EMMA (Mail-Order Brides Club, #1) Read online

"With the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

  Ethan leaned towards her and his lips lightly touched hers. The kiss was over before it really began and around her, everyone was clapping. Emma Byrne was now Emma Donovan.

  ***

  The rest of the day was a blur. Emma rode with Ethan and Emily to his parents’ sprawling ranch. Emma had never seen anything like it and Ethan explained that his father had kept adding rooms as his mother had more children. The main living area was large and filled up quickly once everyone arrived. There was tons of food and Ethan's mother had made a special wedding cake that was wonderful. Emma spent time talking to everyone in Ethan's family and trying to get to know them better. Ethan sat at the kitchen table, surrounded by his brothers and father discussing who knew what. Not all of his brothers, though. Emma had just finished a conversation with Ethan's mother, who excused herself to go make more coffee, and she was debating whether or not to have a second slice of cake when a mischievous voice whispered in her ear. "Be bad with me."

  She looked up in surprise and saw Liam holding two plates of cake. His expression made her laugh and she eagerly took one of the plates from him.

  "How did you know I was dying for more?" she asked as they sat at a small side table and started to eat.

  "I just got lucky. Was hoping I could twist your arm to join me."

  "Do you live here, too?"

  "Yes, but not for long. I'm building my own house on my lot, not too far from here. Pretty soon, I'll be moving in."

  "That's great! Though I bet your mother will miss having you around?"

  "She can't get rid of me that easily. I'm sure I'll be here often. Her cooking is good." He grinned at that and Emma laughed. So far, Liam was her favorite brother. He was also the one closest to her own age so she felt like they had that in common.

  "So, seriously, do you think any of your friends might want to move here? I'd make someone a good husband, if I do say so myself." He really would make someone a great husband. The first person who came to mind of all her friends was Julia, partly because she missed her and would love to have her nearby, but also because she thought her personality might fit well with Liam. But, of all of her friends, she also thought Julia was probably the least likely to leave Boston. She had a wonderful job, one that she really enjoyed. Julia was very good with numbers and worked as an accounting assistant for a small accounting firm in the Back Bay. She was the right hand to the owner and he gave her more responsibility each year, so that now she was handling all the bookkeeping for several of his clients, under his supervision.

  "I'll have to think about that and see what I hear from the girls. As soon as I'm settled, we're going to start writing regularly, so I'll know what they are all up to and can let you know."

  "Okay. Be sure to sell me hard to them, would you. Tell them how handsome I am, how charming and successful." His eyes twinkled as he spoke and Emma laughed again. She glanced Ethan's way. She was surprised to see him frowning and it looked like it was directed at her. She stopped laughing as Ethan walked towards them.

  "We should probably get going soon," he said.

  "I was just begging Emma to persuade one of her friends to come here, for me. Why should you have all the luck?" Liam teased.

  "Why, indeed?" Ethan cracked a smile then and Emma relaxed a bit. Maybe the frown hadn't been for her after all.

  ***

  The ride home to Ethan's house was quiet. Emily was sound asleep in the back seat and Emma was too tired to talk. She suspected it was the same for Ethan. He carried Emily into the house when they arrived and put her to bed. A few minutes later, he came back and immediately got a fire going in the wood-burning stove that sat in the kitchen.

  "It should warm up quickly. I'll show you around and I'll put your bag in the extra bedroom."

  Emma was relieved to hear that she would have her own bedroom.

  "I built that room while Susan was pregnant, figuring we'd use it as a nursery."

  "I'm so sorry," Emma said. She couldn't imagine what that had been like for him, to lose both his wife and their baby.

  "Thank you," he said softly. He set her bag in the room, and then asked, "Are you tired? I think I'm going to go to bed."

  "I'm exhausted." It had been a long day and Emma was both mentally and physically spent. She still hadn't fully processed that she was actually married. Maybe it would sink in while she slept.

