Bride for Calvin Read online

  The conductor announced that they weren’t too far from their destination of Cochrane, and she exhaled with relief. Getting off the train would give her a better chance to talk to Calvin—it was impossible to say anything private while they were still in motion because the wheels on the tracks were so very loud, you nearly had to shout to be heard.

  “He’s still there,” Gemma said, peering through the window.

  A white arctic fox had been racing alongside the train for the last few minutes. Faith had thought for sure that he’d fall behind or get tired and wander off, but no, there he was, loping along as though keeping pace was the easiest thing in the world for him. He was absolutely adorable, with his little black nose and bright eyes. She wanted to scoop him up and squeeze him, but figured that most likely wasn’t a very good idea. Claws and teeth and all that.

  The train pulled into the station, and as soon as it came to a final stop, the passengers stood and gathered their belongings. Faith noticed that Calvin picked up her reticule and tucked it under his arm. Good—he was watching out for her even though she didn’t deserve it. That said a lot for him, and sadly, it didn’t say a lot for her. She had to talk to him, and just hoped that he’d be receptive to hearing it. She couldn’t head off into the wilderness with him if he was angry at her. She’d just keep remembering that he’d picked up her bag for her. That was a good sign.

  It had to be a good sign.

  ***

  Calvin picked up the bags he knew to be Faith’s and set them on the edge of the platform. His own bag was much smaller—he didn’t require much, and he imagined that Faith had brought along things for the house as well as her own personal belongings. Not only that, but women wore so many skirts—he couldn’t imagine how they traveled at all. It would take a miracle to squish all that fabric into one satchel.

  It appeared that the dogsleds were ready for them and they just needed to load up. Where had Faith gone? He turned to look around for her and saw her approaching, a hesitant expression on her face. When she reached him, she rested her hand on his arm.

  “I’m sorry, Calvin,” she said, not meeting his eyes. “I don’t know why I reacted like that. I’m just a ball of nervous energy, I think.”

  His heart warmed, seeing how upset she was. How could he stay put out with her? He lifted her chin with his finger until her gaze flicked up to his. “We’re both nervous,” he said softly. “And I’m sure I’ll need you to be patient with me many, many times. As long as we do this together, we’ll be all right.”

  “You mean, you’ll talk me through my insanity and I’ll talk you through yours?” She smiled. “I can manage that.”

  “I think I can too.” He knew they were in a public place, but no one was looking at them, and he’d only given her a brief kiss after their wedding ceremony. Now he leaned down and gave her a real kiss, still brief, but one with meaning. “We’ll be partners in terror together.”

  She laughed. “All right. It’s a deal.”

  Moments later, they were speaking with the dogsled drivers and figuring out how everything worked. It looked like there was a choice between whether the Mounties would drive or if they would use a hired driver. Calvin glanced around. He had a sort of itch to do the driving himself, but he had no idea how, and he didn’t want to do something foolish. At the same time, he’d been told that they’d be using sleds quite a bit at Reindeer Rock, and it was probably best for him to learn as soon as possible.

  His decision made, he asked the driver for some pointers. The man looked at him like he was making the mistake of his life, and maybe he was, but he had to give this thing a try.

  When it was time to go, he looked down at Faith, who was bundled up in front of the sled. “Are you ready?”

  She looked back at him, merriment on her face. “As ready as I’m likely to get.”

  “All right. Let’s go.”

  At the signal, the dogs began to run. Calvin hadn’t expected them to be so strong, and he also hadn’t expected to be jolted backwards when they took off. He lost his footing on the runners and tumbled down into the snow, his sled with his wife in it continuing without him.

  “Wait!” he called out. “Wait for me!”

  As he scrambled to his feet, he saw one of the drivers come running after the sled and bring it to a stop. Calvin brushed the snow from his uniform and shook his head, knowing he must look like an idiot.

  “Thank you,” he said to the man as he reached the sled. “I should have been more prepared.”

