Karen looked back one last time as Mr. Laurel dragged her towards the poorly made wagon. That one look might have killed her, but she was determined to follow through, to save her family. Because she loved them, far more than she’d ever be able to articulate.

  ********

  The first thing Kade did when Laurel had taken his wife away was saddle his horse, taking Lizette with him. He desperately wanted to ride after them directly, but he had to take care of his daughter first.

  It didn’t take long for him to find Grant and Herold in the pasture, just getting ready to leave. He rode over, his horse cutting an odd path as he tried to keep his grip on Lizette. Grant waved at him, happy as a clam.

  “How did it go?” Kade handed the baby off to Grant, then rode off.

  “I’ll explain later! I need you to watch her. I have to save Karen.”

  Kade rode towards the road, praying he’d catch up, praying that Laurel hadn’t hurt Karen. That he wouldn’t be too late.

  ********

  It was a bumpy ride as Mr. Laurel set the wagon trundling down the road, faster than such a rickety thing was ever meant to go. His laughter shot fear into Karen’s heart, icy cold and burning, all at once.

  “And that fool cowboy thinks that he, of all people, will find you. He thinks he can get his precious wife back. Well, he’s got another thought coming. When he comes back, I’ll kill him. And then we can wed. There are places out here, places so lawless that even preachers don’t ask questions.”

  Karen took a deep breath and told herself that he wanted her to be scared. He liked knowing that he could hurt people, that he could destroy them and wrap them in his darkness. She couldn’t feed the monster by doing as he wished.

  The sound of hooves of the ground, beating more rapidly than could be believed, reached her. She didn’t know whether to pray that it would or wouldn’t be Kade. He might save her, yes, but he could also die. And at the hand of a far worse man than should ever exist.

  “And here we stop, darling,” Mr. Laurel said, pulling the lines. The horse stopped, a cloud of dust billowing up behind the wagon and engulfing them. “Oh, what fun this will be.”

  “Laurel,” came the scream from behind them. Mr. Laurel hopped down from the wagon, his boots making a hollow thud in the dust. Karen climbed down her side, her heart trying to beat out of her chest.

  “Ah, my dear friend, Kade. How are you, my boy?” Kade smiled, reaching for the gun at his waist.

  “I’d be doing much better, but a crazy man came into my home and seems to have taken my wife.” He shrugged. “But I’m about to bring her back home, where she’ll be safe.”

  “Mmm,” Mr. Laurel rubbed his chin, as though he were thinking. “I don’t believe you will.”

  The two men drew their guns, each prepared to shoot the other. Karen looked around frantically, hoping to find something - anything - that might help. Then she saw, in the wagon bed, the hunting rifle that used to sit beside the front door in her house. She smiled, taking it in hand. Kade saw what she was doing and started talking again.

  “You’re going to jail, sir, and for quite some time, too.” Mr. Laurel gave Kade a patronizing look.

  “And you’re going to send me there, I take it?”

  “Yes, I certainly am.”

  Karen crept forward, careful to keep quiet. As Mr. Laurel opened his mouth to speak, she took the gun by its barrel and swung the but of the rifle at his head. He fell to the ground, the dust from the road clouding up around his prone form.

  “I thought that you intended to shoot him,” Kade said, his face riddled with confusion. Karen rolled her eyes, running to give him a hug.

  “He took all of the ammunition. I believe that you would find all of it in one of his pockets if you were to look.” She rested her head against his chest. “I’m glad that you saved me.”

  Kade chuckled, the sound rumbling low in his chest. “If you ever need saving, you know where to find me.”

  “Do you possibly mean in the house that we share?” He nodded.

  “Yes. You’ll never find me anywhere else if I can help it.”

  “Well, isn’t that fantastic?” She stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. “Do you remember the verse in Proverbs that says something like, ‘the blessings of the Lord are rich and he addeth no sorrow with it’?”

  “I most certainly do. And I think, after far too many years, I’m finally starting to understand it fully.”

  “Me, too.”

  Lone Oak Texas

  December 1866

  Karen watched Lizette as she attempted to crawl across the kitchen floor. She made it to her hands and knees, rocking backward and forward, her face all smiles and new teeth. It was amazing how quickly time had passed. Even more amazing was how much little Lizette had grown in just seven months.

  The front door flew open, and the cold winter air blew in, along with a good deal of snow. Lizette squealed when she caught sight of her father, covered in the rare Texas snow. He rushed forward, scooping her up and letting the snow from his recently grown beard melt on her little face.

  “Aren’t I lucky,” Kade said, carrying the giggling baby to Karen, “to come home to the two most beautiful girls on God’s Earth.” He pressed an icy kiss to Karen’s lips, then took a seat beside her.

  “You most certainly are lucky. Lucky that I don’t throw you into a snowbank for getting my nice clean floors wet.” Though she tried to be stern, there was a wide smile on her face, the sort she wouldn’t have believed herself capable of just one year ago.