  ***

  Emma still didn't feel married when she woke the next day. She was a light sleeper and heard Ethan moving around in the kitchen and wondered what time it was. The sun was just starting to come up outside. She eased herself out of bed, wrapped a shawl around her shoulders and made her way into the kitchen. It had been dark last night when they got in so she didn't get a good look around then, but in the early morning light, she liked what she saw. Ethan's home wasn't large, but it was homey and had everything they would need. Emma especially liked that there were plenty of big windows that let in the sunlight and cast a cheery glow over the room. The floors were hard-wood and looked to be of high quality. Ethan was just setting a teakettle on the wood stove to heat up as Emma entered the room.

  "Good morning," he said as he saw her.

  "Same to you. If you could show me where everything is, I can make you some breakfast," she offered.

  "That would be nice, thank you." Ethan showed her around the kitchen and she was pleased to see that he had a well-stocked pantry and several solid cast iron skillets and pans to cook with.

  "What would you like for breakfast?"

  "I just brought those eggs in this morning." He pointed to a bowl on the counter that held about a half-dozen eggs. "If it's not too much trouble, a couple of fried eggs and some bread should fill me up."

  Emma set a skillet on the stove and got busy making his breakfast.

  "What do you usually do for lunch?" she asked as she kept an eye on his eggs which looked almost done.

  "I usually pack a lunch in this pail and bring it with me. Most days, I'm out on the field straight through. My mother has been watching Emily during the day. Are you ready for that? Or should I drop her off this morning?"

  Emma had assumed she'd be watching his daughter when he wasn't there. "Of course, I'll watch her. I was planning on it. I can put a lunch together for you, too, while you eat. What do you usually like?"

  "Whatever is fast and easy," he said with a chuckle. "Usually, I just cut a few pieces of bread and put some meat in the middle and have an apple or slice of cheese on the side. My mother sent a plate of food home with us, a bunch of roast pork and a loaf of bread."

  "Okay, a pork sandwich, then?"

  "I think that may be my only option. There's not much else here at the moment. I can bring a chicken home for dinner tonight."

  Emma handed him his breakfast, found the plate of leftover pork and bread and made a sandwich for him. Then she poured herself a cup of coffee and joined him at the table just as he was finishing up.

  "What do you do out there all day?" There were no cowboys in Boston so aside from riding horses out in the field, she wondered what his job entailed.

  "There's no shortage of things to do. Today I am heading out to the far side of the property to repair a fence that looked like it needed strengthening last time I rode by. Mostly, I spend my time herding cattle, moving them from one field to another. I've recently expanded into logging, too, with two of my brothers, Paul and David. There's a big demand with all the building and expanding of the railroads that is going on."

  Emma was impressed and happy that it sounded like Ethan had a steady and growing business that could support them. As Ethan spoke about his work, she saw an excitement and passion that she hadn't seen before from him. When he stood to head out for the day, Emma realized he was taller than she'd initially thought. Mrs. Richardson's letter had said about six feet, but Hannah and Josh were off a bit as Ethan was definitely a few inches past six feet. As he put his hat on and
buttoned up his heavy work jacket, she looked at him even more closely while his attention was elsewhere. Although he wasn't classically handsome, like Liam, Ethan was striking with his strong jaw and he hadn't shaved recently, so there was a dark shadow of stubble that added to his raw masculinity. Liam was open and easy to talk to and Emma felt very comfortable around him. Ethan was different—h he was more closed off and guarded, and she wondered what he'd be like if he let his guard down and opened up to her.

  "I'll see you later this evening. Thanks for breakfast and for making my lunch." He grabbed the pail of food and when he shut the door behind him, it was almost as if all the energy went with him.

  ***

  The house was almost too quiet until Emily woke about an hour later and stumbled into the kitchen, holding what Emma assumed was her favorite blanket and rubbing her eyes. She looked at Emma with some confusion. "Has my daddy left?"

  "Yes, he's going to work for the day."

  Emily considered that for a moment and then asked, "Are you taking me to Grammy's, then?" Her lower lip trembled and Emma knew she had to handle this carefully. The one thing she knew from her limited experience with children was that they craved structure and felt safety in routines. Emily was used to her father dropping her off at her grandmother's house for the day. That wasn't going to happen any longer.

