Love in Independence (Holiday Mail Order Brides)

by Morgan, Kit

  His chest heaved, and he began to sob. Gabe came running down the stairs and into the kitchen. “Pa! Ma wants …” He took in his father’s weeping, and the boy’s eyes welled up with tears. “Ma wants you to come upstairs,” he whispered.

  Mr. Edmonson did his best to calm himself, wiped his eyes with the back of one hand, and started for the hall. Winnie noticed that he limped, and wondered whether he’d been injured or if it was something he’d always had. She watched as he left, Gabe right behind him and, once upstairs, heard him close the bedroom door.

  She wrapped her arms around herself and sat at the table, relief flooding her. But it was short-lived as she realized she had nothing more to keep her here. It was time to leave.

  Winnie gazed at the hallway and wondered if Gabe was in the room with his parents, or waiting on the stair landing. No matter, the Edmonsons would have their talk, and she prayed all would be well between them. In the meantime, she needed to figure out her next move and make a plan.

  A knock sounded at the door, pulling Winnie from her thoughts. She went to get up from her chair, and realized she hadn’t as much strength as she expected. Her stay at the farm had worn her out. Using the table, she pushed herself up, and went to answer the door. It was probably Martha.

  “Hello, Winnie.”

  She froze. It was not Martha, or Mercy, or Maude standing on the porch. It was Luke.

  “May I come in?”

  She made to speak, but all that came out was a shaky breath. She moved aside, and let him enter. He stepped over the threshold slowly, and looked up the stairwell. “He… he… he’s back,” she managed to say.

  “Back? You mean Mr. Edmonson?”

  “You … y,y,y, you …” she pressed her lips together. Not now! She took a deep breath. “You know?”

  “Yes; Mr. Smythe told me. I wanted to come last night, but it was late.” He looked at her, his eyes full of emotion, but with a look she did not recognize.

  “He ju… ju…” She closed her eyes and stomped a foot in anger. Giving up, she turned, and retreated into the kitchen.

  “Winnie!” Luke said and grabbed her before she passed him. “What’s wrong?”

  She looked up at him, her head swimming. She was exhausted, worn-out from her week of taking care of everyone but herself. Weary of thinking about what could have been between them, she shook her head. “I, I … I …” she tried to pull away but he held her fast.

  “Winnie,” he began as he put his arms around her. “Come with me; you need to sit down.”

  He was right, of course, but to sit with him meant talking, and she was incapable of doing so right now. She’d make a fool of herself. But then, what did it matter? He was courting someone else, anyway.

  He led her into the parlor, and urged her onto the settee. She flinched when he sat beside her. “Are you all right? Do I need to take you back to town?”

  She stared at him, licked her dry lips, and shook her head no.

  He studied her. “Winnie … I didn’t just come here to check on things; I wanted to talk to you.”

  She felt her body go cold. So, here it comes …

  He took a deep breath. “I know we’ve had a few misunderstandings since we met. Most of them were my fault, at least I think so.” He smiled, as if trying to make light of it, then became somber. “What I’m trying to say is … well, Eva told me I should …”

  She held up a hand, shook her head, and took a deep breath. “You don’t have to explain anything.” The breath she took came out in a rush. She was so tired she couldn’t even hold it properly.

  “Winnie?”

  “I … I … Ohhhhh!” She balled her hands into fists.

  He studied her anew, and then leaned toward her with interest. His eyes suddenly widened. “Winnie? Do … do you have a stutter?”

  She turned her face away. So, he’d guessed her secret.

  Now it was his turn to take a deep breath. “Well, this explains a lot.”

  She spun to face him. What did he mean by that? She wanted to ask him, but didn’t dare open her mouth. It was bad enough he’d figured it out without her telling him.

  As if reading her thoughts he said, “Don’t be ashamed; it’s all right. I know lots of people who stutter. My father had a stutter.

  Winnie’s brows went up.

  “Yes; all his life, in fact. I don’t mind if you have one. It doesn’t change who you are.”

  She swallowed hard as tears formed in her eyes. Of course, why would he mind? He wasn’t intending to marry her. She sighed, and got up from the settee.

