Delightfully Deluded Read online

  Delightfully Deluded

  Barbara Goss

  All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  All scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.

  This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this book is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage system without express written permission from the author.

  Copyright © 2017 Barbara Goss

  All Rights Reserved

  Kindle Edition

  Cover design by: Samantha Fury

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Epilogue

  Chapter 1

  A light breeze ruffled Eden’s blonde hair as she sat beneath the old oak tree behind her house, her ginger-colored spaniel, appropriately named Ginger, curled up on her apron. She idly stroked the dog’s back and remembered better times, when her father was alive and she was the center of his life. Her mother had died shortly after giving birth to her brother, who’d also died during the birth, leaving Eden and her father, Lester Jamison, alone. She sighed softly, causing Ginger’s ears to twitch.

  She and her father had forged ahead in life despite the deaths and were happy after a time. He’d let her tag along when he hunted and whenever he went into town or to church. It was always father and daughter together. She smiled, recalling how happy they were—until, “it” happened.

  Eden had always kept house for the two of them, and suddenly her father had begun to go out in the evening without her. His excuse was always business, and since he owned the local hardware store, she believed him. After a few months, he brought home a woman whom he introduced as Eudora Phillips, his future wife.

  After the marriage, Eudora moved into their home with her daughter, Phoebe, who was a mere six months younger than Eden. At first, they all got along wonderfully, and Eudora bent over backward to treat her and Phoebe fairly. The only ripple in the still waters was that neither Phoebe nor her mother liked Ginger, but Eden’s father asked her to keep Ginger in her bedroom and doing so seemed to solve the problem.

  She’d just turned eighteen when her father suddenly died and her world came crashing down around her. Eudora, Phoebe, and Eden had barely returned from burying him when Eudora began barking orders at Eden.

  Ginger rolled over to expose her cream-colored belly. Eden watched her stretch out as she rubbed her, and she could almost imagine a smile on her face. Sweet, loveable Ginger—her father's gift to her on her fifteenth birthday, just months before his marriage to Eudora—had been her only ally since her father’s death.

  Without warning, Ginger leapt to her feet and growled.

  “What in the devil’s name are you doing, Eden?” Eudora yelled, hands on hips. “I thought I told you to bring in the wash.”

  “I did that,” Eden said. “I was just taking a rest before I started the ironing.”

  “Well,” Eudora said, “you’d best get a move on—it’s almost time for you to start dinner.”

  “Yes, I’ll be right there,” Eden answered. She knew that if she talked back or balked, things would only go worse for her. The last time she talked back to Eudora, she was locked in the root cellar for hours.

  Eden stood, brushed her apron off, and walked toward the house with Ginger at her heels.

  She carried Ginger to her room and closed the door before taking out the iron and placing it on the stove while she set up the board.

  After she’d ironed all of the clothes she’d laundered and hung them up, she entered the kitchen and began cutting vegetables for dinner. She dropped her knife with a thud when she heard female screeching, which seemed to grow louder as it approached the kitchen.

  “My best shoes! Just look at them!” Phoebe wailed. “They’re ruined!”

  Eden walked over to inspect the shoes.

  “They have teeth marks all over them,” Phoebe cried. “It’s that dratted dog of yours.”

  “But she stays in my room,” Eden explained.

  “Well, I don’t know how she got my shoes, but these aren’t my teeth marks!” she yelled, pushing the shoes under Eden’s nose.

  Eden stepped back and tried to think of when Ginger had last gotten out of the room. She'd always kept her shut up tight until she took her outdoors, and Ginger slept on a rug by Eden’s bed at night. Then Eden remembered: she’d taken the shoes into her room a week ago when she’d been ordered to shine them, but had been interrupted by Eudora’s screaming at her to pick vegetables from the garden. She'd set the shoes down by her bed and had forgotten all about them until a few days ago, when she spotted them under her bed and quickly returned them to Phoebe’s room. She hadn’t noticed the teeth-marks.

  “I’m so sorry, Phoebe,” Eden said sincerely.

  Eudora marched into the room. “What’s this? Give me those shoes.” Phoebe handed the shoes to her mother. “Definitely dog’s teeth.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Eden repeated. “I had them in my room. Remember, you’d asked me to polish them and—”

  “You’ll give Phoebe the calf-leather boots your father gave you.” Eudora took the shoes and threw them into the garbage bin.

  “But that was the last gift I ever received from my father," Eden cried. "I treasure them.”

  “They belong to Phoebe, now,” Eudora spat. “Now, get busy with dinner. I’m growing hungry.”

  In the morning, Eden reached over the bed to pet Ginger, which was her morning ritual. She felt around, but she couldn't feel the dog. Eden sat up and leaned over the bed—Ginger wasn’t there. She rolled off the mattress and looked under the bed—no Ginger.

  Eden dressed faster than she ever had before. She had to find Ginger before Eudora or Phoebe did. Eden searched the house before running out the front door and calling to Ginger as she made her way all around the property. She expected to hear her run excitedly up to her, as she had the few other times she’d gotten loose outdoors, but still no Ginger. Eden began to panic.