  “That first jolt is always difficult,” the driver replied. “Now that you’ve experienced it once, it should be easy.”

  Calvin figured that was his way of saying, “Now that you’ve made that dumb mistake, you won’t make it again.” He shook the man’s hand and stepped onto the runners again, and this time when the sled began to move, he was ready.

  He was so glad Faith had been facing the other way and hadn’t seen him go flying off into the snow.

  Chapter Three

  Riding in a dogsled was everything Faith had imagined it would be. At first, the cold air took her breath away, especially as it rushed into her face. But she pulled her scarf up over her nose and mouth and breathed through it, and that helped a lot. Calvin had tucked her up nicely with robes and furs, and he had put on his black Mountie coat and thick gloves. They were both as bundled as could be, and after a time, she was almost too warm.

  She loved watching the dogs running out ahead. They seemed eager to sink their paws into the frosty snow, almost as if they lived for nothing else. She’d once thought it was a horrible crime to make dogs run while pulling heavy sleds, and yes, she’d heard of many harsh trainers who had beat or whipped their poor animals. These dogs were entirely different, though—she could sense the joy that radiated off them. She wished she could speak their language and know what they were thinking as they dashed through the trees.

  They stopped every so often to stretch and rest, and Faith watched the dogs with curiosity. When it was time to get back to work, they lined up and did what was expected, but during their breaks, they cavorted like puppies. Perhaps that was the quality she’d seen in Calvin—the ability to play when it was time to play, but to work when it was time to work. She sensed they both needed quite a lot more play—she knew she did.

  During one of their longer stops, she wandered over to check on Minnie and her sweet two-year-old, Olivia. The child hadn’t complained much at all, even though it was surely colder than she was used to, but it was easy to see the strain on her little face.

  “Minnie, would you like me to take Olivia for a little walk while we’re stopped? I’d love to stretch my legs, and I believe she would too.”

  Minnie smiled with gratitude. “I’d appreciate that, Faith. She has so much energy, and it’s cruel to make her sit so still for so long.”

  “It’s my pleasure.” Faith tucked Olivia’s hand into hers, and they began their little explore. Faith knew Minnie was worn out, and she’d do whatever she could to ease that burden. It couldn’t be easy to walk in that woman’s shoes.

  “Look!” Olivia pointed toward the trees a few minutes later, and Faith laughed. There was that silly white fox again. The brides had decided to name him Finnegan, which made their husbands groan. Apparently, naming wild animals simply wasn’t done, but Faith wasn’t altogether sure that the fox was wild. The way he followed them, keeping his distance but always watching out for them, made her wonder if there was something more to him. Maybe he wanted to make friends with them, or to meet the sled dogs. She couldn’t think he was dangerous—he was watchful, careful, not predatory.

  “That’s a fox,” Faith told the child. “Finnegan.”

  Olivia couldn’t quite manage to say it, but that was all right. It was nearly time for them to be off again anyway.

  As they prepared to load back up, Calvin took Faith’s hands in his and rubbed them. “How are you holding up?” he asked.

  “Oh, I’m all right,” she replied. “
How are you? Have you quite recovered?”

  “Recovered?”

  “Yes. From your little spill earlier.”

  He looked sheepish. “I’d hoped you hadn’t seen that.”

  “I didn’t see it, but I did notice that I was suddenly on my own with a pack of dogs pulling me who knew where.” She gave his hands a squeeze. “You don’t have to be perfect on the first try, you know.”

  He smiled. “I know. I just would have liked to be.”

  They all loaded back up and headed out on the next leg of their trip, which would be their last for the day. They’d be staying in a cabin that night, which was a great relief to Faith because she’d been afraid that they’d try to sleep out in the snow. The sled drivers seemed used to every sort of climate, and she wouldn’t have been surprised if they’d built an igloo right there on the trail, or chopped down trees and made huts. She’d love to learn all kinds of wilderness survival skills, but not that day—not when she was growing so exhausted, it was hard to sit upright in the sled.

