 The Orphan Bride

©2019 by Stella Clark

All rights reserved. No part of this may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are a product of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, events or locales is completely coincidental.

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11

Chapter One

“Friday, February 15, 1895. 7:56 p.m. A cold wind whipped snow flurries through the streets all the way to the post office and the six-block walk back home.” That was how Sadie Beckman began her diary entry the evening she dropped the letter into the outgoing mail slot at the post office. The rest of her entry described how she felt as she dropped the letter into the slot, how it sounded when it hit bottom, and what she prayed on the walk back home.

Sadie purposely mailed the letter late in the day, hoping the lobby would be empty at that hour. She was a very private person and hated the thought of strangers watching her. Of course, logic told her that no one there could have any idea what the letter said … or would care about that or where it was going. But there had been very little logic involved in Sadie’s decision to mail the letter. She’d made that decision with her heart. And when her heart was involved, logic often gave way. She was a deeply private person and guarded her heart as few others do. She was very aware of its power. Most folks commonly experience changes of heart. Sadie seldom did.

She had to walk directly into the frigid wind going home. She thought she must be a sight, with her woven wool blanket wrapped tightly around her and only her eyes exposed. But her first priority was to stay warm and dry, and she couldn’t afford a winter coat. It was one of the blankets she’d made before her parents and sister had died of cholera two years earlier. She had since made and sold several more, with the exception of the one she wore and another she used as a bedspread, both of which had been started by her mother.

Her parents had left her very little money. She scraped by making and selling blankets and rugs and then used most of the money she made to buy more wool at the farmers market on Ridge Street and repeated the process. She was grateful her mother had taught her how to weave. But she never really enjoyed it, and it didn’t pay well.

It was her inheritance from her father that excited her. In his early years, he had been a successful gunsmith and collected a dozen or so fine firearms. When she was ten years old, her father began taking her to his target practices each Saturday morning. She was a natural and became such a good shot over the next five years that she often won a half-dollar or two in wagers at the gun range from men who refused to believe they could be out-shot by a kid. On good weeks, her father let her keep half her winnings. Before long, Sadie used the pellet gun to kill quail and doves for food. She lured them into the alley with dried corn and seeds and shot the tasty birds from a rear window.

While caring for her family, Sadie had no time for herself. By the time they died, she felt trapped in a solitary life. For the next two years, she worked menial jobs by day, crafted blankets and rugs by night, and sold them (and birds) whenever possible to make ends meet. This kept her very busy. It also kept her very lonely. There simply was very little time for socializing. But Sadie’s problem wasn’t her lack of time … it was her shyness.

She felt comfortable selling her wares at the markets. But she was never comfortable meeting and talking to people on a personal level. She was attractive enough, in an unassuming way. But she never wore makeup and simply pulled her hair into a ponytail rather than trying flattering styles. So it was easy to miss her natural beauty. And most folks did. Sadie came to accept life as a wallflower during those two years after burying her family.

But soon after turning nineteen, she began to wonder if, perhaps, life could mean something more than work and loneliness. She occasionally made awkward attempts at interacting more with people at work. She also began attending church regularly for the first time in her life, hoping she might make the acquaintance of a handsome, financially stable, single man. Week after week, she attended church regardless of the weather, hoping God would bring such a man into her life. He didn’t.

Then, on Valentine’s Day, she spent what seemed like hours listening to women she worked with go on and on about the cards, candy, and flowers they’d received from the men in their lives. Hearing their stories drove home the reality of her situation and left Sadie with a dark sadness. She had nothing to share, and no one to share with. By the time her workday was over, Sadie had had enough.

On her way home, she stopped at the five-cent store and bought a copy of the Matrimonial Times. When she got home, she studied the “Interested in Marriage” section until she found an ad she thought sounded as though the man who submitted it might be safe and suitable to correspond with.

Quiet Man of Means

I’ve learned money is not the answer.

A life without love is not worth living.

I seek a like-minded, Godly young lady

who shares my goal of living happily

ever after. If that’s you, please write.

  Sadie circled the ad with a pencil and left it lying on her tiny kitchen table while she tidied the apartment and herself before bedtime. She returned to the ad now and then, reading it over and over, felt silly when she realized she had memorized it. It resonated within her. She had never had money. But she, too, believed it was not the answer to a happy life. Oh, how wonderful it would be to get to know a man with money who wanted more out of life just as she did.

Chapter Two

What would be the harm in responding to this gentleman? Sadie thought to herself. It will only take a few minutes of my time and a few cents for postage. That seems harmless enough. If he answers in a similar fashion, we just might strike up a regular correspondence. If not, oh well.

Sadie wrestled with the idea for nearly half an hour before finally settling into a chair at the table and writing her response:

Dear Quiet Man of Means,

I could not agree more with your conclusion concerning money. Though I’ve never had much, I’ve also come to believe money cannot solve all of life’s problems. It did require a few pennies to post this letter to you. But that seems a small price to pay for a chance at a new friendship with someone who shares my values. If you agree, please write back soon.

Your new friend,

Ms. Sadie Beckman

With that, it was done. Sadie neatly folded the letter and thought the best way to keep it neat and dry would be to place it in a book … if she had a book. That was when she remembered her mother’s Bible. Sadie had packed it away in a small trunk with the rest of her mother’s things and now used the trunk as a nightstand beside her bed. She removed the small kerosene lamp and alarm clock from the trunk and opened it. That simple act triggered a chain of memories for Sadie. The Bible was the last thing she had packed away, so it was right on top. Sadie remembered what her mother had written on the first page of the book shortly before she died.

“To my dearest, beautiful daughter. Keep this Holy Bible close and read it often. Our God is faithful and will never forsake you. Your grateful mother loves you very much.”

Sadie opened the Bible and began to cry as she reread the note. She had not kept the Bible close. She’d packed it away when her family died and vowed never to look at it again. Sadie felt Jesus had forsaken her. If he had heard her prayers asking him to heal her family, he had ignored them.

She wanted to pack the Bible away again and be done with it forever. But it was the only book she had, and she knew it was the best way to protect the letter until she got to work in the morning and put it in an envelope she hoped she could get from her boss’s secretary, Miss Simpson. With luck, Miss Simpson would also have a first-class stamp to sell her.

At least this once, this Bible will do me some good, Sadie thought.

But as she carefully tucked the letter inside, her eyes fell upon a verse her mother had underlined over and over. It was John 14:13.

“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do,
that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

Sadie’s first thought was, “Sorry, Jesus, but I’ve tried that before and it didn’t work.”

It was in that moment that Sadie first clearly understood the importance the letter held for her. She’d tried to assign it minimal value while writing it. But by the time she finished, she understood that it had taken on far greater meaning. The letter was her first real attempt to reach out for a better life. It was clear her future would likely be bleak in Philadelphia. Maybe, just maybe, a life worth living was waiting for her out West. She would never know unless she mailed the letter. So as she tucked it into the Bible, she said a short, awkward prayer hoping Jesus would hear her this time … and ensure the letter reached a man to whom it was equally important.

Chapter Three

At five o’clock the next morning, Sadie stepped out her door into six inches of freshly fallen snow to begin her windy, cold walk to work. Snow swirled wildly in the brisk wind, and she pulled her blanket more tightly around her with her free hand. In her other hand, she clutched the Bible tightly to protect the letter it contained.

When she got to work, she was happy to see Miss Simpson was already at her desk.

“Hello, Miss Simpson!” Sadie said cheerfully.

“Good morning,” Miss Simpson said flatly without looking up from her paperwork.

“I was hoping you might be able to sell me an envelope and a first-class stamp,” Sadie said.

“An envelope, I have. It will cost you two cents. I don’t have stamps,” the secretary said.

Sadie happily produced the two cents and took the envelope to her work bench. Then she took the letter from her Bible and slipped it inside the envelope, sealed it, and carefully placed it right where the Bible had previously sat. She also took another look at John 14:13 and, for the sake of doing all she felt she could, she again briefly prayed that Jesus would make a way for the letter to begin a rewarding correspondence with a man who would make her happy she had sent it.

Sadie’s day dragged slowly by. To make things worse, Sadie stayed later than usual to give the streets between work and the post office the chance to clear. It was a good plan, and it worked. But as the time to leave drew near, she grew increasingly troubled. She’d asked everyone at work if they had a first-class stamp to sell, or even a second-class stamp. No one did. And now, most of the shops along the route to the post office would surely be closed. The only hope she had was that someone mailing letters as late as her might have an extra stamp to sell.

