Wanted: Family (Silverpines Series Book 20)

by George H. McVey

  He stepped up behind her. “Silverpines is growing and changing. We as a town are moving into this new century. I left this empty because I’m waiting on a delivery. This, Mo Ghaol, will be an indoor privy and bathing room. The fixtures and pipes have been sent for and Mister Hunter will start work when they arrive so that you will not have to go out back to the privy or tote a washtub or water to bathe or clean Collin.”

  It was too much. This man was too good for her. All she’d wanted was a companion and a chance at a fresh start without the shame of Carl’s betrayal hanging over her. Instead God had answered not only the prayers she’d dared to pray, but the desires of her heart she’d been scared to ever give voice to. Here before her stood a man who put her needs and even her comfort before his own. While the house may have come with his job and the furniture in most of the house with the house, between the nursery, hand carved toys and now this bathing room, Ian MacGregor had spent his time and money making her feel precious and wanted. “We need to get Collin and go back to Miss Ethel’s house right now, Ian MacGregor.”

  His brow wrinkled in concern. “What’s wrong, lass.”

  She blushed and bit her lip. “Nothing is wrong but if we don’t get out of this house, I’m not sure you will still want to marry me tomorrow. Because I’m having real trouble not acting like a wanton woman right now.”

  Her voice was husky and he could see the desire and passion she was trying to keep under control. Ian swallowed and looked away. Then with quick movements he turned and raced into the bedroom and scooped up the sleeping child. “Aye, let’s get back to your chaperone, Mo Ghaol, before we both do something we’ll regret tomorrow.”

  Chapter Four

  Carol lay in bed that night marveling at how her life had changed. Just a few short months ago she thought she’d never get her chance at a fresh start. Then Callum Bing had called her into his study and gave her the letter from Ian MacGregor and she was hoping for a man who would become her friend and companion. Instead it seemed that God had blessed her with a man who she could give her whole heart to.

  That was unless it was all an act. Carl had seemed sweet and caring as well until after she’d said “I do” then it was like another man put on his face. Gone was the sweet romantic gestures, the careful and loving consideration; in its place were demands and criticism and a few times even force to ensure her compliance. Would that be Ian tomorrow evening after they were married and alone in their new home? He said that he’d give her all the time she needed but then earlier he told her they needed to stay in a populated place lest he break his word to her. Which was flattering and kind of scary at the same time.

  Then that little voice spoke to her and reminded her that she almost lost control herself and dragged him to the bedroom. She blushed just at the thought of what his thoughtful acts had unleashed inside her. The feelings and desires that she’d never had before with anyone, not even Carl, felt both very right and very wrong. She remembered the conversation with her mother the night before her wedding. How it was her duty to lay there and allow her husband to have his way when he wanted to exercise his husbandly rights. She’d advised her to work on her organization for what to do the next day or plan that week’s menu. With Carl that was exactly what she did.

  Her mother had told her that a good and proper wife never acted wanton or enjoyed the activities that took place in the marriage bed but she also never encouraged her husband to start the act of marriage. So she knew she had been improper this afternoon, she’d gotten carried away and pulled Ian into more than one kiss. And the way they’d kissed, she’d never kissed like that before. She’d never known you could kiss like that before. Then to think she’d kissed him like that. Then to demand they come back to the orphanage or she was going to initiate the actual act of marriage like a common saloon girl. What had gotten into her? It would serve her right if Ian refused to marry her tomorrow.

  Carol was ashamed at how much she’d loved the feel of his body pressed against hers. Of his lips moving over the skin of her neck. His teeth teasing her ear and neck right below her jaw. She’d wanted nothing more than to feel his short trimmed beard rub across her skin more. To run her hands over the hard muscles she’d sensed under his shirt. She shuddered as she thought about him. Then she was jumping out of bed and pulling her dressing gown closed over her nightgown. Pacing back and forth but nothing she did settled her rapidly beating heart or the massive ache deep inside of her belly.

