Did the other men who paid for the mail order bride service have these difficulties? He wondered how well they and their new wives adjusted to living together.
A soft thump occurred when two of the potatoes landed in the basket on the edge of the plot. Rosalie had succeeded in unearthing them. She gripped the pitch fork in both hands and gave it a good jab into the hard soil. Isaac hid a smile when he saw her bonnet fall back from her head. Her black hair was slightly mussed from the bonnet, but in a playful and inviting way. The strands of her hair curled and twisted around her delicate face. God blessed him with a beauty for a wife. How long, though, would she remain with him?
I don’t understand, Lord. I trusted You, always believing You would provide me with a family one day. Why can’t Rosalie and I seem to make this work? He yanked four potatoes from the ground and added them to the basket. His father, though born a slave, had always told him that God sees all the hard work and efforts His children make. Couldn’t God see that he was doing all he could to make his wife feel honored and respected? What more could be done?
Isaac aimed another potato at the basket, but halted from throwing it. He noticed Rosalie’s blue and red calico dress. Though the fabric was slightly heavy, it was too thin for the winters in Wyoming. If his wife insisted on helping him with the chores outside, she was going to need better clothes. Maybe he wasn’t making her feel at home as well as he originally thought. An idea came to him. He tossed the spade in the dirt.
The noise made Rosalie eye him with inquisitiveness. “Is something wrong?”
“I promised you a new set of dishes for the kitchen when you first came here. I’m going to make a trip into town next month before Christmas to get supplies. I figure you might want to do a little shopping. That is, if you’d like to come with me.” He waited eagerly for her reply.
Rosalie stuck the pitch fork in the ground and rested against it. “I guess I would like to see more of Angel Vale. When I was there last time, I noticed the little eatery was busy. I wonder what baked goods they’ll have for the Christmas season.”
Her mild curiosity about the restaurant was more than enough encouragement for Isaac. “It’s settled, then. In December, we’ll go to the eatery after we visit the mercantile for supplies.”
Rosalie smiled before she lifted the pitch fork and resumed her task. “I look forward to it.”
So did he. Maybe the trip would be just the thing to cheer Rosalie. She’d have a chance to leave the homestead for a little while and be able to purchase things to make their home more comfortable. It was a start, at least.
Isaac hoped the start would be enough. The Christmas deadline signaling the marriage annulment loomed over him like a dark cloud ready to swallow him whole.
***
December, 1877
Rosalie tied her scarf to prevent the cold wind from creeping down the back of her neck. She waited in the wagon for Isaac to finish loading a few extra blankets in case the weather turned even colder on the way to Angel Vale. Today was the day she and Isaac were to go into town for supplies. The morning greeted them with a frosty layer upon the ground, a deep chill in the air, and lackluster gray skies. There was no mistaking winter would arrive soon.
So would Christmas. In six days, the deadline would be reached and her marriage to Isaac would be on grounds for annulment. Sadness and a sense of failure hovered over Rosalie. Her husband was a good and honest man. It wasn’t his fault she couldn’t adjust to living on the plains. Although he didn’t describe in entirety the rigorous routine of homesteading, he never deceived her by his letters into thinking a life with him would be filled with ease.
Nor was it because Rosalie expected to be pampered. Working to support oneself was second nature to her. The reason came from more personal circumstances. She missed Aunt Naomi and life back east. It was as though it all had been wrenched away from her, through no fault of her own.
Isaac finished putting blankets in the back of the wagon. He climbed onto the bench beside Rosalie, handing her a blanket to drape across her knees. “The frost made the ground hard, but there’s no deeply-packed ice yet. We should make it to town without problems.”
Rosalie spread the blanket over her legs. “Isaac, perhaps it’s not a good idea to buy dishes from the mercantile today.”
He wrinkled his brow, puzzled by her comment. “Why not? They’re part of the items we need to get.”