The trip to the post office seemed like just another walk on just another Philadelphia winter’s evening. She tried to stay positive, but by the time she stepped on the curb outside the building, her heart began to sink. She hadn’t seen another soul. What was worse, all the shops she passed that might have had stamps had closed by 4:00 p.m. Her last hope was that someone would be in the lobby mailing letters like her and would have a stamp to sell. But the lobby was empty. The floor was completely dry, telling Sadie no one had been there for some time. The sign on the door said the lobby would close at 8:00 p.m., meaning she had less than half an hour to meet someone with a stamp to sell.

By 7:50 p.m., Sadie gave up hope. She felt defeated, with no plan for greater success tomorrow unless she left work early … if her boss would even allow it. That would also mean a crowd would see her mail the letter. Sadie shrugged at the prospect and tried to think of the letter with a better perspective. It was, after all, just a letter. Of course she would be mailing it. That’s what people did at the post office. Still, as she exited the lobby, she couldn’t help herself and felt a deep dread of mailing it so publicly the next day.

As she left and got just a couple of steps out onto the sidewalk outside the post office, her foot came down beside a postage stamp resting on top of the snow. It was a perfectly dry postage stamp. It was a perfectly dry first-class postage stamp.

“This is impossible,” Sadie said out loud, thrilled she was all alone.

Sadie could easily believe someone had dropped it. But she couldn’t believe it had been there long enough for there to be no one else in sight and still be perfectly dry like the floor inside the lobby. Sadie snatched the stamp up, dashed back inside, stuck the stamp on the envelope, and dropped it into the slot with just minutes to spare … and no one around.

Sadie had two questions to ponder: When would her letter reach the offices of the Matrimonial Times in St. Louis? And where on earth had the stamp she used to mail it come from? Her first question had a simple answer, and she quickly dismissed it. But she pondered the second question all the way home. The mystery of the stamp brought John 14:13 to her mind, and she wondered about it. Then, for good measure, she said another short prayer for happiness.

Finding the stamp could not be more mysterious. The snow it had rested upon was wet. Yet the gum on the back of it had been perfectly dry. Sadie could accept that if she had seen anyone else even near the post office. But she hadn’t. In her diary that night, Sadie called the discovery of the stamp “a mysterious stroke of good luck.”

Chapter Four

The next two months were tough for Sadie to bear. It took nearly two weeks for the letter to reach the Matrimonial Times in St. Louis where it sat for two weeks on a clerk’s desk, waiting for the ad responses to stop coming in. When the envelope with ten letters was finally mailed to Alex Wineland, another two weeks had passed before they reached him. Alex took several weeks to carefully read each letter, choosing three women to correspond with.

 The snow was gone in Philadelphia by the time Sadie received a response. She snatched the letter from her mailbox and ran inside with it. Calming herself so as not to tear the letter while opening it, Sadie took a deep breath, unfolded the single piece of paper, and read the response her letter had prompted.

My Dear Miss Beckman,

I was greatly impressed by your thoughtful sentiment when I read your letter. I believe we have the basis to begin a meaningful and fun correspondence in the hope of eventually determining just how compatible we might be. I would like that very much and hope you feel the same.

Sincerely,
Mr. Alex Wineland

  That was it; nothing flowery or emotional. It sounded almost like a business letter. But Sadie understood the person who sent it probably sent many letters. Her hope was that as time went on and they began to get to know one another, she would learn more about the man behind the letters. She was thrilled that he had enclosed his home address to make their correspondence faster. Her excitement about such a relatively simple thing told Sadie she expected to enjoy this process very much and wanted it to progress more quickly.

Sadie drafted quite a long letter to Mr. Wineland before finally going to bed. She told him everything about her life she was comfortable revealing and invited him to respond in kind. Sadie figured his response would tell her much more about this man and help her to decide whether she wanted to continue corresponding. By the time his first letter arrived, Sadie had made a special trip to the five-cent store to ensure envelopes and stamps were never again a problem.

***

Alex’s next letter arrived much more quickly and included three pieces of paper. Sadie was excited to receive it, hoping she would begin learning about this new man who seemed interested in learning more about her as well. She opened it with even more care than the first, thinking she might want to keep them both if the letters continued and became enjoyable. She smiled at the thought, remembering how cautiously she had begun this long-distance conversation.

As Sadie carefully slipped the letter from its envelope, she was pleased that its arrival gave her the first true feeling of control she’d experienced in her life. Happy to be an equal partner in the first relationship she’d ever initiated, she was ready to move forward … come what might. She sat down at her table with the letter in front of her, a hot cup of her favorite tea beside her, and began reading.

Dear Sadie,

I hope this letter finds you well and looking forward to many more. I certainly am. The one I’ve just received from you touched me deeply. I was so sorry to learn of the great hardship and loss you experienced at such a tender young age. But at the same time, I must also tell you that I was inspired to learn how you managed to rise above it all and become a strong, independent young woman. I, too, have lost someone I loved deeply. My dear wife died during childbirth nearly a year ago. My great grief was mercifully softened by the arrival of our beautiful daughter, Maggie, who I am now raising with the help of my loving mother …

Sadie felt a bond begin as she read Alex’s opening paragraph. Alex sounded like a man with strong values and an even stronger heart. Her interest grew as she continued reading.

I am midway through my second term as the duly-elected sheriff of New Mexico’s Doña Ana County. I was born and raised in Las Cruces. I plan to live out my days here in this hot and dry, but welcoming town. My mother often complains that I give too much of myself to the job and seldom have time or energy left for family. She may be right, but I’ve dedicated myself to helping make this part of New Mexico safer and more prosperous. I do it for my family, of course, but also for the hundreds of other families who share it with us, and the thousands more to come.

   With just the first page of his letter, Alex earned Sadie’s interest and respect. She thought Alex sounded like a hard-working man of genuine commitment and deep loyalty. She read the rest of the letter fervently.

My daughter has the security and protection of a loving father. Her grandmother does a wonderful job of caring for her, but that can never compensate for Maggie’s loss of her mother. I don’t want Maggie to grow up without a mother to show her the ways a strong, loving mother relates to her child and to her husband. I am a devoted family man with an incomplete family. These are the reasons I seek a loving relationship with a woman who is prepared to be a part of our family.

Sadie replied to Alex’s letter immediately.

Dear Alex,

I was greatly moved by your letter. It warmed my heart to read of your love for your dear baby girl and of your concern that she grow up knowing the love and care of an attentive mother. I was equally happy to read that you seek a woman who will also be a loving wife. I can assure you that I aspire to both roles.

I miss my sister terribly, and I believe losing her still affects me so deeply at least in part because I related to her more as a mother than as an older sister during the last two years of her life. For that reason, I am certain my love and affection for Maggie will happen quite naturally if she and I come to know one another. However, I think only time and more letters will tell whether you and I can share those precious emotions as man and wife.

More information about your goals and aspirations will be helpful to me, of course. But I am also interested in learning why you loved your late wife so deeply and why you miss her so much. That information will be a great help to me in knowing whether we can relate to one another closely in the near term, with the hope of one day loving each other for the rest of our lives.

Please kiss Maggie for me, say hello to your mother, be safe and well, and write again soon!

You are all in my prayers,

Sadie

Sadie carefully folded the letter, inserted it into an envelope addressed to Alex, sealed it, and applied a stamp. Then she said a brief prayer asking Jesus to keep Alex and his family healthy and safe, help the letter reach him quickly, and prompt him to reply soon.

Look at me, Sadie thought to herself with a slight smile, praying regularly to a God who, until recently, I was convinced did not answer prayers like He promised in the Bible.

Before falling asleep that night, Sadie asked herself what had so dramatically changed her attitude about prayer. She believed it was the positive direction her correspondence with Alex had taken so far. She found that easier to believe than the possibility that luck alone had made the difference.

What else can explain the compatibility I so quickly felt with Alex’s situation and values? How mysterious it is to me that I feel such a strong connection with the author of the only ad I answered, Sadie thought as she drifted off to sleep.

***

Over the next several months, Sadie and Alex exchanged more letters. They shared their hearts, hopes, and fears more openly. Two weeks after Thanksgiving, a letter from Alex arrived containing a proposal of marriage, a train ticket to St. Louis, and more than enough money to pay the stagecoach fare for the rest of Sadie’s trip. It was short and to the point.

