Annie: A Bride For The Farmhand - A Clean Historical Western Romance (Stewart House Brides Book 3)

by Charity Phillips

  Instead of panicking, he decided that the best thing to do would be to go to the sheriff and ask if he was willing to help him obtain a photograph. He didn’t have the ways or means to procure one for himself on his own.

  “Sure,” Franklin said kindly, sounding a bit amused. “I can help you with that. As a matter of fact, the newspaper in town that prints all of the advertisements has a photographer that you can most likely hire for just that purpose. Now that you’re an honest, well-respected man, it makes sense that you should have a nice, new photograph of yourself.”

  Franklin went with him to the newspaper office and asked for the photographer for him, so he wouldn’t have to endure too much awkwardness. Though the folks in town where kind to him now that he had redeemed himself in the eyes of the sheriff and Thomas, he still noticed looks of uncertainty and mild suspicion from time to time. He wondered if he would ever fully warm up to him and trust him again.

  “Ah, yes,” the newspaper photographer said, looking up at Benjamin and smiling. He didn’t seem to be judging him like some of the others there. “I think I can take a photograph that would do quite nicely. This way, please.”

  Benjamin found the process to be relatively easy, though posing for the camera took a long time and made his limbs and face sore after a while. He didn’t end up smiling quite as much as he had hoped to, but he had done his best to appear charming and attractive for young Miss Fields. She didn’t seem like the sort of person who would judge him based on his appearance. He knew that he was a good-looking gentleman; he just hoped that the camera would somehow convey that.

  As soon as it was ready and he had it in his possession, Benjamin enclosed it in the envelope and sent off his letter to Miss Maybelle Fields in Annapolis, Maryland.

  For weeks and weeks, Benjamin didn’t receive word from Miss Fields. He tried his best to not be as discouraged, but he also couldn’t help worrying that perhaps the young lady didn’t care for his appearance. In truth, he was rather too impatient for the pony express. He told himself that he must just try and be patient, for Maybelle.

  Finally, a letter arrived at his home from Maryland. Excitedly, he brought it inside and tore the envelope open.

  Therein were pages and pages of parchment, all of it marked with the same, swirling cursive handwriting. Benjamin sniffed at the paper and felt excited anticipation fill him.

  Dear Mr. Pickett,

  Greetings from Annapolis!

  I pray that you are well and that this letter finds you safe and happy. Thank you ever so much for your response to me. I appreciated it very much. You are quite handsome, sir; I did not base my search for a new husband on appearance, of course, but it is rather delightful to know that the man I hope to meet is also handsome. I certainly have not changed my mind about you.

  Thank you for the sentiment of which you expressed yourself to me in regards to my parents’ passing. It was long enough ago now that the pain of the loss does not linger with me as much as it used to.

  I do believe that the general store, with its need for a seamstress, sounds like a perfect fit for me and my skills. I would not want to make it so that the good proprietor can no longer work on clothing. However, if he truly expresses that he would like to hire an assistant or something to that nature, then I do believe that I am the right person for the job.

  Everything that you have told me thus far makes me think that Coloma is the right sort of home for me. Of course, I say that with no prior experiences, but I just have a good feeling about it. Oh, I so long to see the West and live the way that you have lived. It all seems so romantic, in a way. So very different from everything that I have become accustomed to here in the east.

  I do so hope that you might consider inviting me along to be there with you. I am finding that I am becoming too impatient for the mail service! I wish to be with you now and see the wondrous sights that you most certainly have to show me!

  All the best,

  Maybelle Fields

  Benjamin grinned down at the letter in his hands, formulating his response right away. It seemed that she shared his thoughts and opinions on many things and that her heart was beating to the same rhythm as his. He wanted so much to ask for her hand in marriage and send along a ticket. And yet…

  He didn’t want to ask Miss Fields to marry him while he still carried such a big secret within himself. He wanted to be completely honest with her before they were married, but he also didn’t believe that such a thing as his life story – his past life as a bandit, especially – should be told in letter form.

  He decided that the best thing to do was to send along a ticket for Miss Fields and ask for her hand at a later date. Once they had gotten to know each other better in person, he would then reveal his past life with the hope that she would still wish to be his bride. He dare not think it, but it was possible that Miss Fields would change her mind once she knew. He prayed that it wouldn’t come to that.

  Dear Miss Fields,

  It pleases me that you find my photograph appealing. That is always nice to hear, particularly coming from someone whom one wishes to befriend and meet from so far away. For indeed that is my feeling. Would you do me the immense honor of joining me here in Coloma? I have enclosed a train ticket which you may use at your leisure. I notice that it says that the station is in Baltimore. I hope that this shall not be a bother to you.

  Your arrival here will be cause for much excitement. I must confess that I have told my friends in town of your beauty and kindness. Everyone wants to meet you almost as badly as I do. I believe that you will be quite popular here, Miss Fields. I think that you will take to that with great aplomb.

  I look forward to meeting you soon. Please send along a message when you are departing, so that I might better anticipate your arrival.

