Bride of Second Chances Page 2

  When he saw the messenger boy, his eyebrows furrowed. “May I help you?”

  “I have a telegram for you, sir.”

  Knowing this couldn’t be good news, Jeremy dug into his pocket to give the youth a coin before he took the piece of paper. As the boy turned to his bicycle, Jeremy shut the door and read the brief message regarding his ailing father. He knew his father hadn’t been feeling well, so this didn’t come as a surprise. It was nothing like the shock of losing Rebecca to consumption.

  Once he determined he could be back on Saturday, he gathered enough of his things for a three-day stay in Grand Island. He headed out on foot since he lived close enough to anything he needed in town. The day was a nice one. The leaves lining the path from the parsonage to the heart of town were beginning to change color, and he couldn’t help but remember this time last year when he was engaged to Rebecca.

  It was a bittersweet experience to consciously think of her. The emptiness she left when she passed on still resonated in his heart. As was his habit, he walked over to the tree where he carved their names. He traced the letters with his fingers and recalled her laugh. At the time, they had a lifetime to look forward to, but now…

  Gone too soon.

  With a heavy sigh, he wiped his wet cheeks and proceeded down the rest of the path until he came to the cemetery. In his haste, he hadn’t brought her flowers like he usually did, but he figured he would bring extra flowers next time he visited her. He found her headstone. It used to make no sense to him when people visited cemeteries, but now he understood. It was the only place they could go to feel connected to their loved ones.

  He set his travel bag at the foot of Rebecca’s grave and stood still for a moment, his gaze sweeping over her name and the dates of her birth and death.

  “I know I’m early, but I got a message that my father has taken a turn for the worse. I don’t expect him to make it.” Jeremy stopped and took a deep breath. “It goes without saying that it hasn’t been a good year. I miss you, Rebecca. There isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t wish you were still here or that I could have gone with you.”

  His voice cracked and he dug out his handkerchief to wipe his eyes. Even with the passage of time, it didn’t seem to get easier.

  He cleared his throat. “Anyway, I won’t be here for a few days, but when I come back, I’ll visit you. I love you, Rebecca.”

  With nothing else to add, he picked up his travel bag and headed for the train station.

  Chapter Two

  The next day, Jane’s cousin opened her front door, and Jane smiled. “I hope you don’t mind that I brought the children.” She motioned to Hank and Irene.

  Edith gave the children a knowing grin. “I bet someone would enjoy a glass of lemonade and a slice of pie.”

  “Oh boy, would I!” Hank said and patted his stomach.

  “Me too?” Irene asked.

  “I believe I have enough for two children, as long as they’ve been good,” Edith replied. “Have you been good?”

  Noting their enthusiasm, Jane said, “They’ve been good. They helped with some chores.”

  “Then I’ll get the refreshments.” Edith motioned to the chairs. “Why don’t you sit down, and I’ll be right out.”

  Jane thanked her friend and sat in the rocking chair while her niece and nephew peered over the railing of the porch. “What’s caught your attention?”

  “I see a frog,” Hank called out.

  She grimaced. Leave it to a boy to find something like that interesting. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the way the breeze caressed her face. Soon it would be too cold to sit outside. She loved the change of seasons, but she wasn’t looking forward to this winter. Usually, she enjoyed the winter season. It meant Thanksgiving and Christmas. Without Rebecca though, she couldn’t imagine there’d be any joy this year. She recalled the last conversation she’d had with her sister and how her sister was going to ask Jeremy if Jane could stay with them. Rebecca never got the chance because she’d taken ill and joined their parents two weeks later.

  Blinking back her tears, Jane tried not to feel sorry for herself. Rebecca was more than her sister. She was her dearest friend. She was the only one Jane could talk to about anything. When no one else understood her, Rebecca had. It wasn’t fair that someone so lovely should go before her time.

  “Aunt Jane.”

  She turned her attention to her nephew, realizing too late that he thought to shove the frog in her face. “Hank, get that thing away from me!”

