A Cowboy for Christmas (Spinster Mail Order Brides Book 11)

by Christine Sterling

  “You can stay,” the doctor said to Gloria.

  Gloria gave a smile and held tighter to Flory’s hand.

  Everyone left, the doctor moved over to the bed. “We haven’t been introduced. I’m Dr. Robert Wiggins. Pleasure to meet you, Miss West.” He pulled a device with a horn at one end and a tube that went in his ear. “I wish it was under better circumstances.”

  “Me too, doctor,” Flory whispered. “I really don’t need a doctor.”

  “You took a nasty fall.”

  Flory looked around the room. “I don’t have the means to pay.”

  The doctor blinked a few times. “Pay? I’m not expecting you to pay. I’m just thrilled to see that boy get riled up.”

  “Riled up?”

  “Yes. I’ve known Jonathan since he arrived in town. Broke his leg falling off a wild horse not even one month after arriving. His entire focus has been on this ranch. We are thrilled to see it diverted to something else.” He placed the end of the horn against Flory’s chest and listened. “Take another breath.”

  Flory complied. When the doctor pulled away and started examining the cut on her head, she asked, “You said we. Who’s we?”

  “I did?” Flory nodded. “Hold still,” the doctor said, holding her head between his hands. He was peering over half lenses at her forehead. “Why the town, of course.”

  Flory scrunched her brow. That hurt! She made a mental note not to do that again. “I’m not following.”

  The doctor cut the bandage from her head and started unwrapping it, allowing the gauze to fall in Flory’s lap. “How did you get here?”

  “By train, and then by stage,” Flory replied. Gloria gave a little laugh.

  The doctor chuckled. “Well that was the mechanics. But what brought you to Nomad? It isn’t like it is a big city. In fact, you probably couldn’t find it on a map.”

  “I read an advertisement in the paper.”

  “Exactly.” The doctor gave her a little wink. “The town got together and put that advertisement in the paper.”

  “You mean Jonathan didn’t place it?”

  The doctor shook his head as he poked at Flory’s wound.

  “Gloria, I need you to go out, sweetheart. I need to talk to the doctor.”

  “But, Flory!”

  “Do I as say, Bug. It will be alright.” Gloria huffed and left the room, closing the door behind her. When Flory could hear her sister’s footsteps headed downstairs, she turned and looked at the doctor. “So, I came here under false circumstances?”

  The doctor shrugged his shoulders. “I prefer to think it was a matter of fate. That boy needs a wife and you need a husband. Sounds like a good match to me.”

  “But you did this without his permission. It would be one thing if he said I think I need a wife. Instead, you… the town… simply put an advertisement in the paper.” Flory put her head in her hands. “I feel like such a fool.”

  “Now, now, Miss West,” the doctor said, patting her hand. “We are so happy that you are here. There is no reason to feel like a fool.”

  “But I wasn’t planning on marrying the town!” Flory wailed. “I was planning on marrying Jonathan. He’ll never marry me now!”

  “Well that is interesting,” the doctor said.

  Flory peeked at the elderly doctor between her fingers. “What is?”

  “It almost sounds like you are disappointed. If it was just a matter of convenience, I don’t think you would sound quite as disappointed.”

  Flory thought about it for a moment. She was disappointed. She wondered if there was something, she might be able to do to convince Jonathan to let them stay.

  Chapter 10

  Doctor Wiggins had told Flory to stay in bed for at least two more days. She honestly thought she would go insane if she had to stay in bed. After much pleading, the doctor relented that she could sit downstairs by the fire if she didn’t make any sudden movements and had assistance going up and down the stairs.

  Jonathan insisted on carrying her downstairs. The first time he put his arms under her legs and around her back to carry her downstairs, she stiffened. By the time he put her in the rocking chair and covered her lap with an old quilt, she was determined to make the most of every moment.

  She tightened her arms around his neck as he carried her upstairs and she noticed that he held her a little longer as he laid her back on the bed.

  If she wasn’t going to be able to stay, then she was going to make sure she had enough memories to last her a lifetime.

