Gabriel's Lady (Leisure Historical Romance)

by Charlotte Hubbard

  “Oh, Solace. How pretty you look!” her little sister cooed as she came from the window.

  Lily, too, lit up as she took in Solace’s completed ensemble. “It’s nearly time to go downstairs, so let’s bring this layer over your face—”

  “No, thank you!” Solace grabbed her sister’s hands, once again aware that Lily’s soft palms bore no calluses from carrying water or roping foals.

  But that was as it should be: this regal blonde dressed in rose silk would always reign as the prettiest princess of the family. “I intend to walk under the bridal arch with both eyes open and nothing clouding my vision. And Gabe might as well see what he’s gettingfull-on, while he has one last chance to escape!”

  “Hah!” Gracie retorted. “Like you wouldn’t ride after him and rope him with your lariat.”

  “He knows you’re good with a gun, too. Poor man doesn’t stand a chance,” Lily joined in. She slipped into her elegant pink gloves and then picked up her sheet music. “Are we ready, Gracie? Guests are arriving, so it’s almost time for our song.”

  She turned toward the door, but then pivoted quickly on her heel. Before Solace realized what was happening, Lily’s silken arm was hooked around her neck and they were hugging each other.

  “Be happy, Solace!” she whispered. “If anyone deserves a wonderful man like Gabe Getty, it’s you! You’re the best sister in the world, and I’m honored to attend you today.”

  With a flurry of silks and satins, deep rose and sage green, her sisters hurried out the door. As their happy chatter descended the stairway, Mama smiled. “Forgiveness is a fine thing among sisters. It’s so good to have all three of you girls at home, without any hissing and bickering!” she said with a chuckle. “But we’ll miss you. This house’ll feel awfully empty with just Temple and your papa and me.”

  “So you’ll have to come into town to see us. Often,” Solace insisted. And she was only half-joking when she added, “I’ll need your help to keep us fed and dressed, Mama. House keeping has never been my best trick.”

  “You’ll do fine, dear. But perhaps we’ll come now and again…to see Charlie,” she clarified with a sparkle in her eyes. “Now scoot! A bride should never be late for her big day. Aunt Agatha will be checking her watch.”

  Nodding, Solace gestured for Mama to precede her. She gazed at her mother’s elegant posture and trim figure…followed the flow of her simple blue gown trimmed in the same ribbon that adorned her own veil.

  How would she would ever live up to the example this woman had set? The meals she’d cooked, the tears she’d dried, and the calm sense of control she exuded, no matter how trying the circumstances? She was a rock, Mama was. Yet even with some silver in her hair and gentle creases in her skin, Mercedes Malloy never seemed to tire or age.

  As she stepped out of the room she’d grown up in, Solace glanced back into it…smiled at the way the sun shone between the blue calico curtains Mama had made years ago. When she set foot here again, she’d be a married woman. Her world would have tilted in a different direction in the time it took to repeat her vows and taste Asa’s magnificent wedding cake.

  “Solace! The music’s started!”

  “Coming, Mama.” With a giggle and a tingle of sheer joy, she started down the stairs. Gabe would be waiting—for her! And she couldn’t wait to see him.

  Gabe smiled at the familiar faces in the crowd without really seeing them. He chuckled as Owen Bristol and Charlie unrolled a runner of midnight blue velvet down the aisle, under the white bridal arch adorned with ribbons and chrysanthemums from the garden…sighed as Grace Malloy played the new pump organ while Lily sang “O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go.” He returned Agatha Vanderbilt’s proud smile from the front row, and then watched Mercy Malloy take the aisle seat beside her…almost got teary-eyed when Billy kissed her cheek and came forward to join him beside Reverend Larsen. It was sheer joy to watch Olivia and Bernadette Bristol strewing rose petals in their fancy new frocks of lavender and lace.

  But when the organ crescendoed into the bridal march, and Solace appeared at the end of the aisle, Gabe Getty could only gape. That woman in white, with her gossamer veil floating behind her and her smile shining forth like the sun, made his breath come out in a rush.

  Beside him, Billy chuckled. “Don’t tell me it’ll be you I pick up off the floor this time, ole buddy,” he whispered.

  “I’m fine,” Gabe rasped. “Just stunned. Utterly stunned. And to think she wants the likes of me.”

  “Must be Abe Lincoln’s beard. I can’t think of another single thing you have to offer.”

  Gabe grinned again, because Solace was focused on him…challenging him with her sparkling eyes. For a fleeting moment he recalled the ordeal of his first wedding. Prayed for a better day and a smoother future—and then apologized to God for being so silly. Solace Monroe was bold and brave and yes, she was beautiful—in ways that required no cosmetic assistance. Her walk was steady as she held her proud papa’s arm and smiled at her friends and family. She was having the time of her life.

  So why shouldn’t he?

