Christmas Miracles: Mega Mail Order Bride 20-Book Box Set: Multi-Author Box Set

by Jenny Creek Tanner

  Despite there being no snow, it was very cold. Even with her new coat, which was made of sheepskin, Beth found herself shivering as they entered their home. Her hands were numb.

  “Wow, it’s brisk out there.” She rubbed her hands together. “I didn’t realize it could get so cold out here.”

  “It was a bit of a shock to me when I first came here.” Robert shut the door, but it didn’t shut out the cold. “And I grew up with freezing cold winters as a child.”

  Beth giggled. It had been a long time since somebody had made her laugh. She shivered and rubbed her hands more vigorously.

  “It’s going to take a while before I get the feeling back in my fingers.”

  “Here, sit.”

  Robert ushered her to sit and set about building up the fire. Soon it was burning well in the grate and Beth found herself thawing out. Robert took her coat and shawl and folded them over the back of the couch. Then he sat beside her and dug into his pocket.

  “I’ve got you something here.”

  “Another present? You’ve already given me the coat.”

  “But this is something else.” Robert withdrew his hand and held it out. “Here.”

  It was a bracelet. Made of blue silk as thick as one of Beth’s fingers with costume jewelry sewn delicately into it. Even with the simplicity of it, Beth thought it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

  “I made it myself.” Robert was blushing. “I wanted to give you a little something with a bit more feeling. I know it’s not much but…”

  “It’s perfect.” Beth took the bracelet and slipped it on. It fitted over her hand easily and was cool and smooth against her skin. She looked at it and then looked up at Robert, who was watching her expectantly. “Thank you, Robert.”

  Then she leaned forward and kissed him. Robert started, but he didn’t pull away. If anything, he pulled her closer and slipped his arms around her. Beth could understand his surprise. This was the first time she had kissed him.

  And it was nice. Not like she had expected.

  Robert pulled back and grinned. He looked dazed but delighted.

  “Now that’s a Christmas present.”

  “Sorry.”

  Blushing, Beth tried to pull back, but Robert urged her to stop.

  “There’s nothing to be sorry about. I’m pleased.” He cupped her cheek in his hand. “You touched me without flinching.”

  “I know.” Beth nuzzled his hand. “I feel like I can trust you. You won’t reject me.”

  “Why would I reject you?”

  Beth knew she sounded stupid. But Robert had never made her feel like an idiot with her thoughts. So, she told him.

  “I guess I’m scared still. After everything with that…” She couldn’t bring herself to say the little brat’s name. “I felt as if I would get rejected or reject someone and the outcome would be bad. I didn’t want to go through that.”

  Robert chuckled and kissed her forehead.

  “I wouldn’t reject you. You’re my wife, and I love you. I wouldn’t reject you ever.”

  “You love me?”

  Had she heard him correctly?

  “Of course I do, silly.” Robert laid a finger over her lips when Beth opened her mouth. “Don’t feel obligated to tell me you love me right now. I don’t need to hear it because I know you do.”

  Beth couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face. She kissed his finger and hugged him.

  “What did I do to deserve you?”

  “You chose to answer my ad.”

  Beth giggled and kissed his jaw. That resulted in Robert kissing her, settling against the cushions as he cuddled her to his side.

  As she leaned against him safe and comfortable in the glow of his love, she knew this was the best Christmas ever and that this was going to be her favorite memory.

  The story of the Mail Order Brides of Frye continues, to find out when join my newsletter here.

  Book 4- Mail Order Brides for a Town Called Hope: The Scarred and Rejected Bride

  Indiana Wake & Belle Fiffer

  Chapter 1

  "For G... goodness’ sake!"

  Lily Herod jumped and shook her head at her sisters as the loud almost-curse reached their ears. It was shortly followed by the slam of the front door. A moment later, Hattie came storming into the small kitchen, kicking at the ottoman as she went past. Nana frowned at her in disapproval.

