His Chosen Bride (Love Inspired Historical)

by Rhonda Gibson

  Maybe he should focus on Emily and Anna Mae instead of Millie. Even if he married Millie with the understanding it would be in name only, Levi expected his wife to be a God-fearing woman who attended church.

  Just before the service was over, the preacher announced that Mr. Richards was resigning at the end of the school year and that the school board would be looking for a new schoolteacher. Levi saw Anna Mae sit up straighter.

  When they were dismissed, Levi stood and waited for his mother and the brides to join him. He knew there was no way to avoid having lunch with them today. Levi silently prayed. Lord, please help me stay focused. Millie seems to occupy my every thought and if I am to choose a bride from one of these two ladies, I need to get to know them better.

  * * *

  Millie felt horrible. Her nose had finally quit running, but her head throbbed as if a hammer pounded away at it. She slipped into a simple day dress and went in search of Beth.

  It was a little after lunchtime so she knew Beth would either be in the kitchen or her private quarters. As she passed the sitting room, she heard laughter. Millie looked in the room and saw Levi sitting on the couch. Anna Mae sat on one side of him and Emily on the other. His mother reclined across from them in Mrs. Englebright’s favorite chair, looking very pleased.

  She hurried on, not wanting Levi to see her. Millie knew she looked a mess. Her hair stuck out in all angles, her eyes were watery and bloodshot from lack of sleep and her nose was red rimmed from all the blowing it had required earlier.

  Thankfully when she entered the kitchen she found Beth sitting at the table looking over a cookbook and Mark playing with a set of blocks at his mother’s feet. “I hope I’m not disturbing you,” she offered by way of greeting. The hoarseness of her voice and the pain from the effort of speaking shocked her.

  Beth looked up. “Not at all. Are you all right?” She hurried to Millie’s side.

  Mark looked up with a frown on his face. “Have you been crying, Miss Millie?”

  Even though it hurt to speak, Millie knew she had to answer. “No. I think I may have developed a spring cold or I’ve come into contact with something I’m allergic to.” Millie felt a little feverish and wished she’d stayed in her room as Beth walked with her to the table.

  “Would you like something to eat?” Beth asked. “I have chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans on the warmer.”

  Her nerves had been so high-strung the night before, she’d skipped dinner and this morning she’d missed breakfast. “Maybe just a few potatoes, thank you.” Since they were mashed, she reasoned they wouldn’t hurt as bad going down.

  “And a glass of iced tea?” Beth asked as she dished up the food for Millie.

  “Iced tea sounds wonderful.” Millie rested her head in her hands. Having one’s elbows on the table wasn’t polite, but right now Millie didn’t feel very well-mannered.

  “Here you go.” Beth set the food and tea in front of her. “Is your head hurting again?”

  “Yes, but I’m hoping that once I eat it will stop.” Millie took a sip from the tea. The cold moisture slid down her sore throat, easing some of the pain but not all.

  “Ma? May I go play in the backyard?” Mark asked, watching both women.

  “Yes, but stay close to the house.”

  Mark gathered his blocks. “I will.”

  As soon as the screen door slammed shut behind the little boy, Beth turned to Millie. “Did you happen to look in the sitting room on your way here?”

  Millie nodded and took a small bite of potatoes. They tore down her throat like gravel in a windstorm. She lowered her spoon, swallowed hard and grabbed up her drink.

  “Then you know he brought his mother and those two ladies for lunch today.” Beth went to the counter and retrieved the tea pitcher.

  So Levi had brought them home for lunch. Maybe he’d decided to be sensible and choose a wife from one of the mail-order brides after all. The thought bothered her, but Millie decided she was being oversensitive because she didn’t feel well. “That’s nice,” she answered as Beth refilled her glass.

  “You don’t really believe that, do you?”

  It hurt to talk, but Millie could tell Beth was in a talkative mood. “I do. Levi needs a wife.”

  “Yes, but why not you? I can see that you like him and he likes you. I know it’s not true love now, but after the wedding you’ll have the rest of your lives to fall in love.”

