by Anthology
Laughter and chatter filled the kitchen, along with the smell of the pecan pies Audrey had baked earlier and the fresh Christmas tree Uncle Willard put up in the corner. Marlee pitched in stringing popcorn and berries for the tree.
“Look at these,” Becky declared, as she opened a small wooden crate Uncle Willard had brought in from the storage room. Inside were tinsel and ornaments for the tree. She lifted out two red stockings that were a bit worn and frayed. “We’ve had them since we were children.”
“Wait,” Audrey said. She dashed up the stairs to the family’s living quarters, then back down again. She held up a stocking, this one brand-new.
“For you, Marlee,” she said.
Her heart rose in her throat. “For—for me?”
“Of course,” Becky said. “You’re part of our family.”
Tears stung Marlee’s eyes as she and her cousins hung their stockings on the mantel. Since yesterday when she’d run out of the store, she’d been overwhelmed with thoughts of leaving Harmony. Christmas Day was tomorrow, and the day after that she’d be gone. How could she leave this wonderful place?
Yet did she have a reason to stay?
She could possibly find some sort of job, but the skills she’d learned at school weren’t in demand here. Uncle Willard would let her live in the store, but it wasn’t right to impose on the family indefinitely. And what about her mother? If Marlee stayed in Harmony she’d see her on the very rarest of occasions.
Carson flew into her mind, and her heart ached anew. How could she bear never seeing him again? She supposed she’d have to find a way, since Carson had given her no reasons to stay.
Marlee chocked back her tears and forced a smile. If today was to be among her last few in Harmony, she’d put aside her troubles and enjoy it.
They sang Christmas carols as they put the decorations on the tree, and shared memories of past holidays, plans for the coming year, and a little town gossip. Just as Uncle Willard placed a gold star on the top of the tree a knock sounded on the back door. Audrey opened it, and with a gust of cold air, Lucy and Ian came inside.
“Merry Christmas,” Aunt Viola said. “Come on in. Have some hot coffee?”
Ian stood firm and looped his arm around Lucy’s shoulders.
“I know this is Christmas Eve,” he said, “but it would bring great pleasure to Lucy and me if you’d come to the church. We’re getting married.”
“You are?” Becky exclaimed.
“Today?” Audrey asked. “Now?”
“She’s made me the happiest man alive by agreeing to marry me,” Ian said and tightened his hold on Lucy. Then he smiled. “I’m doing it quick before she changes her mind.”
Everyone laughed and surrounded the couple, offering congratulations.
Marlee gave Lucy a hug. “I’m so happy for you, truly I am.”
“After we talked yesterday, I couldn’t think about anything else,” Lucy said. “I don’t want next Christmas to get here and find me still living alone, too afraid to take a chance on love.”
When Marlee had left the store yesterday she’d gone to Flora’s Bake Shop and talked to Lucy. She’d poured out her heart, telling how she planned to return to Philadelphia to face a lonely future. Even though her own destiny hadn’t changed, Marlee was glad Lucy’s had.
“You’re doing the right thing,” Marlee said, and genuinely meant it.
“Reverend Conroy has agreed to marry us today, just before the evening service starts,” Ian said. “We’re keeping the ceremony small—and quick—so we’re only inviting a few folks.”
As soon as Ian and Lucy left, everyone scrambled to put on warm clothing, and headed for the church. Few people were on the streets since most everyone was home with their family. Businesses were closed. The town seemed especially quiet, especially after the hustle and bustle of the Christmas Festival. Marlee’s heart was heavy, thinking how much she’d miss Harmony.
Her spirits lifted as they approached the church and she spotted Carson and Chord waiting on the front steps. Even wearing heavy coats and hats, with their breath freezing in the cold, damp air, they looked strong and solid. Marlee wished she could throw herself into Carson’s arms and stay there forever.
Carson escorted her into the church and they sat on a pew with the rest of the family. Candles were lit and greenery festooned the altar. Miss Marshall, who accompanied the choir on piano every Sunday, played a hymn, then Ian and Lucy rose from their seats.
As Reverend Conroy’s ceremony began, tears pooled in Marlee’s eyes. Carson glanced down at her. She thought he might be uncomfortable seeing this emotional side of her, but instead he closed his big warm hand over hers and held it securely.
The reverend’s ceremony was short, a few simple words, then vows were exchanged.
“I now pronounce you man and wife,” he said. “You may kiss your bride.”
Ian gave Lucy a chaste kiss, then turned to the gathering with the biggest smile Marlee had ever seen on a man. Lucy was a radiant bride. It was obvious she knew she’d made the right decision in marrying Ian. Everyone circled the happy couple offering congratulations, hugs and handshakes.
They left the church with Aunt Viola, Becky and Audrey all sniffling. Marlee tried to hold back her emotions, but couldn’t. She burst into tears.
“You all go on,” Carson said. “I’ll bring her home in a while.”
Uncle Willard nodded and escorted Aunt Viola and Becky. Chord hooked his arm through Audrey’s and followed.
“Your tears will freeze if we stand out here too long,” Carson said.
