Genevieve: Bride of Nevada (American Mail-Order Bride 36) (15 page)

His offer pleased her. She was glad she’d done something well and was acknowledged for it. She walked back to the room and packed her valise.

Stuart left to get his horse from the stable.

Genny looked around the room that had been her home for the last few days.

She picked up her valise and walked out shutting the door behind her.

When she exited the hotel she saw Stuart was riding one horse and leading another. Beauty.

“She’s still here? Has she been at the stable this whole time?”

He nodded. “I wanted to be prepared for when you came back home.”

She gazed up at him, so tall on his stallion. “Awfully sure of yourself, weren’t you?”

“I love you. I had to believe that you loved me too. The alternative was too awful to imagine.”

He dismounted and tied both horses to the hitching rail. Then he took her valise from her and tied it to his horse, before helping her mount.

This trip was much nicer than the one when she arrived. No snow fell but a thick layer of new snow blanketed the ground. The white crystals sparkled in the bright sunshine making the landscape almost blinding.

About an hour from home, Stuart pulled off the main road and took a side trail. Soon a small cabin came into view.

“Why are we stopping at the line shack?”

“Because I can’t keep my hands off you any longer. I want us to spend this Christmas together just you and I. Come on.”

Genny dismounted.

Stuart took Beauty’s reins.

“Wait here for me.”

“All right.” She stood while he cared for the horses. Soon he came around from the back of the small building carrying her valise.

“I didn’t know if you would need this for tomorrow.”

He took her hand and led her to the shack.

“Close your eyes.”

She cocked her head to the side and furrowed her brows. “Why? What’s happening?”

“You’ll see. It’s a surprise.”

She closed her eyes and smiled.

He took her hand and led her inside.

“All right open.”

Genny couldn’t believe what she saw. A small Christmas tree, made festive with strings of dried berries and candles stood in the corner. The table was covered with a bright white table cloth and set for two. In the kitchen she saw food covered with cheesecloth, the cold weather keeping it fresh.

She turned to Stuart. “When? How long has this been set up?”

“I asked Joe and Nettie to set it up yesterday. I didn’t want to spoil their Christmas by asking them to do it today, so Nettie made things that wouldn’t spoil.”

Genny wrapped her arms around Stuart’s neck. “I love it. Thank you.”

He folded her into his embrace. “You’re welcome. I’m glad you came home with me so we can enjoy it. What do you want to do first?”

Happier than she’d been in a long time, she looked up at her husband. “First, I want to eat, then we’ll play it by ear. Maybe we can play strip poker. We have more clothes than the last time we were here.”

He laughed. “Yes, we don’t have to wear the blankets this time Nettie made the bed, complete with sheets, for us.”

She looked over at the bed and spotted a package on it.

“What’s that?” She nodded toward the bed.

“A gift for you.”

“I don’t have anything for you here. I left all my presents with Nettie.”

“Don’t worry about that.” He guided her to the bed and they sat. Stuart handed her the paper wrapped parcel.

Genny carefully unwrapped it to ensure the paper could be used again. Inside she found a beautiful sky blue wool dress and her very own riding boots with two pair of wool socks.

She looked at Stuart, smiled and kissed him. “How did you know I’ve wanted a pair of boots?”

“Nettie told me. As for the dress, I wanted you to have something new that no one else has ever worn. I’m donating Martha’s clothing to the church in Elko. Something I should have done long before.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

Genny wrapped her arms around him and kissed him thoroughly. She’d discovered she really liked to kiss. These kisses were nothing like the ones he’d given her before. These were full of promise of the loving to come.

Stuart kissed her back. They withheld nothing from each other, not in the kissing and not in the loving later.

When Genny woke the day after Christmas, she was wrapped in his arms, Stuart spooned around her. For the first time in her life, she felt cherished.

“You’re awake.”

His voice was gravelly from sleep.

“So are you. We should get up and get moving.”

“But the bed’s so comfortable here especially with you in my arms.”

“We have children who need tending. We can’t leave Nettie watching them for too long, and besides…I want to hear Lucy call me Mama.”

“They’ve missed you, you know.”

“They are too little to miss me.” The words gave her peace and she silently thanked God that they were so young.

“No, they aren’t. Billy wanted you to tell him his bedtime stories. I am no longer good enough. And Lucy, well she’s crawling everywhere and pulling herself up on the furniture. I can’t say she really missed you, but she doesn’t call anyone else, Mama.”

This touched Genny’s heart and made it ache for her children even more. “I want to leave now. I’ve missed them so much. I know only a few days have passed, but they haven’t been out of my thoughts. I cried every night missing you all.”

He squeezed her tight, nuzzling his jaw along her neck. “I’m sorry for putting you through that. I hope you forgive me.”

“I do. I was to blame, too. Maybe I was asking too much for you to give me what I needed so soon after Martha’s death.”

“No.” He loosened his arms and moved back so she could turn to face him. “I was scared. Scared of loving you and losing you. Then when I did lose you, I nearly went out of my mind. You think I was grumpy before, there was no living with me after you left.”

“I’m sorry I had to leave but I couldn’t live like we were for any longer.”

“I know and I’m glad you left. I wouldn’t have come to my senses any other way.”

She lifted her face to his and kissed him.

“Time to dress. I want to see my babies.”

They rose and Genny put on her new dress, which fit perfectly and her new boots, which did not. They were a little big, but the second pair of socks took care of that.

