The Orphan Bride (Mail-Order Bride Book 2)

by Stella Clark

  Moments later, Sadie followed Mrs. Wineland through the front door of the sheriff’s office. A surprised deputy looked up from his paperwork with his mouth agape, overwhelmed by the sight of Alex’s mother hustling in at such a quick pace with an unfamiliar young woman struggling to keep up with her while pushing a baby buggy through the narrow front door.

  “Hello, Henry,” the older woman said flatly. “I have to speak with Alex right now. Is anyone with him?”

  Her question was merely a courtesy, asked rhetorically as she marched to the door of Alex’s inner office and led Sadie through it without slowing down.

  “Umm, good afternoon, Mrs. Wineland.” Henry sounded as surprised as he looked. “The sheriff’s asked not to be disturbed.”

  But the women and Maggie were already through the door. Alex was standing at a large map of the county, studying it closely. He held a thick file of papers in one hand while he traced the Rio Grande riverbed west of town with the forefinger of his other hand.

  “Alex, I have someone you must meet,” his mother said in what Sadie would come to know as the “mother” tone. “So whatever you’re in the middle of needs to wait for a few minutes.”

  “Good afternoon, Mother,” Alex said in a calm, careful voice as he put the file on his desk and gave his mother his full attention.

  Alex had grown accustomed to his mother’s informality at the office. She was his mother, however. So when she thought a matter was something he needed to know and was urgent enough to interrupt him at his office, everything else, whatever it might be, was secondary.

  “Alex, I’d like you to meet Miss Sadie Beckman,” his mother announced. “She’s traveled from Philadelphia to meet you. I’m sorry that I didn’t let you know she was coming so that you could put your best foot forward. But you are always at your best and now’s as good a time as any for you two to begin really getting to know one another.”

  “What are you saying?” Sadie gasped at Alex’s mother. “Alex and I have been writing each other for months. We exchanged photographs and wrote for months about our pasts and our hopes for the future. He proposed to me!”

  “W-who are you again?” Alex asked with a thoroughly confused look on his face.

  “This is Miss Sadie Beckman from Philadelphia, Alex,” his mother repeated. “She’s traveled all the way out here to be your wife and to be Maggie’s mother.”

  “Mother, what have you done?” Alex asked as he sagged onto a corner of his desk.

  Shocked, confused, and humiliated, Sadie turned and bolted so fast she almost knocked Henry over where he stood in the inner office doorway. Her mind was a blur, and her eyes filled with tears as she raced back down Main Street in the direction of the train station. Her embarrassment was compounded and felt as though it would consume her as she knocked shoulders with strangers she passed as she ran with tears in her eyes. Even her fear of what those people must think of her did not slow her down.

  Halfway back to the station, she stopped to catch her breath and sat on the very bench she’d joined Alex’s mother on just a while earlier before the world she’d thought she knew came crashing down around her. Hurt, and feeling very much alone, Sadie struggled to make sense of the tragedy that had so suddenly and unexpectedly befallen her. She was a total stranger in a town she’d only read about, 2,000 miles from the only home she’d ever known, with everything she owned packed into two trunks and only a few dollars left to her name. Trusting and naive, she’d gotten herself into what appeared to be the gravest danger she’d ever faced. And she had absolutely no idea what else to do. Sadie prayed that Jesus would send help.

  Chapter Seven

  The first act of kindness Sadie experienced since she arrived came from a well-dressed elderly gentleman who stopped beside her bench and subtly offered her his carefully folded handkerchief without saying a word.

  “Thank you,” Sadie whispered as she dabbed the tears from her eyes and caught her breath.

  “You’re quite welcome, miss,” the gentleman softly replied. “Are you going to be all right?”

  “I don’t know,” Sadie said with a quivering voice, unable to present a brave front.

  “Would you like me to summon the sheriff?” he asked the logical question.

  “No!” Sadie pronounced as the innocent absurdity of the question braced her.

  “You’re new to these parts,” the gentleman said. “Do you have family or friends in town?”

