The Mistaken Mail Order Bride (13 page)

“Abe set up a warning system so he’d know
whenever someone came on his land,” Eric replied. “Don’t worry. You
have nothing to worry about. It’s just a safety measure.”

“Why would he need it?” she asked. “There’s
not a war happening here.”

“Not a war like the kind you experienced,
but Abe has some enemies.”

Her eyes grew wide. “Why?”

Noting her apprehension, he pulled the reins
and waited for the horse to stop before he turned to face her. He
rubbed her shoulder and gave both her and Caleb a reassuring smile.
“Abe’s one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. The problem is
that he’s half-Indian. There are some people who have trouble with
that, and they aren’t shy about letting him know it.”

“Oh.” Her gaze went to Caleb.

He could only guess what was going through
her mind. She’d grown up on a plantation, and he was aware of how
the people in that area viewed people with dark skin. They were no
more than property to them. He’d also heard some of the slave
owners slept with the slaves, and he imagined the struggles those
children faced were similar to what Abe went through.

He rubbed her shoulder. “The more friends
Abe has, the better. And he’s a good, honest man. You can trust
him.”

She relaxed. “If you like him, I have no
doubt I will, too.”

He looked at Caleb. So many times he
couldn’t figure out what the boy was thinking, but he was sure the
boy had a lot of feelings and thoughts to sort through. He had a
suspicion Abe might be able to understand Caleb more than either he
or Caroline could.

Turning back to the path ahead of him, he
urged the horse forward. Soon, the trees gave way to a clearing
with a cabin and barn. Both Abe and Phoebe were in the doorway of
the barn, watching for the person who was coming on their land. As
soon as Abe saw Eric, he said something to Phoebe then put away the
rifle he’d been holding.

Eric glanced at Caroline and Caleb, hoping
they didn’t notice Abe’s rifle. He couldn’t blame Abe for being
careful, especially given what Benny and Gene had done. But he
didn’t want to alarm Caroline or Caleb, either. Neither Abe nor
Phoebe were violent people, and he’d hate to give the two people
sitting next to him that impression. Fortunately, Caroline and
Caleb didn’t seem afraid of them.

As the buggy came up to the barn, Abe and
Phoebe came over to them. “Is this your new wife?” Abe asked.

“New? I never had an old one,” Eric
joked.

“Oh, you know what Abe meant,” Phoebe
replied, a chuckle in her voice. She looked at Caroline. “It’s nice
to meet you, Allie.”

“Actually, this is Caroline,” Eric said.
“And this,” he patted the boy on the back, “is Caleb.”

Abe’s gaze lingered on Caleb. Eric was sure
the man had a lot of questions about him, especially given the fact
that Caroline was white.

“Allie never showed up,” Eric told them. “I
don’t know what happened to her. But Caroline and I figured it was
fate since she arrived instead, and she brought this fine young boy
with her.”

“Yes,” Caroline added. “He didn’t have
anyone to take care of him, and since he was willing to come with
me, I thought I’d bring him here and give him a home.”

Abe’s lips curled up into a smile. “Well, I
can’t think of anyone who’d make a better father than Eric.”

Surprised by the compliment, Eric thanked
him. It wasn’t often Abe chose to say good things about anyone, so
he didn’t take the nice words for granted.

“Does Caleb like pie?” Phoebe asked
Caroline.

Caroline looked at Caleb. “Would you like to
eat some pie?”

With a nod, Caleb climbed out of the
buggy.

Caroline’s eyes widened, and she whispered
to Eric, “He wouldn’t eat any of Ida’s cookies. I wonder why he’s
in a hurry to eat Phoebe’s pie.”

“Maybe he likes pies more than he likes
cookies,” Eric reasoned.

“Maybe,” she replied, but there was an
underlying tone in her voice that hinted she wasn’t convinced of
it.

He got out of the buggy and hurried over to
her side. As he helped her out, he squeezed her hand. He couldn’t
resist the urge to be affectionate whenever the chance allowed, and
this was one of those simple ways to sneak in a silent message that
he was happy he ended up with her. She graced him with one of her
smiles, indicating her agreement.

When he first saw her, he didn’t think he’d
fall in love with her. She wasn’t the beauty he’d expected. But she
had a charm about her that was very attractive.