  Millie tried to use as few words as possible. “I don’t want to fall in love.”

  Shock filled Beth’s voice and face. “Whyever not?” she demanded. “You are too young to have been hurt by love.”

  “I don’t want anyone controlling my life.” Millie took a sip of tea, praying it would ease her burning throat.

  “Why would you think marriage is about control?” Beth seemed truly perplexed.

  “Because of my parents’ marriage.”

  Beth folded her hands on the table. “Your father is controlling?” she asked, looking sad.

  “No, my mother.”

  Beth’s voice went up a notch in disbelief. “Your mother is controlling your father?” she asked. At Millie’s nod, Beth continued. “Well, I’m sure it’s not unheard of, but it is rare for the woman to be controlling in a marriage.” She shook her head.

  Understanding and confusion warred on Beth’s face. “Are you telling me that your mother controlled you and your father, and that’s why you don’t want to get married?” Beth refilled Millie’s glass once more.

  Millie nodded even though deep down it was more complicated than that. She’d used the excuse at first and it was partially true, but the closer she got to Levi the more she realized they could work through her fears of being controlled.

  But what she couldn’t take back was the fact that she’d burned down Eliza Kelly’s home and business and then run. No man would love a coward and an arsonist. Once Levi found out what she’d done, he’d want nothing more to do with her. Millie didn’t want a broken heart and she didn’t want to see the disgust she knew Levi would feel for her once he found out. The sting of tears burned her eyes.

  “Oh, Millie.” Beth reached out and took Millie’s hands in hers. “Your parents’ marriage isn’t a reflection of all marriages. Sure, no marriage is perfect, but when two people love each other even the imperfections can be overlooked and oftentimes with just a conversation can be fixed.”

  Millie knew her friend was trying to help her through her fear. She offered a smile and another nod. If her throat didn’t hurt so badly, she’d explain that it was more complicated than that.

  Beth rose from her seat. “I’m going to make you a cup of warm coffee with honey in it. That should help your throat.”

  “Thank you,” Millie croaked out.

  While she mixed up the drink, Beth talked. “When my husband and I first married, we didn’t know each other at all. I married late in life and thought I’d be an old maid forever. It took a year for me to realize I’d fallen in love with him, that realization came the day I found out we were going to have Mark.” She sighed and then continued. “He was a good man who worked hard.” She stopped stirring the honey within the cup and looked off into the distance. “Mark has his eyes.”

  She brought the steaming cup to the table and placed it in front of Millie.

  Millie saw the unshed tears in Beth’s eyes before she turned away. “You know if you give Levi a chance, I think you’ll find he’s a good man, too. I’ll go get you some powders for your headache.” She hurried from the kitchen.

  What would it be like to love a man so much that even five years after his death, you still mourned him? Millie didn’t know. She didn’t think she’d ever know. Even if she did love Levi, burning down Eliza’s house had sealed her fate. She’d not ask a man to trust and love her until she’d made things right with Eliza.

  Beth returned with the powders. “Here, take these.”

  “Thanks.” Millie took the medicine and grimaced at the pain in her
throat. She stood to return to her room. Sleep, all Millie wanted right now was to sleep.

  “I’ll make you some soup this afternoon. That will make your throat feel better, too. I shouldn’t have kept you down here so long.” Beth picked up the coffee mug and walked with Millie back to her room.

  As they passed the sitting room, Millie heard laughter once more. She was glad Levi was enjoying himself and yet felt alone and left out. Which one of the brides would he choose? Emily or Anna Mae? A tug pulled at her heart.

  Beth patted her on the shoulder. “I’m sure he’s not having as much fun as it sounds like he is.” They continued past the room and started up the stairs. “I really believe, Millie, if you will give him a chance and tell him how you really feel about being controlled, you’ll find he will understand and give you the freedom you need.” Beth’s soft whisper offered comfort.

  At the door to her room, Millie turned to her friend. “You don’t have to come in with me. I’ll be fine.”

