Mitch stepped in, his hair disheveled and dark circles under his eyes. “Polly, I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. I deserved it.”
He nodded slowly, like he agreed with her but didn’t think it was right to say so.
“They did it on purpose. They wanted to make sure you learned your lesson.” He closed his eyes, and she watched the pain crease his face. “But they didn’t intend for you to be so badly hurt.”
“I forgive them. You should, too.” Though it took more effort than she thought it should, she smiled. “I know I have no authority over them anymore, but I’m asking you to please not punish them. They don’t deserve it. I do.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks. “I hurt them, so they wanted to hurt me. I understand. My leg will heal.”
“Maybe,” Mitch said. “But I heard your mother and the doctor talking. I know your mother is trying to be positive, but your leg is broken in multiple places. The doctor isn’t sure how it’s going to heal.”
“I hope you weren’t trying to come in to cheer me up,” Polly said, trying to laugh but finding that effort just as difficult as anything else.
“Why?” He looked at her, tears in his eyes.
“Why what?” They’d probably given her something for the pain, but surely that wasn’t enough to make their conversation so fuzzy.
“Why did you do this to us?”
He wasn’t talking about her injury. She’d rather he did, because the prospect of not walking again seemed so much better than ripping her heart open again.
“You know why.”
“No, I don’t.” Mitch’s voice shook. “I haven’t slept at all because every time I close my eyes, I try to understand why you would leave us. Why, after knowing how important it is to me, you would break your promise to us.”
The words that had been in her head since she realized he wasn’t going to show up stood at the tip of her tongue but wouldn’t come out. Instead, they rolled down her cheeks, globs of everything she’d been holding in but couldn’t say.
“You owe me at least that.”
She didn’t really owe him anything, not when this was all his fault anyway. Now, the children, she owed them, and that was why she’d accept this injury as her due.
“I didn’t know what I was promising,” she finally said. “I didn’t know how hard it would be to look at you every day, knowing how desperately I loved you, and knowing that you didn’t return my feelings. For the children, I should have tried, I know that. But I couldn’t.”
The tears fell harder and faster, tears she thought she’d already cried, but apparently, they hadn’t been enough. Would they ever be?
“You could have at least told me.” His expression was unreadable, making the pain even worse.
“I did. I left you a note. You didn’t even meet me.”
Mitch started laughing. “You left me a note?”
“Yes.” She couldn’t believe he’d mock her like that after everything.
He shook his head. “I don’t suppose your mother or the children mentioned that I punished them for leaving a love note for me. They denied it, of course, and that just made me angrier. I’m afraid I was a little harsh on them.”
Polly closed her eyes. It hadn’t occurred to her that Mitch would think it was a prank. The children had been so good about listening...
“Polly, look at me.”
She obeyed his request and saw his eyes shining in a way she hadn’t seen before. “I was angry because I was tired of being taunted with something I could never have. I am in love with you, and I didn’t think you’d be willing to give up your dreams and share your life with me.”
“But you never said anything.”
He shrugged. “Neither did you. I suppose we both had too much pride to risk our hearts being broken.”
“And when I took that risk, and you didn’t respond, I was too ashamed to face you.”
Mitch handed her a handkerchief. “And that’s why you decided to leave?”
Polly nodded, wiping her face. “I was so embarrassed. I finally realized that all of my fears were foolish, and that life with you and the children wasn’t going to be anything but wonderful. But when I admitted it to you, you rejected me.”
“In the future, let’s not rely on notes to communicate.”
“All right.” Polly took a deep breath. “So what happens now?”
Mitch grinned. “I’m told that there’s an awful lot of kissing happening in this house, but we’re not part of that. I think, if you’re feeling up to it, we need to rectify that situation.”
“Oh, I’m up for it.”
Polly reached up and put her arms around him as Mitch bent down and kissed her. Just as their lips met in a most satisfying way, she heard a voice.
“It’s about time!”
They turned their heads, and Clara was standing in the doorway. “Now that you’ve kissed, are you going to stay?”
Polly grinned. “I don’t know. I hear you’re leaving.”
Clara groaned. The rest of the children joined her at the doorway.
“We’re not going anywhere,” Louisa said.
“We like it here.” Rory glared at his father. “You might have been planning on leaving, but we had a plan to stay.”
Then, with a grin, he looked over at Thomas. “You can wash those spots off your face. We don’t need ’em.”
Polly tried to laugh, but it hurt too much. “Are you sure I broke my leg?”
“You might have also broken a rib or two,” Mitch said slowly. “But we were trying to break the news to you gently.”
“Were you trying to kill me?” Polly looked at the grinning children.
