by Zina Abbott
Andrea moved to the table clutching her Bible, her nib, a small bottle of ink and a blotter paper. As soon as he saw her, Aaron raced to pull out a chair for her and helped seat her. Andrea folded the tablecloth back before she placed her armload on the bare wood surface. She arranged the ink, nip and paper before she pulled her Bible in front of her.
Desi nudged her husband with her elbow. “Put your coat back on, Simon. You, too, Aaron. I think whatever we are here to witness is important.”
Aaron turned to his mother as he slid an arm into the sleeve of his coat. “How do you know these things, Ma?”
“Women’s intuition.”
Simon shrugged his coat over his shoulders. “Like I’ve told you, Son. Usually I just do what your ma says. It’s easier that way.”
“Andrea has it, too. If you’re smart, Aaron, you’ll learn to pay attention to it.”
Her head down, Andrea quickly glanced at her mother-in-law. “I don’t know how important this is, but it does need doing. I thought with you being Aaron’s family it was only fitting that you be here. In the past with my family, that’s how it was always done—the family witnessed the entries to make sure everything was done right.”
Still puzzled over what Andrea intended to do, Aaron watched as she carefully opened the Bible and flipped through the pages until she found the middle section between the Old Testament and the New Testament. His breath caught once he realized she had reached the pages on which to record births, marriages and deaths. He made fists of his hands so they wouldn’t shake as she turned to the page where the last family marriage had been recorded.
No one spoke a word, not even Desi. They all watched as Andrea twisted open the ink bottle before she carefully placed the lid upside down next to the bottle. She inhaled as if to gather courage. She picked up the pen with its metal nib, and dipped it in the ink. Next she made several strokes on the blotter paper to get rid of any excess ink that could leave blotches. They all watched Andrea as she wrote. Simon and Desi respectfully stood a couple of feet away, but Aaron stood behind Andrea and leaned over her shoulder.
4 July 1881 – Andrea Mae Dalton m.
Andrea stopped writing and moved her pen over the blotter paper. She twisted in her seat to face Aaron. “What is your middle name again?”
“Levi.”
“Oh. Like the tribe of Levi? Aaron, the brother of Moses was a Levite. Do you spell it with an ‘i’ or a ‘y’?”
“L-e-v-i, like the tribe. My folks must have liked that story because they named my next oldest brother Moses.”
Defensively, Desi cut in. “I know most people place more importance on Moses, but Aaron was the older brother.”
Aaron smiled. “And my sister is named Miriam and the next brother, Jethro, after the father-in-law of Moses. They took pity on the twins, though, and named them David and Jonathan.”
“Well, David and Jonathan were true friends to each other. It just sounded right at the time.”
Simon shook his head. “Those two were more than true friends. They were a couple of mischievous trouble-makers. With all their shenanigans, I wasn’t sure I’d live long enough to get them raised. Unfortunately, they didn’t want to follow us out here. They stayed back in Indianapolis to work in the local ice house there.”
Andrea looked at each of them. “It sounds like you have an interesting family. You’ll have to tell me more about them sometime.”
Desi cleared her throat. “Oh, we will, but now is not the time. Sorry I interrupted you, Andrea. Please continue with what you’re doing.”
Andrea turned back to her Bible. “You didn’t interrupt. This is all about family.” She once again picked up the pen, prepared it using the ink and blotter and wrote.
Aaron Levi Brinks – Jubilee Springs, Colorado
Andrea gently blew on the ink to dry it as Aaron pulled out the other chair and sat next to her. He slowly pulled the Bible to him and turned it to read aloud while Andrea screwed the lid on the ink. “4 July 1881-Andrea Mae Dalton married Aaron Levi Brinks, Jubilee Springs, Colorado.” He noticed the entry was in the same childlike handwriting as the entry that was dated eight years earlier for an Olivia Dalton, probably Andrea’s sister. He found it interesting that the sister’s marriage took place in Kansas City, not the Dalton’s home town.
Aaron turned towards Andrea, placing his finger on her chin to move her face so her eyes met his. “Does this mean things are settled between us? You plan to stay?”
Andrea offered her usual shy smile. “Yes. As long as you want me, I plan to stay.”
“I’ve always wanted you to stay, Andrea. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have asked you to marry me. You were the only one who talked about an annulment.”
“An annulment!”
Desi nudged her husband. “Not now, Simon. They’ll tell us what that’s all about when they’re ready.”
Andrea kept her eyes on her husband. “But, when you married me, you didn’t know everything about me—what had happened.”
“I know now, Andrea, and I still want you for my wife. Please tell me this means there’ll be no more talk from you about an annulment.”
Andrea looked down and shook her head. “No. I’ll not bring it up again. I’ve made my decision. That’s why I decided it was time I record our marriage in the Bible.”
Aaron continued to watch Andrea. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to do much more with her than kiss her. However a small, saner part of him remained aware his parents stood not three feet from them.
As if discerning his thoughts, Desi patted her husband’s arm. “I told you this was important. However, now it’s time to go and let these two have the rest of the afternoon to themselves.”
