EMMA (Mail-Order Brides Club, #1) (3 page)

Emma dressed and then went into the guest bedroom, shutting the door behind her. The bed looked inviting and she was feeling so relaxed from the bath. Hannah had suggested that she try and squeeze in a nap and though Emma had never been one for a nap, she figured it might be nice to just lay down and rest her eyes for a bit.

***

E
mma drifted off to sleep almost immediately and slept soundly until she was woken by the sound of voices and people walking around downstairs. She wondered how long she'd been sleeping and worried that it had been too long. She sat up in bed just as there was a soft knock on the door and when she said, "Come in," Hannah opened the door a few inches and peeked in.

"I don't want to disturb you, but just wanted to let you know that we're going to sit down to eat in about a half hour. So make your way down when you're ready. Take your time." Hannah shut the door again and Emma was tempted to lie back down, but knew she'd probably be out for the rest of the night, so didn't dare. Instead, she eased herself off the bed and looked in the mirror that was hanging on the wall. Her hair was a rumpled mess, but other than that, her skin was glowing and she was wearing her favorite pink dress, which brought out the rosy color in her cheeks. She found her brush and set about straightening her unruly hair. That only took a few minutes and then she sat still for another ten, trying to get her courage up to go downstairs and face a roomful of strangers, one of whom might end up as her husband, if he found her suitable. She sighed and finally decided to get it over with it. He'd either like her or not and if he didn't like her, maybe one of his brothers would. The thought both excited and depressed her, but the idea of going back to Boston, alone and with no job to go to, was even more depressing. She took a deep breath, stood up and went down the stairs.

The crowd below was loud and lively until they noticed Emma enter the room, and suddenly everyone went silent. Hannah spotted her and came rushing to her rescue. She took hold of Emma's hand and led her into the middle of the room.

"Everyone, this is Emma. Emma, this is everyone!" There were a few chuckles at that and then Hannah went around the room and introduced everyone. All the brothers were there, Charlie, John, Michael, David, Paul, Justin, Jamie, Liam, their sister Elizabeth, parents Jed, and Naomi and lastly, Ethan, and little Emily. Emily immediately walked over to Emma and tugged on her dress to get her attention. "Are you my new mommy?" she demanded.

Naomi chuckled at that. "She's little but she doesn't miss much. She must have overheard us talking."

Ethan spoke up then and looked both embarrassed and annoyed. "Emily, come back here."

"Let's all sit down to eat, dinner's ready," Hannah said, saving the awkward moment. They all gathered around the long, oval dining room table and Hannah sat Emma between her and Ethan. Dinner was fried chicken, mashed potatoes and freshly baked biscuits with butter and honey. It was delicious, and the best meal Emma had eaten in weeks. Naomi kept the conversation flowing around the table and had lots of questions for Emma, wanting to know all about Boston and what her life had been like in the orphanage and working in Beacon Hill.

"Your parents were Irish?" Naomi asked at one point and Emma confirmed it.

"I knew it. You have the look of the Irish about you. You'll fit right in here." She spoke as if it was a sure thing, Emma marrying into the family, and she just wondered if she thought she'd fit with Ethan, too. He’d barely said a word to her, except to pass the bread. Though to be fair, most of his attention was focused on Emily, who sat on his other side and needed his help cutting her food.

"What kind of work did you do in Boston?" Liam asked. He was about her age, Hannah had told her earlier, though it was hard to keep them all straight. They were all handsome men, all with dark blonde or reddish-brown hair and light eyes. Liam was probably the most classically good looking and had intelligent, blue eyes that sparkled as he spoke. He was friendly and charming and Emma immediately liked him and sensed that they could be good friends.

"I worked in the kitchen, mostly, helping  Miss O’Brien with the cooking and baking, and on the nanny’s day off, I filled in watching the children."

"So you have some experience with children?" That caught Ethan's attention as he surprised her by finally speaking.

"Yes, I love children. The Chapmans had two little ones, a boy and a girl, ages two and four."

"And you know how to cook, too?" Naomi sounded hopeful.

