TIA'S MATE (Shifters of the Bulgarian Bloodline Book 1)

by Dalia Wright

  “Well?” Catherine asked simply, looking at Jonathan.

  “Catherine,” Jonathan said, “I’m so sorry. I admit that when you told me you were pregnant, I got scared and fled. I soon came to my senses, and I should have told you right away, but I didn’t think I was good enough for you. I knew you always wanted to marry wealthy, and I’m certainly nowhere near wealthy. I thought I could surprise you and perhaps improve my chances of a life together with you and our child if I returned to you with money. My mother’s cousins have some money, and I knew I could work for them for good pay. They live far, however, and I had no way of contacting you.” He paused to look at Catherine, and Margaret was happy to see that she met his gaze. “I have some money now,” he continued, “and although it’s nowhere near the sum of Robert’s inheritance, it’s a good start. We can move into a decent home together with our child. Please, Catherine,” he reached out to hold her hand, and she let him. “I love you, Catherine,” he said softly.

  Much to everyone’s surprise, including Catherine’s, she said back, “I love you, too, Jonathan.”

  At this point, Robert looked across at Margaret and smiled. He stood and held out a hand to help her up, and then led her away. “I figure we should let them talk alone. It seems to be going well!”

  Margaret was still in shock about the drastic change she’d seen in Catherine. The very same woman who had just told her that she didn’t believe in love was now professing her love for the father of her child. “I can’t believe how well this worked out,” she said.

  Robert nodded. “Let’s still be cautious until we’re sure that Catherine isn’t going to blackmail me,” he said, “but I agree that things are looking good for us. For everyone.”

  They headed back towards Robert’s carriage, but as they got there, Catherine and Jonathan suddenly caught up to them and stopped them. They had big smiles on their faces. “Jonathan proposed to me,” said Catherine, “and I said yes. I’m sorry for blackmailing you, Robert. You’re obviously not the father. I’m glad my child will have his or her real father with us.”

  “We are so happy for you both,” Margaret and Robert sincerely congratulated Catherine and Robert, and then headed back towards Robert’s estate, relieved and triumphant. Now, they could finally get married, and there was nothing standing in their way.

  They kissed happily in the carriage. “Margaret, I love you so much,” said Robert.

  “I love you too, Robert,” said Margaret. “I can’t believe this has all worked out so perfectly in the end.”

  “I guess nothing gets in the way of true love,” replied Robert. It seemed to be true. When Margaret was unsure about finding love and unsure about trusting Robert, nothing seemed to go her way. Now that she was sure about love and about her relationship with Robert, everything had eventually fallen into place.

  Back with their families, Margaret and Robert excitedly shared the news that the threat of blackmail was gone. “How did you convince Catherine to leave our family alone?” asked William.

  “We didn’t really have to convince her. She realized that she and Jonathan, the father of her child, love each other, and want to be together as a family,” Robert explained.

  Their families were almost as relieved as they were that everything had worked out as well as it did. They could go through with the plan to combine estates, and now Robert and Margaret actually wanted to be together.

  Despite all the turmoil between them throughout their years of knowing each other, Margaret felt so comfortable and happy with Robert that she knew that her wedding day was going to be the best day of her life so far.

  Chapter 14

  The next day, it was confirmed for Margaret: her wedding day really was the best day of her life so far. She had butterflies as she got dressed in the gown her mother had picked out for her. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, so grateful to be wearing it and feeling the way she did about Robert. She realized how amazing it was that their wedding day had finally come and she was so happy about it. When she laid her eyes on Robert at the altar, she knew that they were making the right decision and that they would have an amazing life together. Margaret could see in Robert’s stunning green eyes that he felt the exact same way about her as she did about him.

  Both her whole family and Robert’s whole family and all of their friends and close acquaintances attended the wedding, and Margaret felt grateful for and overwhelmed by all the support for their marriage. The two estates combining was not only beneficial for their two families, but also for the entire Dukedoms. Despite Robert’s past, everyone respected him as an intelligent, fair, and caring Duke, and welcomed Margaret as a Duchess. It was a time of happiness and prosperity for everyone.

  After an elegant ceremony, there was a celebration for the newlywed couple. Robert asked Margaret to dance, and for the first time, she was happy to accept the invitation. “I’ve never wanted to dance with anyone else before,” she said, “and now, I’m glad I waited for you.”

  “I’m glad that I became that man,” responded Robert. And Robert, despite their very rocky start, had transformed himself for the better into a wonderful, loving person. Robert was everything she ever wanted and more in a husband, and she couldn’t be happier to start the rest of their lives together and in love.

  Margaret and Robert soon moved in together. They lived in Robert’s family’s mansion, and only eight short months after their wedding, Margaret discovered that she was pregnant. She and Robert were thrilled to expand their family and get to be parents together. Over the next six years, they had four children together: two boys and two girls. Both Margaret’s and Robert’s parents were still healthy, and formed close bonds with their grandchildren.