  Mercifully, he pulled the thing back. “It’s just a frog. Don’t you want to pet him?”

  “No. I’ll be quite alright keeping my hand to myself,” she replied, daring a look at the creature. Sure, it was small, but she wasn’t fond of things that could jump all over her. “Maybe Irene wants to pet it.”

  Irene smiled widely and reached for it.

  “No way,” he said. “Go find your own frog.”

  Just as Irene’s lower lip trembled, Edith came out of the house with a tray full of treats. Relieved that Irene wouldn’t burst into tears because of the pie and lemonade, Jane got up to help her cousin hand out the snack to the children before she sat down to eat.

  “So, what are you up to today?” Edith asked as she lifted a glass of lemonade to her lips.

  “Not much,” Jane replied. “I thought it might be nice to take the children for a walk and visit with you a bit.”

  “I’m glad you did. I have some important news.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yes. My husband got the job in Omaha. We move right before November.”

  Jane’s appetite took a nosedive. Her fork settled on the plate which she settled onto her lap. Forcing a smile, she said, “That’s wonderful. I wondered what happened after his interview.”

  “To be honest, we thought he didn’t get it. And at first, he didn’t. They picked someone else, but as it turns out, the one they wanted decided to go elsewhere. So that left the job wide open for my husband. It’s meant to be, Jane.”

  “Yes, it is.” She stared at her plate and sighed. “I’ll miss you.”

  Edith’s smile faltered. “I’ll miss you, too. But it’s not like Omaha is that far. We’ll come by for visits.”

  Jane nodded. It wouldn’t be the same, but it was better than nothing.

  The children finished their snacks, set their dishes on the tray, and went to the front yard to play. Jane still hadn’t eaten more than one bite of the pie, and she didn’t think she’d be able to eat any more.

  Edith’s gaze traveled from Jane’s plate to her face. “How are you doing?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “It seems like Susie makes you watch the kids a lot more than she’s got a right to.”

  Jane set her dish on the tray and crossed her arms. “It’s nothing I can’t handle. I love my niece and nephew.”

  “I know you love them, but you’re allowed to leave the house so you can talk to available men. As it is, you rarely get out except to see me. You won’t find a man to marry unless you get out more.”

  “All the men here are already married or not the kind of men I fancy being with. Micah came by yesterday, and I had to do some quick thinking to avoid an invite to the potluck at Marcy and Jonathan’s next week.”

  “I don’t blame you for getting out of that one.”

  “I barely did.” She sighed and glanced at Hank and Irene who were chasing the frog. Turning back to Edith, she said, “I suppose they have more men in Omaha. Perhaps ones who aren’t married and would make good husbands?”

  Edith chuckled. “I’ll keep my eye out.” After a moment of silence, she stood up to collect the tray but paused to give Jane a good look. “Perhaps once we get settled into Omaha, you should go there as well.”

  “I’d love to visit you.” Jane eased out of her chair and glanced at Hank and Irene who were still playing with the frog. She opened the kitchen door so Edith could carry the tray into the house. “I hope you get the kitchen you’
ve always wanted. One that’s spacious with a big window.”

  Setting the tray on the table, Edith shook her head. “That’s not what I meant about coming to Omaha. I’m thinking you should move out there. Stay with us until you find a husband.”

  “Oh. Well, I don’t feel right in doing that. You and Wilbur are having trouble making ends meet, aren’t you?”

  “That’s why this job is a godsend. We’ll have enough money to take you in. I don’t think it will take long for you to get married. It’s just a matter of knowing where to find decent bachelors who are looking for a woman to marry.”

  Jane hoped so. She’d been ready to give up on the notion of finding a husband. Between Micah who gave her an unsettling feeling, Levi who was twenty years her senior and had buried three wives, and Jordan who took to moonshine, her options weren’t good ones in Lincoln. But Omaha would offer a new start.

  “I don’t want to impose,” Jane said. “It may not even work. Then you’d be stuck with me.”