  All the best,

  Benjamin

  He sent along this letter, including the mentioned ticket, and hoped that both would arrive safely in Miss Fields’ hand as soon as possible. He couldn’t bear to wait any longer to meet her. He felt, deep down, that she could be the one. The truth about his past would likely come as some surprise, but from what he had learned about her kind and gentle nature so far, he hoped that in the end, it wouldn’t ruin her opinion of him.

  ****

  Working at the mill became easier for Benjamin now that he knew that he had his beloved Maybelle’s arrival to look forward to. The days didn’t go by with so much drudgery as they had for a while. He found himself laughing and smiling more and more each day. He was feeling truly optimistic again, for the first time since his release from the jail. He was on top of the world and no one could stand in his way or make him doubt himself any longer. There was only one thing that kept him from being one hundred percent excited about the events to come and that was the fact that he still had something important to tell Maybelle. He wasn’t looking forward to showing her that side of him – that past that couldn’t be changed no matter how much he wished that he could alter it.

  “You shouldn’t emphasize it so much,” Thomas advised. “After all, that is something that happened a long time ago now. You’ve been reformed by your time in the jailhouse and those crimes with which you were charged are not things that you would ever think of carrying out again. Right?”

  Thomas had grown close to Benjamin and felt that he could easily trust him alone in the mill, if need be. He knew from talking to Franklin, that the other man that Benjamin had partnered with had been charged with the more serious crime of thievery and for an attack with a deadly weapon, but Benjamin’s role was less severe and that now, he was forever, a changed man. He didn’t believe that it should matter so much, what went on in his past. What really mattered was that he was going to be a loving and devoted husband now.

  “That is true,” Benjamin said. “I am a much-changed man.” He nodded a bit as if to try and convince himself. In truth, he sometimes felt that he really had no reason to even mention it. There was only the pesky fact that he wanted to be com
pletely honest with Maybelle. She was sure that she was going to want to be honest with him, and he didn’t want to be a hypocrite. After everything he had worked so hard to change about himself, all of that faith that Mrs. McQueen had distilled in him…he didn’t want to backslide and start becoming untrustworthy again. Benjamin knew that sometimes people kept things from others, but he didn’t want the very foundation of his and Maybelle Fields’ relationship to be based upon a lie.

  Thankfully, a fresh letter soon arrived from Annapolis. Benjamin smiled, adoring the fact that their arrival always felt timed as if she somehow knew when exactly he would need to receive word from her.

  Dearest Benjamin,

  Thank you ever so much for placing your faith in me and sending along a train ticket! I hope that I shall not disappoint you. I am off to the train station in Baltimore so that I can go to you. There is no train station in Annapolis, but it is not so very terrible for me to travel to Baltimore. I do not go there as much as I likely should have while living here. But no matter! I will soon be on my way to you, my darling. I hope that this letter finds you safe and well. I shall see you as soon as this train can possibly get me there.

  Sincerest affection,

  Maybelle

  Benjamin practically leapt for joy. She was probably well on her way now, since letters via the pony express took a good amount of time. With any luck, she would be there by the time the week was out. He suddenly became overwhelmed with all of the things that he still had to do in order to prepare for his lady’s arrival. Chiefly, he had to find a place for her to stay until they were properly wed. It wouldn’t do for her to stay in a home with a man, especially a man who was by and large a stranger to her.

  His first thought was the inn, but he didn’t think that it was suitable enough for Miss Fields. After all, an inn was not a home. It didn’t provide the things that a guest of his deserved, such as attention and companionship while she was getting her bearings in Coloma.

  “Where might she be able to stay?” he asked his friends Franklin and Thomas one day at the saloon. “I would have her stay with me, but that is hardly gentlemanly. Who would take in a guest of Benjamin Pickett, with his known record?” He sighed and frowned.

  Franklin put a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the face. “First of all, you have got to stop thinking that way about yourself. Everyone else has either moved on or has nearly moved on. You are trusted now. You are a good man with a respectable career and a home that most are envious of. Myself included.” He smiled a little.

  Thomas appeared thoughtful. “Yes, you probably do not want her staying in the jailhouse. No offense, Frank, but Benji here is well aware of what happens when young ladies are left alone in your house.”

  Benjamin reddened a bit. He certainly did know all about that. Not long ago, the men in the jail were awfully nasty towards Franklin’s good wife Louise, even though she worked hard to care for them. She cooked all of their meals, tended to their blankets; even cleaned their clothing…yet the nasty inmates only hurled insults and snide comments at her. Benjamin, of course, was the exception. That was why he could call himself her friend, and why Franklin cared about him so much post-jail. It was why he was freed early and the others were not.

  “I can talk with my friend Daniel,” Franklin said after another moment’s thought. “You should meet with him again. He is a good man.”

  Benjamin wasn’t so sure. The last time he had had a run in with Mr. Bishop, he had been trying to rob his wife Hannah’s jewelry store. “I’m not sure that they would ever want to trust me again…”

  “Well, Daniel may not want to, but Hannah is a charming girl. She is open minded enough and may easily agree to meet with you again under new circumstances.” Thomas winked at him. “After all, it is for a new lady friend, not entirely on your behest.”

