Margaret Brownley, Robin Lee Hatcher, Mary Connealy, Debra Clopton

by A Bride for All Seasons

  “I’m a fine rider now so we can start target practice tomorrow.” She gave him a chipper little pat on the back as they returned to their horses.

  He’d need to figure out a way to keep her busy or she’d fill all their backsides full of buckshot. Climbing back into their saddles, Dave took Megan’s reins, then kicked his horse into a gallop.

  Megan, the master horsewoman, squeaked as she clung to her saddle and galloped alongside him.

  SOMEHOW MEGAN HAD EXPECTED A YOUNG MAN, BUT the word new just meant new to the area, apparently.

  Dr. Sirpless had a tidy white moustache, a clean black suit on his small frame, and a gruff, no-nonsense attitude.

  “Take another deep breath.” The man listened to David’s chest while Megan stood off to the side, praying.

  Finally the doctor heard enough. “Who’d you say told you your heart was giving out?”

  “Doctor Filbert. I couldn’t get over my chest pains, and I was told he was the top doctor in Chicago. I—”

  “Doctor Filbert, you say? Norman Filbert? Tall, stout, wears a monocle.”

  “My doctor had a monocle.”

  “And practices out of a flashy office in the tallest building in Chicago?”

  “Well, that sounds like him. It was a tall building for sure. I didn’t get his first name. But I was told he was the top—”

  “The man’s a quacksalver.”

  Dave’s eyes narrowed. “A quack-what?”

  “A quacksalver. A fraud.”

  “Oh no. I saw his college diploma framed right on his wall.”

  “Of course you saw it. He’s a real doctor, just a poor excuse for one. He’s told so many people they’re dying they ought to name a section of the Chicago cemetery after him. Except no one’d be in it. He’s wrong most of the time.”

  “B-B-But then, why was I told he was the top doctor?”

  A rude snort came to that question. “Who told you?” The doctor paused for just a second, then held up a hand. “Wait, I’ll answer my own question. It was a rich Chicago socialite, right?”

  “Well, I suppose that describes her. But more than one person said it.”

  “He prescribes snake oil to rich old women. Not that he doesn’t get a few men to take it too. He convinces them they’re dying and they need his snake oil to delay their deaths. He’s an outright fraud. But he’s got devoted followers in the richest part of Chicago, so no one can make him close his doors.”

  “He never tried to sell me any medicine.”

  “Were you supposed to go to a follow-up visit?”

  “Yes, but he made it sound so hopeless, I didn’t go back. I started getting my affairs in order instead.”

  “If you’d gone back he’d have given you an elixir he invented himself. It’s about eighty percent whiskey. And you’d have felt mighty good after you drank it.” The doctor added, “You’ve got pleurisy, son.”

  Megan broke in. “What’s that?”

  “It’s an ailment of the lungs. An unusual side effect of pneumonia. It can be dangerous, but yours isn’t. You say the pain has ebbed?”

  “Yes. I feel much better and keep improving, but I keep hearing Dr. Filbert’s voice saying I’m dying.”

  “Well, you need to get over it because you’re fine. Sometimes a body that’s had pneumonia is a little more apt to get it again. Their lungs are weak. If you find yourself troubled by it next winter, you might want to consider pulling up stakes for a warmer climate. Texas or Arizona. But you’re going to be fine.”

  “Fine? Really?” David’s shoulders squared. Life blazed from his eyes.

  Megan laughed for joy, then abruptly stopped. Her head felt a bit fuzzy with all that relief. Her legs wobbled and the room lurched. She reached for the table. David caught her just as her knees gave out. She was only vaguely aware of being laid down on the table.

  The doctor fussed over her and asked her a few questions that made no sense before helping her sit up. She was a bit disgruntled to be the patient instead of David.

  “Foolishness to faint over such good news,” Megan muttered.

  “Stop getting your affairs in order and start enjoying life. Including that baby you’ve got on the way.” Dr. Sirpless jabbed a finger at Megan’s midsection.

  Megan looked down at her stomach, then up at the doctor, then over at David. “Baby?”

