by Everly West
Feeling very proud of herself, she began to clean up the mess she'd made. Flour was strewn across the table, dishes needed washing and her husband would be coming in anytime.
The door burst open and she jumped spilling the sack of flour in her hands onto the table, the cloud of dust covered her face and her clothes.
Levi took one glance at her and burst out laughing as he walked into the kitchen.
Everything had been going fine until he walked in. She could feel the flour on her eyelashes, her cheeks, even her lips as she spluttered trying to get it off her mouth. Glancing down, she saw it on her dress.
As he walked toward her, she didn't say anything, frustration mounting as he came into her once clean kitchen.
"Mrs. Jackson, you have flour in your hair."
She scooped up some of the flour on the table and threw it at him, hitting him in the face, catching him off guard.
She smiled. "And now so do you."
He grinned at her and leaned forward. She put the table between them and ran around to the back side, slipping and sliding in the powdery substance on the floor. Stretching his hand out, he grabbed her dress and pulled her to him, slamming her body against his chest, he stared down at her for just a moment, before his lips covered hers.
Her hands reached up and slipped around his neck, only he had other things in mind.
Breaking apart, his lips continued to trail down her neck as his fingers undid the buttons on her dress.
"What are you doing," she said breathlessly, his kisses heating her blood.
Pulling at her dress, he laid her on the kitchen table amongst the flour. "Having a taste of my wife."
Chapter 8
The last week had been the happiest of Levi's life. Finally, his wife seemed to be settling in and since they had consummated their marriage, she seemed a warmer, gentler person. The memory of how he had made love to her last night in the kitchen brought a smile to his face. She'd been shocked, but soon eagerly joined in the fun. If things continued like they were, hopefully she would come to love him like he'd fallen in love with her.
Right now, he still felt vulnerable and feared any moment he would awaken and she would be gone, back to the war-torn South. Back to the destruction and he would have to let her go. His place was here in Montana, being a rancher, not a newspaper journalist or owner or even the husband of such.
Maybe his instincts were wrong, but right now, he feared at the first invitation, his wife would turn tail and return to her old life.
"How many children did you say they have?" Anna asked, sitting pensively in the sled.
Reaching out, he grabbed her hand. "They're going to love you," he promised.
Realizing they had never talked about children, he asked, "You like children, right?"
"I've never been around kids much. As the only child, you don't get much interaction especially when you don't have any cousins. The only little girl I've been around is Sarah's daughter Becca. And that child could be a handful."
Levi couldn't imagine never having children and he hoped that for Anna's sake she wanted kids, because he wanted a houseful. Maybe he would change his mind once they had one or two, but he would love if they had five or six or even more.
"Do you want children of your own?" he asked. She’d said she did before, but he wondered if she’d changed her mind.
"Yes," she said. "But I don't know how many."
He smiled. At least she still wanted children.
"How many do you want?" she asked, her blue eyes turning to look at him, tinged with fear.
"As many as I can get," he said grinning.
"Oh dear," she said. "I'm not sure I'm the woman for that. What if I don't like babies? What if I don't like changing diapers and feeding them and bathing them and..."
"Calm down. You're working yourself into a frenzy over nothing. Most women only have them one at a time, so let's start there."
As the sleigh pulled into the drive, he saw the boys come charging out of the house and worried they would frighten his wife. His delicate southern belle was going to need a tough skin to deal with these two rascals. They were often a handful and always getting into trouble. But he feared their younger sister wouldn't be much different.
"Uncle Levi," Todd, his oldest nephew, called as he hurried out to the sleigh. "Why did you get married? I thought you knew better than to play with girls."
He chuckled as he tied the reins of the sleigh and went around to help his wife out of the vehicle. "Now, Todd, one of these days you're going to learn that girls are not that bad. I'm going to remind you of this conversation when you get married."
"I'm not getting married," the boy replied.
"We’ll see," Levi replied as he turned to his other nephew, who was a little quieter. "Daniel, what you got there?"
"I brought your wife a toad. I thought she might like him."
Oh no, just what he didn't need for this kid to give his wife—a reptile.
He felt her shiver, but then she surprised him. "Why, Daniel, thank you so much, but I have nowhere to keep him safe and warm. I bet he's your favorite too. Why don't you raise him and take care of him for me."
The boy’s face brightened and his eyes grew large. He turned and ran toward his mother. "Mom, she said I should keep him and raise him. I'm going to put him back in his box."
Levi felt relief at how his wife had handled that situation. Maybe she would be good with children after all. He couldn't imagine never having any brothers and sisters.
His sister-in-law hurried over to his wife and hugged her. "You just made my son very happy that you didn't want to keep his pet frog."
Anna shuddered. "I detest frogs, but it was sweet of him to offer me his pet. I'm Anna by the way."
"Josephine, we're so happy to have you in the family."
"Thank you," Anna said and Levi watched the two women walk to the house, his heart swelling with happiness. The two seemed to like each other and he felt pleased.
