Orphan Brides Go West: The Complete Series Read online

  I’ll have to get fresh flowers from the garden. I’m sorry to think of leaving this pretty house. I was starting to believe coming here had been a mistake. I wasn’t sure how long I could keep Michael from bringing up the subject of the wedding. But it has all worked out perfectly. He’s so understanding. I thought he would put me back on the next train as soon as he found out why I was really here. I should have just told him the truth right from the beginning. He’s so kind.

  She leaned farther out the window and picked a cherry blossom from a nearby tree branch.

  And Austin is such a nice town. Or, at least, it will be one day. It will be a shame to leave it, in a way.

  She straightened up and shut the window. She was excited to get started looking for her mother. And now, she had help to do it, so there was no need to wait any longer.

  Ramona bounded down the stairs. A fire cracked and spat in the hearth, and the smell of hot Johnnie cakes wafted up to greet her.

  “Good morning all!”

  “Good morning,” came the reply from Michael, Mary and Fred as each looked up from the dining table where they were about to eat.

  “So, Michael, when shall we start looking for Mother? I have a few ideas about where we might find her. She did leave me one clue. Do you remember I was asking you if you knew anybody at the university?”

  Michael hid a smile behind his hand as Ramona sat down at the table. Clearing his throat he said, “Great. We can start after work today if you like? And yes, I do remember you asking that. We can start there if you like.”

  Ramona nodded quickly. “Yes, that would be perfect. I can’t thank you enough.”

  “There’s no need, really. I’m happy to help.”

  “You sure don’t waste any time,” said Fred, munching on fresh Johnnie cake smothered with butter and syrup.

  “Sorry,” Ramona blushed, “How are you all? Did you sleep well?”

  Mary smiled, “Soundly, thank you Ramona, and how about you?”

  “Oh yes, I slept like a log. It’s so comfortable in my bedroom, and the air coming through the window is so fresh, the birds sing prettily, and the scents wafting up from the gardens outside are just divine. Really, it is all very pleasant.”

  “I’m glad you like it,” Michael smiled at her shyly.

  “It’s perfect,” said Ramona, taking a bite of the golden cake on her plate.

  “Well, we’ve got to get going,” Fred stood to his feet, and leaned forward to kiss Mary on the cheek. “We’ll see you ladies this evening.”

  “Oh dear, let me make some lunch for you, I’m afraid I overslept again. You’re going to think I’m such a lay-about, but honestly I’ve never had to take care of anyone other than myself before,” cried Ramona, jumping to her feet.

  “No mind, I’m not used to having someone take care of me at that,” Michael’s face flushed red.

  She hurried to the kitchen, and made sandwiches for the two men with cured ham and mustard on thick slices of freshly baked bread. Taking their lunch pails from beneath the counter, she filled them with apples and oatmeal cookies that she and Mary had baked the previous day. Covering the pails with a cloth which she tied in place, she reached for their water cups that were drying on the sink, and handed the pails and cups to the men.

  “There. Now you’ll not go hungry.”

  “Thank you Ramona,” Fred nodded his head at her, then turned to leave.

  “Thank you,” Michael took the pail and cup, and stood in front of her as though he were about to say something, but couldn’t get the words out. Then he simply said, “Bye,” and ducked his head.

  Ramona smiled and returned to the table to eat her breakfast. Michael threw her one last glance, then hurried out the front door after Fred, carrying his lunch pail in one hand and his water cup in the other, his black hat pushed firmly down on his head against the wind.

  “Bye!” Ramona shouted at his retreating back. He waved without turning around, as he scurried down the road.

  Ramona climbed up into the wagon holding lightly to Michaels’ hand and toting a small basket under one arm. It was still light out, but they wouldn’t have long to search before twilight descended.

  “What’s in the basket?” asked Michael, steadying her and guiding her to her seat on the wagon bench.

  “I’ve packed us a picnic dinner.”

