Annie's Chance (Mail-Order Brides Of Prairie Meadow 3)

by Maggie McCloud

  “Let’s leave it in God’s hands, Annie. I know He’s watching out for you,” said Emily reaching out to squeeze Annie’s hand.

  As Emily requested, the next day Henry ‘accidentally’ left some of the scythes they were using to cut the wheat, next to the barn at Jed’s place.

  “Darn, I must have put those things on the ground and forgot to load them into your wagons, Jed,” said Henry. “Can you ride back and get them? I’ve got to check on my crew.”

  “Sure,” replied Jed. “It’ll give me a chance to grab some extra rope while I’m there.”

  Jed was surprised at Henry. It wasn’t like him to be so absentminded, but he figured Henry had a lot on his mind what with Emily being pregnant and all. As Jed drove a wagon back to his farm, he let himself imagine what it would be like to be in Henry’s shoes. Since Annie had come on the scene, he’d done a lot of daydreaming and questioning his decision to sell up and move on.

  He sighed, ‘What should I do, Pa? I sure messed up. Not that she’d want anything to do with me after the way I acted when she got here. But I sure wish I could change things.’

  Meanwhile, Annie was on her way over to Jed’s place. Emily had sent her over early to bring the food and a couple of tools that Henry had ‘accidentally’ forgotten at home when he’d left that morning.

  Annie too was deep in thought. She was very concerned about her future. A single woman in a small town didn’t have a lot of choices. Of course she was sure that Mrs. Gregson could discreetly put out the word that Annie was looking to marry and settle in Prairie Siding. But the idea of starting all over to look for a husband was not appealing. Besides, as she’d gotten to know Jed, she had grown to like him a lot.

  ‘If only things had worked out differently. I know I could be happy with Mr. Nickels. But he’s set on the idea of moving away and I don’t think anything or anybody is going to change his mind.’

  As Annie came over the last rise leading to Jed’s farm, she was surprised to see him climbing down from a wagon. Jed was equally surprised to see Annie.

  When she pulled up, he took off his hat and asked, “What brings you here so early, Miss Sampson?”

  “Why, Emily asked me to bring some tools that Henry had forgotten at home. I assumed I’d find him here or would have met him on the way over.”

  “No, he’s not here. Henry asked me to come back to pick up some scythes he’d left over by the barn.”

  As Annie made a move to climb down, Jed came over and said, “Here, let me help you.”

  Annie took his hand and jumped down. “Thank you Mr. Nickels.”

  The two stood around awkwardly for a minute.

  Finally, Annie asked, “Are you thinking what I’m thinking, Mr. Nickels?”

  “Yup, I think we’ve been set up, Miss Sampson,” Jed replied with a laugh.

  “Well as long as you’re here, would you like a slice of apple cake before you go back?” asked Annie.

  “That sounds good, Miss Sampson. I have some coffee left over from breakfast this morning, if you’d like a cup?”

  Before leaving, Jed told Annie once again how sorry he was that he had disappointed her. “I really wish things could have worked out differently. But there are too many memories here for me and you didn’t bargain for what I have to offer.”

  As Jed drove off in the wagon, Annie couldn’t help wishing that he’d asked her if she would be willing to go off with him, if that was what he decided he had to do. But he’d just assumed that it was out of the question. Men could be so stubborn.

  It wasn’t long before the men gathered for lunch. One of the men who had been hired on by Henry had taken notice of Annie and liked what he saw. James was not one to cut in on another man’s territory, but since Jed didn’t seem to have any claim on Annie, he figured he had nothing to lose by being friendly.

  Before the men headed back to the fields for the afternoon’s work, he made a point of speaking to Annie.

  “I just wanted to thank you for the tasty meals you’ve been making for all of us. I can’t remember when I last ate so well. By the way, I’m James Lawson, Miss Sampson.”

  “Why, thank you Mr. Lawson. I enjoy cooking, but it’s always nice to hear that the food is being enjoyed,” Annie said with a smile.

  “Lawson, let’s move out,” Henry called out.

