“Mama, I want you to read these letters. They are from friends of number 9206, whose name is Rance Kendall, by the way. She handed the two letters to her mother.
chapter Twelve
An Idea to Consider
Amanda’s mother read the letters and gave them back. “His friends certainly think highly of him. He seems to be a nice person. If only he wasn’t so far away,” she said.
“I would like to meet him,” Amanda said, “but it is so far away. The idea of such a trip alone scares me.”
“That’s been one of my concerns from the get-go,” her mother said.
“I’m just going to tell him that,” Amanda decided.
Dear Rance, After two long, nearly sleepless nights, my thoughts run along these lines. I would truly like to meet you. However, my fear of making such a trip alone is more than I can overcome. I understand this may be upsetting to you, and my fears may be irrational, but they are my fears. I do apologize for being unable to accept your invitation at this time.
Sincerely, Amanda
Five days later, Amanda received a telegram, the first one ever. Would you agree to my coming to you stop answer collect wire end. Rance
She sent an immediate answer. Absolutely. Provide details stop I will meet your train end Amanda
The next day, another telegram came.
Arrive Elmira Thursday next, train from NYC end Rance
Elmira Train Station…
The afternoon train from New York City was ten minutes late. Amanda had gotten permission to cut her last class of the day short, and stood waiting on the platform when she heard the whistle of the train, and saw the smoke trailing back from the stack as it rounded the curve, a block from the depot. The engine pulled past the station, leaving the two passenger cars in front of the wooden deck of the platform. Sparks flew as the steel wheels locked when the brakes were applied.
The conductor put a metal step in place to make it easier for the passengers to step down. Six passengers stepped from the end of the car onto the metal step. No, make that seven. One was a child. A tall man, handsome and nicely dressed, wearing a gray Stetson hat and carrying a little blonde girl approached her.
“Excuse me, Miss. Would you be Amanda Taylor?” he asked, a smile on his face.
“Yes,” she answered. I’m Amanda. Are you…?
“I’m Rance Kendall and this is Abby.”
“Hello. Abby. I’m so happy you came to visit me,” Amanda said. Abby turned her head into the tall man’s neck.
“It’s so good to finally meet you,” Amanda said. “I’m especially pleased you brought Abby.”
“I debated whether to bring her or have Consuela look after her. In the end, I decided it would be best for you to see and meet her too. She’s an important part of who I am.”
“It was the right thing to do,” Amanda said.
“Abby, will you stay with Amanda while I get our things?”
Amanda said, “May I hold your hand, Abby?” Amanda asked. Abby nodded. Amanda took her hand and they followed Rance to where the luggage waited.
After Rance retrieved their luggage, Amanda pointed out her carriage. He loaded the luggage into the carriage, and said, “I presume Elmira has a hotel?”
“Yes we do, however, Mama has asked if you would stay with us. It would allow them to get to know you.”
“Why don’t we meet them and then decide?” he said.
“If you like. We have plenty of room. How long will you be staying?” she asked.
“How long will it take?” he asked in return.
“Take for what?”
“How long will it take for me to convince you to return to Cheyenne with us?”
“That depends,” she said.
“On what?”
“On whether Abby wants me to be her Mama.”
The Taylor home…
“Mama, this is Rance Kendall, and this beautiful little girl is Abigail, but everyone calls her Abby. This is my mother, Ellie, and my father, Albert,” Amanda said.
Albert shook hands with Rance, and said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you sir. Amanda has told us about you.”
“Welcome to our home, Mr. Kendall. We’re pleased to have you. You’re right, Amanda, Abby is a lovely child,” Amanda’s mother said.
“How long will you be in Elmira, Mr. Kendall?” her mother asked.
“Amanda asked me the same question. I’ll give you the same answer I gave her. As long as it takes to convince her to be my wife, or she tells me I’m wasting her time,” Rance said,
After two hours of small talk, with many questions about ranch life and Wyoming, Rance said, “Abby is past due her nap. I need to get her to the hotel.”
“Please, won’t you stay with us,” her mother asked.
“I think it would be best for us to go to the hotel. It will give you time to compare notes and thoughts without us hovering,” Rance said.
“Could I prevail on one of you to give us a ride to the hotel? I’ll rent a carriage to use the rest of the time we’re here.”
“I will be happy to take you to the hotel,” Albert said.
“Thank you. I appreciate it; Amanda, I will see you tomorrow after your classes, if that is okay.”
“I arranged to take tomorrow off, so I’ll be home all day.”
“Then we would like to see you in the morning.
Rance, Abby and Albert left for the hotel. Her mother turned to Amanda and said, “He is one of the nicest men I think I have ever met.”
“I liked him too,” Amanda said. “I think Abby is adorable, but she’s so… so serious,”
“She does seem that way, doesn’t she?”
“Papa, what do you think?” Amanda asked when her father returned.
“A man’s man. I like him. I would be pleased to have him as a son-in-law.”
“What are you going to say if he asks you to marry him?” her mother asked Amanda.
“I’m going to say yes,” Amanda replied.