  Michael eyed the package hungrily. He leapt up beside her and took the reins in his hands. He hadn’t had a chance to eat anything since he’d finished work. Instead he had rushed home and harnessed Sadie in the wagon to take Ramona out searching for her mother as quickly as he could in order to make the most of the daylight.

  “Thank you Ramona. We’ll be able to stop and enjoy that in a little while.”

  He guided the horse out onto the street, her hooves clip-clopping on the dusty road. “So you really have no idea where she might be?”

  Ramona shook her head. “Other than that she came here to marry someone who works at the University? No. He’s a professor, I believe. His name is Art Franklin.”

  Michael raised his eyebrows. “Well, at least that’s something to go on.”

  Ramona nodded.

  “It’s a start. And better than nothing. I don’t care if I have to walk down every street in Austin and knock on every last door. I’ll find her.”

  Michael looked at Ramona, impressed.

  “I have to say, I do admire your courage. To come out here from New York with very little idea as to where you mother is or if you’ll find her. Most people wouldn’t even try. They’d give up. But you’re so positive, and determined.”

  He grinned at her, and pushed his black hat back on his head.

  “I always like to see the bright side of the situation. I try to find the positives where I can.”

  Michael clucked to the horse, and she picked up her pace.

  “I noticed that about you.” He chuckled. “Well, we’ve got an uphill battle ahead of us! But I’m sure we can manage it. We’ll find her, it’s just a matter of time.”

  They spent the next two weeks looking for Ramona’s mother every day after Michael finished his long shifts at the construction site. They started with the roads and streets near the University, thinking that someone there might know Ramona’s mother or some piece of information about her whereabouts. So far, no one they had spoken to knew anything about a history professor called Art Franklin, or his new wife.

  “Don’t give up,” Michael told her.

  “I won’t.”

  But Ramona was quickly losing hope. Surely, if they lived nearby someone would recognize their names? Maybe they hadn’t stayed long and had already moved onto a new town. She tried to hide her diminishing faith from Michael. He, in turn kept encouraging her to pray about it. So she did. She asked God for guidance. She begged him for strength. She prayed fervently for wisdom to know what to do should she never find her mother. Michael was always there, by her side, comforting her when she was turned away yet again by another passerby who knew nothing of Professor Franklin.

  “You’ve just got to keep trying,” Michael said one day when he could tell that Ramona’s spirits were low.

  “How about I finish work a little early this evening, so we’ve got the extra time to look. I have a good feeling about tonight. I think we’ll finally find her.”

  “Okay,” Ramona nodded. “Let’s try again,” she said, forcing a smile onto her face.

  The wind brought a change in the air that evening. Ramona could feel the temperature dropping with the breeze that blew in off the desert, carrying with it a thick layer of red dust covering everything in its path. They headed out as usual, Ramona carrying their picnic basket under her arm. They rode to the University in the wagon, the silence of the evening broken only by the early call of a screech owl gliding between the trees overhead. They found a new neighborhood they hadn’t canvassed yet, and climbed out of the wagon to investigate by foot.

  Michael had to hurry to keep up with Ramona’s stride,
which had turned into a nervous skip as she danced across the dirt road.

  What happens when I do find Mother? I’ll be leaving here and going back to New York. Isn’t that what I want? Then, why does the thought of it make me feel so wretched? The fact is, I don’t know if I want to leave Austin. Or Michael.

  The truth hit her like a slap across the cheek.

  I don’t want to leave him. But how do I tell him that? He’s accepted that we’re not getting married. He seems fine with it, as if he’s relieved by not having to go through with it after all. Oh, what a mess I’ve made for myself. I should never have come here.

  “What’s wrong Ramona?” Michael’s voice pierced through her thoughts.

  “Nothing.” Ramona pulled her shawl around her tightly. “I just want to get home quickly tonight.”

