Mail Order Melt (Alaskan Brides #3 | Brides of Beckham #69)

Chapter One

Sally Ann Smelt left the hotel where she worked and headed to the home of Elizabeth Tandy, a matchmaker she’d been working with to facilitate her becoming a mail-order bride. She had one more night before she left for Alaska, and she was thrilled that her last day at the hotel was finally over.

As she hurried, she thought of the letter that had started her journey. Not the one from her friend, Maggie, but the one from the man she would marry. She’d read the letter so many times she’d memorized it, and she played the words over in her mind.

Yeti, Alaska Territory

Dear Miss,

I hope this letter finds you in good health and spirits.

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Thomas W.

Harlan, age thirty-two, born and raised in the hills of eastern Tennessee.

For the past three years, I have made my home here in Alaska Territory, drawn first by the promise of gold and later by the honest labor and quiet beauty this country offers.

I am a man of plain habits and steady disposition.

I came north in the spring of 1894, and after trying my hand at prospecting near Forty Mile, I took to work as a lumberjack in a small town near the Yukon River.

The work is hard, but I do not mind it. It has given me the means to build a small cabin of my own, with a good stove and a clean bunk, and to put away a modest savings for the future.

I am five feet ten, with brown hair and fair skin that the cold has toughened some.

I am strong in health, do not smoke nor drink, and attend church services every Sunday.

I have no children and have never been wed.

My folks have passed, and I have no close kin left, though I have made friends with some of the other lumberjacks.

The winters here are long and dark, but the summer light makes up for it.

A woman who chooses to live here must be strong of heart, unafraid of snow and silence.

But there is beauty too—the Northern Lights, the endless forests, the cry of a loon at dusk.

I’ve learned to hunt, fish, and I’ve tried to keep a small garden in summer, but I haven’t yet gotten anything to grow.

I write to you with sincerity and purpose.

Life is good, but it is also lonely. I do not seek a servant, nor merely a housekeeper, but a partner—to build a life with, to laugh with, and to share in both hardship and joy.

I admire courage, kindness, and faith. If you should write back, I would be honored to learn about you, your hopes, and what you seek in this wide and changing world.

Until then, I remain,

Respectfully yours,

Thomas W. Harlan

Sally and Thomas—who preferred to be called Tom—had exchanged a total of four letters, and they had waited for the spring and the snow to melt to make travel easier.

Sally was excited to begin her life with Thomas—Tom, she mentally corrected herself—and all but danced a jig as she hurried through the streets of Beckham, Massachusetts.

As she walked, she imagined her life in Alaska.

She would wake early, as was her habit, and she would prepare breakfast for the two of them.

Perhaps she would spend some time with her friends, Belle and Maggie, during the day, and in the afternoon, she would cook supper for Tom.

She liked the idea of cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry for only one man.

At the hotel, she cleaned and served scores of men, but in Alaska, life would be much different.

When she reached Elizabeth Tandy’s home, she knocked on the door and waited. Bernard Tandy came to the door and led her to Elizabeth’s office.

“Thank you, Bernard. Sally will be joining us for supper tonight. Has the guest room been prepared?”

“Yes, it has. Would you like tea?”

Elizabeth nodded. “I would, yes.” After Bernard left, Elizabeth turned to Sally. “You look excited.”

“I am! I always dreamed of going on a great adventure and settling down with a good man. I believe I’ll have both very soon,” Sally said. It was all she could do not to bounce as she spoke.

“We’ve already talked about the length of your journey.

You’ll travel by train to Seattle, where you will stay with Harriett Farmer for a night.

She will ensure you are on the steamboat to Alaska the following morning.

Once you have reached Ketchikan, Alaska, you will spend one night before embarking on another ship to Skagway, Alaska Territory. Thomas will meet you there.”

Sally took a seat on the sofa. “I cannot wait to meet him. He’ll be the handsome prince I’ll spend my happily ever after with.”

