Christmas Miracles: Mega Mail Order Bride 20-Book Box Set: Multi-Author Box Set

by Jenny Creek Tanner

  He thought of his mother and how she’d changed over the last few months. She was usually in bed when he came in from a long day, but dinner was always ready. He felt as if something was wrong, but he didn’t know what and he hadn’t had the time to find out.

  He maneuvered his horse around a hole in the pastureland, still feeling off kilter about going home so early in the day. Hopefully he’d catch Ma before she went to bed.

  The house came into view and he handed off his horse to a hand milling about the yard. Opening the door, he was greeted by the scent of a freshly baked apple pie. Now that was something to come home to.

  He slid out of his jacket and left his hat by the door then made his way down the hall. He paused before entering the kitchen, frowning at the sound of voices. Female voices. Did his mother have a friend visiting? It seemed unlikely since they were far from town.

  Rather than guess, he burst around the corner and halted in his tracks. There, standing on the other side of the kitchen table next to his mother, stood a beautiful woman with dark black, curly hair. She was wearing an apron that fitted tight around her thin waist and her cheeks were rosy from the heat of the stove.

  Her eyebrows rose and she looked back and forth between his mother and him, her lips pursed.

  “Ma?” he said, the question evident in his tone.

  “Hello, son. I’m surprised you’re back so early.”

  He didn’t move. His mother wore a half smile that reminded him of a cat that was about to eat the canary. What was going on?

  “Who…who’s this?” he finally asked when she didn’t divulge any information.

  “Meet Harriet Dunning,” his mother said.

  He tilted his head. “Miss Dunning.” His eyes shot back to his mother.

  “Harriet, if you’ll excuse me for a moment, I’d like to have a private word with my son.”

  She came around the table and steered him down the hall to the sitting room toward the front of the house.

  What was going on? “Ma, what in the world—”

  “Now son,” she said once they were in the room, far enough away from the kitchen that Harriet wouldn’t be able to hear their conversation. “I need you to listen to me and not to interrupt. Can you do that?”

  He felt like he was stepping into a trap but, rather than argue, he nodded in agreement.

  “Harriet is a mail order bride and—”

  “A what?”

  “You said you wouldn’t interrupt.” She speared him with a warning look.

  “Sorry.”

  “I made contact with her several months ago and kept up a correspondence with her. She agreed to come here a little less than a month ago and…well, here she is.” His mother beamed, her eyes shining with pleasure.

  Bursting with questions, he said, “I don't understand. Why did you bring her here?”

  “Isn’t it obvious?”

  His mother looked at him with wide eyes. He tried to see what was obvious about this but came up blank, his expression conveying as much.

  “I ordered her for you. She’s to be your wife.”

  Harriet checked on the soup bubbling on the stove, stirring it unnecessarily as she waited for Mrs. Williams and her son to come back. Her cheeks flushed at the mere thought of the handsome man who’d stepped into the kitchen.

  He had dark blonde hair that had a slight curl to it, broad shoulders, and an intense stare. He was intimidating but extremely handsome. More handsome, in fact, than the cowboy she’d had dreams about marrying one day.

  Something seemed off though. He looked shocked that she was in his kitchen with his mother. True, she had been corresponding with her instead of him, but Mrs. Williams had explained that Andrew was very busy keeping up the ranch and that she wrote on his behalf. Had that been untrue?

  Fear flooded through Harriet. Had the look on his face been confusion rather than surprise?

  She steadied herself against the counter with a hand, trying to rationalize what she was feeling and thinking. She had come out west for a new life—to build a home with Andrew Williams. That was still possible. She was in his home, and she and his mother had connected quickly and easily. Of course everything was just in the beginning stages as she got to know them, but she hoped that things would get better and settle into a rhythm. They had to, because she had no other option.

  Footsteps coming down the hall drew her attention backward and she faced mother and son, her breath catching at the dark look on his face.

  “Is something wrong?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “No.”

  They spoke at the same time but she didn’t know whom to trust. Who was speaking the truth?

  “Andrew,” his mother said, spearing him with her eyes. “Nothing is wrong. There’ll just be some adjustment.”

  He gave a mirthless laugh. “Adjustment doesn’t begin to tell the whole picture mother.”

  “I don’t understand,” Harriet said, breaking into their conversation.

  “I didn’t know anything about this.” Andrew’s words, blunt and harsh, felt like a slap across her face. He didn’t know anything about her?

  “What? But—”

  “Dear, I’m afraid that’s my fault.” Mrs. Williams took a step toward her. “I thought it was time for Andrew to settle down. He had been working much too hard here on the ranch and I don’t want him to be alone forever—” her voice broke with the weight of emotion.

  Andrew’s face softened imperceptibly and he stepped forward, placing a hand on her back.

  “Basically, Miss Dunning, I knew nothing about you and am not interested in getting married. My mother was very kind in bringing you out here, but I'm afraid it was on false pretenses.”

  Her world collapsed. Visions of the mill and her former life in the tenement building flashed before her. She couldn’t go back.

  “What of me?”

  “I’m so sorry dear,” Mrs. Williams said, gripping her hands in front of her. “I’ve gotten you into this terrible mess. It’s all my fault.”

