Charming the Caregiver

by Marianne Spitzer

  Logan stood and held out the empty chair at the table as an invitation for Ewa to sit.

  She smiled at Logan and then spoke to Kat. “I sent my sister a telegram after we spoke yesterday, and she replied today. She’s excited about my returning to St. Louis and told me to come immediately. I’m taking the morning train east.”

  Logan chose his words carefully. “I think you’ll be happy in St. Louis. I know you left to live a more exciting life, but with a child, you'll need a secure place. From what you’ve told me about your sister, she has a good heart, and she loves you. I wish you well.”

  Ewa stood and said, “I will miss you, Logan, but I do wish you all the happiness in the world.”

  Susanna blurted, “We’re getting married!”

  Ewa smiled and said, “I thought you might. Congratulations. Have a good life.” She turned and left the dining room.

  “I think she’ll be all right. She does have a good head on her shoulders. She was just overwhelmed and frightened.”

  “I agree. Now, how about we finish our dessert and then we can go to speak to Pastor Theodore.”

  “Now?” Kat asked.

  Logan shrugged. “Why not? Didn’t he tell us we could stop by any time to speak to him?”

  “Yes, but don’t you want to make any plans?”

  Logan shook his head. “No, do you?”

  Kat bit her lip. “Not really. I had a large wedding when I married Susanna’s father, so a simple church ceremony would be perfect.”

  “Can I come, too?” Susanna asked.

  “Yes, dear,” Kat answered.

  “Can I be at the wedding?”

  “Of course,” Logan said. “I can’t marry your mama unless you’re there, too.”

  “Will you marry me, too?" Susanna asked before taking a big bite of her last sugar cookie.

  Logan laughed. “No, sweetheart. I’ll marry your mama. If I married you, I’d be your husband, and then I couldn’t be your papa.”

  Susanna scowled. “You have to be my papa. I think you should marry mama and not me.”

  “I would be honored to be your papa. Now, if my ladies are ready, let’s go speak to Pastor Theodore and make some plans. Sunday after services sounds good to me.”

  Kat offered, “A week from Sunday would be better. I do need a little bit of time to prepare, and I know your brother, Meg, Delia, and Wes will want to be involved.”

  “All right. One week. I can wait that long…I think.” Logan smiled before escorting Kat and Susanna out of the dining room.

  Miss Josephine smiled from her favorite small table in the corner and sipped her tea.

  Chapter 17

  Ten days later, the Sunday morning sun shone brightly across the mining town of Creede. Wispy, white clouds dotted the blue skies, and birds chirped in the trees.

  Kat stood in the kitchen, watching Susanna lift a spoonful of oatmeal and letting it plop back into the bowl.

  “Please, stop playing with your food and eat. We have to leave for church soon,” Kat admonished Susanna.

  “I’m too happy to eat,” Susanna said.

  “I think the word you want to say is ‘excited.’” Kat told her.

  Susanna bobbed her head. “Yes, I’m excited. We’re getting married today!”

  Kat laughed. “I’ve told you several times you’re not marrying Logan; I am.”

  Susanna frowned at her mother and replied, “I know that, but you’re getting married to get a husband, and I’m getting married to get a papa.”

  Kat gave up trying to reason with the four-year-old and told her to finish her breakfast. She eventually allowed Susanna to skip the rest of her oatmeal, and she washed the dishes. After helping Susanna into her favorite red dress, Kat took her hand and said, “Delia will be here soon to pick us up. Are you ready to get a new papa?”

  “Yes, Mama. I love Sir Logan, and I want him to be my papa.”

  “I’m sure he will be a good papa,” Kat assured her daughter.

  Susanna reached up and touched the sleeve of Kat’s white lace blouse. “You look pretty, Mama.”

  “And so do you. I see Delia’s carriage. Ready to go?”

  Susanna nodded, and they hurried outside.

  Kat saw the smiling faces of her new friends, Delia and Meg. No men were allowed on the ride to church that morning. Both ladies were dressed in pretty dresses but not anything fancy—Kat didn’t want an elaborate wedding. She'd already had one when she'd married Susanna’s father, and she wanted this one to be a simple affair. It was the love of two people and not fancy dresses that were important to her.

  “Good morning,” Meg greeted Kat and Susanna. “Are you ready for your wedding?”

  “As ready as I can be,” Kat answered, lifting Susanna into the carriage. “Thank you for picking us up.”

  Delia laughed. “We can’t have the bride walking to church. Besides, Logan might see you if you walked, and he can’t see you until you walk down the aisle.”

