by Kara Summers
“Well yes, that would be nice as well. My trip to Colorado has piqued my interest in what else there is to see in the world,” I answered.
“What about looks?” she asked.
“What about them?” I replied.
“Well do you like tall men?”
“Yes.”
“Blonde hair or dark?”
“Blonde I suppose.”
“Blue eyes or brown?”
“Blue-“ I stopped speaking and my cheeks flushed a deep red as I looked to Clayton who was staring at me with a dazzling smile. I quickly looked away from him and swung my eyes in Clara’s direction. She looked like the cat that ate the canary, with a smile as bright as the sun. I was mortified to realize that I had just described Clayton Reeves to a tee.
“Um, excuse me, I think I need some air,” I said, rising from the table. I gathered up my skirts and all but ran out of the dining room and out onto the patio. I took large gulps of fresh night air and jumped slightly when I felt Clayton’s hand on my elbow.
“Eden are you alright?” he asked, sounding worried.
I swallowed and nodded, willing my heart to slow to its normal rhythm. Clayton guided me over to a chair and helped me to sit. He perched on the chair next to me and took my hand in his.
“Do you know what my questionnaire would say?” he asked softly.
I shook my head, unable to speak.
“It would say that I am looking for a spirited woman who loves her family so much that she would travel across the country by herself to be with them. A woman who befriends old ladies and helps them start a business. I would say that I’m looking for a woman who writes about her journey but is too modest to thing anyone else would be interested in her story. I would say that I want you, Eden,” Clayton finished, bringing my hand to his lips.
“Oh Clayton, I don’t know what to say,” I gushed, my cheeks burning bright.
“Say you’ll come back inside and finish dinner before Aunt Clara sends out a search party,” he chuckled.
I nodded my head and allowed Clayton to lead me back into the dining room.
The next several days were spent getting to know Clayton better. Clara declared herself able to handle the agency alone for a few afternoons, allowing Clayton and I to stroll through the streets of the city. We visited a few shops where I picked out some fabric for clothes for Rose’s baby, as well as shops where Clayton bought me sweets and flowers.
What our courtship lacked in length, it made up for in intensity. After just one weeks’ time, Clayton and I knew without a doubt that we wanted to be together forever. Clara, Rose, and Jason were all thrilled for us and Clara and Rose couldn’t wait to start planning the wedding.
There was just one obstacle left to overcome.
Chapter Six
For the next two weeks Clayton was in upstate New York convincing papa and mama that he would make me a good husband. Papa was reluctant to let his baby girl go, and so far away, but mama reminded him of what his stubbornness had done to their relationship with Rose. Papa finally agreed to give Clayton my hand and when I received that word, Rose and I danced for joy. Well, I danced, Rose waddled.
Clayton needed to be in Boston for a few months to take care of the publishing company and I missed him terribly but we wrote to one another regularly. The days were growing shorter and the air took on a distinct chill. Winter was approaching, and with that, Rose’s due date. Things at the agency had slowed while everyone was getting their crops and cattle ready for the approaching cold so I was able to stay close to home with Rose.
November third at four in the morning Bannon Saunders was born. He had his mother’s red hair and a pair of lungs that would wake up the neighborhood. I looked at my beautiful sister with her husband and child and I felt truly happy. I pictured that one day, Rose would be the one at the foot of the bed looking on at me with Clayton and our child. There was so much to be hopeful for now.
With Rose recovered from having Bannon I felt it was time I headed back home. I said my goodbyes to them all and climbed in the coach to start my long journey home. I sat by the window and watched the landscape in reverse. I let my mind wander to Clayton, wondering what he was doing and if he was still as excited about marrying me as he had been nearly six months ago now. I closed my eyes and dozed, only to wake moments later with the feeling that I was being watched. Before I could even open my eyes and look up, I heard a voice that I knew so well.
“Excuse me ma’am is this seat taken?”
I smiled at up at him, “well I was saving it for a handsome gentleman, but I suppose you’ll do just fine,” I said, teasing.
“Do you travel much?” he said, settling down beside me.
“Not really,” I said. “I am just returning from visiting my sister in Colorado.”
“Colorado is a beautiful state. I was there for a bit myself,” he said.
“Oh? And how was your stay?” I asked.
“It was perfect really. I went to visit my aunt and ended up falling hopelessly in love with a beautiful girl. I think I want to marry her,” he said.
It took everything in me not to jump out of my seat. “Oh?” I said coyly. “And do you think she wants to marry you?”
Clayton reached into his pocket and pulled out a yellow diamond ring with rubies on each side. “Well what do you think? Do you think she’ll say yes to this?” he asked.
“Oh Clayton it’s beautiful!” I exclaimed.
“So you’ll marry me then? Please say yes, Eden. You’ll make me the happiest man in the world,” Clayton said.
Tears sprung to my eyes and I threw my arms around his neck. “Yes, Clayton, yes I will marry you,” I said as he slipped the ring onto my finger.
