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  A Mother for Christmas

  The Spinster Mail Order Brides #16

  Christine Sterling

  Table of Contents

  License Note

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  A Mother for Christmas

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

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  A Mother for Christmas

  A spinster running out of time to have a family; a man with three children to raise; an advertisement in the newspaper that brings them together for the holidays.

  When Margaret (Meg) Dasher’s fiancé dies, her last hope of getting married and having a family die with him. Nearing thirty years old, Meg accepts that she is destined to live alone until she finds a mail-order advertisement for a man seeking a wife and a mother. Arriving just in time for the holidays, she never imagined finding love again in Nomad, Montana.

  Cole Tucker is a mountain man through and through. He raises his children the best he can but longs for a partner to be by his side. Little did he know his mountain community, placed an advertisement in the newspaper seeking a wife and a mother for his children. What he didn’t expect was a beautiful spinster and two extra mouths to feed.

  Will Meg be able to bring joy to a family that has lost so much? Will Cole be able to convince Meg that she is worthy of love and marriage? When a rogue wolf threatens the town, can Cole protect his new family as well as his heart?

  Chapter 1

  May 1889, Nomad, Montana

  “Pa?”

  Cole Tucker turned to see his two sons standing in front of the register. They were at the mercantile this cold spring morning, selling off the furs that Cole trapped over the winter.

  Oskar Grant and his wife Minerva owned the mercantile and trading post. It was the cornerstone of the community and the only place to shop for hundreds of miles.

  Minnie was holding a plate of her famous brownies as she leaned over the counter towards the children. Nearing sixty, she had no children of her own and delighted in spoiling the ones that walked through the door. Cole only came to town about four times a year, but Minnie remembered every single one of his children and small details about each. She was one of the women in the community that stepped up when Frieda died.

  It was his younger son, Jack, that called to him.

  Cole had three children. Frank who was nine; Jack just turned six, and baby Luella was not quite two. Their momma had died six-months after Luella was born. Cole unconsciously rubbed his chest. It still hurt to think about Frieda being gone.

  “May we have a cake, Pa?” Minnie was known for always having a plate of fresh-baked treats by the register. She offered them to anyone who came into the shop.

  Cole nodded. Luella was sitting on the floor playing with a stack of blocks. He picked her up and she protested losing her toy. He sat her on the counter next to him and held her so she could have a treat as well.

  “Would you like one?” Minnie asked, holding the plate out to Cole. Luella reached to grab one of the brownies and Minnie broke off a piece and handed it to the toddler.

  “I’m good, thank you,” Cole said, setting Luella back on the ground. “I brought a list of things I need. Supplies are low from the winter.” He handed Minnie a piece of paper. She placed the plate aside and took the paper, scanning the items that Cole had written.

  She pulled a box from underneath the counter and placed it next to the register. “Give me a few minutes.” She peered over her glasses at Cole. “Did you mention to Oskar about the seeds?”

  Cole nodded. “Yes. He said he would load them while I brought everything else inside.” The sound of a bell announced additional visitors to the store. Cole turned. Jonathan McRaney came in, followed by a woman Cole didn’t recognize and a younger girl around Frank’s age.

  “Tucker,” Jonathan said, walking over to shake Cole’s hand. Jonathan was a rancher at the base of the mountain. He bred some of the finest horses in the territory.

  “McRaney.” Cole nodded. “How are your horses?”

  “Good, good. We are going to have some good stock this year,” Jonathan said.

  “Jonathan said I get to have the… what was it?” the young girl asked, tugging on his sleeve.

  “Foal.”

  “I get to have the foal from Beauty.”

  “Gloria,” the woman called, “Don’t interrupt.” She walked over and placed her hand on the girl’s shoulders.

  Cole had never seen either of them before. Nomad was a very small town. There were less than one hundred residents, and most were spread out around the small community that consisted of a mercantile, a church, the saloon, and a few houses.

  The woman was elegant, with her blonde hair swept up in a bun. She had a thin face and a small nose and would be considered beautiful by any standards. Here in Nomad, however, she was simply exquisite. It wasn’t her good looks or her soft voice as she talked to the girl, she called Gloria. It was the slight swell of her belly under her jacket that Cole noticed.

  His eyes flew to Jonathan and he lifted his eyebrows in surprise. Jonathan was a confirmed bachelor and prided himself on the intent of never getting married.

  Cole saw a big grin break out on his friend’s face. “Are you married?”

  Jonathan nodded. “This is my wife, Flory. And this is her younger sister, Gloria.”

  “I can’t believe it. For the man who said he would never marry, you got hitched.”

  “Well, I had some help.” Jonathan shot a wink to Minnie, who beamed with pride.

  “It was just a matter of finding the right woman,” she replied.

