She put her fingers to her lips. “Oh my. Thank you, Jonathan. I don’t know what to say.”
“Say you’ll stay and make something with all that yarn.” Jonathan laughed, “Scarfs for everyone.”
Flory laughed as well. “It would take a while for me to make everyone something.”
Jonathan looked at her. “That’s what I hope,” he said softly. “I’m hoping that you will stay here,” Jonathan said.
“We can’t,” she finally spoke. “We’re leaving as planned.”
He watched her get up, dropping the box on the floor, and she ran from the room.
“You need to give her the other present,” Gloria finally spoke, picking up the box of yarn. “You should give it to her.” She gave him a toothy grin. “You want us to stay, don’t you Jonathan?”
He nodded and rose to his feet, following the way she had left. His feet stopped when he heard sobbing and he stepped to the side, hiding himself against the doorframe before peeking in.
Flory sat at the table, her face in her hands as she sobbed, Harriet rubbing her back trying to soothe her. His heart squeezed. Had he made her cry?
Wasting no more time, he stepped around the corner, announcing his arrival with the clearing of his throat. He smiled when the women looked up, Flory not even bothering to hide the fact she had been crying.
“You’ve been crying,” he pointed out the obvious, nearly kicking himself for doing so. “I have another present for you.”
“I’m not interested in your bribes to stay here and clean and cook for you. I made myself clear before. We came here so-”
“You and I could marry,” he finished for her, deliberately cutting her off. “Did you know Harriet put the ad in the newspaper? The entire town conspired against me. They all apparently thought I needed a wife, to stop living on my own.”
Flory lifted her head, wiping at the tears beneath her eyes. “Living alone is not always the proper way to live.”
“I figured that out recently myself,” he ignored Harriet’s eyebrows shooting up in surprise. She gave Flory one last pat on the back and scurried from the room. “I thought I had it made, living life on my terms. No wife or kids to answer to. It was great, for a while. I didn’t realize what I was missing until a pair of feisty… wonderful… and loving sisters walked into my life.”
Flory wiped at her face again, trying to rid the evidence of her tears, but the damage had already been done. “What did you realize you were missing then?”
“Someone to share life with,” he took a step forward, cautious so he didn’t spook her. He held the present out as he stepped closer to her. “I need you to open this and then tell me your decision. If you still want to leave after you open it, then you can. I won’t stop you. If you don’t, then you can stay.”
He watched her reach for the box. She nervously opened it and peered inside.
A gasp left her mouth and he quickly closed the distance. Taking her free hand, he grasped it, squeezing until she looked at him.
“If you want to leave, I will let you, but not without a fight first. I’m not ready to let you go, Flory. You’ve captured my heart in a way no other woman has been able to.” He kissed her hand. “I love you, Flory West. Tell me you’ll be my wife.”
She looked up at him, her mouth opening but she seemed to rethink her words and closed it again. She pulled the simple gold band from the box and held it in the air.
Her eyes rose again, but this time she was looking over his shoulder. He glanced behind him as well and saw Gloria standing in the doorway, watching the two of them.
“Do you want to stay Gloria?”
He caught the catch in her voice easily, it was a crack on the words she spoke. As if she was hoping that her little sister would agree to staying, but he knew if Gloria decided she wanted to leave, Flory wouldn’t fight against her sister’s happiness.
“I want to stay.” The little girl finally spoke, and his heart jumped into his throat.
“Will you marry me, Flory? I will do everything in my power to make you and Gloria as happy as possible.”
The little girl squealed in happiness and ran, wrapping her arms around Flory.
Flory sobbed as she reached for Jonathan. “Yes. Yes, I will marry you.” She lifted her face to his. “I love you too, Jonathan.”
He lowered his lips to hers, capturing her in the sweetest of kisses. He lingered a moment and then lifted his head, wrapping both of his girls in his arms.
“Merry Christmas, Jonathan,” Gloria said.
“Merry Christmas, Gloria.” He leaned down once more to capture Flory’s lips. “Merry Christmas, my love.”
It was indeed the best of Christmases, as Jonathan had everything he desired right in his arms.
Epilogue
Flory watched as Gloria let a piece of paper drop into the fireplace. They had just finished cleaning up from the lovely dinner of wild turkey, baked apples, potatoes and spinach they shared with the ranch hands and were now resting in front of the fire.
She tilted her head, knowing it was too late to ask Gloria what was written on the piece of paper.
“What are you doing, Gloria?” she asked curiously, her fingers pausing from balling up the yarn.
“Harriet told me a secret before. She said Christmas wishes can come true.”
“What did you wish for?” Jonathan inquired.
Gloria turned to the two of them, a grin on her face but she pressed a finger to her lips. “I can’t tell, or the Christmas magic won’t work.”
Flory giggled, shaking her head. “Well, then we can’t pester her, Jonathan.”
Jonathan grinned. “Of course not, wouldn’t want that Christmas magic to go away.” He rose to his feet and left the room and the two of them listened as he clomped into the kitchen.
Flory looked at Gloria and pressed a finger to her lips, leaning towards her sister. “I know what you wished for. I wished for the same thing too.”
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The End
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Read all of Christine’s Books
Writing contemporary romance as Christi Bortner:
1. Dancing to the Altar (Holliday Islands Resort #2)
2. The Mountain Rescue (Disaster City Rescue #6)
Writing historical romance as Christine Sterling:
The Silverpines Series:
1. Wanted: Medicine Man
2. Wanted: Gravedigger
3. Wanted: Redemption
The Silverpines Companion Tales:
1. The Coffin Maker
2. Snowbound
3. Changing Seasons
The Proxy Bride Romances:
1. A Bride for Jeremiah
2. A Bride for Elijah
3. A Bride for Benjamin
The Pinkerton Matchmaker Romances:
1. The Pinkerton Matchmaker
2. An Agent for Claudette
3. An Agent for Penelope
4. An Agent for Marianne
5. An Agent for Pearl
The Cowboys and Angels Romances:
1. Bride in Blue
2. Beauty and the Baker
3. Tempting the Tailor
4. Married by Midnight
The Belles of Wyoming Romances:
1. Wynter's Bride
2. The Homecoming
3. A Matter of Marriage
4. The Barn Raising
The Black Hills Brides Books:
1. Her Secret Past
2. Her Secret Baby
3. Her Secret Shame
4. Her Secret Love
The Christmas Books:
1. A Cozy Mitten Christmas
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2. A Cowboy for Christmas
3. A Mother for Christmas
Read Christine’s Other Books:
1. Gwyneth (Widows of Wildcat Ridge)
2. Moving from Maryland (Pioneer Brides of Rattlesnake Ridge)
Click here to visit Christine’s Amazon page.
About Christine
Christine Sterling published her first book in 2017. She is the creator of the wildly popular Pinkerton Matchmaker Series and the Proxy Bride Series. She is an author in multiple collaborations, including: The Belles of Wyoming, Cowboys and Angels, The Widows of Wildcat Ridge and Silverpines, where her book Wanted: Medicine Man won best historical novel of 2018. She recently joined Sweet Promise Press as a historical romance author, writing for the Pioneer Brides of Rattlesnake Ridge series.
She writes sweet and wholesome historical western novels under the name Christine Sterling and sweet contemporary novels under Christi Bortner (you can see both on her Amazon page). She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, a spoiled Shih Tzu, two German Shepherds and an energetic Border Collie, that keep her on her toes.
She spends her time writing, thinking about writing, and dreaming about writing. Her favorite things are a good cup of tea, puppy snuggles, a movie that will make you cry and hearing from her readers.
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A Cowboy for Christmas (Spinster Mail Order Brides Book 11) Page 7