  She reentered the house where she met Phoebe in the kitchen, standing with her hands on her hips. “Why isn’t the stove going? Where’s the coffee?”

  “I was outside looking for my dog. Have you seen her?” Eden asked as she quickly lit the stove.

  “No, I haven’t seen your mutt,” Phoebe said as she turned to leave the room. “Call me when the coffee’s done.”

  Eden watched her retreat as she took the kettle outdoors to pump water. Phoebe wasn’t a pretty woman; in fact, she sort of resembled her personality, with her stringy, light brown hair, and a long nose like her mother’s.

  After filling the kettle, she returned to fill the coffee pot with some of the water, then she added the coffee grounds, and put it on the hot stove.

  She hurriedly made pancakes, left a stack of them on the warming side of the stove, called out to Phoebe, “Coffee’s done and breakfast is ready,” and ran outside to continue looking for Ginger before she had to go back inside to wash the breakfast dishes. When her father was alive, they'd done the housekeeping jobs together, but now she'd become the designate
d maid.

  As Eden rounded the back of the house, she saw a strange looking mark in the loose dirt by the garden, which looked as though something had been dragged. She hadn’t seen the mark when she'd hung the laundry on the clothesline the day before. Eden followed the marks to the creek about fifty feet from the house where the marks ended. She stooped down, looked into the water, and saw a burlap sack, resembling the bag their flour came in from the general store. Eden reached in and pulled on it. She hadn’t expected the sack to be so heavy. She pulled harder and finally got it onto the creek bank.

  Eden’s heartbeat sped up when she noticed the shape and size of the bag. Tears began to stream down her face as she slowly opened the ties that had been holding the sack closed to find her beloved Ginger’s lifeless form.

  Her first thought was to confront Phoebe and Eudora, but she knew it would do her no good as they’d just deny it. She carried the bag toward the house, laid it gently behind the barn, and went inside to take out a shovel with which she dug a grave behind the barn and gently eased Ginger into the hole, sack and all. Before filling the grave in, she kissed Ginger's nose, “Goodbye, Ginger,” and covered the grave with as many rocks as she could find. While she was doing this, Eden decided it was finally time for her to make a life-changing decision.

  That night, Eden carried on with her usual duties without saying a word to Phoebe or Eudora about Ginger.

  The following morning, Eden awoke before sunlight and packed her few belongings, throwing them into a pillowcase. She hoisted the sack over her shoulder and walked down the lane into town where there was a woman she knew she could trust, a faithful member of her church. Everyone in Defiance, Ohio loved and respected Erma Bodkin who had helped several of Eden’s friends not only get away from Defiance, but find good marriages as well.

  Eden had considered Erma’s assistance many times when things had gotten rough at home, but the thought of marrying a stranger had always held her back. Killing Ginger had been the turning point she’d needed to become desperate enough to be willing to try anything to escape the madhouse her home had become.

  Erma welcomed Eden with a warm hug. “How are you, dear?”

  “Not so good, Mrs. Bodkin. I need to leave Defiance, but I don’t know how to do that. I need your help.” Tears spilled from her eyes as she spoke. Erma patted her back and said, “Come dear,” she led her to the sitting room. “I’ll get some tea and you can tell me all about it.”

  After telling Erma Bodkin about the way Phoebe and Eudora had treated her since her father had died, Erma frowned. “You can stay here, dear. I always have a room prepared for someone in need.”

  “I’ve heard that you’ve helped others, so I knew to come here. I didn’t know where else to go,” Eden said, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

  Erma reached into her pocket and pulled out a clean handkerchief, which she handed to Eden. “As you know, I have connections to a mail order bride business, but are you sure you don’t want to stay in Defiance?

  “And do you really want to marry?” Erma asked, peering at her over wire-rimmed spectacles.

  “I’m positive. If I stayed in Defiance I’d be running into Phoebe and Eudora everywhere. I want to start a whole new life, and if marriage is the only way to do that, I’m willing.”

  Erma was a fragile-looking woman who looked to be in her sixties. Her hair was pure white, framing an aged, but beautiful face. Eden thought she must have been a beautiful woman once.

  Erma sipped her tea like a grand duchess, giving Eden the feeling she was in good hands.

  “I’d love that chance," Eden said. "I need a new life.”

  “Are you sure? Going out west is a pretty big move. It’s very different there. As for the future groom, there are no guarantees.”

  “Change is just what I need, Erma, and as for the husband, I’ll take my chances, nothing can be as bad as living with Phoebe and Eudora.”

  “I’ll contact my friend today,” Erma said.

  For the first time since her father died, Eden felt hopeful. She thanked God for Erma Bodkin and for opening the doors to her new life.

  Chapter 2

  Not only had Erma received a reply from the mail order bride contact, but she’d also found a traveling companion for Eden named Rachel Nelson. The young woman was a year older than Eden and looking for marriage, as well as to leave her brother’s home.

