Mail Order Adelaine

by Marie Higgins

  And yet, the more he watched Addie with his children, and as she did womanly things around the house, his interest in her grew. She was a very lovely woman, and it was hard not to think of her as such. The lonely side of his heart yearned to have that special closeness with a woman, and especially for the kind of marriage his wonderful parents had had.

  Closing his eyes, he tried pushing that impossible thought out of his head. He’d never have a marriage like his parents, and it would be best to never think of it again. Dallas’s true love was the ranch and making it successful. Yet... Addie’s smiling face wouldn’t leave his mind, and the way his heart accelerated every time she looked at him reminded him every day what he would never have.

  Hurried footsteps on the porch brought Dallas out of his thoughts, and he looked toward the door of the sitting room to see who was coming inside. Seconds later, the two bright faces of his children appeared. They raced to see who could reach his side the fastest. Because Tobias was taller, his long legs brought him next to Dallas first.

  “Father,” he said out of breath. “I just heard—”

  “Tomorrow is our new mother’s birthday!” Susan said in a rush.

  Tobias scowled at her and bumped her with his arm. “I wanted to tell him.”

  Susan lifted her chin victoriously. “You may be faster than me, but I can talk faster than you.”

  Tobias rolled his eyes. “You’re a girl, and girls always talk too much.”

  Dallas held back a snicker. His son might only be ten, but he was wise beyond his years. “All right, you two.” They stopped their bickering. “The way I see it is that you both told me at the same time.”

  Tobias grinned and lifted his chin victoriously, looking so much like his sister.

  “Father?” Susan grasped Dallas’s arm. “I think we should throw her a party.”

  “We should surprise her,” Tobias added.

  From their suggestion, his mind grew as he imagined what her party would look like. It would be an all-day event. The children could occupy her time in the afternoon, and later in the evening, he’d have a grand dinner and invite all of his close friends from town. They’d wear their fancy clothes, and he’d get to see Addie in a lovely gown...

  He brought his thoughts to a screeching halt. Perhaps that wasn’t such a good idea, after all. Seeing her so pretty might do things to his heart that he didn’t want to happen. He wasn’t the best person to plan a party, anyway.

  “You are correct, Susan.” He squeezed her arm lightly. “I think we should throw her a party. I’ll talk to Mrs. Simone and Mrs. Turner so that they can start preparations.”

  His children cheered, but Dallas quickly held his hand up, stopping them. “Now you must remember, this is a secret. The birthday girl cannot know.”

  Both Tobias and Susan nodded vigorously. “Fine, now go back out and play with her. We don’t want her to get suspicious.”

  Giggling, his children ran out of the house. Dallas grinned broadly, realizing he hadn’t smiled like this for quite a while. His heart hadn’t been this light, either. He’d make certain that Addie had a wonderful birthday.

  ADELAINE LEFT THE CHILDREN to play in their playroom as she went to seek out Mrs. Simone. For some reason, she was the servant Adelaine had been closer to. Maybe it was because the older woman reminded her of her mother. Since Pearl rarely came to the main house, Mrs. Simone was the only woman Adelaine felt close to.

  Mrs. Simone was in the kitchen, chopping vegetables as she and the cook, Mr. Grimes, prepared tonight’s meal. When the older servant saw Adelaine, she smiled brightly.

  “Oh, Addie. What a pleasure it is to see you.”

  The older woman was free with her compliments and always cheerful. Was it any wonder Adelaine thought of her mother while around the cook’s helper? “And it’s so good to see you, too.” Adelaine walked further into the kitchen. She glanced at Mr. Grimes, but he never seemed as though he wanted to chat.

  “What can I do for you?” Mrs. Simone asked.

  “I was wondering if you could set the table for tonight’s dinner with three more plates.”

  The older woman’s gray eyebrows lifted. “Three? I didn’t know Mr. Remington was having company.”

  “We’re not, but I would like the children to sit with us at the table.”

