Mail-Order Christmas Brides Boxed Set

by Jillian Hart

  * * *

  “Come on in,” Noah said. “I’ll find you something to eat. You may as well sit down while Jimmy unloads the supplies anyway.”

  Noah nodded to the boy and Jimmy walked back to the kitchen. He always parked the wagon by the back door so he could unload everything easier.

  When he stepped into the kitchen, Noah wondered how he could have missed the smell. Maeve had made bread. The golden loaves sat on the table and he searched a drawer to find a knife to cut into one of them.

  “You can sit here,” Noah said to the woman who had once been his wife. He used the knife to slice off a thick piece of bread. He knew how much work it was to make bread. And, he had seen that Maeve had made butter, too. He couldn’t help but notice that the kitchen was spotless, as well.

  He hadn’t wanted Maeve to work today, but he liked to see that she had taken charge.

  His ex-wife ate the bread quickly and held out her hand for more.

  “Why’d you come back really?” Noah asked as he cut another slice of the bread. “If you’re carrying the judge’s baby, shouldn’t you be staying with him?”

  “I can’t,” the woman said, her voice distressed. “I just can’t.”

  For the first time since she’d started talking, Noah believed there was something genuine in her protest. As he was quiet for a moment, he could hear Jimmy unloading the supplies into the cabinets out in the small room off the kitchen.

  “This judge—he doesn’t beat you or anything, does he?”

  She shook her head. “He’s actually rather sweet.”

  “Good, because I would report him to the sheriff if he was beating you.”

  She looked surprised. “There was a time when you would have gone in person to persuade him.”

  Noah shrugged. “I suppose there was.”

  They were silent for a moment.

  “I changed my name to Alice for you,” the woman said then. “I know you never liked Allison. You said it was out of place here in the territories. That it belonged in a big city like San Francisco.”

  “I never meant you should change it. Your name is your name.”

  Allison nodded. “I’ll be a better wife to you this time.”

  Noah stood up. “I’m sure we’d do lots of things differently, but it’s not going to happen—getting back together. You’re someone else’s wife, bound and legal. I couldn’t face God if I took another man’s wife from him.”

  “Oh, you always were too religious for your own good,” Allison said impatiently.

  “You can wait in here,” Noah said as he started walking toward the door. “I’m going to help Jimmy get our supplies put in place.”

  With that, he left the house.

  * * *

  In the bedroom, Maeve heard the back door slam and assumed everyone had left again. She needed to keep an eye on the stew and she wanted to make some sugar cookies for the ranch hands to take with them tomorrow if they had to ride out again. She thought she had all the ingredients and the stove needed to be hot for the stew anyway.

  Maeve didn’t see the woman sitting at the table until she’d taken several steps into the kitchen. She could tell the woman hadn’t heard her coming in and Maeve was tempted to leave, but then she saw the way the woman’s shoulders were slumped down in despair. Maeve had felt that way not long ago and she couldn’t leave someone else as forgotten as she’d felt.

  “Can I help you?” Maeve said softly as she walked over and sat down in a chair. “Alice, isn’t it?”

  “Oh, what difference does my name make?” the woman said as she dabbed at the tears sliding down her face. “I changed it to Alice to please Noah, but he doesn’t care. My real name is Allison. I could be named Matilda and he wouldn’t care.”

  It was only because Maeve could feel the woman’s distress that she reached over and patted her shoulder. “You must love Noah very much to do something like that.”

  “Humph,” the woman said in disgust. “I wish I did.”

  “Well, then why did you do it?” Maeve asked in surprise.

  “I love my judge,” she said. “But I can’t live poor. We’ve always had a servant to help me. My judge doesn’t know I can’t cook. I can’t sew. I can’t clean. And I can’t bear to tell him. And my baby—what will I do for my baby?”

