Mail Order Motherhood (Brides of Beckham)

by Kirsten Osbourne

  Clara nodded. “I’ll do that.” She couldn’t help but wonder why the younger woman cared, but she wouldn’t turn down a place to stay if her marriage was bad.

  The conductor called out their train, and Clara got to her feet. She’d seen trains before but had never really thought about what it would be like to ride on one. She stared up at the huge machine and tried not to show her fear in front of her children. “Thank you for all your help,” she told Elizabeth before motioning the children to go before her to get to the train.

  They found seats together, with Clarence sitting across from Clara and Natalie. Clara immediately leaned down to take out the pieces of the dress she was making for herself. She’d carefully cut it out before leaving her mothers, but she needed to do all the sewing on the train. She offered two pieces to Natalie to work on to give the girl something to do during the long hours they’d have until the first stop, but Natalie shook her head, refusing to even look at her.

  Clara sighed. It was going to be a long trip.

  *****

  It took a full week to reach Montana with a long stop in Chicago to switch trains. Clara had been convinced she’d lose one or both of her children in the big city, but they’d all managed to wash a bit and find their way to the other train. Clara kept up her sewing. She was able to make two dresses and an apron before they pulled into the station in Billings.

  “I don’t know why you’re bothering with a new apron, Mama. You’re just going to get it dirty again.” Natalie’s voice had been a constant whine in her ear through the trip, and Clara was ready to scream.

  “I’m not starting a new marriage with an old dirty apron.”

  Natalie had rolled her eyes at her mother, but not another word had been said on the subject of aprons.

  They got off the train together, Clara’s eyes looking out over the faces wondering which face was the one that was waiting for her. Finally, she spotted a tall man with dark hair and eyes off to the side of the platform who was holding the hands of a young girl and boy. She lifted her hand in a slight wave, trying to verify that he was the one they were looking for.

  The man nodded at her and walked in her direction, indicating he must be the one who was waiting for her and her children. She walked toward him, finding his face hard. There didn’t seem to be any welcome on his face at all. Was he not Albert?

  When they reached one another, she smiled and said, “Albert?” He gave a quick nod, saying nothing, just taking her bags from her. “We have to collect our trunk as well,” she told him.

  He nodded, walking toward the area where trunks and large items were being distributed to their rightful owners. His children stayed with her, and she smiled down at them. The girl was staring up at her with wide gray eyes, and she seemed almost frightened. “Are you Gertrude?” Clara asked.

  The girl nodded. She pointed to her brother. “This is Robert.”

  “It’s nice to meet you both. This is my daughter, Natalie, and my son, Clarence. I’m Clara.”

  Gertrude nodded. “Papa said you were here to be our new mama.”

  “That’s right. I am. Natalie and Clarence will be your new sister and brother.”

  “Okay.” Clara started them all walking in the direction Albert had taken. She nodded at Clarence. “Go see if you can help with our trunks.”

  Clarence hurried ahead, going to catch up with Robert and offer to help. She watched as Albert and Clarence carefully lifted the trunk down together and carried it to an old farm wagon. It was just like the one she’d used back home, so it was a welcome sight. It was late September, and the weather was already nippy. She hoped they wouldn’t be out too late that evening.

  When she reached the wagon, Albert helped her up, before climbing in beside her while the four children climbed in the back, Clarence sitting atop the trunk to better see the town. Natalie still had her look of defiance on her face, but Clara was grateful that she was saying nothing as she sat with the other children.

  Clara looked down at her old dress, wishing she’d had time to change into one of the new ones she’d just made. This one was gray and had seen better days. “We’re going straight to the preacher’s house,” Albert said. They were the first words he’d said to her, and she was almost startled to hear his deep voice.

  “Will there be time before the ceremony for me to change into a new dress? I’d rather not get married in this one,” she said. She wished she dared ask for a hot bath first, but she wouldn’t cause another woman that much work.

