Mail Order Romance Bundle #1 (5 page)

When she finished, she leaned forward and pulled herself out the rocker,  not without a struggle. Jesse started up to help her, but she was soon upright and holding out a hand to stop him.

“I'm fine,” she said with a smile. “Just getting a bit tired. It's been a long and stressful day for the both of us, I'm sure. I've taken enough advantage of your hospitality for one night and suppose that it's time for me to turn in.”

“You've taken advantage of nothing. You've made me dinner, kept me company and taught me the names of the stars, I feel like I owe you,” he said with a laugh. “Is there anything I can get you?”

“No, thank you. I'm quite exhausted and am sure I will fall into a deep slumber as soon as my head hits the pillow.”

“I hope the bed will be comfortable for you.”

“Oh, I'm sure it will be. If it's good enough for Theodore Dodd, it will be good enough for Enid Ralphy.”

Jesse laughed and nodded. “Goodnight, Enid.”

“Goodnight, Jesse,” she responded as she made her way back into the house.

Jesse wasn't ready to go in just yet. Despite the stress of the day, he wasn't feeling the exhaustion that Enid did. Instead, he felt as if he couldn't sleep at all, he been jolted with an adrenaline rush and his mind was racing.

There was something that was bothering him, something that he couldn't quite put his finger on what exactly that something was. It was looming over him, making him uncomfortable. It could have been that he was worried about what happened to Laura Kate and why it wasn't her who arrived on the train to Oak Grove that day, it could have been that he was worried about Enid's future and the life that awaited her with another man for a husband. These concerns definitely weighed heavy on his mind, but no, there was something more, something that involved both of those worries but there was much more to it.

Jesse sat staring at the stars just as Enid had, trying with no success at figuring out what it was. He wondered if what Enid had said earlier was true-that there must have been a reason for her to be here, that there were no coincidences in life. He liked that thought but wondered what the reason was that she was there.

Finally, realizing that morning chores would come sooner than later, Jesse retired to his bedroom for the night, though he had an awful time trying to fall asleep. When he couldn't figure out the worry that was weighing on his mind, his thoughts turned again to Enid. How nice it had been to have another person in the house. And not just another person, but her. She was so easy to talk to, especially for Jesse who usually got along better with his animals, she had a happy manner about her that just put him at ease. He didn't think he could ever get tired of hearing her voice telling stories and wondered if she had to leave just yet. Maybe she could stay there while he got the whole situation figured out with the Beaumont Agency. But he dismissed the thought as fast as it came, realizing that Enid would probably not want to go for that; she'd most likely want to get back to Milwaukee and figure out the husband she was meant to go to.

Just then, at the thought of Enid with her new husband, Jesse got a strange feeling, a tightening in his chest. If he hadn't known any better, he would have said it was a pang of jealousy, but that didn't make any sense at all. What reason would he have to be jealous? He wanted the best for Enid and hoped she'd be happy with her new husband. Oh! There it was again, that same feeling. How strange, Jesse thought to himself as he finally drifted off to sleep.

Morning came much too fast as Jesse woke before the sun to head to the barn for the morning chores. The house was dark and quiet, filled with the cool morning air. Jesse tried not to make too much noise as Enid was still asleep. He planned to head out to the barn and then come back and make her his famous flapjacks for breakfast.

The barn was where he could center himself and though most of the world was still asleep, Jesse loved that time of day best of all. The animals were happy to see him and for some reason he was able to think more clearly at sunrise.

And this morning was no different than the others. After being outside for awhile and finishing up the chores, he had an epiphany. All at once, it hit him hard. He knew without a doubt the worry that had troubled him all night long. How could he not have recognized it? Suddenly, Jesse was filled with a renewed spirit and a happy enthusiasm that made him break out into an ear to ear smile that made his cow, Bessie, do a double take. He nearly tripped over the milk stool, his excitement was so great.

“Sorry, girl,” he said as he gave her a pat. He grabbed the milk pail and, nearly spilling it, left the barn back for the house. It amazed him that the very thing that had been troubling him when he didn't know what it was, well, now that he knew what it was, he felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders and he knew exactly what he had to do.

So with a spring in his step and a swinging milk pan in his hand he entered the house still expecting Enid to be asleep, but he was met at the door by a mouthwatering aroma and the sound of bacon sizzling. He found Enid in the kitchen, moving about with a purpose and she turned around when he came in. “Surprise,” she said with a smile and a twinkle in her blue eyes.

