Bride for Robert Read online

  When they got back to the house, Miss Hazel had Olivia in the parlor, and she was dressed for their trip, her warm winter gear laying out and ready to put on her.

  “I’m going to miss having the two of you here so much.”

  Minnie smiled. “We’re going to miss you too, Miss Hazel, but I promise that I’ll write.”

  “And I’ll write you back, dear. You make sure that you become friends with the other brides. There won’t be a lot of other white women around, and you will find that you really need each other.”

  Minnie nodded. Miss Hazel was right. She hadn’t really made an effort yet, because she didn’t know which of the girls would be going north with them, but now that everyone was paired off, she needed to get to know them all. Friends would be very important to her. “I will.”

  Olivia squirmed until Miss Hazel let her get down, and she hurried over to Robert. “Up!” she demanded.

  Robert laughed, lifting her up and holding her. “Happy now?”

  Olivia nodded. “Mama!”

  Minnie walked over and hugged her daughter. “Were you good for Miss Hazel?”

  Olivia nodded. “Good girl.”

  “I’m glad. Was Miss Hazel a good girl?” Minnie couldn’t resist teasing the older woman with the question.

  Olivia shook her head solemnly. “No.”

  The adults all laughed, and Miss Hazel gave Olivia an offended look. “I was good!”

  Olivia just looked at Miss Hazel, and Minnie couldn’t help but laugh some more. “Olivia wouldn’t lie, Miss Hazel. You’re going to have to tell me what you did.”

  Robert looked at Minnie. “I’m sorry, but we need to get your things and go. We can’t miss the train.” He hated rushing her, because he knew Miss Hazel meant a lot to her, but there was really no choice.

  Minnie nodded, her face serious. “I’ll run upstairs and get our bags.”

  “I’ll come with you. You’re not carrying them by yourself.”

  Miss Hazel smiled and nodded. “Good man!”

  Five minutes later, they were back down the stairs with all of her possessions. Minnie went to Miss Hazel and hugged her tightly. “I’m going to miss you more than I can possibly express.”

  “I’ll miss you too, Minnie. And your darling baby.”

  Minnie sniffled. “I’ll draw portraits of her and send them.” Drawing had always been one of her favorite things, and she’d once thought she would be a famous artist.

  “The one you drew of me with her will always have a place of honor in my home.” Miss Hazel hugged her one last time. “Now get out of here. I’m ready to go back to my lonely ways.”

  Minnie knew better, but she nodded. “I will write as soon as we get there so you know we’re safe.”

  “Thank you!” Miss Hazel watched the three of them go, her eyes filled with tears.

  The train station was a short walk away, and Minnie carried Olivia while Robert carried their bags. There were enough bags for three people, but he didn’t complain. “I’m sorry I had to rush you,” he finally said.

  Minnie shook her head. “Long goodbyes are hard. It was for the best.” She was determined to look at the bright side of any sort of situation.

  When they reached the train station, Minnie looked around at the other three girls, all of whom she’d at least met while they all stayed at Miss Hazel’s. Annie, a girl she’d barely spoken to, was there with a tall Mountie. Faith and Gemma were standing close together, each of them with a Mountie at her side. Minnie smiled hesitantly, wondering if the other women would accept her.

  She walked over to Faith and smiled, determined to at least try to be friends. “Olivia, do you remember Miss Faith?”

  Olivia nodded. “I know you.”

  Faith smiled. “I know you, too. We’re about to go on a train!”

  “And dog sled,” Olivia said, happy to be able to contribute something.

  “Yes, a dog sled. I’m sure that’s going to be an interesting experience.”

  Minnie nodded. “I’m a bit excited about the second half of our journey. I’ve never been on a train or a dog sled, but the sleds sound like a bit more fun.”

  A short while later, they were on the train, all of the women sitting with their men, and Olivia on her new daddy’s lap. She was very excited and more exuberant than usual. Minnie wasn’t sure they’d be able to keep her sitting calmly.