  “Then why’d you wear it?” he asked, obviously exasperated by her question.

  She looked down, staring at the tips of her shoes. “I’ve been wearing the same dress for a week since we left Massachusetts. I haven’t really had an opportunity to change.”

  He nodded curtly. “We’ll ask the pastor’s wife.” He said nothing else about how hard her journey must have been. When they arrived, he helped her down from the wagon, and she picked up the carpet bag at her feet with her new dress in it.

  The new dress was lavender with tiny flowers on it. She’d thought it looked so pretty when she’d finished it the previous evening, and now she didn’t even feel like putting it on for the first time. She was marrying an angry, unhappy man. What had she gotten herself into?

  The children followed behind them, and she was whisked away to the pastor’s bedroom by the pastor’s wife so she could quickly change her dress. “Thank you so much for letting me change in here.”

  Mrs. Simpson smiled at her. “It’s no problem. I wouldn’t want to have to marry in that dirty old dress either.”

  Clara blushed, knowing the woman couldn’t have meant the words the way they sounded. She rushed to change her clothes and straightened her hair. She’d have given everything she owned for a bath just then, but there was no doubt in her mind that was too much to ask.

  She hurried back into the parlor where the pastor waited with her future husband. Was she really going to marry him? She hurried to his side and said all the right words, her hand tucked in his. When the pastor announced it was time for Albert to kiss his bride, she could see on his face that he’d rather do anything than press his lips to hers. Nathan had always told her she was pretty. Had she somehow become hideous since his death?

  He barely brushed his lips against hers before thanking the pastor and leading them all out to the wagon. Once they were there, she removed the money she had remaining from what he’d sent and pressed it into his hand. “We were careful and didn’t use all your money. I want you to have what’s left.”

  He looked at her in surprise, but simply nodded and put the money into his pocket. No other words were spoken between them during the hour long drive to the ranch. The children talked in the back. Several times she heard Clarence exclaim as he saw a cowboy ride past. She didn’t turn around to see, but she was certain his face was lighting up as he talked about what he wanted to do when he grew up.

  When they pulled up to the ranch, she could see that the vegetable garden hadn’t been tended. She’d have to see to that next year. Hopefully he had enough supplies that she could make good meals for them all, because good cook that she was, without ingredients, they would still be hungry.

  He helped her down from the wagon, and he and Clarence carried the trunk in. Clara walked into the house behind them, looking around her. The house was much grander than the one she’d lived in back in Massachusetts. The kitchen and parlor were two separate rooms. There was a bedroom downstairs that was obviously meant for her and Albert, and there were several upstairs.

  The trunk was taken upstairs, and she was surprised by that. She pulled Albert off to one side. “The trunk has my things in it as well. Shouldn’t we keep it downstairs?” She wasn’t certain what he was thinking, but she’d been married before and she knew that intimacy was easier when you shared a bed especially when there were children around.

  He shook his head, not meeting her eyes. “You’ll be sharing a room with your daughter. At least for now.�
� He walked back outside without saying another word to her.

  She stood staring after him with surprise. He wasn’t planning on sharing her bed with her? She shouldn’t be surprised, she knew, and she certainly wasn’t disappointed. She couldn’t imagine sharing a bed with a man as prickly as her new husband.

  She walked to the kitchen and looked at the stove, which was much fancier than any she’d ever used. The kitchen had a pump, and she was pleased to see that he had a good supply of food. Everything she would need was there, except fresh meat, and she was certain he’d provide that as he could. She was assumed he was a hunter, but she really had no way of knowing for certain.

  The kitchen was dirty, and the floor was dirtier, but she could see he’d made an effort to keep things up. She knew how hard it was to play both mother and father to children, so she wouldn’t say a word. She suspected that his ranch was in much better shape than his house, since that’s what he was familiar with doing, not the cleaning and cooking.

