The Mail Order Brides of Last Chance

by Lucille Chisum

  “It’s all right,” Althea said nonchalantly. “It will all be fine now. Just take the quilt. Have a baby. It will all be fine.”

  With that, Althea stood up and handed Bonnie the box. But Bonnie’s hands were already full with the quilt with the baby on it, and she nearly giggled as she realized it was more than she could handle.

  “Wait, just give me a second,” Bonnie finally said. “I just need to fold up the quilt.”

  Althea just nodded, and she waited for Bonnie to finish the task. When Bonnie was done, Althea lifted the quilt carefully, and she placed the box in Bonnie’s extended arms.

  “You be careful with all of this,” she said. “Yes?”

  “Of course!” Bonnie exclaimed, nodding. Then she waited for some kind of final gesture, an acknowledgement of the significance of what had just taken place, or something along similar lines.

  But after a few seconds Bonnie realized that nothing like that was forthcoming. Althea stood in front of her, she simply turned and left, blushing slightly as she did.

  And with that, she vanished up the stairs, off to take care of whatever mystical task was next on her list of things to do.

  Bonnie just watched, and when Althea was gone she merely stood in the center of the living room, trying to comprehend what had just occurred.

  That may have been the strangest thing that ever happened to me, she thought. And that includes coming out here in the first place, which made no sense to me at all when I first made the decision.

  She turned slowly and made her way to the door, making sure the box and the quilt were secure in her arms as she did.

  For an instant Bonnie wondered what the stage driver would think of her little bundle, and then she realized what a silly thought that was.

  He was waiting for her atop the stagecoach, his cowboy hat tipped over his eyes as he sat back in the seat.

  For a moment Bonnie thought he might have been taking a nap while she’d been inside, but he came alert instantly, and she smiled at how quickly he jumped down and opened the door for her.

  “Everything go all right in there, ma’am?” he asked, and something about his expression made Bonnie think he might know something about Althea and her mysterious ways.

  In spite of herself, Bonnie paused for a moment before replying.

  “Why, yes!” she said finally, her tone enthusiastic, as much to convince herself as him. “Everything went fine.”

  I guess, Bonnie said to herself.

  And with that, they were off for home. Or at least they might be headed home; for several minutes after leaving Althea’s, Bonnie felt slightly dislocated, as if something had happened that she would never completely comprehend.

  What now? she thought as the ride began. Do I tell Casey about this? And what about the mayor?

  Then she shook her head and laughed at herself. What a ridiculous day.

  And would either of them believe me if I did choose to tell them?

  The Holiday Fair took place several days later, and the quilting bee was a huge hit, along with the exhibit Bonnie helped design to go with it.

  She was told this was a regular occurrence, the quilting bee and exhibit being so popular, but Bonnie was still proud of the work she’d done.

  “It’s marvelous!” Owen told her when he came by to make his rounds. “Best quilting exhibit ever, I’ve been told. And by several of the quilters, who have very high standards indeed.”

  “Thank you,” Bonnie said, blushing from her spot behind the exhibit stand.

  She wished she could get more of an opportunity to check out the fair, for it truly was wonderful even though it was small due to the space limitations of Town Hall. But her place was with the quilting exhibit, at least early on, and Bonnie was enjoying herself quite a bit.

  “It was all due to the efforts of the quilters,” she added modestly.

  “No!” Owen insisted, and quite emphatically at that. “The presentation means everything, believe it or not. We’ve had years when the quilts were brilliant, but only half this number of people stopped by to see that.”

  “I just did my best,” Bonnie said modestly. “It really was due to the quilters.”

  The mayor shook his head, and then he saw someone he knew from across the small auditorium, which had become the showcase area for the Holiday Fair.

  “We’ll have to disagree on that for the moment,” he said, waving at whoever it was he’d just seen. “I have to go say hello to someone . . . hopefully I’ll have more time to spend with you later. But I did want you to know how truly grateful I am for the work you’ve done.”

