Winning The Deputy's Heart (Mail-Order Brides of Salvation 1) Page 2

  Jacob, seemingly at a loss for words, continued to lead the way towards the boarding house. Abigail walked silently beside him, at a loss for words. How did she ask her husband-to-be what his relationship was with that girl? She couldn’t think of thing to say that wouldn’t sound like an accusation. So she kept her mouth shut.

  “Abigail you should disregard Sarah’s misbehavior,” he finally said. “She was orphaned as a child and had no one to raise her right.”

  I was an orphan too, she thought. But she’d had Aunt Cecilia to watch over her after her parents died.

  “I understand,” Abigail said.

  The tightness around Jacob’s eyes eased a little—he’d been pleased by her response. But she did not feel that she truly understood exactly what had just happened, nor what it might mean.

  As a good Christian, Abigail knew that she should feel sorry for Sarah. Her outrageous behavior was a clear sign that the girl needed help. She was a lost lamb.

  Jacob’s reaction had been a clear rejection, too. Although he hadn’t seemed shocked by the girl’s advances, like Abigail had been.

  She rested her fingers on his forearm—solidly-muscled, he was—and let him steer her down the stairs. He walked more slowly than he had before. Because he thought she was tired? Or because he feared she was weak?

  Abigail had never met anyone before who made her feel this way. She wanted to flee. She wanted to fling herself into his arms. It was an effort to simply walk beside him at the sedate pace he probably thought she preferred.

  “You’re probably accustomed to a more civilized environment,” Jacob said as he steered her around an oncoming mule cart. “Most trouble happens near the saloon after dark. I trust you’ll be smart enough to keep your distance.”

  As if any respectable woman would visit a saloon. But he didn’t know her, she reminded herself. He didn’t mean any offense. She wanted to reassure him. “I appreciate your guidance.”

  But s they continued their walk towards the boarding house, she couldn’t help wondering if Jacob had a previous romantic relationship with Sarah. With every step, her anxiety grew, and a new and unexpected feeling filled her heart.

  Jealousy.

  Chapter Three

  That same evening, Abigail was to marry Jacob in the small clapboard church at the center of the town. She had a few hours to rest and wash up at the boarding house, where the kind Mrs. Smith, who ran the boarding house, had reserved a room for her.

  During that time, Abigail was alone and had time to think about the events of the last hours. The meeting with Sarah was disturbing, but the more she thought about it, the more worried she was about the way Jacob had dismissed what happened. He’d made excuses for Sarah, instead of reassuring Abigail that he had no interest in the saloon girl.

  Although she knew little about men, Abigail still was aware of the fact that something like Sarah’s behavior was not to be taken lightly. Life on the frontier could be lonely. Sarah was pretty. An unmarried man was within his rights to seek comfort in the arms of a girl like Sarah.

  The thought of Jacob and Sarah together made Abigail feel sick to her stomach.

  Fortunately, her time alone came quickly to an end, when the sheriff’s wife, Mrs. Eisley showed up with a bright smile on her lips and multiple questions to ask.

  “I am so glad you are here, my dear,” she hugged Abigail, as if they had known each other their entire lives. “Jacob is such a good man and I am sure you would be very happy together.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Eisley,” Abigail replied politely. “It is very kind of you to accompany me to the church.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of leaving you to find your way around town alone,” The older woman handed Abigail a parcel wrapped in paper. “Here, we made this for you. Everyone in the Ladies’ Social Circle helped with it.”

  Abigail carefully unwrapped the parcel. Inside, she found a simple but elegant dress

  Abigail was already dressed in her simple but elegant blue gingham dress. Tears formed in her eyes. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.”

  “Your Aunt Cecilia sent your measurements ahead, after you accepted Jacob’s proposal last month. I hope you like the color.”

  “It’s perfect.” It was. Abigail’s doubts about her ability to make a new life in Salvation evaporated. That these women who didn’t even know her would make her a wedding dress… “I can’t thank you enough.”