  The second night he carried her back upstairs and gently returned her to her bed. Flory thought he held her just a bit longer than before. She closed her eyes as he gave her a kiss on the forehead. When she felt him move away, she opened her eyes and grabbed his arm.

  “Stay,” she said softly. “Just for a moment.”

  Jonathan nodded and sat down on the chair next to the bed. “Did you want to talk about something?”

  “Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and I had hoped I would be able to get to town before now.”

  “I know being stuck hasn’t been the easiest.”

  “I just wanted to get Gloria a present.” Flory rummaged through the drawer and pulled out her handkerchief filled with coins. She untied the fabric and laid it flat on her lap. There was a piece of paper, a newspaper clipping and a crumpled bill among the coins.

  Jonathan reached out and picked up the newspaper clipping with two fingers. He looked at it. “You know, I never actually saw the advertisement until recently.”

  “I thought you did.”

  Jonathan shook his head. “I can understand why you would have come all the way out here based on this.”

  “It was a desperate time. And I’m so grateful for you allowing us to stay here.”

  Jonathan looked at it for a few moments and then handed the newspaper clipping back to her. She put it under the handkerchief then handed him the piece of paper.

  He looked at the list. “These are items for packing.” He read them silently. “And chocolate?”

  Flory nodded. “Yes. There is a tradition that my parents had. Each Christmas morning, we would have a piece of fresh fruit and a bar of chocolate with our gift. I know we can’t get fruit, but I can’t disappoint Gloria. She still believes in Father Christmas.” Jonathan raised his eyebrow. “She even wrote him a letter. Silly, isn’t it? But with everything she’s lost, I want to make sure that her first Christmas without our parents is special.”

  Flory started sorting her coins. “This is all I have. Please use these when buying those items. If there isn’t enough, just purchase what you can and leave the rest.”

  He stared at the list, frowning. “Why are there items for packing as well as holiday treats?”

  “I don’t know when I’ll be able to get to town again. Doc said the snow is arriving tomorrow night. He called it a squ – squa..”

  “Squall?”

  “Yes. A squall. I’m not sure what that is. We didn’t have those in Philadelphia.”

  “It means a sudden storm with lots of wind and snow.”

  “How does he know that?”

  “Old farmer’s trick, I guess. Some say it is in the clouds. Others say it is the way the cows act before the storm.”

  “Well, if the squall is coming we are going to be stuck here a bit longer than planned. So we would be leaving to head back home as soon as the storm passes and we can get to town.”

  He stared at the list for a few minutes longer and then up at her, eyebrows furrowed. He stood and shoved the list into his pocket.

  “Don’t worry about the money. I’ll make sure Gloria has a magical Christmas.”

  Before she could respond, he turned on his heel and left the room.

  The next morning was Christmas Eve and Flory woke up on the large bed alone. Gloria must have spent the night with Harriet in the room downstairs. She wondered what Harriet’s husband thought about his wife being gone.

  She didn’t need to wonder long as he wa
s sitting at the table drinking coffee when she walked into the kitchen.

  “Oh, I didn’t know we had company.”

  The man gave her a toothy grin. He had a long white beard, and tufts of gray hair on top of his head. Flory thought he looked ancient. “I’m not company. You can call me Jack.”

  “Jack?”

  “Short for Jackson.” He slapped his leg like he had told a great joke. “The missus here was just telling me that you are still recovering.”

  “I’m feeling better, thank you.”

  “Would you like a cup of tea?” Harriet asked.

  Flory sat down at the table. “Yes, please.” When Harriet placed the cup in front of her she thanked the woman. “I guess you’ll be happy to get back to your own house.”

  Harriet paused. “Why do you say that?”

  “Well I was supposed to be doing the chores here and I didn’t have much luck getting them done.”

  Harriet gave her an odd look and returned to frying fatback in the cast iron pan.

  “We’ll be having Christmas dinner in the barn tomorrow night.”

  Flory looked up at Jack, her eyes wide. “The barn?”

