Claiming the Cowboy's Heart (28 page)

“Before Frank’s death?”

Sensing that his childhood ended after the accident, she murmured agreement.

He told of a stern father and a gentle mother who taught the boys responsibility and hard work but who also engaged in outings to church gatherings, town fairs and who played board games with their sons and read to them.

“But there was no more of that after Frank died.”

She opened her arms and pulled him close, holding him like he’d not been held since that awful day. If only she could kiss away all the pain of his past. She vowed she would try her best to do so.

Her eyes filled with tears, and she blinked them away. She would bravely face his departure and leave him only the memory of this day and her smile.

Her tears would be shed in the privacy of her own room.

* * *

His heart so heavy it pressed against the soles of his boots, Seth saddled his horse the next morning. Every heartbeat squeezed out shards of glass, tearing his veins to shreds.

He must go but it would be the hardest thing he’d ever done.

Jayne waited for him outside the barn. He led the horse out and stopped. What did he say to describe his reluctance to leave her? He simply pulled her into his arms and hoped she understood.

She clung to him so hard the knife wound in his side hurt but he welcomed the pain. It would serve as a diversion in the days to follow.

“I can’t promise when I’ll get back.” They had decided he would make arrangements for someone to care for Pa so he could come back. They would marry then return to Corncrib. He glanced past the ranch buildings. How he’d like to start fresh with land of his own. Perhaps God would allow it in the future.

For now he was grateful for the blessing he had and he pulled Jayne closer.

“I’ll be here waiting and watching.” The words grated from her throat, and he knew she found this parting as difficult as he did.

He would be brave for her sake.

He tipped her head up and gave her a kiss so full of hunger and missing and loving that she gasped then returned the kiss with equal emotion.

He tore himself away. “I must go.” He’d already said goodbye to the others. A groan threatened to escape as he turned toward his horse and swung into the saddle.

His smile barely moved his lips but it was the best he could produce and he took Jayne’s outstretched hand and held it a moment. Regret dulled her eyes. His likely revealed the same emotion. “Until later.”

She nodded.

Looking to neither the right nor the left he bent low and raced from the yard.

“Whoa!”

He jerked up at the word, fought to control his mount and stared at a covered wagon he’d almost run into. He squinted at the older couple driving the rig. It couldn’t be….

“Hello, son.”

“Pa!” Not another word came to his befuddled brain.

“You look surprised.”

“I guess I am!”

“But Crawford wrote you. Told you I was marrying and headed out here to visit you.”

“Married?” He looked at the woman at Pa’s side.

“Meet my wife, Edna.”

He doffed his hat.

“Howdy,” she said, grinning at his confusion. “Looks like you didn’t get the letter.”

“I did but most of the words were smudged. I only knew Crawford had left. I figured you were home waiting for me to finally show up.”

“Nope. I been busy with my own affairs.” He patted Edna’s arm.

Eddie signaled from the house to bring them in.

“Come and meet the Eden Valley Ranch crew.”

Jayne had climbed the hill and stood at Eddie’s side, her hand shading her eyes as she watched him.

Pa was here. He was well enough to drive the wagon, though his face drooped on one side. Seth didn’t know what it meant but one thing was certain: He didn’t have to go to Corncrib. His heart bounced from rib to rib in joy.

“Take the wagon to the door,” he called to his pa then turned his horse, raced to Jayne’s side where he jumped to the ground and swept her into his arms. He swung her about in a big circle.

“Seth, are you crazy?”

“Crazy about you.” He kissed her nose.

When the wagon reached the house, Pa and Edna stepped down. Seth kept Jayne at his side as he went to Pa’s side. “Jayne, this is my pa and his new wife.”

She looked up at him in wonder and surprise. “You mean—”

He pulled her close to his heart. “I don’t have to go to Corncrib.”

Her eyes said she understood what this meant as clearly as he. He led her to Pa and Edna. “I’d like you to meet my intended, Jayne Gardiner.”

Pa gave Jayne a quick study then shook her hand.

Edna gave Pa a scolding look. “Pshaw, what’s wrong with you, Murdo? She’s family.” She hugged Jayne.

