Jennie Heads West: Romance Short Story Read online

  Jennie Heads West

  Romance Short Story

  Terri Grace

  Clean Christian Romance

  Contents

  1. A Personal Word From Terri

  2. Jennie Heads West

  Also by Terri Grace

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  Copyright © 2016 by Terri Grace

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Chapter 1

  A Personal Word From Terri

  Very short and super sweet. That is one way to describe this story. There’s a good dose of humor in here too - my, oh my, what situations people end up because they do not think beyond the end of their nose! Will Jennie’s dilemma be resolved? I certainly hope so, but you will need to read to find out for yourself…”

  Terri Grace (Author)

  Thank you for choosing a PureRead Romance. As a way to thank you we would also like to give you a beautiful short story collection by Terri Grace.

  Cry Of The Heart Short Story Collection

  Chapter 2

  Jennie Heads West

  A Tale Of Two Hearts Looking For Love

  If only Susie was here. Jennie Remington sighed, her green eyes clouded with anxiety. Ever since they were young, Susan had always managed to get her out of trouble, most times taking the blame, as she was the eldest. Having strict parents meant not much fun and freedom so the two sisters had to find ways of entertaining themselves.

  Jennie learnt how to play the violin while Susan joined a church that she knew her parents wouldn’t approve of. A few months later, Susie announced to Jennie that she was going to get married to a man who lived in the west – one she had never met but had been communicating with. They were introduced by her pastor and he was a good Christian. Jennie had been excited for her sister and by mistake had blurted out the secret to their parents.

  The explosion that had followed was one that Jennie regretted. She always blamed herself for her sister’s estrangement from the family.

  Hubert and Clarissa Remington felt that their daughters should be married to men with strong business and social links, not a pauper farmer out in the west who could barely eke out a living from his land. They had, in fact, already found a suitable man for Susan.

  Susan had merely looked at her parents and in her soft voice she had told them she was going to marry Brian Gibson of Glendive, Montana. “I am of age and I mean no disrespect, but I cannot marry a man merely to establish a business and social connection for you.”

  Hubert had turned red, his green eyes blazing with fury. “You will do as I say, or else from this moment on you cease to be my daughter.”

  Susie had nodded and stood up. “Then so be it, Papa. I love you and Mama, but this is my life and I will only marry a man who loves the Lord and loves me.”

  “If you leave this house, don’t ever come back,” Clarissa had screamed. “When you are starving to death with the brood of children you’ll have, don’t imagine you’ll be received back here.”

  “That is all right, Mama. I love you.”

  And that was the last time Jennie had seen or heard from her sister. Her name was not to be mentioned in the house by anyone and her room was stripped bare, everything in it being donated to charity.

  For a while Jennie had blamed Susie for ruining their family because her parents became even colder and more forbidding than they already were. They had only begun to notice her when she’d turned eighteen two days ago.

  That had been the beginning of her woes. On her eighteenth birthday, Jennie, who loved to flirt, had overstepped herself. Clement Pippins and Edward Burke, sons of her parents’ business associates, were both interested in her and she had been jesting with them, telling each of them that she would only accept their suit on her eighteenth birthday.

  On the fateful day, both men had turned up, each bearing an engagement ring. She had played the two men without them being aware of what was going on, and ended up with two very expensive gold-and-diamond rings. She was smiling when she went to bed, after what she termed a successful birthday, but in the morning the smile was wiped off her face when she walked into the drawing room and found the two men with her parents, all demanding an answer.

  “I was only joking,” she had wept.

  “That’s the trouble with you, Jennie.” Her mother had looked at her disapprovingly through hazel eyes so much like Susie’s. “You are now a grown woman, no longer a child. The Pippins and Burkes are very important associates and this is disrespectful to them. You will choose one of these young men and marry him. Perhaps that will salvage something. Else you will be in a lot of trouble.”

  Which is what she was in right now. “Oh, Susie,” she cried into her pillow, “if only you were here to get me out of this trouble!” She thought about how many times she had gotten into trouble but her sister, who was five years her senior, had never once told on her. Maybe, as her father said, she had been too cosseted and now she had to take responsibility for her actions.

  She refused to eat anything for two days, hoping her parents would change their minds, but if anything, they seemed even firmer in their convictions that Jennie should marry one of the two men. It was not that they weren’t pleasant men; she just didn’t love them.

