“I love you, too,” she gasped when she came back up for air. She stroked his cheek. “And I’ll try for you.”
Justin nodded, his body sagging as the tension disappeared. He kissed her again and glanced back towards the house.
“Shall we go in? Your guests are going to notice that the host and hostess are not there.”
Rachel wanted to go back. But she needed this time with Justin. He was more important right now. Charlotte was family; she could handle it. And her cousin had specifically told her not to hurry back until they had worked things out.
They hadn’t quite worked it out. She smiled at her husband.
“Do you want to stay here for a bit? I’m sure Nate and Charlotte can hold the fort for now.”
Justin’s smile was worth it. He settled back into the hay and hugged her to him, kissing her forehead.
“I’d like that.”
Rachel knew that this was the start of something wonderful. That she had learned a great lesson and that things could only get better. This man was worth trying for, worth changing for and on this most wonderful of days, she would make sure that she changed for him. Sitting here alone in the barn she was having the best Christmas celebration ever.
She turned around to face him. Looking into those kind, dark eyes she felt all her resistance melt. Somehow they would find a way to bridge the differences between them. Who knows, maybe once she had children her life would be full to capacity? It was the first time she had ever seen herself having a child and the thought took her breath away. Justin had certainly changed her. Slowly, she moved toward him and gave him a long lingering kiss.
Justin sighed as she pulled away.
“Happy Christmas, my love,” she whispered against his lips.
Justin smiled and pulled her back into his arms. It looked like this would be a Christmas to remember.
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Book 2 - Christmas Mail Order Bride: A New Life for a New Year
Indiana Wake & Belle Fiffer
Chapter 1
“I can’t believe you’re doing this,” Charlotte McCann lamented.
Rachel McCann laughed and hugged her cousin’s arm as they walked along the station platform. People bustled here, there and everywhere. Hurrying to get on the train that was close to departing. Luggage was being dragged every way possible as the porters struggled to get them on board. Charlotte felt like she was in a different world. Never would she have thought she would be seeing her cousin, her closest friend, off with little chance of seeing her again.
If her aunt Judith had anything to do with it, no one would see Rachel again. Judith McCann had a knack of making people she didn’t find useful disappear. She did it just by not talking about them.
“I can’t believe it, either.” Rachel grabbed for her hat as someone jostled her and it nearly toppled off her head. “It’ll sink in when I get there, I’m sure of it.”
Charlotte was sure it would. Because it was a new life completely for Rachel. She was on her way to get married. Even though Charlotte knew she was the reason for this departure. After all, it was her who had suggested that Rachel looked for a husband in the mail order bride advertisements. At the time, it had seemed like a good idea, but now... the pain in her chest as she thought about her friend leaving was sharp and enduring. Now she wasn’t sure it was a good idea. So many things could go wrong. What if the man had lied? What if he was dangerous? Anxiety flared in Charlotte’s stomach, and she almost groaned. Now, the last thing she wanted to do was see her cousin leave.
Only Rachel seemed to be happy with the arrangement. There was a light in her eyes that Charlotte hadn’t seen for a long time. She looked like she was looking forward to getting married and getting away from her overbearing mother. Charlotte was glad that her mother, while over-protective and a little intrusive, actually showed love to all her children. Rachel’s mother, Judith, didn’t seem capable of loving anyone, Rachel least of all. Charlotte bit back the tears that threatened to fall. It was almost time, and she must make sure that she sent her friend off with a smile. With hope and good wishes for the future. The last thing Rachel needed was her putting doubts in her mind.
Swallowing the lump in her throat, Charlotte took a deep breath. “You make the most of it,” she said and managed to fill her voice with warmth instead of the icy feeling that had settled in her stomach. “This Justin sounds like he’ll be good for you.”
“Well, it can’t be any worse than I have right now.”
At home with her parents and two younger brothers, Rachel was practically the slave. She was made to cook, clean and look after her brothers while going out to work. The money she earned was taken from her, and she felt as if she had no future. Charlotte knew that if she stayed at home, she was right. Over the past few months, Rachel had begun to despair. It had gotten worse when Judith started pushing Rachel to get married. Rachel didn’t like the choices she had in New York, and Charlotte had suggested further afield.
To say her mother was angry that Rachel was leaving for the Wild West to get married was an understatement. Rachel had been ordered to leave that day. Thankfully, Charlotte’s uncle had been happy with Rachel’s choice and helped her move everything to Charlotte’s family apartment in preparation to go out West. Judith had washed her hands of Rachel and had since refused to acknowledge her.
It hurt Rachel, Charlotte could see that, but getting upset over it would mean Judith was winning... and in her opinion, Rachel was better off without her mean-spirited family. She prodded Rachel sharply in the side.
“Hey, don’t focus on that woman. I know you’re going to miss your brothers but focus on you. You are the priority from now on and your health is important.”
“I know.” Rachel sighed and leaned into her cousin. “I wish you were coming with me.”
Charlotte chuckled.
“Well, find me a man who wants a wife, and I’ll pack up and join you.”
