Mail Order Mistake (4 page)

With only two days to go before the trip, Malinda, Ellen and Harriett sat finishing
up the sewing.  Malinda was putting the last of the tiny details onto the wedding
dresses while Harriett and Ellen made new aprons for each of them.  Malinda had no
idea why she’d need an apron, being married to a banker, but she wouldn’t protest.

Harriett had been true to her word, working with them every afternoon.  Malinda was
amazed at how efficient Harriett was, if not good with the smallest details.  With
her help, they’d accomplished more than they’d dreamed they could in a short amount
of time.  They had a trunk full of pretty new dresses instead of the old worn out
dresse
s
they’d moved into Harriett’s house with.

It was as she sat and sewed tiny intricate details into the bodice of her sister’s
wedding dress that she realized she really was a better seamstress than Ellen.  Ellen
had left the hardest parts for her to do, while she and Harriett had made the items
that didn’t matter quite as much.  For the first time, Malinda felt some pride in
her skills.  She’d never felt like she was good at anything, and now suddenly she
knew she was. 

Ellen smiled at her sister.  “You’ve always dreamed of riding on a train.  Are you
excited about the trip?”

Malinda looked at her and shrugged, partially with confusion.  She hadn’t dreamed
of riding on a train since she was seven or eight.  Did he
r
sister really know so little about her?  “I think it will be fine.  Honestly, I’m
more nervous about being married than excited about riding a
train.”

“I’m just really glad we’ll be together.  Maybe you can help me put the finishing
touches on all my dresses.  I’m so envious of what an excellent seamstress you are. 
I taught you to sew, and you’ve way surpassed my skill.”
  Ellen spoke excitedly, as if she were thrilled with the work Malinda was able to
do.

Malinda flushed with pleasure at the words.  Ellen complimented her a lot, but this
was the first time she felt like the compliment was deserved.  “I’ll help in any way
I can.”

Ellen smiled.  “I know.  You’re a good sister.”

“And you can help me learn to be the perfect hostess.”
  Why did she suddenly hate the idea of being a hostess?  She’d enjoyed the few parties
she’d been to and had always thought she’d like to host her own, but now that it was
suddenly looming in her future, she hated the idea.

“You’re a lot better with people than I am, Malinda.  I mean, I talk to strangers
easier than you do, but you really get people to open up and tell you things in a
way I never could.  I wish I was as good at that type of thing as you are.”

Malinda smiled slightly.  She wished she believed that one.  “You know, as much as
I fear being poor, I don’t know how well I’ll do at being a pampered wife of a banker. 
I guess if I work hard enough at it, I could get used to it.  Being able to read all
I want thrills me, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle the rest of it.”  She
shrugged.  “We’ll see.  And if no one else in the town likes me at least I’ll have
my sister there.”

“
Everyone will like you, but y
ou’ll always have your sister no matter what.”

Malinda nodded.  She almost wished she could back out and find some other way to make
things work, but she knew Ellen wouldn’t back out now.  She always kept her word. 
She was good that way.  Malinda wouldn’t let Ellen go without her, so she’d get on
that train and go to Colorado and marry some boring stodgy banker and have a couple
of children.  She only hoped it would be as perfect there as Ellen seemed to think
it would be.

*****

Harriett went to the train station with them, and Malinda hugged her with tears in
her eyes.  She’d had friends in school, of course, but she’d never felt as close to
another woman as she had to Harriett.  She was close to Ellen, but it was in a different
way.  She promised to write her as soon as they arrived so she k
new
they were okay.

She was going to truly miss her and hated knowing she’d be alone again after they
were gone.  “You need to get out and meet people,” she whispered to Harriett as she
hugged her.

Harriett nodded with tears in her eyes.  “I’ll try.”

Malinda sighed.  “It’s not good for you to spend all your time at home working.  Make
some friends so you can sit around and laugh at all the letters you get from your
brides.”

“I’m going to miss you so much!” Harriett whispered.

Harriett stood watching long after the train had disappeared around the bend.  She
needed to make some changes in her life, and she knew it.  Being a recluse at twenty
eight wasn’t good for anyone.  But how? 

*****

Ellen and Malinda
had to switch trains in St. Louis, but it didn’t end up being as difficult as the
two women had worried it would be.  Once they were settled on the train headed for
Denver, Malinda let out a brief sigh of relief.  “I was certain we would get lost
in St. Louis and end up stuck there for the rest of our lives.”
  She rolled her eyes laughing at herself.

Ellen grinned at her.  “I was worried about the exact same thing.”

“You never worry!”
  Malinda stared at Ellen in disbelief.  Ellen always knew exactly what she wanted
and how to get it.  There was no way she worried about anything.

Ellen laughed.  “I can’t believe you think that.  I worry all the time!”

Malinda eyed her skeptically.  “About what?”

“Well, right now I’m worried that I lost all my money while we were in St. Louis and
now that the train has left, I won’t be able to eat until we get to Denver.”  She
quickly checked her string purse which was tied around her wrist.  “Oh, good.  Don’t
have to worry about that one anymore.  I worry that Wesley will see me and send me
straight back to Beckham.  I worry that
the men are really crazed mountain men who would do anything to take a bride home.
  They’ll have long gray beards that go down to their belts, and they won’t have bathed
in at least six months.  We won’t be able to handle the stench coming off of them
unless we stand down wind.
  I worry that I’ll be gray before my time from all the worrying I do.”

