by Cassie Hayes
“So,” he started, trying to take her mind off her troubles, “what was your favorite subject in school?”
Gemma didn’t speak for a long moment, then quietly said, “Reading.”
“Really? Mine too! What was your favorite book?”
“The Canterbury Tales.” She peeked up at him just enough to catch a sparkle in his warm, brown eyes. Then she looked around them and hid her face under her hat again.
“I enjoyed that one too, though I can’t deny it was hard to read. I much preferred Dickens. Great Expectations was my favorite.”
“Yes, it’s quite good. Did you have a favorite part?”
Colton didn’t hesitate. “Oh yes. The ending, when Pip and Estella live happily ever after.”
Gemma looked up at him, no longer hiding her face. “You think they lived happily ever after?”
Her comment baffled him, as if Dickens’s ending could be interpreted any other way. “Of course. They meet again after years apart and the last line says Pip never parted from her.”
“I seem to recall it was, ‘I saw no shadow of another parting from her.’”
“Exactly!”
“Doesn’t that seem rather ambiguous? As if he didn’t foresee the parting that eventually came?”
Colton couldn’t have been happier that she seemed engaged in the conversation, but the poor dear had got it all wrong. “No,” he said, shaking his head emphatically. “It means they never parted again. Just the way it should be.”
Gemma frowned and something he couldn’t identify flashed in her eyes before she dipped her head again. He didn’t want to hurt her feelings, so he stayed quiet for the rest of the walk, which only took a few more minutes. Before he knew it, they were standing before Pastor Billings, who was asking Colton if he would take Gemma for his lawfully wedded wife.
“I do,” he said, grinning at her.
Tears welled up in her eyes as the pastor then turned the question on Gemma. His concern over her shyness dissipated. She clearly cared for him as much as he cared for her, the tears proved it.
“I do,” she whispered, her voice cracking with emotion.
Now the part Colton had been looking forward to ever since he laid eyes on her. Lightly grasping her waist, he pulled her closer and lowered his head. Their eyes connected, and he couldn’t tear his gaze away as his lips touched hers. At first, she stiffened against him, then her eyelids drooped, her body relaxed, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He gathered her tighter and poured his heart into that kiss, telling her without words how he would give his life to protect her, no matter what.
When they broke apart, she gazed up at him, a soft smile on her swollen lips. She was so beautiful! So perfect! He let his fingertips skim down her porcelain cheek until he cupped her face. He would have brought her in for another sweet kiss, except the pastor cleared his throat loudly.
Colton and Gemma snickered together and thanked the kindly man, then hurried for the entrance. The moment they stepped outside, Gemma perched her hat on her head again and tipped it forward. Maybe the sun was bothering her. It did make the snow on the ground and the icicles hanging from the roofs sparkle fiercely.
“Would you like to walk around for a while before I take you back to Miss Hazel’s?” Colton asked, not wanting to pressure her into staying in his hotel room, but still wanting to spend more time with her. “I would love to learn more about Ottawa.”
“Um…I really should get back and pack, if you don’t mind.”
She looked so nervous, Colton couldn’t object. “Of course. I’ll be back to take you to the train in the morning.”
Gemma greeted him the next morning with a smile as bright as the sun, and he thanked his lucky stars to have such a beautiful bride. They chatted merrily on their way to their train, and as they passed some vendor stalls just outside the station, a young boy of about ten grabbed a bright red apple from a basket and ran down the street. The fruit seller shouted after the boy, but obviously couldn’t leave his stall unattended.
“Hey!” Colton shouted at the boy, who turned briefly, then went into an all-out sprint. Apparently the red serge of his uniform fueled the boy’s fire. Colton lurched to chase after the little thief, but Gemma held tight to his arm and pulled him back.
“I could still catch him,” he said urgently, trying to pull away gain. She was surprisingly strong, though.
“Colton, we can’t miss the train,” she insisted, tugging him toward the platform.
