Pony Express Christmas Bride. Rhonda Gibson
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a friend ever since.” Thomas grinned.
Josephine sipped at her coffee and nodded. “She’s treated me with nothing but kindness, also.” She traced the wood grain on the table, then looked back up. “I suppose it’s my turn now.”
Thomas tipped his own cup and drank the lukewarm coffee, glad for the liquid that washed through his overly dry mouth. He waited as she scrunched up her face and gathered her thoughts.
“My mother died when I was fourteen years old. My papa loved her dearly, and when she died, my uncle said Papa couldn’t stand to look at me because I look just like her. About four years later, Papa left me in my uncle’s care and never came back.”
She looked up at Thomas, and tears filled her brown gaze. “Uncle continued to take care of me, made sure I kept up my studies and that I was raised as a true lady, but last year Uncle started gambling.” She swallowed hard. Thomas noticed that she put her hands under the table. “Things in the house started disappearing—paintings, rugs, the good silver and china. At first he accused the hired help of stealing them. Then he fired them all using the excuse that they were thieves, but the truth was he could no longer afford to pay them. Then he blamed me. Out of money and ways to acquire enough money to pay his debts, Uncle noticed Mr. Grossman’s interest in me.”
Thomas felt the need to gather her into his arms and protect her from the life she described. “You don’t have to continue, Josephine.”
She nodded. “But I do. I want you to understand why I need you to marry me.” Josephine pulled her hands out from under the table. She clasped them together, but not before he saw the trembling. She continued, “Uncle explained that he owed Mr. Grossman more money than he could ever afford to repay. Mr. Grossman had threatened to have Uncle put in prison if I didn’t marry him. I asked for a month to prepare for the wedding. The next morning while reading the paper, I saw your ad—well, Philip’s ad—for a mail-order bride. I realized it was my means of escaping marriage to Mr. Grossman. He’s far older than me and has been married three other times, each time his young wife died suddenly and under suspicion. And each time he’s managed to escape the hangman’s noose. I know deep in my heart that I am not safe marrying the likes of him. I wrote to you, I mean Philip, and he wrote back saying he’d send money for my passage out here as soon as possible. But I couldn’t wait. My time was running out. So I cut off my hair, stole a pair of my uncle’s work pants and a shirt, and went to the Pony Express office to apply for a job.” She took a deep breath.
“So you told them you were a boy?”
Josephine shook her head. “No, I just asked if I could apply for the job. When the man asked my name, I told him it was Jo. He asked for a last name and I told him my name was just Jo.” Panic filled her eyes. “I couldn’t tell him my full first name or he would know I was a girl, and if I’d given the man a last name and if my uncle happened to ask him about me later, Uncle would know immediately where I’d gone.”
Thomas searched her face. Didn’t she realize she had lied by omission of the truth? She’d led everyone who worked for the Pony Express to believe that she was a boy. That was the same as lying to them. He understood why she’d done it, but it was still deceitful.
“After I got the job, I had to continue letting everyone think I was a boy. It was wrong, but I felt for my own safety I had to continue with the lie. I’ve asked the Lord to forgive me and I believe He has.” She looked at him, waiting for his response.
Thomas didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t his place to judge her, and if she’d confessed to the Lord her wrongdoing, well, that was between her and her Maker. He nodded and saw relief wash over her face. “So you got here by being a rider for the Pony Express?”
“I did.”
Riding for the Pony Express was dangerous work. How had she managed to make the rides? Had she run into bandits or Indians?
“I knew that if I could make it to Dove Creek, I’d find you and you’d save me from my uncle and Mr. Grossman.” Her hands trembled as she ran them through her curls.
Thomas knew the danger she’d put herself in by coming to him. “I’m glad you made it here safely.” He also knew now, without a shadow of doubt, that he’d marry Josephine to keep her safe. “As soon as the snow clears, we’ll ride into Dove Creek and get married.”
A smile trembled on her pink lips. “Thank you. I promise I’ll be a good wife. I can cook, clean and help out around the station.”
The back door blew open and Hazel followed the cold wind inside. “Peaches sure was glad to see me this morning.” She held up a pail of fresh milk and shut the door.
Thomas noted that her cheeks were red from being out in the wind. He should have gone to milk the cow and felt bad that the older woman had gone out in the cold to do it. He stood. “Hazel, I’m sorry. I should have done that for you.”
“Nonsense. I’ve been milking Peaches for several years now, winter and summer.” She set the pail of milk on the counter and stood by the stove for warmth. “I trust you two had plenty of time for your talk.”
Josephine nodded.
Thomas answered, “We did.” He put his hat on his head. “Thank you for the coffee and grub, Hazel. I best be getting back to the station.” He turned to Josephine. “My run is tomorrow and Thursday. When I get back, hopefully the snow will have cleared enough to get to town. Stay with Hazel and stay inside. If your uncle is about, I don’t want him to see you before we get married.”
Josephine frowned but nodded. She looked sad, dejected and weary. His heart went out to her. As he left the house, Thomas silently vowed to protect Josephine from her uncle and from Mr. Grossman.
Realizing how much her emotions affected him, Thomas told himself that she might become his wife, but he’d never allow himself to fall in love with her.
* * *
Josephine watched him leave. “He really is a nice man, isn’t he?”
“That he is,” Hazel answered. She rubbed her hands together over the stove. “You know, I’ve been wanting to make a quilt. Maybe you and I can piece the top together while we wait for his return.”
Josephine nodded. “Is his word good?” Josephine felt a frown pull at her brow. She wanted to believe Thomas would keep his promise and marry her, but she worried that after a couple of days in the saddle with lots of time to think he’d change his mind.
Hazel chuckled. “His word is good. Thomas will marry you, but I don’t know that he’ll trust you. You’ll have to earn that.”
“Why wouldn’t he trust me?” Josephine asked.
Hazel poured hot coffee into her cup. “Those boys don’t trust anyone very much. Probably because they were orphaned at an early age.”
Josephine nodded. She’d been deserted by her father and the hurt still lingered. Truth be told, she didn’t trust easily, either. What kind of marriage would she and Thomas have? She’d promised to be a good wife. Could she uphold her promise?
Josephine had no intention of falling in love and living happily ever after. Men couldn’t be trusted. They deserted, lied and thought of women as personal property.
Nope, she wasn’t about to fall in love with her future husband or anyone else. No man would ever hold her heart. Thomas Young was a handsome man, but Josephine vowed not to let that sway her into trusting him.
As the saying goes, Thomas felt as if he’d been ridden hard and put up wet. He had to admit the past two days had been grueling, but riding through the wet snow on an ice-packed trail wasn’t completely to blame for his weariness. Thankfully, his return ride had ended at the Pony Express home station in Dove Creek. The farm of Rebecca and Seth Armstrong, his adoptive mother and stepfather.