Not Quite A Mail Order Bride (Mail Order Brides) (11 page)

John led the congregation in prayer, there was a hymn by the worshipers and John made his announcements. “At 2:00, this afternoon we will have a ceremony in the sanctuary uniting Martha Sanders and Luke Hastings in holy matrimony. For those who haven’t met Martha, she is the sister of Sarah Barnette. Following the wedding there will be a reception in the Laramie Hotel. The congregation is invited to attend the ceremony and the reception.

Now let’s all lift our voices in hymn number 78.” Grace began playing
Abide With Me
and the formal services began. After the sermon, Martha and Luke met in the aisle and held hands as they exited the church. Outside, they were the center of attention. Luke was from an old Laramie family and well thought of in the community, even though his ranch was some twelve miles from town. Friends crowded around, introducing themselves to Martha and saying hello to Luke and his sons.

Sarah smiled at Jed and said, “Isn’t this wonderful? Now, I will always have my sister, and our best friend is her husband.” She squeezed his hand and added, “I love you Jedadiah. Without you, none of this could have happened.”

“I can’t take credit for all this, but I love you more than I can tell you,” Jed said.

As the crowd thinned, Luke told Martha, “The boys and I are going to have a light lunch at the cafe and then go to our hotel room. Would you like to join us?”

“I’d like to join you in the hotel room, but not with the boys there,” she said.

“Soon enough honey, soon enough.”

“Grace has fixed a cold lunch for us. You could come too.”

“I think not, it would crowd us for time. I’ll see you at our wedding,” he said, then kissed her on the cheek. Turning, he said, “Come on boys, let’s go.” And they walked down the street to the hotel.

The Ceremony…

The first notes of
The Bridal
Chorus
rang throughout the church. The guests turned as one to look for the bride.

When Martha stepped around the door and looked toward the altar, she saw her husband-to-be at the altar with his best man and the preacher, John Carruthers. Luke was standing there, resplendent in his blue
frock coat
,
with a flower in the lapel. His waistcoat was white, and his trousers were lavender doeskin. His best man, Jed in a frock coat also, though in a more subdued tone stood by him. She was momentarily stunned. As she looked at him, she felt a feeling of peace and love wash over her. “I will never be alone or lonely again. God, I love this man,” she thought.

John Lucas Hastings walked slowly towards the altar, carrying a ring on a small pillow. The bride was three steps behind him on the arm of her father. Luke felt a lump in his throat as he caught his first glimpse. “She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen,” he thought. As she caught his eye, she gave him a mind blowing smile. Bathed in the rays of the sun, it was as if she were glowing. She was a vision dressed in a white wedding gown he had never seen, and carrying a bouquet of roses. The train was carried by Sarah Catherine Hastings.

The procession moved slowly toward the front of the church. Jacob took her hand and placed it in Luke’s. When John asked, “Who gives this woman to be married?” Jacob answered in a strong voice, “Her mother and I do.” He turned and moved to a seat by his wife in the first pew. The ring bearer stepped to the altar and stood by the groom.

The ceremony proceeded, with the bride and groom holding each others hand. As they recited their vows, their eyes never left each other. They both said “I do,” in loud, clear, certain voices. Luke took the ring from John Lucas and placed it on her finger, and John said, “Luke, you may now kiss your bride.” Luke lifted the veil and kissed her gently on the lips. They turned to face their guests as John intoned, “Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you Mr and Missus Luke Hastings.”

From the first row on the groom’s side of the church Will and Jimmy rushed toward them. Will said, “Mama,” with outstretched arms. His new mother hugged him fiercely and did the same with Jimmy.

Grace began the recessional and the bridal party moved to the rear of the church. Martha’s parents, her sister, her niece and nephew followed them. When they passed through the door, Sarah grabbed her and squeezed her tightly. “What a wonderful ceremony,” she said, “and you were gorgeous, Sis.” Her mother had tears in her eye. If you looked very closely, you might have seen a tear in Jacob’s eye also.

