Grooms with Honor Series, Books 7-9

by Linda K. Hubalek

  “Oh, but the women in this town like to make a fuss over the bride. A quilting bee, a new dress, a flower bouquet, a wedding cake...”

  “I haven’t heard about any of that. I’ve been out of town shoeing horses most of the week, so I can spend next week with Linnea.” Elof grinned.

  “Planned a wedding trip?” Nolan guessed.

  “Yep. I’m taking Linnea to Topeka to see Jamie.” They both still missed Jamie. Elof figured the best way to ease their minds was to see where he lived.

  “Uh, you might hold off on that trip,” Nolan said looking through the crowd.

  “Why?”

  “Far! I’m here for your wedding!” Jamie yelled as he plowed into Elof’s side.

  Elof picked up the boy and hugged him close. “Oh, how I missed you, Jamie,” he whispered in his ear, squeezing his eyes tight to keep tears at bay.

  Then he eased his hold so he could look Jamie in the eyes. “How’d you know me and Mor were getting married today?”

  “Pastor wrote Grandpa a letter,” he grinned. That sounded just like something the Reagans would do for he and Linnea.

  “Well, I’m sure glad. Have you seen Mor yet?” He couldn’t wait to see Linnea’s reaction when she saw Jamie.

  “Nope. We just got here on the train. Grandpa’s checking in at the hotel, but said I could run ahead.” Jamie looked around. “Grandma Martha’s over there visiting with Grandma Cate,” he pointed over to the group of women on their left.

  So that’s why Pastor said they needed to marry this afternoon, instead of Clear Creek’s usual tradition of right after Sunday church service. They had to wait for the surprise guests to arrive.

  Should he worry what else the Reagans might have planned for today? No. Any surprises they had planned would be wonderful. Elof gave Jamie another squeeze and set him down when one of the Wilerson boys called out Jamie’s name. He shot off to see his friend, thoughts already switching to something else.

  Elof turned to Nolan. “Did you know about this?” he asked his friend.

  “No, but I bet every woman in town did. They can keep secrets and plans things like you wouldn’t believe. Marshal Wilerson always said they’d make a better posse than a group of gun-toting men.”

  “What would the women do, swing their reticules at the bad men?”

  “You’d be surprised how many women packed a pea shooter in their reticule when this town was young.”

  “Gotta go. Linnea’s walking out the parsonage door, so I better stop Jamie from knocking her over.” Elof glanced around and realized there was a group of women now standing at the church door…with Jamie hiding behind them. He moved to a place where he could see her reaction.

  “Jamie!” Linnea cried when the group of women parted, and Jamie rushed to her.

  Tears came to his eyes, and probably half of the congregation’s. So this is why the church doors were closed, and everyone was waiting outside.

  Pastor moved up to the steps and raised his hands. “All right everyone! The special guests have arrived—besides the bride and groom—so go inside now. He opened the church doors, and people lined up to go inside.

  He watched as Linnea talked to Jamie and his grandparents. She was so pretty in a new light pink dress and matching hat. It complimented her blonde hair and fair skin. Actually, it reminded him of the pink Linnea flower that grew wild in their province in Sweden. Elof guessed the dressmaker, Mary Jenkins, designed and made the ensemble for her.

  One of Linnea’s hands was wrapped around Jamie’s shoulders. The other held a cluster of white roses, looking very much like the rose bush blooming in Millie Wilerson’s yard. Elof would plant whatever color, and however many rose bushes Linnea wanted along the front of their house.

  He was so glad Linnea was getting a special day. Now her arranged marriage in Miller Springs was only a piece of paper and bad memories.

  Today they were celebrating their union with a whole congregation of friends. He and Linnea had found their home in Clear Creek.

  ***

  “Elof, please take Linnea’s hands and repeat after me,” Pastor Reagan instructed while giving each of them a serious look.

  “Elof, 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,” Elof stated with a clear, strong voice.

