Forever, I Promise (A Northern Woods Novel)

by Roberts, Charliann

  “Doesn’t bother me at all. I love horses – and cowboys aren’t too bad either.”

  “Well, I’ll have to take you out riding sometime.”

  “That would be fun, once my final exams are over and done with,” she said with a frown and looked down at her laptop.

  Wade finally stood and apologized for taking her study time away from her. The weekend was only two days away and he asked if she’d like to join him for dinner Friday night.

  She gazed up at him and her eyes sparkled. Wade considered himself a fairly good looking cowboy with golden brown hair, brown eyes, and near six feet tall with a masculine build.

  “Are you looking me over?” Wade asked. “Do I pass your requirements?” he added with a worried look.

  Hailey smiled sweetly. “Only time will tell,” she answered and agreed to meet him at the Texas Roadhouse at seven o’clock. This was the beginning of their romantic relationship.

  * * *

  Wade and Hailey had been together as a couple for one year when Wade finally let on to his co-workers that he had a girlfriend. They all cheered and teased him, saying ‘it’s about time’.

  “Why have you kept her a secret from us for this long?” Jake asked, and playfully punched him in the shoulder. Jake Morrison was the manager of the men who worked with rescue horses. Colburn Stables began to take in abused and abandoned horses three years ago. Jake was a big man, gentle though, with thinning sandy hair, a permanent five o’clock shadow and dark eyes that sparkled when he was amused.

  “I wanted her all to myself, that’s why,” Wade joked.

  The guys told Wade to invite her to one of their get-together happenings they have every so often at Colburn Stables. While they’d been talking Nick had been in his office with the door open and he suddenly stepped out and joined in.

  “I overheard part of your conversation, men, and the party would be a good idea. We haven’t had a gathering since our winter barn dance. I’ll talk to Mariah and we’ll set a date. Bring your wives or your girlfriends. We’ll have a party and you’d be able to introduce Hailey. It’ll be a barbeque and perhaps a hayride. I’m sure she’d enjoy it, Wade. What do you think?”

  “Sounds good – I’ll mention it to her tonight; I know she’d love to be included.”

  “Okay, I’ll speak to Mariah and let you know when it will take place,” Nick said, before he returned to his office and closed the door. This week was payroll and he had a lot of work to do.

  Most of the ranch hands were married, although like Wade, a few of them were single. Every one of them attended the parties Nick and Mariah held. They enjoyed getting to know each other and their families.

  * * *

  The party took place two weeks later. It was mid-June and perfect weather for an outdoor gathering. There were tables set up on the lawn in the rear yard which had a beautiful view of the prairie, covered with wild flowers as far as the eye could see – among them, Northern Bluebells, Chicory, and American Speedwell. It was a magnificent sight. The employees who were also parents were able to include their children. There was a fenced-in play yard for the youngsters, in full view for the parents.

  When Wade and Hailey arrived he parked the truck and Hailey hopped out. She wore brown jeans and a tan short-sleeve blouse along with cowgirl boots and a hat that matched Wade’s Stetson. He’d purchased the boots and hat for her when they attended a rodeo a few weeks ago. He seemed proud to show her off, and she glowed with warmth to be on his arm.

  She let go of him and turned in circles with a wide smile, astonished by the exquisite beauty of the Colburn Ranch. “It’s breathtaking,” she said. She pressed her palms against her cheeks and with a slow disbelieving shake of her head she added, “This is the most stunning sight I’ve ever seen. It’s absolutely beautiful.”

  “Yes, it is. Wouldn’t you love to live somewhere near here someday?” he asked.

  “Oh, I doubt I’d ever be able to afford property quite this enchanting.”

  Wade glanced at her and winked. “You never know, honey. You never know…”

  Suddenly they became aware of a door opening and turned to see Mariah coming out of the house. “I thought I heard someone,” she said with a grin. “You’re the first to arrive.” Hailey adored Mariah’s gorgeous jet-black hair, which was braided and ran down her back to her waistline. She had a slim figure and appeared to be approximately an inch or two shorter than herself.

