Bride for Robert

by Kirsten Osbourne

  Minnie laughed. “No one has ever made anything special for her before. Well, other than clothes, but she doesn’t find clothes anything special.”

  He stood up and looked out the window. “What other projects do you have for me?”

  “We need a couple of cradles.”

  His head jerked in surprise. “A couple? Do you think you’re having twins?” She worked so hard, and if she was expecting twins, he would be terribly worried.

  She laughed, shaking her head. “No, but Miss Hazel could use a small cradle. I have a feeling she’ll be in the baby’s cradle all the time otherwise.”

  He grinned at that. “You’re probably right. I think Miss Hazel might need a blanket as well.”

  She grinned. “I think both could be presented at the same time in a couple of weeks.”

  “That would be really fun for her, and something we could work together on. I like that idea a lot.”

  “Then why don’t you make the two cradles at the same time?”

  He nodded. “I’m hoping for an early thaw this year so I can get the cabin built onto before the baby comes.”

  “That would be really nice. I like our home, but I have a feeling we’re going to be very cramped with four of us living here.”

  He chuckled. “I think it’s very cramped with three of us living here, but I’m going to use the word cozy, because it sounds a lot better, doesn’t it?” He looked around the room, wondering how they were all going to be able to spend another winter there. It was hard enough with three of them, but the new baby would be crawling by this time next year.

  She giggled. “It sure does! Thanks for not minding being cramped for us.”

  “Trust me. You two are worth just about anything.” He grinned at her. “I don’t think you have any idea how much joy the two of you bring me on a daily basis.”

  She was always astounded when he said things like that. David had complained about them always being underfoot, and they’d lived in a six-bedroom house. “I’m glad we make you happy. Sometimes I’m not sure how, but I am pleased.”

  “I don’t think you realize how much easier you make my day. You cook three meals a day for me. You keep my house clean. I don’t have to do a lot of the things I had to do when I was alone. It makes my life happier and every day is easier to get through. And you and Olivia both act like I’m someone special. That means a lot to me. You could have married me and looked at me as a provider and nothing more, but you don’t seem to do that.”

  “I don’t do that at all. I think of you as the man I married—my entire future.” She shook her head. “I already care about you a great deal more than I ever did for David.”

  He smiled at that. “I’m glad. Because I care about you, too.” He loved her, but he was afraid it was too soon to tell her that. He’d known from the first moment he saw her that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. She’d looked so fragile and afraid, sitting there with Olivia.

  “Good.” She put her hand on her belly, feeling the life growing there. She wondered how she could possibly take their marriage to a more intimate place while she was expecting. It didn’t feel right. If the baby had been his, it might be different, but it wasn’t.

  He looked out the window again. “I really wish I’d thought to bring more to do inside. I have no idea how long this storm is going to last.”

  She frowned. “I don’t either. I could teach you to knit…”

  He shook his head. “I’m not that desperate for something to do. In fact, I don’t think I will ever be that desperate for anything in my whole entire life.”

  She laughed. “It might be good for you!”

  “I think I’ll clean my rifle. That will keep me occupied for a little while.”

  She grinned. “I have some history readers that I brought with me for when it’s time to teach Olivia. And a math book. Would you like to borrow my math book?”

  “I’ll go get my gun.” He knew she was teasing him, and he liked it so much more than he could express. Every day she seemed a bit more at ease with him—a bit less afraid. He couldn’t blame her for having fear at first, but now that they were getting to know each other better, it was slowly dissipating.

  He sat down with his gun to clean it, and looked up to see her with a pencil and paper in hand again. “Are you sketching me again?”

  “I want you to have choices. You might want to send something completely different to your mother.” Besides, she loved to sketch him. All wouldn’t go to his mother, and she would have some she could keep. She’d treasure them always, because they’d always remind her of their early marriage, when he was treating her so well. There was no way she could make herself believe he would always treat her the way he had been.

  He grinned, shaking his head. “You’re going to make me think you have feelings for me or something.”

  She blushed. “I’m just doing what I do. I want to get some sketches of you with Olivia as well.”

  “Not while I’m cleaning my gun.”

  “Well, of course not! I’m not crazy, you know.”

  “Well, you did marry me.” When he thought about it, she’d actually married two complete strangers. When it hadn’t worked the first time, she’d tried it again. That was a bit crazy in his eyes, but this time it had worked out for the best.

  After he’d finished cleaning his gun, Olivia took Miss Hazel to him. He seemed to forget that Minnie was sketching him, so she just kept going. The result was a sweet portrait that showed his fatherly side. He was holding Olivia on one knee and Miss Hazel was against his other shoulder.

  Minnie tucked that sketch behind the other, because she knew she wanted to keep that one. It would be special to Olivia one day when she realized what an incredibly special man her daddy was.

  She started another sketch, her mind wandering. As much as she was developing strong feelings for her new husband, she didn’t feel like anything intimate could happen between them. Not only was she pregnant, but Olivia slept in the same room with them. It just didn’t feel right, and she hated putting him off, but she didn’t feel like she had a choice.