  “Really, there’s a baby?” A smile broke out on David’s face. “You’re sure?”

  “I am indeed sure. I’ve been doing this for a long time.” The doctor smiled and slapped David on the back so hard he almost stumbled into Megan on the examining table. “Now, get on home and forget Norman Filbert. I think I’ll sit down and write another letter to Chicago. They need to be warned not to bury any of that idiot’s patients just on Filbert’s say-so.”

  A few moments later Megan found herself on the sidewalk with David. They walked silently down the street for a few seconds, then Megan turned to David just as he turned to her. He moved toward her just as she moved toward him. She threw her arms around him. He laughed, lifted her off her feet, and swung her in a circle.

  Setting her down, he pulled back to look her in the eye.

  He sobered and pulled a kerchief from his pocket. “Why the tears?”

  “They’re happy tears, David. Joyous tears.”

  “Oh, good. I thought maybe you were crying because you just realized you were stuck with me for life.”

  Megan gasped in outrage just as David started laughing. Then Megan joined in. David hauled her toward the horses tied to the hitching post. “Let’s get on home.”

  As he reached to untie his horse, the building across the street caught Dave’s eye. “Wait. Before we go, I want to do something.”

  He grabbed Megan’s hand and she came along, laughing, as if she were almost giddy from all the good news as he crossed the dirt street and went into the church across from the doctor’s office.

  Inside were a few rows of rustic benches. At the front was a platform with an altar made of rough-cut wood.

  David kept moving until he stood in front of that altar, then he turned to face Megan.

  “What is it you want, David?” Her smile was so generous. So kind. She was happy. And it was because he was going to live. He couldn’t remember when anything had touched him more.

  “Do you remember our wedding day?”

  Megan made a rude scoffing sound. “It was only a few months ago. Sure and I’m not likely to forget something so important.”

  “Well, pretty little Megan, do you remember the vows you took—for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health as long as we both shall live?”

  “I made all those promises before God and man and meant every one of them.”

  “As did I. But when I said ‘for better or for worse,’ I thought things were going to be much worse. When I said ‘for richer or for poorer,’ I knew the money was there for the richer part but was mighty afraid you were making a poor bargain. And when I said ‘in sickness and in health,’ I was consigning myself to death and you to the hard work of caring for me through it. And when I said ‘as long as we both shall live,’ I thought I was making a six-month promise with a wild chance at a year.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with any of those promises, David. Just because things will work out much better than we hoped, it doesn’t change the power of that oath.”

  “Yes, but I want to say them again. I want to say them with joy, with hope for a long life and a future shared that may well last until our old age.”

  Megan smiled.

  “So you’ll do it? You’ll take these vows again with me?”

  Her smile turned into a laugh. “I would be honored to repeat my vows with you.” Megan leaned forward and kissed him.

  “I wish the boys had come, though I didn’t dare bring them. At our first wedding I felt like you were taking all your vows with only motherhood in mind. I didn’t plan to be around long and I believed that you knew that.”

>   “Hush, it’s a sad thing to speak of at such a happy moment.” Megan pressed her fingers against his lips.

  David said, “No, it was sad when we were first married, but today is the most joyful day of my life. A new chance at life. A woman I love in my arms. A baby on the way. I want to take joyful vows. Today they will mean something different and wonderful.”

  Another lingering kiss delayed the moment, but finally David raised his head, his eyes locked on hers. “In sickness and in health.”

  Megan echoed him and they kissed again.

  And so it went as each vow came from their hearts, until their promises were made and their love declared before the Lord in His holy church. When they were finished, Dave rested one hand on their child. He could almost cover her whole belly with one of his big hands.

  The door to the church swung open and an elderly man stepped in. He seemed to understand their wish for privacy because he said, “I’m the parson here, but don’t mind me, folks.” He gave them a gentle smile and turned aside. As they faced each other, from high overhead, bells began to peal.

  “He rings those bells every morning and night at the same time,” Dave whispered, kissing her forehead. “But tonight they are wedding bells.”

  The crystal-clear song of the bell declared their love and happiness to the whole town.

