Page 4 of Mail-Order Brides Wishes (Montana Mail-Order Brides #7)

“Auntie, I gots to go.” Susie jiggled up and down.

Flint hurried to her auntie’s side and helped her to the ground.

She caught Susie’s hand and they trotted into the trees and out of sight.

Birds lifted from the branches and scolded at being disturbed.

Maybe more’n birds were gonna have to get used to having their quiet shattered.

If anyone could see him now, they’d wonder why he grinned so widely.

He wouldn’t be able to find words to answer.

But here he was— Flint March— who’d never had a thing he could call his own exceptin’ for his horse and saddle.

Now he was part owner of a ranch, had a house he called his, and was about to bring home a wife and child.

Thank you, God. Life don’t get much better’n that.

He heard their return before he saw them and not just because of the protest of birds and the rustle of leaves. Susie’s voice carried like a bell although he couldn’t make out what she said.

The pair broke into sight. Flint’s smile remained in place.

“We sawed a crow. He yelled at us.” Susie huffed as if offended.

Unexpected amusement caught at Flint and escaped as a stomach-shaking chuckle. It took a moment before he could speak. “Did he now?”

Susie crossed her arms and nodded hard enough to send her hair flying.

His eyes stinging with amusement, he turned to Brynlee who watched with an echoing smile.

“Do ya mind if I call you Brynlee?” He’d noticed how Susie addressed her but didn’t feel free to use the nickname.

“I prefer Bryn.” She appeared about to say something then closed her mouth.

Wanting to get the details sorted out between them he continued, “I’d be pleased if ya’d call me by my name. Flint. Do ya mind?”

The skin at the corner of her eyes crinkled. “I’d like that.” A quick nod. “I’ve been thinking of you that way since I agreed to marry you.”

He couldn’t explain why that should please him, but it did. “Could the little one call me Uncle Flint?”

“It would be appropriate. Susie, come here please.” The child chased a butterfly. She sighed as she stopped and returned to Brynlee’s side who squatted to Susie’s level. “Honey, you remember I told you that Mr. March and I would get married?”

More yellow-haired head nodding. “And we live wif him?”

“Now that we’re married and we’re going home with him, you can call him Uncle Flint.”

She jerked around to look at Flint, blue eyes wide.

He stood stock still as she measured him as surely as any head wrangler ever had. Would she see that he meant nothing but good for her? To the best of his ability.

“My papa says girls is useless. Says I was ’posed to be a boy.”

The air forgot to move. The birds stopped chattering as those unkind words drowned all other sounds.

“Well now.” Lord God, please could ya give me words to heal that awful hurt. “Can’t say as I agree. How could I enjoy big blue bows if you was a boy?”

He waited. He didn’t need any words from her to know she wanted… needed … to hear more good things about a girl. It wasn’t something he’d given any thought to and wished he had. But slowly the words came.

“I think boys are fine. They must be, ’cause I was one once upon a time. But my mama was a girl and so was yours and so was Aunt Bryn’s and I know they musta been special cause look at us.” His glance circled them. “Ain’t we somethin’ fine? Why, even the birds know it.”

They all turned to listen to the bird song from the trees.

“And I’m guessing that crow wasn’t yelling at you. He was yellin’ at the others sayin’ ‘Didcha see that girl? Ain’t she something?’”

Susie giggled.

“Thank you,” Bryn whispered.

He gave a quick nod. “Guessin’ we all need to remember we’re something special. Made by God and all.” But it pleased him to think he’d been able to say something to satisfy both Susie and Bryn.

They returned to the wagon and continued toward home. Susie was between him and Bryn. At first, she crowded to her aunt’s side.

Flint told hisself that it would take time for her to accept him. Still longer for her to welcome him. But he meant to do all he could to make it happen sooner rather than later.

“Look at that bird.” He pointed to a hawk overhead. Stopped the horses. “Listen.”

The hawk made its usual screaming kee-eeeee-arr sound.

Susie bounced forward, her face lifted to watch the hawk. “What’s he saying?”

“I recall asking my pa the same thing. Pa said what did I think the bird was sayin’?

Well now, I couldn’t come up with an answer.

Pa said maybe the hawk was sayin’, ‘Look at me up here in the sky.’” He broke off, thankful when no one seemed to notice that his words had grown husky.

But he hadn’t thought much of his pa for some time, having learned that the memories hurt.

They came with a load of loneliness. Course he wasn’t alone anymore. He had a wife and child.

Wouldn’t Pa be surprised? And pleased?

A familiar knot inside him loosened half a turn.

They approached a gravelly hillside where he knew certain wildflowers grew.

“Up ahead ya can see pink flowers. They’s called Bitterroot flowers.

My pa had a book that told about wildflowers and growin’ things in the west. He said the flower has bitter roots that some people eat.

” Although he hadn’t opened that book since Pa’s passing, he still had it.

One of the few things he carried with him no matter where he worked.

“They eats food they don’t like?” Susie’s screwed-up face made it plain that she found it hard to believe.

“Guess they do. Can’t say why though.” He met Bryn’s gaze over Susie’s head.

Bryn’s eyes brimmed with amusement that curled her mouth into a wide smile.

Susie looked at the flowers. As they passed, she turned to watch them out of sight then sat down with a thump.

“Flowers is pretty.”

Understanding that she meant in contrast to the bitter roots, Flint chuckled.

“Reminds me of something my pa said. ‘A pretty face can’t hide a bitter heart.’” He stopped speaking.

Why had he blurted out those words? “Bryn, please don’t think I’m meanin’ anything by that.

Just repeatin’ somethin’ I remember Pa sayin’. ”

“I never thought otherwise.” Her gaze was steady, somehow making him feel more settled.

“I don’t usually talk about Pa. Guess it’s havin’ a child beside me that brings him to mind.”

“It sounds like you have good memories of him so I’m glad. Feel free to tell us more about him.”

He nodded though he certainly didn’t mean to pepper every conversation with things about his pa. Time to think in a different direction.

“Say, Susie, how’d you like to see somethin’ special?”

“Yes.” She bounced twice.

“Your manners, please.” Bryn’s voice was gentle but had the desired outcome as Susie added please to her request.

The place where he meant to turn aside was a few yards ahead when it hit him that he could no longer make decisions on his own.

As his wife, Bryn needed to be consulted, or at least…

what? He had no idea what. The only marriage he’d seen was Jayce and Addie’s and they’d only been married a few weeks.

Did he ask? Did he inform? Simply tell her? If he did the wrong thing, would she be upset? Maybe angry?

A glance to the sky offered no answer. For sure none came from his experience. Apart from something his pa had said to someone once and Flint had heard him. He couldn’t believe he even remembered, but he did, and it was the exact answer he needed.

Begin as you mean to continue.