  “I’m afraid not,” she answered softly. “I thought I had both. But I just found out otherwise.”

  “Where are you staying?” the gentleman asked next. “Is there somewhere I can escort you to ensure you’ll be all right?”

  The conversation began to make Sadie even more uncomfortable. She did not want to admit she had arrived in town without enough money to rent a hotel room for more than a couple days or to return to Philadelphia. So she was almost relieved when Alex appeared at the gentleman’s shoulder wearing a look of genuine concern.

  “Hello, Mayor,” Alex said to the gentleman. “I see you’ve met Miss Beckman. She’s here from Philadelphia visiting Mother for a few days. I’m afraid we’ve been terrible hosts so far.”

  “Actually, I was just about to introduce myself,” the gentleman answered. “I’m Ickes Bowling, Miss Beckman. Mayor of the best little city in the West, and I’m pleased to welcome you to our humble hamlet. If there’s anything I can do to make your visit more pleasant, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

  “That’s very kind of you, Mr. Mayor,” she replied as she accepted Alex’s assistance boarding the buckboard. “Thank you again for such a warm and caring welcome.”

  “Watch your step, Miss Beckman,” Alex said in his kindest voice possible. “Mother insists that you stay with us during your visit, and I am headed to retrieve your luggage.”

  Alex pulled the buckboard to the rear of the train station and claimed her trunks, then loaded them and headed back to his office to pick up his mother. He drove the horses slowly to give himself time to apologize for his mother’s scheme.

  “I’m sorry my mother misled you so terribly, Miss Beckman,” he began. “And I’m especially sorry for the awkward way I behaved in my office. But I was confused and shocked by the thought that my mother had misled you so recklessly without considering the harm she might cause.”

  Sadie did not know how to reply. Her heart and mind were tangled up and tumbling in turmoil as she sat silently beside a man she had grown to love on paper. In the dozens of letters she had received, she’d thought she had come to know this handsome, strapping man’s tender, loving heart. She’d also thought he had come to know her better than anyone else had ever bothered … and that he had fallen in love with her. But she knew now nothing could be further from the truth.

  Sadie heard Maggie laughing inside the pleasant-looking house Alex stopped the buckboard in front of. The innocent joy of it calmed Sadie just when she needed it most. Entering the house was a moment of truth for her. For months, she had imagined what it would feel like to walk into a warm, loving home and be welcomed by a family who loved her. Instead, she now had to walk into what felt like nothing more than a cold, unwelcoming building occupied by strangers who were not the people she thought they were.

  When Sadie entered the living room, Alex’s mother stopped playing with Maggie and hung her head slightly.

  “Sadie dear,” she said sincerely, “I’m so terribly sorry for the selfish way I tricked you into coming all the way out here.”

  “I think if would be best if you don’t try to apologize just yet, Mother,” Alex interrupted her. “Miss Beckman no doubt needs time to recover from the way you’ve treated her.”

  “It’s okay, really, Alex,” Sadie almost whispered. “I know your mother only did what she did because she loves you and little Maggie so much. Mrs. Wineland, what you did was very wrong. But you did it for the right reasons. Now if you don’t mind, I would just like to get some sleep and hopefully start fresh tomorrow morning
.”

  “Certainly, my dear. Follow me,” Alex’s mother said, then silently led Sadie upstairs to a bright bedroom with a large bay window that framed a terrific view up and down Main Street.

  Alex carried Sadie’s trunks into the bedroom, then packed a bag of his own and told his mother he would spend the night at his office.

  “I’ll be back for breakfast in the morning,” he said. “Maybe we’ll all be in better spirits after a good night’s sleep,” he told his mother, “if we can sleep.”