  “Wait; don’t go,” he said. “I still want to talk.”

  She shook her head and took a deep breath. “Too tired.”

  He gave her a quizzical look. “So, if you hold your breath, you don’t stutter?”

  She shrugged and nodded.

  “Wow; I wonder if that would have worked for my father.”

  Winnie mouthed the words, “I don’t know,” and headed for the kitchen.

  “Wait!” Luke jumped off the settee. “About Eva; I don’t know if you’ve heard what Mrs. Brock has been saying.”

  Winnie spun on him, and put a hand over his mouth. She shook her head, relaying a definite message of, no.

  “But, don’t you even want to hear what I have to say?”

  “No.”

  “Pastor Luke!” Gabe called as he came out of his mother’s bedroom. “Come quick!”

  Luke glanced at Winnie, and then leapt for the stairs, taking them two at a time to the top. “What is it?”

  “Ma wants to ask ya somethin’.”

  Luke stepped into the bedroom. Mr. and Mrs. Edmonson were sitting on the bed, the baby in Mr. Edmonson’s arms. “Is everything all right?”

  “Yes,” Mrs. Edmonson said, tears in her eyes. “We wanted to know if you’d marry us.”

  “Marry you?” Luke said, his brows rising in shock. “I though you already were!”

  “We are, but, we’ve been talkin’ and think it would be a good idea to do it again, all things considered.”

  “Ohhhh,” Luke said as comprehension dawned. “You want to recommit to each other.”

  Mr. Edmonson nodded. “Yes, sir, preacher. I’ve done a terrible thing, and need to let my wife know it will never happen again. It’s the only think I can think of to show her I mean it.”

  Luke smiled. “It’s a definite start, and a beautiful one. I’ll help you any way I can.”

  “Can we do it on the Fourth of July?” Mr. Edmonson asked. “I’m not stupid enough to think nobody knows what I done. So, I want to make sure they all know I’m recommitting myself to my wife.”

  “Actually, very few people know. We’ve respected your wife, and kept this to ourselves, the few of us who knew what happened.”

  “Well, that’s mighty kind of all of ya. Most folks would take somethin’ like this and spread it like wild fire.”

  “I don’t want that sort of thing happening in this town. Not if I can help it. There’s enough of that that goes on already.”

  Mr. Edmonson nodded his agreement, and then gazed at his baby daughter. “What a fool I’ve been. I’m so sorry I put you through this.”

  Mrs. Edmonson leaned her head on his shoulder. “You’ve come back to us ; that’s all that matters.”

  Gabe took Luke’s hand and squeezed it. “You gonna stay?”

  “I can for a little while, and then I have to be getting back to town. Why don’t we let your mother and father be alone. I’m sure they have lots to talk about.”

  Gabe ran to the bed and kissed his father. “I’m glad you’re home, Pa.”

  Mr. Edmonson choked up, fresh tears in his eyes, and kissed the top of his son’s head. “So am I.”

  Luke smiled as he backed out of the bedroom and, once on the landing, let out a sigh of relief. Thank the Lord the Edmonson family was back together again, and with a little work and prayer, would stay that way. Gabe came out, closing the door behind him, and together, they went
downstairs, smiles on both their faces.

  * * *

  Winnie never thought of herself as a coward, but today she didn’t have the strength to be a hero either. So, she left without saying a word to Luke or Mrs. Edmonson. She gathered her things while Luke was upstairs, wrote a quick note, placed it on the kitchen table, and went out the back door. That was over half an hour ago.

  She cut through the Edmonsons’ back fields, knowing that by doing so, she’d make it to town in half the time it took if she used the road. She didn’t know why she was running; maybe it was because she didn’t want any more disappointment. But she also realized that she’d been a blessing to Mrs. Edmonson and her children, and perhaps that was the reason she’d wound up in Independence; brought to town by the oddest of circumstances, and now would move on and perhaps find another family to help in their time of need.

