ROMANCE: Mail Order Bride: A Sheriff's Bride (A Clean Christian Inspirational Historical Western Romance) (New Adult Short Stories) (9 page)

The sheriff nodded in agreement, but something told her that he wasn’t convinced by her words. No matter. What was important was that she was able to evade further questionings, which could lead her onto slippery ground. Once she and the children were safely within the walls of the Fitzgerald mansion, she felt like she could breathe more easily.

Chapter Six

But, as it turned out, Christina’s troubles had just started. The sheriff thought he had recognized her from somewhere and sent a few telegrams to his county colleagues. After a few fruitful inquiries, he realized that he had a criminal on his hand and made a rushed effort to visit the Fitzgerald mansion as soon as possible. Having been ushered into Frederick’s home with all due respect, he was almost sorry that he had to ruin what appeared to be this poor man’s last chance at personal happiness.

“Frederick, I’ve come on an urgent matter that cannot wait, I’m afraid,” he told him. Frederick looked at him wonderingly.

“What is it, sheriff? You know that we have always been an upstanding family, and we always liked to help the hand of the law in this county, however we could.” Frederick smiled, though it was obvious he felt somewhat out of place having this unpleasant conversation.

“Well, the thing is it’s this future wife of yours.” The sheriff also seemed inconvenienced by this visit, but it was his job, and he needed to do it, friends or no friends.

“Christina?” Frederick was astonished. “What could the law possibly want with her? Is it something related to her late father’s estate? Because she assured me the entire affair was settled. But if it’s not, I would be more than happy to get involved and settle it myself. After all, as her future husband, I feel an obligation to.”

“No, no, it’s not that.” The sheriff interrupted him. “It’s something quite different, and truth be told, I myself am not sure how to go about it.”

“Well, do tell, sheriff, if it’s that important. I’m certain it’s nothing that we can’t handle.”

“Maybe it’s best if you call for her, and we all have a conversation together.”

Frederick felt a pang in his stomach. He didn’t want to inconvenience Christina. He just wanted the sheriff to tell him why he came. He was sure it was all a misunderstanding, and as soon as he found out, he would be able to sort it out without involving Christina at all. However, he knew better than to disagree with the sheriff, who was always a fair man and never asked for anything that wasn’t utterly necessary.

Once Christina joined them in the parlor, Frederick could immediately sense her fear at seeing the sheriff.

Could it be that she was really a criminal? He thought to himself. Could I really have been so blind?

“Miss Christina,” the sheriff addressed her politely. “I do apologize for the inconvenience, but I must ask you a few questions that you might find a little inadequate for a lady in your position. But, as you all know, the law is the law, and it doesn’t see social positions. In the eyes of the law, we are all equal.”

Suddenly, Christina started crying. Frederick jumped to her side and offered her his monogrammed handkerchief to dry off her tears.

“What is the matter, little one? Why are you crying?” Frederick was now more worried about her state of mind than the possibility of her being a wanted criminal. As for the sheriff, he had seen his fair share of female tears, and he wasn’t so easily led to believe everything a woman said or did. However, he allowed for this scene to continue without his interference.

“Oh, Frederick!” Christina’s cheeks were wetted by a waterfall of tears, gushing down. “I am so sorry to have done this to you. So terribly sorry.” She buried her face in his shoulder as he held her tight.

“There, there.” He tried to console her, though he had no idea what was happening and was hoping that either she or the sheriff would finally say something that would shed some light on this whole affair that was keeping him in the dark.

“You are a sweet man, Frederick Fitzgerald, and I was a silly thing thinking that I deserve someone as sweet and kind as yourself to take care of me and love me.” Her voice turned to a whisper. Then, she turned to the sheriff. “Sheriff, would you mind if I tell Frederick what it is I have done?” The sheriff nodded kindly. “Then you shall do with me as you see fit.”

She took a deep breath. The time had finally come for her to reveal her terrible secret, the one that had kept her from being truly happy all this time. Frederick was on the edge of his seat.

