Page 2 of A Letter to Carolina
“The man should retire and enjoy life after years of giving to the community. I doubt he’ll stop helping others, though.”
“I don’t think he’d take a lease offer, but I’d like to offer it. Perhaps he’d be willing to come check in on you through the winter.”
“I can draw up the paperwork by the end of the day.” Simon spoke from behind Nate, making Aunt Cleo laugh in delight.
“What about Bass and Beau?” Nate turned to his brother.
“Well, Bass may think he owns this place, but it’s a family ranch. A family physician should always be welcome. I’ll do the paperwork. You talk to Doc, and I’ll start laying the foundation on this end with the rest of the brothers.”
“Thanks, Simon.” He pushed his chair back and stood, stretching his arms up over his head and into the rafters for a beat. “I should get on with it.”
“Don’t thank me for being decent. I’m assuming Madison is not going with you at this ungodly hour.” His brother filled a mug with coffee and took the seat Nate had vacated.
“Not this time. I told her I’d take her on Friday. The Kings are happy to let her stay with them until after services on Sunday, and a girl her age should have friends. They’re good people too.” Nate shrugged. He enjoyed having Simon’s little sister-in-law ride along on the way in. She was a bright kid, who was so different after just two months of living on the ranch.
“Sounds like you’ve got it all sorted out.” Simon gave him an inquisitive look, cutting his eyes towards Aunt Cleo. “Anything else need taken care of around here?”
“Aunt Cleo had trouble lighting the stove this morning. Might want to feed it a little more throughout the day.” Nate nodded at his brother while Aunt Cleo tried to shush him.
“I’ll take care of it,” Simon assured him. “We’ll see you tomorrow sometime.”
Nate kissed his aunt’s cheek one more time and padded toward the front door, feeling lighter than he had in weeks. Confession was apparently good for the soul. He slid his feet into his boots, flung his leather duster over his shoulders, and palmed his hat.
Things were looking up for him.
Bass and Simon had already found their wives, and Nate wanted what they had. He longed for someone to come home to and be able to share all the moments of his day. He wanted to listen to what she had done while he was away. Eventually, God willing, he wanted a family.
His brothers found their wives from a stack of letters that Bass found. Young women seeking husbands wrote the letters to a matchmaker. The matchmaker had dropped her precious cargo on the same train that Bass was traveling on. Bass, ever resourceful, used the letters to find wives for his brothers to keep them close to the ranch. He sent a letter to a woman named Emily, intending for her to marry Simon.
That did not go well, as bookish Simon and spirited Emily clashed at every turn. Nate thought Bass fell for Emily the moment he saw her step off the stagecoach. It was pure delight for the youngest Pickett brother to see Bass trip over himself while trying not to fall in love with Emily. Eventually, Emily and Bass married, but not before she discovered the very stack of letters Bass used to write to her. She then decided it was her turn to find proper wives for each of the brothers instead of just sending off a random letter and hoping for the best.
Bass and Nate dubbed the recipientsthe letter wives,and let Emily oversee managing correspondence with the potential brides. If it didn’t work out with one of the Pickett brothers, Emily was sure that Mrs. Chapman or Mrs. Hardin could find the young lady an appropriate match in town. Nate was waiting for Emily to identify the young woman meant to be his wife from the remaining letters.
The first letter Emily sent was to a woman and her little sister. Georgia and Madison arrived, and they won over Simon’s heart. Georgia was perfectly bookish, with a personality that kept the middle brother on his toes. Young Madison was inquisitive, wanting to learn, and she found a perfect teacher in Simon. Marrying Georgia also meant that Simon decided not to head to Denver to take a job with an accounting firm. Instead, she convinced him to take clients and manage the books for the businesses in town.
The unmarried brothers who were still around focused on their own lives. Jesse had no intention of settling down, spending most of his free nights at Miss Marcy’s. Beau had been trying to buy the homestead next door. Bass had Emily now, but he’d been busy trying to keep them all from going too far away, which was why Nate had been so nervous about telling them he was moving to town.
He’d wait and see what would transpire over the next few weeks. Nate wasn’t an impatient man. He just wanted things when he wanted them. Saddling up Scout, Nate let his thoughts roam as he headed towards town. Flat River was changing. He just hoped it could keep some of its charm as it moved forward.
Chapter Two
Philadelphia, PA
“Oops-a-daisy!” Carolina Andrews adjusted her basket to keep from bumping the toddler rushing out of the Mercantile. The child’s mother frantically scurried after the young charge, while Carolina gave a sympathetic smile.
Even though Carolina didn’t have any children of her own, she could relate to the bone-weary expression on the young mother’s face. Between Carolina’s nursing classes, hours in rotation at the hospital and the need for rest, this was the first time she’d made it to the shop in nearly a fortnight.
“Good morning, Carolina,” Mrs. Eisenhart smiled, waving from the counter.
Carolina waved at the busy woman and focused on collecting everything she needed for the next week. She would graduate from the nursing program in two weeks. Things were hectic as others prepared to travel to their new appointments, or home to find a husband and forget everything they’d learned in the last eighteen months. Carolina was at a crossroads, weighing whether to accept the university’s offer of becoming an advisor for nursing students, which would come with the perk of regular hospital hours. Something was tugging at her heart, urging her not to decide just yet, and until now she’d heeded that small voice.
She added soap, two new pairs of stockings, a pair of kid leather shoes and another bonnet to her basket before making her way to the counter. “Good morning, Mrs. Eisenhart,” she said, putting the basket on the counter. “Do I have any mail?”
“How are you, Carolina? We haven’t seen you in some time.” Mrs. Eisenhart turned, searching for something in a cubby behind the main counter.
“I’m well. It’s very busy right now with graduation and all the comings and goings. I haven’t been able to make any social calls recently.”
“Ah ha!” Mrs. Eisenhart pulled out a small cream colored envelope and turned back to Carolina. “This came for you about a week ago. I would have had someone run it over sooner, but things have been busy this week.”
