The Sweetest Mail Order Bride (Sweet Creek Brides Book 1) (13 page)

“Oh, Caleb. Why are you asking this?” She gazed up with eyes full of pain. “It’s for the girls, isn’t it?”

“Well, that’s true, but—”

“Please, don’t.” Agony twisted her words, echoed like pain in her voice. Her bottom lip trembled. She looked suddenly too vulnerable, ready to break. “I know why you’re asking. You love your daughters, but I have to leave.”

“Why?”

“If you don’t know, then I really do need to go.” She moved past him down the hall, head down, shoulders slumped. A single sob echoed in the hallway.

The love in his heart welled up like a spring, refreshing, overflowing. Heaven help him, because he had lost all control. His feelings were a flashflood now, impossible to hold back. “Will you do something for me?”

“No, Caleb.” She’d reached the top of the staircase, and gripped the newel post hard. It looked as if it was sheer willpower holding her up. She looked ready to fall. “How will I ever get over you if I don’t let go?”

“C’mon, just this last thing.” He didn’t remember moving, but suddenly he was towering over her. She gazed up at him, sheer beauty, her golden curls shimmering, her face twisted with heartbreak. Her eyes were the most honest blue he’d ever seen. Love shone there, pure and true.

The love in his heart answered. She’d captivated him, she’d changed his life. His father was right—she wasn’t merely his perfect match, but his soul mate. The one woman he was meant to love for the rest of his days. “I want you to write that other suitor of yours and tell him you’re taken.”

“What? What do you mean, taken?” Clementine frowned up at him, her forehead furrowing. “I don’t understand.”

“I’ve decided to come courting.” He wrapped his fingers through hers. He held on tight, so tight. Like he was never going to let go.

“Caleb.” She sighed his name. He was breaking her heart. “Please, I don’t want it this way. You can’t come courting. I won’t let you.”

“Why not? I’ll comb my hair. I’ll bathe before I come calling.” Glimmers of humor snapped in his eyes. His mouth, so kissable, so perfect, tilted up in the corners.

“You know why.” She swallowed hard, trying to find the courage to speak the truth, the unveiled, vulnerable truth. “I came here to love you. Not for a convenient marriage for the girls.”

“Let’s get something straight. This isn’t about convenience. Believe me, the way you make me feel is anything but easy.” He squared his shoulders, and it seemed the shadows around him disappeared. “The way I feel about you is impossible to measure. It’s the way the sun feels at its zenith on the best summer’s day. It’s Christmas morning with the girls squealing with excitement, ripping open their presents from Santa. It’s the first snowfall of the season. It’s a cozy place in front of the fire.”

He moved in, his fingers slipping away from hers to cradle her face. Tenderness was soft in his touch, gentle in his voice. “You deserve to be beaued the right way, with flowers and romance. I’m going to convince you to love me as much as I love you.”

“Oh, Caleb. I already do. So very much.” Joy returned to her heart. “You really love me?”

“More than I ever thought I could. Yes, I love you, Clementine,” he rasped, his tone raw with emotion. “You are the wish I never thought I would have. I want to make you happy every day for the rest of your life. Will you give me that chance? Will you stay?”

“Just try and get me to leave.”

Laughter chased away the tears, and so they were both laughing for their first kiss. It was the sweetest brush of lips, the joining of souls. The sun shining through the window behind them seemed to brighten like a sign.

Sometimes dreams really do come true,
Clementine thought as Caleb drew her into his arms and against his heart, where she belonged for the rest of her days.

Four months later

The autumn day was perfection. Sun shone through the trees, dappling the shade as Clementine sat on the back seat of Jeb’s buckboard. She brushed her hand over the skirt of her wedding dress, watching the beautiful landscape roll by. This was her wedding day. She was on her way to be married!

“Oops! Sorry!” Gracie fidgeted on the seat next to her and bumped her. “This dress is scratchy.”

“So’s mine.” Hope fidgeted too. “Clementine?”

“What is it, sweetheart?” She leaned forward, looking across the seat to the twin sitting on the end.

“You’re gonna marry Pa.” Hope gave her sleeve cuff a tug.

“Yes, in a matter of minutes,” Clementine agreed, glancing up as the town came into sight. Sweet Creek was a riot of color—russets, yellows and reds. Leaves in a glory of colors spread out against the rolling foothills and granite mountains, with the flawless blue sky as a background. “I can see the church’s steeple above the trees.”

“So that makes you our mother,” Hope said. “Or, about to be our mother.”

“Exactly right.” Clementine smiled at Katherine, who turned around in the front seat to better listen in on the conversation. Even Jeb, who was driving, cocked his head as if eager to hear.

“Me and Gracie have talked,” Hope explained with a shrug.

“Yep,” Gracie agreed. “We don’t wanna call you Clementine anymore.”

“It’s not right,” Hope clarified.

“So, we wanna call you ma.” Gracie leaned in, pressing against Clementine’s side. “Okay?”

“Okay.” She gave a little sigh. Her little girls made her heart skip three beats. “Guess that means I should call you my daughters.”

“Cuz we’re a family,” Hope agreed, as if glad to get that settled.

Jeb drew the horses to a stop. The white church with its steeple cast a shadow over them. There were so many horses and vehicles tied up next to the road. People she’d come to know during her time in Sweet Creek, and they were all gathered here today to witness the marriage of their beloved town doctor to the mail-order bride who had claimed his heart.

She was one lucky lady. Clementine helped the girls down, warning them not to get dirty in the two seconds they would be standing next to the buckboard. Jeb came around to help her to the ground.

“Guess I’ll be walking you down the aisle,” he told her, still breathing heavy, his medical condition was a concern, but today he looked proud. Glowing, happy and proud. He offered his arm and she took it.

“It would be my honor, Pa,” she told him.

As she took her first steps up the walk toward the church, not one worry troubled her. She knew Caleb would be waiting for her at the altar in his Sunday best, ready to vow to love and honor her, to cherish her for the rest of their lives together.

Just as she would cherish him.

“Hurry, Hope!” Gracie pushed her way up the steps, across the threshold and into the vestibule.

“Don’t push, Gracie!” Hope elbowed her sister. “Ma, she’s pushing.”

“I just wanna be first,” Gracie explained.

Clementine laughed, she couldn’t help it, even as every pair of eyes in the sanctuary turned toward her. This was her hoped-for future, and it was coming true.

Caleb. Her gaze traveled down the aisle to where he stood, tall and handsome. Every step she took brought her closer to him, to her beloved, to the man who’d made good on his word to court her the way she deserved. It had been a whirlwind of picnics and flowers, of surprises, laughter and tender moments.

Now, he held out his hand, ready to take her as his bride. The moment her palm touched his broader one, the connection between them sparked. Pure, radiant sweetness. Pure love. She smiled up at him, this man of her dreams.

The minister cleared his throat, ready to begin, but she took a moment to go up on tiptoe. Her lips met Caleb’s, quick, brief, to let him know how she felt. His love had changed her life. His love had healed her heart. They were going to have a life with more happiness than they could hold, she just knew it.

As the folks in the congregation chuckled, and the minister waited for the laughter to die down before he started the ceremony, Jeb commented, “This worked out so well, maybe I ought to do it again. Jeremiah, what kind of wife do you want?”

Katherine shushed him, but the church erupted with laughter.

Yes, Clementine thought, staring up at her true love. This was going to be a life of joy.