  More tears rolled down Allison’s face. “I thought I could come back to Noah. He can always get one of the ranch hands to do the cooking. And no one cares about sewing here. The men all take care of their own buttons. My other husband can find a wife who knows how to do that kind of thing.”

  Maeve felt a bubble of relief float up inside her. She almost started to laugh.

  “You mean this is all about cooking?” Maeve asked, feeling considerably better than she had earlier. “And mending clothes?”

  “A man puts a great deal of store on having a meal that’s properly prepared. And his shirt in good order.”

  “I can teach you,” Maeve offered. “Cooking is not hard after you’ve had someone show you the way. And anyone can sew on a button.”

  “You’d do that for me?” Allison asked as more tears flowed down her cheeks. “After I was so mean to you? I knew you were Noah’s new mail-order bride. I just didn’t want to admit he was replacing me with a woman he didn’t even know.” She stopped. “Oh, I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. I’m sure he loves you and is looking forward to living his life with you.”

  Maeve blinked back tears of her own. “He doesn’t know if he wants to marry me. My daughter, Violet, and I are just staying until he can figure out what to do.”

  Allison reached over and put her hand over Maeve’s.

  “Don’t you worry,” she said. “I can help you with Noah if you help me learn to cook and sew. Just even a little would make me think I could do it.”

  “We’ll need to ask Noah if you can stay a day or two,” Maeve said. “I haven’t been upstairs yet, but I’m sure there’s a spare bedroom up there.”

  “Please, just don’t tell Noah I’m learning how to cook,” Allison asked.

  Maeve shrugged. “I won’t, unless you say I can.”

  “Thanks.” Allison smiled and stood up. “I’ll get Jimmy to bring my bag inside. Noah won’t turn me away when I tell him I need to stay for the baby.”

  Maeve nodded, realizing she couldn’t tell Noah about her baby now. He might think she was copying Allison and trying to get the attention from him that the other woman was receiving. But it would be only a couple of days, she thought, as she watched Allison open the door to where the supplies were being unloaded.

  All would work out well, though, Maeve assured herself as she stood. If Allison did know how to convince Noah to marry, it would be the answer to Maeve’s problem, too. In the meantime, she would go upstairs to see if she could find sheets for the bed she hoped was there for Allison.

  Chapter Seven

  That night, Noah was sitting in a chair at the bunkhouse. The windows showed it was dark outside except for the faint light coming from the full moon that was overhead. Most of the ranch hands were there, too, still reminiscing about the supper they’d just had. He wished he’d been able to enjoy it as much as the others. He had been too taken aback by the request he’d gotten from both women to savor his meal. Why had the women asked for Allison to stay two days? He didn’t want to appear inhospitable in front of Maeve, but he didn’t trust Allison to leave when she was supposed to if he agreed she could stay.

  He had nodded his agreement, though, and now wished he hadn’t. Christmas was coming and he wanted to spend every minute with Maeve and Violet that he could.

  “I haven’t had butter like that since my mother was alive,” Bobby said for the fifth time. He was lying on his bunk and staring at the ceiling as though he could see a picture of the meal up there. “And that bread—has anyone ever had bread that good?”

  Several of the men said they hadn’t. Between all of them, they’d eaten the full ten loaves.

  “My mother co
uldn’t cook at all,” another ranch hand said. “But she tried. She never made anything like those cookies, though.”

  Noah was getting restless. “Mothers will do anything for their children.”

  The ranch hands nodded.

  Maybe Maeve had agreed to Allison staying because of the baby, Noah decided. Women were like that. He was glad to find that Maeve was generous, but he didn’t think she knew that his decision would only encourage Allison to think he might marry her again. He would never do that no matter how many divorces she received.

  “We’ve got an expectant mother in the house,” Noah mentioned then.

  He hadn’t expected the eruption of cheers.

  “So she finally told you, did she?” Dakota asked. “I know it’s a secret, but I had to tell the other guys. We’re all family anyway.”

