Not Quite A Mail Order Bride (Mail Order Brides)

by Susan Leigh Carlton

  “I already do. She’s your sister.”

  “Well said, sir. That’s why I love you so much. Would you like to make love to me right now? The children are asleep.”

  “Yes. Lets, and we’ll get her ticket the next time we are in Laramie.”

  She took his hand, “Come with me,” she said, and led him to their bedroom.

  * * *

  The ticket was sent, along with a nice long letter. Also mailed at the same time was a letter to her mother. In the letter to her mother, she mentioned the death of Clara, whom her mother had met, but without the horrible details.

  Two weeks later, Sarah had two letters, one from Martha and one from her mother. Her mother expressed her shock and sorrow about Clara. She acknowledged the fact Martha was coming for a visit. Then, just before the closing, she mentioned “Luke is such a nice man, be sure to introduce him to Martha.” After reading the letter, she showed it to Jed. “She didn’t waste any time playing matchmaker did she. It’s a terrible thing to say, but I’m glad she isn’t going to be here. She would drag poor Luke to the altar.”

  “Now be nice, Sarah. She is your mother. She only wants the best for poor Luke.” He dodged the swing Sarah took at him.

  Martha arrived two days after Sarah received her letter. Sara, Jed, John Lucas and Sarah Catherine were standing on the platform waiting when the train arrived.

  Sparks flew from the sliding steel wheels as the train braked to a stop. The conductor stepped from the train and placed a wooden step beneath the bottom step on the train. He was followed by the usual drummers and their cases. Then an attractive young woman dressed in black stepped from the train to the wooden platform of the depot. Sarah dropped the hands of her children, and squealed, “Martha!” She ran toward her sister so hard, she nearly bowled her over. Her eyes overflowing with tears, she said, “I can’t believe you’re here. It has been so long and I have missed you so much it hurt at times.”

  “I missed you too, Sis,” Martha said. Sarah was hugging her so tight, Martha could barely breathe. Finally, she relaxed the embrace, took Martha’s hand and said, “Martha, this handsome man is the most wonderful husband in the world. It was his suggestion we invite you.”

  “Jed opened his arms and Martha stepped into them. “Thank you so much for making it possible for me to see my sister again.” She hugged him tightly.

  Sarah said, “Marty, this beautiful girl is Sarah Catherine, this heartbreaker is John Lucas. Say hello to your Aunt Martha children. She is my sister, just like Sarah Catherine is your sister.”

  “Hello Aunt Martha,” they chorused. “Aunt Martha, did you ride in the train?” John asked.

  “I sure did,” she said.

  “Where did you go to the bathroom?” he asked.

  She laughed, “They have a really small bathroom on the train.”

  “Really?” he asked.

  “Yes, really. You sure are a handsome little boy.”

  “I know. Ma says that all the time.”

  Sarah Catherine was clinging to her mother’s dress. Jed said, “Martha, help me identify your luggage and I’ll load it onto the wagon.”

  She walked with him to the baggage car and pointed out her trunk. “Jed, thank you for your Papa in this. I really needed to get away.”

  “Sarah needed to see you. She had just lost her best friend the same day she got your letter. She was so busy making things go right for Luke, she didn’t read it for two days. When I saw her face, I knew I had to do something. She’s often talked about how much she missed you. Now I sometimes don’t understand her, but I knew enough to know she needed you. So I suggested it. Your sister is a wonderful, giving person. She took over the handling of the food and guests at Clara’s funeral. Luke was and is, so emotionally broken up over her death, he couldn’t have done anything. We will be going over tomorrow or the next day to see how he is doing. The nanny is taking care of the kids.”

  Jed retrieved her trunk and loaded it into the wagon. “John Lucas, Sarah Catherine, would you like to go see Uncle John and Aunt Grace before we go home?”

  John asked, “Can Aunt Martha go too?”

  “Yes, she can go, and your mother can go too.”

  “Papa, you’re being silly,” John said.

  “Marty, John and Grace Carruthers are the ones he’s talking about. They are just about our closest friends outside of Luke and Clara. John is the preacher. He married us, and as a matter of fact, he married Luke and Clara. After trying for a long time, she and John were finally able to have a little girl. Her name is Rebecca. She’s about a year old and is a darling. John and Grace are two of the nicest people ever.”

  “When Jedadiah and I were corresponding, and before I agreed to come to Laramie, he asked them to write a letter telling me he was a good man. It was a warm, nice letter. Luke wrote one also. I think I may have shown them to you.”

  They found John, Grace and Rebecca at home, somewhat of a surprise, since John was usually at the church during the daytime. They welcomed Martha warmly, telling her how pleased they were to finally meet after hearing so much from Sarah about her.

  John asked, “Jed, have you seen Luke since the funeral?”

  “We went over the next day and found him in bad shape. I plan on going over tomorrow to see if he needs anything. I’m not looking forward to it though.”

