His mouth dropped as he jumped up. “Expecting? When? How?”
Tilde shot him an ironic look as people began cheering and her friends stood wanting to give her a hug. He wasn’t going to let anyone get to her before he did. He swooped her into his arms, gazing into her face with all the love he had.
“To heck with propriety,” Joel said as he captured her lips in a passionate kiss.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
God seemed to approve of the wedding plans because Drew, Katie and their children arrived on time. Joel, Tilde, and Mabel, who was ecstatic about the coming ceremony, were all there to meet them. The only one of his family who hadn’t come was his sister Anne, who was married with an infant.
Joel hurried across the platform, hugging each of his family members as they descended the step from the train. He hadn’t been able to get much work done at the bank all morning. He kept Tilde from her work also as he kept telling her tidbits about each family member. “Welcome to Silverpines. It’s so wonderful to see you all.” His excitement was palpable.
He hurried them across to where Tilde and Mabel stood under the awning by the station. “Mother, I’d like you to meet my parents, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Richards. Papa, Mama, this is Mrs. Mabel Lasek.” They exchanged greetings then turned their attention to Tilde. Pride and love shone from Joel’s eyes. “And this is my lovely wife and bride, Tilde Richards.” He wrapped an arm around her waist, tucking her against his side. “These rapscallions are my siblings, John, Rose, and Luke.”
Tilde could see the resemblance between Joel and his father. Both were tall and lean with gray eyes and light brown hair. His father, who went by Drew, had gray sprinkled throughout his. Katie was tall with hair reminiscent of sable with amber eyes. The others, ranging in age from 18 to fourteen, were combinations of their parents. The youngest, Luke, looking the most like Joel.
“We are delighted to meet you all,” Katie said. “Thank you so much for the invitation. Joel has written so much about you both that I feel as if I know you already.” She hugged Tilde tightly, then Mabel.
Since the train arrived near noon, they had closed the bank leaving a sign that it would reopen at two o’clock. Once the luggage was stacked on a cart with instructions for it to be taken to the inn, they went there to enjoy lunch before the visiting Richards checked into their rooms.
Joel made sure to have Tilde sit next to him. Between the meal and dessert, he announced the plans for the wedding taking place on New Year’s Eve afternoon.
Katie and Rose were excited. Luke, age 14, looked confused. “I thought you were already married.”
“We are, little brother, but it wasn’t what my wife deserved. She and her mother deserve to have a full wedding with all the pomp and circumstance to go along with it.”
“Oh.” Luke didn’t seem impressed with the idea. “That means I’ll have to stay in my suit all day, doesn’t it?”
~~~~~
Tilde and Mabel brought Katie and Rose into the preparations for the wedding. This gave all four women a chance to get to know each other. Tilde found Joel’s mother and sister delightful, and the laughter of Katie and Mabel telling tales of their child’s antics as they grew filled Lasek house whenever they were together.
Tilde was overjoyed that her mother was returning to the happy, positive person she had been before the earthquakes. She was healing and progressing through her grief. Mabel was still a stickler for propriety, but she always had been. That was just her mother.
When Tilde had revealed her interesting condition, Katie and Rose hugged her so hard she nearly couldn’t breathe.
On Saturday, after they had rehearsed the wedding, the family returned to Lasek house to celebrate Christmas with exchanging gifts. When Joel opened the box from his parents he went still.
“Thank you. I forgot to pack this when I left Cottonwood.” Gratitude filled his eyes as he looked at his parents, especially his mother.
Katie smiled softly at him. “I found it and knew you hadn’t meant to leave it. It was rather ragged, so I mended it.”
Joel lifted his gift from the box. It was a quilt mainly of green and blue squares. Sashing and cornerstones of various colors and prints surrounded four patches of green and blue.
“Katie Mama made this for me when she first came to live with us. These two,” he pointed to the blue and green fabrics. “Were skirts of my birth mother’s dresses. My favorite ones of hers. Mama used them to make this quilt for me to remember her and how much she loved me.” He pointed to four cornerstone squares of faded pink. “She even put pink in because I was in love with that color at the time. I was three.”
Tilde, sitting next to him on the settee, leaned her head on his shoulder. “How wonderful that you have it again.”
“Yes, it is. It represents the love I have for both my mothers.” Joel’s eyes shone as he looked at the woman who had loved and raised him as her own.
~~~~~
Tilde stood at the back of the church not understanding why her stomach was fluttering with nerves. She was already married to Joel. It wasn’t as if she was truly getting married. That had happened months ago. She pressed her hand to her stomach to hopefully stop the sensation. Soon her waist would swell with their child. Doc Hattie had told her it was too soon to feel the baby move so she knew it was only nervousness she felt.
“Are you ready, my dear?” Her mother’s voice sounded behind her.
“Yes,” Tilde said, smiling at her. “Isn’t it wonderful that Joel wanted to do this for us. You and I missed out on this because of our loss. Now, we get to have one of the dreams you and I talked about over the years. Even though it’s not Father walking me down the aisle, I’m so happy we are doing this.” She kissed her mother’s cheek.
Mabel stroked a stray lock of Tilde’s hair back in place. “I am too. I’m seeing that there is a future for me now. You married a wonderful man. The coming grandchild. Moving from the master suite helped too. I didn’t realize what a wonderful view you had from your room. I love sitting and looking out over Silverpines.
“I know I was against you marrying a stranger, any man really, thinking he’d take you away from me. Joel hasn’t. He’s helped bring me back to looking forward, living life. You did well in choosing him as your mail-order-husband.”
Tilde smiled. “I did, didn’t I. How about we head down the aisle so I can remarry him?”
“That’s a wonderful idea.”
~~~~~
The organ began the familiar song causing Joel to look up at the head of the aisle. Tilde and Mabel walked slowly up the aisle, smiles on both of their faces.
He’d wondered when he first met Mabel if she would be a formidable, irritating mother-in-law. Wondered if he and Tilde could actually make their marriage a success while living in the same house. When he’d realized she was drowning in the depths of her grief, Joel decided to do his best to show her some of the love that she’d lost. He would never try to replace them, but he’d tried to fill in the hole left in her heart.
His focus shifted to Tilde. The attraction to her had been instant. It grew each day and it wasn’t long before their marriage of convenience had become real in every sense of the word. She was beautiful in form and character. He loved her with every particle of his being. Knowing he’d caused her heartache increased his desire to be the husband described in Scripture.
The white cashmere dress fit Tilde like a glove. White gimp trailed down the bodice in swirls and loops. The cuffs of the sleeves and a wide band on the skirt echoed the design. She was absolutely beautiful.
Tilde and Mabel stood before him now. He glanced at his family sitting in the front row and back to his bride. Mabel leaned up and kissed his cheek, then placed Tilde’s hand in his and stepped back, sitting down beside Mrs. Edmondson.
Pastor James began to speak. Joel must have responded correctly at the appropriate times, because suddenly the pastor was saying, “You may kiss your bride.”
Joel did. More than once.
~~~~~
About Joel
Joel’s background is mentioned several times in Wanted: Bookkeeper. If you’d like to know more about his childhood order Giving Love, book 3 in my Cottonwood Series. It’s available in Kindle, KU, Print and Large Print on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A8P66OG/
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Sophie Dawson is an award-winning author of Christian fiction romance both historical and contemporary. An eclectic conglomeration of interests and accomplishments, she has made up stories in her head all her life. Now she types them out. Her critically acclaimed series include Cottonwood, Stones Creek, and Love’s Infestation. She’s also been part of several Multi-Author projects.
Wanted: Bookkeeper (Silverpines Series Book 14) Page 12