Mail Order Anna (Brides 0f Sweet Creek Book 1) Read online

  But Molly insisted she have a ring.

  Reverend Brown looked uncomfortable and the lines around Jack’s mouth had reappeared. Anna felt her cheeks stinging with embarrassment. She wanted to sink down to the floor and cry and she would have if she was all alone. She was so emotionally and physically exhausted. She just wanted the ceremony to be over.

  “I’ll be right back,” Molly promised, running toward the side door of the church.

  “Molly,” her husband started.

  “Just wait!” She called over her shoulder. “I’ll be back in two minutes.”

  Not a word was spoken between the three of them until Molly returned, her cheeks flushed with exertion. She held up a pretty gold band that caught the sunlight shining in from the windows. “It was my mother’s,” she said.

  Anna opened her mouth to protest.

  “Until you get a proper ring,” Molly insisted. “I’m sure Jack has one on order but it just hasn’t come in yet.” She handed the gold band to Jack.

  Anna stepped from Jack’s side and hugged Molly tightly and whispered, “Thank you Molly.”

  “Of course my dear,” she replied with a sniff.

  Despite everything, Anna was grateful to have already made a friend.

  When Anna stepped back she saw tears in Molly’s eyes.

  “Oh don’t mind me,” Molly said, waving a hand in front of her face. “I always cry at weddings.”

  “She does,” Reverend Brown agreed. “Twice a month.”

  Molly swatted her husband’s shoulder playfully.

  The ceremony continued. Jack slipped the gold band over her finger. It was a little large. Anna closed her left hand so the ring wouldn’t fall off. It was then she noticed Jack still wore his wedding ring. She stared at it for a moment, Reverend Brown’s voice fading from her ears.

  What did it mean? She wondered how long it had been since he lost his wife. She hoped it wasn’t recently although she couldn’t imagine any man raising a young child on his own, especially a daughter. Did he even remember he wore it? Of course he loved his first wife, but Anna hoped the woman wasn’t some kind of saint that she could never live up to. She immediately felt shame at her thoughts.

  Anna heard Reverend Brown clear his throat. She glanced up at him. He looked at her expectantly.

  “I do,” she whispered.

  A small smile teased the corner of Reverend Brown’s mouth and Anna realized that he knew she hadn’t been listening. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. She cast her eyes to the floor.

  “You may now kiss the bride.”

  Her head whipped back to Jack’s. Jack was staring at her. For how long? His expression was inscrutable. He leaned forward and brushed a kiss across her lips so light she barely felt it. She brought her fingers to her lips. He stepped away.

  Molly crushed her in a hug. “Congratulations my dear.” When Molly pulled back, she saw the quiver of Anna’s lips. She rubbed Anna’s arms encouragingly.

  “You’ll be fine,” Molly whispered. “You’ve just got a bit of the jitters. Every bride does,” she insisted. “You’ll be fine. I promise you. Just give it time. And have an open heart.”

  Anna nodded but couldn’t muster a smile. They hugged again.

  “Promise me you’ll come by for lunch sometime soon,” Molly said.

  “I would love that,” Anna returned.

  Jack and Reverend Brown were a few feet away. Jack was bent over a small table signing a ledger. Anna hoped that the men hadn’t overheard any of Molly’s whispered words of encouragement.

  Anna stepped next to Jack and he handed her the pen. She added her name next to his. She was now Mrs. Jack Tremaine. Anna Tremaine.

  The men shook hands, a look passing between them that she didn’t fully understand. Anna stepped forward and thanked Reverend Brown. He took her hand and squeezed it affectionately with both of his.

  “It was my pleasure,” he replied warmly. “Good luck to you.”

  Anna nodded and turned to Jack. They walked down the aisle of the church side by side. Anna stopped and picked up her valise and with one last look over her shoulder at Molly, Anna stepped out of the church and into the sunshine with her husband.

  Chapter Two

  She was beautiful, Jack thought. And mad. Anna’s demeanor had changed so drastically in such a short amount of time, Jack knew he was responsible. He felt like such a jerk.