  "Hattie! Would you not take the Lord’s name in vain?"

  Their sister snorted. “I didn’t.” Color flushed her cheeks, for her sisters knew that she had changed the word at the last minute. Defeated, she sagged into an armchair. "I think he will let me off for doing so... this time."

  Lily watched Hattie, whose dark scowl disappeared as exhaustion and resignation set in. This was not good at all. Hattie was hot tempered at the best of times, particularly lately after their tragedy, but Lily had never seen her quite like this.

  "What's wrong?" she asked.

  "Pa's landlord is still refusing to let us have the house." Hattie rubbed her hands over her face. "I've argued with him, but it's no good. He wants us out by the end of the week."

  Lily couldn't believe what she was hearing. Seated on the floor by the fire as she played with their cat, Maye gasped and went pale. Nana was staring at Hattie like she had said she was growing an extra head. "Doesn't he realize that he's making us homeless?" Nana demanded.

  "I told him that... But he said that he's got a family coming in on Monday and wants the place vacated."

  Lily knew that their landlord hadn't been on their friendly side due to the many arguments with their father. Still, while he was alive, Adam Herod had been a prominent member of society and knew certain people, and because of that he hadn't been threatened with eviction. But now that he and their mother Tracey were dead, the landlord was taking his revenge on their children by making the four sisters homeless.

  "How are we going to survive?" Maye cried. She was trembling. "We have nowhere to go."

  Lily looked at the three women, seeing the desperation in all of them. Hattie, the eldest, had inherited her father's temper and had a tendency to get into arguments. She had also inherited his black hair while she had her mother's blue eyes. As triplets, Lily, Nana, and Maye were blonde-haired and blue-eyed, little replicas of their mother. Lily was the level-headed one of the three while Nana was the pious, strong-willed one, and Maye, the youngest, was delicate and tended to get hysterical over the slightest things. She didn't like change, which Lily could appreciate. Especially now!

  After what they had been through, she could understand only too well. The four of them had coped with more than their fair share of change. This last blow had been hard to deal with and left them with few choices. It resulted in Maye having a permanent limp, Nana losing a lot of the use of her left hand, Hattie having scars on her body, and Lily a prominent scar all the way down the left side of her once pretty face.

  They were all beautiful women, but since the accident, all of them were avoided like the plague. People they had known for years crossed the road to elude them and stopped inviting them to places. As soon as their parents' funeral was over, their visitors dwindled down to nothing. The sisters hadn't entertained anyone for weeks now.

  And now this!

  Nana reached over and squeezed Maye's shoulder.

  "We'll figure it out," she said softly. "We're going to go to that man and have it out with him."

  Lily looked down at the letter she had been reading. Her hand shook, and her stomach rolled and threatened to evict the meager breakfast. It didn’t matter, she must be strong. Maybe they had a way out. It was worth a try—in fact, it was the only try they had.

  "Or we could move somewhere... where we can be useful," she murmured.

  "How do you mean, Lily?" Hattie sat forward, her eyes open wide.

  Three pairs of blue eyes turned to watch her. Lily bit her lip.

  "You know how we all wrote to men in the Matrimonial Tim
es?”

  "You mean where we were all rejected despite that claim?" Nana snorted.

  “Well I did one last letter to Hope Springs? A place where there are very few women?"

  It had been a desperate effort on their parts. Hattie had seen advertisements for mail order brides shortly after the funeral and had suggested that they try it. None of them wanted to be reduced to that, and they didn't want to be separated but after their parents' death, but they had no choice. Hattie, Maye, and Nana had all written to men who had advertised for brides, but all of them had been turned down because of their physical disabilities.

  Lily had done the same, but after a few rejections she had played it a little more wisely. She hadn't disclosed that she was facially scarred, deciding to leave that fact out. It would probably play badly down the line, but maybe the deception would be enough to get her somewhere. It had eaten away at her since she sent the letter. She spent many a night praying that her decision was right. Maybe it had been!

