Western Christmas Brides

by Lauri Robinson

  * * *

  Kit thought that Edwina seemed a different person while shopping in the general store. She purchased what seemed to be half of Geoff Goodwin’s stock of toys. She smiled, laughed and put on an air of having a fine time, in spite of the fact that the goods would surely not be up to her higher standards.

  Geoff had a big old grin on his face tallying up her bill. Which she paid without an apparent twinge of remorse.

  “There’s only one more thing I need,” she mentioned before they went out the door. “Bentley should have a pup of his own. The other children have them and, well—he needs one, as well.”

  “I don’t have any of those,” Geoff remarked. “But I hear that Mildred’s been feeding a stray behind the depot.”

  Kit found that he liked Edwina’s smile, and if one more dog in the house helped make them appear more often, one more dog there would be.

  It turned out to be true about the pup, and Mildred was happy to let it go.

  Most of the way home, the shaggy peach-colored mop sat on Edwina’s lap licking her face.

  One time, Edwina even laughed. Christmas and puppies just went together as far as Kit was concerned.

  But now that they were half a mile from home, his newly come cousin became silent, downcast.

  “Are you worried your husband won’t approve of that sweet, shaggy girl?”

  “I hardly care what Mr. Spire thinks. Not any—Well, here we are, home just before dark.”

  Kit helped Edwina down from the wagon while she held tight to the pup.

  He watched her go inside, heard childish shouts and puppies barking. When the ruckus seemed to settle down, he took the horses and the buggy full of toys to the barn.

  Hours later, icy rain began to fall. It was warm and cozy inside the house, though.

  Cheerful flames danced in the hearth. Homey sounds came from the kitchen. Livy sat on the parlor floor wrapping the mound of gifts that Edwina had purchased.

  An hour ago he’d looked in on the children. Sweetly asleep in a row on the big bed—boy, pup, girl, pup, boy—they were a vision of contentment.

  “Sleep now, sweet ones,” he whispered. Come tomorrow night they wouldn’t be sleeping so soundly, not with Santa on the way.

  Too bad he was not so trouble-free.

  His mind was in a knot trying to figure out how to make a dazzling Christmas tree out of ashes. It would need to be something spectacular so that his wife would have her miracle—and just maybe he would have his.

  From time to time, Livy would attack him with a silent stare, unless Edwina happened to be looking, then she was smiling like a glowing newlywed.

  At the moment, Edwina was in the kitchen trying to make cookies.

  “What do you suppose has gotten into her?” Livy said, breaking her long silence.

  “Maybe you ought to ask her?”

  Footsteps tapped across the floor. Edwina emerged from the kitchen with flour on her face, her hands and her hair. Even her little dog, who hugged the edge of her skirt like she was tethered to it, was dusted in white.

  “Sound does travel in this house.” Edwina dusted her hands on the apron. “You, my dear cousin, make cookies nearly every day. I see no reason why I should not.”

  “You have hired help to do it for you,” Livy pointed out, because no one believed that Edwina was taking pleasure in the creative task.

  “No, not any longer.” Edwina swiped her hand across her cheek, making a streak of dough and tears. The pup leaped on Edwina’s apron, whining.

  “No help? I reckon you’d better sit down and tell me exactly what’s happened.” Livy stood up, leading her cousin to the couch with a gentle tug on her elbow.

  “I’ll go on upstairs if you ladies would like some privacy.”

  “What I have to say concerns you, too, so you might as well stay.” Edwina sat down. With the fire’s glow reflecting off her face, it was easy to see that she had been weeping for some time.

  With a hug, Livy sat beside her. Kit shoved a dozen gifts aside with his foot then drew a chair across from them and sat down.

  “You might have noticed Bentley and I arrived early.” Yep, and Kit was a married man because of it. “Well, we are not going home.”

  “You’re not?” Livy cast Kit an appalled glance.

  “Being here, I’ve come to see, to understand, that family is sometimes all a woman has. And, well, I no longer have one of my own. Not a husband, at any rate.”

  “You don’t?” Livy gasped.

  “You won’t mind if we stay here with you, just for a while, until—” all at once Edwina sobbed out loud “—just until I learn a skill to support me and my children, right here in your quaint little town.”

  His wife stared at her cousin, wide-eyed and gut punched.

  “Won’t it be grand?” Edwina asked with a hiccup.

  With a quick, jerky nod, Livy hugged Edwina to her.

  “Cousin.” Kit rose from his chair and resettled on the couch on the other side of her. He lay his arm across her shoulders, because he had a feeling Edwina was going to need all the family care she could get. “When you said children, you didn’t mean the puppy, did you?”

  With one shake of her head, Edwina touched her belly then buried her face into Livy’s shoulder.

  “Why! This is wonderful news!” Livy declared, and held her cousin at arm’s length to look into her eyes. “Is your husband unhappy about it? Is that what is wrong?”

  “He doesn’t know. I left him before I gave him the news.”

  “He ought to know.” Kit squeezed her shoulder. “A man should be given the chance to rejoice at the happy event.”

  “Not this man!” She shook her head so hard the puppy jumped off her lap. “He’s a brute and cares very little for his family!”