  Edith led her back onto the porch and shut the kitchen door. “You’re twenty-two. If you’re going to find a husband, now’s the time. The only good choice is Preacher Graham, and he’s still mourning the loss of your sister.”

  “Yes. It’s not fair that Rebecca’s gone. As hard as it’s been for me, it has to be harder for him. I hear there’s no closer bond than that between a husband and wife.”

  “How true that is.” Edith leaned against the porch rail while Jane sat back down. With a chuckle, Edith leaned forward and whispered, “Though it’s fair to say that no one will irritate you more than your husband at times. No matter how many times I tell him, Wilbur will not put his socks in the hamper.”

  Jane smiled. “You quarrel about things like that?”

  “That and other silly things. I irritate him, too. I like to have an order when we have our meals. He’d rather start in on dessert, but I insist on the main course first. He can’t understand why it matters since it all ends up in the same place anyway.”

  “You want to make sure he gets his vegetables and fruits first.”

  “Exactly. You understand the logic in waiting for dessert. But he also doesn’t like the way I crack my knuckles, and I see his point on that. I try not to but it’s hard.”

  Jane rocked in her chair and grinned. “But those are minor things.”

  “And you’d be surprised at how annoying those things can get when you’ve been with the same person for six years.”

  “I hope I get to find out.”

  “Me too.”

  “I’ll send a letter when we get settled in, and then you can pack your things and join us.”

  Jane glanced at the children who found another frog and were laughing as they watched the two creatures jump over each other. As much as she would miss them, she couldn’t deny the exciting possibilities of the future that loomed before her. With a nod, she agreed to join Edith in Omaha once she and Wilbur settled in before turning the conversation to the specifics of Wilbur’s new job.

  ***

  Jeremy arrived at his father’s house and placed the travel bag in his old room. The room always brought back memories. Good memories. Memories of toy trains, marbles, and books he spent lazy summer days reading when he had finished his chores. Looking at the sparse room, no one could tell it’d once belonged to a happy boy. After reliving those peaceful memories for a few seconds, he headed to the hallway where the doctor, his aunt, and her two sons were quietly talking.

  When his aunt saw him, she went over to him and gave him a long hug. “I’m glad you made it.”

  “Your telegram implied Pa doesn’t have much longer to live,” he quietly said.

  She shook her head and sighed. “He doesn’t. I asked him to hold on until you got here. He says he has something important to tell you.”

  “Did he tell you what it was?”

  “No. But knowing my brother the way I do, who could be surprised? The man is determined to only tell you and no one else.”

  “I better see him.”

  “I think it’ll put his mind at ease. We’ll be in the parlor,” she said.

  He patted her on the shoulder before he turned to greet his cousins and the doctor. The door to his father’s bedroom was partially opened, so he peered into the room and knocked on the door.

  His father’s face was unusually thin and pale, and his breathing was labored as he rested in his bed. The curtains were drawn and a single candle was lit on the small table next to him. Jeremy wasn’t a stranger to such sights, but it was still difficult to see a man who’d once been strong turned weak in the final moments of his life.

  He knocked again, louder this time. “Pa?” he called out.

  His father’s eyelids flickered as he turned his head in Jeremy’s direction.

  He softly made his way across the room and sat in the chair which had been pulled up next to the bed. He reached out and placed his hand over his father’s. “I’m here, Pa.”

  His father blinked a couple of times before he seemed to realize who was talking to him. A smile crossed his face. “I’m glad you made it.”

  “Are you in any pain?”

  “No. The doctor and your aunt have been good about taking care of me. I—” He coughed, and Jeremy winced at the sound of fluid in his lungs. After he took a shallow breath, he continued, “I wasn’t sure if you should know. Your ma and I debated on whether or not to tell you.”

  Jeremy leaned forward so he could hear him better. “Tell me what?”

  “It doesn’t change anything. You grew up here. You made your ma and me proud. I don’t know if it even makes a difference. She’s probably dead anyway. Women in her profession don’t live long.”

