ROMANCE: Mail Order Bride: A Sheriff's Bride (A Clean Christian Inspirational Historical Western Romance) (New Adult Short Stories)

by Nathan Adams

  It gave me time to think about what had just happened, but truth be told, I didn’t want to. I was terrified of thinking about it from his point of view, yet I began to realize it could be seen as betrayal.

  “Jacob, what were you thinking that day when you told David to look after me?” I asked the heavens. My only response was unsettling silence. I didn’t fight against that silence. I welcomed it. I needed the time to think, and so did he, but I hoped we wouldn’t lose what we already knew was there.

  Chapter 4:

  Valentine’s Day morning I walked downstairs as I normally did to get started on the cooking. I felt like a ghost in this house. David was much busier than normal because it was peak season for his business. I couldn’t tell whether I was coming or going. Maybe it was Valentine’s Day making me feel even more distraught. It was supposed to be a day of love, but it just wasn’t.

  I got downstairs, and that’s when I saw it: On the table was a pretty card. It was decorated with fine ribbon and gorgeous lac and handwritten in fine calligraphy. Sitting beside it was a box of chocolate chip cookies. I wondered for a moment if my eyes were betraying me. Was it David, or perhaps Thomas had asked him to take him to get it? As much as a valentine from my son would make me grin ear to ear, I wanted it to be David’s doing. I wanted something to tell me that this would change.

  I sat down at the table and looked at the card for a moment like it was a rattlesnake I’d just spotted in the grass. I was almost afraid to open it, but I finally reached for it and let my fingers trace over the beautiful details. Whoever put the card out for me had a good eye.

  I opened it to read what it said and immediately I knew who it was who’d written this Valentine.

  Wendy,

  I know our time together has been bleak and filled with a lot of uncertainty. Although I know I’m working more often than I’d like and the days go on without much from me, I haven’t forgotten you. I never do.

  Tonight I want us to spend some time alone and just talk. I’ve arranged for Thomas to stay with a neighboring family for the evening. Of course, this is all pending your permission, but I know the Jansons well. They’re good people that would treat him just like family.

  If you’ll accept my offer, then I’ll be waiting tonight. We’ll make ourselves whole again one step at a time. That is my promise to you.

  David

  His words hit me like a bullet. I was shocked because it had come out of nowhere. David was a quiet man. He didn’t speak much, and he was mostly business. Maybe trying to distance himself from me was no longer working. That was the only thing I could think of in all of this.

  I smiled brightly and hugged the valentine close to me as I squealed in delight. After all this time, I finally saw some light on the horizon.

  When evening came, I made sure to keep my agenda clear. I had even paid special attention to what I was wearing and how I wore my hair. I’d pinned it up tonight—it was normally down—because I wanted to wow him before he even said a word.

  It turned out to be the opposite when I saw him, however. He stepped out freshly shaven and clean-faced. His clothing was clean and pressed—not his usual workwear that I’d grown accustomed to seeing him in all this time. There was something endearing about how he looked whenever he’d just gotten done with a day of work, but this look on him made me blush and turn my head. You’d have never known this was a man who herded cattle and tended the land. He looked like a real gentleman. I knew he must have had this planned for quite some time. A getup like what he was wearing wasn’t something you just found.

  The smile on my face couldn’t grow any wider, and I stood up to greet him. “David, I don’t know what to say,” I said as I looked him over once more before meeting his gaze again.

  “Don’t say anything then,” he said with a chuckle as he walked over. He embraced me once more before his eyes met mine. I felt enraptured yet again, taken by his bold and masculine energy. “I guess you’re wondering what this whole day has been about,” he said with a smile.

  “I can’t say I haven’t,” I said.

  He smiled and sat down. “This might be awhile. Better pour us up something good to drink,” he said with a grin.

  “Cold water it is,” I teased as I moved over to get the pitcher. I felt so much more natural around him right now. I attributed that to the thoughts going on in my head. I was envisioning us cuddled closely and becoming a real family, not the strange and divided household we were right now.

  “I got your money.”

  The simple statement made me freeze. “What?” I asked in disbelief.

  “I had Nathan hand it all over. I got the lawyers on it. They’re hounds for sure,” he said with a chuckle. “What good am I if I can’t fix simple problems like that?” he asked, grinning.

  I moved over to him and sat his water down, but I was still in shock. “Then I’m finally done with Nathan for good,” I said.

  He nodded. “Sure are. He won’t be messing with you anymore. I got the account set up in your name and everything down at the bank. You don’t have to worry about a thing.”

  I placed my hand on his. “I thought I was bothering you so much, David. I didn’t know you … ”

  “Now wait a minute. I’m not done,” he said grinning at me.

  I stopped my sentence abruptly, but I couldn’t help but smile at him. “All right,” I said.

  “You must have thought I was going to just abandon you and Thomas. Well, I want you to know I have no intention of doing something like that,” he said softly. “I shouldn’t have been so hesitant. We’ve been around each other for weeks now, and I’ve been a bit of a fool. A good woman is sleeping in the room next to me, and I can’t even bring myself to tell her how I feel,” he said sheepishly. “I guess I’ve never really been good with women. Jacob used to make fun of me about it. He said I could use some classes,” he said with a chuckle.