“Would you men like to join us?” Phoebe
asked Eric and Abe.

“Actually, I’d like a moment to talk to Abe,
if that’s alright,” Eric replied, glancing at Abe.

Abe nodded. “It’s fine with me.”

“We’ll bring out a slice of pie for you in a
bit then,” Phoebe said then gestured for Caroline and Caleb to come
with her. “My mother will be happy to meet you,” she told them as
they walked to the cabin.

Eric waited until they were out of earshot
before turning to Abe. “How have things been since Gene and Benny
were here?”

“Good,” Abe replied. “Phoebe and her mother
are still shaken up about it, but I don’t think there’s any way out
of that.”

“No, I don’t think there is,” Eric agreed.
“It’s enough when we have to deal with those types. It’s even worse
when women do. You think they’ll be alright?”

“Phoebe’s got the spirit of a Cherokee in
her. I have no doubt she’ll be fine. Her mother has inner strength,
too. I’ve been teaching them how to use a gun in case they need to
defend themselves. When people know how to protect themselves, they
don’t have as much fear as those who don’t.”

“I can’t argue that one.” Eric crossed his
arms and glanced at the cabin. The women and Caleb had gone inside,
leaving them alone. “I had Gene’s body burned as you wanted.”

“Thank you.”

“Benny’s funeral will be this evening. I
talked to his brother, and he understands I had no choice but to
shoot him.”

Even though Benny was trying to shoot him,
Eric still hated the fact that he had to kill him. But it was what
it was. Not everyone wanted to live peaceably with others. Eric
knew he’d have to make some hard choices when he became sheriff,
but he hadn’t realized some of those choices had to be made within
a second or two. Everything had happened so fast that night. He was
still trying to piece everything together.

“Hopefully,” Eric continued, “you won’t have
to go through anything like that again.”

“I’d be more worried about Caleb,” Abe
replied. “People around here aren’t open to accepting anyone who’s
different.”

“Yes, I’m aware of that, but I came here to
make a difference. Maybe the best way to do that is by leading by
example. How can I make things better if I’m not willing to be a
father to a boy who isn’t like everyone else around here?”

“I see what you’re saying, and it sounds
good, but you have to know it’s not as simple as you make it sound.
There’s going to be a lot of hardships along the way.”

“That’s one of the reasons I wanted to talk
to you. Is there anything I can say or do to make things easier for
Caleb?”

“You’re married to Caroline. That’s a start.
It’s harder to face the world when you’re the result of an
adulterous relationship.” He paused then asked, “You don’t know
anything about his parentage?”

“No. And when Caroline or I ask about his
past, he doesn’t say anything. Caroline says sometimes he stares at
the ceiling and cries. Obviously, whatever happened to him was
traumatic. We’re afraid to push him too hard. There’s a danger
he’ll retreat further into his shell.”

“You can’t get him to talk until he’s ready,
and there’s a possibility he won’t ever tell you some of the things
he’s been through. Some things are too painful to share with
someone else. Just accept him as he is and be willing to stand up
for him. The worst thing anyone can feel is that they’re all
alone.”

Eric nodded. Abe was right.

“If you want,” Abe began in a thoughtful
tone, “you can teach him to ride a horse. Maybe it would help him
open up if he did something with you. You know, as father and
son.”

“That’s a good idea. Do you mind if I bring
him out for the first lesson? I think you two have a lot in common,
and it might help him to be around someone he has something in
common with.”

“Sure. Bring him out, and we’ll do his first
lesson.”

“Will do.” Eric glanced at the cabin. “I can
help you with any chores. I know the women wouldn’t mind if I went
in there, but I think it would be nice if they got a chance to talk
alone.”

Abe chuckled. “You wouldn’t be interested in
what they’ll talk about anyway. I get tired of listening to Phoebe
and her mother go on and on about prettying up the cabin and what
kind of patterns to use when they sew clothes.”

“When you put it that way, I definitely want
to stay out here. Give me something to do so I have an excuse to
avoid listening to them.”

With another chuckle, Abe led him into the
barn.

***

“He’s a good looking boy,” Phoebe
whispered.

“Yes, and he’s well behaved,” Caroline
replied.

