Ethan held out his hand and her mother joined him on the stage. “And now Helen and I would like to make a special announcement.”
“Daughter number nine is on the way?” Someone in the back of the room shouted and everyone turned to see who had teased her parents.
“Uh, not that I know of,” Ethan good-heartedly replied, but he turned to stare at her mother. She put up her hands and shook her head no.
“Actually, we're happy to announce we're gaining a son!” A roar rose up from the room.
Ethan held up his hands to quiet the crowd. “We're happy to announce...Gabe Shepard will be our new son-in-law because he and Iva Mae will marry on Sunday, February twenty-seventh.”
Iva Mae beamed as people patted Gabe’s and her back and told them congratulations.
“You're all invited to the wedding at the church at three o'clock in the afternoon, with the cake reception here at the hotel immediately following the ceremony.” Ethan finished his announcement.
The next several minutes were spent talking to people as they expressed their well wishes, and surprise. Cullen hadn't told anyone after all.
“I can't believe you kept your engagement a secret.” Mack stated as he and Cullen crowded in next to Gabe and her.
“Cullen knew since Thursday.” Iva Mae turned to Cullen. “Thank you for keeping our secret though, so it could be announced this evening. It was fun to surprise everyone.”
“My pleasure, Iva Mae. You'd be surprised what I know about the people in this town but don't spread around, like others do,” Cullen pointedly looked at Mack when answering Iva Mae.
“What? Are you accusing me of being a gossiper?” Mack playfully wrapped his arm around Cullen's neck.
“Yes.” Cullen clamped his fist around Mack's forearm and wrestled his brother's arm off his neck.
“Well, I like to talk, speculate, wager bets...” Mack smirked. “In fact, Cullen and I have a wager of where you're going to live after the wedding. Will you be living at the hotel or the boarding house?”
“Which one of you bet on the hotel?” Gabe asked.
“I did, so I won!” Mack gave a little dance and held out his hand to Cullen. “You owe me a silver dollar!”
“Wait. I didn't say we were staying at the hotel, just asked who bet on it.”
Mack’s mouth fell open and Cullen's changed into a wide grin.
“But we’re not moving into the boarding house either.” Gabe shot down Cullen’s glee.
“Where then? What else is available in town?” Mack asked.
Angus butted in between his brothers. “I delivered several crates this afternoon to Gabe Shepard's new house on First Street, so I know where they'll live. I win a silver dollar from both of you.” Angus held a hand out in front of each brother.
“First Street? That's got to be Johnston's house,” Mack accused Gabe.
“It is. We've already ordered furnishings and they are starting to arrive too.” Iva Mae was happy to announce where they would live. How they obtained the house would be their secret though. Gabe leaned down and kissed Iva Mae's cheek, whispering thanks, which only she could hear.
Epilogue
Gabe smiled widely as Iva Mae and Ethan started down the church aisle toward him. His bride wore a navy blue dress, trimmed with brocade and many fancy pleats. He’d given her the lace scarf wrapped around her neck, and she’d fastened it in place with a tiny corsage of silk flowers.
Iva Mae’s steps were confident, sure of the direction she was heading. Luckily, it was toward marriage to him. She was independent, levelheaded—with a fun sense of humor—and Gabe was so glad she waited for him to grow into the man he needed to be for their marriage.
Thirteen years ago, their parents’ situations moved them to Kansas. Gabe from New York, and Iva Mae from Pennsylvania. Over time, they went from school friends, to good friends and now, in minutes, partners for life.
***
“Gabe please take Iva Mae’s hands and repeat after me,” Pastor Reagan instructed.
“Gabriel, 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,” Gabe stated with a clear, strong voice.
Gabe slid an engraved gold band on Iva Mae’s left ring finger and then squeezed her hand as he said, “Iva Mae, 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.”
“Iva Mae, now it’s your turn to repeat the vows.”
“Iva Mae, 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?”
Iva Mae stood straight and proud as she stated to Gabe, “I will.”
She slid a matching gold band on Gabe’s left ring finger and then squeezed his hand as she said, “Gabriel, 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.”
Not many men in their frontier town wore wedding bands, but Iva Mae wanted to give Gabe a ring to show her commitment to him, as he did to her. Their pledge to each other would shine on each other’s hands—for hopefully—the next fifty years.
She’d been impatient to marry, but it had been right—for both of them—to wait until now to wed. They matured into adults ready for the responsibility of marriage with the help of their family, friends, and their community.
Iva Mae smiled as Pastor gave the benediction and pronounced them man and wife.
“Now you may kiss your bride.” Pastor happily announced.
Iva Mae sighed as Gabe gave her a long, passionate kiss, which brought hooting and laughing from the congregation.
But Iva Mae smiled happily, not embarrassed when Gabe released her and they turned to walk down the aisle to the start of their life together.
Gabe was a groom of honor…and a good kisser.
~*~*~*~*~
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Wonder what’s the stories behind Gabe and Iva Mae’s childhoods?
Here’s the description of Darcie Desires a Drover, and then the first chapter of Helen Heals a Hotelier.