Catherine hugged Luke. “Thank you for making my daughter so happy, and thank you for making it possible for us to be here. It means more than you’ll ever know.”

Jacob shook Luke’s hand and said, “Welcome to the family, son.”

Jed shook Luke’s hand heartily. Sarah threw her arms around his neck and kissed him on the lips. “I love you, Luke Hastings. I’ve never had a brother before, but now I do.”

From the steps of the church, Martha threw her bouquet over her shoulder, but was unable to see who caught it.

After signing the necessary papers with John, Martha changed clothes in Grace’s bedroom. She and her new family then walked down the board sidewalk to the Laramie Hotel where between 75 and 100 guests awaited them. After several champagne toasts and helpings of finger sandwiches and cake, Luke led Martha off to the side and said, “I have a room upstairs where I changed. It’s ours for the night. I’ll have one of the hands drive Hetty and the boys home.”

Taking his hands, and looking into his eyes, she said, “If it’s all the same to you, I would like to go home with my husband and my sons and spend my wedding night in my new home. Do you mind?”

“Mind? No, I don’t mind at all. I think that is very thoughtful of you. Now the boys can share in our happiness from the beginning.”

And so it was. The Hastings family rode slowly back to their ranch.

My Wedding Night…

The evening was spent with Will and Jimmy never straying very far from
Martha’s side. Each kept asking if she wanted anything. Luke watched this with a loving eye. His sons were the happiest they had been since their mother’s death. For that matter, so was he.

The boys finally wore themselves out. Luke asked Hetty to take them to bed. First, they both had to hug Martha and say, “Goodnight, Mama.” As they padded off to bed, Luke saw the tears in Martha’s eyes.

“Are you happy, honey?”

“I can’t tell you how much,” she answered. She plopped into his lap and said, “Can we do that ‘kiss the bride’ bit again?”

“Yes we can. I think I can do a better job this time.” The kiss was long and filled with passion. When they broke apart, Luke stood, took his bride in his arms and carried her down the hall to their bedroom and across the threshold. Inside, she stood, and said solemnly, “Would you undress me, slowly, please?”

She stood before him as he slowly removed each piece of clothing. When she was fully revealed to him, he stood back and admired her body with wonder and awe as she pirouetted in front of him. She then undressed him. When he was fully nude, his manhood standing stiffly in front, she moved into his arms. Holding her with her breasts mashed against his muscled chest, he slowly turned her so they could see their reflection in the mirror. As she watched, he slid down, kissing her cheek, her neck and then her breasts.

He took the nipple in his mouth, eliciting an audible gasp from her. Manipulating the nipple with his tongue, he then took as much of the breast as he could into his mouth. Moving to the bed, he slowly lowered her to the turned down bed. He switched breasts, then took both into his mouth. As she lay on her back, his hand had slowly moved down her chest and abdomen and caressed her mound, moving the lips apart, he moved a finger into the recesses of her body and began rubbing it, increasing her passion. She was very moist and inviting.

He moved his head slowly down her chest, kissing and licking as he went. She put her hands on the sides of his head as he moved. She was moving as he traced the outline of her belly button. Her movements increased as he separated the folds with his fingers and began moving his tongue around the edges.

Moving, and undulating her hips, Martha thought, “What is he doing to me? It’s going inside me. Ohhhh, I can’t stand it. A little more over, that’s it, darling, that’s it.” And she lost control of her body. Holding his head tightly she thrust her hips upward, higher, higher with each wave that coursed through her.

Spent, she lay limp, and released his head. He slowly retreated down the same path he had taken. Reaching her mouth, he possessed it, moving his tongue across the ridges of her mouth, and around the edges of her tongue. When her tongue touched his, she could taste herself. She moved her hand and took his shaft in her hand and guided it to her place of treasures. Rubbing it around the edges and then pulling it inside, she released her hand and elevated her hips to get the length of it. Her hands on his hips encouraged him to push it further. He did so as she came up to meet him. He felt her tension increase and felt another climax take her. He could feel her relax, but she kept moving rising and falling to match his rhythm as he pushed his manhood in and out. He felt her tremble as another climax approached. “Wait for me,” he urged. “”Wait for me.”

