She hurried to unlock and open the door. She wiped ather tears as he stepped into the house. “I’m sorry. I thought Pastor Orton and the judge had come back.”
“What judge?”
She sighed and headed back to Carrie. “Pastor Orton came with a judge to convince me to let them have Carrie. I told them no. They weren’t very happy with me, and I feared they’d come back to just ... well, take her.”
“I’m sorry. I know that must have upset you a great deal.”
“They’re never going to leave me alone. Mr. and Mrs. Wandless are determined to take my sister for themselves. What am I to do?”
“That’s why I’ve come.”
Marybeth stopped midstep and turned. “You have an idea?”
“I do. Come and sit with me for a moment.”
Marybeth motioned to the table. “We can sit here. Carrie is just finishing up with breakfast.” She dropped onto a wooden chair at the table and looked at Carrie, who was laughing and smearing jam around the tray of her chair. Papa had just bought her one of those new contraptions with the tray that raised up and lowered down once the child was seated. It was such a nice thing to have, and Marybeth had been so grateful for it.
Edward sat across from her at the table. He took the same seat Pastor Orton had vacated. It was so nice to have her friend there in the older man’s place.
“I know this may sound like a strange proposition, but hear me out,” Edward began. “I received a letter from my former commanding officer, Major Henderson. He’s asked me to come to Cheyenne. It’s several hundred miles west of here in the Dakota Territory. The big transcontinental railroad will go through there, and they’ve nearly reached Cheyenne. They plan to stop there for the winter. I wentand talked to a fellow at the railyard in Evansville. He says that the Union Pacific Railroad intends to make Cheyenne a big headquarters for the line. Cheyenne is bound to become a big city.”
“You’re going to leave me?” Marybeth felt her heart sink, and her stomach began to ache.
“No.” Edward pierced her with a look. “I want to take you and Carrie with me.”
Marybeth shook her head. “How?”
“That’s the part that may sound strange. Look, they want family men. Men who are married and settled down, hopefully with children. They want to civilize the area, and ... well, I guess to their way of thinking married men are able to do that better than single men. You know as well as I do that women are often looked at as a stabilizing factor.” He gave her a halfhearted smile. “We fellas probably wouldn’t even worry about silverware or takin’ showers if not for you ladies.”
“So you want us to go along and pretend to be your family?” She thought on the matter momentarily. It would get her and Carrie out of Pastor Orton’s hands.
“No, I don’t want to pretend. Look, you know that I never intended to marry again. I won’t kill another woman by getting her with child. I just won’t. And you told me you didn’t know if you’d ever find a husband who would accept Carrie. Well, I would. We could marry—in name only—and I’d be a pa to Carrie. She already knows me.” He reached over and waggled his fingers at her as if to tickle her side. Carrie squealed and giggled, squirming as if he’d already touched her.
“She does love you,” Marybeth admitted. She considered all that he’d said. “I do too. You’ve been so dear to me ever since you married Janey.”
“And I love the two of you,” he replied. “This would help us both out, but ... unfortunately, the major wants me out there as soon as possible. Do you suppose you could make your mind up right away?”
“I’ll put it to prayer immediately.” Marybeth couldn’t imagine she would have a better solution, but the idea of marrying Edward without the kind of love that was intended in a marriage left her feeling strangely empty.
“I’ll come back tomorrow for your answer.”
Marybeth nodded. “I’ll have one.”
She didn’t bother to show him out of the house. Instead, she looked at her baby sister. Carrie was oblivious to what had just taken place. She had no way of knowing her entire future was on the line. Either choice Marybeth made would completely alter Carrie’s life. Her own as well.
Marybeth cleaned Carrie up and guided her to the front room, where her toys awaited in a small wooden box Papa had made. Carrie immediately found things to occupy herself with, and Marybeth sat on the floor beside her and watched.
She’d begged God for a solution, and it would seem He had delivered one. Edward had wanted to go west for as long as Marybeth had known him. Janey had wanted that too, but Marybeth had never planned to leave Independence.
“Cheyenne is a long ways away,” she murmured. Carrie looked up for a moment, then returned her attention to a rag doll.
There was really nothing left for her in Independence. There was no family. Most of her extended relatives were still in Germany. She didn’t know any of them, and neither Mama nor Papa had ever really spoken of them. She had a few friends in the neighborhood that she would miss, butotherwise there was no one who really cared about her and Carrie staying on.
An image of Janey on her wedding day came to mind. Marybeth had been her maid of honor. She had been so happy for Janey and Edward. They were perfect together, and Janey had confided that she had never known such happiness—Edward was her all.
What would she think of Marybeth marrying her husband? Would she mind for the sake of saving Carrie from being taken away?
“Janey, I don’t know if you can hear me, but I never coveted your husband. Edward has always only been a dear friend. I wouldn’t have even met him but for you. I’ve always enjoyed his company, and he is a good man, but I know he loved you ... and he’ll never love anyone else.”