  He had been running late all morning. He had to laugh when he caught sight of Sam Smith’s wagon stuck in the mud right smack dab in the middle of the road on his way to meet his bride. It was the way his entire morning had gone.

  Jack hadn’t been able to sleep at all last night. He usually fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, instead he lay awake, listening to Harry’s even breathing and her dog’s snoring most of the night while thinking about the upcoming day. He didn’t fall asleep until just before sunrise and overslept. Harry woke him when she was usually the one who slept late.

  He took care of the animals first, milking the cows before feeding them along with the horses and the pigs while sending Harry off to feed the chickens and collect the eggs. After the most important morning chores were done, he rushed back to the house to feed Harry. It was typical fare of bacon and eggs. Jack wasn’t much of a cook and they were running low on supplies. But Harry never complained.

  Harry sat at the table and watched him dash around the kitchen, trying to shave while cooking breakfast. He ended up nicking himself shaving and the eggs were dry and crumbly and the bacon was burnt. At least the coffee was good, he thought, sitting across from Harry to give her a few minutes to eat before rushing her out the door. He added a generous amount of cream and even more sugar to his coffee before stirring it. He drained his cup in three big gulps and poured a second.

  Jack watched Harry push her food around her plate with a fork while her dog, also named Jack, glanced at Harry, then the floor and then Harry again, carefully watching for crumbs or scraps. They had found Jack the dog three summers ago near the creek just outside of town. Jack had tried in vain to get Harry to name the dog anything other than Jack but she was three, going on four, and very insistent. It gave the townsfolk a laugh anyway. Harry looked up at him.

  “Is she a good cook?” She asked.

  He set down his cup. “I think so. At least her letter said that she was.”

  Jack glanced past Harry’s head to the mantle where a volume of adventure stories sat. He read aloud from the book every night. Inside, marking their spot was Anna’s letter and her picture. He had read her letter and gazed at her picture so often after Harry fell asleep each night that the edges were worn on both and the letter had begun to tear along one of the folded seams.

  Jack wondered what Anna would be like. Would Harry accept her as a mother? She had lived more than half her life now without one. He hadn’t mentioned anything to Harry about getting married again until he sent Anna the train ticket. Since then, he had brought up the subject several times over the past few weeks. He explained as best he could and offered to answer any questions Harry might have but there weren’t many and that worried him. Harry had assured him that she was fine with him remarrying but he thought she might not really understand what that meant, how their lives would change. She was seven years old now and her mother had been gone for five years last winter.

  He glanced back at Harry. She pushed a piece of dry egg off her plate with her fork, onto the table and then off, right into her dog’s waiting mouth.

  “Harry,” he said warningly.

  She glanced at him guiltily.

  “If you’re not going to eat, we’d better go. We’re already late and I don’t want to miss the train.”

  “I’m almost done,” she said quietly.

  It wasn’t like Harry at all to be either meek or mild. When she was awake she was always talking, running, playing or laughing. She was a bundle of energy and always had been. Now she sat very still, eyes cast down, continuing to push her food around her
plate with her fork.

  She finally put a piece of tough bacon in her mouth and chewed…for a long time. He winced.

  “Harry you don’t have to eat that,” Jack said with a sigh. “I’ll tell you what, if we get to town before the train arrives, we’ll stop by the restaurant in the hotel and I’ll get you a quick bite to eat.” He wished he would have thought of that earlier. It would have saved him a few precious minutes. “How does that sound?”

  “I’m not that hungry,” she said, pushing her plate away.

  “Not hungry! That doesn’t sound like my Harry at all. You must be an imposter.”

  “Papa!” She protested, pushing her chair back. She finished her milk and then tipped her plate, giving Jack the dog the remainder of her breakfast, patiently waiting as he licked every crumb from the plate clean before she stacked it carefully in the sink full of dirty dishes. She turned back to him with an unsure expression.

  Jack stood up from his chair and walked over to her, picking her up with ease.

