A Historical Christmas Present by Lisa Kleypas
“Joe,” Sarah said.
But Joe didn’t answer her. Mary was clinging to him, and he couldn’t summon the willpower to let her go. He buried his face in her hair, willing himself to remember this moment forever.
“Why won’t you let us go with you? It won’t be a hardship, not like it will be living here without you.”
“Mary, I already explained why I can’t do that.”
“Joe,” Sarah called.
“Just a minute,” Joe said to her. He wanted to memorize the feel of Mary in his arms, the smell of her. “I’ll come back, I promise. Maybe by then you can remember something that will help, but I can’t take you with me while this stolen gold is hanging over my head.”
“Joe.”
“What is it?” Joe said, finally turning to Sarah. “Can’t you see—” Joe froze. Sarah was dressed in her party dress, a ribbon in her hair, the white shoes on her feet. She was beautiful. She looked like a little angel.
But that wasn’t what mesmerized him. She was holding her hands up toward him. In them was a bag of the missing gold.
“Can you stay now? Can you be my papa?”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Mary saw them long before they turned into the yard— Brother Samuel and Sister Rachel, accompanied by Sheriff Howells. She wrapped the baby in Joe’s blanket, put her in her crib, and put on water for coffee. She threw a heavy woolen shawl, the last of Joe’s presents, over her shoulders and met them at the door.
“You poor woman,” Sister Rachel exclaimed as soon as she stepped inside, “we came the moment the sheriff told us.” She threw her arms around Mary and embraced her.
“To think you’ve been alone with him all this time,” Brother Samuel said.
“Saints preserve us!” Sister Rachel exclaimed, patting Mary’s flat stomach. “What happened to the baby?”
“She’s asleep in her crib,” Mary said. “Apparently I miscalculated when she was due.”
“But how…who…when?”
“Two days ago. Joe and Sarah helped me.”
“You let that strange man, that criminal, help you!” Brother Samuel exclaimed.
“I didn’t have much choice. He found me in the shed unable to get up.”
“Poor woman. And all the time you didn’t know what he was.”
“I know exactly what he is,” Mary said, proud, calm, and happy. “He’s the man I’m going to marry.”
Sister Rachel and Brother Samuel practically threw Mary down in a chair. “Having the child so unexpectedly must have brought on brain fever,” Sister Rachel said.
“He’s an escaped convict, Mrs. Wilson,” Sheriff Howells added.
“Suppose he didn’t steal that gold?” Mary asked. “Would you have to take him back?”
“Well, I don’t know. He did break jail.”
“But he broke out so he could find the gold and prove he didn’t steal it. Wouldn’t that be reason enough not to send him back?”
“If he can come up with the gold, the transport company would drop the charges. They’d probably give him a reward, too.”
“That’s a perfectly absurd question,” Brother Samuel said. “Of course he has to go back to jail.”
“I never trusted him, not from the first,” Sister Rachel said.
But Mary wasn’t to be sidetracked by Brother Samuel or Sister Rachel.
“So if he can return the gold and prove he didn’t steal it, do you promise not to send him back to Colorado?”
“Yes, ma ’am, but I can’t promise Colorado won’t still charge him with breaking jail.”
“But why should he be punished for that when he shouldn’t have been in jail in the first place?”
“You got a point there, ma ’am. I think we could work things out. Of course, he might have to go up there a while later to talk to some people, but I don’t imagine they’d hold anything against him. If he can prove he didn’t steal that gold, that is.”
Mary got to her feet. “How about coffee? I’ve made a new pot.”
Joe had expected to see Brother Samuel’s buggy in front of the cabin, but he wasn’t surprised to see the sheriff’s horse as well. He balanced the strong box across the saddle in front of him. His and Mary’s gold was safely stowed in the bottom of his saddlebags.
“How did you know where to find the gold?” he asked Sarah, who rode beside him.
“Papa showed me the cave once. He threatened to put me in it if I was bad.”
“Why didn’t you tell me last night?”
“I wanted to surprise you.”
“You sure did that.”
