Bid for a Bride

by Nordin, Ruth Ann

  She scowled at him. “You don’t know what I’m feeling. I’m greatly distressed over this occurrence.”

  “You’re not that good of a liar, Meredith.”

  Yanking her elbow out of his hand, she buttoned her coat. “People express grief differently. Can I help it if I’m not a crier like Mother or a blubbering idiot like Father?” She glared at him. “Or a reckless man such as yourself who spouts off before he learns anything useful? I bet I could get whatever information I wanted out of Mark if the sheriff let me see him without the lot of you hounding around me. I managed to get two pieces of information from him while the rest of you failed, and I did that in a matter of seconds. Imagine if I had five minutes with him.”

  “And how much would it profit you to talk to him?” Phillip asked, keeping his voice low.

  With an amused smile, she shrugged. “A lot, I imagine. I, after all, have something he obviously can’t resist.”

  He furrowed his eyebrows, not understanding her meaning, but before he could ask for clarification, their parents entered the entryway. “We’ll talk later,” he whispered before he turned his attention to gathering the coats.

  “Maybe,” she replied as she brushed past him so she could stand by the door.

  Forcing aside his irritation, he handed his parents the coats and told Vivian, “Please accept my condolences. And,” he added as an afterthought, “we’re sorry to have put you through more grief.”

  Vivian offered a weak smile. “You’re the third family I’ve talked to since I’ve been here. I expect more to pop by before I head back home.”

  Not knowing what else to say, he patted her on the shoulder. “Again, I’m sorry.” Then he turned back to his family and got ready to talk to the sheriff once more.

  Chapter Nineteen

  The baby moved in Lucy’s womb. She smiled and put down her knitting so she could touch her stomach. Glancing at the small bedroom, she wondered if she missed anything. It now had curtains, a rug, a small dresser and a crib. She’d spent enough time sewing clothes and blankets, and she was well stocked in cloth diapers. It seemed that she had everything she needed.

  The baby moved again and she laughed. “You’re sure anxious to come into the world. It’s not March yet.”

  The baby kicked in response, making her smile grow wider. She was looking forward to holding her child. Sighing, she turned her attention to the crackling fire beside her. The parlor was nice and warm despite the pile of snow on the property. As Brian said, the trees did a good job of protecting the house, which made his task of shoveling less burdensome.

  Setting aside the afghan she was making, she laid down on the couch and closed her eyes. Soon, she drifted off to sleep. The sound of someone opening the front door woke her. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up and saw that Brian was taking off his boots. His face was red from shoveling the fresh layer of snow so they could more easily walk to Eliza and John’s house.

  She got up from the couch when she realized John came in behind him, carrying a small toy chest. “You made something else for the baby?” she asked the two men as Brian put his boots down.

  “Pa says it’s a gift from him and Ma,” Brian said as he took off his coat and put it on the hook by the door.

  “But I thought the crib, dresser, bassinet, rattle, and doll were the gifts,” she replied.

  John smiled and set the wooden toy chest on the kitchen table before he signed to her. More gifts.

  “You’re going to spoil the child, aren’t you?” she asked him, sensing that he and Eliza weren’t done buying and making things for the baby. “This chest is for more than a rattle and doll.”

  Brian laughed and reached for her. “You can’t blame them for being excited. They’ve been looking forward to having a grandchild ever since they found out you were expecting.”

  She took his hand. “I suppose so, judging by all these gifts.”

  How are you feeling? John signed to her.

  “Good,” she said, rubbing her belly. “Tired most of the time. It’s hard to sleep with the heartburn on some nights if I’m not careful with what I eat. Other than that, I feel good. I’m more excited than anything else.”

  John nodded his agreement. Tucking his hand under Brian’s he signed.

  “Pa says you’re not the only one having trouble sleeping. Ma tosses and turns most nights. Then during the days, she keeps looking out the window because she thinks I’ll come running to tell her it’s time for you to give birth.” Brian laughed. “She saw me earlier today and charged out of the house before Pa told her all I was doing was shoveling.”