  She didn’t want the woman’s apology -- she wanted an action. What was she supposed to do? She had no idea where to turn and it sounded as if Andrew had no intension of helping her. Was he really that cruel?

  “Couldn’t she stay?” Mrs. Williams said, turning toward Andrew with a pleading look in her eye. “I could use the help around the house.”

  Andrew frowned, and both women seemed to hang on his words.

  Harriet held her breath, waiting. What would he say? What would her fate be? It rested in his hands.

  Finally, turning from his mother’s gaze, he looked at Harriet and said, “You can stay.”

  Chapter 3

  Andrew found solace in the barn, using a currycomb to brush his horse. The repetitive, mindless action helped focus his thoughts. How had he gotten himself into this situation? What was he to do with Harriett Dunning?

  He ran a hand through his disheveled hair, stuffing his hat back on his head after. He had a house full of women—literally—and all he wanted to do was be out on the range. Life was simpler with fewer conversations, fewer memories, and more open land than the eye could see. He liked the fact that the cows didn’t talk back and that his horse obeyed his every direction.

  Andrew shook his head. Why had he agreed that she could stay? If he was honest with himself, he didn’t want her there, nor did he want to put in the effort required to get to know her.

  But why was that? Why the strong objection to such a beautiful woman?

  He leaned against the wall of the barn near the door. If he were honest with himself, he’d admit that he didn't want to let anyone else in. Especially a beautiful woman. It hurt too much to care about things. He’d been close with his father, and his death had rocked Andrew to the core. It hurt to lose those you cared for.

  Pushing off the wall, he made his way out of the barn and back toward the house. Despite his feelings, he was hungry, and whatever the ladies had been cooking up made hi
s mouth water even now.

  The door creaked slightly as he pushed it open. The smells came back at once, washing over him and making his stomach growl. How would dinner go? What would they talk about? He hardly knew Harriett, and his mother was still angry with him for refusing to see Harriet as his future bride.

  He should have invited a few ranch hands to dinner.

  The thought made him chuckle just as he walked around the corner into the kitchen. His stomach immediately dropped at the sight before him. Harriet stood looking out the window but the table was covered in their best china, candles lit and flickering in the drafts that occasionally found their way into the house.

  It wasn’t the food or the finery that drew him in though. His gaze was fully captured by the beautiful woman who had created the scene before him. Her black, curly hair fell over her shoulders like a waterfall. It offset her creamy complexion perfectly and made her lips stand out rosy and red. The window highlighted her fine features, and the memory of her accent came to mind.

  She was stunning.

  That wasn’t going to help the situation though. He couldn’t grow attached to her. He had a job to do and it required all of his attention. He needed to be focused on working with the hired hands and making sure he was doing his best with his father’s land. The promise he’d made to his father burned in his memory.

  Yes, Pa. I’ll take care of mother and the ranch. You can count on me.

  His father’s wheezing breath still rattled in his memory. This was something he couldn’t fail.

  “Hello,” Harriet said, breaking his concentration.

  She’d caught him staring and he covered it up by bustling into the room. “Where’s Ma?”

  “She said she wasn’t feeling well.” Harriet’s features reflected sadness along with her words. But was she genuine?

  “Convenient.” The word slipped out before he could catch it.

  “I don’t think she was feeling quite well. She looked rather pale.”

  It was his turn to worry. “I should go check on her.”

  “I just did,” she reassured him. “She was sleeping when I looked in on her. I think she’ll be all right for now. I’ll look in again before I go to bed.”

  “Thanks,” he said.

  “Are you hungry?”

  “Yes.” He eyed the table again. It was set for three, showing that she had expected his mother to join them.

  “Then please, sit. I’ll serve you.”

  He sat and watched as she served him, and then they sat down to eat. Silence permeated the air but he wasn’t ready to break it. He wouldn’t know how to even try. What could he say to this beautiful woman?

  He couldn’t risk getting to know her. It would only end in disaster.

  Harriett lay on her bed, staring at the empty ceiling. She had nothing left. In life and in herself.

  Lord, why did you bring me here?

  She thought back to the days when she lived on her parent’s farm in the English countryside. It was the only time she’d truly felt at home. The sheep dotted the hills, reminding her of clouds in the sky. It had been idyllic. Her perfect life.

  Then everything had changed. When her parents died of the plague, she’d been forced to come to America to seek out a new way of life.

  She’d always been a dreamer, and she’d tried so hard to hold onto those dreams, but now they seemed ready to break. To shatter into a thousand tiny pieces in her imagination.

  Andrew had agreed to allow her to stay, but not as a wife.

  She rolled onto her side, hot tears blurring her vision. Was this the life she was doomed to? To be a housemaid to a cynical man?

  She closed her eyes and tried to drown out her anxiety with God’s truth. He didn’t allow things to happen without a purpose. He had brought her to Haven for a reason.

  When she woke the next day she didn’t want to climb out from the covers. The temperature had dropped over night and, from the strange light coming in the windows, she expected a layer of snow to have dusted the ground. Despite her worries the night before, she was excited at the possibility of a new day.