Clara shrugged. “That wasn’t part of the plan. But I’d say the rest of it worked perfectly.”
All five children had the nerve to grin. Even Isabella, who probably had nothing to do with the plan, wore an expression of mirth. Mitch just shook his head.
“And you’re sure you think a life with these wild creatures is going to be wonderful?”
Warmth filled Polly’s heart. Or was that another injury they hadn’t told her about? No, she decided, it was everything finally being put back together. And if her heart could heal, so could the rest of her body.
“We’re waiting,” Louisa said, hands on her hips.
“For?” Mitch looked at his daughter. “We already kissed.”
Clara groaned again. “Kissing is just the second step. The third step is you asking Polly to marry you, and her saying yes. So get on with it, because Maddie thinks we’re out getting berries, and pretty soon, she’s going to realize we’re gone and then we’re going to get in trouble.”
“Again,” Rory muttered.
“I think Maddie will let this one slide,” Ma said from the doorway. “But Polly does need her rest, and the rest of us would like to know that things are finally settled between you two, so we can all stop our worrying.”
Polly fought the urge to giggle as Mitch looked down on her. “Are we ever going to be able to live our own lives?”
“Probably not,” he said, kissing her on the forehead. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Neither would I.”
“Would you get on with it?” The voices in the doorway all seemed to be in unison, and Polly turned to see that Uncle Frank, Maddie, Mary and Will were all also standing there.
“Should I wait for Annabelle and Joseph?” Polly said, looking around.
“You could, but they’re going to be a while. In fact, that’s why we’re so eager for you two to hurry up. The baby’s coming, and Gertie is supposed to be there to deliver it. Annabelle is never going to forgive you if your ma misses it because you’re too busy dithering over a marriage proposal.” Mary gave her a moc
k glare, but then Will elbowed her in the ribs.
“But do take your time,” Mary said with a smile. “After all, a woman only gets proposed to once.”
Mitch grinned. “This woman, anyway.” He planted another kiss on her forehead. “And this woman deserves a little privacy for her special moment. So you’re all going to close the door, walk back to the kitchen and when I open the door again, you’ll be able to congratulate the future Mrs. Taylor.”
“Wonderful,” Maddie said. “With as stubborn as those two are, we might get such a pleasure after Mary’s baby is born.”
“I’m sure they’ll be hungry before then,” Uncle Frank reassured her.
Everyone laughed as they shut the door.
This time, when Mitch’s eyes sparkled as he looked at her, Polly knew exactly what they meant.
“I meant what I said about accepting their meddling as part of being in a loving family.” He grinned. “But that doesn’t mean we’re not entitled to our privacy from time to time.”
He brought her hand to his lips. “Polly MacDonald, will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife and the mother of my children?”
“Yes!” She tried to bring her arms around him to embrace him, but the effort hurt more than it had last time.
Mitch seemed to understand as he bent to kiss her. “We have the rest of our lives for that. For now, just let me handle it.”
And so she did.
Epilogue
“Hurry! You’re going to miss it! Polly’s going to throw the bouquet!” Clara tugged at Mitch’s pants as he accepted congratulations from Joseph.
“I don’t think you want me to catch it,” Mitch said, ruffling his daughter’s hair.
“No, but we rigged it so Laura would.” Clara grinned as she ran out to the garden.
Mitch just shook his head as he pointed to the baby girl in Joseph’s arms. “I hope you know what you’ve gotten yourself into.”
Joseph gave the baby a squeeze as he kissed her. “I wouldn’t trade Catherine for anything in the world, and I’m pretty sure no one could convince you to give up Clara.”
“True.”
He heard shouts from the garden and knew the deed had been done. “Shall we go see what the damage is?”
“At least we don’t smell smoke.” Joseph grinned.
Mitch patted the other man on the back. “True, true.”
He thought it best not to mention that his children had many other ways of creating mayhem. Fortunately, they’d mostly reformed their ways.
Unless they wanted something really, really badly.
Which was why Mitch kept finding baby everything everywhere.
He shook his head. Why the children were set on another sibling, he had no idea. He blamed Annabelle for that one, bringing over her baby every day and making Polly and the children gush over it.
As they entered the garden, Will greeted them with a grin. “That’s another one for the Taylors.”
“She caught the bouquet?” Mitch asked, knowing he didn’t need to.
“Of course she did. I don’t know how they do it, but they’re good. I’m looking forward to what they try to accomplish next,” Will said.
Mitch sighed. “They want a baby.”
Will clapped him on the shoulder. “Mine isn’t here yet, and I already don’t think I’d have the strength.”
“Strength for what?” Polly asked, giving her pa a squeeze as she let go of his arm to give Mitch a kiss as she joined them.