He took her to his house. Inside, Carson helped her with her cloak, then left his coat beside the front door. He laid a fire in the parlor hearth. Warmth filled the room quickly.
“Sit down,” Carson said, indicating the settee.
Marlee sat, gulping back her tears. Although she knew it wasn’t exactly proper for the two of them to be alone in his house like this, and they’d done the same when she’d come to decorate and prepare for his investors, this time it seemed different. More intimate, more secluded. Yet Marlee didn’t want to leave. Not when her departure to Philadelphia was but days away, and these few moments might be the only ones left to share with Carson.
He sat beside her. His warmth spread over her, hotter than the flames in the fireplace.
“Now,” he said softly, “tell me what’s got you so upset.”
Marlee turned her head away. “I’m—I’m just happy for Ian and Lucy.”
Carson leaned around until he caught her eye. “You’re sure that’s all?”
“Yes,” she said softly.
But it wasn’t, and she couldn’t contain her feelings any longer. She sprang to her feet and burst out crying again.
“No,” she wailed. “I have to leave—and I don’t want to leave. But I can’t stay here without a job and a place to live. And if I stay I’ll never see my mother again. And—and I adore Becky and Audrey, and Audrey will surely get married soon, and have a baby, and Aunt Viola and Uncle Willard have been wonderful to me, but Mrs. Montgomery needs me, and I spent all that time in school learning to be a personal secretary, and—and—and I love you.”
Marlee gasped, choking off her tears, realizing what she’d just blurted out. She whirled away. She couldn’t face Carson. Bad enough that he knew the deepest, longest-held secrets of her past, now he knew that she loved him.
She felt his hands on her shoulders as he stood behind her, then his breath against her cheek.
“I’m glad to hear you say that,” he said softly. “Because I love you, too.”
She spun around. “You—you do?”
“I fell in love with you somewhere between you threatening to shoot me, and learning that you can’t cook, and seeing how hard you worked on the Christmas Festival and the supper for those investors,” he said.
Marlee wiped away the rest of her tears. “But you don’t really know me.”
“I know enough. I know you’ve felt unwanted
and unaccepted in the past,” Carson said. “But not now. Not with me. I love you.”
Hearing those words made her heart beat faster, but she was still afraid to believe them.
“How do you know you love me?” Marlee asked.
“You make me want to slow down,” he said. “You made see me that by giving something away—that hundred dollars—I could get something even better in return. Can’t say that I ever walked the streets of Harmony looking in store windows, taking the time to shop, talk to people or go to a musical performance before you came along.”
“Really?” she asked, pleased with herself. “So you don’t mind that I’m really not much of a homemaker?”
“We’ll figure things out...together,” Carson said. “For now, let’s just enjoy knowing we love each other.”
Marlee’s heart rose in her throat, as the most wonderful sense of contentment came over her. “I’d like that,” she said.
Carson gazed into her eyes, then lowered his head and kissed her. Marlee rose on her toes and looped her arms around his neck. He deepened their kiss. She moaned and kissed him back.
He lifted her into his arms and carried her up the stairs. At the entrance to his bedroom, he paused.
“If you’re not ready for this, just say so,” he said.
For Marlee, nothing had ever seemed so right. “I love you,” she said.
He carried her inside and placed her on the bed. They kissed as their hands sought and found buttons and fasteners, and finally discovered each other’s most intimate secrets.
Stretched out on the bed beside her, Carson kissed his way down the length of her. Marlee gasped at his touch, and moved closer, exploring him in the same way.
She welcomed him as he moved above her, locking her in his arms and whispering into her ear. She caught his rhythm, joined as one, until pleasure burst inside her. She held him tight as he called her name and followed.
* * *
Marlee roused from a light sleep contented in Carson’s arms. She saw that he was already awake and smiling at her.
“I love you,” he said, and kissed her softly.
“I love you, too,” she said. “I fell in love with you the minute I stepped off the train in Harmony and saw you.”
They lay together, content in each other’s arms for a long moment.
“I have a Christmas gift for you,” Carson said.
Of all the things that had happened between them so far, this one took Marlee by surprise.
“I don’t have a gift for you,” she said.
“You already gave me the best gift I could ever get.”
“What gift? I didn’t give you anything.”
“Oh, but you did,” he said in a deep, husky voice.
Marlee realized what he meant and felt her cheeks grow warm.
“In fact, that’s one gift I’ll always be happy with,” Carson told her. “But don’t feel like you have to wait for a special occasion or holiday to give it.”
She giggled and swatted him playfully on the chest. “Just tell me what your gift is.”
Carson pushed himself up on one elbow and took her hand in his. He gazed deep into her eyes.
“My gift is my promise,” he told her. “I promise that you’ll never feel alone or unaccepted again. I’ll be here for you, at your side, whenever you need me. Forever.”
Tears came to Marlee’s eyes. A wonderful, warm glow filled her.
A little smile pulled at his lips. “Marlee Carrington, would you do me the honor of being my wife?”
“Yes!”
Carson pulled her into his arms. She’d never felt so happy, so alive in her life. He gave her a long, lingering kiss, then pulled away.