  They weren’t far from their destination of Cochran when Minnie spotted an arctic fox running beside the train. “Look!” she said, extending her hand as she pointed to the animal. “Look how fast he is!”

  All nine of them were leaning toward the window, watching as the fox ran beside it. When the train stopped, Minnie watched as the fox stayed far enough away to be safe, but close enough that he could watch everything they did.

  There were four men with dog sleds waiting for them at the train station, and Minnie looked at them nervously. “What if we fall off?”

  “We won’t fall off!” Robert told her. “I’ll make sure you’re all right.”

  Minnie looked down at Olivia and carefully tied her scarf over her exposed face. “We need to keep your scarf up over your mouth so you don’t get too cold, all right?”

  Olivia nodded. She looked like a little Eskimo girl to Minnie, with so little of her face showing. Her coat was thick and warm, and her hood was up covering her head. She wore a knit cap and a pair of mittens as well.

  Robert helped to load her things and his onto the dog sled, then he picked up Olivia and put her at the front. “You need to sit behind her,” he told Minnie.

  When she’d obeyed and sat hugging her daughter to her, he climbed on behind her. His warmth made her feel cozier than she should with as cold as it was, but his body seemed to generate heat. Soon, they were off, riding off into what looked like a wilderness area to Minnie. She wondered how they knew where the roads were, and she filed the question away to ask Robert once they were stopped. It still wasn’t quite lunch time, and she wondered if they would stop to eat.

  It didn’t take long before her question was answered. The dogs were stopped and given food and water, while Robert pulled out a meal that didn’t look terribly appetizing to Minnie. Normally she could stomach anything, but while she was expecting was a different story.

  She shook her head at the food he offered, and he frowned. “It’s good for you. You have to keep your strength up,” Robert told her.

  “I really don’t think I could stomach it right now.” She gave some to Olivia, who gobbled it greedily, but to Minnie it just looked like raw fish, and that wasn’t something she could eat happily under the best of circumstances.

  He found a handful of seeds and passed them to her, taking the fish from her. “That’s both of our portion of the seeds, so you eat those, and I’ll eat your fish.”

  She nodded, relieved there was something else for her to eat. She hated being so fussy about food, but she truly didn’t have a choice while she was carrying. “Thank you.”

  He squeezed her hand. They’d both taken their gloves off to be able to eat, and she felt a flash of heat shoot through her. This man made her feel things no one else ever had, and she couldn’t complain about it. She was thankful to have him for her husband.

  As she ate, a flash of white caught her eye. It was the fox. He was watching them eat their food from a distance. “The fox is still following us,” she said to Robert with surprise.

  He glanced over and nodded. “I’ve never seen a fox follow a dog sled party that way, but he certainly is.”

  “We should name him.”

  “Name a wild animal? Why would we do that?” he asked, obviously confused. Did she think they were going to keep the fox?

  “Don’t you ever name animals? I think we should call him Felix the Fox,” she said, grinning happily.

  Annie, who was in the next sled over, said, “I think we should call him Finnegan. I don’t know why, but he looks like a Finnegan to me.”

  Minnie immediately acquies
ced. She wasn’t one to force her opinion on others. “Finnegan it is!”

  Before long, they were on their way again, and Minnie immediately noticed the fox keeping pace with them. He stayed at least fifty yards away, but he ran as fast as they did. In a fanciful moment, Minnie wondered if he wished he could be a part of the dog sled team.

  Olivia fell asleep shortly after lunch, and Minnie held tight to her. She worried the little girl would fall off the sled. So far, she’d been very impressed by Olivia’s demeanor during the trip. She had happily done everything she was asked to do, eaten what she was given, and now she was napping while being pulled by dogs through the snow. How much more could she ask of her little girl?