  "No, honey. You'll stay with me now. I thought you could help me in the kitchen today. Maybe we'll bake something."

  Emma didn't think Emily heard anything she'd just said other than 'No', because her little face quickly turned beet red with rage.

  "But, I always go to Grammy's! I have to go to Grammy's! Take me to Grammy's!"

  Emma just looked at her, speechless, while she screamed and cried. When she didn't get the response she wanted, she tried again, "I hate you! You're not my mother! Take me to Grammy's!" she demanded, and stomped her foot for emphasis.

  But then, just as quickly, her mood changed again from rage to sad. Her lower lip trembled as she wrapped her baby blanket around her and slyly tried a different approach. "Please take me to Grammy's?"

  Emma's heart broke. She couldn't get mad at a confused three-year-old. She decided to try negotiating.

  "Emily, I'll make you a deal. You help me this morning, and then after lunch, we'll go see your Grammy’s for a visit? Okay?"

  Emily sniffled and thought about it. Then finally, she said, "You promise we'll go to Grammy's today?"

  "Yes, right after lunch. I promise."

  And that's what they did. Emma tidied up around the house and then had Emily help her bake an apple pie. They made little turnovers out of the leftover pie crust pieces and Emma saw that Emily was a quick learner and liked things to look just so. She took care to smooth the ragged edges of her turnovers so they would 'look pretty'.

  After a simple lunch of leftovers, Emma went outside to hitch two of the horses up to their buggy. She was a bit nervous as she'd never done this before by herself, but she'd paid close attention at Hannah and Josh's and it didn't seem too difficult. Fifteen minutes later, after several awkward attempts, Emma finally had both horses hitched up to the buggy and went inside to collect Emily.

  ***

  Naomi came out to greet them as they pulled up to the house, with a look of concern.

  "Is everything okay?" she asked as she reached the buggy.

  "Everything's fine," Emma assured her. "Emily was upset earlier about not coming here to see you today, so I told her if she was a good girl this morning, we could come visit you after lunch. I hope that was okay?"

  "Of course. It's understandable. She's been coming here for the past year now. I should have thought the change might be hard at first. Come on inside."

  They followed her into the kitchen and Emily immediately wandered off to play with one of her toys.

  "Sit down and relax. I'll put some tea on for us. I'm actually glad to have a chance to chat alone with you. The past few days have been a bit of a whirlwind," Naomi said as she put the teakettle on the stove.

  Naomi was easy to talk to, and Emma enjoyed getting to know her mother-in-law better. Naomi told her what Ethan was like as a boy.

  "He was the most serious of my boys, quiet and reserved. He didn't miss much, though. I think he was always paying close attention and then he'd speak up when he had something to say. He was always very sensitive and thoughtful, too. It's not obvious, but he has a good sense of humor. He just needs to be reminded sometimes to loosen up." She laughed at that, and Emma wasn't surprised by any of it. She didn't know Ethan well yet, but she'd seen glimpses of what his mother had described. Emma didn't want to overstay her welcome, though, so after about an hour had passed she reluctantly told Emily that they would have to leave soon.

  "Before you go, let me wrap up a loaf of zucchini bread for you to take home. I just made it this morning and it's one of Ethan's favorites." She handed Emma a bag with the bread and then gave her a hug. "I'm so glad you came by today. I think you'll be good for Ethan. Just be patient with him. He doesn't think he's ready for this yet, but he'll come around."

  "I will. Thank you."

  "Oh, and why don't you plan to stop by day after tomorrow about the same time? That should be good for Emily and I'd love the company."

  "We'd love to. Thank you. Come on, Emily."

  Emily came without a fuss, gave her grandmother a hug and climbed happily into the buggy. She snuggled up next to Emma as she drove and within minutes was fast asleep. Emma realized at three, she was probably used to an afternoon nap. Another thing she'd have to remember. She was grateful that Naomi had been so understanding and she was looking forward to their next visit.