  The Lord had given her a sense of peace, and thinking about her situation with the Williams’ now filled her with hope. It was obvious from her minimal conversation with Mrs. Williams that she was hungry for attention. She mentioned how she spent most days by herself, something Harriet couldn’t even imagine. Ever since she was a child she’d been surrounded by people. First her sisters and brothers in England, and then the women in the factory and her apartment. Not having to share a bed was revolutionary for her.

  Forcing herself to crawl out of bed, she dressed quickly and made her way downstairs. The kitchen was cold and, after peeking into Mrs. William’s room to see her still sleeping peacefully, she started up the fire and began to tidy up what she hadn’t finished the night before.

  The sun was beginning to rise as the kitchen finally started to warm. The snow on the ground outside had made getting the water and firewood an extra chore, but she was accustomed to hard work.

  The smell of brewing coffee and hotcakes cooking on the griddle soon comforted her. It reminded her of mornings at home with her family. Their little country cottage had been the place of many fond memories.

  Home.

  Tears pricked her eyes as she realized she’d never see it again. She doubted she’d even see her home country again.

  “Good morning,” Andrew said, his voice breaking into her memories.

  “Morning,” she said, sniffing. She wiped under her eyes and made sure the tears were gone when she turned around. “Breakfast is almost ready if you’d like to sit.”

  His blue eyes, perceptive and bright this morning, took her in and she felt as if he saw everything about her.

  She turned around, using breakfast as her excuse. When she’d made up his plate, she set his before him and fixed her own.

  They ate in silence again until he said, “Do you need anything from town?”

  “Could I go with you?” It was out before she could stop the question. She desperately wanted to see what Haven was like, but she also had a feeling Andrew didn’t want to be bothered by her.

  “Um,” he swallowed.

  “Let her go,” Mrs. Williams said, coming into the room dressed in a robe. Her skin looked pale and she took her time crossing the room.

  “Mother, how are you feeling?”

  “Much better,” she said, sliding into the chair next to him. “I just need to rest up today. I think I overdid it preparing for Harriet to arrive.”

  Harried wondered if the comment would aggravate Andre, since he obviously hadn’t known she was coming, but he said nothing.

  “I’ll take you in if you’d like.”

  She tried to hide her surprise, but she was sure it showed on her face. “Thank you. I can be ready right after breakfast.”

  “That will be fine. Make sure you wear a heavy coat.”

  “Oh,” her eyes dropped to her hands. “All I have is what I brought with me.”

  “You may borrow mine, dear.”

  Harriet felt the shame of her position even more deeply. Would she always be in their debt? It was one thing to join the family of a man you were to marry, but that wasn’t the case with her.

  Andrew jumped to his feet. “I’ll go get the wagon ready. It’ll take a few minutes so take your time.”

  She nodded, watching him go. An adventure into town with the handsome man tempted her thoughts to fly further than they should. But he had made it clear she was an interruption into his life. She’d just have to remind herself—again and again—that he could be nothing more to her.

  Chapter 4

  Andrew couldn’t get the image of Harriet’s tears out of his mind. What had her so upset? Then again, there were plenty of things that could do that to her. The fact that she was worlds away from home. That she had walked into a situation that was nothing like she’d expected. That he hadn’t agreed to marry her…

  He pulled t
he harness over the horse and attached it to the wagon, his hands moving without the help of his thoughts, which were occupied by Harriett.

  His mother had looked better, but the pallor of her complexion worried him. In fact, if he were honest, he was glad Harriett was there to help care for her. If nothing else, it was good to have someone else around.

  Guilt twisted his stomach. Was he signing Harriet to a life of caretaking, though? She was a beautiful young woman, and here she was on a ranch miles from town with no one but Andrew’s mother to keep her company.

  Gently patting the horse, he hopped up into the bench seat and drove the wagon in front of the house. Harriet stood waiting, her dark hair shining like onyx in the sunlight.

  He jumped down and helped her up, seeing Mother emerge from the house just as he was climbing back up.

  “Need anything, Ma?”

  “Harriet has my list,” she said, her smile warm like the sun on his back. “You two have a good time. See that you buy Harriet some fabric for a new dress though. She’ll need something for this winter.”

  His mother waved them off as he clicked a tongue and flicked the reins. The horse jumped forward and Harriet’s shoulder bumped into his, sending a wave of perfumed scent up toward him. It reminded him of spices and vanilla.

  “Sorry,” she said, righting herself.

  “It’s all right.” He kept his gaze ahead, elbows on his knees in a relaxed manner. He’d taken this road to town ever since he was a little boy, riding shotgun with his Pa directing the horse. He’d even gotten to drive a few times when he was a kid and it had been the thrill of his childhood.

  A pang of loss echoed in his heart. He missed his Pa. A lot.

  “How long have you lived in Haven?”

  He glanced down sideways at her. “All my life.”

  “Oh.”

  He sought a way to keep the conversation going, but his memories dragged him back into the past. The time he’d bought ten pumpkins with the small fare he’d made helping the shopkeeper while Pa was busy at the blacksmiths shop. His father had come out to find Andrew sitting in the back of the wagon with all the pumpkins, looking like the king of a pumpkin patch.