Alice Read online

  Alice looked at the clock. It was after five o’clock, so the mercantile was officially closed. She and Edna Petunia raced up the stairs and were greeted by Jasper and the twins’ beaming faces. In the kitchen, James was preparing some food for the family.

  “We have a new baby brother!” one of the twins squealed.

  “I’m going to teach him everything I know!” Jasper said proudly.

  “Ma said she knew the baby was coming, but no one was here, so Mr. Brooks and I went to get Dr. Harvey!” James told them excitedly, coming into the living room.

  Alice’s mouth dropped open. “Mark Brooks is still here?”

  James frowned. “No, I think he left a little while ago. I’m not sure.”

  Edna Petunia smiled from ear to ear. “Where’s my new grandb—”

  “Baby!” Alice shouted out. “Where’s Edna Petunia’s new grandbaby?”

  James pointed into the bedroom.

  Alice gently opened the door to the bedroom. “Can we come in?”

  “Yes!” Ruby called.

  Alice was pleased to see that color had returned to her sister’s cheeks. She was the picture of health and happiness, cradling a newborn baby in her arms. You would never know to look at her that only hours before, she had seemed pale and sickly.

  Edna Petunia smiled. “What a beautiful little grandbastard.”

  Alice and Ruby made eye contact and shook their heads slightly. Some things would never change.

  Edna Petunia took a deep breath. “I need to go now. I’ll be back later this evening with Cletus. I’m sure the whole family will want to meet the new baby.” With that, she rushed out of the room, leaving Lewis, Alice, Ruby, and Dr. Harvey staring at each other in confusion.

  “Why was she in such a hurry?” Lewis wondered.

  “It’s Edna Petunia,” Dr. Harvey pointed out. “Who knows why she does anything?”

  Chapter 10

  “Faster!” Edna Petunia hollered.

  “They’re going as fast as they can!” Cletus yelled back.

  “Are you sure this is the right place?” Edna Petunia asked, shouting to be heard as the wind rushed against their faces.

  “Yes, I’m sure! I did the calculations,” Cletus said indignantly.

  After a little while, they saw exactly what they were expecting to see—one young man, hunched over in his wagon, his horses moving at a slow trot.

  “Son! Please stop!” Cletus called out.

  Mark Brooks was greeted by one of the strangest sights he’d ever seen. Two elderly people were rushing toward him in a wagon, waving their hands up and down. He pulled the reins and stopped his wagon, waiting for the couple to pull near.

  As they came into focus, he saw that they were none other than Edna Petunia and Cletus Sanders. “What are you doing here?”

  Cletus shrugged. “I figured out where you’d be, and I know a shortcut.”

  “That’s not important!” Edna cried. “We have something to talk with you about.”

  Mark frowned. This family had caused him so much pain. He didn’t owe them anything. But they had clearly felt it was important to come and find him, so he decided to hear them out. “I’m listening . . .”

  Two hours later, the street outside the mercantile was filled with wagons. Cletus and Edna Petunia pulled up first. He helped Edna Petunia get down and then found a place to park his wagon. Mark was only a few minutes behind them and did the same thing. Together, they walked up the stairs to the Darcy residence.

  The Sanders girls and several of their husbands and children were milling about from room to room. Word traveled fast in the family, and everyone wanted to see the newborn baby.

  Mark shyly followed Cletus and Edna Petunia until he saw Alice. He walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder as she was talking to one of her sisters. “May I have a word with you privately?”

  Alice turned around and had the shock of her life. Mark Brooks was standing next to her, touching her shoulder. She felt the same fluttery feeling in her stomach as usual when he was around, and she gasped. “What are you doing here?”

  “It’s a long story,” Mark said. “Can we go outside to talk?”

  Alice nodded.

  Theresa whispered to Katie, “Who is that? He’s so handsome!”

  Hattie interrupted. “That’s Mark Brooks! One of Uncle Lewis’s merchants who supplies the mercantile!”

  Theresa and Katie turned to stare at her. “How do you know that?”

  Hattie looked at them like they were crazy. “I pay attention!”

  “Okay, but what is he doing talking to Alice outside?” Theresa pointed out.

  Hattie, Katie, and Theresa all erupted in giggles.

  Alice followed Mark down the staircase. He took her outside the mercantile, leading her by the hand. Alice couldn’t believe that he was really back. She had thought she’d never see him again, and now here he was, right in front of her and even holding her hand.