Mama and papa were at the station when we arrived and we were married two months later. Rose, Jason, and Bannon were there for the wedding and even Clara made the trip. Papa was excited, both his girls were married and happy. He made a toast at our reception and said he would like to have a few more grandchildren like Bannon.
Rose spoke first. “Well Eden, you heard the man!”
With that, everyone clinked their glasses and toasted our future.
THE END
Mail Order Bride: Mari’s Child
Chapter One
Mari sighed softly as she felt the wind blow through her golden curls. It was a beautiful day and she couldn’t think of any other way she’d rather be spending it. Her best friend, Brian, was laying in the grass beside her staring up at the clouds as they moved through the clear blue sky.
Her fingers snaked through the grass, enjoying the feel of it against her skin as she tangled her fingers with his and turned her head, offering a smile.
“It’s such a lovely day, isn’t?” she hummed.
Even though she was a child she still enjoyed the beauty of nature and was thankful for particularly beautiful days. Brian smiled and nodded.
“It is. But only because we’re together,” he mused, turning to catch her sapphire gaze.
Their eyes met and her cheeks turned pink. At fifteen, the two youngsters were coming up quickly on the age at which they would be expected to marry. And at thirteen, they knew they wanted to spend the rest of their lives with each other. Mari and Brian had known each other their entire lives. Their families would also have been more than happy to see them fall in love and live out their lives together. It seemed like the perfect match and one that was rarely seen in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.
Most people from their small town married out of desperation rather than love. Some married for money, and others married because their families could no longer afford to feed them. It was a time when a girl was expected to be married by nineteen or she was considered to be broken in a way that no man could fix.
Mari didn’t want to fall victim to that mentality, and as long as Brian was here she knew she wouldn’t. He would always be there to love her and take care of her and that was really all she could ask of him.
She
sighed and turned to face him, the grass tickling her cheek as she took in his perfectly browned skin. Years working on his father’s farm had toughened his skin and tanned it to a handsome glow. She reached out and brushed her delicate fingers against his arm.
“Brian?”
“Yes?”
“Will it always be like this?” she asked sitting up enough to look at him, her blue eyes full of concern.
Brian just smiled and sat up as well, reaching out to touch her cheek tenderly. “It will. I will always be here for you. You know that,” he said softly, leaning in to brush his lips against her cheek.
Her cheek went hot with embarrassment but she nodded slowly. “Alright. I just worry,” she said softly, looking up towards the sky.
“Why in the world would you worry? You know I care for you.”
She sighed and brought her hand to her own chest, feeling her heart beating a hundred miles a minute underneath her dress and smock.
“I have these dreams sometimes,” she admitted, turning to look at him.
“Dreams?” he asked, eyebrow raised in something akin to concern.
“Yes. I have dreams that a large storm cloud rolls in and destroys everything. Our farms, our lives,” she whispered, looking away.
He smiled and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. “Nothing like that is ever going to happen,” he promised. “We’re safe here. This is God’s land. Nothing bad will happen in this valley.”
His voice was so reassuring and so tender that she couldn’t help but relax in his arms, leaning into him and wrapping her arms around him in return. After a moment, he spoke and pulled away, cupping her cheek and smiled.
“I love you.”
The words echoed through the air like a spell and Mari could hardly find it in herself to respond. Her eyes widened and she stared at him for a long moment.
“What?”
“I love you Mari, and I’m going to marry you one day. I swear to you, we’re going to be happy,” he whispered, leaning closer.
There was hardly any space between them and she took it upon herself to close it. She pressed her lips to his and it was like the world around them came to a grinding halt. It was just them in this moment and she wanted it to be like this forever.
He pulled her close and put a hand to the back of her head, tangling his fingers in the golden strands, sighing softly. They finally broke the kiss when the need for air became too strong to ignore and sighed softly, smiling as he pressed their foreheads together.
“I love you,” he said for the third time that day.
Tears of joy welled in Mari’s eyes and she knew in that moment that she loved him too. She nodded, unable to get the words out as she threw her arms around him again, completely forgetting her dreams of the dark clouds that threatened to engulf her home.
While the worry faded, the threat did not. Mari’s visions would come to fruition far too soon and with far too real consequences. Within six months of her and Brian’s first kiss, the first of the machines came to town. They took the jobs of all the hard working farmers and coal miners and soon enough the smog that filled the air made the land infertile and the animals sick.
People grew tired of it and moved away from the once beautiful town and one of those people was Brian’s father. He packed up his family and headed out west where it was rumored that rivers sparkled -with gold and a man could make a small fortune within months.
Brian had no choice but to follow his father and leave his little town and his love behind. It broke Mari’s heart to see him go and she knew that as long as he was gone she would never be happy.
They were supposed to fall in love and get married and now all of those dreams were shattered and Mari was left behind in a dying town with no way out.
Chapter Two
Mari’s life only became more desperate as time passed. As more and more men left, the pickings were becoming fairly slim and Mari was left with only the bottom of the barrel of choices for a husband. Soon she became one of those desperate women getting married to someone she didn’t care for in the slightest; she didn’t want to be left alone in this cruel world.
