Mail Order Bride- Twenty-Two Brides Mega Boxed Set

by Emily Woods

“And I can’t help but think of our wedding.”

  He frowned. “What?”

  “The woman…” Ruby looked up at him. “Remember? She prayed for me? I think she was an angel.”

  He laughed. “Not just someone’s aunt, like you’d told me?”

  “No.” She smiled as well. “The more I think about it the more I can’t imagine that she was anything but a messenger of the Lord. I don’t understand how He works, but she spoke truth into my heart at the right moment. Even after…” She swallowed. “…we lost the first baby, I had this peace inside of me that I hadn’t expected. I know it was from the Lord, but to think of it now is overwhelming. Especially the day before Christmas.”

  “I know what you mean,” Adam agreed. He rubbed his wife’s shoulders and thought back to that night. He’d never even seen the woman, but he believed his wife and what she’d told him about the woman she’d met. It was incredible to think that the Lord had seen fit to bless them as He had. And now they were a month away from having a child.

  He thought back to the fear that had overtaken him before he’d even married Ruby. He’d been so consumed with the thought of becoming a father and how he would fail that he hadn’t allowed himself to truly see the Lord in his life. No one was meant to live this life on their own and he’d been foolish to even think of trying.

  Ruby cried out in pain, doubling over with her hands around her abdomen.

  “Ruby,” he said, leaning forward and wrapping his arm around her. “What’s wrong?”

  “The baby,” she gasped, “it’s coming.”

  His world stilled. He’d just contemplated the Lord’s goodness and now he’d need to cling to that faith as fear for his wife and child gripped him. There were no guarantees that she would deliver safely, the doctor had told her as much considering her earlier miscarriage and the diagnosis of her condition before that, but he couldn’t let that fear take over, no matter how strong it was.

  “I’ll go get Viola and Hattie.” He stood but she clasped his hand.

  “And pray,” she said, her eyes locking with his.

  He nodded, his mouth set in a grim line. “I haven’t stopped.”

  Ruby felt the next contraction coming on strong and gripped the arms of the chair. Adam had just left, but she wanted to scream for him to come back. She didn’t want to be alone with this pain. But he needed to get the housekeeper and her sister. She would need them.

  It felt like her body was rebelling against itself, twisting and contorting in a massive action to produce life. It was fearful and wonderful and terrifying all at the same time. Would the baby be all right? Would it be born safely? Would she survive?

  The possibility that she wouldn’t make it through this pregnancy was high, or at least that was what the doctor had said, given her history, but she couldn’t give into that fear. It would be too easy to become crippled and right now, she needed to focus. To breathe in and out. In and out.

  “Sister,” Hattie said, rushing into the room. Her face was a mix of excitement and worry. Viola wasn’t far behind and had a calmer air about her. She’d helped deliver many babies in her lifetime and assured Ruby that everything would be fine.

  Adam stumbled in behind them, his face pale in the firelight. They hadn’t expected the baby so early and she could tell he was battling with his worry.

  “Adam,” she gasped as another contraction wracked her body.

  He came to her, kneeling at her side and taking her hand into both of his. “You’ll be fine, Ruby. You’ll do great.”

  She gave the hint of a smile, all she could muster, to him and nodded. “I know. But I need you to be strong.”

  Worry flickered across his face. “I will.”

  “Don't give into worry.”

  “I won’t,” he said, leaning in to kiss her. “And you be strong.”

  “I will,” she said with a genuine smile. They had come through a lot. Pain, fear, loss, but they were stronger because of it all.

  It was like this moment of clarity, whether brought on by the pain or by the reality of giving birth, was a window into her soul. God had used all of her circumstances, her condition as a young woman in a rich society, to push her onto a new path that had brought her to Adam. His own fear had been a battle, but with the Lord’s help, he had conquered it. They were different people now, but they were better.

  She cried out in pain as another contraction gripped her and Viola gently pushed Adam away. “Go help Will with Simon. It could take a long time, or no time at all, but we won’t need you under foot.”

  He looked long and hard at Ruby before he nodded once and left the room.

  The cry of her child was the sweetest sound to Ruby’s ears.

  “You have a girl,” Hattie said. Tears trailed down her cheeks and her hair was a haphazard mess, but she looked infused with energy even after the long labor. “And born on Christmas too!”

  “It’s Christmas?” Ruby said, groggy from the pain and fatigue.

  “It just turned midnight not too long ago. Congratulations, sister, she is beautiful.”

  Viola placed the squirming, crying baby into her arms and at once, her heart was united with the child. It was magical, seeing her stubby fingers and pink skin, the little mouth open and squalling.

  “Where’s Adam?” she asked, unwilling to take her eyes from the child.

  “I’ll get him,” Viola said.

  Hattie sat next to Ruby on the bed and brushed her damp hair from her face. “You did so well, sister. I'm so proud of you.”

  “I couldn’t have done it without your help. Though I wish Blanche and Mother could have been here as well.”

  “I’m sure they’ll come out when they can. I’ve written to them so often of how beautiful it is, they will likely come here just to see it for themselves.”

