RNWMP: Bride For Gilbert (Mail Order Mounties Book 17) Read online

  The girls sat at the table, watching him cook. Though they didn’t want pancakes again, they wouldn’t complain. They both seemed to understand that he did his best for them.

  After supper, he tucked them into their bed on the other side of the blanket he’d strung across the cabin to give the girls their own “room.” He sat down on the edge of the bed and told them a story of their mother. He tried to tell them a different story of her every night so they wouldn’t forget her. She had given them life and had a right to always be remembered with love.

  When they were both asleep, he stood up and walked back into his room, pulling the letter from the pocket of his red uniform jacket. He sat down and read it once more. “Her name is Madelyn, and she’s going to love my girls like they’re her own. What more can I ask for?”

  2

  Starting Monday of the following week, Miss Hazel’s house was filled with young ladies. There were four of them total, all going out to marry Mounties in the town of White Fox, Manitoba. Madelyn was pleased to know there would be other ladies she knew as soon as she arrived, but it was still hard for her to wrap her mind around the fact she’d be married in a matter of days.

  The classes were all good, but they covered things Madelyn was already skilled at. She could easily have taught them all, so she was more than a little bored most of the time.

  When it was finally time to leave for Manitoba the following Monday, Madelyn had butterflies in her stomach, and she just hoped she wouldn’t disappoint Gilbert. She wanted to be the best mother she could possibly be for his girls.

  At the train station in Ottawa, right before they got onto the train, Barbara began to cry hysterically. “I can’t do it. I can’t go marry a stranger!” She glared at Miss Hazel. “How could you even ask it of me? Have you lost your mind?” With that she hurried away from the platform, and Miss Hazel stared after her for a moment with shock on her face.

  “What are we going to do now?” Miss Hazel asked, frowning at the other three girls, as if it was somehow their fault that Barbara had run off. “I promised four brides would be delivered to White Fox—not three!”

  “You’ll have to find someone to take her place,” Madelyn suggested. “Surely there’s a woman at this train station—as big as it is—who needs to escape somehow.” All four women looked around, hoping to see someone who looked sad and down on her luck. Not that Madelyn wanted anyone to be sad, but it would surely help them with the predicament they were in. Finally Madelyn spotted a young lady sitting alone on the train platform, her bag between her feet and tears coursing down her cheeks. “Over there, Miss Hazel?” She nodded toward the young lady, not wanting to point because that would be incredibly rude.

  Twenty minutes later, Miss Hazel returned and introduced everyone. “This is Callie, and she’ll be traveling with us.” No other explanations were given, and Madelyn was afraid to ask.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Callie. I’m Madelyn.”

  They were just in time because the conductor was calling, “All aboard!”

  As their days of travel dragged by, the women got to know each other even better than they had. Miss Hazel was a source of amusement for all of them. She always seemed to get herself into strange situations, and the stories she told of her travels made them all giggle.

  Madelyn found herself sitting beside Ida, helping her to care for her little girl, Lily. Madelyn had always loved children, and it was no hardship to spend her time helping to tend the child and give Ida time off.

  “I hope Lily will be friends with my little girls,” Madelyn said, her eyes bright and excited as she thought of the girls who would soon be hers. Lily’s small scar on her lip meant nothing to Madelyn, though she knew the girl had been bullied as a result of her cleft lip. She was nervous about the wedding but very happy with the thought of the little girls.

  When they finally arrived at their destination, there was a small train station, and that’s where four Mounties stood tall and proud, ready to meet them. Miss Hazel led the way off the train, and they all looked around. Madelyn couldn’t help but wonder which of the men was Gilbert. She wished he’d brought his little girls along. They were the ones she was truly excited to meet!

  Miss Hazel marched over to where the men stood, and she introduced each of her charges. “This is Madelyn. Is one of you Gilbert?”

  A tall man with dark hair and eyes nodded at her, and Madelyn stepped toward him. “It’s good to meet you,” she said softly.

