“No I want to pay it, but how much is it again? I mean overall, and for the first month?” she questioned, hoping she had heard the original numbers incorrectly.
“Let’s just focus on the first month’s bills; it will seem less insurmountable that way. This stack right here is equivalent to ten thousand dollars in debt,” he said.
Clara almost fainted at the sound of the debt. She fanned herself with her hand to try and calm down. “I just don’t know how I’m going to be able to come up with that much in one month. How do you expect me to do that, Mr. Jones?”
“Again, Mrs. Wilson, I did not force your husband to take out any of these loans that are now due. Perhaps if you had communicated with him more when he was alive, you wouldn’t be sitting here with me right now. I don’t care how you pay them, but rest assured if they aren’t paid in 30 days, I’ll find a way to make money from you.” His smirk was one that didn’t leave a nice feeling in Clara’s chest.
“I just don’t understand how he could have this much debt.” Clara shook her head and wondered. How could she even be sure that Mr. Jones here was telling her the right amounts? She picked up the papers and thumbed through them.
It was like she didn’t even know her husband as she looked at the bills. There were huge balances due at the Parker Hotel in San Francisco. “Are you even sure this is his bill?” She looked at Mr. Jones for clarification.
“I understand your concern in this matter Mrs. Wilson, but each of these is a bill your husband owes me. I may not seem like a nice man, and believe me I’m not. But I am nothing if not honest. I would never charge someone money they didn’t truly owe me. So yes, each and every one of these bills are his.” He lit up a cigar.
“Mr. Jones, are there some other ideas that you may have on this problem?” she pleaded.
“I actually did you a favor: usually I ask for the full amount in 30 days, if not sooner. But because of your circumstances, and the fact that you seem like a nice lady, I’ve taken pity on you. I would suggest that you get out and earn as much as you can as quickly as you can, though. In 30 days I’m not sure what kind of mood I’ll be in. That means I could decide to have you arrested, sell you to a man, or even sell you to many men. Go now, Mrs. Wilson, and figure something out. I’ll see you in 30 days with my money, I hope.” He waved his hand as he dismissed her from his office.
Clara Wilson hung her head as she left and wondered what she was going to do. “This is a mess, Gerald. How could you do this to me?” she whispered and looked up at the sky.
As she walked home she knew the situation was almost hopeless, if not completely hopeless. “I have to think of a way to earn that money.”
She didn’t like the idea of setting foot in debtor’s prison. She shivered at the thought of Mr. Jones’s comment: “even if I have to sell you to a man or many men.” She knew what it meant, but she didn’t like the thought of either option.
However, as her mind calmed, she figured the only real plan would be to find a rich man to marry her. She knew a mail order bride service that had opened up in town and decided to see what it entailed. “It’s got to be better than many men or prison.” She muttered as she walked to the service and thought about her future.
Chapter 2
Sally Cody looked in the advertisement for mail-order brides. She was tired of her son not being able to find a woman to marry. She wanted grandkids while she was still alive. If she left it up to Todd, though, he wouldn’t marry at all.
She had prayed many times that he would take his future more seriously. But as of yet, she hadn’t seen anything to indicate that Todd was changing.
She knew better than to tell him what she was doing; he would argue with her. The only way to get him married off and to have grandchildren was to do it herself.
Sally wasn’t happy about lying to him. Well she wasn’t lying to him, just keeping him in the dark about her plans. She wanted to find a nice girl for him, someone he could have children with. Perhaps a woman who would have him settled down and doing all good things in the Lord.
“How late were you out last night, Todd?” she asked across the table.
He sat eating his breakfast before going out to work on their ranch. “I don’t know.” He didn’t even look up, just kept eating his food.
“You know you should, really.” She stopped and didn’t continue with her comment.
“Thank you for stopping mother. I really don’t feel like hearing the speech about how I should settle down and find a woman. Or how I should go to Church every Sunday and pray about finding the right mate. As far as I’m concerned I can stay single my whole life,” Todd muttered.
“But then I wouldn’t be able to spoil any grandchildren. You know I want to have a bunch of them,” she stated.
“Well I may not want to have kids,” he admitted.
She held her heart. “Don’t say that. You would be a great father, and I would love to spoil those little ones of yours.”
“I have to have them first for you to spoil them.”
“Exactly, and that’s why you should really find a wife.”
“I knew it was going to start. Couldn’t we at least have one conversation that doesn’t turn into a speech about settling down and marrying?”
“Todd, you’re old enough to find a wife and settle down. I don’t understand why you haven’t done it yet.”
“I haven’t found the right woman.”
“Have you even looked?” she asked.
“No, not yet. But that’s only because I’m not ready.”
“How long do you plan on waiting?” she asked.
“I don’t know. I honestly haven’t thought about it,” Todd said.
“I think you should seriously think about it.”
“Maybe. I have to get to work.” He picked up his plate and put it in the sink.
Sally watched him leave the house and went back to looking through the mail-order bride options in the paper.
“Let’s see what I can find,” she muttered as she began looking through the paper. She said a quick prayer for guidance from the Lord about her search.