My dearest Sadie,

I will be the happiest man on earth, and Maggie will be the luckiest baby girl in New Mexico, if you agree to be my wife. Please say you will! If you do, I promise to work hard to make you forever glad you did. I pray you will quickly sell all you don’t wish to bring with you and come to me the moment you are able. I look forward to your answer with deep love and great hope in my heart.

All my love,

Alex

Sadie accepted Alex’s proposal the moment she read it. She’d hoped for such a letter for a couple of months by the time it had arrived. She had even begun thinking about which items she would sell, which she’d give away, and what she would take to her new home.

She quickly sold her bed, table, and chairs to neighbors, along with her last few blankets and rugs. Sadie had stopped weaving new ones two months earlier and had begun working on a blanket for Maggie instead. She had decided early in her communications with Alex to create a beautiful blanket for his baby girl whether or not she ever met her. Sadie was excited to know she would soon present the pale blue and pink blanket to Maggie in person.

The day after Alex’s proposal arrived, Sadie purchased another used trunk to carry her clothes and the one family picture she had. She also carefully tucked her father’s firearms and her mother’s Bible inside. The pellet gun went to the neighbors for their ten-year old son. She wrapped the best firearm in the one blanket she’d kept … the one her mother had started.

Early on the morning of Monday, December 9th, a friend loaded Sadie’s two trunks into his buggy and helped her climb aboard for the short ride to the train station. By 8:00 a.m., she had settled into her seat. Ten minutes later, her long journey to New Mexico began with two blasts of the train’s whistle just before the conductor standing outside her car shouted, “All aboard!”

Chapter Five

Shortly after the train rolled out of Philadelphia headed to Baltimore, Sadie looked up to see a distinguished-looking porter approaching.

“Good morning, ma’am,” the porter said cheerfully. “My name is Jess. I’ll be your porter on this trip. A light breakfast of eggs, toast, biscuits, and muffins, and your choice of coffee, tea, or juice, will be available in the dining car beginning from 8:30 to 9:30. Lunch begins at noon and ends at 1:30 p.m. Please don’t hesitate to call upon me if there’s anything I can do for you in the meantime. And how should I address you?”

“Why thank you, Jess,” Sadie said. “My name is Sadie Beckman. I think I’d prefer a nap instead of breakfast. Can you please show me to my sleeping compartment?”

“I’d be happy to, Miss Beckman,” Jess answered. “Please follow me.”

Sadie sprang from her seat and collected her blanket roll from the overhead shelf. Sadie thought of how odd a sight it must be as she carefully manipulated it past other passengers in the aisle as she followed the porter. She smiled at the thought of what they would think if they knew it contained a polished and oiled firearm. But Sadie was confident no one would ever guess such a thing.

“Your compartment is right here, Miss Beckman,” Jess said, opening the curtain to the lower berth on the left. “You can safely leave your personal items here. A porter is always nearby and at your service should you need anything during the night.”

“Thanks again, Jess,” Sadie answered. “I’m going to try to nap until lunchtime. In the unlikely event that you don’t see me by noon, could you please stop by and make sure I’m awake?”

“I’ll be happy to, Miss Beckman,” Jess said. “Sleep well until then.”

Sadie slipped into the lower berth and placed her blanket roll between her body and the wall. She worried the motion and noise of the train would keep her awake. But she was asleep in minutes and slept for nearly three hours, totally unaware of the half-hour stop in Baltimore. Sadie awoke as the train slowly steamed into Washington, D.C., to pick up more passengers.

“Oh my,” Sadie said with a yawn and a stretch as she sat up in her berth and bright sunlight washed through the curtain she had pulled over her small window. Nudging the heavy fabric aside with a finger, she squinted out into the bright early afternoon sunlight. Sadie could see a large flock of Canadian geese flying west above the trees. She figured they were headed to the Potomac River winding its way south a half mile west of the tracks. The sight made her think of her father, who had once told her that before he married and moved to Philadelphia, he’d often hunted Canadian geese. The sight of the large flock invigorated her, and she suddenly felt hungry. She pulled on a light sweater, ran a brush through her hair, and headed to the dining car.

“Good afternoon, Miss Beckman,” Jess said as he stepped aside for her in the aisle with a bright smile and held the vestibule door open for her to cross into the next car forward. “If you are headed to the dining car, you have plenty of time to enjoy a nice lunch.”

“That’s where I’m headed, Jess,” Sadie answered. “Thank you very much.”

She found a table with a large window in the dining car and ordered a bowl of chicken noodle soup with fresh, warm pumpernickel bread and butter. The meal warmed and satisfied her as she took in the expansive view of the grounds stretching east as far as she could see. Each street that the train crossed seemed to be bustling with carriages, buggies, and folks on foot hurrying this way and that. The city was alive, and Sadie felt it was bringing her to life as well.

I’ve been asleep a long, long time, Sadie thought to herself, long before I ever boarded this train. And all the while, this beautiful country was waiting for me to awake.

Well, she thought as she sat up straight in her chair, I’m awake now and headed to a new life with a ready-made family and years ahead of me to share with them. I feel as though my life is finally beginning!

Just as Sadie was finishing her soup, the waiter set a small dish of shortbread cookies on the corner of her table.

“Why thank you,” Sadie said to him. “I’m afraid I don’t even know your name.”

“It’s James, Miss …” The waiter realized he did not know hers, either.

“I’m Miss Sadie Beckman, James,” she answered.

“Would you care for a cup of tea to enjoy with your cookies, Miss Beckman?” he asked.

“I would enjoy that very much, thank you,” Sadie replied.

Sadie ate two of the cookies and drank her cup of tea by the time a happy couple with a little girl sat at the table beside hers. She smiled brightly at the family and guessed the little girl was around a year and a half old … about Maggie’s age.

How wonderful it will be to care for and enjoy a child that age, she thought.

“I’m Sadie Beckman,” she said to the young couple. “It’s marvelous to see a young, happy family enjoying one another’s company on this trip.”

“We’re pleased to meet you, Miss Beckman,” the pretty wife and mother said and gave Sadie’s extended hand a squeeze. “I’m Gloria Frazier and this is my husband, William, and our daughter, Iris.”

“She’s such a pretty little girl,” Sadie said with thoughts of Maggie in her heart and mind.

“Thank you, Miss Beckman,” the mother said. “Would you like to hold her for a few minutes? It would be a help while we read the menu.”

“Oh, I’d love to!” Sadie gushed. “Will it be okay if I give her the small cookie I have left?”

“I bet you’ll win her heart with that,” the mother answered and handed Iris to Sadie.

Sadie’s heart filled to overflowing as she held the toddler with curly red hair in her arms. Memories of her sister and imaginings of young Maggie waiting for her out West washed over her. Tears of joy filled the corners of Sadie’s eyes as Iris took the cookie from her and immediately put it to her tiny mouth.

In just a few joyful minutes, Gloria took Iris back into her lap, and Sadie excused herself to spend some time in the observation car to the rear of the dining car.

Chapter Six

Sixteen hours later, Sadie’s train rolled into St. Louis. She was pleased to have time to enjoy lunch in the Union Station dining hall before she connected with a stagecoach to Springfield, where she spent the night. From there, another coach took her to Oklahoma City, where she connected with a final stagecoach to Las Cruces.

Sadie’s heart and mind churned with emotions, hopes, dreams, and questions the whole way.

Will Alex be as comfortable with our age difference once we meet as he said in his letters? she wondered. Will my age even matter if he’s more interested in having an attentive live-in nanny for Maggie rather than a loving wife?

And what am I really seeking? Sadie asked herself in her most reflective, vulnerable moments. Why do I fear that the dangers of Alex’s job could make me a widowed mother in the blink of an eye? Does my fear for my own welfare mean I don’t love him as much as I should?

Sadie weighed these questions in a defensive mode. She understood that being Alex’s second wife would be very different from being his first. Alex and his first wife had discussed whether he should run for sheriff or take a less-dangerous job. He and Sadie had not. Nor had they discussed where they would live. The long trip helped Sadie decide that she really didn’t care about any of that. And as her train rolled into the Las Cruces station, the things she did know mattered the most to her. And as was her new habit, she prayed for those things.

I’ve known enough loneliness, Sadie reminded herself. I am done living my life without purpose. I want to share it with people I care about and who care about me. I want all that Alex and his family have to offer. And I will give them all the love I have to offer in return.

Inside the station, Sadie found both her trunks sitting together with her name in large print on tags hanging from their handles. She wondered what folks would think if they knew one of them held her firearms. As she signaled a baggage handler for help with the trunks, a pleasant-looking older woman pushing a baby buggy approached and asked, “Are you Miss Sadie Beckman?”