  “And you.” He nodded cordially, looking her up and down. She looked nothing like his sweet Sally, and that was probably for the best. He wouldn’t want to accidentally fall in love with his wife.

  “Where are your girls?” she asked. Meeting him was not the part of her journey she’d been looking forward to.

  “They’re at home. There’s a teen girl in town who comes over to watch them. I’m sure she’ll be very happy to get back to her studies now that you’re here.”

  “I’ll gladly take the responsibility from her.” Madelyn couldn’t believe how much she was looking forward to having daughters. She wanted to cook, clean, and make them pretty little dresses. She’d even purchased a bit of fabric before leaving Ottawa. Now she just had to meet them, so she would know their size.

  Miss Hazel called out, “We’re going to the church for the weddings now!”

  Madelyn couldn’t help but wonder how that would work. Would they all marry at the same time? Or would each wedding be separate? She walked alongside Gilbert and realized they had never even touched. He hadn’t tried to hold her hand or anything, and she was going to be his wife in a matter of minutes. What did that say about her?

  When they reached the church, they went in as couples. The pastor stood at the front of the church, eyeing each of the ladies who came in. He frowned when he saw the child who held Ida’s hand, but Ida held her head high.

  Gilbert looked at Madelyn. “Would you like to be first?”

  She nodded, happy to get it over with so she could meet her new daughters. “I’d like that.”

  They stepped in front of the pastor, who seemed to be looking around critically. Madelyn was not looking forward to hearing him preach. “Is there any reason you shouldn’t be married?” he asked Madelyn.

  “I’ve never married, and I’m nineteen years old. I can’t think of anything else that anyone would care about.” She lifted her chin and met the preacher’s gaze. There was no way she’d back down from the man. She couldn’t help but hope he would be reassigned or that he was a traveling preacher who would only be there for a short while.

  “What is your name?” he asked her.

  “Madelyn.”

  “All right.” He began the proceedings, and she responded where necessary. When he called the man beside her Bert instead of Gilbert, she filed his nickname away for future use. “You may now kiss your bride.”

  Bert looked down at Madelyn, suddenly feeling very shy, which was odd for him. He leaned down and pressed his lips to her cheek, hoping that would satisfy everyone. He wasn’t going to kiss her for the first time in front of a group of people. He didn’t feel like he was ready to kiss a woman other than Sally yet either. His wife was still too dear to his heart for him to be that affectionate with another. He didn’t see that ever changing.

  They stayed at the back of the church and watched as the other couples married, and it was all Madelyn could do not to touch her cheek where he’d kissed her. There had been a spark that seemed as if it was static electricity when his lips had touched her. Why would that happen? She felt nothing for him. He was simply the father of the little girls she already loved, sight unseen.

  After all the weddings, Madelyn hurried over to hug Miss Hazel. “Are you leaving right away? Or will you stay?”

  Miss Hazel smiled. “You don’t think you’ll get rid of me that easily, do you?”

  “I just want to thank you for everything. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t happened into the restaurant. I don
’t think I could have fought him off much longer.” Madelyn kept her voice to a whisper, not wanting her new husband to realize the circumstances of her agreeing to marry him. If she chose to tell him in the future, that would be her business. For now, he had no right to know anything.

  “I’ll be staying here in town for a day or two. There’s a hotel above the saloon, and I’ll be perfectly comfortable there.”

  Madelyn wanted to invite her to stay with them, but she had no idea what kind of situation she’d be going to when she arrived. “I hope I’ll see you before your departure.”

  “Of course you will. You’re one of mine now, Maddie.”

  Madelyn smiled at Miss Hazel’s use of her childhood nickname. It was one she’d always liked, but it hadn’t been used in months. “I’m so happy to hear that.”

  Bert cleared his throat, hoping his new bride would take the hint. He was ready to get home to his girls. Surely she could understand that they came first in his life.