His brother came to his side and shook his hand. "I knew they would get along. How's married life?"
"Great," Levi said, grinning at him.
"Sorry, about the interruption in the barn the other day, but I had no way of knowing."
Levi laughed. "Just don't say anything ‘round Anna. She would be mortified."
"Oh yeah, that much I knew from living with Josephine. Come on in and let's get this tree decorated so these kids can settle down. They have been bouncing off the walls today just waiting for you to arrive. Do you remember being like that at Christmastime?
His memories of their family together at Christmas were always happy ones, so that was an easy question to answer.
"Oh shot, yes, don't you remember Papa promising to tan our hides if we didn't settle down. And mother telling us we had been bad and the only thing Santa would bring us was coal. The two of us running around so excited while Elizabeth just watched."
The memory of his sister was like a blow to the chest. He missed her.
As they walked into the house, Levi saw Anna sitting in a chair while Josephine set out the ornaments to decorate the tree. All handmade and some had dates on them to show what year they were crafted.
"I get to hang mine up," Todd called out when the men walked into the room.
"All right, boys, everyone is here. Let's do this slowly and don't knock your sister down. Let her put some on the tree as well."
Little Suzy had a damaged hip and she walked slowly with a limp. They planned to travel to San Francisco this summer to visit a specialist, who they prayed would correct the birth defect.
Levi watched Zach who stood in front of the tree. "The tradition in our family is that the oldest puts on the first ornaments. So I'll go, then Levi, your mother and then your new aunt Anna. After that, the rest of the ornaments are to be shared by whoever wants to put them on."
The boys were all but jumping up and down.
"But first let's remember the reason for Christmas and say a prayer,"
Zach said as he bowed his head and gave a blessing.
As soon as the amen was said, he picked up the first ornament, a wooden cross and hung it on the tree.
For the next hour, the adults and the children decorated the small pine tree, but Anna hung back. She put her designated ornament on the tree and sat, watching the adults. Levi was a little stunned that she didn't want to participate, but he didn't pressure her, just wondered at her reasoning. Was their celebration not enough for her? Or was she so accustomed to big trees with all the trimmings that she found theirs to be primitive?
Whatever the reason, he tried to hide his disappointment and enjoy his time with his brother's kids. After all, they were the ones who enjoyed Christmas more than anything. So why did he get the feeling his wife didn't?
On the ride home, Anna sat quietly reflecting on the family she'd just met. The boys were rambunctious and the little girl, a sweetheart, though her crippled leg left her sad. Though the child didn't let her bad leg keep her from the festivities. What would it have been like to have brothers and sisters to share the holidays with?
She thought of her friends and how Charity's only brother had been killed in the war. Feeling melancholy, she sat not saying a word, the pelt wrapped securely around her.
A brisk wind stirred up the snow, making a whirlwind of ice and flakes, yet the sun shone brightly in the western sky, inching toward the horizon. As the animal pulled the sleigh through the snow, she hoped they would make it home before dark.
"Did you have a good time?" he asked.
What could she say to him? Christmas at her home had been a solemn occasion. There were no trees, no stockings, no church service. On Christmas morning, her father handed out an envelope to each of the servants with a little cash bonus and she received one gift.
When she asked her father about why they didn't celebrate, he always reminded her that her mother died that day from complications of her birth. Later in life, she'd felt guilty that because of her arrival, her father had no one, though she begged him to remarry, hoping someone could make him happy.
While other children were excited about the holidays, she dreaded them, knowing her father would go into a deep depression and there would be no merriments at their home. Seeing such a happy family today left her guilt ridden.
She should feel sad; the anniversary of her mother's death was fast approaching. Her birthday, a quiet affair would soon be here. Never had she experienced a celebration of her birthday, because with her special day came painful memories for her father.
"Your brother's family is lovely," she said.
He gazed at her and she questioned how she would handle Christmas with Levi.
"Why do I get the feeling you weren't happy to meet them."
"No, I loved Josephine and Zach. They are a lovely couple. The boys were a little wild, but I've not been around children, so I don't know how they're supposed to act. And poor little Suzy, my heart breaks for her."
"She's going to be just fine. Next summer Zach told me they are taking her to a specialist where they will try to fix her hip."
"Even so, that's scary that they need to operate on her."
"Yes," he said, glancing at her. "Tell me how does your family celebrate Christmas."
With a sigh, she gazed at him, knowing he needed to know the truth, but hating how it would sound to him. "My birthday is December 24th."
"You're a Christmas baby," he said with a smile.
How she wished she could feel excited about her birthday, but instead she always felt a little blameworthy. A religious holiday and her arrival had killed her mother. Sometimes she thought it would have been easier if she'd died and her mother had lived. At least then, her father would not have given up the holiday and his life would not have been ruined.
"Yes. But my mother suffered complications with my birth. My father told me she lost a lot of blood and on Christmas Day, she died."
"I'm sorry to hear that. It must have been such a difficult time for your father. A new baby and he lost his wife."