“Are you going to be my papa now?”
“It depends on what the man riding that horse says.” Joe pulled up in front of the house. The sheriff and Brother Samuel came out to meet him.
“You want to give me a hand with this box?” Joe asked.
“That the stolen shipment?” the sheriff asked as he came down the steps.
“Yes.”
“Where did you find it?”
“I didn’t. Sarah did.”
“Papa hid it in a cave,” Sarah said.
“How did you know?” The sheriff took the box from Joe. Joe dismounted and helped Sarah down.
“Last night Mama said Joe would have to go away if he couldn’t find the gold. She told me to try to think of everything Papa did when he was home that time. That’s when I remembered him sneaking out of the house.”
Mary came down the steps. “You called me Mama.”
Sarah threw her arms around Mary’s neck. “Joe said you’d like it.”
“I do,” Mary said, hugging the little girl tight to her chest. “I like it very much.”
“Pete set me up,” Joe explained to Sheriff Howells. “But he was killed before he could come back and get the gold. It’s all there. See for yourself.”
Mary came to stand by Joe, one arm around him, the other resting on Sarah’s shoulders. “The sheriff says you won’t have to go back to Colorado. He said you can stay here.”
“You sure about that?” Joe asked.
“I don’t see why not. They’ve got their money back. The way I see it, they owe you something for being locked up all that time.”
“You think I can get that conviction taken off my record? I don’t want my kids’ pa to have a record.”
“Ought to be able to do that, too.”
Joe turned to Brother Samuel. “I want you to marry us.”
“Right now?” Sister Rachel asked. It was almost a shriek.
“Yes, right now,” Mary confirmed.
Brother Samuel looked horrified. “I can’t do that.”
“Why not?” Joe asked. “You’re a preacher, and you have two witnesses.”
“You don’t have a license.”
“Please,” Mary asked.
“I can’t without a license,” Brother Samuel repeated, looking belligerent.
“Mary can’t travel into town for a while yet,” Joe said. “And I don’t intend to set one foot off this ranch until she does. Unless you want me to ruin that reputation you were so worried about, you’ll marry us right now.”
“It wouldn’t be right. I can’t—”
“Oh, shut up, Samuel, and marry them,” the sheriff said. “We can make out the license when we go into town. I’ll bring it out tomorrow. I think we’ve caused this man enough trouble as it is.”
“I still can’t believe it,” Mary said that evening as she snuggled down next to Joe. “I swore I’d never get married again. Wait until I tell my family.”
Holly was asleep in her cradle. Over in the corner, Sarah had burrowed deep into Joe’s bedroll. Samson lay next to her. Joe and Mary occupied the bed alone.
“I’m not sure Brother Samuel believes it, and he married us.”
“Poor man. I thought he would choke on the words. He looked miserable.”
“Not half as miserable as you’d have been if you’d married him.”
“I never would.”
“Let’s f
“And Sarah and Holly.”
“And General Burnside and Samson.”
“And Queen Charlotte and her calf-to-be.”
There seemed to be no end to the love that surrounded Joe. But that was the way it ought to be. Love was what Christmas was really about.
A Historical Christmas Present
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
LISA KLEYPAS
“Through deft plotting and simple yet stylish prose,
Kleypas distinguishes herself as a master of her craft.”
—Publishers Weekly
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
LYNSAY SANDS
“Lynsay Sands has just the right touch of humor to hold
you in her grasp.”
—RT BOOK reviews
USA TODAY BESTSELLER
LEIGH GREENWOOD
“Every book is a gem and Leigh Greenwood polishes
every story until it shines! Brilliant writing and
characterization!”
—Literary Times
Copyright
LOVE SPELL®
October 2008
Published by
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A Historical Christmas Present copyright © 2008 by Dorchester
Publishing Co., Inc.
“I Will” copyright © 2001 by Lisa Kleypas
“Three French Hens” copyright © 1999 by Lynsay Sands
“Father Christmas” copyright © 1995 by Leigh Greenwood
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Lisa Kleypas, A Historical Christmas Present