With a somber stare, Ewan nodded. “Aye, I ken he’s changed since Jane entered his life.” He heaved himself up with a groan, reaching a hand down for her.
After slapping his foreman, Ben, on his back and embracing Jane, he nodded to Tobias. “Nice to see ye here.”
Tobias shifted from foot to foot as he noted everyone present heeded his interaction with Ewan, even though soft conversations were ongoing in corners of the room. “I thought it would be churlish to turn down your invitation.”
“Not churlish, nae, but I’m glad ye ken ye’re welcome,” Ewan said as he shook Tobias’s hand. “Ye can see how our Aileana blooms. She has no’ been to yer store in some time.” He beamed at the baby resting in her cradle after recently eating. She was only a week older than the last time Tobias had seen her, but, like any proud father, Ewan wanted everyone to share in his joy of his baby.
Clearing his throat, Tobias pulled out a package he had hidden inside his voluminous coat. Once he handed the package to Ewan, he allowed Cailean to hang his coat over the peg in the hallway. “I brought a little something for her.”
Ewan frowned and held out a hand for Jessamine to join them. He handed the package to her, as she enjoyed opening presents. When she opened the package, wrapped in simple brown paper, Ewan grinned. “Ye remembered.”
Tobias nodded. “Yes, I saw you studying them the day you were interrupted by Mrs. Cruikshanks. And I remembered, after you left, that you hadn’t left with either of them.”
“’Tis too generous, Tobias,” Ewan said as he fingered the rabbit stuffed animal and then the doll. He looked at Jessamine, frowning as he saw her battling tears. “I dinna ken which one to choose. Do ye, my love?”
She shook her head and sniffled.
“I’d choose the rabbit,” Leticia said from across the room. “She’ll want to chew everything before she wants to play with dolls. There’s plenty of time for dolls in a few years.”
When Ewan handed over the doll to Tobias, he held up both hands . “No, these are for your Aileana. Save the doll for when she is older. She can have tea parties with her.”
“Tea parties,” Jessamine breathed, leaning against Ewan’s side. She spoke in a low voice, barely audible to her husband or Tobias. “I still have trouble believing I am not a fool to dream of such things. That I have a daughter.”
With a glowing smile, Tobias looked at his daughter, standing a slight distance away, and nodded. “I know exactly how you feel.”
Alistair joined them, along with Warren, and he looked at Tobias with an intent stare, causing him to stand tall and rigid, as though he were under inspection.
“Is it true?” Warren asked in a low voice. When Tobias merely stared at him impassively, Warren continued, “That Pastor Cruikshanks and his evil wife are leaving town?”
Tobias nodded, unable to fight a satisfied smile. “Yes, they are. I told Ewan about it almost a week ago.” He chuckled when Jessamine gasped and pelted Ewan on the belly with a soft tap. “I’ve heard the new pastor and his sister will arrive this spring. We’ll have to survive a few months without a pastor, as Cruikshanks and his wife plan to leave in a few weeks.”
Warren smiled wryly. “Somehow I think we’ll do just fine.”
“A pastor and his sister?” Alistair asked. “That should keep the town gossips occupied for some time.”
Ewan smiled, as he rubbed a hand down Jessamine’s back. “’Twill be nice for them to have something else to chatter about, other than a MacKinnon.”
That evening, Ewan rested beside Jessamine in their bed at Warren’s house. He fought sleep after a day filled with time with family, whiskey, and delicious food. When Jessamine elbowed him in his side, he grunted and rose up to glare down at her. “Why’d ye maim yer husband?”
She giggled at him. “I did not harm you. I wanted your attention, but, for the past five minutes, you’ve said nothing more than, Mmmm, as you dozed. I know there’s no possible way you wish Annabelle had added more vinegar to her cakes.”
“Vinegar to her cakes? Are ye daft?”
She laughed. “That was my test to see if you were listening. And you failed.” She pushed him back and rested her elbows on his chest, her face tilting to one side as his fingers played with her hair and ran over her cheek. “Thank you for a wonderful day, Ewan. A few weeks ago I never would have thought it possible.”
His eyes clouded for a moment, and his fingers tightened in her hair. “Aye, a few weeks ago, I thought ye wanted another.”
She scooted around until her arm reached the side table. After almost falling out of the bed, she handed him a sheet of paper, sitting cross-legged as she stared at him, wide-eyed. “I didn’t get you a Christmas present this year. I … I had thought that finally my present would be the news that we were to have a baby.” Her eyes filled with tears that she blinked away. “In a strange way, fate gave us that gift.”
She swiped at her cheeks, as he stared at her with tenderness. She tapped the sheet of paper he loosely clasped. “I never thanked you for your letter. The morning I received it, I had resolved to tell you what was occurring after I took care of Aileana that night.” She smiled ruefully at him. “You know what happened. You barged in, and all hell broke lose.”
“Aye,” he murmured. “Ye never spoke about it. I thought ye’d never read it.”
“No, I read it so many times that I feared I would ruin it,” she said, gripping his hand. “It’s one of my most cherished possessions.” She bowed her head a moment before nodding to the paper he held, motioning for him to read it.
He sat up, clearing his throat, as he unfolded the sheet.
