Convenient Christmas Bride (9781460389034) Read online

  They came back together. “No can do. We have a cow to milk and she’s not going to be happy to be getting milked late as it is.”

  Anna Mae stopped and looked at him. She’d forgotten all about Jersey. She should be grateful for an excuse not to have to sleep in the same room with Josiah, but she found herself feeling a little disappointed. The one night they had to share a room she hadn’t slept a wink. Josiah had tossed and turned on the floor so much that she was sure Mr. Meeker had heard him through the wall.

  “Let’s see if this is ready to cut,” Josiah said, pulling her and the taffy as he made his way to the table.

  They found an empty platter and laid their candy down. Beth walked past and thrust a pair of scissors into Anna Mae’s hand. “Get to cutting. I’ll have one of the older boys come get it to wrap.”

  Anna Mae laughed. Beth Winters could be very bossy. She watched as the older woman walked about the room, praising the children on their wrapping and rushing the adults to hurry and get the candy cut.

  Josiah’s warm breath tickled her ear. “You might want to get started. I believe if you don’t have that cut by the time her boy comes by for it, Mrs. Miller, we’ll be in big trouble and get no candy.”

  A giggle eased from her throat. “While I’m cutting what will you be doing?” she asked, looking up into his bright blue eyes.

  “Supervising, of course.” His face was only a few inches from her.

  If she wanted to, Anna Mae could easily lean forward and kiss him. She ducked her head. Now where had that thought come from?

  She snipped the candy into small pieces, aware that Josiah watched her every move. Why? Why was he studying her as if he’d never seen her before? Had he thought about kissing her, too?

  * * *

  Josiah knew he had to get away from his sweet wife. She smelled of candy and he’d felt the urge to kiss her just now. Kiss her right in front of everyone, something he was sure she wouldn’t appreciate. “I’m going to go let Emily Jane and William know that we won’t be able to spend the night.”

  As he approached his brother-in-law and wife, he heard their teasing remarks. “I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun making candy.” William winked at his wife, who was busy cutting their candy into bite-size pieces.

  Emily Jane giggled and her cheeks flushed a pretty shade of pink. “Probably when you were a little boy.”

  “Probably so.” He hugged her growing waist. “But I bet it wasn’t nearly as much fun as this.”

  Josiah shook his head. Even though they’d been married several months now, they still behaved as newlyweds. For a few short moments he’d shared similar happiness with Anna Mae. Not like “in love” newlyweds, but fun just the same.

  He cleared his throat. When they both looked at him expectantly, Josiah said, “Can you help me with something outside?” He motioned for William to follow him.

  Emily Jane frowned. “Josiah, are you sure? It’s pretty cold out there.” Her brow furrowed with worry.

  “This won’t take long, Emily Jane.”

  William didn’t seem to want to leave his wife any more than she wanted him to leave. “I’ll be right there, Josiah.”

  “All right. I’m heading out for some fresh air.” Josiah crossed the room and then reached for the front door handle.

  “Pssst.”

  As natural as breathing, Josiah’s hand lowered slowly to his holster. He turned to face the stairs behind him.

  Grady leaned over the rails and whispered, “Come here, Josiah.”

  His shoulders sagged in relief and he removed his hand from his gun. Josiah took the stairs two at a time.

  “Where you headed?” Grady asked in a low voice, as soon as he was close enough to talk.

  “I invited William to meet me outside. I planned to tell him me and Annie can’t spend the night at his place.” He didn’t add that the desire to kiss his wife had him hankering for much needed fresh air.

  Grady frowned. “Why not?”

  Not used to having to answer to another man, Josiah all but snapped, “We have animals to take care of.”

  It wasn’t lost on Josiah that his friend had slipped into the shadows to avoid being seen below.

  “Why are you living in the country, Josiah? You’re not a farmer, you’re a lawman. Shouldn’t you be near the town you swore to protect?”

