The Nanny's Temporary Triplets

by Noelle Marchand

  His mother chatted on. “Here you go, Caroline. Some cinnamon tea to warm you on the inside, since we can’t do much for the outside yet.”

  “It’s delicious. Thank you, Ida.”

  “You’re welcome. I’m so sorry you broke your arm, but I’m glad you’re all right otherwise. Now, I have to get back to Maggie.” Ida’s wave fluttered in his periphery vision. “Y’all go back to whatever you two were doing.”

  With that, Ida left as quickly as she’d appeared. Her footsteps retreated upstairs until they no longer filled the silence between him and Caroline. He turned to her again with his defenses rising. In contrast, her eyes were a study in vulnerability. Her hair was a mess of mud-streaked brown waves spilling from their normal style to rest about the shoulders of her tattered dress. Her face was leeched of its usual color and tense from pain. Yet she watched him as though he was the only thing that mattered. Finally, she spoke with calm assurance. “I love you, David.”

  “Will you marry me?” The words came out before he realized she’d slipped past his defenses. They were an automatic response to her confession because he wanted proof. He wanted to know with certainty that she wouldn’t recant her words. Still, the proposal took him by surprise as much as it did her. He recovered first.

  Taking the mug of tea from her hand, he set it on the nightstand. He went down on one knee before her. He caught hold of her uninjured arm and trailed his hand down until it caught hers. He kissed it. Capturing her gaze, he urged, “Marry me.”

  Uncertainty flickered in her eyes. Only then did he realize how much he was asking her to give up—the operetta, her home, living near her parents. He was asking her to take on a lot, too—a daughter, a live-in mother-in-law, ranch life, small-town living. It might be too much. If so, he’d rather know it now. Would she stay with him? Was she ready to be his now and forever?

  Her lips tilted into a beautiful smile. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

  Relief and joy overcame his caution. He rose just enough to kiss her. His arms began to close around her, but he remembered her injury in time to stop himself from hurting her. Instead he planted his hands on the bed on either side of her, framing her in. He kissed her again, then pulled back just enough to ask, “When?’

  “Hmm?”

  He couldn’t help smiling because she sounded a little dazed. He gently bumped his nose against hers. “When will you marry me?”

  “Oh, I don’t know.” Her free hand tangled in the back of his hair. “Is tomorrow too soon?”

  “Not for me, but you’ll need some time to recover from today.” Still, he had no intention of waiting for long. “How about Saturday?”

  She stilled, then pulled back a little more. Probably to see if he was serious. “Saturday? Four days from now Saturday?”

  “I’ll take care of everything. You would only need to rest and decide what to wear.”

  She blinked thoughtfully. “I suppose my parents could make it here by then if they wanted.”

  “Then it’s settled?”

  “Saturday,” she repeated almost as though she wasn’t sure how she’d gotten herself into this. “Why so soon?”

  “You almost died today. I almost died last week. I don’t want to waste any more time.”

  She seemed to melt a little at that. Finally, she nodded. “I don’t, either. Saturday it is.”

  He moved in for another kiss. A pounding on the front door brought him up short. “That must be the doctor.”

  Her eyes widened with a hint of panic. “You’ll stay with me while he’s here?”

  “If you want me to.”

  “I do.” She caught his shirt and tugged him forward to kiss him briefly. “I love you.”

  The knock sounded again along with footsteps on the stairs as his mother called out that she was coming. Unwilling to be caught in an embrace just yet, David moved away and met Ida in the hall.

  Then the doctor took charge of everything. Caroline maintained a brave face while the doctor set her arm, though she couldn’t stop the tears. Matthew arrived while the doctor was finishing up on the cast. David went upstairs with the doctor to check on Maggie. The girl had fallen asleep and barely awakened enough to see that her ankle was being wrapped before snuggling back into her covers.

