She walked toward him slowly. “You understand perfectly?”
“I do. And because I do, it won’t be to any avail for me to confess love for you or cling to hope for a future together. Believe me, if they weren’t already my family, I wouldn’t voluntarily marry into them, either.”
A look of distress drained color from her cheeks. “What?”
He lowered the coat. “I don’t expect you to tie yourself to my stifling family. I understand.”
“You think the problem is that I don’t like them?”
“Isn’t that what you said?”
“Not at all.”
“What did you say then?”
“Well, I didn’t exactly get to explain.”
He tossed both coats over the back of a pew. “Go ahead.”
“I do like your family, Owen. I like them too much. And that’s the problem. I imagined once that I felt something for Richard, too, but when he married Georgia, the only disappointment I experienced was in losing the family I had anticipated.”
“As far as I’m concerned you dodged the bullet when Richard married Georgia,” he told her.
“That’s beside the point. The point is I didn’t care.”
“Of course you didn’t care. He’s a donkey.”
She blinked. “But I was devastated that I wouldn’t be part of your family. I wanted to marry your family.”
He thought about her reasoning for about thirty seconds. “What about me?”
“What do you mean?”
“How would you feel if I walked out of here tonight and asked…” He paused to think. “And asked Annie White to marry me?”
Chloe heard those words fall from his lips and straightened in indignation. “Annie White? She’s only eighteen or nineteen.”
“Nothing wrong with that.”
“She’s…well, she’s not suitable for you.”
“Why not? She’s sweet, isn’t she? Pretty enough. Most likely she can cook.” He gestured with a palm in the air. “We’d likely have a baby the first year.”
Chloe almost choked at that thought. “Why are you talking about marrying Annie White when you’ve just been kissing me? And what was that you said about confessing love or hoping for a future? You went from those words to talking about marrying her?”
“I’m not actually talking about marrying her. I asked you how you’d feel if I did.”
Angry now, she walked past him to pick up her coat. “Put out those last candles so the place doesn’t burn down before morning.”
She shoved her arms into her coat, pulled on her mittens and went into the cloakroom to find her boots and pull them on over her silk slippers.
“Why are you so mad?” Owen called as she headed for the door.
She pushed opened the door to breathe in cold air and nearly ran smack-dab into Richard.
Chapter Twelve
She drew herself up. Richard looked as surprised as she did.
Fast on her heels, Owen nearly ran into both of them. “What are you doing here?” he asked his brother.
“I didn’t know anyone was still here,” Richard replied.
Owen cocked his head.
“I just came back to have a look at the place.”
“In the cold and dark?” Owen asked.
Richard produced a key and held it up. “Council had a key.”
“What were you planning?” Owen asked. “Going to vandalize the inside—or set a fire? Anything to stop tomorrow’s service and cause you to lose your hotel.”
Owen’s accusations shocked Chloe. “He wouldn’t!” She turned to Richard. “You wouldn’t, would you?”
“I might be a ruthless businessman, but I’m not a criminal. Or a madman.”
“Let’s go inside,” Owen said. He hadn’t pulled on his coat when he’d chased Chloe out of doors. He looked at her. “You, too.”
She let him lead her back inside.
“The two of you stayed late,” Richard said.
“Owen was telling me all about his plans to marry Annie White,” she said.
Richard raised an eyebrow and stared at his younger brother.
Owen shook his head in exasperation. “You’re jealous. What does that tell you?”
“I’m not jealous,” she denied.
“Could’ve fooled me.”
“Did I interrupt something?” Richard asked.
“Yes, I was just leaving,” she replied.
“What were you coming to see the church for?” Owen asked.
Richard walked forward along the center aisle. After a minute he said, “I guess I wanted to see what it was about this place that fascinated you so much all those years ago.”
Owen shot Chloe a look, then glanced back at his brother. “What are you talking about?”
“I followed you a couple of times. Saw you come here and sneak in that window. You always left me to deal with our father while you hid yourself here.”
“You’re the one he wanted to deal with.”
Richard shrugged. “Water under the bridge.”
Chloe felt as if she was the one intruding now. “I should go.”
“Stay,” both men said at once.
Richard looked around. “You did a good job. Both of you.”
Chloe wasn’t sure she’d heard right. Was this a trick of some sort?
Richard shrugged. “Tomorrow the council members will attend. They’ll see you’re finished and that the church is no longer an eyesore. You’ll have their stamp of approval.”
“And you won’t have your hotel,” Owen added. “Aren’t you mad about that?”
“I’ll put the hotel on a different lot. It wasn’t my first choice to do so, but…it will have to do.”
Chloe exchanged a look with Owen.
“I have to answer to my wife and our mother,” he said to Owen. “I think you know what that’s like. I concede this one.”
After a long look up at the rafters, he headed back toward the door. “Snuff the candles. You don’t want a fire.”
Owen used a brass snuffer to extinguish the remaining candles.