Charlotte’s own mother was beginning to suggest that she was getting a little old to be still single! At just twenty-one, Charlotte kept deflecting the questions. Of course, she wanted to marry, but men were scarce, and she had little time for courting. Maybe finding a husband far away from her would be the answer for Charlotte to settle down without people looking down at her and nit-picking at everything. Charlotte’s mother didn’t do that, as such, but her aunt certainly did. And she would be focusing her attentions on Charlotte now.
Charlotte was not having that.
Rachel grinned and winked at her as she reached her carriage, bringing Charlotte out of her thoughts. “Who knows, if there is a man for me, there are bound to be more.”
Charlotte pulled up short and stared at her. Rachel was smirking like the cat had got the cream.
“You cheeky…”
“Well, it could do you some good as well.” Rachel grinned. “Getting away from the family could be refreshing. It would mean that my favorite person in the world would not be on the other side of the country.”
Charlotte sighed. She wasn’t going to admit out loud, but she was pleased with Rachel’s forwardness. She could never get mad at her cousin.
The guard blew the whistle and people began hurrying into their carriages. Rachel glanced back at her compartment and then turned to Charlotte. Suddenly she looked like she was about to cry. Charlotte swallowed back her own tears and hugged her tightly.
“Take care. And be careful.”
“You, too.” Kissing Charlotte on the cheek, Rachel stepped into the compartment and closed the door, ducking her head through the window. “I’ll see you soon.”
Charlotte stepped back as the train began to move and Rachel leaned out the window, waving frantically until she was out of sight. Charlotte felt a lump tighten in her throat and swallowed, wiping away the tears. Was this goodbye forever? Not if Rachel had something to do with it, but what were the chances of finding two men
in the same town that wanted wives? Charlotte did not think it was likely and her heart began to ache. As she watched the train dwindle into the distance, she dreamed of following her friend. Would she be brave enough?
It was a nice dream. Much as she loved her family, Charlotte didn’t intend to live with them forever. Her mother was a good woman, and she adored her younger brother and cousins. Her grandmother and uncle were nice enough, but they did bow down to Judith, Rachel’s mother, who seemed to rule the roost. She had to have the final say, and nobody would argue with her. Charlotte’s father had been the only one who had stood up to her, but he was a weak man in terms of his health and died the winter before.
Charlotte missed her father. They had been close. He was the only one who understood what she was going through when she had problems breathing. Charlotte’s breathing problems had been like that since she was a little girl, just like her father. There were days when she could breathe absolutely fine and could act like any other normal child. But then there were lots of days when she struggled to take a normal breath and would have to stay inside until it passed. On those days, she had to be very careful, or she would faint.
Her mother was sympathetic but didn’t pander to her. Sometimes she told Charlotte to stop being so sensitive. Only her father had understood, and they would often suffer together. Charlotte had cried for three days after his death, which hadn’t helped her breathing at all.
Maybe getting away from her family would be a good thing. Rachel would be there, which was a bonus; she would be married to a good man and, hopefully, her health issues wouldn’t get in the way. Charlotte wouldn’t be treated like an invalid, and she could maybe find a better life. Finding a man in New York would be almost impossible. Men were in short supply, and she was considered flawed. What was she to do? If only there was a man out west. Again, she began to dream. If Rachel had found a husband, then why not her?
Then she wondered if any man would consider her worthy of marriage. Charlotte wasn’t sure if Rachel could get a stubborn cowboy to see her as marriage material. What use was a woman who sometimes couldn’t even breathe?
Chapter 2
Nathan Price leaned against the fireplace and watched in amusement as his friend, Justin Bass, rushed around the living room, adjusting various pieces of furniture and fluffing out the cushions several times. He had been like this all day when he realized today was the day his bride-to-be was arriving in Canyon. Nathan had offered to come over and arrange the house enough to make it presentable, but Justin had brushed him to one side, and Nathan could only watch as his friend got himself into a panic.
He couldn’t help but laugh as Justin adjusted the cushions half an inch for the fifth time.
“I take it asking if you’re nervous about your bride-to-be's arrival would be rather superfluous.”
“I’m sorry.” Suddenly realizing he was acting like an idiot, Justin flopped onto the couch and stared at the ceiling. “It just feels like reality is dropping heavily on me. It’s not going to be just me alone here. The way I’m used to is going to be completely changed. There’s going to be someone else living here.” He let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes. “I’m starting to wonder if this will be a good idea.”
Nathan chuckled. His friend was a big worrier and was always second-guessing himself. He had been like this since they were children. Justin liked things to be simple and didn’t like coming out of a routine; the man kept to himself. So, to say he wanted a wife and to begin writing to Rachel with the intention of marrying her was a big step for him.
“Don’t be daft.” Nathan pushed off the mantelpiece and sat on the other couch, sitting back and crossing his legs. “You’re going to be fine. Nothing is going to go wrong. You want to get married, fine, but there are no free women in town. And from what I’ve seen in the letters, she sounds like she should be good for you.”
