The Convenient Mail Order Bride (2 page)

Besides that, I will admit you’re quite
lovely to look at. Your picture is very pleasing to the eye.

Heat rose up in her face from the unexpected
compliment. She’d never thought of what it might be like to have a
man tell her she was pretty, but now she knew it was immensely
satisfying. Smiling, she continued reading the missive.

I wish I had a more recent picture of myself
to send you, but alas, I don’t. I do hope, however, seeing even the
younger version of me will give you an idea of what you’ll be
getting into should you choose to marry me.

I’m a hardworking, honest man of reasonable
means. I might not have struck it rich with the gold out here in
the Colorado territory, but I can provide you and your mother a
comfortable living for the rest of your life. The cabin is mine,
and the ten acres is mine as well. There is a nice stream on the
land where you can get water, bathe, and do laundry. From time to
time, I’ll catch fish. Mostly I hunt and grow my own food, and I’m
adept at cooking.

I forgot to mention I have a well. In fact,
I just dug up a new one a year ago, so you don’t have to go back
and forth to the stream each time you want water. I might not have
all the conveniences you probably enjoy back East, but I do live
comfortably. You won’t have to ever want for anything.

I hope you and your mother will consider
coming out here. In case you do, I’ve included two tickets for you
both. From the train station, you will have to take a stagecoach
but I added money for that. If you decide you’d rather marry
another, there’s no need to repay me.

Looking forward to your reply,

Abe Thomas

Phoebe checked the envelope, and sure
enough, two tickets and money were there, and the tickets were set
for three weeks from now. That would certainly be enough time for
her and her mother to get their things in order and pack. It would
also solve their problem on what to do when Phillip’s baby was
born.

She lowered the missive and considered what
her life might be like with him. He sounded like a good, decent man
from what he’d written. But was he the best choice? Maybe he’d
received other replies to his ad. No, that was nonsense. He
wouldn’t have sent her the tickets if he had. Or maybe he had
received other replies but picked her.

At any rate, it wouldn’t make a difference.
The choice was now hers and her mother’s. She stood up just as
someone knocked on the door.

“Come in,” she called out.

The door creaked open and her mother’s head
poked into the room. “I heard you got a reply from one of the men
you sent a letter to.”

“Yes.” Phoebe waved her in. “It’s the one in
the Colorado Territory.”

Her mother came into the room and shut the
door behind her. “What do you think?”

“I think he might be the one. He sounds
really nice, and he said he’s more than happy to provide for both
of us.” She held the letter out to her. “Read it and tell me what
you think.”

“It doesn’t matter what I think. What
matters is what you think. You’re the one who has to marry him and
have his children.”

“I know, but I’d like to hear your
thoughts.”

“Alright.” Her mother chuckled and took the
missive.

As her mother sat down, Phoebe asked,
“You’re back from the doctor’s early. Does that mean he gave you a
good report?”

“Yes, it does. He said I got a strong
constitution, which is good if we’re going to be living far out
West.”

“It is.”

And it was good since most of the ads came
from men out West. Phoebe had worried the trip and poor living
conditions out there wouldn’t be good for her mother and had
insisted on the doctor’s visit, just to be sure.

Phoebe went over to the small window in the
room and looked at the brick street where children were playing.
Women were lingering nearby, talking to their friends, and the
apartments were close together. In her brief reading about the
West, she knew there was much land out there.

People lived far apart from each other,
unless they were in town, and even then, towns were small. It was
nothing like she was used to. There were conveniences she’d have to
give up, like being able to walk to any store she needed or going
to social engagements with her friends. But her friends weren’t any
better off than Phillip. They were all struggling to make ends
meet. It just hadn’t been the same since her pa died.

She would marry one of the men who posted
those ads because she had to. If she could find love in the
process, it’d be all the better. And she thought she could love a
man like the one who’d sent that missive. As for the Colorado
Territory, she didn’t know if she’d like it or not, but she knew
she could adjust to it. She could adjust to anything, really, if
she was surrounded by people she loved.

“He seems like a nice young man,” her mother
said, breaking her out of her thoughts.

Phoebe turned back to her and smiled. “He
does, doesn’t he?” She released her breath. She hadn’t even written
to him to let him know she was coming, and her heartbeat was
already picking up in apprehension. She wasn’t sure what she should
tell him. “Should we wait and see if any more replies come
back?”

“The tickets aren’t until three weeks from
now. If we haven’t received a better reply, we’ll take that as a
sign we’re to go to the Colorado Territory.”

She nodded. It sounded like a good plan. She
saw no reason not to do it. She only hoped if they did go there,
Abe was as good as he sounded on paper.

Chapter Two

Three weeks later

“I
can’t believe you’re leaving,” Phillip told Phoebe at the
train station platform. “Are you sure you’re alright? You look
flushed.”

“I’m a jumble of nerves,” Phoebe admitted,
putting her hand over her stomach where it seemed as if the
butterflies would never stop fluttering wildly. “I can hardly
concentrate.”

Her mother put her arm around her shoulders
and gave her a reassuring squeeze. “It’s a big risk, there’s no
denying that.”

“If it doesn’t work out, you can always come
back,” Phillip told them.

