Winning the Mail-Order Bride

by Lauri Robinson

  Brett collected a few tools from his shop, went to the depot and got the box open just as the train whistle sounded.

  Stepping out of the depot, he noticed Josiah driving a buggy away from the livery. It was just as well that he hadn’t said anything to the mayor. Josiah had seemed sincere, and it certainly wasn’t his place to tell Josiah that he couldn’t marry Fiona. Not while she kept insisting that she had to marry him.

  Rubbing his chin, Brett decided that was what he had to do first. Convince her otherwise.

  The whistle sounded again, and Brett huffed out a breath. He didn’t have a lot of time either. Things needed to be worked out with Fiona before Hannah arrived. That would make explaining things to Hannah, and eventually his mother, easier.

  Easier on him maybe. Hannah was expecting to become his wife. The most he could hope for was that she’d be open to marrying someone else.

  That wasn’t as simple as he’d once thought it was. The idea of just marrying anyone no longer appealed to him. Perhaps because now he saw past the act to the life that it could turn into. A life full of watching sunrises in the morning and whispering in the dark come nightfall.

  Brett returned to his shop but didn’t get a whole lot accomplished for the rest of the afternoon. He was glad to lock up when the time came. He owed Fiona an apology for the way he’d left her this afternoon and was ready to give it.

  “Supper isn’t quite ready,” Martha said as he and the boys walked into the house. “I was hoping these young men would visit the barbershop with me to see how much longer Otis will be.” Smiling at the boys, she added, “I know where he keeps some peppermint sticks.”

  The shine that appeared in Rhett and Wyatt’s eyes was almost as bright as the one in Martha’s.

  “You’ll keep an eye on Fiona, won’t you, Brett?” Martha asked. “We won’t be long.”

  “Sure,” he said, glancing at the closed bedroom door.

  “I knew you would,” Martha said. “Come along, children.”

  As soon as they shut the door, Brett crossed the room, set upon taking advantage of the chance to speak to Fiona privately.

  His rehearsed apology and his explanation of how hard it is to break a promise but that at times it had to be done left his mind as soon as he opened the door. Fiona was sitting up in bed and the gentle, welcoming smile that covered her face had him grasping the door frame to keep himself steady. She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Would ever see.

  “Hello,” she said brightly.

  “Feeling better?”

  “Yes. And I’m sorry I made you angry earlier.”

  She hadn’t looked away from him and he didn’t either. “I’m sorry I got mad earlier. I shouldn’t have.”

  “Yes, you should have,” she answered. “I was being stubborn. I can be like that sometimes.”

  He grinned to make sure she knew he was teasing and winked. “You don’t say?”

  Her cheeks turned pink as she giggled. “Yes, I say.” Shaking her head, she continued, “I—well, nothing was as I expected, and I didn’t know what to do about it. I thought I could make it work, thought I had to, when in reality, I should have been willing to admit I was wrong.”

  “Sometimes that’s the hardest part,” he said, stepping into the room.

  “Yes, it is, or can be.” She bit her bottom lip before saying, “I believe you donated to the Betterment Committee in order to obtain a wife.”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you still interested in obtaining a wife?”

  For a fraction of a moment he wondered if she knew about the telegram he’d sent his mother, but then he noticed her cheeks were turning red. He shrugged and tried to keep his smile from growing too large. “That depends.”

  “On what?”

  “On who is interested in becoming my wife.”

  She didn’t blink or hesitate before saying, “I’m interested.”

  The excitement that shot through him was like none he’d felt before, yet he contained it while pulling the chair up to the side of her bed. “I thought it would be harder than this. That I’d have to convince you.”

  “You had me convinced the moment I met you, when you insisted we eat supper with you. And again when you showed me the sunrise. And then the picnic. And then there was that monster fish.”

  “All of that was before. What changed your mind today?”

  She shrugged. “I guess you could call it a reckoning. In this case, I had to weigh out exactly what keeping my word would do, and what not keeping it would do. Rhett and Wyatt already adore you.”

