by Ana Leigh
“Not as long as those Forsyth twins were around,” Garth said.
Colt still harbored doubt. “I don’t know…. He never showed any interest in girls. He was quiet and always had his nose in a book.”
Clay smiled. “Yeah, but remember how Mom always warned Lissy to look out for the quiet ones?”
That brought a sentimental smile to Garth. “He was the quiet one of us, all right, except when he was all fired up about becoming a minister after the war.”
“So you figured it out.”
They turned around to discover that Jed had joined them.
“You’re saying Garrett is Andy’s son?” Clay said.
Jed nodded.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Garth said softly. “I’m happy for him. “I’m glad he at least had that before he died.”
“He would have made a damn good father if given the chance,” Colt said.
“Or a great preacher,” Clay added. “But he didn’t get the chance to prove it.”
“Hey, we’re getting too morbid here,” Jed warned. “A wedding is supposed to be a happy occasion. What about it, fellas?”
“You’re right.” Clay filled their glasses. “Wait until you taste this wine. I’ve named it Becky.”
Jed winked at the others. “Rather an unusual name for a wine, isn’t it, Clay?”
“Jed, you have no idea how many of these Beckys we’ve had to taste since Clay became a vintner,” Colt said. “What is this one now? Becky five or number six? Although I do have to say, this one’s pretty good.” He extended his glass for a refill.
“Yes, I think I have finally created perfection. Lusciously sweet, with just the hint of spice to give it elegance.” Clay rolled his eyes and with a villainous twirl of the end of an imaginary mustache, he added, “And intended for my stock only. ”
Jed groaned. “Has he been this way for long?” he asked Colt. “What does Becky think?”
“She thinks he’s been out in the sun picking grapes for too long.”
They laughed, and Jed said, “I was hoping Rico could make it to the wedding.”
“We wired him as soon as we got your telegram,” Clay said. “He wired back and said it’s pretty short notice, but he’s hoping to get here in time.”
“We can always hold off the ceremony for another day. I’m sure Caroline wouldn’t object.”
“Has she ever married, Jed?” Clay asked.
“No, she’s remained with her parents from the time she left Virginia. Captain Collins retired when his wife died a couple of years ago, and Caroline had no idea our family lived so close. She assumed we all had remained in Virginia.”
“I’m glad she didn’t marry,” Garth suddenly spoke up.
Clay nodded. “I understand what you mean. Had she married, we might never have known our nephew. Now, because of Brother Jed here, Garrett will be raised a Fraser, and we’ll always have a part of Andy among us.”
“Providence,” Jed said with a nod. “Caroline believes very heavily in Providence. Have you seen The Buffer?”
“Isn’t that the mongrel hound you brought with you?” Garth asked.
“Yes. Did he growl at you?”
“Dogs never growl at me,” Garth replied.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Jed grumbled.
“They love me on sight,” Garth continued. “Same as horses do.”
“That damn dog is my nemesis, but Caroline thinks there’s something providential about him.”
“Enough talk about dogs and horses. I was about to make a toast.” Clay raised his glass. “Here’s to Providence.”
“To Providence,” they echoed in accord.
The women sat around the kitchen table, drinking lemonade and eating cookies.
“Was it a long engagement, Caroline?” Rory asked. “When did Jed propose to you?”
“Three days ago,” Caroline said.
“And how long has he been courting you?” Cassie asked. “With Jed at sea most of the time, it must have been for years.”
“Well, I can’t say you’d really call it courting,” Caroline said, trying to stall. “You see, I was only fifteen when we left Virginia.”
“You mean you’ve been sweethearts since you were fifteen?”
“Good heavens, no!”
“I didn’t think so,” Lissy said. “Jed was calling on Mary Belle Cameron then. Oh, how I disliked that girl! I was relieved that he went to sea before she could get her claws into him.”
“I bet it started when he left here last year after his visit,” Rory reflected. “Otherwise I’m sure he would have told our husbands. Am I right, Caroline?”