"I do. The Chapmans entertained quite a bit, so I learned to make a lot of different dishes, and I make a pretty good birthday cake, too." She caught Emily's eye then and smiled at the little girl, whose eyes lit up when she mentioned birthday cakes.

"We don't do much entertaining," Ethan said gruffly.

"No, of course not. I wouldn't expect that you did," Emma said.

"Well, I think it's wonderful that you have that experience," Naomi said and shot her son a dark look. "Those are very useful skills and we can definitely use your help for the holidays or any special occasions. Feeding this crowd is a big job. Your entertaining skills will be well used." The mood lightened then, as Hannah started to clear the table. Naomi then brought out a platter and set it in the middle of the table.

"Speaking of cake, I made this earlier today for our dessert and to welcome you." She cut slices for everyone and Emily beamed.

"We don't have cake very often," Ethan said and smiled awkwardly, as if trying to make up for being less than friendly earlier. Emma's breath caught when he smiled, as it lit up his whole face. He was a nice-looking man, but when he smiled, it softened his face and made his eyes stand out, too. They were a deep, rich green and for a moment, his eyes met hers and then he looked away and stopped smiling.

"It's getting late. I should get Emily home to bed soon," he said.

"We should all head out very soon and let Emma get her rest." Naomi turned to Emma. "I bet you will sleep well tonight, my dear. Traveling cross country is exhausting."

"Ethan, we'll see you and Emily back for dinner tomorrow night?" Hannah reminded him as everyone finished their cake and slowly started heading for the door.

"We'll be here," he confirmed and nodded goodnight to Emma as he and Emily followed the others out. Hannah had explained earlier while they were having tea that the Donovans all lived relatively nearby. Ethan and Emily and a few of the older brothers had their own farms and the rest of the family lived with Naomi and Jed on their ranch. Once the boys were old enough, each would move to their own place and part of the ranch, which was the largest in the area.

Once everyone had left, Emma helped Hannah to wash and dry the dishes and as soon as they finished, she was ready to fall into bed herself. Hannah must have seen the exhaustion on her face, because she insisted that she go to bed and told her to sleep in as late as she liked, and there was nothing going on the next morning that she had to be up early for.

Emma was grateful for the offer to sleep in and almost as soon as her head hit the pillow, she fell fast asleep.

"S
he's pretty, Daddy. I think she could be a good mommy. She knows how to make cakes." Emily said as Ethan set a plate of scrambled eggs in front of her the next morning. She ignored the eggs and waited for her father to answer her, with a very serious expression on her face. Ethan could tell she'd been thinking about the possibility of a new mother ever since she'd overheard Josh and Hannah explaining what they'd done. He was still furious with them for meddling, but knew their intentions were good and he had to admit, Emma was certainly a good candidate—she was very pretty, good with children and she said she could cook.

Intellectually, the idea made perfect sense. It was his heart that was the problem. Even though it had been a little over a year, he was still grieving for Susan. They had married young and he'd expected that they'd grow old together. Her first childbirth had gone smoothly. But the second had been very different. Susan was much sicker throughout her pregnancy and when the doctor finally arrived, he discovered that the baby was in the breech position, feet first, and those were always difficult. Susan had been in labor for hours before the doctor arrived and once he got to work, the baby still wouldn't turn and when she was finally delivered stillborn, Susan didn't have any energy left to fight for her own life. She had lost too much blood, gone into shock and soon after, slipped quietly away.

Ethan had gone into a shock-like state himself. It had been so unexpected, and to lose both of them was overwhelming. He was numb for months, and just went through the motions keeping himself together, mostly for Emily's sake because he had to be there for his daughter. He felt empty inside for a very long time and more than anything, he just missed Susan—missed her company, her gentleness and sense of humor. Even though he had Emily, he recognized that he was lonely. But, he wasn't convinced that the answer was a stranger from Boston. How could he replace Susan that way? It didn't seem right.  But still, Emma was here, and he'd promised Josh and Hannah that he would give her a chance. Get to know her and see if there was a way to make it work.