Tired and confused, Chloe turned and left, removing her mittens to button her coat, and then tugging them on again. It was only a few moments before she heard Owen catching up to her. He walked alongside her with his collar around his ears, his hands stuffed in his pockets.
They didn’t speak until nearing her house. “What do you make of that?” she asked finally.
He’d known she was referring to Richard. He’d probably been mulling it over the entire walk, too. “Richard’s not evil,” he told her. “He’s my brother, and I love him. He’s always been extremely competitive, though, to the point of thinking the end justifies the means. Maybe Georgia is influencing him for the better.”
She stopped at her gate. “I can see myself the rest of the way. Good night.”
“Good night, Chloe. Just so you know, I’ve never even thought about Annie White like that. I was just pointing out that you didn’t care whether or not Richard married someone else, but you would care if I did. Think about why that is.”
She went up the walk and stairs to unlock her door and let herself in. When she peeked out between her curtains, he was still standing in the moonlight, a dark figure against the white-crested night.
Even after undressing and donning her nightgown, she was still wide-awake. She pulled on her flannel robe and slippers. Maybe a cup of cocoa would help her sleep. She padded silently to the kitchen, warmed milk and added cocoa and sugar. Once she’d poured herself a cup, she carried it to the study and lit two lamps. Holding the steaming mug with both hands, she perused the shelves of books, the items on the desk and strolled over to her grandfather’s photograph on the wall.
His solemn expression belied his true self. He’d always been smiling and joyful. She studied his neat white beard and his eyes. They’d been blue, like hers. She imagined him breaking into a smile and looking directly at her. “I wish you were here,” she said. “I fear
a good, kind, generous man has fallen in love with me. Unfortunately, he has a wonderful family—a family I already dreamed of being a part of years ago. It wouldn’t be fair to him if I let myself think I felt more for him than I do for his family.”
The photograph remained unchanged. No one spoke in the stillness of the room. But in her mind, she heard Owen’s voice: How would you feel if I walked out of here tonight and asked Annie White to marry me?
Annie White? Chloe had been angry at his suggestion. She’d been… Heartbroken?
You’re jealous. What does that tell you?
She thought over the words he’d spoken as they’d sat together in the church that night. Owen had always been guarded with his thoughts and kept things to himself. He was a private person, more private than she’d even guessed. But he’d shared his personal thoughts and feelings with her tonight. He’d told her things he’d never shared with anyone else. He’d let down his guard. And he’d hinted at love and marriage.
Pride got in the way of a lot of things. Chloe wanted to be loved and needed, but she hadn’t wanted anyone feeling sorry for her or showing her kindness for the wrong reasons.
Owen had made it clear that he’d had his own reasons for restoring the church. He hadn’t done the work because he felt sorry for her. He’d done it because he loved the workmanship, and the church had played a part in the man he’d become. And he’d committed to the job partly because he wanted to see her have something she wanted so desperately.
Because he cared about her.
She hadn’t wanted to think about that, hadn’t wanted to consider his feelings for her, because then she would be forced to analyze her feelings and motives and was afraid to fall short of the person she wanted to be.
It wasn’t easy to disconnect Owen from his family, but she concentrated on him alone. If he loved her. If she loved him. And if they married and moved thousands of miles away, would she be content?
The answer took only seconds: Yes.
She was in love with Owen. His family completed the package, but it was the man who’d captured her heart and given her a new perspective on each day. Each time she anticipated seeing him again, her heart beat faster and joy flooded her being. She didn’t get those feelings about his family. She loved him.
A calming, reassuring peace settled over her. She considered dressing and running down Main Street to his shop, but she decided tomorrow morning would be a better time to settle this. She looked forward to Christmas day in the place that meant so much to both of them. Chloe couldn’t wait.
Owen had slept fitfully the night before, and he’d awakened early, dressed and arrived at church to get the heaters burning so the interior was warm by the time everyone arrived.
The entire sanctuary smelled like a forested mountainside until people entered carrying in the scents of perfume and damp wool. Richard and Georgia joined his family this morning, and Mattias and Niles took seats on either side of their grandmother. His entire family showed up to celebrate this special day and attend the special service.
As the room filled and there was still no sign of Chloe, the thought came to him that perhaps she wouldn’t come. Miss Sarah was already here, and they usually came together.
Owen walked to the front pew where Zeb sat. “Chloe didn’t ride with you?”
“No. I asked Miss Sarah to tell her she was welcome to join us, but apparently she declined the offer.”
He would go to her house and confront her. If she wasn’t coming because he was here and she’d doubled her efforts to avoid him, then—
At that moment, Chloe appeared framed in the doorway to the foyer. She had already removed her coat, and she wore a sapphire-blue two-piece dress. Even from this distance he knew the color intensified her eyes. He commanded his feet to move and hurried to the back of the church, where she met him in the aisle between the last few pews. “I thought you weren’t coming.”
“I changed clothing three times.”
Her dress did indeed make her blue eyes vivid. “You’re beautiful.”
“I have something to tell you.”
