Authors: Catherine Woods
Romance: Western Mail Order Bride "Bethany's Love"-Clean Christian Historical Romance (Western Mail Order Bride Short Shorties Series) (155 page)
Chapter 9
The native man went back to his tribe and a week later they brought us fresh fruits and vegetables from their gardens. They thanked us and James and I even made a new trade deal with them. Now our little town would be able to get fresh native fruits and vegetables as well as pelts.
We were seen as heroes in Billings, though that didn’t really matter much to us. We’d managed to save a life and that was good enough for us. After all, a human life was a life. We were happy to treat anyone, no matter their creed or race.
Soon after the pact with the Indians was made, we were married. It was a fine summer day and I can still remember the smell of fresh rain in the air. We never left Billings and spent our honeymoon caring for others. Maybe some people would have hated to work on their honeymoon, but James and I adored it. Medicine was what brought us together and it only seemed right that healing the sick would work its way into our honeymoon.
Six months after the wedding I discovered I was with child. James was excited but nervous and while I couldn’t blame him, I needed him to relax a little. He tried to set strict rules about how much I could work, but that didn’t really work for me. I loved my job and I wanted to continue serving the people of Billings for as long as I physically could.
Thomas was learning how to walk and the threat of winter was just around the corner. We weren’t entirely sure when the baby would be born, thought it was a good guess that it would be the end of winter or beginning of spring. Oh how exciting it would be to have a spring baby!
James and I were sitting on a blanket in one of the open fields, watching a group of young men and women put on a play. There were people from all over the world in Billings, and in the early winter, different people from different cultures would put on plays or tell stories from their motherlands. It was a fun thing to do and it always made me laugh.
James glanced at me as I bounced Thomas on my knee. Slowly he started to put his arm around me but seemed hesitant. I looked over at him and chuckled softly.
“We’re married, James. You can put your arm around me.”
He chuckled and nodded, pressing his lips to my temple. “I know. It still just seems…unreal,” he explained, looking at me closely.
He reached out and stroked my cheek and I sighed softly as I leaned into it. “What do you mean unreal?”
“I feel so fortunate. So amazingly lucky to have met you.”
“It was not luck, darling.”
He chuckled and nodded. “You’re right. The good Lord brought you to me and together we’ve really made a difference, haven’t we?” he asked, rocking both me and Thomas gently.
I hummed and closed my eyes a moment, enjoying the warm summer breeze and the rocking moment. “I like to think that we have,” I murmured, looking up at him and smiling.
“Can I tell you something?”
“Of course, I’m your wife.”
He looked at me intently. “I was losing faith before you came into my life. I couldn’t understand how God could take away a woman like Riley. I couldn’t understand why I was being punished, so I always did my best to take care of others and it just, it didn’t make sense that God would be punishing me.”
I listened intently, wanting to give him the chance to vent and let it all out. He took a breath and leaned down to kiss my forehead. “Then you came into my life and I started to understand that it doesn’t always make sense.” He paused. “Sometimes we just have to leave things in God’s hands so that he can lead us down the right path.”
I turned and smiled at him. “I’m glad I did.”
He cupped my cheek. “Me too. I don’t know what I’d do without you, Sara.”
“Well, we never have to think of that. I’m here and I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”
He pressed his forehead to mine and I swore I could see heaven in his eyes. “I love you,” he whispered.
“I love you more.”
THE END
Chapter 1
Noemie Radford had always enjoyed riding horses. It was in her blood, urging her to feel the wind on her face, explore new and hidden places, even if they were only across the hill that was overlooking her parents’ house. When she was a sweet little girl of only eight, her father surprised her with a gift that she had long yearned for: a filly of her very own. When Noemie saw her for the first time, she thought that this dainty little thing, shaking like a leaf in the wind, with its branch-like legs that were barely able to prop itself up, let alone be ridden by someone, could never take her to faraway places that she wanted to see and experience.
But Noemie was wrong. The dainty little filly grew up to become the most beautiful horse on their entire ranch, and several times her father had gotten very tempting offers to buy her. Not that he’d ever do such a thing. Especially knowing that Noemie would never forgive him if he sold Butterfly. Though, as luck would have it, or, rather, misfortune, her father cursed every single day when this opportunity presented itself to him and he didn’t take it.
