Before either man could move, a whirl of pink and cream attacked Marsh and sent him sprawling, his gun flying out of his hands. Kade took his chance without hesitation and followed Esme’s move. He straddled Marsh and began to punch him in an effort to immobilize him. But Marsh was strong, he fought back and soon their positions were reversed. The men tumbled around on the ground, each desperate to get the upper hand. Suddenly a shot rang out and both men froze as the bullet flew haphazardly close to their heads.
Esme held the gun in between two shaking hands. Kade took advantage of Marsh’s distraction and struck a powerful blow to his head, rendering him unconscious. Esme nearly cried in relief when she saw the tall man crumple to the ground.
Kade opened his arms and she ran into them. Neither one said a word, they just held each other tight and reassured themselves the other was alright. After long moments, Kade broke away from Esme and told her to keep an eye on Marsh.
“If he moves even a little, shoot him in the leg, okay?”
Esme nodded her understanding. Kade went to his saddle bag and rummaged around until he found some rope. He came back and trussed up Marsh like a Christmas goose and tied him to the horse Esme had ridden. Miraculously, none of the horses had ran away amidst all the noise and gunfire, they had nerves of steel. Kade also tied the horse Marsh had used to his own. He helped Esme mount in silence and climbed up behind her. Neither one spoke, they were reveling in the chance to just hold one another.
Kade led them back to the town and delivered Marsh, still unconscious, to the Sheriff, explaining everything the man had done. Then he hunted down the merchant who owned the two horses Esme had stolen and paid him handsomely to purchase the horses - nerves of steel didn’t come easily or cheap and he was going to buy them while he had a chance.
Kade and Esme stayed in the town that night (and the next several ones), at the local inn. They both needed the rest after the tumultuous week they had been through. Kade sent a telegram home the first night to let everyone know he and Esme were safe and would be home soon.
They spent the next several days like new lovers, indulging in each other and satisfying themselves that the other one was alright. They put Samuel Marsh and his machinations behind them and focused on themselves. Esme explained to Kade what Marsh had done to her, but Kade reassured her beyond any doubt that he still loved her without reserve and did not blame her in the slightest.
Esme sighed contentedly as she laid her head on Kade’s chest. God was good. Despite all the upheaval of the last few days, the fears and worries and heart-aches and the anxieties, she and Kade were back together where they belonged – with each other. Sophie was safe, whole and free and Esme was happier than she had ever believed she could be. Growing up an orphan, she had thought her life was a waste but God had redeemed her and given her a life beyond anything she could have imagined. She would not trade all the struggles that she had gone through because it had blessed her with Sophie, her heart’s joy, and led her to Kade, her heart’s home.
*****
THE END.
Included with this purchase is a collection of Christian Michael Mail Order Bride short stories. I do hope you take the time to read them! Enjoy!
The Christmas Miracle
Mail Order Bride
CHRISTIAN MICHAEL
Nov 16, 1886
The loneliness was what pushed him to do it. He questioned whether it was worthwhile but could think of no reason not to. He had been on his own for a little over a year now and surely no one in town would look down on such a thing given his circumstances. There was little chance that anyone would find out so long as he did not tell a soul. So on a cold November afternoon Emit Townshend responded to an ad for a mail-order bride. The ad that Emmitt responded to was for a woman named Rachel Sutcliffe. What stood out to Emmitt in her ad was the phrase “looking for a man I’ve never met in a place I’ve never been.”
Emmitt never had the desire to travel. The West was where he was born and surely where he would die. More than anything he wanted to be as content with a woman as he was with his surroundings. He had been in love before and hoped desperately that he could find love again.
“This rain could turn to snow at any moment,” Emmitt said aloud as he gazed at the dampened fields beyond his front porch. “This has been the coldest November that I can ever remember. What about you Pally?” The old golden retriever that lay at his feet, whose collar bore the name Pally, did little to respond to Emmitt’s question. Pally rarely left Emmitt’s side since his wife, Margaret, passed away while giving birth. It was a difficult pregnancy leading and it came as quite a shock to Emmitt that the child, a girl, did not survive the birth either.
Emit did his best to continue on living in honor of his late wife and child. He continued to dedicate himself to a life of farming. It was Margaret who made the house a home for the two of them while Emit worked tirelessly outside, tending to the crops. He truly felt that farming was his earthly calling and that he was good at it. Prayer took up most of his free time after a hard day’s work. It was through his relationship with God that he found the strength move on in his life. Despite the brave face he put on when at church or about town, he was truly heart broken and feared that he would succumb to an early death because of it. He had seen this happen to a few of the older members of his church.
Lately his prayers had almost always been the same. The ritual began with his standing at the fireplace and looking at the framed picture of Margaret that graced the mantle. He would like at it for a few minutes, allowing the memories of her laughter and smell to fill his head before speaking to God.