“But I just witnessed a crime. It’s my duty to bring thieves like that boy to justice.”
Gemma stopped and looked up at him. “Can you, though? This isn’t your jurisdiction — are you allowed to arrest anyone here?”
Colton blinked, realizing he had no idea. He’d been so concerned with ‘maintaining the right’, he hadn’t stopped to consider if he was officially allowed to. “I-I don’t know. But—“
“Besides,” she said, snuggling in close to him until her closeness and her light perfume made him dizzy, “the poor child was probably starving.”
“He did look awfully thin,” Colton said, frowning in thought. “But that’s no excuse to steal. It’s my duty to bring criminals to justice, no matter what their circumstance.”
Gemma grew even quieter. “You don’t think it’s possible that sometimes good people have no choice but to do bad things just to survive?”
Colton couldn’t quite read her expression, but it looked almost…pleading. He loved that she had such a big heart to care for some street urchin she’d never met before. Taking her hands in his, he smiled gently.
“Gemma, you should know this about me. I’m a man of conviction. I believe in right and wrong, good and evil. I believe if you break the law, you deserve justice. Everyone has a choice. Sometimes choosing to do good is harder, but it’s the only way.”
She opened her mouth to speak when the train whistle blasted loudly, calling all passengers to board.
“We better hurry,” he said, breaking into a grin. An adventure awaited them, and he couldn’t wait to get started.
They met up with the other Mounties on the platform, and barely had time to meet their new brides before they were jostled aboard. Happily, each couple found seats together, though the couples were scattered around the car. Colton moved to let Gemma sit by the window, but she demurred, mumbling something about preferring the aisle. That was fine by him — he loved watching the scenery rush by.
“Look, isn’t that the thief?” Colton pointed out the grimy window at a child that looked suspiciously like the boy.
Gemma only glanced in the direction of the window, then turned her head away. “I don’t think so. He wouldn’t be foolish enough to return so soon after…”
She trailed off, and Colton wondered how an innocent girl like her would know such a thing. Probably from all the books she read in school. Of course! Some were practically instruction manuals for criminals. Even the most gentle minds could learn dastardly things from them.
Colton reached out and clasped her hand. She was so nervous, her palm was damp. He squeezed gently, hoping to calm her distress, but she remained tense until the train pulled away from the station. Only after they were well out of town did Gemma squeeze back,before releasing his hand to remove her hat. Her beauty took his breath away, and once again he thanked the good Lord above for bringing them together. When she leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed, Colton thought he’d died and gone to heaven.
Chapter 3
“Are you up for a little visit, Annie?”
Gemma’s friend Annie sat alone as her new husband chatted with Faith’s Mountie. Just as Gemma had hoped, Malcolm — the first man she’d met — ended up marrying sweet, humble Annie, and if he didn’t know how lucky he was already, Gemma would be happy to educate him on the subject.
“Yes, please,” Annie said, smiling up at Gemma.
The first time Gemma had met her at Miss Hazel’s, she’d been taken aback by the scar on Annie’s lip, t
hough she hadn’t let on. It had only taken a few minutes of conversation for Gemma to realize that they had something in common — they both were holding back something about themselves. Gemma didn’t have many practical skills, such as cooking or cleaning or any of the thousand other things normal women did, but she could read almost anyone in the blink of an eye. Annie had a secret she didn’t want anyone to know, least of all her new groom. Since Gemma had her own secrets, the two had formed an unspoken agreement not to pry too deeply, and that had bonded them during their time at Miss Hazel’s.
“You look tired, Gemma,” Annie commented as Gemma settled herself on the hard bench.
Gemma laughed. “We’ve been on this train for hours, and we’re still not there yet. Aren’t we all tired?”
“I suppose…” Annie gazed at her thoughtfully. “No, not so much tired as…sad. What could a brand new bride be sad about? Your Mountie is quite handsome.”
