Prologue
Billows of white smoke rolled from the train’s stack as a shrill whistle announced its imminent arrival. Turning to give Aunt Thalia a final hug, June Kallahan blinked back tears.
“I’ll write you the moment I get settled, Aunt Thalia.”
The old woman’s arms tightened around June’s neck, holding on longer than necessary. “I’m going to miss you, child.”
“Don’t worry about me,” June said softly. “It’s you I worry about.”
“I’ll be going to a better place someday very soon. No need for anyone to worry about me. But of course I’ll worry about you. My age ought to afford me some rights. And I’ll worry about your sisters. Faith gone off to Texas, Hope to Kentucky.” Thalia Grayson shook her head. “Sakes alive. You’ve all taken leave of your senses.”
June lovingly patted her old aunt’s back. “God will take care of us, Auntie.”
The engine came to a halt amid a whoosh of steam and squealing brakes. Passengers got off while others hurried to board. The stopover in Cold Water was brief. Smiling, June blew Aunt Thalia a final kiss as she reached for her bag. “Don’t worry! I’ll be fine!”
Running toward the coach, June determined to keep up her brave facade. Auntie would worry enough without sending her off in a flurry of tears. The conductor caught her hand and lifted her aboard as the train slowly pulled out of the station. Standing on the car’s platform, June smiled and waved until Aunt Thalia’s stooped frame faded into the distance.
Fighting her tears, June made her way into the coach, wondering if Faith and Hope had felt the same insecurities when they left, two weeks earlier.
A gentleman got up and offered his seat. Murmuring her thanks, June sat down, then buried her face in her handkerchief and bawled. Was she doing the right thing? Should she stay and take care of Auntie—let Faith and Hope be the mail-order brides? Aunt Thalia was old. Who would look after her?
The gentleman leaned forward. “Are you all right, miss?”
June wiped her tears, sitting up straighter. “Yes, thank you. I’m fine.”
The enormity of what she was about to do overwhelmed her. She was off to Seattle—hundreds and hundreds of miles from Cold Water, about to marry a man she knew only by the few letters they’d exchanged.
She was about to marry Eli Messenger, and she didn’t even know him.
The idea had made so much sense a few weeks ago. With their father, Thomas Kallahan, dead and Aunt Thalia unable to bear the financial responsibility of three additional mouths to feed, she and her sisters knew they must be keepers of their own fates. The decision to become mail-order brides had not been made easily, nor without a great deal of prayer.
June stared out the window, listening to the wheels clacking against the metal rails, wheels carrying her away from Cold Water to a brand-new life. She thought about her soon-to-be husband, Eli Messenger, and the unfamiliar world that awaited her in Seattle. Eli was a man of God, associate pastor to the famed Isaac Inman, of the Isaac Inman Evangelistic Crusade. Everyone had heard of Isaac Inman—of his unflagging dedication to God, his charismatic personality, how he led hundreds of thousands of lost souls to find salvation. Goose bumps rose on her arms when she thought about meeting the world-renowned minister in person. Not only would she meet Isaac Inman, but she would work beside him! Papa would be so proud of her, were he still alive.
Removing Eli’s letter from her purse, she scanned the last paragraph.
Together, we will work for God’s Kingdom. Our life will be good, June. I know you must experience moments of doubts about your venture, but I believe God has destined us to be together, to work together for his glory. I eagerly anticipate your arrival and the beginning of what surely promises to be our wonderful life together.
She refolded the letter and tucked it safely back in her purse. Resting her head on the back of the seat, she willed herself to relax. Everything was as it should be.
Clickety-clack, clickety-clack.
Every turn of the wheel carried her farther and farther away from the only life she had ever known.
Biting down hard on her lower lip, she prayed that Eli Messenger was right and that God did, indeed, intend them for each other.
Otherwise, she was heading straight for the pits of—
She caught her wayward thoughts. She would surely, at best, be heading straight for trouble.