  Quietly she let herself out of the room and headed for the kitchen. She needed something to soothe her nerves and help her sleep. Who was she kidding, she needed someone to talk to that would understand and not judge her for her wanton, repulsive desires.

  As she entered the kitchen she stopped to see Miss Howard standing at the stove heating a pan of milk. “Hello Carol, I thought I heard you tossing and turning. Anxious about tomorrow?”

  “No. Yes. Oh, I don’t know what I am. Confused more than anything.”

  The older woman pulled the pan off the stove and poured the warm milk into two mugs. “This will help you sleep but if you need to talk, I’m willing to listen.”

  “Well I’m pretty sure that there won’t be a wedding tomorrow. Once Ian thinks about the way I behaved tonight I’m sure he’ll not want to marry me.”

  Miss Edith laughed. “Oh he’ll show up. That man is besotted with you already dear. Why would you think he wouldn’t want to marry you?”

  Carol’s face heated with her embarrassment and shame. “I don’t want to say, Miss Edith. I don’t want you to think less of me either.”

  “Oh come now, I’ve raised a house full of girls several of which have become wives and two of which will be soon becoming mothers. More than that, my sister and I have taught several other young ladies how to become wives and homemakers. I promise you Carol, we’ve heard anything you could tell us before.”

  Carol took a breath and then without looking up sighed as she cried. “I don’t think Ian will want to marry a woman who acted so wanton as to throw herself into his arms and kiss him. Not only that but I told him we had to come back here before I lost all control and dragged him to our marriage bed.”

  Miss Ethel laughed and slapped the table. “Carol, I’ll be surprised if that man isn’t here for breakfast trying to move your wedding up. Sweet one, you obviously aren’t innocent. Unlike the girls under my care and myself, you’re a widow. You’ve obviously known the joys of a marriage bed. You did good today. You resisted what had to be a very serious temptation and acted honorably. I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

  Something Miss Ethel said had stuck with her. “You said the joys of a marriage bed. Good Christian women don’t find joy in doing their duty. Only loose, wanton woman better suited for a brothel or saloon find joy in that act.”

  Miss Ethel’s eyes got wide. “Oh now I understand your problem. You need a good Christian wife to talk to, not an old maid like me. Thankfully we have one of those here. Let me go get Katie for you. She’s been married a few months now.”

  Carol blushed again. “Oh please don’t bother her. I’d be dreadfully embarrassed to talk about this with a stranger.”

  “Nonsense, you need friends that you can talk to about anything. I suggest that you get to know the young ladies who’ve sent for husbands since our disaster. They’ve all been through what you have, sort of. A few of them were widows who needed a man’s help and care. Mrs. Cutler at the mercantile comes to mind. As well as my three girls who’ve all married. And Betsy Sewell. But for tonight you need to talk to Katie. I think you will find that she is a good Christian woman, and from the way she and her sisters who married giggle about their husbands, I’m pretty sure they find joy in their marriage beds.”

  Before she could protest again Miss Ethel was already down the hall knocking on the door between the orphanage and the newlywed couples’ private space. Within just a few minutes Carol was meeting Katie Hunter and the two were heading back to Carol’s room to talk abou
t married life and especially Carol’s new desires related to her soon to be husband.

  Ian woke from dreams of a brown haired, brown eyed beauty who kept calling him husband and telling him how much she loved him. In his last one her belly had been swollen with their child as a young boy smiled at both of them as he played with the wooden ark his Adair had carved for him.

  Ian smiled as he realized it wasn’t going to be a dream for much longer. Today was his wedding day. In just a few short hours he would stand beside Carol in the Silverpines church and take vows before God and his friends and coworkers, becoming a husband. This morning he bounded out of bed and went downstairs to light the gas oven to heat some water to clean up. He wanted to trim his beard and wash up. He wanted to run up to the Howard House and see Carol and Collin this morning as well.