  Brett took a hold of her hand. “I’m mighty fond of them too, but I want to know about you. Do you want to marry me for yourself, and not just for Rhett and Wyatt?”

  She wrapped her other hand around his. “Yes. I want to marry you for me too. I want that more than anything.”

  Happier than he ever remembered being, Brett wanted to shout to the heavens. He settled for kissing the back of her hand, both hands. “I’ll make you happy, Fiona,” he vowed. “I swear it.”

  “I have no doubt you will because you already have,” she said quietly. “Just by being you. Your actions, how you live your life, are—well, it’s exactly what I’d wished for. Prayed for. I can’t wait to become Mrs. Brett Blackwell.”

  Unable to contain his enthusiasm any longer, Brett did give out a happy whoop and then kissed her.

  Immense joy filled Fiona. If there had been any lingering doubts that she wasn’t doing the right thing, they completely disappeared when Brett’s lips met hers. There was no room inside her for anything but bliss. And pure contentment.

  She returned his kiss with an open heart. Kissing him was as natural as the sunrise they’d watched together. As if it was meant to be. Had always been meant to be.

  When the perfection of his lips eased off hers, she smiled and sighed. He was exactly what she’d dreamed of finding. “Maybe I should pinch myself,” she told him. “To make sure I’m not dreaming.”

  “Then pinch me too,” he said. “Or maybe just kiss me again.”

  They did kiss again, several times, before he pulled her closer and gave her an enormous and wonderful hug.

  He then leaned his forehead against hers. “I promise to be the best husband possible, Fiona, and the best father too.”

  “I know you will,” she answered. “And I promise to be the best wife I can be.”

  After yet another quick kiss, he sat back down in the chair and took a hold of her hand. “When?” he asked. “When do you want to get married?”

  A sliver of regret washed over her. She should have told him she had yet to speak with Josiah, but once she’d made up her mind, she hadn’t been able to wait. “I have to speak to Josiah first. I haven’t told him that I won’t marry him.”

  The way Brett nodded eased her concern. “Do you want me to talk to him?”

  It would be easy to say yes, so she shook her head. “No, I need to do that.” With a hint of shame, she asked, “Would you mind if we didn’t tell anyone, especially Rhett and Wyatt, until after I talk to Josiah? I owe him that much.” She squeezed his hand, truly wanting him to understand. “I planned on telling him first, but I don’t know when he’ll stop by again, and then I saw you standing in the doorway.” She shrugged. “I’d been lying here, hoping you wanted to marry me, but I wasn’t sure and I just—”

  “I want to marry you, Fiona. I spent most of the day trying to figure out a way to make you see that.” He kissed the back of her hand again. “And keeping all this excitement to myself is going to be hard, even for a little while.”

  “For me too. If I wasn’t confined to this bed, I’d walk over and tell Josiah right now.”

  “You’re not getting out of this bed until Doc Graham says you can,” Brett said.
“Furthermore, I saw Josiah head south in a buggy earlier today and he hasn’t come back yet. Leastwise, he hadn’t before I left the shop.”

  Fiona was about to say that Josiah hadn’t mentioned anything about going anywhere today when the back door of the house opened. She sighed and leaned back against the pillows, accepting their alone time was over.

  For now.

  Knowing there would be many more times like today, she couldn’t control the smile on her face.

  Brett gave her hand a final squeeze before he released it. He stood up and crossed the room but stopped in the doorway to ask, “Who are you?”

  Instantly concerned, Fiona sat up, wishing she could see past him.

  “It’s me... Rhett. Don’t you recognize me, Brett?”

  “Well, you sound the same,” he said. “You best come in here and see if your ma recognizes you.”

  Even more concerned, Fiona leaned toward the edge of the bed. “What’s happened?”

  The way Brett glanced over his shoulder and winked eased her concern but increased her curiosity. Rhett was the first through the doorway, closely followed by Wyatt. Their hair had been trimmed and was parted down the side and slicked back. They both looked adorable.

  “Hey, Ma.”

