Crippled Mail Order Bride For A Faithful Frontier Cowboy: Clean Christian Short Reads Western Romance (Destined For Love Mail Order Brides Book Book 2) (2 page)

A MONTH HAD passed since the conversation in the kitchen.
 
Mary-Beth was sure that her grandmother was having wishful thoughts, but she hoped deep down that there was some truth to them.
 
She longed to have the life of a loving housewife.

On the way from the market one afternoon, she stopped past the post office to pick up the mail for the family.
 
Curiously enough, she noticed one letter addressed to her.
 
No one wrote to her, and just the idea that someone would take the time to write to her filled her with a sense of wonder and excitement.
 
She wanted to read it right then and there, but she knew that her grandmother was waiting for her return so that they could make a pie for dessert that evening.

Tucking the mail into her aprons, she picked up her basket and returned home as quickly as she could.
 
If she could at least get the pie into the oven, then she would be able to read the letter that filled her mind with such anticipation.
 
She had no idea who could have written her.

Once she arrived home, she and her grandmother made the preparations for the evening dinner and prepared the apple pie that would be served later on.
 
The kitchen was a little stuffy, so her grandmother recommended that they go out on the porch to enjoy their afternoon tea as the pie baked.
 

As Mary-Beth sat down, she felt the bulge in her apron where she had placed the mail.
 
Remembering the letter that had been addressed to her, she quickly pulled to mail from her pocket.
 
Setting the other two envelopes aside, she ripped the one addressed to her open and smiled when she realized that Tilly had written to her for the first time since she had taken the train west.

Dearest Mary-Beth,

I hope that this letter finds you in good health.
 
I know it has been some time, but I have missed you so and wanted to tell you about what life out West was really like.
 

As you may have heard, the West is reputed to be wild and unlawful.
 
I have found it to be a little rough, but not as bad as people rumor it to be.
 
The air here is fresh, and the land is beautiful.
 
It amazes me to see so much land that has been untouched.
 
When I look out and see nothing around but nature for miles, I know that I did the right thing.

Besides the beauty out here, I have some other news.
 
When I arrived at the train station, I was met by Tam Wilder, the man whom I’m to marry.
 
He informed me that he wanted to do right by me, and took me to his parents’ home so that we could properly court.
 
I’ve been here for three months now.
 
His parents are kind and lovely people, but I long for the day that I can be with my husband.

The other night, Tam arrived at the house and told me that it was time for us to marry.
 
He was sure that I was the one for him.
 
So, we have planned the wedding for the beginning of next month.
 
I have also told him that I wish for you, Mary-Beth, to come out and stand with me while I devote my life to him.

So, Tam has agreed and will be sending out his best friend, Jacob, to meet you and accompany you back here.
 
He is due to be there a week after the date of this letter.
 
Tam has provided him with enough money to get both of you here, so do not worry about paying for a thing.
 
I hope that you will meet him there and come and share my wonderful day with me!
 
If you cannot, I understand.

If you cannot come, please write immediately.
 
I miss you and hope to see you in a short amount of time!

Sincerely,

Tilly

Mary-Beth had to catch her breath as she finished reading her friend’s letter.
 
Without hesitation, she looked to see when the letter was dated.
 
Jacob was due to meet her in two days!
 
She needed to get her grandparents to agree to this and pack!
 
She wanted nothing more than to see Tilly marry the man whom she had grown to love out west.

“Are you okay, Mary-Beth?” her grandmother asked as she set the letter down on her lap and reached for her cup of tea.

“This letter is from Tilly.
 
I have not heard from her since she went west to marry.
 
She has set a wedding date, and she wishes for me to be there with her.
 
Her fiancé is sending his friend to accompany me on the trip in two days.” She looked at her grandmother to see how she would react.
 
If her grandparents were to tell her she should not go, she would respect that.

“Well, now, that is different.
 
I have heard that those cowboys marry their mail order brides the moment they step off the train.
 
How wonderful that she wants you to attend.
 
It would be good for you to get away for a bit.
 
Who knows, maybe you will meet someone there?” her grandmother smiled secretively.

“Will you and Gramps be all right without me here?
 
I know he has been ill.
 
I won’t leave if you say that you need me here,” Mary-Beth assured her.
 
Everything within her wanted to go, but she had a responsibility to her grandparents.

“He will be okay, as will I.
 
Go get yourself packed, and I will discuss it with him when he rises from his nap.
 
I can tell you’re excited.” Her grandmother smiled lovingly at her.

Mary-Beth carefully rose and cleared the tea from the small porch table.
 
She had a lot to think about and pack before she left, and she had just two short days to do it.
 
A sense of adventure and excitement overtook her as she made her way slowly to her bedroom to decide what she would take along with her.
 