  On top of that he needed to get out his kilt and accessories. He knew he’d take some teasing for it, but he was going to marry in traditional Scottish fashion. In full kilt and regalia. He was Ian MacGregor of the Clan MacGregor, and today he would stand proud as he gave Carol his name and her own sash of the clan tartan. He’d talk with her later today to see how she felt about him adopting Collin as his own. He knew she wanted him to raise the wee laddie to be a good God-fearing man, but would she be willing for Ian to adopt the lad and give him his clan name and traditions? He hoped so.

  He couldn’t stop thinking about the kisses and the desire he’d seen in her eyes yesterday. He had promised her that they would move at her speed and he would keep that promise as much as he wanted to take her in his arms and his bed, making her his wife in spirit and truth. However, he knew he couldn’t afford to push her faster than she was willing to proceed on that front. He wanted to be nothing like the man she had been married to before.

  He’d just finished dressing in a clean set of work clothes to head to the Howard House when there came a knock on his front door. He was surprised to see Betsy Sewell, Katie Hunter, Ella Grace Karson and Maude Henderson. Each held a box from the mercantile with what he was sure were food staples. “Good morning, ladies. To what do I owe the honor of your visit this morning?”

  Maude smiled at him. “Good morning, Ian. Miss Ethel caught wind that you had an empty pantry and asked us to make sure your wife would have some things she needed to get started. We also brought some things to fix you breakfast this morning. Jeremiah told me to tell you that under no circumstance are you to show up at the mine office today.

  Ian smiled. “I thank you all kindly for the food stuff, but I was planning on going to have breakfast with Carol and young Collin this morning.”

  Betsy shook her head. “Oh no you don’t, Ian MacGregor! Miss Ethel said to tell you if you show up at her house before your wedding, she’ll shoot you with her rifle and she’d hate to shoot you on your wedding day. You aren’t allowed to see the bride before she walks down the aisle to you.”

  Ian frowned. “But I want to see her.”

  Ella Grace and Katie laughed. “She wants to see you too, but Miss Ethel is a stickler for wedding traditions and you know that. If you show up she will let you have it even if she doesn’t actually shoot you. I can guarantee you won’t get inside to see your bride. Now come into the kitchen and let us feed you.”

  As he followed them Katie smiled at him. “I got to spend some time with your bride yesterday and this morning. She is a lovely woman inside and out, Ian. That baby is precious as well.”

  Ian couldn’t stop the smile that overtook his face. “Aye lass, that she is. I’ve never met a woman who has been through so much and kept her spirit sweet and lovely like Carol.”

  The four women looked at him and giggled. He frowned. “What?”

  Maude grinned at him “You’re thoroughly smitten with her already, aren’t you, Ian?”

  He puffed out his chest. “Aye I am, and I’m not ashamed of it. She is easy to be smitten by.”

  Katie nodded. “I agree with you, Mister MacGregor, she is indeed easy to befriend and love. Why I think she’ll be a great addition to our community.”

  As they talked the women fixed him breakfast and sat with him as he ate it, talking about the holiday that was quickly approaching. “I do hope we get some snow this Christmas, this weather is crazy.”

  Ian stuffed his face with the eggs and bacon, gravy and fried potatoes. He washed it all down with coffee and thought about the need to get Carol and Collin gifts for the holiday. He would talk with her tonight about how she wanted to celebrate the day. He was hoping to start building some family traditions with her and Collin. Even if the wee lad was too little to remember them next year.

  Once everything was cleaned up and put away, his friends and neighbors’ wives all smiled at him and reminded him to not test Miss Ethel today. Then promising to be at the church at eleven, they all left his house. Knowing he couldn’t go to work and couldn’t go see Carol or Collin, Ian decided to take a walk through the mining neighborhoods and make sure that the wives and widows were all okay and didn’t need anything. He received congratulations from every lady he saw about his impending marriage and assurances that they all planned to be at the church for the ceremony.

  Once he was sure that those under his care were doing well, he turned and wandered downtown heading for the Cutlers’ store. Everyone he met along the way asked about his wedding and promised to attend. He hoped that Carol was alright with a full church for their nuptials. This was one of the things he’d quickly come to love about Silverpines. Thanks to the adversity that they’d survived, the community acted more like a big extended family than a large and growing city. He knew from his conversations with Mayor Garrison that the town council had already sent for a city developer to help them move into the future. With Braylon Watts having brought electricity to town and Jeremiah and himself working to get the mine up and running, the town was moving back into becoming a city again. But still it had that family feel. Ian was proud to be part of such a place.

