Doris's Deceit: Clover Creek Community, #4

By Kirsten Osbourne

She traveled the Oregon Trail pretending to be a widow.

 

He lost his wife to the difficult circumstances they found themselves in after the Trail.

 

With the help of Andrew's daughter, Doris and Andrew marry under false pretenses, leaving Doris thankful to be off the Oregon Trail.

Andrew is thankful to have someone to cook and clean for him and eventually be his real wife, not a wife in name only.

 

When Doris tells the truth about her lie, Andrew is naturally upset. Will he ever be able to trust her again? Or will they continue to live together in a loveless marriage?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Unlimited Dreams
• Release date: Jul 19, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223906995

Kirsten Osbourne

Kirsten lives in Texas with her husband, son and a crazy new puppy. She is a stay at home mom who spends her life writing, doing volunteer work, and helping out with her son's Cub Scout troop.

Book preview

Chapter One

Doris stood between Melody and Mr. Jefferson, focusing all her attention on her wedding vows. She and Melody were having a double wedding ceremony that had been planned for all of ten minutes. She shook a little, not sure how comfortable she felt with Mr. Jefferson, whom she’d only known for an hour, but she was pretty certain she wasn’t up to making the rest of the trip to Oregon City.

Mr. Jefferson had a farm in Clover Creek, Oregon Territory, and she was pleased to join his household rather than driving the rest of the way to Oregon City.

Shortly after she’d joined the company she had, one of the older sons of a friend had agreed to hitch her oxen for her every day and he’d also taken her shifts on the watch. Doris felt a bit badly for lying to everyone, but it had felt necessary when she’d joined with all the other wagons to go west on the Oregon Trail.

She repeated her vows when prompted, and she allowed Mr. Jefferson to kiss her cheek once they were pronounced man and wife. Now she only had to get the belongings she needed from her covered wagon, which would be mostly personal things.

Her mother had died in January, which had finally freed her to go west as an emigrant. For the longest time, she’d thought she’d spend the rest of her life doting on her mother, and caring for her in her sickness.

Doris had just barely finished school when her father died. Her mother had begged and begged her to stay with her and not find a man to marry. Now, thirty years later, she was past child-bearing age, and certainly past the age where she was marriageable—as a spinster anyway. But as a widow, the whole world had opened up for her, leaving her free to pursue her dreams.

Initially, she had hoped to get her piece of land and perhaps start a boarding house near Oregon City, but the Trail had been much harder for her than she’d dreamed it would be. Being introduced to a man who had recently lost his wife was what she’d needed to stop her journey west and marry a stranger.

Maybe her life would have been easier if she’d continued her journey, but she was definitely starting to believe the elephant didn’t exist. Oregon City was so far away.

Doris smiled at her new husband. Should we go and collect my things? Perhaps the lad who has been hitching and unhitching my wagon daily would like to take it with him.

Mr. Jefferson—Andrew, as she must remember to call him—nodded. That would be good. Or we could leave it where it is and only take the things you desperately need. And the oxen, of course. I could add your oxen to my dairy farm.

I brought only cows, so that would work well. I considered a bull, but they tend to be more obstinate and difficult to drive from what I’ve been told.

Andrew nodded. Let’s head out to your wagon and find what you need. I’m a farmer, and you know farmers need to be awake early for their morning chores.

Yes, I’ll say goodbye to our captain and meet you outside in five minutes.

At Andrew’s nod, she headed toward where she’d last seen the captain, but he was nowhere to be found. The church was overcrowded with the people of Clover Creek, who had made their journey on the Oregon Trail the summer before, and her own company consisting of nineteen wagons and all the people that went with them.

Finally, she spotted the kind man on the other side of the church from where she stood. She hurried across the large room to him. Thank you for being willing to take on a widow for the journey. I understand a lot of captains don’t.

Mr. Stevens nodded, smiling at her. I didn’t see a need to keep women from going west alone when the government is happy to give you free land.

I still thank you for it. The journey was made much easier by having a captain who wasn’t grudging about my presence. She shook his hand. And now I’ll get what I need from my wagon. Please let everyone know they may take whatever they find.

Thank you for your generosity.

Doris hurried out to meet Andrew, not wanting him to be upset with her this early in their marriage. He helped her onto the wagon seat, and they went to the camp, spotting her friend Melody doing the same with Mr. Appleby.

Doris needed a few things from her wagon. Most everything in it had been purchased for the journey. She did get the flour, sugar, and jerky she’d purchased that afternoon. And she took the small jewelry box her mother had left her and all the clothes she’d brought along.

Each thing was handed to Andrew as she found it, and finally, she climbed down from the back of the wagon. Everything else can help the other families in my company, she said softly.

Andrew nodded, helping her back onto his wagon seat, even though he’d just watched her scramble into the back of her old wagon as if it was the easiest thing to do. Now we’ll have to get the cattle, she said. I had each branded on the neck with my initials so they would be easy to tell from the others.

Andrew frowned. Why don’t I take you home so you can get settled, and I’ll borrow my daughter’s new brothers-in-law. They’ve offered to help several times as I’ve been building my house, so I’m certain they won’t mind.

That sounds like a good idea. She waited in the wagon as he returned to the church to ask for his needed help.

He came out shortly after with a young man who introduced himself as Jared Appleby. I’m going to gather whoever I can, and we’ll find the cattle while Mr. Jefferson takes you home. We’ll see you in a little while.

Andrew climbed into the wagon beside her. He and Roy are going to help and hopefully someone else. I don’t know. He did tell me to go home and expect to have extra cows in the morning.

Wonderful. That was much easier than it could have been.

Andrew nodded. I think we all still have the mentality of the trail. We do what we can for others because we know we’ll need them to return the favor in the future.

Doris nodded, smiling. That’s how my company was as well. I will miss the different women I was with in the evenings, but I will not miss that horrible journey.

One of the ladies in our company called it a ‘death march.’ The description seems as apt as anything else, Andrew said.

Did that woman make it?

Oh, yes. She’s the midwife here. Her oldest daughter married along the trail, but Mrs. Mitchell simply continued along with her family. She complained a lot though.

I wanted to complain a lot, Doris said. But I couldn’t figure out what that would help, so I stayed as positive as I could in my dealings with others on the trail.

He smiled. "I understand. I wanted to complain after my wife died. My daughter was a good little homemaker but married and moved away shortly after her mother died. No point in complaining