Madeline: Bride of Nebraska (American Mail-Order Bride 37) (12 page)

He cut her off with a kiss. “Sshh, now.
We
killed that bastard, remember?
We
did it. Together. He didn’t leave us any choice.”

She nodded. She knew it was true, that he would have killed both her and George, and who knows how many others, before he was done.

Caleb kissed her temple softly. “We did it for Georgie. That man was evil, pure evil.”

Madeline nodded again. He was right. That man truly was pure evil. Then, for the first time since the shooting, she realized that her husband had killed a man as well. This had to be hard for him too, and here he was, calming her down and consoling her.

“We’ll get through this,” she told him earnestly. “Together.”

Epilogue

With the threat gone, things settled down on the ranch into a happily normal routine. Madeline, Caleb, and George each had their moments of angst and sorrow, but they worked through it together as a family.

Thanksgiving came and went without much fanfare. Everyone was still emotionally exhausted from the events of the week prior, but Hank surprised them all with a freshly caught wild turkey. Madeline insisted that he join them for dinner as a thank you, and Caleb offered to have Hank live in his brother’s house to keep an eye on things there.

After Thanksgiving, preparations for Christmas began in earnest. Madeline spent one afternoon each week visiting with her friend Ella, and she worked on Caleb’s new shirts there. In the evenings at home, she worked on gifts for George.

She was excited to learn that Caleb had found a puppy for George after all. The men had him hidden in the bunkhouse with them and would deliver him to the house Christmas morning. Madeline had a pretty red bow she planned on tying around his collar and Caleb found and polished up an old jingle bell to add to the ribbon. They could not wait to see George’s face.

Caleb did indeed find a cook book to give to Madeline for Christmas, but soon after realized that she deserved more than that. He looked through his mother’s things and found an old brooch he remembered her wearing. It was a simple gold wreath inlaid with garnets. He hoped Madeline would like it.

Madeline’s best gift for Caleb was not something she could give him for several more months. For a few weeks, she thought she had been coming down with something. It took her a bit to realize she had not had her cycle since the end of October, and she had always had a twenty-eight day cycle. Between that and her bouts of nausea, the doctor in Bayard agreed that she was with child.

She lay awake waiting for Caleb to return from singing George to sleep. It still amazed her that George fell asleep best to “Johnny Get Your Gun.” Caleb sang it quiet and slow, and Madeline enjoyed listening in. Her husband really had a lovely singing voice.

Caleb slipped back into their room quietly, not wanting to wake his wife if she were asleep. She had worked hard to make their first Christmas together a special one and he knew that she must be exhausted. He slipped into bed and was surprised when Madeline immediately cuddled close. He smiled and pulled her into his arms.

“Merry Christmas, darlin’,” he murmured as he kissed her temple.

“Merry Christmas to you, too,” she replied. “I have a special Christmas present I want to share with you.”

“Don’t you want to wait until morning?” he asked as he looked down at her. The room was lit by pale moonlight streaming in through the window, which gave Madeline an ethereal glow.

Madeline shook her head. “I want to share this with you now, while everything is quiet and we have some alone time together.”

Caleb chuckled. He thought he knew what she had in mind and started to kiss her.

“Caleb, no…not that. Not yet, anyway,” she laughed.

“Then what?”

“It’s a miracle. Our own little Christmas miracle.” To emphasize her point, she lifted his hand and placed it on her lower abdomen.

Caleb stared in shock at his wife. He looked down at their joined hands, though he could not see them under the covers as they were, then back at her face. “You mean…?”

Madeline smiled broadly and nodded. “Baby Stark should be here sometime in July or so. Are you happy?”

He blinked a few times in astonishment, then a smile slowly spread across his face. “Happy? Darlin’, you just made me the happiest man in the world.” He kissed her softly as he rubbed her abdomen gently, then spoke the words she had been dying to hear. “I love you, Madeline Stark.”

She reached up and stroked his cheek. “I love you, too, Caleb Stark. Always and forever.”

He smiled. “Always and forever,” he agreed, then proceeded to show her just how much he loved her.

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