  He talked with the Cutlers and they assured him they would put together things that Carol would want or need to start keeping house. Things he hadn’t thought of. They also let him know they’d be at his wedding. Which brought Ian out of his musing and made him realize he needed to get home and into his wedding clothes if he was going to be at his wedding on time.

  Chapter Five

  Carol stood looking at the clothes she’d brought with her trying to decide which dress to wear for her wedding. She’d worn her best dress yesterday, but it was covered in soot from the train and she wanted to look good for Ian at their wedding. She was still trying to decide when there came a knock on her door. She opened it to see Miss Ethel standing there with a long white box. “Carol, my dear, I hope you don’t think this too out of line. You see, my sister and I bought each of the girls of marriageable age in our house a dress when Ella Grace got married. I just thought with everything you’d been through you probably hadn’t brought a wedding gown. You and Cindy Lou seem to be about the same size, so with her permission I brought this for you. I’ll get her another one after her young man proposes.” She handed the box to Carol.

  Carol laid the box on the bed and opened it to see a cream colored gown with pink and gold flowers covering it. Half sleeves and a neckline that showed a hint of cleavage while still being modest. There was a pink sash to tie at the waist. A tear slipped down Carol’s cheek. She’d been married to Carl in a day dress because he hadn’t wanted to spend money on a dress she couldn’t use again. Here was a relative stranger she’d known for less than a day who had offered her a lovely wedding gown. “Are you sure, Miss Ethel? I mean if you bought this for one of your orphans, shouldn’t you save it for her?”

  Ethel patted her hand. “I’m sure. Why I saw the way Mister MacGregor looked at you. I want you to take his breath away when you walk into the church today. I can easily get Cindy Lou another dress. This one is perfect for you. Now put it on and Katie will be up to help you with your hair in a few minutes. The twins are dressing your son and plan to
keep him busy until time to go. Then I’ll take care of him until after your wedding.”

  Carol hugged the other woman. “Thank you. You’ve become a friend already and I am so grateful for everything you’ve done for me.”

  “Oh my dear, we are a town full of women who’ve had to pull together to survive this year. You are cut from the same mold as us and you’ll be welcomed as such. Now don’t cry, you don’t want to walk down the aisle with puffy red eyes.”

  They got her into the dress and were just finishing buttoning up all the little pearl buttons when Katie walked in. “Oh! Carol, you look lovely. Mister MacGregor won’t be able to take his eyes off you.”

  They talked some more as Katie did up her hair and then there was nothing left to do but head down to the church. As soon as Ethel called all the girls together to go, Carol’s nerves went into overdrive. She couldn’t understand it; she hadn’t reacted this way when she was marrying Carl. She hadn’t been nervous or anxious at all that day, yet right now she felt like a whole kaleidoscope of butterflies had taken wing in her belly. Just a relatively short walk through town and she would once again be a married woman. Married to a man she’d known less than a full day and yet she felt like she was going to collect a missing piece of herself.

  Katie smiled at her. “You ready for this?”

  Carol rolled her shoulders and then stood nodding.

  “Then let’s go get you married.”

  Ian MacGregor stood in front of the sanctuary watching as the pews filled with his friends, neighbors and fellow miners. He stood proud in the red and black tartan of Rob Roy MacGregor himself. The royal lion crest cast in silver upon his breast, pinning the tartan sash to his blood red vest. The wording on the crest let anyone who could read Gaelic know that he was a descendant of the Royal Rebel himself. Triogal Ma Dh'ream/Een dhn bait spair nocht, it stated “I am of royal descent/slay and spare not.” A reminder to the clans that all MacGregors had stood for what was right even against the king’s own order of death to the clan. Yet here they stood while that evil king lay dead beneath the soil of Scotland.