  “I love you, Megan Laramie.”

  “And I you, David Laramie.”

  They turned, and as if this were a formal ceremony in fine dress with the pews full of family and friends, David wound her hand through his elbow.

  “’Tis not proper that our child should attend our wedding, husband. It’s best the wee one never knows of this.”

  David laughed. “Let’s go home.”

  Side by side, arm in arm, with reason at last to hope they were beginning a long, healthy, joyful marriage, they marched out together to the sound of winter wedding bells.

  Reading Group Guide

  And Then Came Spring

  1. Mary-Jo’s most prized possessions were a deck of cards and her Singer sewing machine. One represented the past; the other her hopes for the future. How did those playing cards keep her from embracing God’s plan and giving her heart fully to Tom?

  2. Mary-Jo blamed luck for everything good and bad that happened. What do you think was the biggest influence in helping her learn to put her faith in God and His wondrous grace?

  3. Tom had some preconceived ideas about mail-order brides in general and Mary-Jo in particular. He was soon to learn the error of his ways. Have you ever judged someone negatively in advance, only to change your mind in a positive way later?

  An Ever After Summer

  1. After only dreaming of a different life, Ellie is handed the opportunity to actually change her life. Dreaming and stepping out on faith and taking action are two very different things. Ellie felt the Lord by her side and committed herself to take action. Have you ever dared to step out in faith and change your life?

  2. Lem told Mathew to “Quit thinking about what you don’t have and start thinking about what you have.” Many people miss blessings in their lives because they are looking back instead of forward. Discuss this with the group. What does the Bible tell us about looking back?

  3. Despite his fears Mathew fell in love with Ellie. What was he afraid of? He wasn’t as ready as Ellie was to trust the Lord. What changed his mind? Have you ever been fearful of trusting God? Discuss this with the group.

  Autumn’s Angel

  1. In chapter 6, Merry says that God wasn’t surprised by the altered letters. Are you able to trust God, even when circumstances seem so wrong? Can you see that when the enemy means to do evil, God can mean it for good? Share when that has been true in your life.

  2. In chapter 10, Shannon says that love always involves sacrifice. Do you agree? Why or why not?

  3. In chapter 11, Luvena reminds Clay that he is a new creation in Christ. What old things has God made new in your life?

  Winter Wedding Bells

  1. The trip from Chicago to Wyoming on a train was considered an almost miraculous improvement and yet it took days in uncomfortable conditions. Talk about the difference between the hardships of pioneer days versus hardships now.

  2. A poor medical diagnosis given by an influential “doctor to the upper classes” sent David’s life into a tailspin. Megan accused David of not trusting his life to God. Do we do that today? Put our faith in science over God?

  3. Megan and David’s marriage was a complete marriage of convenience. Two strangers married a day after they met. But their commitment was freely given and they found a way to make their marriage work under difficult circumstances. How much differently do people treat their marriage vows today than they did back then?

  An Interview with the Authors

  Behind the Scenes with Your Favorite Matchmakers

  AMI MCCONNELL, EDITOR: Your readers and I are interested in how this collection came together. Can you tell us about how the four of you met?

  MARGARET BROWNLEY: I first met Robin years ago when she was president of Romance Writers of America and I was on the board. Mary is partly responsible for my switching from secular to inspirational fiction. Her Petticoat Ranch caught my eye, and it had everything I love in a story. I had the pleasure of first meeting Debra during a book signing at the Anaheim Convention Center. That huge auditorium was filled with five hundred writers, and Debra just happened to be sitting across the aisle from me. I took that as a good sign.

  DEBRA CLOPTON: Yes, that was amazing to find you sitting there in that huge room, Margaret. I was so glad to meet you, and it was meant to be. I’d met Robin in 2003, when my first book, The Trouble with Lacy Brown, was up for the Golden Heart, and she was there to present the RITA award. I met Mary soon after on a bus heading to the Denver airport from the ACFW conference—“Hey, Deb,” she said, then added something witty, and she’s been cracking me up ever since. When my agent asked me if I had time to be a part of this novella group, I jumped at the chance . . . I know a good thing when I see it. And this has been nothing but a good thing!