“I am! And you must be Mrs. Wineland, Alex’s mother,” Sadie said cheerfully and gave the older woman an excited hug.

Sadie had not received a picture of Alex’s mother during their long correspondence. And she was thrilled to discover that the older woman looked very much as Sadie imagined she would. Mrs. Wineland stood barely five feet tall with a slight frame and silver-gray hair wrapped in a tight bun at the crown of her head, beneath a pillbox hat.

“And this must be the beautiful, precious Miss Maggie!” she gushed as she stepped around to the rear of the baby buggy for a good look. “Oh my word!” she exclaimed. “She’s so much bigger and even prettier than in the photograph that Alex sent me!”

“You definitely look prettier as well, my dear,” Mrs. Wineland said softly, “but there’s something I must tell you about the photographs you received.”

“Oh, there’s plenty of time for that,” Sadie said, almost breathless from the reality of finally meeting her soon-to-be family members. “Where’s Alex? Is he here? Is he waiting for us outside? Oh, I can’t wait to see him face to face!”

“Uhh, he’s attending to business in his office, my dear,” his mother told Sadie. “It’s only about a twenty-minute walk up Main Street from here. It’s a beautiful morning, and I thought the walk would be a terrific opportunity to talk a bit while also pointing out some of the more interesting shops and offices along the way. I hope you don’t mind the walk. I’ve arranged to have your trunks delivered to the house, which is just another short walk from Alex’s office.”

“Actually, I would love a walk, Mrs. Wineland,” Sadie replied. “I’ve sat for days and most of the time I was terribly uncomfortable. Lead the way. May I push Maggie?”

“Of course, my dear,” Alex’s mother answered.

She pointed out businesses that were likely to be of the most interest to Sadie as the two of them leisurely walked up Main Street. The older lady stopped frequently during their walk to provide more information than Sadie thought she could possibly remember. Sadie enjoyed the walk, but she quickly grew impatient with the frequent stops and simply could wait no longer to meet Alex.

“Mrs. Wineland, I’m sorry to ask that we take this tour sometime soon,” Sadie interjected. “And I don’t wish to sound unappreciative, but I really must see Alex! As my husband, he will no doubt have to endure my occasional interruptions when he’s at work, and he may as well begin getting used to them today.”

Sadie nearly regretted making the demand when she saw the older woman’s reaction. Alex’s mother looked crestfallen, as though Sadie had somehow greatly saddened her. Yet Sadie was adamant. Having met Maggie and Alex’s mother so quickly upon her arrival, Sadie insisted that she next had to meet Alex.

“Yes, you’re right of course, my dear,” the older woman said. “Please forgive me for the delay. It’s just that Alex and I are so proud of our town that I sometimes get carried away.”

“No apology is necessary, Mrs. Wineland,” Sadie quickly replied. “I can understand your pride. According to people I spoke with on my trip, Las Cruces is a town with a bright future. I’m sure that Alex has had a hand in its success.”

“I am afraid that an apology is necessary, dear one,” the older lady answered and asked Sadie to sit with her on a bench in front of a dry goods store. “Please give me a few moments to try to explain. Out of love and concern for my family’s happiness, I made what I now know were rash decisions that were not mine to make.”

Sadie sat quietly beside the older woman while people walked past on the wooden sidewalk. She had no idea what Alex’s mother was talking about but thought it best to give the older woman whatever time she needed to tell her what she seemed to be struggling mightily to put into words.

“Oh, I’ve made a mess of things,” Mrs. Wineland said with a deep sigh. “So much of a mess that I suppose the only way to explain it to you is to introduce you to Alex and see what happens next.”

The older woman suddenly sprang from the bench and headed up the street at a fast pace. As Sadie struggled to keep pace while being gentle with Maggie in the buggy, she thought to herself, Introduce me to Alex? Why does this woman think an introduction is necessary? She knows that Alex and I have been writing each other for months. We exchanged photographs, for goodness’ sake. And what does she mean by saying she will ‘see what happens next’?

Moments later, Sadie followed Mrs. Wineland through the front door of the sheriff’s office. A surprised deputy looked up from his paperwork with his mouth agape, overwhelmed by the sight of Alex’s mother hustling in at such a quick pace with an unfamiliar young woman struggling to keep up with her while pushing a baby buggy through the narrow front door.

“Hello, Henry,” the older woman said flatly. “I have to speak with Alex right now. Is anyone with him?”

Her question was merely a courtesy, asked rhetorically as she marched to the door of Alex’s inner office and led Sadie through it without slowing down.

“Umm, good afternoon, Mrs. Wineland.” Henry sounded as surprised as he looked. “The sheriff’s asked not to be disturbed.”

But the women and Maggie were already through the door. Alex was standing at a large map of the county, studying it closely. He held a thick file of papers in one hand while he traced the Rio Grande riverbed west of town with the forefinger of his other hand.

“Alex, I have someone you must meet,” his mother said in what Sadie would come to know as the “mother” tone. “So whatever you’re in the middle of needs to wait for a few minutes.”

“Good afternoon, Mother,” Alex said in a calm, careful voice as he put the file on his desk and gave his mother his full attention.

Alex had grown accustomed to his mother’s informality at the office. She was his mother, however. So when she thought a matter was something he needed to know and was urgent enough to interrupt him at his office, everything else, whatever it might be, was secondary.

“Alex, I’d like you to meet Miss Sadie Beckman,” his mother announced. “She’s traveled from Philadelphia to meet you. I’m sorry that I didn’t let you know she was coming so that you could put your best foot forward. But you are always at your best and now’s as good a time as any for you two to begin really getting to know one another.”

“What are you saying?” Sadie gasped at Alex’s mother. “Alex and I have been writing each other for months. We exchanged photographs and wrote for months about our pasts and our hopes for the future. He proposed to me!”

“W-who are you again?” Alex asked with a thoroughly confused look on his face.

“This is Miss Sadie Beckman from Philadelphia, Alex,” his mother repeated. “She’s traveled all the way out here to be your wife and to be Maggie’s mother.”

“Mother, what have you done?” Alex asked as he sagged onto a corner of his desk.

Shocked, confused, and humiliated, Sadie turned and bolted so fast she almost knocked Henry over where he stood in the inner office doorway. Her mind was a blur, and her eyes filled with tears as she raced back down Main Street in the direction of the train station. Her embarrassment was compounded and felt as though it would consume her as she knocked shoulders with strangers she passed as she ran with tears in her eyes. Even her fear of what those people must think of her did not slow her down.

Halfway back to the station, she stopped to catch her breath and sat on the very bench she’d joined Alex’s mother on just a while earlier before the world she’d thought she knew came crashing down around her. Hurt, and feeling very much alone, Sadie struggled to make sense of the tragedy that had so suddenly and unexpectedly befallen her. She was a total stranger in a town she’d only read about, 2,000 miles from the only home she’d ever known, with everything she owned packed into two trunks and only a few dollars left to her name. Trusting and naive, she’d gotten herself into what appeared to be the gravest danger she’d ever faced. And she had absolutely no idea what else to do. Sadie prayed that Jesus would send help.

Chapter Seven

The first act of kindness Sadie experienced since she arrived came from a well-dressed elderly gentleman who stopped beside her bench and subtly offered her his carefully folded handkerchief without saying a word.

“Thank you,” Sadie whispered as she dabbed the tears from her eyes and caught her breath.

“You’re quite welcome, miss,” the gentleman softly replied. “Are you going to be all right?”

“I don’t know,” Sadie said with a quivering voice, unable to present a brave front.

“Would you like me to summon the sheriff?” he asked the logical question.

“No!” Sadie pronounced as the innocent absurdity of the question braced her.

“You’re new to these parts,” the gentleman said. “Do you have family or friends in town?”

“I’m afraid not,” she answered softly. “I thought I had both. But I just found out otherwise.”

“Where are you staying?” the gentleman asked next. “Is there somewhere I can escort you to ensure you’ll be all right?”

The conversation began to make Sadie even more uncomfortable. She did not want to admit she had arrived in town without enough money to rent a hotel room for more than a couple days or to return to Philadelphia. So she was almost relieved when Alex appeared at the gentleman’s shoulder wearing a look of genuine concern.

“Hello, Mayor,” Alex said to the gentleman. “I see you’ve met Miss Beckman. She’s here from Philadelphia visiting Mother for a few days. I’m afraid we’ve been terrible hosts so far.”