One morning, as Noemie was on one of her usual rides over the meadows and through the hills, a wolf jumped in front of them. Noemie was caught completely off guard, knowing very well that no wolves lived in these parts, which was exactly why she was always so confident about being alone on horseback when taking this path quite far away from her home. Unfortunately, it seemed that this lone wolf had lost its way and was now frightened and confused. A terrible combination that would make anyone, man or animal, extremely dangerous, and Noemie knew this very well.
The wolf bared its teeth, signaling an attack, and naturally, Butterfly started stepping backwards in an effort to create more of a distance between her and the danger, buying her some time before she figured out what to do. They could start running, but Noemie knew well that a wolf could run almost as fast as a horse, depending on how hungry it was. She didn’t want to take the chance of finding out, but at the same time, her brain seemed to have frozen and she just couldn’t think of anything to do to protect herself and Butterfly.
The wolf, on the other hand, had no such worries. He knew exactly what he wanted to do. Growling even more frighteningly now, he approached Butterfly, one slow and deliberate step at a time, knowing well that it was just a matter of time before his feast started. He was obviously hungry, and Butterfly could feel it.
When the wolf jumped, Butterfly did the same, feeling the wolf’s sharp bite on her hind leg, and all three came tumbling down. Noemie could feel the devastating weight of the horse on top of her, as the wolf released his deadly grip and was signaling for another attack, which was fortunately prevented by a gunshot. The wolf’s ears pricked up and, bearing his teeth one last time, in complete rage that he hadn’t gotten his way, he retreated back into the forest, leaving both the horse and the girl squirming on the ground.
“Are… are ya alright, Miss?” A male voice addressed Noemie, but she could barely hear it. She was on the verge of losing consciousness. The heavy body of her favorite horse was lifted off of her.
“Oh my God! We need to get ya to the hospital right now!” Those were the last words she heard before she closed her eyes and it all went blank.
When she finally managed to open them again, she was back home, in her own bed. The sheets smelled of the soap her mother used, and the scent soothed her. Around her, she could see the smiling faces of her family and friends, though something was wrong with their smiles. It was like they were being forced to smile, like they were hiding a terrible secret that she alone didn’t know yet.
“Pa?” She managed to whisper, looking around her. It was all still hazy.
“I’m here, hun.” She could hear his voice, but she couldn’t see him. Approaching from behind, several other faces appeared.
“Pa, what happened?” It was all a blur. She remembered going riding with Butterfly as always, but something had gone wrong. She remembered glaring teeth and blood. So much blood.
“You had a ridin’ accident, hun.” Her dad seemed to be picking his words carefully, which wasn’t how he usually spoke. “Ya ran into a stray wolf and he spooked poor Butterfly.”
“Is she OK?” Noemie propped herself up in bed, ready to rush to the stables and make sure that Butterfly was safe and sound. Her dad looked at his wife, nervously.
“She’s still in shock and her leg’s badly hurt, but she’ll be just fine. Not to worry. You just rest now.”
“Will I be able to ride to her again?” Noemie asked.
“Afraid not. The ligaments were brutally torn, and even though they’ll heal, Butterfly will never run like she used to. Be best if she didn’t have the extra weight of a rider on top of ‘er.” His voice was solemn, but Noemie knew that this hurt him almost as much as it hurt her.
“But, we’re more worried about you, darlin’.” it was the sweet voice of her mother.
“What is it, ma?” Noemie looked at her. “What happened?”
Her mother looked at her father for support.
“Can everyone just give us some privacy, please?” Suddenly, she addressed all the other faces in the room, present but silent. They all left, leaving the three alone. Noemie knew this was a bad sign. She was afraid of what she might hear.
“The doctor said…” her mother started, with a heavy voice. “That when Butterfly fell on top of you, she fell in such a way that… well, she hurt you badly.” She was looking for words that a fourtee
n‐
yea
r‐
old girl could understand.
“But, I’m not in any pain!” Noemie exclaimed, thinking that it just couldn’t be so. If she was hurt badly, how come she didn’t feel it?
“Well, the doctor gave ya some meds,” her father added. “That’s why you feel fine now. But the pain might return, until your wounds are all healed.”
Noemie uncovered herself. Apart from a few bruises and cuts, she seemed to be doing fine. What were they talking about?
“It’s… it’s not on your body that you’re hurt, darlin’… it’s…. inside…” Her mother’s voice was chopped up. “Your girl parts.” In all her life, she never thought that this was the kind of conversation she would have to have with her daughter. To tell her that the riding accident left her unable to have children.
“My girl parts?” Noemie still didn’t understand.