  “Coming boss. Good day, Miss.” James tipped his hat before rushing off to jump on the wagon.

  After supper that evening, James came over to help Annie load up her wagon for the return trip back to Emily’s. Jed watched them chatting together while he talked to Henry about plans for the following day.

  ‘It’s none of my concern who she talks to,’ he thought. But seeing Annie with another man did some funny things to his insides.

  A couple of days of watching James spend time with Annie had Jed steaming. If James had been on his crew he wouldn’t still be there. But since James worked for Henry, there was not much he could do.

  Things came to a head when he noticed James help Annie climb into her wagon and leave his hand holding onto hers longer than Jed thought was necessary. He came stomping over to the wagon.

  “Haven’t you got chores to take care of, Lawson?” demanded Jed.

  James spun around, “What concern is it of yours? I don’t work for you.”

  “Well, you’re on my spread right now, so I reckon I have some say. Now get moving.”

  James eyed Jed warily. He didn’t want to push his luck and get fired. He turned to Annie, tipped his hat and said, “Good night now, Miss.”

  Annie couldn’t believe what she’d just witnessed. Annoyed, she climbed back off of her wagon and confronted Jed.

  Hands on hips she angrily asked, “Why did you do that, Mr. Nickels? Mr. Lawson was just being friendly and helpful.”

  “You shouldn’t be mixing with the hired help, Miss Sampson. You don’t know a thing about him and neither do I. He just showed up one day looking for work,” Jed replied with arms folded.

  “Mr. Nickels, you have no say in who I talk to or in what I do. You gave up that right some time ago,” said Annie heatedly. Turning her back on Jed, she added, “You forget that I need to make my own way now. So please mind your own business, Mr. Nickels.”

  “Miss Sampson, you’re right in saying that it’s not my business,” Jed replied hesitantly, “But I, I do feel some responsibility for you. It’s because of me that you’re here at all. You haven’t lived in the west long enough to understand the way things work out here.”

  Turning back to Jed, Annie answered, “I appreciate your concern Mr. Nickels, but you are not responsible for me. You made your feelings clear. So let me make mine clear as well.”

  She took a deep breath before adding, “I chose to come her to Prairie Siding and I have chosen to stay. So please, in future do not involve yourself in my life.”

  Climbing back up into the wagon, she picked up the reins and nodded at Jed, “Good night, Mr. Nickels.”

  Jed could only stand there and watch as she drove off. He knew he had no right to meddle in Annie’s affairs, but whether she liked it or not, he intended to keep an eye on her and on James Lawson.

  With Annie out of sight, he turned back towards the barn. Henry’s men were just pulling away in their wagon, to head back to their bunkhouse for the night.

  From the back of the wagon, Jed heard, “Well, well, I guess you got yourself told didn’t you, Mr. Nickels?”

  Jed clenched his fists; embarrassed that Lawson had overheard the conversation between Annie and himself.

  Chapter 9

  After their exchange, there was no doubt that things had changed between Annie and Jed. The friendliness and warmth that had been evident for a time was a thing of the past. They maintained a cool politeness but both went out of their way to avoid any kind of contact.

  Although James attempted to spend time with Annie, as much to get under Jed’s skin as to actually be with Annie, she kept him at arm’s length too. She had no wish to
get close to someone who would be leaving after harvest was over. And if she was honest, she took Jed’s warning to heart about not knowing anything about James.

  But then James started hinting that he’d like to marry her so she could join him when he moved on. She had been seriously considering it, until the evening James came to talk it over with her, smelling like he’d spilled a bottle of whiskey on himself. That was enough to change her mind about him completely. Besides she didn’t really want to leave Prairie Siding just when she was starting to feel at home.

  Emily had become a real confidante. As the two worked to prepare yet another batch of cookies, Annie sighed. “On one hand, I can’t wait for this harvest to be over, so I don’t have to have daily contact with Jed. But on the other hand, I dread the day that I have to move back to town and look for another job.”

  Emily sympathized, “I was really hoping that we could get Jed to change his mind.”

  Annie laughed, “You did have a good plan, I must admit, even though it was embarrassing.”

