Caroline had come to the Jumping J all of a sudden, but she was finally going to be a bride. She marveled at the fact over the next few days as they celebrated Easter with Jeremy’s family. They might not wait for the wildflowers, or the new church, to marry, but they made other plans for their future.
At least she no longer had to worry about her father. Two deputy sheriffs had taken Dickerson and his men into custody, and the sheriff himself had telegraphed Cincinnati so her father’s lawyer could start an appeal, claiming duress. If the judge agreed to be lenient, her father likely wouldn’t arrive in time for the wedding, but he might be out of prison by summer!
To her surprise, Ned decided not to stay for the wedding either. He announced his intentions of riding home to make sure their father was released and promised to send the things Caroline had left behind from the lodging house out to her. The entire Willets family turned out to see him off two days after Easter. He shook everyone’s hand in turn, saving Joanna for last.
Jeremy’s sister shifted on her feet, her gingham skirts swaying, but she kept her chin up. Still, her eyes swam with tears.
Ned offered her his best smile. “I’ll come back, Joanna. I promise. It just might take a bit. Will you wait for me?”
Jack sucked in a breath, and Jacob fisted his hands.
Joanna nodded. “I’ll wait, Ned. Write to me.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he assured her. “You can be my mail-order bride.”
Jeremy’s mother didn’t look too pleased at the suggestion, but she merely waved with the others as Ned set off down the drive.
As Mr. and Mrs. Willets turned for the house and most of Jeremy’s siblings hurried off to their tasks, Jack stepped in beside Jeremy and Caroline.
“I’ve been thinking,” he began, gaze on the distant horizon.
“That usually means trouble,” Jeremy said with a wink to Caroline as he slipped his arm about her waist. Oh, but she hoped she would always feel this fierce joy at his touch.
Jack rolled his eyes. “What I was going to say is that Ma and Pa fitted up the old tack room as a bedroom and parlor for me. I think you two should have them after you’re married.”
Jeremy cuffed him on the shoulder with his free hand. “Thanks, Jack. A very generous offer.”
“But we have other plans,” Caroline finished. “Jeremy told me about your concerns for your father’s health.”
Jack’s glower descended. She knew now it was more bluster than bite. “We both want to help,” she told him. “So, to that end, we have a proposal.” She looked to Jeremy.
“We need a bunkhouse,” Jeremy told his brother. “We can move Jacob, Jason, and Joshua into it, give them more space than they have in the house. And we’d have space to put up other workers if we needed to ease the load on the rest of us.”
Jack nodded thoughtfully. “That might work. So would you and Caroline stay in the house, then?”
“To help Ma and Pa, yes,” Jeremy agreed.
Caroline glanced at the big ranch house that had come to mean so much to her. “I love being near your family.”
Jeremy tucked her closer. “Our family now, sweetheart.” He bent his head and caressed her mouth with a kiss.
Her husband, her love, her future.
And they lived happily ever after, the end, as Joy liked to say.
******
Thank you for reading Jeremy and Caroline’s story. The Willets family made their debut in The Schoolmarm’s Convenient Marriage, which tells the story of their brother Jesse’s courtship. I had to give the other brothers and sisters a happily-ever-after too.
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After Jeremy’s experience with Caroline, you might be wondering whether more mail-order brides might be in the family’s future. Turn the page for a sneak peek of Jack’s story, Leftover Mail-Order Bride.