She hurriedly wrote the letter and finished it after Elizabeth came back. Handing it to the younger woman, she sighed. “I have no idea how my children are going to feel about this.”
Elizabeth shrugged. “I hope they’ll be happy to have food to eat and decent clothes to wear.”
Clara sighed. “I went to the mercantile to get fabric to make a new dress for Natalie, and forgot all about it when I saw your advertisement. I’ll have to go back on my way home.”
They ate the cookies and tea while Elizabeth talked about the whole mail order bride process. “Susan couldn’t be happier. I thought it was strange that she ended up married to her groom’s brother, but she seems content there. She’s expecting.”
Clara smiled. She’d always liked Susan. “How does she feel about that? I remember how she always felt about the ‘demon horde.’” Clara had always hated the nickname given to the Miller children, but she certainly understood it.
“I think she’s happy about it. She seems to be anyway. Her husband had four boys when they married, so it will be nice if they can have one of their own. She’s hoping for a girl.”
“Of course she is! With four boys a girl would be very welcome.” Clara stood. “I need to go buy some fabric and head back to the farm. Thanks for the tea and cookies.”
Elizabeth stood, smiling at the older woman. “I’m glad you came by. I’ll run the return letter over to you as soon as I receive it.”
“Thank you. I’d appreciate that. I’m going to keep working the farm and get as much as I can from the crop this year. Maybe I can go to my new husband with some clothes that haven’t been patched twenty times.”
“He’ll send train tickets and a small amount of money for the trip. Don’t worry too much about having your own.”
Elizabeth walked Clara to the door and watched her walk away, hoping the older woman would be able to settle in well in her new home.
*****
Albert left the children in the wagon and hurried into the mercantile to check the mail. Billings was the biggest town around, but it was still small enough that there was no need for a post office. “Any mail for me?” He’d started checking last week. He could only spare one day a week to drive into town, so he checked while he was there buying bread and jam.
Samuel handed him a letter. “Got this one.”
Albert looked at the return address and opened the letter. Two letters fell out for him. One from the owner of the agency, but the other was the one he focused on as he walked back to the wagon. “Dear Albert, My name is Clara Baldwin, and I’m a twenty-eight year old widow. I have a daughter who is ten and a son who is eight. I’ve been widowed for two years and trying to keep up the farm that my husband worked until his death. The three of us need a fresh start. I enjoy cooking, and would love to be just a housewife again, instead of a housewife and a farmer. My children are hard workers as well, and we would work hard for you. I’m not beautiful, but so far no small children have run away screaming upon seeing my face. I await your reply. Yours, Clara.”
Albert smiled at the words and carefully thumped the letter against his thigh. She’d do. He walked back to the front of the mercantile and quickly wrote a letter back before going to the train station. He bought three tickets for three weeks later leaving from Beckham, Massachusetts and arriving in Billings, Montana. He wasn’t looking forward to having a wife and two new children, but he was looking forward to having a clean house and good meals again.
He mailed his letter, payment for the service, train tickets, and a small amount of money to help his future wife with her food during the trip before leaving Billings. On the way home, he carefully explained what he’d done to his children. “When your mama died, she left us with no one to cook or clean for us. I keep trying, but I’m just not good at it.” He sighed. “I’m sending back East for a wife to come and take care of us. The one I found has two children.”
Gertie looked up at him. “So we won’t have bread and jam for every meal anymore?”
He shook his head. “No, your new mama will cook and clean and teach you to do both of those things as well. She’ll be here in a little over a month.” He hoped the children would understand that he wasn’t replacing their mother, but just having someone come to take care of them.
Gertie nodded, putting her arm around Robert. “That sounds good, Papa. We’ll keep taking care of each other until then.”
Nothing else was said as they made the hour drive to their home north of Billings. As they pulled into the yard, Albert looked around thinking about how little he’d done to keep up the house that summer. The vegetable plot lay fallow, and the house needed a fresh coat of paint. He just didn’t have time to worry about it, though. He had to get the rest of the fences mended before the bad weather came on them. The snows could start in November or they could start in September. He hoped that November would be the answer, but you just never knew in Montana.
She sounded like she was a strong woman, to be able to keep her children on her own for two years after her husband’s death, but she’d have to be very strong to survive through the winters here. He said a quick prayer, asking that God make her stronger than she already was so she could make it through.
He took the children into the house and gave Gertie orders to watch her brother. “I’m going to unhitch the team and get to work. You take care of your brother now.”
“Yes, Papa.” Gertie stood beside her brother holding his hand. She made it clear that she knew her job was to take care of him.
He gave her a nod of encouragement before leaving to go out and mend fences close to the house. There just weren’t any neighbors close enough that he could take the time to leave them with others. He hoped his wife knew how to read and write well, because the children would need to be taught at home as well. There were no schools close enough to learn in.
He put the team into the stable and saddled his favorite riding horse. Swinging up onto her back, he rode out onto the range toward the border that was closest to the house. He’d mend this fence today. His new wife would be there soon. He hoped she understood when he put her in the same bedroom as her daughter. He couldn’t have a new love in his life, not even with how much he needed a wife and mother for his children. He would feel like he was cheating on his wife.
