Bride for Calvin Read online

  RNWMP: Bride for Calvin

  Mail Order Mounties Book Sixteen

  by Amelia C. Adams

  With thanks to my beta readers—Amy, Bobbie Sue, Cissie, Erin, Jennifer, Laurie, Meisje, and Shelby.

  Copyright©2018 by Amelia C. Adams

  Cover design by Erin Dameron-Hill

  Table of Contents:

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter One

  Faith Jensen clenched her hands into fists at her sides, then forced herself to relax. Being nervous wasn’t going to help anything, and it certainly wouldn’t make this go any faster.

  When she’d first agreed to meet with Miss Hazel Hughes about becoming a mail-order bride to a Mountie, she’d known there would be some housekeeping lessons involved, and that at the end, they would meet their prospective husbands. It had sounded so romantic—seeing each other across the room, knowing they were meant to be together, taking each other’s hands and going for a walk in the moonlit garden. Not that there had been much of a moon the last few nights, and Miss Hazel’s garden wasn’t what Faith had imagined, but those weren’t important details. The important thing was falling in love, which she thought would be wonderful and thrilling—not terrifying.

  Miss Hazel, matchmaker to the Mounties, had arranged for some young officers to come to her home to meet the ladies she’d been training. The hope was that they would each find someone they could be compatible with and maybe even learn to love. Faith could tell by the echoes of voices from the other rooms that conversations were being held, but she couldn’t tell what was being said, and she was still quite alone.

  Finally, the door to the small parlor where she waited opened, and a young man dressed in a red serge uniform stepped through.

  “Hello,” he said, pulling off his hat. “I’m Calvin Montrose.”

  “And I’m Faith Jensen,” she replied, stepping forward to take the hand he offered. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  He gave her a nod and a shy smile. “So, I suppose I should tell you a little about myself. I’ve just graduated from the academy—Reindeer Rock is my first assignment. I’m told that I’m being sent out with the best, though—Commander Wilson is sort of famous for taking inexperienced men and turning them into proper Mounties, and I’m looking forward to learning all I can from him.”

  “I haven’t met any of the other Mounties yet,” Faith replied. “Are they visiting with the other girls?”

  “Yes, and with Miss Hazel, trying to understand how all this works. I have to say, Miss Jensen, that it’s awfully nice of you to consider marrying one of us. We’re heading off into strange lands, and who knows if it will be hard to adjust. You’re showing a lot of bravery.”

  Faith ducked her head. “I don’t know about bravery. Some might call it foolishness.”

  “That’s what they’ve said to me about becoming a Mountie, too. I suppose we have a lot in common.” He pulled in a deep breath. “You’ll probably want to meet the others before making up your mind, but I’ll put forth my qualifications so you’ll have something to think about. I’ve never touched whiskey in my life and have no intention of doing so—you won’t need to worry about me coming home drunk. I’m loyal to a fault—once I’m pledged, I never break that pledge, and you’ll never need to worry that I’ve taken a mistress. I will never strike you, I’ll do my best never to lose my temper, and I will always treat you with the kindness and respect you deserve. Along those lines, I happen to think you’re one of the prettiest girls I’ve ever seen in my life, if that makes any difference.”

  Faith’s cheeks felt warm. “Thank you. As for myself, I’m not particularly expert at anything, but I’m passable in several things—cooking, mending, cleaning, and things like that. I have no special skills like singing or dancing, but I’m very well read.” She laughed. “Gracious, it sounds like we’re applying for jobs or something. I promise, I’m not usually so nervous. This is just . . . new and frightening.”

  “I agree.” He chuckled as well, and she could see his shoulders relax. “I wonder if we’d be this formal with each other if we’d met at a party or something.”

  “And didn’t have the threat of immediate marriage looming over our heads? Very possibly.” She looked him over. He was young, probably just a year or two older than herself at nineteen, and handsome, although not as handsome as some she’d seen. He had a serious look in his eyes that spoke of his character. She liked that. Too many of the young men she knew were still intent on having fun and hadn’t given any real thought to what they wanted to do with the rest of their lives. She wanted to have fun too, but she knew it couldn’t last forever. Fun didn’t pay the bills.

  “Well, what if we were at a party?” He took a step forward and bowed, his hand extended. “Miss Jensen, may I have the pleasure of this dance?”

  “What?” She looked around, completely astonished. “A dance? Here? In the parlor?”

  “Why not?”

  “Because there’s no music, and no one else here, and . . .” She didn’t know what else to say. If he didn’t understand why this was awkward, he probably wouldn’t understand an explanation anyway.

  “I say that if we always wait for music before we dance, we’re cheating ourselves.” He held out his arms, and she hesitantly stepped into them. Had she been wrong, thinking about how serious and dedicated he seemed?

  He guided her through a waltz. She fell into the rhythm quickly, even though there was no orchestra to follow, and they managed to make it around the room without bumping into any end tables or upsetting Miss Hazel’s lamps. When they came back around to where they started, he let her go and gave another bow. “Thank you for the dance, Miss Jensen.”