  Michael looked pleased. “Well, let’s hurry up then,” he said, quickening his own pace to match hers. They walked side by side. Michael glanced at Ramona, a curious look on his face. She smiled at him, and felt the glow of a nervous flush creeping up her neck and onto her cheeks.

  The stillness of the cool evening was pierced by a sudden ‘BANG’. People ran in every direction, ducking for cover as Ramona realized a pistol had been shot. She could hear shouting, and then two more popping sounds, as bullets flew through the air around them.

  There was chaos in the street now. Ramona instinctively jumped to where she thought Michael was standing. “Michael?” she called out. She heard the sound of heavy hooves pounding on the road beneath her feet. The sound grew louder. She spun around. There, thundering toward her was a white stallion with wild eyes. The beast whinnied and kicked up dust with its hind legs as it ran. A black wagon tethered behind it was bouncing up and down looking as though it might break free at any moment.

  There was no time for Ramona to get out of the creature’s path. It was barreling towards her so quickly that she barely had time to think of what to do. She went to leap out of the way, but the next thing Ramona knew, her head hit something hard, and the entire world went black.

  “Michael,” Ramona murmured, looking up into his kind, green eyes. His arms felt so soft, so comforting, and she pressed herself into him, her head dizzy from more than the wound.

  I could stay here forever.

  Ramona lay still in Michael’s warm embrace.

  “I don’t know what happened. There was a gunshot, and a horse. I couldn’t get out of the way.”

  “Shhh,” he said, almost laughing in his relief that she was okay. “Try not to speak. Try not to move. I’m going to get you home.”

  Once they were home, the injury was all but forgotten. Ramona sat up in bed, bright-eyed and talkative. Michael brought her a bowl of steaming hot soup and gently suggested she ought to get some rest. She agreed to sleep for a while after she’d eaten and Mary bustled about the room, plumping her pillows, and fluffing her sheets. She opened the window, then closed it again, undecided on which would be best.

  “I’m fine,” said Ramona. “Really, Mary, I’m OK. Just a bit shaken up, that’s all. I’ll have a little sleep, and I’ll be as good as new, I promise.”

  Mary stroked Ramona’s forehead once, pushing a few stray hairs from her face. She smiled, then turned to leave the room.

  “You call me if you need anything,” she said, concern written clearly across her pretty face.

  “I will. I’m fine.”

  Michael checked in on her after an hour, and handed her another cup of soup as she sat up to slowly sip the steaming broth. “You know Ramona, I was so worried about you today. I thought that, I thought you’d been hurt real bad.”

  Michael’s eyes searched hers, as if to look for some kind of sign. Not finding what he was looking for, he sighed and got to his feet.

  Ramona wondered what she had done to cause him to leave so suddenly.

  “Goodnight Ramona. I hope you are feeling better in the morning.”

  She smiled up at him. “Good night Michael.”

  Ramona sat up in bed for a while, staring at the closed door. She tried to tell herself that she was feeling low because another day had passed and she was still no closer to finding her mother. She lay back against the pillow, her dark hair fanning out across it. Deep down, she knew the truth. As soon as their mission was over, as soon as they found her mother, then she would have no reason to stay in Austin. She’d have no reason to stay with Michael. She’d be returning to New York and would never lay eyes on him again. The thought made her jolt upright in bed.

  Ramona sighed and lay back against her pillow again, reaching a hand to pull back the lace curtain. Outside she could see a clear star-filled sky.

  For so long I’ve chased my dreams, and they’ve always seemed so far out of reach. As far away as those stars. But what if my dreams — my happiness — could be found elsewhere? Could I be content to live in a small dusty town? Is it possible that Michael still wants me?

  Michael closed the door to Ramona’s room softly behind him and leaned back against it, his eyes closed. When Ramona had been trampled by the stallion, he was sure she had been killed.

  He’d run to her, and held her limp body in his arms. The pain that had filled his gut in that moment made him realize how deep his feelings for her ran.