  “He hurt you?” Livy grew suddenly pale.

  “Indeed he did. He demanded that we move to some primitive place in New Mexico. There is no polite society in the area—there is no society at all, in fact. The ranch he bought has only mad coyotes for neighbors. Everyone knows that’s not a fit place to raise a child.

  “He sold our house even though I refused to leave it. He’s ripping the life I knew out from under me without any regard for my feelings. Well—I won’t have it. Did you know there are scorpions in New Mexico? And it’s so very hot and dry. He can go and be a rancher there without me.”

  “But, Edwina, he’s your husband.” Livy touched her cousin’s hand where it trembled over her stomach. “You belong together.”

  “You would think that, Livy. I’ve seen the way your husband looks at you. I have not seen that kind of love in Grant’s eyes for—oh, it’s been years.”

  “Maybe you are mistaken—busy with other things on your mind,” Livy suggested.

  “I know love when I see it.” Edwina glanced at Kit then back at Livy. “I see it when you look at your husband. It’s all over your face.”

  It was?

  “It is?” Livy looked astonished.

  “Of course—I used to feel the same way about Grant. I do know what I’m talking about.”

  In Kit’s opinion, Edwina’s affections for her husband might not be as long gone as she seemed to believe. She was expecting a child after all.

  “Well, I’ve decided that I quite like this sweet little town and I’m going to stay.” She dabbed the floured apron across her eyes. “Won’t it be outstanding, Livy, for our boys to grow up together? And dear Emmie with them?”

  “But would you be happy here?”

  “I’ve come to think so. I’ll have my children and my dog—did you know Grant would never allow me to have a dog, even though I wanted one desperately?”

  “I never knew you wanted a dog.”

  “Always! Mother and Father never
allowed it, either. I always envied you. I used to imagine you with a dozen pups and no worries about fine furniture being ruined by them.”

  “You envied me?”

  “I still do. Who would have imagined that people gather about a common Christmas tree, hold hands and sing? Why, it’s a wondrous event. One that my children will take part in from now on.”

  “But life will be so different from what you are used to.”

  “You seem to have done well! My goodness, Livy, you married the town’s banker.”

  “Well, I—” The only sound in the room was the patter of rain on the windows and the snap of the flames in the hearth.

  Since honesty seemed to be paramount at the moment and Livy seemed unable to speak it—

  “I’m not really a banker, Edwina. I’m an actor.” Kit stood up because as soon as he spoke his piece, he was going upstairs to let the women sort things out between them. “A former one. When you assumed I was a banker I went along with that because I wanted to impress you. I’m sorry for the deception. You didn’t deserve that.”

  “Oh, my.” Edwina blinked and seemed at a loss for words.

  So did Livy. It didn’t mean that he didn’t have one more thing to say, though.

  “Your cousin and I never went on a honeymoon in Paris, either. We have yet to go on one. But this is the truth—I do love her.”

  What more could he say to either one of them? He’d acted the part of himself and that was all he could do.

  * * *

  Livy sat up talking to her cousin until a few hours before dawn. They came to know each other in a way they never had before.

  To Livy’s shame, she had misjudged Edwina, assuming she was part and parcel of her parents. And to be honest, of her own mother, too. On more than one occasion, Mama had felt the need to justify her lower position in society.

  So, now here Livy was, climbing the stairs to her bedroom, and having misjudged her cousin, she wondered if she had misjudged Kit, as well.

  Perhaps it was time to get off her high horse and speak to him with an open heart.

  Edwina was convinced that they loved one another. Had warned sternly against false pride, which she claimed to know something of.

  Livy quietly opened the bedroom door, looking forward to seeing Kit drawn up into the small chair, his legs and arms all akimbo.

  The chair was empty!

  Her heart fell apart within her. Looking down, she saw that she was standing nearly on top of the stack of bills she had deposited on carpet. Silent tears dampened her cheeks. Very distinctly, she heard one hit the money.

  Did this weeping mean she wanted Kit here—in her bed and not the chair?

  She didn’t know that for sure. All she knew was that there was a big cold spot in her bedroom that didn’t need to be there. All she had to do was trust him to be the person he claimed to be.

  It shouldn’t be so hard—after all, she did love that person.

  Thankfully, Emmie was still here. He would not have gone far without her. Yes, chances were he was only in the barn.

  That was exactly where he was. He would never leave his niece behind.

  Chapter Ten

  It was nearly dawn on Christmas Eve when Kit’s clothes finally dried out. The weather had warmed just enough for big, half-frozen drops of rain to soak him. The midnight ride to town had been cold and miserable.

  Thankfully he was now in the shelter of the livery leaning against a pile of straw and reading A Common Man’s Guide to Ranching. It was a good thing for him that folks in Sweet Bank did not lock up.

  Just about the time his eyes blinked closed over the print, the door latch jangled.

  “What are you doing here?”

  Hank sure looked startled. He also looked dry. The rain must have quit while Kit was involved with studying.

  “Figuring out how to build a Christmas tree from fence posts.”

  “Interesting thing to be doing.” Hank greeted a gelding, stroking its face from nose to ears. “Why?”