Indeed, it was quite a surprise, as he had been planning on making his famous flapjacks to surprise
her
, and here she was wide awake with a full breakfast waiting for him. She must have gotten up shortly after he left to have time to prepare everything. His mouth watered as he looked it over-there was a skillet of bacon sizzling, a plate stacked with golden pancakes and another full of the fried potatoes she'd made the night before. She had a pot of coffee on and the table was set.

“What's all this?” he asked.

“Hope you're hungry,” she responded as she turned back around to take the bacon out of the skillet.

“It smells wonderful, thank you. Enid, there's something I need to tell you.”

“Hmm?” Enid answered, only half paying attention as she focused on putting the bacon on the platter without splattering any drippings. He waited a minute until she was done so he had her full attention. She turned around to face him and he smiled at her.

“You know how you talked about everything happening for a reason? Well, I figured it out, I know the reason that you are here.”

“I think I figured it out, too,” she said.

“You did?” he asked, his voice raising in excitement.

“Yes, I think the reason for my being here was to help you find Ursa Major. And, of course, to teach you how to make fried potatoes,” she laughed good-naturedly.

Jesse was hoping she had come to the same realization as he had, but that obviously wasn't the case.

“Well, those are definitely good reasons, but they weren't what I had in mind,” he said, focusing on her eyes and feeling his heart start to beat a little faster. He continued, “I think you are right about there being no coincidences in life and sometimes life has a funny way of making sure that what's supposed to happen happens.”

Enid looked a bit confused but she waited while he went on. “Enid, what I'm trying to say is that, I think I wasn't supposed to marry Laura Kate after all. I believe that it is you who is supposed to be my wife...if you will have me as a husband.”

Enid's mouth dropped open and she put her hand over her heart.

“What? I mean, I don't understand,” she said with a shaky voice.

“I was a fool, Enid, and it took a mistake to make me see that. I am ashamed to say that I judged a book by it's cover and would have never found out who you truly were unless everything fell into place. And it did. Perfectly.  You coming here was no mistake, I'm certain of it. The fates conspired to put you on the train to Oak Grove, instead of Laura Kate. Then we found out the next train wasn't til the next day and when we took you to the church we found out Reverend Hall was gone. I can't remember a time that I've ever been to town when the church doors haven't been wide open with the Reverend right there to welcome folks. But on this particular time, what happens? He's not there on this day and we have no choice but to have you come and stay at the farm with me. Don't you see? It's like God knew that once I had the chance to get to know the real you that I'd know...that I'd know that you are the perfect bride for me.”

Enid gasped with surprise and Jesse knelt down on one knee and took  her hand in his. “Enid, I've never felt this way before, but you have captivated me with your charm and I think I'm falling in love with you.

You have a good kind heart and when I'm with you, I feel so comfortable and at ease, like I'm with a part of myself. You are a great listener and a magical storyteller and a hard worker and you have a sharp wit and sense of humor, not to mention a darn good cook. And do you know what I see when I look at you, Enid? I see beautiful blue eyes and shiny auburn hair and a contagious smile that radiates love and confidence. I would be honored if you would be my wife.”

Enid was speechless. Never in her life did she ever think she would have anyone tell her she was beautiful or captivating. And never did she think anyone would propose to her after seeing her face to face.

Jesse wasn't sure to make of her silence at first, but then he saw the corners of her mouth turn up and her eyes were overflowing with tears. She gave his hand a squeeze.

“I'm sorry, I'm just....this is not what I'd been expecting you to say, you gave me quite a shock. I had no idea...” Her normally calm and silky voice was shaky and catching in her throat. “Yes, I will marry you, Jesse, I would be honored to be your bride.”

She couldn't get another word out before he stood up and taking her face in his hands, kissed her slowly and gently. Enid had never been kissed before yet being with Jesse, their lips together felt like the most natural thing in the world, as if they'd done it a million times before.”

He wrapped his arms around her and she put her head on his shoulder, crying and laughing at the same time. He started laughing, too, when suddenly, she pulled away and looked him in the eyes.

“But, what about Laura Kate? What if she comes on the train today? Or tomorrow or whenever she figures out she was sent to the wrong place?”

