by Sarah Banks
Alex’s hand found hers and he squeezed it gently. She realized she never answered his initial question.
“I would like children,” she said quietly. “Lots of them.” She blushed. “I feel like, for me, life is incomplete without having others to love and cherish. I think we’re going to have a good life together and I want to share our many blessings.”
Becca knew they didn’t have a lot of money but she also knew that money didn’t matter as much as people did. She also firmly believed the three of them could work this farm into a comfortable enough living that all of their needs would be met.
“What about you? How did you end up in Sweet Creek and what made you place an ad for a wife?”
Alex took a deep breath before answering, “I’ve lived and worked on a farm my entire life. Then my parents suddenly passed and I almost lost Billy too. Once he was well again, I decided we needed a fresh start. My father always talked about heading west and it just seemed like the right thing to do. When we saw this property for sale, we knew right away Sweet Creek was the place to do it. It just felt right. We’ve spent the past year here and I love it, the land, our farm, but something was missing. It took me some time to figure out exactly what it was but then I realized it was something only a woman could provide. I think it’s a woman that makes a house a home. You’ve already started to prove that in the two short days you’ve been here. Once I figured out what was missing, I was at a loss. There is a shortage of women out here. I thought my only option was to travel east to find a woman willing to travel west in the hopes that she was cut out for this life. Then one day I went into town and found out a couple men I knew had advertised for mail order brides and I figured I would do that too. Lucy Spencer, she runs the Sweet Creek Mail Order Bride Agency, she helped me place the ad.”
It was strange, Becca thought. They both lived entirely different lives, content with their lot and thinking they would live that way for the indeterminable future until circumstances out of their control had changed everything. And those same heartbreaking circumstances had eventually brought them together.
“And what about children?” She asked tentatively, genuinely curious of his answer.
Alex’s fingers found hers and he ran his thumb over her wedding band again. Her thoughts immediately went to kissing and she ducked her head, blushing in the darkness.
“Yes, I want children,” he replied, his voice low. “Never really thought much about it before but I have been thinking about it more and more lately. I don’t have a particular number in mind, just healthy and happy children. I want to give them the childhood that my parents gave both Billy and I, maybe even better.”
They didn’t talk anymore after that. Becca eventually heard his breathing even out and his fingers, still entwined with hers, went lax, but she didn’t pull her hand away, enjoying the feeling of her hand in his.
Only weeks ago her life had nearly fallen apart and now she was in an even better place than before, with a good man beside her and a promising future in front of them. She couldn’t wait to see what it held.
Chapter Thirteen
Alex’s eyes opened as he heard a rustling noise downstairs, and after listening for a moment, was on his feet instantly. He knew it was Casey but it wasn’t the usual noises of going out to the privy, getting a drink of water or tending to the fire. He didn’t know what she was up to but he was going to find out.
He quickly and quietly dressed, watching the outline of his wife in the moonlight as she slept, blissfully unaware of her surroundings. He slept better than he ever had the past two nights with her by his side and he was reluctant to leave her, even for a few minutes. He was halfway down the stairs by the time Casey had slipped outside.
His hand froze on the knob when he heard voices, Billy and Casey arguing softly just outside. Billy better not be involved in Casey sneaking out in the middle of the night or Alex would tan his hide. He fought his initial urge to throw open the door and demand to know what was going on. Instead he silently cracked it open to listen to their conversation.
“What are you doing?” Billy asked, his voice laced with suspicion.
“Nothing,” Casey answered defensively.
“Really?” Billy said sarcastically, his brow lifting as he looked pointedly at the bag she was carrying.
“It’s none of your business. Just leave me alone,” she whispered furiously, trying to step past him.
Billy stepped in front of her. “Running away? Cowards run,” he taunted her.
“Be quiet. You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she hissed. “Besides, why do you care anyway?”
Billy was quiet for a moment before answering, “I don’t really.” The statement rang false but he continued, “But I do care about my brother and my new sister-in-law and I know that what you’re planning to do is going to hurt them both and I can’t let you do that.”
“You’re wrong. They won’t care,” Casey insisted. “They’re sending me back anyway. What difference does it make if I leave now or tomorrow or next week?”
Billy shrugged. “If it doesn’t make a difference then tell them you’re leaving, don’t just run away in the middle of the night.”
Casey tried to sidestep him again and then huffed in frustration when he again blocked her.
“Billy please,” she pleaded. She swiped away a tear furiously.
Billy slowly shook his head. She pushed past him.
“I’ll tell,” he warned from behind her.
Casey turned around to look at him. “You wouldn’t.”
“Yes, I would. I’ll yell so loud that a neighbor might even hear. That’s pretty loud,” he added.
She took a step backwards, away from the house, toward the driveway watching Billy carefully.
Billy opened up his mouth to sound an alarm.
Alex stepped up behind Billy, clapping a hand over his mouth. Billy jumped underneath him, the beginnings of his holler muffled into a squeak.
Casey gasped when she saw Alex step out of the shadows. Alex kept his eyes on hers, dropping his hand from Billy’s mouth.
