[2016] A Wanting Bride

by Christian Michael

  But did she want to leave St. Louis? She could perhaps ask for a job at the hospital. Her time spent nursing at her father’s side during the war might count as sufficient experience.

  Someone knocked on her door. Cora jumped. Elizabeth?

  She pulled open the door. Once again, Simon stood on the other side, this time breathing heavy, his forehead creased in irritation.

  “Whatever is the matter? Did you run the entire way?” she asked.

  “Yes, yes I did. I ran the entire way because you were supposed to wait for me.” He shook his head. “Why didn’t you wait, Nurse Cora?”

  Cora dropped her gaze to his shoes, to the carpeted floor, to the hem of her dress, to anything, anything but his inquisitive blue eyes. Then his fingers were touching her chin—gently—pulling it up so that her eyes met his again.

  “Why, Cora?”

  She wanted to sink into the floor, her embarrassment was so great. She pulled away from his hand and turned her back on him. “Because you don’t love me. Because I confessed my feelings and you don’t return them.” She whipped back around. “You knew what I was trying to say, but you rushed away as quickly as you could to mail a letter.”

  “I never said that. I wasn’t mailing a letter.” He waved the piece of paper. “I was checking for a telegram.” He moved closer until very little space separated them.

  “A telegram?”

  “Yes, a telegram. I’ve been waiting for it since our arrival in St. Louis. I sent one to my brother last week during one of our train stops.”

  She shook her head. What did a telegram have to do with anything? Hannah? She clutched at his arms. “Hannah? Mama O’Leary, they’re okay?”

  He smiled. “Oh they are well. Very well and very happy I’m guessing.” He held out the telegram. When she didn’t take it, he nodded encouragingly. “Read it.”

  She opened the paper: Cora STOP was STOP always STOP meant STOP for STOP you STOP

  She frowned. “I don’t understand.”

  Simon smiled and took her hands, leading her to the sofa where they sat down. “I followed you hear because I couldn’t let you marry my brother unless I was certain you loved him more than you could love me. At her gasp, he smiled. “But the longer I spent with you, the more I knew even if you did love him, I was determined to have you for myself. I sent Matthew a telegram asking him to relinquish you.” He waved the telegram. “This was his reply. Apparently, Mama set this up, hoping we would find our way to each other.”

  “I cannot possibly live without you. I must fight and laugh with you all the days of my life. You must put me out of my misery and marry me.”

  Cora began to cry.

  “No, no, Cora, you may not cry. Not my strong and splendid Nurse Cora.” He swiped the wetness from her face, kissed one cheek and then the other.

  “Tell me yes now,” he whispered fiercely,” So I can kiss your beautiful mouth.”

  “Yes,” she breathed.

  And then she had to wait as shock and happiness battled across his face. He breathed a sigh just before his warm mouth touched hers.

  Epilogue

  Cora and Simon settled into the stage coach that would carry them most of the way to the Colorado territory. A piece of land awaited them, one adjoining Matthew’s ranch. The next year would be a busy one as Simon divided his time between building their home and editing the local newspaper.

  As they left St. Louis, Simon grasped Cora’s hands and smiled down at her. “You asked me once why I didn’t report on the war. Remember, it was that first night on the train?”

  She nodded, trying to concentrate on his words instead of his hands holding hers.

  “I had planned on reporting it,” he admitted quietly. “But I came downstairs one evening before supper and heard you talking with Hannah.”

  “Always an eavesdropper,” she teased.

  He smiled. ‘You said to her, ‘It’s the responsibility of every human being to fight for the rights of the wronged Negro.’ Right then and there, I knew I could not merely report on the war.”

  “Simon! I never meant you. Reporting would have been fighting, too. The power of the pen is every bit as strong as the gun.” She frowned and shook her head at him.” You foolish, foolish man.”

  Simon ducked his head. “Well I couldn’t let my favorite girl best me, could I? You were headed into the battlefields alongside your father. I felt driven to do my part.”

  At the mention of her father, Cora’s eyes watered. “I would have followed him anywhere,” she whispered.

  Simon squeezed her hands. His eyes were sad. “I never told you how sorry I was that Dr. Hammond died. He was a good man.”

  She nodded, her throat too thick with tears to speak. Her father would be happy with her decisions of late. She smiled. “I’ll follow you anywhere, too, Mr. O’Leary.”

  “You have some catching up to do, since I’ve already proven I’ll definitely follow you anywhere, Mrs. O’Leary.”

  THE END.

  A Widow’s Love

  Mail Order Bride

  CHRISTIAN MICHAEL

  Chapter 1 – A Crazy Idea

  “Pa! Pa! Save me! Pa!”

  Grace ran into the room to quiet her child. He was thrashing about on the bed, wrestling in his blankets and wrapped up with one of his pillows.

  “Sh! Sh! There, there now… it’s okay. You were having a nightmare, Darling.”

  Grace pulled her sobbing child to her and held him tightly in a hug.

  “I- I was dreaming about Pa again.”

  Sam could hardly get the words out before he broke down and sobbed. Grace held her son and stroked his hair, trying to soothe him as best she could. It was hard these days, working all day to put food on the table for both of them, and trying to keep her son happy at night.

