The Lawman

I was to be first. First out of the ridiculous sanctuary of this bumpy, stuffy, uncomfortable stage coach and into the keeping of a complete stranger. Until death do us part. We had endured the arduous ride from Ft. Mandan - Caroline, Emily and myself - and had become close friends, commiserators of sorts to our fears of our identical life changing decisions to become mail order brides.
"Just think, if we hadn't gone to Mrs. Bidwell's office, we never would have met," Caroline said in her soft lilt. She matched her voice: petite and shy.
Emily smiled, although clearly forced, and grasped her hand. "I couldn't agree more." She turned and shared her somewhat reassuring smile with me. "Although now that we're almost to August Point, I fear for you, Eleanor."
My stomach leapt toward my throat, not from another rut in the hard packed ground, but from the thought that soon, only minutes from now, I'd meet my husband. All three of us had wed by proxy in Mrs. Bidwell's office in Minneapolis to men in the far off Montana territory. Men who had written to the older woman whose business was to find single, eligible and willing women to move west and marry complete strangers. I had no doubt finding women--unmarried and of childbearing age--in a wild and untamed land was a veritable impossibility. My new husband might be desperate, but not such as I.
Fleeing town wasn't a simple fancy of mine. Being questioned for murder--even if I was innocent--had me seeking the easiest avenue of escape. It had been self-defense; Allen Simmons had been intent on raping me. Coshing him on the head with a rock had only been to stop his assault, not kill him. Of course, his rich, socialite family would paint their son the victim, not me. There was no question the police offered their name substantial clout. I had none. I was just a plain woman he'd met at church and decided to court. Then one day, he'd decided that courting wasn't enough. He'd wanted more. Much more than I'd been willing to give. I had no recourse, no way to save myself other than to flee before they found me and pinned his death on me.