  I’ve got to do something to tempt her to stay here. With me. I’ve got to find a way to tell her how I feel. If she doesn’t feel the same way, at least I will have been honest with her. I can’t do more than that.

  11

  Michael

  Even though Ramona seemed to be losing interest in their search for her mother, Michael grew more determined with each passing day to find her. He had gotten the idea into his head, that if he could just do this for her, if he could reunite her with her mother, that she would see him for who he was. That maybe she’d see him as the kind of man she might want to marry.

  Every evening while they searched, Michael was attentive to her every need. He carried her through any muddy patches on the ground. He always found her a place to sit when she was tired. He told her stories as they rode in the wagon, and guided her gently through the rough streets of Austin. Every day Michael fell harder and harder for Ramona.

  If only Ramona could see what I see. We could be so good together. I wish she’d give me a chance to prove that.

  Each day Ramona seemed to let down another wall, opening herself up to Michael, and drawing him in at the same time. She told him about the heartache and ostracism she and her mother had endured after her father’s suicide. She spoke about their poverty and her mother’s fight to find a steady job.

  “Sometimes we would have one meal between us. That would have to last us three or four days,” she said, as they rested in a park in the center of town. “Even so, Mother never made me give up on my dreams, she always supported me.”

  “I’m sorry Ramona. That must have been hard on you.” Michael was quiet for a moment. “And you still want to find your Ma, don’t you? It just seems to me like you’ve almost given up lately.”

  Ramona nodded as she bit her bottom lip. “I know now that she most likely doesn’t want to be found, I can’t give up hope just yet. My friend Elizabeth was right. I don’t think she’ll want to come back to New York with me. But I want to find her anyhow. To tell her, to tell her that I love her no matter what.”

  Back to New York.

  Those words pierced through Michael’s heart. He dropped his head and looked at the green grass beneath him. She has no intention of staying here, no matter the outcome. Tony was right.

  Michael felt stunned as the full weight of her words hit him. The disappointment crushed his chest and he sucked in a deep breath.

  I’ve been fooling myself. I should have known it from the start. Ramona came here with a mission. And it never included marrying me.

  “I just wanted to tell you Michael, that I’m so grateful you haven’t given up on me or on Mother yet.”

  “Of course.” He stared at the ground.

  “I
see how hard you work, how many hours you put in during the day on the construction site. And then, on top of all that, you take me out searching for Mother after hours.” Ramona’s voice began to break a little. “I don’t even know how to thank you Michael. Gosh, in all my life, no one has shown me the kindness that you have.”

  Michael heard the emotion in her voice and he looked up, startled. “Ramona, please, what is the matter?”

  Ramona collapsed in tears. “I just feel like we are never going to find her! Oh it all seems so hopeless! And I feel so badly that I have dragged you into this fruitless search.”

  “Shhh.” Michael reached over and placed his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into him as she wept. “Please don’t give up. I haven’t.”

  Michael hadn’t given up hope that they would find Maria. But he had given up hope that Ramona would ever want to marry him.

  “What did I tell ya?” Tony said the following day as he drove his shovel into the dirt. “I warned ya Michael.”

  “I know,” he said quietly. “You were right. I’ll help Ramona find her mother. Then I’ll drive her back to the stagecoach and move on with my life. I won’t try for another Mail Order Bride after this Tony. That ought to make you happy.”

  Tony’s face grew a little red. “I’m sorry Michael. I don’t mean to take pleasure from your situation.” He stopped digging. “Though I must say I’m surprised you are still going to help her.” Tony let out a sigh. “You’re a good man Michael. Perhaps I ought to tell you something. I’ve been holding into it in the hopes that Ramona might come around after all and fall for you – heck you’re the best man I know. She’s a fool not to see it.”

  Michael stood up straight. “What’s that Tony?”

  Tony’s face had flushed a deep red.

  “I think I know where Ramona’s mother is.”