  Irritation rose in him again. Josiah had no intention of discussing his situation with anyone at the moment, so he shrugged casually. “It works right now.”

  Grady shook his head and probably would have argued if Josiah hadn’t changed the subject. “You find out anything?”

  That did the trick. Grady growled. “Yes, no thanks to that bumbling deputy of yours.”

  Weariness settled between Josiah’s shoulder blades. “What happened?”

  “Had a situation back of the stable the other night about an hour after you went home. Saw two fellows ride up the back alley, so I hid in the loft. It’s not good, Josiah.”

  Unease joined the weariness. “Did you know them?”

  “One of them. It’s Jose Garza.”

  Josiah’s misgivings increased by the minute. “Jose Garza of the James gang?”

  “The one and only.”

  “But why would a notorious gang want to mess with a little town like this? We’re not even on the map. Our bank won’t have enough money in it to make it worth their while.” His head was beginning to pound at the seriousness of their situation.

  “Not sure. They could be looking for a town to make their home. They may check out Granite and decide there’s not enough law here to keep them from taking over.” Grady grimaced. “Or they could be looking for towns with newspapers so the tales of their actions can be recorded.”

  Josiah resented the first remark, but knew it was true. “But our newspaper is just local stuff. Probably not more than fifty copies per week.”

  “Doesn’t matter. Newspapermen, like your Mr. Lupan, tend to write about all these shenanigans. Other newspapermen will take what your Mr. Lupan wrote back to their syndicated presses and make heroes of criminals. The story could go all over the United States.”

  “You met Mr. Lupan, our newspaper editor?”

  Grady nodded. “You might want to deputize him. He’s a much better tracker than the one you’ve got. I’ve been dodging him for days. He knows I’m staying here at the boardinghouse. He plans to find out who I am and why.”

  Josiah couldn’t help but smile at Grady’s description of Mr. Lupan, who wasn’t above spreading a little bit of gossip, since he’d learned it sold more papers than the news. “Speaking of plans, did you overhear the James gang plans?”

  “Enough to know they’re waiting on someone else to arrive on the stage. I’d have learned more but your deputy came down the alley and heard voices. He cocked his pistol, Josiah.” Grady’s voice reflected his scorn at the error. “Gave his position away before they ever saw him. They would have ambushed him had they not been waiting on this other feller to arrive. He’d be a dead man right now.”

  “I’ll have a talk with him.” Josiah felt momentary panic when he thought of young Wade trying to protect the town by himself.

  Steely green eyes stared into his. “He needs to be trained, Josiah, not talked to. And who’s going to train him when he’s out on patrol at night and you’re thirty minutes away on the farm?”

  He didn’t need a lecture from his mentor. What he needed was to move to town. But how to approach Anna Mae about the sensitive subject? She liked living on their farm and taking care of the animals. “I’ll see to it, Grady.”

  An hour and a half later, Josiah handed the twins down to Anna Mae. Neither awoke and he knew she would have them tucked in for the night before he ever finished with the chores.

  He turned Roy
and the wagon toward the barn. Once the horse was unhitched, Josiah started the dreaded process. He looked at the chickens. He didn’t much care if he ever saw one again. Unless it appeared on his Sunday plate. He led Jersey out of the stall and reached for the stool.

  What was the James gang doing in his town? He should have been the one to learn of them, not Grady. And then there was the training of Wade. If the James gang shot the boy, there’d be no reason to train him. Josiah leaned his head against the cow’s side. He couldn’t afford to let his deputy make mistakes like cocking his gun before he even knew what he’d be shooting at.

  “What’s on your mind, Josiah?”

  Warning spasms jolted him around. Lost in thought, he hadn’t heard her approach. Had she opened the barn door? He must not have closed it, which was even worse. He was losing his touch. And any good lawman knew that was a dangerous thing.

  Pretending her sudden appearance hadn’t shaken him up, Josiah asked, “What do you mean, Annie? And what are you doing out here? You’ll catch your death of cold.”