  Madelyn turned to him and frowned. “I’m very sorry. I’m sure you’re ready for us to be on our way.”

  “Yes, I am. My girls are very anxious to meet you.”

  “I’m anxious to meet them as well. Very excited actually.”

  “Good.”

  Madelyn thought about telling him that she wouldn’t have agreed to marry him if not for the girls, but she knew the words would be offensive. “Tell me about them.”

  He smiled. “They’re three. They’re not identical, thank heavens. I’m not sure I could have dealt well with not knowing which girl was which.”

  “What are their names?” She’d called them a million different things in her mind as she daydreamed about them on her way to Manitoba. Learning their real names was exciting for her.

  “Mary and Millie. Millie always seems to think she needs to protect Mary, but I’m not quite sure why. They’re both very sweet-natured and excited to be meeting their new mother.” He stopped in front of a small cabin. “I must warn you it’s not much. Government issue cabins are rarely anything special.”

  Madelyn shrugged. “Things like that have never bothered me. It’ll be special because we’ll make it a home.”

  He smiled, liking her words. He opened the door and waited for her to enter in front of him. Before he had a chance to introduce the girls, he heard one of them asking, “Are you our new mama?” He was pretty sure it was Millie, but it was hard to tell when he couldn’t see them.

  “I am your new mama!” Madelyn squatted down so she was at eye level with the girls. “I’m so excited to finally get to meet you!”

  “I’m Millie. That’s Mary.” The little girl pointed to her sister. “We need a mama. Can you cook?”

  Madelyn laughed. “I love to cook. I hope you girls will help me!”

  Both girls nodded, and Madelyn looked over her shoulder to see Gilbert looking down at her with a smile. “They enjoyed helping their mother cook a great deal.”

  She felt a shiver run through her at his smile. The man . . . he was something else. She hadn’t expected to be attracted to him at all, planning to treat him like a roommate. Why were the feelings there when she was just there to be a mother? “I’m glad. I will enjoy having such good helpers in the kitchen.” She rose to her feet. “Are you hungry now?”

  Bert could see she was handling the girls just fine, so he paid Emily. “Thank you for helping me out. I’m sure you’ll be pleased to go back to school tomorrow.”

  Emily nodded. “I will be. Thank you for the work. My parents have been very pleased with the extra income.”

  Bert watched her go before looking again at Madelyn. She seemed to be getting along beautifully with the girls already.

  “I got some pretty blue fabric to make you both dresses before I left Ottawa. Would you like to see it?”

  Both girls nodded emphatically, and Madelyn reached for her bag. It was the first time Bert noticed she carried one, which was silly. He’d known she would have to bring clothes with her. He should have offered to carry it for her.

  She opened her bag, and pulled out a few yards of blue calico with a pretty flowered print on it. “I can’t wait to make this into the two most beautiful dresses you girls have ever seen!”

  Bert realized the girls had both outgrown their dresses, something that he’d missed before. He should have had something new made for them long ago. “That will be a blessing.”

  “Where should I unpack my things?” she asked. There wasn’t much to unpack, but she wanted to get settled in before she started supper.

  “Let me give you the quick tour,” he said. “This is the main room. Kitchen also serves as the parlor. Nothing fancy here.”

  She noticed there were two sheets hanging across the different parts of the cabin. “I don’t need fancy.”

  “That’s a good thing.” He led her to one of the curtained-off areas. “This is the girls’ room.” There was a small bed that was obviously meant to be shared by the two of them.

  “I like it!” Madelyn said, aware that the girls were watching her reaction. “What beautiful dolls!”

  Millie giggled and hurried into the room, picking up her doll to show Madelyn. “This is Nancy.”

  “She’s wonderful!”

  Refusing to be outdone, Mary hurried into the room and picked up her doll, holding it up. “This is Sarah.”

  “They have beautiful names to match their beautiful faces.” Madelyn wanted the children to be happy. Everything inside her was screaming at how unfair life had already been for them. They were too young to have lost their mother.

