Mail Order Bride: Westward Winds by - (book club books TXT) 📕
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“Mama! Mama!”
Maureen heard Claire calling her and it sounded as if something was drastically wrong. Claire burst into the dining room the morning after Maddie’s coming out party. She held an envelope and papers in her hand.
“What is it, Claire?” Maureen asked.
“It’s Tessa! She’s gone,” Claire said and thrust the papers at her mother.
“What?” Maureen took the papers and began reading.
To My Dearest Family,
I know that when you find that I have gone, you will be very distressed and try to find me. I beg you not to do so. I will be in touch when I can. For years, I’ve been telling you that this is not the life I want for myself, but my words have fallen on deaf ears. You seemed to think that it was just a phase and that I would grow out of it.
Most of my life has been spent primping and preening and learning how to behave like a lady and be charming to others. I never felt fully comfortable in this type of life. Maddie is much more proficient at it than I and she certainly enjoys it. I find nothing wrong with that.
I felt compelled to leave because I know I will never be allowed to live life on my own terms. I would have liked to have had more opportunities to participate in serious conversations concerning societal issues and many other matters, but any time I attempted to do so, I was made to feel that I wasn’t intelligent enough simply because I’m a woman.
There were scores of men who were pushed my way in the hopes of me finding a suitor among them. No matter how many men of our society I would meet, I know I would never find a match with any of them. I would like a man of substance, someone who knows about hard work and taking chances. I want someone like you, Papa. I need a man who is strong, yet loving and has a sense of what’s really important in life.
So I am setting out on my own life’s journey and doing so in secret because I feel it is the only way I could make it happen. By the time you read this, I will be long gone and you will not find me. I am not doing this to hurt you, I am doing this because I am of age to make my own decisions and live life on my own terms.
I want to be appreciated for my true self and not be forced into a box or told what I should want. I love you all, but I am suffocating and need room to breathe and I think this is the best course of action for us all. I know that it will take you some time to see it, but I hope that one day you will.
Know that I love you all more than I could ever tell you.
All my love,
Tessa
Maureen reread the letter, disbelief and terror filling her breast. She was first and foremost a wife and mother, and the fact that one of her children had set out alone to only God knew where filled her with dread. She didn’t want to alarm Claire unduly, however, so she tried to keep her demeanor and voice as calm as possible.
“Oh, dear. That Tessa. She has always been somewhat dramatic. No doubt we’ll find her at one of her friends’ residences,” Maureen said. She smiled at her youngest. “All will be well, Claire. I’ll go talk to your father about it. You eat your breakfast.”
Maureen kissed Claire on the forehead and left the room. Claire was old enough and smart enough to know when her mother was truly concerned, and she knew that Maureen was very worried. She had no desire to eat and instead went out to their garden to get some fresh air. It was her favorite spot in which to think. She was deeply concerned about her sister and prayed that wherever she was, she was safe.
Geoffrey finished reading Tessa’s letter and sat back in his office chair. Worry, anger, and shock all warred within him. How could she do this to her family, especially her parents? She had always been spirited and headstrong, but he had never seen this coming. As her father, he felt that he should have.
He looked at Maureen and rose to embrace her. “Don’t worry, dear. I’ll find her. She couldn’t have gotten far and someone has to know where she has gone.”
Maureen held Geoffrey close, taking comfort in his assurances. “Yes. You’re right. Please bring her back to us.”
“I will,” Geoffrey promised her. “No matter what it takes.”
The trip westward was one Tessa would never forget, not only because it was full of memorable sights and events, but also because she wrote about everything she experienced and people she encountered. She strove to get everything she could down on paper just as she saw it at that particular moment. Her fingers became sore, but she kept on writing anyway. One of her suitcases had held nothing but paper and pencils. She hadn’t wanted to run out of writing materials before reaching her destination.
To ensure that didn’t happen, Tessa also bought more writing supplies whenever she could. She didn’t know whether supplies would be available in Dawson and she needed to keep as much in stock as possible. After Dean had made her aware of how remote his ranch and community were, Tessa realized that there were things that would not be as readily available as they had been in Pittsburgh.
Another reason she wrote so much was to quiet her nerves. She was leaving her home for the first time in her life to head into the unknown. Although exciting, it was also scary. Would she be welcomed? Was Dean as he seemed in his letters? What would his children think of her? It was highly possible they would be resentful or jealous of her, and that would put a strain on any possible relationship she and Dean might have.
She hoped they would like each other and get along well. Despite not finding anyone to marry in Pittsburgh, she had always hoped to find a loving husband and raise a happy family. Tessa felt that, in going to Montana, she would have the opportunity to meet someone special and have just such a life.
“So, is she pretty?” Sadie asked. Her brown eyes shone with excitement at the possibility of meeting a genteel lady from a big city. She seemed more interested in that than the fact that she might marry her father.
Dean smiled. “I’m sure she is. She sounds like it. She’s tall and has blue eyes and dark hair and she’s, uh, slender.”
“What’s ‘slender’, Pa?” Jack wanted to know.
“It means not fat but not skinny. Just right,” Sadie said.
Jack nodded. “That’s good, I guess.”
“I reckon it is. So what do you think about her maybe marrying me someday?” Dean asked. He almost stumbled on the word “marrying”. He still wasn’t comfortable with that idea, but he was trying to get accustomed to it.
Sadie pondered that for a few moments. “I guess if she likes me and Jack, it’s all right.”
Jack, ever practical, said, “If she can cook and clean, fine with me. Oh, and sing. Can she sing, Pa?”
Dean laughed. “I don’t know if she can sing, son. I never asked her and she never said.”
Jack shrugged. “It’s okay. We can see when she gets here.”
“Okay. We’ll do that.”
“When is she getting here?” Sadie asked.
Dean mentally calculated the date of the letter he’d received, telling him when she’d left North Dakota. “She should be here in three days.”
Sadie clapped. “I can’t wait. I’m so excited!”
“I can tell,” Dean said.
“Me, too,” Jack said. “Can I have a snack?”
Dean ruffled Jack’s hair. “Yeah, you can have a snack. Aunt Lydia sent over some cookies.”
Jack ran off to the kitchen for the cookies. He was far more worried
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