Sally had contracted a wasting disease. She’d gotten weaker and weaker. He took her into town to see the doctor, but he’d said there was nothing he could do. She was dying. She’d been gone four months later. His Sally had been a beautiful woman, and he missed her every day. They’d grown up in Texas, but she hadn’t liked the heat. So they’d made the move from Texas to become Montana ranchers as soon as they’d married. He wondered if they’d been stupid to make the trip. He berated himself every day, thinking she’d have lived if they’d just stayed in Texas.
He shook his head, and jumped down from his horse once he realized where he was. It was time to work. He couldn’t risk losing his cattle this winter. He’d have three extra mouths to feed.
Chapter Two
Clara carefully packed her dishes into the barrel she’d purchased for them. She didn’t have much more time to leave, and she’d stay with her parents as soon as she’d sold everything off. Just for a little while, though. They’d made it clear they couldn’t afford to feed three extra mouths on an ongoing basis. The buyers for the dishes would be there soon.
She looked around her small kitchen. The oven and work tables had already been sold. The kitchen table was gone. The room was almost empty. Just the dishes and the pots and pans were left. The pots and pans would be sold the following day, and she’d be required to move at that point. She sighed. She hated the idea of giving up her independence and moving in with her parents. She’d been on her own for far too long.
She was startled by a knock on the door, and checked the clock still hanging on the wall. The buyer for the dishes was already there? They were two hours early!
She opened the door wide. “Oh, Elizabeth. C
ome in.” She hadn’t been expecting the other woman to come with a response so quickly. She guessed it was just a social call.
Elizabeth stepped into the kitchen and looked around. “You’ve got almost everything packed up.”
Clara nodded. “We’re all moving in with my parents tonight.” She sighed. “They’re complaining about how much we’ll cost them, but I’ll have a little bit of money to help out with bills in case Albert doesn’t want me.”
Elizabeth held out a letter. “That’s why I’m here. I have a letter for you.” Her eyes were bright with excitement.
Clara wiped her hands on her apron and took the letter. She opened it, obviously nervous about what was inside. “Dear Clara, You sound like you’re just what we’re looking for. I’ve enclosed train tickets for you and your children. I will meet you at the station in Billings, and we’ll have an hour drive from there. I’ll have both my children with me. I’m tall and have dark hair. We’ll marry before we leave town. I look forward to meeting you and your children. Yours, Albert.”
She looked at the train tickets included and saw they left in three days. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the money he’d included as well. She could give the money she’d made selling everything to her parents for the inconvenience of having her and the children for three nights, and then she could use the money he’d sent for the things she’d need. She mentally calculated. There would be enough to give her parents something even if she used a bit of the money for fabric for new clothes. She and Natalie both needed a lot of new things, and so did Clarence. She sighed. She’d give her parents as much as she could.
“Thank you, Elizabeth. Our train leaves in three days.” Clara smiled at the younger woman as best she could. She didn’t want her to think she wasn’t grateful for the help, but honestly? She had no desire to go to Montana of all places.
Elizabeth squeezed Clara’s hand as if she understood the words that weren’t spoken. “I’ll see you off at the train station. What time does your train leave?”
Clara glanced at the tickets again. “Nine in the morning.”
“I’ll meet you there at half past eight.”
“You don’t need to see me off. I’ll be there with the children.” Clara couldn’t imagine why the younger woman would want to be there.
Elizabeth shook her head. “I’ll be there. Do you need anything before I go?”
“No. I’ll see you before we leave.” Clara went back to packing, hoping that the people purchasing her dishes would hurry. She had to shop for some fabric for new clothes for her children now.
When the children came in from school, Clara told them the next day would be their last. “We’re leaving first thing Monday morning to go to Montana. There’s a man there that I’ll marry. He has two children.” She watched her children’s faces as she told them her big news. She didn’t expect them to be pleased, but she hoped they wouldn’t be terribly upset.
Natalie gaped at her. “You’re marrying a stranger?”
Clara straightened her spine. “Yes, I’m marrying a stranger. I don’t really have a choice in the matter. We’re losing the farm and have nowhere to go.”
Natalie’s eyes filled with tears. “But all my friends are here.”
“You’ll make new friends.” Clara looked down at her hands, feeling like she was doing something horrible for her daughter, but knowing there was no real choice. “I’m sorry, Natalie. I really don’t have a choice.” She hugged her daughter, noticing the stiff way the girl held herself against her.
“I want to stay with Grandma and Grandpa!” Natalie insisted.
“You can’t. You have to come with me.” Clara had no doubt her parents wouldn’t let their granddaughter stay anyway.
Clarence poked Natalie. “You need to listen to Mama. We have to go to Montana.” Clarence had always dreamed of going west and being a cowboy. This was something he wanted to do.
Listening to Natalie whine and complain about having to move grated on Clara’s nerves until she finally told the girl she didn’t want to hear another word. She was ten years old and too old to be complaining about things she should be able to understand.