While Stuart went outside to saddle the horses, Genny found the basket that all the food had come in. She packed what was left of everything, gathered the linens, folded the blankets and put them on the end of the bed. Soon she had the shack ready for the next cowboy who needed it.

Stuart came back about fifteen minutes later.

“I tied the valise onto Beauty. I’ll put the basket behind my saddle.”

He helped Genny mount and they headed for home.

When they reached the ranch, Genny slid from Beauty’s back before Stuart could get down to help her.

“I can’t wait to see the children,” Genny said as she tied the reins to the hitching rail.

Stuart was quickly beside her and held the door open as she hurried inside.

They entered the kitchen. Lucy sat in the middle of the floor with a cookie. She turned toward them when they entered.

“Mama.” She dropped the cookie and crawled to Genny.

Amid fresh tears, Genny bent and picked up her daughter.

Billy came over from the table where he’d been sitting playing with his chalk and slate. He pulled on Genny’s dress.

“What do you need, sweetheart?” she asked her son.

“Can…can I call you Mama, too, like Lucy does?”

Genny nodded and through her tears said, “Nothing would make me happier than you calling me Mama.”

She gazed up, over Lucy’s head, at Stuart. “You don’t have any objections do you?”

He smiled. “None. Martha would be pleased, too, I think, to know the woman caring for the children loved them as much as she did and the children loved her too.”

Genny was content. She had her family, one who loved her as much as she loved them.

She heard Sister Maria, the old nun who’d taught her to play poker, telling her that happiness would come when the time was right.

Now, in this special moment, the time was right.

Stuart kissed Genny over their daughter’s head.

Lucy pushed at Stuart.

“Mama, Dada.”

Stuart backed up a step, eyes wide, a smile pulling at his lips.

“That’s the first time she’s called me Dada.”

He wrapped his little family in his arms.

Genny closed her eyes, happiness and love finally surrounding her.

EPILOGUE

September 23, 1891

Joe sat with his feet up on his desk in the ranch office, while Stuart paced, stopped, looked at the ceiling and then paced some more.

“You’re not helping the babe get here with your pacing. Pull up a chair and play poker with me.”

“It won’t help. I keep hearing Martha scream in my head. Genny hasn’t made a sound.”

Joe pointed at the ceiling. “She’s not Martha. Genny is much stronger than Martha ever was. Now. Come. Sit. Nettie is with her, she’ll be fine.”

“I wish the doctor was here, too.”

“Pete went after him and if the doc was in town, they should be back in about half an hour. If he manages to make it at all, before the baby comes.”

Stuart looked at the ceiling again. “Why hasn’t she screamed? Women are supposed to scream. Nettie told me birthing is very painful.”

“Maybe Genny doesn’t want to. She hasn’t exactly done things any way but hers, regardless of what everyone else does.” Joe put his feet on the floor, walked to his big brother and put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sure she’s just fine. She’s our Genny and a stronger woman I’ve never known.”

Stuart covered Joe’s hand with his own and squeezed. “Thanks for being with me. As crazy as I am, having you here does help.”

“Where else would I be? I love her, too. We all do.”

Lucy walked beside her father, up and down the carpet while Billy played with his toy ranch in front of the couch. Stuart stopped walking, and Lucy did, too, aping her father.

Now he stood still with Joe.

“Dada up. Dada up.” She lifted her arms toward the sky.

Stuart bent and picked up his baby daughter. She and Billy were the light of their parent’s eyes and now another would join them. He didn’t care what variety the baby was, boy or girl, he would be thrilled with the child.

Suddenly Stuart heard a tiny squall from upstairs.

“It’s here. The babe is here.”

He ran upstairs carrying Lucy.

Joe was not far behind with Billy. Earlier, Stuart and Genny had decided they wanted the children there from the beginning. No favorites would be evident among their children, which was harder than they thought it would be. Every parent has a favorite child whether they admit it or not. For Genny that child was Lucy. She was the first to call her Mama. Stuart really didn’t have a favorite of his children, but he was afraid this new one would be his, because this child was a part of him and Genny.

He reached the bedroom and set Lucy on the floor while he opened the door and peeked.

“Are you decent? Ready for some small visitors and a couple of surly big ones?” he called through the opening.

A quiet laugh came from the bed where his beautiful Genny held a crying newborn in her arms. “Yes, we’re all ready for visitors.”

He approached the bed. As he did his eyes widened. Next to Genny on the bed was another baby swaddled much like the first only this one wasn’t crying. He looked up at his wife and froze. “Two? We’ve got two?”

She nodded. “Yup. Guess we are more potent together than we thought.”

“Two!”

He turned to Joe who was behind him at the door holding Billy.

“Did you hear, little brother? Two. We have two babies.”

“What are they boys or girls?” asked Joe.

“Yes, what are they? Boys or girls?” repeated Stuart as he dropped to sit on the edge of the mattress.

She smiled and looked at each of her babies. “We have one of each. A boy and a girl. Shall we use both our selected names?”

“Well, we had decided on Catherine if it was a girl,” said Stuart. “And Douglas if it was a boy. Do you still like those names, my love?”

“Yes. They are perfect.”

“Which one are you holding?” Stuart bent and picked up the baby next to Genny.

“This is Catherine. She has quite a set of little lungs don’t you think?”

Stuart crouched with the baby and let Billy see him.

“This is your baby brother. His name is Douglas.”

Billy reached out and touched the baby’s full head of black hair.