“You had better hurry,” she panted. His speed increased. “I can’t hold it anymore. It’s coooommmming…” She felt his body tighten as his release came. He pounded her into the mattress as he pumped his juices into her. “I can feel you,” she said as she tightened her muscles and released them as if she was milking him to get the last drop. He collapsed on top of her, their sweat slicked bodies touching from head to toe. His member still inside. For an indeterminate length of time they stayed this way until he felt her begin to move beneath him very slowly. As she continued to move, he felt himself rise to the occasion and moved his hips up and down pushing into her. She wrapped her legs around his hips and held him tightly against her as they climbed this mountain of ecstasy together. As they reached the top and went over the edge, he began filling her cavity as she once again lost control of her body.

Totally spent, they lay beside each other, her head resting against his shoulder. They fell asleep this way. Neither could say how many times they made love that night, but they were totally sated when they fell asleep for the last time,

The next morning as Luke awakened, he opened his eyes to see Martha propped on an elbow watching him. “How long have you been awake,” he asked.

“I don’t know, not too long. I loved watching you sleep,” she said. She took him in her hand and guided him to the magical place. Massaging it until it became erect, she inserted it into her vault and began to move. “Ummm, that feels good,” she said. “Join me?”

“I believe I will,” he said. Ever so slowly they made tender love and finished in a final frenzy together. “You were right. That did feel good,” he said and pulled her against him and then kissed her tenderly. “I love you, Mrs Hastings.”

“And I love you. Now we had better get up before you arouse me again.”

“That would be bad, how?” he asked.

They dressed, each watching the other, then went to the kitchen where breakfast and their sons were waiting.

“You sure slept a long time, Mama,” Will said.

“We sure did, she said as she kissed him and his little brother. “We were really tired.”

Luke stifled a laugh.

It’s the last day of school. The door opens and
Martha stands in the door bidding each student a personal goodbye for the summer. As Clayton Vintner, the last student to leave, save for Will, started out the door, Martha had more of a message for him. “Clayton, I want to compliment you on all of your hard work. I don’t know of any student who worked as hard as you did. You have come a long way since school began. I look forward to the fall term and having you as a student again.” She hugged him and patted him on the shoulder. “You have a good summer and if you need something to read, you come see me.” He colored at the attention and thanked her. She was alone with Will.

“Well, he’s the last except for you. Are you ready to go home too?” she asked.

“Yes, Mama,” he said. She retrieved her things, closed and locked the door. He took her hand, and they walked the short distance home.

That evening at dinner, Luke said, “I have some news for you. We leave for San Francisco one week from today. Can you boys be ready by then?”

“Yes, Papa,” they chorused. “We’ll be ready. Miss Hetty has been getting our things ready.”

“Mama, will you be ready?” asked Will.

“I don’t know,” said Martha. I have so much to do. If I’m not ready you can go on without me. I’ll be all right here.”

“Mama, you have to go. You promised,” said Will.

“Maybe your Papa can help me and I’ll be able to make it,” she said with a smile.

Luke had purchased a new trunk for her things, one for himself, and a separate one for Hetty and the boys. Martha had also gotten a pair of new dresses, but she and Luke were going shopping in San Francisco.

The big day came. They would be gone for two weeks. Luke had made arrangements to stable the horses and put up the carriage while they were away and they walked back to the depot, having dropped the trunks off prior to going to the stable.

The train came in, huffing and puffing clouds of black smoke. Sparks flew from under the big steel wheels as the engineer applied the brakes. It seemed like the engine let out a big sigh as a cloud of steam escaped from beneath the train. Watching closely, Luke ensured their trunks were loaded into the baggage car. He paid the attendant $5 to see to their well being.