  When they got home, she carried Emily inside and put her on her bed. She wasn't sure how long children usually napped for—m maybe an hour or so? She put the zucchini bread in the kitchen and thought about what to make for dinner. She guessed that Ethan would be home soon and he'd said he was bringing a chicken. After a look around, she decided on potatoes and put some water on to boil them.

  About an hour later, Emily was up and about and Emma was adding some butter to a pan of mashed potatoes when Ethan walked in and handed her a chicken.

  "You survived your first day?" he asked as Emily went flying into his arms.

  "Were you good today, sugar?"

  "We went to Grammy's and I made you a turnover."

  "You did? That's great." He glanced Emma's way and she explained why they went to his mother's house.

  "I didn't even think of that. I'm sorry." He took his coat and hat off and then said, "I'm going to go wash up. I'll be back in a bit."

  While he was gone, Emma quickly sliced thin breast cutlets off the chicken and sauteed them in a pan. As soon as Ethan returned, they sat down to eat and Emma asked him about his day.

  "I got the fence fixed, but it looks like some of the cattle are missing." Ethan looked annoyed and puzzled. "I've never had cattle disappear like this before."

  "Are the whole fields fenced off? Where could they go?"

  "I'm not a hundred percent sure, but it's possible that they could have gone through that weak part of the fence, if someone helped them. But, I can't prove that, not yet. A few of my brothers are going to ride with me tomorrow to take a closer look."

  "Do you know your neighbor well? Can you check with them to see if they've seen your cattle?"

  "Unfortunately, I do know my neighbor and he's a real piece of work. It's exactly the kind of thing he might try and he's clever enough to get away with it, too. There's rumors that he's done things like this before, to other people. But no one has been able to prove it."

  "That's awful." Emma thought for a moment, and then asked, "Do you brand your cattle? Wouldn't that be a way to prove they're not his?"

  "Yes, we do, and it would be. But, there's ways around that, too. If he has a buyer already lined up and times it right, he could deliver our cattle before anyone suspected anything. The people he does business with aren't going to care whose brand is
on the cattle if they get a good enough price."

  "That's terrible."

  "That's Russell Jones—terrible is his middle name."

  "Russell Jones. I met him." She shivered at the mention of his name and did not like the fact that he was Ethan's next door neighbor. Even though his farm was many acres away, it was still too close for her liking. Especially if he did things like this.

  "You met Russell Jones? Where?" Ethan clearly didn't like that she'd met the man and she couldn't blame him.

  "He was in the general store the other day when Hannah was showing me around. I took an immediate dislike to him and Hannah told me he was bad news. I wasn't surprised to hear it. I have to admit, I'm not happy to hear he's your neighbor. How long has he lived there?"

  "Not long, two years maybe. He's new to the area." He finished eating, and couldn't hold back a yawn. "I may be wrong, though. We'll investigate tomorrow and figure it out."

  "We made an apple pie earlier. Emily helped. Do you have room for a slice?"

  "I can't say no to pie." Ethan smiled as Emily brought the turnovers she made over for his inspection.

  "You made these?"

  "One for me and one for you."

  "I'm impressed. You did a good job. I'll have mine for lunch tomorrow. Okay?"

  "Ok. Story now?" Emily pulled on Ethan's shirt and he rustled her hair.

  "I'm going to eat my pie, and you need to get into your pajamas, and then we can read a story."

  Emily obediently went into her bedroom to get changed and Emma followed along to help. Soon after, Ethan was half-way through the story that Emily had picked out when her eyes started to close and he put her to bed. When he came back, Emma was sitting at the kitchen table, writing her first letter back home, to Julia.

  "She wasn't too much for you? Everything really went okay today?" Ethan asked. He looked tired, and Emma sensed that he had a lot on his mind.

  "She's a good girl. Your mother suggested we stop by again the day after tomorrow."

  "That sounds like a good plan."

  "I thought that we might take a ride into town tomorrow. I want to mail this letter to my friend, Julia, in Boston and I thought maybe we'd stop and visit Hannah on the way home. If that's okay with you?"