Hannah Saves Samuel (Wanted: Wives In The West 1) (4 page)

Hannah knew the answer. How had she let her focus stray so quickly? God expected her to live a humble life, not one filled with ego and pride. She felt awful about how she had treated Samuel earlier that day. It had taken him a while to open up, and she had shut him out in front of everyone, adding more humiliation to his already fragile state of mind.

Over the next few weeks, Hannah saw Samuel both on the ranch and at church. Repeatedly, she tried striking up a conversation with him, but each time, he clammed up and wouldn’t respond. Then one day at church, Samuel witnessed what was happening. Hannah stood serving the members coming through the potluck line, and Beatrice Reynolds and her friends were looking down their noses at her.

Hannah offered them some cobbler, and Beatrice snarled, “No, thank you. Aren’t you in the wrong building, dearie? I think the painted ladies who come here for love are on the
south
side of town.”

Samuel’s face flushed as he saw Hannah’s eyes well up with tears. He stormed over to the line, cutting in between Beatrice and her pack of underlings. “Why, Hannah,” he said with a big smile toward her, “I hope you saved me a plate of cobbler. It’s so good, no family would ever have to
pay
a man to marry you—they’d just let him have one taste of this dish!”

The women standing with Beatrice gasped, instantly raising their hands to cover their mouths. Everyone knew how her husband, Otis had been bribed to take her hand in marriage. Her jaw clenched shut. Eyes nothing more than a sliver, Beatrice glared at Hannah and then at Samuel, before turning around and storming out of the church.

Hannah and Samuel burst out into laughter, and he took a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to her so she could dab the tears away.
It felt good to be protected like that
, thought Hannah. Margaret and Caleb saw it all unfold and smiled at each other.

“This is our chance,” whispered Margaret to Caleb.

“Samuel,” said Caleb, interrupting the pair as they stood smiling, lost in each other’s eyes. “I’m afraid I’m going to need you to help me on the ranch quite a bit this summer. I’ve already spoken to the plant manager, and they’re willing to give you some time off, if you’re willing. I’ll be paying you more than the plant, but it’ll mean long hours and many meals at our house. You up for it?”

Samuel looked at Hannah, her face pointed down shyly. She was grinning, and Samuel couldn’t help but smile right along with her. “I’d love to help,” he said, turning to Caleb to shake his hand and seal the deal. “But first, I have to see if Miss Hannah, here, can serve me some of that delicious peach cobbler before Mr. Thornton gobbles it all up again.” They all laughed and spent the rest of the potluck dinner chatting about the latest activities coming up for the church and the town.

Over the weeks, Caleb and Margaret watched as the connection between Samuel and Hannah blossomed. The two were constantly stealing glances and shyly smiling at one another. Later, Hannah confided to Margaret that Samuel was the man she had asked the Lord to guide her to when she first saw the Hearts and Hands ad. It seemed as if everything was going to work out perfectly.

…

The post office was bustling when Margaret and Hannah rode into town. It was the third letter Hannah was mailing to her ma, even though she had promised to write weekly. It seemed like the weeks and months just slipped away from her, and life was moving so fast on the prairie that she barely had time to get some shut eye, let alone sit down and pen some correspondence.

“I can’t believe I’ve been here twelve weeks already!” Hannah said. She had found her place on the Marshall’s ranch, working both in and out of the house. The congregation had taken her into their fold, and even Beatrice had settled down when she realized she was outnumbered. Hannah felt like this was truly
home
to her now.

She loved watching the growth of Fort Worth as businesses continued popping up in downtown. Even the church attendance was growing as word spread of the success Pastor Littlejohn was having with his ad. Some of the bachelors who usually spent their nights drinking and gambling had grown tired of that life and longed to find a match much like Samuel had in Hannah.

But there was still a strong presence of criminals south of the courthouse in Hell’s Half Acre. In fact, Fort Worth had developed quite a reputation around the country. Part of it was being known for its growing industry as the Queen of the Prairies. The other, for being a hideout among outlaws such as Sam Bass and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Hannah had never run into the likes of them, but she knew they had been there because she listened to Sheriff John Lockhart tell tales about them at the potluck dinners.

The sheriff had befriended the Marshalls during Samuel’s dark time. He knew they were close to the young man, and whenever it looked like Samuel might get himself in trouble with too much drinking, it was them that he called to get him safely home. He was happy to see Samuel on the right track now.

Sheriff Lockhart ran into Hannah and Margaret at the post office as they went inside to mail the letter and check for any in return. “Howdy, Ma’am,” he said, tipping his hat and nodding to each of the women. “It’s awfully hot out here today. Tempers are flaring in the Acre, so y’all best do your business and get on home.” It wasn’t unusual to hear gunshots or see a brawl right in the middle of Main Street. The saloons stayed open round the clock, and the outlaws had no schedule for indulging in their entertainment.

Margaret thanked the sheriff and she and Hannah hurried inside. After depositing her letter, Hannah was given one in return. It was a letter from her little sister, Jenny. Hannah always loved getting letters from Jenny. She hung the sweet drawings up in her room. She missed her so much, and hoped she could afford to send for Ma and Jenny to come to Texas for a visit sometime next year, assuming she and Samuel had settled down together by then.

There were two letters inside. One was a drawing from Jenny. The other, a letter from Aunt Agnes. The drawing was of an angel.

Dear Hannah,

I write to you with a heavy heart to inform you of your ma’s passing. My sister went to be with the Lord last Sunday, due to a terrible case of pneumonia.

