Once Upon a Mail Order Bride

by Linda Broday

  “That’s the hardest part to imagine,” Ingrid whispered. “Free.”

  Ridge stood, hat in hand. “You can live life however you wish, Ingrid. You can move in anytime.”

  “How about today? Even if I have to sleep on the floor.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I’ll put the word out for some furniture and see who’s got some things to spare. Before night, you’ll find you have what you need.”

  “I used to know people like that, a long time ago,” Ingrid murmured.

  “Let’s go check on that dressmaking job, Mama.” Addie kissed Ridge. “We’ll come to your office once we’re done, dear.”

  “Sounds good.” Ridge put his hat on and left whistling.

  The music was the sweetest Addie had ever heard. It meant he was happy and satisfied with life. She felt bad about putting off making love with him since her ordeal, although he’d never once pressured her. Ridge was giving her time to heal, as much inside as out. But she had this block that wouldn’t let her past kissing just yet. Maybe soon.

  * * *

  After Tara Quinn finished showing Ingrid around, the three women sat talking.

  “Please don’t judge me based on the bruises.” Full of nerves, Ingrid smoothed her skirt. “My husband went into a rage. But don’t worry about him coming around. He’s dead. I’ll be a good hand for you.”

  Addie took her mother’s hand. “Everyone admires Mama’s fine stitch, and she’s fast. Loyal to a fault too. You’ll have no reason to complain. I think your business will thrive if you take her on.”

  Tara patted her rich auburn hair, artfully swept back today into a low knot on her neck. Addie stared at all the jewelry that adorned her hands, neck, and ears. Four long strands of beads hung from her neck, and she wore long, dangly earrings. Rings flashed from almost every finger. She was certainly unlike anyone Addie had ever met, but she liked the warmth and humor in the dressmaker’s blue-green eyes.

  Why had the woman never married? She was pretty and about Addie’s age. Surely she’d had suitors.

  After several long minutes, Tara spoke. “I’ll hire you on a trial basis to start off and give you four dollars a week. After you prove yourself, I’ll give you a raise. It’s the best I can do.”

  Relief shot through Addie, and she watched a happy smile form on her mother’s lips.

  “That’s only fair. I can start work tomorrow if you wish.” Ingrid stared out the window. “The sooner the better.”

  Tara reached for Ingrid’s hands, surprising Addie. “We all have things that haunt us. Work will help fix that, but you need to move in and get settled first. How about starting Monday morning? I like to start new things on a Monday.”

  Ingrid nodded. “That will do fine. Thank you.”

  “We’re going to make some beautiful creations together, Mrs. Jancy.” Tara’s necklaces tinkled as she showed them to the door.

  Outside, Addie turned to her mother. “Is your head swimming yet?”

  “I can’t believe my turn of fortune. A place to live and a job, all in one morning. And you, Daughter, can teach school again. I remember how you loved your students.” Sadness filled Ingrid’s eyes. “I apologize for leaving you in that impossible situation and not taking you and your sisters somewhere safe. I was too scared of your father.”

  “I know. Let’s not speak of this ever again. I want to forget those horrible years—and him. I’ve wiped his name from my memory. You should do the same.”

  “I loved him once, in the beginning, and he gave me you girls.”

  “I have no good memories, and I won’t let the bad ones ruin our day.” Addie forced cheer into her voice. “Let’s go tell Ridge the news.”

  Thirty-Seven

  A little over a week later, Addie and Ridge drove into the small community of Seven Mile Crossing. A couple in another wagon directed them to Ben Halsey’s farmhouse.

  A tall, thin man wearing suspenders, crushing a floppy hat in his hands, answered the door and let them inside. “Zelda’s in here, Miss Addie. I haven’t left her side to send you a telegram.”

  “I’ve been very worried and knew something must be horribly wrong.”

  “Yes, ma’am. She’s in a bad way. She might not be able to hear you.”

  Supported by Ridge, Addie followed Ben into a bedroom and found Zelda on a bed. Ben waved her to a straight-backed chair next to her old friend. Addie took the blue-veined hand with its papery skin. “Zelda, I’m here. It’s me, Addie.”