  “The poor woman,” Lucy said and chuckled. “This baby can’t come soon enough for her.”

  “She’ll be thrilled when the time comes for you to give birth,” Brian replied.

  “It’ll be good to see her holding the baby,” Lucy said. “Thank you for the toy chest. It was wonderful of you to make it.”

  John thanked her and patted Brian on the back before he left the house, shutting the door behind him.

  “I should have asked him if he and your ma wanted to come over for supper,” she said. “Maybe I can reach him before he gets too far.”

  “Lucy, don’t. You’re ready to give birth soon. You need to rest up as much as you can. Once the baby is born, you won’t get much opportunity to, or at least that’s what I overhear from the ladies at church.”

  “I know. You’re right. I should rest, especially during the day when the heartburn isn’t a problem.”

  “Right.” He led her to the couch and sat down with her. Putting his arm around her shoulders, he kissed her cheek. “Is the baby moving?”

  “A little.” She brought his hand to her stomach where the baby jabbed her. “Here.”

  The baby moved again and he smiled. “I like feeling this. The baby seems more real this way.”

  “What? My crowding you in bed with my large stomach doesn’t make it real?”

  He shrugged. “It’s more exciting this way.” He motioned toward the fire. “Do we need more wood?”

  “Not yet. Maybe in another hour.”

  Nodding, he settled back onto the couch and she leaned against him, feeling safe and warm.

  “Lucy, are you sure you don’t want to write to your parents when the baby is born?” he softly asked.

  Staring at the orange and yellow flames which flickered in the fireplace, she once again considered doing that, but in the end, she knew she couldn’t. If Meredith learned where she was, she might come looking for her, and that was the last thing Lucy wanted.

  “No,” she finally said. “I don’t want to write them a letter.”

  “Alright.”

  Thankful he didn’t ask anything else, she settled into his arms and turned her thoughts to the baby.

  ***

  Meredith bid her time while her parents and brother talked to the sheriff. When another family came in, also searching for their daughter, she saw her opportunity and took it. With so many people in the room, her family was so distracted they didn’t notice her slip away. She knew her time was short, so she had to act fast. She ignored the other prisoners who watched her with undeniable interest. Poor men, she thought as she added an extra swing to her hips to show them what they could never have. It amused her. It made her feel powerful to know she could have any one of them with the snap of her fingers.

  Well, almost any one of them.

  She stopped in front of Mark’s cell and cocked her head to the side. He was lying down on the pathetic excuse for a bed and, for the moment, he had his eyes closed. She cleared her throat and waited for him to look in her direction.

  He opened his eyes and turned his head. “I’m not telling you where your sister is.” Crossing his arms over his chest, he closed his eyes again.

  “That’s not what I came to ask.” It was a partial lie. She figured it was a matter of time before he had to brag about his clever ploy to get rid of Lucy. But there was something else that bothered her. In a low voice
that the others wouldn’t overhear, she asked, “Why Lucy and not me?”

  Opening his eyes, he grinned and took a good look at her. “Your sister is missing, and your only concern is your vanity?”

  She made a big show of inspecting her perfectly manicured nails. “It’s just a question. Think no more of it than that.”

  He rose to his feet and sauntered over to her. “What’s it worth to you to find out?”

  Glancing at him, she shrugged. “What’ll it take?”

  “I like the way you think,” he said, placing his hands on the bars.

  “Well? Are you going to answer my question or just stare at me?”

  “Which question is that? You asked two.”

  “Then answer both.” She turned her full attention to him and clasped her hands over his. “It’s not that complicated, is it?”

  “Fine. Show me something interesting, and I’ll tell you.”

  Peering down the row of cells, she was assured the only ones looking their way were other prisoners. “Very well.” She lifted her skirt until it reached her knee.

  One of the prisoners let out a low whistle.

  Mark, however, didn’t seem impressed. “I was thinking a little higher.”

  She assumed as much from a man used to sleeping around with unsuspecting women, but she didn’t tell him that. Instead, she unbuttoned her coat and proceeded to unbutton enough of her shirt so that she could lift her camisole and show him her breasts.