  “ I think Grace and I might ride out tomorrow,” John said. “He may not want to see anyone, but he needs to. I also want to see how the boys are.”

  The ladies talk…

  “How long are you going to be here, Martha,” Grace asked.

  “I really don’t know,” Martha said. “I have an open ended ticket, so there’s no set plans.”

  “If I had my way, she wouldn’t go back,” Sarah said. “We have plenty of room. I would love to have my favorite sister just stay here.”

  “You haven’t told me anything about that,” a surprised Martha said.

  “I just did. Jedadiah and I have talked about it and we think you would be better off here, than back in Owego, and we would love to have you.”

  “It would be nice to have you as Papa of our congregation, though we don’t see Sarah and her family here often enough,” Grace said.

  “I agree with you, but it is a real chore getting the children ready and driving in. It makes the day really long.”

  “John Lucas, tell your Papa we need to get things moving if we’re to get home before dark. We need to stop in at the store, also.”

  John did as his mother requested and they began getting their things together.

  With the wagon loaded, they rode to the store. Sarah introduced her sister to Asa Thompson and then proceeded to gather the things she needed for home. Finished, they bade Asa goodbye and headed for the J Bar B and home.

  Martha said, “I really liked Grace and John, and Rebecca is precious.”

  Sarah replied, “They’re special people. Jedadiah has known them since John got out of seminary. I stayed with them after I got here until the wedding.”

  CHAPTER SIX HOME AT THE J-BAR-B

  As the wagon rolled on, Jed pointed out some of the landmarks. After two hours, he said, “That’s our land now on both sides of the road.”

  “You don’t fence the cattle in?” asked Martha.

  “No, we have open range, and then a roundup in the fall and another in the spring. The cattle are branded for identification. Luke’s property is next to ours and Rance Underwood is on the other side. At roundup time, we separate the brands, and in the fall, we drive a combined herd to the railhead for transport to Fort Laramie. All three of us have contracts with the army, so it’s not a complicated process. We are supplying some of Laramie’s needs.”

  “It’s quite an operation isn’t it?” Martha asked.

  “I guess so, but Luke’s is even bigger. We farm some, but Luke doesn’t, except for Clara’s garden. We supply a good bit of Laramie’s fresh vegetables.”

  They turned off the main road. Jed said,
“Our vegetables are off on the left side of the road. If you look way out there, you can see Papa of our herd, but most of the herd is on the other side of the house.”

  “I’m impressed,” Martha said. “I had no idea your place was this big.”

  “We have over 2500 acres now. I’m looking to add more, but just haven’t gotten to it. Our house is at the end of this road. Just over the next hill, you’ll be able to catch sight of it.”

  When they pulled into the area between the house and barn, one of the ranch hands ambled over and asked, “Need any help, boss?”

  “Yes, thank you, Cale. Help me get the trunk into the house and see to the horses would you, please?”

  “Yes sir.”

  Sarah, the children and Martha went into the house. “Your home is huge, and I love what you’ve done. It is beautiful.”

  “Just after we had the idea, hoof and mouth disease got a good bit of our herd and things got tight. We almost didn’t build it, but then the copper came along and saved the day. We have no such worries anymore and Jedadiah tells me to do anything I want with the house. We’ve added on to it several times, but the biggest thing we did was to get water inside. I have a small garden nearby. We grow just about everything we need.”

  “Sarah Catherine, why don’t you show Aunt Martha her room?”

  Sarah Catherine took Martha’s hand and led her down the hall to what was going to be her room. “This is your room here, Aunt Martha. My room is there,” and she pointed across the hall. “Johnny’s room is there,” and pointed again. Jed and Cale had put Martha’s trunk in the corner of the large room.

  Martha went back to the kitchen. “Sarah, I can’t get over this house. It’s larger than the one I was renting and Ma and Papa’s place combined. You really have it nice.”

  Sarah smiled, “Yes, I do pretty much have it all. Jedadiah is a wonderful husband and provider. He started from nothing. After he gave up trying to find gold and started farming and ranching, his hard work paid off. The income from the copper leases provides more than we’ll ever need. Now he and Luke are forming a separate mining company too. We have been well and truly blessed.

  I wasn’t kidding back at Grace’s. We’d really like for you to stay. You don’t have anything to hold you back in New York.

  I have something to show you, you’ll get a kick out of this. She got her mother’s letters from the small desk in the other room and handed it to Martha.”

  Martha read the letter, and began to laugh. “She doesn’t give up does she? Now that you’re fixed, she’s bound and determined to see me all married and everything. Daniel isn’t even cold in his grave and already she’s out prospecting and even trying to enlist you. If she weren’t my mother, I’d be angry, but that’s the way she is.”

  Sarah laughed with her. “One thing I promise. I won’t try to make a match for you, though I do know this one man who…” She let her voice trail off.

  Jed came into the kitchen. “Sarah, would you like to go with me tomorrow? I’m going to check up on Luke to see how he’s doing. Martha, you’re welcome to come with us, unless you’re too tired from your trip.”

