The Convenient Mail Order Bride (15 page)

Both men stopped fighting and looked at the
entrance of the barn. Lydia held a rifle up to her eye, and Abe
couldn’t tell if she was aiming it at him or Carl.

“Both of you stop acting like children and
get up,” she said, the breeze blowing her disheveled red hair
around her face.

Abe shoved Carl back onto the floor then
stood up. When he noticed she was aiming the gun at him, he walked
up to her and stopped, giving her a clear shot. “If you’re going to
shoot, get it over with.”

To his surprise, she lowered the gun and
laughed. “Why would I do that? You make my husband miserable.”

Abe glanced back at Carl, who hadn’t
bothered to get up from the floor. Instead, Carl refused to look at
either one of them as he wiped his bloody nose. He knew Carl didn’t
have a good marriage, but until today, he’d underestimated just how
bad things were between him and his wife.

“Get on out of here,” Lydia told him,
gesturing to his wagon.

Under normal circumstances, Abe would have
pressed the issue about the stream and land, but given what he’d
learned, something in him lost heart. He was going to get the
property back. There was no denying that. But he couldn’t bring
himself to keep up the fight right now.

“Fine,” Abe finally replied. “I’m
going.”

Then, without another look at either Carl or
his wife, Abe headed for his wagon.

Chapter Fourteen

“N
o, I’m not going to ask her to speak to you,” Phoebe heard
Eric tell Enoch from the other room.

Phoebe shifted on the chair and glanced at
her mother, who looked as if she was ready to doze off. Phoebe
couldn’t blame her. They’d been waiting for almost an hour, and Abe
was still gone.

“I don’t want to hurt her,” Enoch protested.
“I want to apologize.”

“You scared her,” Eric replied. “You can’t
expect her to see you.”

“Well, can’t you ask?”

“No. In the future, just make sure you don’t
do something like that again.” Then, after a moment, Eric added,
“To any woman. I don’t care who she is. Women deserve to be treated
with respect.”

“I know, and I’ll do that from now on. I
promise.”

Phoebe couldn’t be sure, but she thought she
heard Enoch’s voice waver, as if he was trying not to cry. Maybe it
was a foolish action on her part, but she rose to her feet and left
the security of the small room.

She saw Eric sitting at his desk, flipping
through some papers. Not far from her were three cells, two of
which were occupied. One was occupied by Benny, of course, who was
lying down on his cot with his eyes closed. In the other was Enoch,
who was sitting on the cot with his face in his hands.

Eric glanced up at her. “Do you need
something?”

Enoch looked up, and her gaze met his. He
looked as if he was truly sorry for what he’d done. She had no
proof of it, of course, but she figured she’d give him the
opportunity to tell her what was on his mind.

Gathering her courage, she turned her
attention back to Eric and said in a low voice, “I’ll talk to
Enoch.”

Eric’s eyebrows furrowed as he set the
papers down. “Are you sure you want to do that?” he asked. “You
don’t owe it to him.”

“I know I don’t,” she replied. She couldn’t
fully explain why she felt compelled to do it, except she sensed
this might be a turning point for Enoch, that somehow, he’d be
better for it. “I want to,” she finally added.

“Alright,” Eric consented. “But if he gives
you any grief, let me know and I’ll deal with him.”

She nodded then went over to Enoch, her
steps slow. It was hard not to remember the smell of alcohol on his
breath and the way he’d cornered her in the store, but she pushed
through the memories and stopped in front of him.

He didn’t look so scary now. In fact, he
seemed more like a lost boy. The alcohol had long since left his
system, and though he hadn’t bathed in who knew how long, he made
an attempt to smooth his hair before he got on his knees in front
of her.

“Miss Durbin,” he said, looking up at her,
“I’m sorry. Really, I am. I wish I could take back what I did. I’m
not asking for your forgiveness. I just want you to know I’m going
to give up drinking and live better.”

She debated how to respond for several
moments then decided on, “If you are truly sorry, then the best way
to show me that is to do as you said. Clean up your life. Stop
drinking alcohol. Be a good husband to your wife. Don’t take
another step back into the saloon.”

“I won’t. I promise. I learned the error of
my ways, Miss Durbin.”

Only time would tell if he meant it, but for
the time being, she decided she’d give him the benefit of the
doubt. “Thank you. I forgive you, Enoch.”

The relief on his face touched her. Maybe
being in jail had its desired effect on him. She certainly hoped
so.

From the other cell, Benny snorted, but he
kept his eyes closed.

Deciding to ignore Benny, she offered Enoch
a smile then headed back to the small room. Her steps slowed as she
passed Eric. She hesitated to ask him what was on her mind. Abe
seemed to know him better than anyone else.

He glanced up from his papers. “Is there
something you wish to discuss?”

Making sure her mother was still nodding off
to sleep, she said, “Yes, there is. Can we do it outside where no
one can hear us?”

He indicated that would be fine and followed
her out of the building. “What’s on your mind?”

She wasn’t sure how to ask her question.
Maybe it was best to just blurt it out. She took a deep then
proceeded with, “Is it a mistake for me to marry Abe?” There. She
said it. She exhaled and waited for him to respond.

“Do you want to marry him?”

“Yes. He’s funny and nice. He’s been taking
good care of me and my mother. I don’t see how any other man would
be any better.”

“If that’s the case, then why are you asking
me if you should marry him?”

“Given what’s happened to me with Enoch and
Benny, he thinks it’s in my best interest to take my mother and
leave.”

Eric placed his hands on his hips as he
considered Abe’s argument. “I’ll tell you my opinion, and you can
do what you will. Yes, there are bad people here. Abe’s had a hard
life, and a lot of people will never accept him. Not only is he
half-Indian, but his mother was his father’s mistress. Those are
two strikes against him, and he has no control over them. The very
fact that you’re associated with him is going to make things
difficult for you, at least for the time being.”