“How about we get married right now?” he asked.
“I thought you said I made you want to slow down?” she said.
“Okay,” he told her. “How about an hour from now?”
Marlee giggled. “Tempting as that is, I need time to plan a wedding.”
Carson considered her words, then said, “Just don’t take too long—after your mama gets here.”
Disappointment threaded through Marlee’s happiness.
“I don’t know that she’ll be able to come,” she said. “She gets so little time off, and it’s a long trip out here.”
Carson shook his head. “I want her to come here to live. Permanently.”
Marlee’s eyes flew open and she gasped. “You do? Oh, Carson, that would be wonderful. I’m sure she could find some sort of job here. Maybe she could work for Dorrie Markham at her dress shop.”
“Your mama isn’t going to have to get a job,” Carson told her. “I’ll take care of her. I’ll build her a house or, if you’d rather, she can live with us. Whatever makes you happy.”
“You make me happy,” Marlee said. “And so does my family, and Harmony, and especially the Christmas festival. It’s what really got me involved with everyone here.”
Carson pulled her into his arms.
“I can’t wait to see what happens next Christmas,” he said. “And the one after that, and the one after that.”
Marlee snuggled closer. She couldn’t wait for next Christmas, either.
* * * * *
His Christmas Wish
Lauri Robinson
Dear Reader,
I’ve always loved the holiday season, so the opportunity to write a Christmas story was truly a dream come true. In His Christmas Wish, Cora and Morgan discover not just the gift of love, but how to share that gift.
We all share the gift of love in many ways, and we all have special holiday memories we hold close. I’d like to share one with you.
We moved to Kansas when I was nine. I don’t remember thinking how different things were from Minnesota, but I do remember the December day a delivery driver knocked on the door and asked for help unloading a package.
Wrapped in burlap was the largest Christmas tree ever—I was a child so it may have been smaller than I remember—which my grandfather had had cut down on his property in Northern Minnesota and shipped to us in Kansas. I still remember decorating that tree, and how it smelled like Minnesota. Like Grandpa. It wasn’t until years later that I heard how much effort Grandpa had put into that package of love. Since he wasn’t in the tree-farm business, he’d had to acquire special permits so the tree could cross state lines.
My grandfather died six years later, and to this day—decades later—when we arrive on the land up north which he originally purchased I step out of the car, take a deep breath and smell the pines. Smell Grandpa.
Merry Christmas, dear readers, and thank you.
Lauri
DEDICATION
To my grandfather, who has been gone many years,
but remains in my heart as strong as ever.
Look for Lauri Robinson’s UNCLAIMED BRIDE
available November 2012
from Harlequin® Historical
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter One
Central Nebraska, 1884
It was late, well past the time when most folks were sound asleep, but Cora Palmer was wide-awake, lying there in bed, listening to the December wind whistling outside the cabin. Snowflakes ticked against the window, a detour in their swirling, tumbling journey to the ground, where they would rest upon one another until they grew inches deep and as heavy as the weight on her shoulders. Melancholy was like that, heavy and thick, and though she normally didn’t let it get to her, right now Cora was as powerless as the snowflakes. She was at a crossroads in life, had known that for a while, but tonight, witnessing Morgan once again huddled on the far side of the bed with his back to her, the ache in her chest had become suffocating and a thick stew brewed in her head.
If only she could turn back the clock of time. No, that was naive, and she was
beyond that. A widow with a child to raise couldn’t live in the past. Besides, these wants and needs she had—grown-woman wants and needs—wouldn’t let her. Over the past few months, the depths of her emotions had entered uncharted territories, which left her more confused—her anguish more severe. A sigh escaped her lips, one that threatened to take her heart with it.
She’d been jubilant the day Morgan had asked her to marry him, and even more so a week later when they traveled to Central City in his sturdy buckboard with little Nathan perched on her lap. Their wedding had been a simple affair, just she and Morgan, Reverend Davis and his wife, Edna, who held Nathan during the service. Even though her son hadn’t yet had his second birthday that day, Nathan had sat quietly and listened to the service as if it was a story to behold.
Cora’s misery, so thick and strong, had her eyes and throat burning. At the end of the ceremony, Morgan had brushed his lips over hers. The kiss had been so reverent and sweet she didn’t need to close her eyes to remember the contact. Even now, two long months later, her lips still quivered and tingled, wanting it to happen again, and more. She wanted to be Morgan’s wife in every way. Some days the desires were so severe they all but crippled her, and other times, like this very moment, they left her close to tears.
On the outside, there was nothing to cry about. Her family was happy enough. They had plenty of food, wood and supplies for the animals to last the long, cold months winter bestowed.
She turned again, to the outline of her husband. We’ve been married two months, yet we’re miles apart, farther now than before our wedding. How can we lie in this bed, together, night after night, yet have such a distance between us?
Morgan shifted and Cora stiffened as a surge of guilt raced through her. He worked sunup to sundown and certainly didn’t deserve her musings to disturb his sleep.
“Are you cold?” he asked.