New Beginnings Spring 20 Book Box Set

by Hope Sinclair

  Again, Simon was impressed. This time he was captivated by her work ethic and her willingness to go above and beyond her call of wifely duty. She’s a good woman, he thought to himself, though he dared not say such a thing aloud.

  By the time lunchtime came around, Agnes and Simon were dirty and sweaty, and they relished the meal Mrs. White had prepared. Once lunch was done, they went back to work the land together. Only this time, they actually talked.

  Simon told Agnes more about his cattle run, and about the other places he’d been over the years. Agnes told him about life in Annapolis and about her journey across the country to marry him. They went on to talk about how much they both liked seeing other places, but didn’t so much care for the burdens of travel, and they discussed the parts of the country that neither one of them had ever seen.

  When Mrs. White called the couple in for supper, neither one of them could believe how much time had passed, and both of them felt a newfound “comfortableness” with each other—though truth be told, it scared one of them to no end.

  That comfortable feeling continued to flourish between Agnes and Simon over the next several days.

  Simon went back to work and put in long days, until the late evening hours, as he usually did. He didn’t stay out until midnight like he’d done the night Agnes arrived. But he sometimes didn’t make it back to the house until the sun was quite low on the horizon.

  Nonetheless, whenever he and Agnes spent time together, however limited or far between it was, they got along quite swimmingly and had a truly splendid time. After supper, each night they would do something fun together, like tell each other stories about their younger days; discuss places they wanted to visit someday; or play games. One night, they even sang some of their favorite church hymns together!

  By all outside measures, Agnes and Simon seemed to share what a married couple is supposed to share. But inside of the house, it was a different story. They didn’t share something very special that most, if not all, married couples share—a marital bed.

  A few days after Simon’s return from the cattle run, Mrs. White was relieved of her chaperone duties, and she left the Clark ranch to go back to her own homestead. Usually, when a chaperone leaves her charge, it marks a major milestone for the couple. It means they are ready to “move on” in their relationship and “move in” to a common bedroom, ready to enjoy all of the benefits that come with it.

  But alas, when Mrs. White left, the couple did not “move on” and “move in.” Two days after her chaperone had left; Agnes approached Simon, after dinner, and suggested that they start sharing a room.

  “I… I don’t think we should do that just yet,” Simon replied. Agnes was shocked by his response. It felt like she’d been kicked in the stomach, like her heart had broken into a million pieces. She was at a loss for words. All she could do was stare at Simon with her big brown eyes—and Simon couldn’t stand the pain he saw in them.

  “I’m going to go for a walk,” Simon said. “I’ll be back in a bit.” He walked out of the living room, and out of the house. Agnes had managed to catch her breath again, but she was still speechless. This was the first night since Simon’s return from the run that they hadn’t spent the evening together.

  One hour passed, then two. It was pitch black outside, and most of the other townspeople in Blue Stream, perhaps in all of California, were already in bed. Agnes had spent her time apart from Simon wondering what she’d done “wrong” to cause him to reject her. Now, late as it was, she was no longer concerned about such things and was more concerned with Simon. He should be back by now, she thought to herself. I hope he is all right.

  It got to the point where Agnes didn’t want to just think anymore. She wanted—needed—to take action. She left the house and went out in search of Simon, fearful of what she might find.

  It only took Agnes a short while to find him though. When she did, she was relieved to see that she had no reason to worry or be fearful. Simon was sitting underneath a tree, chewing on a piece of hay and staring up at the stars.

  Agnes didn’t say anything right away, but Simon immediately felt her presence.

  “I know it’s late,” he said, looking over at Agnes. “I’m sorry if I worried you.”

  Agnes smiled and bowed her head. “I’m sorry, too.”

  “For what?” Simon asked.

  “For suggesting that we start sharing a room,” Agnes answered, “and for doing whatever I did that compelled you to say ‘no.’”

  Simon took a deep breath and sighed. “Come, sit down, Agnes,” he said. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

  Agnes slowly walked over and sat next to Simon underneath the tree. She leaned back against the wood and brought her knees up to her chest.

  “I was engaged before,” Simon explained. “Her name was Elizabeth. I’d known her since I was a child. In elementary school, my friends and I used to tease her because of her ginger hair and freckles. But come our teen years, we all chased after her—and I was the lucky one who caught her.

  “I was deeply in love with her. She was my world.”

  Simon looked up at the sky again and took another deep breath. “Then, about two years ago, just a month before we were to get married, Elizabeth left me. She’d taken up with a very wealthy, much older man, and the two of them ran away together.”

  “Oh, Simon,” Agnes sighed. “How horrible.”

  “I was heartbroken,” Simon went on. “I was hurt. And I promised myself I’d never be hurt like that again … that I’d never fall in love again.”

  Agnes thought for a moment and carefully weighed her words. “A broken heart doesn’t have to stay broken forever,” she said. “With care, nurturing, and love it can heal. You might not feel ready to be in love yet. But perhaps in time, once you’ve seen the type of woman I am, you will be ready.