“Actually, I was just about to introduce myself,” the gentleman answered. “I’m Ickes Bowling, Miss Beckman. Mayor of the best little city in the West, and I’m pleased to welcome you to our humble hamlet. If there’s anything I can do to make your visit more pleasant, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“That’s very kind of you, Mr. Mayor,” she replied as she accepted Alex’s assistance boarding the buckboard. “Thank you again for such a warm and caring welcome.”

“Watch your step, Miss Beckman,” Alex said in his kindest voice possible. “Mother insists that you stay with us during your visit, and I am headed to retrieve your luggage.”

Alex pulled the buckboard to the rear of the train station and claimed her trunks, then loaded them and headed back to his office to pick up his mother. He drove the horses slowly to give himself time to apologize for his mother’s scheme.

“I’m sorry my mother misled you so terribly, Miss Beckman,” he began. “And I’m especially sorry for the awkward way I behaved in my office. But I was confused and shocked by the thought that my mother had misled you so recklessly without considering the harm she might cause.”

Sadie did not know how to reply. Her heart and mind were tangled up and tumbling in turmoil as she sat silently beside a man she had grown to love on paper. In the dozens of letters she had received, she’d thought she had come to know this handsome, strapping man’s tender, loving heart. She’d also thought he had come to know her better than anyone else had ever bothered … and that he had fallen in love with her. But she knew now nothing could be further from the truth.

Sadie heard Maggie laughing inside the pleasant-looking house Alex stopped the buckboard in front of. The innocent joy of it calmed Sadie just when she needed it most. Entering the house was a moment of truth for her. For months, she had imagined what it would feel like to walk into a warm, loving home and be welcomed by a family who loved her. Instead, she now had to walk into what felt like nothing more than a cold, unwelcoming building occupied by strangers who were not the people she thought they were.

When Sadie entered the living room, Alex’s mother stopped playing with Maggie and hung her head slightly.

“Sadie dear,” she said sincerely, “I’m so terribly sorry for the selfish way I tricked you into coming all the way out here.”

“I think if would be best if you don’t try to apologize just yet, Mother,” Alex interrupted her. “Miss Beckman no doubt needs time to recover from the way you’ve treated her.”

“It’s okay, really, Alex,” Sadie almost whispered. “I know your mother only did what she did because she loves you and little Maggie so much. Mrs. Wineland, what you did was very wrong. But you did it for the right reasons. Now if you don’t mind, I would just like to get some sleep and hopefully start fresh tomorrow morning.”

“Certainly, my dear. Follow me,” Alex’s mother said, then silently led Sadie upstairs to a bright bedroom with a large bay window that framed a terrific view up and down Main Street.

Alex carried Sadie’s trunks into the bedroom, then packed a bag of his own and told his mother he would spend the night at his office.

“I’ll be back for breakfast in the morning,” he said. “Maybe we’ll all be in better spirits after a good night’s sleep,” he told his mother, “if we can sleep.”

Sadie certainly had no trouble falling asleep. The long trip and terrible surprise had left her physically and emotionally exhausted. She was asleep within minutes of lying down on the comfortable bed and slept soundly through the night. And in those minutes before sleep arrived, Sadie prayed another short prayer, asking Jesus to somehow miraculously provide her with the life she had been praying for since sending her first letter. Part of her thought that such a prayer was asking for more than even Jesus could deliver. But another, bolder part of Sadie thought that the very fact that she was spending the night in this house on Las Cruces’ Main Street was proof that the Lord could make a way for things to happen when there seemed to be no way. Sadie smiled at the thought because it brought to mind one of her mother’s favorite Bible verses: Isaiah 55:9.

 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Sadie felt a pleasant tiny shiver as she realized that the fact she was lying in bed, resting upon the comfort of God’s promises, was probably an answer to her mother’s prayers. With that, Sadie fell sound asleep.

Chapter Eight

Sadie awoke to bright sunlight and the smells of scrambled eggs, fried ham, and sweet corn bread. Again, the living room was filled with Maggie’s laughter. Sadie wished she could just throw on a robe, slip into slippers, brush her hair, and run downstairs. But she was a guest, not a member of the family. She didn’t descend the stairs until she was dressed and ready for the day.

“Good morning, Mrs. Wineland,” Sadie said in as friendly a tone as she could.

“Good morning, dear one,” the older woman replied. “How did you sleep?”

“Very well, thank you,” Sadie answered. “That bed is amazing. And good morning to you, little Miss Maggie!” Sadie said sweetly to the baby. How’s my favorite little girl in the whole wide world?”

“She’s in a fine mood this morning, Sadie,” Alex’s mother said. “And she has a surprise for you.”

“A surprise?” Sadie said with wide eyes. “What’s your surprise, Miss Maggie?”

“Who’s that?” the older woman asked Maggie, pointing to Sadie.

“Sadieeeee!” Maggie shouted.

“Oh, you dear, sweet thing!” Sadie said with a tear in her eye. “You can say my name!”

“We couldn’t get her to stop saying it last night,” the older woman said. “Seems she’s taken to you already. I think the two of you made quite a connection during our walk from the train station to Alex’s office yesterday.”

“Speaking of Alex; will he be here for breakfast?” Sadie asked hopefully.

“He said he would last night before leaving,” his mother replied.

“Before leaving? Where’d he go?” Sadie asked before she could catch herself.

“He said he wanted to make sure people didn’t get the wrong idea about your staying here with us,” his mother explained. “So he spent the night at his office. He’s done it before when he has to work late into the night or needs to guard a prisoner. He’s comfortable enough in a cell he’s got set up for just such occasions.”

“Comfortable or not, I feel as though I’m imposing at his expense,” Sadie said.

“Please don’t,” Alex said as he strode into the kitchen and pulled a spoke-backed chair from the table across from Sadie. “It’s our doing that you’re here. The least we can do is make sure you have a comfortable stay until you decide what you will do and where you will go.”

His mother poured him a tall cup of coffee and served him his usual large helping of scrambled eggs and fried ham, along with a large wedge of cornbread. Alex’s mother scooted Maggie’s high chair next to Sadie at the table so the two of them could enjoy more of each other.

Sadie loved it and spent more time feeding Maggie than herself.

“Oh, I see you have a tooth!” Sadie said in feigned surprise. Sadie reflexively put a fingertip on Maggie’s gums to feel for others that might be coming through. “I feel more teeth!” she exclaimed. “You are getting to be a big girl!”

Maggie laughed at Sadie’s smiling face, and the two of them grew closer in spite of Sadie’s discomfort with the circumstances that could soon drive them apart.

“I think I’d like to take Mayor Bowling up on his offer to answer questions,” Sadie said to Alex. “Where do you think I’m likely to find him at this time of day?”

“He’s just mayor part-time,” Alex told her. “The rest of his time he runs the Main Street Dry Goods store across from the barbershop.”

Sadie quickly mounted the stairs to her room to retrieve the firearm, wrapped discreetly in a blanket. She put the firearm back in the trunk and tucked the blanket under one arm and headed out of her room. But she paused with her door open only a few inches because of the conversation she could clearly overhear between Alex and his mother.

“Yes, she’s a very lovely young woman,” Alex conceded to his mother. “And she seems to have a very fine personality. But as I’ve clearly stated to you many times, Mother, I have no intention of marrying ever again. One wife is enough for any man, and I had a great one. I’m not about to settle for second best just because you think I should.”

Second best? Sadie felt as though she’d been cut by the jagged edge of Alex’s words. Alex sounds determined to never remarry, she thought to herself. And even if he did eventually want to marry me, I could not bear a life of wondering whether I could ever rise above second best in his heart.

Fearing that she might cry at any moment, Sadie dashed downstairs and out the front door. If Mayor Bowling ran a dry goods store, he just might be interested in buying handmade blankets and rugs. That might be the best answer Jesus had for her prayers that he help her in this time of need. Mr. Bowling’s store was just a short walk on Main Street, and Sadie found him whistling while sweeping the sidewalk out front.

“Good morning, mayor!” she said in the most cheerful voice she could muster.

“Well, good morning, Miss Beckman!” the mayor happily replied. “How nice it is to see you again. What brings you here so early in the morning? Say, that’s a mighty fine blanket you have there. Could I have a closer look at it?”

“Absolutely!” Sadie answered. “I brought it in the hope that you might be interested in carrying handmade blankets and rugs. I don’t have any for sale at the moment, but I can begin weaving as soon as I raise enough money for the wool and supplies I will need.”

The mayor took the blanket inside and fully opened it on his long counter.

