Wanted: Innkeeper: Silverpines Series (Book 6) Read online

  Forcing himself to think of anything besides kissing Ella Grace, he asked, “What do we have to eat?”

  “Fried chicken, potato salad, biscuits, butter and strawberry jam, pickles, and an apple pie.”

  “Did you make it all?”

  She nodded.

  Michael laughed, “Even the pickles and jam?”

  She looked up from the basket, “Of course. We spend weeks canning food in the fall to last all winter. Miss Edie and Miss Ethel made sure we knew how to do every chore we would ever need to perform.”

  Michael was a bit skeptical, “Every chore? Certainly, you learned women’s chores.”

  Ella Grace’s eyes flew open, “Women’s chores? When a couple is married, or a woman must care for herself, she needs to learn to do everything. I’ve helped paint the house, repair the front porch, shingle a dog house roof when Miss Edie refused to allow me to climb on the house’s roof, and of course, there was the summer when I worked at the livery. I mucked out stalls, took care of the horses, and finally realized I wasn’t dumb.”

  “Why would you think you were dumb?” Michael asked and took a bite of fried chicken.

  “Oh, maybe not dumb but I was born scatterbrained.” Ella Grace mumbled.

  What?” Michael asked, “Why do you think you’re scatterbrained? You’re one of the brightest women I’ve ever met.”

  Ella Grace sighed, “I was ten when a stranger in town laughed at me when I couldn’t decide which candy to buy. When the impatient woman yelled at me and said only a silly child couldn’t decide on her favorite sweet, I decided on licorice but reached into the peppermint stick jar. The woman laughed at me and called me scatterbrained. I fled from the store and didn’t return all summer.”

  “That was cruel. Didn’t others tell you differently?”

  “Yes, but any time I did anything wrong, I heard that woman’s words in my head.”

  Michael reached over and lifted her chin with his fingers, “Do you still believe that?”

  “Sometimes,” she answered with a few tears forming in her eyes.

  “Then I will make sure I tell you every day just how perfect you are.” Michael leaned forward and gently kissed Ella Grace.

  They both felt the warmth run through them and Michael wanted to deepen the kiss but was aware that Miss Ethel might be watching from a window rifle in hand. Ella Grace wished the kiss, her first kiss, lasted longer.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Michael enjoyed his lunch although his mind was on kissing Ella Grace again. Ella Grace’s thoughts rivaled Michael’s. Ella Grace busied herself putting the left-over food back in the basket. Michael declined the offer of pie as he finished his glass of lemonade.

  “Tell me, what was all the excitement about the mysterious crate.”

  Ella Grace blushed brightly, “There were dresses for the wedding.”

  “You can’t tell me?”

  “No, well, yes, Miss Edie and Miss Ethel ordered dresses for themselves, Katie, and me.” Ella Grace explained while pulling a full apple pie from the basket hoping Michael would change his mind and eat pie and not remind her about the crate of dresses and personal items.

  “That’s nice,” he said and pulled a small box from his pocket. He shifted his weight until he was on one knee. “Ella Grace Mulvaney, even though you sent for a husband, your guardians have purchased dresses, we’ve discussed what size house we will live in, and the entire town assumes we’ll marry, I have yet to ask you properly. Will you marry me and make me not only the happiest man but the most blessed man. I believe God sent me here for you.” He opened the box and held out a gold ring with a sparkling emerald and two smaller diamonds.

  Ella Grace’s hand flew to her mouth, and she whispered, “That’s for me? I never had anything that beautiful. Are you sure you want me to have it?”

  “My grandmother told me to give it to the woman I fall in love with and I have fallen in love with you.”

  “Yes, Michael, I will marry you,” Ella Grace said while a few tears slid down her cheeks.

  Michael slipped the ring on her finger, pulled her to her feet, and kissed her the way he wanted to a few minutes earlier. He didn’t care if Miss Ethel shot him. He didn’t think of anything except the woman in his arms.

  Ella Grace finally pulled back. “I think we should sit a bit and have some pie and then we could take a walk.”