  While Ida took care of the triplets, David walked the doctor out to the porch and paid him for his trouble. David stepped back inside just as Matthew closed the bedroom door softly behind him. “The pain medicine put her to sleep. I didn’t know if you wanted me to move her to the nursery or take her home.”

  “She’s fine where she is. We’ll see how she feels after she’s had some sleep and go from there.”

  Matthew nodded. “She told me congratulations are in order.”

  “Thank you,” he said, though he knew full well Matthew hadn’t offered his. “I’m sorry I didn’t wait to speak with you or your father. It all happened pretty quickly once I found out she’d almost died today. I don’t want to waste any time.”

  Finally, Matthew grinned. “You aren’t. Want me to send a telegram to my folks?”

  Telegram. Realization flashed through David even as he nodded. “That would be great.”

  “I’ll be back to check on Caroline after dinner.”

  “Sounds good,” David said despite the fact he could barely hear over the roar of panic in his ears. He closed the door behind Matthew and just stood there a minute. “I have two fiancés.”

  How in the world had this happened? Well, he knew how it had happened. He’d sent for a mail-order bride, then he’d proposed to Caroline. Elizabeth Dumont hadn’t even crossed his mind. He hadn’t been thinking. He’d been feeling. It was what he’d always done when it came to women. He’d hoped he’d grown out of it. Apparently not.

  There was only one solution. He’d wire the mail-order bride and tell her not to come. It had been only two days since he’d sent the telegram. She’d needed a week to prepare for the trip, so she wouldn’t be on her way yet.

  No one ever need know. That was a good thing because he couldn’t imagine trying to explain this to Caroline. After what she’d been through with Nico, it could easily make her bolt. The last thing he wanted was to give her a reason to change her mind...and break his heart.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Her parents weren’t able to arrive until the night before the wedding. Their train had been delayed, so it was too late for them to have supper with the McKays as planned. Instead Emma fixed them a quick dinner, then retreated to her bedroom to work on the wedding dress Caroline’s mother, Priscilla, had brought with her. Although Caroline hadn’t seen her parents in a month, she almost wished she could slip away, too.

  Priscilla’s blond hair glinted in the lamplight as her green eyes watched Caroline in concern. “My poor girl. It’s so unfortunate that you broke your arm. You couldn’t possibly take on the role of Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance now.”

  Caroline shrugged her left shoulder—the one not attached to the broken arm. “No. I suppose I couldn’t, but I’m getting married. That’s hardly a disappointment.”

  A beat of silence filled the parlor. Priscilla bit her lip. Caroline’s father shifted uncomfortably on the settee beside his wife. Matthew, who sat in a chair across from Caroline, narrowed his eyes at his parents. Caroline met her mother’s gaze in defiance. “Well, it might be disappointing to you, but it isn’t to me.”

  “I never said it was disappointing,” Priscilla protested. “It’s only that...he’s a rancher!

  Matthew straightened in his chair. “What’s wrong with being a rancher?”

  “Why, nothing, of course. It’s only that Caroline isn’t like you. She loves music.” Priscilla turned toward her. “Are you really willing to give that up?”

  “I wouldn’t be giving it up. The McKays have a piano that I’ve
been using. I’m sure David would support me giving lessons on it if that’s what I wished. You should hear him play the guitar. He’s amazing. It’s one of the first things that drew me to him. That and his voice. It’s untrained but beautiful.”

  Lawrence rubbed a hand over his chin. “I suppose that’s something.”

  “Yes, and Maggie has a sweet alto. I’ve already started voice lessons with her.”

  That perked her father’s interest. “Have you?’

  “Ida plays the piano. All of his ranch hands play instruments, as well. Living at the ranch, I’m surrounded by music.” As opposed to living at her parents’ home in Austin, where she’d often been surrounded by a silent house.

  “Well, Priscilla, that doesn’t sound so bad now, does it?”

  “I suppose I do feel a little better about it.”

  Her father looked to Matthew. “You approve of this man?”