The next morning…
At ten o’clock, the carriage pulled up in front of the Taylor home. Rance stepped out, and lifted Abby and swung her in a large circle before putting down. “Did you like that,” he asked.
She nodded her head.
Albert Taylor had gone to his job at the bank. Amanda and her mother were sitting in the living room. “Tell me more about Wyoming, Mr. Kendall,” Ellie asked.
“Call me Rance. Please. Mr. Kendall makes me sound so old. Do you have all day? I could go on and on about Wyoming. It is a beautiful, unspoiled place, for the most part. Now that I have traveled much of the way across the country, I haven’t seen anything to rival it.”
“I want to hear about the Lazy K,” Amanda said,” How large is it?”
”It’s just over 30,000 acres. I reckon there’s four or five thousand head of cattle. After we round up this fall, and fill our contracts, we’ll be down around to around 2,500 or so. We do the breeding in the fall; they’re born in the spring. It’s a cycle pretty much everyone sticks to,” he said. “Do you have a pencil and paper?” he asked. “I’ll show you our brand.”
Amanda produced a pen and paper. “I was saving this to use for letters,” she teased with a grin.”
“We’re hoping you won’t need that anymore,” Rance said.
chapter Thirteen
Will You Marry Us?
“Why don’t you show us around town,” Rance asked.
“Okay, Can do. That will take about thirty minutes,” Amanda said. “Then what?”
“We’ll think of something, won’t we, Punkin?” he asked Abby.
She nodded her head.
After they rode down through the business district, and past the school where Amanda taught, she directed him past Elmira College.
“What is your favorite place in Elmira?” Rance asked.
“I guess it would be the New Town Battlefield Park,” she said.
“What happened there,” he asked.
“The Contine
ntal Army fought the Iroquois and the British. It was a victory for the Army.”
“Can we go there?” he asked.
“Sure,” she said and gave him directions.
At the battlefield, she told them the history of the battle. When she finished, she said, “Lesson over, any questions?”
“I think Abby has a question,” Rance said.
“Do you have a question, Abby?” Amanda asked.
She nodded her head.
“What is your question?”
“Will you marry us?” she asked.
“That is the sweetest thing that has ever happened to me,” Amanda said through her tears.
“Yes, darling. I will marry you both. Does that make you happy?”
The little girl nodded.
Rance put his hand under Amanda’s chin, tilted it upwards and kissed her gently. He removed a small box from his pocket and removed a ring. He took Amanda’s left hand and slid the ring onto her finger.
“It’s beautiful,” she breathed, moving her hand around so the diamonds could reflect the light.
“Now,” he said, Do you want to get married here, or would you rather wait until we get back to Cheyenne?” he asked.
“I would like to be married here, in church,” she said.
“If Elmira is like most places, we will need a marriage license. Let’s do that now,” he said.
They climbed back in the carriage, and went to the courthouse, where Rance gave the clerk three dollars in exchange for a marriage license.
They went to the church, and met with Amanda’s pastor. After questioning them, he agreed to marry them the coming Sunday after the regular services.
“I don’t know about you, but proposing and talking about getting married has made me hungry. Is there a good restaurant or café here?” Rance asked.
In the café, Rance asked, “Are you ready to tell your parents? Also, just so you know, I asked your father for his permission to marry you. He gave it.”
“That was sweet, and thoughtful of you. I’ll bet he appreciated the gesture,” she said.
“It was no gesture. I was sincere about it,” he said. “And he was pleased.”
Back at the Taylor home…
“Let me tell you about this morning, Mama. We went to the Battlefield Park. I told them all of the history of the battle, just as I would in class. I asked if they had questions. Abby had one. She asked, “Will you marry us? Isn’t that the most romantic thing you have ever heard?”
Her mother had tears in her eyes. “You said yes, I hope.”
“I did; so we got the license and talked to the pastor. We’re going to be married Sunday after church.
“Look at my ring. Isn’t it beautiful? Your old maid daughter is getting married!” Amanda said, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“It is beautiful,” her mother said.
They told her father when he arrived home from work. He smiled, and pumped Rance’s hand. “Welcome to the family, son.”
“Thank you, Albert. I appreciate it.”
“Abby, would you take a walk with me?” Amanda asked.
She nodded and took Amanda as they strolled down the street. Rance watched, Abby was looking up and nodding her head. When they returned to the house, Abby tugged at Rance’s trousers, and said, “Papa, Miss Amanda is going to be my Mama.”
“Is that right?” Rance asked.
“Yes.” It was Rance’s turn to have tears in his eyes. “Those are more words than I’ve heard her say at one time since…” and his voice trailed off.
He turned to Amanda and kissed her right in front of her parents. She blushed. “She’s going to call me Mama. And she’s going to call you Papa.”
“She has not called me that. In fact, she hasn’t called me by any name. You’re a miracle worker, Amanda.”
“With twenty-three elementary students, I’ve learned how to talk to children,” she said.
“Whatever it was, I’m impressed,” he said.
“Would you let her stay with me tonight?” Amanda asked. “You’re welcome to stay as we’ve already told you. Well, Mama wouldn’t like it if you stayed with me,” she said and giggled… and blushed.
