by Cassie Hayes
“I should have protected him too.” Marshall scuffed his toe on the porch, knowing he looked like a pouting little boy, but doing it anyway.
Peter huffed. “Andrew is a grown man and a trained member of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police. He doesn’t need your protection. But this town does.”
Marshall glanced over at his commander, a man he deeply admired. “You mean Dirk and his gang?”
“Yup,” Peter said, lowering his voice so no one else could hear. “Despite what I said in there, it’s not so impossible that they’d hunker down somewhere nearby for a bit. Now that Andrew is on the mend, our duty as men and as Mounties is to protect the residents of White Fox.”
A second chance at capturing the outlaws sounded good to Marshall and he didn’t mind saying so. “What’s the plan?”
“We’re obviously down one man, but Andrew should be back to work in a few days. In the meantime, we’ll have to increase our hours and double our patrols. We’ll make sure to head farther out of town than we normally do. I really do doubt they’d stick too close, but we need to be vigilant.”
“Well, at least it’s spring,” Marshall said, eyeing a row of clouds on the horizon. “Doubling patrols in the winter wouldn’t be much fun.”
“Hopefully it’s late enough that all we’ll get is wet,” Peter said. “There’s just one last matter to tend to. I think you should take the lead on this investigation.”
Marshall almost dug his pinky in his ear and wiggled it around. He couldn’t have heard right, yet Peter was just standing there, waiting for his reply.
“W-what?”
“You heard me. Listen, you were there at the robbery. You’re the only one of us who’s seen how they interact. As far as I can tell, you’re the best qualified for the job. Question is, are you up for it?”
For some reason, Marshall’s mouth wouldn’t open. No, it would have been more accurate to say he couldn’t move his mouth. It was hanging open quite far at the moment, but darned if it wouldn’t obey his brain’s command to shout YES! as loudly as possible.
Peter grinned and slapped him on the back. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
Poking his head through the front door, he called to Callie that it was time to leave the Clarkes alone so Andrew could rest. Madelyn and Colleen took the hint and followed along, and soon they were all heading to their own cabins. Marshall slipped his hand into Colleen’s as they walked. She looked at their entwined fingers, then up at him.
“You certainly seem…chipper lately,” she said, her tone hinting at the question she really wanted to ask.
Indeed, his behavior must have seemed odd to her, considering how aloof he’d been at the start of their marriage. Now that his heart had opened up, he regretted that she felt she must tiptoe around his feelings. She shouldn’t be afraid to ask him anything. More than anyone else in the world, Colleen deserved to know how he truly felt.
“And why shouldn’t I? I have the most beautiful and charming wife in the world. And as much as I adore her, I know she adores me even more.”
He could listen to her laugh all day and never tire of it. It sounded like the merriest of windchimes. If he could describe it in colors, it would be yellow, with sparks of pink and orange peppering it.
“Is that so?” she said with a chuckle. “A jury might say otherwise, especially after my witnesses testify to that little display of yours back there.”
Dropping her hand, Marshall wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. The few people they passed smiled at their display, which still came as a surprise to Marshall. He’d always assumed folks wouldn’t look kindly on their Mountie revealing a softer side. Or that they’d think he was weak for showing any emotion at all. But that didn’t seem to be the case for the residents of White Fox.
“Then that would be a very smart jury,” Marshall quipped. “I have honestly never been happier in my entire life.”
“Me either.” Colleen sighed heavily and laid her head on his shoulder.
A week earlier, he might have been uncomfortable with the gentle touch. Maybe even a day earlier. But his encounter with the train robbers, coupled with seeing Andrew bleeding in the dirt, had shifted his thinking. He felt blessed in his life, and he could no longer find a reason to pretend otherwise. Every day was a gift, and he was going to act accordingly.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
Tipping her head back, she gazed up at him with the cutest perplexed expression. “For what?”
“For not being the easiest person to live with, I suppose. You deserve only the best, and I was afraid that you’d realize I was most certainly not the best husband in the world.”
“Nonsense! You’re a wonderful husband.”
“But it took so long for me to show you how I felt…”
“As Miss Hazel would say, pish! I know I can be overwhelming at first, Marshall. I’m sure you kicked yourself more than once for taking me as your bride.”
Marshall stopped mid-stride and pulled her around to face him. He glared down at her and his voice was husky with emotion. “Not once. Do you understand me? Not once have I regretted marrying you. Quite the opposite, in fact. The only regret I have is not finding you sooner.”
Tears spilled down Colleen’s cheeks, and for once he didn’t panic that he’d done something wrong. With a bit of a start, he realized that whenever he spoke from the heart, he rarely went wrong. I’ll have to do that more often, he thought as he gazed down at his firecracker of a bride.
“Marshall…” she started, then began chewing on her lip.
“Yes, my love?”
“I…um…” She looked away for a moment, then grabbed his hand and continued walking. “What did Peter have to say?”
“Didn’t I tell you? He’s asked me to take the lead in the train robbery investigation.”
“Of course he did. You’re absolutely brilliant!”
“I don’t know about all that—“
“Well, I do, and don’t ever let me hear you saying otherwise.”