  “I came to help with the chores so you wouldn’t have to be out here so long.” She pulled her cloak tighter around her. “You didn’t say a word all the way home.”

  Josiah raised his head but continued to milk the cow. “Neither did you.”

  “But I was reliving the excitement of the day, and I would have shared with you except that you seemed so withdrawn.” She placed a palm on his arm.

  He stared at her fingers while some illusive thought tugged at his memory. She jerked her hand away and clasped it against her chest. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be forward. And I don’t deliberately try to intrude. I just wanted to help if something is troubling you.”

  He recovered her hand. “Oh, Annie. You could never be any of those things.” Suddenly the chores didn’t look so dreadful, and fresh eggs, butter and milk sure did make a man’s stomach feel good. He saw the uncertainty in her eyes and felt strongly compelled to convince her of her worth. “Annie, you make things look so much better, easier. When I feel things are impossible, you challenge me to rethink. I feel like I can accomplish anything if I work hard enough.”

  She made a slight gesture with her right hand. “That’s exactly how I feel, Josiah. I make a mess of things, but you don’t treat me like I’m hopeless. You help me without making me think I’m an idiot.”

  He lifted an eyebrow inquiringly.

  “Like with the legs on the girls’ table. Or your patience teaching me to tend these animals,” she reminded him.

  He couldn’t contain the grin that overtook his face. “Well, I need your help out here.”

  “Exactly, and you trust me to help.” She shifted from foot to foot. “What I’m trying to say is that I love my life with you. We’re connected somehow.”

  He finished milking the cow and moved the bucket off to the side. He stood and pulled her close for a hug. “I agree.”

  Carried away by emotions they both seemed to feel, he watched as she straightened the lapels of his coat. He felt the shy yet eager affection coming from her. Anna Mae looked down as if focused on the material under her fingertips.

  Josiah couldn’t have stopped his reaction to her if the barn had been on fire. He placed a hand on either side of her face and tilted her head. He touched her lips with his like a whisper. She closed her eyes, waiting, and he kissed her again, tender and light as a summer breeze.

  She opened her eyes, then bumped awkwardly against him. He barely managed to keep them from falling. His kisses had never had that effect on Mary. Josiah searched Anna Mae’s startled face.

  “Jersey pushed me!” Anna Mae accused, pointing at the cow. “Can you believe that? She knocked me against you.” Her eyes widened in understanding. “She’s jealous.”

  Josiah laughed out loud. “Most likely she wants to be back in her warm stall. She figures you need to quit lollygagging and get to work.”

  He dodged Anna Mae’s friendly slap against his arm and set about putting the cow back in her stall. Farmer Miller to the rescue. How long would he be able to keep this up?

  Grady was right. Josiah did belong in town, but how would he tell Anna Mae? Could he tell her? So many unanswered questions plagued his mind as he added fresh hay to the stall. And any good sheriff knew that the sooner you solved a case the quicker your mind could rest. But if he continued to kiss his wife, his mind would continue to remain mush and the case would never get solved. He sighed, knowing he’d enjoyed the kiss more than he should have. Now what? Had their relationship just changed again? And if so, what did the future hold for them?

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  A few days later, Anna Mae gathered all her scraps of fabric and carried them in a basket to the sitting room. “Rose, Ruby, come help me please.”

  The twins entered the room with big grins. They spotted the basket and hurried over. Each grabbed the colorful strips and started pulling them out.

  “Pitty,” Ruby said, grinning as if she’d just had another piece of taffy.

  Rose nodded. “Pitty.”

  Anna Mae touched their soft curls. “Would you like to help me make pretty decorations for Christmas?”

  They looked at each other and then nodded.

  “Good.” Anna Mae pulled her scissors out and began cutting the strips into smaller pieces. “We’re going to make Christmas garlands so that we can decorate our house. Won’t that be fun?”

  They nodded and giggled. For the next hour Anna Mae worked with the girls tying the fabric strips into loops and then tying the loops together.