  And she would move on. She’d made up her mind. She didn’t want to be a burden to the Smythes or the Tindles, even though they offered her a job. She might have to work long enough to earn stage fare, but she could do it, and then she’d head north to Salem. It wasn’t far, and she’d have a better chance of procuring a more permanent position there than in a small town like Independence.

  “Land sakes!” Maude said when Winnie made it back to the house. “You look like you haven’t slept for a week!”

  “I feel like it, too.”

  “You poor dear; what you need is a hot bath. How’s Mrs. Edmonson?”

  Winnie gave her a weak smile. She was more tired now than ever, but happy about her next words. “Mr. Edmonson came back.”

  Maude sucked in a breath and put her hands to her mouth, before clasping them in front of her. “That’s the best news I’ve heard in days! You must be so relieved. And what a help you’ve been to that woman!”

  Winnie sat at the kitchen table, and set her small bundle of things down. “It was hard work, but I enjoyed it and the children. The poor things had no idea what was going on.”

  “Do they need anything?”

  “Pastor Luke is with them; he came out a couple of hours ago. I’m sure he’ll see they get by today. Besides, as Mrs. Edmonson was doing much better, I was thinking I could come back to you today, anyway.”

  Maude studied her. “What’s wrong, other than you’re plumb tuckered out?”

  “Luke and Eva …”

  “Oh, that whole nonsense. Don’t pay it any mind. You just rest for now, and don’t worry about anything else the rest of the day.”

  Winnie nodded, got up, and went to her room. Once there, she fell onto the bed, closed her eyes, and didn’t wake up until morning.

  * * *

  Winnie woke up to a constant pounding on the front door. She sat up, giving her vision a moment to clear, and glanced around the room. Once again, she’d been so tired that she didn’t remember putting on her nightclothes or getting all the way into bed. She got up as she heard voices downstairs, and wondered what the fuss was about.

  Within moments, Maude came up to her room, and poked her head in. “You’d best come downstairs, that Mrs. Brock is raising a ruckus. Something about gathering flowers for the parade and picnic?”

  Winnie groaned. “Oh, no … I forgot all about that. What day is this?”

  “July the second.”

  Winnie gasped. The celebration is the day after tomorrow?”

  “Yes; you’ve been out at the Edmonson’s place for nearly a week, and taking care of me for almost that long beforehand.”

  Winnie smacked her hand against her forehead. “I can’t believe the time slipped away from me.”

  “You were doing more important things, but now you have this. Best go down there and tell her you’ve got it covered. She’s come ready to pick flowers and with baskets to spare.”

  Winnie grimaced. The thought of picking flowers all morning with Mrs. Brock didn’t hold a lot of appeal. But she did need to take care of this one last thing. “I’ll be down in a minute.”

  “I’ll let her know. She said Mrs. Gelsinger and Mrs. Caulder are on their way.”

  Winnie nodded and reached for her dress.

  Downstairs, a very impatient Mrs. Brock waited in the parlor. “Finally! I’d expect someone like you to be more prompt!

  “Sorry, Mrs. Brock, but I’ve had a very long week, and slept longer than expected. Are you ready?”

  “Yes, I brought baskets. I want you to know, my Eva had to do all the work to set this up. The least you can do is help us gather what we need.”

  “I apologize, and appreciate the fact Eva picked it up, but I had more important things to attend to this week.”

  “Like taking care of that Edmonson brood? Woman breeds like a rabbit.”

  Winnie’s mouth dropped open in shock. “Mrs. Brock!”

  “Well, if she’d stop having children, she’d be able to keep track of the ones she’s already got! No wonder you had to go out there and help her all week!” She got up off the settee, grabbed the baskets she’d brought, and headed for the front door.

  “How did you know where I was?” Winnie asked as she followed her.

  “Who doesn’t know? News travels fast in town; takes longer for it to get out to a place like the Edmonsons’.” She went out the door onto the front porch. “Which is why you probably haven’t heard about Eva and Pastor Adams,” she purred.

  Winnie rolled her eyes. She didn’t want to hear about it, especially not from Mrs. Brock. “Yes, I’m aware,” she said in the hopes the woman would drop the subject.

  Mrs. Brock smiled in satisfaction. “They make a lovely couple; I’m going to see to their wedding plans right away.”