Jesse saw the worry in her eyes and knew what her fear was-that perhaps once he saw Laura Kate in person, he would change his mind about marrying Enid.

“I'll go to town today and send word to the Beaumont agency that I will be marrying you. It's possible that Laura Kate might still arrive before everything gets sorted out, but I give you my word, it's
you
who has captured my heart and
you
who I'll be marrying.” Upon hearing his words, Enid eyes started to water again and he kissed her once more to seal their promise.

The next few days were a bit of a whirlwind for the new couple and every afternoon Jesse rode to the train station just in case Laura Kate did arrive after all. Henry Mills though him to be insane and shook his head every time he saw Jesse ride in.

But each day that Laura Kate did not arrive, their worry lessened a bit until finally Jesse stopped going to check for her.

Once Reverend Hall was back in town, Jesse and Enid made it official before God and their friends and neighbors of Oak Grove. They had practically forgotten about Laura Kate until Jesse finally got a letter back from the Beaumont Agency explaining that there indeed had been a mistake but in a stroke of good luck, it had worked out for all parties involved. Laura Kate Whitley had been sent out to Colorado for the man that the agency had matched Enid with but ended up falling in love with the man and marrying him. Even though it had worked out well for everyone, the Beaumont Agency accepted responsibility for the mistake and refunded both gentleman their fees.

As for Jesse and Enid Collins, never did you see a couple more happy and in love with each other. Though they faced some hardships in life as most farm families did, they made each other stronger and faced everything that came their way with grace. Together, they had eight children to fill the farmhouse, five sons and three daughters. Just as Jesse had hoped for, he had built a new legacy and the Collins family farm was known far and wide, for many generations as being a happy home, filled with laughter, stories and lots of love.

And every year, they celebrated their wedding anniversary, as most couples did, but they also celebrated another special day, that only meant something to the two of them. No matter how busy life got, they always took the time to be together,sitting together on the porch, watching the stars and remembering the day that they met...the best mistake that had ever happened.

The End

A Pretty Bride

~Pennsylvania, 1880~

Josie Birch hated being pretty. She'd always been acutely aware of her looks ever since she was a little girl. People were always making comments to her mother, saying things like, “She'll never have to worry about catching a husband, that one!” and “She'll have an easy life, it's always easier for the ones who have a pretty face.”  They spoke with admiration and envy of her dark, silky hair, her sapphire eyes and smooth skin.

Though most people saw the possession of a pretty face as a benefit, to Josie, it only brought problems. What people saw as blessings, Josie saw as a curse. She had few friends because most of the girls in her small Pennsylvania town were jealous of her, not only for her looks but also for all the attention she got from the boys in town. If they only knew how Josie truly felt. The last thing that Josie wanted was attention; she was shy and didn't like standing out. After school, she'd hurry home and hide away in her room, reading books, her only solace.

Unfortunately for Josie, though, the unwanted attention carried over to her home life. Her widowed mother had married a man named George Prentiss, and she and Josie had moved into his house in town. After living through the nightmare of having lost her father, she thought that she and her mother had found happiness at last. Little did Josie know that her nightmare was only beginning.

At first, it started with the way he looked at her, staring at her a little too long. Josie could feel his eyes on her, making her uncomfortable, burning a hole into her. Then it was the kind of look he'd give her, a hungry smirking look, eying her as if she weren't wearing any clothes at all!

After that, to her horror, he would find ways to be close to her and touch her, whether it was brushing too close to her when he passed by, or touching her hair, they were encounters that made her skin crawl and they started occurring more frequently.

In the beginning, Josie felt that she could not tell her mother what was happening. Her mother had been through so much, they both had, after Josie's father died. The sickness that had ripped him out of their lives had made Josie sick, too, and her mother worked herself tirelessly nursing Josie back to health while grieving the loss of her husband. They used up their savings to pay funeral expenses, doctor bills and living expenses until the money went out. Her mother took jobs as a laundress and a seamstress, teaching Josie how to sew, too, so that she could help bring in money as well. But it wasn't enough and they had to sell their home, the only home Josie had ever known.

Her mother had taken the move very hard, losing their home was like losing the last piece of her husband, and she sunk into a deep hole of depression. They rented a room at a boarding house in town, her mother taking on another job as a cleaning lady there to pay for their room. But after falling into the pit of depression, she could no longer work and would she'd sleep all day. Josie took over cleaning the boarding house for her mother as well as taking in sewing jobs, while her mother would spend her waking hours staring at the wall or crying, no matter how Josie tried to console her. It was a bleak existence and Josie's loneliness consumed her.