  Elof slid a bright gold band on her left ring finger and then squeezed her hand as he said, “Linnea, 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.”

  “Linnea, now it’s your turn to repeat the vows.”

  “Linnea, 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?”

  Linnea stood straight and proud as she stated to Elof, “I will.”

  When she was left widowed and homeless, it became Elof’s mission to be sure she and Jamie were taken care of. And then his next mission was to win her love. Elof had proved to her that love can happen at any age, anywhere, and to anyone.

  Elof was a groom of honor...

  Epilogue

  “Okay, now?” Jamie asked his grandfather as he jumped up and down in from of Elof and Linnea.

  “No. Not yet. Keep a lid on the secret until I say the word,” Mr. Schmidt smiled down at Jamie then looked at him and Linnea.

  “Thank you so much for the reception, Mr. and Mrs. Schmidt. We didn’t expect this at all,” Elof said as he hugged Linnea to his side.

  He and Linnea thought the churchwomen planned a table of cakes and pies in the shade of the church after the ceremony, and everyone would stand or sit on the ground to eat and visit.

  Instead, before they had a chance to walk down the aisle after their ceremony, the pastor announced everyone should follow the bride and groom over to the Paulson Hotel. The wedding reception would be at the hotel, and the congregation was invited.

  Three tables, covered with lace table clothes, displayed a variety of desserts. But another table held a three-tier wedding cake, frosted in white icing with a tiny bouquet of pink roses sitting in the top layer. Linnea’s eyes teared up seeing the room when they walked in the door. And there was a pink strawberry-flavored punch in a big crystal punch bowl and two huge coffee urns for drinks.

  Neither he nor Linnea had ever been to such a fancy wedding reception.

  “We owe you so much for finding Jamie. If you hadn’t kept him with you...” Mrs. Schmidt started to tear up but shook her head to clear her thoughts. “Anyway it was such a pleasure working with the Paulsons, and the Reagans, to surprise you.

  “Now?” Jamie started jumping up and down again.

  “No, I need to say something else first.” He pulled something out of his coat pocket and handed it to Elof.

  “Train tickets and a key?” Elof asked, puzzled as to why he was given them.

  “We’d like to send you two on a weeklong wedding trip. Here are train tickets to Topeka, and the key to our house for you to stay there. The housekeeper knows you’re coming and will only stop by a few times to be sure you have everything you need. We’ll be staying here so Jamie can visit his friends.”

  “Oh my! Really? Thank you so much to both of you,” Linnea said in surprise, but then stopped to look at Elof.

  “Do you want to go on a trip or stay here to visit while they’re in Clear Creek?”

  “Well, I was going to surprise you with a trip to Topeka to see Jamie, but now he’s here instead.”

  Elof looked down at Jamie and knew they’d prefer to stay in town while Jamie was here.

  “Sir, could we save the train tickets to come see you another time, say for C
hristmas?”

  “No, use them tomorrow. We’ll be staying here for two weeks, so you can still see Jamie the next week. Because... now, Jamie,” Mr. Schmidt prompted him.

  “Cause me and Grandpa and Grandma are moving here!”

  “What?” Elof and Linnea said in unison and disbelief.

  “Jamie will continue to live with us, but he needs parents—his Mor and Far as he calls you—besides grandparents. And this is a wonderful town where he can run with his friends, it has a good church, and we assume a good school,” Mr. Schmidt explained.

  “During this stay, we’ll be working with Mack Reagan to plan the house he’ll build for us,” Mrs. Schmidt beamed. “It will be our retirement home, and we can’t wait to move to Clear Creek.”

  Linnea gave Elof a hug before bending down to capture the wiggling boy. She kissed his cheek and gave him another hug. “I’m so happy we’ll all be together again.”

  “Besides needing the two of you, Jamie missed his pony,” Mr. Schmidt smiled at everyone. “The pony I found for him was ‘too old and stuffy.’”

