Bride by Arrangement

by Karen Kirst

  Noah noticed Will and Tomasina on the bank near the water. She was leaning against him, her head buried in his shoulder. Lately, the normally vivacious redhead had been subdued. Wan, even.

  “Why didn’t Tomasina help?”

  Grace’s expression grew knowing. “She’s been ill.”

  Concern flared. “Ill? Is it serious?”

  “Very serious.” But she was grinning. “She’s expecting a baby.”

  Noah’s gaze shot to Will. His friend had been quieter than usual, more intense, Noah realized. “I wonder why he hasn’t said anything.”

  “Maybe he didn’t want to detract from your big day.”

  “We have been busy, I suppose.”

  They’d turned his loft office into a bedroom for the girls. Jane and Abigail had taken great delight in their trips to the mercantile to order furniture and bedding. He’d surprised them with a hand-carved miniature of the cabin, complete with carved animals for them to play with. For the main living space, Grace had enlisted his help in choosing a sofa and chairs. His desk, bookshelves and cabinets were now in one corner of the living room.

  “Let’s go talk to them,” he said.

  By the time they reached the stream Daniel and Leah were there, already chatting with the couple. Leah’s infant daughter, Evie, slept peacefully in her mother’s arms. The baby had light blond hair and pink skin, and Daniel doted on her as much as he did Leah.

  “I hear congratulations are in order.” Noah clapped Will on the shoulder.

  Tomasina blushed. That was a sight he hadn’t seen before.

  Will’s smile held a mixture of pride and concern. “Thanks, old friend.”

  Daniel shook Will’s hand. “I’m happy for you, Will. You, too, Tom,” he tacked on, causing them all to chuckle.

  “We would’ve told you sooner,” Will explained, “but we wanted to wait until the sickness had passed and we were sure everything was progressing the normal way.”

  Tears shimmered in Tomasina’s eyes. “The sickness may be starting to pass, but I can’t stop crying! If the drovers could see me now...” She groaned.

  Will dropped a kiss on her hair. “Emotional highs and lows are normal, remember?”

  Leah touched her shoulder. “You know you can come to me with any questions or concerns. And I’ll be happy to help when the baby’s time arrives.”

  “Thank you, Leah.” Tomasina managed a tremulous smile. “I appreciate that.”

  Abigail came running up, her rounded cheeks red and her lips forming a pout. Jane followed right behind her.

  “Pa!” Abigail tugged on Noah’s pant leg. “That mean boy over there won’t leave us alone.”

  “What boy?” He frowned.

  Jane pointed to a towheaded boy standing in line. “That one right there! Mr. Haggerman’s grandson. He said my freckles look like the constellations.” She looked furious. Her nose wrinkled. “What are constellations?”

  Grace bent to Jane’s level. After she’d explained, she said, “Your freckles are what make you unique. God made you exactly the way He wanted, and He doesn’t make mistakes.”

  “I’m going to have a little chat with this boy,” he grumbled.

  She waylaid him. “Sweetheart, he’s only eight.”

  “So?”

  The girls ran off holding hands and, sticking out their tongues at the boy, went to observe the wedding cake.

  Will and Daniel chuckled.

  Grace hid a smile and shook her head. A thought struck him then.

  Turning to Leah, he said, “How likely is it for a woman who’s had one set of twins to have another?”

  Grace gave him a playful swat. “Noah, really. Leah’s a midwife. She can’t predict something like that.”

  “She’s right.” Leah swayed from side to side as Evie started to squirm. “And besides, I haven’t had experience with mothers of twins.”

  Noah considered the cabin. “You never know, city girl, we may have to add on a room or three.”

  “You could always live inside the barn,” Daniel teased. “Plenty of space in there.”

  Will turned serious. Holding his wife close, he said, “I used to think the railroad and the cattle were the keys to making Cowboy Creek a success. I was wrong. It’s the people who make our town what it is. And with new families being formed, like Noah and Grace’s, babies being brought into the world, like Evie here and our little one on the way, we don’t have to worry about out boomtown going bust.”

  “Profound words,” Daniel agreed. “My father proposed to Valentine last night. She said yes. Looks like we’ll have another wedding soon. Our latest bride train is due tomorrow. Who knows, maybe even Old Horace and Gus will make matches.”

  More laughter made it around their circle. Noah could hardly take in how much richer his life, and his town, had become. His plans had been small. Narrow. Limited. God, in His wisdom, had expanded those plans. He’d known what the town, and in particular Noah, had needed.

  Uncaring they had an audience, Noah swept his bride into his arms for another kiss. “I love you, Grace Burgess.”

