.”
Emma blushed. “We should get the luggage.”
Jackson didn’t let go of her hand. “How do you like Cheyenne so far?”
She stared up into his eyes. “I love it. I especially love the mountains, and I’ve never seen the sky so blue.”
Jackson nodded. “I love it here, too. Just wait until you see my ranch. It’s out in the mountains, away from all this mud and horse manure. It’s surrounded by wide meadows with wildflowers and beautiful forests. I’d love to show you around it. I inherited it from my parents. I’m not rich, but it has the potential to be something great. You should see it.”
“I’d love to,” Emma exclaimed.
Grace cleared her throat. “We really should get our luggage. Then we can get over to the church. After that we can decide what we’re going to do.”
Jackson shook himself out of his reverie and dropped Emma’s hand. “Of course. Show me where your luggage is, and I’ll put it in the wagon.”
Grace picked out her trunks from the stack of luggage sitting on the platform, and Jackson carried all the luggage to his wagon. He gave Grace his hand to help her into the driver’s seat, and Mercy and Emma sat in the back. Jackson steered the wagon around the corner and parked in front of the church. “Here we are.”
The three women alighted, and Jackson held the door open for them. A taller, sturdier version of Jackson met them at the door. He could only be Jackson’s brother. The two men looked exactly alike, except the preacher’s hair was wavy brown instead of blonde and his eyes green instead of blue.
He held out his hand to Grace. “You must be Grace. Jackson has told me so much about you. I’m Thomas Pikes.”
Grace blushed and shook his hand. “I’m honored.”
“I’m the one who is honored,” Thomas returned. “You must be very brave to travel all this way to marry a man you don’t know.”
“I’m not brave,” Grace replied. “I’m grateful to your brother for taking me. As you can see, no other man would want to marry me.”
Thomas waved his hand. “Any man can see past that. I just met you, and I can tell by your eyes you’re a kind and God-fearing woman. Any man would be proud to call you his wife.”
Grace dropped her eyes. “You’re very kind to say so, but your brother is the first man who has shown any interest in marrying me.”
Thomas rubbed his hands together. “In that case, we better get you two married. I know Jackson is anxious to get you home to the ranch before it gets dark. Springtime’s almost here and the planting is about to begin. There’s a lot to do, and he wants to get started on your new life together. If you’ll follow me, I can show you a small room off the vestry where you can change your clothes and get ready. I’ll meet you out here by the altar when you’re ready.”
He started to turn away, but Jackson stopped him. “Hold on a minute.”
Thomas glanced back over his shoulder. “What?”
“Something.....” Jackson hesitated.
Thomas frowned. “What’s wrong? You’re the one who said you wanted to get married right away.”
“I do, but.....” Jackson stopped again. “Can we have a word in private?”
Thomas shook his head and made his apologies to the three ladies. “Come on,” he said curtly to his brother, tugging him into one of the rooms adjoining the vestry.
Once inside Thomas rounded on him. “What are you playing at, Jack? If you have something to say, you better say it now before you’re married.”
Jackson glanced at Emma. “I want to get married, but I don’t want to marry Grace.”
Thomas gasped out loud. “But she just traveled all this way to marry you. You can’t turn her away now.”
“I can’t,” Jackson protested. “I planned to marry her, but I can’t now.”
“Why not?” Thomas growled. “You paid one hundred dollars for her to come out here to marry you. You can’t back out of it now. Don’t you realize what that would do to her? You knew she was scarred!”
“It’s not the scars,” Jackson told his brother. “I don’t care about her looks. It’s just.....” He glanced through the door at Emma.
Thomas tightened his lips, and folded his strong arms across his chest. “I see. You want to marry someone else.”
Jackson turned to face his brother. “I didn’t know she was going to be coming, too. I didn’t believe all that fairy-tale stuff about finding your one true love. And I never meant to hurt Grace. But now that I’ve seen Emma, I don’t think I can marry anyone else.”