  Bonnie nodded, and she watched him walk off. Then she peered across the auditorium.

  I wonder where my dear husband has gotten off to, she thought. I know the mayor has been keeping him quite busy.

  She’d seen him earlier, helping the mayor officially open the fair, and Casey had merely looked at her, rolled his eyes and smiled. Bonnie had wanted to watch some of the initial events, but there was still been the matter of the quilting and her necessary presence at the stand.

  Now, though, Bonnie noticed another figure approaching her. She frowned for a moment, not knowing who it was, and finally Bonnie recognized Althea Harris.

  She smiled slightly. I hope she’s pleased with what we’ve done, Bonnie thought. I haven’t seen Althea since the preparations started.

  Bonnie got her answer when Althea broke out in a broad grin as she reached the stand.

  She took both of Bonnie’s hands in hers and gave them a soft squeeze, and Bonnie felt a surge of warmth coming from them, along with something else she couldn’t quite define.

  Something mysterious, she thought.

  “What you’ve done is wonderful,” Althea said, and Bonnie felt a surge of joy in her chest. This was the ultimate compliment, somehow, coming from Althea, although she couldn’t have said why for the life of her.

  “Thank you,” Bonnie replied. “But you did all the work.”

  “No, no,” Althea said. “We have never been this popular. It is all you.”

  Bonnie blushed furiously. She had no idea why this woman’s opinion was so important to her, but she was incredibly grateful.

  Althea looked around, taking in the sights of the fair around the quilting booth. She smiled as she saw a cluster of people coming over to see the quilt, and Althea turned and looked back at Bonnie, giving her an “I told you so” sort of nod.

  Bonnie, meanwhile, couldn’t seem to make her blush go away, and she shook her head, still embarrassed for some reason.

  There was something about Althea’s presence that was both warm and intimidating, and it was a strange combination to get used to.

  For a moment she thought Althea was about to leave, but then she spoke.

  “There’s something you should know,” she said, her statement coming out of nowhere.

  “Oh!” Bonnie looked around at the quilts displayed behind her, thinking something might not be right. “Is something wrong?”

  “No, no,” Althea replied, using what was apparently one of her pet phrases. “It is just something I realized this morning, when you were opening the stand and I saw you.”

  Bonnie frowned, still worried. “What is it?” she asked, trying to act nonchalant.

  Althea gave her a sly grin. “You are with child,” she said softly, leaning in closer to Bonnie. “You are just not aware of it yet.”

  Bonnie nearly fainted when she heard Althea’s declaration, and her first impulse was to dismiss it entirely.

  But there was something about the woman that kept her from doing that, although Bonnie laughed to herself about it several times during the day. Still, she didn’t tell anyone about it.

  Then, though, a couple of hours after she stopped to eat, Bonnie threw up. This was most unusual for her; Bonnie tended to have a cast-iron stomach, to the point where she could probably count the number of times she’d vomited on one hand.

  She attached no meaning to it at the time
, although Bonnie did notice that a strange sort of warm sensation surged through her once she’d unloaded the food.

  Still, Bonnie kept working, because the circumstances demanded it. She thought nothing of it that night, but then the next day, after supper, it happened again.

  That got her attention.

  The following day, Bonnie walked over to Doctor Jessup’s office after she’d had lunch. She still hadn’t thought about the most obvious possibility, and Bonnie was worried that something serious might be compromising her health.

  Rachel Jessup, Aaron Jessup’s wife and nurse, checked her out as soon as she walked in, as a preliminary step. All of the town employees basically had near-instant access to either Rachel or Aaron, and Rachel told her this was a preliminary exam.

  “Hmm,” she said when she’d finished. “Well, there’s nothing obviously wrong with you.”

  Bonnie took a deep breath. “That’s good to know,” she replied. “This sort of thing never happens to me, as a rule, so I’ve been wondering what on earth could be wrong.”