  She and Susie had talked about this. “Never marry a man who merely tolerates you, Jennie. Pastor Vincent always tells us that a man must love his wife and the wife must see to it that she submits to her husband. That is the basis of a Godly marriage.”

  Jennie knew she did not love either of the men, and doubted that she would be able to submit to a man who still seemed like he was stuck to his mother’s apron strings.

  By morning, she knew just what to do.

  Susan Gibson stared at the envelope in her hands, a huge smile breaking out on her face. “The little girl has written to me, finally, after five years of silence!” Her sister’s handwriting was unmistakable. “Knowing Jennie, for her to have disobeyed our parents and written to me must mean that she is in serious trouble.”

  Brian Gibson’s dark-blue eyes rested lovingly on his wife. This woman was more than he had ever dreamed, and after five years of marriage and two children, he was even more deeply in love with her. “What if she just wants to know how her sister is doing?”

  Susie laughed, tearing open the envelope. As she perused the contents of the letter her smile faded.

  Brian immediately moved to her side. “What’s wrong, my darling?” Susie handed him the letter.

  Dearest Sister Susie,

  I know I should have written sooner but I have been very selfish, not wanting to lose what I thought I would gain from our parents. Susie, I am in deep trouble. Pa and Ma are insisting that I marry one of two men who proposed to me on my birthday – Clement Pippins or Edward Burke. In jest I accepted both suits. Pa is so angry because he says my actions are threatening his business interests.

  Susie, if there is one thing you taught me, it was never to marry a man who didn’t love me and whom I didn’t respect. I don’t love either of these men but Ma and Pa are serious about forcing me down the aisle. What do I do?

  Your desperate sister,

  Jennifer Remington

  * * *

  “Oh, Jennie,” Susan sighed, leaning into her husband’s arms. “What has she gone and done now? That child lands herself in so much trouble.”

  “You said she turned eighteen a few weeks ago?”

  “Yes, my love. Now she has no excuses for
her pranks and jesting. She’ll have to accept responsibility and marry one of those men.” Susie shook her head. “They’re not bad men but they’re both so much under their mothers’ control that they would frustrate a free-spirited girl like Jennie. Remember I told you about Albert Burke, the man I was to have married?”

  Brian nodded.

  “Albert is Edward’s older brother. They are both the same and their mother is really a piece of work.”

  “What do you think will happen to Jennie?”

  “Right now, I don’t know, but I will think of something.”

  Lawrence Gibson took all his meals in his brother’s house, even though he had his own house but a few yards away. Susie would have it no other way. Just thinking about his sister-in-law brought a smile to his face. She was the kindest and nicest person he had ever known, and for the past one month or so had been his comforter and counselor.

  Lawrence was nursing a broken heart because of a mail-order bride. He and Samantha Oakes had communicated for four months before he sent her more than enough money for a ticket to Glendive. But he waited in vain and his letters to her went unanswered, until a month ago when she wrote him a letter that devastated him.

  * * *

  Dear Lawrence,

  By the time you receive this letter I will be in Arizona with the man that I love. He is in the army and we met one day at the post office. Harry is a gentleman and we fell in love. Unfortunately, it was just at the same time that you asked me to come out to you in Glendive.

  We are married and making plans to return to his station in Arizona.

  I know we declared love for each other, but truly we had never met, which I why I know you will soon get over me and find a lovely lady to marry.

  Forget about me, please, and find love again.

  Yours,

  Samantha Oakes

  * * *

  Unfortunately, Lawrence hadn’t moved on and only Susie’s counsel had prevented him from breaking down.

  “First, forgive Samantha and then realize that she is not the only woman in the world. The Lord will send you a wonderful woman. Just keep the faith.”

  “My heart is broken. Will I ever recover?”

  “I’m here for you whenever you need me. I don’t know how much you are hurting, but you can come to us when you just need to talk.”

  So he was making his way over for dinner and hopefully some more advice.

  The train arrived early on a Monday morning and Lawrence was waiting to receive Jennifer Remington, Susie’s younger sister. Having seen photos of her, he recognized her the moment she stepped off the train.

  He was surprised to see that she seemed upset, and hurried over to her. “Jennie Remington, my name is Lawrence Gibson. Susie sent me to get you.”

  Jennie nodded, tears coursing down her face. “Thank you,” she whispered hoarsely.

  “You look really upset, Jennie. Did someone harm you?”