  The family spent a lot of time together. One of their favorite activities to do together was to bring a picnic out to Robert’s garden and eat sitting at the bench looking across at the pond. Being there always reminded Margaret of when she and Robert first began to fall in love. Looking at him with her heart full of happiness, she knew that she only loved him more and more with every day that passed. Margaret believed that the best, truest kind of love wasn’t necessarily love at first sight like many fairy tales had led her to believe, but love that grew over time and inspired both people to transform and be the best that they could be.

  Margaret and Robert heard from Catherine and Jonathan from time to time. They were married not long after Margaret and Robert, and had two more children after their first baby boy. They eventually moved closer to Jonathan’s family and made a very nice home for themselves. Margaret and Robert immediately forgave Catherine for the trouble she had caused them. Both couples were so happy together that all ill will was forgotten. Although she never expressed it to them directly, Margaret knew that Catherine was secretly grateful to them for convincing her to give true love a fair chance. Despite her less-than-perfect former reputation, Catherine always remained loyal to Jonathan and valued her husband and children more than any sum of money. She also realized that love was far more important than anything else in the world.

  Not too unlike Catherine, Margaret had also been skeptical that she would ever find her perfect match. Although she had always held onto hope that she’d find someone, through many years of never meeting anyone she cared for, Margaret too had grown a little cold. She had never been in love before, or even close. When she and Robert fell in love, it was like the spark within her was reignited. And throughout the many years to come, her love and trust for Robert only grew and grew. He was the perfect man for her: intelligent, thoughtful, and caring. Family was the most important thing for both Margaret and Robert. They always had plenty to talk about, and they watched each other grow as people as they took on their new duties as Duke and Duchess.

  Things were not always easy, but they helped and supported each other through difficult times. Being Duke and Duchess came with many responsibilities, and Margaret and Robert were very glad to be in it together. Their love was also a partnership that
proved to be very strong and valuable to both of them.

  Raising their children, they instilled them with strong family values. They encouraged healthy hobbies and outlets, and vowed to be open with their feelings. Above all, Margaret and Robert made sure their children always approached others with an open mind and a positive attitude, and told them that true love was real. “It might come when you least expect it,” they would say, “but you will find love. There is someone perfect out there for you, I know it.” Their children listened to them, wide-eyed and excited, and Margaret and Robert were overjoyed as they witnessed all of their children grow up and fall in love over the years.

  Margaret had gone from a skeptic to a romantic, and Robert had grown from a reckless rake to a thoughtful and devoted husband and father. It was certain that both Margaret and Robert had changed for the better. Of course, they never reconsidered their original plan to separate after their marriage. They both knew that they wanted to be together forever. Together, they felt complete, and blissfully happy.

  The End

  The Amish Nanny's New Beloved

  By: Elaine Young

  Ch.1

  The rich smell of apple cider filled Emma’s nose the moment she arrived to the local Farmers’ Market downtown. Her maemm was undoubtedly busy given that her bakery, Mary’s Bakery, was a local attraction for the English visitors. No one could ever beat Mary’s whoopie pies, or homemade cider from the apples they picked from Emma’s trees.

  Emma’s fingers gripped the leather reigns firmly as she steered her buggy to the field they kept their horses in during the market. A sea of people, Amish and English, crowded the paved streets of downtown as she passed through with polite words. The crisp air tasted of Fall time, and even the trees were starting to turn a lovely shade of orange. It was that time of the season where it was still warm enough to be outside without extra layers of clothing, but cool enough to remind everyone that winter would soon descend upon them.

  And the cold Emma had been feeling for the past few months, despite the hot heat of summer, was melting away. That was, at least, since her beloved Harley’s death a few weeks ago. Now, she rode in her mourning clothes, feeling the heat of the morning sun on her black kapp.

  She shook away those thoughts before they could manifest again into something bitter and unpleasant. Gott had given them a beautiful day to enjoy the Fellowship of her community, but also to interact with friendly faces in the crowd.

  The Zook family stood behind their usual stand of canned goods, her maemm’s baked delights, and a few spare blankets the women had knitted together a few days ago. She approached her maemm with her arms full of fresh garden vegetables.

  “There you are,” Mary Zook said, giving her daughter a warm smile. “I was wondering if you had gotten lost on the way back.”

  “Nee, I’m sorry, Ma. I was busy picking vegetables for the stand.”

  They set the crate of vegetables down to neatly organize them on the table.

  “You have enough to get through the winter, ja?” Mary asked.

  Emma felt her lips tug upwards into a small smile at the concern in her maemm’s voice. “I will be fine, Ma. I have plenty of meat and vegetables to get through the winter. Harley made sure of it.”

  Just speaking his name brought a painful ache to the center of her chest. Tears wetted her lashes suddenly as they always did whenever she mentioned Harley’s name, as though he was standing nearby, waiting to come to her family’s market stand to place a comforting hand briefly on the small of her back. It was those little things she missed the most.

  Mary watched her neutral expression shift into a sadder one. She reached out a soft hand to touch her on the shoulder consolingly.

  “I wish I could ease the ache in your heart,” Mary said softly. “Gott has a plan for you. You will see in time what it is.”

  Emma smiled tearfully. “I hope so,” she said, reaching up to wipe away the few tears that had escaped. “For now, let us enjoy the company of people around us. It is the only thing that keeps joy in my heart.”

