ROMANCE: Mail Order Bride: A Sheriff's Bride (A Clean Christian Inspirational Historical Western Romance) (New Adult Short Stories) (88 page)

Chapter Two

Anne tried to stay hopeful and strong, but it didn’t last long. Pa’s funeral was a few days after his body was delivered from the hospital. They said their final goodbyes and then buried him behind their beloved church. Watching Pa be lowered into the ground was the hardest thing Anne ever had to do. She cried more that day than any other in her life.

The family mourned the passing of Pa all winter long.  The community offered the family food and as much comfort as they could, but the town eventually moved on, and the Moores were expected to as well. It was a brutal truth, but life didn’t stop moving just because someone died.

Anne tried desperately to take over her father’s role in the family. Ma was too shattered to take control. When spring came, Anne took to the fields and tended to the animals and crops as best she could. She’d spent time on the farm with her father, though her mother rarely allowed her to spend too much time outside. It wasn’t ladylike to play around in the field with the pigs and corn.

Anne didn’t remember everything Pa taught her, but what she remembered she put to use. Anne did her best to nurture the crops and keep the animals fat, but nothing seemed to be working. She didn’t have enough skill or know-how to make the farm thrive. She grew a few ears of corn and a pumpkin or two but not enough to sustain the family.

Eventually, there was no choice but to start selling off the animals and patches of land. The neighbors were generous in their offers. They didn’t take needlessly, and they offered them a fair price. Even so, that money didn’t last for long.

Anne not only conducted the family business but also kept the family fed. She cooked, she cleaned and she sent her younger sisters off to school. At 18, Anne was considered a woman, and it was expected for her to get married. Seeing as she was the one caring for the family, marriage wasn’t really an option.

Before Pa passed, Anne had a sweetheart. His name was Levi, and his dark hair and coal-black eyes made Anne’s knees week. He was her teacher, though he was barely older than she. He was 22 and eager to change the world. He loved God and his students, and to Anne, that love and charity was even more attractive than his stunning looks. Now that Pa was gone, Anne was just trying to keep her head above water. She didn’t have time for a sweetheart. It was painful, but she needed to put her family first

Her blue eyes stared out the window, taking in the stunning sea of green grass that blew softly in the wind. It was a beautiful, cloudless day. Normally, Anne would have been out picking flowers or meeting with Levi, but she was stuck in the house, her sleeves rolled up to her elbows as she scrubbed the floor.

Ma had gone out earlier that day. Although Anne was surprised, she didn’t want to burden Ma by asking too many questions. She let her go, staying silent and doing her housework. She was still gone, though, and Anne was starting to worry.

She picked up the bucket of dirty water and carried it to the back door to toss it out. Just as she was returning to the fireplace to start a fire for dinner, the door pushed open, and Ma stepped inside, smoothing out her dress with the envelope in her hand.

“Welcome home, Ma,” Anne said with a smile. Anne’s mother didn’t look up at her. She stared at the floor, her fingers brushing the soft fabric of her dress. Anne frowned and walked over to her with a concerned look. “Is everything OK, Ma?”

“You need to pack your things, Anne,” she whispered.

Anne was caught off guard. “What? Why do I need to pack my things?”

“Because you are going West,” she said.

“What do you … ”

“I have made arrangements with a gentleman out West. He is going to marry you—in exchange for a dowry.”

Anne finally understood. “You sold me?”

“Do not blame me, Anne,” she said sharply. “You are old enough to take a husband, so that’s what I expect you to do,”

“I put off marriage to take care of this family because you couldn’t,” Anne argued.

“Well, now you can do both. This marriage will keep your sisters and I in this house. Without this, Anne, we might lose the farm.”
Anne’s heart clenched as she looked down, her eyes wet with tears. “No,” she whispered, shaking her head slowly. She didn’t want to leave Pikeville. She didn’t want to leave her family and her church. She didn’t want to leave Levi.

“Anne, please. This is bigger than you. This is for the sake of your family. He’s a good man with a large fortune. He will make you happy.”

“You can’t know that,” she wailed.
“Anne, dry your tears and pack your things. You will head out with a wagon train in the morning,” she said, reaching out to gently touch her daughter’s shoulder.

Anne spun around and ran to her room, her hands covering her face as she sobbed desperately. What was she going to do? What could she do?