Simon turned to Andrea and held out his arms. “Come here, daughter-in-law, and give me a hug. Welcome to the family. I know I told you that the day you spoke your vows before the preacher, but I mean it just as much, if not more, now.”
Andrea submitted to her father-in-law’s hug. She did her best to ignore the realization that her father had not hugged her since before her mother died. She then felt the air squeezed out of her by her mother-in-law who finished off her hug with a kiss on the cheek.
Tears in her eyes, Desi held Andrea away from her by her shoulders as she looked into her face. “You have no idea how long I have waited for the right woman to come along and marry my Aaron. I couldn’t be more pleased with his choice. I’m so happy to have you in our family.”
Overcome with emotion, Andrea swallowed, barely able to speak. “Thank you. I’m happy we’re family, too.”
“Well, Ma, we got to get going, or we’ll lose our shade by my favorite tree. I’m ready for that picnic you packed.”
Simon pulled his coat off. Desi folded it smoothly before draping it over her arm. Andrea noticed Aaron took his coat off but dropped it on a chair back. The four walked to the door. Andrea stood at Aaron’s side as they both waved goodbye to his parents.
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CHAPTER 15
~o0o~
As the door closed, Andrea quickly turned to the kitchen. “With as hot as it is, I thought we could have a cold dinner. I have ham in the icebox I can slice for you, and some bread from Demitri’s bakery. I usually bake my own bread, but your ma pointed out it’s good for their store if they patronize the other businesses in town. Since I was trying to finish up the curtains and dishtowels, I hope you don’t mind.”
Aaron found it difficult to focus on her words with the thoughts running through his head.
It’s official. There’ll be no more talk of annulment. She wrote our marriage in her Bible.
“No. I don’t mind about the bread. You may buy it from the bakery or make it, whatever you think is best. For right now, I’m not hungry enough yet for ham. A slice of bread with jam would be good.”
In reality, Aaron was hungry. However, his greatest hunger was not for food. It was for spending quality time with the woman who n
ow sliced his bread and slathered jam on it.
“How did you plan to spend the afternoon? If you like, I can put together a picnic lunch we can take to the river so you can read. Maybe you’ll feel more like eating when it gets a little cooler. I don’t know how else you like to spend your Sunday afternoons other than go somewhere quiet and read.”
“I enjoy that. Sometimes I just stay home and read, or I find a project to do. Now we have our own place, we can occasionally go visiting. Mostly I just like to be with you.”
Andrea blushed. “Anything else you like to do?”
Aaron watched his wife as she prepared a slice of bread and jam for herself and put the rest of the loaf away. He hoped lightning would not shoot down from the sky and strike him dead for the fib he was about to tell, for unless he was sick he rarely spent his Sundays as he was about to suggest. Then again, after all Andrea had been through, surely the Lord understood the need to move slowly and carefully with her in order to not frighten her.
“Sometimes if I’ve had a busy week at work, I enjoy taking a nap on Sunday afternoons. I wouldn’t mind one now. Then maybe later we can go down by the river.”
Wide-eyed, Andrea turned to study him as he shoved the last of the bread and jam in his mouth and stared out the kitchen window. Evidently, he would rather sleep than spend time with her. She responded slowly. “It has been a hard week with all that has been going on. If you feel like a nap, I think it would be a good idea.”
“What about you? It’s been a busy week for you, too. Would you like to take a nap next to me? There’s plenty of room on the bed for both of us.”
As she considered his question, Andrea took another nibble of her bread and jam. She studied her free hand as it traced squiggles on the tabletop. Maybe he did want to spend the afternoon with her after all. Napping next to him would still be doing something together. Her words came slowly. “Yes, it has been a challenging week. I…I could use a nap. Just let me put my Bible and writing supplies away and I’ll be ready.”
Aaron smiled at his wife. She wanted to take a nap with him. It was a start. He wondered how much sleep they would get that afternoon. Unfortunately, the month she had requested, and by contract she was entitled to, was not up. He still didn’t know how much she trusted him to be gentle with her. He didn’t know how she would react once he began to make love to her—if she was ready or was still haunted by the memories of being attacked by the other man. Still, there was hope. “I need to hang my Sunday clothes up first.”
Andrea reached for his suit coat. “I’ll get that for you.”
Aaron stilled her hand. “I’ll take care of it. You might want to hang up your pretty new dress you’re wearing.”
Andrea bit her lip. “I suppose you’re right. I don’t want to wrinkle my new Sunday dress by sleeping in it.”
“Andrea, with the heat and all, I’ll sleep cooler if I can strip down even more. Will you mind being next to me if all I have on under the sheet is my union suit?”
Andrea swallowed and licked her lips, refusing to look at him. If she was going to be his wife, she had to get used to seeing him in his underclothing. As much laundry as she had done for her pa, it wasn’t like she didn’t know what a union suit looked like. It’s just she had not yet seen Aaron in nothing but his. “I…I won’t mind. With this heat, I probably should take off…well, I suppose my nightgown would be cooler.” Andrea ate her last bit of bread and reached for her things on the table to put them away.