“Thanks Billy, I’ll take it from here. You head on back to the barn,” he told his brother.
“But I was going to get a snack.”
Alex sighed. “I’ll bring you something in a bit. Now go.”
Billy hesitated for a moment, his eyes going between Casey and his brother before he finally nodded and headed back toward the barn.
“How did you know I was out here?” Casey asked hesitantly, holding her bag behind her.
Alex made a noise of disgust. “I hear everything. I have a farm, animals and a family to protect. I heard you packing your bag and was dressed before you even had your hand on the doorknob,” he told her. “You’re in Colorado country now. You can hear a pin drop out here city girl.”
Her shoulders sagged.
Alex and Casey stared at each other silently for a long moment before he finally said, “What do you have to say for yourself?”
Casey just shrugged and shook her head. Then her eyes filled with tears and they began spilling over, one by one. “Nothing,” she stuttered before angrily swiping her tears away.
“Well, how about where you were going for a start?” Alex asked, his voice softening slightly.
She shrugged again confirming his suspicions, that even if he did put her back on the train, which had only been a brief thought in the beginning before he started considering otherwise, that she wouldn’t return to the orphanage. He couldn’t say he blamed her really. But all that aside, he needed to be able to trust her if she was going to stick around.
Alex sighed. “Casey, I know you’re still a kid, but take it from me, running away never solves anything.”
“I can’t go back there,” she whispered brokenly. “I just can’t. I hate it.”
“I know and I’m sorry for that.”
“I want more. I want to stay here. I know that I’ve only been here two days but this is the kind of li
fe I’ve always imagined for myself. No, better than I could have ever imagined,” she insisted.
Alex wanted to tell Casey about his plans for her to possibly stay indefinitely but he had a few details to iron out, the first of which was discussing it with his wife.
“Listen, you don’t have to go back right now,” he told her. “Enjoy the time that you have while you’re here. Who knows, winter’s approaching fast, maybe you won’t be able to travel until springtime. That’s months away.”
She looked at him hopefully.
“I’m not promising anything,” he said firmly, holding his hands up in warning.
Her look remained hopeful. Alex dropped his hands and sighed.
“But you have to promise me that you won’t pull another stunt like this. I need to be able to trust you Casey, to rely on you.”
She nodded eagerly. “I won’t and you can,” she replied quickly.
“Then prove it.”
“I will,” she promised.
“And then there is the matter of your punishment,” he began, his brows drawing together.
Casey’s mouth opened and then closed. She frowned.
Alex crossed his arms. “I know I’m not your father and I know you’re almost an adult but you’re living in my house so you will follow my rules. As far as your punishment, you will not go into town for any other reason than church for the next month.”
Disappointment slashed across her features, “But I was looking forward to going into town!” She protested.
“Yeah, that’s kind of the idea of a punishment,” he informed her dryly. “Is that going to be a problem?”
“No sir,” she said meekly.
“Alright then, let’s get back to bed. Morning’ll be here before we know it and we need to get some rest because I’m going to need your help with the fences tomorrow morning while Billy gets some sleep.”
Casey’s eyes widened. “You’re going to let me help you with the fences?” She asked excitedly.
He nodded and looked at her strangely. He had never seen anyone so excited about working the fence line. Alex fought a smile as he thought about the end of the day tomorrow, wondering if she would still have the same enthusiasm. He would put his money on her falling asleep in her saddle on the way back to the house.
Her expression drooped. “Oh, but I don’t know how to ride a horse.”
“There’s nothing to it. I’ll teach you everything you need to know.”
Casey gave a little hop of excitement. “Alright.” She walked past him and up the porch steps. Her hand on the knob she turned and looked at him. “I, uh, can you not tell Becca about this? You know that I was going to, er, run away?”
Alex raised both brows. “I won’t.”
She looked relieved.
Alex had no intention of lying to his wife, not now, not ever. He would never want to be lied to so he didn’t ever want to lie to her.
“But you will,” he told Casey firmly. “Tomorrow. Now go to bed. But first bring Billy something to eat. And no dawdling. I want you back in bed in less than ten minutes.”
He followed her inside the house and knew immediately that his wife had overheard at least part of their conversation. Even though he didn’t see her, he smelled traces of her soap as he went upstairs and sure enough when he got to the top, she was sitting on the edge of the bed, dressed except her bare feet were peeping out from underneath the hem of her skirt. Her eyes were shining in the low light of the lantern.
Alex stopped to stare at her. She was so beautiful. He wondered how he ever got so lucky as to have her answer his ad.
Becca didn’t say anything as she stood up and took a step toward him and then another until she was in his arms. She buried her face against his chest and his arms came around her, holding her tightly, her body warm against his. When she finally looked up at him, he looked down and met her gaze. There were tears in her eyes and his shirt was damp. “Thank you,” she whispered.
He dropped a kiss on her nose. “You don’t have to thank me. Come on, let’s go to bed,” he said softly.