  The old midwife’s eyes opened; her voice was weak. “Addie, child. It’s good to see you.”

  Addie barely knew when the men left her alone with Zelda. “I made it through prison and married a wonderful man, Ridge Steele. He’s an outlaw but a good man, and we love each other.”

  Zelda tried to talk, but her mouth was so dry. Addie spied a glass of water and wet the corner of a washcloth, then dabbed it on Zelda’s cracked lips.

  “Ezekiel?” Zelda asked.

  “He’s where he can’t hurt anyone ever again. Mama shot him.”

  Surprise filled Zelda’s eyes.

  “Mama finally had enough and put an end to it. She’s safe with me, living in Hope’s Crossing. She’s sent for my sisters and they should arrive any day.”

  “Good.”

  A scurry of little feet sounded, followed by a moment’s silence outside the room. The door creaked open and she saw the three-year-old boy she’d protected for the first time since he was an infant. He was blond-haired, blue-eyed like his mother, and Addie’s heart melted. Images of that long-ago night in the schoolhouse flitted through her head, despite her attempts to push them away. All the blood. The horror. How shaky her hands had been as she’d tried to help Jane Ann. Then, unable to save her, she’d watched the girl’s eyes close for good.

  Zelda smiled. “This is Nico, short for Nicolas.”

  “I’m so happy to finally meet you, Nico.” Addie lifted him into her lap. “You’re such a handsome little man.”

  He nodded and silently held up three fingers.

  “I see. You’re three years old. What a big boy.”

  Nico nodded.

  “Zelda, thank you so much for keeping him safe. When you left with him that night, I didn’t exactly know what I was asking of you.” Tears filled Addie’s eyes. “I’m sure it wasn’t easy raising him.”

  “Ben helped.”

  “Thank goodness for that. I’ll be sure to show my appreciation.” Addie kissed the top of Nico’s head. “I’ll take him home now.”

  “We d—did it, Addie.” A tear eased from the corner of Zelda’s eye.

  “Yes, we did.”

  “P—prison?”

  “It was hard. I won’t lie. But I made it. I would’ve done anything for Nico.”

  Hearing his name, he looked up with a grin. “Nico.” His face serious, he pointed to himself.

  “My sisters are going to love spoiling him.” Addie wasn’t sure how her mother would take the boy though. Time would show that. “I’m going to let you rest a bit, dear friend. I’ll be back.”

  “Don’t cry…for me. Live your l—life.”

  Zelda had fallen back asleep before Addie and Nico left the room. Some bit of knowing inside her said the passing was measured in breaths. Tears ran down her cheeks. Ridge rose from the kitchen table where he sat with Ben and took her in his arms. They needed no words, just strength, which they took from each other.

  They laid Zelda to rest under a large oak tree two days later. Ridge read a few words from the Bible, then they loaded up and left for home, Nico never far from Ridge.

  A week later, they pulled up to the house. Bodie ran to meet them. “I’m glad you’re back. It’s still here.”

  “I had hoped, for your sake, it would be.” Ridge climbed down, then reached up for Nico and made the introductions.

  It d
idn’t take but a second for Bodie to take the boy under his wing and show him around the place. Addie grinned and took Ridge’s hand. “Well, it looks like we have us a babysitter.”

  “Yes, it does.”

  The kitchen screen door slammed, and her mother came from the house, followed by Addie’s three sisters. “I thought I heard voices.”

  “We’re back.” Addie hugged her mother, then called Bodie over. “Mama, this is Jane Ann’s son, Nico, short for Nicolas. He’s the one I went to prison for, and I’d do it again.”

  Ingrid seemed to struggle for words as she smoothed Nico’s fine blond hair. “He’s such a sweet boy.” Her mother tried to smile in what appeared an attempt to hide her warring emotions, probably very unsure of her role in this child’s life. “What are your plans for him?”

  Nico climbed into Ingrid’s arms to show her the rock in his palm.

  “Ridge and I will raise him, of course. He’s my flesh and blood.”