  Beth reached around her and opened the door. “Nonsense, let’s get you into bed.” She set the warm cup of coffee on the bedside table.

  Millie allowed Beth to coddle her. She straightened the bedsheets and then held them back for Millie to get into. Beth fluffed Millie’s pillow and felt her forehead. “Thankfully you aren’t running a fever.”

  Beth moved to the window and pulled the curtains closed. “Try to rest. I’ll bring you some hot soup and iced tea later.” She closed the door behind her as she left.

  Millie sank deeper under the covers. Her chest ached. Was it because of her cold? Or was a small part of her heart breaking because she knew there would be no future with Levi?

  She closed her eyes and allowed the tears to flow. The remembered soft words of her mother came to her: This, too, shall pass. Yes, but would she come away with a broken heart?

  Chapter Fourteen

  The month of August slipped into September. Levi could feel the pressure of having to choose a bride. He was one tired cowboy. Entertaining Emily and Anna Mae was hard work. They were both nice women, but they weren’t right for him. Levi knew enough now to understand that he’d have to be good friends with a woman to live with her for the rest of his life.

  He needed someone with interests similar to his—someone like Millie. After her sick spell, Millie had given him three new drawings to convert into pictures. Nothing more was said about him teaching her how to make the wooden pictures.

  She had built some type of wall between them. Millie had been quiet around him but pleasant. They spent most evenings in the sitting room with the other boarders.

  Millie continued her drawing lessons with Mark. The little boy proved to have talent of his own. She spent time teaching Mrs. Englebright the piano. But where he was concerned, they were two people living under the same roof, nothing more.

  Tonight, Levi felt weary to the bone. He’d just finished helping the Browns finish up their barn, but he pasted on a smile as he entered the sitting room.

  He cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. “I have exciting news.”

  Mark ran to him, his eyes shining. “We’re getting a dog?”

  Levi ran his hand over the boy’s head. He needed to look into getting Mark a pup, but maybe when he was a bit older. “No. Not this time.”

  “Well, don’t keep us in suspense, Levi,” Mrs. Englebright chided. “Tell us your good news.”

  “Not ‘my’ good news,” he drawled. “‘Our’ good news.” He almost laughed out loud at their eagerness to hear something other than the humdrum happenings in their daily lives. “The Browns have decided to have a barn dance next week to celebrate the finish of their barn.” He finished with a flourish.

  “Oh, I do love an old-fashion barn dance.” Mrs. Englebright clapped her hands together, almost knocking the quilt she worked on into the floor.

  “Me, too,” Beth added.

  Mr. Lupin nodded his agreement. “It should be a fun event. One I can cover in the newspaper.”

  Levi walked over and took Millie’s hand in his. She looked up at him with big blue eyes. Her heart-shaped face wore a frown. Still, he pressed on. “Millie, will you do me the honor of going to the dance with me?”

  For a brief moment, he saw a flicker of excitement, joy or something happy within her eyes. Just as quickly, Millie shut down the emotion. “I’m sorry, Levi. I don’t know how to dance. Why don’t you ask Anna Mae or Emily? I’m sure one of them will know how.”

  He didn’t detect any meanness in her voice. Millie simply thought one of the other two women would be better suited for the dance. Levi didn’t agree. “I’ll teach you,” he said, choosing not to comment on the other mail-order brides.

  Millie tried to pull her hand from his. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea. Papa tried to teach me once and he swore I broke his big toe by stepping on it so many times.”

  Levi laughed. “He just wasn’t prepared. Now that you’ve told me about it, I’ll make sure to keep my toes out of your way.” He applied pressure to pull her up from her seat.

  “Oh, go on, Millie. It will be fun,” Mrs. Englebright encouraged.

  “Now?” Millie protested. “But there isn’t any music.”

  Mrs. Englebright lay her quilting aside and pushed herself up out of the chair. “This is as good a time as any to practice my piano playing.”

  She sat down on the bench and began plinking at the keys. Mr. Lupin laughed and walked over to Beth. “Might I have this dance?” he asked.

