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  Mason’s mom drew Elizabeth into her arms and said, “I’m pleased you came back with Mason. I can tell he loves you dearly, and I have always wanted a daughter.”

  Elizabeth returned the hug and whispered, “I never knew my mother. I can’t tell you how excited it makes me to be part of your family.”

  “You have a mother now, and you can call me mother or ma the way Mason does,” Missus Callen said.

  “I’d love to call you mother. I have never called anyone mother and never thought I would.”

  “You will have ample chances now Elizabeth, considering you will live right across the road from us. We want you to visit often and let us spoil you. I can’t wait for our first grandchild.”

  Elizabeth blushed. “Neither can I. A child would make my world complete. I have a husband, mother, grandpa, sister of my heart in Grace, and the dearest friend in Cora.”

  “Don’t forget a father,” Missus Callen said. “My husband is as excited as I am to have a new daughter.”

  “And a father,” Elizabeth murmured as Mister Callen walked up and drew her into a hug.

  Missus Callen clasped her hands together in front of her and said, “I have cooked and baked all morning. You are all invited to our home for supper. Even though Elizabeth and Mason’s house is ready to move into, I didn’t think they wanted to cook their first night home. Please, all of you come out to the ranch.”

  Mason nodded and said, “Elizabeth and I will be there as soon as we visit the bank. I want to take care of this mortgage business before anything else. It’s important to Elizabeth and me.”

  Elizabeth had been chatting with Grace, Clay, and Cora when Mason walked up and took her hand. “Are you ready to go to the band with me Missus Callen?”

  “Yes, I am.” She turned to Grace and said, “You are coming to supper, aren’t you? I would love to talk to you more. I’ve missed you.”

  Grace smiled. “We’ll all be there, and we’ll be living just two miles apart. I’ve missed you, too.”

  ~ * ~

  Pete Wallington ushered Mason and Elizabeth into his private office. He shook Mason’s hand vigorously while saying, “It’s good to have you home, cousin. Your father was concerned you might make Chicago your home.”

  “Not a chance, Pete. I was counting the days until my contract was fulfilled, and I could return. Allow me to introduce you to my wife, Elizabeth.”

  After introductions were made and a bit of small talk passed between the cousins, Pete pulled the paperwork from his desk and handed it to Mason. “Let me have my clerk retrieve your strongbox and we can get this paperwork out of the way. I know your mother is having a big supper. She invited Emma and me as soon as she heard you were coming back.”

  Mason laughed and said, “That sounds like my mother. I wonder who else she invited?”

  “Not sure, but Emma said your mother wants to hold a barn dance to celebrate your wedding. I think she said in a week or so.”

  Elizabeth giggled. “It’s nice to be home and welcomed so graciously.”

  Pete nodded and called for his clerk. The young man returned in a few minutes with Mason’s strongbox.

  Pete said, “I’ll leave you with your box. I’ll be in the outer office when you’re finished.”

  “Thanks, Pete,” Mason answered and unlocked the box.

  Mason looked at Elizabeth and said, “My mother is an only child, and so am I. She left her entire life savings to me, along with her home when she passed away. It paid for my college, and now it will buy us our ranch and the stock we need.”

  Elizabeth’s eyes opened wide when she saw the large stack of bills and a leather bag, she assumed held coins. “Why didn’t you deposit all of this money into an account?”

  “I was away at college when the house sold. My father took care of it and brought the money back in cash. The coins are from my grandfather’s collection, and this,” he said as he held up a black velvet case, “is my grandmother’s jewelry. I contacted a jeweler in Denver who will arrive next week to purchase most of the jewelry. My father had it appraised before he brought it here when my grandmother’s home sold.”

  Elizabeth was speechless. She had never seen this much money or knew anyone who owned fine jewelry.

  Mason opened the case and removed a gold necklace with a sapphire stone set into a gold heart. “This my darling is for you. It matches your eyes.” He slipped it around her neck and fastened it.

  Elizabeth laid her left hand over the pendant and said, “Thank you. Never in all my dreams did I ever think I would own something so lovely.”

  Mason removed a few other pieces and said, “My grandfather was a bit grandiose when it came to showing off my grandmother, and most of these pieces would be better in a museum than at a barn dance, but I want you to have her pearl necklace and matching earrings.”

  “Are you sure?” Elizabeth whispered.

  “Of course, you’re my wife. If there are any of the other pieces you’d like, just take them.”

