The 12 Brides of Christmas Collection

by Mary Connealy

  “And it’s not a love potion, just some herbs to make Harlan a little more … amicable toward marriage.” What else was she supposed to do? It wasn’t like he loved another or had stated his intentions toward someone else. He worked hard and steady, barely taking off time to go to church. Someone had to save him from himself.

  “Do you honestly believe that?” Grace asked, her stance wilting just a bit.

  “Oh Grace, he’s so handsome and wonderful and handsome.”

  “So you’ve said.”

  “I really didn’t mean any harm.”

  “I believe we’ve had this conversation already.”

  “What am I supposed to do?” She only wanted his love. She hadn’t meant to ruin it all.

  “Find some cake.” Grace frowned. “And don’t leave him alone with Pa.”

  Maddie pasted on a smile and backed through the swinging door from the kitchen. “Who wants cake?”

  She didn’t pay any attention to the answers. The gingerbread cookies were in the trash, buried under this morning’s coffee grounds. She couldn’t risk Harlan eating any more of them.

  Grace came behind her bearing the freshly brewed coffee to end their meal.

  “You girls are so sweet, bringin’ in dessert like this.” Prissy smiled at them, her teeth a flash of ivory in her mocha-colored skin. It might not be fashionable to allow a person of color to share a table with those who were not, but her father said they were all the Lord’s children and the color of skin didn’t make one bit of difference to him. Or Him.

  “You take care of us all the time,” Grace said smoothly. “It’s only proper for us to show our gratitude when we can.”

  Maddie set the tray on the table, her gaze immediately drawn to Harlan. How could one man be so handsome and perfect? He loved the Lord and was successful and well learned. He was everything a poor preacher’s daughter from Arkansas could ever hope for. And the Lord had sent him to her. She just knew it.

  “How about we postpone this cake for a bit and go into the study for a quick smoke?” Her father pushed back from the table, his gaze trained on Harlan.

  Grace shot Maddie a quick look. Do something now, it said.

  Once the men got to the study, the women would be locked out for most of the evening. She’d have no way to intervene.

  Oh, she wanted Harlan to ask for her hand in marriage, but not like this. What a moment of weakness, when she had succumbed to the urge to seek outside help in getting Harlan to love her in return.

  Shame filled her. She hadn’t trusted the Lord. He was all the “outside help” she needed.

  “Harlan,” she practically purred. Whose voice was that? She cleared her throat and tried not to sound so desperate. “Harlan, will you take me for a quick stroll? I suddenly feel the need for …”

  “Fresh air,” Grace supplied.

  “Yes, that’s it,” Maddie agreed. “Fresh air would be wonderful.”

  Harlan seemed to hesitate, but thankfully the powder she had added to the cookies kicked in and took over. He wouldn’t be able to deny her anything tonight. Tomorrow might be another story altogether. But she would deal with that problem then. “Of course.” He stood and nodded toward her father.

  “We can talk when you get back,” Pa said.

  Maddie took a fortifying breath. Not if she had anything to say in the matter.

  Chapter 2

  Only a small patch of stars shone in the night sky. Clouds covered the rest, giving hope to Prissy’s promise of snow.

  Maddie pulled the sides of her wool cape a little closer around her as she silently questioned the wisdom of a winter night’s walk. Too bad it wasn’t a fragrant June evening with birds chirping and cicadas buzzing in the heat. But she had to get Harlan out of the house before he could embarrass himself in front of her father.

  “Are you warm enough?” Harlan asked. Concern colored his voice. “We can go back in, if you’d like.”

  “Oh no,” Maddie gushed, her enthusiasm more than one person should have. She told herself to calm down and shot him a quick smile. “I want to walk all the way down to the church.”

  “That far?”

  “Of course,” she lied. Quickly asking God for forgiveness, she continued. “It’s Christmas Eve, the perfect day to go to the church. Don’t you agree?” At least this last part was the truth.