  “Well, hello, young man.” Following how Brett had reacted, she said, “What is your name? You sound like my son Rhett, but you don’t look like him. And who is that with you?”

  Wyatt laughed while Rhett frowned as they walked closer. “It’s us, Ma. Me and Wyatt. Mr. Taylor cut our hair.”

  Enjoying the game, she pressed her hands to her chest. “Well, my goodness, it is you. Just more handsome than I remember.”

  Brett picked up Rhett and set him down on the bed beside her. “They’re so handsome, I hardly recognized them,” Brett said.

  “Mr. Taylor even put shaving cream on our faces,” Rhett said, preening as he turned his face for her to see both sides.

  “I declare,” she said. “It shines likes it’s been freshly shaved.” She hooked a finger beneath Wyatt’s chin and examined his face. “Yours too. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen two more handsome young men.”

  “He didn’t really shave our faces,” Wyatt said. “He just let us know how it will feel when we’re old enough and need that done.”

  “I suspect that’s something it’s good to get used to,” she said, seeing how much they’d enjoyed the experience. Her heart couldn’t grow more full. The entire town of Oak Grove was proving to be exactly what she’d hoped to find.

  “That’s what Mr. Taylor said,” Wyatt explained. “He said it won’t be long and we’ll be regular customers, just like Brett.”

  “I’m sure it won’t be long at all,” she answered while her mind was thinking about how excited they’d be to learn she was marrying Brett instead of Josiah. They would be happier than she’d seen them in ages. Perhaps ever. It was hard not to tell them right now, and the shine on Brett’s face said he knew exactly what she was thinking.

  Never silent for long, Rhett started telling her about his day. How he’d played with the Austin boys all morning and then ridden Brett’s horses in the afternoon. Fiona listened and asked questions, all the while taking note of how Brett had sat down and lifted Wyatt onto his lap. Her older son had plenty to say too. Good things. Events he was excited about. They’d changed over the last few days. Had gone from solemn and silent to happy and excited. She knew exactly why and she’d forever be grateful to Brett.

  It wasn’t long before Martha entered the room, carrying a tray. “I have your momma’s supper here and yours is on the table,” Martha told the boys. “Run on into the kitchen and sit down so we can all eat before it gets cold.”

  After Brett and the boys left the room, Fiona reached out to take the tray from Martha.

  “I believe I see an extra sparkle in your eyes,” Martha whispered.

  Fiona bit her lip as she set the tray on her lap but then couldn’t help but whisper back, “He said yes.”

  “Of course he did.” Martha laughed quietly. “Did you expect differently?”

  Fiona shrugged. “I hoped not.”

  “I knew not,” Martha replied before she turned about. While walking toward the door, she said loudly, “Eat up. We’ll have you up and about in no time.”

  Fiona ate and found herself wishing she was already healed. Or that the snake had never bitten her. But if that hadn’t happened, she wouldn’t have been brought here. Everything would be different. Or back to how it had been, with her planning on marrying Josiah instead of Brett. Smiling, she gratefully accepted the fact she was glad to have been bitten by that snake.

  Maggie and Jackson Miller arrived as soon as supper was done. Martha and Otis left shortly afterward, with Martha insisting she’d be back in the morning. Maggie had brought along a pie that the men and boys enjoyed while she removed the poultice on Fiona’s leg.

  “Doc had to go see to a patient,” Maggie explained, “but before he left, he told me we can now just put a damp cloth on your leg to ease the swelling and to tell you he’ll be over tomorrow. He went out to the Baker place. They’re expecting a baby any day now.”

  “I sincerely appreciate everything that everyone is doing for me,” Fiona said. “I just hope I can someday repay you all.”

  “Your friendship is all the repayment we want,” Maggie said. She sighed then and shook her head while draping a cloth over the snake bite. “I’ve never seen a town like Oak Grove, and trust me, I’ve seen a lot of towns. My sister, Mary, and I traveled a lot. Our da was a traveling man. And I assumed this place would be like so many others. Where strangers weren’t welcomed. I was wrong. I’ve only been here a little over a month and truly can’t imagine living anywhere else. You’ll feel that way soon too.”