Chapter Fourteen
The next morning Becca awoke to hammering. She lay in bed and stared out the window. It was at least an hour, maybe two past sunrise, but not nearly as late as she had slept yesterday but still later than she had meant to sleep. The sky was filled with dark clouds threatening rain and she could hear the wind hitting the side of the house. She was tempted to stay cocooned underneath the covers but she needed to make breakfast plus the hammering had peaked her curiosity.
When she saw her dress tossed across the trunk, she looked at it curiously and then remembered the previous night’s events. She had woken just as her husband opened their bedroom door in the middle of the night. She blinked sleepily and half-listened as he went downstairs but she never heard the front door open. When she heard soft voices outside, Becca sat up in bed, holding the covers against her as she tried to make out who they belonged to. She frowned when she finally realized the voices belonged to Billy and Casey but she couldn’t make out what they were saying. When she finally heard the front door open and Alex’s stern voice, she shoved the covers aside, quickly traded her nightgown for her dress and tiptoed downstairs.
She didn’t like to eavesdrop but based on the tone of their voices something important was happening and Casey was in the middle of it. Becca wanted to know what was going on. She didn’t need to put her ear to the keyhole like Casey usually did, she could hear plenty well standing right next to the door. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized that Casey had been trying to run away and nearly succeeded. Thank God both Billy and Alex had stopped her.
Becca approved of the punishment Alex had dealt, in fact, she was pleased with the way he had handled the entire situation. She had married a good man.
After Alex returned to bed, he held her in his arms and they laid together for quite some time without talking until she finally fell asleep in his arms. She hoped that he was able to get some sleep as well.
She washed from a bucket of water she had brought up the previous day, dressed, brushed her teeth, fixed her hair and finally made the bed before going downstairs.
Becca smiled when she saw Casey at the stove making breakfast.
“Morning,” Casey said brightly, taking the oatmeal off of the stove and gathering dishes and silverware to set the table.
“Good morning,” Becca replied. “Thanks for making breakfast.” She took the bowls and spoons from Casey and began setting the table.
Casey nodded. “I hope plain oatmeal’s okay. It’s the only thing I know how to make.”
“It sounds fine,” Becca assured her. She added some dried fruit, sliced ham, cheese and a few biscuits she had hidden out of Billy’s sight yesterday to the table. Hopefully it would be enough to tide the men over until lunchtime. “Do you know what all of the hammering is about?”
Casey nodded excitedly. “Alex said he and Billy are going to work on the addition for a couple hours each morning. He said it should only be a few days and then there will be two more bedrooms.”
Becca was thrilled. Casey would be able to have her own room for the remainder of her stay and Billy would no longer have to sleep in the barn. She was also surprised. She and Alex had only talked about it yesterday and he was already tackling what was certainly no small job.
After breakfast, Billy disappeared to the barn to take a nap after spending most of the night watching over the foal and his mother. Becca learned that Alex and Casey would be checking and mending fences that afternoon. Alex told her they would be riding out in about an hour. That gave her enough time to make a batch of cornbread. She sliced more ham and cheese and wrapped them all in a towel along with some apples, milk and coffee. She met the pair as they rode out of the barn. Casey sat tall and proud in the saddle and despite her white-knuckled grip on the pommel, she had the biggest smile on her face. Alex thanked her for lunch and gave her a smile and a wink that made her blush. He added the contents to
his saddlebags and with a wave, they rode away and Becca was left to her own devices.
First, she tiptoed into the barn to admire the new colt, watching him with his mother for a few minutes with a smile before reluctantly returning to the house. She cleaned up the kitchen, swept the floor and then took a bath, confident that she had the house to herself for at least a few hours. Afterwards, she settled at the kitchen table and read a few passages from Alex’s family Bible before staring out the window. It had started to sprinkle and it was still quite windy. She missed Alex, Billy and Casey and it had only been a few short hours. Becca decided she didn’t like to be alone. She had never been alone before. It was too quiet. At the orphanage she was always busy and she never realized how much she depended on it.
When everyone finally returned, she was elbow deep in flour, making several loaves of bread for the coming week. Billy was now awake, so he and Alex continued their work on the house, utilizing every last minute of daylight, while Casey told her all about their afternoon of riding horses, exploring the property and fixing fences before finally broaching the subject of the previous night’s events.
“Casey, if I would have woken up and found you gone,” Becca began. She looked at Casey with tear-filled eyes. “I don’t know what I would have done. I would have been sick with worry.”
“I know, I’m sorry,” Casey replied softly with downcast eyes.
“Promise me you’ll never try to do anything so foolish again.”
Casey’s eyes met hers. “I promise.”
Becca took her hand and squeezed. “And I promise I’ll do everything in my power to get you out of that orphanage as soon as we can. I’ll save some money so that when you turn eighteen you can come back west and follow your dream.” She pulled Casey into a tight hug.
Chapter Fifteen
Sunday morning Becca took special care with her appearance before going downstairs. After a quick breakfast and cleanup, she and Casey met Alex and Billy in front of the house where they were waiting with the wagon. Her husband looked especially handsome in his Sunday’s finest and Becca couldn’t help but sneak several peeks of him on the long drive into town.