  It had been a rough few months for both of them. Samuel’s father, Mr. Samuel Maroon was a sailor. He had gone to sea on a grand voyage to bring back whale oil nearly 9 months ago. Instead of Mr. Maroon returning to his family with wealth and prosperity, they received a letter from his captain explaining that there had been an accident at sea.

  In spite of all their greatest efforts, Mr. Samuel Maroon was lost in the waves, and swallowed by the ocean.

  That had been months ago, but Grace and Sam were still trying to pick up the pieces. Grace did her best to help Sam get through it, but he struggled. There were times when he seemed to be doing very well, then there were nights like tonight.

  “I dreamt we were on his boat together. He told me to bring him the rope, and when I got back, he was in the ocean. I tried to throw the rope to him, but it was so heavy, and I just couldn’t.” Sam sobbed as he related his dream to his mother, who hushed him as she stroked his hair.

  “It was just a dream Sam. Try to get some sleep. You need your rest.”

  She gently rocked him back and forth until he finally drifted off to sleep once more, then she laid him back on the bed.

  Grace silently rose and crept over to the door. She felt terrible for her son, and wished there was something she could do to help him, but the doctor insisted that time was all that could help.

  She slid through the door and poked her head back into the room. She could hear her son breathing deeply, and a feeling of relief swept over her. As long as he was sleeping well she knew his thoughts were on sweet things.

  Back in her own room, Grace stared up at the ceiling. She felt her husband’s absence, too. She felt it even deeper than Sam did in some ways. Lying alone in the dark, next to that open space in her bed made his absence feel almost crushing.

  Grace rolled over on her side and faced the wall. Her bed didn’t seem so empty when she faced the wall. It was almost as though she were a little girl again, lying in her bed with her dolls, dreaming of the future.

  With a sigh, Grace pushed herself over onto her back once more and stared at the wooden ceiling.

  I never thought it was going to be this hard. When I was a girl I imagined a life that
was happy. A husband and a son and a home of our own. Not this shanty. Not this sorrow.

  A tear rolled down her cheek, but she brushed it away with a scoff. She hadn’t cried at all since receiving that letter. It was the last time she really felt anything. Ever since that day life was just one large feeling of numbness, and she was at the center.

  So many things rushed through her mind, making sleep even more difficult than it usually was.

  The bills are stacking up, and so are the chores. There’s no way I can keep this house and both of those horses. Not with Sam being so young yet.

  Poor Sam! He isn’t doing well at all. He needs his father back in his life… how else is he going to learn all the things he will need in life? I know how to cook and clean and tend to his studies, but I don’t know the first thing about tools or wood or anything like that!

  The tears came again, but this time, Grace didn’t stop them. She didn’t feel sad, she felt drained. She felt as though all of her strength were gone, and she had no energy to try to find more.

  She prayed. She prayed that God would give her the strength she needed to get through the next day, and the strength she needed for Sam.

  “And if You could bring a father into Sam’s life, I would be much obliged.” Grace said the end of her prayer aloud, wondering if that would help her feel better. She sighed as she still felt the same.

  How was she going to find a father for Sam when she hardly had time to keep food on the table? And with the bills stacking up she knew it wouldn’t be long before the bank came calling. It all felt so helpless.

  Pfft. I would do just about anything to get Sam a father right now. Not to mention me a husband! I don’t think I could ever love anyone like I loved Samuel Maroon, but I need someone who is going to put the roof over our heads and the bread on the table.

  Even if he just reads the paper on Sunday I’d be… wait! That’s it! The paper!

  Grace sat up in bed, energy suddenly flooding through her. She had an idea.

  It might be crazy, it might be impossible, but it was an idea, and she was going to give it a try.

  Chapter 2 – A Chance in the Paper

  “How was school today?”

  Grace asked as Sam came running in through the door. A few weeks had passed since Sam had a nightmare. He seemed to do better during the day, especially when he got to spend the day at school.

  “It was all right I guess. Say Mama?”

  “Yes Sam? What is it?”

  “Do you think I could be a sailor one day? Just like Pa was?”

  Grace stopped kneading the dough she had on the table in front of her, and looked up at her son. Sam had always said he wanted to be a banker, with lots of money and fine clothes. The sea had never much interested him before.

  “I suppose you can be anything you set your mind to, Sammy dear. Now hurry and wash up, I am going to have supper on the table shortly.”

  Sam’s face broke into a smile at his mother’s reply, and he headed back outside to the well. He greatly preferred splashing water on his face out of the well. In spite of all her encouragement, Grace just couldn’t get him to use her washbasin indoors.

  When Sam came back inside, he pushed his book bag under the sack of flour on the table, and headed for his room.

  “Wait just a minute young man! You need to come recite to me your studies.”

  Grace knew he was going to try to do that, and chuckled at his grumbling as he came back and grabbed his bag. When he pulled his tablet out of the bag, his chalk landed on the floor next to an envelope.

  “What’s that?”

  His mother stooped to pick up the letter, and Sam explained that Mrs. Gravadge at the post office had told him to give Grace the letter, but he had forgotten.