Please, Heavenly Father, guide my search. Lead me to the right choice for my son Todd. Give me a woman who will be perfect for him and produce many children. Amen.
She felt that she was drawn to one ad in particular, like God had guided her to look at it. Sally read the description of the woman closely.
I am a widowed, 28-year-old woman. I stand 5’ 5” tall, have no children, my hair is brown as well as my eyes. I seek a husband to have a family with, and to serve in the way God suggests. I go to church every week and want to find a God-fearing man.
Sally rubbed her chin and wondered if this was the sign that God wanted her to have. “This is the perfect mate for him. She will give me the grandchildren I crave and the calm he needs in his life.”
She took down the information and decided to buy this woman for him. She would have her delivered and introduce them once Clara arrived. “That’s her name, right?” she questioned and looked down at the information again. “Yes, Clara Wilson. Well, at least that’s her name for now!” She smiled brightly. Sally felt like she had accomplished something today.
Chapter 3
Clara picked up her mail. It had been almost 30 days and she had yet to raise anywhere close to the money she owed to the debtors. The only way she had figured to get the money up was to sell herself as a mail-order bride.
As of today she had yet to hear from anyone. She wondered if she had sought the wrong way to go about this problem. She second-guessed whether it had been a decision led by God, or one done out of fear.
“Well of course it’s fear you nitwit,” she said to herself, laughing nervously.
Mr. Jones had made it all too clear that he didn’t have a problem finding other avenues to get his money back from her. It was those other things that frightened her more than anything.
She didn’t want to go to jail and she surely didn’t want to be
sold off to someone Mr. Jones picked. At least by placing the ad first she had a chance to choose between the suitors. “None yet, of course,” she reminded herself.
Clara said a little prayer before she got her mail and asked God for something to be delivered today. Stepping to the counter nervously, she said shyly, “I’m here to see if I have any mail.”
The little man behind the corner smiled at her. “Yes ma’am, let me check. How are you today?” he asked.
Clara smiled. She had come by every day for the past three weeks to see whether she had any answers yet. She felt like she knew the man. “I’m good, George. How are the wife and kids doing?”
“Oh they’re great, thanks for asking!” He smiled brightly. “Oh, it looks like you have something today!” He handed her the envelope.
Clara could feel her heart beat a bit faster. She hoped this was her way out. “Thank you, George.”
She didn’t open the letter right away; she wanted to be at home before she did that, just in case it wasn’t what she was hoping. Clara just knew that she was getting close to having a breakdown of sorts.
It had been hard holding onto her faith through these difficult times. But thankfully her congregation had helped keep her inside of God’s love. But Clara wasn’t sure if she could handle what was in the future if she didn’t find someone to pay off her debt by buying her hand in marriage.
It all sounded so sordid and wrong in many ways. Clara had felt almost dirty by offering herself to a man in this manner. But then she reminded herself that Mr. Jones had many more ideas in mind that were far worse. Not only that, but if she married a man, God would bless her in the long run. Clara had to keep her hopes up.
The walk home seemed to take far too long. The letter burned into her hand. There were a few times she almost stopped along the way and opened the letter.
Clara kept her composure and was shortly welcomed by the sight of her home. “Well, not mine anymore. It will be sold for his debts.” She muttered under her breath.
She didn’t want to hate her late husband, but there was a tiny residue of anger burning brightly. It would often lead her to think of Gerald in a bad way. Clara tried to remember the few good times between them. But as she searched her mind, she found it was harder than ever right now. She couldn’t remember one good time between them. Their relationship had often been strained to the point where she wondered why he’d married her. Clara had tried to be a good wife and do all her duties like God had asked, but Gerald had never really appreciated her much. He would come home late at night, smelling of liquor and cigars. She didn’t need to ask where he had been. She knew his habit of playing cards.
“It’s how he put us so far into debt.” Her anger was coming close to erupting. Clara looked up to the sky and prayed silently to God. She took a deep breath and felt better.
“I hope this is good news!” she said aloud as she sat down and opened the letter. She read the words through a couple of times before she could believe what she was seeing.
Her mouth fell open. She looked at the letter again to make sure she had read it correctly. Finally, because she couldn’t believe her eyes, she read it out loud.
Dear Mrs. Wilson,
My name is Todd Cody. I am 29 years old and my family owns a ranch in Arizona. I would like to have you travel to me on our ranch. My mother lives with me and she can be our chaperone until we are married. I attend church every week and am a God-fearing man. I have sent along a check to cover your transportation as well as the fees you requested.
Yours,
Todd Cody
She looked once more at the check to see if the numbers were all there. “That means I’ll have some money left over.” She smiled. But then she remembered it had only been one small pile of bills that he had told her to pay.
Clara tried to remember the total that Mr. Jones had told her was due. She still thought she might have a little bit of money left over after paying off Gerald’s debts.
“No reason to put this off.” She picked up the check and decided to go pay off Mr. Jones. At least that way she could relax during her last few days in town. As she walked to his office, she prayed to God.