  “Oh, you knew what was going on then?” Emily asked with a laugh. “You’re not mad are you?”

  “It was pretty obvious,” replied Annie with a smile. “But I know your heart was in the right place, so how could I be angry?”

  “Oh Annie, please don’t worry about things. I just have a feeling that things are going to work out for you. And I’ve been praying too.”

  “I wish I had your faith,” said Annie opening up the oven to put in more trays of cookies. “But at least Mrs. Gregson has said I can stay with her until something comes up. By the way, remember I’m going into town to pick up some more supplies tomorrow. Do you have your list ready?” asked Annie.

  “Yes, I have it for you. Oh and please pick up the mail while you’re there. The train makes a stop in the morning so there may be some new letters dropped off.”

  Bright and early the next morning, Annie hitched up the horse and wagon and headed towards Prairie Siding. She left her list at the general store and went to collect the mail before stopping off to pay Mrs. Gregson a visit.

  They had a good laugh about some of the funny things that had happened between her and Jed.

  “I’ve missed having you around Annie,” said Mrs. Gregson. “Even if we aren’t able to find you another job, you know you can stay here with me for as long as you need to,” Mrs. Gregson assured Annie.

  “I appreciate that Mrs. Gregson, but I don’t want to take advantage of your hospitality,” said Annie as she got ready to leave.

  “Fiddlesticks! That’s what friends are for. Besides, I enjoyed having your help around here. Now, be sure to give Emily my best. Tell her I will be out soon to pay her a visit.”

  The time had flown by. Annie hurried to get the supplies loaded up onto the wagon. It was a good thing that the meal she was preparing was already simmering on the fire. Emily had promised to keep an eye on it while she was gone.

  When she pulled up into the yard, Emily was frantic. Henry had come home a short while ago to get a couple of wagon wheels from the hayloft. While trying to wrestle them down, he’d lost his balance and fallen, badly breaking his leg. There was nothing Emily could do except wait for Annie to come back.

  “What do you need me to do Emily?” asked Annie worriedly.

  “I have to get Henry to town to see the doctor, but I can’t get him into the wagon on my own.” The two women struggled for a minute trying to lift Henry up. Henry stopped them.

  Henry groaned, “Emily, I don’t want you to try to do this. You know what the doctor said. And Annie can’t do it by herself.”

  Propping himself up on an elbow, he said, “Annie, as quick as you can, go to Jed’s place and see if he’s still there. He had some things to pick up himself so you might catch him. If not, the men are all working in the back forty.”

  “Leave it to me. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  With that Annie ran back to the wagon and headed off to Jed’s place. Sensing her impatience, Sugar broke into a fast trot. In just a few minutes, Jed’s place came into view. She prayed that he would be there. Sure enough she saw his wagon by the far end of the barn.

  Jumping down before the wagon came completely to a stop, Annie lost her balance for a minute. Having heard the sound of a team being driven hard, Jed had hurried out of the barn just in time to catch Annie before she fell.

  “What’s wrong, Miss Sampson?” he asked holding onto her arm to steady her.

  “Oh, Mr. Nickels! Please come quick. Henry has fallen out of the hayloft and broken his leg. I couldn’t get him into the wagon by myself and he needs to get to town to see the doctor.”

  “Let’s take my wagon. My horse is fresher and the wagon is empty. I’ll put yours inside the barn for now to keep your supplies out of the weather.”

  Once he’d done that, they left quickly.

  “Hold on Miss Sampson. It’s going to get a little rough,” said Jed looking over at Annie.

  Once back at Henry’s farm, Jed and Annie gently lifted Henry up into the back of the wagon. Emily had brought blankets from the house to make the ride as smooth as possible for Henry. Although he was trying to be brave for Emily’s sake, he was obviously in a lot of pain.

  “Emily are you going to be all right if we leave you here on your own?” asked Jed. “It would be better if Miss Sampson could come along to help keep Henry from moving around too much in the wagon.”

  “Yes, I’ll be fine. Just please hurry,” she replied with tears streaking her cheeks.

