Cheyenne Mail Order Bride (Mail Order Brides Book 13) by Susan Leigh Carlton Page A

that a venue.
    “Let me know your thoughts, and we will go from there.
    “You asked about the ranch house. It has three bedrooms; one is downstairs and the other two upstairs. There is a living room, and dining room, and of course a kitchen. Unfortunately, the furnishings reflect a man’s tastes… mine. It is bare of any decorations. The living room has a fireplace as does the bedroom.
    The stove in the kitchen is new, and so is the icebox. There is a pump in the kitchen also.
    I believe it is a comfortable home and hope you will feel the same way.
    I await your answer with great anxiety.
    Sincerely, Cal.
    * * *

 
    chapter Fourteen
    I Can’t Do It
    The letter arrived on Tuesday.
    “Oh my,” Jennie said after reading it. She sat fanning herself with her hand.
    “Now what do I do?” she questioned herself.
    The letter was on her lap when Chris came in from the field. “A letter, Mama? Did he say anything about Grandpa and me?”
    “No, he didn’t mention it,” she said.
    “Well, what?” he asked.
    She handed the letter to him. He read it, looked at her and asked, “What are you going to do?”
    “I don’t know,” his mother answered truthfully. “I’ve hoped this would come about, and now that he asked, I realize just how big a step this would be. I would be going all of the way across the country, and if you didn’t go, I would probably never see you again. I’m not sure I can do it,” she said.
    “You could just not answer it,” Chris said.
    “I couldn’t do that. It wouldn’t be fair,” she said. “I’m going to have to think about it.”
    The next morning…
    “Did you decide what you are going to do, Mama?” Chris asked.
    “I’m going to tell the truth. I’m going to tell him I’m not sure whether I can leave my family and what little I do have here for… for I don’t know what.”
    “Mama, if you want to do this, I will go with you. You don’t have to face it alone,” he said.
    “That would mean you would be giving up what you want, for something I don’t even know if I want. It’s so u nfair, I won’t even consider it,” she said.
    Dear Cal, I have spent the past two days considering this decision. I’m sorry for being so slow to answer your letter, but I’m overwhelmed by the enormity of taking such a step. I’ve tried to consider all of the things I know, but the things I don’t know , bother me. To leave my family, and the place I’ve lived my all my life to travel somewhere across the country, I can’t bring myself to do it. I’ve discussed it with my son and he has said he would go with me, because he doesn’t want me to face it alone. That would mean asking him to leave the farm and the work he loves. I can’t ask him to do that.
    I told you Chris and I have always taken what fate brings, and to do the best we can with it. I’m going to have to face what is in store for me here. I apologize. I’m deeply sorry for misleading you, but I truly didn’t know my own mind.
    Yours truly, Jennie.
    Her eyes red from the tears she had shed, she sealed the letter with several drops of wax from a candle. She mailed it the next morning.
    Cheyenne five days later…
    Cal sat on the bench outside the store to read the letter from Jennie. The letter he had been waiting for. He opened it and began to read. As he read, his smile faded. She couldn’t do it. She turned me down. Damn. Damn. Did I rush things?
    He stuffed the letter in his shirt and walked down the street to the church. As he had expected, Clem was there, cleaning and making the church ready for the Sunday se rvices.
    When Cal walked into the sanctuary, Clem looked up and greeted Cal as always, with a firm handshake and asked, “How have you been?”
    Then he saw the expression on his friend’s face. “You look like you’ve lost your last friend. What’s wrong, bu ddy?”
    “She turned me down, Clem. I asked her to come out, o ffered to pay her way and everything and she turned me down. I had really