  Harlan returned her smile and nearly took her breath away. “Perfect,” he said.

  She looped her arm through his, and together they started off through the small crop of trees that hid the preacher’s house from the rest of Calico Falls.

  “It’s a beautiful night,” Harlan said. His strong form moved a little closer to her. They were alone, and the action was most inappropriate, but it was cold and she relished the warmth of him drawing near. If only he was so close because he truly loved her and wanted to be by her side always. That was everything a girl could ask for. Instead …

  “Harlan,” she started as they continued their walk, “there’s something I need to talk to you about.” She couldn’t stand the guilt any longer. So far she had tricked him into eating tainted cookies, rebuffed his sweet marriage proposal, and led him out in the cold to correct her own mistakes. These were not the actions of a woman in love but of a desperate woman who needed to get back in control of herself before she ruined Christmas for everyone involved.

  She only had a short time before she would be able to send Harlan home for the evening, but she had to confess the truth before it ate up her insides.

  “Yes, my love?”

  Her heart tripped at the endearment, and her feet followed suit.

  “Whoa, there.” Harlan wrapped his arms around her. His embrace steadied her steps and kept her from falling face-first into the packed dirt street of Calico Falls. But it had done more than that. It brought them close. So close. With only mere inches separating them. Inches that could be closed in a heartbeat.

  Maddie inhaled, the action only bringing them closer, their frosted breath mingling in the night air.

  They had come through the trees and into town, the church steeple just visible at the end of the way.

  The sight of the cross standing straight and tall against the dark, clouded sky gave her bravery she hadn’t had before.

  She wedged her hands between herself and Harlan, putting some distance between them and successfully ending the potential kiss that hung around them.

  “I must tell you something,” she breathed, hating the words before she even said them. She prayed they wouldn’t change how he felt about her forever. Lord, please let him understand that everything I did, I did out of love.

  “I went to Old Lady Farley and got some … ground spices and herbs to put in the cookies.”

  He grinned. “They were delicious.”

  “Not those kinds of herbs.” She bit her lip, trying to come up with the best explanation and falling short. “They were ones to make you fall in love with me.”

  To her surprise, he threw back his head and laughed long and loud into the cold night. “You are a jewel, Maddie Sinclair.”

  “But—” she started, sputtering to answer. This was not how she expected him to respond. Where was the indignation, the accusations and hurt?

  The poor man was so far gone he couldn’t even believe the truth. Those herbs must have been more potent than she’d originally thought.

  “Harlan, listen to me.” She grabbed his arms, holding him still so he would face her. He had to understand how serious the matter was.

  But instead of searching her face and seeing the truth, he tilted his head back and scanned the sky. “It’s snowing.”

  Pure white crystal flakes drifted down from the clouds. They were close to the mountains, but not far enough up that they’d ever had a white Christmas that Maddie could recall. Watching the snow fall was like a miracle in itself.

  “Come on.” Harlan grabbed her hand, and together they raced toward the church.

  Maddie couldn’t stop the laugh from es
caping her as they ran. The snow started to fall faster. By the time they reached the portico at the tiny white clapboard church, the ground was nearly covered.

  Harlan released her hand as they stepped under the cover. He brushed the snow from his shoulders and gave her that heart-stopping smile. “I guess we should have run back toward your house.”

  “Most probably,” Maddie said, but she wouldn’t have missed the scene before her for anything. Snow fell around their sleepy little town. Candles twinkled in the windows of houses and shops alike. Pine wreaths hung on the doors, tied with red ribbon and strips of flour sacks. A hush hovered over the town, a quiet air of expectation. Tomorrow was Christmas. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered.

  “Yes,” he agreed, but he wasn’t looking at the town. He was staring at her, that gleam back in his blue eyes.

  “Harlan, what I said back there, I was serious.”

  He shook his head. “You think I asked to marry you because of something Old Lady Farley gave you?”

  She solemnly nodded. At least now he was starting to understand. As much as it hurt her, she was glad.