  Bert smiled at her, realizing she genuinely was happy to meet his daughters. It was a relief because he had nothing to offer her but the two little bundles of energy running around the cabin. His heart would never be hers. “This other room is the room we’ll share. I’ve put all of Sally’s things into a trunk so there will be room for yours.”

  “Would you like me to use her clothes to make more for the girls?” Madelyn asked. She knew that’s what she would have wanted.

  Bert shook his head. “Maybe someday. I’m not quite ready for that yet.”

  “I understand. How long ago did you lose her?” She looked around the room as she asked the question, noting there was only one bed, so they would be sleeping close together.

  “Just four months. She died in childbirth, and we lost my son as well.” The lines around his eyes were proof that he’d slept little in the past few months.

  “I see. How long have you been here?”

  “We arrived six months ago. I fear that our travel here may have been the reason they didn’t make it.” He still hated himself for the death of his wife and son.

  “I’m very sorry for your loss. I promise, I will not try to take her place with you. Only with the children.”

  “The girls need a mother much more than I need a new wife. I’m glad you can understand that.”

  Even though it was what she’d known she was coming into, Madelyn felt as if it was a physical blow when he told her. She had hoped after meeting him that he would feel something for her, too. His kiss on the cheek had made her feel more than she’d thought possible. Hopefully she would be able to hide her growing feelings from him. “I do understand. You made it plain in your letter that there would be no chance of love between us.”

  She walked to the small dresser and quickly put her things away. She didn’t have much, so it only took a short while. “I’ll get started on supper.”

  He nodded, watching her go. He hoped the girls would be happy for the sacrifices he’d made for them.

  Madelyn hurried into the kitchen, pulling on her apron as she walked. “I sure wish I knew where the food was . . .”

  Millie was there in an instant. “It’s in the ice box!” She opened the door to the box, showing Madelyn the food there. “Daddy bought food yesterday. He said you’d feed us.”

  Madelyn grinned. “He was right! I’ll feed you all the time. What’s your favorite food?”

&
nbsp; “Anything but pancakes.” The little girl wrinkled her nose.

  Mary came up behind her. “Please don’t make pancakes!”

  “I won’t. I would think you’d like pancakes though. Most people do!”

  Bert walked into the room and sat down at the table. He wanted to watch her with his girls before he left her with them the following day. “Pancakes are the only thing I know how to cook. We’ve had them more than anyone should ever eat them in the past few months.”

  Madelyn nodded. “That makes sense. I’ll be certain not to make pancakes for a good long while.” She looked through the ice box, frowning as she tried to see what she could cobble together for a meal. Finally, she pulled out some pork chops. “Are there potatoes?”

  He nodded. “In the cellar. I guess I should have shown you that.” He moved a rug out of the middle of the floor, and pulled a ring, opening up the cellar. “Bring a lantern.”

  Madelyn grabbed a lantern from the countertop and used a match from beside the stove to light it. “You girls wait here.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Mary said, watching her as she went down.

  At the bottom of the stairs were shelves of food. Many different canned goods filled rows of shelves, and there were carrots and potatoes as well. “Sally got the canned goods put up before she died. It was one of the last things she did.”

  “I’m sure I can find something to work with here.” Madelyn put her hand on his arm. “I’ll do my best to be half as good a mother as she was.”

  He pulled away from her as if he’d been burned. Why had her touch caused his body to react? That wasn’t why she was here. “I’ll see you upstairs then.” With that he headed for the stairs. He knew he was being rude, and he should help her carry the food up, but he just couldn’t. She wasn’t Sally, and he had no right to react to her at all.

  3

  While she made supper, Madelyn was aware of Gilbert’s gaze on her constantly. The girls were standing on chairs turned backward at either side of her, dropping cut potatoes in the water to boil and nicely arranging carrots. Why she needed nicely arranged carrots, she didn’t know, but if it made Mary happy to do it, she was happy to let her!