The Sweetest Mail Order Bride (Sweet Creek Brides Book 1)

by Jill Summers

  “What problem would that be?”

  “Caleb’s unhappiness. Oh, he won’t admit it, but he’s lonely and he’s been a widower for a long while. Lena left him in a bad way. Their marriage hadn’t been a happy one, and I know Caleb agonized over how to make her happier. She just wasn’t the same after she had the girls. She fell into a depression she never came out of.”

  “I’ve heard of that happening.” She stared down at her hands, fighting more sympathy for Caleb and his girls. “It must have been hard on all of you too.”

  “It sure has been. We all love the girls. I watched you this evening. You love them, too.”

  “I can’t deny it.” She bit her lip, almost telling him about her child. Jeremiah seemed easy to trust, but she held back. There was enough sadness in her heart as it was.

  She breathed in the wildflower-scented air and drank in the sight of the sun glinting behind the tall, proud peaks of the Rockies. The sunset glowed like jewels—rubies, amethysts, and opalescent shades of gold. This was a perfect ending to an evening she would always remember.

  Her hand still tingled from Caleb’s touch. So did her heart.

  Town came into sight and so did the depot and Mrs. O’Hurley’s boardinghouse. The streets were empty, no one was out on the boardwalks. The train tracks were empty and silent.

  Jeremiah drew the horses to a stop. “There’s something Pa wanted me to give you. He’d wanted to come by supper tonight and see you, but he had one of his spells late this afternoon. He made me vow not to tell Caleb.”

  “One of his spells?” Now she was concerned.

  “I’m sworn to secrecy on that, too.” Sadness flickered in his blue eyes, before he shook it away and pulled something from beneath his seat. “This is for you.”

  “What is it?” She took the envelope. “It feels like a piece of paper inside.”

  “It’s the deed to a house.” Jeremiah hopped to the ground and circled the wagon. “It’s for the little cottage down the street, do you see it? The one with the white picket fence? It’s yours.”

  “No, it certainly isn’t. I mean, how can that be?”

  “Because Pa bought it and put your name on the deed.” Jeremiah held out his gloved hand and hauled her down from the wagon. “There’s a note inside and a door key.”

  She couldn’t move. She could barely feel the ground beneath her feet. Her jaw had fallen and she couldn’t seem to close her mouth. “I can’t accept this.”

  “You have to. Or you’ll hurt his feelings.”

  “But it’s not right.”

  “Yes, it is.” Jeremiah nodded, as if absolutely sure of it.

  “When did he do this?”

  “He finalized it earlier today. I think he wants you to stay in town and give Caleb a chance. Will you?”

  It was hard to look into those eyes and say no. “I think that’s up to Caleb.”

  “Good.” Jeremiah flashed her a dimpled smile. “See you soon, Clementine.”

  “Good night.” She stood in the road, watching him drive off. A house? She’d been given a house. She didn’t even know how to feel about that. Maybe she should sign it right back over to Jeb.

  “How did it go?” Effie O’Hurley asked from the doorway.

  Clementine blinked, realized she was still standing in the road, and forced her feet forward. Her knees were watery and her legs shaky, but she made it to the boardwalk. “I’m okay, I think.”

  “I’m glad Jeb did that. He owed you, after bringing you all the way out here. Let him do right by you. I say, take advantage of that.”

  She was still a little shell-shocked. “Why didn’t he give this to me himself?”

  “Probably because Jeremiah is hard to say no to.”

  “I can’t deny that.” Clementine stumbled into the lobby, blinking against the light. Lamps lit the way to the staircase, and all she wanted to do was to collapse on her bed. This was something she had to think over. She had a house?

  “I put a fresh pot of tea in your room.” Effie closed the door and came over to pat her on the shoulder in the kindest way. “I put the envelopes the girls left behind up there, too. Perhaps you won’t be looking to leave our fine town after all?”

  “Maybe not.” The floor beneath her feet didn’t seem real, the lamplight that guided her way up the stairs too bright. At the end of the hallway, she pushed open her door. Her heart didn’t feel as if it was beating. Not at all. Not a single beat.