They walked to her parents’ house that night, and when they arrived, Clara carefully explained they would only be there for three days. She gave her mother fifteen dollars to pay for any food they’d eat while they were there and make up for the inconvenience of having them.
Alice Johnson shook her head. “It’s not the money, dear. It’s that you didn’t plan well.” She shoved the money back at Clara. “You should be able to support yourself and your children without our help.”
Clara refused to meet her mother’s eyes. “I’ll be going to the mercantile tomorrow, and I’ll need to sew up until we leave. I’d rather you kept the money.” She couldn’t believe how unsupportive her mother was being. She hadn’t expected her husband to die young. How could she have?
She helped with the dishes that night, while the children made themselves scarce. Clara knew that Natalie was going to try to get her mother alone while they were there, and she decided to cut her off at the pass. “I think Natalie is going to ask you if she can live here with you while Clarence and I go on to Montana. I want you to tell her ‘no.’”
Alice sighed. “I’ll tell her you said to tell her no.”
Clara took a deep breath, determined to hold her temper. “I want the ‘no’ to come from you, Mother. She needs to understand that she’s not going to be allowed to come back here to live with you if she doesn’t like Montana.”
“Why are you taking her to Montana if you know she won’t like it?”
Clara turned on her mother. “Why do you think I’m taking her there? I’ve been working night and day for two years trying to make the farm work for me. I have nowhere to live and nowhere to go. I’m marrying a total stranger so my children will have food to eat and a roof over their heads. I’m doing the best I can for them!”
Alice shook her head. “You shouldn’t have married beneath you the way you did.”
“Beneath me?” Clara put the last dish away and slowly put the towel she’d used to dry the dishes on the counter. “Good night, Mother. Please remember what I said. Tell Natalie she’s not welcome to stay here with you.”
Clara climbed the stairs to her childhood bedroom she’d be sharing with Natalie for the next two days. Clarence was across the hall from them. She sat down on the edge of the bed. “Do you want to go to school tomorrow or do you want to go to the mercantile with me to choose fabric for your new dresses?”
Natalie’s eyes lit up. “New dresses?” She hadn’t had new dresses in years, not since her father had died. “May I help you pick out fabric?”
Clara smiled and put her arm around her daughter’s shoulders. “I’d like that a lot. We can make them together this weekend as well.”
*****
The days passed with a flurry of activity. Every minute she wasn’t helping her mother, Clara was in the tiny bedroom she was sharing with Natalie working on dresses. She made Natalie’s first and decided to hold off on her own. Hers were at least decent if not a little worn. Natalie’s were much too short and tight, and desperately needed to be thrown into the rag bag.
When Monday morning dawned, she said goodbye to her parents at breakfast. “I’ll write when I arrive so you’ll know how to reach me, and you’ll know we’re okay,” she promised.
Her father nodded slowly. “I hope this man isn’t a farmer like Nathan.”
Clara bit her lip. Nathan had been a good husband and father, and she’d loved him, despite how her parents felt about him. “He’s a rancher.”
“A rancher? That’s not much better than a farmer.” William frowned at her.
Clara shrugged. “I didn’t have a lot of choices. Men don’t beat down the doors of widows begging them for their hands so they can shower them with gifts and affection.” She stood. “Thank you for allowing us to stay these past few days.” She wished she didn’t have to be s
o formal, but she didn’t feel like she could be anything else with them.
Her father drove her into town to help her with the trunk she was taking. She had finished two dresses for Natalie, and she planned on making at least one dress for herself on the trip. Clarence had more clothes, because her brother had a son who was just older than Clarence, and he got his old clothes. They weren’t in perfect shape, and she’d have to make some more soon, but she wouldn’t be embarrassed if they weren’t done when she got to Montana.
At the train station, Elizabeth sat beside Clara while the children sat across from them. Natalie looked pretty in her new dress, but she looked angry with the world. Clarence looked excited. None of them had ever been on a train before, and he was the only one excited about it.
“I wanted to have a quick talk with you before you go,” Elizabeth told her. She’d given her a canvas bag full of sandwiches for the trip, which Clara was thrilled with. She didn’t want to spend all of Albert’s money before she arrived in Montana.
Clara turned her attention from her pouting daughter to Elizabeth. “Of course.”
“I want you to know if Albert isn’t who he seems you don’t have to marry him. You’ll have a place here. If he…hurts you in anyway, you need to just come home.” Elizabeth stumbled over the words as if she’d been told she needed to say them, but felt uncomfortable doing so.
Clara shook her head. “I have no home any longer. I’ll stay no matter what.”
Elizabeth shook her head. “If anything happens, if he hits you, I want you to come back here. I will find you a job, and you’ll have a place to live with me until you’re settled.” She kept her voice in a whisper so the children wouldn’t hear her, but her voice was adamant.
Clara stared at her for a moment, before slowly nodding. “I’ll come back if he hits me.”
Elizabeth looked relieved and gave Clara a one-armed hug. “Write to me when you get there to let me know you’re okay.”
Mail Order Motherhood (Brides of Beckham) Page 2