  Gabe reached for her, and she released Michael Malloy’s arm to grab his hand. No gloves. Just warm, strong fingers gripping his as though she’d never let go. He kissed her knuckles before tucking her hand into the crook of his elbow—didn’t take his eyes from hers until they faced the preacher. Lily and Grace came down to assume their places beside Solace while Charlie grinned up at Billy as he stepped into place as well. When he wiggled his finger, Rex came out from under a front chair to sit proudly beside him.

  “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today, in the sight of God Almighty, to witness the joining of Solace Monroe and Gabriel Getty in holy matrimony,” Reverend Larsen intoned. His voice had mellowed over the years, but his Norwegian accent had not. “Marriage is a sacred state, not to be entered into lightly or with reservation. If anyone here knows a reason why this man and this woman should not be joined as one, let him speak now or forever hold his peace!”

  For a long, expectant moment they waited. Beside him, Billy shifted, no doubt recalling how Eve had cried out in the throes of labor when he’d stood in this place beside Emma Clark. On the other side of Solace, Lily turned her head to glance at the crowd.

  Please, Lord, don’t let her change her mind! Gabe pleaded silently.

  But Lily smiled prettily at him, and then at the minister. “I think it’s safe to proceed,” she whispered, elbowing Solace.

  Reverend Larsen’s dark robe quivered with held-in laughter. “Who gives this woman in marriage?”

  “Her mother and I.”

  It was all Solace could do to look into Papa’s stricken face. Though Michael Malloy had given his blessing to this union even before she had, he looked oddly fragile. Ready to cry. Those hazel eyes loomed large in a face tanned from days in the sun, and he kissed her quickly. “We love you, honey,” he whispered. “Be joyful. Be the woman God created you to be.”

  Gabe blinked rapidly. Never had he felt so blessed…so enveloped by the love the Malloys shared as though they were all blood kin. What a difference these people had made in his life, even before he chose Solace! And what a difference, to be standing here among them, with them, rather than wondering if he’d always be the outsider. For the first time since he’d been a kid, the word family wrapped itself around his heart and hugged him tightly.

  He repeated the initial intentions after Reverend Larsen…so engrossed in Solace, he hoped he got the words right. He heard her do the same, yet was following the movement of her pretty lips rather than the meaning of the text.

  Then Billy Bristol stepped to the lectern on the dais to read the scripture he’d chosen.

  “It’s an honor to stand here where we’re used to seein’ Mike Malloy,” he said with a grin. He smoothed his auburn hair, composing himself in a moment of emotion that shone like crystal in his blue eyes. “If it hadn’t been for Michael, and Judd Monroe before him, I wouldn’t’ve had any idea what passage to
pick…or how to read from the Good Book and put any meanin’ to it. I chose verses from the Forty-Fifth Psalm, about the Messiah and His bride, to honor Solace Monroe—who I helped to birth—and my lifetime friend, Gabe Getty. Listen now to the word of the Lord.”

  Gabe smiled at his bride. She leaned into him, never dropping his gaze.

  “‘I recite my composition concerning the King,’” Billy read.“ ‘My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.’”

  “Like you,” Gabe whispered, and Solace blushed.

  “‘Grace is poured upon your lips. Therefore God has blessed You forever…in Your majesty ride prosperously because of truth, humility, and righteousness.’”

  “Like you,” she whispered back, and his heart laughed with hers.

  Billy’s Psalm stretched into forever, yet Gabe felt only patience…spent those moments breathing with Solace and adoring the way those blue ribbons curled around her radiant, sun-kissed face. Healthy and ripe and ready, she was her own woman, and soon to be his! What a blessing she’d be. What glorious children she’d give him….

  “The Twenty-Third Psalm has become our family’s favorite,” Billy was saying. “It reminds me how Solace and Gabe have each gone through their own valleys to meet on the other side and restore each other’s souls. I’m pleased my daughter Olivia wants to lead us in reciting it.”

  Solace’s heart swelled as the slender ten-year-old stepped up beside Billy. How grown-up she looked in her gown of lilac satin, with her auburn hair pulled back in a bow. Olivia’s smile looked anxious, yet she clasped her hands demurely and gazed out over the crowd. “‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want,’” she began in a clear voice.

  As they were embraced by the reverent voices around them, Solace joined in with Gabe, sharing the ancient verses she’d known since childhood. “‘He maketh me to lie down in green pastures…he leadeth me beside the still waters…He restoreth my soul.’”

  Gabe squeezed her hands. “‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me,’” he emphasized.

  “‘…thy rod and thy staff they comfort me,’” she replied softly. His pulse thrummed through her fingers and she gazed steadily at him, letting memory and the guests carry them along through the rest of the passage. All she knew was that Gabriel Getty wanted to make a home—a new life—with her. With her! That was all she needed to know.

  “‘Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.’”

  A collective sigh served as an amen. Then they exchanged their vows and their rings. The little band of gold circled her finger like a sparkling promise….

  “I now pronounce you man and wife,” Reverend Larsen proclaimed. “You may kiss your beautiful bride, Mr. Getty.”

  For just a moment those words called up a different vision. Yet when Gabe blinked, Solace stood before him with her lovely young face uplifted. Her breathing sounded fast and shallow, but it was expectant joy flushing her cheeks: her sense of adventure rather than fear.