  Beth stood and curtsied. “Why yes, yes, you can.”

  Levi watched Millie’s face as Beth and Mr. Lupin danced about the room. The longing to join them was there in her eyes. He reached down and took her other hand in his.

  Millie allowed him to pull her up.

  Levi placed her hand on his shoulder and then held the other one tightly. “It’s easy, you’ll see. Just follow my lead.”

  She nodded and watched their feet as they moved.

  Levi lifted her chin. “Just let me lead.”

  Millie went stiff.

  Beth laughed. “You look like a stone statue I saw at a museum once, Millie. Relax.”

  Embarrassment and frustration laced her voice. “I’m trying.” She stepped on Levi’s toe and more laughter filled the room.

  She jerked away, stumbling backward. He caught her around the waist and held tight. Millie giggled. “I’m going to fall flat on my face, just wait and see,” she said breathlessly, looking up into his eyes. “Thanks for not letting that happen this time.”

  “Oh, you still might,” Levi teased as he lifted her up.

  Her features became more animated, and she clutched at his shoulders, but her smile broadened in approval. She trusted him. Happiness radiated from her. He liked that look. A sparkle he hadn’t seen before shone in her eyes. He closed his arms around her and pulled her close. Her hair smelled of lavender, a scent he could get used to smelling every day.

  “Shall I play a slower tune?” Mrs. Englebright asked.

  Levi released Millie a fraction. “No, we’ll get this song down first and then move to slower ones.”

  “I think you just enjoy catching her with those fancy moves of yours,” Mr. Lupin teased.

  Beth laughed. “Pay attention to your own dance, partner. You stepped on my toe.” She playfully slapped him on the shoulder.

  For the rest of the evening, Levi showed Millie various dance steps amid laughter and friends. He enjoyed the time Millie spent in his arms, even if it was only in the name of dancing.

  As they headed to their rooms, Levi said, “Oh, yeah, Beth, I won’t be here for a couple of days.”

  “Going on a business trip?” she asked over her shoulder.

  “Nothing that fun. It’s branding time. I’ll be out at the ranch if you need me.” He hated branding cattle, but new calves had to bear the Westland trademark.

  Millie laughed at something Mrs. Englebright said.

  Levi knew that over the next few days
he would miss her soft laughter. What was it about Millie that so appealed to him? Besides the fact that he found her pretty, charming and engaging. Her presence wrapped around him like a warm blanket, and everything took on a clean brightness when she was near. But unlike the brides, Millie didn’t fuss over her clothes, hair or manners. She didn’t bat her eyes at him like a mosquito trying to get to the light. She acted like a person with a fully functioning brain. Maybe that was it—maybe she was just wholesome.

  * * *

  Millie missed Levi. She finished sewing up the seam of her green dress and glanced at the sitting room door for the umpteenth time that evening. When was he coming home? She didn’t dare ask the other boarders because they would tease her. He’d said that he’d be gone a couple of days and it had been three. Wasn’t a couple supposed to mean two?

  A yawn overcame her and she covered her mouth with one hand. Millie still didn’t understand why her nights had been restless since Levi had gone to the ranch. Maybe tonight she’d get a good night’s sleep. She stood. “If you all will excuse me, I’m going to my room.”

  “Good night, dear. I hope you sleep better tonight,” Mrs. Englebright said.

  Mrs. Englebright’s room was next door to Millie’s. Had her moving about during the night kept the older woman awake? “I’m sorry, Mrs. Englebright. I hope I haven’t been keeping you awake.”

  The widow waved her hand in dismissal. “Not at all.”

  Millie frowned. “Then how did you know I haven’t been sleeping?”

  It was Mrs. Englebright’s turn to frown. “Why, you told me so not more than thirty minutes ago. You must truly be worn-out, dear.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I am.” Millie walked to the door. “Good night,” she said over her shoulder.

  Everyone called good-night to her as she left the room. In the short time she’d been in Granite, the other boarders had become good friends to Millie. She smiled at the thought. They were the closest thing to a family she had here.