  “I love you, too.” Her warm honey eyes were bright.

  “You do know we’re standing here watching you, right?” Tom demanded, a bit of her old fire reappearing.

  Will’s smile grew. “I don’t know... I think he has the right idea, don’t you, Daniel?”

  Daniel stroked his chin. “Yep, I think he does.”

  As Daniel tugged Leah close and kissed her, Will did the same with his wife.

  Noah laughed. “I can hardly wait to see what the future holds. Not just for me and Grace, but for all of us.”

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from ONCE MORE A FAMILY by Lily George.

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  Dear Reader,

  What fun Noah and Grace’s story turned out to be! This was my first time writing about the years immediately following the Civil War. I learned a lot about the struggles and uncertainties people faced during that time. Writing about a scarred ex-soldier was an interesting challenge—Noah has to come to terms with his inner scars, as well as those visible on his body. A loner like him isn’t the least bit pleased when his friends Will Canfield and Daniel Gardner order a mail-order bride specifically for him. Having the polished, winsome socialite and her twin daughters underfoot makes him question his decision to remain alone. In this story, the third installment of Cowboy Creek, we get to revisit the Kansas boomtown setting and the many beloved characters introduced in the previous two books. If you haven’t yet, check out Daniel’s story by Cheryl St. John and Will’s story by Sherri Shackelford. I hope you enjoyed Noah and Grace’s journey as much as I did.

  If you’d like to learn more about this book and others, please visit my website at www.karenkirst.com. I’m also on Facebook, Goodreads and Twitter, @KarenKirst.

  Many blessings,

  Karen Kirst

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  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired Historical title.

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  Once More a Family

  by Lily George

  Chapter One

  Winchester Falls, Texas

  March, 1905

  Heat radiated in waves around her. Who knew that Texas would be so terribly hot, especially so early in spring?

  Of course, this was the uncivilized part, not the more well-established, genteel cities one heard about, like San Antonio or Austin. Perhaps scorching heat was befitting the rough-and-ready northwestern Texas town of Winchester Falls.

  Ada Westmore stepped gingerly out onto the train platform, holding tightly to her hat as the wind threatened to tear it free of all its carefully placed hat pins. She caught a glance of her reflection in the train-car window as she struggled to keep the door from slamming shut. Her black hair, so tidily arranged this morning, framed her face in straggling locks. Her dark blue eyes were ringed with fatigue. Her dress, once a fashionable shade of dark green, had been dyed the requisite somber hue for mourning. Yet the color really didn’t matter, for it was muted by a fine layer of sandy dirt that had blown through the train-car windows.

  Ada straightened, shoving the hat pins more deeply into her coiffure to anchor her hat securely. Then she gathered her skirts in one hand while navigating the steps to the platform. A porter waited, extending his hand as she made her way down.

  “Thank you,” she said, grateful for the assistance. She scanned the length of the platform, but no one seemed to be expecting her. Surely Aunt Pearl would be here by now. The train was late, after all, having been delayed by a solitary cow that had refused to move from the tracks and had to be coaxed away by the conductor. “Is there a waiting room inside the depot?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” the porter replied. “But it’s so hot right now most people wait out on the platform. At least that way, you can hope to catch the breeze.”

  Ada gave him a wan smile. This was no mere breeze, but a howling, scorching gust that made her feel as though walking might be a passing fancy but not something to be seriously attempted. She should probably offer the man a tip. She opened her reticule and removed a few precious pennies, the last of the small horde that she had managed to bring with her. He took them from her with a curt nod.

  Ada burned with shame at the paltry sum, but what could she do? From her debutante days in New York, she could claim very little. Her home was gone, sold on the auction block, and all of the luxurious possessions with it. There had barely been enough for her two younger sisters to finish their semester in boarding school. In fact, unless she came up with a steady income, both her sisters would be turned away from the school for the next term. There was nothing to do but beg Aunt Pearl for assistance. With her aunt’s help, she could either find a position or establish a home of their own. Either way, she had reached the limit of what she could accomplish on her own, and she needed to make things work so her sisters would not face disaster. Ada made her way down the length of the platform, peering curiously around her as she strode.

  Winchester Falls was different from New York, no doubt about it. True, there were several tall buildings nearby and the train depot had a certain charm to it, but everything looked, well, raw. Small wonder, for Winchester Falls had only really come into its own in the past decade, or at least that’s what Aunt Pearl had said in her last letter. She glanced around at the rugged landscape. Somewhere out there, the falls that gave the town its name rushed over a hillside and into a nearby river, or so she’d read in a newspaper. It was difficult to believe that a refreshing waterfall could play any part in this landscape.