  That’s the amazing gift of time. One year, you sit alone in a dusty house, dancing with the ghosts of what once was, and the next, you have a wonderful family, and you find that you’re not lonely. You find that you’re happy.

  Karen found herself thanking God for his gift of time. She leaned towards Kade, resting her head on his shoulder. Lizette raised a little hand to her mother’s face, and Karen pressed a kiss to the small fingers.

  “Mumumumum,” came the little voice. Kade chuckled, bouncing the little girl on his lap.

  “And she doesn’t call me anything. Well, I suppose she has to give you something, as I’m her favorite parent.” Karen sat up, smacking his arm, still in his coat.

  “You are not! I am her mother. Mother’s and daughters share a special, better relationship, thus I’m her favorite.” Kade shook his head, clucking his tongue.

  “Maybe we should ask the child herself. After all, who better to know?” He kissed the top of Lizette’s head and said, “Is Ma your favorite?”

  “Mumum,” was her only reply. Karen laughed, snatching the girl from her father.

  “See? She loves me.” Kade stood, and more water dripped off of his clothing. “You should probably put on something dry. Go on. You can hang the wet things by the stove.”

  Kade sighed and took off his boots before heading into the bedroom. Karen held her daughter in her arms, feeling like the world had come perfectly together, specifically for their family to happen. She began to sing, everything from hymns to lullabies, and everything else she knew.

  When her husband returned, dripping clothes in hand, he found Lizette asleep in her mother’s arms, Karen still singing softly. He smiled, and that small expression lit up a space in her heart that only he could touch.

  “She must have been tired tonight,” he said as Karen set Lizette in her bassinet. “What did you do?”

  “I chased her through the house. The fact that she missed her nap, yet again, may very well have made a contribution.” She thought for a moment. “And I sang to her, instead of giving her bites of cookie like a certain father I know.”

  “Haven’t you ever seen the way she gazes at a cookie? Those big brown eyes of hers, all filled with innocent longing. And all for something so small as a cookie.”

  “That’s also the way she looks at knives and the woodstove, but that doesn’t mean she can play with them.” Kade shrugged, moving to wrap his arms around Karen. She sighed, leaning into him. He smelled nice, like hay and wood smoke.

  “I think I’ve decided what I like the most about being married to you.” He kissed her cheek.

  “And what’s that?” He chuckled.

  “This. You, Lisette, and I, all together.” He sighed, thinking. “But it won’t always be this way, will it?”

  “Mmm. She’ll grow up. And we’ll grow old. I wouldn’t mind the second bit if it weren’t for the first bit. Why can’t she be our baby forever?”

  “Because then she’d never learn new things. And we would be denied the privilege of seeing her grow up to be an amazing woman, just like her mother.” A smile lit Karen’s face.

  “Are you trying to ease my mind with flattery, Kade?” He shrugged.

  “That depends on whether or not it’s working in my favor.” She laughed.

  “Oh, I’m certain it is. But when we’re old and full of wrinkles and white hair, it may not. I could get grouchy, like the other old women.” She stepped back, winking. “And I might not look so well at that point.”

  “You’ll always be beautiful to me, you know.” Karen blushed, wondering how she’d gotten so lucky. “And when we’re old, full of wrinkles and white hair, whether you’re grouchy or not, I’ll still love you.”

  “I believe that I’ve now figured out what I like best about being married to you, as well.” He raised an eyebrow skeptically.

  “And what’s that?”

  “That you always surprise me. That, even though I’ll never deserve to have you be so good to me, you are. And you’re the perfect example of what love looks like.” She hugged him again, burying her face in his clean shirt. “Thank you.”

  Think back to the trials, the worries, the things that once stood in their way, Karen knew that there was, beyond the shadow of a doubt, a loving God, watching over them. How else can two lives, so full of loneliness and sorrow, find each other, and turn into the same song?

  Some would consider such things to be a coincidence. But she’d learned to much in the past several months to believe in coincidence. And, she strongly suspected, so had Kade.

  As she smiled up at her husband, positive that they were only together by the grace of God, he said, “I love you.”

  “Well,” she replied, still smiling like it was already Christmas, “In case it wasn’t obvious, I love you, too.”

  *****

  THE END.

  A Bride’s Journey

  Mail Order Bride

  CHRISTIAN MICHAEL

  Chapter 1 – Just Another Day

  “I have some very exciting news for you, Mrs. Cromwell. You are with child!” The doctor beamed at Hope with a glow in his eyes. Her heart thudded inside of her. She had suspected this, but part of her had hoped it was just a touch of the flu.

  Life hadn’t been fantastic for her and her husband lately. It seemed they had more to fight about than anything, and few words were exchanged between the two of them these days that were civil, let alone polite. It seemed as though the love had vanished out of their marriage, and they were just two souls that lived under the same roof.