  "I didn't get rejected," she said quietly, holding up the letter.

  "You got accepted?" Maye stared at her in delight. "That's great news, Lily. You didn't need to worry about us if you had someone write back to you."

  "Yeah, well, if it pans out." Lily gestured at her face. "I haven't told him about this."

  It wasn't something you could hide, either. The puckered skin started just under her left eye, barely missing the eye, and was an angry, red, jagged line down her cheek, stopping at her jaw. Before Lily used to enjoy spending time in front of a mirror. Now she could barely look at herself.

  "My dear sister," Hattie said gently, "If he cares about you then he shouldn't give a damn about your scars."

  “Hattie," Nana scolded.

  Hattie rolled her eyes. "Stop being so high and mighty, Nan. Now is not the time, and it's getting annoying. What did your prospective groom say, Lil?"

  "He's asked me to marry him." Lily looked down at the letter in her lap and the paragraph she had been re-reading when Hattie had returned home. "But he says it's not for love."

  "What?" Nana looked confused. "I thought you just said you were accepted?"

  "He wrote back to me, and there was a proposal, not a declaration of love." That still rankled, but it was better than nothing. "He says he's a widower with three unruly children, and he needs a mother for them."

  She could tell her sisters were not happy with that arrangement. It sounded too callous for them.

  "And you're going to accept that?" Maye stared at her wide-eyed.

  "I'm not impressed, either, Maye, but it's better than nothing." Lily shrugged. "I can put up with a loveless marriage if I've got something to keep me busy… and it will be a home." The word sounded hollow, but Lily loved children and had longed for children of her own. At twenty-four, she was going to struggle to get any prospects, let alone getting pregnant. Having three children to look after would be good enough for her.

  "Have you accepted?" Hattie asked.

  "Yes, I've already sent the letter last week." Lily retrieved the letter she had received that morning and passed it across to Hattie. "I also mentioned that my sisters are coming to Hope Springs as well and could he recommend somewhere for us to live. Kit asked around and said his brother rents out a two-bed house just outside the town. It's free as soon as we want it."

  That was better than they could ask for. Not only would one of them get a marriage they needed, but they would be able to stay together and have somewhere to live.

  Their reactions were immediate, and the dreary mood that had hung over them was lifted. There was much to still do, much to think about, but it was a new start and maybe a new future.

  "How far is it to Hope Springs?" Nana asked.

  "And when can we leave?" Maye queried.

  Hattie simply nodded. It was a unanimous decision.

  They were going to Hope Springs.

  Chapter 2

  Kit McFarlan finished his coffee and placed the mug in the sink on top of the growing pile of unwashed plates. He turned to the three little heads bent over their bowls of porridge at the kitchen table.

  "Come on, you three. Eat up."

  The dark head of his six-year-old son looked up, dark eyes wide in his innocence.

  "Are you going to play with us today, Daddy?"

  Kit sighed. It was the one thing they asked every morning when they sat down to breakfast. And he always had to say no. If he wasn't in demand with his business, he would be able to take some time off. But being left to raise three small children meant he needed to work hard so he could put food on the table.

  He ruffled Caleb's hair.

  "Sorry, kid, I've got a lot of work to do today."

  His eldest daughter harrumphed, giving him a glare.

  "You always have work," she accused.

  "I'm the only blacksmith in town, Dionne. And I have to work so we can eat."

  Dionne scowled, but Kit wasn't giving in. Since Amie had died shortly after Christmas, he had been lumbered with the kids and had to focus on working while keeping an eye on Dionne, Caleb, and little Renee. He had to feed them and dress them and make sure they were in bed at the right time. He loved them, but lately, they had been getting on his nerves, always wanting his attention. Renee, especially, had become very needy.

  Kit was losing patience and chose to hide in his forge. It was the only place right now that gave him some comfort. Coming home didn't hold anything for him anymore. At least nothing but painful memories.