  Mariah walked across the open deck and down three steps to the lawn. The deck had a beautiful octagonal shape on the south side of the home with fencing around the exterior and a gate to keep the children from falling or roaming off the premises. There was a sliding glass door that allowed entrance into the kitchen area. “You must be Hailey.” Mariah smiled and took her hand. “Welcome to our ranch. It’s so nice to finally meet you.” She put her arm around Hailey’s shoulder. “Come with me. I’ll show you the inside of our home while Wade helps Nick set up more chairs out on the grounds.” Wade took the hint and went off in search of Nick while Mariah led Hailey into the house.

  “We’ve heard so much about you, Hailey,” Mariah said as she led her through the sliding glass door.

  Hailey blushed and spoke softly. “I hope it’s all been good.”

  “Oh, yes. Definitely! Wade has always been a wonderful ranch hand, but since the day he met you, he’s been a completely different happy-go-lucky person.”

  “That’s certainly good to hear,” she said, as Mariah walked her throughout the lower level.

  Mariah then guided her upstairs to the second floor which held four bedrooms and two baths. When they came to a closed door that entered the west end of their home Mariah explained, “This section of the house belongs to Bess, our nanny. She’s been with us for so long she’s considered part of our family. Once we built the house we were able to convince her to move in when she was shown her own section of the house. It worked out nicely for us all.”

  “You have a lovely home, indoors and out. It’s stunning.”

  Mariah smiled. “Thank you. When we decided to build a new home we knew we’d be spending the rest of our lives here so we wanted it to be specially built for a large family. This is our farm and we love it here.”

  They returned to the lower level and walked into the kitchen. Mariah pointed out Bess, who was preparing potato salad and other miscellaneous items for their party. Bess was approximately five-foot-nine with dark brown hair along with a light touch of gray, and a very fit figure for a woman of fifty-five years.

  “The children call her Auntie Bess; she treats them… well all of us, really, with loving care. She does so much for us; we’d never be able to get along without her.” Mariah walked over to Bess, grinned and gave her a hug.

  “Do you need help with anything?” Hailey offered.

  “No, no. Everything’s just about ready,” Mariah said, then turned toward the dining room window and observed the arrival of several more guests. “Come with me. I’ll introduce you to the newcomers.”

  Hailey noticed everyone wore jeans and was glad she had followed the fashion. Wade spotted her and walked over to stand by her side. He put an arm around her and gave her a quick kiss on her forehead. “What do you think of their house?” he asked.

  “Oh, I love it. All I can say is I’m filled with envy.”

  “Let’s walk over to the families who have recently arrived. I’ll introduce you.”

  Hailey gave a slight nod. He took her hand and led her to the lawn chairs where other couples were talking up a storm.

  “Hey, Wade!” called a red-headed man with a huge grin on his face.

  “Hey, Art,” Wade responded.

  “Please present your lovely lady to us,” Art said. “We’ve been anxious to meet you,” he added to Hailey. He stood and took her hand. “And this is Lillie, my one and only,” he said. Lillie stood and appeared dwarfed by Art’s big-boned and muscular body; she gave her a hug.

  “Hello, Hailey,” Lillie said, and t
ook Hailey’s hands in hers for a moment. “It’s so nice to finally meet you. Welcome to our happy-go-lucky crowd. We’ve always had a fantastic time at each and every one of the Colburn Stables’ parties.”

  “Thank you, Lillie. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you too.”

  Hailey looked over the crowd and noticed many families had arrived while she was indoors with Mariah. It seemed everyone had fairly large families, something she herself had always longed for. Maybe someday… she so envied Mariah and Nick with their ten-year-old son Nicky and their two daughters, identical five-year-old twins, Allison and Angela.

  The party was fabulous. Hailey had never before met so many happy, friendly and outgoing people. She was from New York and moved to Minnesota after the death of her parents five years ago. They had been vacationing on their thirty-fifth wedding anniversary when their small plane went down over the Atlantic.