  Even though Hannah was constantly described as a laid back and sweet woman, Benjamin couldn’t believe for a moment that she would be willing to befriend his prospective bride. And then another chilling thought entered his mind. What if she tells Maybelle about me? “I’m not so sure that is a good idea,” he said, shaken now by his imagining. It didn’t even stop at Hannah. There were so many people in town who, at any given moment, could pull Maybelle aside and whisper into her ear about all of his wrongdoings.

  “You worry too much,” Thomas said.

  “Not that it’s surprising, but you do,” Franklin added. “I will speak with Daniel and see what we might be able to arrange. If I could get Thomas here to believe me and trust you, I am sure that my friend Daniel will let your new visitor stay with him and his wife, as well.”

  At that moment, Benjamin felt lucky to have such friends, but he couldn’t help but think that one of these days these friendships might somehow shift and that sooner or later, surely someone was going to betray his secret.

  ****

  Hannah Bishop was exactly as receptive as Franklin and Thomas had claimed she would be. Though Daniel had misgivings about helping the man who had robbed her, Franklin persuaded him by pointing out that Benjamin wasn’t the bandit who was the mastermind behind the plan to steal the jewels and instead was merely a low-level sidekick. The real threat was the bandit called Eli, but he was never going anywhere near them again. He was locked away for good, Franklin vowed.

  “How do we know that this Benjamin won’t come in the night and rob us blind?” Daniel questioned. “How do we know that this Miss Fields is as he claims?”

  Franklin raised his eyebrows a little at his friend. “My, my, how the people of this town have grown suspicious of one another. I will give you my word. Benjamin is no liar and his days of thieving are over.”

  The two men shook on it and it was decided. Maybelle Fields could stay and get to know Hannah as her friend and confidante in town, provided that Benjamin never be alone with her on their property. It seemed a fair deal to Frank.

  Benjamin was less than enthusiastic about the idea, not because he didn’t think it fair but because he worried that Maybelle – smart woman that she was – would catch on and wonder why he was never allowed to be there with her without an additional chaperone. If she had to see him with Franklin there, it seemed somewhat suspect. Why must the sheriff be Benjamin’s guard?

  “It’s only at the start,” Franklin told him. “Anyway, it wouldn’t be my duty. I am much too busy to tag along with you and your lady love. I will put my son Geoff to the task. But only until Daniel is at ease…or until the two of you are married at which point, it will no longer be a concern.”

  Benjamin sighed a little. “I suppose instead, I could just tell her as soon as possible, so as to avoid any awkwardness that might come to pass because of this arrangement.”

  This certainly wasn’t making his life easier. But then, Benjamin never should have thought that his life might be easy now that he was free.

  The day finally arrived for him to meet Maybelle Fields at the train station. Benjamin took a hired carriage to the destination, hoping that it might give him an air of importance and not so soon betray the fact that he was from far humbler means. He hoped that by making the very best impression now, that perhaps later she would be more understanding when he finally came clean and revealed his dark past to her. He stood on the station platform, leaning against his carriage and watching as the train passed before him. He wasn’t sure which car the woman was in, but he hoped that he would be able to find her soon enough. At least they knew what each other looked like. That had been a wise decision on Maybelle’s part, including a photograph of herself right off the bat. She was smart. Benjamin hoped that he was a good match for her because she certainly seemed to be a great match for him.

  The train finally stopped when it had gotten into the proper position, and then a large group of conductors and other workers came forward to help assist the passengers with their exit as well as their luggage. Benjamin observed all of this from his place by his carriage, only stepping forward when he noticed a dark-haired beauty step
down gracefully from the train door.

  She had long, dark brown tresses that were held back by only pins on the top of her head, causing them to cascade down her shoulders and back rather than falling in her face. She was pale as the finest porcelain doll. Her travelling clothes consisted of a sea green dress underneath a long woolen coat the color of lapis. On her feet, she wore black leather boots which were the style worn by women in the city. The dust at once caused her to frown in horror a bit, for her nice shoes and the hemming of her dress were soon colored in a brown shade.

  She looked up from her boots and saw Benjamin advancing towards her. He was strong and handsome, with a wide grin splayed across his tanned face. Maybelle Fields smiled back at him, recognizing him at once thanks to his photograph. “Hello,” he said in a friendly voice which didn’t betray his inner nerves at this meeting at long last. “You must be Miss Fields? I am Benjamin Pickett.” He gave a slight bow and offered his hand to her which she gladly accepted.

  He gave it a soft kiss and she beamed at him. She was so captivatingly beautiful that he almost forgot entirely what his purpose was for being there. “It is such a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance,” she said brightly, looking around a bit. “I must admit, Coloma is not at all what I had been imagining. Oh, but it is nice. I am so very happy to be here with you at last!”

  Benjamin collected her bags and led her to the carriage. He placed them into the back and then helped her into the front seat before joining her there. Then they were off. He allowed himself to feel nervous excitement now that they were in the carriage and she wasn’t paying quite as much attention to him. She gazed out of the window in happy anticipation as they rode home, to the home he had built himself.