  Hope had tried to do what she could to bring back the romance in their relationship, but her husband, John, was just drifting further and further away. He seldom went to church with her, and never brought home any money from work.

  He spent his days at the sawmill and his nights at the saloon. Hope tried to find odd jobs around town, but the best she could do was sell some baked goods to the small general store on the corner. Nobody needed her help.

  “I… I don’t know what to say…” she finally stammered. The doctor laughed and clapped her on the back, sending another wave of nausea over her.

  “You don’t have to say anything, your face says it all. Won’t John be pleased?!” He laughed again and wrote something down on the paper he had lying on his desk.

  “I will expect to see you again in a few weeks. Take it easy and stay away from anything too greasy, as that is going to make you feel sick.” He handed the paper to her, and she could see right away what it was, but he continued, “You are my last patient of the day, so I’m going to get out of here now. Tell John I say hello, and congratulations to you both!”

  Hope took the bill he handed her and thanked him for his time, then left. The doctor had no idea what it was like for her and John these days, in fact, nobody did. Hope always made excuses for him not being in church, and told everyone they were as happy as could be.

  She didn’t know, but she assumed John did the same, for she never heard otherwise when she was out and about in the town. Or perhaps nobody asked him, he was either working or drunk these days, and not one for conversation.

  Hope walked down the street toward home. They lived about a few miles outside of town, so it wasn’t far for her to go, but it was far enough for her to think about what she was going to say. She didn’t know how John was going to take it, they had drifted so far apart lately, it seemed like she was talking to a stranger more often than not.

  They had been married only 5 months, but it was the longest 5 months Hope had ever endured. She had known deep down he wasn’t the right man for her, but she was young, and he was exciting. He had so much mystery in his past and she came from a small town. He had swept her off her feet from day 1, and everything had been a blur since then.

  Hope opened the door to her house. The windows were dark and there wasn’t the smell of smoke in the air, so she knew John wasn’t home. She looked over her shoulder back towards town. It had taken her nearly an hour and a half to get home, and the sun was getting low in the sky.

  She could hear the light sound of mosquitos in the air, and crickets starting to chirp to each other. She sighed and let her bonnet fall down to her shoulders. Virginia was so beautiful in the fall, but she missed summer. Back at the beginning of summer she felt like a completely different person.

  Now, she felt stuck. What was she going to tell John? How was he going to take it?

  Hope continued her slow walk to the house, and started a fire when she was inside. There was no sign that her husband had even come home after work. She scoffed to herself and opened the pantry door, wondering what she should start for dinner.

  The past few nights she had made and eaten dinner alone. In fact, she wasn’t even sure John had come home a few of those nights.

  Long after 9 o’clock came and went, Hope decided it was time to retire. She was tired, and waiting for John to come home was a never ending battle. She wasn’t even sure if he was coming home, and even if he did, she didn’t think he was going to be in the mood to hear her news.

  She heard John come in just as she slipped into her night gown. Hope took a deep breath and went to the kitchen.

  “John? How was your day?” She asked, trying to find the words.

  “Fine.”

  “Are you hungry? There’s dinner in the-“

  “I’ve eaten.”

  “I have something I need to tell you.”

  “Not now, Hope, I’m tired.”

  “But it’s importan-“

  “I said not now! How many times do I have to say it? Huh? I’m tired! I’ve been working all day, I said tell me later!”

  John yelled as he shoved past her. Hope had an angry reply on the tip of her tongue, but she decided not to say anything. Perhaps he really was tired, and did want to hear what she had to say.

  Maybe he really did still care, and was just stressed. Maybe if she eased up, he would come around.

  She slipped into bed next to him, but his back was to her.

  “John?” She said softly.

  “Hmm.” Was all he replied.

  “I love you.”

  She waited in the darkness for a response, but none came. Hope gently rolled over so their backs faced each other, and shut her eyes. She felt tears well up, but she didn’t shed any.

  Chapter 2 – The Changing of Seasons

  Light poured into the room, and Hope squinted her eyes together. She rarely slept in, and almost never slept in so late the sun made it up before her. She tossed the bed covers off of herself, and slipped her feet into her slippers.

  Odd, I didn’t hear John get up.

  She usually heard her husband getting ready in the mornings, if she wasn’t up to make breakfast he would make enough noise getting ready for the day to wake her and remind her she had overslept. Hope slipped into the kitchen.

  Nobody was there.

  She checked the parlor and the main room, but both were empty. Without getting dressed, hope walked out to the barn. She didn’t know why, but she had an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Again, she found nobody.

  “You’re getting yourself all worked up for nothing.”

  Speaking out loud to herself made it seem as though she wasn’t so alone, so she would do it from time to time. Now, thought, her words hung in the air, as though they were suspended there in front of her.

  She shook her head and told herself not to be silly, then she turned to go back inside the house. Hope hurried to the bedroom and pulled on her dress. She tied the back in a large bow as she always did, then she went back to the kitchen to start breakfast.

 

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