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Peter paced up and down the hall. He could hear the efforts of his wife and the midwife in the other room. Gavin stood up from the bench seat, then sat down. He got up again and sat back down.
“What are you doing?” Peter asked, agitated.
“Just sit down or stand up. Stop doing them right after each other over and over.”
“Sorry, Pete,” Gavin said, his voice tense. “I’m worried about our lady there.”
“You don’t have to,” Peter replied, knowing he should be taking his own advice. “This is her second child. Ma and Elizabeth say it’s easier with the second and third ones.”
Gavin snorted. “Not sure she’s gonna want to have another after this one. Sounds like she’s dyin’ in there.”
“Don’t say that!” Peter snapped, instantly pulling back afterward. “Sorry, Gav. Just scared. Even though the women say it gets better. It sure don’t sound like it.”
Gavin nodded, his face knowing. He’d been there for the birth of Josie and Peter’s first child, Alexander. He was now three and was being occupied by Frannie and Frankie, who had grown into lovely ten-year-olds, not quite as rambunctious as they had been when Josie first came to live with them.
“Peter, take this.” He turned to see his father had come up to him, holding out a lit cigar, the smoke from the end of it streaming in curls above it. “It will help you calm down.”
Peter nodded, taking the cigar. “Thanks, Pa.” He took a draw from the cigar and let it out, sending the smoke up into the air. He did feel a calming effect, which he was grateful for.
The room became quiet. He froze, turning slowly to the door. Seconds later, it opened and one of the nurses clad in blue and white beckoned to him.
“You should come and meet your little daughter, Peter,” she said happily. “Mama and baby are fine. Just fine!”
Peter’s heart was ready to jump out of his chest. He passed the nurse, hastily handing her the cigar. She wrinkled her nose, taking it out of the room, the door closing behind her. Peter didn’t see what she did with it, but she probably gave it to his father or Gavin.
He rushed to the bedside and dropped down to see the baby Josie was holding in her arms. The baby had a full head of blond hair. Her eyes were closed, but Peter was willing to bet her eyes would be as blue as his. That was good since their son, Alex, was almost a spitting image of Josie.
“Look what we did, Peter,” Josie said softly. She looked exhausted and completely drained of all energy. And fluids. He brushed her dark hair back off her sweaty forehead.
“You are amazing, Josie. I didn’t do a thing. This was all you.”
“And God,” Josie replied. “He had a lot to do with it, too. I’m just glad you don’t actually have twins in the family. I don’t know what we would have done or how we would have coped.”
They both laughed, but Josie grimaced in pain.
“Are you all right?” Peter asked, worried about her.
“You take the baby. I just need to sit up a little more.”
Two nurses invaded the space, guiding Josie to a sitting position. They both smiled wide and told her they were happy to help when she thanked them.
“Did you think of a name?” Peter asked. He had named their firstborn and was proud of it.
“Yes. How about Olivia?”
Peter tried it on for size. “Olivia. Hmmm. I like it. Olivia Frederick. I think my parents will like that one, too.”
Josie gave him a soft grin. “I’d like her middle name to be Hattie. I’m sure you understand.”
Peter nodded his head, speaking empathically. “Oh, yes, of course. That’s absolutely lovely. I reckon your parents will be over the moon about that.”
“I hope so,” Josie replied. “I want her to have Hattie’s name, but I don’t think I can handle it being her first name, so I’d have to say it every day.”
“Right,” Peter gave her a look of approval. “You’ll only have to say it when you’re upset with her. And then maybe you’ll be a little less angry at whatever she’s doing because you’ll think of your sister.”
Peter laughed with Josie. He had heard Josie reprimand Alexander by calling him his full name a few times already. “Alexander Gavin Frederick!” she would say sternly. Every time she did, he got a little thrill hearing his own brother’s name. It made sense that she would give their first daughter Hattie’s name as a tribute.
“You think we’ll do this again?” Peter asked slyly.
Josie giggled. “Only God knows, husband.”