  “Maddie Sinclair, you should know better.”

  “I know.” She had to push the words past the lump in her throat.

  “You of all people should know that she’s a crazy old hen. Why, she probably gave you a mess of ground-up, dried grass and charged you, to boot.”

  “What? No, she gave me some love herbs, and I baked them into the cookies. Then you asked me to marry you.” Couldn’t he understand? How many times did she have to say it before he realized she was telling the truth?

  “The cookies were delicious, I might add. But not enough to make me fall in love with you.” He seemed to think about it a moment. “Well, maybe. They were pretty tasty.”

  “Harlan Calhoun. I need you to be serious. I did something terribly wrong. You have to believe me.”

  “Oh, I believe you.” His eyes twinkled, taking all the validity from his words. And it surely didn’t help when he dropped to one knee there on the portico and clasped her hands in his. “Maddie Sinclair, would you do me the pleasure of being my wife?”

  Tears immediately sprang to her eyes. Her hands were in his warm ones, and she let the tears fall. “Harlan.” She nearly choked on the love and remorse clogging her throat. “I don’t know what to say.”

  Oh, she knew what to say. She had to tell him no. As much as she loved him, as long as she had waited for this moment, she had to tell him no. And then pray like everything that he would still feel the same once the cookies lost their effect.

  Not that she expected those prayers to be answered.

  “You say yes,” he gently explained. He released her hands to remove something from the inside pocket of his coat. A jewelry box.

  Her heart pounded, and her mouth dried to ash as he lifted the lid. Nestled inside the carved box, atop a deep burgundy velvet cushion, was a cameo. It was beautiful and fragile and special. She wanted nothing more than to remove it and hold it close. Cherish it always.

  “This was my grandmother’s,” he continued. “But I want you to have it as a symbol of my love for you.”

  “Oh Harlan.” She clamped one hand over her mouth to keep from saying more. As badly as she wanted to declare her eternal love in return, this was wrong. “I can’t accept this,” she said, her choked sob escaping between her numb fingers.

  His earnest smile never wavered. “Of course not. You can’t say yes without my talking to your father first. Please forgive my eagerness. But I have no patience where love is concerned.”

  If only that were true.

  She bit her lip again, this time drawing blood as she struggled to keep words she couldn’t say from escaping. “I think it’s time we headed back.”

  The ground was completely white. Perhaps it was past time to go home, weather-wise at least. But when they got back to her house, he was sure to want to talk to her father, and that was something she simply couldn’t allow.

  She looked out at the falling snow. They couldn’t stay here much longer without scandalizing the entire town. With a sigh, she pulled him to his feet. “We have to go back now,” she said. She’d worry about the rest of it later.

  His smile grew positively dazzling, brighter than the snow they had to trudge through to make it back to her house on the edge of town. “I’m glad to see you’re so … enthusiastic.”

  “What?” He had completely misunderstood her intentions. “That’s not what I meant. It’s snowing harder. If we don’t get back soon, we’ll never make it.”

  Harlan tilted his head, his expression so lost and perplexed she wanted to reach out and wipe it away with the tips of her fingers. “Are you saying you don’t want to marry me?”

  She opened her mouth to respond. His question had no right answer. If she said no, Harlan would forever think she didn’t love him. If she said yes, then he would want to propose—for real, in front of her father and with his blessing—tonight. And what happened tomorrow when the cookies no longer had control of his emotions and his thinking was clear? How would he feel about being trapped into marriage with the preacher’s plain daughter?

  “Let’s go,” she said, turning toward the steps leading away from the church. It was best not to answer at all and say another prayer that the Lord would somehow see her through.

  Yet a tiny voice inside whispered, You got yourself into this. It’s up to you to get yourself out of it.

  Maddie wasn’t sure if it was the Lord or her own conscience. She suspected it might be a little of both.