  Sadie certainly had no trouble falling asleep. The long trip and terrible surprise had left her physically and emotionally exhausted. She was asleep within minutes of lying down on the comfortable bed and slept soundly through the night. And in those minutes before sleep arrived, Sadie prayed another short prayer, asking Jesus to somehow miraculously provide her with the life she had been praying for since sending her first letter. Part of her thought that such a prayer was asking for more than even Jesus could deliver. But another, bolder part of Sadie thought that the very fact that she was spending the night in this house on Las Cruces’ Main Street was proof that the Lord could make a way for things to happen when there seemed to be no way. Sadie smiled at the thought because it brought to mind one of her mother’s favorite Bible verses: Isaiah 55:9.

  “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

  Sadie felt a pleasant tiny shiver as she realized that the fact she was lying in bed, resting upon the comfort of God’s promises, was probably an answer to her mother’s prayers. With that, Sadie fell sound asleep.

  Chapter Eight

  Sadie awoke to bright sunlight and the smells of scrambled eggs, fried ham, and sweet corn bread. Again, the living room was filled with Maggie’s laughter. Sadie wished she could just throw on a robe, slip into slippers, brush her hair, and run downstairs. But she was a guest, not a member of the family. She didn’t descend the stairs until she was dressed and ready for the day.

  “Good morning, Mrs. Wineland,” Sadie said in as friendly a tone as she could.

  “Good morning, dear one,” the older woman replied. “How did you sleep?”

  “Very well, thank you,” Sadie answered. “That bed is amazing. And good morning to you, little Miss Maggie!” Sadie said sweetly to the baby. How’s my favorite little girl in the whole wide world?”

  “She’s in a fine mood this morning, Sadie,” Alex’s mother said. “And she has a surprise for you.”

  “A surprise?” Sadie said with wide eyes. “What’s your surprise, Miss Maggie?”

  “Who’s that?” the older woman asked Maggie, pointing to Sadie.

  “Sadieeeee!” Maggie shouted.

  “Oh, you dear, sweet thing!” Sadie said with a tear in her eye. “You can say my name!”

  “We couldn’t get her to stop saying it last night,” the older woman said. “Seems she’s taken to you already. I think the two of you made quite a connection during our walk from the train station to Alex’s office yesterday.”

  “Speaking of Alex; will he be here for breakfast?” Sadie asked hopefully.

  “He said he would last night before leaving,” his mother replied.

  “Before leaving? Where’d he go?” Sadie asked before she could catch herself.

  “He said he wanted to make sure people didn’t get the wrong idea about your staying here with us,” his mother explained. “So he spent the night at his office. He’s done it before when he has to work late into the night or needs to guard a prisoner. He’s comfortable enough in a cell he’s got set up for just such occasions.”

  “Comfortable or not, I feel as though I’m imposing at his expense,” Sadie said.

  “Please don’t,” Alex said as he strode into the kitchen and pulled a spoke-backed chair from the table across from Sadie. “It’s our doing that you’re here. The least we can do is make sure you have a comfortable stay until you decide what you will do and where you will go.”

  His mother poured him a tall cup of coffee and served him his usual large helping of scrambled eggs and fried ham, along with a large wedge of cornbread. Alex’s mother scooted Maggie’s high chair next to Sadie at the table so the two of them could enjoy more of each other.

  Sadie loved it and spent more time feeding Maggie than herself.

  “Oh, I see you have a tooth!” Sadie said in feigned surprise. Sadie reflexively put a fingertip on Maggie’s gums to feel for others that might be coming through. “I feel more teeth!” she exclaimed. “You are getting to be a big girl!”

  Maggie laughed at Sadie’s smiling face, and the two of them grew closer in spite of Sadie’s discomfort with the circumstances that could soon drive them apart.

  “I think I’d like to take Mayor Bowling up on his offer to answer questions,” Sadie said to Alex. “Where do you think I’m likely to find him at this time of day?”

  “He’s just mayor part-time,” Alex told her. “The rest of his time he runs the Main Street Dry Goods store across from the barbershop.”

  Sadie quickly mounted the stairs to her room to retrieve the firearm, wrapped discreetly in a blanket. She put the firearm back in the trunk and tucked the blanket under one arm and headed out of her room. But she paused with her door open only a few inches because of the conversation she could clearly overhear between Alex and his mother.

