For the next few days, Victoria had been a bundle of nerves. She cried over everything, it seemed. Thankfully though, she didn't cry in front of her class. Instead, she waited until they had gone outside to play while she corrected their homework.

Alan's declaration had been unsettling, to say the least. When he first started to confess his feelings, she wanted to scream with excitement and throw her arms around him. Yet, loving him wasn't possible, and it never would be. Not until her sisters could forgive her. And even when that time finally happened, telling them she was in love with Alan Cartwright would only make them mad at her again.

Why did life have to be so difficult?

After she had left Alan in front of the schoolhouse, she'd went to visit Savannah and cried on her shoulder. Savannah didn't say much, and she listened, which was what Victoria needed. However, the few things Savannah stuck out in Victoria's mind. Men are foolish, and they never think before speaking. And, Men never know when to hold onto a good thing.

Victoria finally realized that Savannah wasn't referring to Victoria and Alan, but instead, she hinted about her husband. Frowning, she realized she needed to stop thinking of herself and be there for her friend.

After Victoria finished peeling the potatoes and cutting them up into the pot to cook, she walked to the kitchen table to prepare the vegetables. Just then, the front door opened and shut. Fast footsteps rushed into the house, coming toward the kitchen. Seconds later, Lydia rounded the corner and entered the kitchen. By the way Lydia was breathing heavily and her hair disheveled, Victoria wondered if her sister had been running.

"What's wrong?" Victoria asked.

Lydia leaned against the counter. "You have made some pretty poor choices in your life lately. I don't understand what has happened to you. As the oldest, you've always been more intelligent, and you've always looked out for the rest of us without worrying about yourself first. I understand why you did that. We all understand. And yet, in just a few short weeks, you've taken leave of your senses. I'm really worried that something is wrong with you." She moved closer. "Are you insane, Toria?"

Although Lydia's words were mean, at least she was talking to Victoria and using her nickname. "Yes, I must be insane." Her voice broke. "That's the only excuse I have for what I've done to you." She threw up her hands. "Just put me away now because I doubt I'm going to get any better."

The scowl Lydia had giving, suddenly changed. Her lips twisted as though she was trying not to laugh. "No, sister. You won't get any better, and do you know why?"

"Because I'm insane?"

Finally, Lydia let out a laugh. Once again, Victoria didn't know whether to be insulted or happy.

"If being in love is considered insane, then yes, you're insane."

It was Victoria's turn to scowl. "What are you talking about? It's all nonsense."

"What I'm saying," Lydia folded her arms, "is that you're in love with Alan Cartwright, and from the rumors I've heard in town, he is also in love with you."

Heat flushed through Victoria's face, making her body weak. She sat in a chair. "How... when... What are you talking about?"

"Apparently, someone overheard Alan confessing his love to you the other day, and now that's the talk of the town."

"Why is the town is spreading false rumors about me?"

"The town isn't spreading false rumors. They are true, Toria. Every last one of them."

Oh, heavens! If her face became any hotter, she would surely start on fire. "No, Lydia. I'm not in love with Alan Cartwright."

Lydia gave her a quizzical stare. "That's not the impression I received when I saw you two kissing like there was no tomorrow."

Inwardly, Victoria groaned. She was in hell. That's the only reasoning behind this madness.

"Yes, you are in love with him." Lydia sighed. "And I don't know why I didn't realize it until now." She sat next to Victoria and took her hands. "Something like this has never happened to you, so naturally, you're not going to admit it. But I know the signs. You love Alan. He is the reason you cry yourself to sleep at night and why I see you crying off and on throughout the day. He is the reason why you never smile."

Victoria shook her head. "Now I believe you are the one insane, my dear sister. I cry myself to sleep at night because I don't know how to make you forgive me. I cry because I'm the one that kept you from getting married. If not for my poor decisions, you would have been getting ready for a wedding right now."

"True. However, marrying Alan Cartwright wouldn't have made me happy. You are the woman for him, not me."

"No, Lydia. If I hadn't interfered, you could have fallen in love with him. He is a good man with a kind heart. You two would have been very happy together."

"So, why don't you marry him? After all, I'm not going to. He's now free of any obligation."

Victoria still couldn't understand what was going on. Her heart beat so fast in her chest, she could scarcely breathe, and at the same time, her stomach twisted with nerves. This must all be some nightmare because it certainly wasn't happening. Was it?

Lydia tightened her fingers around Victoria's hands. "The first step to happiness is to admit that you love him."

Shaking her head, her eyes filled with tears. "No. Lydia, I ruined everything. Admitting that I was falling in love with him will only make things worse, and my sisters will never forgive me."

"Your sisters will understand that you have finally found a man you want to be with and share your life with. Your sisters won't blame you for wanting to be happy."

Victoria couldn't hold it back any longer, and she released a heartfelt sob as she leaned against her sister. Lydia wrapped her arms around Victoria, letting her cry out her anguish. Had her punishment finally ended? Was Lydia really telling Victoria that she was forgiven? She was afraid to hope.

