The Pistols, as the younger group of women had named themselves, had outdrawn the Peashooters. He scanned the audience to find Maggie, Molly, Maisie, Avalee, and Nadine. Every one of the young women wore happy, and slightly smug, smiles.
The organist started the wedding march, and the congregation rose together to watch Luella and Ethan walk down the aisle, and then Amelia and Reuben.
Barton didn't deserve the tremendous smile Amelia bestowed on him as she took his extended hand, but he'd do his best to love, honor, and cherish her for the rest of his life.
Barton and Amelia stood patiently side by side as Tate and Luella said their vows to each other. Listening to Tate say the vows first made Barton concentrate on the meaning and depth of them. There would be no other words more important than the oath he would speak to Amelia, and he was ready when it was his turn.
“Barton, please take Amelia’s hands,” Pastor Reagan instructed.
“Barton, will you have this woman to be your wife; to live together with her in the covenant of marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful unto her as long as you both shall live?”
“I will,” Barton stated with a voice choked with emotion.
Barton slid an engraved gold ring he'd bought from Kiowa onto Amelia’s left ring finger and said, “Amelia, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
“Amelia, now it’s your turn,” Pastor said as he turned to Amelia.
“Amelia, will you have this man to be your husband; to live together with him in the covenant of marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful unto him as long as you both shall live?”
Amelia's face lit up when she said, “I always will.”
Her words of love and commitment echoed in Barton’s head as Pastor pronounced both couples were now wed for life.
“You may kiss your brides, gentlemen,” Pastor Reagan proudly announced.
Barton barely heard the whoops being shouted from a certain row as he gathered Amelia in his arms. His concentration was on giving his bride his best kiss ever.
Chapter 17
"I'm sure glad Mary insisted an exterior door was added to the blacksmith apartment after it was set on fire earlier in the year," Barton said as he opened the door and carefully picked up Amelia and cradled her against his chest.
"Why?" Amelia teased him as he adjusted her in his arms.
"If not, I'd have to slide open the big front doors, carry you through, open the door to the old living quarters, lift you carry you again to walk us through that door. And then open the main door, for the third time. I might have dropped you by then."
"I doubt that unless you'd happen to stumble across Smudge or Soot."
Barton stepped across the threshold and then gave her a long kiss before setting her feet down on the wooden floor and shutting the door behind them.
"Welcome home, Mrs. Miller!"
"Thank you very much, kind sir. But, now you have to tell me your real name," Amelia replied as she pulled his hand toward the settee. He'd promised to tell her if they married, and she'd been curious for the final missing link to his childhood story.
"All your family's names, but I promise I won't tell another soul." Amelia slowly crossed her heart twice with her index figure. "I promised to love, honor and keep your secrets, no matter what."
Barton looked away from her a moment, as if to collect his thoughts, and cleared his throat.
"I haven't said our names out loud in years, keeping our identity a secret to keep my brothers safe."
Barton pulled off Amelia's gloves and laid them across his thigh. He took her hand, rubbing the diamond on the top of her wedding band with his thumb.
"I'm Bonito Rizzo, born in Italy to Leonardo and Giorgia Rizzo. We traveled to America in 1870 when I was seven years old."
"Oh, my word! Do you remember the trip?"
"Parts of it. Strange things like feeding a bread crumb to a seagull and being scolded for wasting food. Standing forever in a line in Castle Garden to be inspected for lice and diseases. My father rushing into our single rented room saying he found a job."
Barton did a half shrug before putting his arms around Amelia's shoulders to pull her close and give her a kiss on her forehead.
"But that's my past, and you are my future."
"And your brother's names?"
"Giorgio and Stefano. But I was scared to tell the orphanage their real names, so I changed them."
"How did you come up with Barton, Gordon, and Squires? They all sound like last names."
Barton chuckled. "They are. I used to walk by a lawyers' office on the way to the factory I worked at. I noticed the first letter on names matched our first names and imagined someday I'd have an impressive office with my name on the front door. The names stuck with me when I stood in the hallway of the orphanage."
"Do your brothers remember their given names?"
"Probably Gordon, but I drilled in them that we would be forever cursed if we uttered the names again."
"Hence the nicknames?"
"Yes. Calling Stefano Squirrel lightened the dire peril we were in for running away from home."
Amelia squeezed Barton's hand with hers and waited until Barton looked into her eyes.
"You did it, Barton. You saved your brothers and did a wonderful job of getting them, and your friends, to adulthood. Now it's your turn to build your own family with me."
"I love you, Amelia. How did I get so lucky to find you?"
Amelia laughed. "It was the Peashooter Society's Plan, and they never fail when they set their minds to a project."
"Well, I'm sure glad I picked up Kaitlyn's letter that fateful day."
"So am I, my wonderful husband."
"Okay, it's your turn to reveal the family secret you could only tell me if we married," Barton said after he kissed the ring on Amelia's hand.