  If you come, I promise you won’t be sorry, Jeb had written in one of the letters. No matter what, I vow this to you. You are coming home for the last time.

  The last vestiges of hurt over being brought out here on false pretenses faded away. This was kindness, pure and simple. She knew without asking that Jeb had sacrificed a lot to bring her here for his son, the proof of it was in her hand.

  She set down the envelope with the deed inside on her bedside table, next to the envelopes with Caleb’s funds. She would return that to him later. For tonight, she would just savor the luxury of sitting in the wonderfully comfortable chair by the window, put her feet up on the ottoman and sip the fragrant herbal tea.

  It had been a long journey. Watching her husband and baby die, burying them, losing their little home. She’d struggled to pay off the debts. She’d lost everything. For a time she’d been homeless. She’d confessed that to Jeb in her letters, and this is what he’d done for her.

  It was far too extravagant to accept, but the gesture meant everything. Oh, she owed Jeb. She would never forget this moment. It gave her hope that she could find a family again somewhere, one she could keep.

  -Chapter Six-

  Thunder boomed across ominous skies, echoing through the valley. Clementine watched water drip off her sunbonnet brim, giving a shiver as the wind rose up. The quick summer storm had a cold bite to it. Raindrops pelted her like buckshot.

  Just her luck. Couldn’t it have waited another five minutes? Honestly. She spotted Jeb’s grand two-story log home tucked on a rise and surrounded by a copse of evergreens. It wasn’t much farther now, but she feared she’d be a drown rat by the time she sought shelter on that wide front porch.

  The charcoal clouds roiled, darkening, draining the last of the morning light from the sky. Lightning crackled, magnificent as it traveled in a white-hot bolt toward the mountains. She lifted her skirts to keep them out of the growing puddles of water on the road, and a trickling sensation zipped down the back of her neck. Awareness. Every nerve ending vibrated, as if waiting.

  Then she heard the clomp of a horse and the jingle of buggy rigging coming around the bend in the road. She looked up, veiled by the misty curtains of rain was a familiar man shrouded behind transparent rain curtains. Dr. Caleb Blake.

  His gaze met hers and the pummel of rain, the boom of thunder, the ice of the wind—all of it vanished. The only thing she could hear was her pulse drumming in her ears.

  Caleb drew his horse to a halt, surprise lining his granite face. He drew back the rubber curtains and the intensity of his gaze deepened. She froze, and in that moment that became eternity, her heart stilled. Her soul sighed.

  The magnitude of it was life altering, unlike anything she’d ever known. A quiet wish, the one she could not have, rose up within her. What would it be like to have the privilege to love this man?

  “What are you doing out in this weather?” His forehead furrowed. “Why are you going to see my father?”

  “Is there a law against it?” She tilted her head, trying for humor, for a casual smile, for anything that would help her hide her true, growing feelings.

  “No, I suppose not, but shouldn’t you be on a train to somewhere? Not that I’m trying to get rid of you. I just thought you’d move on to the lucky man who was next on your marriage list.”

  “I don’t have a marriage list.”

  “That’s hard to believe. Surely men are lining up to marry you.”

  “Funny thing, no. I only received two letters from my advertisement. Apparentl
y I’m a hard-luck case. That’s why I wound up with you.”

  His laughter was rich and honest. “Do you want a ride?”

  “No. You probably have patients waiting.”

  “True.”

  “How is Jeb this morning?” She had to ask because he was clearly leaving his father’s home. “Surely you are keeping an eye on him.”

  “He doesn’t know it, but I heard all about him cheating on me with the doctor from Hillsdale.”

  Oh, those dimples. She could just stare at them forever. She blinked, forcing her gaze away from his mouth, from that smile and those lips, but failed. His mouth was attractive—masculine and spare, but somehow strong. A kiss from him would be substantial, powerful and yet tender, something a woman would never forget.

  The clouds opened up, sending down a harder torrent of rain. It pounded the earth like bullets, driven on an icy wind. Clementine shuddered. Water sluiced down her face and dripped off her chin.