  “How do we accomplish that? It isn’t a large church.”

  Meg giggled. “I insisted that Leer wake early and make sure Logan is in church and sitting in the front pew before the rest of the congregants arrive. He grumbled that it was Sunday, and he didn’t have to work and should be able to sleep a bit longer, but I got him out of bed. I also made him promise not to allow Logan to turn around.”

  “I’m sorry if my wedding is causing problems with Leer,” Kat told Meg.

  Meg shook her head. “Not at all. He’s Logan’s best man. It’s his responsibility to get Logan to church early.”

  Delia added, “We’re going to sit in the last pew until after services when Pastor Theodore announces that we’re having a wedding. Oh! There’s a small box in the back of the carriage. I made you a satin bouquet, some satin flowers for your hair, a bouquet for Meg and Susanna, and a small crown of flowers for our little princess.”

  “That’s me, Mama,” Susanna said.

  “I know, dear, but Delia, you didn’t need to do all of that work, especially since Meg is standing with me this morning,” Kat said.

  Delia laughed. “I love making satin flowers, and I could have been standing with you this morning. It was just luck that Meg won our coin toss.”

  “I wonder how many other women choose who stands with them by tossing a coin?” Meg asked.

  “A lot of them if they have two friends as wonderful as the two of you,” Kat said, doing her best not to cry.

  “We’re here, ladies,” Delia said. “We’re sitting in the last pew. Wes said he’d make sure there was room for us, and then he’ll sit with Leer and Logan.”

  Meg led the way, followed by Kat, holding Susanna’s hand. Delia picked up the rear, carrying the box of silk flowers. They slipped quietly into the last pew without arousing anyone's attention.

  Kat did her best to listen to Pastor Theodore’s sermon on love, forgiveness, and sharing. She knew he'd written the sermon for her and Logan as a path to take for a happy marriage, but her stomach rumbled, and her hands shook slightly. She admonished herself for acting like a schoolgirl, but she couldn’t help it. Soon, she would stand in front of the entire church and say her wedding vows.

  All too soon, Kat heard Pastor Theodore give the closing prayer, and she was quickly led into the small room near the back of the church to get ready for the wedding. Kat heard the pastor explain how they were about to have a wedding as Delia pinned flowers in her hair.

  Delia hugged Kat and said, “I’m going to sit in the front pew with Wes. As soon as you hear the music, Meg will walk down the aisle, and then you and Susanna will follow after a few moments.”

  Kat nodded her head, too nervous to speak.

  The music began, and Meg whispered, “Here we go,” as she walked out the room and down the aisle. Kat smiled at Susanna and asked, “Ready?”

  “Yes, Mama. Let’s go.”

  Kat took Susanna’s hand, and they began the slow walk down the aisle. Susanna pulled on Kat’s hand to walk faster
, and Kat pulled back to keep Susanna from running or skipping down the aisle. Kat saw Logan standing at the front of the church, and her nerves left her. All she could feel was love for the man who had charmed his way into her life when she'd sworn she’d never get close to another man.

  Kat stopped at the front of the church, and Logan held out his hand. Kat took it while Susanna rushed to Logan’s other side and grabbed his free hand. Logan smiled at the little girl who’d stolen his heart and back at her mother who now owned his heart.

  Kat heard Pastor Theodore’s words and answered in the correct places, but the wedding was over quickly. Kat realized she was married when Logan kissed her lightly but lovingly. He whispered to her, “Susanna is pulling on the edge of my suit coat. I think she wants to be involved.”

  Kat smiled as Logan lifted Susanna and kissed her on the cheek.

  “Are you my papa now?”

  “Yes, my little princess, I’m your papa now and forever.”

  Pastor Theodore introduced the new couple. “I would like to introduce Mister and Missus Logan O’Leary and Susanna. Wes and Delia Satterfield want me to tell everyone there will be a light lunch and wedding cake served in the dining room of the Hearth and Home, and you’re all invited.”

  Susanna clapped her hands. “I want wedding cake. Maybe they’ll have fried chicken.”

  Logan couldn’t help but smile at his new daughter’s love of fried chicken and said, “If they don’t, you still need to eat lunch, but to make up for it, I’ll let you have two pieces of cake.”

  “Two pieces of cake. I think I want cake and not fried chicken,” Susanna stated.

  Kat raised her eyebrows at her new husband, and he laughed, “It’s a special day. You can have two pieces of cake, too, if you’d like.”

  “All right,” Kat agreed. “Two pieces of cake for both of us.”