He squeezed her hand and laughed. “Yes, dear. Anyway, I’m afraid we’ll be taking extra-long shifts until Andrew is back on his feet, me especially.”
“Do you think you’ll be able to track down the outlaws?” Worry dulled her otherwise bright green eyes.
“With the sketches you made, I have no doubt. Peter thinks they’ve probably moved on, so most likely I won’t be the one to bring them in, as much as I want to. But I’ll make it my life’s work to hunt them down and bring them to justice!”
Once inside their cabin, Marshall relaxed in his rocking chair in front of the fire while Colleen fixed tea. As she handed him a steaming mug and then settled next to him in the matching rocking chair he’d had made for her, he sighed with contentment.
“If everything could stay exactly as it is today,” he said, staring into glowing embers, “I’d be a happy man for the rest of my life.”
He dragged his gaze away from the hypnotic embers and smiled at his bride, but she was too entranced by the fire. She was chewing on her lower lip again, and for a moment he wondered if she had something on her mind. No, he decided, they were as happy as they’d ever been. Probably would ever be.
He’d been waiting for this day for his entire life. The day he finally felt like a real man.
7
I can’t believe I get to spend the whole day with you,” Colleen said as she carefully packed a picnic basket with a sumptuous lunch made from the leftovers of the previous night’s pot roast. Marshall’s eyes would roll into the back of his head when he bit into his sandwich. If they didn’t then, they would when he saw the chocolate pie she’d made for the occasion.
“It hasn’t even been a week since we started pulling double-shifts.” Marshall chuckled as he pulled a wool blanket from the cedar chest at the foot of the bed.
“Is that all it’s been? Feels like it’s been a month since I’ve even seen you.”
And that was the truth. Just a few days of Marshall not coming home for dinner had sent Colleen into a spiral of boredom. She’d cleaned the cabin for the third time, top to bottom. She’d repaired holes in his socks. She’d even reinforced spots she thought might develop holes. She’d baked, she’d cooked, she’d sketched. But there remained a big, gaping, Marshall-sized hole in her days. Only once he’d crawled into bed, long after she should have been asleep, had she been able to finally drift off.
Marshall took the small basket from her and set it on the table, then he pulled her to him and kissed the tip of her nose. “I’ve missed you too. Now we get to spend the entire day doing whatever we want.”
“And you chose an adventurous walk in the woods and a romantic picnic,” she said, smiling up at him. “That certainly wasn’t what I expected.”
“I’ve changed,” he said with a shrug, before helping her into her coat.
He had. That dreadful day Andrew had been shot had also been a turning point for Marshall. One early morning over coffee, he’d shared that his perspective on life would never be the same. That he wanted to enjoy every day, every moment, as much as he could. And so far, he’d been true to his word. Of course, it would be impossible for anyone to enjoy every moment, but if he could handle the bigger moments without worrying himself to death, that would be an improvement.
“Shall we then?” she asked, unable to keep the excitement from coming through.
Opening the door with a flourish, he said, “After you, m’lady.”
An hour later, they’d ridden his horse deep into the woods. He’d spent the last few days scouring the areas around town where a crew of bandits could hole up, and he’d reassured her this area — not far from where Andrew had been shot — was not only safe, but also quite beautiful.
“There’s a small pond on the other side of the tracks that seems to be full of life,” he said as he laid the wool blanket down. “Maybe next time we’ll go take a look.”
“Too far to walk there?”
Marshall looked straight up at the sun, then to the clouds skidding along the horizon. He smiled at her, and as always, it sent shivers down her spine.
“Let’s eat first. I can’t wait any longer to see what you whipped up.”
Colleen laughed and started unpacking all the food. “That’s my husband. Always hungry!”
“Only since I married the best cook in the world.”
“Pish,” she said, secretly pleased he found her cooking so delicious.
The spring chill in the air forced Colleen to snuggle into Marshall as they ate, which was no great hardship. She loved seeing him in his handsome uniform, but since it was his day off, he wore trousers, a flannel shirt and a warm coat, which he wrapped partly around her shoulders. The moment he bit into his sandwich, he groaned in happiness, just as she’d hoped.
“I’m glad you like it,” she said, snickering at his display.
“Mmm, I do,” he replied, bits of food falling out. “Do you?”
“Of course I do! I made it!”
He swallowed, and his smile grew more serious. “I mean here. Do you like it here? With me?”
She snuggled deeper into his coat. “I do. I really, really do.”
“You must miss your family.”
He hadn’t asked much about her family before, nor had he spoken much about his. She’d taken a cue from him and let it lie until he was ready to talk. Apparently that was now.
“I do, a little. But also not. Does that make sense?”
He made a face that said it didn’t make a lick of sense. At least not to an only child like him. She’d have to do a better job of explaining.
“Our house was loud and chaotic. Every day, every night. At meal time, we all fought over the better piece of bread or the bigger ladle of soup. I can remember some really terrible knock-down brawls between my siblings.”
Colleen smiled at the memory. Marshall frowned.