  “I’d like that and thank you for asking. Just being around you two is invigorating.”

  “It’s only about three miles further down the road from where we turned off. When I first came here, Luke was my mentor. Still is as far as that goes. He taught me everything I know about ranching. He even sold me my first bulls and heifers. The copper seam that was discovered on our ranch extends onto his, so we’re sort of partners in that. We’re setting up our own company to do oil and mineral rights leasing. Luke’s only about three years older than I am but he was born on his ranch and has grown it. His operation is much larger than ours. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had over 10,000 acres.”

  The next morning…

  Jed rapped sharply on the door of the main ranch house. Hetty came to the door. When she saw who it was, she stepped out onto the porch. “Mr Jed, please talk to Mr Luke. He ain’t eating and he ain’t sleeping. He’s hardly spoken to the boys since they put Miss Clara in the ground. It’s just so sad, I don’t know what to do for him.”

  “I’ll talk to him, Hetty. How are the boys?” Jed asked.

  “Will is real sad. Jimmy keeps asking where his Mama is. They’ll be all right, but I’m worried plum sick about Mr Luke.”

  “Where is he,” Jed asked.

  “He’s up on the hill by Miss Clara’s grave. He ain’t hardly left it.”

  “I’ll go up and talk to him.” He turned, “Sarah, I’m going up to the cemetery and talk to Luke.”

  “Do you want me to come up?”

  “No, you stay here. I’m going to be hard on him, just as he was on me.”

  * * *

  “Luke, what are you doing?” Jed asked.

  Luke looked up. He hadn’t shaved in three days. His eyes were red and swollen from his crying. His hair was in wild disarray. “She’s gone, Jed. Clara’s gone. I can’t go on without her. I don’t want to go on without her.”

  “You should see yourself the way I see you right now. Clara would be ashamed of you. This is no way to honor her life. There’s two little boys down there that lost their mother and now it’s beginning to look as if they might lose their father too. You are a pitiful example of yourself. Do you realize Clara is probably looking down right now and wondering what has happened to the man she loved. You’re stronger than this.”

  Luke stood, his fists clenched and a with a wild eyed look, stepped toward Jed.

  “Are you going to take a swing at me Luke? Go ahead if it will make you feel better. It would be worth it. Luke, you’re my best friend and I love you. Go take a good look at yourself in the mirror and then tell me you like what you see.

  We’re going home, Luke. Sarah, the kids, her sister and I came over to see if we could do anything for you, but I guess not. Goodbye, Luke.” Without another word, he turned and walked back to the house, gathered his family and went home.

  “Once home, he said to Sarah, “John’s going to come out and see how he’s doing. Maybe he can help.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN THE TURN AROUND STARTS

  The next morning, the Barnette family was sitting at the table having a late breakfast. They were planning to show Martha around the ranch today. There was a loud rap on the front door. “I’ll get it,” said Jed. He went to the door to find an abject Luke…

  Luke had shaved and cleaned himself up to the point where he looked like himself instead of one of the panhandlers on Grand Street in Laramie. “Could we go somewhere and talk, please?”

  “Come on in, we’re just sitting down for breakfast,” Jed said.

  “I’d rather not,” Luke said. “I’m not ready to face Sarah.”

  “Well, okay, let’s just take a walk,” replied Jed.

  “I owe you an apology, Jed. There was no call for my behavior yesterday. I think I was going to take a swing at you. You’re right, if Clara was watching, she would have been embarrassed and ashamed of me.” He was walking, head down, his boots scuffling up the dirt as they walked. “Jed, I lost so much, when she died, my world stopped. I forgot about the boys, my responsibilities, my friends and everything else. Will you forgive me?”

  “Luke, there’s nothing to forgive. That was your grief talking, it wasn’t you. I understood. You have my sympathy, but not my pity.” He extended his hand. Luke took it in his usual tight grip. They shook hands heartily. Jed pulled him into an embrace. “You told me once, “To have a friend, be a friend.” I’m your friend Luke. Whatever you need, I’m good for it. Now, I want you to do something for me. Come into the house with me. Sarah cares for you too, Luke. She lost her best friend. You don’t need to be embarrassed at facing her. Come on in.”

  They went into the house and into the dining room. Sarah stood, then came around the table to embrace Luke. “It’s so good to see you. The boys are with Hetty? How are they doing?”

  “Thanks to Hetty, they’re doing as
well as can be expected. I guess having their Papa back might help. We can help each other. Thank you for the other day. Hetty told me all you did. I appreciate it.”

  Sarah stepped back. “Luke, this is my sister, Martha. She just lost her husband and is going to be staying with us, I hope for a long time. Martha, this is Luke Hastings, our dear friend and neighbor. Luke wrote a letter of reference for Jed before we married.”

  Martha stood, “It’s my pleasure to meet you Luke. I read your letter to Sarah and have heard nothing but good words about you from these two as well as from John and Grace.” She extended her hand.