  Her valise had been unceremoniously dumped on the platform next to her trunk, and the porter had vanished. There was nothing to do but retrieve it and then have a seat atop her trunk. Aunt Pearl would be here eventually. She had to come. She was Ada’s only living relative, save her sisters, and she had promised to help Ada start a new life out here.

  Nervousness gripped Ada as she collected her bag, but she straightened her back and lifted her chin. Was this any way to feel, when she had faced far more dire situations? She had marched in suffragist parades and been pelted with rotten eggs from jeering onlookers. She had padlocked herself to a police wagon when they had tossed her fellow suffragists in jail. No matter what Texas threw at her, she could certainly handle it.

  “Miss, I’ll take that bag,” a voice drawled behind her.

  Ada dropped her case and glanced up. A young man, quite tall and broad shouldered, stood before her. Though his straw hat was in his hands, arrogance and power emanated from him, from his stance to the slightly mocking light in his green eyes. There was something elemental in the impression he created. He was as much a part of this rough landscape as the boulders that ringed the depot. She was staring at him. She gave her head a quick shake.

  Handsome men like this always made her feel inadequate, and feeling inadequate made her appalled at her lack of spine.

  “I beg your pardon?” Her voice had a definite quaver to it. She cleared her throat. “I am waiting for my aunt. Surely I have the right to be here?”

  He raked his hand through his thick blond hair. “Mrs. Colgan sent me to fetch you.”

  “Aunt Pearl isn’t here?” Ada gasped in outrage. She had just lost everything—her family and her fortune—and had made a long and arduous journey across the country to build a new life. The very least she expected was for her aunt to meet her at the station.

  “Something came up,” the man replied. “Under the circumstances, she figured it might be better for me to bring you to her, anyway.” He nodded, and two boys grasped her trunk, hefting it down the length of the station platform and into a handsome carriage with a pair of matched bays. After watching their progress, he tugged on his hat and lifted Ada’s valise.

  “Circumstances? What circumstances?” Ada stepped in front of him, blocking his path.

  He moved around her quickly, striding down the length of the platform to the carriage, where the bays waited patiently. Ada scurried after him, trying to match his pace and failing miserably. He tossed a coin to the two boys, one of whom caught it in midair. When they dashed off, he stored her valise in the back of the carriage and stood patiently, waiting to hand her up.

  “Just a moment,” she panted, facing him squarely. “Why would it make more sense for you to pick me up at a train station? I don’t even know you. My aunt should be here.”

  “My name is Jack Burnett.” He looked at her steadily, from under the brim of his hat. “That name should mean something to you.”

  “Well, it does not.” Ada’s mouth went dry. Calm down, you’ve been through much more frightening situations than this. Remember when you were egged in the last parade? This man is just obviously mad.

  “Mrs. Colgan said she wrote to you and explained everything.” He took a step backward and tilted his hat brim up. “She said that we were all set.”

  “What are you talking about?” Ada was ready to stamp her foot in frustration. He must be deranged, and yet he looked perfectly sane. More to the point, the dawning comprehension on his handsome features showed that he knew more about this entire farce than she did. “Perhaps you would care to enlighten me, since
apparently you know me better than I know you?”

  “Sure.” His expression darkened, as though he were unsure how to proceed. “You see, your aunt told me she had already arranged everything. We’re getting married. You and I.”

  * * *

  Jack Burnett waited, watching Miss Westmore with a wariness that served him well on the prairie. In height she stood only to the middle of his chest but gave the impression that she could lay him low if she got really riled up. She gazed up at him, her blue eyes darkening.

  “That joke is in poor taste.”

  “It’s not a joke.” He didn’t want to explain the whole thing out here, so close to the station platform. Too many people would see them, and this was not exactly the way he planned to start his married life. “Come on, I’ll take you to Mrs. Colgan.”

  He handed her up into the buggy, then made his way to the driver’s seat.

  She sat, rigid on the bench, an expression of utter confusion on her face. He climbed beside her and started the horses. When they’d gotten far enough away that they could no longer be heard by people on the station platform, he glanced over at her, anxiety building in his chest. Why didn’t she know about the arrangement? If she decided not to marry him, he would lose any hope of bringing his daughter home from boarding school.

  He should explain, since it was pretty obvious that she’d never gotten her aunt’s letter. On the other hand, when trouble brewed, sometimes it was better to just leave things simmering for a while. Whenever he and his first wife, Emily, had fought, he’d go for a long ride on the prairie. Eventually, when he came home, they’d pretend nothing had happened. This was the best way to handle it. In fact, it would be better for her to hear it from her aunt. That news was probably better told from one woman to another, anyway.