Bride For Marshall

by Cassie Hayes

  “Is it serious?” Colleen asked.

  He heard her dressing behind him, so he remained where he was. The glimpse of her leg was enough to drive him to distraction, and with a severe storm about to pummel their little community, he needed all of his wits.

  “Could be. Why don’t you make sure we have enough food for at least a week, and fill a few extra buckets of water, just in case the pump freezes up. I’ll be back in a jiff.”

  “You mean we might get snowed in?”

  Marshall didn’t need to turn around to see the light of excitement in Colleen’s eyes. She sounded like a kid at Christmas. Nerves got the better of him. He threw on his uniform, not even bothering to make sure he was neat and tidy, and fled their little cabin. Breakfast could wait till later. Everything could wait for later, but Marshall sensed he and his new bride would have to come to some kind of reckoning. If this really was going to be a blizzard, they were going to be locked inside for days.

  He was the first to arrive at the station, but the other three joined him within a few minutes. Peter took charge, assigning them all to various duties before the blizzard really got going.

  “This one came on fast,” he told them. “I suspect a few families will get caught off-guard, but for the most part, everyone’s just made it through winter. They’ll be ready for anything.”

  “I’ll make sure the horses have a supply of hay,” Marshall started, but Peter waved him off.

  “Already done. My place is closest to them, so I’ll check on them again when the weather allows.”

  Marshall glanced around the room, trying to think of something — anything — that would give him an excuse to leave the cabin during the blizzard. It was futile, he finally realized. No one would be out committing crimes. If someone were lost in the woods, even the entire team would never be able to find them in white-out conditions. And Peter just informed them that he’d post a sign for any fool who might find his way to the station, to go to Peter’s cabin.

  “I think you all should get ready to spend some quality time alone with your new brides,” Peter said before dismissing them. “I for one am looking forward to it!”

  The other men practically sprinted out of the station, leaving Marshall to drag his heels on the way home. The building snow made it easy to go slow, but the bitter cold was getting to him. If he didn’t hurry, at least a little, he’d freeze solid.

  “That’s a mite more appealing than having to share my feelings with my wife,” he muttered, his words blown away by the fierce wind.

  As he passed Peter and Callie’s cabin, he spotted a snow-encrusted Chip peering into a window that glowed with warmth and light. Callie’s face appeared and silently tried to shoo the bison away. The animal never wavered, just stared at the woman’s frantic arm-waving. Marshall had to chuckle — he’d never heard of a perverted bison before!

  Stomping up the steps to his door, he spent as much time as he could kicking the caked snow from his boots, until Colleen cracked open the door. She was no match for the stiffening wind, which whipped the door from her hands and sent it banging all the way open.

  She cried out in surprise. “Come inside before we lose all the heat!”

  Marshall only hesitated for a split second, mostly because he had no other choice. As much as he didn’t want to reveal himself as a disappointment to Colleen, he couldn’t let her freeze. Steeling himself for what was to come, he shoved the door closed behind him.

  “I made your favorite breakfast,” Colleen chirped, waving a hand at the table. A stack of French toast sat piled high, with a jar of maple syrup sitting in a bowl of steaming water. “I even melted some butter.”

  She really was something, and she deserved so much better than him. Grimacing at his own self-doubt, Marshall plopped down and tucked into his breakfast. As usual, it was delicious, as was every meal she cooked.

  Colleen was simply amazing. For the first time, Marshall wondered if she knew that. She’d certainly never heard it from him. Just another example of what a terrible husband he was.

  The wind whistled through the eaves, occasionally shaking the little structure with its ferocity. Colleen would shoot a worried glance at the windows, but her emerald gaze always returned to him.

  “We’ll be fine,” he told her, after the third such shudder. “This is nothing compared to winter storms in these parts.”

  When she started to clear the dishes, Marshall stood and took them from her. “I’ll do the dishes.”

  Colleen smiled, which always sent his heart pounding. “Let’s do them together!”

  That sounded harmless — and wise on her part. Household chores had never been his strong-suit. She already had water heating on the stove, so while she got busy washing he waited for her to hand him the first dish.

  “You’re a very good cook,” he said, after straining his brain to think of something to fill the silence between them.

  “Thank you. Mam taught all of us girls how to cook.”

  “How many of there are you?”

  She laughed. “Altogether? Fifteen. Eight boys, seven girls. Hopefully Mam’s done, but you just never know.”

  “That’s a lot of children,” Marshall said, wiping the first plate dry and setting it on the butcher block. “How does your father manage?”

  Colleen frowned and handed him another plate. “Manage? Manage how?”

  “Fifteen children, plus a wife? That’s a lot of mouths to feed. Is your family wealthy?”

  “Hardly! I remember many a night when we all went to bed with rumbling tummies. But he did the best he could, and we all helped as much as we could. For the first couple years I worked and lived at home, I contributed to the family coffers.”

  Marshall chewed on his lip before asking his next question. “But didn’t…didn’t that make him feel…”

  “Feel what?” she prompted.

  He shrugged and took a dripping pan from her hand. “Like he wasn’t providing.”