  “Papa I’m too old to be picked up like a baby,” she said petulantly.

  “Never!” He declared, nuzzling her underneath her ear.

  Harry smiled and wrapped her arms around him, tucking her head against his shoulder.

  He quietly held her for a few moments before asking, “Harry, are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”

  She was quiet for a moment before asking in a small voice, “Do you think she’ll like me?”

  “She’d better. Or we’ll send her right back.”

  Harry giggled.

  He started to spin around in circles. Harry’s arms tightened around him and her giggles turned into laughter. Jack the dog began jumping in the opposite direction around them, barking happily. Jack grinned and squeezed his daughter tightly before setting her back on her feet.

  “Come on, let’s go. We’re late,” he said.

  Harry grabbed her hat off the peg near the door and skipped outside.

  By the time they pulled onto the main road Jack realized that he probably wouldn’t be there for the arrival of the train. He pushed his team as fast as he safely could, much to Harry’s delight as she gripped the side of the wagon, her hat blowing off her head and resting against her back. Jack the dog was behind her, his tongue hanging out.

  They only made it halfway to town before running into Sam’s wagon, stuck in the mud and blocking three-quarters of the road. For the briefest of seconds Jack contemplated whether he could drive his wagon around Sam’s and into town before reluctantly tugging on the reins, slowing his horses. Sam was a good neighbor and a good friend and Jack knew that Sam would drop everything to help him if he needed it.

  He sighed. Now he most definitely wouldn’t make the train. The whistle of the train in the distance confirmed his thoughts. His horses stopped and Jack set the brake, jumping from the wagon.

  “Stay put Harry.”

  It was fairly easy to get the wagon unstuck with two people. The hardest part was trying to stay relatively clean. Normally Jack wouldn’t care, but it wasn’t every day that a man met and married his bride all in one day.

  Seconds before the wagon was fully clear, Jack slipped in the mud. He almost caught himself before landing in the mud, face first. He would have cursed if mud wouldn’t have gotten inside his mouth if he moved his lips.

  After a few more slips he finally got back on his feet. That’s when he realized Harry was laughing hysterically. Jack turned to see her laughing so hard she could barely stand upright. She probably would have fallen out of the wagon if she wasn’t gripping the sides so tightly. Jack the dog was lapping at her face happily, his tail wagging.

  Even though Jack was late and covered in mud, it was worth it to see Harry back to her usual self. And if he wasn’t on his way to meet his bride, he’d grab Harry before she could scamper off and dunk her in the mud too. Jack turned to Sam who was trying not to smile.

  “Go ahead,” Jack said with disgust. Sam’s smile turned into a grin and then laughter, joining Harry’s.

  Once Sam moved along and Jack finally got Harry to stop laughing, he sent her ahead to town to hopefully find Anna still waiting at the train station.

  “Meet her at the train station and take her to the church. Wait for me there,” he ordered, ruffling her hair affectionately before putting her hat back on her head.

  She nodded. “Come on Jack,” she said, heading toward town, her dog trailing her.

  With one last look at Harry, Jack turned his wagon around and went back in the direction of home. At the end of his driveway, he parked the wagon and walked down the sloped hillside in between the trees, following the path to the creek. He went to the spot where the creek pooled, a spot they visited often during the hot summers. He dunked himself a half dozen times, trying to get all the mud off. Back home, he changed into the next set of cleanest clothes he could find and wiped the wagon seat free of mud before setting off toward town again, careful to avoid the muddy spot in the road where Sam had gotten stuck.

  By the time he arrived in town he was two hours past the train’s estimated arrival time. He glanced at the empty train station as he drove by and continued on to the church around the bend.

  Jack didn’t come to town very often, much to Harry’s dismay. She loved to go to town. If it wasn’t for her, he would only make the trip three or four times a year but instead had been going once or twice a month, weather permitting.

  Now that the train had come to Sweet Creek and the population was increasing so rapidly, there were more and more unfamiliar faces each time he made the hour-long trip and there was always something new being built.

