by Kit Morgan
“But … didn’t he leave?” Katie asked in a small voice.
And how dare he let the children think he’d left! Merry added in her mind.
Viola looked at her children. “Did he actually tell you goodbye?”
Wylie and Katie exchanged a quick look. “He said he had to go,” Wylie told her. “Then we followed him, Pa and Uncle Jess to the porch.”
“That’s when he hugged us and wished us a Merry Christmas,” Katie added.
Viola looked at the ceiling with a sigh, then to her children. “But he didn’t actually tell you goodbye.”
“Ma, he said he had to go!” Wylie shot back.
“To the barn,” she pointed out.
The children exchanged another quick look. “Oops,” they both whispered.
And then everyone looked at Merry.
She stared back, her knuckles white around her fork. “It doesn’t matter. He’s still leaving.” Did she even want to see him one last time? Did she dare? She stood a good chance of making a complete fool of herself.
But one person wasn’t worried about that. “Merry, do you love him?” Lillie asked, crouching beside her.
“Yes. God help me, yes.”
“Well, sometimes God needs us to do our part. If you do, tell him while you have the chance. If he does too, maybe he won’t leave. If he doesn’t, you’re no worse off. But do not miss the chance. Because take it from me, you never know if it’ll come again.”
Merry heard men’s voices coming toward the house, and froze.
“Don’t miss your chance,” Lillie repeated.
The door opened and in came Caleb, Jess and … Colson!
Caleb realized every eye was on him, and stopped short. “What?”
Jess was just as perplexed. “Something wrong?”
Anson shrugged. “Well, I just got here, but I think I’m starting to figure it out.” He looked at Wylie and Katie first, then at Merry, who’d dropped her fork on the floor and locked eyes with Colson. Colson was rooted to the spot, even as Jess and Caleb nervously went into the dining room to look for dessert.
Merry stood, couldn’t move for a second, then felt Lillie’s hand in her back and stepped away from the table. Wylie and Katie jumped out of their chairs and followed, until Merry reached Colson. He was wearing the scarf she’d made, and looked more handsome than ever before. “Colson.”
“Merry,” he said, his eyes still on hers.
She glanced over her shoulder at the others. Now every single White and Jones was watching them – even the babies. Lillie was glaring at her, her arms crossed as if to say get on with it!
She turned back – and before she could speak, Colson did, so softly she thought she might faint. “Merry, I …”
She shook her head as despair washed back in like a flood tide. Now he was going to say goodbye. She could follow Lillie’s urgings, but it wouldn’t do any good. “Let’s just get this over with, please. I hate this sort of thing.”
His eyes flashed with … something, she wasn’t sure what. “I’d really hate to rush it, if it’s all the same.”
“I’d rather you did.”
“Really?”
She nodded, words failing her at this point. And here came the tears. “Please, just do it.”
He looked at everyone in the dining room, shrugged, then got down on one knee. “Merry Bright, there’s a lot you don’t know about me. I’m unworthy to even be in the same room as you, let alone enjoy these past few weeks. Let alone have you save my sorry life. But I love you madly, and you’d make me the happiest man on Earth if you’d be my wife. Will you marry me?”
Merry looked at him, eyes wide as platters … and fainted dead away.
* * *
“Merry! Honey, are you all right?” Colson asked as he gathered her into his arms.
“Too many shocks,” Luella stated matter-of-factly as the family circled around.
Colson looked at them. “Shocks? What shocks?”
Zadie turned toward the dining table. “She thought you were leaving.”
His brow furrowed. “Whatever gave her that idea?”
“You did,” Lillie grumbled.
“So did Wylie and Katie,” Viola added.
“They did what?” Caleb asked, looking suspiciously at his stepchildren.
“But we thought …,” Katie started.
“Never mind,” Zadie cut in as she grabbed a glass of water from the table. “It’s just a misunderstanding.”
“It’s no misunderstanding that she’s in love with him,” Lillie stated.
“She … she is?” Colson said, now in shock himself.
Everyone turned again to face him and the woman in his arms, whose eyelids were beginning to flutter. “She is,” several voices answered.
Colson heard them, but still couldn’t believe it. He’d been out in the barn desperately hoping Jess would like his horse enough to sign a stud contract with him. That would mean good money, enough for him to settle. And if he could settle, he could risk telling Merry how he felt about her – and about his past. If she said no, then so be it, but at least he could say he tried. But this …
Her eyes opened. “Colson?”
“I’m right here, sweetie,” he said gently, brushing a lock of hair from her face. “Are you okay?”
She smiled. “This is all turned around now,” she said muzzily.
“What?”
“You holding me. Me on the ground.”
He smiled, bent down and kissed her. He heard Katie and Wylie giggle, but ignored them. Let them watch. But when Anson cleared his throat, he broke it. Propriety.
She looked at him with huge eyes. “I … I take it this isn’t goodbye?”
He slowly shook his head. “No, honey, it’s not.”
“But … I thought … I thought you were leaving because …”
“You thought wrong.”
She laughed. “Wrong. I was wrong.”
“So was I, apparently,” Colson chuckled
“See?” Lillie said to someone in the background.
“Shh,” whoever it was replied.
Colson closed his eyes. He had wanted this to be a moment for him and his future bride – instead he was surrounded by over a dozen people. But then, he hadn’t planned to get shot, or end up at Merry’s, or fall in love. Sometimes you just had to play the cards you got. And he’d won a lot doing that – might as well stick with it.
He couldn’t help himself. His shoulders shook with laughter, then so did Merry’s. Soon all the Joneses and Whites broke into guffaws, then applause.
“Say yes,” Colson said above the ruckus.
Merry threw her arms around his neck. “Yes, Colson Hunter! Yes, I’ll marry you!”
And this time when he kissed her, he didn’t care what anyone thought. Not that any of them thought anything of it. After all, this wasn’t the first time love had been declared during a Christmas with the Joneses.
THE END
About the Author
Kit Morgan, aka Geralyn Beauchamp, loves a good Western. Her father loved them as well and they watched their fair share together over the years. To sign up for Kit’s newsletter and find out about upcoming books and other fun stuff, visit www.authorkitmorgan.com. To check out Kit’s complete collection of stories and to find out more about Anson and Jess’s hometown of Clear Creek (Kit’s Prairie Brides and Prairie Grooms Series) click here. Also be watching for more tales of Mrs. Pettigrew’s Bridal Agency in Kit’s new series Mail-Order Bride Ink. Check out the first book in the series, Dear Mr. Weaver, available now.
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