Annie shot a glance over their shoulders at Colton, who had just started a conversation with a man across the aisle. As his lips moved, Gemma couldn’t help recalling the way she’d melted into their wedding kiss. Her knees had gone all wobbly and her entire body had felt like it was on fire right there in the middle of the sanctuary.
“He’s very sweet,” Gemma heard herself saying, as if from a great distance. She couldn’t stop staring at his mouth. She finally forced her gaze away, and focused on her friend. “Maybe too sweet.”
Annie laughed. “How is that even possible? What woman on the planet wouldn’t cut off an arm to have a husband who’s both handsome and sweet?”
Gemma couldn’t return her friend’s smile. “It’s just…there are things…”
Annie’s hand was warm and dry when she laid it on Gemma’s. She understood better than anyone the turmoil inside Gemma.
“I know things haven’t always been easy for you, Gemma, and from what Malcolm says about Reindeer Rock, we’ll have more hard times in front of us. Isn’t it comforting to know we’ll weather those times with these men we’ve married? Colton has barely taken his eyes off you since you came to talk to me. He clearly idolizes you.”
Gemma leaned in close so no one could overhear their conversation. “That’s part of the problem. We just met and he’s already put me on this pedestal. I’m just afraid—“ She cleared her throat, stalling for time to think of the right words without giving away the truth. “I’m just afraid that once he learns more about me, he’ll be shattered. He’s so trusting.”
She glanced back at Colton and met his gaze. He grinned at her like he was the happiest man in the world. His distraction even caught the attention of the man with whom he’d been chatting.
“You mentioned that before,” Annie said, smirking at her. “Gemma, we can’t do anything about our past. We both have to remember that, as hard as it might be. If we do, maybe we can each find the happiness we’ve been denied for so long.”
Gemma sniffed back the threat of tears and clasped Annie’s hand tightly. “The difference is, you deserve happiness. I’m not sure I do.”
“Don’t you dare talk about my friend that way! You deserve happiness just as much as any of us — maybe more so. You have such a kind heart, Gemma. Remember when Faith dropped a skillet in the kitchen and we all laughed? Except you. Your instinct was to rush over to make sure she wasn’t hurt. No matter what you think, you’re a good person and you deserve to be happy.”
Gemma smiled, but remained silent on the matter. More than anything, she wanted to believe Annie, believe that she deserved some kind of happiness. But every moment that passed, every mile the train moved, she was more and more certain Hell would be too pleasant for the likes of her.
Unable to accept her friend’s kind words any longer, Gemma excused herself and returned to her seat next to Colton. The man across the aisle continued jabbering away, which gave her time to get a good look at him. It wasn’t difficult since he was leaning so far into the aisle his face was practically in front of her.
He was older, maybe not quite as old as Miss Hazel, but nipping at her heels. Once dark brown hair had turned salt-and-pepper — more salt than pepper — though his thickly waxed handlebar mustache had somehow managed to retain most of its original color. The finely tailored suit he wore strained around his middle, and his soft hands and groomed fingernails hinted that he’d never worked very hard for the money that kept him so well-fed. His mouth turned up as he spoke, but the smile never reached his sharp, brown eyes.
“I have to stop in Cochrane for a few days, but then I’ll be making my rounds to all the towns within a hundred miles or so to pick up inventory,” he said to Colton, as if Gemma didn’t exist.
“Inventory?” she asked.
Not that she cared about his business, she just wanted to force him to look at her. His gaze flicked over at her, then returned to Colton, who replied to her.
“Oh, how rude of me. Mr. Richard Kirk, this is my new wife, Gemma. Mr. Kirk is a fur buyer from The Bay.”
From the way Colton said it, Gemma could tell he thought she’d be impressed by this news, but it merely confused her. “The bay?”
“Sorry, Hudson’s Bay Company. Reindeer Rock is in his territory, so we’ll be meeting him again in a couple of days.”