  When he moved here eight years ago, Sweet Creek, Colorado wasn’t much more than a half dozen hastily-built structures on a dirt road along the stagecoach line. He and his brother James planned to run large thriving farms side-by-side. Both men were newly married and seeking adventure. Jack had married six months prior to the move, his brother only six days.

  Harry was born a few months after they settled in Sweet Creek. Jack’s brother lost his wife and child in childbirth a few months later and left Sweet Creek. Jack lost his own wife not two years later.

  Jack was left raising a toddler on his own while trying to run a farm. The first few years were a blur, just trying to keep his head above water. But Harry was the light of his life, the reason he kept on. Everything he did now was for her.

  Harry was running around in the churchyard with a trio of boys when his wagon pulled up. He recognized them from past trips to town. Harry always referred to them as the XYZ Triplets. Jack couldn’t remember their names, but Harry said they started with the letters X, Y and Z from oldest to youngest.

  Jack briefly wondered who the boys belonged to as he set the wagon’s brake. He took a deep breath and jumped to the ground. It was time to meet his bride. He slowly ascended the steps and entered the church. It was empty.

  “Harry!” He called from the doorway.

  “She’s at Mrs. Brown’s house,” Harry called out-of-breath as she ran past.

  Jack followed the path around the church to Reverend Brown’s house. Before he even reached the steps to the porch he heard Anna’s voice and her laughter, practically stopping him in his tracks. It had been so long since he had heard feminine laughter.

  Anna’s back was to him as he slowly climbed the stairs. The screen door opened before he could knock and Molly invited him inside where he got his first look at his bride.

  Jack was shocked to see how beautiful she was. She stood before him, the top of her head barely reaching his chin. Her skin was milky white, her eyes dark brown and her lips soft pink. She wore her dark blonde hair pinned up and Jack wondered at the length. Her clothes ought to have been thrown into the rag pile long ago but he understood what it was like to scrape by. If she agreed to his marriage terms he would buy her as many dresses as she wanted, he decided. If she helped take care of his home and raise his daughter, it was the least he could do.

  He could
n’t help but wonder why someone so beautiful would answer an ad for a mail order bride. There were no single women here to marry and on the off-chance a single woman did arrive it Sweet Creek, she was spoken for by sundown. But Anna came from Chicago and should have had her pick of husbands. Why had she decided to marry a stranger instead?

  Anna smiled at him, her pink lips curving gently, trembling slightly. She was just as nervous as he was, he realized.

  Jack had placed the ad in a moment of weakness. They had just come out of the longest and harshest winter he had experienced since moving to Sweet Creek. His wife of almost three years had now been gone for five. He didn’t want to spend another winter alone. Besides, his daughter was getting older and even though he thought he had done a pretty good job raising Harry all things considered, she needed a mother. And Jack needed help.

  He barely kept the house in acceptable condition and he cooked the same three meals over and over again. He didn’t want to even think about the pile of laundry that needed to be washed or the overflowing sink of dishes and all of the other cleaning that he had fallen behind on. He was exhausted in the evenings after the sun had set and the farming was done for the day. He still needed to tend to the animals and make supper. And he almost always had to wash some dishes before he could begin to cook the meal.

  It was a coin toss who fell asleep first each night as he read aloud in the evenings to Harry while she lay on the rug in front of the fire, her head pillowed against her snoring dog. It was routine for him to wake up after midnight on the sofa to a dying fire and a sleeping daughter, the book still gripped in his hands and a crook in his neck. He would carry Harry up to bed before falling into his own bed, sleeping like a rock until he heard the rooster crow and the day began all over again.

  So Jack had placed the ad and looked forward to the future. It wasn’t until after he sent Anna the letter of acceptance and a train ticket did he realize exactly what he had set into motion. He started to feel guilty and uncertain of his decision and if he could have stopped the ticket before it arrived, he would have. Although he and his first wife hadn’t exactly been a love match, he had grown to love her and was devastated and angry when she had passed.