Cowboy to the Rescue (23 page)

He offered a mock salute. “Yes, ma’am. Whatever you say.”

“Oh, Nate.” She touched his cheek, enjoying the gentle scratch of his late-morning stubble.

“Oh, Susanna,” he sang in his slightly off-pitch way. “Oh, won’t you marry me?”

Her heart still giddy with joy, she giggled again. Mama would be appalled at her lack of self-control. No, under the circumstances, Mama would be laughing, too.

“Young man.” Daddy marched toward the wagon, followed by the Colonel. “You have not asked my permission to court my daughter.”

Not doubting his approval for a moment, Susanna gave Nate a mock-worried frown. “Oh, my. What are you going to do now?”

“Mr. MacAndrews, sir.” Nate straightened and stepped over to Daddy. “May I court your daughter?”

“You may.” His eyes dancing, Daddy shook Nate’s hand. Then he glanced over his shoulder at the Colonel. “I assume you have no objections.”

The Colonel’s expression was less than cheerful, but he shook his head. “None that I can think of right off.”

“Well, I do.” Susanna jumped down from the wagon and marched to the center of the little group. “I object to you two being enemies. I want to see you shake hands right now.” They traded a look but made no move to mind her.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she became aware of a crowd gathering around them, but she persisted in her mission.

“You’d better listen to me.” She shook a schoolmarm finger in each of their faces. “If you two don’t put aside the past, as Nate and I have done, I’ll never let either of you see your grandchildren. I won’t have the war refought on my front porch for the rest of your lives.”

“That’s the way to tell ’em, Susanna,” Miss Pam called from the crowd.

“The war’s over,” someone else cried. “No more fighting.”

“That’s why we came out west,” Reverend Thomas added.

Other folks chimed in with their agreement.

“Well, Colonel,” Daddy said, “seems like the residents of Northamville, or Northam Town or Northampton or whatever you plan to call this place, have spoken. I’ll go along with them. What do you say?”

The Colonel wiped a hand down the side of his face. “I had a short speech prepared for later, but I may as well deliver it now, since you’re all right here.” He cleared his throat and surveyed the gathering. “We can’t change what happened in the past or our opinions about the war, but we can move forward and make a better future for our children and grandchildren. As to the name of our town, I’m honored that you voted to name it for my family, for me. But I’m declining that honor.”

Groans and protests arose from the crowd, but he lifted his hands in a placating gesture. “Let’s choose something that shows just what we’ve been talking about. We’ve all come west in hopes of making a new life, a new
way
of life. Does anyone object to New Hope?”

“Or—” Daddy moved in front of the Colonel and faced the crowd “—in keeping with the local custom of using Spanish names, how about the Spanish word for
hope, Esperanza?
” He sent Miss Angela a smile. “Esperanza, Colorado.”

“I like it,” Miss Pam called out.

To a person, all agreed. With that matter settled, everyone returned to their activities.

Nate pulled Susanna aside into the shadow of the prairie schooner. Holding her in a gentle embrace, he caressed her cheek. “I love you, Susanna. I have since that moment on La Veta Pass when I looked up to see you holding a Winchester on me. You’re brave and beautiful and sweet and sassy. I admire the fact that you know your own mind and, most of all, that you’re a woman of faith. Will you marry me?”

“La-di-da, Mr. Nate Northam.” She couldn’t resist teasing him. With all, or most, of their problems solved, she could now relax and have some fun with this Yankee boy. Yankee
gentleman,
she amended. “When I said I wanted a short courtship, I didn’t mean only fifteen minutes.”

He threw back his head and laughed. “Well, how about if I ask you again after dinner?” He pointed his chin to the tables, where folks had lined up to fill their plates.

“That might do just fine.”

Without so much as a by-your-leave, Nate bent and kissed her. Just a quick peck, so she couldn’t object too much, although she noticed one older lady watching them with a scowl.

On the other hand, there stood Daddy and the Colonel talking quietly like old friends, although Susanna noticed a familiar gleam in her father’s eyes. Just as he’d overrode the Colonel’s will in naming the town, she was certain he had every intention of challenging everything the Colonel did from here on out.

Chapter Twenty-Five

B
ack home in Georgia, September and October weather could be counted on for warm, sunny days and gradually cooler nights. Nonetheless, Susanna found the frosty autumn weather of the San Luis Valley very much to her liking. Of course, part of her happy sentiments were due to her upcoming wedding.

After conferring with Miss Angela and Mrs. Northam, she decided to make a white wedding dress, no matter how impractical it seemed for a dress worn only once. However, such a gown could be made with wide seams and a deep hem so it could be passed down to future Northam brides who might grow taller and wider than Susanna. Mrs. Winsted must have expected to supply just such needs, for her new general store stocked several large bolts of white silk and plenty of lace.