  “You’re welcome, I think,” she replied.

  He laughed. “Not sure, are you?”

  “No, not at all.”

  “Well, I believe we’re supposed to meet with the others, so that might give you some time to think about it.” He stepped out of the room, and she sank into a nearby chair.

  That had been completely unexpected.

  But not completely unwelcome.

  The next hour went by in a blur. She was introduced to two other Mounties, but only two—apparently, Robert Barret had chosen Minnie right off the bat and they’d gone to get married. She was so glad to hear it—Minnie’s situation was a difficult one, and all the girls had been worried that she might not find a husband. They hadn’t said that to her, of course, and it was such a relief to know that their fears had been for nothing.

  She was standing in the kitchen, getting a drink of water, when Calvin Montrose entered and walked up to her. “Miss Jensen, I believe we’ve now met everyone there is to meet, and I have to say, I believe you’re the young lady I would be happiest with. Have you had a chance to think about things like dancing in parlors?”

  “I have, and I must say, I could get used to the idea.”

  “Wonderful!” He looked like he was about to say something else, but she held up a hand.

  “However, I’m extremely against proposals in kitchens.”

  “Oh.” He held out his arm. “Well, that’s something we can change.”

  He guided her out of the house through the kitchen door and out to the gardens. “I’m sorry there’s no moonlight overhead, but considering that it’s daytime, that would be a rather tricky feat,” he said. “I hope sunlight will do.”

  She looked at him, completely astonished. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”

  “I
asked if sunlight would do.” He paused. “What’s the matter, Miss Jensen? Did I say something wrong?”

  “No. It’s just . . . how did you know about moonlight and gardens? When it comes to proposals, I mean.”

  “I have two sisters,” he said with a smile. “And I was told that under no circumstances was I to propose anywhere but in a moonlit garden.”

  “You must not be a very obedient brother, then. You just tried to propose in a kitchen.”

  “I confess, I’m guilty. But you were there to set me to rights.” He reached out and took her hand. “Miss Jensen, I know this is unconventional at best, but I feel in my heart that you and I would make a good match of it. I can’t promise you wealth or social standing or nights at the opera, but I can offer you a heart that is true. Will you accept it?”

  She looked up into his brown eyes and saw the seriousness return to them. She had to admit, there was something about a man who could dance around a parlor and yet still feel his sense of duty that was impressive to her. “Yes, I will,” she said, knowing that he was her choice too.

  “Then let’s find the reverend,” he said, holding out his arm. She took it, but paused.

  “I’d like to grab my cloak first.” Calvin might not have noticed it because he wore a heavy uniform jacket, but the air was very chilly.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. Yes, of course.”

  So, after a quick detour back into the house to grab her cloak, they were on their way to see the reverend. He married them quickly and efficiently, not wasting time with flowery words, and then they were man and wife.

  “I hope you don’t mind that we didn’t have a lavish ceremony,” Calvin said as they walked back to Miss Hazel’s. “I would have liked to spend more time making all the arrangements and seeing to it that you had the wedding of your dreams, but we have to be on the train tomorrow.”

  “It’s all right,” she assured him. “I’ve never seen myself having a large wedding—all that expense and for what? To show off to your friends how lucky you are? No, I’d rather have a solid, stable husband and forget all the frippery.”

  He smiled down at her. “I believe we’ll get along very well.” They took another few steps, and then he cleared his throat. “We checked into a hotel when we arrived last night, and we still have our rooms there. I feel . . . I feel that it would be most appropriate if you were to stay at Miss Hazel’s for one last night and gather your things, and I’ll see you tomorrow at the train station.” He hurried to add, “I believe most of my friends have suggested the same thing to their brides as well.”

  Faith looked up at him and blinked. “That’s certainly not what I was expecting you to say.”

  “I don’t mean to offend you in any way, Miss Jensen . . . er, Montrose . . . Faith. I just . . . I know that a physical relationship is much different from a dance in a parlor, and I want us both to be ready for it. Getting to know each other and whatnot.” His cheeks were now nearly as red as his jacket.

  She looked down at the ground and smiled. “That would suit me as well,” she said at last, lifting her gaze to meet his. “Thank you for being so considerate.”

  “I hope I can always be considerate to you, Faith,” he replied, and they returned to Miss Hazel’s so Faith could spend the evening packing and dreaming and wondering what on earth she’d just agreed to do.

  Chapter Two

  Calvin looked over at his pretty little bride as she slept, her head resting on her hand, as the train sped through the snowy white wonderland toward their new home. He’d had a difficult time pushing his nerves away that morning. Not only was he going to his first assignment, but he was taking a wife with him—so many things were changing at once, and it was difficult to keep up with all of it.

  When the suggestion was made that they take wives with them to their assignment in Reindeer Rock, it seemed an impossible task. Calvin had never been sweet on a girl, let alone found one he liked well enough to marry. He’d been focused on his schoolwork and then his Mountie training, and at most, he’d only taken time to go snowshoeing with friends. Parties were things to be endured and then left as soon as possible. He’d agreed to meet with Miss Hazel because he trusted Malcolm Wilson not only to bring him up to be a good Mountie, but to teach him the best way to live his life.