  Rachel blinked, and then she grinned slightly. “There is another possibility, you know,” she said, speaking off the cuff.

  “What do you mean?” Bonnie asked.

  Rachel’s grin grew. “Well, I did notice that your skin is glowing.”

  “Really?” Bonnie said, and her concern began to grow. “I had no idea.”

  Then Rachel shook her head. Might as well just blurt it out, she thought. Bonnie’s going to find out one way or another, and most likely very soon at that.

  “You could be with child, you know,” she said, trying to keep her tone matter of fact. “Pregnant.”

  “Oh!”

  As soon as Rachel spoke the words, Bonnie knew she was right. She spent the rest of the day in a daze, walking around in a state of wonder.

  Fortunately, the town offices weren’t that busy in the wake of the Holiday Fair, so Bonnie knew her inability to concentrate probably wouldn’t be all that serious.

  But her lack of focus grew steadily as the afternoon progressed, and finally Bonnie had an idea about what she had to do.

  “Excuse me, Mister—um, Owen, I mean,” she said, tapping gently as she walked through the open door of Owen Standard’s office. “I have a request. Something I need to do, I mean.”

  Owen turned, and for a moment he frowned. Then he saw how embarrassed Bonnie was at making this sort of request, and he smiled.

  “Of course,” he said softly. “What is it?”

  “Well . . . I . . . I can’t tell you,” Bonnie stammered. “At least not now.”

  The mayor cocked his head, puzzled. “All right,” he replied. “But whatever it is you need to do, I’m fine with it. After all, you’ve worked incredibly hard helping to put the fair together.”

  Bonnie nodded, determined to see this through before her courage failed. “I need to take the day off,” she said, the words rushing out of her mouth.

  Owen grinned. “Well, it’s nearly four o’clock,” he said, rolling his eyes slightly. “So I think that would be fine.”

  Bonnie smiled, blushing, and the mayor, too, noticed that her skin seemed to be glowing. He didn’t have the same thought Rachel Jessup had had, of course, but it would not be a surprise to him when he learned of her pregnancy.

  “Thank you!” Bonnie exclaimed, and with that she rushed out of the office. She nearly started to run home, but then she remembered what was happening to her body. Bonnie began to feel strange sensations, things she’d never felt before.

  Oh! she thought. I guess I’ll have to start being a lot more careful about certain things from now on.

  When she got home, Bonnie nearly threw up again, and she shook her head, realizing how unprepared she was for all of this. A new journey, she thought wryly. But is anyone ever really prepared for it?

  Then she went upstairs and fetched the smaller box where she’d put the quilt Althea had given her. Bonnie opened the box carefully, and she brought it out onto the front porch.

  It took a small ladder to reach the facade on the front of the porch so she could hang it up, and for a moment Bonnie thought about what might happen if she somehow managed to fall.

  Don’t think such things! she said to herself in admonition. Having courage in all this is important!

  She took a deep breath, and once Bonnie calmed herself she was able to easily complete her task.

  She walked to the end of the walkway, and it struck her once again how beautiful the baby quilt was, although it might seem a trifle ostentatious to their neighbors.

  There, she thought, that’s perfect!

  When she convinced herself that it truly was perfect, Bonnie went back inside. For a moment she thought about taking a nap, but she quickly realized she was far too excited and nervous to sleep.

  So she went to the kitchen and began to prepare dinner. Bonnie would make steaks specially for her and Casey, for it seemed like a delightful idea.

  Although she wasn’t quite sure she would be able to keep hers down.

  Casey was dog-tired when he walked home, and he could barely lift his feet as he turned off Main Street toward their home.

  I’ve been this way ever since that dang fair, he thought. Maybe I’ll just go to bed early tonight.

  Then he saw the quilt hanging from the facade. Casey shook his head, not entirely sure what he was seeing. He shook it again.

  What the heck, he thought. I’ve never seen that quilt before. And I know it wasn’t displayed at the fair.

