The Clerk's Bride: A Golden Valley Story (The Brides of Birch Creek Book 2)

by Laura D. Bastian

  “All right,” Annabelle said. “Thank you.”

  “The privy is out that door down a rock path.” Colten continued showing her through the house. It was smaller than the boarding house she’d rented a room at in New York, but it was much larger than where Susan and Michael were staying. It didn’t take long to give her the tour and explain things about the house before they found themselves standing at the foot of the staircase that would lead to the rooms upstairs.

  “Shall we go to bed?” Colten asked.

  “Before we go upstairs,” Annabelle began, then hesitated a moment. She took a slow breath and continued. “I wondered if we might have a moment to…” She bit her bottom lip and looked at his lips, then down at his chest, embarrassed at her wants and the inability to express it.

  “Would you allow me to kiss you?” Colten asked after a moment.

  Her gaze jumped back to his and she nodded quickly. “That’s what I wanted to ask.”

  Colten’s lips rose in a smile as if he had known exactly what she wanted. She stepped closer just as he did and looked up as he placed his hands gently on her cheeks near her chin. He brushed one thumb against the corner of her lip and her mouth parted in anticipation.

  Colten’s dark head bowed down and his lips brushed against hers, softly at first then with just a little more pressure. She reached her hands up and placed them on his wrists as if wanting to pull him closer, but then slid her arms to his shoulders then around his neck.

  Before she lost herself too deeply into the kiss, Colten froze and Annabelle heard the sound of footsteps on the front stairs. She pulled her arms away from him, and clasped them in front of her as Colten stepped back just as the door opened.

  “You made it,” Mrs. Howard said. She placed her things in her hands down then glided over to Annabelle and wrapped her in a hug. “I am so happy for you two. Now you should get some rest. We have a lot to discuss tomorrow. We’ll be as quiet as we can to not disturb you two.”

  “Should I help you and Pa bring in the things?”

  “No no,” Mrs. Howard said. “Most things can just stay in the wagon till the morning. I’ll get the important things out. You’ve both had a very long day. Now get off with you.”

  Colten stayed rooted where he stood and Annabelle looked at him, then at his mother. She didn’t want to upset her mother-in-law so she turned to the stairs and lifted her skirts enough to walk up them. When she turned around, she saw Colten slip out the front door.

  “I’ll be up soon. Just going to help Pa with the horses.”

  Annabelle nodded. He was just as nervous about this as she was. When she reached the top of the stairs, she paused. She had no idea which room would be his. And hers. She opened the door to one, and saw a large bed and items that looked like they belonged to Mrs. Howard. She closed that door and moved to the next one.

  The bed in there was smaller in width, though long enough to fit Colten’s tall frame. There wasn’t room to have anything more than a chair, a trunk, and a chest of drawers. She would have to sleep on the bed.

  “It’s fine,” she murmured. “Things will be fine.”

  Annabelle moved over to the porcelain pitcher and basin and was pleased to see there was still water there. She took a small cloth nearby and cleaned her face and neck to help cool herself off after the evening of dancing. When she’d finished that, she heard sounds from downstairs, including Colten’s voice but no indication he was coming up to his room.

  She began undoing the buttons, happy she’d placed them where she could reach easily enough to take care of it herself. After removing the dress, she carefully laid it out across the trunk to keep it from getting dirty. She would have to wear it again tomorrow since she hadn’t thought to have her own trunk delivered here from Susan’s place.

  Hoping she wasn’t going to upset Colten, she climbed into the bed, tucking herself against the wall. That would leave him plenty of space as well. She pulled the covers over her shoulder and faced the wall while her mind ran wild with worry.

  Earlier, she’d been afraid of being in his bed with him, but as she lay there all alone, she worried he didn’t really want her there. Especially since minute after long minute passed without any sign of him.

  Refusing to let the strange tears that appeared out of nowhere fall, Annabelle did her best to clear her mind of all thoughts. As her tired body relaxed into the soft mattress and clean bedding, all the exhaustion of the day caught up with her and she fell asleep alone.

  ***

  Colten wanted to give Annabelle all the time and space she needed. And he figured if he took his time unharnessing the horses and unloading the wagon, she’d have a chance to get used to the idea of being in his house. He cleaned up in the kitchen with the water pump so he wouldn’t have to do it upstairs with his pitcher and water basin. He hoped he’d left it with water for her to use.

  It would take a while to get used to the needs of another person. Knowing he had to go up there eventually, Colten approached the stairs with trepidation. He had to just get it over with. She had enjoyed the kisses, so maybe things could move from there.

  That thought gave him the energy to move and he worked his way up the stairs, trying to keep his footsteps light so he wouldn’t wake his parents.

  When he reached the landing, Colten realized he hadn’t shown her which room was theirs. Hopefully his mother had. Colten turned to his door and opened it up, expecting to see the light of a candle, but it was dark. He took the lantern that he still held and checked the room. Her dress was laid out across his trunk, and against the wall on one side of the bed, he could see her.

