Grooms with Honor Series, Books 7-9 Read online

  “Don’t worry about coming to the café for a while, Holly. The community’s Christmas cookies are more important than making another batch of sample cookies for the old men hanging around the mercantile.”

  Nolan walked over to the wall and took her cape off the hook, holding it out for her to put on. Goodness, he was ready to get rid of her. She usually put on her hat and gloves before her cape, but she went ahead and allowed him to drape the cape on her shoulders first.

  He made a show of saying goodbye to everyone while escorting them out the door. The man was always polite, even if he was a tad upset. His shutting the café door behind them a little too hard confirmed it. Holly blushed, hoping no one else realized what had silently happened between her and Nolan. He hinted he was interested in courting her, and she told him ‘no’ in a hurtful way.

  I can’t imagine marrying you.

  Why did she say such an awful thing to Nolan? Could they even be friends again, let alone work together?

  Chapter 15

  “She actually said, ‘I can’t imagine marrying you.’”

  As soon as the women were out of sight, Nolan locked the café door and stormed over to the parsonage. He could blow off steam by talking to Mack, Gabe, or Cullen about Holly’s words, but he needed help besides a point-of-view.

  Pastor Reagan ushered Nolan into the house after his outburst at the front door. Goodness! He didn’t even say hello to the man, or may I come in?

  Why had Holly’s words caused him to be so upset? Because she thought he wasn’t good enough for her? Or did she really have no interest in seeing if they had a future together?

  But she was the one who brought the word, “marriage,” not him.

  Pastor motioned him to sit down at the kitchen table before bringing cups of coffee and a tin of cookies to the table. Nolan was relieved Kaitlyn wasn’t at home, because he needed a man’s view on his problem.

  The pastor sat down, opened the tin, and pushed it to Nolan without saying anything. After Pastor took his own cookie, dunked it in his cup of coffee and ate it did he say anything.

  “I’m guessing Mary doesn’t see a future with you, then.”

  “What? Mary? No, Holly said that to me.”

  “Oh. You asked Holly to marry you?”

  “No, actually she brought it up.”

  “Holly proposed?”

  “No...I told her I was falling for her...and she said, ‘I can’t imagine marrying you.’”

  “Then what happened?”

  “Mrs. Paulson and two of her daughters came in to talk to Holly about baking for their open house and interrupted us.”

  “Yes, I heard Mrs. Ryder had her baby early this morning. I’m sure that caused chaos in the open house schedule. Did Holly want to bake for the Paulsons?”

  That question threw Nolan for a loop. He was thinking about Holly helping out for the open house, but did she want to bake for them instead of for the Clancy Café?

  “I’m not sure. When Mrs. Paulson asked, I just said yes, and Holly left with them.” Or he’d practically pushed her out of the door.

  “Well, I think it would be good for Holly to spend some time over with the Paulsons.”

  “Why? Then I’ll lose my baker for sure!”

  “What I’ve gained from talking to Holly is that she didn’t have a normal childhood. She grew up on forts, without any family but her father, who had to be gone a lot of the time.

  “She would have had schooling, some friends, but a very different life than growing up in a close-knit town like you did.”

  “Holly’s never said much about life on the forts, but I can guess what it was like since I was a soldier at Fort Ellis, too. As you said, it would have been different for a young girl.”

  “Well, spending time working on the Christmas open house with all the Paulson girls will give her a taste of family and how Clear Creek works together,” Pastor pointed out.

  “Holly needs to make friends and do other things besides working anyway. She needs to build her self-confidence and Helen is the perfect mentor for that.”

  “Why is that? Surely Kaitlyn’s words have sunk in by now.”

  “Remember how Luella, Helen’s daughter, walked so badly when she was a toddler? She was born with a club foot.”

  “Barely, and only because you mention it now. I guess she still limps, now that I think about it.”

  “Yes, she does, but we don’t notice now because of Luella’s confidence in what she can do. Helen always told Luella she was perfect in her own way and could do whatever she wanted to do in life. You don’t see many fifteen-year-old girls with that much confidence in themselves.”

  “But Luella has been told that from the beginning of her life. Holly is in her twenties now.”

  “Holly will grow more confident being around good people, especially young women her own age.”

  “Remember Nolan, Holly’s world was turned upside down very unexpectedly. I really doubted two weeks ago, she thought she’d lose her job and home in Miller Springs, meet a stranger and travel to Kansas with him.

  “She needs time to adjust, make new friends and think about her future.”

  “That’s true, but I liked her from the very beginning and want to see where it goes.”

  “But on the same note, remember some people may always struggle with something or someone from their past.”

  “Cullen.”

  “Yes, my son was very young when his mother died, and he came to live with us. But for all our work to give him confidence, I’m afraid he’ll always think of himself as a soiled-dove’s son. And Kaitlyn and I have to live with the fact we’ve done our best, and the rest is up to him.”

  All Nolan could do was nod in agreement. Cullen was quiet, preferring not to mix with people because they might know about his mother’s past. His new job as a postmaster meant he could work by himself most of the time. Holly’s past, like Cullen’s, could very well shape her future.