  “Well, it barely moved!” Jamie declared, and everyone laughed. Oh, life was going to be happy and busy with Jamie in and out of their house, probably with a crowd of his friends tagging along half the time.

  “Mrs. Lundahl, you’re going to have the cookie jar full for whenever Jamie shows up?” Elof asked with a smile.

  “That’s the first you’ve called me by my new name!” Linnea beamed up at Elof.

  “Of course cookies will always be available for you,” she looked down at Jamie, “and the two of you,” she looked at the Schmidts.

  “Well, we do have two things to ask you though, if it’s all right with you. First, please call us Martha and Barney,” Mr. Schmidt implored.

  “Of course, we’d be honored,” Elof answered, even though it would take a while not to be formal with the Senator and his wife. But Elof figured they’d become second parents to Linnea and him before too long.

  “Now, you can say ‘no’ to this second thing, and you have plenty of time to decide.” Mr. Schmidt looked at his wife, and she motioned with her hand to go on and ask it.

  “Our new house won’t be done by the time school starts. Rather than Jamie start school in Topeka and change schools later, could he come back here this fall to live with you? I promise it will only be for a few months until our house is ready.”

  Elof looked down to Linnea. She raised one eyebrow—like Kaitlyn did to Pastor—then gave him a smile and a nod yes. He returned the gesture with one eyebrow—and a quick kiss.

  “Yes, we’d love to have Jamie live with us when he starts school.”

  “Good!” Jamie replied. “Now can we go ride Curly and Clem?”

  Mr. Schmidt did a little coughing laugh behind his hand, “Uh Jamie, your far and mor wouldn’t be able to go riding until they’re back from their wedding trip.”

  “Why?” Jamie looked puzzled.

  A simple question children asked hundreds of times, and he hoped they’d someday have children asking them the same thing.

  “Why?” Elof looked down at Jamie. “Because your mor and I just got married and we’re going to go to Topeka to celebrate—alone, “Elof added as Jamie started to interrupt him, probably wanting to go along.

  “Okay. Ya gonna bring back a baby?” Jamie asked next.

  Linnea turned her face into Elof’s shoulder, probably embarrassed and red-faced.

  “Uh, it’s a little too soon for that by next week,” Mr. Schmidt answered for him.

  Oh, you never know,” Elof gave Linnea a sideways hug and a wink. “We brought Jamie home from the Montana Territory.”

  ~*~*~*~

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  I hope you enjoyed Elof and Linnea’s story. Here the start of another mail-order story, Millie Marries a Marshal, from the Brides of Groom series.

  Description

  A clean, sweet historical romance set in 1873.

  Mail-order bride Millie Donovan was looking forward to meeting Sam Larson, a Kansas homesteader, who she is sure, from reading his heartfelt letters, will provide her with the love and safety she wants and needs. Millie arrives on the train, not realizing that her husband-to-be was killed in an accident until Clear Creek’s town marshal informs her of the situation.

  Town Marshal Adam Wilerson never plans to marry due to his dangerous job. After reading letters found at his friend’s home following his untimely death which was sent from his friend’s mail-order bride, he can’t help thinking of the woman and believes he may be in love with her himself. But instead of sending Millie on the train back to her former home, he finds himself welcoming her—and her two-year-old charge—into his house, and into his heart.

  When danger threatens, Millie faces it head-on to protect the people she loves, including the town marshal.

  Can Adam keep the peace in town—and his house—or will the man following Millie cause an uproar that will endanger them both, and ruin their chance of a life together?

  Chapter 1

  May 1873, Ellsworth, Kansas

  Town marshal Adam Wilerson had been standing on the train platform for ten minutes and still didn’t see a single lady who might be the woman he hoped to find. Adam’s hazel eyes scanned up and down the boardwalk of the Main Street again but didn’t see any women he didn’t know. Clear Creek was small enough that a stranger always stood out. Because of his job, he made it a habit to know everyone—and their business—in town.