  And after meeting Faith, he knew he’d made the right choice.

  She’d seemed quiet that morning on the train platform, and he couldn’t say that he blamed her. The reality of what they were doing was daunting—neither of them had ever been to a place like Reindeer Rock before, out in the middle of nowhere, largely peopled with those of the Ojibway tribe. He didn’t even know how to say that word—how would he learn their tongue and make friends with them when he was so inexperienced?

  He glanced over at his friends. Colton was just as new as he was—they’d graduated together. Robert had been in the RNWMP for a while and was used to being transferred around, and of course Malcolm, as the commander, had no qualms about anything by now. Calvin chuckled. Robert had married a young woman who came along with a small daughter—perhaps now they’d see some insecurity in the man when being faced with instant fatherhood.

  The train whistle blew, and Faith startled awake. “Oh,” she said, pressing a hand to her forehead. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to doze off.”

  “I think it’s good that you slept,” Calvin told her. “In fact, you should sleep more if you need to. We’ll be taking dogsleds from the train station, and that’s likely to be very tiring.”

  “Dogsleds?” She sat upright. “Really? I’ve never ridden in a dogsled.”

  “I never have either,” Calvin admitted. “But they look like fun, don’t they?” He hoped that was excitement he saw in her eyes and not fear.

  “Absolutely. I’ve read stories about dogsleds and thought I’d like to try it.” She rested a hand on his arm. “You must have read The Call of the Wild. You have, haven’t you?”

  “I don’t think I’m familiar with that one,” he replied. “Is it new?”

  “No, not really. It was published about eight years ago, I believe.” She sat back and looked at him. “Please tell me you read.”

  “I do read. Quite a lot, in fact. I’ve just read so much for school that anything else is quite unusual for me. There aren’t enough hours in the day.”

  “Oh, I can always find time to read a good novel, and Jack London writes thrilling stories. I didn’t bring my books because I didn’t know how much room I’d have, but I’ll see about having my mother send them once we’re settled. If it’s too much of an inconvenience, I won’t worry about it, but it would be so nice to have them.”

  “Your mother?”

  “Yes, my mother. Why? You seem confused. You do know that every child has a mother, at least to start with,” she said with a chuckle.

  “Of course. I was just surprised, that’s all. I thought mail-order brides were generally without a family and had nowhere else to go.”

  She looked at him, and her eyes narrowed. “And it never occurred to you that we might actually be making a choice for our own happiness and not out of sheer desperation? Yes, many brides do marry because they are running out of options, but you don’t need to think that you’re saving us from every sort of horrible fate with your grand gesture. Is that what this is about? You wanted to do your bit for humanity by taking women off the street?”

  He blinked. “That’s not what I meant, Faith. I wish you wouldn’t jump to conclusions—”

  “I’m jumping to conclusions, am I? Well, perhaps you can think about that a little bit while I go sit with my friends.” She stood up and exited their row, joining the other brides a few seats down. They had been sitting with their new husbands for the most part, but it seemed that after time spent living together at Miss Hazel’s, they weren’t quite ready to be separated yet, and now they huddled together like bright little birds.

  Calvin shook his head and looked out the window. Everything looked much the same as it had before
—still pristine and white, but now he was restless, anxious to get off this infernal train and on with their journey. He didn’t know if he could take much more time locked up in this box with his angry wife, especially when he didn’t know why she was so angry.

  “I see that you’ve had your first spat.” Malcolm stood in the aisle, smiling down at him.

  “It looks that way, but I have no idea why or what it was about,” Calvin replied.

  “If what I hear from my friends is true, we’re in for quite a lot of that.” Malcolm shook his head. “I believe in the institution of marriage, but it would be nicer if men and women were a bit more similar.”

  “I doubt that,” Robert said, coming up behind them. “It’s our differences that make us more attractive to each other, don’t you think?”

  “I know I wouldn’t want to be married to someone just like me,” Colton added, joining in the conversation. “I wouldn’t want to stare myself in the face every morning.”

  All four of them laughed. “No, gentlemen, I believe we are exactly how we’re supposed to be,” Robert continued. “And it’s going to be a lot of fun figuring them out.”

  They all looked down the length of the train at their wives. Calvin sensed that things would work out, but first, he’d have to figure out what went wrong and how to keep it from happening again. Otherwise, he knew he’d continue to blunder—that was just his way.

  ***

  Faith knew she’d been unreasonable, but she didn’t know why she’d reacted the way she had. It was probably the strain of going to a new place with a man she hardly knew. It would have been so nice if Miss Hazel could have come along to help them settle in. She knew the woman had gone along with other brides, but that was different—those girls hadn’t met their husbands yet.

  She replayed her conversation with Calvin over and over again in her mind, wondering what he’d said that had made her so angry. No matter which way she thought of it, she came back to one very uncomfortable conclusion—she’d acted like a child, and she needed to apologize. She’d do that the very first chance she had when they had a little bit of privacy.