by Kit Morgan
Jess wanted to glare at her but didn't dare open his eyes. She'd take it as a sign he had enough strength to deal with the mess. “Not now, Ma …”
“Don't you not-now me, young man! Who is this girl? Where did she come from? And good Lord, where is she now?”
That got his attention. Jess opened his eyes, barely. Where was his wife? “Sarah?” he moaned.
Mrs. Templeton turned to her husband. “Oh Frank! The poor boy is delusional!”
“He's nothing of the kind!” Mrs. White objected. “Sarah’s his wife.”
Now it was Mrs. Templeton's turn to moan. With a long, exasperated sigh, she sunk to the bed. “What has he done?”
Mr. Templeton was quick to pull her to her feet. “Now, now, dear. It's not as bad as all that.”
“How can you say such a thing when we don't even know the girl? It's one thing to have a mail-order bride sent to your son and no one knows about it! But it's another thing when he up and marries her!”
“Isn't that what you're supposed to do with a mail-order bride?” Mrs. White asked.
“It isn’t what my son’s supposed to do!” Mrs. Templeton snapped.
“Well it's a little late to argue about it,” Mrs. White shot back. “Your son is married, and I for one think the girl is very nice.”
“You've met her?” Mr. Templeton asked.
“Of course I have! She helped Doc bring him here, then stayed until I sent her off.”
“Well, of course she stayed – where else would she go?” Mrs. Templeton pointed out.
“She could have left if she was of a mind. But she stayed to make sure your son was all right. I practically had to shove her out the door to go to Pastor Luke’s.”
“So that's where she is! Just wait ‘til I give that girl a piece of my mind!” Mrs. Templeton huffed.
“You'll do nothing of the kind, Harriet Templeton!” Mrs. White interjected. She’d had just about enough of this. “So what if the mystery matchmaker sent your son a mail-order bride? Jess obviously liked the notion and the girl, or he wouldn't have married her. Now get”
“Ohhhh,” Mrs. Templeton groaned. “This is a disaster! Eunice will be furious – things were all arranged!”
“Arranged?” Mrs. White looked between the two, and noticed poor Jess appeared to have fallen asleep despite all the ruckus. Well, thank the Lord for that!
“Yes, arranged! Who else is our son going to marry? Bernice is the only decent girl in town!”
“Until today, she was the only girl,” Mr. Templeton added. He scratched the back of his head. “Personally I can't say that I blame the boy.”
“We’ll get it annulled – it's the only way to clear up this mess!” his wife stated sternly.
“Oh for crying out loud, Harriet,” Mr. Templeton groused. “If the boy didn't want to marry her, he wouldn't be married –simple as that! Now let's let him rest and we’ll deal with it in the mornin’. Besides, neither one of us can afford to get sick, which is what’ll happen if we spend too much time here with him. There's a lot of work to be done around the place, and with poor Jess unable to do his share, we’ll have to double up on it.”
“And all because of that girl,” his wife complained. “We should make her do Jess’s share of the work.”
Mr. Templeton rubbed his chin in thought. “Hmmm … ya might have somethin’ there. We’ll have to get to know her eventually, and since they’re married she'll be living with us anyway …”
“Living with us!” Mrs. Templeton cried. “She'll do no such thing!”
“Fine, then,” Mr. Templeton replied, a gleam in his eye. “I’ll just let our beloved son and his new wife know that you want them to sleep out in the barn.”
“He can't sleep in the barn! Look at how sick he is!”
Mrs. White put her foot down. “Out with you! Leave the poor boy alone!”
Mrs. Templeton spun to her husband. “Frank! Do something!”
“I am doing somethin’, dear – I’m takin’ ya home ‘fore ya do yerself a mischief. We’ll get some sleep, then get this whole thing straightened out in the mornin’.” He looked at his son, his face full of concern, then back at his wife. “The boy's married now, and high time too.”
“He married her in a … in a fever-induced stupor!” Mrs. Templeton lamented, trying a new line of argument.