  “It seemed to me your Elizabeth cared more about money than the love of a good man. I pity her for that—and I assure you, money is not my main concern. I want a husband, a faithful, loving partner, and I want a family. If I had those things, I wouldn’t give them up for all the money in the world.”

  Simon laughed an unexpected laugh. “That’s what makes this so hard on me,” he said seriously. “I know that you are not like Elizabeth. I know what type of woman you are. You are one of a kind, and that’s why, despite my promise never to do so again, I’ve fallen in love with you.”

  Agnes’s heart throbbed, and her entire body tingled. She was just about to say something that conveyed her feelings but before she could, Simon continued.

  “Even though I’m in love with you,” Simon said, “I don’t think we’re ready to share a bedroom yet because I have not been completely honest with you about something. I feel so guilty about it, and I can’t let this relationship move forward without telling you the truth.”

  As happy as Agnes had been a moment earlier, she was twice as worried now. She braced herself for what was to come next.

  “When Elizabeth left me and I vowed to never love again,” Simon went on, “I threw myself into my work. As you know, my father wasn’t too pleased with how much I worked and how ‘unbalanced’ my life was. But what you don’t know is that he decided to do something about it.

  “For going on a year now, he’s been urging me to get over Elizabeth, find a girl, and get married. But I didn’t want that. So a few months ago, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He placed an advertisement in the Matrimonial Times under my name and proceeded to handle the responses—including yours—as if he were me.”

  “What?” Agnes asked. She felt as though she’d been kicked in the stomach again.

  “I didn’t know that he did any of this until the very last minute,” Simon said, shaking his head. “It wasn’t until he got your last letter, the day before you arrived, that he told me what he’d done. I was flabbergasted, and very angry … which explains my behavior your first night here.”

  Agnes was just about to say something c
ritical but before she could, she was hit with a series of compelling revelations.

  “If I’m to be mad at anyone,” Agnes said, leaning closer to Simon, “it’s your father, not you. In doing what he did, he deceived me, and wronged you as well. Granted, he did it all with good intentions but nonetheless, he did it.

  “We are not responsible for what others do. I can’t hold what he did against you, and I can’t blame you for being reluctant and taking so long to tell me. He put you in a very difficult position. But here we are. The Lord truly works in mysterious ways.”

  Simon smiled and moved closer to Agnes as well. “So, you forgive me?” he asked.

  “Of course. There is nothing to forgive,” Agnes answered. She gazed into Simon’s eyes adoringly.

  “I may have been called here by a different man,” she added. “But I’m in love with the one I wound up marrying. I love you, Simon.”

  Simon gazed back into Agnes’s eyes just as adoringly. “I love you, too, Agnes,” he replied.

  Simon stood up and held out his hand to help Agnes to her feet. “Shall we go back to the house and to our room?” he asked.

  Agnes jumped to her feet, barely using Simon’s hand to hoist her. She smiled at him and nodded her head.

  TEN

  Six Weeks Later

  Agnes walked out of the door with a smile on her face and a spring in her step. She had a few more errands to run before heading home, and she couldn’t wait until she was done with them, so that she could go home and prepare a celebratory meal to share with her husband.

  As she was about to turn the corner to go to the general store, Agnes caught sight of Simon walking out of the bakery. She was going to say something and go over to him. But just before she could, someone else stepped out of the bakery, a beautiful young woman with ginger hair and freckles.

  Elizabeth! Agnes thought to herself. That’s Simon’s former fiancé, the one who jilted him for a rich old man.

  Agnes stepped back, so that she was out of Simon’s line of sight but still able to spy on him and Elizabeth. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to hear anything. Within a few seconds, that didn’t matter. She didn’t need to hear what Simon and Elizabeth were saying because what they were doing told her more than enough.

  Simon had his arms wrapped around Elizabeth, and they were both holding each other tightly. Elizabeth nuzzled her face into Simon’s neck. Then he whispered something to her and kissed her on the forehead.

  That’s it! Agnes thought to herself. She’d seen enough. She turned around and stormed off in the other direction, choosing to go home rather than finish her errands and choosing not to cook that celebratory dinner to share with her husband.

  About two hours later, Simon came home. He had a lot on his mind and in his heart, and he was wearing a frown on his face. When he stepped inside of the house, his frown turned into a look of astonishment.

  “What’s going on here?” Simon asking, staring at the two suitcases in front of him. Agnes was putting a few other things in a bag—some of the knickknacks she’d gotten in town when Benjamin was away—and she turned to look at him. She appeared hurt and angry, yet determined.

  “I’m leaving you,” Agnes whispered, walking over to her carpetbags.

  “What?!?” Simon exclaimed. “Why? What? But you said you wouldn’t leave me for all the money in the world.” He looked at her, confusion written all over his face.

  “I said I wouldn’t leave you if you were a loving, faithful husband, and if we had a family,” Agnes replied, biting her lower lip.

  Simon thought for a moment.

  “But, it takes a while to make a family,” he started. “When the time is right, I’m sure—”

  “I’m not talking about that,” Agnes interrupted. “God forgive me, but I cannot stay with an unfaithful man.”