  “Try not to worry, Emily,” said Annie squeezing her hand. “I’ll come back as soon as I know what the doctor has to say.”

  All the way to town, Annie sat in the back with Henry, wiping the sweat from his forehead and holding onto his shoulders whenever Jed warned her about a particularly rough patch of ground.

  “How much further, Mr. Nickels?” asked Annie fearfully at one point. “Henry has gotten awfully white and his breathing is uneven.”

  “Not much longer now, Miss Sampson,” replied Jed urging his horse to go a little quicker now that Henry was unconscious and wouldn’t feel the jolts so harshly.

  A few minutes later they finally reached Prairie Siding. Jed pulled up outside Dr. Roberts’ home and ran to the door. Fortunately, he was home. He had them carry Henry inside and then wait in the other room while he attended to Henry’s broken leg.

  Annie was shaking like a leaf. Jed couldn’t help but put an arm around her shoulder to comfort her.

  After a short time, when Annie was calmer, Jed removed his arm and said, “You did real good, Miss Sampson.”

  “Thank goodness you were home, Mr. Nickels,” she replied. “Do you think Henry is going to be all right?”

  He hesitated and then said, “I bet Doc is going to fix him up fine. Henry is a tough guy and he’s got a lot to look forward to.”

  After that they both sat in silence, waiting to hear about Henry. Annie couldn’t help thinking about how good Jed’s arm had felt around her shoulder. She couldn’t know that Jed was thinking how good it had felt to comfort Annie.

  A while later, Doc Roberts came out to them. Both Jed and Annie quickly got to their feet.

  “How is he, Doc?” asked Jed.

  “Henry is going to be fine. But it was a very bad break, and he also got pretty beat up from the fall. He’ll be laid up for quite some time. Right now, he’s in a lot of pain so I gave him enough whiskey to knock him out for a few hours. I think he should stay here for three or four days so I can keep an eye on him. Can you let Emily know?”

  “Yes of course, Doctor. And thank you for everything,” said Annie.

  “Tell Emily that it was the right thing to do to bring him to me instead of having me come out there. Knowing her, she’d run herself ragged trying to take care of him.”

  Looking over at Annie, he asked, “Are you in any rush to move back to town, young lady?”

  “No, not at all,” replied Annie.

  “That’s good, because b
oth Henry and Emily are going to need someone out there to look after them,” he smiled.

  Relieved that Henry was going to make a full recovery in time, Jed and Annie headed back to the Parker farm to let Emily know. The stress of everything hit Annie like a ton of bricks and it was all she could do to stay awake on the ride home. There were a few times when she caught herself dropping off and jerked awake just before she fell off the wagon. The last time it happened, Jed reached out to grab her arm.

  “Oh, I’m sorry Mr. Nickels,” Annie said embarrassed, sitting up straight again.

  Jed looked over at Annie and shook his head. “The last thing we need is for you to fall off this wagon and break something.”

  Smiling he said, “Scoot over closer on the seat and lean on me. I’ll make sure you don’t fall off, and you can close your eyes and rest up until we get back.”

  Seeing her hesitate he said, “Come on. I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

  Sighing, Annie moved closer and leaned her head on Jed’s shoulder. “Thank you Mr. Nickels. Once again you have come to the rescue.”

  The next thing Annie knew was the wagon coming to a stop in front of Emily’s front door. Slowly she opened her eyes suddenly aware that Jed had his arm around her shoulders and her head was cushioned on his broad chest.

  Her face reddened as she pulled away from Jed. He studiously avoided looking at her and quickly climbed down, extending a hand to Annie to help her get off the wagon.

  Fortunately Emily burst through the door right then, saving the two from the uncomfortable moment.

  “How is he?” she asked fearfully.

  “He’s going to be just fine,” Annie replied, pulling Emily into a hug. She and Jed then went on to explain exactly what Dr. Roberts had told them.

  Jed added, “Emily, I don’t want you to worry about a thing. I can handle both crews and there’s not much more than a couple weeks until we finish up. I’ll send one of the men over each morning to take care of the chores until Henry is back on his feet.”