Malinda giggled.  “You do worry.”  She sighed.  “I’m worried that I’ll see Patrick
and get so scared I won’t even be able to talk to him.”  She looked down at her hands. 
“I’m worried that I’ll be a terrible wife.”
  The last words were whispered as if they were some dreadful secret she was sharing.

Ellen shook her head.  “Of course you won’t be a terrible wife.  You’re a good person,
and you’ll work at it.”  She shrugged.  “We’re both going to have to work at being
good wives, because we don’t know what the men will expect.  Everyone wants something
different from a mate, right?”

Malinda stared out the window as she answered.  “But what if I can’t let him, well,
you know?”
  She blushed.  She’d done her best not to even think about what would be expected
of her in bed since Harriett had talked to her about it.  It sounded so personal and
embarrassing.  How could anyone let a man do
that
to them?

Ellen smiled.  “I’m worried about that, too.  We’ll be fine.  We know that women are
supposed to do as their husbands tell them and we know that’s part of being married. 
We’ll just do it and all will be fine.”

“I don’t know if I can.”
  Malinda’s eyes met Ellen’s trying to convey how truly worried she was about the
subject.

Ellen squeezed Malinda’s hand.  “You can.   You don’t have to know you can, because
I know it.”

“So what
you’re telling me
is you’re just as nervous about all of it as I am, but you just hide it better?”
  Could that be true?  Ellen was as nervous about this as she was?

Ellen nodded.  “I hide it really well.  After Mother died and teaching you to take
care of housework became my responsibility, all I could think was that you wouldn’t
learn a thing.  You did, though.  You’ve become really good at most household tasks. 
I’m really proud of the woman you’ve become.”

Malinda rested her head on her sister’s shoulder, something she hadn’t done in years. 
“I’m so glad I’m not doing this alone and you’re here to hold my hand.”
  She knew deep in her heart
that
she couldn’t have gotten on the train and headed West on her own.  Without her sister,
she would have turned back long ago.

“I couldn’t do it alone.  Without you?  I’d have turned tail in St. Louis and headed
back home right then.”

“You would not!”
  But she’d been thinking she would have.  Could her strong sister be as nervous and
afraid as she was?  Was it possible?

“Of course, I would have.  Do you think traveling across our entire country to meet
a total stranger and marry him the next day comes naturally to me?  Or anyone?  It
doesn’t.  It requires so much more courage than I would ever be able to find without
you beside me.”

Malinda eyed her sister.  
Does she really have all those doubts?  She’s so much more confident than I am.  There’s
no way she’s as afraid
as
me.  Is there?

Chapter Three

Malinda clutched
Ellen’s hand and stared out over the crowd.  “Do you see them?”
  She asked anxiously. 
What if they forgot them or got the day wrong and they were stuck on the platform? 
They had some money left, but not very much.  Would it be enough for a night in a
hotel?  What would they do if it wasn’t?

Ellen shook her head.  “Not yet.  I thought being in front of the platform like this
they would be easy to spot, but they’re not.”
  Both of them were scanning through the crowd hoping they could find the two men
among the masses of people.

Malinda’s eyes caught sight of two tall dark men walking toward them.  One of them
was slightly shorter than the other but more muscular, and something about the way
he walked toward her told her he was her Patrick.  She couldn’t take her eyes off
of him even long enough to see what his brother looked like.  Why would she even care? 

Her heart started pounding in anticipation.  She had never seen such a handsome man. 
Somehow, this man was better than all others.  She didn’t know how yet, but she knew
he was.  All of her worries vanished as he walked straight to her.

He walked to her and his hands caught her at the waist, gently lifting her down to
the ground to stand in front of
him
.  One finger traced the line of her cheek.  His brown eyes twinkled as they stared
into hers.  “I’m so glad you’re finally here.”
  His voice was deep and low.  She was surprised she could hear it over the crowd,
but it was no problem at all.

She stared at him amazed.  He was the best looking man she’d ever seen in her life. 
He had hair the color of cho
colate
and his eyes seemed to dance with life.  He had a dimple in his right cheek that was
so sweet she found she had to make him smile just to see it again.  “I’m happy to
be here.”  Was that whispery voice really hers?
  She had never kissed a man in her life, but she wanted to kiss him.  Could his lips
really be as soft as they looked?  He was clean-shaven, which made her happy.  She’d
always picture
d men out West as having beards
and she knew he’d look good in a beard, but she was thrilled he didn’t have one.

He took her hand and pulled it through his arm, walking with her away from the platform. 
She could think of nothing bu
t this wonderful man beside her
and the fact that fate had delivered him into her
hands.
  She wanted to rub her cheek against his shoulder, just to feel the muscles th
ere.  She knew it wasn’t polite
though, so she kept up her slow pace beside him, staring straight ahead like a lady.

When they reached the carriage, he helped her into the backseat and she simply sat
drinking in his looks.  She could think of nothing to say as she stared.  He’d probably
think she was the biggest idiot alive, but she didn’t care.  He was the most beautiful
man she’d ever seen.

He took her hand in his and pressed his lips to the back of it.  “All my life, I’ve
dreamed of having a woman like
you at my side.  Now I realize
I wasn’t looking for just any woman.  God made you just for me.”
 

She’d felt the same way from the instant she’d seen him.  Was it possible they were
meant for each other?  She wished he would kiss her hand again, because she’d forgotten
to pay attention to how soft his lips were.  I
t wouldn’t be polite to ask him
though, so she sat looking up at him. 
Malinda blushed prettily, unable to comprehend this man felt the same for her as she
did for him.  How was it possible?  Harriett must be a genius to send her to this
man.  How could she have been worried about a single thing?