  “Alice, I owe you an apology,” Mark began.

  Alice frowned. “An apology? Why?”

  “I left. I should never have left. Even though Edna Petunia and Cletus were being . . . difficult, I shouldn’t have given up on my hopes for our relationship. Can you ever forgive me?” Mark searched Alice’s eyes, hoping she would give him another chance.

  Alice looked down. “I was very disappointed when I thought I’d never see you again.”

  “Oh, Alice, I was, too,” Mark said earnestly. “Then, Edna Petunia and Cletus came and found me. I don’t know exactly why, but Edna Petunia had a change of heart. She told me that she realized that I want the same thing as they do—for you to be happy.”

  Alice couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “They’ve given their approval?”

  Mark nodded. “Alice, I’ve loved you since the day I met you. I don’t want to waste another moment. Will you marry me?”

  Alice stared at Mark in shock. She couldn’t believe that everything she had dreamed was actually coming true. She nodded, still in disbelief. “Yes,” she replied quietly.

  Mark wanted to make sure he had heard her correctly. “Yes?”

  “Yes!” Alice threw her head back and let the wind blow through her long hair. “A million times yes!” For the first time in weeks, she felt peaceful and happy.

  “Oh, I’m so relieved. I was worried you would tell me you never wanted to see me again!” Mark admitted.

  Alice shook her head. “I would never say that to you. Even when I thought you weren’t going to be back in Nowhere, I would still want to see you.”

  Mark was still amazed. “I can’t believe your parents changed their minds.”

  Alice nodded. “I can’t believe it either.” They heard another wail from above, and Alice smiled. “Speaking of my family, we heard that you helped James find Dr. Harvey. We can never thank you enough.”

  “I suppose soon enough, I’ll be family, too.” Mark grinned. “No need to thank me.”

  Alice shivered in the early evening air.

  “Are you cold?” Mark asked, concerned. The air was warm and humid. He put his arm around her.

  “I think I’m just exhausted,” Alice admitted. “It’s been quite a day.”

  “You’re right about that,” Mark said.

  “I also can’t believe I get to spend the rest of my life with you!” Alice exclaimed. She was still reeling from everything that had happened that day.

  “I can’t either,” Mark agreed.

  “When do you think we should marry? I hope it’s soon.” Alice felt embarrassed as soon as she realized what she’d implied.

  “Trust me, I hope it’s soon, too. There are some wifely duties that I think you’ll be excellent at,” Mark teased.

  Alice blushed bright red and looked down. “I don’t know. I’m worried that I might not know what to do. But I want that, too.”

  “The most important thing is that we’ll be together. We’ll figure things out as we go along,” Mark reassured her.

&n
bsp; Alice smiled. She felt wonderful being in Mark’s arms, like she could do anything. All the fantasies she’d had about their life together came rushing back to her. “I wish we could get married tonight,” Alice blurted.

  Mark laughed. “Trust me, I’d want nothing more than that. But where would we find a minister at this time of night?”

  Just then, they heard someone calling out from the front of the mercantile. “Hello? Can someone let me in?”

  Alice and Mark walked around the building to the main street. Micah Barton, Sarah Jane’s husband and the town minister, had come to see the new baby.

  Alice’s face lit up. “I have an idea . . .”

  One hour later, Carter and Jed, two of Alice’s brothers-in-law, had moved aside the shelves of the mercantile to form an aisle. Cletus walked slowly down the aisle, Alice on his arm, as Edna Petunia watched proudly. Alice wore Ruby’s veil and wedding dress. It had belonged to Cassie Hayes, the matron who had brought the orphans to Texas, and it just so happened that Ruby was holding it at the mercantile for her for safekeeping, and she was pleased to have any of the girls wear it.

  The bride carried a fresh bouquet of flowers that her sister Dorothy had brought for Ruby. When Alice had explained her plan, the entire family had banded together to make all the arrangements for a wedding.

  “I’m so grateful to be here today, bringing together these two people who are so in love that they couldn’t wait to share their joy with all of you.” Micah blessed the entire family, especially Ruby and Lewis’s newborn baby and the new couple. “I look forward to welcoming Mark into the family just as all of you have already welcomed me. We’ll try not to quiz you on everyone’s names because there are a lot of us.” Everyone laughed.