She folded her hands together beneath the blanket. How should she put this? “Yes, but you don’t have to get them only on my account. The same with winter clothing for me. I…”
“What is it you want to say, Rosalie?” He held the reins poised in his hands, unwilling to make the horses pull the wagon until she finished her sentence.
She stopped fidgeting and looked him straight in the eyes. He deserved to be addressed with respect even if she couldn’t give him anything more in their marriage. “I may not need the clothing for much longer.”
He turned his gaze away from her slowly. She caught a fleeting look in his eyes before he faced forward. The brightness within them dimmed. “I think I understand.” His voice lost its initial enthusiasm about taking a trip to town.
Rosalie shut her eyes. How bumbling she was, unable to communicate without disheartening him. But their marriage was about to end. No person with good sense could take the subject lightly without their feelings being hurt. “I don’t have to go to town with you. I could stay here.”
“Tim’s already in the pasture looking on the cattle. I want you to come with me. Even if we don’t make it past Christmas, I’ll at least have this time with you to remember.”
Rosalie felt the tears well in her eyes. She moved her head to the side so he wouldn’t see them. She hated doing this to him. It wasn’t on purpose. She just couldn’t find it within herself to be dishonest and stay married to a man she’d come to respect, but didn’t yet love.
Isaac started the horses for town. Rosalie rode with him, their silence pregnant with unspoken questions and weighty tension. It was the quietest wagon ride Rosalie had ever taken, with only the brisk and cold wind to laugh at them behind their backs.
***
They reached Angel Vale before noon. Little had changed since Rosalie first arrived in the town. It was still filled with mostly men, and no new buildings cropped up along Main Street. However, several of the shops and offices contained a simple wreath signifying that the Christmas season had arrived.
Isaac paid for the wagon to be kept at the livery until they finished shopping. Rosalie accompanied him to the mercantile. On arrival, she found the store contained brimming shelves of new goods for necessity and for pure enjoyment. Dime novel adventure stories, periodicals, and children’s toys shared space with men’s ready-to-wear shirts, ladies boots, and woolen mittens.
She considered whether to purchase an item in the mercantile for Isaac to go with the scarf she was knitting for him. Or would a Christmas gift be in poor taste, given that she would soon no longer be married to him? Guilt came to settle on her shoulders.
Another weight found its way there. Isaac’s hand. She raised her eyes to view his quiet smile. “Thank you for coming with me to town.”
Rosalie nodded, pressing her lips together. This didn’t feel appropriate, accompanying him to Angel Vale and shopping at the mercantile as though they planned to spend this Christmas and the ones forever after together. She wished she had stood her ground by remaining at the homestead, but after seeing the look in Isaac’s eyes as he explained why he wanted her to come with him, how could she refuse him? God, guide me. No matter what she did, it felt like it was the wrong decision.
Isaac went and conversed with Jake behind the counter. Jake pointed towards the bolts of heavy wool and calico fabric on the right wall. Isaac returned to Rosalie. “The mercantile has a new shipment of winter fabric in. You can choose a few bolts to make dresses.” Before she could protest, he added, “I want you to choose from the fabrics. I insist you have warm clothes t
his winter regardless.”
He didn’t need to complete his statement for her to understand what regardless meant. Rosalie viewed the prices of the fabrics and chose the two that were least expensive. She didn’t want Isaac spending all of his money on her when their marriage wasn’t going to last the end of the month. It didn’t feel right. It wasn’t right.
Rosalie, in the past three months, had considered the possibilities of not returning to Maine immediately should her marriage to Isaac come to an end. Seeing as how she no longer had family or reliable work prospects in her former town, traveling back east wasn’t a sure bet. If she opted to find employment in Angel Vale, she could stay at the boarding house for a little while. That would do, at least until she earned enough money to repay Isaac for her keep and the service fees for the mail order bride service. Then she could figure out her next course of action.
For the moment, she desired to inquire about work in town. Maybe one of the stores or offices needed someone to assist with record-keeping or merely keeping the establishment clean. She tapped Isaac on the shoulder while he was debating between two new shovels. “I’d like to look around other businesses in town. I can meet you here or at the eatery in an hour.”