Mr. Templeton stared at his son, his brows raised at the possibility. She did have a point. “Well, then we'll see if he still wants to be married to her after his fever’s gone down.”
* * *
Sarah dried the last dish and put it in the cupboard. She'd offered to do the breakfast dishes so Winnie could help Pastor Luke with something in the church office. They'd been in there quite a while, and she was beginning to wonder what other chores she might be able to help with when a knock sounded at the front door.
Sarah dried her hands on the apron she’d borrowed and went to answer it. Maybe it was Mrs. White or her husband the doctor. But neither one was standing on the other side of the threshold. Instead a tall, thin man and woman with graying hair stood there staring at her. The woman had an especially sour look on her face. “May I help you?”
“Who are you?” the woman asked, none too kindly.
“Harriet,” the man said in an exasperated tone. He looked at Sarah. “We've come to fetch our son’s bride.”
Sarah paled. These were Jess’s parents? Her hand went to her chest. “Oh, I see. Well, you’ve found her.”
“I'm Mr. Templeton, Jess’s pa. And this, as you’ve probably guessed, is his ma.”
Sarah gave them a small curtsy. “Pleased to meet you both. How is he? Have you seen him?”
“We went by there first thing this mornin’ – on our way here, in fact,” Mr. Templeton told her. His wife gave him a nudge with her elbow. “Ah … there seems to be some question as to how you got married to our son.”
Sarah went cold. “What kind of question?”
“Well, the boy’s mighty sick, ma'am. For all we know, he didn't mean to marry you at all.”
“We are of a mind that he didn't know what he was doing at the time, being sick as he is,” added Mrs. Templeton with a firm nod of her head.
Sarah's eyes widened. Were they serious? Jess wasn't that sick when they were married, was he? Good heavens, what if he was? “What are you saying?”
“That he married you while not in his right mind!” Mrs. Templeton said firmly.
“What?” Sarah gasped. But as she thought on it, she supposed it was possible. After all, the man did pass out after saying “I do” … “Oh dear … perhaps you should speak to Pastor Adams and his wife. They were there after all.”
“Perhaps we will! Then at least we can make sure it was legal!”
“Harriet,” her husband snapped back. “Calm yourself.”
“How can I calm myself when such a disaster has taken place?”
Mr. Templeton sighed and rolled his eyes. “You'll have to excuse my wife – she gets a little … excitable at times. But this time I may have to agree with her. We need to make sure Jess married you with a sound mind, and not because of a bad cough.”
“I'd say he'd have to have a little more than a bad cough for it to affect his mind that much,” Sarah said as she took a few steps back. “Pastor Luke and Winnie are in the church office. Won't you come in and I'll fetch them for you?”
The couple stepped inside, and Sarah quickly left the house. Her heart in her throat, she hurried down the path beside the church to the pastor's office. To come all this way, marry, then find out it might all be taken away from her, was too much. She had to fight back the tears. This was the last thing she’d expected this morning, the last thing she was prepared to deal with.
She knocked on the office door, then opened it. “I'm sorry if I’m interrupting, but you have company.”
Pastor Luke looked up from his desk, a sheaf of papers in his hand. “Oh? Who is it?”
She swallowed and grimaced. “I suppose a bett
er way of putting it, is that I have company.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Templeton?” Winnie asked.
“Yes. And they're not very happy.”
“Uh-oh,” Pastor Luke said as he stood. “I was wondering how Harriet Templeton was going to take the news.”
“Is she a difficult woman?” Sarah asked, though she was pretty sure she already knew the answer.
“She can be. But Mr. Templeton is reasonable enough.”
“I take it they found out you and Jess are now married,” Winnie said.
Sarah nodded. “Yes, but they think he married me only because he was in a fever.”
“What?” Pastor Luke said as he came around the desk. “Are you serious?”
“I’m afraid so,” Sarah said as her shoulders slumped. “They’re waiting for you. They want to find out if the marriage is legal.”
Winnie went to her and gave her a hug. “Of course it's legal. Jess was in his right mind when he married you. Don't worry, we'll get this whole thing straightened out.”
