Not Quite A Mail Order Bride (Mail Order Brides)

by Susan Leigh Carlton

  “Thank you, Miss Martha,” she said, shyly.

  After dinner, Luke excused himself from the room for about five minutes. When he returned to the main living room, he sat beside Martha and the two boys on the side of their father. “Martha Sanders, my sons and I have come to care for you a great deal.” He reached into his pocket and took out a small box. Tears welled in her eyes, and her hand covered her mouth, as he asked, “Will you marry us? Be my wife, and mother to Will and Jimmy?”

  Her voice nearly failed her as she said, “Yes, I will. To all of that.”

  “Kiss her Papa,” Will said.

  “Yes, Papa,” echoed Jimmy.

  He did, and she kissed him back. Breaking the embrace, she stood and moved to the side of the boys. “I just want you to know I love you both and will do my best to be a good mother to you.” Then she kissed both of them, tears streaming down her cheeks.

  “Why are you crying, Miss Martha? Aren’t you happy?” asked Will.

  “I am the happiest girl in all Wyoming,” she said, as Luke took a ring from the small box and placed it on her finger.

  Back Home

  “Running a little late aren’t you, Sis?” Sarah asked.

  “Yes, but I had a good reason. I had dinner with Luke, Will and Jimmy.”

  “That’s good. So you’re getting along pretty good now?” Sarah said.

  “I guess,” Martha replied, waving her hand around with the ring finger extended.

  “Whoa, wait, let me see that.” She grabbed Martha’s hand. “He proposed?”

  “Yes, actually they did. The boys were there all dressed up and everything and Luke said, “Will you marry us?”

  “I am so happy for you. He really is a nice man and will make you a terrific husband. When?”

  Martha replied, “We haven’t set a date, but I want it to be soon. We are going to have a honeymoon in San Francisco. It’s a place I’ve always wanted to go and before he even proposed he promised to take me. Will heard it and asked if he could go too. Luke asked me and I said yes. It will be a nice treat for them and a really good one for me. He’s planning to take Hetty to care for the boys.”

  “Incredible. We need to get away for a few days too. Jedadiah works so hard and he really doesn’t have to but you can’t tell him that.” She hugged her sister tightly and began dancing, and singing, “We’re gonna have a wedding, we’re gonna have a wedding.”

  “I would like for Mama and Papa to come out, but I haven’t mentioned it to Luke. I’ll bring it up when we start making plans.”

  Luke continued his practice of bringing Will to school and picking him up afterward, Martha told Luke she had overheard Will telling some of his friends, “Papa is going to marry Miss Martha and she’s going to be my mother.”

  “Well, it’s true,” said Luke. I’m sure going to marry Miss Martha.”

  “And Miss Martha can hardly wait,” she said.

  That evening after dinner and the boys had gone off to bed, they began making plans. “I want to be Mrs Luke Hastings as soon as possible,” she told Luke.

  “I agree,” said Luke. “We need to take a trip to Laramie and get the license and make arrangements with John. Oh, you do want John to conduct the ceremony, don’t you?”

  “Absolutely. It will delay things a bit, but if you don’t mind, could we have Mama and Papa come?”

  “Good idea. Why don’t we send them a telegram and then wire the money for tickets? It won’t take nearly as long as postal service.”

  “I didn’t know you could do that. How long would that take?”

  “Well, a telegram gets there in a few hours and money would be the same. Let’s send them a telegram asking if they can come and have them answer back collect. If they can, then they would have the money the next day. It would mean we could get married two or three weeks sooner.”

  “I’m for sooner. You’re wonderful, man of mine.” She sat in his lap and began kissing him on the neck and cheeks.

  “Ummmm”, he said. “I like this.” He kissed her forehead, and her eyes. He moved to her cheeks, then began kissing the tender, soft skin on her neck. She arched her neck to allow him more access. She was moaning with pleasure. He moved his hand to her breast, and began massaging it.

  “Wait,” she murmured. She unbuttoned several buttons down the front of her dress. “Now,” she said. “Touch me.”

  She squirmed around and he slid his hand inside her dress and found the soft, skin of her breast. Cupping it, he rubbed the nipple, feeling it become firm and pebbly. She wrapped her arms around his next and found his mouth, Her insistent tongue demanded access. He opened his mouth and she was inside it immediately. Writhing with pleasure, her tongue met his and then retreated as he began exploring her mouth, all the while massaging her breast.

  Disengaging, she leaned back, and looked at the handsome face in front of her and the questioning look in his eyes, she asked, “Would you like to make love to me?”

  “Oh, God! More than anything in the world. Are you sure? Are you really sure?”

  “I’m really sure. I would like for you to make love to me,” she said.

  He stood, picked her up and carried her down the hall to his bedroom. Still holding her, he opened the door with one hand, walked in and lowered her to the bed. She stood, and finished unbuttoning her dress and let if fall to the floor. She kicked it out and began slowly removing the other layers of clothing. Stepping out of her pantaloons, she stood before his admiring eyes in all of her naked splendor. She turned ever so slowly, giving a full view of her body and all of its treasures.