  “Pa,” Frank said, moving beside the small group. He yanked on Cole’s sleeve. “Can we go play?”

  “Yes,” Cole replied, ruffling the boy’s hair.

  “Can I go too?” Gloria asked, looking expectantly at Flory.

  “Well…”

  “Let her go,” Jonathan said. “There aren’t many children her age around here.”

  “Alright. But stay clean. We are having dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Brown tonight.”

  Gloria and Frank ran out the door with Jack on their heels.

  Suddenly there was a crash, followed by a loud howl. “Luella,” he cried, running over to pick up his daughter. She had knocked an entire tower of canned peaches over. He lifted her up and brushed off her skirt. “Looks like you are alright,” he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek.”

  “How about I hold her while you finish your shopping?” Flory re
ached out her arms for the young girl. “It will give me practice.”

  Luella reached out her arms for Flory and Cole released his daughter. “she’s a wiggler,” he said, tapping Luella’s nose.

  Flory laughed. “Well, then, we just might need to walk around.”

  Cole watched as Flory bounced the toddler on her hip as they walked around the shop.

  “Let me help you get these restacked.”

  Cole nodded to Jonathan and they worked to rebuild the tower of cans. When they were done, Cole returned to the counter where Minnie was putting the last of his purchases in the box.

  “Heard the wolves are back,” Jonathan said, placing a tin of peaches on the counter.

  “They are?” Cole made sure that the town was safe from the mountain creatures that would sometimes come near town looking for their next meal.

  “Saw tracks near the lake.”

  Cole pulled the box closer to him. “I’ll go by there on my way home and take a look.”

  “Don’t do it with the children in the wagon,” Minnie admonished.

  “I can’t leave them alone,” he responded. “Besides, we are just looking. I’m not hunting.”

  “You need to find a good woman,” Minnie said. “It would do those children a world of good. And you as well.”

  “I’m perfectly fine,” Cole said.

  Minnie rested her elbow on the counter and leaned her cheek into her hand. She gave a little sigh. “We need to get more good women in this town. God-fearing women.”

  Cole put his hands up in mock surrender. “That is the last thing I need.”

  Jonathan laughed. “That is what I thought too. But when Minnie gets her mind on something, nothing is going to deter her.”

  “I don’t have time to find a wife.”

  “Aw, pshaw,” Minnie said, waving her hands at Cole. “The summer is your slow season. You have plenty of time before winter.”

  “I honestly…”

  “She isn’t going to take no for an answer,” Jonathan said. “Might as well let her if you are even thinking about it.”

  Cole sent a glance towards his friend. “I am most certainly not thinking about it. We are doing just fine, thank you.” He picked up his box. “Put the rest of the fur money on my account. I’ll need it for my fall supply run.” He headed to the door. “I’ll be right back to get the baby,” he said to Flory.

  Minnie waved to him as he headed out the door. As Cole put his box in the back of the wagon, he saw Thomas Brown pull up in his carriage. Thomas was the unofficial mayor in town, as well as the owner of the livery.

  “Tucker,” Thomas said, tipping his hat. “You finally got down from the mountain?”

  “Appears so. The snow finally started melting last month.” He lived in a cabin right off the pass between the two mountains that loomed behind the town. There was still a good foot of snow on the ground, but the path to town had started to melt. He just needed to get home before everything froze in the cold night air.

  Cole followed Thomas back into the store. He took Luella from Flory’s arms and gave a little wave to everyone.

  Minnie was deep in conversation with Jonathan when Thomas joined them at the counter. Cole saw them turn and look at him as he backed out of the shop. Placing Luella in the back of the wagon, he called to the boys so they could begin the long journey home.

  The boys ran around the corner of the building and slammed into the sideboard of the wagon. They were laughing as they scrambled up the wheel and into the back of the wagon. They had dirt on their shirts where they wiped their hands. The knees of their pants were soaked and caked with mud. The little girl that went to play with them, came running and jumped up the steps. She gave a wave to the boys and ran inside the shop.

  Cole sighed. He was going to need to soak those clothes to get the spring mud out of them. He wished that Frieda was still alive. It was too much for a man trying to raise three children alone.

  He gave a glance back to the shop. As tempting as it would be to go back in and ask Minnie to help him find a wife, he knew he could never love anyone the way he loved Frieda.

  “Let’s go home,” he said to the children in the back of the wagon. Frank was already wrapping a blanket around Jack and Luella. He climbed into the seat and with a click to the horses, they headed towards the mountain.

  Chapter 2

  August 1889, New York

  His face was so pale. His eyelids were nearly transparent, and she expected them to open at any moment and look at her. It was almost as if he were sleeping. She knew better though.