Isaac squinted as he considered her suggestion. “If you’d like to shop alone, I guess it’s alright. Just don’t leave Main Street. There are several places near town unsuited for a lady.”
Rosalie promised to stay in the heart of town. She left the mercantile, steeled herself with a good strong breath, and went up the street to start inquiring about employment. Her first stop was the newspaper office.
“Sorry, ma’am, we don’t have any work available for the moment,” the proprietor of the newspaper office told her. “We’re a small town, you see. The paper doesn’t go out daily.”
Rosalie thanked him and tried the jewelry store next. She got the same response. No additional employees needed. She passed by the legal claims office without even seeing if the door was open. She couldn’t ask for work in the very building where Mr. Reynolds married her and Isaac. Mr. Reynolds and his sweet wife would undoubtedly wonder why she was seeking work. Rosalie didn’t want to have that conversation with them. She moved on to see what other places she could inquire within.
Save for the sheriff’s building, where she highly doubted she would be of much use there, the town restaurant was all that was left on Main Street. Before she opened the door to the establishment, she could smell the scent of roasting chicken and savory herb gravy coming from inside. Here goes. Her hand closed on the door handle to the eatery.
The restaurant entertained a good number of people this afternoon. There were more men than women, as usual. As a matter of fact, Rosalie only saw one other woman, and she was towards the back of the establishment in the kitchen, cooking. The restaurant patrons sat up front, talking and eating.
“Pardon me,” Rosalie spoke to the patron nearest to the door. “I’d like to speak to the owner. Do you know where I might find him?”
“That’d be Benjamin. He’s over there.” The man jabbed a thumb over his shoulder to indicate another man who stood near the kitchen, reading from a list of orders.
Rosalie approached the restaurant owner and asked if he was hiring. Not for the moment. She left the building. Her only other option was the boarding house. Maybe Mrs. Phelps was still keeping it open for travelers. She could always ask the matron if she needed help with housekeeping.
“Miss Chalmers. I mean, Mrs. Baker.” A man called to her from the restaurant.
Rosalie assumed she had heard the voice before, but where? She looked behind her and saw Wyatt Lester, one of the miners Isaac formerly worked alongside. “Yes, Mr. Lester?”
“Wyatt’ll do.” He shifted his long mouth into a parody of a smile. “I couldn’t help but overhear you were lookin’ for work. Hope you and Isaac aren’t havin’ money troubles this early on.”
She kept her hands to her sides, resisting the urge to wring them in a show of nervousness. This man knew Isaac. She didn’t want to divulge any of her business to him and create gossip. Something didn’t sit right with her about Wyatt. Even on the day she met him, she got a vague unsettling feeling. She wondered why. He was polite for the most part. He appeared somewhat roughened in his exterior, though most of the men in Angel Vale had a rugged look. “I’m seeking extra work because I like to stay busy.” She provided him with an answer. “It keeps the wits sharp.”
“No doubt it does. You seem like a pretty sharp woman.” His gaze licked over her from head to toe. “What kind of work you lookin’ to do?”
“I have experience as a ladies maid. I also can do housekeeping and cooking. My sewing skills aren’t anything extraordinary to speak of, but I can fashion simple garments and mend.”
“Well, sounds like you have good skills to offer for a trade. I think I might know of a business where they could use a talented and smart woman like you. We have to walk there. It’s not in any of these buildings.”
Rosalie remembered Isaac’s caution about leaving the area. “Is this business reputable? I was told there were several places near town unsuited for ladies.”
Wyatt gave her another smile for reassurance, though it didn’t help her feel at ease. “The place I’m taking you is just off of Main Street. We can be there in a few minutes.”
Rosalie regarded him with trepidation. Was she overreacting? It was broad daylight. Other people were walking about the town, and if the place of business Wyatt referred to was indeed near Main Street, she wouldn’t be far from Isaac. She could make it back in time to meet him for a meal. “Alright, Mr. Lester—”
“Call me Wyatt.”