  They stopped for the evening as soon as darkness hit, finding a house along the path. The people who lived there seemed thrilled to have the company, and they were paid a small amount to feed them all and put them up for the night. Minnie had wondered how their lodging would work, and she was pleased to see she wasn’t expected to eat raw fish this time.

  The meal they were served was chicken pot pies and plenty of hot coffee. After their day in the cold, everyone drank and ate their fill, pleased to have a respite from the frigid air.

  Four beds were made on the floor with no separation between them, so Minnie and Robert lay on the floor with Olivia between them. The little girl fell asleep faster than anyone else because she was so tired from her day. The adults had a harder time sleeping on the hard floor.

  Robert wound his fingers through Minnie’s as they laid there in the dark, listening to the others’ breathing. She knew she’d be thrilled to arrive at their own home the next day, no matter how small or rustic.

  Olivia was tired the next day, causing her to be a bit less of a good traveler. She still did as she was told, but she did it with a whiny tone to her voice that had been absent the day before.

  By the time they finally pulled into Reindeer Rock just before sunset, Minnie’s legs were wobbly. The four Mounties that were stationed in the town already were waiting for them.

  The leader of the four walked toward them. “Our houses are cleaned out and ready. We’re going to stay in an empty house for the night, and we’ll take the same sled dogs back tomorrow.” He held out his hand to Robert. “I’m Brandon Scott.”

  “Nice to meet you. I’m Robert, and this is my wife Minnie and our daughter Olivia.” He went on to introduce all the others one at a time. “My little girl is very tired. Could you show me where our home is?” He hadn’t worried about her fussiness, because he understood how exhausted Olivia must be. He wanted to get her settled as soon as they could.

  “Yes, of course. I’ll take you there, and while your wives get settled, we can have a meeting about the things you’ll run into with this particular village.” Brandon led the way to a small cabin on the outskirts of town. “This one all right?”

  Robert nodded. “I take it they’re all the same?” Looking around, he saw where he’d want to expand come spring. It would be too hard in the winter.

  “Yes, of course. You can add on, but most don’t, because they know they won’t be here long.”

  Minnie stuck her head into the cabin and frowned. It wasn’t up to her standards of clean, but she was much too tired to do anything about it at the moment. She walked in and looked around her. There was a small stove, which already had a fire lit, for which she was grateful. She didn’t mind starting a fire herself, but she would be able to prepare a meal much faster this way.

  Robert touched her arm. “Just do as little as you can tonight. You’re already tired.”

  She nodded, knowing she probably wouldn’t listen. There was too much to be done for her to go to bed early. “Food?” she asked, not wanting to keep him longer than she should.

  “I’ll bring you some and get all of our things in here before my meeting.” He disappeared outside to take care of those tasks, and she wandered around the small cabin, looking at what she had to work with.

  There was a tiny kitchen area, but thankfully it had both running water and an ice box. Both things would make her life much easier, and both were completely unexpected. A table in the room had two chairs, but that would work for now.

  There was a small area with a desk that she assumed would be his office. There was not another chair sitting in front of the desk, so she assumed he’d need to use one of the kitchen chairs.

  There was a bed in another area, but there was no door. She would hang a curtain to partition off their sleeping area. There was no space at all for Olivia, but that was all right. She would make her a pallet at the foot of their bed, and the little girl would be content.

  Robert came in then with a wooden crate full of food. He was followed by Brandon, who carried all of their clothes. “Thank you,” she said softly. She looked through the meager supplies, and saw that there were the makings of a few small, simple meals. She would do what she could with it and make sure her family was fed.

  When Robert came back from the meeting many hours later, he found her sitting up at the table, her eyes struggling to stay open. “You should have gone to bed!”

  “You haven’t eaten yet.” She got up and took what was left of their simple supper from the oven and set the table, putting his food on his plate for him. Getting a glass of water for both of them, she sat at the table with him while he ate his supper. “Was the meeting productive?”

