Montana, 1877
Adelaine Campbell’s future appeared
cloudy, but she would make the best of it. She had to since there was no place
else to go.
As she stood at Missoula, Montana’s
depot, Adelaine searched the platform, looking for the people who had promised
to pick her up. She was a stranger to Montana, being born and raised in Wyoming,
but already she loved the green, lush hillsides, and for being in a historic
town, the buildings were well-kept in their original condition.
Missoula was where she’d make her
new home, even if it was under dire circumstances.
Nervously, she shifted from one
foot to the other as she moved her gaze to everyone in the crowd, wondering if
they would be the person to pick her up and take her to Blue Creek Ranch. They
all passed her by, not even giving her a second glance.
Impatiently, she sighed. The
correspondence she’d had with Mrs. Turner instructed Adelaine to meet her at the
train depot at precisely one o’clock. As if on cue, the courthouse’s clock
tower from across the street struck one, announcing the hour. Still, Mrs.
Turner hadn’t arrived.
Adelaine’s gut twisted. Had she
made a mistake in coming here?
There were many things in her life
that she regretted or wished she’d done better, but she couldn’t focus on them.
Instead, she must look at what she’d accomplished. She’d taken care of her
mother and younger sister for the last eighteen months, being their sole supporter,
but working at the Walton’s Mercantile didn’t give her much of a social life.
However, it taught her how to help people, and most importantly… to have
patience. Even though she still struggled with that trait from time to time.
She would always cherish the
moments she spent taking care of her mother as she lay in bed, dying of
Tuberculosis. Her mother had always been a cheerful, positive, and uplifting
woman, even during her last moments on earth. Adelaine had an excellent example
to live her own life after.
Where
is Mrs. Turner? Adelaine grumbled impatiently. What was taking the woman so
long? Or… had Dallas Remington found another mail-order bride that he wanted
instead?
Frowning, Adelaine sighed. What
probably happened was that Mrs. Turner noticed Adelaine and her two-year-old
sister, Charity, and decided that Adelaine wasn’t the right woman to wed the
rancher. After all, the newspaper article for a mail-order bride that Adelaine
had first responded to had mentioned no
children.
Adelaine cursed her wayward father
for the millionth time. This was all his fault! When Ma realized she was dying,
she’d written to Mavin Campbell and asked him to come and collect Charity, his
illegitimate daughter, that he’d left on Ma’s front porch right after the girl
was born. Ma, being the kind and loving woman she was, couldn’t turn the girl
away. Although Adelaine loved her sister, she couldn’t raise her. Especially,
not when her soon-to-be husband wouldn’t allow her to have children of her own.
What else was Adelaine to do when
her father never came for Charity? Adelaine glanced at Charity, sitting on the
wooden bench, holding her rag doll, swinging her legs back and forth. The poor
girl had nowhere to go since both her biological parents didn’t want her.
Releasing a gush of air between her
teeth, Adelaine squared her shoulders. From her correspondence with Dallas
Remington, she knew that he was dedicated to his cattle ranch and his children.
That was enough for Adelaine to know he would be a good husband. She also prayed
that he would understand why she had to bring her younger sister along.
“Pardon me, Miss?”
Adelaine swung toward the voice of the
woman. Not far from her, a middle-aged woman with blonde hair stuffed under her
bonnet and a thin face, peered questionably at Adelaine.
“Yes?” She took a step closer to
the woman.
“I’m looking for Miss Adelaine
Campbell. Is that you?”
“I’m Adelaine Campbell,” she
answered with almost too much enthusiasm. “Are you Mrs. Turner?”
“Indeed, I am.” She shook
Adelaine’s hand. “I’m Blue Creek Ranch’s foreman’s wife.’
“It’s nice to meet you
face-to-face, finally.” Adelaine smiled.
“I agree.” The woman’s gaze skimmed
over Adelaine briefly before hopping to Charity. “Are you, um…” She looked back
at Adelaine. “Ready to go?”
“Yes.” Her heartbeat whacked
crazily against her ribs. It was now confession time. “However, there is a
slight change of plans that I didn’t foresee.”
Mrs. Turner arched a thin eyebrow.
“There is?”
Adelaine swallowed hard, hoping her
voice wouldn’t squeak while trying to explain. “I had to bring my sister
along.”
“Your sister?” The woman gasped, looking back at Charity. “But… she is so
young.”
“Yes, well… Charity and I have
different mothers.” Adelaine didn’t want to go into details. “But after my
mother died, Charity’s mother wouldn’t take and raise her.” She shrugged. “The
poor girl has nowhere else to go.”
Mrs. Turner’s expression grew dim,
and she wrung her hands against her middle. The woman’s thinning lips told
Adelaine that there might not be a wedding after all. Her mind spun with ideas
of how to convince the other woman that Charity needed her big sister.
“Mrs. Turner,” Adelaine said in a
rush. “Do you have children? If so, you must understand how difficult it is to
have a family ripped apart. I’m all the girl has left since her parents don’t
want her.”
The woman’s sigh and sag of her
shoulders gave Adelaine hope that the woman might change her mind.
“Mr. Remington won’t be pleased
about this.”
“Why?” Adelaine hated to be nosy,
but she just had to know. “After all, doesn’t he have two children of his own?
The newspaper ad mentioned he had a ten-year-old and an eight-year-old.”
“Yes, Tobias and Susan.”
Adelaine took a hesitant step
toward the other woman. “Then why can’t I bring Charity along? If Mr. Remington
is worried about feeding her, she doesn’t eat much, and I can share my plate
with her.” Gingerly she touched Mrs. Turner’s forearm. “Please. My mother would
be turning over in her grave if she knew I couldn’t care for my sister.”