While Phoebe appreciated the sentiment, she
knew it wouldn’t be possible. There was no way he could keep taking
care of her and their mother. He was barely managing as it was. He
was a good brother, always doing whatever he could, but she and her
mother had both decided they wouldn’t come back, no matter what
happened. They’d find another way to make a life out there. That
being the case, it also meant she would never see him, his wife, or
her dear nephew and niece ever again.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she gave
all of them a hug. She couldn’t bring herself to say good-bye,
though they all knew it was happening. Saying it would only make
her cry, and she didn’t want to do that until she was on the
train.

“I’ll send a missive when I get there,” she
said after she cleared her throat.

“We both will,” her mother added.

“You’re very brave to do this,” Beatrice
told Phoebe. “I don’t know if I’d have as much courage.”

Phoebe clasped her hands. “I’m sure you
could if you had to, but,” glancing at Phillip, she smiled, “you’ll
never have to. You two are steadfast and true.”

“I hope your marriage will be a good one,”
Beatrice replied, her voice soft.

Phoebe hoped so, too, but she was too afraid
to say it aloud. She took a deep breath and released it. “Let me
know the baby’s name and birthday. Ma and I will send the little
one something special.”

“I will.”

Phoebe hugged her niece and nephew again,
this time telling them to be good and obey their parents.

The conductor announced it was time to board
the train. Forcing down the nervous flutter of butterflies in her
stomach, Phoebe made another promise to write to them then led her
mother to the train.

Abe had been thoughtful in giving them good
seats in the passenger car. They would have a comfortable ride out
West, and while a part of her couldn’t deny the sense of adventure
that waited for her, another part was terrified she was making the
biggest mistake of her life. This was a huge moment. She was about
to meet the man she’d marry. This would be the man she’d have
children and grow old with. He’d be a big part of her life. And to
think she hadn’t even met him yet.

“You’ll be fine,” her mother assured her,
placing her hand over hers. “Deep down, I can feel it.”

Phoebe forced herself to smile. She hoped
her mother was right. There was nothing more she wanted than to
look back on this moment a year from now and be grateful she took
such a risk. And maybe she would. Maybe this would be the best
thing that ever happened to her.

***

Upon her arrival at the small town in the
Colorado Territory, Phoebe had the sinking sensation her decision
to come out West was the worst one she’d ever made.

“What do you mean Abe Thomas isn’t expecting
me?” she asked Carl Richie, who’d met them at the stagecoach.

At least Carl had the decency to look
contrite as he said, “I wrote the ad and the letter on his
behalf.”

Of all the scenarios that had played out in
her mind during her trip, not a single one prepared her for
this.

Phoebe glanced at her mother, whose eyes
were wide in horror, then turned her gaze to the few buildings and
dirt road that made up the town stuck in the middle of a bunch of
trees. Only a couple of people loitered on the boardwalk where the
stagecoach had dropped her, her mother, and their trunks off. That
stagecoach was still there, but neither she nor her mother had the
money to buy a ride back to the train to take them back home.

Phoebe turned her gaze back to the man.
“Since that’s the case, you’ll be paying for us to go back to
Ohio.”

If she wasn’t in such a state of shock, she
might be suitably upset with him. But as it was, the shock was
holding her in place, preventing her from acting in a very
unladylike manner.

“I sort of used all my money to get you out
here,” Carl explained with what he probably thought was an adorable
shrug.

She, however, found nothing adorable about
it.

“But he needs a wife,” Carl quickly said, as
if this made up for everything. “He’s been by himself on ten acres
and a large cabin. He has more than enough room for you and your
ma.”

“He might have enough room for us, but what
if he doesn’t want us?” Phoebe snapped, finally getting angry
enough to let him know she wasn’t at all happy about this. He might
have thought it was a good idea to lie, but she didn’t. And she
seriously doubted Abe Thomas would either when he found out. “You
never even bothered to ask if he wanted you to place the ad for
him,” she added.

“Oh, he’ll want you when he sees you,” he
replied, scanning her up and down with more interest than he had a
right to. “You’re prettier than any other lady around for miles.
Why, if I weren’t married, I’d consider hauling you off to my home
right now.”

Once more, a spark of anger shot right
through her, and this time she didn’t snap at him. This time, she
smacked him on the head with her drawstring purse.

“Ow!” His hand went up to his head just
before his hat fell off. “What’d you do that for?” He picked his
hat up. “I was paying you a compliment.”

“Some compliment,” her mother said, giving
him a good whack with her own purse. “You were undressing her with
your eyes. You have no business doing that since you’re not Abe
Thomas.”

“It’s as Ma said. No business at all,”
Phoebe replied, thankful she had her mother here with her. At least
they could put their heads together and come up with a plan on what
to do next. “I believe we have better things to do with our time
than talk to this crow.” And that was exactly what he looked like
with those beady little eyes and the large nose and wiry dark hair.
“I’m glad you’re not Abe Thomas,” she told him. “Someone as pretty
as me can’t be mismatched with someone like you.”

A round of chuckles caught her attention.
She spun around in time to see a tall, imposing man heading her
way. She narrowed her eyes at him when she noticed the doors to the
nearby saloon doors swinging. He wasn’t drunk, so she guessed he
owned the place. After all, the owner made money off of getting men
drunk, not from drinking.

Well, he’d better not think she’d be willing
to offer her services in a soiled place like that. She’d heard
horror stories of women who had to offer their bodies for a piece
of bread out West. Such a thing would never happen to her. Even if
she had to scrub outhouses, she’d never be a prostitute.

“You might as well get out of here, Carl,”
the man said. “You’ve caused enough trouble already.”