Amelia looked down at her ring and then bit her top lip with her bottom teeth. How was Barton going to take the news of the value of the delicate diamond and gold band circling her finger?
She took a deep breath and then asked, "Have you by chance ever heard of the KW Jones Silverworks Company? The company makes shallow ware—dishes, candlesticks, vases, etc., and flatware. Their silver jewelry is sold in fancy jewelry stores.”
"Famous, top of the line jewelry. Why?" Barton shrugged, not yet understanding the importance of what Amelia was about to tell him.
"You are now under family oath never to repeat this but... Kiowa's real name is Kimball William Jones, the third. K. W. Jones…"
She waited for the news to register in Barton's brain. Apparently, it did when he squeezed her hand and stared at her diamond ring.
"Oh. My... What is that ring worth that I only paid ten dollars for? I'm indebted to your brother-in-law forever."
"He's your brother-in-law now too, but the ring is priceless, because you gave it to me, not that Kiowa made it."
"All right. I’ll try to live with the facts of your rich and famous family.”
“Now, are we ready to bury our past family secrets and start our own family?"
"Definitely, Mrs. Miller."
"I do like the name, Mrs. Rizzo, though. It has a mysterious ring to it."
"The only mysterious ring we'll have stays on your finger, Mrs. Miller."
Epilogue
"Well done, ladies," Kaitlyn said as she raised her coffee cup up in the air to congratulate the five women sitting around her dining room table. “Even if the bride added her own twist to surprise us.”
Amelia and Barton surprised everyone, except Tate and Luella who had given their blessing, by stepping up to the altar to be married right after the first couple. Kaitlyn admired Amelia’s bold move, knowing that personality trait would help
her, Barton, and her future family over the years.
"One couple married. Five to go," Helen said as she raised her cup to the air too.
"I couldn't be happier with Amelia's husband,” Darcie laughed in relief. "Barton is the perfect match for her, and for the Shepard family. Thanks to all of you for my daughter's, and my sake."
"Who's next of the couples to concentrate on? Do I get to interfere with one of my granddaughters next?" Cate said with a gleam in her eye.
"I think I'd like to work on Avalee's problem of her unwanted suitor," Lorna suggested. "Helen, has she confided in you why she needs a fake fiancé?"
"No, she's been tight-lipped about it to me, and I believe her sisters too. She's hiding something, and it worries me," Helen confessed.
"I know we matched Avalee with Tobin, but there have been no sparks of attention between them," Kaitlyn admitted.
"Adam says Gordon has been keeping an eye on Avalee," Millie admitted. Her marshal husband knew what went on in town both day and night.
"I'm Avalee's sponsor for this venture. Would it work...if I called Gordon into our lawyer's office? He seems like a serious, conscious young man, concerned, or at least interested, in her welfare."
"How are things going between him and the Taylors? Gordon should have been running the store by himself by now," Cate asked since she wasn't in town all the time to know what was going on.
"If it wasn't for Barton's and Amelia's upcoming wedding, I think Gordon would have given up on the mercantile and left town," Lorna admitted.
"Then it's time to implement the Peashooter Society's skills for Avalee Paulson and Gordon Miller. Lorna, you're in charge this round. What's our plan of action?" Kaitlyn asked.
Lorna took a sip from her coffee cup, cocked her head a moment, and then smiled.
"I do have a plan, ladies. Here's what we're going to do..."
What all the titles for this series.
Here are the individual stories in the Mismatched Mail-Order Brides Series.
Amelia Changes her Fellow (Amelia and Barton)
Avalee Exchanges her Fiancé (Avalee and Gordon)
Maggie Shifts her Gent (Maggie and Peter)
Maisie Swaps her Groom (Maisie and Squires)
Molly Switches her Man (Molly and Tobin)
Nadine Trades her Partner (Nadine and Wesley)
Ready for the next book?
Avalee Exchanges her Fiancé
Here’s the description and order link
A sweet historical romance set in 1892.
It’s 1892, almost twenty years after the first mail-order brides found love in Clear Creek, Kansas in the Brides with Grit Series.
The older members of the Clear Creek church women’s group, informally known as the Peashooter Society, decide to help the unattached women in town obtain husbands because there are more women in town than men.
Avalee Paulson, the third daughter in the Brides with Grit series book, Helen Heals a Hotelier, is Dr. Pansy Reagan’s physician’s assistant. She’s independent, determined not to have bad luck in love as her mother did.
The Peashooter Society decides Avalee needs a husband to complete her life, even if she’s happy with her friends and work. Avalee pretends she has a fiancé to ward off their attempts at matchmaking, and a man who’s been giving her unwanted attention.
Gordon Miller, along with his two brothers and their three friends, left New York City on an orphan train when he was seven years old. Now mustered out of the army, the group get the chance to live and work together in a small community, thanks to the plan of the Peashooter Society.