  But it wouldn't be long before he had a reason to come home. His mail order bride would be arriving in the next few days, a new mother for the children. She could look after them when he was working and then she could look after him when he finished. If she was attractive, then Kit was considering changing their previous agreement. But that was only if he found her attractive. A smile crossed his face. It had been mighty lonely even with the kids, and a man had to have pleasure sometimes.

  There was a knock at the back door, and a huge man with shoulders almost as wide as the doorway ducked his head to enter through the small opening. He beamed at the children, who looked up at his entrance.

  "Hey, kids."

  "Uncle Greg!"

  Renee jumped down from the table, dashed past Kit as he tried to catch her, and launched herself at the visitor. Greg McFarlan scooped his niece up and hugged her, the five-year-old squealing as he spun her round.

  "Hey!" He drew back and tapped Renee on the nose. "How's my girl?"

  "Daddy won't play with us," Renee said candidly.

  Greg glanced at Kit with a slanted eyebrow. Kit ignored the look. His oldest brother was always going on at him for not spending enough time with the children. Kit didn't think he neglected the kids, but his family thought otherwise. Greg told him he threw himself into his work too much and didn't focus on his family, who were also suffering from losing their mother. But Kit didn't think he needed to change anything.

  He just needed someone to curb the children's behavior. To make them understand that they should be quiet when needed, sit still when needed, and listen to what he said all the time.

  "I have to work, Renee." Kit took his daughter out of Greg's arms and put her on the floor. "Play with Dionne and Caleb."

  Eyes shimmering with tears, Renee turned and ran out of the kitchen. Dionne and Caleb finishing gobbling down their breakfast and jumped down from the table, running out after Renee shouting and squealing. A moment later the front door banged against the wall as they charged out into the street.

  Greg sat at the table, easing his large frame into a chair, and watched Kit as his younger brother gathered the discarded bowls and put them in the sink. They could wait until the evening. If he had any energy left. Or he could leave them. His ma was coming over in the morning... she could wash up if she was looking for something to do.

  "Natasha has said she would watch them for you," Greg pointed out. “You are not the only one who has to work… you need to make this right.”
/>   Kit sighed.

  "Tash has her hands full with her own brood without me adding to them."

  Their eldest sister was the only one married out of the six McFarlan children. She had been lucky to marry her childhood sweetheart and now had six children of her own. Kit had the children but no longer had the marriage, and he was struggling with three. A wave of sadness rolled over him. How was he to go on?

  He didn't know how women coped with three children alone. They had to be miracle-workers.

  Hopefully, Lily would be a miracle worker on his kids.

  Greg nodded towards the front door.

  "Aren't you a bit hands off with them?"

  "No. They're kids." Kit picked up his Stetson and put it on. "They won't notice."

  "Trust me, they do. John's had to go after them cos’ they were breaking windows or causing a ruckus. Renee opened the gate to Josh Sandhu's cattle pen last week. It was a miracle that none of them went running and trampled her underfoot."

  The thought of his daughter being harmed had Kit's heart clenching. When Renee had been little, she had been his princess, the one who could do no wrong. It seemed like she was doing wrong now.

  He covered up his mental anguish by shrugging and leaving out the back door.

  "They're kids."

  "Kids who desperately want their father's attention." Greg stood and followed him out, crossing the yard towards the woodshed. "I know you're still getting over what happened to Amie... but they lost their mother. Now they need their father."

  "Don't tell me how to be a parent, Greg," Kit growled.

  One thing Kit didn't like was being lectured on how to be a father to his children. They had always been little tearaways, but they were polite, well-mannered and didn't cause intentional trouble. Things may have gotten a little out of control since Amie had died, but they weren't necessarily bad children. They just needed a firm hand.

  Hopefully, that firm hand would give Kit some sanity. While he loved Dionne, Caleb and Renee he wished that he could deal with them properly. But that was a mother's touch, not his.