Elizabeth smiled. “I hope it works out well for you. He seems excited to have you join him. Now, once you meet Thomas in Skagway, the two of you will walk together along a path until you reach Lake Bennett. From Lake Bennett, you’ll take a boat to a half-day’s walk from Yeti, Alaska Territory, where you will make your home with Thomas. ”

“I wish I could leave tonight. I’ve been looking forward to this journey for months now.”

“The train won’t leave until morning, so I’m afraid you’re stuck with me until then.”

Sally laughed. “This home is like a palace compared to what I’m used to. I don’t feel stuck at all—just excited about the journey.”

“I’m packing some crackers for your journey. Many people find themselves nauseated on the train and at sea. I pray you won’t need them.”

“If I do, then I do. I know my fairy-tale ending is waiting for me in Alaska, so I will bear it with a smile.” Sally stood, her nervous energy too much to contain.

“I’m excited to see Belle and Maggie. They were a great comfort to me when I lost my mother and had to move to the hotel to work.

I know they will be the same once I reach Yeti. ”

“They’re excited to see you as well,” Elizabeth said. “Remember though, if things there turn sour for any reason, you are welcome to come back here, and you will always have a place with me.”

Sally tilted her head to one side, studying the older woman. “Has anyone ever taken you up on that offer?”

Elizabeth shook her head. “No, thankfully, the women I’ve sent to marry have been pleased with their matches.”

“As I’m certain I’ll be pleased with mine. I feel as if I already know Tom. He seems like such a good man.”

“According to the research Bernard has done on him, he is a wonderful man, who will treat you well. Belle said you should arrive in time to plant a garden this year. She regretted not arriving a week or two earlier.”

“Oh, I love gardening. A kitchen garden where I can pick something and then fix it for supper the same night would be a dream come true.”

“I hope you’re not expecting everything to be perfect.” Elizabeth looked at her with a frown. “There will be a period of adjustment once you’ve met your Thomas.”

Sally sighed happily. “My Thomas.”

Elizabeth could see there was no point in continuing to talk to Sally about possible difficulties ahead.

“I hope you’re as happy as you believe you will be right this moment.

” Bernard brought tea and cookies in for them, setting a tray between them carefully.

As soon as he was gone, Elizabeth said, “Please remember to write to me once you arrive. I always feel anxious while one of the brides I send out is traveling. Once you are there, I’ll feel more settled. ”

“I will write to you! Pages and pages!”

Elizabeth laughed softly and nodded. “I would like that.”

*****

WHEN SALLY FINALLY reached Skagway, she was several pounds lighter having been unable to eat anything on her journey, including the crackers Elizabeth had lovingly provided. It didn’t matter, though, because she was about to meet her future husband.

She woke early and carefully fixed her hair, wanting to look perfect for Tom. She knew that through the crowds their eyes would meet, and they would both immediately fall in love. Every fairy tale happened that way, so of course that’s how it would be for Tom and her.

When she disembarked, she stood for a moment in the crowd of people who had also just gotten off the ship and looked around her, trying to spot a young man who looked to be in love.

There was no one who matched her ideals. No one who matched the dreams she’d had about the man she’d journeyed so far to marry.

After what seemed like hours, a man who looked to be in his thirties approached her and removed his cap. “Sally Ann Smelt?” he asked after clearing his throat several times.

“Yes! You must be my Thomas.”

He looked startled for a moment by her use of the possessive when it came to him, but he nodded affirmatively. “Is that all you brought?” he asked, nodding to the carpet bags she carried, one in each hand.

“Yes, it’s all I have.”

As Tom took the bags from her and led her through the crowd, she couldn’t help but wonder what had happened. There’d been no passionate kiss. His eyes hadn’t even met hers. Didn’t he understand how this tale was supposed to unfold?

He led her to a clergyman, who married them quickly and without any fanfare, with people rushing all around them.

It was far from the intimate wedding she’d expected.

When the pastor invited him to kiss her, he pressed his lips to her forehead instead of kissing her the way she wanted to be kissed after repeating her wedding vows.

The man had no idea what romance was, apparently. She’d have to teach him.