“This is wonderful workmanship, Miss Beckman,” he said after closer inspection. “I’ve had a world of difficulty keeping blankets of any quality in stock. I’m willing to extend you a line of credit for the materials and supplies you will need if you agree to only sell your wares to me. I’ll split all profits with you. Do we have a deal?”

“Absolutely!” Sadie hurried agreed. “I can get started immediately if you have what I need here at the store.”

“I’m sure I do,” the mayor said. “Pick out all you need, and I’ll have my delivery boy haul them to Sheriff Wineland’s house before noon. How soon do you think you can have three or four of them ready to sell?”

“Within a week,” Sadie answered. “Are you interested in rugs, too?”

“You can also weave rugs?” the mayor asked in surprise.

“Thanks to my dear mother,” Sadie answered.

“My dear, I believe we have the makings of a prosperous partnership,” the mayor said.

Sadie was almost giddy as she picked out everything she would need to get started. She ran home, eager to share the news of her good fortune with Alex’s mother … and Maggie. She could breathe again, having risen above the fear of failure she’d felt threatening her since the day before in Alex’s office.

“This is good news indeed,” Alex’s mother said happily when Sadie updated her.

“It’s more than good news,” Sadie responded. “It’s an answer to prayer. Not exactly the answer I’ve been praying for, but still undeniably an answer. Thanks to you and Alex, I have a quiet, comfortable place to work with no interruptions. By God’s grace, I could be out of your way before too very long.”

“You’re not in the way of anyone here, dear one,” the older woman assured her.

Alex’s mother silently felt her heart sink when Sadie told her of her plan to raise enough money to move into a small place of her own. It was not good news to the older woman, and it was certainly not an answer to her prayers. She settled into a rocking chair with Maggie asleep in her arms and began praying all the harder for the answer her aching heart desired: that she would live long enough to see Alex and Sadie fall deeply in love and give Maggie two parents to love and be loved by.

Chapter Nine

Sadie awoke the next morning to the sound of loud knocking on the front door downstairs. Alex’s mother was already busy in the kitchen and opened the door to find Mayor Bowling’s delivery boy, Benjamin, loaded down with the supplies Sadie had selected the day before, including the fancy pair of boots Sadie simply could not resist.

“Mayor Bowling told me to get this stuff here, pronto,” Sadie heard the boy say.

“Why thank you, Benjamin,” Mrs. Wineland replied. “Will you please follow me with those things into our spare room over there?”

“Certainly, ma’am,” Benjamin said politely. “Will there be anything else?” he asked when the task was finished.

“There is one more thing,” she said. “Would you be willing to accept a slice of homemade apple pie as a tip?”

“You bet, Mrs. Wineland!” Benjamin said happily.

“Well then, here you are, young man,” she said in her most motherly voice. “Please say hello to the mayor for us and give him our thanks for such quick service.”

“I will, ma’am,” Benjamin mumbled with a mouth full of apple pie.

Sadie smiled at the simple courtesies of life in Las Cruces. This land offered a welcome, comforting difference from her life back East. But it didn’t compensate for the pain of the deceit that had brought her West. Determined to rise above that pain, Sadie quickly dressed and greeted Mrs. Wineland in the kitchen.

“Good morning, dear one,” Mrs. Wineland replied. “Are you ready for some breakfast? I just put biscuits in the oven, and I’m getting ready to make some oat porridge. I’ve got gravy and honey warming. Does any of that sound good? Or maybe some eggs and ham? The eggs are fresh this morning.”

“Oh, Mrs. Wineland,” Sadie replied. “You needn’t go to so much trouble for me.”

“It’s no trouble at all, dear,” Alex’s mother replied. “It makes me feel good to feed guests well with the things they like to eat. So what’ll it be?”

“Well, the coffee smells wonderful,” Sadie observed. “I suppose I’ll start with that.”

Alex’s mother poured two large cups of coffee and joined Sadie at the table while the biscuits baked in the brick oven nearby.

“You know, dear one, I’d feel a lot more comfortable if you would call me Victoria,” Alex’s mother said. “I’ll understand if you’re not ready for that. But I do hope that someday soon you will be able to forgive my past poor judgement and we can be friends.”

“Of course we can be friends,” Sadie answered with a genuine smile. “I will call you Victoria, and you will call me Sadie and that will be that. I’ve felt a lot of emotions since I arrived, and anger surely was one of them. I’m no longer angry, Victoria. But sorrow haunts me, and I fear it may never leave.”

“Yes, sorrow is a tough one,” Victoria agreed. “It’s perhaps the toughest. And I believe no one gets through life unvisited by sorrow. The Bible tells us Jesus himself was a man of sorrows.

“But take heart, Sadie. The Bible also promises, ‘all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.’”

“I’ve never told Alex this, but I considered ending my life when his father was killed,” Victoria admitted. “I was sure I couldn’t live without him. Thankfully, God blessed us with Maggie when my life was darkest and gave me a reason to live. But as you know, Maggie’s arrival cost her dear mother, Margaret, her life. Alex hadn’t yet emerged from the sorrow of his father’s death and suddenly had more of it to bear. So sorrow is not a stranger in this house. And when sorrow comes, it always stays far too long.”

“How did your husband die?” Sadie asked.

“Alexander was shot dead by a vicious, no good excuse for a man named Roby Judson!” Victoria answered sternly. “Alexander had been sheriff of these parts for nearly twenty years when Judson came to town and shot him in the back.”

“How terrible!” Sadie gasped. “Judson is in prison, I hope!”

“He is not!” Victoria declared. “A crooked judge threw out the case for what he called a ‘lack of evidence!’ That judge got his though. Someone … most likely Judson … shot him dead, too. I figure it was Judson’s way of getting out of paying the judge off.

Alex got elected to succeed his father, and I’ve been worried ever since that he may someday have to tangle with Judson. More likely, Judson will try shooting Alex in the back just to be sure he never has to account for murdering his father.”

“I’m so sorry for you, Victoria!” Sadie said and reached across the table to clasp the older woman’s hands in her own. “I believe I’m beginning to understand your motivations in working so hard to bring me out here, Victoria. You’ve helped me understand Alex as well.”

“I hope so, Sadie,” Victoria replied. “We’re good, well-meaning people who work hard to protect the family we have left. That’s no excuse for me writing you those letters. But I hope I’ve helped you see my intentions were pure.”

“I see that quite clearly now, Victoria,” Sadie told her and finished her cup of coffee. “And I believe this talk has sparked my appetite. I think I just heard Maggie stirring in her room.”

“I think you’re right, Sadie,” Victoria replied. “Would you please be a dear and attend to her while I put breakfast on the table? Alex should be here soon, and we can all enjoy the meal together … like a family.”

Victoria almost stopped herself from speaking those words of her heart, but ultimately let the words speak for themselves. It was clear she felt Sadie was the right woman for Alex. It was also clear to Victoria that Sadie had a way with Maggie, and that the child was happiest when with her. Sadie returned to the kitchen with Maggie cradled peacefully in her arms. The sweet infant smiled from ear to ear and touched Sadie’s face as if she were drawn to the loving smile of the beautiful young woman who perhaps reminded her of her mother, who’d been gone too long.

Victoria was tempted to say what a beautiful sight it was but thought it best to remain silent and let God do his work. She knew that if it was God’s will that Sadie and Maggie remain together, it would happen. Victoria expressed that wish in a silent prayer. Moments later, Alex arrived for breakfast. Victoria couldn’t help but notice the way Sadie looked at him as he came through the door. His mother also saw a fleeting glimmer of a smile on Alex’s face when he saw Sadie seated at the table, gently rocking Maggie in her arms and softly singing to her while the child trailed a hand over Sadie’s face.

“Good morning, everyone!” Alex boomed. “I smell biscuits!”

“You’re right about that, biscuit-eater,” Victoria replied with a chuckle. “I think I made enough for you to have one.”

“You mean three or four, I hope!” Alex replied playfully. “With gravy!”

“I take this to mean you slept well and are in a good mood,” his mother said.

“I slept like a baby, and I’m hungry as a bear,” Alex laughed.

Sadie rose from the table and hurried to Alex.

“Would you like to hold Maggie?” she asked. “I know she wants to tell you good morning.”

Alex gently took Maggie in his strong arms and was transformed.

“Good morning, my precious, beautiful little girl,” he cooed softly and kissed her forehead.