Mrs. Turner studied Adelaine carefully
before moving her gaze to Charity and looking at her for the next uncomfortable
moments. Adelaine silently prayed that the woman’s heart would be touched.
“Well…” Mrs. Turner licked her
lips. “I suppose it isn’t right to separate you two since you are her only
family.” She grew quiet as she stared at Adelaine. “However, to convince Mr.
Remington that the girl needs to stay, we cannot let him know she’s your
sister.”
“Why not?” Adelaine blinked rapidly
as her mind tried to find a reason for what the other woman was saying.
“We must let Mr. Remington think
that Charity is your child.”
Adelaine sucked in a quick breath.
“My child? Oh, no. That will not do. I’ve never been married, and Mr.
Remington… well, he’d figure that out, wouldn’t he?”
Mrs. Turner flipped her hand. “He is
only marrying you to gain a mother for his children. That’s all. He’ll never
know unless you tell him, and this secret will be ours. I won’t even tell my
husband.” She stepped closer to Charity and smiled. “Hello. Would you like to
come with me to a big ranch with horses?”
“Wasee?” Charity’s eyes widened.
Mrs. Turner glanced up at Adelaine,
confused.
“Wasee is her name for horsey.”
Adelaine chuckled softly.
Nodding, the older woman returned
her gaze to Charity and put forth her hand. “Come on. Let’s go see the wasees.”
Charity jumped off the bench and
grasped the woman’s hand. The cute little blonde girl looked up at Adelaine
with big, blue eyes.
“You comin’?” Charity said.
“Of course, sweetie.” Adelaine
reached down and picked up the trunk that held all of hers and Charity’s
belongings.
They walked toward a wagon. A man
with shaggy red hair sat in the driver’s seat, whistling. When he saw Mrs.
Turner, he jumped down and hurried toward them, but as his gaze moved to
Charity, his footsteps faltered.
“Who is this?” He motioned toward
the little girl.
“Her name is Charity. And this,”
the woman nodded to Adelaine, “is her mother, Adelaine Campbell.”
Mother…
Adelaine groaned. Could she really pull off this deception? Then again, did she
have a choice?
The man doffed his hat and nodded.
“Nice to meet you, Miss Campbell.”
“Adelaine? This is my husband,
Clark Turner.”
She smiled politely. “It’s a
pleasure, sir.”
“Here, let me take that from you,
Miss Campbell.” He hauled her trunk to the back of the wagon before assisting
both her and Charity up onto the buckboard.
Adelaine pulled her sister closer
to her as the wagon began to move. With her heart in her throat, Adelaine
worried over the outcome of her soon-to-be marriage. Starting it off with a lie
wasn’t a good thing at all. Yet, Mrs. Turner mentioned the marriage would be in
name only, so would it even matter?
Her heart clenched in sadness. Why
had she expected something more? She’d been a fool to think she would marry a
man who would love her and be with her forever. It had hurt to watch her mom
raise Adelaine without a father around, and she hadn’t wanted that type of
marriage. However, Dallas Remington had two children of his own, so at least he
was a better father than Adelaine’s.
“Charity?” Adelaine said in a soft
voice, looking down at her sister.
“Yes, Addie?”
Smiling, she laughed softly. “You
mustn’t call me that any longer. You must call me Mommy.”
The girl shrugged and rested her
head on Adelaine’s lap. She stroked Charity’s hair as they made their way
toward the ranch, hoping that Mr. Remington would have a kind heart and not
turn them away. After Ma’s death, a few people in town gave them some money
that would help them get by until the wedding, but if Mr. Remington was going
to turn them away… How would she and Charity live?
She wasn’t certain how much time
slipped by, but soon, they were entering a ranch. Several heads of cattle were
grazing in the fields. She shook Charity awake and pointed to the animals. The
girl gasped and sat up, rubbing her eyes and taking in the sights. Adelaine
watched with interest as she noticed two stables, and at least ten small cabins
lined nearby. Several men, who were in the yard or walked out of the cabins,
stopped and looked at her with wide, curious eyes. She nodded politely.
Once the wagon continued up a
knoll, away from these buildings, she was able to get her first glimpse of the
house. Her jaw dropped in awe. Dallas Remington must be very wealthy to have
such a grand home – or should she label it an estate? Never in her life had she
seen a house with so many windows. The three-story manse also had a wooden
wrap-around porch that was painted white. The yard was well taken care of, as
was the simple flower garden off to the side.
Adelaine’s heart calmed. Not even
in her dreams had she imagined such a cheerful place, and she prayed the
occupants inside were just as pleasant.
The wagon came to a stop out in
front of the porch, and Mr. Turner hopped down before helping his wife off. He
then turned and reached a hand to assist Adelaine and Charity. The little girl
blinked with excitement as she gazed at the looming house in front of them.
“Home?” she asked, turning her
focus to Adelaine.
Although her smile was shaky, she
didn’t know how to answer her sister’s question. Home? She could only pray that
Mr. Remington would let them stay.
Suddenly, the front door opened,
and a man limped out slowly, leaning heavily on a cane. His narrowed gaze moved
over her, from the top of her un-bonneted head, over her beige blouse and
calico skirt, all the way down to her dusty booted heels. He looked to be in
his early thirties, not older than thirty-five, she surmised. His full head of
hair was black with a few streaks of lighter hair. He sported a beard, but it
was much shorter than some of the men she’d seen already on the ranch. The
man’s broad shoulders and slim waist made him look superior, but when he used
his cane to limp forward on the porch and looked at Charity, his expression
turned harsh.
He raised a steady finger, pointing
at the little girl. “Who is she and what is she doing here?”
His booming voice made Adelaine’s
insides shake. Charity gasped and pressed her face against Adelaine’s side.
They were doomed!
