A Mail Order Bride for Thanksgiving (Love by Mail #5)(3)

“All right, everyone,” the coach driver hollered, “This is Angel Creek. Step down nice and slow.”

The other passengers got off, taking their luggage and children. All of them were returning to home. Betty had been the only stranger among them. She prepared to step down after the mother and daughter left when the coach suddenly started rocking.

“I’m still here! Please wait, sir,” Betty called grasping the door in panic. She got one leg out, when the coach bucked, this time, rocking from side to side. “What’s going on?!”

“Wait – hold it!” The driver tried to rein in the horse, but it neighed and kicked its front legs in the air. It bucked again, and Betty found herself swaying back. Was her first day in Angel Creek going to be her last?

“Whoa, there!” A woman rushed to the horse, quick and confident in her stride.

Oh my heavens, she’s gonna get trampled! Betty closed her eyes and held on tight as the horse kept bucking. Suddenly, the coach flew upwards and the jolt pushed Betty out. She shrieked expecting a mouthful of dirt and a world of pain when her face meets the dry ground.

But instead strong arms wrapped around her. She looked up into the brown eyes of her savior. She gaped at his face marked by the sun as the man helped her stand up.

“You all right?”

He let go of her as she straightened up. “Y-yes, thanks a bunch.”

“Good thing he was there to catch you.” A dark blonde woman with curly hair patted the horse on the nose. She smiled at Betty. “You okay?”

Betty nodded, in awe. So the woman didn’t get trampled. In fact she calmed the horse right down. She spoke to the driver in a low voice, before approaching Betty and the stranger still standing beside her.

“Mary Ann Turner.” The woman introduced herself. “You new in town?”

“Yeah,” Betty said, dusting her dress, “I’m here to meet my fiancé, John River.”

“Did you say John River?”

Betty turned around. The man who caught her stepped forward.

“Are you Miss Betty Williams?”

She straightened her back and held her head high. “I am. Do you know John River?”

“I do,” the man said with a grin. “I am John River.”

Betty’s mouth opened again.

Mary Ann chuckled.

“Looks like you found your fiancé. Good to meet you Betty.” They shook hands. “Welcome to Angel Creek. I gotta go take care of my own horses. See you around.”

When she left, Betty turned to John with a strained smile. Was she dreaming? Having a nightmare? Did someone play a cruel prank on her? She couldn’t even stand straight. John motioned behind him, and two women stepped forward.

But before Betty could blink or say anything the two ladies reached out to her. Between the smiles, hellos, and tight hugs she couldn’t squeeze a word out. Finally Mercy Beckett, the one with long dark curls, let go of her.

“So… You’re the founder of Love in the West?” Betty was still a bit overwhelmed by the welcome.

“Yes, and this here,” Mercy turned to the taller woman with brown hair, “is Claire Shepard, your hostess.”

Claire smiled. “We’re both so glad that you decided to come.”

“John said you were a cook,” Mercy said, walking between John and Betty. Claire dragged behind, greeting the townspeople who gave Betty curious looks.

“I – I am.” Her eyes darted to John’s brown hands and his silky black hair. Oh, why didn’t she ask for a picture?

“Are you all right, Betty?” John asked.

“Oh, no - yes, I’m fine.” She blushed and wished she could hide behind the smaller woman walking beside her.

John’s smile wavered. “You probably weren’t expecting someone like me, were you?”

Her face reddened. When Mercy and Claire looked at her with wide eyes, she wanted to bury herself in some shallow grave. Yeah, she wasn’t expecting John River to be… to be…

“My father was half-Indian,” John said. “I guess I should’ve sent you a picture.”

“No!” she found herself saying, much to the shock of the two women with them. She tucked a strand of curly hair under her bonnet. “I didn’t send a picture either. Y-you’re more handsome than I imagined.”

“Anyway, you mentioned,” Betty continued eager to stop being the center of attention, “that we’d have two weeks to get to know each other before our wedding? I’ve heard other couples get married right away?”

“It’s tradition,” Claire said catching up with her. “In some places, a man can marry his mail order bride straight off the wagon, but not in Angel Creek!”

“Don’t worry,” Mercy said, patting Betty’s hand, “time’ll fly by and you’ll be married before you know it.”

They walked a few more steps before they reached a two-storey wooden house. John had set her bags down inside and bade her farewell.

“I’m looking forward to get to know you better in the coming weeks, Betty.” He smiled and bowed his head before leaving.

Betty honestly couldn’t say the same. What did she get herself into?

*

Betty hadn’t expected to see so many horses – and so many women struggling to get atop them in Angel Creek. The sun cast a muted glow on the field, making everyone look pale and exhausted. Or maybe that was just her?