  Winnie took a deep breath, and stiffened. “I’m sure they’ll … b,b,b, … be very happy.”

  Mrs. Brock turned to her. “Are you going to cry? Well, you’re certainly a sore loser.”

  Winnie’s jaw tightened; and she couldn’t help but glare.

  “Oh, come now; I saw how you looked at him when you first arrived. But you didn’t stand a chance against Eva, no one does. I’m not trying to be mean, just stating the facts.”

  With that she stepped off the porch and into the street, just as Mrs. Gelsinger and Mrs. Caulder approached.

  Winnie balled her hands into fists in an attempt to hold her anger at bay. She’d finish her commitment to the Fourth of July celebration, and then that was it! She was done! The sooner she left Independence, the better.

  Fifteen

  Luke wasn’t surprised when he discovered that Winnie had left the Edmonson farm the day before. He was, however, disappointed that he didn’t get tell her what was on his heart, and probably came across like a blithering idiot. The fact that he could preach a sermon like nobody’s business, and then got tongue-tied when it came to his own affairs, irked him.

  He stayed at the farm until late afternoon, counseling and talking with Mr. Edmonson, and felt the couple was on their way to recovery. They would renew their wedding vows during the Fourth of July celebration, as a public display of their commitment to each other and their children. It would top off the day perfectly, and then they would have the fireworks.

  Luke pushed himself away from his desk and sighed. He planned to let Winnie know of his intentions that day, and if she’d still have him, court her. Maybe, even just up and marry her! If she’d been a mail-order bride, they’d already be married! He sighed again. Too bad he hadn’t sent away for her; then he wouldn’t have to worry about her changing her mind and backing out of the relationship once they started courting.

  He went behind the church where tables had been set up so the women could sit and sort through the many flowers they’d picked. He watched in silence as they worked, and paid special attention to Winnie. She was quiet while the other women chatted up a storm around her. He wished Eva had been able to help with the flower gathering and sorting, but she was busy working on organizing the last-minute food and prizes for the celebration. If she were here, Winnie would at least have someone to talk to. Eva ado
red Winnie and he was sure Winnie felt the same way about Eva.

  He stepped away from the building and approached the tables. “Hello, ladies. Hard at work, I see. Are we making progress?”

  “We’d make better progress if my Eva was here!” barked Mrs. Brock.

  “She’s doing her part, and is working just as hard as the rest of you,” Luke said in return.

  He gazed at Winnie, and fought the urge to stand directly in front of her. “Are you feeling better, Miss Longfellow?”

  She stopped, but didn’t look up at him. He took a step toward her, then another; but she did nothing to acknowledge his movement, even though he knew she could see him. He was too close not to.

  “She should go home; she’s hardly said a word all day!” Mrs. Brock complained. “If she’s sick, I don’t want to come down with it!”

  Luke took the opportunity Mrs. Brock had just given him, and stood directly in front of Winnie. “Are you not feeling well? Would you like me to escort you home?”

  She stopped sorting, and finally looked at him. Their gazes locked. A jolt of heat shot through him, and he thought he’d have to grip the table to keep his balance. But as quickly as it came, it was gone the moment she broke eye contact. She looked away, shaking her head in a polite dismissal, and returned to work.

  What could be wrong? She was upset, and something else. Something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. There was an odd sadness about her, a sort of despair. What could have caused it? Of course, the only way to find out would be to speak with her, but she didn’t act like she wanted any conversations with him today. Then it hit him.

  Mrs. Brock.

  What if Mrs. Brock was still telling people that he and Eva were courting? If so, what if Winnie thought … Luke eyed Eva’s mother as she proceeded to tell Mrs. Gelsinger that she was weaving her daisies all wrong. It would be just like Mrs. Brock to make sure Winnie heard the rumors. Hmmm, what to do about it? Though he’d like to just blurt out that he was courting Winnie, he couldn’t. For one, he wasn’t, at least not yet, and two, he didn’t want to make Mrs. Brock out to look like a complete fool in front of everyone. That wouldn’t do either. Tempting as that might be …