THE RELUCTANT BRIDE Chapter One

 

Sadie Waiting for the Train and Her New Adventure

 

 Chapter One

“Oh, how lucky you are to have landed Charles for a husband. He is so handsome and has money of his own. Oh Sadie if only I were you,” so said Sadie's best friend Jenny.  

Jenny had been gushing over Charles for a half hour and Sadie was tired of hearing how wonderful Charles was. She had known Charles for several years now and wasn't sure she wanted him for her bridegroom. It was the same with going to college. She didn't feel the necessity for all this education she had gotten.

Now she was trapped into a coming marriage that she wasn't as sure about as were all her friends, family and Charles himself.  

It was obvious to Sadie that he could hardly restrain himself from wanting to jump on her and pound her. For some reason this didn't appeal to her. She knew this was part of the marriage arrangement but with him it was not what she felt she wanted to submit to.  

Then sometime before the wedding date she received a list of available jobs for women from the college she attended. Her eyes fell upon a teacher’s position in Montana. She immediately wrote and stated she would like to take the position and gave her qualifications.  

The wedding was only two weeks away when she received the letter saying she was hired if she still wanted the job. She packed her belonging and left a note explaining where she was going and why.  

As she settled in her seat on the train a feeling of uncertainty came over her. She realized she was going to a town in the west that she knew nothing about. The people, their culture and their habits were sure to be foreign to her. These thoughts began to unnerve her as she listened to the wheels on the track. For the next three days these thoughts became torturous.  

On the third day the conductor walked through the train saying “Grassland next stop.”  

As she looked out the window of the train everything was dried up and there wasn't any grass to be seen anywhere. She told the conductor to make sure all of her baggage was set off at the station. The conductor told her to get to the steps and be ready to get off for the train would hardly stop at the station and she was the only one who was getting off there.  

He was right the train never came to a complete stop and she had to jump off when the train came to it's slowest.  

Two men threw her baggage off some of which missed the small platform. One of her suitcases came open and scattered her goods hither and yon. As the train cleared the road next to the station a wagon crossed the tracks and stopped.  

A farmer looking man got off the wagon and proceeded to help her pick up her belongings. Some of the items he helped her with were of a personal nature and caused both of them to blush. He told her the town was down the road a ways and he would help her with her stuff if she wished him to. She looked down the road and said she would be grateful if he would help her for she had several pieces of luggage.  

He introduced himself as Lacey and wanted to know where she wanted to go to. She said the county clerk's office. When the arrived there Lacey went in with her.  

Right off, the county clerk started getting fresh with her until Lacey told him to back off and give her the information she needed and stop the untoward talk.  

The clerk took offence at that but said, “Take her down to the school house to the house behind it. That would be her place to live while she taught there.” 

When they got to the house behind the school house Lacey carried her suitcases into the house after he threw a couple of snakes and one varmint out while she stood on one of the chairs in the living room.  

Lacey had to laugh at that and after Sadie got over her fright she joined in laughing with him. After he got her baggage in he took her shopping and introduced her around. Finally he told her he had to head home and hoped everything worked out for her. He said he only came to town every couple of months but would look in on her the next time he came to town.  

After thanking him he left and loneliness began to set in on her. She had never felt as alone as she did that night.

 

To be continued