  Mr. Grimes dropped the spoon he was holding, and it clattered on the floor. His wide eyes locked on Adelaine, and his mouth hung agape.

  Adelaine hesitated to say anymore. Obviously, she had asked the unattainable.

  “You want the children at the table?” Mrs. Simone asked slowly as if she was trying to understand the request.

  “Yes.” Adelaine moved her gaze back and forth between the two cooks. “Is that all right?”

  “Absolutely not!” Mr. Grimes’ voice lifted in irritation.

  Adelaine gasped at the man’s rudeness as Mrs. Simone bustled around and in front of the cook as if blocking him from looking at Adelaine. Panic etched in the woman’s expression.

  “Oh, Addie,” Mrs. Simone clasped hands with her. “You must get your husband’s approval first. He has never eaten his meals with his children.”

  Irritation rose inside Adelaine’s chest. The idea of not being with the children during meals was just preposterous! She’d definitely say something to her husband about this.

  Giving the older woman an assured smile, Adelaine nodded. “I shall go speak with him immediately.”

  She turned and hurried out of the kitchen, walking toward the sitting room where Dallas had been these past few days. The closer she came to the room, the more irritation grew inside her. What kind of parent wouldn’t want their family together for mealtime? How were the children supposed to learn their table manners unless seeing it from their parents? How were they expected to converse with adults and see adults talking to each other?

  As she entered the room, Pearl sat on a chair next to the couch, writing something down on a paper. When the other woman saw Adelaine, she jumped to her feet. Pearl had guilt written all over her face. For a moment, Adelaine hoped she had confessed to Dallas about the lie. She couldn’t wait to confess to Dallas that Charity wasn’t her daughter.

  “Am I interrupting something?” Adelaine asked as her gaze bounced back and forth between the other two.

  “Of course not.” Pearl’s sudden smile looked fake. “In fact, I was just leaving.” She looked at Dallas and nodded. “I’ll get this done right away.”

  He smiled, and thankfully, it looked genuine. “Thanks, Pearl.”

  As Pearl walked past Adelaine, she noticed a twinkle of mischief in the woman’s eyes. Adelaine’s hopes dropped. Now she doubted the woman had told him the truth.

  “Good afternoon,” Dallas said, patting the empty cushion next to him on the sofa. “How is your day going?”

  She walked to him, taking special care not to bump against his upraised leg that was resting on a pillow. Sitting, she noticed an odd gleam in Dallas’s eyes. Immediately, her belly fluttered nervously. It had been doing that a lot lately.

  “I would like to talk to you,” she began, praying that she could express her feelings about the subject without getting too emotional, “about something important to me.”

  He nodded. “Of course. You can talk to me about anything.”

  She hoped his words held sincerity. She swallowed, moistening her suddenly dry throat. “I would like your permission to have the children join us for our meals from now on.”

  Dallas blinked a few times with a blank expression on his face. She held her breath, waiting for him to start an argument. She’d be prepared.

  After a few awkward moments, he sighed, and his shoulders relaxed. “I’m assuming,” he said slowly, “that Mrs. Simone and Grimes have warned you about that subject. Correct?”

  She nodded, holding onto her determination. “Yes, they have. Mr. Grimes was very adamant, in fact, which is why I’ve come to you.”

  “Why do you feel this strongly?”

/>   Her heart twisted, and she reached over and gently grasped his hand. “The question should be, why don’t you want them?” She shook her head. “Dallas, you are a good father, and I know you love Tobias and Susan with every breath you take. You’re a great example to your children, so why don’t you want to spend more time with them and talk to them more? Eating together as a family will bond you closer.” She hesitated as a memory rushed through her mind. “Although there was just my mother, my sister, and I who lived together, my mother used to always say – A family who eats together, stays together.” She shrugged. “You and the children are the only family I have now, and I’d love more than anything to bond with all of you so that we could stay together. Always.”

  As she studied Dallas’s face, she realized the gleam in his eyes had softened as he watched her. The beat of her heart shifted to something she’d never experienced before. A lump formed in her throat, and she became flushed. She’d never seen his eyes this dreamy before, either.