  He watched the rise and fall of her ribcage and knew she was asleep. That both solved his problem, and saddened him. He changed out of his clothes and pulled on his long night shirt, then climbed onto the bed as carefully as possible. The warmth of her body was a pleasant sensation, though he didn’t touch her, he could feel it radiating through the blankets and thought it would be a nice addition in the cold months.

  As he lay on his back, he listened to her breathing, thinking it might take a bit of getting used to, but at least she didn’t snore. Before long, he found himself lulled to sleep as well. Not exactly how he thought his wedding night would go, but overall, not bad either.

  ***

  Annabelle woke with a panic. He was after her. Mr. Staley had followed her from the factory and grabbed her again, pulling her into the darkened alley between buildings. She struggled to push him away and cried out in fear.

  “Annabelle,” he said. “Stop. What’s wrong?”

  The voice wasn’t Mr. Staley’s. She shook her head, trying to clear it.

  “Annabelle,” Colten’s voice said. His strong hand rested on her arm, but didn’t feel threatening. “Shh, I think you were dreaming. It’s all right. Shh. You’re all right.”

  Relief washed over her when she realized she was not in New York anymore. She was in her new home. Birch Creek. With a man who was nothing like the one she’d run from. Or the one who had tricked her into coming here. But with such horrid examples, how could she dare trust Colten?

  Annabelle covered her face and turned to the wall, trying to hide the tears, or at least stop them, but her shoulders shook. The movement of blankets behind her made her freeze, but when Colten tucked himself softly behind her and rubbed her back gently, she relaxed and the tears soon stopped.

  “Are you all right?” Colten asked.

  “Mm hm,” she hummed. “I think so. You were right. Just a dream.”

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  Annabelle shook her head, then not sure if he could see that, she said. “No. But thank you. Thank you for helping me calm down. I’m sorry I woke you.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I think I might have bumped you. I woke when you pushed me away.” There was a pause. “I didn’t mean to touch you as we slept. I suppose I’m just used to having all the bed space to myself.”

  “It’s fine. Good night, Colten.�
�� She spoke quietly, hoping to ease back into sleep soon. She worried having him right there next to her would cause her to over-think everything, but instead, his quiet presence and comforting warmth helped lull her back to sleep.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Colten woke early the next morning and quietly dressed and left the room. He wanted to be sure Annabelle had the privacy she needed and there was lots of work to be done. He made sure the chores with the animals were taken care of so he could get over to the boarding house as soon as possible. Sharing a room with Annabelle last night had been interesting. But he wanted his own home.

  He wanted the freedom to talk to her in the middle of the night without worrying about waking his parents. He wanted to make sure she felt safe and comfortable. And if accidentally touching her as he slept caused her to wake up in panic and fear, it would be important to get a larger bed. Though holding her close last night as she cried and then when she eventually calmed down enough to fall asleep was incredible. There was something so intimate and almost soul connecting to sleep side by side.

  He hoped she would feel comfortable soon enough that she wouldn’t have nightmares about being with him. She must be incredibly worried about being married and the intimacy that entailed. But their kisses had made her happy. He would have to take more opportunities to kiss his wife. And that was something he was completely willing to do.

  But before he could do that, he had to get the work done and get her alone. Maybe once he had worked on the boarding house with Michael for a few hours, he could invite Annabelle to go for a ride to the grove of cottonwoods behind where the boarding house was being built. He could show her more of the area, and they could have some quiet time together.

  He jumped into his chores and projects with more energy all the while hoping the morning would pass quickly.

  Colten had already been at the boarding house over an hour, working on the floors and staircase when Michael arrived.

  “You’re here early,” Michael said.

  “Thought I’d help you get finished as soon as possible. Annabelle and I would like to take you up on your offer of your cabin when this is done.”

  “Ah, I see.” Michael picked up his tools and joined Colten. “That works fine with me. I do have some smithy work I need to get done today. Jessie is at the forge heating the coals and getting the iron hot. I’ll have to go soon. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Not at all,” Colten said. “I wanted to take Annabelle for a drive around the area. Maybe do a picnic. So I’ll keep working till then. Anything new on the plans, or should I keep going as before?”

  “Same as before.” Michael walked to the other side of the room and began laying out the wood needed for the wall. Colten looked at the staircase. It would only need a little more work, then they could continue with the upper floor. But the ground floor needed to be completed first. That way, Susan and Michael could move in.

  At least the water pump had already been installed, and Colten knew they had ordered a cooking stove that had yet to arrive on the train. The place would be nice. Much nicer than even his parents’ home which had a lot of the finer things because of their access to ordering materials as desired.

  Susan had a lot of specific ideas and at first, when Michael had told Colten the types of things she wanted in the building, he had thought it odd, but the more the building progressed, the more he realized Susan’s requests would be good additions.

  The two men worked tirelessly for close to an hour before Jessie, Michael’s apprentice, arrived to let him know the forge was ready to be worked by the town’s only blacksmith. Michael waved goodbye, leaving Colten alone to continue on, but he wasn’t alone for long.

  “Colten?” Annabelle’s soft voice spoke from somewhere behind him.

  “Hello,” Colten said, putting the tools down and moving through the building to the front doorway to see her standing in the light of the late morning sun.