  ROBIN LEE HATCHER: Absolutely, Debra, it’s been a good thing! One of my favorite writing activities is brainstorming with other writers. Brainstorming with you gals has been double the fun because you’re all amusing, witty women. I love how our conference calls have been filled with laughter. Better yet, working with you has brought me three new friends to treasure.

  MARY CONNEALY: I remember that bus ride, Debra. You were so Texan! With such a great Texas accent. (I know what you’re thinking, I don’t have an accent. YOU have an accent!) You’re a perfect fit for our A Bride for All Seasons collection. I remember when we started brainstorming this book, and honestly, we just had to start from nothing, right?

  Robin seems to be the brains of the organization, although it is Margaret who figured out how to do a conference call. Just getting the call dialed right is pretty hi-tech for me. Then when we were talking, all I could add to the mix was, “Mine’s gonna be a cowboy.” Not real helpful.

  Margaret, you really started writing what you’re writing because of me? That’s a little annoying, honestly, because you seem to be doing it better than me, which hardly seems fair.

  Brainstorming with you ladies has been as much fun as I’ve ever had. It’s just amazing how we can bounce ideas off each other and veer off this way and that and end up far from where we started. I need you all to help me brainstorm my regular books.

  MARGARET: Better than you? Mary, surely you jest. Speaking of that first conference call, I remember it well; we settled pretty quickly on the “mail-order bride” idea. We decided to give each bride a season, and I chose spring. That’s because I don’t do weather well. My first historical novel was a family saga spanning fifty years, and not once in all that time did a single cloud mar my fictional sky. In California, the only seasons we know are baseball, football, and basketball.

  DEBRA: If I remember right, we each grabbed our favorite season. In T
exas, you never know what’s going to happen during the long summer months, so it offers lots of plot problems to throw at my hero and heroine.

  ROBIN: Where I live in southwest Idaho, we have over three hundred days of clear sunshine every year so I totally understand your no-clouds comment, Margaret. But Idaho does have four distinct seasons, and I do love autumn. So Debra’s right about that.

  One of the things I loved so much was seeing how the idea of having the owner of the catalogue creatively edit customers’ letters played out in each of the stories. First Mary shared her idea, and I remember thinking, I wish I’d thought of that. And then someone else shared, and I wished I thought of that too. I was convinced I would never come up with anything Hitch could do for (to?) my characters. Am I the only one who suffers “brain freeze” when I see, hear, or read the creativity of other authors?

  MARY: Robin, this is so true about the brain freeze. One of you would suggest something and I was just amazed at the way a writer’s mind works. Who came up with Hitch and the Hitching Post (our mail-order catalogue company), anyway? Robin, it seems like it was you, but I really can’t remember. When someone said it, it felt like, of course that’s what we’ll call it. It was such a perfect fit. But it all evolved in great brainstorming style.

  MARGARET: Actually, the Hitching Post idea had been sitting in my computer for quite some time, but it never went anywhere. That’s because it was only a seed. It needed the four of us working together for the idea to fully blossom. Personally, I think we should put our minds together and work on the economy next.

  DEBRA: I don’t know about that, Margaret! But I loved Hitch and his Hitching Post from the moment you suggested him in the brainstorming session! Matchmaking characters who cause trouble are my favorite, and he did it with such good-hearted intentions. And my entire Mule Hollow series is based around the “Matchmaking Posse,” so it fit. Plus, I had two matchmakers of my own about four years ago, when two friends who knew both Chuck and me talked us into a blind date. Neither of us was dating or had been on a blind date before and we were both leery of them. But I was a young widow and had been alone for six years and felt God leading me to say yes. Chuck felt God’s lead also—so we agreed to the date! Most nerve-wracking thing I’ve ever experienced. I was hyperventilating when I opened the front door! We hit it off instantly and have been happily married for a couple of years now. So, I’m not a mail-order bride, but I loved Hitch, in part because one of my matchmakers was a six-foot-four man :).