  The older ranch hand was more like a brother than an employee to Noah so he was surprised to learn something new about him. “I never knew you liked Allison so well.”

  “Allison?” The grin left Dakota’s face. “What’s she got to do with it?”

  “Well, it’s her baby,” Noah said.

  “It can’t be,” Dakota maintained firmly.

  “That’s what she says,” Noah told him, more than a little curious at the bleak expression on the older man’s face. Having everyone’s beard shaved off meant Noah was able to tell the emotions of his ranch hands more easily. And they could probably sense more of his feelings, too. This wasn’t necessarily good, he told himself.

  “Allison always was a liar,” Dakota said as he stood up. “I’m going for a walk.”

  The man put on his hat, took his coat off its peg and left the bunkhouse.

  “I hope he’s not going over to the house to get another cookie,” Bobby said as he sat up on his bed. “They’re supposed to be shared. Maeve said.”

  “I doubt that’s what he’s doing.” Noah stood, too. “But a walk sounds good.”

  Noah put on his coat and hat and then opened the door. It was cold outside and a gust of wind blew in before he walked through and closed the door behind him. The moon lit the path from the barn to the house, and Noah could see Dakota knocking on the back door of the kitchen. A light shone in the dining area so Noah figured one or both of the women were there, maybe sitting at the table talking.

  That’s when it hit him. The only thing those two women had in common was him. They were likely sitting as Allison went over a list of his faults. Surely, it couldn’t take two full days to go through his many failings, but he suspected that was the reason Allison wanted to stay. She was going to warn Maeve off.

  Even though, as he reminded himself, he was the one who wanted to give Maeve time to decide if she wanted to stay with him, he still didn’t feel as if someone else should be speaking against him.

  When he followed the path past the windows of the house, he looked over and saw that he’d been right. The frost stopped him from seeing things clearly, but he could make out Maeve and Allison sitting at the table, a lantern in the middle. They were holding sewing needles. Maeve had a pile of socks in front of her and Allison had an old shirt he kept in the downstairs closet and a pile of buttons.

  He’d never thought to see Allison mending one of his cast-off shirts.

  When he took a step forward, he saw that neither woman was paying attention to her needle. They were both looking up at Dakota.

  Noah decided he better get inside. He didn’t bother with knocking since, as he reminded himself, it was his house.

  Noah took his boots off in the entry to spare the clean floors.

  He walked quietly in his socks, but when he got near the table, he saw that Allison was the only one there. She was bent over that shirt of his and appeared to be intent on pulling the threaded needle through a stitch of some kind.

  “Where’s Maeve?” he demanded as he stood behind her.

  “Ooooh!” she screeched a little as she let the shirt drop to the table and put a hand up to her chest before turning around to face him. “You scared me.”

  “I’m sorry, but Maeve was just here,” he continued. “I want to know where she is, that’s all.”

  Allison cocked her head and looked at him for a minute before starting to smile.

  “You like her,” she said then with what appeared to be satisfaction in her voice.

  Noah didn’t answer. He was never surprised any longer when Allison pretended to have feelings she didn’t have. “I just want to talk to her for a minute.”

  At that moment, he heard a door open in the hallway to his left and turned. Maeve was coming out of the parlor and Dakota was following right behind her.

  “He wants to talk to you,” Allison said to Maeve with the smile still on her face. “So if you will excuse me, I think I’ll go up to bed.”

  With that, Allison stood up, stuck her needle in the old shirt and folded it up.

  Noah noticed then that there were a dozen buttons sewn onto that shirt. He’d worn the shirt one year for branding and there were already several burned holes in the cloth. It was puzzling, but he was too intent on talking to Maeve to worry about an old shirt.

  Dakota lingered a little longer than Allison, but he finally gave Noah an abrupt nod and started walking to the door. When he stood in the doorway, he turned.

  “Remember the reverend,” he warned.

  He closed the door behind him before Noah could respond.