“Not so fast, young fella,” Mr. Kirk said. The man had the jolliest — and fakest — laugh Gemma had ever heard. “It’ll be a good week or so, at best. Now, did you say you four are replacing the Mounties who’ve been stationed there for a few years?”
Colton sat just a bit straighter, proud of his job. “Yes, sir.”
“What kind of trouble do you expect up that way? Always seemed like a quiet little place to me. Not much hubbub.”
“This is my first posting, so I’m not sure what to expect, but my superior officer, Commander Wilson—“ Colton pointed out Malcolm, who’d sat down next to Annie again and seemed engrossed in their conversation “—he says it’ll mostly be keeping alcohol away from the Indians, and making sure scuffles don’t happen between them and the trappers. Your trappers, come to think of it.”
Mr. Kirk’s eyes grew wide. “Not my trappers. My suppliers, perhaps, but we don’t employ the boys around these parts.”
The man was qualifying and distancing himself from the men who trapped all the animals for Hudson’s Bay. Only people who suspected wrongdoing of their compatriots did that kind of thing. Gemma had been right to suspect this man was a scoundrel, at the very least. The only question was how Colton didn’t see it. He hung on every word the rather scurrilous man said. As honorable as Colton was, he really needed to learn to spot a fraud if he wanted to succeed as a lawman.
Gemma was suddenly aware that Colton and Mr. Kirk were staring at her, as if awaiting an answer. “I’m sorry, I was lost in thought,” she stammered.
“I just asked if we’ve met before,” Mr. Kirk said. “You look familiar to me.”
Panic set her cheeks on fire. The one thing she’d never counted on was meeting someone she knew on the train to Cochrane. She wracked her memory, searching his face for reminders, but she’d never seen the man before. He certainly was never a mark, nor was he one of her mother’s many suitors. To deflect, Gemma smiled sweetly and hugged Colton’s arm. Strange how simply touching him sent little thrills up her fingers.
“I don’t think so, sir. I’m afraid I just have one of those faces. I can’t tell you how many people have confused me for a distant cousin.”
He opened his mouth to argue, but a commotion in the car interrupted him.
“What’s that?” someone shouted, pointing out the window.
Gemma leaned across Colton to peer out the window, thankful for the distraction, but so much of her body touching so much of his only served to distract her in a completely different way.
“It’s a fox!” someone else said.
“An arctic fox,” another voice corrected.
Sure enough, a small white creature bounded through the snow as the train plodded up a slight incline. Col
ton laughed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, holding her close to him as they watched. But instead of watching the cute fox, Gemma stared at his profile.
She’d never seen a man so delighted by simply watching an animal do animal things. He really had the sweetest heart. An urge to kiss his cheek nearly overwhelmed her, but she managed to hold back in front of all the other passengers. Besides, it wouldn’t do to become infatuated with him. She’d be leaving the first chance she could.
Colton turned to her, his face split in a huge grin. When he caught sight of her, his smile faltered and his brow furrowed. “Why are you crying?”
Gemma smiled and kissed his cheek anyway, savoring the feel of his whiskers on her lips. “I just want to remember this moment forever.”
Having grown up as a fisherman’s son, Colton was no stranger to hard work. His daily routine had seen him waking long before dawn to ready his father’s boat, baiting hooks and traps, and hauling in hundreds of pounds of fish before most people in his little community had even eaten breakfast. But none of that had prepared him for the arduous dogsled trip from Cochrane to Reindeer Rock.
“A-are you o-okay?” he asked Gemma through chattering teeth, as he helped her get off the dogsled they’d been using for the last two days.
She chuckled, then pulled one hand out of a thick mitten and placed it against his frozen cheek. He moaned from the pleasure of her warmth.
“I’m fine, Colton. Are you? Do you have frostbite?”
“He’s fine,” Malcolm said, slapping him on the back harder than was strictly necessary. It stung, but even the pain in the shape of Malcolm’s hand was welcome heat.