  Everyone had been sitting near or around the huge fire pit for a few hours, enjoying the food that Bess prepared: potato salad, hot dogs, bratwurst, and of course potato chips and roasted marshmallows. There were several choices of soda for the children; beer and coffee for the adults.

  As the sun began to disappear beyond the oak trees, one-by-one the families started to gather their belongings and round up their children.

  Wade turned toward Hailey. “I’ll help Nick fold up the lawn chairs before we take off. Why don’t you wait on the deck with Mariah?”

  “All right, I’ll do that,” she said, and went up the three steps to join Mariah, who was sitting in one of the comfortably-padded lawn chairs surrounding a circular hardwood table built into the center of the deck.

  Once the chairs had been folded and the garbage containers were set out behind the barn, Wade and Hailey thanked Nick and Mariah for their hospitality.

  “This was so much fun. I had a fantastic time meeting everyone,” Hailey said.

  Mariah gave her a hug. “It was nice of you to come, Hailey. We hope to see you more often. Next time we’ll plan a hayride for adults only. We felt it may have been too much with the toddlers.”

  “I’ve attempted to convince her into moving to Huntington,” Wade said. “She’s been hesitant about leaving her job at Flowers Galore which is located in Duluth.” He put his arm around Hailey and lightly squeezed her shoulder. “Perhaps I’ll be lucky someday soon.”

  They returned to Wade’s house and relaxed on the sofa. “Would you like a glass of Chardonnay?” Wade asked.

  “Yes, that sounds relaxing after such an active and exciting day.”

  “The party was fun,” Wade said, from where he stood in the kitchen. He poured two glasses of wine, then carried them into the living room and handed one to her before he sat down. “It will be nice when I’m able to purchase my own house. I’ll definitely have a bar.” She giggled before she took a sip, and he grinned. “You seemed to be having a good time today.”

  “Oh yes. I loved meeting everyone. They’re all such friendly people. I also enjoyed watching the children. They played together so pleasantly on the playground. It was an excellent idea for them to spend time with each other while the parents were able to keep an eye on them. Nick and Mariah’s twins are the cutest little girls I’ve ever seen. Nicky being the oldest seemed to watch over the young ones. I admired him when he helped the toddlers go down the slide.”

  “Nick bought him his own horse a couple of years ago. He handles horseback riding very well. He told me he wants to grow up to be a rancher just like his dad. So… you sound like you’d like to have children someday.”

  Hailey ran a finger along the rim of her glass before she took a sip of her wine. “A son or a daughter would be nice or I’d love to have twins. Mariah’s are adorable! Perhaps even triplets would be fun,” she said and smiled up at him.

  “I agree,” Wade whispered and slid his finger through a small strand of her hair.

  He stood to turn on the stereo and found perfect romantic music, Endless Love by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie. He sat beside her and set his glass on the coffee table in front of them. He kissed her cheek, then took her glass of wine and placed it next to his. He looked into her eyes then reached over to lift a stray lock of hair away from her lips and took her hand in his.

  “I love you to the moon and back, Hailey. Will you marry me?”

  She tipped her face up toward his. “I love you too Wade, and yes, I’ll marry you.”

  He ran his hands over her cheeks before he placed them behind her head and pulled her close. “I’ll make you happy, I promise – someday we’ll have a large house and a dozen kids. Is that enough, or do you want more?”

  Her stomach fluttered. “A dozen will be fine, so long as they’re half-dozen boys and half-dozen girls.”

  “I’ll try, Babe. Oh how I’ll try!”

  Chapter Three

  Wade and Hailey decided on a small wedding during the first weekend in August, less than two months away. It would be short notice but they were both eager to become husband and wife and had no desire to wait any longer. Neither of them had family to invite since both sets of parents had passed away and there were no siblings.

  They chose Saturday, August 7th for their special day. Wade asked Nick to be his best man and Hailey requested Mariah as her Matron of Honor; their son Nicky would be the ring bearer.