Chapter Three

The only option was to run away. Ma would never come after her. Why would she? In her mind, Anne was just a spoiled child throwing a temper tantrum, but that couldn’t have been further from the truth. This wasn’t fair. It just wasn’t. She didn’t deserve this.

As Anne packed a small suitcase, she couldn’t help but wonder what she’d done to deserve this. She cried out to God, begging him to help her. What was his plan? She’d lost her father. Wasn’t that enough? She didn’t want to lose everything else, too. It seemed that no matter what she did she was going to have to leave Pikeville. At least this way she would be leaving on her own terms.

Anne waited for nightfall, and when the moon hung high in the sky, she grabbed her bag and snuck out the window. The grass was wet, and the moisture creapt through her thin shoes, making her shiver just a little even though the night air was thick and warm with humidity.

There was no light except from the moon. She silently slipped through the field, moving with a gracefulness that spoke to how often she’d spent time in these woods. Anne had always loved being surrounded by trees and animals. It gave her comfort to be among God’s creatures. They were silent but understanding and seemed to comfort in a way that no human could.

The tree branches brushed her freckled cheek, but she paid no mind. She was used to the gentle stroke of leaves against her skin. She moved quickly, too afraid to stop for fear of getting caught. Anne didn’t rest until she reached the brook on the edge of the town. She kneeled down and scooped up the crystal clear water into her hand. The air was humid but still managed to dry out her throat. She took a small canteen that belonged to her father and filled it with the fresh water.

Just as she began screwing on the cap, she heard a branch snap underneath someone’s foot. She slapped a hand over her mouth to prevent a gasp from slipping out before she ducked behind a tree,. She couldn’t be caught. She couldn’t go back.

A lantern appeared in the darkness. She put a hand over her chest to try and calm herself as the person drew closer. Who could possibly be out this late at night? She was sure that everyone in town was asleep. The footsteps inched closer. The sound of snapping twigs and crunching leaves echoed loudly in her mind. She could feel her heart beat in her throat. The person with the lantern was standing beside Anne now, and in the dim light, she could see the shadowy outline of a familiar face. Before she could stop herself she whispered his name. “Levi?”

The dark-haired man swung his lantern around so that it was at eye level with Anne, the flickering light revealing her pale, freckled face. “Anne?” he asked in return, just as surprised. “What on earth are you doing out here so late? You could be killed.”

She stepped out from behind the tree. “I could ask the same of you,” she hissed, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I saw someone run across my fields,” he muttered, glancing up at her. “I figured it was someone trying to steal one of my pigs.”

Anne sighed and shook her head. “I just … I have to leave,” she said simply, knowing that he was going to press her for an answer anyway.

“What? Why are you leaving? What is going on?”

“Ma, she sold me to some man out West. I’m supposed to be his wife.”

“You’re going to be a mail-order bride?” he whispered with a distinct sadness in his voice.

“Is that what I am?” she asked with a laugh. “I don’t know what’s happening, but I can’t go out West. I can’t be some man’s trophy wife. I want to marry for love, Levi. I want to marry who God intends for me to marry.”

A silence passed between them, and after a moment, Levi took a deep breath. “This isn’t the way, Anne. You can’t run away like this. What if you never show up and that man sends people after your family? You’d never forgive yourself if something happened to them.”

She looked away, tears filling her eyes as she nodded slowly. “I know, I know, but I just can’t. I don’t think I’ll ever be happy again if I follow through with this, if I go out West,” she whispered.

Levi put his hand under her chin and lifted her gaze. “He has a plan, Anne. God has a plan for you, but you can’t fight it.”

“You were supposed to be my plan, Levi. How is this fair? I don’t want this,” she said. “I want you!”

He pulled her into his arms and held her close. “I know, I know. I wanted you to be mine, Anne. I wanted it so badly, but we have to be brave, and we have to believe that there is a reason for all of this.”

Anne let out a choked sob, allowing herself to fall apart in his arms. It felt so good to be able to be weak. Levi wasn’t going to let her go, and he wasn’t going to judge her for crying. She was finally able to let out all the sadness and grief that had been building up inside of her over the past few months.              