A historical romance set in 1873. Darcie Robbins fled St. Louis to protect her two children from their bad father. Now divorced, she’s temporarily working on the Bar E Ranch in central Kansas. She needs a permanent job—or a trustworthy husband—to help provide for her family.
Reuben Shepard went home to his family in New York after the Civil War, to find his wife had declared him dead—so she could wed another. In shock, Reuben didn’t contest her claim and wandered south, spending years as a cattle drover on western trails until settling down to work on the Bar E Ranch.
Spending time with Darcie’s toddler, Tate, makes Reuben miss his own son, Gabe. Reuben travels to New York, hoping to visit his son, and ends up bringing Gabe back to the Kansas because the boy’s step-father had just died.
When Reuben proposes marriage to Darcie for their children’s sake, the couple falls in love as they learn to trust and support each other while planning for their future. But their wedding is stalled when Reuben’s former wife arrives, stating she and Reuben are still married.
What’s the truth and what’s best for the children is their concern now instead of a wedding date. How can they clear the past so they can have a future together?
~*~*~*~
Enjoy the beginning of Helen Heals a Hotelier
Chapter 1
Late Fall, 1873, Clear Creek, Kansas
Ethan l
ooked up from his paperwork at the hotel’s front desk when the chatter of little girls grew louder. A girl, about ten years of age with dark red hair, proceeded to open the hotel door and let three smaller girls walk through to the foyer. With a little variation in hair coloring and looks, the three girls were almost identical to the first, except stair-stepping down in size and age.
They were darling! And oblivious to their surroundings as they talked—or argued in the case of the two oldest—and made themselves at home in the hotel. All had on little bonnets of various colors, and the two youngest were tugging theirs off as they ran to the upholstered settee and crawled on it, not minding that their shoes were muddy. He’d have to let the housekeeper know to clean it as soon as the girls were off the furniture.
Good thing Ethan’s mother wasn’t around or the girls would jump off at her first yell. His parents had gone on an extended trip back East, leaving him in charge for a change.
“Iva Mae!” A woman called from outside the door and the oldest girl rushed back to open the door.
“Oh, sorry, Momma!” The girl, apparently Iva Mae, held the door for the woman struggling to carry two oversized bags through the door. All he saw was the top of her hat as she looked down at her load.
“Ma’am, let me help you,” Ethan said as he saw her predicament and walked around the desk to help her.
“Thank you, sir,” she said with a smile as she dropped the bags to her side. Ethan was taken aback with her...well, beauty. Her auburn hair made him think of the dark cherry wood furniture in his upstairs apartment. Her porcelain skin was flawless, and without a single freckle on her cute nose. Did he just think “cute”? He should reserve that term for the adorable quartet of look-alikes.
“Um,” the woman collected her composure and started again. “We need a room, please.” Then she looked around checking on her children. “Girls!” she loudly whispered. “Get your shoes off the furniture and mind your manners!”
“Of course, let’s get you signed in and I’ll give you a key,” Ethan drew a deep breath as he walked around to the desk, watching as the girls straightened up on the settee.
Why was he attracted to the woman, when obviously there was a husband somewhere since she had four children with her.
Ethan turned the register book around so she could sign her name.
“We’re here to get a new poppa,” girl three-in-line stated matter-of-factly.
“Avalee! Please don’t blurt this out aloud to the world!” The woman’s eyes closed for a second before looking up to Ethan. They were dark green, a perfect complement to her hair.
A new father? So, she wasn’t married, yet.
“So, you’re meeting someone here? How many nights do you need your room?” He added his second question to cover his curiosity.
“Actually, I’m a mail-order bride and I’m to meet and wed my new husband tomorrow. I assume we’ll just be here for tonight, but I can’t say for sure until I visit with my husband.” She took a deep breath, obviously trying to stay calm for her daughters. Ethan watched her sign her name in the book, easily reading “Mrs. Helen Higby” since he was used to reading the ledger upside down.
“Welcome to Clear Creek then, Mrs. Higby, and I wish you congratulations and best wishes on your nuptials.” What else could he say? The first woman he’d been interested in, since Sarah Wilerson left him at the altar on their wedding day, and she was here to marry. Ethan didn’t ask who the lucky groom was, because he was already jealous and didn’t want to know.
“The key, sir?”
“Uh, yes, let me get the key to your room and I’ll carry the bags upstairs for you. And my name is Ethan Paulson. My family owns the hotel.”
Ethan picked up the bags and about dropped them again. Boy, were they heavy. What was in them, and how had she managed getting from the depot to the hotel by herself?
“Since you’re moving here, do you have trunks I need to transfer from the depot over here for you?” Ethan said over his shoulder as he started up the steps.
“Nope. Everything we own is in those two bags,” daughter number two pipped up.
“Maridell!” Mrs. Higby shushed her daughter.
So the daughters were Iva Mae, Maridell and Avalee, if he remembered them in the right order. And the toddler’s name is... Ethan waited because it would only be a matter of moments before Mrs. Higby talked to her.