  She hurried to fix a simple meal out of the food he had ready for her. She found a loaf of bread, some eggs, and some milk and made some French toast. She didn’t normally make breakfast for dinner, but she didn’t normally cook a meal for six people after being on a train for a week either. If he didn’t like it, he could cook his own meal.

  The children were upstairs becoming acquainted with one another, and she could hear their voices drifting down the stairs as she hurriedly cooked for them all. She would have normally sent Clarence outside to help with the evening chores, but she knew he was just as tired as she was. None of them had slept well on the train, and with as long as the journey was, they were all ready to just sleep for a week. Tomorrow would be soon enough to get him started with learning to work the ranch.

  She mentally made a list of things she’d need to accomplish the following day while she cooked. The children would need to be signed up for school. She would need to give the house a good thorough cleaning. She wished she could keep Natalie home with her to do that, but she couldn’t let her daughter get behind in school. She needed to make an inventory of all the food so she could fix meals for the family. She also needed to go through all of the new family’s clothes and see if anything needed to be mended or replaced.

  She had enough fabric that she could make a few dresses for Gertrude, and some clothes for Robert as well. She just needed to find out what they were lacking. She wanted to make sure they had enough food for the winter set in within the next few days, because from what she’d read about the area, if she didn’t have the food she needed in September, they may not make it through the long winter.

  When she finished making the French toast, she called up the stairs to the children to come down to eat. Albert came in just as they were all sitting down. She’d poured milk for everyone, and the toast was in the center of the table with butter and syrup she’d found to be used for it.

  Albert said a quick prayer and they all ate in silence. Her children, who usually never stopped talking, seemed in awe of their new step-father and afraid to speak in front of him.

  Once dinner was finished, she stood to wash the dishes, but Albert stopped her. “Let the girls do the dishes. Gertie knows how to dry them, and I’m sure Natalie knows how to wash.”

  Clara collapsed back into her chair gratefully. She was willing to do the dishes if she needed to, but she certainly liked the idea of the girls doing them after each meal. She looked at her husband, wondering if she could talk to him without him getting angry. “Where’s the school? I need to sign the children up tomorrow.” She hoped they wouldn’t be walking too far to the nearest schoolhouse.

  He shook his head. “There’s no school close enough for them to go to. Closest is in Billings, and that’s an hour drive each way. Most folks around these parts teach their children at home.”

  Clara blinked a few times. “I’ve never even considered that. I have their school books, but I’m no teacher!”

  He shrugged. “How hard can it be? Follow the books and give them lessons to study.” He looked at Gertrude where she stood on a stool drying the dishes. “Time for Gertie to learn too. You can sit them all down together.”

  Clara sighed. Apparently she had no choice. She wished she’d known that before coming out here, but she’d make the best of it. Hopefully soon there’d be a school the children could attend. “I guess we’ll get the house in shape and start school on Monday.”

  Albert nodded. “Sounds smart.” He continued to watch the girls as they washed the dishes. “Both girls should be able to help you a lot around the house.” He seemed to be looking for topics as well, wanting to get to know her, but feeling awkward about it.

  “Yes, they can. Clarence would like to help around the ranch if you think he’s old enough to do so. He’s got in his head he wants to be a cowboy.”

  Albert smiled at Clarence, who was sitting there, hanging on their every word. “You want to go out to help me mend fences tomorrow?” He had a mare he could let the boy use. An eight year old could be of some help around a ranch. Not as much as a teenaged boy, but if he trained him right now, he’d be able to do a man’s work in a few years.

  Clara was surprised to see Albert smile. It was the first time since she’d met him that he hadn’t looked stern. The smile completely transformed his face into something that could almost be called handsome. Maybe as he became more comfortable, he’d smile more.

  Clarence nodded emphatically. “I would like that a lot, sir.”

  Albert made a face. “Sounds good.”

  “I’ll work hard.” Clarence looked down at the table as he said that, obviously embarrassed.