  Mrs. Eisley helped her into it. “Jacob is a lucky man.”

  Abigail had a fleeting wish that her mother and father could have been here to see her married.

  As if reading her mind, the older woman said, “Don’t you worry, your mother and father are watching from Heaven and praying for you to be happy.”

  “You are very kind, Mrs. Eisley…” Abigail said with tears in her eyes once again.

  “Call me Helen. And I think that we could be good friends, what would you say?”

  Abigail smiled at Helen. “I’d love that.”

  “Let’s get you to the church, dear!” The walk to the church was very short and soon enough Abigail was standing beside Jacob, in front of the minister. Jacob smiled appreciatively at her.

  She blushed. Again. How often was that going to happen when he was around? Was married life going to be one continual flush of self-consciousness?

  But, before starting the ceremony, the minister welcomed her in the parish.

  “I am very glad you are here, Miss Huxley,” he said to her after introducing her to his wife. “Jacob attends church regularly and I am sure you will accompany him here.”

  “Yes and thank you,” she replied politely. “My faith in God is an important part of my life and I am very happy to hear that it is the same for Jacob.”

  “You must come to the next Ladies’ Circle meeting,” the minister’s wife chimed in.

  “Thank you.” Abigail was grateful for the warm welcome. Aside from Sarah’s inappropriate behavior toward Jacob, everyone she’d met made it easy to think of Salvation as her new home.

  The small church was filled with people on both sides of the aisle, all strangers to Abigail, but she could see them smiling at her and greeting her with joy. She scanned the crowd for Sarah, but the saloon girl was absent. What a relief.

  Then she looked up at Jacob, who smiled warmly and nodded. She couldn’t see a hint of hesitation in him—he looked happy to be marrying her. Joy bubbled through her. She could barely concentrate on Minister Rowland’s words.

  “…to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I pledge thee my faith.”

  Abigail repeated the vows carefully and sincerely, but all the time she felt as if it was someone else getting married. The whole thing was still like a dream to her. Jacob said his vows, and put a delicate gold band on her ring finger. Abigail's hands trembled as she took the ring that Helen handed her and slipped it over the tip of Jacob's finger. He pushed his hand forward slightly when she hesitated, fitting the base into the gold loop, and smiled at her. The minister declared them husband and wife.

  One of the same boys who had taken care of her luggage earlier was the ring bearer, and now he was presenting the rings on a small embroidered pillow. Jacob put a plain gold band on her finger. Mrs. Eisley stepped forward and handed Abigail a similarly plain ring. She held her breath as she slid it over Jacob’s finger.

  When the priest said to Jacob that he might kiss the bride, Abigail was so startled that she almost pulled away. As if from a distance, she watched her new husband bend down to give her his first kiss, but just before their lips met, a young man burst into the church shouting something about the saloon being robbed.

  Jacob had time only to mouth the words I am sorry, before he had to dash out of the church.

  Most of the men left the building as well, but the women stayed back and made sure to make Abigail felt welcomed and reass
ured, although they plainly felt anxious about this turn of events. They bustled her off to the town meeting hall, where they had prepared a wedding reception.

  “I am sure that they will take care of the problem and Jacob will be back any time now,” said a young woman with a baby in her arms. “I’m Felicia, by the way.”

  Abigail looked at the food and drink that had been set out, and the white-frosted wedding cake in center of it all. “Thank you, everything looks wonderful.”

  Helen walked Abigail around the room, introducing her to everyone.

  “Don’t you worry about your husband,” said a prim matron named Catherine. “Our town is usually a peaceful one. He’ll be back in no time at all.”

  Her wedding day was definitely turning out to be a memorable one, she had imagined it in so many different ways, but never expected it be like this. A bit dazed by the rush of events, and anxious about Jacob, she nonetheless felt welcomed and happy to be here. She was surrounded by good people who wanted her to be part of their community and who had gone to great lengths to make her wedding day special. Her young heart slowly was filling with hope that she would have a good life in Salvation, after all.