  Simon looked at Agnes curiously.

  “I saw you,” Agnes continued, narrowing her tearful eyes on Simon. “I saw you in town outside of the bakery… embracing Elizabeth.”

  “I can explain,” Simon replied with a frown.

  “I’m sure you can,” Agnes snapped back as she wrapped her arms around herself for comfort. “But I don’t want to hear whatever lies you’ll tell me.”

  Agnes reached out for her carpetbags. But Simon reached out and stopped her.

  “Elizabeth’s father died,” Simon said, putting his hands on top of Agnes’s in a way that was both powerful and tender. “He got sick about two months ago, and Elizabeth came back home to see him before he died. But he passed yesterday when the train Elizabeth was on was just two hours shy of Coloma.

  “I ran into her today in town. She and her mother were on their way back from talking to the minister. Elizabeth told me what happened. She cried the whole while, and I offered to take her to the bakery to get a sweet treat and talk. I wanted to comfort her in her time of sorrow. Plus I wanted to know more about her father’s passing. He was a kind man, and I became rather fond of him when Elizabeth and I were courting.”

  Agnes let go of the loose hold she held on her bags and bowed her head in embarrassment for jumping so quickly to the wrong conclusions.

  “I am sorry. What a ninny I am,” Agnes said with a trembling smile. “I guess you weren’t unfaithful after all, and I won’t be leaving after all. I have no reason to. You’ve met all three of my criteria,” She continued looking at him with joy in her eyes.

  Simon took pause for a moment, then his eyes sparkled.

  “All three?” he asked.

  “Yes,” Agnes replied. “You are loving. You are faithful. And we have a family.”

  “You mean…?”

  “Yes,” Agnes repeated. “I had some errands to run in town today. But the main reason I was there was to see Dr. Johnson. You see, I missed my monthly flow. And it turns out … I’m pregnant.”

  Simon’s sparkling eyes sparkled even brighter, and a tear crept out of the corner of one of them. He reached out and took Agnes into his arms, then closed his eyes and thanked his Heavenly Father, as well as his earthly one, for bringing such a wonderful woman into his life.

  THE END

  8. THE HEARTBROKEN BRIDE

  Copyright © Hope Sinclair 2018

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher and writer except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a contemporary work of fiction. All characters, names, places and events are the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously.

  For queries, comments or feedback please use the following contact details:

  hopesinclair.cleanandwholesomeromance.com

  info@cleanandwholesomeromance.com

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  Contents

  ONE

  TWO

  THREE

  FOUR

  FIVE

  SIX

  SEVEN

  EIGHT

  NINE

  TEN

  ONE

  Emma Harris burst through the doorway and ran up the narrow staircase in a fit of tears.

  “Charlie!” she shouted loudly as she walked into her apartment. “Charlie, come quick! I need you!” She shut the door behind her, then threw herself down on the sofa and buried her head in her hands.

  Just then Charlie rushed into the room and ran to Emma’s side.

  “You’ll never believe what happened,” she said softly, still crying, as she raised her head and stared into Charlie’s big brown eyes.

  Charlie stared back at her intently, with a curious expression on his face, and moved closer.

  “I’m so upset… so heartbroken,” she went on. “I’m a complete and utter mess.”

  Charlie moved even closer, until he was face to face with Emma. Then he licked her on the cheek—then on the nose.

  “You silly scamp,” Emma giggled through he
r tears. “It’s nice to see you too.” She took hold of the tiny, fluffy white dog and hugged him tightly, kissing him gently on the top of his head. Charlie whimpered cries of excitement, licked her face and neck a few more times, and wagged his tail. He was very happy to see his owner, since he’d been home alone for a few hours that morning.

  “I don’t know what I’d do without you,” she told her pet in a loving voice. “A lot of ugliness has befallen me today, and you, my dear dog, are my only saving grace.”

  Of course, Charlie didn’t so much understand what Emma was saying. But he did understand that she was upset and needed his affection just as much as he needed hers. He wasn’t used to being separated from her for too long, mind you. She usually took him everywhere she went. But this morning, she went somewhere she couldn’t take him, and he’d spent the entire time in her absence gazing out the bedroom window longingly, waiting for her to return. And now that they were reunited, he was overjoyed and absorbed every bit of affection she was willing and able to give.

  “With you by my side and my Heavenly Father’s blessings from above, I’m confident I’ll eventually get through this,” Emma added with another set of tears. “But for the time being, I must admit, it really, really hurts, and I’m having a hard time keeping my head held high.”

  Emma ruffled her fingers through Charlie’s fur and petted him on his back. His tail kept wagging. But then, all of a sudden, it stopped and his ears perked up. He growled a bit, then pulled away from his master’s embrace, jumped down from her lap, and quickly went over to the door where he let out another small growl.

  Several seconds later there was a knock on the door, followed by an announcement from the other side.

  “It’s Mrs. Carson,” Emma’s landlady said. “I heard you storm into the building and up the steps, then heard you shouting… Are you all right?”