“But…?” Phoebe prompted, sensing there was
more he wanted to say.

“But not everyone in town is bad. There are
a few good people here. And the way I see it, the more good people
we have here, the better our chances are of this town being a place
a person can be proud to live in. Progress takes time. It’s not
going to happen overnight. But what if there were more people like
you and your mother here? If someone bolts as soon as things get
tough, they’ll lose any influence they can have.” He paused then
nodded toward the jail. “If Enoch does as he promised you, if he
cleans up his act and gets right with his wife, that will be one
more person in this town who’s made a change for the better. Maybe
I’m too optimistic for my own good, but I like to believe things
don’t always have to be the way they currently are.”

“I hadn’t thought of it that way,” Phoebe
replied.

“But you shouldn’t stay here just because I
can see how you’d make this town a better place. You have a right
to think of what’s best for you and your mother. Abe has a valid
concern. Life would be easier for you if you were in a more
civilized place.”

She thanked him and watched as he headed
back into the jailhouse. He’d given her a lot to think about. She
should make this decision with her head. It’d be the most sensible
thing to do. But her heart unwittingly thought back to what Abe had
told her earlier that morning.

It’s about Carl getting his hands on gold
that might or might not be in the stream. People die for gold,
Phoebe. I had aunts, an uncle, and grandparents I never knew
because of it. Do you honestly think I want to lose you over it,
too?

He wouldn’t have said that last part if he
didn’t care about her. People only worried about losing things they
wanted to keep. Abe was willing to let her go because he believed
it was in her best interest. She, however, wasn’t so inclined to
agree with him. Abe was a good man who’d seen more than his share
of grief in life. While she couldn’t begin to fully understand the
pain he’d been through, she felt they belonged together.

Do you honestly think I want to lose you
over it, too?

Her heart warmed as she recalled the words
he’d spoken in haste. He probably wasn’t aware he’d revealed his
feelings for her, but she was and it stirred up emotions deep
within her she’d never experienced before. Was this what love was
like? She’d never been in love back in Ohio, so she had nothing to
compare this feeling to. All she knew was that it was wonderful,
and she didn’t think she could ever feel it for anyone else.

Her mother called out her name, and Phoebe
turned her attention to the entrance of the jailhouse. “What are
you doing out here by yourself?” her mother asked, coming over to
her.

“Oh, I wanted to talk to Eric without Enoch
or Benny listening,” she replied. “Ma, do you like it here?”

“You know I do.”

“Even with things the way they are? With us
being unable to be in town alone?”

“There are sacrifices we’d have to make
wherever we go,” her mother said. “No place is going to be perfect.
You just need to learn to be content with wherever you are.”

“And you’re content here?”

“Yes, I am. I miss your brother and his
family. I think of them every day. But I have you, and I’ve grown
fond of Abe. He’s a good man. I can tell he wants to marry you.
He’s just letting fear of being vulnerable getting in the way.”

Her ears perking up, Phoebe pressed, “How
can you tell he wants to marry me?”

Her mother chuckled. “A mother knows when a
man takes an interest in her daughter. His gaze lingers on you
longer than it should, and he’s made it a point to wash up every
day. He wasn’t quite so tidy when we first arrived.”

Do you honestly think I
want to lose you over it, too?
Phoebe, once
again, recalled him asking earlier that day. Looking at her mother,
she asked, “Is it wise to stay in a place where your safety isn’t
guaranteed even if you love someone?”

Her mother offered her an understanding
smile and rubbed her back the way she’d often done when Phoebe was
a little girl. “That’s a decision only you can make.” When Phoebe
frowned in disappointment, her mother added, “Perhaps the better
question is, is it worth it to stay in a place where you are safe
if you don’t love the person you’re with. I’ll go wherever you
want, and I’ll stay wherever you want. You needn’t worry about me.
I can be happy no matter where we are. I just want to make sure you
are, too.”

“I was hoping I’d get a chance to see you
again!” someone called out.

Surprised, Phoebe turned in time to see an
old woman hurrying over to them, a container in her arms. It was
the same woman who’d waved to them on their way to see Travis last
week.

The woman stopped in front of them and
grinned. “I can’t run as fast I used to.”

“You seemed pretty fast to me,” Phoebe’s
mother said. “I’m sure I saw you kicking up some dirt on the way
here.”

The woman laughed. “I like your sense of
humor.”

“Well, I won’t stop having one until I’m in
the grave,” her mother replied.

“Me neither. And I’m in no hurry to go
there. I got my best days ahead of me.”

“I do, too. This is my daughter, Phoebe, and
I’m Vivian. You can call me Viv.”

“I’m Lois.”

“Nice to meet you, Lois.”

Phoebe followed the sentiment with a
greeting of her own just as Eric came back out of the
jailhouse.

“Good to see you, Lois,” Eric said. “I was
going to suggest Abe take these two ladies to meet you when he came
back, but I see you beat me to it.”

“Oh, I had nothing else to do, and I got all
these cookies that need to be eaten.” Lois lifted the lid, and
Phoebe smelled the freshly baked goodies. “I usually make some for
Eric, but I don’t think he’ll mind.” She gave him a wink.

He chuckled. “No, I don’t mind at all. But
maybe we ought to go inside.” He looked at Phoebe and her mother.
“I think Abe would feel better if you were in that little room off
to the side of my office when he comes back.”

“He’s right,” Phoebe’s mother said.
“Besides, it’d be more comfortable if we’re sitting as we get
better acquainted.”

“Lead the way,” Lois replied.