Thomas shook his head in disbelief, his heart pained at his brother’s selfishness. “I should demand that you do the right thing by that lovely young lady, Jack, and you know it’s so too! However, I will not allow some poor innocent girl to be married under false pretences. Let us speak to them, explain that you feel it better to spend some time to get to know your future bride before expecting her to commit to a life together, and that you would like to invite them to stay for two weeks so that you can get to know each other before making things official here at the altar.”
A red faced Jackson sheepishly agreed.
Thomas stepped back into the church and addressed the bewildered young ladies. Jackson hid behind his brother’s manly frame, with his hands held in front of him and his eyes on the floor.
Thomas began to apologize in the least offensive way possible for his younger brother’s cold feet.
Mercy immediately protested. “How could you!” She shot a glance at the embarrassed Jackson.
Grace put out her hand to her sister. “Don’t worry about it, Mercy. I knew something like this would happen. I knew Mr. Pikes would change his mind when he saw me in person.”
“It’s not you,” Jackson told her. “I don’t care about your looks. It’s just.....” He glanced over at Emma.
Thomas stepped in to try and diffuse the alarming situation he was now faced with.
“You have to marry Grace!” Mercy insisted. “You entered into a binding contract with her when you sent her the money. She traveled all this way on your good word. You can’t send her back now.” Tears welled in her fiery eyes.
Jackson shook his head defensively. “I never entered into any contract with anybody. I’m not married to anybody until I say I do, until death do we part. I can’t marry her. I wouldn’t be doing her or myself any favors if I did. I think it important that two people get to know each other before they make such a life changing commitment. Don’t you think so, Emma?” Looking across at her as he mentioned her name.
Emma looked back and forth between Jackson and Grace. She was quite uncertain what was taking place, and simply nodded.
“I just met Grace at the train station for the first time, and her chaperones,” Jackson pointed out. “How can we ever know that we could truly love one another if we have never had even so much as a conversation? I cannot marry Grace. What if God designed for me to marry another?”
By now, Grace was beginning to cry, and Mercy was balling her fist ready to punch turncoat Jackson in the nose.
Thomas flew at his brother and seized him by the shirt collar. “Don’t you dare break the heart of a poor, innocent girl like this. Didn’t our parents raise you any better than that? Don’t you have any dignity at all?”
Jackson didn�
��t blink. “It’s because I have my dignity that I know I can’t marry Grace. I can’t marry anyone but Emma.”
Emma gasped. The atmosphere was strained and Thomas was trying his hardest to regain his composure after his sudden outburst. True to her name, it was Grace who diffused the tension.
Grace touched Thomas on the arm. “Let him go, Thomas. It’s all right. I expected something like this. Let Jackson marry whom he wants to. I’ll be happy for her if he does.”
Thomas dropped Jackson’s shirt collar, but the next instant, Mercy rushed at him and pounded his chest with her fists. “I’ll get you for this. I’ll get you for this if it’s the last thing I do. You’ll never marry Emma, not as long as I have anything to say about it. I’ll see you dragged out of town before you do.”
She turned on Emma next. “This is all your fault. I saw you making eyes at him at the train station. What were you thinking, trying to steal my sister’s husband? All this time, I thought you were my friend, when you were really...” Her word trailed off amidst her tears.
Grace laid her hand on her sister’s shoulder. “Don’t take on so, Mercy. I don’t want to marry a man who’s in love with another woman. If Emma wants to marry him, she can. She just has to get her parents’ permission first.”
“Jackson won’t be marrying Emma at all,” Thomas put in, “not in my church, anyway.”
Jackson stiffened. “You can’t do this.”
“I can, and I am,” Thomas replied. “I’ll decide who’s getting married and who isn’t. You made a promise to this woman. You’re not backing out on it now, not while I’m around.”
Jackson stiffened. “Now you listen here….”
Thomas drew himself up to his full height. His eyes blazed at his brother. “No, you listen to me. You created this situation. You can't expect these ladies to fall into your arms, just because you decided you're in love with one of them. And you can't put them to any greater convenience than you already have.”