  She started sketching fancifully, and she made a picture of the two of them together, wearing the clothes they’d worn on their wedding day. His arm was around her, and they were looking deeply into one another’s eyes. It wasn’t a true depiction of them at all, but she wished it had been. She sketched what she’d wanted to happen on their wedding day, instead of what actually had.

  Minnie stacked her sketches together and carefully tucked them back into her trunk. Those weren’t meant for anyone’s eyes but hers—not yet, anyway. She went to the stove and hurriedly made some potatoes to go with the leftover pork they’d had for lunch. It would be nice when he had time to do some hunting, so she could have something different to serve. She knew they’d all be getting tired of the pork before too terribly long.

  She made a thick gravy to go with the potatoes, knowing it would make them feel warmer. Their wood pile was holding up so far, but she had a feeling they would need more wood by the next evening. She just hoped the storm wouldn’t last that long.

  When it was time for supper, Olivia sat on her little stool, happy to have her own place. Robert looked a bit bereft, like he’d wanted her to be with him, but he knew she needed to be in her own place.

  After their prayer, he took a bite of the meal, thrilled she seemed to be able to take nothing and make something good out of it. He truly was impressed with her cooking ability, just as Miss Hazel had said he would be.

  “After supper, I’m going to see if I can whittle something that would be interesting to a little girl, but I’m not sure what that would be!” Robert looked at Olivia. “What’s your favorite animal?”

  “Fox,” Olivia answered, without even taking a moment to think about it.

  Minnie smiled. “She liked the fox that ran beside us on the way here. Finnegan, I think we agreed to call him.” She was surprised Olivia had remembered the fox, but when
she really thought about it, she had been terribly fascinated.

  “I’ve seen that fox a few times since we got here,” he said. “He stays on the other side of the river, watching everything we do. I almost feel like it’s his job to study humans and go back to the other foxes and report.”

  Minnie smiled. “I thought it seemed like he wanted to be a sled dog on the way here, and he was jealous of the fact that the real sled dogs wouldn’t let him play.”

  He grinned, shaking his head. “Sounds like we’re both being silly and fanciful.”

  “It’s that kind of day,” she responded, thinking about the pictures she’d drawn earlier.

  “You could do some drawings of the fox. They might be interesting to some people. Or even write a story about the fox and illustrate it yourself. Have you ever done any writing?”

  She shook her head. “No, I’ve never really had time to think about it. I was always too busy drawing.”

  “I don’t mean a long chapter-book type of story. I mean something short and illustrated for small children. I know Olivia would love to be able to look at the pictures of a fox. Wouldn’t you, Olivia?”

  The little girl nodded. “Yes.”

  Minnie frowned, thinking about it. “Maybe I could come up with something. We’ll see.” She didn’t want to make a promise she couldn’t keep, but she could feel a story forming in her head about a fox who wanted to be a sled dog. Maybe he would sneak in and try to sleep with the sled dogs, hoping he’d be mistaken for one of them when morning came.

  “At least think about it. I think your talents are wasted. I mean, you’re an amazing cook, mother, and wife, but I think you could be doing more. I don’t want you to go away to do more, so you should do more here.”

  She was surprised to say, she completely understood what he meant. “I might do it. I really might.”

  8

  When Minnie woke the following morning, there was an unnatural silence that panicked her for a moment, but she quickly realized that the silence was because the winds had finally stopped blowing so hard. She sat up, rubbing her back. As much as she loved expecting, the pain that it caused in her back always made life just a bit harder.

  “Are you all right?” Robert asked.

  She had never been in just her nightgown in front of him before. She made sure she slipped under the covers before he joined her in bed, and she was always up well before he was, getting his breakfast ready. “Just a little stiff. It comes with expecting.”

  “You shouldn’t do so much. I’m sure we could have one of the local girls come in and help you.”

  She laughed. “I don’t need help. I’m really doing fine.” She got up and found warm clothes. “Give me just a minute, and I’ll change in the kitchen.”

  He frowned, hating that she was so shy about him seeing her body. Yes, they’d only been married for a week, but he felt they’d made great strides during that week. “All right. Let me know when you’re ready.”

  She started a fire in the stove before she changed into her day clothes. She quickly tied her hair back with a red ribbon, and then she looked in the ice box for bacon and eggs, calling to him, “Come on out.”

  He had already dressed in his uniform, joining her in the kitchen. His shoulders looked so strong in the red serge, and she felt her heart melt a little as she watched him walk toward her. “It looks like I’m going to be able to get back to work today. After a storm like this, we need to check all of the outlying cabins where trappers work and live. There’s a good chance I won’t be home for lunch, and possibly, I’ll need to stay the night somewhere else, depending on what I find.”

  She frowned. “I see. I thought you were going to try to avoid spending nights in other places.” She couldn’t believe how much it bothered her that he might spend the night somewhere else.

  “I will try to avoid it, but we have a large territory to cover, and we need to make sure no one needs help after the storm. There’s a lot more to being a Mountie that just being a police officer.”