She and Caroline washed the dishes while
Phoebe’s mother talked to him on the couch. Caroline didn’t know if
he was interested in hearing all about the trip she and Phoebe had
made from Ohio, but that was the topic her mother chose to talk
about.

“I wish we had something for him to play
with,” Phoebe said. “Abe and I don’t have any children yet.”

“I think the pie worked just fine. He had no
trouble eating it.” Which was strange since he hadn’t bothered
eating any of Ida’s cookies. Caroline wasn’t sure what to make of
it. Was it really because he didn’t like cookies, or was there
something else to it? She accepted the last dish Phoebe washed and
dried it with a dishtowel. “Do you have any cookies?”

“What kind?”

“Any kind.”

“We have some with a bit of apples in
them.”

“May I give one to Caleb?”

With a nod, Phoebe went over to the cookie
jar and took out a couple. “You can have the rest. We didn’t have
many left, and Ma and I were thinking of making more.”

“Thank you.”

Caroline was sure Phoebe was wondering why
she asked for cookies, but she didn’t know how to explain it to
Phoebe. Something gnawing in Caroline’s gut told her the cookies
represented something important.

When the Union soldiers came to her home,
she hadn’t acted on instinct. She and her mother should have hidden
right away. She hadn’t believed gentlemen would harm a lady, even
if they were on warring sides, but they came with the intent of
harming her. When her mother tried to stop them, they killed her.
Had it not been for Bee’s adult sons chasing the Union soldiers
off, Caroline knew she’d be dead right now.

So this was one time when she was going to
listen to her gut instinct. She approached Caleb and waited for
Phoebe’s mother to stop talking before she showed him the cookies.
“Would you like a cookie?” she asked him.

Caleb’s gaze went to the cookies, and for a
moment, Caroline thought he wouldn’t take one. But then he scooted
off the couch and accepted one. He took a bite and then took the
other two before he returned to the couch, settling next to
Phoebe’s mother.

Huh. Well, that was a curious thing. He
didn’t seem to have any trouble with cookies. He hadn’t even asked
what kind they were, so he obviously wasn’t picky about which ones
he ate.

“I’m afraid the poor boy won’t have much of
an appetite tonight,” Phoebe’s mother said, chuckling as she patted
his back. “Though you are a growing boy. I remember my son had
these spurts where he’d eat everything he could get his hands on.
It was hard to keep up with him. Thankfully, Phoebe was a girl.
Girls don’t eat nearly as much.”

Phoebe grinned and came over to them.
“Caroline, my brother still lives back in Ohio. He has a family of
his own now.”

“Yes,” Phoebe’s mother added, a wistful tone
in her voice. “Children grow up so fast. We have to enjoy them
while they’re still young.” Again, she patted Caleb’s back.

Caroline watched as Caleb ate the second
cookie without any hesitation on his part. What was it about Ida’s
cookies that bothered him?

“Would you like to see the property?” Phoebe
asked Caroline and Caleb.

“I would,” Caroline replied. She’d only seen
the barn and garden next to it on her way in, but she was curious
about the rest of the place. “Caleb, would you like to come along
while Phoebe shows me around?”

Caleb nodded, slid off the couch without
dropping the cookies, and went over to them.

“You want to come, Ma?” Phoebe asked.

“No. I’ll let you two take him. I think I’ll
get started on another batch of cookies. Seeing as how much Caleb
likes them, I want to send you home with some,” she told
Caroline.

“Oh, you don’t have to go through the
trouble,” Caroline said. “You’ve already given us so much.”

“I’m happy to do it,” her mother
insisted.

“She is,” Phoebe assured Caroline. “She
misses cooking for her grandchildren.”

“Speaking of cooking,” Caroline began,
figuring this was a good time to make her request, “I was wondering
if either of you would be willing to teach me how to make meals.”
Her face warmed at having to admit her inadequacies, but she had to
if she ever wanted to be the kind of wife Eric deserved. “I grew up
on a plantation where slaves did it for me. I also don’t have any
idea how to make clothes, so if you wouldn’t mind lending me a hand
in that area as well, I’d be ever so grateful.”

“Of course, we’d love to teach you what we
know,” Phoebe replied.

“We sure would,” her mother added. “If
anything, it’d give us an excuse to have you over more often.”