  As they exchanged vows, Alice’s eyes were shiny with tears. She couldn’t believe her luck. Mark was so much more than a romantic interest. He was her life partner, and there were so many exciting adventures in their future together.

  Mark was thrilled as he looked at his bride. She was poised, kind, and intelligent—all of the traits he valued. And she was also stunningly beautiful, which didn’t hurt. He couldn’t wait to start a family with Alice. Their children would be fortunate to have such a strong, smart woman as their mother.

  As Micah pronounced them man and wife, Alice and Mark beamed as they stared at each other.

  After the ceremony, most of Alice’s sisters disappeared upstairs to the kitchen while Ruby and the new baby rested in the bedroom. A short while later, Dorothy came down the stairs with freshly baked cookies. “There’s more coming!” Dorothy promised.

  Edna Petunia offered everyone peppermint sticks, but no one was interested. She pulled one out of her bosom and began to eat it, smiling from ear to ear.

  “Edna Petunia, I’m surprised,” Opal admitted. “I thought you’d want to plan an elaborate wedding for Alice. Or at least try to stop her from getting married immediately! I thought you liked long engagements.”

  Edna Petunia waved her hands. “No, no! To be truthful, I’m a little tired of lace and flowers and all of that nonsense. What’s most important is that my family is healthy and happy.” Opal found Edna Petunia’s answer to be unusually simple and logical. But then Edna Petunia walked over to Cletus and swatted him on the bottom. “Plus, the less time I spend planning weddings, the more time Cletus and I have to play hide-the-pickle!”

  Cletus and most of her daughters laughed, but Alice felt mortified. Fortunately, after his initial surprise wore off, Mark joined in on the laughter.

  Edna Petunia was delighted. “You two will know what that’s like soon enough! Now, I didn’t pressure you about the wedding, but you can’t blame me for wanting more grandbastards. You two had better get started on your marital activities quickly!”

  Alice felt her cheeks heating up, and Mark wrapped his arm around her. “Some things are best left private, but I think it’s safe to say we’re both eager to start a family.”

  Alice smiled at her new husband. He knew the exact right thing to say to make her feel comfortable. It was amazing how quickly he was already getting along with her family. Alice gazed around the room. She could never have predicted that her wedding day would look like this—a scattered crowd of relatives in the middle of her place of employment after a day in which her youngest nephew was born and there was a fire in town. Though it wasn’t what she had expected, she was so happy that everything had worked out exactly the way it was meant to be.

  Epilogue

  Alice soothed her baby nephew, rocking him back and forth as she walked through Ruby’s bedroom. She was glad that she and Mark had decided she would continue helping out at the mercantile. She knew she wouldn’t be able to do it forever, but for now, it was nice to be around her sister and her family.

  Alice hoped that she would be just as good of a mother as Ruby was. She rested a hand on her stomach. It was still flat, but she and Mark knew about the child that was already growing inside of her. Dr. Harvey had said that in a few short months, their family of two would become a family of three. Alice hadn’t told the rest of the family yet because for now, she and Mark were keeping this wonderful little secret to themselves.

  Alice knew her family would be very excited for them, but she also enjoyed having something that only she and her husband knew about. With so many men, women, and children in the family, it was nice to have a little privacy. She and Mark were planning to tell the family in a few weekends when the family gathered to celebrate Alice’s birthday.

  She couldn’t wait to ask her sisters for their advice. She felt fine so far, but she knew that the months ahead would be challenging and draining. For now, while she still had a lot of energy, she was focused on making her house her own. Mark had purchased a small plot of land less than a mile from the mercantile. With the help of the other Sanders family brothers-in-law, they had built a wonderful house with several bedrooms.

  When Edna Petunia had seen the house, she had clapped her hands in excitement. “You two must really be enjoying your marital activities. It looks like you’re planning to fill this house with babies!”

  Alice had laughed and blushed, but it was true. Alice and Mark hoped to have a house full of children. They loved each other, their family, and their community in Nowhere—they couldn’t wait to share the life they’d built with their children.

  “Shh,” Alice whispered to her nephew. “It will all be all right.”

  She went out into the living room and looked out the window at the sun shining down onto the streets of Nowhere. It was a beautiful day, and everything was right with her world.

  About the Author

  www.kirstenandmorganna.com

  Also by Kirsten Osbourne

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