Page 6 of The Preacher's Wife
“Bride?” Mama Holstead entered the room with a plate of freshly baked biscuits, letting out a happy squeal. “That’s so exciting. I knew Ingrid would help you, but I did not know it would be this soon. I thought she went to visit her family in Boston.”
“The letter from Mama says arrived, but not much else. Isn’t there supposed to be a correspondence or something?” Hubert was a devout man, but he struggled to understand the complexities of relationships with women.
Chloe Masters trailed behind Mama Holstead, peering over her shoulder at Hubert. She couldn’t contain her mirth and clapped a hand over her mouth to hide her barely suppressed laughter. “Amanda stole away on your wagon train. Winnie’s father arranged her marriage, and I was running from men who most likely wanted me dead.” Chloe married Jackson Masters, Sterling’s marshal, and newest resident, when they took her to him for safekeeping. “These things seem to happen in their own time. Well, God’s timing. Don’t you think, Reverend?”
He could only nod. There was much in the Bible that talked about God’s timing. Many men, however, would not understand it was a blessing.
Charlie took a biscuit from the steaming plate and broke it apart, dropping it on a napkin. “Like I was saying, the stagecoach will come through around breakfast time. Joel can put the flag out for them to stop. Appears that haste is your best course of action.”
So, there was a course of action to be taken. Tomorrow morning, he would board the stagecoach and leave town. But first, he had to make it through tonight and the turmoil inside him. Would his new bride still want to marry him after he arrived in Omaha? He’d have at least four days to figure out what to do with her.
He remained lost deep in his own thoughts while people talked around him. They built the church, but it wasn’t a rectory like his parents’ place back home. Hubert was quite content here at the boarding house. He had no way of warning his parents that a girl … no, a woman… would be arriving.He didn’teven know she was arriving!Although in his January letter, Hubert had been sure to tell Mama about the matchmaker. He wondered what his parents thought about his new bride.
“Hubert.” Silas nudged him, and he found that at some point the women and children had disappeared from the table. He hadn’t heard them, which was unlike him.
“What?”
“You were so lost in thought.”
Hubert could feel the heat rising around his neck. Shaking his head, he looked at his friend. “Why do you think the matchmaker sent a bride without sending word about it? Would have taken her at least a week to get to Omaha.”
“Unless she’s someone in Omaha, we already knew,” Silas quipped.
“No. I think Mother would have mentioned her name if this woman was someone we knew.”
Hubert had courted no one, though he’d met several women who were soft on the eyes. The story of how something clicked into place when his father met his mother was ingrained deep within Hubert’s mind. That hadn’t happened to anyone he had met previously.What if it didn’t happen now?
“Hue, I know you have a lot of thinking to do, but we need you to focus for just a minute.” Charlie tapped the table. The others leaned forward to listen.
“What do you need, Charlie?” Hubert squeezed the bridge of his nose.
“Seems to me, it might be a good time to clean up and donate my parents’ house to the church for them to use. Especially if there’s a chance more brides are going to be coming through Omaha, and not straight to us.” He glanced at his ma, who nodded in agreement.
“At the very least, it’s a good place for you to stay for your wedding night.” Mama Holstead smiled. “I’ll write a note to your mother about it, but perhaps you can reassure her for us while you’re there.”
Hubert simply nodded; he didn’t know what else to do. Things were suddenly moving quickly. “But what about church on Sunday?” he quibbled meekly.
He shifted in his seat as the group of friends erupted into laughter. He couldn’t help but feel self-conscious, wondering if they were laughing at him or something else. Either way, it still stung.
Will spoke up, quieting the group. “We all have our Bibles. It’s not every day a man gets a wife. If it’ll make you feel better though, as the shepherd of this town, I’ll lead the worship on Sunday.”
Silas and Charlie groaned, and Hubert resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Will owned a large flock of sheep that grazed along the river.
“Charlie will be in charge when I’m gone, and we’ll have services after I get back.”
With his decision made, he stood up from the dining room table, pushing back his wooden chair. He leaned over to give Mama Holstead a peck on the cheek before excusing himself and heading towards the door.
Chapter Three
It took seven days on the stage to arrive in Omaha.
With Mrs. Chapman’s help, Prudence packed her small bag and left her old life in Boston behind. As they stood at the stage depot, waiting for her departure, she embraced the matchmaker tightly and promised to write once she settled. In that moment, Prudence felt a pang of longing for her own mother but pushed it aside as she prayed that Hubert’s mother would be just as kind and welcoming upon her arrival.
There wasn’t much to see on the ride from Boston, but the stage had stopped several times, allowing the passengers to stretch and get a hot meal. They had told her that everything was included in her fare. By the time the stage reached Omaha, she was ready for the journey to end.
Prudence’s limbs felt heavy and sore, a dull ache that spread from her back to her feet. Her skin was sticky and grimy from the long journey, and her wrinkled clothes felt uncomfortableagainst her skin. She longed to stretch her limbs and lie down on a soft bed.First, she needed to find the rectory.
The spire of the church rose high above the surrounding buildings, reaching towards the endless blue sky. Prudence made her way through the bustling streets of the small town, her footsteps echoing on the wooden pathways. But when she arrived at the church, she encountered disappointment.