“By the time my father was sick with yellow jack, we were left penniless. We had no means of supporting ourselves, apart from the meager amount of money that we kept for a rainy day and some eggs and milk that our good neighbors used to bring to us. But that wasn’t enough to help him. You see, he needed medication, and at the time, I had no idea that it wouldn’t be of any help to him, but I had to try. I had to!” Her tears started gushing again. Frederick looked at her sympathetically.

“So, I devised a plan.” Her words turned colder. “I knew where the bank kept most of its money and when the guard change took place. The owner of the bank, Mr. Pritchard, was a longtime friend of my father’s, and I knew he wouldn’t refuse an encounter with me at any time of my choosing. So I timed my visit perfectly with him leaving me in his office right next to the small vault, which was, at this time, left unlocked and unattended due to the guard change. I had no idea what I was doing. I was more than certain I would get caught, but God help me, I didn’t. And I stole that money. All of it.”

The two men looked at her in bewilderment.

“I gave it all to those medical frauds who sold me potions and remedies that did nothing, and my father, God rest his soul, passed away soon afterwards.” She exhaled deeply. “You can imagine my disappointment, my disgust and repulsion at what I had done. I couldn’t live with myself. I don’t know how God will ever forgive me, and I suppose I do not deserve to be forgiven. I know I shall never forgive myself.” She bent down her head in humiliation, waiting for the wrath of the two men to fall down upon her.

But, what Frederick did next, surprised her.

“How much was it?” he simply asked the sheriff.

“A lot, Frederick,” the sheriff said.

“It doesn’t matter. Name the number, and I shall pay it. The bank shall have their money back, provided Christina’s name is left out of this entire sordid affair.”

“But, Frederick,” Christina started, only to be interrupted.

“Hush now. Let me take care of this. I am not letting the sunshine out of my house ever again.” He kissed her on the forehead and looked at the sheriff again.

“So tell them of my offer, sheriff. It’s either the person responsible for the robbery in jail or them getting their money back without the guilty party.” His voice was solemn and dignified.

The sheriff rose.

“I’ll make sure to let them know. I wish you both a good day.” He lowered his hat as he said these words, and left the Fitzgerald home. Frederick knew that no bank owner would willingly choose to be left without his money, so it was only a matter of time before they agreed to his proposal.

In the meantime, he had a wedding to plan.

“Frederick, I don’t know what to tell you.” Christina was left speechless at this kind man’s generosity and willingness to forgive.

“Hush now, Christina. All is all right. I said I wanted to take care of you, and I meant it.” He took her by the hands. “Now that this whole dirty business is behind us, we have a wedding to organize, don’t we?” He smiled, and she returned his sweet gesture.

Chapter Seven

On Christmas day, Frederick and Christina were joined in holy matrimony, with the entire town present, even the sheriff who was smiling from the back rows. It was a day of merriment for all, as the two newlyweds promised to love and care for each other, till death do them part. Little William and Angelina finally got their Christmas wish to have a new mom, one who would love them as much as their mom who was now in Heaven. In the meantime, what they could do was remember her fondly and with love, as they turned over a new leaf in their lives, enjoying their newly found happily ever after as one big happy family.

THE END

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Clean Western Mail Order Bride Romance

By: Claire Grace

Chapter One

Mary stood at the edge of her husband's grave wiping her eyes and staring down at the gravestone. She kneeled down slowly, gripping a few weeds and pulling them from the soft ground and tossing them to the side.

She came to his grave every day in order to talk to him. Jacob was her best friend and husband until the very end. Neither of them expected to marry each other, but the fates had different plans.

They'd grown up together in the same small town just outside of Boston. They were friends by chance. They grew up in two very different worlds. Jacob was the son of a moderately successful farmer, and Mary was the daughter of a rich investor. She grew up going to prep schools and preparing herself to marry a man she wouldn’t love. She knew that her marriage was most likely going to be one of convenience—that's how families like Mary's maintained good social standing.

Jacob and Mary met in town one day while Mary was out with her parents shopping for jewelry and dresses for a fancy dance where Mary was to be debuted to high society. She was only 9 at the time, but her family believed in head starts. If they could arrange a future marriage while she was young, it would give her father time to make meaningful business deals and connections with her future in-laws.