  Albert looked back at Clara. “We’ll eat at sunrise or a little before. I’ll leave the girls and little Robert with you, and take Clarence. If he’s a good help, he can come with me every day and learn in the evenings. It won’t hurt him.”

  Clara bit her lip, but nodded. She could see the wisdom in his words. A boy who learned a trade young was so much more likely to have a good job as an adult. She was just thankful that Albert didn’t think he needed to abandon his studies altogether. “That would be fine. Do you want me to teach Robert to read when I teach Gertrude?”

  Albert seemed to think about it for a moment, but he shook his head. “No. Not yet. Gertie is eager to learn, but Robert still enjoys playing too much. Let him be a little boy for another year or two.” He shrugged. “If he shows an interest, teach him his letters or numbers. Otherwise, let him play.”

  “That’s what I’ll do then.” She looked at the four children and new husband she’d be taking care of. “Is there anything in particular you want me to cook for supper tomorrow?”

  He shook his head. “I’ll butcher a chicken in the morning, and you can do something with that if you would. I’m going to butcher one of the steer on Saturday so you can make some plans for beef for next week. Got some salt pork in the cellar, but never had any idea how to fix it. My Sally was good at those things, but I have no idea what I’m supposed to do when I get in a kitchen.”

  “That’s why I’m here. I’ll handle the meals.” She looked over at Gertie. “Do you want me to start teaching Gertie how to cook and keep house right away? Or give her another year or two?” Some men thought girls should be able to just play with dolls until they were teenagers, and she didn’t want to do anything that would offend him.

  “My wife had already started her on those things, so more training will be good for her. Just teach her whatever you’re working with Natalie on. They both need to learn to be good wives.”

  Clara looked at Gertie’s dress, which was much too short. “I’ll start making her dresses as well, if you’d like.”

  He gave a nod. “She needs new clothes.”

  When he didn’t say anything else, she stood. “Clarence, I want you to wash up and head to bed. If you’re going to be doing a man’s work tomorrow, you’ll need to get a good night’s sleep.” The boys were going to be sharing a room, so she looked down at l
ittle Robert as well. “You need to get ready for bed as well, Robert.”

  Robert stood and followed along meekly. “Call me when you’re ready, and I’ll come in and listen to your prayers,” she told the boys. “I’m going to go upstairs and wash up as well. When you girls are finished with the dishes, come on up. We’ll get ready for bed then.”

  She looked at Albert still sitting at the table and gave a quick nod. “Good night, Albert. I’ll have breakfast ready first thing in the morning.”

  Albert sat at the table watching her walk away. She was a pretty woman and very pleasing on the eyes. He had done well choosing a new bride. He sighed and bowed his head. He didn’t want to notice that she was pretty. It was his job to remain true to Sally. He loved her, and she’d given him two beautiful children. No, Clara was only there to cook, clean, and take care of the children. His needs came last.

  Clara changed into her nightgown and climbed between the sheets of the bed she was going to share with Natalie. She bowed her head and whispered, “Please God, help me to do the right thing for this family. Albert is hurting. Gertie seems so sad. They all need a good woman to take care of them. Help me to be that good woman. I can’t fail at this. I need strength.”

  Chapter Three

  Clara woke early the following morning, as was her habit. She hurried down to the kitchen to start breakfast, knowing that Albert wanted to make an early start of things. It had been a long time since she’d been able to stay inside all day and only do women’s chores. She was glad she had this chance, and she was going to prove to everyone that this is what she was meant to do.

  She went to the cellar through the hatch in the floor and brought back up some eggs, milk, and bacon. She’d toast the day old bread he’d gotten at the bakery, and they’d have scrambled eggs with bacon and toast for breakfast. While she was down in the cellar, she had seen some cream. They had a tiny bit of butter made up, and she’d see if she could get some butter churned today as well. The churn was sitting in the corner. It had cobwebs on it, but she could clean it up and use it for the purpose it was intended for.