  I couldn’t help but laugh, too. It sounded exactly like something Jacob would have said.

  “I’ve never been with a woman in any kind of serious way. I’ve been a loner, and I thought I always would be one. I’ll admit it took me longer than it should have to warm up to the idea, especially considering the circumstances, but now I’m ready,” he said.

  My smile began to grow. “So what do you mean?” I asked as the anticipation in my heart grew.

  “I mean, I think I’m ready to stop being such an oaf and actually show you how I feel,” he said.

  His hands laced with mine, and I could feel my heart speed up its rhythm. His lips suddenly met my own. I fell easily into his kiss. I had been waiting on this for so long. My every worry was cleansed. I knew now that David and I really did have something for each other. I wasn’t going to suffer anymore with Nathan, and my son would continue to live in a home he was happy in.

  Our kiss lasted for a long time, but eventually we parted ways. Our eyes met for a brief moment before we both donned goofy expressions from having done something so intimate for the first time.

  “Wendy Reins, I want to make you my wife—if you’ll have me,” he said suddenly.

  I didn’t think I could grow anymore shocked, but when I saw him settle down on a knee and take my hand in his, I knew he was serious. “David?” I asked.

  He pulled from within his pocket a ring. It was beautiful, glimmering and crystal clear. I’d never seen anything like it. Because we were such simple people by nature, I rarely wore jewels. This was a step I had never taken before. Even when I married Jacob, I never got a ring because we were so humble. But David wasn’t Jacob.

  He had a hopeful yet nervous look on his face as he waited for my reply.

  After I’d gotten over my initial shock and elation, I lifted my hand, and he placed the ring on my finger. It fit perfectly. I smiled at it, and then him, before I embraced him in a tight and sudden hug.

  “You’re not going to have to worry again. If Nathan decides he has a problem, he can come up here, and we’ll talk about it,” he
said with a chuckle.

  “Now now, God don’t like ugly,” I said, pushing him a little.

  We stayed in each other’s embrace for a long time. The feeling of security washed over me. I was sure now that I was forever in good hands after we’d vowed to marry on that Valentine’s Day.

  Our wedding was simple with only close friends and family gathered. Afterward, Thomas was both thrilled and overly curious about marriage. About six months later, he was asking all kinds of questions. He had began to notice more about the things that went on around him now that he was older.

  I was kneading some dough for rolls, and he was sitting at the table with some jam and sliced bread. “Why are you married?” he asked, not even looking up at me as he played with his food.

  I had to think of a new way to explain this to him, but I was at least thankful there would be plenty of time before he was not only curious but also understood it. “Ma is married because she loves someone. Being married is how I get to show David that I love him,” I said.” Some people marry for other reasons, but for us, that was why we chose to.”

  “Other reasons?” he asked.

  “Some people have other reasons why they marry, but I can’t really say why. However, God smiles down on us when we marry for love. He expects us to mind his word and love the one you marry with all of your heart. One day, it’ll be your turn,” I said winking at him.

  Thomas processed the answer before declaring, “Marrying is good!”

  I laughed. Being a mother, I knew the many transitions he would go through when it came to girls and love. He might think girls were gross, but eventually he would understand when he met the one. I could only hope his marriage would never end as tragically as his fathers and my own. Hopefully no wars would begin any time soon, but I knew that wasn’t the only way to die. I decided it would be better to not worry for now, but it was always in the back of my head.

  “You know it’s going to be different when he gets older,” David said from the doorway as he kicked off his boots.

  Thomas turned around to see him and grinned. “Hey David.”

  David smiled back. “Hey there. I’m glad you like what your mama cooked, but don’t forget to pick up your mess in the hallway. I don’t know about you, but train tracks and toys don’t belong in the middle of the floor,” He said pointing.

  Thomas complained but after he finished his breakfast, he got up to do as he was told.

  “I nearly kill myself on his toys every day I come in,” he said sighing.

  I smiled. “It’s part of having a child in the house. You’ll get used to it,” I said.

  He walked over and watched for a moment as I rolled the dough. I thought this might be a good moment to bring up something Thomas had said earlier in our on-and-off conversation. “You know, he asked me why I married you, and where his pa was.,” I said quietly as I continued my work.

  David sighed and rubbed his hand through his hair uncomfortably. “It was bound to come up in conversation. I say we take this all one step at a time. He’s young and doesn’t understand these things yet, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it.”

  I nodded and smiled. “Then I’ll do that. He loves you to death anyway,” I said. A thought suddenly struck me. “But is it OK? I want to keep his father’s memory alive. Jacob was a good dad,” I said.

  At those works, a kinder expression crossed David’s face. “I’d never tell you to erase Jacob from his life, let alone yours. He’s a part of mine, too. God’s will was at work here. I don’t know for sure if we’ve done it all right, but he’ll let us know with time,” David said as he embraced me fully once more. This had become my favorite feeling in the world.