Mary was walking down the street and fell behind her parents. She was distracted by a slightly older boy who was playing with a small metal hoop he rolled with a stick. She must have looked interested because he offered to show her how it worked.  From that moment on, their friendship blossomed and they were connected at the hip.

Jacob only lived a few miles up the road from Mary's home, and although her mother didn't approve of her daughter hanging around with a young boy, there was little that could be done to separate them no matter how much it worried her parents.

Mary was a beautiful girl with a round face, delicate features and big brown eyes. Her hair cascaded down her shoulders in long ringlets that were always perfectly styled. Her beauty unnerved her parents, and they were constantly worried that their daughter’s purity might be tainted by a curious boy like Jacob. The last thing they wanted was to lose their daughter to a simple farmer.

The closer Mary and Jacob got, the more worried Mary’s parents became. When they were younger, Mary and Jacob used to joke around about how strange it would be to be married. As they got older, however, they started to see each other in a very different light. Their teenaged bodies started changing, and they began to notice the way they seemed to fit together. They shared their first kiss under the pale moonlight, and Jacob took Mary’s hands, begging her to run away with him. They both knew that if they stayed in Boston there was no way they could be together. Mary’s parents would interfere.

They planned their escape for weeks, saving up money (or stealing it, in Mary’s case). When they finally managed to scrape up enough cash for a train ticket, they went West, taking only what they could fit in a few small suitcases. They were only 18 and 20 at the time. They traveled west to Wyoming and managed to finance a small farm. It was just big enough for them to grow crops and keep a few cattle.

Mary knew that it wasn’t going to be the extravagant lifestyle she was used to, but she didn’t care. As long as she was with Jacob, she knew she could be happy. She loved him dearly and knew that she didn’t need money in order to live a rich life. It took some adjusting, but soon she was happy, and she and Jacob were looking forward to their lives together.

They’d been married for less than a year when her beloved Jacob was shot dead in the streets of the nearest town for a few pieces of gold and his horse. It was such a random act of violence, and nothing could have prepared Mary to lose Jacob. Their marriage was short, but they’d loved each other for so long that her life seemed empty without him.

It was nearly October now, and there was a chill in the air, though it was still warm enough to go outside without a jacket. Her black mourning veil fluttered in the gentle breeze, and she wiped the tears out of her mocha-colored eyes, the rouge on her cheeks smearing just a little. She’d moved to Wyoming and taken up a simpler life, but she was still a woman of high-class breeding who prided herself in her beauty and fashion. Jacob made a good living when they moved to Wyoming and managed to keep Mary comfortable.

She never took much of an interest in the farm, and now that Jacob was gone, it was falling apart around her. In the six months since he’d passed, their thriving ranch fell into a state of disrepair that seemed far too overwhelming for Mary to tackle. With no savings and no income, Mary was struggling to afford simple things like food and candles. There was no spare money to hire farm hands to care for the animals and crops.

A neighbor who felt badly for Mary helped her slaughter her pigs so that she would have food for the winter. Winter was still months away, but her food storages were already running low. With every day that passed, the situation seemed more and more hopeless. Mary wasn’t sure where to turn.

Tears pooled in her eyes as she turned to leave the graveyard, glancing over her shoulder at the headstone one more time before trekking her way up the side of the tall hill that led to her farm. She’d wanted her husband buried within walking distance, so she’d requested that a plot be dug for him at the bottom of the hill under his favorite tree. Jacob would sit under that tree and play his guitar for hours, singing for Mary when she wandered down to call him in for dinner. Now he would rest under that tree for all eternity. Mary was sure he would appreciate the sentiment.

She finally made her way to the top of the hill, and her heart slammed in her chest when she saw a man pinning a sign to her door. Mary gasped and picked up her dress so that it wouldn’t soak up the mud from the wet ground, and she ran to the man.

“Excuse me, sir, shat are you doing?” she asked. “This is my home.”

“Not your home anymore, lady. This land belongs to the bank now. No payments have been made on it in months.”