Aaron knew what would be even cooler than her wearing her nightgown which he knew covered her from her neck to her feet. However, he kept quiet about it, reminding himself he needed to move slowly and carefully. He reached out and lightly touched Andrea’s shoulder. “Andrea, wait a minute.”
Puzzled, Andrea turned back to see what her husband—the man she was truly married to, the man she now knew she would spend the rest of her life with—wanted of her.
“I know we shared that little peck on the lips when we were married, but we have never really kissed. You hugged Ma and Pa before they left, but I didn’t get a chance to hug you. May I hug and kiss you now?”
Andrea flushed and her eyes sparkled as she smiled and nodded. “Yes. I think I’d like that.” Unsure of how to proceed, Andrea set her things back on the table and hesitantly raised both hands.
Aaron stepped towards his bride and gently grasped her fingers in his. He lifted them past his shoulders, grateful she instinctively knew he intended for her to wrap them around his neck. He gently encircled her lower back to guide her towards him. As she moved into his embrace, he splayed the fingers of one hand as he slid it up her spine and pulled her against his chest. He watched her eyes close as his lips sought hers with a feather-light kiss. Her lips felt so soft and tender against his—so willing, so trusting.
Aaron tightened her against him and deepened his kiss. He felt her arms squeeze his neck as she responded with a longing that matched his own. That was when he knew he had more than a house and a woman to take care of it. He had Andrea, the woman he had already fallen in love with, to be his wife. She would be his life-long companion and the mother of his children.
Aaron trailed kisses along her cheek until he reached her ear. His whisper betrayed his emotion. “I love you, Andrea.” In spite of her burying her face in his neck, he heard her whispered response.f “I love you, too, Aaron. I’m so happy I listened to my heart and chose you.”
Aaron reached between them to lift her chin so he could once again press his lips to hers. He closed his eyes with contentment, as a passion for this woman began to fill him, joining with the love he felt for her. “Let’s go take our nap, sweetheart.”
~o0o0o~
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Thank you for reading
[Title of your book]!
Each book in the
Sweethearts of Jubilee Springs
series is a Clean, Sweet Western Historical Romance. You may find all the books in this series as they are published by searching for
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Sweethearts of Jubilee springs books by
sweet americana sweethearts
authors:
1.Perfectly Mismatched by Linda Carroll-Bradd
Shame over her father’s arrest sends socialite Aurelia Northcliffe running for a new home and a new name. After she makes sure her younger sister is secure, she travels west to become a mail-order bride in Jubilee Springs, CO. Not only is she shocked at the size of the tiny mining town, the men she’s matched with make her second guess her decision. One potential groom is much too unsophisticated and the other much too discerning--even if he’s the one who makes her feel safe.
Mine Manager Declan MacNeill prides himself on following rules to the letter. Initially resistant to the upcoming bride event, he remembers his short marriage in Ireland and realizes what he’s been missing. His first sight of his potential bride sets his protective instincts on high alert. Everything about her behavior indicates she’s keeping secrets. And Declan is determined on finding out why.
2.Ellen’s Lesson by Patricia PacJac Carroll
She's a blond, blue-eyed beauty. (Well, not exactly.) He's a handsome, prosperous gentleman from a good family. (Yeah, not so much.) With their letters at odds, what will Tyler and Ellen do when they meet and discover the truth? It's a mail order bride me
ss.
Ellen Barker feared her life was destined for the lonely outcome of a spinster school teacher. An advertisement in the paper asking for women to go to Colorado as mail order brides caught her attention. A few letters later, she was betrothed to Tyler Fletcher. A handsome upstanding citizen of Jubilee Springs.
Tyler Fletcher needed to be married before he was twenty-eight. That's what his pappy had told him. That the mine owners sent off for some mail order brides for the miners was perfect timing. He got hold of one. The perfect lady for him. Pretty, blond and blue-eyed. A woman of high society.
At least that is what his partner, Nels, told him. Once Tyler had some time, he was going to have to learn to read and write.
From the moment Ellen met Tyler, she knew she'd disappointed him, and it wasn't as if he'd been the prize she was expecting either. He didn't want her. She would be left alone again. Maybe ...
3. Aaron’s Annulment Bride by Zina Abbott
Aaron Brinks, son of the Jubilee Springs mercantile owners, has been living in a small room above his parents’ store even though he is employed at the Prosperity Mine. When the mine owners announce they have contacted a mail order bride agency, and will allot company houses to the first ten miners who choose a bride and pay her way, he decides it is time for a house of his own.
Shy Andrea Draper must escape her father’s ranch. Her father has discouraged all potential suitors because he does not want to lose his unpaid housekeeper, laundress, and the cook for him and his men. Then there is the problem of Lloyd McCreary, her father’s foreman.
Learning her friend intends to go to Jubilee Springs as a mail order bride, going with her seems Andrea’s only option for escape. She agrees to marry Aaron even though she knows she is not worthy to be any man’s wife. While trying to convince him to be married in name only until he gains title to his house, at which time they can annul the marriage, Andrea’s father shows up to drag her home against her will.