Nathan hoped so. Rachel sounded like a vibrant, outgoing person. While that was the complete opposite to Justin – they would be like chalk and cheese – he was always under the belief opposites worked better in a relationship than couples who were too similar in personality. They worked better at keeping the marriage alive. Well, at least that was what he hoped!
It had worked with his parents, and after thirty years, they were happy as ever, even with Greg Price’s loud, crass demeanor almost overbearing his wife, Alexia’s, quiet, soft-spoken self. Nathan had watched them over the years and could clearly see how much his father loved his mother and vice versa. A little compromise both ways and they were happy.
At least, Nathan surmised, they were happy in some ways. They did have six children, after all.
Justin sighed heavily.
“I just don’t want to seem like a failure in her eyes.”
Nathan snorted.
“You can hardly be called a failure. You’re got your own business, and it does fine. She knows all this, so it’s hardly going to be a surprise. Things will be fine, Justin. Just stop worrying about it.”
“I hope so.” Justin rubbed his hand over his eyes and pushed his fingers through his unruly dark hair. He lifted his head and looked at Nathan. “I know I asked you here to help me out but why are you still here? You can’t be seeing this as amusing, surely?”
Nathan chuckled.
“Well, it is amusing seeing you in a frazzle.”
“But that’s not why you’re still hanging around. Other men would’ve left me to it by now.”
Even in his state, Justin was an observant man. Nathan took a deep breath and looked at his hand tapping out a rhythm on his leg.
“I keep thinking back to when you and I went to dinner at Cody and Maeve’s. The one where you told us about your disastrous time with Luisa and how you would like to get married?”
“I remember.”
Nathan let it hang in the air. He knew Justin would pick up what he was trying to say. Nathan may have been blunt and open with advice to others but asking for it and plain-speaking when it was him involved didn’t seem to come across the same.
It didn’t take long before Justin understood what he was saying. He sat up.
“You want to do the same? But you rejected the idea at the time.”
“I know I did.” Nathan sighed. “Only the more I think about it, the more it grows on me. I want something like my parents have, but I’m not getting that kind of connection with any of the girls in Canyon. While I’m tempted, I don’t like the idea of a lucky dip type of choosing a wife. It doesn’t sound like it’s going to end well.”
Justin sat forward. He was looking thoughtful. Nathan recognized that look; his friend was up to something.
“What? What are you plotting?”
“Nothing.” Justin grinned. “You just got me thinking. Rachel wrote to me about her cousin, Charlotte. They’re about the same age and Charlotte’s interested in looking for a husband. From how she phrased it in her letters, Charlotte would be perfect for you.” He shrugged. “Maybe you should check her out.”
Rachel had a cousin who was looking for a husband? Nathan felt the interest prick at him. But then he swiped it away and sat back with a shake of his head as his confidence dipped.
“I don’t know.”
“You’re backing out already? You never back out.”
“I don’t know.” Nathan sighed heavily. “I don’t know what I want now.”
“Stop going back and forth, or you’re going to agree to something you don’t want.” Justin scolded. He stood and went to his desk, which sat in the corner. Fishing about inside, he withdrew a folded piece of paper and went back to Nathan, handing him the paper. “Rachel sent me Charlotte’s address in case someone was interested. Just write to her and see what happens.” He took his seat again. “It never hurts to try.”
Nathan fingered the piece of paper. Justin was right; it never did hurt to try. And Nathan wanted to give it a try. But if anything went wrong, he would have to deal with Rachel and Nathan didn’t want a failure to come between h
im and his close friend.
“What do I say?”
“Why are you asking me? You’re more eloquent than I am with words.” Justin chuckled. “You figure it out.”
Nathan grunted. Great. Now he was on his own.
Only Nathan didn’t write back just yet. He watched as Rachel and Justin found each other and learned to love and compromise. Rachel was so lonely at first and her character was the opposite of Justin. Nathan did not know how they would cope and it broke his heart to watch his friends suffer.
It was a month after Christmas when Justin came to him. “I have an idea,” he said taking off his Stetson as his face flushed red.
He ushered Nathan into his room and sat him down. His friend was wringing his hands and looking decidedly uncomfortable. “What is it?” Nathan asked.
Justin grinned. “Rachel is so lonely... at first I was angry. I thought that I should be enough but then I realized how much she had compromised for me.” The words stopped and the silence dragged between them.
“You have done great, my friend,” Nathan encouraged.
“She needs people around her I hate people but I thought... maybe... oh this sound so stupid me doing this.”
“Spit it out man,” Nathan said.
“I was thinking of starting a swing circle,” Justin said.
Nathan laughed out loud and slapped his knees.
“I knew it, everyone will laugh at me,” Justin said and his face seemed to crumple in on itself.
“No they won’t. It’s a great idea just you won’t do it, Rachel will.”
The sewing circle was a great success. Rachel and a group of six women took it in turns to host it so Nathan only had to have a houseful every six weeks. Seeing his friend so happy made Nathan think about marriage again, but he could not quite write that letter, not just yet.
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