  “Yes, she’s a very lovely young woman,” Alex conceded to his mother. “And she seems to have a very fine personality. But as I’ve clearly stated to you many times, Mother, I have no intention of marrying ever again. One wife is enough for any man, and I had a great one. I’m not about to settle for second best just because you think I should.”

  Second best? Sadie felt as though she’d been cut by the jagged edge of Alex’s words. Alex sounds determined to never remarry, she thought to herself. And even if he did eventually want to marry me, I could not bear a life of wondering whether I could ever rise above second best in his heart.

  Fearing that she might cry at any moment, Sadie dashed downstairs and out the front door. If Mayor Bowling ran a dry goods store, he just might be interested in buying handmade blankets and rugs. That might be the best answer Jesus had for her prayers that he help her in this time of need. Mr. Bowling’s store was just a short walk on Main Street, and Sadie found him whistling while sweeping the sidewalk out front.

  “Good morning, mayor!” she said in the most cheerful voice she could muster.

  “Well, good morning, Miss Beckman!” the mayor happily replied. “How nice it is to see you again. What brings you here so early in the morning? Say, that’s a mighty fine blanket you have there. Could I have a closer look at it?”

  “Absolutely!” Sadie answered. “I brought it in the hope that you might be interested in carrying handmade blankets and rugs. I don’t have any for sale at the moment, but I can begin weaving as soon as I raise enough money for the wool and supplies I will need.”

  The mayor took the blanket inside and fully opened it on his long counter.

  “This is wonderful workmanship, Miss Beckman,” he said after closer inspection. “I’ve had a world of difficulty keeping blankets of any quality in stock. I’m willing to extend you a line of credit for the materials and supplies you will need if you agree to only sell your wares to me. I’ll split all profits with you. Do we have a deal?”

  “Absolutely!” Sadie hurried agreed. “I can get started immediately if you have what I need here at the store.”

  “I’m sure I do,” the mayor said. “Pick out all you need, and I’ll have my delivery boy haul them to Sheriff Wineland’s house before noon. How soon do you think you can have three or four of them ready to sell?”

  “Within a week,” Sadie answered. “Are you interested in rugs, too?”

  “You can also weave rugs?” the mayor asked in surprise.

  “Thanks to my dear mother,” Sadie answered.

  “My dear, I believe we have the makings of a prospero
us partnership,” the mayor said.

  Sadie was almost giddy as she picked out everything she would need to get started. She ran home, eager to share the news of her good fortune with Alex’s mother … and Maggie. She could breathe again, having risen above the fear of failure she’d felt threatening her since the day before in Alex’s office.

  “This is good news indeed,” Alex’s mother said happily when Sadie updated her.

  “It’s more than good news,” Sadie responded. “It’s an answer to prayer. Not exactly the answer I’ve been praying for, but still undeniably an answer. Thanks to you and Alex, I have a quiet, comfortable place to work with no interruptions. By God’s grace, I could be out of your way before too very long.”

  “You’re not in the way of anyone here, dear one,” the older woman assured her.

  Alex’s mother silently felt her heart sink when Sadie told her of her plan to raise enough money to move into a small place of her own. It was not good news to the older woman, and it was certainly not an answer to her prayers. She settled into a rocking chair with Maggie asleep in her arms and began praying all the harder for the answer her aching heart desired: that she would live long enough to see Alex and Sadie fall deeply in love and give Maggie two parents to love and be loved by.

  Chapter Nine

  Sadie awoke the next morning to the sound of loud knocking on the front door downstairs. Alex’s mother was already busy in the kitchen and opened the door to find Mayor Bowling’s delivery boy, Benjamin, loaded down with the supplies Sadie had selected the day before, including the fancy pair of boots Sadie simply could not resist.

  “Mayor Bowling told me to get this stuff here, pronto,” Sadie heard the boy say.

  “Why thank you, Benjamin,” Mrs. Wineland replied. “Will you please follow me with those things into our spare room over there?”