  “Okay, let’s think about ‘where it could go,’” Pastor pulled his thought’s back to his future. “What do you plan for the future, six weeks, six months, six years from now?”

  “About all I’ve thought about is the café, getting it up and running again.”

  “So where will you, and a future family live?”

  “Well, for now, I guess with my grandparents because they need my help. But, maybe they’d like to live in a small-single-story house for some privacy. I know they hate having their bedroom in the dining room.”

  “Would your future wife be comfortable living and taking care of them?”

  “You’d think so because they’d be part of my family, but it would be something to talk about.”

  “I mentioned Mary because you were very smitten with her when you were younger. I always thought you two would marry and work beside your grandparents.”

  “Well, Mary was the one who changed my dreams about marriage to her.”

  “Because it wasn’t her dream back then. If a couple’s hopes and dreams aren’t headed in the same direction, to begin with, it can turn out disastrously.”

  But there is no guarantee anyway. Mary thought her marriage would be wonderful, but it wasn’t, plus she ended up a widow with two young children, but plenty of money, apparently, to do what she wanted.

  “Thinking ahead, if you and Mary became good friends again, could you see yourself married to her and being her children’s father?”

  Nolan still saw Holly beside him, not Mary.

  “No, not after meeting Holly.” Nolan put his elbows on the table and rubbed his face, wondering how a chance meeting with a waitress could turn his world upside down.

  “So, Holly it is. Can you see having children with her, knowing they may look like Indians?”

  “Doesn’t bother me one whit.”

  “What if she wants to go find her mother’s family?”

  “I’ve suggested it, even saying I’d take her down to Oklahoma Territory to look for her relatives. She
had an aunt and uncles last she knew, but that was before her mother died.”

  Pastor gave him a serious look. “What if you marry, and she wants to move to be with her relatives?”

  “I would consider it, as long as my grandparents had help, or if they’d move with us. But we’ve kind of talked about that, and her being raised in a white world, Holly doesn’t think she’d fit in with her Cheyenne relatives.”

  “And that goes back to Holly not feeling like she fits in here, or anywhere else.”

  Nolan understood what the pastor was saying, but what was the answer then?

  “What would you do if Kiowa Jones starts to court her?”

  Nolan’s heart sank with that thought. Holly and Ki matched in looks. Had their heritage already attracted them to each other? That thought had crossed his mind several times since seeing them together at last Sunday’s dinner at the parsonage.

  “Could you continue to live in town, knowing they were married and starting a family?”

  Or would Nolan run away like he did when Mary married? He might like to, but this time he had his grandparent’s welfare to consider.

  “If you seriously want to marry Holly, could you handle how your wife, and your children, may be taunted or bullied in the future? Could you support and build their confidence to have good and productive lives?

  “We’ll always pray people will be kind to one another, but we know that’s not how the world works, unfortunately.”

  Nolan blew a breath, his chest heavy with Pastor’s questions.

  “A lot to think about isn’t it? But I want every groom—and bride—to be ready to honestly answer those questions before they stand in front of our church altar.”

  Pastor drained his coffee cup, put the lid back on the cookie tin, efficiently ending his counsel to Nolan.

  “Think about these questions, and then talk to your grandparents to see what they want, too.”

  “We’ve already talked about this once,” Nolan started to say.

  “But things have changed for your grandparents in the week you’ve been home. Ask what they want for their future, too. This is their café, their home, and their care you’re wanting to take over, besides you wanting to add a wife and children to the family.”

  “Can you talk to Holly, to see what she wants?” Nolan pressed Pastor Reagan.

  “If and when she brings it up. And even then, I won’t tell you what she says, because it will be a private conversation with her pastor.”

  All Nolan could do was nod in agreement. Nolan trusted his conversation was confidential, too.

  “Although I suggested you let Holly spend time with the Paulson’s, remember the Taffy Pull is Friday night. If you’re truly interested in Holly, you better ask to escort her to the evening’s event, before someone else does.”

  Nolan walked toward Main Street and past the café, hoping his steps would answer Pastor’s questions. It didn’t matter that sleet and snow were pitting his face, because his thoughts were focused on his future.

  But no matter the scenario he played in his head, Holly was always the woman he picked for his future, not Mary. It was clear he wanted to court Holly, with the goal of marriage and family in their future.

  Nolan paused to look in the big hotel window before entering. Holly was laughing as she helped Maridell wrap greenery around the stair railing. It struck him that it was the first time he’d seen her truly happy and carefree. Pastor was right. Holly needed time to be a young woman without the worries of the world on her shoulders. But he wanted Holly to know he’d be waiting for her when she was ready to plan her future.

  All the females in the room turned when Nolan entered the lobby. He rubbed his boots on the door mat to give himself a second to think about his words. They needed to make Holly feel good about herself and look forward to spending time with him.

  “Hello, Nolan. What brings you over in this surprising weather?” Mary came over from the dining room door. Nolan hadn’t seen her when he looked in the window or...would he have waited to talk to Holly? Maybe.

  “Hmm, I need to talk to Holly for a moment.” Nolan waited for Holly to turn his way, but she ignored him. Now what?