  Michael nodded, held her hand, and sat back down on the blanket.

  “I’m so happy. When you buy the Inn, and we’re married, life can slowly get back to as near normal as Silverpines will ever be, and the nasty men will finally leave us alone.”

  “Nasty men? Did someone give you trouble?”

  Ella Grace explained about her near abduction and how Malcolm Wooster wanted to cheat the women in town out of their businesses.

  “I was fortunate in one way. A man named Mr. Terhall came into the Inn assuming I was the owner. He tried to tell me that if I paid him some money each month, that he could assure that the Inn would be safe. He implied things could happen to a business owned by a woman alone. I told him I wasn’t alone. I knew that Dexter would inherit the Inn, so I stretched the truth a bit and told him that the Inn was owned by a man and he was on a ranch just outside of town. I let him believe that Dexter was a ranch owner with several ranch hands. Plus, the Inn always has someone watching the front desk, and we have lights on all night. He must have believed me because he never came back. I heard he was responsible for damaging some of the businesses in town.” She shuddered remembering the incidents.

  Anger boiled in Michael. He wanted to pummel anyone who tried to hurt or frighten Ella Grace. He vowed to never let anyone do that to her again and told her so.

  She smiled at him, “Thank you. Now that you’ve proposed, I should tell you that Miss Ethel and Miss Edie are planning a wedding for two weeks from today.”

  “They are? Why didn’t you tell me before,” he asked staring straight into her brown eyes.

  She shrugged. “It would have been humiliating if you didn’t really plan on marrying me. I couldn’t bring it up before you asked. I hoped you’d ask today.”

  “I’m glad I did, let’s take that walk,” Michael suggested hoping to be able to kiss her again out of range of the rifle and prying eyes. He held out his hand and helped Ella Grace to her feet. Holding tightly to his hand, Ella Grace began walking toward the end of the tree line.

  “There’s a small creek that runs away from town behind the trees. No matter how often we tell the girls to stay out of it, they don’t listen, and at least once a month one of them will come back covered in mud.”

  Michael laughed at the idea of little girls playing in the mud and laughed harder when he saw the creek. “Does it ever have more water?” he asked looking at what passed for a creek. Two inches of water a foot wide and barely moving.

  “Sometimes after a hard rain, but then only maybe twice as deep.”

  “I see how the girls can get muddy. Can’t they be seen from the house?” He looked around to see if he could glimpse the house through the trees.

  “No, which is why they love to play here?”

  “Then Miss Ethel can’t see us or shoot me if I kiss you again?”

  “No,” she whispered.

  “No? She can’t see us, or I can’t kiss you?” Michael asked with a dejected look on his face.

  A broad smile broke out across Ella Grace’s face, “She can’t shoot you.”

  That’s all it took for Michael to draw her close and kiss her once again. After a moment, he pulled back and saw Ella Grace’s beautiful face. Her eyes were closed, and he leaned in and kissed her again. When she slid her arms up around his neck, he deepened the kiss.

  When he pulled back, he whispered, I love you.”

  Ella Grace whispered back, “I love you, too.” She laid her head on his chest and breathed in the scent of the man she loved hoping he’d kiss her again.

  They broke apart quickly when they heard running feet a
nd small voices heading their way. Ivy and Rose appeared at the edge of the trees. Ivy ran closer and asked, “Mr. Karson, Miss Edie wants to know if you’re staying for supper?”

  He’d watched her run and saw the tiny bit of a limp in her gait and took a chance he wasn’t wrong when he answered, “Yes, Ivy, I’d like that very much.”

  She started to turn and stopped and scrunched her nose and said, “How did you know it was me?”

  Michael dropped on his haunches, so he was closer to eye level with the sweet five-year-old and answered, “When I marry Ella Grace, you’ll be my sister. I need to know my sister’s name, don’t I?”

  “Yes. Are you really going to be my brother? I never had a brother.”

  “I certainly am.”

  Ivy threw her small arms around Michael’s neck and hugged him tightly. “Rosie,” she shouted in his ear. “We’re going to have a brother.” With that, she ran back to Rosie, they held hands and took off running back to the house.