He raised his eyebrows. “All right.”
She slid the strap of her reticule onto her forearm so she could reach for both of his hands. Hers were chilled, and he pressed them together, warming them between his. “Your hands are cold. Did you wear your mittens?”
“I love you.”
The declaration caught him off guard. He blinked, letting the words become a reality in his head. “You said…?”
“I love you,” she repeated. “If you asked Annie White to marry you, I’d simply die of a broken heart.”
“I’m not going to ask—”
“I know. And if you asked me to marry you and move to another state or another land where we’d never see your family, I’d say yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.”
“What if I asked you to marry me and live right here in Red Willow and attend church in this place every Sunday for the rest of our lives?”
“I’d say yes.”
Owen noticed that the congregation had grown silent, and he chanced a sideways look, hoping the service was starting and that was what had flagged their attention, rather than the scene between him and Chloe unfolding. But, no. Jim Rhodes and his wife, along with Mary Dunbar, Ivan Henry and more people than he could name—all of them were watching and listening.
Chloe’s attention remained on Owen.
If he was going to do this publicly, he was going to do it right. Keeping hold of Chloe’s hands, he lowered himself to one knee and locked his gaze with hers.
“Chloe Hanley,” he began. “I admire everything about you. You’re focused and honest. You’re inventive and smart and humble.”
She blushed prettily.
“I love that you’re sentimental, and your enthusiasm is catching. You inspire people. You inspire me. I feel about you a way I never imagined to feel. I love you. I can’t imagine living the rest of my life without you. I want to marry you and have children with you and bring them to church here on Sunday mornings and Christmas Eve. I want to tell them the story about how their mother saved this church and that you’re the reason why the people of Red Willow have this important piece of their history.”
Chloe released a little sob and fought for a calming breath, but she never took her eyes from his face.
“I love you,” he declared. “Will you marry me?”
She blinked then, a furious batting of her lashes. One of the nearby women pressed a handkerchief into their interlocked fingers and Chloe withdrew one hand to raise the white hankie and blot at her eyes and nose. She tucked it into her cuff and placed her fingers back in his.
She pursed her lips and took a deep breath, and he recognized how she gathered her composure.
“I love how you’re such a deep thinker,” she said to him. “I love how you’re private and analytical, but how after you’ve thought things through you share them with me.” She swallowed nervously. “I feel safe with you. You’re perceptive and respectful and you do things with a confidence I admire. You’re quiet, but you’re fearless.” She said the last with a kind of awe in her voice. “I love that you know who you are, and you’re true to yourself. If you feel strongly about someone or something, you can’t be budged. And I’m so…” She paused. Not a sound could be heard in the room. “I’m so proud that you feel deeply about me.”
She lowered her gaze to their hands, and he waited, not daring to take a breath, anticipating the words that would change his life.
Her blue gaze lifted. “I love you, Owen. Nothing would make me happier than to be your wife.”
He got to his feet swiftly and pulled her against him, kissing her with all the joy she inspired. She loved him.
Owen could have spent the rest of the morning holding her, celebrating the moment, but around them the gentle interruption of applause swelled.
He straightened without releasing her. Her expression revealed the moment she became aware of the audience they’d had while t
hat scene had played out, and she blushed, but laughed at the same time.
He joined her, and they laughed until she used the hankie to blot her eyes again, and this time it was because she was so overjoyed.
He hugged her soundly.
Chloe’s heart was filled to overflowing. She loved Owen with all her being, and she was confident in his love for her.
“If you two are ready,” Frank Garrison called to them, and the crowd quieted. “Judd Valentine is going to officiate the service this morning.”
Miss Sarah played “Joy to the World” and the people lifted their voices in song while Owen led Chloe into one of the pews where his family sat. Lillith reached across her grandson to grasp Chloe’s hand and give her a tearful smile. “I couldn’t be happier to have you as one of my daughters.”
Chloe teared up again.
Owen opened the hymnal to the correct page and held it where she could see it with him.
They had many reasons to celebrate this particular day, and together they would celebrate all their future Christmases right here in Red Willow.
Her heart sang that morning as sun streaked through the colorful windows, creating patterns of color and light on the congregation and the floor. She and Owen had produced something wonderful and enduring together. And it wouldn’t be the last time.
THE SHERIFF’S HOUSEKEEPER BRIDE
Jenna Kernan
Dear Reader,
This story combines three things that I love—history, decorating the Christmas tree and holiday baking. Some of you know that I am unreasonably proud of my tree. If you are interested in seeing a photo, I will have one at my Web site at www.jennakernan.com.
This is my first attempt at a heroine who is incognito and I eagerly anticipated the moment when the real housekeeper arrives and Eliza is unmasked. As for Eliza’s mistakes in the kitchen, I didn’t have to do much research, because I have made many of them myself. Though cooking was never my strong suit, my mother did teach me how to bake, just as she learned from the women in her family. And so the recipes come down through generations and into our most important celebrations.
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