  Patience is the key to handling women and livestock. Why did Isaac Connely’s quote from years ago pop in his mind? Because he needed to diplomatically use it now.

  Nolan took off his hat and walked over to where Holly was staring at the fragrant greenery in her hands. Paulson’s had pine boughs shipped in for their decorations since there wasn’t an evergreen growing in this part of the state unless you count a few cedar trees along the river’s edge.

  “Miss Holly Elizabeth?” Nolan watched Holly’s eyes widen as she looked at him. Good. That got her attention. Then her eyes narrowed instead.

  “What do you want, Nolan? You’re the one who suggested I come work at the hotel.”

  Ouch. Patience is the key...

  “I’d like to formally ask if I may escort you to the Taffy Pull on Friday evening?” Nolan politely asked before holding his breath for her answer.

  “Why? It’s only a couple of blocks to walk from the parsonage,” one of the younger Paulson girls, Cecilia, asked before Holly could answer.

  At least the girl’s quick question caused Holly’s lips to tip up on one side.

  Here was his chance.

  “Cecilia, when a young man asks a young woman if he can be her escort, it means he wants to get to know the woman better, by spending time together. It could also mean he’s courting her, wondering if she’d want a future with him.”

  “Oh, well, you’re too late, because Mr. Jones already asked Holly to walk her over to the hotel,” Cecilia stated before turning to continue winding a handful of red velvet ribbon around a section of banister already covered with greenery.

  Nolan wanted to knock his head against the newel post at the bottom of the stairs. How had Ki asked her before he did?

  “Holly?” Nolan asked for confirmation, but Holly didn’t answer.

  “You can ask to escort me to the taffy pull, Nolan,” Mary came up beside him, putting her hand on his forearm.

  This wasn’t going as he had planned. What could he say to get out of this mess, without hurting both women’s feelings?

  “That won’t work, because you already live here, Mary!” Cecilia said as if it was a silly question.

  Bless the child for expressing her innocent thoughts.

  “Cecilia’s right, Mary. It won’t work,” he said while slowly removing her hand from his arm and giving her a meaningful look, hoping it portrayed he wasn’t interested in Mary in that way anymore.

  Nolan turned back and walked up the steps to sit right below Holly’s perch. She couldn’t avoid him now.

  “Holly? Please look at me.” Nolan held out his hand, palm up this time, patiently waiting for her to take it.

  “What do you want, Nolan?” The happy woman he saw in the window was replaced by a sad, wary one.

  “May I escort you to the Christmas Open House?

  Her blush made him continue with hope.

  “And any New Year’s Eve party there might be in town?” And to everything else, I can think of in the near future?

  He held his hand steady, waiting for her to take it, or shake her head no instead of reaching for his gesture of hope in their future.

  “Oh come on! Say ‘yes,’ Holly!” Maridell urged her in exasperation. “Nolan really likes you!”

  “What about…?” Holly whispered and looked over his shoulder, probably at Mary standing below him.

  “I’m asking you, not anyone else, Holly.”

  Nolan turned his hand sideways. “Do you trust me?”

  “Always,” Holly whispered when she took his hand to shake it.

  “Then please let me escort you to future events so we can talk about our future,” Nolan quietly pleaded.

  Holly took a deep breath and let it out before answering. “All right, you may.”

  Giggles and something swing
ing above Holly’s head caused both of them to look up. Cecilia held a kissing ball above Holly’s head and was gleefully hinting for Nolan to kiss Holly.

  “Aren’t those supposed to be hanging above the doorways?” Nolan asked, wondering if he dare kiss Holly now, in front of everyone.

  “Yep, we made ten kissing balls, but we haven’t hung them up yet,” Cecilia replied.

  “But whoever is caught under the ball is supposed to be kissed, so…Nolan, Holly is clearly under the kissing ball,” Maridell pressed her point.

  “Then I must do my duty and kiss the pretty lady under the ball.”

  Nolan pushed Holly’s skirt over so he could move up to sit on the same step. He looked into Holly’s eyes as he wrapped his arms around Holly’s shoulders and pulled her forward until their lips were mere inches apart.

  “Our first kiss and it’s under the first kissing ball. And I plan to kiss you under the other nine balls before Christmas is over.”

  Holly only hesitated a moment when Nolan’s lips gently touched her own and pressed a little bit harder for a few seconds. It wasn’t a long kiss, but it was a promise to Holly he was sincere and serious.

  “Thank you for the kiss, Miss Holly Elizabeth. I look forward to the next one.”

  He rose and walked to the door as the girls squealed and chattered about his bold act. Nolan turned back at the door, glad to see Holly blushing, but smiling broadly.

  “I’ll see all you ladies at the Taffy Pull!” He tipped his hat to them all but winked at Holly when she sat staring at him.

  When he reached for the door handle, he saw Mary standing just inside the dining room door watching him. But he didn’t acknowledge Mary. She was in his past, Holly was now his future—if he could convince Holly he’d always be proud of her, just the way she was.

  He’d laid the foundation for his future with Holly. Now he needed to talk to his grandparents about theirs, and how it would involve him and his future wife.

  Chapter 16