  “Now you,” she said.

  He removed his shirt. She moved her hands over the muscles in his arms and his chest. She could feel herself becoming very wet in anticipation, as he stepped out of his trousers and then the long johns. His manhood, now free, stood stiffly erect. He took her in his arms, feeling the hot points of her breast against his chest. Arms around each other, they slowly danced to the nameless tune in the air around them. Slowly they backed to the bed and down onto it.

  On her back, her eyes hooded with passion, she put her hand on his rigid shaft, Luke groaned as she massaged it back and forth. “Careful,” he said. It’s been a long time. She didn’t stop. He took her breast into his mouth and began caressing it with his tongue. He moved his hand slowly down her stomach, through the wiry hairs guarding the entrance. He massaged the folds at the entrance and slipped a finger inside. She felt the finger enter and begin moving, she arched her back to meet it. Moisture was pouring forth, making the interior very slick. When his finger touched the magic spot and began manipulating it, her moans grew, he could feel her body tense as she felt the beginning throes of climax. As the intensity grew, she writhed back and forth until, with a loud moan she relaxed.

  “Do you have protection?” she asked. [Author’s note: The Comstock Act of 1873 made it illegal to ship obscene materials through the US Mails. Condoms were considered obscene. Store owners received their orders via Wells Fargo. They kept them under counters and out view of the genteel females that were customers. Luke had acquired his before Clara’s death and still had some.] He fumbled around and found one and began to don it. “Let me,” said Martha, and rolled it onto the erect shaft.

  Luke lubricated it with her own juices, and then at the entrance to the vault, rubbed it against her, teasing her with a slight penetration and then withdrawal. When he did it again, she thrust her hips up to meet it and then groaned with the pleasure it gave her. She began moving against it with Luke pushing it further in each time. He felt her tense again and another climax was upon her. She was bucking, twisting and thrusting until she was spent.

  He began moving up and down, in and out, with her eyes watching his face. When she saw the full force of desire move across his face, she began to undulate against him. They found a rhythm moving in counter thrusts. Clasping her arms tightly around him, she began increasing the speed of her movements. He began moving faster and harder, penetrating to
the deepest part of her vault. The full force of climax hit them simultaneously. She elevated her hips as high as they would go to meet his pumping thrusts as he emptied himself inside her.

  Spent, he lay on top of her, with some of his weight on his elbows. “You were magnificent,” she said. “It was everything I thought it would be.”

  “Well,” he said. “You were pretty incredible yourself. I thoroughly enjoyed it myself, though there were times I nearly fell off.” He smiled and kissed her.

  “It was your fault,” she said “You were the one that touched me and brought out all of the hidden passion.”

  “I wish you didn’t have to go home. I wish you could stay the night,” he said.

  “So do I,” she said, “but it would make for an uncomfortable situation in the morning in both households. Now that you have sampled the merchandise, do you still want to marry me?”

  “More than ever, darling.”

  “Good answer,” she said.

  They began dressing. As she began straightening her clothes and arranging her hair, she said, “You don’t need to get dressed.”

  “You don’t think for one minute I’m going to let you go home by yourself?” he said.

  “I’ll be all right,” she said.

  “No, end of discussion.”

  He got her carriage, and tied his horse behind it and drove her home. A couple happy with the bargain they had made. Upon arrival, there was a final kiss. “Luke, how would you feel if I said I would like to wait until we’re married, now?”

  “Whatever you want, Honey.”

  “Let’s send the telegram tomorrow,” she said. “I’m anxious now.”

  “Deal,” he said, and rode out of the yard headed home.

  Our Plans…

  At breakfast, Martha said, “Luke is going to send Mama and Papa a telegram and ask if they would like to come to our wedding. If they would, we’ll send them the money for tickets the same day. Can you believe that can all happen in two days?” She laughed. “I can just see the money running down the telegraph wires. I don’t know what they’re going to think of next.”

  “Two days? You mean you can ask them a question, get the answer, and send them money and they’ll have it in two days? Unbelievable.”

  “We’re going in tomorrow and get the license and make the arrangements with John,” Martha said.

  “It’s wonderful you will have Mama and Papa come out for the wedding. I wish they could have been at mine and Jedadiah’s,” Sarah said. “It will be nice for them to see the children again so soon.”

  The next morning, after an early morning ride to Laramie, they stopped at the county offices and got a marriage license, then went to see John and Grace. Grace was ecstatic when she found out about the engagement. “It couldn’t happen to two nicer people,” she said. “I’m so happy for you. I just know your marriage is going to be a joyous union of two people perfectly suited to each other.”

  After talking with John, the wedding was set for a week from the coming Sunday, after church. As usual, John would conduct the ceremony and Grace would provide the music. They next went to the hotel and made arrangements for a brief reception. It would be held in the hotel ballroom.