“Baby… the doctor said that… because of the nature of your injuries, you’ll never be able to have children.” Finally, it was out there, though her mother felt no relief upon saying these heavy words.
Noemie had to process this first. This wasn’t something that she, as a fourtee
n‐
yea
r‐
old, had thought about. Being a wife and a mother – it was just too early for her even to consider such a thing. She had more than enough time for that. But now, it seemed that reality had pushed her into the world of adults in this rude way, and she was forced to realize a devastating truth: she would never have children.
She smiled at her mother, still not fully realizing the seriousness of what she was hearing.
“It’ll be fine, ma. I’ll just adopt a child no one wants.” Her childlike naiveté sent tears to her mother’s eyes, whose arms flew around her child’s shivering body to protect it. The father was looking at this hear
t‐
breaking scene, knowing full well that nothing would ever be the same.
Chapter 2
Exactly ten years later, Noemie found herself standing in front of an unknown house. They had described it to her, yes. But usually, when people describe things for us, our mind’s eye creates something different from that which is present in real life. In Noemie’s case, the house that was in front of her, the real tangible house, was actually far more pretty than what she had imagined. It was a simple looking, single-story house, rectangular with a long roofline. There were vaulted ceilings with exposed beams, and most of the outer patio was made of heavy oak wood. It seemed warm and welcoming, as if the big windows were smiling at her, inviting her inside, to share in the comfort. Around the house, land stretched out as far as the eye could see. Small hous
e‐
like structures, which Noemie rightfully assumed were stables, coops and outhouses, were scattered here and there throughout the land. There was no one around, however, which surprised her. One would expect such a huge ranch to always have people running around, doing their jobs. A ranch had work for everyone who wished to roll up their sleeves.
Squeezing the handle of her little suitcase in one hand, Noemie raised her other hand, in an effort to make her presence known to the inhabitants of the house. But, her hand was stopped in midair.
Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to come this way, she thought to herself. I should have announced my arrival, instead of making it a surprise, she reflected silently. But, what’s done is done, and she was here now. She tried to take a deep breath to calm down her nerves and her heart that was beating like crazy. After all, how often does it happen that a young woman travels for miles and miles to meet her future husband?
It had all started innocently enough a few months ago. She decided to do something that many would condemn her for, namely to reply to a mail order bride advertisement. Of course, before Noemie did this, she had a long, hard talk with her parents about the entire thing and what it could mean for her. Needless to say, neither of her parents were too thrilled about it. That wasn’t the right way to meet a husband, her ma had said, while her pa just nodded in agreement.
But then again, Noemie wasn’t in what one would call a normal, everyday situation herself. The riding accident had left her barren, and while the doctor did say that the possibility always exists, that hope never dies and that our good Lord works in mysterious ways, Noemie knew that the moment she mentioned this little fact to a prospective husband, she would ruin her chances with him. Because what were we put on this Earth for other than to procreate, to leave a mark on it by leaving progeny?
Yes, it did happen occasionally that someone, either man or woman, was unable to fulfill this divine role placed upon us by Him, but then again it was His choice that these people were unable to do so. And for whatever reason this happened, they had to comply. So, Noemie complied, with a smile on her face, though the older she got, the sadder her heart grew. As a result, she knew that finding a husband the regular ol
d‐
fashioned way wasn’t for her. And the mail order bride way seemed to be it.
So, after she had explained everything to her parents, they finally agreed and offered their full support in this unusual matter. After leafing through several editions of their daily newspaper, Noemie finally found someone who seemed to be perfect for her: Callaway Saunders. He was about her age, hardworking, a good and honest Christian man. And best of all, he explicitly stated, “Apply only if you don’t want children.”
Now, it wasn’t that Noemie didn’t want children. It was just that the situation was so that she hadn’t been given a choice in the first place. And this somehow made things easier for her, to simply go along with what Callaway wanted. Her first reply was short and to the point. She didn’t want to pour her heart out only to find out that he wasn’t interested in her. But he replied soon after and in more words than she’d offered him, so she thought a better response was due.
She told him about her childhood, about Butterfly, not neglecting to mention the consequences of the riding incident, about her love for the written word, for Nature and for all living things. He shared most of her interests, and it seemed that they really were two peas in a pod.