Sometimes she wondered if her father blamed her for her mother's death. They were close to a degree, but he never told her he loved her. Hugs were rare and cuddling had never been an option. On rare occasions, she witnessed her friends’ families and knew that hers was not normal.
"Because of mother's death, we never celebrated Christmas," she said quietly wishing she could find joy in the holiday like everyone else.
Levi didn't say anything but kept his gaze facing the road, a frown the only acknowledgment he'd heard her.
"There was no tree. No parties. We didn't even go to church. We mourned my mother," she said. Often, she wondered if their celebration would be what her mother wished for them or if she would want them to carry on like nothing had happened.
"Did you give each other gifts?" Levi asked.
"We gave each other one gift that we opened after lunch on Christmas Day. Afterward, we went to our room and did our own thing. For my father, it was a day to get drunk. For me, I read or stared out the window wondering what other families did on Christmas."
Once she asked her father to let her spend Christmas with Charity and her father vehemently denied her request. It was a day of mourning. A day to think of the dead. A person she never even had the chance to meet, and yet it was her fault her mother died. Her father never accused her of killing her mother, but she always felt like he blamed her.
A blast of icy wind had her pulling the pelt up to her chin. After today, she was so ready to get back to the ranch.
"You mourned the woman who gave you birth, that you never knew, each and every Christmas?" he asked.
"Yes, it's probably the reason I don't really like Christmas. It was never a happy time in our home, but rather a depressing, sad time of year."
Looking back, she understood how her father never got over her mother's death, even all these years later, he still mourned her. And everyone around him, including her, mourned for her mother.
Levi snapped the reins urging the horse on faster down the road, trying to outrace the darkness.
"When someone you love dies, it's painful. But if I were your mother, I would have wanted you to always have happy memories of me, not sad ones."
The only memories she had of her mother were gloomy. Everything about her was depressing.
"And I would be horrified to learn that your birthday and Christmas were not happy times. My memory would be better served by celebrating my life. Put a special ornament on the tree in remembrance of my life and know I'm looking down watching over you, my precious daughter."
He took a deep breath and released it. "Your father was in an impossible situation. The birth of his daughter on one of the best days of his life and the loss of his wife the very next day. What a horrible time."
They turned down the lane to the ranch house, but Anna didn't notice. His words seemed to reach down inside her and give her some comfort. Never before had she ever considered what her father had gone through. Never before had she thought about her mother's wishes. Why would any mother want their children not to have a good Christmas?
"In our home, we will celebrate Christmas. We will celebrate your birthday. And we will remember your mother's memory in a happy way. Understood?"
Staring at her husband, a man she could feel herself falling for more each day, she could only nod. For the first time in her life, she would she have a happy Christmas? One filled with family and children and laughter and love? Everything that had been missing in her life.
The very thought both thrilled and frightened her. Because this was everything she had ever wanted, and this sweet man was making it all come true.
The next morning while Levi was out feeding his cattle, Anna hitched the sleigh. She left Levi a note telling him she needed to go to town and buy a few items and also she needed to see Charity and Sarah. The women were her closest friends and she had to tell someone about Levi. About how he was planning to celebrate her birthday and Christmas.
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For the first time ever, she had the chance to have what she'd always dreamed of and yet she was frightened and filled with the fear of disappointment. Would she feel guilty that she was celebrating for the first time ever or would her husband make this a day that fulfilled all her dreams?
Could this man make her any happier? The urge to talk to her friends overwhelmed her and she knew she had to tell someone about her husband.
The horse was patient with her while she hitched him to the sleigh and then with confidence she didn't feel, she clicked the reins and the sleigh jerked forward. As the horse turned from the drive to the road, she knew that Levi would be upset with her when she returned, but right now, she would disobey him just to find the answers she needed.
It took her almost an hour to reach town and she knew she couldn't stay long, but the excitement overwhelmed her trepidation and the sight of Angel Creek was a welcome relief.
She pulled the sleigh in front of her friend’s home, grabbed her surprise gift from the back of the sled, and hurried inside to see Charity and Sarah. After learning that Ruby and Julie could not be there, the three of them gathered around the quilting frame she’d found had been left in the house when Levi moved in.
"Look, we're quilting again," Charity said, smiling and laughing.
"Yes, we're back together, except for the two others. Ruby is off with her husband, fighting that disease. Does anyone know when they'll be back?" Anna asked.
"No," Sarah said, pulling a needle through the material of the quilt.
Anna couldn't wait to see the other two girls again and hear about their new husbands and their lives. Were they as happy as the rest of them?
"Though I was the one who purchased the Groom's Gazette, I never would have had the courage to leave without each of you by my side," Charity said, gazing at her and Sarah. "I'm so glad we did this together. What about you? Are you happy we left Charleston?"
Sarah smiled. "Yes, this was my only hope of keeping my daughter at my side."
Thank goodness, Sarah no longer had to worry about her mettlesome in-laws.