“No, it wasn’t last year,” Caroline said.
“These Fraser men don’t walk easily to the preachers,” Becky said. “I had to get Clay so drunk he didn’t know what he was doing. And it took him four months before he finally admitted he loved me.”
“If you think you had a hard time with Clay, you should have seen what I went through with Colt!” Cassie said. “I had to actually hold up a stagecoach and force him at gunpoint to get off of it when he was leaving me.”
Rory started to laugh. “I had to steal Garth’s map to a gold mine, or I might never have seen him again. And then it wasn’t until we were on the verge of being killed by bandits that he admitted he loved me.”
Lissy laughed. “Well, you all did pretty well for yourselves, if you ask me. Truth is, if it weren’t for me eloping with Steve, you wouldn’t be married to them now. Because that caused Clay and Garth to follow me to take me back home, and they ended up on the same wagon train as you, Becky. Then if Colt hadn’t decided to follow them to California, he wouldn’t have ended up in that town in New Mexico where he met you, Cassie. And if Garth hadn’t decided to go off hunting for his Uncle Henry’s gold mine while he was here in California, Rory, you would never have been able to steal the map from him.”
“You’re right, honey,” Rory teased. “And look what it got me?” She rubbed her swollen stomach. “The pot at the end of the rainbow.”
Caroline couldn’t help laughing with them, for despite their complaints, it was obvious these women worshipped the men they married.
Becky wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes. “So we all agree it wasn’t easy getting that ‘will you marry me’ out of the darlings. So how long did he court you, Caroline, before you got it out of Jed—the mysterious and elusive brother who was always off visiting glamorous and exotic ports?”
“Well…ah…” Caroline hesitated to tell them the truth without them knowing the circumstances of the marriage. There was certainly no love or romance to Jed’s proposal, but she couldn’t lie to them since they were bound to find out the truth later.
“Go on, Caroline, how long?” Becky asked. “One year? Two years?”
“I guess you could say about three days.”
“You’ve told us that Jed proposed to you three days ago,” Lissy said. “But how long did he court you before he finally proposed marriage?”
Caroline cleared her throat and lowered her eyes. “I suppose you could say for six days.”
When she finally got the courage to raise her eyes, they were all looking at her in disbelief, apparently waiting for her to continue.
“Things happened very swiftly between us.”
“That’s an understatement,” Becky murmured.
“We were in San Francisco having breakfast when Jed walked into the dining room. As you probably know, he had served on my father’s ship during the war, but they hadn’t seen each other since it ended. He joined us for breakfast, and later my father invited him home to see the mill.”
“Mill?” Becky asked.
“Our home and sawmill is near Napa. In the days that followed, one thing led to another, and he asked me to marry him.”
“Oh, my God!” Rory exclaimed, clutching at her heart. “Six days! It’s a miracle. I swear I’m going to have my baby right here.”
“Are you serious?” Caroline cried, alarmed.
> Rory giggled. “No, I’m just surprised. It’s so romantic, Caroline. You’ve accomplished the impossible—only six days to get a proposal from a Fraser.”
Lissy stood up. “What my darling sister-in-law is trying to say is that they’re all green with envy.” She leaned down, kissed her on the cheek, and hugged her. “I’m so happy for both of you, Caroline. Jed is a wonderful person; I know he’ll be as great a husband and father as my other brothers turned out to be. I have to leave now to feed the children, so I’d appreciate if you women would delay any more discussion on the wedding until I get back. I don’t want to miss anything.”
“Oh, right,” Becky said good-naturedly. “We’ll scrub floors or wash diapers until you get back.”
Laughing, Lissy disappeared through the door.
Cassie got up to leave. “My children will be waking soon. I’d better get back, too.”
Rory joined her. “Yes, me, too. We’ll see you later.”
“I’ll show you to your rooms, Caroline,” Becky said.
“I hope we’re not inconveniencing you.”