  Susanna squealed with delight and held Logan’s hand as he offered Kat his arm, and they proceeded down the aisle to greet the congregants and accept well wishes and congratulations.

  As they walked to the Hearth and Home, Kat pulled a yellow slip from her pocket. “I didn’t get a chance to see you yesterday, and today, Delia and Meg forbade me to talk to you, but I received this telegram from Ewa. She’s happy, and her sister is spoiling her. Her brother-in-law helped her find a small house just down the street from them.”

  “That’s good news,” Logan replied. “I’m happy to know that Boris’ money finally did some good for someone.”

  Kat was surprised by the number of people who came up to her to give their best wishes and thank her for coming to town to work as a nurse. A few she had seen at the hospital and around town, but many were total strangers. By the time Logan had pulled her into his arms for a dance to the song he was humming, she was nearly hoarse from talking.

  Their dance was interrupted by Doctor Ash when he excitedly told them that the new nurse would finally arrive in town within a week.

  Kat sighed. “That will give me more time to be home and less time at work. Angel and I have been working quite a bit.”

  Logan winked. “And it’ll give us plenty of time together alone.”

  “We'll always have Susanna, and I have only one bedroom in my cabin,” Kat said.

  Logan smiled. “I know, but there's a nice lot for sale at the end of Mountain Avenue, and if you like it, I’ll buy it, and the construction crew and I will build us a house. How many bedrooms do you think we’ll need? Four? Five?”

  “Four or five? Are you serious?”

  “Of course. One for us, one for Susanna, one for guests, and one or two more for all of our children.”

  Kat just stared at him, and Logan smiled again. “We are having children, aren’t we?”

  “God willing,” Kat answered.

  Epilogue

  Susanna ran across the dining room and threw her arms around Miss Josephine’s legs. No one else seemed to notice, and she walked over to see what had made Susanna rush up to the woman.

  “Hello, Miss Josephine," Kat said. "I saw you at the back of the church. I’m happy you’re here to help us celebrate.”

  Susanna turned toward Kat with tears streaming down her cheeks. “Miss Josephine is going away.”

  Kat scrunched her eyebrows and asked, “Where are you going? You can come back, can’t you?”

  “I don’t think so. I was sent here to help, and I’ve done that. There are others in need of my help,” Miss Josephine explained.

  “But you can go anywhere you wish,” Kat said. “You’re an angel.”

  Miss Josephine's eyes flew open wide.

  “You really are an angel," Kat said. "I knew it. You just glowed. I saw you glow for a moment earlier when I mentioned you were an angel, but I know now that you're my guardian angel.”

  Miss Josephine’s hands fluttered in front of her, “You mustn’t say such things. People wouldn’t understand. You’re happy now, Susanna is happy, and I did what I came to do.”

  “You have been watching over me since I met you in the park in Milwaukee. You left the paper with the article about Creede for me to find. I don’t think I would’ve come here if not for you.”

  Miss Josephine smiled. “I’m pleased that you’re happy. I must be going. Remember—God hears your prayers and answers them. Never doubt the power of prayer and keep praying.”

  Kat hugged Miss Josephine. She expected her to feel like a puff of air, but she was solid. An enormous peace engulfed her.

  Miss Josephine hugged Kat back and whispered, “It wouldn’t be wise if I allowed people to pass through me. We come in many ways.”

  Miss Josephine bent over, kissed Susanna on the forehead, spun on her heels, and left the dining room. Kat followed to watch her leave the Hearth and Home, stroll down the street, and enter a business.

  “What are you looking at?” Logan asked.

  “Didn’t you see her?”

  “See who?”

  “Miss Josephine. She was just here in her bright pink gown, and she walked across the dining room before she left. You couldn’t have missed her,” Kat explained.

  Logan shook his head. “I didn’t see anyone.”

  Susanna said, “Miss Josephine is an angel.”

  Logan looked at Kat and shrugged, “An invisible friend that’s an angel sounds plausible.”

  “She wasn’t invisible to us, and she was an angel—my guardian angel.”

  Logan slipped his arm around Kat's waist and kissed her lightly. “Whoever she was, she helped bring us together, and I’ll always be grateful.”

  The End

  Thank you for reading my story. I hope you enjoy the Cowboys and Angels series as much as the other authors and I do writing them. If you have a free moment, please leave a review. It helps authors more than you know. Thanks, and God bless.

  You can find me at http://mariannespitzer.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mariannespitzerauthor/ All my sweet Western romances, the Mail-order Brides of Gentle Falls, can be found on my Amazon author page and all are available through Kindle Unlimited.

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