  Ruby smiled, liking the thought that her sister liked Ruby’s new home. “I'm glad you came.”

  “Me as well,” she said.

  “Ruby.” Adam’s deep voice drew her eyes to the door. He looked haggard with exhaustion but determined as he made his way to the bed.

  His lips covered hers in a hungry kiss. She could feel his worry but also his relief. “You’re all right.”

  “I am. And look at our daughter!”

  He looked down, tears filling his eyes. “She’s perfect.”

  “She looks like you.”

  “Poor girl,” Will said, coming into the room with Simon asleep in his arms.

  Ruby grinned. “Hope we didn’t keep you two awake.”

  “It was worth the wait,” he said, looking down at the now sleeping infant. “Congratulations. What will you name her?”

  Ruby looked to Adam. “Since she was born on Christmas, I thought of the name Noel.”

  “Noel,” Adam repeated, his eyes still on their daughter. “It’s perfect.”

  17

  The morning sunshine sparkled on the freshly fallen snow just outside the window. Adam could hardly believe that Ruby had somehow convinced him to take them all to church, but she had. Despite the fact that she’d given birth the night before, she’d stubbornly told him they were going and it was final. He hadn’t the heart to argue with her, especially when she said she wanted to dedicate their child on Christmas morning.

  And now, wrapped in a blanket at the front of the church, his wife and child sat waiting for Timothy to call them up as a family.

  Adam kept a careful watch on Ruby, but Viola and Hattie were there as well and the minute she appeared too tired, he would whisk her away and back to the comfort of their new home.

  “And now, I’d like to invite my cousin Adam and his wife to come up with their new child, Noel.”

  The congregation sent up a happy twitter as they walked to the front next to Timothy.

  “We bring them as parents before the Lord on this Christmas day to offer up Noel to His service. Every child is a gift. We pray for a blessing over her as well as her parents. Pray with me.”

  They all bowe
d their heads and closed their eyes, but Adam kept his eyes open and on his daughter. She had ten perfect toes and ten perfect fingers. The perfect nose. Two beautiful blue eyes. Tiny and perfect little ears. And to him, she was perfect. A miracle if there ever was one.

  But it was more than that. The depth of what he felt for this little girl went beyond words. He would do anything for her and everything to protect her. He would make sure she always felt his love and that she was cared for.

  In that moment, he realized that, though he hadn’t had a good father as an example, he had a Heavenly Father who was the perfect example of a father for him. He could be a good father because he had a Good Father.

  The moment overwhelmed him and he felt tears flood his eyes and love explode in his heart. He would spend the rest of his life loving his wife and child, and any other children the Lord might bless them with. And it would all be possible because of the love he had been shown first.

  The prayer ended and they were ushered outside into the warmth of the sunshine and the comfort of the sled he and Will had harnessed to their draft horses. They would make quick work of the ride back, but he would cherish every moment. This first Christmas with his wife and child would forever be etched into his memory.

  “What are you thinking of, my love?” Adam asked as he bundled Ruby and Noel into the sled.

  “Hope.” It was a short, simple reply, but it was the truth that exploded from her heart at that moment.

  “How so?” he asked, leaning back and wrapping his arm around her as Will led the horses down the lane, Hattie and Viola in the front seat with him.

  “I finally feel complete, Adam. Not because of Noel, though she is part of that, but because of the fact that she is evidence of what trust in the Lord truly looks like. He didn’t have to give us a child, I know that, but she is a blessing beyond words.”

  Adam rubbed her shoulder and she leaned into him.

  “I’ve realized that, no matter what happens, our child is in the Lord’s hands. All of the fear stifled me, but now I see that it was the Lord who has taken care of us through it all. It’s like the story of Hannah from the Bible—we have offered up Noel to the Lord as His child, she was never ours.”

  “I agree,” he said, looking down at Noel. “The freedom to realize that our lives are held in His hands creates a confidence in me that I never had before. The Lord will take care of us all, and no matter what happens, we can always have hope in Him.”

  Ruby leaned back, her eyes going to the white-capped mountains that surrounded them. She never would have imagined this life with the complexities of marriage, the heartache of losing a child, or the complete joy of holding Noel now. But now that she was here, she couldn’t imagine anything else.

  And she didn’t want to.

  A Bride for Arthur

  Brides for the Bowen Brothers, Book 1

  1

  Sunrise over the eastern Texas landscape had always been Arthur Bowen’s favorite time on the ranch. It was the few minutes before and after the event that stirred pure adoration deep in his chest for the life of a rancher. His life.

  He was lucky to be alive. He was lucky to be here.

  “You gonna sit there like a statue forever, big brother, or you going to take lead back to the pasture?”

  Blinking out of his thoughts, Arthur merely nodded. His two younger brothers, Albert and Aaron, trailed behind him on their mounts. They didn’t need him to lead the way, but they knew he would no matter what. Leading was in his blood. Just like the ranch life was in his blood.

  “Ma talk to you last night after we left?” Aaron asked, urging his horse almost level with Arthur’s.

  He merely nodded.

  “Well, what’d you say?” Albert asked, coming alongside him to the right.