While Alex rocked Maggie in his arms and laughed at her giggles, Sadie quickly went to her room and returned with the fluffy pink and blue blanket she’d made for Maggie before leaving Philadelphia. Back at the table, Alex and Sadie worked together to swap the new blanket for Maggie’s old one while he clung to his daughter and sang to her about painted ponies. Alex inhaled the fresh fragrance of the new blanket and lifted a corner of it for a closer look.

“You made this just for Maggie?” Alex asked Sadie with obvious admiration.

“I did,” Sadie said proudly. “I started on it the day I received her picture from you. It seemed the least I could do for so precious a child.”

“Why, it’s beautiful!” Alex said as he gave it a closer look. “You do very nice work, Sadie. It must have taken you quite some time.”

“Not that long at all,” Sadie answered, holding the most important words inside: “but long enough to know I’d fallen in love with you both.”

Victoria pretended to focus on pulling the biscuits from the oven and putting the finishing touches on the porridge. Yet, she managed to see Alex and Sadie talking softly to one another, eye to eye, while Maggie rested peacefully between them. It brought to Victoria’s mind the characteristics of a virtuous woman described in Proverbs 31:

“Her price is far above rubies … The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her … She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life … She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands … She maketh fine linen, and selleth it … She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness … Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.”

Victoria thought it all seemed a perfect description of Sadie. She shared as much with Alex that evening, while Sadie discussed business with Ickes at his store.

“Sadie’s special,” Victoria told her son. “Passing her by would be a grave mistake. She’s an attractive young woman. She’s forthright. She’s no stranger to hard work. She loves Maggie and fancies you despite all your efforts to avoid her.”

“She’s very young, Mother,” Alex emphasized, “and I do not avoid her. I merely keep a respectable distance. You know that once people begin to talk, it’s nearly impossible to set the record straight. Staying here is difficult enough for her. I don’t want folks’ questions and idle gossip to make it even more difficult. And on top of all that, she’s totally unfamiliar with the dangers of life out here that are unheard of back East. I fear she’s like a lamb among wolves.”

 “You worry too much,” his mother countered. “Sadie is as capable of taking care of herself as all the other women who have come West, and she has the maturity of a mother and the energy to care for and keep up with lots of children.”

“Children?” Alex echoed with wide eyes. “You accuse me of avoiding her, but you’re imagining more grandchildren. Mother, you are a puzzle.”

“There’s no puzzle to it,” Victoria assured him. “I’m merely speaking the truth of what my eyes see and my heart desires. My prayer is that, one day soon, they will be the same.”

Chapter Ten

After speaking with Ickes, the walk back home took Sadie by the sheriff’s office. Eager to give Alex an update concerning her business with the mayor, she looked in the front window and saw Henry, his deputy, at his desk cleaning a rifle. Wanting to get a better look at the firearm, she tapped on the window and Henry predictably waved her inside.

“Hello, Miss Beckman.” Henry stood, then settled back behind his desk. “The sheriff still hasn’t returned. I guess he’s still at his house.”

“Hello, Henry,” Sadie said quickly. “May I see that rifle?”

“Of course,” Henry said as he held it up from his lap.

“No,” Sadie replied. “I mean can I hold it?”

“I … I guess so,” Henry said hesitantly. “Have you ever held a firearm before?”

“Many, many times, Henry,” Sadie said with a chuckle. “I used to shoot often with my father back in Philadelphia.”

“You did?” Henry could not have sounded more surprised. “How’d you do?”

“Not bad,” Sadie said modestly.

“Well, to be any good at all, you have to shoot regularly and often,” Henry said in his most official voice as he took the rifle back and resumed cleaning it. “That goes double for this rifle here.”

“When was the last time you fired it?” Sadie asked.

“Just finished,” Henry answered. “We have a range right out back.”

“How’d you do?” Sadie echoed Henry’s earlier question.

“Not bad,” he said almost mockingly.

“Are you up for a little competition?” Sadie taunted the deputy.

“Seriously?!” Henry asked as if shocked.

“Seriously,” Sadie assured him.

“I don’t think the sheriff would approve of me letting a woman fire a weapon,” Henry said earnestly. “Especially you.”

“Why, Henry,” Sadie said sarcastically, “It sounds to me like you’re afraid of losing to a woman; especially me.”

“Okay, if you think you’re so good,” Henry said in a mild huff, “What do you bet?”

“Best of three,” Sadie said gleefully. “If you win, I’ll bake you a pie of your choice. If I win, you keep my firearm here at the office and clean and oil it regularly.”

“You own a firearm?” Henry asked in amazement. “You didn’t tell me that part.”

“You’re not going to back out on me now, are you, Henry?” Sadie teased.

“No way,” Henry assured her. “I love pie! Follow me.”

Out back, he and Alex had created a modest shooting range approximately one hundred yards deep.

“We’re going to need a small target to make this interesting,” Sadie said. “I just know you have a deck of cards in your desk, Henry. How about we shoot at the ace of diamonds?”

“Closest to the center wins,” Henry said.

“How about we see who can nick the most corners?” Sadie countered.

“That’s crazy!” Henry replied.

“Do you want that pie or don’t you?”

Henry found the ace of diamonds in his desk, marched downrange, and hung it on a nail in a fence post. While he marched back, Henry smiled at the thought that Sadie had never fired his rifle before and had thus set herself up for failure. Certain of victory, he decided on a cherry pie.

“I’ll go first so you can see how the rifle kicks,” the deputy said in a noble tone, thinking Sadie would likely forfeit after his performance.

After his three shots, they ran to the card and found two holes: one near the top of the card, the other about a half inch from the center.

“Not bad,” Sadie lied.

Back in place, she lifted the rifle to her shoulder, breathed out, took aim, did her best to ignore Henry’s continual stream of advice on what to do and not do, and fired three rounds in rapid succession.

“You should never shoot that fast,” Henry told her and ran to fetch the card.

Sadie laughed as quietly as she could as she watched Henry walking back, totally focused on the card instead of watching where he was going.

“How’d I do?” she asked when he was within fifty feet of her.

“Uhhh, I’m not sure I believe what I’m seeing,” Henry said sheepishly.

Henry held the card up an arm’s length away, and Sadie could see she had nicked the top and right corners of the diamond, while a third hole was about a sixteenth of an inch away from the left corner.

“Believe it, Henry,” Sadie said with a smile. “I’ll bring my firearm by a little later.”

“I was really looking forward to a cherry pie,” Henry said forlornly.

“Take good care of my firearm, and you just might enjoy one yet,” Sadie replied.

“It’s a deal,” Henry said with a broad smile. “See you in a bit.”

As Sadie stepped onto the sidewalk outside the office, three scruffy, road-worn riders slowly rode their mounts past her. It seemed they were trying hard to get a good look in the window of the sheriff’s office as they rode past it. The reactions of others walking by left Sadie with the impression they recognized and feared the three riders. Sadie turned around to alert Henry. But he was already standing in the doorway with his eyes trained on the trio.

“Do you know who they are?” Sadie asked him.

“Don Daniels, Owen Walker … and Roby Judson,” Henry said loud enough to ensure all three heard him. “I’d appreciate having that firearm here soon, Miss Beckman. I suspect I’ll have use for it before very long.”

“I’ll go get it,” Sadie said. “And I’ll let Alex know Judson and the others are in town.”

“He’s not going to be happy to hear it,” Henry said. “But then again, maybe he will be. We’ll find out soon enough.”

“I’m on my way,” Sadie said as she swiftly headed to Alex’s house.

“Tell him I’ll keep an eye on them in the meantime,” Henry replied.

Alex had just laid Maggie back in her cradle when Sadie burst through the front door. Sadie’s expression told Alex something was wrong, and he was glad his mother was busy in the back room.

“What’s wrong?” he asked quietly.

“Roby Judson just rode past your office with two other rough-looking characters,” she told him softly, grateful that Victoria was not in the room.

“Tell Mother I’ll be back in a bit,” Alex said.

“Do you promise?” Sadie asked urgently.

“I promise,” Alex said, meeting her eyes with his.

“Your mother told me about Roby Judson, Alex,” Sadie had to tell him. “Please be careful.”

“There’s no need to worry,” Alex assured her. “Don’t say anything to Mother about Judson until I get back. I won’t be long.”

“I’m taking you at your word, Alex Wineman,” Sadie said with resolve.

“Folks around here will tell you my word is good,” he said with a small smile.

Sadie suddenly remembered her firearm and asked Alex to wait while she dashed to her room. She pulled the firearm from the trunk, wrapped it tightly in the blanket that held it onboard the train, and grabbed a box of cartridges before dashing back to Alex.