Seth swallowed a lump then turned to the others.

He waited until introductions were made and Linette invited the guests inside before he took Jayne’s arm and drew her down to the river. Pa surely had a story to tell but it could wait.

Once they were in the shelter of trees he turned her into his arms. “When can we get married?”

She kissed him. “I love you, too.”

* * *

They returned in time to partake of dinner. Afterward, Pa said he wanted to talk to Seth. “Bring Jayne along, too.”

“Feel free to use the front room,” Linette said.

They retired there.

Pa leaned forward. His right arm still didn’t move a hundred percent correctly.

“I can’t believe how improved you are.” Seth shook his head. “I expected to find you an invalid.”

“Crawford did a world of good. But it was Edna moving in next door that did the most for me.” He took her hand as he talked. “She lost her husband and son in a horrible accident. Her husband had been cleaning a gun and accidently shot their boy. When he saw what he’d done he turned the gun on himself. He left Edna to deal with it on her own.”

“It was difficult,” Edna said. “But I’ve discovered what doesn’t kill you makes you strong.”

Seth grinned at Jayne. “I think we’re also learning that. And that God is always there to help us.”

Pa continued. “As Edna told me what she’d dealt with and I saw how she shone like gold despite her trials—”

Edna made a dismissive noise but gave Pa a grateful smile.

Pa nodded. “I realized I had allowed bitterness and blame to become my way of life.” He reached for Seth’s hand and held it in his own.

What was this all about? Did Pa mean to clear his conscience by laying the blame firmly at Seth’s feet? His heart ticked in steady, warning beats.

“Seth, I said cruel and untrue things to you. I don’t know if you recall them or if you believed them. I regret them. It wasn’t your fault Frank died. And despite the things I said, and the times I failed to show appreciation, you have been a fine, upstanding person. I’m proud to call you son. Can you forgive me for the wrong things I’ve said and done?”

Seth’s lungs emptied in a rush. “Pa, I forgive you.” The power of Pa’s words had started to fade when he met Jayne. They had grown fainter as he grew to love her and lost most of their power when he stopped on the trail and decided to throw off their chains.

Pa’s apology forever erased them from his heart.

When Pa and Edna left them a few minutes later, Seth turned to Jayne. “We can start with a brand-new, clean slate. How does that feel?”

“It’s wonderful.” She kissed him then they moved to the window to look out on the ranch.

He looked past the buildings to the promise of a bright future in God’s generous plan.

Epilogue

Three weeks later

J
ayne looked at her reflection in the mirror.

“You look lovely,” Sybil said. “The new dress was a good idea if I do say so myself.”

Linette and Sybil had offered to make her a wedding dress to remember. She’d refused. “I’m to be a rancher’s wife. I prefer something plain so I can use it again.”

“A nice dress can never go amiss,” Sybil had said. “Allow us to do this.”

“I’m glad you persuaded me.” Jayne loved the dress. Made of ecru satin with seven rows of green piping at the wrists and a row of green-covered buttons down the front, it was dressy enough to be special and yet she would be comfortable wearing it to church and other special events in the future. The waist dipped in the front. The neckline ended in a small stand-up collar. “It’s lovely.” She faced her friends. “So are you.”

Mercy wore a dark blue dress that brought out her beauty. Sybil shone in a golden dress.

Eddie appeared at the door, handsome in his dark jacket and white shirt. “Are you ready?”

She nodded. Mercy and Sybil left the house ahead of her and Jayne took Eddie’s arm for the walk to the clearing where she and Seth had decided to get married—the same clearing where they had spent many happy hours. “Still no word about the box Harry Simms was after?”

Eddie smiled down at her. “It’s too early to get a reply from across the ocean but Father will take care of it. You needn’t give it another thought.”

“I won’t.” Her life was too full of joy and love to be concerned with the past.

They paused to let Mercy and Sybil walk down the grassy aisle ahead of them.

Then they stepped into sight. The assembled people turned. She felt their smiles. Their love.