  “Sorry Ma, I was sorta thinkin about more important things. You know, frogs and bugs and things.”

  “Never mind Sam, and never mind your studies. I’ll trust that you did them at school, and I expect to see all of your work tomorrow, now here’s an apple, run along and I’ll call you in for dinner.”

  “Gee whiz! I got time to catch a frog or two!”

  “Sam grabbed his hat and jammed it on his sandy head on his way out the door, and Grace called after him not to get too muddy. She then turned her attention to the envelope.

  She didn’t recognize the handwriting, and with nervous fingers she opened the top, and slipped the letter into her hand.

  It read:

  Dear Mrs. Maroon,

  Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jasper Farris, and I have a ranch out here in Montana. I couldn’t help but notice your ad in the paper this last Sunday, for you seem to be just whom I am looking for.

  You see, I have a lot of things in life, but what I don’t have is a family, and you and your son would be just the miracle I need to make that dream come true. If you will have me, I would like to send you these two tickets to come out here.

  Our wedding shall follow directly, and I will love your son like my own.

  I look forward to hearing from you.

  Regards,

  J. Farris.

  Grace’s knees suddenly felt weak as she stood there with the letter in her hand. It seemed the answer to her prayers had come, and she could once again give Sam a father. She tried not to think of herself, and how nice it would be to be loved once more, but she couldn’t help but feel somewhat excited.

  Grace quickly set the letter high on her shelf so Sam wouldn’t find it, and finished forming the loaves into pans. She didn’t know what she was going to tell him, or how he was going to take the news. Sam was a quiet kid, and didn’t have a lot of friends, so Grace told herself she wasn’t taking him away from what he needed.

  After all, he needs a father more than he needs friends and school, and I suppose there are schools out there in Montana with lots of boys Sam’s age. He’ll make new friends in no time, and be better off for it. He’ll have a father again, and that’s what is important above anything else.

  Grace grabbed two bowls and her ladle, and generously served stew into both of the bowls. She didn’t know how she was going to tell Sam, or if she even should. Part of her wanted to just take him to Montana and tell him what was happening when they arrived, and part of her thought she should tell him right up front.

  “If he doesn’t want to go I’ll just tell him he has to.”

  Grace didn’t know why she spoke out loud, but the sound of her own voice in the empty room made her jump. This whole idea put her on edge, and made her wonder if she herself was ready to make such a move. It was nearly a year since her husband had left, and half a year since he had perished.

  “That’s plenty of time to heal, and I think if I am going to move on, now’s as good a time as any.”

  “As good a time as any for what?”

  Sam had suddenly appeared in the doorway, but he only heard the last part of what his mother had said.

  “As good a time as any to eat. Supper’s ready, and I don’t want it to get cold so come along!”

  “Ah Mama!”

  Sam whined but he obeyed, and Grace smiled. She took his hands in her own, and they gave thanks for the meal.

  Grace then asked Sam to tell her about his day, and before long she was amidst tales of giants and dragons and everything else his little imagination could share.

  Chapter 3 – The Move

  “Ah Mama! Why do I have to bring all this stuff anyway?”

  “I already told you, Sam, we’re going on a trip, and you don’t want to forget anything. Now, do you have your favorite toy?”

  “Yes’m.”

  “What about your clothes?”

  “Yes’m”

  “And that cap your father gave you.”

  “On my head!”

  Sam pointed to the oversized cap that sat on his head sideways, and gave his mother a mischievous grin. Grace straightened his hat and jacket, then looked into the mirror and fixed her own bonnet so it was straight and prim against her b
rown hair.

  “I think we’re ready then. Now, remember what I told you… I want to go on an adventure, and that adventure may keep us from coming back. Are you certain you don’t need anything else out of your room?”

  Sam looked at his mother with a funny look in his eye and nodded. He had never seen his mother act this way before, and it made him wonder what she was up to. What kind of trip could they be taking that would prevent them from returning?

  “Come along then.”

  His mother smiled and picked up her satchel, then held her hand out to her son. He sighed and put his hand in hers, and they were off.

  Grace hurried through the street as quickly as she could with her young son in tow. The last thing she wanted to do was be late. She didn’t know if the stage waited or not, but this morning had been a nightmare trying to get everything done, especially since Sam wasn’t sure what was going on.

  “Slow down Mama! I can’t keep up!”

  Sam was carrying his own bag, which was overstuffed and heavy. Grace stopped in the middle of the street and looked at him, then sighed and set down her own bag.

  “Here, how ‘bout we switch? You carry mine and I’ll carry yours. I promise we are almost there.”

  “Where we going?”

  “I already told you, it’s a surprise, and you don’t want to spoil it now. Come on.”

  Grace heaved his heavy bag beneath her arm and again offered her his hand, but he refused. Sam picked up his mother’s bag and tucked it beneath his own arm, then hurried to walk beside her, whistling a tune the entire way. After what felt like an eternity, they arrived at the general store, and Grace set down her things.

  “Sam, today we are going to do something very exciting. We’re riding the stagecoach!”

  Sam’s eye widened with wonder as he heard this, then he let out a low whistle from under his breath.