  “I wanted to check on how you were. Your mother asked me to find out if you were going to be home for lunch, or if you’d like it brought here?”

  Colten joined her and took her hand, then leaned down slowly to kiss her cheek. She accepted it calmly and Colten was happy to know she wasn’t nervous with him in the daylight.

  “I had a different idea,” Colten said. “Would you like to join me for a ride to the grove of cottonwoods? I could show you a little more of the town, and we could have a picnic in the trees, then I’ll show you where we would all go swimming as kids. There is one place along the creek that has been hollowed out a little more to make a bigger pond.”

  “I’d like that.” Annabelle smiled up at him.

  “I’ll finish up what I’m working on here, and join you at the store.”

  “Sounds good.” Annabelle turned as if to leave, but Colten kept hold of her hand.

  “Before you go…” he let the words trail off to help build the tension as he lowered his lips to hers. She lifted her lips to his and kissed him back, letting one hand rest on his shoulder as he pulled her closer to him. She let out a sound, and Colten eased up, not wanting to frighten her, but when she moved closer and kissed him more, he realized she wasn’t scared. She’d enjoyed the kiss. He set himself to work, nibbling at her lips, and then trailing kisses along her jaw and down to her neck, being stopped by the collar of her dress. He returned to her lips and whispered, “I don’t want to stop, but if we’re ever going to get lunch, I probably should.”

  Annabelle laughed. “Who needs food?”

  Colten looked at her in surprise and kissed her again for a minute then said, “I completely agree. But since this isn’t our house, and it’s the middle of the day, I think maybe we should put an end to the kisses. Of course, we are free to re-engage at lunch. I have just the spot in mind for a few more kisses.”

  “Oh, all right then,” Annabelle said, stepping back. “I’ll see you soon. I suppose your mother will tell me what kinds of things to pack for the picnic?”

  “Yes, and I’m sure even some of them will be things I’ll like.” He squeezed her hand then let her go completely. “But like you said, we won’t be worried over much about eating.”

  Annabelle’s cheeks flushed a lovely shade of pink and she turned away to slip outside the door, but before she began descending the few steps she turned and looked at him. The expression in her eyes made his heart beat faster and he couldn’t wait to see her again. Maybe that’s what people meant when they talked about how good marriage could be.

  So far, he found he didn’t mind being married at all. This mail order bride he hadn’t wanted might be just what he needed.

  ***

  Annabelle walked briskly back to the store and after slipping inside the door to find it empty of customers, she worked her way into the back room to find her mother-in-law.

  “Oh good, you’re back. What did he say?” Mrs. Howard asked.

  “He had a plan to take me for a drive to the creek and show me some of the town. Thought we should take a picnic lunch with us.” Annabelle studied the woman, hoping the different plans wouldn’t bother her.

  “What an excellent idea. Let me put the note in the window to tell people we’re at the house. Then I’ll help you gather some food for lunch. Is he coming back here? I suppose he’ll have to if he’s going to take the wagon. Unless he means for you to ride horseback. Can you ride a horse, Annabelle?”

  “No. I haven’t ever been on a horse. Not sure if I would dare.”

  “It’s not that bad. Especially if you have a good mount. But no rush there. There will be plenty of time to learn if you’d like. And most of your traveling can be by wagon or on foot. Come on.” Mrs. Howard waved Annabelle toward the door leading to the house while she went in the store to put the sign in the window.

  Inside the kitchen, Mrs. Howard chatted happily as she gathered the things for the meal. There was some bread and cheese and some dried apples. She put in a bottle of cider and a small crock of preserves. The wicker basket she pulled
from a shelf was quickly packed and a blanket was placed on the top.

  “I’m not sure if he’ll have you eat it in the wagon or on the ground. So the blanket will come in handy. Now that that’s ready, we can just leave it here until Colten comes back. So now, let’s return to the store. We can look through those catalogs again and get more ideas on some of the dresses. I’ll need to know what kinds of fabric you’ll want so you can get started.”

  Annabelle followed the woman into the storage room that connected the house to the store and wondered if she was actually going to need to respond. It didn’t seem so as Mrs. Howard continued.

  “Susan told me she wanted some quilts made for the boarding house. I’ve got a few bolts I put aside for her since she didn’t have the money to get it all right away. But she told me about your arrangement to trade your sewing skills for use of her machine. And since we’re family now, and we need to make sure you have the materials you need, I figured it would be good to get started on the blankets now.”

  She pulled a step ladder over to a wall where some brown paper packages were tucked away near the top shelf. “You do know how to make quilts, don’t you?” Mrs. Howard asked. “Most of the time we’ve done it all by hand, but if you can put all the pieces together with that machine, it could be finished so much sooner. Think of how wonderful it will be.”

  Annabelle smiled at the woman’s enthusiasm. “I haven’t done much on quilting,” she admitted. “But if you tell me how the pieces should go together, I can use the machine to sew them.”

  “Perfect,” Mrs. Howard said. “Tonight, after your picnic we should bring Susan over here to get the ideas started. While Colten is working on the boarding house, if you help me here at the store, then when no one comes in, we can work on putting the pieces together. We could have a few quilts ready for our monthly quilting bee.”