  Slowly, everything began to come together for him as he approached the walkway and then the porch.

  Was it possible? Could Bonnie actually be with child?

  He opened the door, and before Casey could gather himself, Bonnie launched herself into his arms.

  “I love you,” she whispered softly, burrowing into his body.

  Casey was about to ask what all this was about, but somehow he managed to stop himself.

  Even I’m not that dumb, he thought.

  Their embrace lasted for a long time, minutes that seemed to stretch into forever. When it finally ended, Casey pulled back slightly, brushing a lock of Bonnie’s hair from her eyes.

  “So it’s true?” he asked, his eyes wide with wonder.

  “Yes, husband,” Bonnie replied, nodding eagerly. “You’re about to become a father.”

  They embraced again and held one another, and this time neither wanted the embrace to end, even though it had to at some point.

  When it did, Bonnie had a thought that went beyond the immediate circumstances and the joy they created deep in her heart.

  I think I’ll have to get to know this Althea Harris woman far better during the course of my pregnancy, she mused. She certainly does have an interesting way of looking at things.

  4

  The Perfect Ornament

  “The problem is that I don’t know how to start with this whole courtship process,” Eliza said simply. “The whole thing is a mystery to me.”

  “Perhaps Benjamin will sort it out for you,” Delilah said. “He does seem an adventurous sort.”

  Eliza nodded. There certainly wasn’t any doubt about that. She’d talked to both Darlene and Justin about him, and Eliza had learned a great deal about this man with whom she’d fallen in love.

  Most of what Darlene told her had been fairly harmless, and the truth was that Darlene knew little about Benjamin.

  Most of what Darlene knew was supplied by her husband, Justin, and it was in talking with him that Eliza found a treasure trove of information.

  It certainly did fill in the gaps she had. The only thing that concerned her was the revelations regarding Lisa Bell, the girl Benjamin claimed not to love.

  When she brought it up with him, though, that wasn’t the impression Eliza got at all.

  Benjamin said all the right things, but it was the way he said them that bothered her. He grew quite animated, to the point where it certainly sounded like he still had feelings for Lisa.


  “There’s no doubt about that,” Eliza said, and Delilah immediately noticed how preoccupied her friend was.

  “You’re still worried about her, aren’t you?” she asked.

  “Who?”

  Delilah looked up at the sky and shook her head. The canopy overhead was blue, but it was definitely a winter sky. Christmas would be here soon, and she so wished to be in love.

  It lacked the expansiveness of summer, and there was always the feeling that darkness wasn’t far away, either in the trailing morning dusk or the sunset that would soon follow.

  “You know who,” Delilah said. “I don’t even have to say the name.”

  And yet it hung in the air as Eliza nodded. Lisa Bell. It was a name she’d been unable to get out of her mind for the last few weeks, even though she’d never met the girl.

  “He swears he doesn’t love her,” Eliza said.

  “I believe him,” Delilah said with a shrug. “But I can hear in your voice that you don’t.”

  “I do,” she insisted. “He’s never told me a lie before, and I don’t believe he would.”

  Delilah cocked her head. “But . . .” she said, hearing the doubt in her friend’s voice.

  Eliza took her hands from the muff she’d brought for their walk down Main Street.

  “It’s the fight,” she said. “I can’t seem to get past it.”

  Delilah frowned. “But you’ve reconciled, haven’t you?” she asked.

  “We have,” Eliza said. “We talked through the thing. Forward, backwards, and then sideways. And then around in circles several times, just to make sure.”

  “I remember,” her friend replied, giggling a little.

  She was glad Eliza was finally able to joke about the fight, but Delilah wondered what it would take to get her to move on from it.

  She stayed silent, hoping Eliza would say something else that might be revealing.

  “She was the one who caused it,” Eliza finally said. “It was about her.”

  “Lisa Bell, you mean,” Delilah said, knowing the name needed to be said aloud.