Mail Order Beatrice Page 9
I’ve sold the farm to the Hendersons. You couldn’t pay me enough to make me stay here now you’re gone and I don’t have to take care of Pa.
The last page of this is for your husband. You read it first and make sure it’s all right. If not, write or wire and tell me what you want me to do. After the first, I’ll be boarding with the Covingtons until I hear from you.
Love to you and my nephew,
Your brother, Wade
Attie read the letter twice more. She’d have to tell Tate the truth now. What if he sent her and Wade away? He acted real fond of Wade and now they had a baby on the way in six months.
Even if the baby weren’t on the way she didn’t think he’d send her away. He’d said his vows in church and he’d keep his word. What if he was ashamed of her?
Before she got too tangled in her thoughts, she read the letter her brother sent her husband.
Dear Tate,
Attie has written how happy she is and what a fine man you are. I can’t tell you how relieved I am she and little Wade are safe and content. She’ll tell you our pa is dead.
I tried hard to keep vigil and protect Attie. But, I let her down once when it was real important I kept watch. I had pneumonia and was out of my head from fever or I’d have made certain she stayed home. Instead Pa sent her to town to get medicine for me. A man who hated our pa attacked her for spite. Please don’t think badly of Attie. She is an angel on earth.
That’s not why I’m writing. I want to know if there is a farm near you for sale at a price I can afford. I got five hundred dollars for this place (above the cost of train and stage fare). That probably doesn’t sound like much for the acreage but it’s not a good farm the way it is now. I feel real lucky to get that much and did so only because the man who bought it had land adjoining this and has wanted this farm for years. It could be made profitable but everything needs painting or patching or fertilizing. Since Pa died, I’ve been trying to make repairs as I can. Now that I’ve sold up to our neighbor I’m through here. I packed up everything I think Attie could possibly want, but that isn’t much.
If there’s no suitable land for sale, maybe there’s a job as a bookkeeper or law clerk or something that a man with a bad limp can do. I’d like to be close enough to Attie for us to visit some. You see my handwriting so you can judge how good you think it is. Attie can tell you I’m good with math and English and made excellent grades in school. Except for my limp I’m healthy, strong, a hard worker, and usually good natured.
Your brother-in-law,
Wade Kendall
She handed Tate the letter and hid her face in her hands. She wept while he read the letter. Now he’d know her shame.
After he’d read it, she handed him the one addressed to her. She couldn’t face him and rushed to their room. She threw herself across the bed and sobbed.
She didn’t know how long it was before the mattress dipped and Tate lay down beside her. “Attie, please don’t cry. I’m sorry your father is dead but he didn’t treat you right.”
“Ths… nt… wy… em… cryn.”
“Honey, I can’t understand you when you talk into the bedcovers.” Gently, he turned her to her back.
“That’s not why I’m crying. You think I would cry for Pa after he tried to kill my son? The reason my brother is lame is because of Pa’s selfishness and drunken negligence. I always knew he’d come to a bad end. I’m surprised he bothered with Kurt but it wasn’t for me. The reason was because Pa hated the Giffords so much.”
“Honey, then why are you crying?”
She fisted her hands on the bedcovers. “Because you saw Wade’s letter to me. Now you know what happened and that I was never married. You’ll be ashamed of me.”
He used his handkerchief and dried her eyes. “I’m not ashamed of you. I’ve told you that you’re the wife I needed. I told you this family needed you. Everyone is happier since you came.”
She wished she could believe he’d keep thinking that way. “But, now you know the kind of woman I am. You didn’t like me being a widow, but being never married and having a baby is worse.”
“I already know you’re a good woman. You are the angel your brother labeled you.”
He kissed her on her eyelids and cheeks. “I figured out you weren’t a widow on our wedding night. That you were harmed bothers me, but that’s all. If I had met that Kurt I’d have done my best to beat him to a pulp before I turned him over to the sheriff. You aren’t to blame. Sweetheart, surely you know I love you.”
“You do?” She sniffed and sat up. “I didn’t know. I thought you were fond of Wade and me but you’re such a good man I didn’t know how you really felt.”
He sat up. “I’m sorry I haven’t told you. I don’t know why I have trouble saying those three words, but they don’t come easy for me. I thought you would have figured me out by now.”
“Right now we need to talk about your brother. I’m sure you want him near us. Why don’t we send a telegram and invite him to come and stay with us? He can live here or find a place of his own.”
She wrapped her arms around Tate’s neck. “No wonder I love you so much. You are the best man I’ve ever met. Better than I knew existed.”
“Never forget I love you. If I forget to tell you often enough, nudge me but gently. I know not to get you riled, especially if there’s a creek nearby.”
“I guess I’ll never live that down, will I?”
He put his hand over his heart. “You are a legend in this county. A hundred years from now people will still be telling the story of the Cherry Pie Queen. My Cherry Pie Queen, Attie Merritt.
“You’re right about one thing. Whatever else I am, I’m yours.”
Widows, Brides, and Secret Babies Series
Find the books 1 through 23 in this series as they’re available listed on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=widows%2C+brides%2C+and+secret+babies&crid=30ZL9OTYV3RYO&sprefix=Widows%2C%2Caps%2C164&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_7
For more books by Caroline Clemmons, please check her Amazon Author page:
https://amazon.com/Caroline-Clemmons/e/B001K8CXZ6/
About Caroline Clemmons
Through a crazy twist of fate, Caroline Clemmons was born in town instead of on a Texas ranch. To compensate for this illogical error, she writes about handsome cowboys, feisty ranch women, and scheming villains in a tiny office her family calls her pink cave. She and her Hero live in North Central Texas cowboy country where they ride herd on their rescued pets—two indoor cats and a dog—as well as providing nourishment outdoors for wild critters who stop by to visit.
The books she creates in her pink cave have made her a bestselling and award winning author. She writes both sweet and sensual romances about the West, both historical and contemporary as well as time travel and mystery. Her series include the Kincaids, McClintocks, Stone Mountain Texas, Bride Brigade, Texas Time Travel, Texas Caprock Tales, Pearson Grove, and Loving A Rancher as well as numerous single titles and contributions to multi-author sets.
When she’s not writing, she loves spending time with her family, reading books written by her friends, eating out with friends, browsing antique malls, checking Facebook, and taking the occasional nap. Find her on her blog, website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Pinterest.
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