George looked around the table. “Don’t worry about the dishes,” he said. “We’ll do them.”
Emily frowned. “You don’t have to do that.”
“We don’t mind,” George said. “You enjoy your stroll with Patrick. We appreciate you more than you’ll ever know.”
Zachary Collard, who rarely said a word, spoke up. “I don’t mind helping.”
Patrick felt the warmth creep though his body. Finally, the message was getting through. They were all on a better than good thing, and didn’t want to lose it.
The moment supper was over, Emily removed her apron and hung it on the hook in the kitchen. She rushed up stairs to freshen up, and to get a light shawl. The nights were becoming a little cooler.
Patrick waited for her at the bottom of the stairs. When she came into view, his heart thudded. She was so beautiful, both inside and out.
She hooked her arm in his and they headed out. “Where are we going?” she asked as he closed the door behind them.
“I thought we’d just stroll. Or perhaps a coffee at the diner?”
She stared at him. “We’ve just had supper.”
“A stroll it is.” He headed for the cottage he’d been working on recently. Emily hadn’t seen it and he thought it might be of interest.
Since they were working along the same street, and would continue to do so for some time, Harry and Patrick had constructed a wooden bench to sit on during their breaks.
He headed straight there.
“Here we are,” he said as they sat on the wooden bench.
“Where is here? I have no idea what this place is.”
“This is where I’ve been working all these weeks. Harry and I have built all these cottages.”
She stared at him. “Oooh, you are so clever! And they’re so beautiful.”
“Would you like to see inside?” He hoped she would say yes. There was one cottage in particular he wanted her to see.
“Is that alright? We won’t get into trouble?”
He stood and pulled her up with him. “We won’t get into trouble, I promise.”
He held her hand and pulled her toward that one special cottage. “This one is still being built, but will have three bedrooms. One for the parents, and another two for any children who might happen along.”
Emily looked confused.
He opened the front door and led her into a wide open space that would eventually become a sitting room. Right now it was just a shell.
She twirled around looking about. “It’s beautiful. Whoever gets this cottage will be very lucky.”
He suddenly dropped onto one knee, and Emily stared down at him, studying his face, and looking totally confused.
“What are you doing, Patrick? You need to get up.”
She looked panicked, but he wasn’t going to let that stop him in his quest. “Emily Stanton,” he said, reaching for her left hand. “Will you marry me?”
He pulled out a small ring box from his pocket and opened it. He slid the ring on her finger before she had a chance to answer.
Emily stared down at the ring on her finger, her eyes filling with tears.
Panic began to fill him. She hadn’t answered his question. “Emily?”
Her bottom lip quivered. This was not going to plan. His heart thudded in his chest. She was going to refuse him, he could feel it in his whole being.
He closed his eyes against the disappointment.
“Of course I’ll marry you, Patrick, you goose. I love you.”
He jumped to his feet and pulled her close, kissing her gently at first, then more urgently. It felt as though his entire body quivered at the revelation she would soon be his wife.
Finally, he pulled back.
“What do you think of the cottage,” he asked, leading her through each room.
She stared in amazement. “It’s beautiful. Whoever this belongs to is very lucky.”
“I have a confession to make,” he said as pulled away from her. “This cottage is ours. With Harry’s help, I’ve been building it bit by bit. Saying behind later every night to get it done.”
Tears streamed down her face. “I am very blessed,” she said, before she buried her face into his shoulder.
* * *
Joe had finished all Emily’s new gowns and she chose the fanciest of them all to be married in.
It was one of the gowns Joe had designed specifically for Emily, and she adored it. It was almost as though he knew she would be married in this particular gown.
It was to be a simple ceremony, but it seemed practically the entire town was there on this sunny Saturday afternoon. The wedding was less than a week since Patrick asked her to marry him, but neither of them wanted to wait.
As she walked down the aisle, Mrs Baker as her escort, she glanced about. All her lodgers were there, Daniel Carson from the Saw Mill, Joe, Cecil Delbert from the Mercantile, and many others.
Preacher Devon stood at the front of the church waiting for her to arrive. Patrick turned to face her, beaming with pride.
He wore his Sunday best suit.
His hands reached out to her as she reached the front, and Mrs Baker took a seat on the front pew.
The ceremony seemed to come and go in a blur, but Emily clearly remembered saying her vows and the preacher pronouncing them man and wife.
Patrick had arranged for Mrs Baker put on a small celebration for them after the ceremony. It wasn’t huge, but finished off the day nicely.
The thing that had bothered Emily, about the future of the boarding house, had been resolved. They would stay there until their cottage was finished, and then they would hire a manager to run the place.
Emily was the happiest she had been for a long time.
Epilogue
Ten Months Later…
Patrick had worked hard to have their cottage completely finished in time for the baby’s arrival.
Working on it only an hour or so a day, he’d only made it by a few weeks.
Doc Spencer had been inside with Emily for some hours, along with his wife, and Mrs Baker who was keeping him informed.
He sat on the wooden seat he and Harry had made what seemed forever ago, and worried about his wife’s state of health.
He buried his head in his hands worrying, and looked up when he heard Mrs Baker walking toward him.
“You have a baby son,” she said, tears in her eyes. “Come and meet your son. Emily will be happy to see you, too.”
His heart pounded. He had a son. He had a son!
As he stepped into the bedroom, Emily smiled wearily up at him. He sat on the side of the bed and leaned in to kiss her. Their son was cradled in her arms and was greedily feeding from his mother.
“Meet your son,” she said, tears filling her eyes. “What shall we call him? We didn’t really choose any names.”
He didn’t have a clue. “Perhaps we could name him after your grandfather? After all, if it wasn’t for him and his boarding house, we would never have met.”
She looked thoughtful. “Winston Jonas Harper. It has a nice ring to it.” Emily closed her eyes and nodded off to sleep as the baby continued to suckle.
Patrick pondered he was the luckiest man in the world, but realized they still had at least one more bedroom to fill.
He was not unhappy about the thought he might have to extent, or better yet, build a bigger cottage for his beautiful family.
He bowed his head and silently said a prayer of thanks to God for bringing him to Grand Falls, and especially for guiding him to his beautiful Emily.
The End
From the Author
Thank you so much for reading my book – I hope you enjoyed it.
I would greatly appreciate you leaving a review on Amazon, even if it is only a one-liner. It helps to have my books more visible on Amazon!
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About the Author
Multi-published, best selling and award-winning author, Cheryl Wright, former secretary, debt collector, account manager, writing coach, and shopping tour hostess, loves reading.
She writes both contemporary and historical western romance, as well as contemporary romance and romantic suspense.
She lives in Melbourne, Australia, and is married with two adult children and has six grandchildren.
When she’s not writing, she can be found in her craft room making greeting cards.
Check out Cheryl’s Amazon page for a full list of her other books.
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