  Jackson nodded. “It is a tradition. We set up tables in the barn and everyone eats together.”

  Flory digested that for a moment. “Where’s Gloria? She didn’t come to bed last night.”

  “She slept in my old room.” Harriet pointed at a door with the fork. “Didn’t want to disturb you.”

  “Where is she now?”

  “Think she’s in the main room with Jonathan,” Jackson responded.

  Flory picked up her tea and walked towards the large room at the front of the house.

  As she tightened the shawl around her shoulders, she heard Gloria giggling. Curiosity got the best of her, making her momentarily forget about the lack of presents there would be.

  She followed the sounds to the living area and stopped dead in her tracks at the entrance to the room. Gloria and Jonathan had their backs to her and they were hanging handmade ornaments on the largest tree Flory had ever seen.

  Jonathan was laughing, a sound that flipped her heart, as Gloria twirled, throwing strings of popped corn onto the branches. Flory leaned against the doorframe, holding her cup. She watched the scene before her, and for just one solid moment, she lost track of where she was. All she could see was a man and little girl, decorating the tree.

  Visions of her father, mother and Flory decorating the tree when she was as young as Gloria floated through her mind. She heard Gloria singing a hymn as she placed the corn decorations on the tree. Gloria sounded just like their mother. Mother would sing the same hymn every Christmas Eve. Once the tree was decorated, they would go into the kitchen and make cookies and small fruit cakes.

  Flory closed her eyes and she could imagine the scent of Christmas in the air. The sugar, cinnamon and spices. When she opened her eyes the scent disappeared, but the sight of Gloria and Jonathan in front of her was better than nothing.

  Flory felt warm tears trickle down her cheeks and reaching up quickly, she wiped them off her face. She swallowed hard, trying to gather herself before she was noticed crying.

  Jonathan must have sensed her presences as he turned around and smiled. “Good morning, Flory,” he said.

  “Good morning.” His anger from the night before appeared to have disappeared during the night.

  “Look, Flory!” Gloria chirped, appearing around Jonathan with the biggest grin she’d had in the two weeks since they’d arrived. “Jonathan took me to chop down a tree this morning.”

  “Shh,” he said quickly, his cheeks slightly turning pink. “You weren’t supposed to tell,” he looked bashfully at Flory. “I hope that was alright. She was just so excited to get a tree.”

  Flory nodded. “Yes, of course. Pa used to take us. Granted it was to a lot in the middle of town, but…” her words faltered, falling off her lips as she couldn’t finish her statement.

  Jonathan nodded in understanding and turned, handing an ornament to Gloria. “I think we are about done, and I need to make a quick trip to town.”

  “Why, Jonathan?” Gloria asked.

  “Because…” he said, tapping her nose. “I have some things to pick up.”

  “But it’s Christmas Eve.”

  “I know, but I won’t be long. How about you make those delicious brownies and we can read from the bible after dinner?”

  “Alright,” Gloria said. “I need to finish decorating this side. She picked up another handful of popcorn strands and started draping them on the tree.

  Flory returned to the kitchen and put her empty cup in the wash basin. Jonathan came in behind her.

  “I’m running to town, Harriet. Do you need anything?”

  “What in heavens for?”

  Flory leaned over and kept her voice low, as she responded. “Chocolate. He’s going to pick up some chocolate for me.”

  “For Gloria?” Harriet asked.

  Flory nodded. “It’s a small tradition. Chocolate is a luxury back home. We couldn’t really afford it growing up and got it for Christmas. Best part of my Christmas every year,” she said happily.

  “Do you need anything, Harriet?”

  “Can’t think of anything. Can you, Jack?”

  “Nary a thing. You best be getting, boy, if you plan on making it home before dark.”

  “I’ll be home,” Jonathan said, looking directly at Flory. “I need to be back before Christmas.”

  He held his hand out to Flory, who hesitantly put her hand in his. He curled his fingers around her hand and pulled her to him. Her feet stumbled beneath her and she fell into his chest. His arms gripping her before she had a chance to fall.