  “Livy’s going to divorce me if I don’t. Say, how’s that beautiful daughter of yours?”

  The smile of pure satisfaction on Hank’s face told Kit all he needed to know.

  “She spends plenty of time eating and not much sleeping.”

  “I reckon that’s normal—healthy.”

  “More normal than finding you sitting here trying to build a tree from logs to keep from getting divorced.”

  “Are there any to be had, do you know?”

  “Old Harvey just built a fence—had some lumber left over that he was going to sell to Geoff over at the general store.” Hank moved on to greet the next horse. “If it ain’t a private matter, why is she making you build a tree?”

  On first thought, it was private, what went on between him and Livy. But on second thought, everyone already knew about their sudden marriage—and exactly why it had happened.

  There was no reason not to bare his soul about how it was all falling apart—about how he was an actor pretending to be a cowboy. How it had hurt his wife.

  No doubt folks would turn on him when they discovered how he had tricked their Livy.

  He might as well tell him about Edwina, too, since her affairs would soon be common knowledge.

  Hank listened intently until Kit finished talking. “In my opinion, it’s good you are an actor. That Gordon boy hurt her, running off like that. Now you, another actor, will heal her.” Hank shrugged, then peered over Kit’s shoulder.

  “This book is going to tell you how to rig a tree?”

  “Only if you look at it sideways. See.” He turned the book on its end so the fence suddenly appeared to be a ladder. “If I tweak things this way and that, it could be a tree. I’ll attach candles, maybe some strips of tin cans painted silver, or whatever color the store has to sell.”

  “You won’t finish it by tonight.” Hank shook his head. “Not alone anyway.”

  “I won’t ask for your help. You’ve got your hands full at home.”

  He grinned widely under his big mustache. “There’s a whole town full of folks without sleepless newborns. Look for them to start showing up an hour after sunrise.”

  “This is quite a place, Hank.”

  “Wouldn’t live anywhere else.” He straightened, picked up his fork to finish feeding his stock. “You’re one of us now. We’ll watch out for you—Edwina, too, it looks like.”

  True to what Hank promised, folks started showing up shortly after dawn. Old Harvey came with fence posts, Geoff with paint and candles, Mildred with cut-up lace and a dozen or more people with open hearts and helpful hands.

  Folks sang Christmas carols while they worked. Good cheer and hope of his Christmas miracle rang with every whack of the hammer.

  * * *

  “He’s gone.” Livy stared at the empty stall. “He left me without a word.”

  “You did demand that he build a Christmas tree out of ashes,” Edwina pointed out unhelpfully.

  “I did but—” Dawn light streamed through the open barn door, illuminating the area where Old Blue should have been standing, where his saddle should have been hanging on the low stall wall. “Why did I do that?”

  Edwina snorted. Livy was certain this was the first time her cousin had ever made the common noise.

  “At least he left us the good horse and the buggy so we can get to town tonight. I do so want to hear you read the last bit of the journal.”

  “He’s gone, and he left Emmie behind.” How could he have done that?

  Edwina took three long steps into the barn, her fingers white where she gripped the hem of her dress, lifting it clear of straw and other barn debris.

  “You are jumping to conclusions again, which, may I point out, is what got you into this mess in
the first place.”

  “You may point that out, Edwina. I did misjudge you. And Kit does love Emmie.”

  “He also loves you.”

  “Maybe he did, Edwina. But I pushed him away with an impossible demand. Just like your husband did to you.”

  “That was entirely different. Grant wants to give away what I hold dear while Kit wants to give everything to you. I can scarcely believe he married you in order to protect your reputation. From what I’ve seen, that is not common behavior in a man. He could have left you to face your shame.” Edwina tiptoed to the buggy, stepping lightly so she would not sully her boots. “Do you really know how to attach this thing to the horse?”

  She nodded, so heartsick that she hardly had the will to carry on a conversation about a horse collar.

  Edwina was right. Kit could have left her shamed. Instead, he’d given his future to her, handed it over to her keeping like—like he’d wanted to do it!

  What had she done?

  “I was so...” She sighed while she tried to come up with a word.

  “Self-absorbed,” Edwina supplied with a smile. “I do know a bit about that.”

  “Yes, I suppose it was self-absorbed of your husband to do what he did.”

  “Exceedingly, but I was speaking of myself—of the way I was when we were growing up.” Edwina walked deeper into the barn and lifted the heavy collar from a hook on the wall. She grunted and groaned. “You’re sure you know how to do this?”

  “I grew up knowing how to do it—I just don’t know that I have the heart to go to town and find Kit gone.”

  “Livy James!” Hearing her new name spoken out loud for the first time made her heart plunge, fall to a dark place where she feared it might never come back from. “He might have gone to town for any of a dozen reasons. To purchase a wedding ring, perhaps?”

  “During a freezing rainstorm in the middle of the night?” No—it was because he could not face saying goodbye to Emmie. “Here, let me take that old thing.”

  Everything here was old—Kit had wanted to bring the ranch back to life and she’d told him to build a tree out of a smoking ruin.

  All of a sudden leather snapped, and the collar slipped from her hands and hit the floor.