As he stepped closer, he petted the horse. “Because I believe your guardian angel has led you to me.” He pointed to his wagon. “You appear to be down on your luck, so let me tell you how to find your future.”
“I appreciate your concern, but I’m fine.”
“But you’re not fine.” He moved closer as his gaze shifted to her messy hair, and then down to the bottom of her ripped gown that was still hooked on the step. “You look like a woman who needs help.”
“I don’t,” she snapped. “Please, just move aside so that I can pass.” She didn’t want to cause a commotion here in the road, only because if the sheriff came looking for her, he’d ask the people in this town, and she didn’t want anyone to remember her.
“Miss, please consider being a mail-order bride. I have a list of men looking for someone to manage their homes and be mothers to their children. These menneedgood, upstanding, women like yourself.”
Although she didn’t want to give in, this might be the only way to make this man leave her alone. Of course, signing up didn’t mean she actually had to go through with it. “Fine, what do I need to do?”
The middle-aged preacher grinned and motioned toward his tent. “If you could come over here, I’ll show you what needs to be done.”
He helped guide the horse closer to his wagon and then assisted her as she climbed down. The preacher even removed the ripped hem of her dress from the step. Courtney pulled her arm away from him once she could stand on her own, and she walked to the table with him. A ledger was unfolded in front of her with many names and locations.
“All of these men are looking for a bride?” she questioned.
“Indeed, miss. They are praying for kind women like yourself to help them in their time of need.” He pointed to one of the lines. “Just write your name next to the man you want, and then you send him a telegraph to let him know you are interested in being his bride.” The preacher shrugged. “It’s really that easy.”
She took a pencil and wroteCourtneybefore realizing she shouldn’t reveal her true name. She quickly wroteParkeras her surname, since that was her mother’s maiden name, and the only one she could think of right away.
“Splendid,” the preacher said as he wrote on another piece of paper the name and location of the man who was looking for a bride. “Now, take this and send him a telegraph.”
She took the paper from him, hating that she had to do this.
“I must say, Mr. Timothy Graham is a very lucky man.”
Courtney nodded and turned back to her buggy. As she climbed back up to the seat, the preacher said,God bless you, and drew a cross in the air.
Her heart clenched. Was God really blessing her, or was he disappointed in her for not staying and trying to make Albert Greenwood’s family and servants believe that she was innocent?
She gripped the reins and urged the horse away from the wagon. Her weary mind spun with alternative plans. She was on the run, and yet, wasn’t the best place to hide being married as a mail-order bride? Surely, the sheriff wouldn’t think to look there.
But no. Courtney wouldn’t sink to marrying a stranger. It was almost as bad as marrying an older man that was closer to her grandfather’s age than her father’s. There must be other ways to be on the run and start a new life.
Making a hasty decision right now would ruin her life completely. She must take a few days and think about the consequences first... and pray that the Lord would lead her in the right direction.