  “I know.” Minnie nodded. “Then I’ll make sure you have a good breakfast, and I’ll fill the two thermoses we have with stew. Or would you prefer one coffee and one stew?”

  He grinned at her. “You think of everything. Make it two thermoses of stew. I’ll do fine without coffee.” He would have just taken some of the dried fish and seeds, but having a real meal would make his time more pleasant. She really was a good wife to him.

  She nodded, removing the pot with the stew in it and placing it on the stove to heat. “Will you be traveling with one of the other Mounties?”

  “Yes. I’m training Calvin, because this is his first assignment in the north, so he’ll be going with me. His wife might need a friend.”

  She thought for a moment about who Calvin’s wife was, and she realized it was Faith. “I might have Faith come over and spend the day. It may be easier than each of us facing a night alone.” She shrugged. “Then if you make it home, Calvin can take her home with him when you get back tonight.”

  “That sounds like a fine idea.” He looked at the wood pile. “Do you want me to chop a little more wood before I go?”

  She eyed the pile and shook her head. “There’s enough to make it until tomorrow night. You won’t be gone longer than that, will you?” Of course, if he was, she could just chop the wood. She was more than capable of taking care of herself. She’d never done it while pregnant, but how much harder could that make it?

  “I shouldn’t be longer than that.” He frowned at her. “Are you upset that I’m leaving?” He wanted her to be all right that he was leaving, but at the same time, he wanted her to be upset that he was leaving. He knew his thoughts were making no sense.

  “I don’t want you to go, but I understand the need. Just promise me you’ll be cautious and hurry home to Olivia and me.”

  He looked at her for a moment, his eyes searching hers. He took a step toward her and wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair. “I’m sorry I can’t be here all the time with you.”

  She wiped away a tear. “I knew when I married a Mountie I wouldn’t have all his time. When David traveled, I looked forward to the respite, but you…I want you here all the time.” She sighed. “I’m being overemotional because I’m expecting. I don’t cry this much usually. I promise!”

  He cupped her face in his hands, slowly lowering his head. If she wanted to stop him, she could. Instead, her arms crept around his back, and she pressed herself against him. When their lips met, it was as if they had been waiting for that moment for all eternity.

  Finally, he raised his head. “I’m going to go get a little more wood in so you don’t feel like you need to skimp when you use it. I want you to be able to be as warm and cozy as you’d like.”

  She nodded. “And I’ll get your breakfast ready.” He was almost to the door when she said softly, “I’m really going to miss you, Robert.”

  He nodded once to let her know he’d heard her before he headed out the door to chop some more wood. He couldn’t let his ladies be cold because he hadn’t done as much as he should have.

  As he chopped, he thought about the way her hands had touched his back during their kiss. She hadn’t been tolerating him. Her hands had been loving and gentle. Maybe she was developing feelings for him after all.

  When he got back inside, he piled the wood on the small stack that was already there, ensuring she would have enough for several days. “Is there anything else I can do to help you before I go?” he asked.

  Her eyes were dry now, and she was putting pancakes with bacon and eggs onto the table. She then poured him a cup of coffee. “Would you mind taking the toboggan back to the store before you go? I don’t want to have to worry about bundling Olivia up and taking her.”

  “No problem. I’ll also ask Calvin to have his wife join you here, just in case.”

  “Her company would be welcome.” As little as she knew the other woman, she would be thankful for the company of anyone s
he could have an actual conversation with. Olivia was still a bit limited.

  He sat down at the table, picking up his fork. “Are we going to wait for Olivia?”

  Minnie shook her head. “No, let’s have breakfast alone. I don’t want to have to explain to her that Daddy might be gone for a few days.” They joined hands, and he prayed quickly over their meal. “She’s taken such a liking to you. I’m still astonished that she prefers you to me.”

  “I don’t know that she prefers me to you…I’m just still a novelty.”

  “Maybe, but she certainly acts like she prefers you.” While they ate, they continued to make plans for his absence. “Don’t you have a scarf?” she asked as he was getting ready to go, putting his Mountie hat on as the last thing.

  He shook his head. “No. I could have a black one, but I don’t have one at the moment.” Black would match his uniform best.

  That was when she understood her task during his absence. She would wait for Faith to come over and they’d make the walk to the store together.

  He walked to her and pulled her to him, kissing her one more time. “I’ll hurry back just as quick as I can.”

  “It’s more important to me that you’re safe than you arrive back quickly,” she said. “Be careful, please.”

  “I’ll do my best.” He left her standing there, closing the door behind him. I love you.

  Inside she said a silent prayer. “Please, God, keep him safe. I had no idea I could fall in love so quickly.”

  Faith joined her in her cabin a couple of hours later. She was happy and upbeat, though a little worried that the men had left and might be gone overnight.

  “So, Calvin said I should come and plan to spend the night. If they get in tonight, he’ll come get me to go home. Is that all right?”

  Minnie nodded. “Absolutely. It was my idea. I would love to have companionship if the men will be gone overnight.” Truthfully, she was getting lonely during the day too. Back in Ottawa she’d spent every day alone, but she’d had more company here, and she was liking it. Now she had to get used to being alone all over again.