Then, something happened. It seemed as if her prayers had been answered. Josie wasn't exactly sure what had caused it, but something sparked a change in her mother's behavior. She was able to work again, she would sit and eat with Josie, help her with her homework, talk and laugh with her again. Josie couldn't believe the change. Soon after, she figured out why her mother was acting this way...she was being courted by Mr. George Prentiss. 

George was an attorney from Philadelphia who wished to live a quieter life in a small town after losing his first wife. While he was setting up his practice and having a house built for himself, he was staying at the boarding house and that's how he met Charlotte, Josie's mother. Josie usually took her meals in their room, she didn't like eating in a room full of people she didn't know, so she didn't realize her mother had met him and had been spending time with him. Both being widowed, they felt a connection to each other, they'd understood the loss of losing a spouse. Once his house was finished, he proposed to Charlotte and she accepted.

After that, life changed drastically for Josie and her mother. They went from sharing a cot in their little room at the boarding house to living in a sprawling Queen Anne home that was twice the size of the whole boarding house!

George took Charlotte on a honeymoon trip, bring Josie along with them as they shopped for furnishings for the new home, went sight-seeing and ate at fine restaurants. It was a whole new world for Josie and she felt like she was living in a fairy tale, George even took her to a bookstore and let her pick out as many books as could fit on the new bookshelves in her room. That was her favorite part of her new life.

But her fairy tale didn't have a happy ending like the ones she read about in storybooks. It was on the trip to Philadelphia that she first noticed the inappropriate way that George would look at her. The first time, she looked away, thinking it was just an innocent, awkward exchange. But when she looked back, he was still looking at her, in a way that made her skin crawl. She spent the whole train ride back trying to decide whether or not it was just her imagination but after arriving home, she realized it wasn't her imagination and it only got worse.

Whenever she'd get the courage up to approach her mother about the subject, she would end up changing her mind. Her mother was so happy, she didn't want to take that away. Of all people, her mother deserved some happiness in life. And it wasn't as if George mistreated her, he treated her like a queen. He was kind to her, lavishing her with attention and gifts, and was a perfect gentleman to her. In  fact, it was very out of character for George to act the way he did to Josie, which is why she had a hard time deciding if she was overreacting or not. But the more it continued and the worse it got, the more she knew it was not her imagination.

She'd reached a turning point one night when she went to her room to retire for the evening. She took off her dress and was in her camisole and petticoats when she heard a noise, a very slight noise, behind her. She turned around and there, for a moment, she saw an eyeball peering at her in the cracked door. She shuddered in horror, feeling a shiver crawl down her spine. She jumped in bed and pulled the quilt up around her neck. She didn't realize she needed to lock her bedroom door in her own house but apparently that was the case from now on, after this encounter. To think that her stepfather saw her in her camisole was a burning embarrassment, a violation of trust. She didn't feel safe. If he could violate the privacy of her bedroom, what was next?

Josie decided that it was time to confront her mother, it was something that must be done. One afternoon, while George was still at his law office, she gathered her courage and approached her mother, who was sitting in the parlor doing embroidery work and humming to herself. When she saw Josie come in, she looked up and smiled at her.

“Hello, Josie. How was school today?” she asked.

Josie didn't want to talk about school. If she were to talk about school, she'd have to tell her mother how much she disliked school and was glad that now that she was eighteen, this would be her last year of it. However, the school talk would have to wait for another time, now she needed to focus on the conversation she needed to have with her mother about George.

“Fine,” was all she said about school before changing the subject. She looked down at her mother's fingers skillfully moving the embroidery needle for a moment before going on.

“Mother, do you have time to talk with me for a few minutes?”

“Why, of course I do, I always have time for you, dear.”

Josie walked in and sat down on the settee next to her mother, smoothing her skirts and looking down into her lap. She was second guessing herself again, but she got this far, she needed to go through with it.

“What is it, Josephine? You looked troubled?”

Josie felt a lump growing in her throat and her eyes were tearing up. She needed to hold herself together. “I am troubled mother, and I can't bear this burden on my own any more. This is just something that is really hard for me to say, I'm not sure how to do it. I don't want to make you sad and I don't want you to hate me.”