  This was a conversation Author didn’t want to have. He hadn’t wanted to have it with his mother and he certainly didn’t want to talk about it now with his brothers, but he also had a feeling he wouldn’t be able to ignore them completely.

  “I said no.”

  “No. As in…?”

  “As in no. I don’t want to get married and I don’t want to talk about this.”

  Albert cackled. “You don’t just tell Ma no. We know that doesn’t ever work.”

  “He’s right, Arthur,” Aaron said. He was younger by almost eight years and more soft-spoken than Albert. “Ma gets something in that head of hers and she’s downright stubborn.”

  “It’s also my life, and I said no.” He sounded like the broken windmill that tap-tap-tapped every time it circled around, but there wasn’t much else he wanted to say.

  Their mother meant well. When Pa had passed away, she’d been alone, but thankfully, the three brothers were there to take over the ranch. They had been there for her just as she’d always been there for them.

  But this was different. Sure, Rose Bowen was a force to be reckoned with, but she was also not in control of what Arthur would or wouldn’t do. Marriage was one of those things he wouldn’t do, and that was final.

  “Why not go out with Bessy once? That might appease her for a few months,” Albert suggested.

  Aaron snickered.

  “Oh hush,” Albert said, shooting a look at his younger brother. “She’s a nice woman, if only a little old.”

  “And desperate,” Aaron said. “I saw her making eyes at Eugene last week. He’s got to be twice her age, and that’s saying something.”

  Arthur said nothing, hoping they would continue their banter and leave him out of it. He wasn’t good with women like Albert was, nor was he kind and caring like Aaron. He was…grouchy.

  To be fair, he really wasn’t that way on purpose. He just didn’t know what to say to an emotional female. Tears terrified him and feelings…well, it was better to not even think of those. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d talked to a woman.

  “I could set something up for you,” Albert persisted. “I’ll take out Danielle and you can sit with Bessy and Ma will be happy.”

  That sounded like a horrible idea to Arthur. Even worse was the thought of having to tell Bessy that he had no intentions whatsoever. He had a feeling that wouldn’t go over well. Then again, he likely wouldn’t be able to get the words out anyway.

  It was odd, but something he’d come to realize about himself, was that he was unable to hold any semblance of conversation with a woman. Ma was the one and only exception. His tongue tied up and his brain froze like the water pump in winter. No matter how unattractive the woman was, the mere fact she was a woman seemed to unhinge his mental capacities and render him a fool.

  He was not going to put himself through that, no matter what his mother—or his meddling brothers—said.

  “I said no and I meant no.”

  Albert opened his mouth then closed it. He knew better than to try and convince Arthur of something he didn’t want to do. It had never happened when they were kids and it wasn’t bound to happen now.

  “All right,” he finally admitted, holding his hands up. “But you change your mind, you let me know. I’m all too certain Bessy would be tickled pink to go on a walk with you.”

  Arthur pursed his lips and turned his attention back to the sprawling Texas landscape before him. She might be pleased, but he’d be the furthest thing from it.

  Good thing he’d never actually have to worry about it. He was a confirmed bachelor and he would stay that way for the rest of his life.

  Violet Chandler clutched the book in both hands, sending a furtive glance to the swinging doors. Any moment now, her pa was likely to burst through them and verbally tan her hide if he saw her with a book—again—but she was almost done with this chapter. Just one more page…

  The slightest creak outside the kitchen doors and she slammed the book closed, heart pounding. It was in her apron pocket and she was reaching for the tray by the time the doors actually swung inward, her red-faced father glaring at her.

  “You were reading again, weren’t you?”
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br />   “I’m just about to take this tray out,” she said, smiling sweetly. “Don’t you worry. They’ll get their food just like they always do.”

  He seemed to be grinding his teeth but rather than say anything, he held the door for her. As she walked by, he said, “I’d prefer them to get their food before you take a break.”

  “Yes, Pa,” she said obediently.

  There had been a lapse in orders and she’d taken advantage of just a few minutes of quiet while the cook filled up the plates, but she had taken too long. She always took too long when it came to books. There was something about the magic of getting caught up in a story—someone else’s story.

  She delivered the tray of food to the waiting and hungry men, dodging their flirtatious attempts with a kind but firm smile of dismissal. They knew better than to push her. For all of her father’s ambition and hardnosed determination to put her to work every moment of the day, he cared a great deal for her and would not tolerate his patrons harassing her.

  She swept back into the kitchen for the next tray of food and the cook eyed her.

  “What?” she asked innocently.

  Cook said nothing, but she knew his reprimanding look. He wouldn’t give away the fact that she had been reading, and she loved him for that, but she also didn’t want to put him in a position where he’d have to lie to his boss.

  “I’ll put it away.” His eyebrow rose. “Right now,” she said, rushing to the backroom. She slipped the book from her apron pocket and, with one last longing glance, placed it on a high shelf between two sacks of flour. She knew Cook wouldn’t disturb it and she could retrieve it after she was done with the day’s work.

  With a renewed sense of purpose and determination, she attacked her chores and made sure to take every tray of food out in record time. Business kept her moving for the remainder of the day and when they had finally closed their doors for the day, her father looked pleased.