  “No,” she sobbed. “I just realized how selfish I am and that I’m a bad person. Can God forgive me of my sins?”

  Lawrence was so taken aback that he was speechless for a few minutes.

  “Please take me home to Susie,” said Jennie, and she cried all the way home.

  When she saw her sister, she fell into her arms and, over her bowed head, Lawrence saw the questioning look on his sister-in-law’s face. He shrugged, mouthing that he didn’t know what had come over her.

  Susie led Jennie into the house, thankful that the children had gone to the field with their father. “Jennie, what’s wrong, lovely child?”

  “Don’t call me lovely. I’m a bad person, Susie. God will never forgive me.”

  “Now, now,” said Susie, smoothing her hair, “even if you killed a person, the Lord would forgive you if you are truly contrite. Calm down, Jennie.”

  The story came pouring out. After receiving the reply from Susie, Jennie had taken all her savings and added them to the money her sister had sent for her ticket. On the train she had met a girl who was going to Seattle. Marjory was, like Susie had been, a mail order bride and her future groom was a man who had lost both legs in a mining accident. She said she loved the man even though she had never met him, and it was not pity that she felt for him. She had left a good life at home in exchange for life with Paul. She told Jennie that true love is sacrificial, pointing her to the book of First Corinthians – the thirteenth chapter – which spoke of true and abiding love. By the time Marjory finished reading through the entire chapter, Jennie was in tears.

  “I’ve been very selfish, Susie. All my life it was all about me and my needs and comforts, yet Marge taught me the true meaning of being kind and loving to others. I will never be perfect like that. How did you ever put up with me?”

  “Jennie, there is no perfect person. We are all trying our best to follow God’s commands and live well with others. Just by admitting that you have been wrong is the first step to getting onto the right path.”

  Lawrence couldn’t believe that as soon as he had seen Jennie, all thoughts of Samantha had fled from his mind. Susie had been right. Now, if only Jennie could return his affections.

  Jennie noticed that Lawrence seemed to become speechless whenever she entered the room. She asked her sister why he seemed so shy and got an evasive answer. Living with Susie was tough, but she loved it. Waking up long before it was day and learning how to milk cows, clean the barn and prepare food for many workers was something she had never envisaged doing, but it seemed as though her selfishness had broken away.

  Susie’s children, Melissa and Oscar, were lovely and well grounded. That Brian loved Susie was evident in the way he softly glanced at her whenever she wasn’t looking – how he reached for her tired feet each evening and rubbed them gently, not minding that he had also had a hard day out in the fields. He would hold her hand early in the morning as they took their daily walks before the children got up. That was true love, and Jennie yearned for something similar.

  She’d also noticed that Lawrence worked very hard on the wheat farm, and was surprised when one day he brought her beautiful wild daisies.

  “I saw these and they reminded me of you,” he said, blushing furiously.

  “Thank you so much.” She smiled up at him, noting how handsome he was. He had the same dark-blue eyes as his brother, a strong face and large hands which were gentle when he was handling his nephew and niece, or any of the animals in the barn. This was a man she could really respect.

  Lawrence decided to pour his heart out to Jennie. One evening he came home early and took her riding. He stopped on a ridge that overlooked the homestead and, since it was not too far, she could see her niece and nephew running around in the yard.

  “Jennie, I know you and I only met a few days ago, but I want you to know that I’m in love with you.”

  “What?”

  “Yes, Jennie. I don’t know if Susie told you, but I was waiting for a mail-order bride from New York. She fell in love with someone else and I thought my world had ended. Seeing how selfless and hardworking you are has made me realize that you are a wonderful person inside.”

  “Oh!” She blushed at the way he was looking at her.

  “Would you allow me to court you, and when the time is right for both of us, will you marry me?”

  Jennie thought about what her sister had told her about falling in love with her own husband the moment she saw him: “Love can come to you almost immediately, or it can take time. The best thing to remember is that you need to listen to your heart as well as your head. Your heart will give you the tender part of love, while your head will give you the common sense. When these two line up, then it is time to give your all.”

  Jennie needed no persuading. Her head and heart had aligned when it came to Lawrence Gibson. With a smile, she turned to him. “Yes, Lawrence. I accept your courtship and proposal, and I want to let you know that I also love you.”

  :)

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  Also by Terri Grace

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  Every story is a journey of the heart.

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