“Wyatt. I’ll go with you to see this place of business, but I have to meet my husband here in half an hour. I can’t delay.”
“Not to worry, Rosalie.” He called her by her first name without her permission. “I’ll make sure you’re introduced properly in the establishment where I’m taking you. I’ll do it fast and easy. You leave it all to me.”
Chapter 6
Isaac paid for his purchases at the counter. Besides the basic necessities of flour, sugar, and coffee, he spent extra on a present for Rosalie. It was a ladies grooming set of comb, hairbrush, and hand mirror. As the three items were being wrapped with care, Isaac imagined presenting them to his wife on Christmas morning.
At night he often watched her take down her hair and prepare for bed. Her slim fingers would expertly guide the comb through and gently undo any tangles before she wove her midnight strands into a braid. He would observe her calm repose and try to guess what she was thinking. The sight of her was more than enough to stir his heart. Many times he battled the desire to gently take the comb from her hands and undo the braid so her hair would spill over the top of her white nightgown. He wanted to draw her to him, but of course, he knew she would not allow it.
Isaac slipped his billfold into his pocket after paying Jake for the items. How could he show Rosalie he cared deeply for her, that he had fallen in love with her? Did any of it matter? Christmas would be here before he knew it. What should have been a time for celebrating the miracle of Jesus’ birth with family and friends threatened to be a sad and lonely holiday.
He glanced over the shoulder of a man who looked at a pocketwatch. Almost an hour went by since Rosalie left the mercantile. Time flew by without Isaac noticing. “Would you mind holding my items for me until I come back?” he asked Jake. “I need to find my wife.”
Isaac left the mercantile to see where Rosalie went in the town. He swiveled his neck to look up and down Main Street. They agreed to meet at the restaurant. She could already be there waiting for him. He set foot in that direction.
The restaurant was filled with hungry patrons. Isaac heard people talking in the mercantile about the new cook Henrietta and her menu of favorites such as biscuits, eggs, grits, and gravy. Given the restaurant’s bland food prior to her arrival, he guessed she was the reason for the increased clientele.
> Isaac surveyed the restaurant for his wife. No Rosalie. Could she be seated towards the back or talking to someone in the kitchen?
“You looking for your wife, Isaac?”
Isaac lowered his eyes to see he was being addressed by Johnson O’Malley, an old miner who was one of the first men in the area before the town of Angel Vale came into existence. The man made a hearty sum digging for gold, enough to settle down in a life of ease, but ambition kept him returning to the mines. O’Malley was seated at a two-man table. The miner rested his scuffed and frayed-sole boots on the chair across from him.
“I am looking for my wife,” said Isaac. “Have you seen her?”
“She left here not too long ago with Wyatt Lester.”
Isaac felt as though he sustained a hard punch to the chest. He couldn’t believe what he heard. “She left with Wyatt? Did they say where they were going?”
The old miner shook his head of white hair, streaked with dirt and grease. “Didn’t hear ‘em talking while they stood outside the door. I couldn’t tell you where exactly they were going, but they headed that way.” He pointed a scarred index finger to the north of Main Street.
The tent city. Isaac was familiar with the community outside of Angel Vale all too well. It was home to drifters, miners’ camps, and the more destitute of the residents. He had stayed there before he had enough money to afford permanent lodging. After the first initial gold rush, the area had since fallen into disrepute, becoming a den for thieves, swindlers, and a handful of so-called laundresses who offered men more than just a freshly-washed shirt.
Anger filled him. He knew why Wyatt took Rosalie there. The only question remaining was, why did she willingly go with him?
Isaac didn’t waste more minutes speculating. He had to find his wife before something dreadful happened. He tore from the restaurant and sprinted in the direction of the tent city.
***
Rosalie didn’t like the looks or the smell of the place Wyatt took her. Upon view of the seedy hovels, she knew she ventured too far from the heart of Angel Vale.
Christmas Mail Order Angels: The complete 11 Volume Set Page 26