  Her head dipped back, and she looked at him. For a moment, time froze, his lips just inches from hers. Her eyes stared at his lips, not even hiding the fact that she wanted to kiss him. The look he gave her said he wanted to as well.

  His head lowered, nearing her lips and all she could do was stand there, waiting for the kiss to happen, a shiver of excitement running down her spine. A cough interrupted them, and they broke apart before their lips met.

  He moved backwards. “I should get going,” he whispered to her.

  Flory nodded. He released her and disappeared from the kitchen. A moment later she heard the door open and close, signaling he was headed to town.

  She heard Jack talking to Harriet as Flory stood lost in thought.

  “I hope he realizes what he’s losing before he loses it.”

  Flory wiped her hands on her skirt and went to see how Gloria was progressing on her tree decorations.

  Chapter 11

  Jonathan watched the exchange before him. Flory sat next to Gloria in front of the fireplace.

  “Merry Christmas, Gloria,” Flory announced, setting the few presents Jonathan picked up for her in town on her little sister’s lap.

  Jonathan held a small wrapped box with a bow tightly between his fingers. His eyes darted to the small pile of presents beneath the tree.

  Most of them were for Gloria. Everyone on the ranch had come to adore the little girl just as much as he did, and they couldn’t help but spoil her.

  It wasn’t hard to buy for the ten-year-old girl. Flory on the other hand, was much more difficult. She had been willing to give the rest of her money up just to make sure her sister had the special treat for Christmas. But not once did she make mention of anything for herself.

  It was Gloria who gave him the idea. She mentioned how much Flory missed her knitting bag.

  Fortunately, the mercantile was stocked with balls of yarn and plenty of needles. Minnie even had a spare bag sitting around.

  It didn’t take long for Minnie to spill the beans about the advertisement. She confessed that the entire town had known about the advertisement and they only published it out of worrying about him being alone. The town thought it was time to marry off some of the bachelors so the town would grow in the future.

  Even
Harriet had been in on it. She had been tasked with writing the advertisement. After all, she knew him best.

  What they were expecting were letters. What they hadn’t expected was a lonely woman in charge of her sister and desperate for a home to arrive in town. But the town loved her.

  Just as much as he did.

  Jonathan had been determined not to fall in love with Flory West or her adorable sister. He had been determined to lock his heart away and be done with her once the stage could get back in town.

  But God had other plans and Jonathan now realized that he received the best gift of all this holiday season.

  Gloria looked pleased as she looked at her gifts. Harriet had knitted her a scarf and matching mittens. The ranch hands made her a set of wooden barn yard animals. And from Flory she received a brand-new slate, some graphite sticks and of course, the bar of chocolate. Jonathan gave her a bag of peppermint sticks and a set of combs for her hair.

  “There’re two packages left,” Gloria said, pointing to the boxes under the tree.

  “That one is from Minnie and Oskar. This one is from everyone here on the ranch.”

  Flory looked at him in confusion, frowning. “I didn’t ask for anything.”

  “Which made you extremely hard to buy for,” he winked, his heart fluttering as she blushed a rosy red. “It isn’t much, but I really hope it makes you change your mind.”

  She blinked, scrunching up her eyebrows. She didn’t move, didn’t try to open her present. “Change my mind on what?”

  “What’s in the box, Flory?” Gloria cried with excitement.

  Flory opened it and out dropped her knitting bag. “Where was this?”

  “Minnie gave it to me. I thought it was a present. You must have left it at her house.”

  “I’m so happy to have it back.” She looked at Gloria and tapped her nose. “I can teach you to knit now.”

  “What’s in the other one?” Gloria asked.

  Flory laughed. “I honestly don’t know.” She picked up the box that Jonathan said was from everyone on the ranch and tore open the paper.

  He saw her shoulders tense as she stared inside the box at what he knew contained multiple skeins of yarn in a rainbow of assorted colors and several pairs of wooden needles. He didn’t know what she would need, so he relied heavily on Minnie to help with that.