"We'll see, honey," he said to Emily. "We're going to see Emma tonight for dinner, so we can get to know her better and then we'll decide. Okay?"

Emily thought hard for a minute. "Okay, Daddy." She picked up her fork and started eating, and then a moment later Emma was forgotten and she was chattering away about wanting a kitten. Ethan envied her ability to forget and to move on so quickly.

***

E
mma was disoriented when she woke the next day. She'd slept well, but it took her a moment to get her bearings and realize she wasn't on the train anymore and was in Montana finally, in a real bed. She stretched lazily and thought back to the evening before. The Donovan family intrigued her. She'd never been around a big family like that—any family, really. The orphanage was all she'd known, and then of course, her former employers, the Chapman family, but they didn't count, not to her. No, the Donovans were the kind of family she'd dreamed about, but had never experienced. She liked them and she was anxious to get her situation with Ethan settled. More than anything, Emma did not want to return to Boston.

When she came downstairs, Hannah was in the kitchen, making bread.

"Good morning," she said as she looked up from the bread she was kneading and smiled at Emma. "Did you sleep all right?"

"Yes, best sleep I've had in weeks."

"Good. Help yourself to some breakfast. There's scrambled eggs in the skillet on the stove and leftover rolls and butter."

Emma fixed herself a plate, and as she ate, Hannah told her what she had in mind for the day.

"I thought I would show you around today. Our place is small compared to the rest of the family, because our business is primarily the general store in town. But we still have cows, pigs, chickens and, of course, horses."

Emma was impressed. "How do you manage it all?"

"Josh and I share the duties here on the farm, and he has Bill, the assistant manager, who helps run the store. I go in sometimes, too, to work the register and help customers. After lunch, I thought we could take a drive into town and visit the store as well."

"That sounds perfect."

***

M
ontana was nothing like Boston. Emma had always loved the hustle and bustle of living in the city. Everything was just a short walk away—stores, her friends, the Charles River. Montana was all vast, green open space with glorious mountains in the distance. On the long train ride, she'd often wondered if she would miss Boston itself and if she'd like Montana. She already missed her friends, but she didn't miss Boston. As she walked with Hannah, across open fields and meadows, down to the gardens and then back to the stables where the animals were waiting to be fed, she felt a sense of rightness that surprised her. This new town felt like home in a way that Boston never had. The feeling helped ease her anxiety about Ethan. Even if he decided that he couldn't marry her, she was going to find a way to stay in Montana.

***

A
fter lunch, Hannah brought two of the horses, Samson and Goliath, from the stable and hitched them up to a two-seater buggy.

"Josh usually takes the wagon, because he needs more room to load supplies for the store," Hannah explained as they climbed in. The drive in to town passed quickly and Emma paid closer attention than when she'd first arrived. There were several brick buildings and homes along Main Street that she'd hardly noticed before.

"That's the bank on the corner, and across the street is the newspaper and telegraph line." Hannah pointed out the different businesses as they drove past and then came to a stop just outside their store. The sign above the door read, "Donovan's General Store." Hannah led Emma inside and proudly showed her around. Josh waved as they walked in as he was behind the counter helping a customer.

"We have a bit of everything here, from eggs, butter and milk to bricks out back for building and a selection of fabrics and everything else you need for sewing. All the dry goods are over here—sugar, spices, crackers—and there are meats out back, as well."

Emma looked around the store and was impressed. It was bright  well-organized, and busy. While Hannah showed her around, several people came and went. Emma noticed with curiosity that the most recent customer hadn't exchanged any money with Josh. Instead, she brought in some eggs and butter and left with a bag of sugar, flour and a small package of bacon.

"We probably do more business in barter than cash," Hannah explained. "It works well for us most of the time as it gives us products we need and it's easier for many of our customers to pay with goods when cash is low."

"Do you know everyone that comes in?" Emma asked.

"Just about. This is a small town and everyone knows most everyone else."

"Who is that?" Emma indicated the man that was paying Josh. He was tall and very dark, with black hair and a mean look in his eyes. He was a handsome man, but his energy reminded Emma of Gerald and she shivered at the thought.