  Mariah was filled with excitement. It had been years since they attended a wedding and she and Nick felt honored for their family to participate in the ceremony. They offered their impressive meadow beyond their home for the marriage to take place and their attractive homestead for the reception.

  The couple invited the employees of Colburn Stables along with their families. Jake Morrison’s wife, Natalie began her photographic career a few years ago and volunteered to create their wedding album as a gift.

  On Saturday morning, less than three weeks before her wedding, Hailey needed some help selecting the perfect wedding dress. She decided to call Mariah and quickly dialed her number.

  “Hello?”

  “Mariah, this is Hailey. Are you busy today?”

  “Not really. What can I do for you? You sound a bit anxious.”

  “I was about to head over to the Huntington Bridle Shop to find a wedding dress, if possible on such short notice. Would you like to accompany me? I’d really appreciate your opinion on a dress that would look perfect for my big day.”

  “I’d be happy to! This will be fun and Bess is home so I’m sure she won’t mind. She’s also excited about the wedding.” Hailey and Mariah had already been shopping together for Mariah’s Matron of Honor dress. It was a baby blue satin with white lace along the neckline and short sleeves. The hem came just below the knees. “When would you like to leave?” Mariah asked. “I’ll drive over there since you’re already in Huntington.”

  “Oh, would you? I’m beginning to be so nervous and excited too. If it’s not too early I’d prefer to leave as soon as possible.”

  “I’ll be there in about thirty minutes.”

  When they walked into the Huntington Bridal Shop they were told that there wouldn’t be enough time to have a dress sized for her by her wedding date. Hailey was beginning to worry. “Oh, great.”

  The clerk stood away from her a bit and held her forefinger against her chin. She looked at Hailey carefully then circled her. “Do you know what size dress you’d wear?”

  “I’m not sure. I haven’t purchased one in quite some time.”

  “Hmmm… there are a few dresses in the store that might fit you.” She led them to the rack. “Take a look and let me know if you find any you’d like to try on.”

  “Thank you,” Hailey said. She and Mariah began to examine the dresses. There had been a few for her to try on, although none of them seemed right on her. She looked at Mariah. “What am I going to do?” She was about to panic. “There’s nowhere else to go unless we drive to Duluth.” Tears began to form in her eyes when the clerk eagerly rushed over to them. She held a white dress in her arms.<
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  “Try this on, honey. A woman had this fitted for her wedding two months ago then called in to put it on hold. Three days ago she called again and cancelled. Her wedding was called off.” She smiled and handed the dress to Hailey. “It looks like it might fit you. Give it a try.”

  “It’s very pretty, Hailey,” Mariah said.

  “It is, isn’t it?”

  Delighted, they both rushed into the fitting room and Mariah helped her step into the dress then gently pulled up the zipper in back.

  “Oh Hailey,” Mariah whispered, placed her hands on Hailey’s shoulders and turned her around to face the mirror. “It’s beautiful.”

  It was a lovely white chiffon wedding gown; a classic style, tea length skirt with a vintage flare and scalloped edging. It was strapless with a sweetheart neckline and a tea length train.

  When they walked out of the dressing room, each with a grin on her face, the clerk asked anxiously, “How do you like it?”

  “It’s charming!”

  “Turn around, let me see the back.” Hailey did as she was told. “Oh, honey, it’s a perfect fit.”

  “I’ll take it,” Hailey said, and returned to the fitting room to remove the dress. She handed it to the sales woman who placed it in a dress box lined with tissue paper. When Hailey returned to the register she pulled her credit card from her purse.

  “What a miracle, Hailey. You’re going to look stunning. I can’t wait to see the look on Wade’s face when you walk down the aisle, or meadow I guess we’d say.” They both laughed as they left the store.

  “I have a pair of white sandals that I haven’t even worn yet – they’ll be ideal, so I guess I’m all set.

  “When Wade and Nick went shopping for their tuxedos last week, Wade left the house so anxiously he walked out without his wallet and his phone. He came back to retrieve them and felt like an idiot.”

  Mariah giggled. “You aren’t bringing your dress to his house are you?”