“Hate you? There is nothing in this world that would make me hate you! A mother's love is unconditional.”

Josie nodded and smiled. She didn't want to take away her mother's happiness, but she had no other choice.

“Mother, it's about George?”

“George? What about him?”

“He...he...he really makes me uncomfortable.”

“Uncomfortable?”

“Yes, it's how often he stares at me and the way that he looks at me mother, I feel that it isn't an appropriate way for a stepfather to look as his stepdaughter. It's almost as if, well,...it just makes me uncomfortable. And at first it was just the looks, but now, I feel as if he is always trying to find a way to be close to me, to touch me...”

As she spoke, Josie noticed her mother didn't have the look of shock on her face that Josie had expected her to. Instead her jaw was clenched and she listened with no emotion, almost as if....as if she already knew. Josie wondered if her mother had picked up on George's behavior towards her and had kept it to herself.

“Oh, Josie, I think you are mistaking the honest affections of a stepfather to his new stepdaughter. He wants to make you, to make
us
, feel welcomed here. He has gone out of his way to give you everything, a lifestyle most girls your age could only dream of.”

Josie tilted her head and looked her mother straight in the eyes. “I know he's been good to me, and he's been good to you. That's why this is so hard for me mother, after everything you've been through, you of all people deserve happiness. I honestly don't think I'm mistaking his intentions. Do you think that I'm making it up?”

Her mother shook her head. “No, it's not that I think you're making it up, dear, it's that I know you have an active imagination, probably from always having your head buried in a book,” her mother smiled nervously as she spoke.

“Is it possible, Josie,” she went on, “that you are reading too much into this? Because I think that is exactly what is happening here. We owe him so much, child, for everything he's done for us. He is a good man, he treats me like a queen and he has taken you in as if you were his own.”

Josie shivered at the thought. She was
definitely
not his own. She wasn't sure how to take what her mother was saying, it seemed she was just dismissing Josie's concerns. She hoped that her mother didn't think that she
owed
him her own daughter. The very thought was horrifying.

“Henry the eighth treated Anne Boleyn like a queen, too, look where it got her.”

“Josephine, really!”

“It's been getting worse, Mother. I saw him, spying on me, when I was in my room changing.”

“Maybe just thought you heard something, perhaps it was nothing. Why must you assume the worst?”

“Did you hear what I said? I saw him, I saw his eye through a crack in the door, there was no mistaking that he was trying to peek at me while I was undressing. He was a regular peeping Tom. I've never felt so violated in all my life. I'm afraid of him, Mother.”

Her mother was getting agitated. “Afraid of him? Has he ever hurt you? Has he ever laid a hand on me? Do you know how lucky we are to have him? What exaclty would you have me do with this information?”

Josie was heartbroken, this was not how she had hoped this conversation would go. “I just wanted to let you know that it was happening. I guess what I'd like to happen is that I'd like you to speak to him about it, to ask him to stop. I can't take it any longer. You just told me that you loved me unconditionally. Please help me, Mother, I want it to stop.”

“Oh Josie, I do love you unconditionally, always and forever and that's exactly why I will not speak to George about this. Look at where we've come from, everything we've gone through...do you want us to lose it all? Do you want to end up back in that cold, dingy little room at the boardinghouse? Do you want to see me work myself to death cleaning and laundering to save us from living on the streets?”

“Of course not, mother,” Josie said quietly, looking down into her lap. Her eyes were welling with tears. This had been a mistake It had not gone as Josie had hoped.

“Everything I have ever done is for you, Josie, starting when you were born. You were breech and your birth almost killed me, it was physically the most painful thing I've ever endured in my life. It was why I could never have any more children. I nursed you back to health after your father died and then when we'd lost everything, I did everything in my power to provide for us so that I didn't have to leave you at an orphanage.”

Josie didn't know what to say. Though her mother said that she loved her unconditionally, she had chosen George over her. Her cheeks burned as tears silently rolled down over them.

“Mother, if you wish to do nothing about this, that is your choice, but then I'll have to make my choice. I can not stay here anymore.”

Her mothers brows furrowed as she looked at her daughter with confusion. “Whatever do you mean, you can't stay here? Where on earth would you go?”

“Texas.”

“Texas? Of all places, Texas? What, pray tell, is in Texas?” Her mother crinkled her nose as if she smelled something unpleasant.