Levi held her for a long time, stroking her golden curls, kissing her face and whispering reassuring words into her ear. Finally, he pulled away and wiped the tears off her cheek. “Let’s get you home, Anne. The sun will be up soon, and you have a busy day ahead of you.”

She nodded slowly and let Levi walk her home. As soon as they arrived at the door, he started to say goodbye, but she put a finger to his lips and leaned in, pressing a soft, sad kiss to his lips before pulling away and staring into his eyes. Levi looked so sad. His eyes were wet with unshed tears, and all she could think was how much she hated that this would be their last moment together.

Chapter Four

Morning came far too quickly. After Levi left, Anne never fell asleep. She lay awake, staring at the ceiling, tears soaking her pillow as she cried silently. She mourned the life she would never have and the things she was leaving behind, and all of the kisses she and Levi would never share.

When the sun came up and the golden rays kissed her cheeks, Anne forced herself out of bed. She picked up the suitcase she’d abandoned by the window. It felt heavy in her hands and made her heart ache. Her bottom lip trembled as she wandered out of her bedroom and into the main room of the house where her younger sisters were sitting, sniffling and wiping the tears out of their eyes.

Anne forced a weak smile. If she needed to, she would fake happiness to see them not cry. She walked across the living room  and set down her suitcase and opened her arms to the two girls. “Come here, girls,” she said softly. Her sisters ran into her arms, and Anne held them close, kissing the tops of their heads. “It’s going to be all right. Ma is going to take care of you, and I’m going to go on an adventure.”

“We don’t want you to go, Anne!” Beth sobbed.

Tears came to Anne’s eyes again, and she hugged them tighter. “I don’t want to go either, but sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to,” she whispered. “It’s the way of the world, girls. I need you to be strong for me, OK.  I’m going to be OK, and thanks to this man I’m going to see, you’ll be OK, too. This is a blessing.” She felt like she was lying through her teeth, but she didn’t want her little sisters to cry anymore.

Anne’s mother stood near the door. She averted her gaze as the sisters shared a tearful goodbye. She felt guilty, and Anne knew it, though she couldn’t bring herself to feel bad for her mother. Anne walked past her, offering her a weak smile. “I forgive you,” she whispered as she walked past her Ma. She didn’t look up at Anne and simply opened the door, silently begging her to leave. The guilt was too much for her to bear.

Anne walked out into the sunlight, her head held high despite the fear coursing through her veins. She wasn’t ready to leave Pikeville behind, but she didn’t really have a choice. She stepped out onto the dusty road that led into town and followed it silently.

Downtown Pikeville was small, and the town had only the necessities: a small post office, a general store and a tavern with an inn. Most of the purchases and trades were done among neighbors. They helped sustain one another in a way unique to small communities.

The town was normally quiet, but today there was a small band of rough-looking men and a few tired women standing beside canvas-covered wagons bowing under the weight of their cargo. One of the men, who was in desperate need of a shave, walked over to Anne, his hands stuck in the pockets of his trousers. “You Ms. Anne?” he grumbled with an accent.

“Yes, is this the wagon train I am supposed to travel with?”

“Sure is, Missy,” he said, smacking his lips together and leaning back to spit out a dark, gooey.

Anne’s stomach turned over, and she tried her best not to gag at the sight of the chewing tobacco. This was going to be a rough trip. The man helped her into one of the wagons, and she set her suitcase down among other luggage, hoping it didn’t get lost in the mess. A woman holding a chubby and dirty infant sat across from her, bouncing it gently as it suckled. “You the new girl?” the woman asked, her voice tired and rough.

Anne nodded, running her fingers through her golden hair. “I suppose so,” she said.

“This isn’t a cakewalk, you know?” the woman said sternly. “It’s hard work, and everyone is expected to pull their weight. Don’t go thinking that just because you have a pretty face you won’t be expected to work.”

Anne was surprised by the woman’s hostility. She wanted to snap back, to show the woman the blisters on her hands from hours spent in the field. She wanted to bite back out of anger and fear, but she remained poised. This woman could think anything of Anne that she wanted, but Anne knew the truth.

They fell into silence as Pikeville disappeared in the distance, a small cloud of dust erasing everything Anne had ever known. She turned her head to take one final look at her home, and her heart wrenched. She could have sworn that she saw Levi’s face in that dust cloud.