“Not at all. We moved Jake’s bed into the twins’ room, so the two rooms at the end of the hall are for you. I emptied one of the drawers for you to use; will that be enough?”
“Oh, yes. I didn’t bring much clothing because I have no idea how long Jed intends to stay.”
Becky sat down on the edge of the bed. “Jed and your father can decide which one of them will take the other room here, and there’s room at Paddy O’Grady’s. Jethro’s staying there, too—no crying babies. Cassie and Colt are staying with Lissy and Steve. It must be nice for you gals to still have fathers.”
“Yes. I guess we just take them for granted.”
“I adore Paddy,” Becky said. “I’ve adopted him as a father.”
Caroline smiled. “And I bet you and Rory spoil him.”
“I can’t help it; he’s so lovable. Both my parents died when I was thirteen. My brother wasn’t much older than me, but if it weren’t for him, we’d both have ended up in an orphanage.”
“Do you have any other brothers and sisters?”
“No, what about you?” Becky asked.
“I was an only child. Spoiled rotten, as Jed will be the first to agree.”
Becky broke into a smile. “Are you saying you and Jed have had a lovers’ quarrel after only six days of courting?”
“I have to admit, it wasn’t only his fault. I’m just as much to blame.”
“Honey, don’t worry about it. Clay and I argued for four solid months, from Missouri to California. Would you believe we never exchange a cross word now?”
The cry of a baby sounded from another room, and Becky jumped to her feet. “Uh-oh, duty calls. It’s feeding time for the twins. Come along and meet the little darlings.”
When Becky handed her one of the infants, Caroline cooed, “Oh, how precious. How old is he?”
“Eight months.”
“And which one is this?”
“That’s Clint. He and Cody are identical twins. And this handsome guy is Jake, our three-year-old.” Becky snuggled and kissed the little tot who had just climbed up on her lap.
“Your children are beautiful, Becky. I miss having a little one to snuggle. It seems like Garrett grew up so fast. The last eight years have passed so swiftly.”
“Hang in there, honey, it won’t be for long. If Jed is anything like his brothers, you’ll probably be pregnant by the time he goes back to sea.”
Caroline blushed. “I hope not, because he’ll be gone in another three weeks. But speaking of children, I’d better see what Garrett’s up to.”
She hurried away. She didn’t want to discuss the conditions of her marriage with these women; it was too easy to tell where their loyalties lay.
Outside, she heard the sound of talk and laughter coming from the barn, and she started over to it until she saw Garrett sitting under a nearby tree with Buffer and another large dog. She went over and sat down beside him.
“Where’d you meet this big fellow?” she asked, scratching the dog between the ears.
“My aunt who’s gonna have a baby.”
“That would be your Aunt Rory, honey.”
“Aunt Rory told me the dog’s name is Saddle. He’s my Uncle Garth’s dog.”
“He seems like a nice dog.”
“Mama, do dogs talk to each other?”
Caroline laughed lightly. “Wherever did you get such an idea, honey?”
“They bark, and maybe that’s their talk. Just because we don’t know what they’re saying doesn’t mean another dog doesn’t. And I think Buffer and Saddle like each other, ’cause they didn’t growl, they just barked and sniffed at each other a couple times, and then Saddle sat down beside us.”
“Then I’d say they probably do like each other.”
“Bet that barking was dog talk,” Garrett declared. “Maybe Buffer invited him to sit with us.”
“Maybe he did, honey.”
Garrett’s face screwed up in intense concentration. “You know, Mama, a dog’s ’bout the best friend a kid could have, ’cepting his mom.”
“Dads make good friends, too. Your granddad is my best friend.”
“Can uncles and aunts be a best friend?”
“Many often are,” she said.
“Well, I sure have a lot of aunts and uncles. So how can all of them be my best friend?”
“You’re right, honey; you can only have one best friend.”
“But what about the others who aren’t?”
“They’ll still be people you love.”
“Will they still love me?”