  He took her hand in his. “I suppose there is no real reason why I don’t have them at the table. After Tobias was born, my wife spent a lot of time with him in the nursery. I was still getting to know her since we were still practically strangers. After our meals, she always left to feed the baby in the nursery. Soon, that was just the way we did things. However,” he stroked Addie’s fingers, “I like the idea of having everyone at the table. I enjoy spending time with my children, and this is a good way to do that.”

  The arguing words that had been on her tongue stumbled off and fell away from her mind. He agrees with me? Her heart filled with tenderness for this man, and she couldn’t stop staring at his handsome face and feeling like the luckiest woman alive at this moment.

  “The children...” Her voice cracked, so she cleared her throat and started over. “The children are going to love it. I can’t wait to tell them.”

  “Why don’t you bring them in here and we can tell them together?”

  Once again, she was briefly at a loss for words. Who was this man, and where did the ornery, opinionated man that she had married, disappeared to?

  “Um... yes,” she finally answered. “That would be good to tell them together.”

  She really should get off the sofa and gather the children. She really should stop staring into his beautiful eyes and fantasizing about a life she’d never have. But mostly, she should stop wondering if he wanted to kiss her. And yet, the longer she hesitated, the more his gaze began to melt her. His attention left her eyes briefly to drop to her mouth. Her throat turned completely dry. He was thinking of kissing her!

  The frantic rhythm of her heartbeat nearly had her leaning toward him to see what would happen, but she fought the instinct. No, she couldn’t do this.

  “I’ll... go get them now,” she said breathlessly as if she’d been running for a while.

  As she hurried out of the room, she felt his gaze on her, which made her hurry faster. This was insane! Why was she feeling this way? For whatever reason it was, she needed to stop it. He didn’t want her that way, and she needed to accept it.

  EIGHT

  “Surprise!”

  Dallas watched as his wife’s pretty eyes widened in shock, and he grinned. The children had worked with Pearl to create a small party for Adelaine just inside the playroom. This was only one of the surprises he’d give his wife today. The other, he’d do in private.

  Laughing, Adelaine gathered all three children in her arms for a group hug. He sat on one of the cushioned chairs, not wanting to put too much weight on his leg since it was feeling much better today... and, because he knew that he’d be on it later this evening.

  “What have you done?” Adelaine asked in a happy tone as she looked at the decorations in the room which the children had made for her. “This is just amazing. I never expected...” Her gaze moved to Dallas, and she arched an eyebrow. “How did you know it was my birthday today?”

  He laughed and motioned to the children. “Two little angels told me.”

  “Mother?” Susan tugged on Adelaine’s dress, getting her attention. “Will you open up my present first?”

  “Why, of course.”

  The children pulled Adelaine to a chair before gathering around her with their presents. She took Susan’s gift wrapped in pretty paper and bows, and slowly opened it as if she was afraid to rip the paper.

  Dallas chuckled to himself. The woman had been raised by her mother only, and he assumed their family was poor. He should remember her upbringing was different from his, and yet, that only made him want to spoil her more and give her all of the things she’d missed out on as a girl.

  “Oh, look at this.” Adelaine gasped when the gift became visible. “Susan, did you make this yourself?”

  Susan’s curly head of light-brown curls bounced with her quick nodding. “It’s a fan.” She picked up the object made with sticks and a woman’s white handkerchief etched with white lace. “See, you can fan your face with it.” She demonstrated it on her face and then turned it toward Adelaine’s face, fanning her.

  Laughing, Adelaine gave Susan a big hug. “I love it. It’s the most beautiful fan in the world. I’ll cherish it forever.”

  Susan withdrew and pointed at Charity. “She helped me make it, too.”

  Adelaine pulled the two-year-old into her arms and kissed her cheek. “Thank you, too, Charity.”

  The little girl grinned. “’Appy berf-day, Addie.”

  Dallas’s mind came to a halt, and confusion filled him. Why had the girl called her mother by her given name?