  “Quick, get in.” He gestured for her to join him in the buggy, but she was stubborn.

  And she was afraid. If she spent any more time with him, he might claim a piece of her heart. Then what was she going to do? She backed up, shouting to be heard about the pounding rain. “Goodbye, Caleb!”

  She turned and ran, blinded by the downpour, not daring to turn around and see if he was still watching her, or if he was coming after her or if he was sitting there, flummoxed by her. She ran until her side hurt and her shoes tapped a rhythm on the house’s front wooden steps. Breathless, she landed on the covered porch. Caleb’s buggy was only a distant shadow in the veil of rain. Finally, his horse and vehicle started moving down the road, splashing away from her.

  “Come in and warm up, young lady.” Jeb had opened the door. “Don’t you know it’s storming out there?”

  “I noticed it was getting ready to blow in, but I came anyway.” She crossed the threshold, worrying about the rain dripping off her onto the hand-woven carpet beneath her muddy shoes. “Maybe I should have come in the back way.”

  “Nonsense, we’ll let Katherine worry about it.” Jeb winked, eyes merry, although his face was pale. Terribly pale. “Ain’t that right, Katherine?”

  “That’s right. Make a mess and let me deal with it.” A middle-aged woman with a pleasant face, bright eyes and apple-cheeks swept in with a mop. “We saw you coming, dear. You look cold to the bone. You go straight to the hearth and warm up. I’ll mop the floor before Jeb slips in it—”

  “I’m not gonna slip,” he interrupted.

  “—and I’ll bring you some tea,” Katherine finished, quite as if she hadn’t been interrupted at all. She swiped the floor with the mop and turned around. Her black skirts and white apron snapped as she disappeared down the hallway.

  “What brings you out this way, missy?” Jeb eased down into one of two chairs by the hearth, breathing heavily. Too heavily.

  Clementine couldn’t help worrying about that. She untied her bonnet, wincing at the water dripping onto the carpet. “I didn’t know you had a housekeeper. This could thwart my new plan.”

  “What new plan?”

  “The one where I take care of you, at least until my future plans come together.” She shrugged out of her coat. “I hear you’re having spells.”

  “Jeremiah has been talking. It’s no doubt why Caleb showed up here this morning wanting to listen to my heart.” Jeb scowled, but nothing could chase away the look of love he had for his sons. “I see the worry on your face, too. I’m an old man. Things go wrong when you’re old. It’s a plain fact of life.”

  “That doesn’t mean I can’t help.” Clementine spotted a few hooks on the wall by the hearth and snagged her bonnet and coat on them. “Will you at least tell me what’s wrong with your heart?”

  “The doc says I have some sort of sickness in it.” Jeb waved off her concern. “Katherine is making sure I’m taking my daily powders. But if you tell any of this to Caleb, I’ll hold it against you.”

  “Your secret is safe with me.” While she didn’t think it was right, one look into his eyes told her why. “You don’t want Caleb to feel responsible or guilty if the treatment doesn’t work. That’s why you won’t let him doctor you.”

  “I saw enough of that with his wife and then the diphtheria.” Jeb’s lightness faded away. Sadness drew deep lines in his face. “You didn’t see how hard my boy worked to save everyone. He was sick himself and wouldn’t stop working. Finally, he collapsed, too weak to do more and Katherine came in to take over.”

  “You must have been terrified of losing your sons then. You have to know that’s how they feel about you now.” She eased down into the chair, grateful for the heat of the crackling fire. “It’s a burden for Jeremiah and Katherine to carry alone.”

  “We’re talking too much about me.” He cleared his throat, as if taking a moment to put aside his emotions. “What did you think of your little cottage?”

  “I don’t understand how you could do such a thing.” She didn’t know if she was laughing or crying. Probably both. “It’s a house. A home.”

  “One that can never be taken from you. After what you’ve been through, you deserve that. Have you seen it yet?”

  “Yes. I went over to look at it before I came here.” She held her cold hands out to the fire, where the radiant warmth chased away the chill. “It’s adorable.”

  “You like it?”

