Free Shaun and Jon by Vanessa Devereaux Page B

her cousin, who laid down and put it under her head.
    The
train rocked from side to side and soon Nina was asleep. Sarah wished she could
rest as easily too, but she couldn’t and not just because of the noise and hard
wooden seat. She was still nervous about the decision she’d made. To accompany
her cousin to the west, and like her, be a mail order bride and be joined in
matrimony with a man she’d never met.
    Sarah
lifted her bag and placed it on her lap. She rummaged through it for the last
letter her soon-to-be husband had written to her. She found it underneath her
spare hat, took it out, unfolded it, and sat it across her lap.
    He
had nice penmanship. And that coming from a teacher was a compliment.
    You will not
believe the beauty of this place. It takes your breath away every single day
and seeing it never grows old. There’s a lake by the property. It’s pristine
and crystal clear. I know that you will love it here. What a wonderful thing
that my friend and neighbor asked your cousin if she knew of any other young
lady who would also like to venture out west, and that she immediately thought
of you. It was almost as if it was fate for me to gain a bride too.
    Back
in Kansas people thought them crazy for wanting to settle in a land known for
its untamed wilderness and sometimes brutally cold and snowy winters.
    Even
though Sarah loved teaching, since Nina had lost both her father and husband,
the two ladies felt there was little to keep them in Kansas. She’d been
basically raised with Nina like they were sisters so it seemed fitting that
wherever one ventured the other would follow too.
    “He
has a friend who owns the land next door. He tells me he is a fine and decent gentleman and would make a wonderful
husband. Oh please say you’ll go west
with me. We’ll be neighbors and our children will grow up together.” Nina had
tugged on her arm and she’d never heard her cousin sound so excited about
anything ever before. Not even when her late husband, had proposed to her.
    How
could Sarah say no? The poor young woman had lost her father and husband in the
space of one year. Maybe a new beginning is what they both needed and like Nina
had said, they’d be there for one another always and forever.
    She
carefully folded the letter and put it back in her bag as the train rattled
along the tracks. Seemed like they’d been on it for weeks and her back and
buttocks were sore from sitting on the wooden seats. The dust too was thick on
the floor and her clothes were covered in grime. Maybe that lake would be the
ideal place to bath and rid herself of the last remnants of the east.
    She
looked out of the window. She’d be a married woman soon. There’d be a husband
to cook and sew for and she’d be obliged to provide him with pleasure in his
bed. There’d be a wedding night. By what she’d heard the first time was hell
but by the sound of his letters, Jon seemed a nice and tender man. She was sure
he’d be gentle with her.
    And
not that she knew much about the act of sex. Only things she’d picked up from
hearing Nina talk about her life with her late husband. Jon would have to teach
her and show her how she could please him.
    Nina
turned over, her face now toward Sarah. Her nose twitched and her breathing
looked somewhat labored, and her brow thick with perspiration. Water. Nina
needed water. Not only to drink but to cool her face and head.
    Sarah
stood, remembering she’d seen a jug of water for general use in the next
carriage. She dug into her bag again and pulled out a white handkerchief and
stood. She made her way down the aisle with the train rocking so badly, she had
to hold on to the edges of the seats to
keep her balance. She walked farther along and opened the door to the next
carriage, holding on once again as the train rocked steadily on the tracks. She
saw the jug in question and made her way toward it. First dampening the
handkerchief and then taking a tin cup and pouring some water into it.