Sally knew teaching something so complex should be daunting, but she knew she could do it. His letters had been so personable. He must be a man who could woo a woman, even if he needed pointers first.

As soon as the wedding was completed, he walked toward a wilderness area. For a moment, Sally watched him walk away, flabbergasted by his lack of manners, but then she hiked her pretty pink skirt up and rushed after him. She’d wait until they stopped for a break before she took him to task.

She had to wait a very long time. He walked in silence, rushing toward an unseen goal she had no idea about. When she tried engaging him in small talk, he simply didn’t answer.

“This is such a beautiful area. Is it always this cold this time of year?”

No response.

“Do my friends know you left to fetch me?” she asked.

No response.

Finally, desperate to get the man to say something, she asked, “Are we there yet?”

He stopped walking and widened his brown eyes to stare at her in disbelief. “This journey is a long one. We will not be there for weeks yet.”

“Oh, I know that!” Sally didn’t want him to think she was feeble-minded.

“Then why did you ask?”

“I was just trying to get you to speak,” she said. “I like your voice.”

He shook his head at her, pausing to tie her carpet bags to the saddle of the mule he found tied to a tree.

“What’s his name?” she asked.

Tom seemed confused by her question. “Whose name?”

“The mule’s of course!”

“To my knowledge he doesn’t have a name. I rented him from a man at Lake Bennett.”

“Well, he needs a name. Why don’t we call him Elmer?”

Tom shook his head. “You may call him whatever you would like.”

“Elmer it is then. You like that name, don’t you, Elmer?” she asked, petting the animal’s nose. “Thank you for carrying my bags for me. My arms would look strange by the time we reached the beautiful cabin in the woods where I’ll make my home with Thomas.”

Tom frowned. “What makes you think the cabin is beautiful?” In truth, he and two of his friends had built the cabin in one weekend. It was no frills, other than the window he’d added in the kitchen.

“It’s in the woods, so of course it’s beautiful,” Sally responded.

“Have you been drinking alcohol?” he asked, studying her, but not slowing his walk.

“Alcohol? Of course not. I’ve seen too many men do stupid things while deep into their cups. I have no desire to be anything like them.”

“I see,” he responded, though he seemed doubtful.

“I promise. I have had tea and crackers to eat today, as the journey unsettled my stomach.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Are you better now?” he asked.

“I feel ever so much better,” she replied. “The tossing of the ship simply didn’t agree with me. Now that we’re on solid ground, I feel much better.”

“That’s good,” he replied, and then was silent.

Sally thought about what topic she could introduce that he’d enjoy discussing with her, but he didn’t seem to be in the mood to have a conversation, so she remained silent, simply saying the things she would say to him inside her head, and not forcing them on him.

This path is steep, she would say.

It’s very steep, he would respond. Is it too steep for you? Should we slow down a bit?

Oh, no. I’m just fine. I like walking and hiking. I always went for walks on my days off work. I wanted to have Sundays off, but the hotel was too busy for me to be off on Sundays, so I had Wednesdays off. I was able to do mid-week shopping and errands.

Then he would smile at her and tell her that she would now not have to work outside the home. She would be able to cook, clean, and do all the other things wives did.

It was a pleasant conversation, and she was glad they’d had it. It didn’t matter it had only occurred in her mind.

When it was finally time to stop for the night, he pulled out some jerky and hardtack. “Oh, I don’t mind cooking!” she offered.

He shook his head. “We can’t waste energy on cooking. I want to be home as soon as possible so I don’t lose too many days’ wages.”

“I could work when we arrive. Is there a hotel or any place like that? I’ve been a waitress, cook’s assistant and maid. I’m certain I’ll be able to find work there.”

Tom looked at Sally as if she’d grown horns. All over her body. “The town I live near is very small. There is no work for a woman.”

“I could chop trees!” she said. “I did that after my father died, so my mother and I would have wood for our fires.”

He shook his head. “I don’t believe that will be necessary.”

“All right.” Sally wasn’t certain what she could do to earn money once they got to Yeti, but she’d find something. She had to contribute.