"Now, now," Lydia whispered, caressing Victoria's back. "It's time to stop crying and start rejoicing. Alan Cartwright loves you."

Victoria pulled away and wiped her eyes. "It doesn't matter. If someone overheard Alan confessing his love, then they also heard me shooting him down. I told him that meeting him ruined my life and that I never wanted to see him again."

"Oh, that's not good."

"No, it's not."

Lydia tapped her fingers on the table. "But will you confess that you're in love with him?"

"It's hard to say the words, Lydia. I've tried so hard to stop my feelings because I knew they were wrong. Loving Alan would only hurt you, and I couldn't bear it."

Tears formed in Lydia's eyes. "I'd be lying if I told you it hadn't hurt me because I was shocked that you – of all people – could do that. But, the more I watched how miserable you were, and then when some of the milliner's patrons started gossiping about a man declaring his love to you, I realized that you and Alan Cartwright are supposed to be together. Fate stepped in to stop my wedding, only because you need to get married first."

"Do... you forgive me?" Victoria held her breath, waiting for the words she never thought her sister would say.

"Yes, I forgive you. I'm sorry I was so mean to you, but Toria, you deserve happiness, and Alan will give that to you, so don't hold back. Take his love and embrace it."

Victoria hiccupped a laugh. "I can't. I told him I never wanted to see him again. I'd look like a fool if I showed up on his doorstep and told him I loved him."

"No, you wouldn't. But, you'd be a fool not to tell him."

"I doubt he'd want me now."

Slowly, Lydia's face pulled into a grin. "There's only one way to find out."

* * * *

Alan moved around his boat shop in an effort to make a list of those things needed to buy or repair before he could reopen for spring. Unfortunately, it was hard to think of anything but his breaking heart. Why had he fallen in love so quickly, only to open his big mouth and confess his feelings before he knew how she felt? Then again, Alan wasn't used to this. Usually, women fell in love with him, and he was the one who couldn't return their feelings.

It certainly didn't feel good when the shoe was on the other foot.

The bell on the front door chimed when someone walked into the shop. Alan moved from the back room, up to the front to see who his visitor was, especially since he wasn't open for business. The familiar tall, dark haired man, nodded to Alan.

"Good morning, sheriff." Alan smiled. "What can I do for you today?"

Sheriff Reed motioned his hand. "I was curious to why someone would be in this shop since it's been closed all winter."

"I had nothing else to do." Alan shrugged. "And I needed to get my mind on something important, so I thought I'd do some inventory."

"That is wise. I suspect we will have a long summer, since our winter was so short."

"Indeed. I had thought the same thing."

Sheriff Reed leaned against the counter as he still looked around the front part of the store. "You haven't noticed anything missing or out of place, have you?"

"No." Curiosity grew inside Alan. "Should I have noticed something?"

The sheriff shrugged. "I'd rather you not notice anything missing. After all, that would mean I'd have to find the person who robbed from you."

Alan chuckled. "True."

"So..." Sheriff Reed scrubbed a hand over his chin. "Will I be congratulating you soon?"

Confusion filled Alan's head. "Why would you do something like that?"

"Aren't you getting married here shortly?"

Alan's chest tightened and his throat restricted. Rejection was a difficult pill to swallow. "No."

"You're not marrying the mail-order bride that I met last week?"

"No. Things didn't work out very well."

Denton nodded. "Yes, I heard something about her sister getting involved."

Alan didn't want to say anything about the sister stealing his heart. "It was definitely a complicated situation."

"Well, I guess I should be going. My wife and Hannah Eastin will be very disappointed there won't be a wedding for them to prepare for." Denton chuckled. "In my opinion, all women are complicated."

Alan laughed. "No truer words were spoken."

After the sheriff left, Alan's mood quickly soured. How he wished he didn't have to sulk and feel sorry for himself for not getting the woman he'd fallen in love with. Perhaps he just needed time to get over her. Yet, what would he do in the meantime?

He walked into the back room again to pick up where he'd left off. Time passed quickly, and soon it was the lunch hour, but he wasn't hungry. He hadn't been eating right for a few days now.

Sighing heavily, he brushed the dust off his clothes as he finished with his inventory. The chiming of the bell hanging on the front door snapped him out of his depressing thoughts. Why were people coming into the shop when he wasn't even open?

He quickened his step, ready to tell the intruder that there was a closed sign on the door. As he turned the corner he stopped. This time, the person inside the shop was someone he didn't think he'd ever see again.

How he could have gotten Lydia Swanson mixed up with Victoria, he didn't know. These two sisters didn't look anything alike. But Lydia did look lovely in her baby blue dress and matching bonnet. Still, she wasn't as pretty as her older sister.

When their gazes met, Lydia smiled, although he could tell it was forced.

"Good day, Mr. Cartwright."

"Good day, Miss Swanson." It felt unnatural for her to be in his shop... and alone with him. "What are you doing in Stumptown?"

Lydia fidgeted and wrung her hands. "I have come to talk to you about our arrangement... or the arrangement we'd had not too long ago."