Her husband was a coal miner named Mitchel who made a decent living and had a good plot of land. At least he did in the beginning. Soon after the industrialists began moving in and buying the land, he fell prey to a bad deal and sold his fertile soil for a small sum of money that barely bought them a hut on the edge of town.
Now they lived in squalor and never seemed to have enough food to feed themselves. Mari wasn’t able to keep their lives together and her husband didn’t seem interested in even trying. Soon after they sold their land Mitchel fell into a deep depression and started drinking. He wasn’t a very good man to begin with. He’d always had a bit of a temper and never seemed to control himself well, but this was only made worse when the booze took over.
Mari couldn’t remember the last time they sat together and had a meaningful conversation. She couldn’t remember ever laying in the grass with Mitchel and watching the clouds float above as the sun trickled down and touched their faces. There were no good memories with Mitchel.
Her marriage wasn’t the only tragedy she was forced to endure. A few short years after she married Mitchel, her mother and father fell ill with the same sickness that had been killing people off for years. It was rumored to have been brought by foreign workers who’d come to the town to help expand the railroad.
Mari didn’t really care where it came from, her only concern was helping her parents get better. She knew it was a long shot but she couldn’t give up on them. They were the only thing she had left here. Brian was gone and her sisters had moved on long ago, leaving the town behind. Mari knew if she lost her parents she would have nothing else to live for.
She did her best, caring for them day and night. She hardly ate or got any sleep, making sure that her parents always had plenty of food and water even if it meant she had to go without. She was willing to make those sacrifices for them. Yet even with all of her efforts, it wasn’t enough.
Her father fell prey to the disease first, and then her mother shortly after. Mari had to bury them both on a small parcel of land near the railroad tracks that had destroyed her home. She hated these damn tracks. The represented freedom to the rest of the world, but for Mari they’d created a personal hell she couldn’t break free from.
Soon after her parents’ death her own depression got worse and she fell deeper into her own sadness, unsure as to how to break its vicious cycle. Mitchel was no help either. His drinking only got worse and so did his temper. Soon enough their marriage shifted from miserable too dangerous and there was no one there to help her escape.
One evening Mari was sitting beside the fire, watching as the last of the flames died out. Her cheek ached from a particularly hard slap meant as a reprimand for overcooking dinner, but she knew the violence was senseless. Mitchel hardly worked anymore due to his alcoholism and she knew it took a toll on his psyche to feel useless, though she didn’t really feel bad for him. This was all his doing and he had no one to blame but himself.
She sighed and rested her head against the cold, stone wall and put a hand over her belly, tears coming to her eyes. She was pregnant with her first child and she hadn’t told anyone about it. She hadn’t even seen a midwife or a doctor yet. She didn’t need a second opinion to know that she was with child. Women had instincts about these things and that’s all she needed to confirm it.
Motherhood was something that had always appealed to Mari. Like any little girl she’d dreamed of holding a baby in her arms and rocking it to sleep. She’d dreamed of the family that she’d have one day, however, Brian was always there with her in those dreams.
She knew that she couldn’t stay here. She knew that staying would mean subjecting her child to the same treatment she endured on a daily basis. She didn’t want her baby to fear its father and cower whenever he entered the room. She knew she had to leave Mitchel before his temper turned de
adly. However, that was a lot easier said than done. This was the type of society in which the blame was always put on the woman. If she went to the sheriff or tried to get anyone involved they would just bring her back to Mitchel and insist that she’d done something to deserve the punishment. This wasn’t a world that was kind to women.
Tears came to her eyes and she quickly wiped them away, trying to pull herself together. It wasn’t going to do her any good to sit here and cry. If she wanted things to get better she was going to have to make it happen. She wasn’t sure how, but she knew she could do it if she put her mind to it.
Chapter Three
Mari wasn’t the only woman left behind in the storm. Her best friend Katherine was left alone when her husband was recruited to work for the railroad. The money was good enough and Katherine’s husband was able to take care of his family from afar. The railroad stretched across the entire country and so men were expected to follow their work. It was dangerous and took them hundreds of miles from their families but it was worth it to many.
It was early in the afternoon and Mari and Katherine found themselves sitting outside under a tree, mending their family’s clothes with rusted needles that needed replacing. They’d sat in silence for most of the day but Katherine finally spoke up, clearly concerned by the bruise that was forming on her friend’s cheek.
“Did Mitchel find another reason to wail on you last night?” she asked, her voice soft and full of sadness.
Mari tensed up and sighed. “Don’t make me feel any worse than I already do, Katherine.”
“I’m not trying to make you feel bad, Mari but you can’t let him beat on you like an animal!” Katherine replied.
Tears came to Mari’s eyes and she turned her head, eyes wild. “What is it you expect me to do?” she snapped, throwing the needle down. It would be lost in the grass but she didn’t really care. “Do you expect me to hit him back? To report him to the authorities? What am I supposed to do?” she choked, tears starting to spill down her cheeks.