  It was the truth. Their haus felt so terribly lonely and empty without the usual sounds of her and Harley’s light hearted banter. The only thing she ever heard these days were the cows mooing happily from where they grazed in the field next to the barn. Just the other day she had even started talking to the horses and chickens while she fed them.

  She stood with her maemm for the next few hours as they chatted about quilt work and the bakery. Emma had been lucky that Harley’s job at a local construction site was enough to pay for the upkeep of their farm. Now that little bit of income was gone, her maemm insisted persistently on needing extra help in the kitchen at her bakery.

  “I just wish you would consider it, is all,” Mary said. “It would be enough for the upkeep of your farm until you find another mann in a year after your mourning.”

  A year of mourning was a year of black, but Emma had her doubts that her mourning would stop in a year. She loved Harley more than life itself. She had had dreams of starting a family before they were even married. They had been through their rumspringas together, and then joined the church together a few years later. He had been there every step of the way. It didn’t seem right to fall in love with someone else.

  The last thing she wanted to think of was courting another man. For now, she knew that her maemm was right. She needed to find another source of income fast to keep the farm going.

  “I will think about it more,” Emma said, squeezing her maemm’s soft hand. “Danka for helping me through this time. I would be a mess without you.”

  Mary smiled gently at that. “You are my daughter, and I love you, but you also have Gott too. He is everywhere whenever you need Him.”

  “I know.”

  The hair on Emma’s neck rose suddenly when Mary’s gaze focused on someone standing behind her. The tension in her maemm’s face told Emma who it was without having to turn around.

  She sucked in a deep breath, willing her nerves to calm down before turning to look at John King, the man who had been with her mann when they were both ambushed by wolves. Harley, being compassionate as he was, threw himself into the pack before they could go after John. He had sacrificed himself for his childhood friend.

  John stood nervously in front of their stand with his straw hat clutched tightly in his hands. His sharp face was pale and ragged looking with the ghost of a dark beard along his jaw. His usually meticulously cut brown locks were in desperate need of a trim as strands bounced around his forehead.

  “Emma,” John said, tipping his head at her before looking to Mary as well. “Mrs. Zook. May I borrow Emma for a moment to speak privately?”

  The center of Emma’s stomach churned at the thought of being alone with John. Forgiveness is what her father, Abram Zook, preached to their community. She had to repeat the word several times in her mind to remind herself to forgive John. The accident wasn’t his fault, after all. She had to pray to Gott every day to help her forgive John. He had loved Harley as a bruder. He was just as strong in his faith and in his compassion; even if he had run away to get help, leaving her mann dead and alone in the forest with a pack of wolves surrounding him.

  “I don’t know—” Mary started.

  “It’s okay, Ma,” Emma said. “I will be back in a few moments.”

  Her maemm didn’t say anything more. Emma gathered her coat, despite the heat, before following John’s long and steady gait to the edge of the Farmers’ Market.

  He turned to look at her intently for a moment. The past few weeks simmered between the two of them. They had both pointedly avoided each other since Harley’s death. Now, that John stood in front of her, the first stirring of anger caught her off guard.

  Emma’s fingers curled up into fists in her coat pockets. She opened her mouth to speak, but it was John who spoke first.

  “I have to tell you something that Harley asked me to tell you before he died. It’s something I haven’t told your father, the B
ishop.”

  Ch.2

  Emma’s heart pounded furiously in her ribcage, a cold sweat covering her brow. She was torn between wanting to hear what secret John had kept from her daed when they had asked him about what happened that evening, and the small voice inside of her that told her to walk away from the conversation. If John had kept Harley’s words a secret from her daed, the Bishop of their community, then it was surely inappropriate for them to be speaking about it.

  Curiosity won the battle, though. She had to know what her mann had told John before his departure into Gott’s kingdom.

  “What is it?” she asked, breathlessly. “What did Harley say to you that evening?”

  John used the sleeve of his shirt to wipe away the sweat on his brow. His eyes were fixated on the ground between them. “I-I-I know that you are still angry with me. I don’t ask for your forgiveness, or Gott’s either. What happened that evening—”

  His eyes slipped closed. A painful grimace spread across his pale face that was hollow and sunken in.

  “Harley loved you as a bruder,” Emma said, slowly. “He considered you his closest friend here. He would’ve given his life up for anyone.”

  “I know,” John said, his voice hitching slightly. “He was always there for me. When we realized that we were surrounded by wolves that evening, he turned to smile at me.” He looked up at Emma then, tears sparkling in his eyes. “He said, ‘Take care of my Emma. I don’t have to tell you this, but I want her to know that I don’t want her to be alone in the future. That farm is too much for her, so help her, John. Make sure she will be okay.’”

  Tears filled Emma’s eyes at those words. The sincerity in John’s voice told her that those were Harley’s dying words, not an exaggeration. She sucked in a watery breath before turning to face away from John to take in the tree line of the park. Small children were running joyfully around tree roots, their delighted laughter filling the air. A part of her heart clenched painfully at the sound.