  Jeremy’s eyebrows furrowed. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

  His father took a couple of raspy breaths and sighed. “But if she is still alive…”

  He waited for his father to continue, but his father seemed to have drifted off to sleep so he gently shook his hand. “Pa?”

  His eyelids flew open.

  “It’s alright, Pa. I don’t need to know.” And in some ways, maybe it would be better if he didn’t. Something in the way his father spoke told him it might not be welcome news. “We can talk about anything you want.”

  His father coughed again, and once his coughs subsided, there were tears in his voice. “That poor girl was so scared. I’ll never forget how alone and frightened she was.”

  Jeremy began to ask what girl he referred to but wondered if his father’s mind was slipping between the past and the present. His father coughed again, and Jeremy handed him a clean handkerchief. “Don’t push yourself, Pa.”

  His father shook his head. “You don’t understand. This girl… Her name was Eliza Nitsick. She was such a young thing. Thirteen or fourteen. I can’t remember.”

  When his father went into another coughing fit, Jeremy became aggravated. “You’re pushing yourself too hard. I’ll leave you here to rest and come back with some water.”

  As he stood, his father grabbed his hand. “I don’t have much time left. I’ve been debating this for a long time, and now that I’ve figured out—” he coughed—“that I’m going to tell you, you’re going to listen. Now, sit.”

  Surprised more by the firm tone in his voice than by his words, Jeremy obeyed and waited.

  “This girl Eliza was with child, but she couldn’t take care of the child. Your ma and I lived in Omaha at the time, and we couldn’t have children. Someone told us a prostitute was with child. We paid her a visit to discuss adopting the child.”

  Jeremy realized he’d grown tense as soon as he became aware of the way he was grinding his teeth. He didn’t like the way this conversation was going because he already knew who that child was.

  His father struggled through another breath and swallowed. “We knew we couldn’t stay in Omaha once the child was born. People talk, and well… You can only imagine what they’d say about a prostitute’s son. So we moved ba
ck here, to where I grew up and told everyone that you were ours. And as far as your ma and I were concerned, you are. Nothing I told you today has changed any of that. You understand? Your last name is still Graham.”

  He didn’t know what to say, so he didn’t say anything.

  “The day you were born,” his father softly continued, “your ma was in the room to help deliver you. She said Eliza was crying because it hurt her to let you go. But you have to understand, Jeremy, she was too young. And in her profession, there was no place for you. We sent her a picture of you when you were still a baby, but that’s the last time we had any contact with her.”

  When his father didn’t continue, Jeremy breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t want to know any more. It was too much to process at once, and part of him felt as if he was standing to the side of the room, just watching everything.

  His father released his hand. “I don’t know if you’re better off knowing this or not. Maybe it doesn’t matter. She’s probably dead. I’ll never forget the sound of her crying when we took you from that saloon. It broke her heart.” He closed his eyes. “Maybe she’s alive. I thought it might be nice if she could see what a fine young man you’ve turned out to be. Maybe it’ll make her happy.”

  Jeremy couldn’t decide how he felt. He watched his father drift off to sleep and listened to his labored breathing. Three minutes passed before he eased out of his chair and quietly left the room, still numb to all he’d just learned.

  Chapter Three

  On Sunday, Jane shifted uncomfortably in the pew, hardly aware that Irene was swaying from side to side and bumping into her every two seconds. She watched Preacher Graham as he struggled through his sermon. Since Rebecca’s death, he’d had some Sundays where it was apparent his heart wasn’t in the service, but she’d never had trouble following what he was saying. Today, however, his words weren’t at all coherent.

  “Sometimes the unexpected happens,” he rambled at the front of the church. “When it does, we aren’t prepared for it. How can we be? God didn’t tell his prophets everything. But then it happens, and we don’t know what to do. When the men cut into the roof to let down their paralytic friend, it was a surprise. No one in the house expected it.”