Thank you lord for all of the blessings you have given to me. Most of all thank you for my wife and daughter, both of whom I miss so very much. In my darkest moments I take comfort knowing that they are at peace and rejoicing with you in the kingdom of Heaven. Lord, I pray that you will give me the strength and guidance to survive this winter and this broken heart. Amen.
***
December 2, 1886
“Have you ever travelled by train before dear?”
Rachel was used to speaking about herself to strangers such as this woman on the train. She prided herself on being an excellent judge of character and saw this woman’s inquiry as nothing more than an innocent attempt to pass the time.
“No, as a matter of fact, this is my first travelling outside of the city, New York City. That is where I am from.”
This interested the woman a great deal. Rachel’s clothes and appearance were a stark contrast to her own which was very much the common style for women in this part of the South.
“Well what brings a city girl like you to this part of the country?”
“I’m looking for something,” Rachel said hesitantly with a nervous smile.
“And what might this something be my dear?”
“I’m looking for a man I’ve never met in a place I’ve never been.”
The woman simply smiled at her, careful not to display any signs of approval or disapproval on her face. This answer did not sit well with her. It seemed very unladylike. Not the sort of thing a girl should be talking about in public or in conversation with a stranger.
“Well I sure hope you find what you’re looking for here. You’ve come an awfully long way from home,” was the politest thing the woman could muster for a response to the young girl travelling for the first time on this train.
Rachel was genuinely excited about this trip. Luckily her excitement outweighed her uncertainty of the whole situation. It was her excitement and the slight amount of nervousness she felt in travelling alone that made her want to confide in the woman.
“Thankfully I have a home waiting for me,” Rachel said with a smile. “It will be my first actually. I have spent most of my life as an orphan living in one of the city’s largest orphanages.”
Again, the woman was taken aback by the honesty of this young girl. If it were she, she would not share this kind of information with people so blu
ntly. She did not mean to rush such judgment to this girl, however, she could not help but hear her own mother’s voice reciting that’s just not how we do things here in the South.
“Well, home is where the heart is. You seem like such a lovely girl. I truly hope you find your heart to be filled with love in your new home.”
Rachel found herself to be pleasantly surprised by the woman’s kindness towards her. Though she was used to dealing with various types of people, she was not used to exchanging such pleasantries with strangers.
“That is a lovely thought and I thank you for your kind wishes. I have come to expect very little from people in my life especially when it comes to such temporary feelings as love.”
“Don’t you believe in true love dear?” the woman asked gently, hiding her horror at the young girl’s dismissal of the purest human emotion. “Or love at first sight?”
“These are lovely ideas but… I’ve learned not to get my hopes up. I have seen many people come and go in this life and if there is one thing I have learned it is that nothing lasts forever.”
There was nothing untrue about this statement as far as Rachel was concerned. She was 22 years old and leaving behind the city she grew up in and anyone she had known previously. This is what she assumed all orphans do at some point in adulthood. She wanted to sever herself from her past and move towards her uncharted future.
“You do have a point my dear,” the woman responded, near emotional exhaustion at this point. “My baby brother lost his wife last year. She was with child and now, sadly, my poor brother is without anyone but his dog to keep him company. Poor, poor boy.”
“I’m so sorry. That is truly awful.” Rachel understood loneliness and immediately felt for the man. To have loved and lost seemed truly horrible.
“The lord has his reasons and works in mysterious ways,” the woman offered as a consolation to the seemingly needless tragedy of death.
“This I do believe to be true as well,” Rachel responded, eager not to leave a prolonged silence in the discussion of such human difficulties.
In an effort to change the subject the woman, suddenly without an ounce of pain displayed on her face, turned her head to face Rachel and excitedly exclaimed “Christmas is coming!”
***
As Emmitt paced up and down the train station’s wooden platform he wondered if the woman he had been corresponding with would approach him before he approached her. He had seen the one picture of her that accompanied her ad but she had not seen one of him. Emmitt feared that he might not recognize her. He had only briefly glanced at the picture, making his decision based on her choice of words and the feeling he felt in his stomach when he first read them. He repeated her name in his head over and over as he paced back and forth.
Rachel. Rachel. Rachel.
While as he watched the train’s passengers make their way off the train he noticed a familiar face at the other end of the platform. It was his sister Angela. Emmitt was aware that she was to be returning home after visiting their ailing aunt Betsy but he had no idea that she was coming back on the same train as his mail-order bride. I hope she doesn’t see me waiting here to meet my soon to be bride. How would I even begin to explain?
Just then, Emmitt felt a tap on his shoulder and a soft voice behind him that said, “Excuse me sir.”
He spun around so quickly, due in part to his desire not to be seen by Angela, that he nearly bumped heads with the woman attempting to speak to him.
“You wouldn’t happen to be Mr. Emmitt Townshend would you?” asked Rachel, the young girl from the train.