  He couldn’t recall what Letitia looked like.

  A surge of hope drove his lips toward his bride’s as she rose to meet them. They’d kissed dozens of times over the summer, but this! This was a coming together of mouths and minds—man and wife—that felt like nothing he’d ever known! Gabe held her tightly and she kissed him back with an eagerness that made all things new and right. So he kissed her again!

  Gentle laughter and throat-clearing finally eased them apart. The pastor raised his arms happily. “Congratulations, Gabe and Solace! Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce Mr. and Mrs. Gabriel Getty!”

  The applause was warm as everyone stood up. She and Gabe turned, beaming at those who loved them. Lily, Grace, and Billy slipped behind them to recess down the aisle.

  “Hey, wait a minute! We ain’t finished yet!”

  The urgent voice was Charlie’s, and as everyone came to a stunned silence, Solace gaped at him. He looked so handsome in his navy blue suit and red bow tie, he might have been the son of a cattle baron or a railroad tycoon. His blond hair caught the afternoon sunlight and held it—just as he held their total attention.

  “You gotta do that part about Mr. Getty kissin’ his bride again,” the boy informed Reverend Larsen. “ ’Cept this time, I’m gonna be in on it! It’ll mean we’re a real family, ’cause we’re sealed with a kiss!”

  When Charlie grinned and raised his arms, Gabe grabbed him, laughing. He swung the boy to his shoulder as Solace had seen dozens of times, and the sight of it filled her with a special blessing. Charlie slung an arm around her neck and Gabe’s…arms that were so short the three of them went cheek-to-cheek-to-cheek immediately.

  “Mr. Getty, Mrs. Getty,” Reverend Larsen sang out, “you may kiss your son, Charles Carpenter, and may God bless your family forever and ever!”

  “Amen!” everybody chorused.

  As her lips met Charlie’s soft cheek, and as Gabe pressed into him from the other side, Solace felt a surge of pure, boundless power. Pure, boundless love. It was no surprise to hear some sniffles and “ahhhs” from those in the front rows, but then Papa spoke up with such reverence she had to open her eyes.

  “Look! It’s a sign!”

  Solace watched in awe; the largest monarch butterfly she’d ever seen was circling slowly above them, to land on Charlie’s hair.

  As the sun’s rays caught the brilliant orange and gold of its magnificent wings, the butterfly lingered to bestow its special benediction. It fluttered slowly, resting on his head, while Charlie held his breath. His eyes sparkled as if he’d just heard the world’s most wonderful secret.

  Solace swallowed hard. It seemed the most special guest of all had waited until the last minute to appear, but he was no mystery to her.

  “Thank you, Daddy,” she whispered. “We love you, too.”

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  The characters in my “Angels of Mercy” series discuss Negroes and colored men and Indians, because in the 1800s such terminology wasn’t derogatory or demeaning. It simply was. The Malloys pray and discuss their faith in public, too, because a strong belief in God was the foundation these homesteaders built their lives upon.

  So, at the risk of writing a politically incorrect story, I have told a more authentic, historically accurate one. I applaud my editor, Alicia Condon, for supporting me in this.

  CRITICS PRAISE

  CHARLOTTE HUBBARD!

  ANGEL’S EMBRACE

  “This loving series, reminiscent of the classic homespun, Americana novels of the ’80s and ’90s, hits a soft spot. With her latest, Hubbard moves her series from inspirational to mainstream historical romance, but there’s still a strong dose of inspiration in this lovingly crafted, yet gritty, story of small-town America.”

  —Romantic Times BOOKreviews

  “Angel’s Embrace is a very moving tale, and Ms. Hubbard does an excellent job at constructing relationships between her characters.”

  —Romance Reviews Today

  JOURNEY TO LOVE

  “Ms. Hubbard brings to life a spoiled, selfish young girl who has many lessons in life to learn, and learn them she does through the telling of Journey to Love…. The romance is sweet and the conclusion a happy one, though it doesn’t come without much soul searching and spiritual growth. Enjoy your journey of love with the reading of this novel.”

  —Romance Reviews Today

  “This is an interesting historical romance that showcases how different society was just under a hundred and fifty years ago as the sixteen-year-old heroine hopes to marry the man she loves…. Charlotte Hubbard provides readers with an interesting mid-nineteenth century journey to womanhood.”

  —Midwest Book Review

  A PATCHWORK FAMILY

  “Hubbard delights with the first in a five-book series that is sure to keep readers salivating for the next installment.”

  —Romantic Times BOOKreviews

 
; “A Patchwork Family is a wonderful adventure! Each time you think the story has finally leveled out, there is another surprise waiting at the turn of the page and around the bend….A Patchwork Family is a Perfect 10 and sure to become a cherished keeper!”

  —Romance Reviews Today

  “A great family story to share, [A Patchwork Family] will appeal to nearly every age and anyone who enjoys historical literature.”

  —Fresh Fiction