Too Old for Christmas Read online

  Bent over and holding his knees with his hands while he gasped for breath, Benjy blurted out the news. “Ma’s having her baby.”

  Between heaving breaths, Jesse confirmed his brother’s words. “She really is, Da. The midwife is with her now. I thought I heard a cry, but the midwife won’t let us in the room. We don’t even know if we got a brother or a sister.”

  “I want Ma to give us a boy. I get tired of being the little brother.”

  “We be getting what we get, now won’t we?” Sean laughed as much at Benjy’s words as with the joy of learning he would soon see his firstborn. “As long as your ma and the babe be doing well, ’twill be a blessing.”

  Sean slapped the reins and called to the mules to hurry, although they needed no urging. He steered them into the barn and left them hitched, stopping only long enough to slap feed bags over their heads. Next he ran to the house, bursting through the front door.

  “Now, you boys stay here whilst I see if the midwife be ready to let me in.”

  Sean hurried to the bedroom door, then hesitated before he knocked. The prospect of seeing the first child he had fathered churned knots of excitement inside him. He heard a whimper, then a wail coming from the other room. A good sign. After the tentative rap of his knuckles on the wood door, he called out, “’Tis your husband, Ona, my love.”

  The door was immediately pulled open by the midwife.

  “Perfect timing, Mr. Flood. Your wife is ready to show you your new daughter.”

  “A girl?”

  “Quiet, Benjy. After losing Mary Margaret, we need to be happy for Ma she has another girl baby to love.”

  The midwife laughed as she spoke to Sean. “I’ll leave you two alone for a few minutes before I send in the boys. Perhaps I can persuade your youngest son of the benefits of having a new sister.”

  Sean barely heard her leave and close the door behind her has he rushed to Ona’s side of the bed. He sank to one knee as he gazed with wonder into the little scrunched up red face his wife held towards him for his inspection. A dusting of light-colored reddish hair covered the crown of her head.

  “A sweet little colleen, is it? ‘Tis a miracle.”

  “Yes. Isn’t she beautiful? Unless her hair turns dark as she grows, it looks like she might have your coloring.”

  Just then, the newborn opened her eyes for a second before she squeezed them shut again and yawned.”

  “Nay, her eyes be blue. With luck, she’ll be favoring you.”

  “Babies tend to be born with blue eyes, my love. We will have to wait several weeks to see if they turn color. Until then, what shall we name her? We chose a name for a boy, but we never settled on one for a girl.”

  “Aye. ‘Tis a tender subject. I favor Mary after my gentle mother, but I know you had a daughter named Mary whom you lost. I nay be asking you to give our babe a name to remind you of your sorrow. Perhaps Catherine? ’Twould be after my sister who died on the ship coming over.”

  “We always called her Mary Margaret, not just Mary. I would love to name this child Mary after my lost daughter as well as your mother if you will allow it.”

  “Aye, love. You know I will.”

  “And, Catherine, too, to remember your sister. Mary Catherine is a perfect name for our daughter.”

  “Mary Catherine ‘tis, then. Our Mary Kate.”

  The action of his chest swelling with pride sent air rushing into Sean’s mouth. As it hit his tooth, he involuntarily winced with pain. Uttering a groan, Sean snapped his mouth shut and pressed his palm to his cheek.

  “Oh, no.” Ona lifted herself up and supported her upper body on her forearm, careful to not crush little Mary Kate. “Is your tooth still bothering you?”

  “Aye.” Sean shook his head with disgust. “Sure ‘tis I be losing the tooth. ‘Tis nothing compared to what you’ve given me this day.”

  “I’m so sorry, Sean. Be sure to drink some willow bark tea first. I wish the dentist had something better to give you to kill the pain.”

  “Aye. I be doing that whilst settling the mules in for the night.”

  And a stiff shot of whiskey, but she be not needing to know that.

  Sean leaned forward to kiss his wife before he rose to his feet.

  “Please bring the boys in to see their new sister on your way out. But first, Sean, tell me truly. Are you disappointed it’s a girl and not a boy to carry on the Flood name?”

  “Nay, my sweet Fiona Mary O’Rourke Flood. Though I be losing another tooth, knowing I be coming home to you and the boys and now this new babe, for me ‘tis like Christmas again.”

  ~o0o0o~

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  Thank you for reading

  Too Old for Christmas

  Each book in the

  Two Old in Columbia

  series is a Clean, Sweet Western Historical Romance. You may find all the books in this series as they are published by searching for and following

  Zina Abbott on Amazon.com

  If you enjoyed this book, please help other readers find it by leaving a review on

  Amazon Review

  and

  Goodreads.

  Just a few words will do. Reviews make all the difference!

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  My books that are part of a

  Sweet Americana Sweethearts

  multi-author series:

  ~o0o~

  Lockets & Lace:

  0.0 The Bavarian Jeweler by Zina Abbott

  The Lockets & Lace series prequel:

  The back of her locket read, “My heart is always with you.”

  3. Otto’s Offer by Zina Abbott

  Will Otto’s offer still stand when trouble from Libby’s past catches up with her?

  (Also Book 3 in my Atwell Kin series.)

  19. Virginia’s Vocation by Zina Abbott

  She wanted nothing to do with the frontier on Kansas Territory until her vocation took her there. He wanted nothing more than to be published, until he wanted something more. Will Virginia’s chosen vocation be enough to fill her heart with love?