Luke had booked two drawing rooms for the trip. Each of the rooms had a small toilet, beds and a chair. There was a large window with shades that could be pulled when the passenger had no desire to see the outside. For now, the boys were crowded against the window so as not to miss anything, as was Hetty. It was her first train trip also. In the adjoining room, Luke and Martha were also looking out the window.

Martha instructed Hetty about the room. “You don’t clean up. The porter will take care of all cleaning and the bedding would be changed daily. He does a very good job, the bathroom too.”

“Miss Martha, where do we get the food?” Hetty asked.

“There is a big dining car with kitchens and everything. It’s all prepared in there and it’s very good.”

“Glory be!” Hetty said. “Two weeks without cooking. I’ll feel like the Queen of Sheba.”

“Remember, your only chore is the boys. You are to enjoy yourself, Hetty. You’ve earned it,” Martha said.

“Yes’m.”

“Mama?” Will asked.

“Yes, Honey, what is it.” she asked.

“
When you pee in the bathroom, where does it go?”

“Why it goes through the little flap at the bottom and out onto the tracks under the train,” she said.

“Even if I poop?” he asked.

“Yes, even if you poop,” she said.

He giggled and went off to tell Jimmy. Hetty had been listening. “Well, I never,” she said.

Martha smiled and went off to tell her husband about the latest lesson his sons had learned.

The trip was just over twenty four hours. Upon arrival, Luke engaged a carriage to take them to the palace Hotel where they would be staying. On the way to the hotel, Will exclaimed, “This is bigger than Cheyenne even.”

Luke, who had never been out of Wyoming agreed. Martha had traveled through New York City and Chicago, smiled. The interior of the Palace Hotel was elegant, far surpassing anything any of them had ever seen. It had electricity as well as indoor plumbing.

In the evening, they marveled at the combination of the gas lamps on the streets, along with electric lamps. Will and Jimmy amused themselves flipping the light switch on and off in their room until Luke found out and put a stop to it.

The days were consumed with sightseeing trips, including one of the wharves where the giant ocean going ships tied up. The view of the Pacific, stretching before them until it disappeared over the horizon, boggled their mind.

One of the highlights for them was a ride on the cable car, where Luke, who had read up on cable cars, described the giant cable that ran beneath the train and pulled it along its way. He explained, “The cable is always moving and when the conductor wants the car to move, he pulls a giant handle causing grips from the car to clamp onto the cable. To stop, he releases the grip.” Luke demonstrated by comparing his hand to the grips and Will’s arm to the cable. “Move your arm back and forth.” He clamped onto Will’s arm and his arm moved in a like manner. When he released his clamping, his arm stopped. “That is how it works.”

Martha said, “Wouldn’t it be nice to tell our class about it when school starts back up.”

“I’m going to do that,” vowed Will. “They won’t believe it.”

Museums, libraries and shopping took up the rest of the time. All too soon their time was up and it was time to head back to Wyoming and home. Much wiser and more worldly than when they had left.

On their last night, Luke took Martha to an elegant restaurant, where they enjoyed a seafood sampler plate. It was the best seafood dinner they had ever eaten. It included, shrimp, oysters, crab and lobster, and clams. They passed on the squid when they found out what it was. All of these were new foods for the couple.

Back at the hotel, it was a night of lovemaking for the couple, more so than any night since their wedding night. Martha started the evening by coming into his arms and kissing him deeply. “Thank you for making my dream come true, ” she said.

“It was my pleasure,” he said.

“Now, for your added pleasure, as well as mine, undress me, take me to bed and make love to me,” she said. He did. Several times.

The next morning the travel weary group boarded the train bound for Laramie and points east. And home.

* * *

After returning to the Twin Bar H from her San Francisco honeymoon, Martha immersed herself in getting to know her two step-sons, though she never thought of them as anything other than her sons. Will was a very bright little boy and a quick learner. His inquisitive mind was always at work.

Through the Laramie School, she was able to order school supplies and books. Studying the materials available, she ordered science, math and history books, along with books for pleasure.