  “I always wanted my own little boy, but I missed out on that.” Ingrid lifted tear-filled eyes. “I loved his mother. She was like a daughter to me.” Addie’s sisters crowded around, touching Nico and making a fuss over him.

  “Mama?” Nico asked.

  Ingrid was visibly shaken. “Yes, honey. She would’ve loved you and cherished every minute raising you.” Ingrid swung to Addie. “Could we talk in private for a moment?”

  “Sure, Mama.” They transferred Nico to Ridge and found privacy. Addie put a bolstering arm around her mother. “What is it?”

  Ingrid’s chin quivered, and she bit her lip. “What if…what if I take him?”

  “Would you want to take on that responsibility?” Ingrid was just starting life over in a new place, with a job that was by no means secure. But Addie could see what it meant to her mother, and she and Ridge would be near to help.

  “It’ll be my way of making amends for what Ezekiel did. I already love Nico. He’s such a precious boy.”

  Addie glanced at Nico in Ridge’s arms. “That he is.”

  “Then it’s settled?”

  “Sure. The girls are going to spoil him rotten.” Addie could already see it now. Remy would carry him around like her personal rag doll. Between her—their—three sisters, Nico would forget what his feet were for. “I think your life is about to get upended.”

  They returned to announce the decision, and Nico smiled for the first time that day. It was as if he knew that he’d found his place to belong.

  Addie turned her attention to her sisters and sniffed back tears. “I’m so happy we can be together again. Come here.” She enveloped each in a big hug. “We’re going to have a great time.”

  Thirteen-year-old Remy clung to her. “I missed you, Addie. I was so scared.”

  “That makes two of us.” Addie tucked Remy’s reddish-brown hair behind her ear. “From now on, no more fear. Only happy smiles.” Ridge slid his hand in hers, and she turned with a loving glance.

  “Are you okay with Ingrid taking Nico?” Ridge drew his fingertips across the underside of her wrist. “It must’ve been hard seeing the child you were ready to give your life for.”

  She inhaled a shaky breath. “I keep picturing Jane Ann’s face as it was that night. Her panic when she realized she was going to die. But I’ll be all right. It’s just going to take me a little while. I’m so glad Nico didn’t come while Ezekiel was running loose.”

  “I believe things work out the way they’re supposed to.” Ridge tucked a loose hair behind her ear. “I think I love you more every day.”

  “Ridge, I’m sorry I haven’t been able to make love, but I promise it won’t always be this way.”

  “I can wait. We have our whole lives in front of us.” He glanced at Nico, and his features grew wistful. “I’m disappointed that he won’t live with us, but one day we’ll have our own son. I’m sure of that.”

  Addie met the love in his eyes and threaded her fingers through his. “Me too.”

  Thirty-Eight

  “Ridge, could this day have gotten any better?” Addie sat next to him on the sofa after the supper dishes were washed, and he handed her the bag of knitting.

  Bodie ambled in and stretched out on the floor. Ridge loved this time of the evening, when work was done, eating over, and his little family was together and safe.

  “It was sure one of surprises.” He couldn’t have made it turn out any finer if he’d tried. “I’m glad to see your mother happy and little Nico with a home.”

  “Me too. Life is strange, and so often it makes you wait for what you really want.” Addie’s knitting needles clicked as she worked.

  Bodie sat up. “That’s the way it was today with me when I went fishing. We couldn’t even catch bad breath—everything went wrong. Sawyer and Henry wanted to leave, but I said I was staying. We kept fishing and began to get nibbles. After a while, we were pulling ’em out faster than we could bait the hook. Never saw anything like it.”

  “Things like that don’t come around often.” Ridge toyed with the ends of Addie’s hair. He’d come so close to losing her, the only thing in his life that gave it meaning.

  His thoughts drifted to Shiloh and her confession, wondering if she’d found what she was looking for on her trip west. Wondering what the Mobeetie judge would do once he read the papers. His future happiness hung in the balance.

  “You seem quiet, Ridge,” Addie murmured.

  “Have a lot on my mind, I guess. Nothing to worry you about.”

  They lapsed into silence, and in the quiet, the ticking of the clock on the mantel sounded like a hammer striking a nail.