  Still, it wouldn’t stop her from praying. And with a lot of blessing from above, she would somehow be able to stall Harlan until it was time for him to head back to his own house. Then, and only then, would she breathe a sigh of relief.

  Harlan grabbed Maddie’s hand, and together they dashed back through the snow. It was as if the heavens knew he needed an enchanted night to ask her to be his wife. And what was more magical than snow on Christmas Eve?

  The earth glistening with the crystal flakes lent a surreal backdrop to the midnight-blue sky. It was almost Christmas, the most wondrous day of the year. Maddie Sinclair was about to agree to be his wife. And everything was perfect. He’d never felt so blessed.

  Well, at least he thought she was going to agree to be his wife. But this nonsense about bewitched cookies. Ridiculous. He hoped her crazy notions about magical herbs weren’t enough to keep her from saying yes.

  Oh, the cookies were tasty indeed. But they weren’t magical. And delicious as they were, they couldn’t make him fall in love. Because he was already there. He had loved her from the first time he had seen her. She had been standing at her father’s side, welcoming the congregation into their tiny church. Harlan was brand-new to town, the dust not even wiped from his shoes, but he knew he had to keep his covenant with the Lord. Despite his exhaustion and weariness from the trip west, he’d donned his best suit and walked to the church.

  She had been wearing a dress as blue as the June sky, the color lending its hue to her green eyes to turn them the color of the ocean. Her deep brown hair had been pulled back with a bit of ivory lace that perfectly matched the trimmings on her dress. And in that instant, he had fallen completely in love.

  He allowed his gaze to drift toward her now. She was even more beautiful, with the cold staining her cheeks a fetching pink and adding an extra sparkle to her eyes. And he loved her even more.

  How silly and sweet that she had thought she could make him fall in love with her by using a crazy old woman’s love potion. He couldn’t love her any more than he already did. Well, that was his verdict today. Tomorrow might bring even more affection for the lovely woman at his side.

  For her to go to such lengths to make him fall in love with her … well, that had to say something about her own feelings, didn’t it?

  She had yet to tell him how she felt. But she had to love him. She just had to.

  They made it back to her house in record time
, snowflakes clinging to their hair and clothes.

  “Maddie. Harlan.” Grace met them at the door, concern etched into every inch of her face. “We were so worried about you.”

  Maddie smiled at her sister, the action warming his heart from the inside out. “It’s snowing, Grace. It’s a Christmas miracle. That has to mean something, right?”

  Grace shook her head. “Maddie, you didn’t …” Her words trailed off as she helped her sister out of her wet cloak. She brushed the last of the snowflakes from Maddie’s hair as Maddie whispered, “He asked me to marry him.”

  “What did you say?” Grace returned in the same whisper.

  Harlan took off his coat but held it in his arms, waiting for the two of them to finish.

  “What could I say? I told him we had to talk to Pa.”

  “Oh, Maddie.”

  “You didn’t tell Pa, right? Please, Gracie, you can’t tell Pa.”

  “What are we supposed to do?”

  Maddie shook her dark head. “I don’t know, but please don’t tell him. He’ll never understand.”

  “I won’t tell him,” Harlan said.

  The sisters turned to him as if they had just remembered he was there.

  “Harlan,” Grace greeted, her voice overloud in the small entryway. “Let’s get you into the parlor where there’s a fire going.” She took his coat and hung it on the rack next to Maddie’s.

  “Is your father in there?” he asked as Grace led him down the hall.

  “He’s in the study having a smoke.” She wrinkled her nose as if this was the absolute worst thing. Harlan didn’t partake of tobacco often. He knew it was the vogue thing in all the best houses in the East, but he’d never developed a taste for it. Still, he would much rather be in the study not having a smoke with her father than in the parlor alone. How was he supposed to ask for Maddie’s hand half a house away from the blessing he needed?

  He started to protest, but Grace seemed deaf as she led him toward the parlor.

  “Now, you wait here, and I’ll be back shortly with some hot cocoa to help warm you up.”