“I want to see him,” Sarah said as she looked at the door. “I want to make sure he's doing better this morning.”
“I'm sure he is. Doc White would’ve come by to tell us if he'd taken a turn for the worse,” Winnie assured. “Besides, it sounds like the Templetons are more upset about his getting married than his health at the moment.”
“You can say that again,” Sarah affirmed with a half-smile.
“Right, then,” Pastor Luke said as he headed for the door. “Let's go see if we can't soften the blow for them.” Winnie took Sarah by the hand and followed him.
When they got to the house the Templetons had seated themselves in the parlor. They both stood when the three entered and Mrs. Templeton didn't waste any time. “Pastor Luke, I'm holding you responsible for this!”
Pastor Luke stopped short. “You mean for seeing to the happy nuptials of two wonderful people? Of course I take full responsibility.”
“No, no, no!” she said. “You don't understand! Jess couldn't possibly have been in his right mind when he married this girl!”
“I'd say he was perfectly fine, at least during his vows,” Winnie said. “Coffee, anyone?”
“I’ll have some,” Mr. Templeton said with a raised hand. “It's mighty cold out today.”
“I'll be right back with it,” she said as she smiled and winked at Sarah. Apparently the woman had full confidence in her husband to handle the Templetons. Sarah certainly hoped so, as she wanted to get this over with so she could see her new husband.
She'd thought about him during the entire journey West – dreaming of a life together raising children, then years of family gatherings with grandchildren and friends. Her dreams had sustained her throughout the long journey and gave her hope that her life would be better than the one she'd left behind. Everyone she’d loved, everyone she’d cared about, she had lost to some sort of disease or sickness or battle. Jess Templeton was the first person she'd encountered who didn't let such a thing get him down, not even enough to stop him from marrying her.
She'd felt guilty yesterday after he fainted. Maybe if he'd stayed home in bed and hadn’t run into her when she first got off the stage, he'd be doing much better now. But the man would not be deterred, and as sick as he was, he came back to town and did it. But was that same sickness about to destroy what he'd been so determined to do?
“Mrs. Templeton, I assure you that your son was in his right mind when he married Sarah yesterday,” Pastor Luke explained. “Granted he could have, perhaps should have, waited a few days and gotten better first. But he was determined, and as he's a consenting adult and does not need your permission to marry, I did my duty as a clergyman and got the job done.”
“What about her?” Mrs. Templeton asked as she pointed an accusing finger at Sarah. “Is she of age?”
“Yes she is,” Pastor Luke answered calmly. “Twenty years old, according to her paperwork. If she hadn’t been, Mrs. Ridgley would never have let her come out here as a mail-order bride.”
“Mrs. Ridgley? You mean that woman from New Orleans who keeps sending brides out here? She must be in on this with that crazy matchmaker! This has got to stop!”
Pastor Luke pinched the bridge of his nose. “Mrs. Ridgley operates a legitimate business.” He looked at her. “I'm afraid you're just going to have to face it, Mrs. Templeton – your son is now married. And to a very nice girl, I might add.”
Mrs. Templeton glared at Sarah. “We'll see about that.” She stood up, stomped from the parlor and out the front door.
Sarah's hands came to her mouth. She didn't know what to say or do in that moment.. She looked at Jess's father, eyes wide. What was he going to do?
Mr. Templeton sighed. “Well, there's no help for it, then.” He looked at Sarah. “Welcome to the family, young lady.” Then his eyes flicked to the hallway. “Though it might be a spell before Mrs. Templeton says the same.”
Five
Harriet Templeton was not a patient woman – when she wanted something, she wanted it now. She stormed into the sheriff's office, her jaw set. “Sheriff Walker! I'd like to file a complaint!”
Sheriff Walker, a kindly gentleman with white hair, was leaning against his desk speaking with Mayor Vander. “Good morning, Mrs. Templeton. What seems to be the trouble?”
“Thank heavens you're both here! We have an emergency! The whole town is being affected!”