  Addie laid her knitting in her lap. “Dear, would you read some more of Oliver Twist to us? We should be close to the end.”

  “Just a few chapters. Son, would you hand it to me?”

  Bodie reached for the book, and Ridge opened to the marked page. As he started reading, Addie resumed her knitting, and a comfortable feeling settled over him. Like wearing an old pair of boots that conformed to the shape of his feet. The three of them had adjusted to life as a family and had nowhere else to be.

  An unexpected knock on the door jarred Ridge. He laid the book aside.

  Addie’s knitting needles froze. “I wonder who’d be out this time of night?”

  “I guess we’ll soon find out.” Ridge stood, his twin Colts within easy reach, and went to the entryway. He opened the door to find Jack on the porch.

  “Sorry to call so late.” Jack pulled a letter from the inside of his vest. “The late stage brought this, and I thought you’d want to see it.”

  “Come in.” Ridge noted Judge Horace Greely’s name on the left corner of the envelope. Uneasiness twisted in his stomach. Hanging Horace. Folks claimed he had no heart.

  “Thank you. I would like to know what it says.” Jack removed his hat and stepped inside.

  Addie came from the parlor. “What is it, Ridge?”

  “A letter. Jack, come on in here while I read it.”

  “Evening, Addie.” Jack gave her a nod and followed, holding his hat.

  “Have a seat.” Addie picked up her knitting and moved her bag to the floor. “Nora and the kids all right?”

  “Yes, ma’am. They’re doing real good.” Jack dropped onto the sofa.

  Addie, Jack, and Bodie talked about the events of the day while Ridge opened the envelope and silently read. Worry twisted a path through him. This was his chance. But not without risk.

  He glanced up to find three sets of eyes staring back. “I have to appear before Judge Greely in Mobeetie in four days. He’ll deliver his verdict then.”

  “That’s good, isn’t it?” Addie asked.

  “Not entirely.”

  “What do you mean, Ridge?”

  Jack got to his feet. “If Greely throws out Shiloh’s statement or doesn’t like what Ridge has to say,
Ridge can be arrested on the spot.”

  “But…that’s not fair,” Addie sputtered. “He’s innocent of the charges.”

  “Greely is known as Hanging Horace. There’s that too,” Jack added.

  “Why didn’t you keep that to yourself, Jack?” Ridge growled.

  “She’s your wife and deserves to know…that’s why.”

  Bodie jumped to his feet. “Don’t go, Ridge. Make ’em come after you, and you can hide before they get here. You can’t let ’em arrest you without a fight.”

  Ridge folded the letter. “Settle down. I’m not running and not hiding. Not anymore. This is a chance to clear my name, and I have to go.”

  “I’m not letting you go alone. I’m the best thing to an attorney you have.” Jack squeezed Ridge’s shoulder. “We’ve faced the flaming gates of hell together many times; we might as well face the roll of the dice the same way. Besides, I need to take Texanna Starr to Mobeetie anyway.”

  Ridge nodded. “Thank you, Jack. It would be a comfort.”

  “Then I’ll say good night and be on my way.” Jack put on his hat and left.

  Addie’s face had gone white. “I’m frightened, Ridge. How can you risk this? How?”

  He brushed a finger across her cheek, his voice gentle. “I’m tired of looking over my shoulder, waiting for a bullet in the back. Tired of putting you in danger too. They could miss me and hit you, and I can’t live with that. And when we have children, they’ll be at risk too. Look at Eleanor’s husband and kids, killed by a posse. Do you want that? I sure don’t. Or what if I bring the law to Bodie? He’s still wanted too. Clearing my name is the only way to keep you safe.”

  “I’m going with you, and I won’t come back without you,” she declared.

  “Me too.” Bodie stood at Addie’s side, his face set in stubborn lines.

  Ridge put an arm around each of them. “Thank you for your moral support, but I think you both should stay here and carry on.”

  Addie released an oath that shocked Ridge. He’d never heard her utter a word like that. “You know better than to even suggest that! I will be at your side whether you like it or not.” She jerked away, her chest heaving. “Hanging Horace? Ridge!”