  The next stop was the telegraph office where they composed the message, giving the dates and directions for the return reply. Telegrams were expensive, so they asked her parents to send the response collect. They expected an answer the next day or the day following.

  They went to the restaurant in the hotel for lunch. Extending her hands across the table, Martha took Luke’s hands. “You are the most generous man I have ever met. I haven’t told you yet, but I love you Luke Hastings. I do.”

  He squeezed her hands and said, “I love you too, Honey. You’ve brought a joy to my life that’s been missing since Clara’s death. The boys too. They are so excited about having a mother again, it’s all they talk about. Will is always saying, “When Miss Martha gets to be my mother, I’m going to…” Jimmy is excited too, but Will expresses his. It means a lot to me. I can hardly wait.

  She beamed at his praise. “It’s going to be a special time for me too. I’ve always wanted children, but for some reason, Daniel and I were not blessed. Now I get a family overnight.”

  “Speaking of night,” Luke said, “I want to tell you again how special last night was for me. That you would share yourself with me like that was just so… I guess incredibly wonderful is the phrase I’m looking for.”

  She colored at the memory of it. “It was good for me too. You are a handsome man, beautiful inside as well as out. And, you’re mine. That is the part that just makes me quiver inside. It’s the same feeling I had last night.” Her color deepened at the thought of it. “I want to wait until the wedding, but then again, I don’t want to wait. Don’t I sound just like one of the fancy girls from the saloon, talking like that.”

  “I don’t know how the fancy girls sound, having had no contact with them,” Luke said piously.

  Martha giggled. “I wonder what they talk about,” she said.

  “Again, I wouldn’t know,” Luke said.

  Two days later, they received the answer from her parents. They were delighted at the news and overjoyed at the thought of attending their daughter’s wedding. Luke made arrangement for the wire transfer of the money. Since Martha’s father worked at the bank, he was familiar with wire transfers. Everything was all set now. All that was left was to wait. If they could, that is.

  * * *

  Luke and Martha rode into town to meet the train bringing her parents. It was a joyful and loud reunion. They had a vague memory of meeting Luke, but he had been just a neighbor then. Her mother hugged him and thanked him. Catherine told him “The telegram scared me to death. It’s the first one I’ve ever received and was afraid something had happened to one of my girls. My fears turned into joy when I read the real reason.” Jacob pumped Luke’s hand vigorously and declared how unbelievable it was the way telegraphs worked and the wiring of money and so on.

  The Hardings would be staying at Jed and Sarah’s house until the wedding and then would stay with Martha and Luke for the balance of their trip.

  Their honeymoon would not be until the end of the school term, at Martha’s request, though they could have suspended school for that period. Martha thought such a thing would diminish the importance of school to the children as well as to the parents.

  When her parents alighted from the train, Martha ran to greet them, towing Luke by the hand. “Mama, Papa, this is my fiance, Luke Hastings. You met him when you visited Sarah.

  Luke, this is my mother Catherine and my father Jacob.”

  “Mama, I’m so glad you could come. I really want Papa to walk me down the aisle and give me away. Jed is going to be Luke’s best man and Sarah will be matron of honor. I’m so excited, I can hardly contain myself.”

  Luke said, “Jacob, if you point your luggage out, I’ll get it loaded into the carriage.” They left for the baggage claim area.

  “Mama, you’re going to love my two sons, Will and Jimmy. Will is seven and Jimmy is four. Will is one of my students and I just love him to death. Would you listen to me? I just chattering away like a magpie. I’m just so excited to see you. I said that before didn’t I”

  “How is your sister doing?” asked Catherine. “She never writes.”

  “She is doing well. They are a happy couple and John Lucas and Sarah Catherine are growing like weeds. John Lucas is named for Luke, you know,” Martha ran happily on as they walked toward the carriage.

  The trip was uneventful, save for the chattering by Martha. Luke and Jacob talked a little, mostly it was Luke pointing out scenery or landmarks. When they turned off to Jed and Sarah’s, Martha said, “Ours is the next ranch over. It’s been in Luke’s family for three generations now.”

  When they pulled into the yard, the entire Barnette family came out to greet them. Jed shook Jacob’s hand and asked about his health and welfare, he hugged Catherine, who picked
up John Lucas and remarked, “You sure are getting big.”

  “Yes, I’m five and I’ll go to school next year. Aunt Martha is teaching me to read and write,” he said.

  “How is grandmama’s little girl?”

  “I’m not a little girl. I’m a big girl now, huh, Mama?”

  “Yes, Sarah Catherine, You’re Mama’s big girl. Now, give grandmama a big girl hug,” Sarah said.

  The little girl wrapped her arms around her bending over grandmama’s neck and said, “Uhhhhhh, Grandmama.”

  Martha stood back, watching this exchange, Luke’s arm thrown around her shoulder. “Thank you again, Luke. This means a lot to me. If our other sister was here, it would make the circle complete.”