  Michael smiled at the little ones and stood pleased with himself that he made the young girl happy.

  Ella Grace was laughing.

  “What? She’s excited.”

  “I’m sure she is, but what’s going to happen at supper when they ask you who they are, and you don’t guess correctly.”

  Michael shrugged, “Let’s hope I’m lucky.” He pulled Ella Grace close for another kiss.

  She whispered, “We should head back to the blanket. I’m sure Miss Edie sent them out here to make sure we’re behaving. The next person might be Miss Ethel with that rifle.”

  Michael took her hand, and they strolled back to the blanket. Miss Ethel was on the balcony and waved. Michael waved back as Ella Grace giggled at the look on his face. “She won’t shoot you, believe me. By now the entire house knows you said we would marry and she’d never shoot my intended.”

  Michael wasn’t too sure and helped Ella Grace carry the picnic basket and blanket back to the house. He spent the afternoon helping the ladies with some small repairs needed around the house. Supper was filled with talk of the wedding. Michael managed to guess correctly when he called Rosie by name.

  As he walked back to the Inn after supper, he thought the day and evening went perfectly except that he hadn’t been able to kiss Ella Grace again. He hoped for a goodnight kiss, but with two little faces watching out the front window he settled for a quick hug. Soon, she’d be his wife, and he could kiss her every time he wanted without curious little eyes watching.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Two Days before the wedding

  Ella Grace was humming to herself while looking for paperwork in Michael’s office. She still had a bit of a problem not calling it Mr. Bastion’s office. Dexter was pleased to sell the Inn relieving him from any financial obligations and giving him a start on saving for the ranch he hoped to buy someday. Finding the papers, she hurried back down the hall to the front desk.

  Michael looked up when he heard the doors open expecting another guest. Business was slowly picking up and not just with grooms and children. Visitors were trickling back to Silverpines. Some out of need and some out of curiosity. Either way, Michael was pleased with his purchase and business. He put on his best business smile, and his mouth fell open.

  “Mother, Father, what are you doing here?” Michael blurted as he hurried around the desk to greet his parents.

  “You don’t think we’d allow you to get married without us, do you,” Mrs. Karson asked. The petite lady with deep brown hair streaked with gray and striking blue-gray eyes fisted one hand on her hip and smiled at her youngest child. “You’re my baby. I missed Daniel’s wedding. I refuse to miss yours, and your father had no choice. I knew he wouldn’t allow me to travel alone.”

  The elder Mr. Karson grunted and shook his son’s hand. He was still upset that Michael left the family’s hotel business to run another in a small town in the middle of nowhere. “I suppose you bought this place and wasted your inheritance.”

  Michael bristled at his father’s words but did his best to smile. “Yes, I did, and I also purchased a new home near the Inn. Silverpines is my home now. It’s where I will work and raise a family.”

  Ella Grace took that moment to rush into the lobby waving the papers. “Michael, I found them,” she exclaimed. In her rush, her foot caught the edge of the front desk, and she tripped falling flat onto the lobby floor.

  Before Michael could help her up, his father shouted, “This is unacceptable, Michael. Not only did you waste your money, but you also hired incompetent people who you allow to call you by name. You should be Mr. Karson to everyone. Where is the respect?” He stood tall and tugged at the hem of his vest waiting for his son to explain.

  Michael’s face couldn’t hide his rage, and Ella Grace cringed. “Father,” Michael spat. “This young woman is not my employee. Her name is Ella Grace Mulvaney, and she’s my fiancée.” He helped Ella Grace to her feet and slipped his arm around her waist.

  “I’m so sorry,” Ella Grace whispered.

  “It’s all right, he's just his normal overbearing self.” He kissed Ella Grace’s cheek and glared at his father.

  His father kept muttering to himself while his mother hurried up to Ella Grace. “Hello, daughter. I hope I can call you daughter before the wedding. You’re a beautiful young lady, and I can see that my Michael is happy.” She hugged Ella Grace tightly, and Ella Grace felt relieved that Michael’s mother accepted her. His father scared her.