  “Mother?” Susan asked, cocking her head. “Why does she call you Addie? She does it quite often.”

  Adelaine’s cheeks brightened with color, and she released an uncomfortable laugh. “Well, I suppose it’s because everyone else at the ranch calls me Addie.”

  Something wasn’t right. Dallas could tell by her sudden mood switch. She’d become too stiff and awkward and wouldn’t even look at him.

  “My turn,” Tobias said cheerfully, breaking the awkwardness in the room as he handed her another present. “Clark helped me make this for you.”

  She took the wrapped, square object, weighing it in her hands and appearing to be trying to guess what it was. “Is it a horse?”

  The children laughed. Even Dallas chuckled. Her expression had gone back to the one he liked to watch. Her blue eyes twinkled, and he found himself sighing happily.

  “Open it,” Tobias urged.”

  Just as she did with Susan’s gift, Adelaine took her time in carefully unwrapping the gift until a box made from cedar with a clasped lid sat in her hands. Her eyes widened, and her mouth hung open.

  “It’s a jewelry box.” Tobias pointed to a spot on the lid. “See, Clark engraved your name, and,” Tobias unlatched the lid and opened it up, “you put your jewelry in here.”

  Dallas enjoyed the way her surprised gaze moved over every inch of the cedar box before resting on the lid. She looked closer and released another gasp.

  “All of your names have been carved inside the lid.” She gingerly ran the tip of her finger over the letters.

  “I know. Isn’t Clark wonderful?”

  When her gaze lifted to the children, she looked at each one with tears in her eyes. “Oh, I think Clark is great, but I think all of you are wonderful, as well. Thank you for these presents. This...” her voice choked, “has been the best birthday I’ve ever had.”

  When the realization of just how poor she’d been slammed into Dallas’s chest, a knot of emotion caught in his throat, and his heart twisted. Neither he nor his children had known such a life. She’d been given mere trinkets from his children, and yet, she looked at them as if they were the most precious gifts on earth.

  Immediately, he realized how different she was from his first wife. Sarah had come from a well-to-do family, which was why their marriage had been arranged. Their parents wanted to keep the money in the family. Because Sarah had been raised that way, she’d been spoiled. It took
Dallas a while after their marriage to adjust to her expensive tastes. She always had to own the prettiest gowns so that when she went into town, people would know she was married to Dallas Remington – a successful cattle rancher. And she made sure her children looked equally as wealthy.

  Adelaine was nothing like Sarah, and she never would be. Already, he was happy to realize this difference. He could see that Adelaine’s heart was kinder and more giving. A few times during his first marriage, he’d broken a bone or had been laid up sick. Sarah hadn’t lifted a finger to help him, not like Adelaine had done, which was why he mentioned it when they were at the old foreman’s shack the other day.

  He could get used to this attention from his wife. In fact... maybe this marriage might actually turn out to be like his parents.

  Dallas shoved the idea aside. Before he could start hoping, he needed to be open and honest with Adelaine. He’d do that tonight when they were alone.

  “Oh, wait, Mother.” Tobias glanced at Dallas and nodded. “Father has a gift, too.”

  Adelaine’s gaze landed on Dallas, and her cheeks grew pink again, but this time was different from before. She appeared almost shy now.

  “Yes, I do.” He bent, picked up the large present on the floor in front of him, and held it up. “Happy Birthday, Addie.”

  “Oh, Dallas. You shouldn’t have.” She moved toward him, but her gaze wouldn’t quite meet his eyes.

  “It’s not as grand as the gifts the children made you, but hopefully, you’ll be able to use my gift. In fact, I’d like you to use it tonight.”

  She pulled a chair closer to Dallas and sat. As she opened her gift, her hands trembled. Why was she so jumpy around him lately? He’d have to ask her about that tonight. He hoped she wasn’t afraid of him.

  Once she removed the wrapping paper and noticed the gown, she stared at it in awe. Tears glistened in her eyes again. Slowly, she lifted the garment to look at it fully.