RNWMP: Bride for Theodore (Mail Order Mounties)(28)
Jess read the note once more, and then put it back on the desk. She didn’t know who it was meant for, but it obviously wasn’t for her. She’d be gone shortly after he came back from wherever he’d gone.
Dejectedly, she walked back to the cabin. She needed to get her things together and packed to go back to Ottawa anyway.
Just before suppertime, Joel strode into the cabin. “Did Theodore tell you where he was going?” he asked Jess.
She shook her head. “He didn’t say anything to me about it.” And that hurt, more than him simply not asking her to stay. He left without saying goodbye.
Joel sighed. “I don’t know what’s gotten into him lately.”
Miss Hazel looked up from her spot at the table, a book in front of her. “I do. He’s in love, and he has no idea how to behave.”
Jess made a face. “If he was in love, he’d have told me by now. I’ve told him I love him.” Truly there wasn’t a more contrary man in all of Canada.
Joel studied Jess for a minute. “Would you marry him if he asked?”
“You don’t know the answer to that question? Of course I’d marry him. I brought a wedding dress with me!” Jess shrugged. “It really doesn’t matter at this point, though, does it?” She would be alone for the rest of her life, always dreaming about Theodore. He was truly the only man she’d ever love.
“I guess not.” The other three Mounties trickled in, and they all sat down to eat. After supper, Kendall smiled. “I’m going to go get my guitar. We’re going to give you a proper send off, Jess. We’ll all have a singalong. Don’t worry, no dancing.”
Jess was reluctant to agree, but if Teddy wouldn’t be there, what difference did it make? She had to learn to have fun without him.
It was late when she finally climbed under the covers that night. The night had been filled with song and laughter. Miss Hazel lay in the bed beside her. “Do you think I’ll ever be able to move on?” Jess asked softly.
“I never could. I don’t exactly have suitors beating down my door at my age, but I wouldn’t have accepted a beau. Teddy’s father was the only man I’ve ever loved. I can’t imagine kissing another, let alone being married to someone else.”
“You were supposed to encourage me! Tell me that I will find someone else to love.” More than anything, Jess needed someone to tell her she wouldn’t always be alone, because at the moment, that’s where she felt like she was headed.
Miss Hazel sighed heavily. “I won’t lie to you Jess. I’ve seen you with Teddy. You two are…well, I believe he’s the love of your life and you’re the love of his. Maybe he’ll come to his senses and ride into Ottawa on his big horse, his scarlet uniform looking majestic as he rides. He’ll ride right up to you on the street, pull you onto his horse, and insist you ride off into the sunset with him.”
Jess laughed softly. “Miss Hazel? You are the most romantic woman I’ve ever met. You need to find something to do that will let you show that side of yourself.”
“Maybe I will.”
There were only four Mounties for breakfast on Thursday morning, and Jess had cooked for six. That was good, because Nolan declared himself “more peckish than usual” and made short work of the extra food.
Jess felt her heart sink even more when she realized Theodore wasn’t even going to be there for goodbyes. It was strange that he wouldn’t even say goodbye to his own mother, but what could she say? Everyone had been commenting on how strangely he was behaving of late.
After breakfast, she cleaned up the breakfast dishes and swept the floor. She wanted to make sure everything was in place when they left, because she wasn’t about to make his life any harder than it already was. In a few days, all signs of her and his mother being there would be gone.
Just before lunch time, she decided to go pick a few more berries and bake some muffins before the train arrived. One last act of love waiting for him when he got home.
She carried one pail with her as she walked out to the berry patch that was almost completely devoid of berries now. Every day she’d picked a few more for jam, pies, or muffins. She’d never seen a man who loved muffins quite the way Teddy did.
She picked a bucketful, and hurried back to the cabin. Her train left at two, and it was already after noon. She wanted him to come home to fresh-baked muffins filling the air with their fragrance.
Miss Hazel watched her as she rushed to bake the muffins, shaking her head. “You can’t not do kind things for my boy, even when you’re angry with him. Oh, Jess, I wish I could call you daughter!”
“I wish you could too, Miss Hazel, but that’s not the way things are turning out. No matter. I’ll move on with my life, and he’ll move on with his. Someday he’ll find a woman who he wants to marry. It just won’t be me.”
10
Jess and Miss Hazel left for the train station as soon as the muffins were ready. It was a short walk, and Jess was glad she’d decided to have the bulk of her belongings shipped later, instead of bringing a trunk with her. It wasn’t a big deal to carry her small suitcase the short distance.
She sat on the only bench in the station beside Miss Hazel, neither of them as talkative as usual. When the train pulled into the station, she took a deep breath and stood up. She knew that a piece of her heart would forever be in this small town…with Theodore.