They both laughed.
***
Three weeks later, Josie spread out a blanket on the grass, setting heavy objects on all four corners so it wouldn’t blow around in the breeze. She held her tiny baby in her arms, maneuvering her skillfully from one arm to the other as she set things down.
“Do you need me to hold Olivia?” Frannie was asking. She looked up at her stepsister. She pushed to her feet and held the baby out.
“Yes, of course. I know how much you love her.” She leaned closer. “You know, I think you’re the best caregiver to Olivia, other than me. Your brother, he thinks she’s made of glass.”
Frannie laughed. “At least he won’t drop her then.”
“Oh my!” Josie laughed. “Yes, that is true!”
The laughter and splashing coming from the body of water that stretched out in front of her drew the attention of both ladies, and even the small baby opened her blue eyes wide. Frannie looked down at Olivia.
“It’s all right,” she cooed, touching the baby’s cheeks. “That’s just Papa and his brothers having a good time. You want to go down there and see them? You do, don’t you? Yes, I think you do.”
Frannie gave Josie a big smile before she gripped Olivia tight and jogged down to the shore.
The entire family had come together for a picnic on the beach of the huge lake some ten miles from the Frederick mansion. Eve had come along, too, but she was in the water with Gavin, mostly, and with the rest of them. Only Josie’s mother, Elizabeth, was left to help Josie spread out the blankets and watch for ants so they didn’t invade the two picnic baskets. One was full of sandwiches, while the other contained drinks, all in canteens with someone’s name written on them. They didn’t need to ration, but if the kids got their hands on the canteens, they would drink all of them, leaving none for everyone else.
“You can’t catch me!” she heard Frankie yell. He ran past Gavin to get away from Peter, but Gavin grabbed the boy around the waist, lifted him up in the air, and splashed him back down in the water.
Josie cringed. If she didn’t know they were in deep water, she wouldn’t have had that reaction. But every time Gavin picked up a child, she panicked. Someone had to tell that man he was stronger than he realized. Someday, his children would suffer the consequences of his intense hugs.
She chuckled. He would make a great father. She could tell already. For such a tough, muscled man, he came across as a gentleman whenever they encountered each other. In fact, Josie had never seen him act like anything but a gentleman.
“Miss Josie?”
A familiar voice said her name behind where she was standing, her arms crossed, watching all of her family have a good time.
It was Daniel. No matter what she did or how much time passed, every time she came across Daniel, she was reminded of how he had sounded, threatening her with death, pressing that gun against her cheek. The memory only ever flashed through her mind. It never lingered, and though a momentary panic would catch her heart, she knew the past was in the past, and everyone in the situation wanted it left there, including Daniel.
“Yes, Dan?” she asked, raising her eyebrows curiously.
“I just wanted to say thank you for inviting me to this get-together. You didn’t have to do that.”
Josie smiled at him. She hadn’t been the one to invite him. Gavin and Peter had insisted because after his one year served in the prison twenty miles from Meadow Brook, he had returned with hat in hand, ready to do whatever job Peter assigned him to in the business or on the Frederick property. In the last two years since his arrival, he hadn’t stepped one toe out of line. He’d done everything he was told to do without question.
The family never heard from Bonnie again. She wasn’t brought to Meadow Brook. They’d dropped her in a small town called Manchester, where they purchased a horse for her and gave her a thousand dollars.
Josie herself had never seen so much money. But Peter had. He was the one who deposited the money in the bank. No one ever checked on Bonnie again. They hadn’t done any traveling in the last three years so there was no time to check on her. Plus, they had no reason to.
Josie scanned Dan’s body, noticing he was in full dress. “You aren’t gonna wear trousers in that water, are you?” She grinned to show she was teasing.
He shuffled in place, looking sheepish. “Uh, no, ma’am, I have some short pants on underneath that I will wear into the water. Also an undershirt. I… don’t want my bony white body scaring any of the young ones.”