  The little girls played with the cloth and took turns helping her string their homemade garland about the house. The brightly colored fabric brightened the room.

  “Pitty,” Rose said, pointing at the garland Anna Mae had hung about the bedroom door.

  Ruby clapped her hands together and grabbed the next string. She hurried to the playroom, tripping on her little legs and hurriedly picking herself up. Rose, hot on her trail, picked up the tail of the string and followed her sister, laughing and chattering a mile a minute. Some of the words were intelligible, most were not. They both were doing much better in that department.

  Anna Mae adored the little girls. They were such sweet babies and they loved to laugh. She grinned and followed them inside. They stood in the middle of the room, looking about.

  “How about we hang that one above the window?” she asked, walking toward it and pulling a chair over as she went.

  Again the girls nodded in agreement, so Anna Mae climbed on the chair, then reached down for the string of bright fabric.

  As she hung it, she recognized the blue from her dress and the quilt she’d made for Josiah’s bed, the pink and yellow from the little girls’ dresses, and green, purple and red that she’d used to make doll clothes. The scraps represented their first Christmas together and the many hours she’d worked to create gifts for her family.

  Once garlands hung from every available space about the house, Anna Mae turned to the twins. Their eyes darted back and forth as they admired the decorations they’d put up. “Would you like a warm glass of milk?” she asked them, heading to the kitchen.

  The sound of little feet following caused her smile to broaden in approval. It seemed these days she smiled a lot.

  It took only a few minutes to get the girls in their chairs and the milk on the stove warming.

  Josiah came through the door, stomping his feet. “Boy, it’s cold out there.” He took his coat off and hung it up, then walked to where the girls sat. It was sweet the way he kissed the tops of their heads.

  He looked at Anna Mae, eyebrows raised inquiringly. “So what have you ladies been up to?”

  “Pitty!” Rose squealed, pointing at the garland.

  Anna Mae laughed, amazed he hadn’t noticed the many colorful swags
that decorated his home. “Getting ready for Christmas.”

  Josiah looked about at the various strings of looped fabric. “It is very pretty.”

  “Yep, pitty,” Ruby agreed, with a nod at her father.

  “We’re having warm milk and cookies. Would you like some?” Anna Mae asked, stirring the milk to make sure it didn’t scorch.

  He pulled out a chair and sat down. “I was hoping for something a little heavier. I’ve not had lunch yet.”

  She poured the warm milk and grabbed four cookies from the cookie jar. “How about a couple of ham biscuits and a pickle?” She handed the twins their cookies, then set their glasses of milk just a little out of their reach.

  “Sounds wonderful. Do you have any cold milk left?” He snatched up one of Ruby’s cookies from her chubby hand and pretended to take a bite from it.

  When the little girl sent her a wide-eyed look, Anna Mae hid her smile. “I do.” She turned around so that Ruby wouldn’t see her pleasure at Josiah’s teasing.

  While she made Josiah’s lunch, Anna Mae listened to him talk to his daughters, his voice filled with love and warmth. What would it be like if he spoke to her like that? Anna Mae pushed the thought away and finished fixing his food. She hadn’t expected him to come home for lunch. She’d hoped to be able to go to town and finish her Christmas shopping.

  She set Josiah’s plate in front of him. “You’re home early.”

  He looked up at her. “I decided to come home this afternoon and after dinner return to town. Would you like to go Christmas tree hunting after I finish this sandwich?”

  Anna Mae couldn’t contain her excitement. “You mean it?”

  “Why not? It will be a fun outing for the girls.” He bowed his head and quietly thanked the Lord for his meal.

  When he finished Anna Mae pulled four more cookies from the cookie jar and poured herself a glass of milk. She placed two of the cookies on his plate before sitting down. “They will need to go down for a nap before it gets too late.”

  “No nap!” the girls said in unison.

  Josiah laughed. “See? They don’t want to nap.” He tipped his glass up and drank about half his milk in one big gulp.