Mitch quickly kissed his wife back, mindful of everyone’s eyes on them. Especially Polly’s father’s. Polly had been spending more time with him lately, repairing the bond that had been broken between them. And while Mitch knew Collin MacDonald approved of the match, it still felt awkward to kiss his daughter in front of him.
“The children want a baby,” Mitch told Polly, shaking his head.
“But we’ve just gotten married.”
As if they knew they were being talked about, the children came running up to them, followed by Andrew and Iris, who’d agreed to watch them so Mitch and Polly could have a proper honeymoon. At first, Mitch was surprised they’d offered, but then Iris admitted that her own little darling might have played her own role in not getting along with his children. Now that Mitch had decided to relocate to Leadville and leave management of the Denver store to his staff, the two Taylor families were spending more time together.
“Mama,” the children all said in unison.
They’d decided that the children could choose what to call Polly after the wedding, but as soon as they announced their engagement, the children had started calling her Mama. Mitch had to say, the name fit her well.
Polly wrapped her arms around them, and if one didn’t know better, they’d never guess that Polly hadn’t given birth to them.
“What’s this I hear about a baby?” she asked, looking directly at Clara.
“I was too little to enjoy Isabella when she was a baby, and I think I’m rather good with them. Annabelle’s baby is lovely, but we have to give her back. But if you had a baby, we could keep her forever. And I do love babies.” Clara let out a long sigh.
Joseph held up the baby in question. “Well, I don’t love changing her, and she needs one. Why don’t you take her inside and get some practice in for when your baby comes.”
Clara took the baby and did as he asked, the other children following, chattering about what a wonderful baby Catherine was.
Mitch shot him a glare. “Really?”
“I’m not sure how your children will manage having a role in it, but I do know Clara. And when she’s determined about something, well, you may as well save yourself a whole lot of trouble and give in right away.”
Polly groaned. “We have got to work on getting that girl to accept the word no as a final answer rather than a challenge.”
Andrew nodded. “Please do. She’s starting to rub off on our daughter.”
They laughed, and Mitch couldn’t help but again be grateful for his renewed closeness with his brother. Polly, though, still wore a concerned expression on her face.
Taking her into his arms, Mitch asked, “So you’re saying you don’t want a baby?”
If he hadn’t already been hopelessly in love with her, the look in her eyes would have sent him over the edge. “Oh, I want all the babies you’re willing to give me. And maybe a few we find along the way.”
She turned in the direction of Emma Jane, who was bouncing her son, Moses, on her lap.
“I do like how you think,” Mitch said, bending down and kissing her. “But if it’s all the same to you, I’d like to focus on one at a time.”
Polly kissed him back, filling him with so much love, he hadn’t known it was possible. How he’d ever survived without her, he didn’t know, but he would always be grateful having her by his side.
* * * * *
If you enjoyed Polly’s book, pick up the stories of Polly’s friends, also set in Leadville, Colorado:
ROCKY MOUNTAIN DREAMS
THE LAWMAN’S REDEMPTION
SHOTGUN MARRIAGE
Available now from Love Inspired!
Find more great reads at www.LoveInspired.com
Keep reading for an excerpt from A MOTHER IN THE MAKING by Gabrielle Meyer.
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Dear Reader,
Originally, I intended to write Polly’s story right after Rocky Mountain Dreams. But finding the right hero for her proved to be more elusive than I thought. When I finally found the man I thought was the perfect hero for Polly, my editor wasn’t sure he’d be a g
ood fit. And, as much as I hated to admit it, she was right. She and I had a great conversation about the kind of man Polly needed, and I finally realized why none of them worked. Polly’s perfect match had to be someone who, at least in Polly’s estimation, was the absolute worst marriage prospect on the planet. Otherwise, she was never going to let her guard down enough to fall in love. I remember blurting to my editor, “He’s got FIVE kids!” The gleam in her eyes told me that I had finally found Polly’s hero.
Polly needed a man who would challenge her and make her question a lot of her preconceived ideas, but also someone would could love and appreciate her indomitable spirit—and not break it. What Polly needed was something we all need—someone who will challenge us, push us and make us stronger without breaking all the marvelous qualities that make us who we are.
Whether it’s a friend, relative or significant other, I pray you find that kind of relationship in your own life.
I love hearing from my readers! You can visit me online at the following places:
Website: www.danicafavorite.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/danicafavorite
Instagram: www.instagram.com/danicafavorite
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ DanicaFavoriteAuthor
Sending abundant blessings and love to you and yours,
Danica Favorite
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The Nanny's Little Matchmakers (Love Inspired Historical) Page 24