“Why don’t you ask her? It would be okay with me if she wants to do that.”
“I’m full of questions today, and it’s all your fault. You’ve flipped my world upside down. When will we be leaving for Cheyenne? I can hardly wait.”
“Well,” he said, “with the wedding on Sunday, that day is pretty well taken care of, and you will need to pack and will probably need to go to the school. Would Tuesday be too soon? That would put us in Cheyenne on Friday evening, depending on connections, definitely by Saturday.”
“Tuesday is good for me. I can do the school thing on Monday. I’m ashamed to say I had completely forgotten about them in all the excitement.”
“I will make our reservations tomorrow morning, before I come over. Will you need to do any shopping before then?”
“I could probably stand to pick up a few things I use regularly; the store in Cheyenne may not have.”
“If you tell them about something, they’re pretty good about ordering it and you get it in two or three days,” he said.
“Why don’t you come with me?” she asked. I’d like to show you off.”
“So, what am I some kind of trophy?” he asked with a grin on his face.
“You better believe it,” she said.
“Okay,” he said. “You’re the boss.”
She stopped. “Rance, I don’t want to be the boss. I want to be your partner.”
“Well said, honey. Well said.”
“I like that,” she said.
“Liked what?”
“You called me honey. I like it.”
The next day…
They spent an hour in the mercantile, where Amanda purchased some of the products she used on a regular basis. They were about to enter the clothing store, just as Randall Cunningham was leaving.
“Amanda, I haven’t seen you lately. How about me coming over tonight?” he asked.
“No. I thought Papa made it clear. You are not welcome at our house. Please step aside,” Amanda said.
“You’re still upset about that?” he demanded.
“Randall, let me introduce you to Rance Kendall. We’re to be married Sunday. Rance, this is Randall Cunningham. A former boyfriend.”
Rance made no move to shake hands. He merely nodded.
“So you found someone to marry you,” Randall said.
Rance stepped between them. “Sir, you’re making a scene. You’re annoying the lady, and you’re beginning to annoy me. Now, why don’t you just move and let us continue shopping?”
Randall was only five feet eight inches tall and Rance towered over him. He was an imposing figure. Randall appeared to be considering a response; instead, he decided to beat a retreat.
“I’m sorry, Rance. I’m so embarrassed. I’ll tell you all about it when we have more privacy. Today’s the first time I’ve seen him since Papa made him leave, and that was before I started writing to you,”
“You have nothing to apologize for. Now, let’s finish shopping. I don’t know whether Abby has anything suitable for church that I brought. Let’s get something for her, and then we’ll have some lunch.”
chapter Fourteen
Amanda’s Story
Cheung Cafe…
“Who courted you before we met is none of my business, Amanda. You don’t have to do this,” Rance said.
“I do. He courted me for over five years. I thought we would be married. I don’t know how long he cheated on me, but I know he did. I saw him and another girl. He laughed about it and said it didn’t mean anything. Well, it did. It meant something to me.
“When I asked him about getting married, he said he wasn’t ready. After five years, and he still wasn’t ready. When would he have been? She laughed. The bitterness came through, even though she laughed.
“He came over
to our house the next Saturday night, as usual. He was always too busy on the other nights. I told him to leave, and asked Papa to make sure he understood he wasn’t welcome anymore. He said it was all a misunderstanding. I did misunderstand. I was faithful and expected him to be too.”
“Forget him,” Rance said. “He can’t hurt you anymore.”
“Why weren’t you here then,” she asked.
“Would that I had been,” he said.
“Did you have a girl?” she asked.
“There weren’t any,” he said. “There were fancy girls in the saloons, but I never had anything to do with them.”
“What are fancy girls?” she asked.
“They work in saloons, trying to get the cowboys and miners to buy them drinks. A cowboy earns about $30 a month and found, and most of the time, their money winds up in the saloons or with the fancy girls.”
“Oh,” she said, finally understanding the commodity being bought and sold.
“What’s found mean?”
“Found is room and board. He gets all of his meals, his horse, and a place to live. He buys his own clothes and guns.”
“Why do they need guns?” she asked.
“Protection. When they’re out on the range, they never know what they will run into, Indians, wolves, snakes, bears, or rustlers. All kinds of danger just waiting for the chance to run your day.”
“Are they out at night?”
“There’s always someone with the herd. There’s no telling when they might get spooked and stampede. Loud noises, like thunder, a gunshot, it doesn’t take much when they’re restless. If they stampede, they will run over anything in their path. I’ve seen them run over a chuck wagon. Once it’s tipped, they run right through it. A stampede is one of the most dangerous things that can happen on a range.”
“How do you stop them, once they start?” she asked.
“You ride in close, and try to turn the leaders,” he said. “If you can turn them, the chances are good they’ll run themselves out. They’re running off pounds and pounds are money. You try to keep them calm by singing to them, really soft and low.”
Amandas's Mail Order Cowboy: The Story of A Mail Order Bride and Her Mail Order Husband (Mail Order Brides Book 14) Page 5