  Elizabeth shook her head. “You’re right, these pieces are much too fancy for life here.”

  Mason called Pete back, and they finished their financial dealings. Pete said, “You know, I’m happy you sent me a telegram warning me about the possibility that I might receive a disturbing letter about you. This came from a lawyer in Chicago early last week.”

  Mason read it and laughed. “This letter is close to libelous. If not for the fact this lawyer says, ‘in my opinion’ and what he heard was rumor, I would sue him.”

  Pete laughed, “I agree. If I didn’t know you, I might have canceled the mortgage. You seemed to have made an enemy in Chicago.”

  “Just a jealous woman,” Mason explained.

  ~ * ~

  Supper was a joyous affair. Mason’s mother had prepared a small feast and invited the Hutchison family and two of Elizabeth’s friends from church.

  Wade’s name never came up although everyone knew of his prison sentence and the fear Elizabeth faced while he was free. Talk was lighthearted, and Missus Callen shared her plans for the barn dance.

  “Cora and I made plans for the barn dance wedding reception, and everyone from church said they want to come. The pastor agreed to marry the two of you here before the celebration. I know you are married legally, but I thought you’d want to have the pastor marry you again,” Missus Callen explained.

  “Thank you,” Elizabeth said. “I would like that.”

  “Wonderful,” Missus Callen said. “Now, it’s time for dessert, and then the two of you can go home and see your new house before it gets dark. It’s clean, and we purchased new bedding and towels. Cora and I brought enough food to last several days before you need to go into town and resupply. I hope we did it right.”

  “I’m sure it’ll be perfect, Mother,” Elizabeth said. “Thank you, Cora.”

  Mason and Elizabeth left their family to finish planning the barn dance and drove the wagon with their trunks across the road to their new home.

  Elizabeth was stunned at the huge four-bedroom ranch house.

  “It’s lovely,” she said. “It’s so large, and the land is glorious. I still can’t believe I’m going to live here.”

  “More than living here, my love. You own this land as much as I do, and we’ll work it and be successful. We’ll leave a legacy for our children and grandchildren.”

  Mason lifted Elizabeth from the wagon, carried her up the porch stairs, through the doorway, and kicked the door closed behind him.

  Epilogue

  Six months later

  Elizabeth and Grace sat in the parlor of the Hutchison’s ranch house sewing a quilt for the church’s upcoming spring festival.

  Grace stopped and rubbed her protruding stomach. “This little one is certainly active today. Last night when I tried to sleep, he kept me awake for two hours.”

  “He?” Elizabeth asked. “You can’t possibly know that.”

  “No,” Grace agreed, “but he’s so active he has to be a boy.�
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  Elizabeth smiled and said, “I have a secret.”

  Grace leaned forward and asked, “Can you share it?”

  “Yes, only Mason knows. We’re not telling his folks until Sunday supper, but I’m going to have a baby.”

  Grace squealed, and Cora ran into the room. “Are you alright, Grace?”

  Elizabeth and Grace both burst into laughter. “Yes, I am. Elizabeth and I were just a bit excited.”

  “I think we can tell her,” Elizabeth said and then shared her news with Cora.

  Cora hugged Elizabeth, and Grandpa Hutch wandered into the room in his stocking feet. “I was napping. What on earth was that noise?”

  “I’m going to have a baby,” Elizabeth shared.

  Grandpa Hutch scrunched his eyebrows. “I didn’t think the baby made squealing noises until after it was born.”

  Everyone enjoyed a laugh, and the women began making plans for two new additions while grandpa padded back to his den to finish his nap.

  “I never dreamed I could be this happy,” Elizabeth confessed. “Even as a teen, when other girls talked about what they hoped for, I thought my life would always be empty and cold. Now, I have a loving husband, a beautiful home, and a child on the way.”

  Grace smiled. “We’re both blessed. Who would have ever thought marrying someone we didn’t know could bring us such happiness?”

  “There’s truth in those words,” Elizabeth agreed. “I’m happy we both decided to trust a proxy marriage.”

  The End

  Thank you for reading A Bride for Mason. A new book in the series will be released every two weeks by various talented authors. If you have a free moment, I would love it if you could leave me a review. If helps me know what you liked or didn’t and how to improve my stories. You can find me on My Amazon Author Page, my website at mariannespitzer.com, and my Facebook author page. Join all of the authors at The Proxy Brides Readers Group on Facebook Thanks, and God bless.