If her grandmother’s prediction were to come true, then she might not be returning.
 
However, she didn’t want to over pack in case she would return home soon.

She was able to fit all of her belongings that she wished to take in one small trunk.
 
Satisfied that she had everything, she returned to the kitchen to finish dinner preparations.
 
This would be the moment of truth.
 
Her grandfather would have the final opinion about whether or not she would travel.

A FEW DAYS later, with her grandparents at her side, Mary-Beth stood at the train station, waiting for her escort to show himself.
 
She had no idea how this would all play out, but she had faith that it would work out in the end.
 
This was the most adventure she had ever embarked upon in her years.
 
Feelings of nervousness and excitement flooded her both at the same time.

“Excuse me?
 
Are you Mary-Beth Tanner?” a timid voice came from behind them.
 
Mary-Beth turned and saw a tall and handsome gentleman looking questioningly at her.

“Why, yes, I am Mary-Beth.
 
You must be Jacob?” she said in her most refined voice.
 
She had not been expecting a cowboy to be as polite or as well-dressed as the man who stood in front of her.

“Yes, miss.
 
I’m Jacob Anderson.
 
It’s a pleasure to meet you.
 
Miss Tilly talks an awful lot about you and her former life in the city.” He smiled, and two large dimples showed themselves on his cheeks.
 

Mary-Beth immediately felt at ease around the young man that had come to chaperone her back west.
 
She took a deep breath and silently thanked God for His provision.
 
Jacob was well-mannered, and she could tell her grandparents felt at ease with the situation after meeting him.

“Please forgive me for being so rude.
 
These are my grandparents, Abigail, and Joseph Tanner.
 
They have raised me since I was a young child.”

The young man shook hands with her grandfather and kissed her grandmother on the cheek.
 
They smiled at him and wished the young couple safe travels.
 
As they were saying their goodbyes, the whistle on the train blew, announcing that the train would leave in a short time.

Jacob swiftly picked up her trunk and handed it to the conductor.
 
Once the trunk was on the train, he assisted Mary-Beth up the steep steps.
 
He knew that she had some problems with her legs because Tilly had told him.
 
It saddened him to see her struggle.
 
He hoped she would tell him why she struggled to walk while they traveled.
 
Just meeting her for the first time, he felt that she was special.

Once they got comfortably situated in their stateroom, Mary-Beth smiled at him.
 
She thanked him for his kindness.
 
It was rare that someone would help her rather than simply stare at the way she walked.
 
She felt as though she were on display whenever she went out into the public.

She looked out of the window and saw her grandparents.
 
Wanting to wave goodbye to them, she stood up near the window and began to wave.
 
They spotted her and waved back.
 
It was at that moment that she noticed that her grandmother was crying.
 
A stab of guilt pierced her heart as the whistle blew once more, and the train began to leave the station.
 
She said a silent prayer as she returned to her seat.
 
God would watch out for her grandparents, she had to believe in that.
 
She also had to believe that God would allow her to find a man with whom she could spend her life.

The train ride started out rather uneventfully. Jacob wanted to engage Mary-Beth in conversation, but he didn’t know where to begin.
 
There were so many differences between him and her.
 
He was a frontier cowboy, and she was a city girl.
 
How could he have anything in common with her?

Finally, she turned to him and smiled.
 
“So, tell me a little bit about yourself.
 
Where are you from and what do you do out west?” she asked.

“I was actually born out west.
 
My parents were one of the first families to populate the area around Jamestown.
 
My pa is a cowboy himself and has made quite a ranch for the family.
 
I help him with the ranch.
 
I have a younger brother who helps, too.
 
My pa has told me that when he gets too old to run the ranch that he wants me to take it over.
 
I will gladly do that.”
 
He seemed so confident in his upbringing and his future.
 
It made Mary-Beth’s heart race.
 
“How about you?
 
Tell me a little about yourself.”

“I never really knew my parents.
 
My mother ran away and eloped with my father.
 
They left me with my grandparents when I was young and have never returned.
 
I have lived with my grandparents since then.
 
They are kind and compassionate, and I hope they will be okay without me there.”
 
She didn’t know what else to say.
 
That was her life in a nutshell.

As they spoke, they gradually realized that they shared many of the same interests.
 
Growing up in the city, Mary-Beth was able to share her experiences having everything basically at her fingertips.
 
Jacob described how they would have to go a few miles just to get flour from a general store.
 
They would make it a whole day’s trip if they needed provisions for the ranch.
 
This amazed Mary-Beth.
 
She had no idea that people would have to travel so far for what she could walk ten minutes for, even on her legs.
 
The conversation had become comfortable, so Jacob chanced asking the question that had been on his mind since they had first met.