  His chest was no longer moving, his lips forever slightly parted for a breath that would never escape through them. She could hear screaming, but it was slightly muffled to her ears. She couldn’t tell where it came from.

  A pair of hands pressed upon her shoulders, trying to pull her back. She didn’t fight against them, her shoulders slumping. Her hearing became nearly mute as if everything around her went silent. She only saw him, lying there so peacefully. The screams were a distant sound in her ears.

  Margaret Dasher’s eyes flew open, her breath catching as she sat up in bed. She could feel the rawness in her throat. The screams were hers. Once again, they woke her as they had done almost every night for the last six months when her world had been turned upside down.

  Agnes, her housekeeper, no longer checked on her. It was pointless to run to her side, when all it was, were night terrors.

  She flipped the covers off the bed and dropped her feet over the side. She felt around with her toes until she found her house shoes and slipped her feet into their warmth. She moved towards the door of her room, her hands mindlessly smoothing out the cotton of her nightdress. Her slippers were silent against the wooden boards beneath her.

  When she reached the door, she stopped, her eyes on the light reflecting on the doorknob. She refused to sleep in the dark. It was as if the light would keep the demons away. Unfortunately, she knew better.

  If she were to leave her room this late, she was sure to bring unwanted attention to herself. Questions would arise. Questions she wasn’t sure she wanted to answer. She decided to return to bed. In a few hours, morning would creep into the room. She could wait until then.

  She took a step backward and returned to the comfort of her bed. She sat down on the side of the mattress; her fingers clasped together in her lap. Her jaw hurt from clenching her teeth. It might stop the screams, but it couldn’t stop the tears streaming down her cheeks.

  Just like that day, watching as he was put to rest, her throat seared in pain as if she were screaming all over again. She knew it was unladylike – screaming like that but seeing the lifeless body of the man she was supposed to spend the rest of her days with, had shattered her heart. It signaled the end of what was supposed to be a life together and now, she didn’t know what would become of her.

  No one would want to marry a woman in her upper twenties. Why had Phillip insisted on waiting so long to get married? Something always came up and she bought his excuses easily enough.

  He wanted to be established in his career. He needed to save money for a house. They couldn’t get married unless his parents could attend, and they were out of the country. They couldn’t get married because her father died, and she needed to grieve. It was one thing after another. She eventually realized that perhaps Phillip would never marry her.

  Now it was too late. She was nearing thirty.

  She wasn’t a widow, because they never married. She wasn’t young enough to have other prospects. And now, with Phillip’s death, she was just relegated to spinster status. She would be classified more like an old maid. Which was a shame, because she felt young.

  Her eyes traveled to the darkened window that was peeking from behind white sheers. The window was open slightly to allow the cool night air to sneak in. As the wind traveled through the window, it would catch the sheer fabric and lift it up. The billowing fabric reminded Meg of angels.

  She released a si
gh and lowered herself back onto the bed. She grabbed one of the pillows she piled around her to keep the demons away and hugged it tightly.

  She felt the breeze make its way to her bed. There was a fireplace, and even though it was August, she would normally have one to warm the room. The fire was long gone, and she shivered into the pillow. Reaching around she found the blanket and pulled it up to her chin. She watched the curtains continue to float from the window, lulling her into sleep.

  She fought against it; afraid the nightmares would return. Unfortunately, it was no use. Her eyes became heavy and she closed them. Vowing to only rest for a moment she listened to the fabric slap against the windowsill.

  Suddenly, she bolted up in bed. It was no longer dark. Light shined through the window, casting shadows on the bed. The curtains were still, and Meg could feel the heat of the day beginning to enter the room.

  How late had she slept?

  “You awake, Miss Margaret?” a voice called to her as the door opened just enough for a round face to appear from behind it. Agnes gave her a bit of a smile and pushed the door open.

  Meg pushed herself up on her elbows and shimmied, so her back was against the headboard. “Come in, Agnes,” she called.

  Agnes carried a tray into the room and placed it on the table next to the fireplace. “I brought you a pot of tea and a soft egg with toast. You’ll need to keep up your strength.” Agnes removed the cloche, allowing Meg to peek at the breakfast.

  “I’m not hungry.”

  “Well, you still need to eat,” Agnes said in a motherly tone as she covered the food again. She lifted her skirt and knelt in front of the fireplace, sifting the embers with the iron poker which rested against the bricks for just that purpose.

  Meg climbed from the bed and grabbed a blanket, walking over to the chair near the table. She sat down, draping herself with the blanket.

  When she was settled, she lifted the cup and poured herself some tea. She added a splash of milk and wished she had some sugar. Sugar was a luxury, not an everyday item. She watched Agnes as she sipped the tea. Agnes and her husband, Roscoe, were the only house servants left. Meg had to release everyone else after her father passed.