Several months passed by, then, finally, he offered her to come to his ranch and officially become his wife. The proposal made her extremely happy, and when she shared the news with her parents, they shared in her joy. They offered to accompany her to the Saunders ranch, but being the stubborn and fre
e‐
willed soul that she was, Noemie decided that she would arrive sooner than expected and surprise Callaway. This way, she thought, she would be sure of his feelings for her.
And now, here she was. Standing in front of the door that was to grant her access to a new life, where she would be a happily married woman.
Her arm was raised again, and this time, it did its bidding. It rang the doorbell, and then returned to a resting position next to Noemie’s shivering body. Saying she was nervous would be an understatement. But there was more to it. She felt joy, excitement, anxiety, but also deep appreciation and an even deeper belief that God had sent her here on a very important mission, which was yet to be revealed to her.
“I’m
a‐
comin’!” She heard a voice from inside. Upon opening the door, the voice revealed a body, that of a maid, who greeted her with a smile.
“Yes?” the maid asked.
“
H‐
hello. I’m here to see Callaway Saunders,” Noemie said, more calmly than she thought she would.
“And who may I say is callin’?” The maid eyed her suitcase.
“Noemie Radford, please.” She sounded her name like bells, and as soon as she did so, the maid’s eyes widened.
“Oh, Miss Radford!” She almost yelled at Noemie. “We didn’t expect ya till next week! Come in, come in!” She opened the door wide and welcomed her inside.
Noemie was right. The inside of the house was just as cozy and as comforting as she had imagined. The furniture was old, but well taken care of. The draperies were long and heavy, keeping the midday sun out while retaining a fresh coolness inside.
She was led into a parlor and told to sit down and relax while Mr. Callaway was called for. Apparently he was still in the stables. One of the cows was pregnant and it was any minute that its little calf was to see the light of day. This thought made her smile, Callaway welcoming a new life into this world. But then harsh reality hit her like a ton of bricks and her smile disappeared. Still, she tried to shake these negative thoughts. After all, she was here, about to meet her future husband for the first time ever. And it was a joyous occasion.
In front of her, there was a silver tray, and on it, a glass of fresh lemonade, icy cold, and a few cookies, which looked delicious. She took a big gulp of the lemonade and treated herself to a cookie while she waited. As she was chewing the final piece, the door swung open and a rock of a man entered.
His face was darkened by the sun, but his hair was almost blonde in places, while most of it was hazel brown. His eyes, deep and dark, peered at the guest that was sitting in his parlor. The sleeves of his checkered shirt were rolled up to the elbows, and she could see his glistening muscles even from underneath his shirt. Callaway was obviously a man who was no stranger to hard work.
He started walking towards her immediately.
“Noemie!” he exclaimed, with a row of pearly whites that flashed her. “I thought you’d be comin’ next week!” He was surprised. “But I’m sure glad you’re here now.”
She stood up to offer him a hand, thinking a hug at this point might be overly familiar, but he didn’t feel the same way. He grabbed her frail body in his enormous arms and squeezed her tight. It felt safe and warm. She closed her eyes. She wanted to stay wrapped in his arms forever.
“So, so glad you’re here.” He looked at her straight in the eye, and she thought she’d melt. “Why didn’t ya tell me you were comin’? I’d have waited for ya somewhere, or sent a carriage…” He seemed worried that his future wife had been traveling all by herself. “Bad things could have happened to ya, and then what’d I do?” He hugged her again.
Noemie wasn’t expecting such a warm welcome, but she was sure happy for it. She returned his hug.
“It’s fine, Callaway. Nothing bad happened, I was safe. Don’t worry. What matters now is that I’m here.” She smiled at him, and in another attack of affection, he brought her hands to his lips, kissing them gently. She could feel that his lips were a little chapped, but they felt nice on her skin.
“Rose’ll show ya to your room.” He continued. “You can freshen up there, and you’ll of course be stayin’ there until we’re officially married.” He added, smiling. Obviously, the thought brought him much pleasure. “It’s all ready for next week, so we can welcome all the guests that wish to join us and raise a toast to our future happiness.”
Noemie felt as if she was going to cry. Callaway was wonderful. She couldn’t have asked for a more loving, dear, affectionate man, and here he was, just for her. She placed her hand on his cheek, and caressed him gently.
“Thank you… for everything.” She smiled.
“No, I should be thankin’ you,” he added softly. “Now, off with ya!” He tried to sound serious. “I got work to do, and then I’ll join ya in a while, after you rest a little. Still can’t believe you weren’t afraid to travel all that way by yourself,” he added, musingly, as he put his hat back on and left the house.