“Where on earth did you get this?” Alex asked her. He knew the blanket held a weapon the moment Sadie handed it to him.

“Henry will tell you all about it,” Sadie replied as she handed Alex the box of cartridges. “Just come back to us soon, Alex.”

Seconds after he bolted out the front door, Victoria came back into the room.

“Did Alex leave already?” she asked. “I had hoped he would spend more time here with us this morning.”

“Henry needs him at the office,” Sadie replied. “He promised he’d be back the moment he could, though.”

“He always promises that,” Victoria shrugged. “His father did, too. That’s why I never stop worrying.”

“It can be a dangerous job, can’t it?” Sadie asked rhetorically.

“Fatal,” Victoria muttered and put an arm around Sadie’s shoulders. “Dear one, when he steps out that door there’s never a guarantee that he’ll return. That’s why it’s so very important that you tell him what’s going on inside that heart of yours. He has a dangerous job, all right. But the truth is that none of us get out of this life alive. When two people love each other, it’s important that they never pass up an opportunity to show it and to declare it.

Life, as it is, can be sad enough. How much sadder would it be to lose someone and be left to live the rest of your life tortured by love that was left unspoken? The last time my Alexander kissed me goodbye and went to work, I was sure he’d come home to me. But I was wrong. And I thank God every day that I told him how very much I loved him when we said goodbye for the last time. However Alex feels about you, you owe to him … and you owe it to yourself … to take every opportunity to tell those you love what they mean to you and how much you love them.”

Sadie took Victoria’s words to heart and tiptoed into Maggie’s room to sit nearby as the precious infant slept peacefully. In the quiet of the next few minutes, Sadie prayed, “Jesus, I believe the peace I feel in this moment is because I’ve finally come to love and trust in you. You’ve brought me to this place, to the love of my life and to those who love him. I pray you will keep us safe. And I will forever give you thanks, come what may.”

As she finished, Victoria joined her at Maggie’s bedside and prayed a prayer of her own.

Chapter Eleven

Alex walked quickly up Main Street with the firearm wrapped tightly in the blanket and resting on his shoulder. The box of cartridges was in his free hand. As he walked, the words his mother had spoken to him while Sadie was out echoed in his mind and heart. Alex knew his mother was right. It was undeniable that Sadie would be a wonderful mother to Maggie, just as it was undeniable that Maggie had become attached to Sadie. And it was terribly foolish of him to resist and deny the deepening love he felt for Sadie.

He understood his mother’s point that, as a Christian, his fear of loving and losing another wife made no sense. Alex had to agree with her that in a world where nothing is guaranteed but the unfailing love of Jesus, the wisest thing two people in love can do is love one another unconditionally and trust in the good Lord’s promise that, “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.” In that moment, Alex knew he was prepared to do just that as soon as he returned home to Sadie.

But first, he needed to find Roby Judson and the two men he had with him. He planned to tell them to leave town within five minutes or he would lock them up until they could find another crooked judge to set them free. When Alex reached his office, Henry was gone, along with the rifle he kept locked in the cabinet beside the front door. Certain he would have seen them if they were between the office and his home, Alex unwrapped the firearm, loaded fifteen cartridges into it, and headed up Main Street in the opposite direction from his house.

But at that moment, Henry was following Judson and his companions down back streets and alleys just blocks from Alex’s house. Minutes later, the deputy fired a warning shot into the air as the trio neared Alex’s back porch. Instead of running away, the trio dismounted and rushed in the back door of the house. Sadie and Victoria heard Henry’s gunshot and the racket Judson and his two accomplices made clambering off their horses and running across the back porch, into the house. Sadie quickly scooped up Maggie and led Victoria into her room at the top of the stairs. As the three men crossed the living room in the direction of the staircase, Sadie handed Maggie to Victoria, grabbed the two derringers from her trunk, stuffed them into her boots under her skirt, and whispered to Victoria to stay in the room no matter what and not worry. Sadie stepped out of the room and stood at the top of the stairs.

Henry rushed into the living room close behind the outlaws with the rifle trained on Judson. But Walker had a rifle of his own trained on Sadie.

“Drop the rifle and your gun belt, deputy, or she gets it,” Judson growled at Henry.

Henry quickly dropped his weapons and prayed that Alex had heard his gunshot.

“So who are you, pretty lady?” Judson asked Sadie.

“She must be the sheriff’s woman,” Walker guessed. “You can bet she’d be my woman if she came to my house.”

“You ain’t got a house,” Judson snidely pointed out. “But I believe she could be a great deal of use to us while we’re here. Kind of like an insurance policy to keep us safe and sound until we do what we came here to do. So come on downstairs, you pretty young thing, and make yourself comfortable until the sheriff gets home. Is there anyone else up there with you?”

“N-n-no sir,” Sadie feigned nervousness. “Please don’t hurt me. You’ll be in a terrible lot of trouble if you do.”

Confident he now had everything under control, Judson sat on the sofa and patted the cushion beside him.

“Come sit next to me, sweet thing,” he told Sadie.

“Leave her alone, Judson!” Henry shouted, despite Walker having him in his sights.

“Shut up, or someone’s going to get hurt,” Judson shouted back.

“I’m afraid to sit next to you, sir,” Sadie said as meekly as she could.

“Don’t be afraid of me, honey,” Judson tried to sound smooth. “I’ll treat you real nice.”

“D-do you p-promise?” Sadie stuttered.

“Cross my heart and hope to die,” Judson said while he helped her settle beside him on the sofa and pulled her close to his side.

“I’m warning you one more time to leave her alone, Judson!” Henry shouted.

“Shut up, or someone could get hurt!” Walker shouted back.

While Judson was distracted by the shouting, Sadie silently pulled the derringers out of the tops of her boots and hid one in the folds of her skirt while she pressed the other into Judson’s ribcage.

“Someone could get hurt either way,” Sadie said as ominously as she could.

“She’s bluffin’!” Judson told his partners. “It’s probably a toy gun.”

In an instant, Sadie flipped her wrist in the direction of Walker and fired the single shot it held, knocking the rifle out of his hands. Walker figured she had just used her only shot and bent down to retrieve his rifle. But before he could reach it, Sadie pressed the second pocket pistol into Judson’s ribs.

“This one’s not a toy, either,” she assured everyone. “Now put your hands up and keep them up! Henry, I believe you’re duly authorized to take it from here. You can come out and join us now, Victoria.”

Maggie cooed and laughed loudly as Victoria stepped out of the upstairs room. At the same time, Alex rushed into the rear of the house and through the kitchen, into the living room. The light from the overhead kerosene lamps glinted off the brass work of the firearm, making it look all the more powerful. After carefully scanning everyone in the room, Alex relaxed and lowered the firearm.

“Looks like you have everything under control, Henry,” he said. “Great work!”

“Ah, it was all Sadie’s doin’,” Henry meekly admitted.

“What?! How?” Alex asked, totally confused.

“She’s got some amazing talents that she obviously hasn’t shared with you yet,” Henry said with a smile, while he and Alex handcuffed the three men.

Sadie met Alex’s eyes, flashed him her best smile, and playfully shrugged her shoulders. As she did, she extended her arms and flipped her wrists to make sure he saw both tiny pistols.

“I know about a few other things besides weaving blankets and rugs,” she said simply.

“And you were worried she might not be able to handle the West,” Victoria said with a smile.

Alex’s tone changed as he looked at Judson and his men. “I’ll put you away for good, Judson. You will never see the light of day again.”

“Yeah, we’ll see,” Judson managed to get out before Alex punched him square in the jaw.

“We will, indeed,” Alex spat. “You will finally pay for what you did to my father.”

***

“I guess we still have much to learn about one another,” Alex told Sadie the next morning, holding out his arms, inviting her to step into them.

“And we also have much to tell one another,” Sadie added.

“Now you’re both on the right track!” Victoria called out from the top of the stairs. “Why don’t you start things off with a question?”

“What question?” Alex asked earnestly.

“THE question!” his mother shouted back.

“Oh, THAT question!” Alex said loudly and pulled Sadie even closer. “Will you marry me, my dear, sweet Sadie?”

“You bet I will!” Sadie gushed and accepted the kisses she’d longed for from Alex since his third or fourth letter. Sadie wasn’t sure which one it had been, but that was something she could figure out with Victoria’s help.

“I love you, Sadie. It’s that simple.”

“It is, isn’t it? I love you, too. And thank you, Victoria, for placing the ad. You’ve made all my dreams come true.”

The End