  By that time, Maeve had sat back down at the table and taken up her needle again.

  “I don’t recognize those socks,” Noah said as he sat down. He figured he should talk with her for a while before he demanded to know what Allison had told her about him. He was growing more curious though. There were white socks, brown ones and a couple of green ones.

  “They belonged to my husband,” Maeve said as she picked up a white sock.

  “And you’re mending them?”

  She shook her head. “I’m making a sock doll for Violet for Christmas. At least, I hope it’s done by then.”

  She held up the stocking. “They all have holes in them, though. I didn’t realize how bad my husband’s socks were until he died. I’m going to cut out the best parts of each one and sew them together. That’s what’s going to take so long.”

  “You’re welcome to use some of my socks,” Noah offered.

  “I couldn’t,” Maeve said as she shook her head.

  They were both silent for a moment.

  “I’m sure Violet will appreciate her doll,” Noah finally said.

  Maeve set down the sock she was working on.

  “I hope she does,” she said and then smiled at him. “You know how children are. She’ll appreciate the sentiment of the doll when she’s older, but right now she has her heart set on something fancier.”

  “Ah,” Noah said sympathetically.

  He didn’t bother to admit that he had no idea what children were like. But he did remember the conversation Maeve and her daughter had had in front of the mercantile. He’d originally thought it was the teapot that interested them, but it was the doll.

  “I hope it’s not too much for you to have Allison here,” Noah said. “I know you’re probably feeling like you have to help her because of the baby, but you don’t need to.”

  “I’m not worried about her baby,” Maeve said.

  Noah nodded. “I just want you to be happy. There’s not much time until Christmas and I’m sure you want to do some things for Violet.”

  “She doesn’t expect much,” Maeve said softly. “But she has wanted to have a decorated tree. I don’t see any pine trees around here, though.”

  “I know where there’s a scrub tree in a ravine near here that would look like a pine if I trimmed it a little,” Noah said. “I could ride out and get it, if you want. I’m planning to ride into Miles City tomorrow, but I could get the tree on the next day.”

  “The twenty-third?”

  Noah nodded. “Unless you need it sooner.”

  “That would be
a fine day to have the tree,” Maeve said, looking pleased.

  “We never did decorate a tree,” Noah said. “So we don’t have any decorations. I could buy some in Miles City if you want, though.”

  “Oh, no,” Maeve said. “We can make our own. String some popcorn. Make some cutout cookies to hang. If we have some white paper, we can cut out some shapes of angels to hang. Even pieces of red ribbon will do.”

  “I have paper in my office upstairs. You’re welcome to take what you need.”

  Maeve was silent for a moment, worrying her lips.

  “Do you think the ranch hands would want to help with the decorating?” she asked. “That would make it seem more like a party for Violet.”

  Noah grinned. “I can’t think of anything they would like better unless it would be for you to do the inviting so they know they are truly welcome.”

  He could not remember one time when Allison had invited his men into their home for anything like a party. They were never the kind of society folks that she wanted to entertain.

  “Maybe we should have an early dinner on the twenty-fourth instead of the twenty-third,” Maeve said. “Then we can decorate the tree and eat cookies. That will give me a couple of days to get everything else ready.”

  “I don’t want you to go to too much trouble now,” Noah cautioned her as he stood to leave. “And, I want you to know that if you have any questions about me, you can ask me.”

  Maeve nodded, but he didn’t think she understood.

  Still, as he stood there in the lantern light and looked over at Maeve as she sat there with her copper hair tamed into waves around her face and her eyes looking at him kindly, he wanted her to do more than just think well of him.

  He stepped closer and put his hand on her shoulder.

  “I didn’t thank you enough for dinner,” he said.

  “It was my pleasure,” she whispered as she looked up at him, her face shining with joy at his compliment.

  “You’re a genuinely good woman,” he said then as he bent down and kissed her forehead. “I want you to know I—ah—think highly of you.”