  (Also Book 1 in my Atwell Kin series.)

  ~o0o~

  Grandma’s Wedding Quilts:

  2. Kizzie's Kisses by Zina Abbott

  Running from hostile Indians attacking Salina, Kansas in 1862, feisty Kizzie Atwell runs into freighter Leander Jones traveling the Smoky Hill Trail. Will the two joining forces to prevent the Fort Riley Army captain from requisitioning their beloved horses for the Civil War-era cavalry lead to a more romantic bargain sealed with a kiss?

  (Also Book 2 in my Atwell Kin series.)

  ~o0o~

  Sweethearts of Jubilee Springs:

  3. Aaron’s Annulment Bride by Zina Abbott

  Believing she’s unworthy to be any man’s wife, Andrea Dalton marries Aaron Brinks so he can get title to a mining company house. But now she wants an annulment. Can he convince her to stay?

  6. Cat’s Meow by Zina Abbott

  Catherine Everett loves tall, lanky miner, Harold Calloway. She wants to marry him, but there is one “meowly” little problem.

  7. Bargain Bessie by Zina Abbott

  Bessie Carlson, a confirmed spinster, meets Zeb Jacobson, a successful Monarch Bend rancher who is NOT pushing forty.

  11. Dead-Set Delphinia by Zina Abbott

  Delphinia is dead set on being married within a week before her father can track her down. Bennett is dead set on continuing to muddle through life on his own.

  15. Evasive Eddie Joe by Zina Abbott

  Cowboy vs. the miners – who will marry the bride?

  ~o0o~

  Zina Abbott’s Independence Day 1881

  Zina Abbott’s Collection 1 of her first three books in the

  Sweethearts of Jubilee Springs series.

  Zina Abbott’s Harvest Dance 1881

  Zina Abbott’s Collection 2 of her fourth and fifth books in the />
  Sweethearts of Jubilee Spring series.

  .

  .

  .

  .

  Other Zina Abbott Books

  ~o0o~

  Charlie’s Choice

  Prequel to the Atwell Kin series:

  Charlie, it would be easier to stop the flow of the great Missouri and Kansas Rivers than to prevent the Americans from coming to Kansas. Will Charlie stay with the white Americans, cling to the past with the Kansa tribe, or try to straddle both worlds?

  ~o0o~

  The Widows of Wildcat Ridge series

  Nissa

  A mine disaster kills almost all the men in town. Where will Nissa and her two children go? What are the prospects for the never-married women like Birdie? And then the horse auction brings men to town.

  Diantha

  Is the man who arrived in town to take one of Diantha’s jobs away from her an enemy or her salvation? Can Hank succeed where before he failed? Buck comes back to Wildcat Ridge, but will the sassy, talkative redhead he can’t forget welcome him?

  ~o0o~

  Millwright’s Daughter

  The past held her future hostage. He risked his future to save hers.

  ~o0o~

  Christmas Stories

  A Christmas Promise

  The gift of second chances and a promise for a brighter future in this novelette set during Christmas in 1873 Wyoming.

  ~o0o~

  Eastern Sierra Brides 1884 series

  Big Meadows Valentine

  In this novella, only chickens will win her heart. But don’t let the title fool you. This is the first of five books in the series and starts in early January, 1884.

  A Resurrected Heart

  In this novella set in the gold mining town of Lundy during the weekend the locals had set aside as “Resurrection Day,” can the love of a good man bring Beth A RESURRECTED HEART?

  Her Independent Spirit

  Louisa, or “Lulu”, as she is known in the Blue Feather brothel, wishes to escape with her newborn daughter to live a respectable life. Beth, no longer willing to be completely dependent on any man for her future, seeks to buy land of her own. Will independent spirits yield to hearts bound by love?

  Haunted By Love

  Hazel comes to the Leavitt House in Bridgeport as she searches for her sister. There she meets the specter, Charlotte. But, she is attacked by someone far more dangerous than the ghost in Room 16, then abandoned by her chaperone. Prankster Luther offers to help her, only to discover that for once the joke is on him. No matter who haunts him, only one woman will win his heart.

  Bridgeport Holiday Brides

  Two women have found their home and see wedding bells in their futures. But, will a land grab rob them of their hearts’ desire?

  About the Author

  Zina Abbott is the pen name used by Robyn Echols for her historical novels. The author currently lives with her husband in California near the “Gateway to Yosemite.” She is a member of Women Writing the West, Western Writers of American and American Night Writers Association. She enjoys any kind of history including family history. When she is not piecing together novel plots, she pieces together quilt blocks.

  Please visit Zina Abbott on her Website.

  Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

  Visit and follow her Amazon Author Page.

  Please sign up for her Newsletter to stay informed of upcoming releases and special offers.

  Table of Contents

  Author Disclaimer

  Chapter 1 – Columbia, California – November, 1854

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Epilogue – Columbia, CA – November, 1855

  Thank you for Reading Too Old For Christmas

  Zina Abbott books in Sweet Americana Sweethearts series’

  Other Zina Abbott Books

  Books by Robyn Echols

  About the Author

  Table of Contents

  Dead-Set Delphinia

  Evasive Eddie Joe

  Author Disclaimer

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Epilogue

  Books by Robyn Echols