  Colleen stared at him for a moment before returning her attention to the sink. “I’m not sure. It’s possible, but I can tell you that none of us saw him that way. He worked harder than any man alive so we wouldn’t go hungry. Sometimes we did, but mostly we didn’t.”

  “But it must have been difficult for him, not being able to give his family everything they wanted.”

  “Maybe, but we always had everything we needed. A roof over our heads, clothes on our backs, and a family so full of love, we didn’t mind stone soup every now and then.”

  “How is that possible?”

  Colleen handed him the last plate and leaned back against the sink, staring off into the past. “I don’t know, but it’s true. If I think hard, I can recall a few times when I resented not having a full serving of meat, but mostly I just remember how much fun we all had together. Mam and Da always made sure of it, as strict as they were. We played charades, read the Bible together, and we kids often put on little plays we made up. And Mam always made chores fun, making a sort of game out of them.”

  Marshall smiled. “I suppose with fifteen children, that made cleaning pretty quick.”

  “Think again,” she said with a laugh. “With that many kids, the house was always a mess, but the older ones managed to tidy up after the younger ones enough that poor ol’ Mam didn’t break her back.”

  “Sounds like a team effort.”

  “Isn’t every family?”

  Marshall cleared his throat and opened himself up, just a little. “I don’t really know. You see, my mother raised me on her own. I had no father or siblings.”

  A profound sadness shadowed Colleen’s normally vibrant eyes. “I’m so sorry.”

  When she reached for his hand, he let her take it. Relished it, really. Her touch gave him strength he’d never known. Maybe it would be okay to open up even more.

  “That’s why…” He paused, trying to find easier words, but there were only right ones. None of it would be easy. He just needed to blurt it out. “That’s why I’m
not sure I’ll be a good husband or father.”

  There. He’d said it. All he had to do was wait.

  At least she didn’t make him wait long. Gasping, Colleen tugged him into a tight embrace.

  “Oh, Marshall! I had no idea!”

  They stood that way for a few minutes, before she finally pulled back enough to gaze up at him, her wide eyes searching for the answer she desperately wanted.

  “D-do you think you’ll ever want children?”

  Marshall drank in her earnest beauty and remembered his vow to give her everything he possibly could. Even if he didn’t want kids, she did, and that was all that mattered. But even as he spoke, he realized he truly meant what he was saying.

  “I never thought I did, but since you came into my life…I think…maybe?”

  Tears spilled out of her eyes, but the smile she wore comforted him. She was happy. More than happy. Grabbing his hand, she spun around and headed out of the kitchen and toward her bed.

  Their bed.

  Grinning back at him, she said, “Then we might as well get started!”

  4

  Colleen whistled as she carefully placed an arrangement of scavenged wildflowers in the center of the table. There weren’t many only a couple weeks after the blizzard, but it hadn’t taken long for new ones to bloom. Marshall had quickly knocked up an extension so all eight adults would fit. The children would eat from a crate in front of the fire. He’d even draped a blanket across the fireside chairs so the girls could pretend they were in their own private fort.

  As she spun to head back into the kitchen to check on dinner, Marshall caught her up in his arms and stared down at her for a long, delicious moment, before dropping his head to give her a sweet kiss that would have steamed up her glasses, if she wore them.

  Laughing with delight and surprise, she asked, “What was that for?”

  He settled his hands low on her back, holding her close to his body. “For being the most kind, patient, loving and amazing woman who’s ever lived.”

  Since the first day of the blizzard — and her bold insistence they make their marriage complete — Marshall had treated her differently. In a good way. When he came home at night after a long day of scouring the hinterlands for victims of the winter storm, the first thing he did was shrug out of his coat. The second thing he did was scoop her up for a deep, loving kiss. Sometimes they got so caught up dinner burned!

  But neither of them minded. Colleen had always hoped her marriage would be so loving, but she’d never really understood how happy such a thing would make her. Her parents loved each other, and they never hid their affection for one another. She couldn’t count how many times Da had stolen a kiss from her mother while she was cooking. Mam had always flapped a hand at him, as if she didn’t like it, but her blush told the real story. She loved the attention her husband showed her.

  Colleen’s childhood dreams of her own husband had always included such sweet, impulsive expressions of love. And now that Marshall had finally broken through his emotional barrier, he showed his love often and well. Like that very moment, when his crystal clear blue eyes peered straight down into her very soul.

  “Oh, nonsense,” she scoffed as she tried to pull away. The potatoes might burn if she didn’t stir them.

  But Marshall refused to release her. “No, I’m serious. Who else would have thrown a dinner party to celebrate a blizzard more than a week after it ended?”

  Colleen allowed herself to settle in his embrace, enjoying the strong connection between them. “Well, that blizzard is what finally brought us together as one. Four blissful days of barely stepping outside this cabin? What’s not to celebrate? I would have scheduled it sooner, but you men were so busy cleaning up the aftermath that this was the first night we all had open.”

  Marshall’s gaze held her utterly captive. She couldn’t have moved if she wanted to — which she most certainly didn’t. His eyes skimmed her face and his fingers followed their path. Icy heat burned her forehead, then his thumb brushed the flame away. His forefinger brushed along her cheek, following the track his eyes had taken. He surveyed her mouth, then the tip of his thumb stroked her lower lip in a way that sped up her heart faster than should be humanly possible.