  “Like is too small of a word.” She couldn’t begin to describe the feeling she had, turning the key in the lock. Pushing the door open and stepping inside, hearing the little three-room house echo around her. Knowing she would never have to worry about finding a safe place to sleep for the night because she already had one. “It’s just right.”

  “I didn’t want to get you anything too big, since you’ll be moving in with my Caleb soon, providing you have a short engagement.” Jeb winked, turning toward the housekeeper bustling into the parlor. “Isn’t that right, Katherine?”

  “I expect that’s the way it usually goes with couples in love.” The robust woman set a cup and saucer on the little table next to her boss’s chair. “Being as Caleb isn’t in love yet, it’s hard to set a date.”

  “My point exactly.” Clementine took the teacup Katherine handed her. Steam curled up from the fragrant brew. Oh, it smelled good. It felt even better when the cup was cradled in her hands. “Thank you, but you know I can’t accept it.”

  “What do you mean? You’ll only need it until you marry my son.”

  “Katherine, is he always this stubborn?” She liked the way the housekeeper smiled right back at her.

  “Usually he’s worse. You bring out a softer side of him. That’s a good thing, believe me.” Katherine nodded with approval. “It’s about time someone did.”

  “Oh, he doesn’t look so bad.” She took a sip of tea and stood. “I’m sure you can handle him, Katherine.”

  “What? Now there are two of you.” Jeb held out his hands in mock despair. “Whatever am I going to do?”

  “It’s nice to have an ally.” Katherine smiled and gestured, leading the way through the house.

  Clementine eagerly followed her. Somehow she would talk Katherine in to accepting her help today, since there were no available jobs in town. She wanted to make her time here useful, taking care of the people she cared about—for however long this lasted. It was a privilege she’d missed.

  * * *

  Caleb couldn’t get the image of Clementine out of his head. She’d stood there drenched with rain, battered by wind, unbowed. Lovelier than ever. Then she’d dashed away, becoming nothing but a splash of color in the gray until, finally, he’d lost sight of her.

  “C’mon, Ed, let’s keep moving.” He snapped the reins because the gelding had come to a stop in the middle of the residential street, all because he hadn’t been paying attention. That’s what Clementine Parks did to him. She muddled his mind, and he’d be wise to banish her from his thoughts.

  Then again, how could he banis
h her at all? If he wasn’t thinking about her, the twins were talking about her. Mrs. Clementine this, and Mrs. Clementine that—it’s all he’d heard when he’d been trying to put them to bed last night and get them off to school this morning. He frowned, because Clementine was a puzzle he didn’t know how to solve—or the strange, powerful pull she had on him.

  The ring of children’s laughter drifted on the rainy wind. Even in the storm, the noontime schoolyard was full of kids running off their energy during their lunch recess. He caught sight of two identical girls racing circles around the schoolhouse. Endless love crept into every place in his heart, every space in his soul. The twins disappeared around the far side of the building, out of his sight.

  Ed plodded along, obediently splashing through the mud and puddles, wet through. Water sluiced down the rain curtains as he drove closer to the school. Any minute his girls were going to come running back into view—there they were. Their faces damp with rain and bright with laughter.

  “Pa!” Gracie spotted him first.

  “Pa!” Hope came running, a step behind her sister.

  He reined Ed to a stop and pushed the curtains apart. “Hi, girls. Are you supposed to be outdoors running in the rain? You’ll be wet clean through for the rest of the school day.”

  “We don’t mind being squishy in our seats,” Gracie assured him.

  “We dry out, Pa.” Hope smiled at him.

  Synchronized, they hopped onto the running board, standing side by side.

  “Did you see Mrs. Clementine again?” Gracie wanted to know.

  “Do you want to marry her yet?” Hope got straight to the point.

  “Because we like her,” Gracie informed him.

  Hope nodded emphatically.

  Clementine. The image of her laughing in the evening, and then that smile of hers shining softly like light in the storm got to him. She was like a brand on his soul, and he didn’t like it. Not one bit.

  “We talked about this last night.” He was gentle but firm. “I’m not going to marry Clementine.”

  “But we picked her out and everything.”