  At last, they pulled up in front of the cabin where they would be staying. They didn’t have actual beds, but they took all their robes and furs and laid them out on the floor, and it was almost as nice as having a mattress. Faith knew that she wouldn’t struggle to sleep come bedtime. Before she could sleep, though, she needed a few minutes of quiet, utter stillness without the barking of dogs or the yelling of drivers or the swish of blades on snow.

  “Here you are.” Calvin came out of the cabin, a mug in each hand. “I brought you some coffee. It’s cold out here.”

  “It is, but it’s wonderfully quiet.” She accepted the mug he offered and wrapped her hands around it.

  “Ah. The noises have been getting to you too?” He nodded at her. “I thought I’d lose my mind before the train stopped.”

  “I’m glad we share that in common as well.” She took a sip and looked up at the sky. The clouds had backed away and were letting them see the stars overhead, shining down in their sparkling silver glory. Living in the city, she didn’t have many experiences like this.

  “I’m sure we’ll find more and more things in common as we go.” He leaned against the house, and for several long moments, they just enjoyed the quiet. The dogs had settled down, curled up with their paws between their noses, and it seemed that Calvin and Faith were the only two still awake.

  “We’d better get some sleep,” he said at last. “I think that will be easier now that my brain has calmed down.”

  She smiled. “For me too.”

  They opened the door of the cabin and found the spots they’d chosen for themselves. Faith pulled her cloak over herself and listened to the quiet breathing of all the others. They were all strangers to her, really—she’d lived with the other brides for a week, but she didn’t know much about them beyond their general personalities. She didn’t even know much about their homes. She wondered if she would have done something this brave five years ago—taking off into the wilderness with a group of people she’d only recently met. Things had changed inside her as she’d gotten older, that was for sure.

  ***

  Calvin had been trained at the academy to wake up early. When he opened his eyes and looked around the small cabin, he wasn’t surprised to see the other men awake as well. Robert was stoking the fire, and Colton was bringing in an armload of wood. Malcolm was on his heels with a bucket of water. Their hard work made Calvin feel like a wastrel.

  He jumped up and folded the rugs he’d been lying on. A glance told him that Faith still slept, her eyelashes fanned out prettily on her cheeks. His heart gave a little tug as he looked down at her. Had she really agreed to spend the rest of her life with him? How had he managed to be so lucky—or so blessed?

  As if she knew he was watching her, she opened her eyes and glanced up. “Oh,” she said, blinking. “What time is it? Did I oversleep?”

  “Mounties wake up early,” Calvin explained. “We aren’t leaving for another hour.”

  “Good. I’d hate to think I was holding us up.”

  “You’re not the only one still asleep.” He nodded to the rest of the room, where all the brides were curled up in their beds.

  Faith chuckled. “Yesterday wore us all out, I imagine.”

  A few minutes later, another pot of coffee was ready, and the smell had awakened the other girls. They rubbed their eyes as they gathered up their wraps. None of them had undressed for the night. It would have been impractical—they were much warmer in their traveling clothes, and there was no way to change privately. Now Faith was even more glad they hadn’t done it—being dressed already would get them on their way quickly, and she was anxious to get to Reindeer Rock and see where she’d be living.

  Little Olivia seemed a bit reluctant to get bundled back up, and Minnie looked worn out. Faith didn’t imagine that sleeping on the floor had done the young mother any good.

  “Olivia, I think Finnegan might be outside waiting for us,” Faith said, stooping down in front of the little girl. “Should we go see?”

  Olivia nodded.

  “All right, but first we have to put on our coats because it’s sooooo cold outside.” Faith exaggerated a shiver, rubbing her hands up and down her arms, and Olivia laughed. Then she allowed her mother to put her coat and scarf on her.

  “I’ll take her outside to look for Finnegan,” Faith told Minnie as she took the young girl by the hand.