“Yes, and a horrible thing it is too,” Mayor Vander boomed. Booming was the mayor’s natural tone of voice, one of the reasons he got the job. “No telling how many people will come down with this thing by week’s end!”
“Down with it? The only one down with it is my son Jess, and I'd like to get him out of it! It’s illegal I tell you!”
“Since when is being sick illegal?” Sheriff Walker asked, confused.
“I'm not talking about sickness, I'm talking about marriage!”
Sheriff Walker and Mayor Vander exchanged a curious glance. “Since when is being married illegal?” the mayor asked.
“For Heaven’s sake – my Jess has been tricked into marriage while he was sick!”
“Jess is married?” Sheriff Walker squeaked. “Great Scott, how’d that happen? I just saw him yesterday in church. Hacking up his lungs, but I saw him.”
“Yes, and I sent him home sick, and the next thing I know he's married!”
“How?” Mayor Vander barked. His eyes suddenly widened. “He and Bernice didn't …”
“No! And that's the most upsetting part! Eunice and I worked hard to make all the arrangements, and what does my ungrateful son do? He runs off and marries someone else!”
“But Mrs. Templeton, there’s no one else in town to marry,” the sheriff pointed out. “At least not around Jess’s age.”
“I'm well aware of that. And there wasn't, until the stage came in yesterday!”
The sheriff and mayor exchanged another look. “Oh no,” the sheriff groaned. “Not again.”
“Yes, again!” Mrs. Templeton said, her eyes narrowed to slits. “And I want to know what you're going to do about it! My son had to have married the girl when he didn't know what he was doing! I want the person responsible for this behind bars!”
Mayor Vander stood silent for a moment, then turned to the sheriff. “She's right – something has to be done. It's fine when a bride shows up and a man has the time to decide what he really wants. But this … what could Jess have possibly been thinking?”
“My thoughts exactly!” Mrs. Templeton was quick to agree.
“Maybe we ought to call for a town meeting?” Sheriff Walker suggested.
“An excellent idea,” agreed the mayor. “Then we can get down to the bottom of this confounded matchmaker business!”
“Good! Now, what about my boy? Are you going to arrest that girl he married?”
“What are you suggesting, Harriet?” Sheriff Walker asked. “That we lock her up?”
“Fine by me!”
“You c
an't lock up your son's new bride,” Mayor Vander declared. “Sure, we have a problem with this mystery matchmaker, whoever it is, but if Jess decided to marry the girl sent to him, what can we do about it now?”
“But he wasn't in his right mind when he married her! How could he be, as sick as he is?”
“Now Harriet,” said the sheriff, “calm yourself. We’ll call a town meeting and try to get to the bottom of this. In the meantime … well …”
“Well, what?” she snapped.
He shrugged. “In the meantime, I guess you might as well get to know your new daughter-in-law.”
“I don't want to get to know her! She shouldn't be my daughter-in-law to begin with!”
“Who is this girl, anyway?” Mayor Vander asked. “Where is she?”
“She's staying at Pastor Luke's house! We just found out about her last night, but it was too late to do anything then!”
“I heard Jess was sick, but I didn't think he was that sick,” the sheriff commented. “I dunno, Harriet, I'm thinking you got yourself a new member of the family and that you might as well make the best of it.”
Mrs. Templeton’s face turned red as a beet. “Ohhhh! Why am I wasting my time talking with you two?!”
The sheriff shrugged again. “Dunno. You're the one that came storming in here asking for help. I've given it to you.”
“You've given me nothing!”
“We’re having a town meeting tonight now, aren't we?” boomed the mayor. “Isn't that good enough?”
“No!” She spun on her heel and headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” The sheriff asked.
She stood on the threshold and turned to him, her eyes narrowed to slits. “To speak with Eunice Caulder! She’ll do something about this, even if you won’t!” She slammed the door behind her.
Mayor Vander looked at the sheriff and shook his head. “Lord help us.”
* * *
Sarah sat on the bed next to her new husband, dipped a cloth in a pan of cool water, wrung it out and placed it on his forehead. “There, this will help.”