She spared a glance about. She and her friends had spent hours preparing the clearing for this day. They’d gathered wild flowers and placed them in containers around the circle, and Sybil had hung pink, red and white ribbons from the trees. Jayne smiled. It was perfect.

This day was perfect, blessed with sunshine and a breeze that rustled the leaves overhead enough to prevent the air from becoming too warm.

She scanned the crowd. Everyone from the ranch was there, and Seth’s pa and Edna, who had decided to live in Edendale.

Buster looked like a new person. He’d taken his first month’s pay, gotten a haircut, a new shirt and pair of trousers. He wore the belt Seth had made him.

Her heart swelled with pride at Seth’s skill and generosity.

Eddie had arranged a preacher from Fort Macleod to perform the ceremony. He stood patiently at the front.

She had resisted looking at Seth until now because she knew once she saw him, nothing else would register.

His smile blazed at her.

His hair had been trimmed. He wore a white shirt and a dark gray vest that emphasized his coloring.

She drew in a breath and held it.

“I can’t believe I’m marrying such a handsome man,” she whispered to Eddie.

“He’s marrying a beautiful woman.”

“Thank you.” Her eyes on Seth, she walked at Eddie’s side until he released her to Seth.

“To have and to hold from this day forth.”

The words rang in her mind as they went through the rest of the ceremony then returned to the ranch to a beautiful meal the women had prepared. They ate outside.

Then at some invisible signal, likely from Linette, the people filed by Seth and Jayne to congratulate them and say goodbye as they made their way to their own homes.

Seth smiled down at Jayne. “Dear wife, it seems we can finally go home.”

“Husband, that sounds real good.”

They went to the small cabin across from the cookhouse where Linette and Eddie had spent their first winter.

Seth swept her into his arms and carried her over the threshold. He kissed her soundly before depositing her on her feet.

“Our first home together,” she said, her voice filled with joy.

“Next spring I will find land and build a house on our own ranch.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I don’t care where we live so long as we’re together. You are mine to have and to hold for the rest of my life.”

He kissed her. It was the beginning of their lives together.

God had blessed her beyond measure.

* * * * *

Keep reading for an excerpt from LONE WOLF S LADY by Judy Duarte.

Dear Reader,

In my mind this story began with a man suffering from an injured leg and needing care. At first I had the heroine stumble into his life while seeking shelter and a place to rest for her sick companion. But that version simply did not want to be written. Which left me with the lingering thought of an injured cowboy. I struggled a long time trying to work out how to injure him and how that injury would involve the heroine. In the end, I simply had Jayne shoot Seth. It seemed the only way to get this pair together. I hope my solution worked for you, the reader. I loved dealing with how a big, independent cowboy would deal with his injuries and how an uncertain, yet courageous lady from a pampered background would help him.

I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

I love to hear from my readers. You can contact me at
www.lindaford.org
where you can also see what’s coming next for the Cowboys of Eden Valley.

Questions for Discussion

1. Jayne wanted to learn to shoot a gun. Why was it important to her? Do you think her reasoning made sense?
   
2. Jayne was raised in a rich home. What sort of challenges does she face living on a ranch? How is she handling the challenges? Which do you think would be the hardest for you to deal with?
   
3. What did you think of the friendship she had with her two friends? What strengths did she add to the mix?
   
4. Seth feels his duty lies in caring for his father. Do you find his reasons for doing so understandable?
   
5. Do you think Seth should have sent the money without actually visiting his pa? Why or why not?
   
6. Did you suspect the deeper reason for his reluctance to open his heart to love before he recalled his pa’s words?
   
7. In the end, Seth found emotional healing. Did only one event accomplish that? Or more? What was the event or events?
   
8. When Seth returns, he has a plan, or does he? What do you think his plan was? How did it get sidetracked?
   
9. Who saved whom in the end? Was this act what healed them? Or was it a culmination of events?
   
10. How did Jayne prove she was capable? Was it enough? What more did she discover she wanted?
    
11. Do you think Jayne will be able to go from being a rich man’s daughter to a poor rancher’s wife? On what do you base your answer?
    
12. If you could write a chapter five years from the end of the story, what would you include?