  “Well,” Mr. Karson boomed. “Your mother has decided to call this young woman daughter. I suppose we should meet her parents and decide if she is worthy of becoming part of our family. After all, any children you have with this young woman will inherit from your grandfather’s trust. What if she is marrying you for your money?”

  Ella Grace began to tremble, and tears flowed freely down her cheeks. She pulled away from Michael and ran back down the hall. From the sound of the door slam, she was hiding in his office. He was grateful she hadn’t run home, or Miss Ethel would show up with her rifle and just might shoot his father.

  Michael stormed up to his father, “Before you say another word, I want to tell you about Ella Grace. First, I love her, and she is the sweetest, most gentle woman I’ve ever met. Second, she was orphaned along the Oregon Trail when she was two months old. Third, she was raised by two loving women at the Howard House for Orphaned Girls. Their brother was the closest thing she had for a father, and he was killed in the mine collapse. Last, I am marrying Ella Grace in two days. You are free to stay if you don’t cause any more trouble, or you can get on the next train out of Silverpines. Mother, you are more than welcome. Thank you for being kind to Ella Grace. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to find her and make sure she’s all right.” He spun on his heel and left his father standing in the middle of the lobby with his mouth hanging open.

  Michael always wanted to go his own way, but his actions shocked his father and filled his mother with pride. Her son dared to begin a new life, and his choice of a bride thrilled her.

  Mr. Donlinson approached Mr. and Mrs. Karson, “Hello, folks. I couldn’t help but hear that you’re Michael’s parents. While he sees to Ella Grace, please take a seat. My wife is preparing tea and cookies unless you’d prefer coffee.”

  “Coffee for me, my wife drinks tea,” was the terse reply.

  “All right, by the time you’ve had your refreshments, I’m sure Michael will be back and arrange your room.”

  “Who are you?” Mr. Karson insisted.

  “I’m Donlinson, the all-around handyman, and stable-hand.” He spun and headed for the kitchen.

  Mrs. Karson pulled her husband toward the chairs near the fireplace. “Sit down, we’ll enjoy a cup of tea and coffee, and Michael will return.”

  “I’ll have some coffee, Lilian, but this is ridiculous. Even the handyman calls him Michael. What kind of a backward place is this and why does that young woman have two names? It’s unacceptable.”

  “Calm down,
Hubert, Michael has made a decision to live here and marry. All your bluster won’t change his mind.”

  Hubert Karson dropped into a chair. “Humph, and to think we need to stay here for five days before returning home.”

  Lilian rolled her eyes knowing full well that Michael would never change his mind and return to Gentle Falls and that Hubert also knew it but was too proud to admit it.

  Meanwhile, Michael found Ella Grace sitting on the sofa in his office. Her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking with sobs. He sat next to her and gathered her into his arms.

  “Darling, please don’t cry.”

  “They hate me.”

  “My mother already loves you.”

  Ella Grace lifted her head and looked into Michael’s eyes. The desperate expression on her face tore at his heart. “Your father hates me. He thinks I’m a gold-digger. You didn’t tell me you have money. Do you have a lot?”

  He wiped her tears with the handkerchief he took from his jacket pocket. “I wanted to wait until we were married. I have considerably more than I needed to buy the Inn, the house, and all the furnishings. There is also a trust fund for each child we have. My grandfather was very successful at the businesses he ran.”

  Ella Grace looked down at the ring on her finger. “That’s why your grandmother had such a beautiful ring. Your grandfather was wealthy. Your father will be upset I have it, won’t he?”

  “Maybe, but it isn’t his business. My grandmother gave me that ring. I gave it to you. In two days’ time, we’ll be married, and all that I have will also be yours. I love you, Ella Grace. I moved here, and I love owning the Inn. If I hadn’t come here, I’d have gone elsewhere. I never planned on staying in Wisconsin. My father knew that but wouldn’t accept it. Please, don’t let him ruin our celebration.”