  “I couldn’t have you traveling alone, dear,” Erma had said. “Rachel’s been living with her brother since her parents died, and he’s getting married next month. Like you, Rachel wants to escape, but her main objective's marriage. She loves the idea of finding true love. She’s a bit of a romantic, you see.”

  Eden looked forward to having a traveling companion, even if it was one with silly, romantic notions. Eden hadn't thought that much about the marriage part, although she knew it was the purpose of the trip. She hoped the chosen intended would be a decent man. If he wasn’t, she’d run again. Eden promised herself never to live under stressful conditions again

  Staying with Erma was a pleasant and refreshing experience because Erma was always so cheerful and encouraging. Eden sometimes wished she could stay with her permanently.

  During her time there, she corresponded with several men, finally narrowing it down to one man, named Max Weaver. In his letters, Max had told her that he and his brother ran a cattle ranch, and they owned a big house with plenty of room for the three of them until another house could be built. He sounded mature and responsible, and he lived in a place called Dodge City, Kansas.

  Rachel visited often that first month, telling them she was dissatisfied with all of her applicants, so Eden connected her with Max’s brother, Jake, and they began to correspond, Rachel seemed pleased with Jake. Eden liked Rachel and she hoped it would work out perfectly for the both of them.

  The men had wanted to exchange photographs, but Eden didn’t have one, so Erma, who was talented in drawing, did a sketch to send to Max. Eden had to admit, the sketch was strikingly accurate.

  Eden gazed at the sketch before mailing it, thinking that, if anything, Erma had enhanced her looks. Her hair was a bit darker blonde than the sketch showed, but since it was a black and white sketch, it wouldn’t make much difference. Erma had caught her full lips and small nose perfectly. The eyes somehow looked more almond-shaped than Eden thought her eyes truly were. She thought Max would be pleased.

  Rachel, on the other hand, was a bit on the plain side, but the photograph she'd sent was one of her when she was twelve. She hadn’t changed that much—she still had medium-brown hair and hazel eyes. Her complexion appeared scarred from chicken pox, and she was a bit on the stout side, yet she had a sparkling, enthusiastic personality that made her seem pretty.

  When the photos of the men arrived, Rachel squealed with delight at Jake's image. He had dark hair and a pleasant face with a well-trimmed mustache. His smile was his best feature.

  Max’s photo disappointed Eden somewhat. His ears stuck out, and he had both a mustache and a beard. She'd always favored clean-shaven men like her father, but Max had a sparkle in his eyes, and a bit of a mischievous grin—he’d do, she supposed.

  Rachel had moved in with Erma as soon as her brother had married. Though they each had their own rooms, they spent most of their time together. Eden and Rachel began to grow more and more excited about their impending trip, thinking it would be fun as well as interesting.

  The night before their adventurous trip, Erma told them she’d miss them both as they'd so much fun together: nightly hot chocolate parties, girl talk, and lots of giggling that even Erma went along with. Eden knew that she and Rachel had made Erma feel like a young woman again.

  Eden, Rachel, and Erma stood on the platform awaiting their train. Eden was excited. She could tell by Rachel’s smile and enthusiasm that she was excited as well.

  “Now, girls,” Erma instructed, “this train will take you from Defiance to Chicago where you’ll change trains. You’ll get
on a train going southwest to Kansas City. You’ll stay on the train until it gets to Wichita, where you’ll get on a train going west to Dodge City. There may be other stops along the way, but you won’t need to take a stagecoach at all, since the rails will take you right into Dodge.”

  Erma handed a paper to Eden. “If you forget any of these instructions, I’ve written them down for you.” Erma hugged both of them. “I think I hear a train whistle. I’m going to truly miss you two. Promise you’ll write me.”

  Both women vowed they would.

  “How will the men know when we’ll arrive?” Eden asked.

  “You can send them a wire from Wichita.”

  The train pulled up, screeching to a halt almost in front of them, spewing out enough steam to temporarily cloud their vision.

  “I almost forgot,” Erma said, handing them a small basket. “Here are some sandwiches. You can buy more sandwiches and beverages at most of the stops, but you have to get them fast so as not to miss your train—they don’t wait long.” Erma took a deep breath before adding, “I slipped some money in each of your bags.” She patted her eyes with her handkerchief and gently pushed the women off the platform and onto the train.

  Eden had the first turn to sit by the window, but Rachel leaned over her so they could both wave to Erma. Since it was a warm day, the window was open, and they both thanked Erma for everything, waving until Erma was no longer in view.

  At first, the adventure was fun and delightful, but the closer they got to Dodge City, the more frightened Eden became. Rachel, however, didn’t seem nervous at all.

  When they reached Wichita, Eden began to fret. “Rachel, what if we don’t like the Walker brothers?”

  “Then we won’t marry them,” Rachel said in her usual carefree manner.

  “But they paid for our train tickets.”

  “We could get jobs,” Rachel said calmly, “and pay them back.”