  Colleen’s heart brimmed with love for her husband, and she could no longer wait to tell him so. Just as he lowered his head to kiss her again, she whispered, “I love you.”

  Marshall stopped, then pulled back, his eyes wide. He stared at her, completely frozen, as she waited for him to say it back to her. Of course he would say it back. His every look and action over the past several days had made his feelings for her clear, but neither of them had actually said the words.

  A lifetime ticked by as Colleen waited, each passing second tightening the noose around her heart. Why wasn’t he saying it back? Why did he look like a frightened rabbit caught in a trap? After an interminable silence, Marshall finally opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Only a garbled croak.

  A loud knock jerked them both out of the awkward moment. Marshall jumped and released his hold on her, then practically ran for the door. Colleen was left staring after him, confused and hurt beyond words. He had to love her, he just had to. So why couldn’t he tell her so?

  She had no time to discover the answer, because the other Mounties and their brides all descended on their little cabin at the same time. Within minutes, the house was full of friendly chatter and giggling girls. Each of her friends had brought either a side dish or a dessert, even though she’d told them not to, so she busied herself with rearranging the table to fit all the additional food. It was the perfect opportunity to hide the confusion eating at her.

  “Can I help with anything?” Callie asked as she approached the table.

  Colleen cleared her throat and put on the happiest face she could muster before turning to her friend. “No, I think everything’s ready.”

  Callie’s brows knit together as she scanned Colleen’s face. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing! What? Nothing!”

  Colleen brushed past Callie and went back to the stove, giving the mashed potatoes a stir — they’d definitely scorched on the bottom — before scooping them into a serving dish. Callie followed, but she kept her voice low.

  “What’s going on? Did you two get into an argument?”

  “No, nothing like that.” Colleen sniffed, partly to dismiss Callie’s concerns, and partly to stop herself from tearing up. That was the absolute last thing she needed.

  “What then?”

  Obviously, she wouldn’t let it go unless Colleen told her something.

  “Fine,” she whispered. “Just before you all got here, I told Marshall I loved him.”

  Callie gasped, drawing a glance from Marshall, who wouldn’t meet Colleen’s eye. He quickly looked away and struck up a conversation with Ida’s brother, David, who’d come to town for an extended visit.

  “That’s so wonderful!”

  “Shh,” Colleen hissed, trying to quiet her before all the other ladies came in to hear the juicy details. “It’s not wonderful, because he didn’t say it back.”

  Callie looked as crestfallen as Colleen felt. “Oh.”

  “Exactly. Oh. So now what do I do?”

  The two women worked slowly, stretching out the time they needed to get the potatoes and rolls ready to serve so they could discuss the situation.

  “I’m not sure,” Callie answered. “How long before we arrived?”

  “It felt like hours, but I’m sure it was just seconds.”

  Relief washed over the other woman’s face. “Well, there you go! He didn’t have time.”

  “He had plenty of time,” Colleen grumbled.

  “Well, maybe you took him by surprise, and then we all descended like locusts. Maybe—“

  “What’s going on in here?” Madelyn asked from a few feet away, her gaze bouncing between them.

  “Nothing!” both women chirped at the same time. Colleen added, “Ever
yone should take their seats!”

  Each man pulled out his wife’s chair for her…except Marshall. Normally, he sat directly across from Colleen, which had always made her feel special — as if he wanted a front row seat to look at her. But that night, he sat at the far end of the table, not bothering to push her chair in or to even meet her gaze.

  Thankfully, Callie sat farther down the line, so they couldn’t discuss the issue any longer, but that didn’t stop her from shooting pitying glances in Colleen’s direction throughout the meal. What had been meant as a celebratory dinner had turned into a funeral procession, as far as the hostess was concerned.

  Instead of enjoying the company of her closest friends, Colleen spent the entire evening darting surreptitious glances at her husband, who always seemed to jerk his gaze away from her a split second before their eyes met, and watching with envy as her friends shared an easy intimacy with their own spouses.

  Yet her husband could barely stand to look at her.

  When an ear-piercing squeal filled the air, everyone turned to the source. Mary, Millie and Lily sat in front of the fireplace, pointing at the nearby window, which just happened to be filled with a bison’s face.

  “Go on, Chip!” Colleen shouted with more irritation than she normally would have felt. “Get out of here! Stop tormenting me!”

  Chip huffed some steam onto the window, then moved away, leaving Colleen half-standing at the table, her face flushed and tears burning the backs of her eyes. Realizing she’d completely overreacted, she slowly returned to her seat as everyone sat silently, watching her every move. If she thought she’d been red-faced before…

  “Sorry, I…”

  “Who wants dessert?” Callie chimed in, pushing back her chair and scurrying into the kitchen. She touched Colleen’s shoulder lightly as she passed. “I brought a cake!”

  Colleen couldn’t have loved her friend any more than in that moment.

  * * *

  “My favorite!” Lily cried as Peter’s wife, Callie, handed her a plate loaded with a ridiculously large slice of yellow cake with chocolate frosting.