  He reached out to touch them, and she let him, knowing soon enough he’d reveal everything she wanted. Men’s brains, she’d learned, turned to mush when they were thinking on things of a more sexual nature.

  “So why her?” she whispered while his attention was still focused on her breasts.

  “Isn’t it obvious? You wouldn’t have been dumb enough to run off with me.”

  She smiled. “I’ll take that as a compliment.” Stepping closer, she continued, “I never did care for her. She was always too perfect.”

  “I don’t know. You don’t have a mole on your breasts.”

  “Another compliment? Lucky me.”

  He let go of her breasts so she could lower her camisole. “Why do I get the feeling you’re not a virgin?”

  She buttoned her shirt. “You’re not one either, so spare me the moral lecture on how a lady is supposed to be.”

  “I wouldn’t lecture you, honey. It’s a shame I didn’t take you out for a secret rendezvous when I was courting your sister.”

  Shrugging, she adjusted her shirt and clasped his hands again. “The fact that you didn’t show the slightest bit of interest in me was to your disadvantage.”

  “Yes, it was. I bet you would have let me do anything I wanted just to rub it in your sister’s face later on.”

  “I did fancy the idea of getting you before she did.”

  He chuckled and slid his hands to her waist and pulled her as close as the bars would allow. “Too bad you can’t come in here and make up for mistakes.”

  “Hmm…” She traced his jaw. “Too bad, indeed.” Licking her lips, she peered up at him. “Where did you take Lucy?”

  “Alright. I’ll tell you. There’s a small town west of Sioux Falls. It’s about a day’s travel out by buggy. I forget the name of it.”

  Her smile grew wider. Perfect. “Thank you, Mark. You’ve been most helpful.”

  “Anytime, beautiful.” He returned to his bed and winked at her. “If you ever need more information, you know where to find me.”

  She almost laughed. What she needed, she already got. His use had worn out. After she buttoned her coat, she gave him one last seductive look before she returned to the group huddled around the sheriff’s desk. She crossed her arms and watched them from the corner of the room.

  Fools. The lot of them were fools. It was so easy to find out where Lucy was, and yet none of them thought she could do it. Well, fine then. It served them well to keep wondering and mapping out towns along the trail to Oregon. Let them do their mindless discussions. Soon enough, they’d settle on some places to investigate, and when they decided to check the town where Lucy was at, Meredith would have everything neatly set into place.

  All she needed was a distraction. She needed to get away from them without arousing their suspicions. Glancing out the small window, she tapped her finger on her lips and thought over the possible decoy places she might go. Perhaps, she’d claim distress over Lucy’s situation and visit her Aunt Rachel. Aunt Rachel was on the East Coast. The train ride there would take long enough to give her the time she needed to get to South Dakota.

  The more her mind worked through the plan, the better it sounded. There was no reason why it wouldn’t work. By the time they discovered she hadn’t made it to Aunt Rachel’s, she’d be settled into her new life.

  Chapter Twenty

  “One last push and you’ll be a ma,” the doctor called out.

  Eliza held onto Lucy’s hand while Lucy gave all she had into the last push. Lucy sat forward, squeezed her eyes shut, and groaned. Almost there. She could feel the baby’s head crowning and knew the end of her labor was near. It was the only thing giving her strength to go on. If she could hold out for a few seconds longer…

  And then the baby slid out of her and into the doctor’s hands. Relieved, she fell back onto the bed, gasping for air. The baby let out its first tiny cry, and tears came to her eyes. Her baby. Brian’s baby. The baby was finally here.

  Looking at the doctor who was bundling the newborn into a warm blanket, she asked, “What is it?”

  The doctor glanced at her and smiled. “A girl. A healthy baby girl.”

  Eliza squeezed her hand and wiped her eyes. “You did good, Lucy. She’s the prettiest little thing anyone ever saw.”

  He handed the baby to Eliza who laughed, even as a couple of tears slid down her cheeks. “Have you ever seen a more precious thing?” she asked the doctor.