Alan's breath stilled in his chest. What was she talking about? Hadn't he already written to her and explained that under the circumstances, I'm cancelling our marriage agreement.

"What is it that you wish to talk about?"

Expelling a breath, Lydia squared her shoulders. "I would like to adjust the agreement."

Alan studied Victoria's sister, and couldn't understand why she was being so difficult. Didn't she know what cancelling our marriage agreement meant? He wasn't used to being rude to women, but he definitely needed to make himself clear.

"Listen Miss Swanson," he rubbed the back of his neck, "there is really nothing to adjust. I cannot possibly marry you. Not now after everything that has happened."

"Oh, I know that." Her smile stretched wider. "I'm not the prospective bride in question this time."

He arched an eyebrow. "Pardon me?"

She stepped closer. "My sister is."

His heartbeat skipped with excitement, but he couldn't let his emotions get in the way. "Your sister... wants to be my mail-order bride?"

"Yes." She laughed lightly. "Except for the mail-order part, since the two of you have already met."

His forehead throbbed from her confused words. "Then you must not have heard. I have already confessed my love to Victoria, but she rejected me. So, unfortunately, there won't be any marriage between us."

She nodded. "I have heard, Mr. Cartwright, but Victoria is having second thoughts."

"Second thoughts about what?"

"Rejecting your offer."

If he was a drinking man, now would be the perfect time to grab a bottle of whiskey. Lydia continued to make any sense at all, and his headache was getting worse. "Are you saying that she wants me to court her after all?"

"Yes, Mr. Cartwright."

He couldn't stop the rhythm of his heart from speeding, even though he kept telling himself that it was all for naught. "What made her change her mind?"

"I did... when I apologized to her and forgave her for what she'd done. I realized that this is the first time my sister was in love, and I didn't want to take that away from her. Victoria deserves to be happy, just as you do, and if that means getting the two of you married, well... I suppose that's what needs to happen."

"What does Victoria have to say about all of this?"

"I think it's a splendid idea." Victoria's angelic voice floated through the air, coming from the side of the room.

Alan sucked in a breath. Why hadn't he seen her standing there? Yet, as he stared at the beautiful woman he couldn't stop dreaming about, he was oblivious to everything else in the room.

She wore a beige dress with a dark gray shawl draped over her shoulders. Her hair was just as he liked it – long and flowing down her back with the sides pulled away from her face with hair-combs. Her brown eyes sparkled as she looked at him, and it was all he could do not to rush to her and take her in his arms. He wanted to show her how much he'd missed her.

"You agree with your sister?" he asked in a squeaky voice.

Nodding, she came toward him. He still worried about his wobbly limbs, wondering if they'd hold him up during this great surprise.

"Yes." She stopped in front of him. "As long as the offer still stands." Her throat jumped as if she swallowed something large.

"You are all right with me courting you?"

"Yes."

When would be the right time to hold her? To kiss her? He wished he knew, because he wanted to do those things now, and it made him physically weak to restrain himself.

He didn't know what had transpired between the two sisters to make Victoria feel this way, but he wasn't going to question fate. He and Victoria were meant to be together. He believed everything happens for a reason, and that was why he and Victoria were brought together.

"No," he whispered, lifting his hand to caress her cheek.

Her eyes widened. "No... you don't want to court me?"

"I don't want to court you, Victoria." He waited for the right moment to continue his thoughts. When her face began to lose color and her smile faded, he realized this was the time. "I want to marry you, Victoria Swanson. I'm in love with you, even though we've only been together a few days." He shrugged. "We have the rest of our lives to get to know each other better, but what I do know about you, I love."

Tears gathered in her eyes and her bright smile returned, along with the red blooming in her cheeks. "I would like that, too."

Alan couldn't hold back any longer. He needed to feel her in his arms like flowers need sunshine. He needed to kiss her with every fiber of his being.

As he took her in his arms, she pressed up against him. Their mouths met at the same time. Keeping the kiss slow was out of the question, and immediately, passion flared between them. He kissed her to show her how much he'd missed her, and especially, how much he loved her. He wasn't surprised to feel the loving coming from her. He'd known there had always been a spark, and kissing her was as natural as breathing. Never would he become bored with kissing this passionate woman. She made his heart sing.

The other presence in the room cleared her throat, bringing Alan back to reality. Both he and Victoria broke apart but stayed in each other's arms. He'd forgotten about Victoria's sister.

"Forgive me for interrupting," Lydia said, "but I fear that if I allowed you to continue, my dear sister might be having a shotgun wedding, instead."

Victoria's face beamed three shades of red and she hid her face against his chest. He chuckled and kissed her forehead.

"You are correct, Lydia. I need to make an honest woman out of Victoria, so I suggest we get married tomorrow. If tomorrow doesn't work, then the next option would be in two days."

Victoria lifted her head and gazed into his eyes. Her smile was wide and her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"Yes. I think that's the perfect solution to our new beginning."

He sighed and nodded as he caressed her cheek. "You, my lovely bride, are the perfect solution to our new lives."

This time when he kissed her, he didn't care who was watching.

THE END