  Matthew looked a bit surprised to have his father seeking his opinion. His shoulder squared. “Yes, I do.”

  Lawrence nodded, then gave a resigned sigh. “I just hope he doesn’t have any skeletons in his closet waiting to jump out at us like the last one.”

  “Lawrence, what a thing to say.”

  “I’m sorry, but the speed of all this is making me jumpy.”

  “I’m uneasy about it, too.” Priscilla’s voice shifted to a persuading croon. “Why not wait awhile, Caroline? If only until you’re out of the cast.”

  She smiled. “It’s easier this way. I’ll need a lot of help during the next six weeks. Emma’s in the family way, so it wouldn’t be right to burden her with my care. You and Father are busy with your work. There would be no one to look after me.”

  “We could hire a nurse,” Priscilla offered.

  “Thank you, but I don’t need a nurse. David and his mother will take care of me. Besides, David and I are in agreement. Life’s too short to waste it waiting around simply for the purpose of waiting around.”

  Lawrence frowned. “But you have barely known this man a month. We’ve never even met him.”

  “You met her last fiancé,” Matthew couldn’t seem to help interjecting. “It didn’t exactly help any.”

  Her mother glared. Her father’s voice turned colder. “That man fooled us all.”

  “He might not have if you’d been paying closer attention to your daughter.”

  The argument escalated from there, but Caroline took it as a cue to step outside for a breath of fresh air and some peace. She was just in time to see David riding up on his horse. She waved at him, then walked out onto the grass to meet him as he dismounted. Mindful of her arm, he met her with a gentle embrace. His voice was both teasing and a little grumpy. “I’ve been away from you for a whole day. It was awful. I hated it. I’m never doing it again.”

  She smiled into his shoulder. “I promise you won’t have to after tomorrow.”

  “That is why I thoroughly approve of the shortness of this engagement.” His lips pressed a glancing kiss against the curve of her neck.

  Her breath caught in her throat. She pressed a hand against his chest. “My parents are here.”

  “They made it?” He glanced at the house behind them. “I’m glad. I know you wanted them here.”

  She sighed. “I’m not so sure about that anymore.”

  “Why?”

  She traced the edges of his concerned frown. “They’re questioning my every decision. It’s only making me surer of my choices. Not less.”

  He relaxed at that. “Good.”

  “How is Maggie’s ankle?”

  “The swelling has gone down. I thought the sprain would slow her up some, but somehow she’s even faster on those tiny crutches of hers.”

  Caroline laughed. “We’ll be a sight in the morning. The flower girl on crutches and the bride with a broken arm. How are the triplets?”

  “They’re as giggly as ever. Annie worked out well as a temporary helper today.”

  She bit her lip at the word temporary. “David, I don’t think I’m going to be much good for the triplets for a while yet. Y’all were struggling with it before I came. I don’t know how we’ll manage it now.”

  He sighed. “We may not need to manage it at all.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The sheriff came by today. He thinks he may have a lead on some relatives of the triplets.”

  She gasped. “Really?”

  “Nothing has been confirmed yet. He just wanted to let me know so that we wouldn’t get attached.”

  “Oh, it’s too late for that.”

  “I know.” He shook his head. “I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been secretly hoping to adopt them, but a relative would trump my claim a thousand times over.”

  She squeezed his arm. “I’m sorry, David.”

  “So am I. We’ll have to see how this all plays out.”

  “Speaking of playing.” She tapped the guitar strap slanted across his chest. “The natives are restless and could use some subduing. Come meet my parents.”

  David laughed as he followed her inside. Within minutes of meeting her parents, he’d charmed them both. His guitar playing even coaxed Emma from the bedroom, where she’d been hiding out by working on Caroline’s wedding gown. With the family in a far more peaceful mood, he persuaded Caroline to sing a duet with him. Normally she hated singing in front of her parents, but she forgot all about them as her voice blended with his and she looked into his eyes.

