Western Christmas Brides. Carol Arens

have breakfast ready when you get back,” Fiona said, walking out of the bedroom.

      Tall and slender with long brown hair and hazel eyes, Fiona was a pretty woman, but it was her happiness that made her beautiful. It was as if she was part angel the way she floated around, smiling and glowing. Having seven sisters, all married, Hannah had been around a lot of couples, and Brett and Fiona had to love each other more than any two people she’d ever seen. The longer she lived with them, the more deeply she wanted to experience love like that. To have someone look at her the way those two looked at each other.

      “There will be plenty for you, too, Teddy,” Fiona said, “so come back hungry.”

      “Thank you.”

      The sound of his voice sent her heart into another unexpected bout of hammering and Hannah dropped the knife. She caught it before it fell all the way to the floor, but flinched as the blade nicked the end of her finger.

      “Are you all right?” Teddy asked, instantly arriving at her side.

      “Fine, just clumsy.” Hannah set the knife down, but wrapped the tip of her finger with her other hand. It couldn’t be very deep, so it shouldn’t be bleeding too much. There was no reason for any of this. Not for her heart to pound so hard, or for him to have rushed to her side.

      “Let me see,” he insisted.

      “It’s nothing, really,” Hannah replied, cautiously unfolding her fingers to take a peek. Relieved, she held the finger up. “See? It’s not even bleeding.”

      He took ahold of her hand to give her finger a thorough inspection, and she was glad she’d set the knife down, otherwise she’d have dropped it all over again. Her heart was racing faster than ever, and her hand, where he touched it, burned as if on fire.

      “Here, let me see,” Fiona said.

      “It’s fine,” Hannah said, pulling her hand to her side as soon as Teddy’s hold relaxed. “Really.” She stepped back, and tried to slow her breathing.

      “Well, you men best get going,” Fiona said, while giving her a scrutinizing gaze.

      Hannah turned about and moved the pumpkins around just for something to do.

      As soon as the men left, Fiona asked, “Are you doing all right? You’ve seemed a bit preoccupied lately.”

      Hannah started scraping the inside of a pumpkin. “I’m fine. Just excited about the holidays. They’ve always been my favorite time of the year.” That was true. Despite everything, the joy the holidays always instilled in her was still there. The idea of hope, of miracles happening, still lived within her.

      “I’m more excited about them than I’ve ever been.”

      Something in Fiona’s soft tone had Hannah turning to look at her. “You haven’t always enjoyed them?”

      Fiona shook her head. “Most years they were no different than any other day. There wasn’t the money to have special meals. I always managed to come up with some small gifts for Rhett and Wyatt on Christmas Day, but...” She sighed and wiped her hands on her apron. “That’s in the past. This year will be the best Christmas ever. And Thanksgiving, too. I can’t remember the last time I ate turkey.”

      Hannah couldn’t help but notice how Fiona was rubbing her stomach. As their eyes met again, Fiona’s smile grew. Comprehension hit Hannah like a gust of wind. “You’re expecting.”

      Fiona glanced over her shoulder, toward the parlor where stairs led to the second floor and the bedrooms Wyatt and Rhett slept in. “Yes, but we haven’t told the boys yet. Haven’t told anyone. Dr. Graham confirmed my suspicions last week. I saw him after attending the quilting club. Brett and I decided we’ll tell the boys on Christmas Day.”

      Hannah wiped her hands clean in order to hug her friend. “They will be so happy.”

      “I believe they will. So many things have happened this past year, since their father died,” Fiona said. “I’d almost lost hope. Then we moved out here and I married Brett. Some days I pinch myself, just to make sure I’m not dreaming. That my life really is this wonderful.” Fiona pressed a hand to her stomach as they parted. “I love my sons with all my heart, but I can’t say I was ever this excited about being pregnant. With each of them, I worried about feeding them, providing for them. I no longer have those worries, all because of Brett.”

      “He loves you very much,” Hannah said. How Brett and Fiona behaved toward one another had influenced her thoughts when it came to considering her options for a possible husband. They were kind to each other, which seemed obvious, but it hadn’t been that way in her family.

      Fiona’s smile grew soft. “Brett is so easy to love. At first that seemed so strange to me. He’s the exact opposite of Sam.”

      “He is?” Hannah asked. Fiona had made mention of her first husband, but never said much about him.

      “Oh, yes,” Fiona said. “But it’s more than that. My love for Brett is different than what I felt for Sam. Love is like that. We can love different people, in different ways. Sam was Rhett and Wyatt’s father, and I will always honor his memory, but I will also embrace my new life for what it is now.” She giggled. “You could say I now look at things with a whole new perspective.” Fiona closed her eyes as she laid both hands on her stomach. “This baby is more than a blessing. It’s a true gift from God.”

      Hannah couldn’t help but place a hand on her own stomach and wonder if she would ever look at things with a new perspective. She and Eric had loved each other very much, and planned on leaving Wisconsin, leaving all the hatred between their families behind. The very hatred that had ultimately killed him.

      “Oh, listen to me, going on,” Fiona said. “I’m sorry.”

      “Why would you be sorry?” As soon as she asked, Hannah read the sadness in Fiona’s eyes.

      “Your baby is a blessing, too,” Fiona said. “Just think about it. Our babies will grow up together. They’ll be as close as siblings.”

      Hannah forced the smile to remain on her lips. “Yes, yes they will.” It was a wonderful thought, but her baby needed a father before siblings. However, she refused to dampen Fiona’s joy.

      A thud sounded overhead and Fiona squeezed her hand. “The boys are awake. I need to start their breakfast.”

      Hannah squeezed Fiona’s hand in return. “And I have pumpkins to get in the oven.”

      While Fiona made breakfast and sent her boys off to school, Hannah cleaned and baked the pumpkins. The slices were on the counter, cooling so she’d be able to peel and mush the fruit to use for pies, when the door opened. She was glad to not be holding the pan. If hearing Teddy’s voice had made her drop the knife, the sight of him now would have had her dumping the entire pan of pumpkin on the floor.

      His eyes were shining like usual, but so were his cheeks. They were red from the cold wind, but it was the smile on his face that made him look even more charming than ever. More handsome.

      * * *

      Teddy thought he knew what to expect, as they’d only been gone a couple of hours, but the sight of Hannah caught him off guard. The smear of flour across her cheek, along with the apron that made her stomach more prominent, made her look beyond pretty. Beyond beautiful. She looked like a wife. A wife a man would want to come home to. And that had his blood pounding harder than when he’d shot the turkey. He didn’t want a wife, dang it. So why did she make him think along those lines all the time?

      His hearing seemed to kick in from nowhere and he turned toward Fiona.

      “Yes,” he replied to her question about whether they’d had any luck. “We got a big one. Must be close to thirty pounds.”

      “Oh, that’s wonderful,” Fiona replied as she glanced at Hannah. “Isn’t it?”

      “Yes,” Hannah