  Chapter Four

  Helen had just handed Abigail a plate piled high with food when one of the deputies burst into the meeting hall to let everyone know that one of the robbers had been captured, and that a posse had been formed to hunt for the rest of the band.

  “That’s all right,” Helen said to the crowd of guests. “We’ll just make Abigail feel welcome until the posse comes back.”

  “Amen!” shouted someone Abigail hadn’t met yet.

  After everyone had eaten and sat a spell talking, they said their goodbyes and gave Abigail their good wishes before departing. The youngest of the women cleaned and put everything in order while the children played in the church’s yard.

  “You don’t have to worry, my dear,” Helen said to her. “My husband and his deputies know how to do their work. My Lawrence will make sure Jacob returns safely to you.”

  “I’m sure he will.” Abigail pushed her worry for Jacob out of her mind. “Maybe it’s time for me also to go home?”

  Then she realized she didn’t know where home was.

  “You must be exhausted after all the travelling and the excitement around the wedding.” Helen patted her shoulder. “Let’s get you to your new home.”

  Helen walked her to a small two story building, situated on the south side of town. They had to walk past the saloon to get there. Abigail avoided looking at the swinging wooden doors of the front entrance.

  Jacob’s house had a living room and a kitchen on the first floor and three bedrooms on the second one. Everything in it was cleaned up and arranged to look pretty and in order.

  “You did this, didn’t you?” Abigail asked Helen, once she walked around the house and saw how clean it was.

  “We all did,” Helen smiled at her. “We wanted you to feel at home from the first moment you step inside this house. I’m glad you aren’t seeing it like it was before!” Helen rolled her eyes, smiling. “Jacob is a good man but he has needed a woman’s touch around here for some time now.”

  “Thank you, everything looks wonderful.” She looked around and there were her things sitting beside the main bedroom door.

  “I’ll leave you to get settled, but if you need anything, I’m just across the street, the yellow house with the big windows. You’re always welcome.”

  “Thank you, Helen. You’ve made me feel right at home.”

  “I am sure Jacob won’t be long now. It won’t make much sense to ride around in the dark looking for those detestable robbers.” They said their goodbyes, and Abigail was all alone in this new place.

  She went upstairs to explore out the upper level. She was delighted to find a small room that would make an excellent nursery, and a second free bedroom, a room for an older first child once a second was on its way.

  The third bedroom was clearly Jacob's. On the far wall stood what looked like a brand new wardrobe. A big brass bed covered with an old but serviceable patchwork quilt, a stand with a water bowl, and a massive dark-stained dresser. She reached for the top drawer handle, then hesitated. It wasn't snooping, she lived here now. But barely wed, and having spent less than an hour with her now-husband, it felt wrong to go through his drawers.

  On the other hand, her things should be stored somewhere in this room. It wasn't snooping if she was looking for them, she decided.

  She found several neatly-folded shirts in the top drawer, just-as-neatly-folded pants in the second drawer, and men's socks and underthings in the third. She slammed that drawer shut quickly.

  The fourth drawer down contained Abigail's stockings and underthings. She blushed to think of Jacob finding them there, but that was silly. Where else would he expect her to keep them?

  The bottom drawer contained her shifts, her hairbrush, and her Bible.

  Her dresses has been hung neatly in the wardrobe.

  So. Now what?

  It was getting late--but the thought of being in her nightgown when Jacob came home made her blush again. She headed back downstairs, lit the candle she found on the fireplace hearth, and took a seat on the living room couch.

  Over the mantle hung a beautiful oil painting of a stern-looking young man and a woman with dreamy eyes and full lips. If those were his parents, Jacob definitely took after his father, although when he had smiled at her, his eyes held a touch of his mother's dreaminess.