  “I already do,” Fiona admitted.

  “Good.” Maggie gently replaced the sheet. “I can’t wait for you to meet Mary, my sister. We’re twins.”

  “I heard that.” Unable to imagine two women being as beautiful as Maggie, Fiona asked, “Do you look alike?”

  “Most people think we look exactly alike, but not Jackson. He claims I’m prettier.” She giggled while gathering the discarded poultice and bandage. “Mary says Steve says she’s prettier. That’s how love is. I know there isn’t a man more handsome than Jackson in my eyes. Or one who is more loving or generous. Two months ago, I would never have imagined I’d have a husband who treats me like a queen.” She shrugged and her blue eyes twinkled as she said, “I always thought of myself as a queen but didn’t truly believe I’d ever find a king like Jackson. He’s so wonderful and amazing and, well, he’s everything to me. He’s driving me out to see Mary this weekend—” She held up a hand. “I just thought of something.”

  Maggie’s face had lit up even brighter, while a chill rushed over Fiona. Josiah had probably told others they were to get married this weekend.

  “Mary has two pet raccoons. They are still babies and so adorable—I’m sure Rhett and Wyatt would love to see them. Would you allow them to ride with Jackson and me out to the Circle P? We’d keep a close eye on them.”

  Taken aback by the request, Fiona said, “That’s kind of you to offer, but—”

  “Please?” Maggie said. “They are such good boys, and I know Mary wouldn’t mind.”

  “Thank you,” Fiona said. “But maybe Jackson wants to be alone with you. You are newly married.”

  If possible, Maggie’s smile grew as her blue eyes glowed with happiness. “Yes, we are, and it’s wonderful. But we won’t be alone. Angus is going with us. He wants to see the raccoons, and he told me to tell you hello. So two more won’t be a problem. Please say yes. And please let me ask them. I want them to know they are welcome in Oak Grove too.”

  “Oh, dear,” Fiona said. “You make saying no impossible.”

 
Maggie laughed. “Jackson says the same thing.” Holding up the items she’d gathered, she added, “I’m going to get rid of this stuff. The boys are outside with the men, so I’ll ask them about Saturday. Do you need anything when I come back? A piece of pie?”

  “Thank you, but no, I’m still full from supper,” Fiona answered. “Lying around doesn’t work up an appetite.”

  “I’ll be back in a little bit, then.” She stopped at the doorway. “It is all right that I ask the boys, isn’t it? I can tell them they have your permission to go?”

  “Yes,” Fiona answered. “You can ask them and tell them they have my permission.”

  “Thank you.”

  Fiona laughed as Maggie scurried out the door. My, how her life had changed since yesterday morning.

  “Hey, there.”

  She twisted toward the open window. Brett was bent down so he could rest his arms on the sill in order to poke his head through the opening. “Hey, there yourself,” she replied.

  “So Rhett and Wyatt are going to the Circle P on Saturday?” he asked.

  Fiona laughed. “Were you eavesdropping?”

  “No. Playing hide-and-seek and just happened to hide under the window.”

  She couldn’t remember hearing of a grown man playing hide-and-seek, but if there was one who would, it was Brett. “Who’s it?”

  “Rhett. He’s looking for Wyatt, who’s hiding under the front steps.”

  “What about Jackson?” she asked, assuming he was still there.

  “He’s behind the shed.” An excited squeal had Brett pulling his head out. “Gotta go!”

  Fiona laughed aloud. She truly couldn’t believe she could be more happy. Closing her eyes, she said a quick prayer of thanks and then laughed again at the squeals of delight coming in through the window.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Brett couldn’t remember a time he’d been so antsy. He couldn’t stop his toe from tapping the floor or the tips of his fingers from drumming together. Joyce Chadwick had arrived shortly before dark and he could still hear her moving around downstairs. It had to have been more than an hour since he’d said he was going to bed and come upstairs.