My most beloved husband,
Do you know how much I cherish you? My breath catches when I look at you, when I see your impish smile, or when you tease me. You fill my life with joy and never shy away from easing my sorrows. You are a singular man, my love, equally comfortable with all my moods.
Do you know how much I adore you? You loved Aileana before you even met her simply because you saw how much I already loved her. You never look at me and wish for more; you look at me and give thanks for all we have. You helped me face my fears and never once thought less of me.
Do you know how much I admire you? You are strong, loyal, and kind. You treat everyone in your family with patience and benevolent humor, helping them to see the lighter side of every situation. You are a beacon of joyfulness, and I give thanks every day I am the woman who calls you husband.
Can you fathom the depth of my love for you?
Be mine forever,
Your Jessie
He stared at the vellum for so long that she poked him again to ensure he hadn’t drifted to sleep with his eyes open. Her breath caught when his emotion-filled gaze met hers.
“Jessie?” he asked in a low voice.
She smiled tremulously. “I never want any doubts between us, Ewan. I want you to know how much I love you.” She gasped as he pulled her into his arms, kissing her. “Adore you,” she said when she broke the kiss to arch her back so he could kiss his way down to the pulse hammering in her neck. “Cherish you,” she gasped as he pushed aside her nightgown.
He rolled her over, laughing with passion and joy. “Dinna forget ye admire me too,” he teased as he kissed her passionately. He grunted with displeasure as she tugged on his hair, causing him to raise his head to meet her amused gaze.
“I’m a journalist. I could whip out the thesaurus to tell you all the ways I love you.” She smiled wickedly. “Or I could show you.”
He chuckled, rubbing his nose over hers. “I prefer the nonverbal lesson now, my Jessie,” he murmured as he kissed her neck, his stubble rubbing over her smooth skin and making her shudder. “My love.”
She cupped his face in her hands, smiling as he turned to kiss each palm. “Promise me that we’ll have years and years of Christmases just like this,” she beseeched as she arched up into his touch.
“Decades an’ decades,” he promised. “We’ll never run o
ut of love.”
Never fear Dear Reader! I am busy at work on Bear Grass Springs— Book Ten, Lassoing a Montana Heart!
A Little Bit More About Exultant
Thank you so much for reading Exultant! I loved writing it. For a while now, as I wrote the other novels in the series, it seemed to me that Jessie and Ewan had another novella or novel in their story. I always knew they would have a child, but I didn’t want that story to get lost in another couple’s tale. Thus, this novella was born, and I thought it a perfect Christmas tale.
Per my research, the Mellin’s powder infant formula that Jessamine used for Aileana was in use in the 1880’s, and was first produced in the 1860’s. The formula was marketed as “The only perfect substitute for mother’s milk.”
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Acknowledgments
Thank you, dear reader, for your continued enthusiasm for my stories! None of this would be possible without you!
Thank you to my family as I continue to lose myself to research and my stories. Thank you for continuing to be interested in all that I do.
Thank you to my friends as I disappear as I dive into another writing project!
Thank you, DB, for you never-ending support and enthusiasm for all of my projects. You’re such a great cheerleader- thank you!
Thank you, Jenny Q, for another amazing cover!
Also by Ramona Flightner
Bear Grass Springs Series
Never fear, I am busy at work on the next book in the series! If you want to make sure you never miss a release, a special, a cover reveal, or a short story just for my fans, sign up for my newsletter!
* * *
Immerse yourself in 1880’s Montana as the MacKinnon siblings and their extended family find love!
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Montana Untamed (BGS, Book 1)
Montana Grit (BGS, Book 2)
Montana Maverick (BGS, Book 3)
Montana Renegade(BGS, Book 4)
Jubilant Montana Christmas (BGS, Book 5)
Montana Wrangler (BGS, Book 6)
Unbridled Montana Passion (BGS, Book 7)
Montana Vagabond (BGS, Book 8)
Exultant Montana Christmas (BGS, Book 9)
Lassoing a Montana Heart, BGS, Book 10)- Coming 2020!
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The Banished Saga
Follow the McLeod, Sullivan and Russell families as they find love, their loyalties are tested, and they overcome the challenges of their time. A sweeping saga set between Boston and Montana in early 1900’s America.
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The Banished Saga: (In Order)
Banished Love
Reclaimed Love
Undaunted Love (Part One)
Undaunted Love (Part Two)
Tenacious Love
Unrelenting Love
Escape To Love
Resilient Love
Abiding Love
Triumphant Love— Coming January 2020!
About the Author
Ramona is a historical romance author who loves to immerse herself in research as much as she loves writing. A native of Montana, every day she marvels that she gets to live in such a beautiful place. When she’s not writing, her favorite pastimes are fly fishing the cool clear streams of a Montana river, hiking in the mountains, and spending time with family and friends.
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Ramona’s heroines are strong, resilient women, the type of women you’d love to have as your best friend. Her heroes are loyal and honorable, men you’d love to meet or bring home to introduce to your family for Sunday dinner. She hopes her stories bring the past alive and allow you to forget the outside world for a while.
Exultant Montana Christmas: Bear Grass Springs, Book Nine Page 10