  Had Jacob's parents been happy? Would she and Jacob be happy? She thought of Sarah again, and wondered if Jacob would be tempted to stop by the saloon when his posse returned. What if he did? She wouldn't know. She couldn't ask. But the idea made her heart ache. She knew some men expected their wives to understand that their husbands had mistresses, but Abigail couldn't bear the thought of being married to an unfaithful man. How would she ever be able to trust him if she learned he'd been unfaithful to his wedding vows?

  If only I were younger, she thought. If only I were prettier.

  Then she thought of Joan’s advice. Nothing is impossible with God.

  Abigail said a prayer, asking the Lord to help her remain strong, not give into the temptation of jealousy.

  She stayed up until early morning, waiting for Jacob to come home. She occupied herself by arranging her things in the wardrobe and looking around the house, but mostly she simply sat on the front room couch, looking at the door.

  Just like her wedding day, this was not the wedding night she expected, and there was a part of her that couldn’t help but wonder if Jacob was really out chasing criminals. Visions of Sarah and what she had said earlier that day hounded Abigail’s thoughts, making her imagine things she never thought about before.

  She might be married to a stranger, but she vowed to be faithful to him and expected him to give their marriage the best possible chance. The thought of Jacob spending time with Sarah stirred such strong emotions in Abigail’s soul, she didn’t know how she would stand it.

  She leaned back on the couch with a sigh.

  The next thing she knew, someone was shaking her awake. She blinked. Jacob loomed over her, looking dirty and exhausted. The light coming through the windows suggested sunrise had just begun. "Why are you sleeping on the couch?"

  "I meant to wait up for you, in case you were hungry." She sat up. "Did you catch the thieves?"

  "One of them. Fell off his horse when Lawrence shot him. We lost the rest, though."

  "I'm sorry. I brought food home from the reception--"

  "You should've gone to bed."

  Abigail gaped at him for a moment.

  "I mean, there's no point in you losing sleep on my account." Jacob looked sheepish now. “I am sorry I left you alone after the wedding, and I am sorry I am so late.” He said to Abigail, who was sitting in the living room, waiting for him. “You should have gone to bed.”

  “Please don’t worry, I’m fine. Just worried about you,” Abigail
said. “Can I get you something? Do you want something to eat or drink?”

  “It is very kind of you, but all I need is to wash up and go to bed. The sun is almost up and we rid out again in a few hours.” Jacob shrugged out of his jacket and hung it carefully on the coatrack by the door.

  He was still dressed in his wedding clothes. This was supposed to be their wedding night. The man, however, was clearly exhausted and after visiting the washroom, went straight to bed.

  Abigail felt both relieved that he was finally home and foolish for having suspected him of being with Sarah. Although she knew that they were married, the newness of it all had her reminding herself that they were indeed man and wife, and so when she followed her husband upstairs, there was a moment of indecision before she, lay down in the bed beside him.

  “Good night, Abigail,” he murmured, already half-asleep.

  “Good night,” she replied and in the next moment she was sound asleep as well.

  Chapter Five

  Abigail woke up with the first beams of light coming into the bedroom. Jacob was still sleeping on the other side of the bed with his hand tucked under the pillow and his lips twisted into a smile. She wondered what he was dreaming about.

  She got out of bed carefully and dressed quickly, before walking into the kitchen and starting breakfast. Yesterday she had acquainted herself with the pantry and the pots and pans, so it was easy for her to bake biscuits, fry eggs and sausages, and brew some coffee. By the time she heard Jacob descending the stairs, the table was set up and she had just poured the coffee.

  "Thanks for making coffee." She spun around, one hand flying to her heart.

  "I'm so sorry I woke you."

  He smiled sleepily. "I needed to get up. Those robbers aren't going to turn themselves in."

  She was glad she'd made enough for two. She felt him watching her as she put the plate of food in front of him and poured two mugs of coffee. All they needed was--

  "Forks in the top drawer," Jacob rumbled.