  As he hugged me, I thought about what he said and realized just how much I believed him. Our lives had turned around completely, and I knew I couldn’t give credit to anything else in my life. He’d watched over me and delivered me through my roughest times right where I needed to be.

  The End

  Return to the TOC

  The Pregnant Bride

  Clean Western Mail Order Bride

  By: Samuel Grace

  CHAPTER 1

  The day was sticky with more than just the Western heat. It was heavy and humid, and the clouds glided lazily across the sunlit sky. Even vultures took the day off, disregarding the surety of finding some edible, rotting flesh—a common sight in these parts of the West. The old Western front was deserted. There was no one left to shed any light of God on the poor souls who just happened to be passing through.

  Or at least that was the image that Lily Wonderly had in her mind, as she rested her heavy head on the train window that clinked and clanked as the machine rolled along. She didn’t care that the window hadn’t been washed in ages or that dead flies were stuck on the smudged glass. The whole world seemed like a rat-infested hellhole. She hadn’t always been such a negative person. Quite the contrary. Just used to relish in the beauty God created for his children and delighted in the joy that took place before her wonder-filled green eyes.

  Some would say that everyone’s baseline before the fall. But sooner or later, everyone experiences a fall out of grace and feels like God isn’t there to protect them anymore, like they had been stripped of His sheltered embrace and were now forced to walk in a dark valley of nothingness.

  A small tear rolled down Lily’s cheek. She instinctively placed her hand on her still-flat belly in an effort to soothe the little life that was invisible to the human eye but that was in the process of being formed nonetheless.

  “This is not what our life was supposed to be, little one,” she said. “Not at all.” She glanced across the train car, locating her small suitcase. It didn’t hold much, just a few necessities. Not even necessities really but rather emotional trinkets that would be of no value to any thief, but for her, these items encompassed her life up to this point.

  Lily closed her eyes, and her mind suddenly flooded with memories that were dying to get out, memories that she had been suppressing for the past couple of weeks, preferring instead to remain in the present moment and try to find a solution to this seemingly no-exit situation.

  A mail-order bride—that was what she was supposed to be, and that was the role she willingly agreed to play. But, as it happens, sometimes things don’t go according to plan or even how we want them to go. She didn’t do any of those things on purpose—she needed them all to know that. But things had changed, and she simply couldn’t have gone through with it. Yes, it was quite a shame that she had figured this out on what was to be her wedding day. But better late than never, right? Or at least that was what she kept telling herself.

  Marrying the wrong person, for whatever reason, is never the way to go, she kept repeating to herself as she ran through the mansion, passing the flabbergasted faces of shocked guests, including her traumatized future mother-in-law. But in all honesty, she didn’t even see them there. They were just fleeting figures, an obstacle on her way to him. To Harman.

  She thought that becoming a mail-order bride would make her happy. But it all changed when she met Harman, her future husband’s best friend. It was wrong, so wrong, but neither Lily nor Harman could help themselves. They never forgot the propriety of their behavior that was instructed by their faith, but what they did manage to share was a profound spiritual and emotional connection that went far beyond what she and her future husband to be had, or would ever have.

  She knew she needed to act quickly. Harman followed without any words of disagreement, despite the fact that she knew how much it hurt him. He was such a good, pious Christian man. She knew his heart was breaking, and all she could offer was her unconditional love. He accepted it.

  Their plan was set: She was to flee from her own wedding. There was simply no other way. It was too late to cancel. With her narrow escape, she reached their meeting place, and together, Lily and Harman left that little sleepy village, never to return again.

  They ended up in Tucson, where Harman had a few r
elatives who agreed to provide shelter until the heat died down. In the meantime, the two got married, and their union resulted in a new life that would be cherished and loved beyond.

  But then tragedy struck. Harman and two of his cousins were returning from a neighboring town when they were accosted by a gang of criminals. The lowlifes didn’t even give them a fighting chance, shooting them in the back. The gang stole all of their money and valuables and left their bodies to the mercy of the wild West. When Harman and his cousins were finally found, his cousins were delirious. It was just a matter of time before they would breathe their last breath. Harman wounds were less severe, but the gangrene had already set in his vital organs. Even though he didn’t look so bad on the outside, the doctor gave him only a few days.

  Harman was under the influence of so much morphine that he was barely able to recognize Lily. Her heart was breaking into millions of little pieces. She cried over his bed night and day until finally, Harman’s eyes closed for the last time. “I love you, Lily,” his whispered before he let go. Completely shattered by what had happened, Lily felt utterly lost without Harman. What was a young woman in her situation to do?

  Fortunately, Harman’s cousins’ wives offered to let her to stay with them, and she seized the opportunity. She knew she couldn’t stay there forever, not when there was so much that reminded her of what she lost. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, news reached her that Harman’s best friend was trying to find her. She was sure that if he did find her she would be forced to make good on her promise to marry him, which was the last thing she wanted to do.

  So Lily packed her few belongings in a small suitcase and boarded the first train she could. It didn’t matter where the train went as long as it took her as far away as possible, somewhere where she could find safety and the light of God again.