“I think they already do, sweetheart.” She leaned back against the tree and closed her eyes.
CHAPTER
14
Jed left the barn to go and unpack his seabag. His brothers had asked him to delay the wedding until their cousin Rico arrived and he knew Caroline wouldn’t have a problem with that; she certainly wasn’t looking forward to the event. But he wanted to inform her of it so it wouldn’t come as a surprise to her.
As he walked to Clay’s house, he saw Caroline and Garrett asleep under a tree. Buffer and Saddle were stretched out beside them like sentinels.
Jed sat down under an opposite tree in the clearing and stared at them. As if relieved of duty, the two dogs rose and padded away.
Had he read more into their departure than intended? Were the two dogs actually aware that the woman and child would now be his responsibility to protect for the rest of his life?
You’re losing your mind, Fraser, when you start wondering what a dog is thinking.
His gaze fixed on Caroline’s face, and he marveled again how peaceful she looked when she slept. No bitterness, no scornful glares to mar its loveliness.
He’d known from the morning after she’d told him about Andy that he wouldn’t force her to marry him. That had been a hasty and ludicrous decision on his part. But she had stunned him by agreeing to marry him, and that astounding challenge to convince him to seduce her.
His gaze rested on her face again. She was delightful to be around when she wasn’t angry at him, and he enjoyed her company to no end. Especially the way she constantly challenged him. No woman ever did that with him, and he found it a refreshing change.
It was a shame that due to the bad beginning between them, she’d probably never forgive him—and he couldn’t forgive her for what she’d done to his family.
Funny that not one of his brothers had appeared disturbed by her action—or lack of action. Were they so elated to hear that Andy had fathered a child that they didn’t realize that they might have never seen or known that child? That’s what would have happened if the issue had been left to her.
He stood up. Yes, you’re beautiful and appealing, Caroline Collins, but beauty is only skin deep. Integrity is the real beauty in a woman…or man.
Later, Clay took them on a tour of the building where they made the wine. He led them over to a larg
e vat in the corner. “This is the press where we squeeze the grape juice.”
“I thought the women stomped the grapes with their bare feet.”
“We’ve let them do it a couple of times, because they enjoy it. It’s hysterical—but slippery, and if they’re pregnant we certainly don’t want them to fall. That’s why we generally use a press. The wine fermenting in those barrels that run along that whole wall over there is a claret we make from California grapes, which is our predominant crop. Jed, remember those grape cuttings you brought me from France two years ago? We harvested a small crop of them, and I’ve been experimenting with a white, drier wine than the claret.”
“What actually causes the wine to ferment?” Caroline asked.
“The natural yeast in the skins of the grapes. The oak barrel adds to the flavor of the wine during the fermentation.”
“Who makes the barrels for you?” Caroline asked.
“Believe it or not, Garth. He’s great at it and seems to really enjoy it.”
“We bottle it and store it in here, in the wine cave.” Clay opened a door to reveal racks of sealed bottles. He lit a lantern, and they stepped inside.
“This actually is a cave!” Caroline exclaimed as she glanced around.
“Yes, it is,” he said. “We keep the wine in here because the temperature is cool and stays constant. We framed the entrance, put a door on it, and voilà! ”
“Remarkable,” Nathan said.
“I discovered it when we first came here, and that’s why I decided to build my house nearby.”
“Well, this has been a fascinating tour, Clay,” Nathan said. “I’m impressed with your vision and skill. I’m sure you didn’t accomplish all this overnight.”
“Clay always was the one among us who had vision, sir,” Jed said. “Garth fixated on finding Uncle Henry’s gold mine. Colt’s dreams were to become a lawman, Andy a preacher. Will’s love was Fraser Keep, and mine was the sea.”
“Thankfully, I’ve had a lot of help from my family—physically and financially—and it’s finally beginning to pay off. I’ve got a hunch that one day California wine is going to be as popular as the French and other European labels. And Fraser Keep wines will be right up there with them.”