  Robert nodded, scrubbing his hands over his face. She looked exhausted, but he knew he was just as tired. It had been a very long day, but there was so much that had to be accomplished in that one day if the other Mounties were going to get to their train on time. “It sounds like the village is in good shape. There are a few troublemakers, and they were pointed out. We’ll be able to handle this area with four of us.”

  “Oh good!” She hid a yawn behind her hand. “I made Olivia a pallet at the foot of our bed. She’s been sleeping for a long time. I’ll need to wash all of the bedding tomorrow, but I couldn’t do that tonight.” Her tone of voice was apologetic.

  “I didn’t expect you to do half what you did tonight.” Looking around the cabin, he could see that she’d worked hard that evening, even though he’d told her to rest as much as she could. “You’re not the most obedient of wives.”

  She shrugged, smiling slightly. “I do what needs to be done. It may not all be necessary in your eyes, but it is in mine.”

  When he’d finished eating, he put the dishes into the sink. “You’re too tired to wash them tonight. Morning is soon enough.” He caught her hand and pulled her toward the bedroom. He nodded with approval at the sheet she’d hung to separate the different rooms. “These cabins were meant for single Mounties, and you’re already adapting it nicely for our needs.” He nodded with approval at the sheet she’d hung to separate the different rooms. “I’m going to give you ten minutes to get ready for bed, and then I’m going to join you.”

  “All right.” As soon as he was gone, she quickly changed into her nightgown, checked on Olivia, and slid between the covers.

  When Robert came in ten minutes later, his wife and new daughter were both sleeping peacefully. He understood why she’d sat up now. She was so tired, she knew she would be asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, and she was.

  He wasn’t quite as tired as she was, and he lay in bed for a long while before falling asleep. He wondered how this town would be for his wife and daughter, not sure if they would be able to adapt as easily as the other wives. Being pregnant was making Minnie drag, and he could see it. He hoped the other ladies could see it, too, so they would help her as much as possible. He wasn’t sure if she’d allow it, but it would be good if they would at least try.

  He leaned over and pressed his lips to her forehead. Already he found he was falling in love with his wife. His daughter had held his heart from the moment she’d first called him Daddy, but his wife had guards up. Always. He couldn’t help but wonder what her first marriage had been like. She’d indicated it wasn’t perfect, b
ut he had a feeling that she hadn’t touched the surface with what she’d told him.

  Robert was content. His wife was beside him, and his little girl was sleeping at his feet. They’d made the long, hard journey, and they’d done it with grace and dignity. What more could he ask for from them?

  4

  Minnie woke before Robert the next morning, easing out of bed for fear of waking him. She dressed in the kitchen after starting the fire, so she could cook him breakfast. He’d brought her bacon and eggs the previous night, so she would make them now, hoping there was a place for her to shop for the other supplies she’d need.

  She made a mental list of all the things she’d need to do that day, and she prioritized them in her head, deciding what needed to be done first, and which things could be put off for the next day.

  She had to do the baking, and there was no getting around that. Without bread she would have a hard time having enough food to feed all three of them. She also needed to get the linens washed. It had bothered her sleeping in the bed as it was, but even more, it had bothered her to hang a dirty sheet to use as a curtain.

  It would be hard work to do the wash in the primitive conditions they lived in, but she couldn’t let that bother her. She would get used to the new work that must be done in Reindeer Rock, and she’d do it with a smile.

  Robert was everything she’d hoped he’d be. The man had been true to his word, not touching her except to hold her hand or kiss her forehead from time to time. She couldn’t believe how much she enjoyed the time she had with him, and she would do everything she could to make sure his life ran as smoothly as it possibly could.

  Robert woke to the smell of bacon cooking, and he sighed contentedly. He’d been a Mountie for over ten years, and he’d gotten used to living alone, but having a wife would add a level of comfort to his life that had been missing for a very long time.

  He dressed in his uniform before walking out to join her in the kitchen, leaning down to kiss her cheek. “You have no idea what it means to me to wake up to the smell of bacon cooking.”