Gordon’s appointed job is to work with the Taylors, an older couple, as they try to decide to down scale or retire from their mercantile store. Not only does this frustrate Gordon, it makes him question if he wants to stay in town or venture out on his own. The thing that keeps Gordon in Clear Creek though, is Avalee Paulson, the doctor’s assistant who is fighting off the attention of an unwanted suiter.
Gordon offers to be Avalee’s fiancé to get the man to leave Avalee alone, but then feelings develop between the couple.
Sound complicated? Maybe. A little drama? Definitely!
Dear Reader:
I hope you enjoyed reading one of the stories in the Mismatched Mail-Order Bride Series. Please help other readers discover my books by either recommending them to family and friends by word of mouth or writing a review. I’d appreciate it.
For more information on this series, you can go to www.LindaHubalek.com, or go online to your favorite retailer, or ask your local library to order them for you. These are standalone stories, but I recommend reading the books in order to get the full benefit of the storyline.
Please sign up for my newsletter at www.LindaHubalek.com to receive a free short story, and to hear about the release of future books, contests and more. And I love to connect with my readers, so please contact me through one of these social media sites.
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Many thanks from the Kansas prairie!
Linda K. Hubalek
Books by Linda K. Hubalek
Historical Romance Series
The Mismatched Mail-Order Bride Series
The Peashooter Society’s Plan (Introduction story)
Amelia Changes her Fellow (Amelia and Barton)
Avalee Exchanges her Fiancé (Avalee and Gordon)
Maggie Shifts her Gent (Maggie and Peter)
Maisie Swaps her Groom (Maisie and Squires)
Molly Switches her Man (Molly and Tobin)
Nadine Trades her Partner (Nadine and Wesley)
Brides with Grit Series
Rania Ropes a Rancher (Rania and Jacob)
Millie Marries a Marshal (Millie and Adam)
Hilda Hogties a Horseman (Hilda and Noah)
Cora Captures a Cowboy (Cora and Dagmar)
Sarah Snares a Soldier (Sarah and Marcus)
Cate Corrals a Cattleman (Cate and Isaac)
Darcie Desires a Drover (Darcie and Reuben)
Tina Tracks a Trail Boss (Tina and Leif)
Lorna Loves a Lawyer (Lorna and Lyle)
Helen Heals a Hotelier (Helen and Ethan)
Faye Favors a Foreman (Faye and Rusty)
Amy Admires an Amish Man (Amy and Eli)
Grooms with Honor Series
Nolan’s Vow (Nolan and Holly)
Elof’s Mission (Elof and Linnea)
Angus’ Trust (Angus and Daisy)
Fergus’ Honor (Fergus and Iris)
Gabe’s Pledge (Gabe and Iva Mae)
Mack’s Care (Mack and Pansy)
Jasper’s Wish (Jasper and Julip)
Cullen’s Love (Cullen and Rose)
Seth’s Promise (Seth and Lily)
Adolph’s Choice (Adolph and Poppy)
Tully’s Faith (Tully and Violet)
Kiowa’s Oath (Kiowa and Mary)
American Mail-Order Brides Series
Lilly: Bride of Illinois (#21 in series)
~*~*~*~
Contemporary Romance Series by Linda K. Hubalek
The Clear Creek Legacy Series features descendants of the Brides with Grit and Grooms with Honor families (available and future titles)
The Saddler’s Legacy (featuring the Shepard families)
The Rancher’s Birthright (featuring the Reagan families)
The Marshal’s Gift (featuring the Wilerson families)
The Cowboy’s Heritage (featuring the Hamner families)
The Soldier’s Bequest (featuring the Brenner families)
Historical Fiction Series by Linda K. Hubalek
Trail of Thread Series
Trail of Thread
Thimble of Soil
Stitch of Courage
Butter in the Well Series
Butter in the Well
Prairie Bloomin’
Egg Gravy
Looking Back
Planting Dreams Series
Planting Dreams
Cu
ltivating Hope
Harvesting Faith
Kansas Quilter Series
Tying the Knot
About the Author
Linda Hubalek has written over forty books about strong women and honorable men, with a touch of humor, despair, and drama woven into the stories. The setting for all the series is the Kansas prairie which Linda enjoys daily, be it by being outside or looking at it through her office window.
Her romance series include Brides with Grit, Grooms with Honor, The Mismatched Mail-Order Brides, and the Clear Creek Legacy. Linda's historical fiction series, based on her ancestors' pioneer lives include Butter in the Well, Trail of Thread, and Planting Dreams.
When not writing, Linda is reading (usually with dark chocolate within reach), gardening (channeling her degree in Horticulture), or traveling with her husband to explore the world.
Linda loves to hear from her readers, so visit her website to contact her or browse the site to read about her books.
www.LindaHubalek.com/
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Epilogue
Avalee Exchanges her Fiancé
Books by Linda K. Hubalek
About the Author
The End
Amelia Changes her Fellow Page 11