Thank you God for answering my prayers. Thank you for taking care of me. Amen.
She was all smiles when she walked into Mr. Jones’s office. “Good afternoon, Mr. Jones. I have great news for you.” She smiled brightly.
He looked up from his desk, his eyes still showing disinterest. “Yes what is it?”
She pulled out the check. “It’s a paper check from a Todd Cody; he is going to marry me. I think you’ll find enough to cover the debts Gerald built up, as well as some left over for me!”
“Left over for you? No, Mrs. Wilson, you forgot that you have the other piles of bills, along with my fees and late charges. Well you have nothing left out of this money. I would appreciate it if you could sign this over now to me,” he said as he looked at the check.
“Are you sure? I didn’t think there was that much due,” Clara said.
Mr. Jones studied her closely. “Well it doesn’t matter what the amount was, all that matters is what I say it is.”
Clara saw an evil look cross his face. “Well, I’ll be. That’s very unChristian of you, Mr. Jones.”
“I never claimed to be Christian.”
She was too flustered to do anything. Clara just wanted to get out of his office as quickly as she could. She signed her name on the check and took the paper from him. She looked at it; the words PAID IN FULL were across the paper. “Thank you.” She gathered herself and almost ran out the door.
If she hadn’t known better she would have thought she was in the room with the Devil himself there for a second. She silently thanked God again as she walked away. At that point she knew that had she not gotten this check, her future would have been miserable.
She shuddered to imagine it. But now she had to focus on getting her things ready and getting on the next coach to Arizona. She had a new life and a new husband waiting for her.
Her heart fluttered with hope. It was the first time in years that she had pure hope for a good life ahead of her.
Chapter 4
“Samuel, I need you to go and meet the coach today,” Sally told her servant.
“Yes, ma’am. What will I be getting from the coach? Did you order another package from New York City?” The old man laughed.
“It is a package of sorts I guess. But you have to promise not to breathe a word of what I’m about to tell you to Todd.” Sally looked at him seriously.
“No ma’am, I won’t say a word to him about it. I promise.” He held his hand in front of his heart.
“I ordered a mail-order bride for Todd. She’ll be on the coach coming in today.” Sally smiled brightly.
“You did what, ma’am?” Samuel questioned.
“I ordered a bride for Todd. Now he can get married and have children!”
“I don’t think he’s going to be happy about this.” Samuel’s face fell. He could imagine the scene that might take place later on in this house.
“Well, someone had to get him a woman. He’s not trying at all!”
Samuel shook his head, but far be it from him to questions his mistress’s movements. He kept his further thoughts to himself.
Sally was proud of what she had done; she didn’t think it was wrong. She had asked God to show her a sign of who would be the right woman for her son and He had shown her. As far as the other steps she had taken, it was all for Todd’s good.
By the time he came home for dinner she should be here! Sally ran around the house trying to prepare everything for Clara Wilson.
She was excited and a bit worried. She knew Todd was going to be mad at her. But she had already accepted her fate when she wrote the letter to Clara and had put Todd’s name on it.
“What else was I supposed to do? He wasn’t doing a single thing about this!” she muttered.
Sally hoped that Samuel would return with Mrs. Wilson b
efore Todd got back from his chores. That way she could at least explain to her what was going on, that she had been the one who had written the letter.
Plus, she wanted to meet the woman first, though she was pretty sure God had led her to this person. Sally wondered whether she would have a chance to talk to Mrs. Wilson first or not.
She shrugged her shoulders and hoped it would all work out. Todd would be mad for sure, but the woman would possibly be okay with it. That is, after Sally told her how she had prayed and then found her ad in the paper. If she was a God-fearing woman like she’d said, she would see the clear signs in the matter.
Chapter 5
Samuel walked in with Clara Wilson behind him sometime later in the afternoon. He found Sally and let her know. “The young lady is here. I had her sit in the living room,” he told Sally.
Sally flew to the other room. She held out her hand and said, “Hello, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Sally Cody, I’m Todd’s mother.”
“It’s very nice to meet you as well.” Clara took her hand and shook it.
Sally studied her; she was a nice looking woman, plain, but pretty. “Was your trip nice?” she asked.
“It was long, but not too bad, honestly,” Clara stated.
Sally tried to think of how to bring up what she needed to tell Clara. “I have something to talk to you about,” she began, but then Todd walked into the room.
He looked at his mother and then the female in the room. Clara stood up to introduce herself to him. “Hello, I’m Clara Wilson.” She held out her hand.
Todd looked at her and took her hand. “Nice to meet you, I’m Todd Cody.”
Clara wondered why he didn’t seem more happy about meeting her. His reaction had been one of little interest. She would have thought he would at least welcome her. Maybe not with open arms, but at least with a warmer reception.
Sally sat there, her hands twisting in her lap. “Todd, this is Mrs. Clara Wilson. She’s come here from South Carolina.”
Romance: Western Mail Order Bride Bethany's Love -Clean Christian Historical Romance (Western Mail Order Bride Short Shorties Series) Page 139