  Smiling, he shook his head. “Delivering babies who come out squalling like that is my favorite thing.”

  Turning to her, Eliza placed the child into her arms. “Do you still want to name her Charlotte?”

  “Yes.” Lucy cuddled her daughter. As an afterthought, she asked the doctor, “Is she the only one?”

  “Yes,” he answered.

  Lucy’s smile grew wider. Good. Just as she hoped. Her daughter quieted down and yawned, making Lucy chuckle. “You’ve been through a lot today, haven’t you?”

  Her daughter grunted.

  Eliza rubbed Lucy’s arm. “Not as much as you’ve been through. You did a mighty fine job. I’ll go out and tell the men. Would you like Brian to come in right away or wait?”

  Considering he wouldn’t see the doctor tending to the afterbirth, Lucy didn’t see any reason for Brian not to be there. “Send him in. I’d like to see him holding his child.”

  As Eliza hurried out of the room, Lucy stroked her daughter’s cheek. She couldn’t believe how small Charlotte was. Charlotte sure didn’t seem that small when she was in her womb. Charlotte sneezed and rubbed her little red fist over her eyes and nose. When she opened her hand, Lucy couldn’t resist putting her finger on her daughter’s palm. Charlotte opened her dark blue eyes and grabbed Lucy’s finger. Lucy wondered if Charlotte saw her. She recalled how Brian wanted his child to be able to see. It still didn’t matter to her, but for Brian’s sake, she hoped their daughter would.

  The door to her bedroom creaked so Lucy glanced over at a grinning Brian who entered the room. “I hear it’s a girl.”

  “Yep,” the doctor said as he collected the newspapers under Lucy that contained the afterbirth. “Mother and daughter are doing just fine. You would’ve been proud of your wife. She’s a real trooper.”

  Brian walked around the doctor and reached out for the chair Eliza had been sitting in just moments before. He sat down and touched Lucy’s arm. “Are you feeling alright?”

  “I feel good,” she told him. “Do you want to hold your daughter?”

 
He nodded and held his hands toward her.

  Lucy removed her finger from her daughter’s grasp, surprised that someone so little could have such a powerful grip, and handed her to Brian who gently took her into his arms.

  “She squirms a lot,” he said, his smile growing wider.

  She laughed. “She’s excited to meet her pa.”

  Holding Charlotte in one arm, he traced her face and hands with his free hand. Charlotte let out another sneeze and caught one of his fingers in her hand. “She’s strong.”

  “That’s what I thought,” she whispered, noting the way Charlotte glanced over at her.

  Eliza came back into the room. “That was beautiful. I hadn’t been to a birth before. Well, except for when I had my first son, but that happened so long ago, it’s a blur.”

  Lucy noted the way Eliza referred to the boy she gave birth to as her first son and thought it was nice that she really did think of Brian as her second child. She rubbed Brian’s arm and smiled at him, knowing full well he couldn’t see her smile but thinking he might sense it.

  “We’re almost done,” the doctor said. “I’ll be out of your hair soon enough.”

  “Oh, you’re not in anyone’s hair,” Eliza replied. “We’ll give you a nice cup of coffee in just a bit. John’s making it, so you know it’s going to be good.”

  “You make fine coffee,” Lucy told her.

  “It’s drinkable, I suppose.” Eliza took out a new rag and slipped it between Lucy’s legs. Then she brought Lucy’s nightgown over her legs. “You’ll be up soon enough, but let the rest of us wait on you in the meantime.”

  “She’s right,” Brian added, touching Charlotte’s toes. “Don’t strain yourself.”

  “I won’t,” Lucy promised.

  The doctor collected his things and tipped his hat. “Congratulations.” Peering over at the baby, he added, “You take it easy on your ma. Don’t wake up too much at night.”

  Charlotte glanced at him.

  After the doctor and Eliza headed on out to the kitchen where the doctor talked to John, Lucy stared at her daughter who seemed to be studying Brian. “Brian, I think Charlotte can see.”