  Love stared back at her. She knew it was love even though he’d yet to say those three precious words. Why was he withholding them from her? Did he even realize he was doing so? Sure, she appreciated how he showed his love through his care and concern for her, but she wanted to hear it at least once before she walked down the aisle toward him. Her wish wasn’t granted for he said goodbye to her in front of the others with nothing more than a kiss on the cheek and a promise that he was looking forward to tomorrow.

  There was little time to wallow in disappointment for Emma insisted that Caroline try on the wedding dress one last time to make sure the sleeves had turned out all right. Since the fashionable puff sleeves narrowed at the forearm, it would have been impossible for Caroline to wear it with a cast on one arm. Emma had cut off the narrow part and refashioned the puff to make it appear as though the sleeves had always been short.

  Caroline turned this way and that in the mirror to admire the dress. “I think it looks perfect. Thank you, Emma.”

  “You’re welcome.” Emma leaned her hip on the dresser as she surveyed her work. “I’m so glad it worked out.”

  “Do you think it’s odd for me to wear the same dress I wore at the other wedding?”

  Emma sent her a disbelieving look. “You had four days to come up with something to wear.”

  “So...no?”

  “No, I don’t think it’s odd, since you already had a perfectly good wedding dress hanging in your closet. The dress is perfect and isn’t to blame for the problems at your last wedding.”

  She grinned. “That was a case of having the right dress and the wrong man.”

  “Exactly. Now you have the right dress and the right man.” Emma hugged her. “It’s so nice to see you so happy.”

  “It’s nice to be this happy.” It was also a little scary, she admitted to herself as Emma helped her into a nightgown. Caroline almost felt as though she was waiting for something to go wrong. It was like singing an aria with one troublesome note. She couldn’t help anticipating it.

  If only David had said the words. It would have given her something to hold on to, something to battle the nervousness fluttering through her stomach. But he hadn’t. That along with the pain in her arm and the discomfort of the cast kept her awake long into the night.

  * * *

  Caroli
ne awakened with a start when her mother knocked on the door. “Good morning, bride.”

  It was meant to be sweet. Caroline knew that, but Priscilla had said that exact same thing a month ago. It only drove home the point that she’d done this before. It had ended in disaster then. What if it happened again? Caroline pushed aside that thought along with the mess her hair had become and smiled. “Good morning.”

  “Emma is cooking breakfast. I thought I’d help you with your hair and your dress...” Her mother chatted on as the smell of breakfast drifted in through the open door. It only made Caroline’s stomach roil.

  “I couldn’t eat a thing,” Caroline said when her mother took a breath. “I’d rather start getting ready. Why don’t you eat while I take care of my morning ablutions?”

  “All right, dear, if you insist, but you really should try to eat something before the ceremony. I can’t believe it’s only two hours from now. That’s hardly enough time. But then, I suppose country folks do start their day unforgivably early.”

  Caroline had a precious few minutes alone to steady her nerves before Priscilla and Emma bustled in to help her get ready. Before she knew it, she was standing on the church steps wondering how on earth she’d been coaxed into getting married only a month after the disaster of her previous wedding. And she was in the same dress. It shouldn’t have mattered, but suddenly it did. Emma had assured her the dress was fine. The doubts besieging her were her parents’ concerns, not hers.

  She glanced at her father, who waited beside her. His tension was almost palpable. Lawrence caught her watching. “If this man hurts you, so help me. So help him.”

  She appreciated the fierce protectiveness of his statement, but it was hardly encouraging. Her heart began pounding in her chest. Was David this nervous?

  “Miss Caroline!”

  She turned on the steps to find Maggie hurrying toward her on crutches with Ida and Edmund McKay not far behind. Caroline accepted the girl’s hug and everything within her calmed down as a rush of love flowed through her. Tears gathered in her eyes, though she did her best to blink them away. She caught the girl’s chin in her hand and tilted her face upward. Before Caroline could say anything, Maggie’s eyes widened. “You look beautiful.”