It was her wish that you would find a way to come take over the care for Jenny, as I am getting older and suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. I understand you might not be able to make it here right away, but please do hurry.

May the Lord comfort you as you read this.

Aunt Agnes

Hannah’s face turned pale as the letter dropped from her hands. Everything was swirling around her. It was hot and her legs had grown weak. “Somebody help!” she heard Margaret scream as everything went black and she fell to the wooden floor.

Hannah opened her eyes and instantly saw Samuel’s soothing green eyes. He had been in town picking up supplies at Moore and Company’s General Store and saw the two of them in the post office. His mouth was moving but she didn’t hear him at first. Maybe she was dreaming. “Hannah!” he said, his voice filled with concern. He picked her up and carried her in his arms to a chair, Margaret leading the way. He set her down and Margaret fanned her face as she recovered.

“What happened?” Hannah asked, coming out of the fainting spell. She smiled at Samuel, whose face was still wrought with worry. Margaret and Samuel looked at each other, and Hannah started to remember what had caused her fainting spell in the first place.

“Now, dear, everything’s going to be just fine,” Margaret said, trying to soothe her. “We’ll work out a plan to help you get Jenny.” Margaret had read the letter with Hannah over her shoulder, and was just as shocked and concerned about the situation.

“Jenny!” Hannah cried out, scrambling to get to her feet. She stumbled, still weak, and Samuel reached out to steady her. “I have to be with my little sister! Where’s my pocketbook? I must book the next train back to Georgia.”

Samuel expression changed from a look of relief that Hannah had come to, to a look of panic and sadness as he looked directly into her eyes. “Hannah,” he said softly, “the past few months have been Heaven to me. I finally feel I have hope for the future. You’re the kindest, most helpful and beautiful woman I’ve ever known. Please don’t leave Texas.”

“He’s right, Hannah. You can’t just board a train and head back to Georgia,” Margaret said. “Now let’s get back to the ranch and make a plan. We’ll call for Pastor Littlejohn to come over as well. Samuel, would you mind stopping by the Littlejohn’s and asking for Pastor and Mabel to accompany you to our home, please?” Margaret was the much-needed calm in the storm for Hannah. Every time she thought of her ma’s passing and Jenny being there without her, scared, she felt weak in the knees.

“Yes Ma’am,” said Samuel, unhitching his horse from the post and galloping down the road at top speed.

Margaret and Hannah stepped into the carriage and rushed in the opposite direction. Hannah held the picture in her hand that Jenny had drawn, tears streaming down her face.
Lord, what have I done to Thee to deserve this? Why must Thou put me through so much pain right when I’ve found the happiness I’ve been searching for?

Pastor Littlejohn arrived shortly after Margaret and Hannah made it home. Caleb was still out on the ranch, oblivious to the chaos inside those four walls. Samuel came along with Mabel and Stanley, but he kept quiet and stood in the back, fearing he would hear the worst.

Before the night was up, it had been decided. Margaret and Caleb Marshall would accompany Hannah in her fragile state, back to Georgia to collect Jenny. While there was no room for both of them to stay in their home, the pastor and his wife had agreed to let Jenny stay with them until Hannah got settled in permanently.

They all knew of Samuel’s plan to ask for her hand in marriage, because he had already asked both Caleb and Pastor Littlejohn to marry her, since Hannah had no pa. But this was not the appropriate time to propose, so she would not be informed just yet. With Jenny staying at the Littlejohn’s, Hannah would get to see her all the time. She would attend school and church and get to come over for visits frequently.

Still, Hannah’s heart felt heavy at the loss of her ma. She had planned to bring them
both
back someday, but that day just didn’t come soon enough, and now Ma would simply remain in Hannah’s heart forever.

…

To Samuel Radcliff, Hannah’s trip to Georgia and back seemed like an eternity. Part of it was because he missed her so much. He had grown accustomed to seeing her smiling face as soon as he arrived on the Marshall’s ranch every day, sitting across from her at meals and stealing glances as he marveled at her inner and outer beauty.

The other part of him worried that something would happen to make Hannah stay in Georgia. Maybe her aunt would ask if she’d stay there to help care for her, or an eligible bachelor would sweep her off her feet and steal her away from him.

The day she left, Samuel had gone to the Littlejohn’s to officially ask for Hannah’s hand in marriage. He had already gotten the approval of the Marshalls and he just wanted to make sure everyone was onboard. Margaret and Mabel already knew of Hannah’s wishes. She had talked of nothing but Samuel for weeks on end.

“Samuel …” she’d say, tilting her head to one side thoughtfully as they cleaned up after the potluck dinner. “It means
name of God
, you know!” The elder women would grin and laugh, watching the young love bloom between the two of them. They had helped the relationship along by making sure they were both in attendance for special gatherings and meals, and you couldn’t help but notice the spark between them as they chatted for hours about their hopes and dreams for the future.

Mabel and some of the other elder women from church had gone to Pastor Littlejohn and asked about a plan they were cooking up. It was all very secretive. The morning after he had spoken to the pastor, Mabel and the others showed up at Samuel’s house. “We have a proposal!” they said, smiles beaming from all of their faces.

Samuel listened attentively and when they were finished, his heart leapt with joy. “Yes!” he agreed. “I think that’s a
wonderful
idea!” Every day while Hannah and the Marshalls were gone, Mabel and the others arrived at Samuel’s. Day in, day out, they showed up with fabrics and their husbands came after work with building supplies.