“Here, Luella, let me carry you upstairs.”
“No! My self! My self!” Her mother sighed and let the child struggle up the stairs. For a two-year-old, Luella seemed to be having difficulty doing so, but Mrs. Higby let the girl crawl up the stairs at her own pace.
Iva Mae, Maridell, Avalee, and Luella. Unusual set of names, but Ethan liked them and the chatter that followed him down the hall to their room.
“Here you go. Room five. It has two beds in it.” Ethan put down the bags in the hall, opened the door and let the little family precede him into the room.
The two middle girls squealed as they ran and launched themselves each on a bed, doing their best to make the beds bounce.
“Girls, settle down. Mr. Paulson will think you were raised in a barn.”
“It’s just been so long since we got to sleep in a real bed!”
Mrs. Higby turned red-faced to Ethan. “It was a long trip from Pennsylvania.” The next second she was catching Luella who tried to crawl on a bed but was falling backwards. She caught the child before her head hit the floor. The oldest girl had joined the others squealing and bouncing on the bed, and Ethan’s head was starting to spin.
“Nuh uh, it’s been weeks since Luella’s poppa kicked us out of the house, and we’ve been traveling around on the train since then.” Ethan was sure that was Maridell’s comment.
Weeks on the train? What kind of situation had Mrs. Higby and her children be in, not to have a home?
Mrs. Higby was holding a hand against her forehead, like it was about to burst. Time to give them an opportunity to unwind. “Our dining room is open from five to eight for the evening meal, so you have time to rest first.”
The girls’ chatter stopped mid-stream and they all turned to stare at their mother. Why?
“I...I have some bread and cheese left over from our noon lunch so we won’t be down for supper.” Mrs. Higby straightened her shoulders but the girls’ slumped instead.
Ethan noticed they had taken off their woolen capes and all were very slender, almost to the point of being too thin.
He made a snap decision. “Meals come with the room, so do plan to eat at the hotel for supper and breakfast.”
Mrs. Higby bit her lower lip, probably guessing he’d lied, but she nodded anyway after looking down at her children who had slipped around her again.
“Do any of you like pie?” Ethan bent in half to get down to the girls’ eye level. Wide eyes—no pair matching another sister—blinked back at him in surprise.
“It’s been a while since I’ve had pie, but cherry is my favorite,” the oldest, uh, Iva Mae solemnly whispered. Ethan heard Mrs. Higby suck in her breath, but she didn’t say anything.
“Well we have a very special lady, Millie Wilerson, the marshal’s wife, who makes the best pies for us, and I’ll be sure to save a piece of pie for each of you. I think beef stew is the main meal tonight, so a warm piece of fruit pie will just top off the meal, won’t it.”
For being such a noisy bunch of kids when they came in, they sure wound down, looking like they were all needing a good nap in “real beds”, as whichever sister called them.
No one said anything, so Ethan took that as his clue to leave.
“If you need anything, please let me know. I’ll see you downstairs in a few hours.” Ethan nodded and backed out of the door before closing it. He couldn’t help pausing at the door a moment, slightly leaning back toward it, listening to the mother quietly talking to the girls. He couldn’t hear what she was saying, but he felt good they were under his “roof” so to speak. The little family looked like t
hey had had some hard times.
Ethan wondered again who she was marrying. He hadn’t heard of anyone in town or in the area, who had ordered a mail-order bride, let alone a family. Ethan also hadn’t asked for payment of the night, guessing the groom would pay for his new family when he joined them tomorrow. Mrs. Higby looked exhausted besides low on funds. He thought it better to save her pride and let her recuperate from her trip rather than bring up payment before ushering them to their room.
*
He heard, rather than saw Mrs. Higby and the girls come downstairs for their evening meal. He didn’t peek as they trooped down the stairs, just smiled at the renewed chatter of the girls. Sounds like the long nap helped their wilted spirits. Hopefully Mrs. Higby rested also, instead of worrying about meeting her groom tomorrow.
Ethan had told the cook about the family, so Irma knew to add extra meat to their bowls of soup, set glasses of milk out for the girls, plenty of sliced bread and butter, and to save a whole cherry pie for their meal. He wondered what the girls would eat best for breakfast, but Irma would figure it out.
He had given them twenty minutes at their table before wandering in the dining room to check on them. “How was supper tonight, girls?” They might have been concentrating on their food, but heads perked up and the conversation commenced.
“It was so good!”
“Can I have more stew?”
“When do we get our pie?”
“More!”
Ethan stepped back as he was bombarded with the girl’s remarks, not sure what order to answer them in. He looked to Mrs. Higby, who’s mouth was working fast to chew her mouthful of food, so she could answer him.
“I take it you like Irma’s cooking. I’ll be sure to let her know you liked it.” He couldn’t help smiling at the girl’s satisfied faces. They had needed a good healthy meal and he was more than happy to help.
“Thank you, Mr. Paulson. Please let her know the stew was delicious. Tonight’s meal was a real treat.” And probably a lifesaver for five growling tummies.
Grooms with Honor Series, Books 1-3 Page 34