His grin almost looked out of place, but it endeared him to Josie.
“You go on and have a good time, Dan,” she said, turning her eyes back to her family, playing wildly in the water, splashing each other and laughing uproariously. “They sure do look like they’re having fun, don’t they?”
“Uh, yes, ma’am, they do.”
Josie watched Dan jog down the shore to the edge of the water, where he abruptly pulled his pants down to reveal the short pants he would be swimming in. Josie couldn’t help chuckling at the back of her throat, noticing instantly how white his legs were. It was probably a good thing he didn’t take his shirt off. He might have been mistaken for a ghost.
Josie let out an abrupt laugh, apparently startling her mother, who was seated on the blanket behind her.
She spun around when her mother gasped. The woman had her hand over her heart.
“Mother!” she exclaimed happily. “I didn’t know you’d come over and sat down. It’s lovely to see you.”
“Thank you, my dear. You startled me when you laughed like that. Was it because of your employee’s white legs?”
Josie gave her mother a look of delighted surprise. “Why yes, that’s exactly what I was thinking. You know me too well, Mother. Way too well.”
“Come and sit down with me, and we’ll have a little chat.” Her mother patted the blanket next to her.
“Josie! Elizabeth! Come play!”
Peter’s voice rose up into the air, echoing toward them over the flat ground. Maybe it was the water projecting it further. Josie was surprised she heard it so well.
She looked behind her. “What do you say, Mother? Do you want to go play in the water?”
Her mother looked contemplative, her eyes on the group, splashing and laughing.
“Oh, I don’t know.”
Josie went to her with her hand held out. “Come on. It will be fun! Never let a moment pass when you can have a little fun!”
Her mother pressed her lips together, took her hand, and pulled up to her stocking feet.
“Well, all right, dear. But I don’t want to be splashed in the face!”
Josie laughed softly. “We’ll tell them. Come on! It will be fun!”
Josie and her mother jogged over the sand to meet up with Peter and her father, who came to shore to greet them with hugs. Josie knew those days were the best days of her life. She planned to make as much of them as she could.
OFFER: A BRAND NEW SERIES AND 2 FREEBIES FOR YOU!
Grab my new series, "Courageous Hearts of the West", and get 2 FREE novels as a gift! Have a look here!
Dearest readers,
I hope this tender love story brought warmth to your heart. Did you envision a different fate for our beloved couple? I’m so curious to hear your thoughts and feelings—don’t hold back! Your words mean the world to me. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for sharing this journey. ♥️💫
All the surprises in this story added up to a great read. I had to re-read some of it to getupto speed on who was who and which one was a bad guy. I still need to think about the ending. I’m not sure someone can change quite that much. All in all, a very entertaining story.
My dear Pat, thank you so much for your thoughtful feedback! I love that the twists kept you on your toes – and I totally get needing to re-read a bit to keep track of the characters (there were a few layers to untangle!). As for the ending – your hesitation makes perfect sense. Big changes like that can feel sudden, and it’s great to hear it got you thinking. I’m really glad you found the story entertaining overall! 😊
Living in today’s world its hard to believe a wife was ordered by mail. I wonder how many were truly happy? It’s a wonder, it’s nice to read ( an they lived happily ever after.) It’s good for a story line. But! Is there any documentation on the true facts?
It really is fascinating, isn’t it? The idea of mail-order brides feels almost unbelievable by today’s standards, but it was a real part of history—especially in the American frontier days when settlers outnumbered women by a wide margin.
You’re absolutely right to wonder how many of those matches led to genuine happiness. While some couples reportedly built strong, lasting relationships, others faced major challenges—language barriers, cultural differences, and plain old incompatibility. It definitely wasn’t all “happily ever after,” but the romanticized version sure makes for a compelling story.
As for documentation, yes—there is historical evidence out there! Letters, newspaper ads, and even personal accounts have been preserved, giving us a glimpse into the reality behind the concept. If you’re curious, there are some great books and historical records that dive into the topic more deeply.