  “Thank you, Faith. I appreciate your help.” Minnie gave her a smile. “I just hope that when we get to Reindeer Rock, we’re able to settle in quickly and get into a routine. That would help Olivia so much.”

  Faith nodded her agreement, then stepped outside with Olivia. Annie was already out there, arranging furs in the bottom of her sled, and Faith was glad to catch her alone for a moment.

  “What do you think of Malcolm?” Faith asked, glancing toward the cabin to be sure she wasn’t overheard.

  “I think we’ll get along well,” Annie replied, a touch of pink coming to her cheeks. “He’s very kind, and he thinks I’m beautiful.”

  “You are beautiful. Isn’t she, Olivia?”

  The little girl nodded.

  “See? And little children never lie—they’re notorious for telling the truth at the most awkward times.” Faith smiled at her friend, who couldn’t see past her mild imperfections to the lovely young woman underneath.

  “What about Calvin? He seems very nice,” Annie asked.

  “We had a mild tiff yesterday—and it was all my fault. I took offense to something that was innocently meant, and he actually forgave me for my childishness. That’s a good sign, don’t you think?”

  “I do,” Annie replied. “And it doesn’t hurt that he’s handsome.”

  “You noticed that too, did you?” Both girls laughed. “I think that’s part of the Mountie code or something—they only hire handsome young men.”

  “I’m not sure about that,” Annie said. “I’ve seen some rather plain ones. But we’ve definitely been fortunate.”

  “Look!” Olivia pointed off into the trees, and they all turned to see Finnegan watching them, his bright eyes curious and alert.

  “There he is!” Faith was grateful to see the animal, glad she hadn’t lied to Olivia about being able to find him. “Do you think he’s coming all the way to Reindeer Rock with us?”

  “I’d love it if he did,” Annie replied. “It’s like he’s taken it upon himself to welcome us to our new home.”

  The door to the cabin opened just then, and everyone inside poured out. The yard buzzed with activity as the dogs were harnessed and the people were loaded. Faith handed Olivia back to her mother and watched as Minnie tucked the little girl in securely. Not for the first time, Faith wondered what it would be like to be a mother herself, to have little fingers wrapped around hers and faces that looked up at her so confidingly. It occurred to her that she and Calvin hadn’t discussed children while they were talking about their other qualifications. That might have been a good
thing to bring up.

  “Are you ready?” Calvin asked as he walked up to her, pulling on his gloves.

  “I am. Let’s go home.”

  He gave her a grin. “Yes, let’s go home.”

  Faith waved at the couple who had let them sleep in their home, then turned and climbed into the sled. Her body immediately protested—as far as it was concerned, it was done riding in sleds forever. But this was the only real way to get there, so she’d push past the stiffness and the soreness and make the most of it.

  ***

  Calvin’s hands were cramped and aching by the time they reached their destination, but he felt a measure of pride—he’d just driven a dogsled all the way from Cochrane. All right, there was that slight incident there at the start when he’d fallen off and gotten a face full of snow, but the rest of the journey had been much smoother, and he was starting to think he was getting the hang of this thing.

  The sleds came to a stop, and the men stepped off the runners and helped the ladies up. It was such a relief not to be sliding along on the snow, but to be walking around as usual. The Mounties they were replacing greeted them and began filling them in on the town and everything they would need to know, including the locations of their cabins. Calvin knew they were all eager to see where they would be living, but none so much as their brides.

  He carried Faith’s bags into their cabin and grinned to see her spinning around in the center of the floor. “Look, Calvin,” she said. “There’s a fireplace right here in the center of the cabin. That means we’ll get the heat from it no matter where we are. And a stove with an oven, and plenty of windows, and . . .”

  He leaned against the doorframe and watched her. Her eyes sparkled as she told him what she wanted to improve and how she’d go about doing it. “We’re going to make it a home, Calvin. A real home, just ours.”

  “And I’m guessing we need some food in our real home,” he said. He hoped she could cook—that’s what he’d been promised, but there hadn’t been any chance yet to test it out.