  Adam shifted through the four cardboard photographs of young women again. It was hard to compare a black and white photo with a real person, but he was accustomed to comparing wanted posters and criminal faces. None of these photos came close to featuring the few women who had arrived from any train this week.

  He shifted the photos to one hand after another look down the boardwalk. Adam dug his watch out of his vest pocket, flicked the lid open to look at the time again. Finding it was only five minutes since the last time he checked; he closed the watch and stuffed it back in his pocket.

  Adam’s mother was having a special early supper for his brother Jacob and fiancée Rania Hamner at the family ranch tonight, and Adam should have already been there. He pulled his wide-brimmed hat off his head to run his fingers through his light brown hair. It felt awfully short after visiting the barber today, but his ma insisted he get it cut before this Sunday’s wedding. Out of habit, he smoothed his trim mustache with his right thumb and forefinger.

  He’d met the train every day this week looking for a Miss Millie Donovan from Chicago, Illinois, but she had yet to arrive. He’d thought sure that she would be on today’s train since it was Friday.

  Adam wished he had some clue of who he was looking for, but could only guess because he really didn’t have any idea what his former neighbor’s fiancée looked like. After rancher Sam Larson died, the new occupants’ daughter, Rania Hamner, when cleaning the house, found letters from a Miss Donovan who, obviously from the letters, was Sam’s intended mail-order bride. Sam hadn’t shared so much as a hint with Adam or his brother, Jacob, that he was writing to someone, let alone that he had proposed. Supposedly she was on the train this week, and Adam had been meeting it every day, but no luck yet meeting the elusive woman. Her last letter said “you’ll recognize me by my photograph,” but there was no photo with the letters. Rania had earlier found four photographs when cleaning out a desk drawer, but they weren’t marked with any names, so Adam didn’t know for certain whether this Millie Donovan was one of the four women pictured.

  Adam sighed and looked around again. When Miss Donovan finally arrived, he would have the unfortunate duty to deliver the sad news of Sam’s death and help her arrange to return on the train to her former home. Because she and Sam hadn’t married, this woman had no claim on his ranch or his belongings.

  It was warm enoug
h this May afternoon that Adam wished he could dispense with his own jacket and roll up his shirt sleeves, except it wouldn’t look proper to greet the young lady he was supposed to meet.

  His eyes kept returning to a crying little boy and his momma who stood a dozen feet away on the porch of the depot. She was having a time with the tired tyke who looked to be close to two years old by his walking, but he was so skinny it was hard to tell his age for certain. Adam didn’t know them, but they had been waiting by the depot as long as he had. He saw them get off the train when it unloaded and appeared to be waiting for someone, too. Two worn carpetbags lay nearby with a little boy’s coat lying on top of them. She hadn’t claimed a trunk or any more bags from the railroad agent when he unloaded the train; must be visiting someone for just a day or two.

  The kid was now wobbling circles around the mother, screaming like his shadow chased him. It was just the right pitch to make your eardrums bleed. With the tot’s carrot-orange hair, there was no way the child could disappear in a crowd even if he were quiet. Adam chuckled when he thought how the boy was going to be teased when he became school-aged because of his bright hair. But that was his lot in life, and he’d soon learn to stand up for his heritage of hair.

  “Tate, Tate. Please stop and listen to me.” The woman’s distinct Irish lilt rose in frustration, drifting over to Adam. So far all he’d seen of the woman was the top of her little black hat because she’d been looking down at the child the whole time. Her strawberry red hair, not quite as bright as the little boy’s, but very curly, was tightly pinned up on the back of her head. It was a big knot of hair, so he bet it was very long and wavy when she let it down at night.

  Adam turned his back to the two, and nonchalantly stepped backward a couple of steps to hear this conversation better.

  “Dada was…” The train whistle blew announcing its pending departure, so Adam didn’t hear what else the boy cried as he shrunk against his mother.

  The woman crouched down and held the boy to her side. “No, Tate. Please listen to me. Mr. Larson will be a good man. He’s not like…”