“Yes ma’am, that is my name,” he said nervously.
“Hello Mr. Townshend, I am Rachel.”
“My goodness, it is a true pleasure to meet you. You are even more beautiful than I could have imagined.”
“You’re very kind.”
“May I take your bags?” Emmitt asked. “We are not far from the carriage. It is right this way.”
“Of course, thank you.”
At last she is here, he thought to himself. He was relieved to have found his bride and sure that his sister, Angela, had not noticed him at the opposite end of the platform. This was a feeling of excitement that he not felt in some time.
***
Rachel had never ridden a horse and carriage in the city. That was for people with more means and importance than her and her ilk. She feared that Emmitt would be put off she shared her inexperience with horses, so she kept these thoughts to herself.
“Please, tell me about yourself Rachel.”
“I come from New York City,” she began. “Sadly, I have no family. I have been an orphan since I was a small child.”
“I am sorry to hear that,” Emmitt said as he thought about the family that he had lost and his deep desire to have one of his own. He wanted nothing more than to have a wife again and a child or two.
“No need,” Rachel quickly responded. “I am a strong girl. I have learned how to take care of myself and get on with life.”
“A noble quality indeed” Emmitt added admiringly.
***
To Rachel’s surprise the marriage became official before they even got to the house. Emmitt had arranged for two of his friends, a lawyer and a minister whom he felt would honor his request to keep the matter private, to officiate and legalize the union. Despite the shock of how quickly things were happening, Rachel was somewhat relieved to not have to pick out a dress or have a large ceremony with the only guests being there on behalf of the groom.
My husband certainly seems to be a nice man. He is quite handsome and not at all brutish. He certainly put some effort into planning this marriage ceremony.
Rachel was as pleased to be marrying Emmitt as she could be given the circumstances. His looks, though pleasing, had not been of much importance to her in making the decision to come here. She had her eye on the bigger picture – marriage, a home, and security.
Emmitt was so nervous during the ceremony that he thought he might actually vomit right there in front of the bride. He was sure that he wanted this but his stomach was unsure if it wanted to settle or turn itself upside down. He was grateful to get through it without causing embarrassment to himself or Rachel. Even after only just meeting within a matter of hours he was convinced that he was already in love with her. It didn’t hurt that he found her stunningly beautiful, but he found their conversations thus to be very engaging. He was fascinated by her experiences and her fearlessness at sharing her thoughts.
***
The newlyweds pulled up the long driveway leading to Emmitt’s farm and house. It was almost too much for Rachel to take in. She had never seen a farm or been in the country. She was used to the buildings and long sidewalks of the city. The sights, sounds and smells were completely new to her and overloading her senses.
Emmitt helped her step out of the carriage and escorted her to the front door. The pair was immediately greeted by Pally who seemed more excited and energetic than usual.
“Pally, this is Rachel. She is going to be staying with us.”
Rachel had never had a pet before but knew to put her hand out to greet Pally who gently licked her palm. I hope you like my dog.
“Well this is home,” Emmitt declared as he proudly raised his hands in the air. “I hope you will enjoy it. There is tea to be made in the kitchen. It’s the one thing I make decently myself. Would you like a cup?”
“That would be lovely,” Rachel said as she suddenly realized that she was very, very thirsty.
“Make yourself at home Rachel. We have so much to discuss,” Emmitt said with a smile as he walked away into the kitchen.
Rachel smiled back and began looking all over the room. Taking a moment to notice the smell of the house, the perfect arrangement of the furniture, the pictures on the wall and on the mantle. Her gaze focused on the mantle and she became fixated on a framed photograph of a woman, quite beautiful indeed, and wondered whom it might be.
“Please have a s
eat. You must be exhausted from your travels,” Emmitt said as he suddenly appeared in the room, laying two full teacups down on the coffee table that separated them.
“I suppose Rachel that it is my turn to talk. I want to make this as smooth of a transition as possible for the both of us.”
“Of course,” Rachel responded, not yet knowing what exactly he meant by this.
“There is a bedroom down the hall that you will stay in for… It is a fine room. I would like greatly to get to know you Rachel.”
“I look forward to getting to know you as well Mr. Townshend.”
Rachel became overwhelmed with confusion. She had never had her own bedroom before and she certainly wasn’t expecting to have one on her wedding night.
“Well it is getting quite late. Let me show you to your room.”
As Rachel lay awake in bed that night – a smallish one that reminded her of those designated for the younger ones in the orphanage – she could not help but wonder whom this room had been meant for. She was relieved to not be so close to Emmitt yet. Husband or not, they only met that day. She was quite happy to start things off slowly. But her room seemed odd to her. Not many men have an unoccupied furnished bedroom, painted pink no less. And who is the woman in that photograph?
[2015] Cowboy Saves a Widow Page 4