She also began teaching Jimmy to read and write. She devoted three to four hours a day to her educational activities with them. Noticing that Will was spending most of his time with a book, she approached Luke. “I am concerned with Will spending so much of his time with his books. I think it would be good for him if you took him along with you. He should be learning things about the ranch, and the mines. I would like for them to know what you do and how hard you work. I wouldn’t want him to be a Mama’s boy.”

“Honey, I appreciate you getting involved with the boys and their activities. I also appreciate the concern for Will. Do you think he’s old enough to be out on the range with me? It can be dangerous out there,” Luke said.

“How old were you when you began riding and minding the cattle?” she asked.

“I guess I was about Will’s age when Papa gave me a pony and I began to ride. I had to take care of it myself. It’s different now,” he said.”

“How so? Some of the students ride their horses to school by themselves. Will is just as capable as they are if given the chance. Just because he doesn’t have to help doesn’t mean he shouldn’t,” she pointed out.

“Okay, I take your point. He should have a pony and be responsible for taking care of it.”

“I have another question. How do you know how many cattle are here?”

He said, “We don’t really. Since we’re open range, the cattle roam over the spread. Wolves get a few, and maybe the coyotes do, but wolves are the worst in the winter. The Indians steal a few for food, but we don’t mind that as long as it’s reasonable. Twice a year, we have a roundup and cull out the brands other than ours and the owners gets those belonging to them and returns ours. Since we breed in the fall, the calves are born in the spring. At roundup, we brand them, and usually drive them to market in the fall. Occasionally, we will have a drive in the spring, depending on the Army’s needs.”

Listening intently, her brow furrowed, “So someone could be stealing from you and if they kept the numbers down, you wouldn’t know it.”

He said, “No, I guess not. I’ve always looked at it as one of the risks of the business. I’m glad you’re taking an interest in the operation. Now, before you ask, Henry Calhoun monitors the mining operations. He keeps close track of the ore processed by Halliday. He monitors the assay value with reports from the assayer’s office. All royalty payments go to his office and he deposits them, after his commission, in our account at the bank. He does the same thing for Jed. Halliday would be downright stupid to try and cheat us since the contract calls for immediate termination and forfeiture of all equipment and buildings. It would be a major loss for them.”

“Jed and I have talked about not renewing our leases, and taking over the entire operation ourselves, but I’m reluctant to do that. As it is now, Halliday is taking the risk and we get the benefit.”

“You know, Papa is a banker, and I’m somewhat familiar with the banking procedures. Do you monitor your account? Do you have any idea how much is in it or how much should be there?”

“Actually, again the answer is no. You’ve really been giving this some thought, haven’t you?” he asked.

“Well,” she said, “It’s not as if I have a lot to do around here. I just want to share your life.”

Wrapping his arms around her, he planted a big kiss on her lips. “I’m glad you take an interest. It’s just that I’ve never given any thought to the financial end of it. Will always took care of that end and I just went along with it. Since his death, I’ve sort of ignored it.”

“You know I read a lot. All sorts of things. I remember reading about bank failures in Philadelphia in 1893 and Papa being worried about the bank where he worked. He was afraid he might lose his job. There were a lot of bank failures. I bet all of your assets are in the Bank of Laramie. It was held up once. What would happen if there was another holdup and the bank went under? All of your deposits would be lost.”

“We would survive, because we would still have the herd and the mines,” he said.

“And if the copper seam played out?”

“Again, we’d survive because of the herd. You’re just full of dark thoughts, aren’t you?” he asked.

“I’m just playing devil’s advocate here. You know, the “what if” game. My mind has always run to figures,” she said.

He got a devilish grin on his face. “And mine runs to figures too. Yours.” He cupped her breast, and kissed her.

“You stop that,” she said. “We can do that later.”

“Promise?” he asked.

“Yes, I promise.”

“Okay, what do you think we should do?” he asked.

“Let me think about it, “ she said. “I do think you should seriously consider splitting your bank account between banks. That way, if one has a problem, it won’t be catastrophic.”