“Oh, but our house was also full of love,” she hurriedly continued. She didn’t want him thinking the Hennessy clan was full of bruisers and ruffians. “As much as we fought with each other, that didn’t compare to when we stood up for each other. If someone dared to pick a fight with one of us, they picked a fight with all of us.”
Marshall snorted. “Guess not many dummies picked fights with you then.”
“Not too many!”
As they munched away on their sandwiches, Colleen couldn’t help but smile as she thought about her big, messy family.
“Was it hard on you with all the babies that came after you? That must have given you quite a lot of responsibility.”
“I think my sister Molly had it worse. In Mam’s family, it’s tradition for the oldest child to serve the church. Her brother became a priest, and she expected Molly to become a nun.”
“Only Molly had other plans,” he said, setting his empty plate down with a groan.
“You could say that,” Colleen laughed. “But Mother Superior saw the truth and encouraged Molly to follow her heart.”
“Which led her to Miss Hazel.”
“And to her husband, Easton. Unfortunately, Mam wasn’t pleased. Do you know she even disowned Molly at one point?”
Marshall looked more confused than she’d ever seen him. “Why?”
“Because she didn’t become a nun. Mam was terribly embarrassed, until my aunt told her that their oldest didn’t become a nun either. That’s when she finally accepted a meeting with Mother Superior and they settled the matter.”
“But I thought she was putting pressure on you to join a convent too.”
“Old habits die hard,” she said as she pulled the pie from the basket. “But unlike Molly, I wasn’t about to be forced into something I knew I didn’t want. And that’s the story of how I became your wife.”
Marshall pulled her back into his arms and kissed her cheek. “Lucky me!”
No, lucky me, Colleen thought.
She’d always pitied Molly’s lot in life, so when her sister had made her break for freedom, Colleen had been her biggest supporter. Only once her mother had made it clear she expected the second oldest — Colleen — to take Molly’s place in the sisterhood had Colleen cursed her sister for leaving. But it wasn’t their fault. Their mother had always had unrealistic expectations. Still did.
“Actually, Caitlyn wrote to me this week that she’s on the verge of running to Miss Hazel herself. Mam is putting a great deal of pressure on her now. If Miss Hazel doesn’t watch out, my mother will hunt her down and give her a piece of her mind for stealing away all her daughters.”
“I have a feeling Miss Hazel can handle whatever your mother dishes out,” Marshall said, chuckling softly. “What about your father? Was he angry with you and your sister for not becoming nuns?”
“No, Da was an angel about it all. Of course, he let Mam take the lead, but he never disowned Molly like she did.”
“Did he let your mother make all the decisions about the children?”
Colleen craned her neck to look up at him. “Of course not. The day-to-day chores and such, certainly. But not big decisions. That just happened to be our mother’s expectation, not his. He had plenty of his own, let me tell you.”
Marshall shook his head. “How did he do it? I can’t imagine working and raising one child, much less fifteen!”
Colleen’s pulse quickened and her mouth went suddenly dry. It wasn’t like her to be shy, but she’d been waiting to tell him since the day Andrew had been shot. She hadn’t wanted the news to follow such a near-tragedy, so she’d thought she’d wait a day or two, but their longer work hours had delayed it for even longer. If his comment wasn’t the perfect opening, nothing would be.
Turning in his arms, she propped her chin on his shoulder. “Well, you’re going to find out soon enough.”
His smile turned to confusion. “Huh?”
Laughing, Colleen threw her arms around his neck and shouted, “We’re going to have a baby!”
* * *
Marshall rocked back from the weight of Colleen’s news. “What?” he asked, hoping he’d heard wrong.
She pulled back, grasped his face in her hands, and planted a kiss on his lips. If it had been any other day, he would have wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to the ground, but it wasn’t any other day. It was the day he discovered he was going to be a father.
“We’re going to have a baby,” she repeated happily when she’d finished kissing him.
“H-h-how?”
He knew it was a stupid question, but he was just so flabbergasted by the news. Colleen’s laugh told him just how excited she was to become a mother.
“Do we need to have a talk about the birds and the bees?” she teased.
“No, it’s just…”
Marshall gently pushed her away and stood. He’d started that day thinking at most he’d come home with a full belly and sore feet — not a baby! He paced around the blanket, his mind spinning. All the while, he was keenly aware of Colleen watching his every move. He knew if he looked at her, he’d see tears in her eyes. And not the good kind.
That crushed him even more. To be the cause of pain to the person he loved most…
All of the old fears came rushing back and threatened to shut him down. Not so long ago, he would have let a mask of indifference fall over his features and act as if none of it mattered. But he’d made so much progress since marrying Colleen. As stunned and afraid as he was, he was more afraid of going back to his old ways. Life had been lonely then. He needed to talk to her, tell her about his past. Then maybe she would understand.
Still avoiding her gaze, he reached down for her hand. It took a moment for her to take it, and once she was on her feet, he tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow and started walking. He tried to find his voice, but failed. Thank the good Lord above, his wife was never at a loss for words. Too bad they cut like a hot knife through butter.
“Do you not want children? I thought you said…”