While the ladies split their time between wedding preparations and preserving the winter’s supply of food, the men had their own duties. The Colonel had chosen Rand as his trail boss, and most of the cowhands had gone with him to drive the cattle to market. That meant Nate had to shoulder much of the responsibility around the ranch, so Susanna didn’t see him often enough to suit her. He did continue the Northam family custom of resting on Sundays, only now he spent those days at the MacAndrews house.

“Angela, I’ve missed your cooking something fierce,” he said over dinner one Sunday after church. “Maybe after the wedding, I’ll just move up here to live with you folks.”

Daddy and Miss Angela laughed, while Zack shook his head.

“Why, Nate Northam.” Susanna sniffed with artificial displeasure. “I’ll have you know I’ll be doing the cooking for you and me.” Not only was Miss Angela a gifted cook, she was also an excellent teacher. Susanna had perfected many dishes under her guidance. But she wouldn’t undermine Rita and insist upon cooking for the rest of the Northams, for she doubted she could ever please the Colonel.

“But, darlin’.” Nate leaned back in his chair and mimicked Zack’s cowboy dialect. “As tasty as your pralines are, a man can’t live on ’em.”

She shook her fork at him. “Just for that, no dessert for you today.”

Of course, Miss Angela served him two slices of apple pie with a heavy dose of cream poured over them. Only after he’d praised the flavor did Susanna admit she’d made it.

“Well, then, I guess you’ll do.” He shoveled in the last bite with a flourish and gave her a wink. “At least when it comes to desserts.”

Later, after Susanna and Miss Angela cleaned up the kitchen and he’d had his weekly chat with Daddy, they walked hand in hand down to the river.

“I can’t imagine what takes all of your time.” Susanna couldn’t bear being parted from him for another week. “Now that the herd’s off to market, what on earth do you do out there on the ranch all day?”

His bright green eyes sparkled in the sunshine, and he puckered away a smile. “Oh, you have no idea. Got horses to tend, fences to mend, hay to harvest and store.”

She got the feeling he was hiding something from her, but Mama, and now Miss Angela, had warned her against being a nag.

Instead, they talked about their future, about both of them wanting a large family, about the day they’d have their own house and, most of all, about the extraordinary way the Lord had brought them together.

“Say, did you and your father ever finish reading
Bleak House?
”

“We did.” She sat on a fallen pine tree beside the river. “It was long and sometimes tedious, but there’s a lesson to be learned about being honest and not keeping secrets from those we love. I also liked the ending. Even though the lawsuit destroyed several lives, good, sweet Esther ended up the happy mistress of her own house, married to a wonderful man who loved her.”

“Hmm.” He sat beside her and put an arm around her waist. She leaned against his sturdy shoulder, relishing his strength. “It occurs to me that our fathers could have gone to court over your silver. Some people regard spoils of war an honest way to acquire property. It would all depend upon the judge how it would turn out.”

She shuddered. “Thank the Lord for their reconciliation.”

He chuckled “And thank Him for my mother’s interference. After finding out how my father got those things, she wouldn’t have kept them even if Mr. Lincoln himself had handed them to her.”

She gazed up at him, her heart bursting with joy and love. “Like Esther, now I get to be the happy mistress of my own home. But with all the teasing we like to do, it will be anything but a
bleak
house.”

Now he laughed out loud, a sound she dearly loved. Unlike his singing, his laughter was decidedly musical. She could listen to it all day, and soon she would be able to.

* * *

Nate stood beside Dad and Reverend Thomas at the front of the church. The ladies had been keeping secrets lately, so he had an idea Susanna’s wedding getup was something to behold. Rita started playing the “Wedding March” on the small pump organ, and Rosamond walked slowly down the aisle. When she reached the front of the church, Susanna entered on her father’s arm, and sure enough, she was a vision like nothing Nate had ever seen.

“Steady, son.” Dad put a hand on Nate’s shoulder. “Breathe.”

Nate did as he was told, gasping in a breath.

Mr. MacAndrews still limped a little, so it was hard to tell who was leaning on whom as they moved toward the front. Before Nate knew what had happened, he was saying “I do,” and Reverend Thomas gave him permission to kiss the bride.

Mindful of the watching crowd, he bent down and placed a quick peck on Susanna’s pretty pink lips. To his surprise, she gave him one of her cute little scolding looks.

“Is that all I get?” She grabbed the front of his shirt, stood on her tiptoes and taught him a thing or two about kissing.

Goose bumps shot through his entire body, and he was all but certain his toes curled up right inside his boots.

“There.” Susanna put on her smug look. “Now we’re honestly and truly married.”

Before Nate could answer, Dad cleared his throat. “Son, may I speak to your bride?”

All humor left her face, but here in front of the entire community, how could he say no? He gave a quick nod.

“Susanna,” Dad said, “we got off on the wrong foot, and I’m entirely to blame. You are a lovely young woman, and I’m proud you’ve chosen to marry my son. Welcome to the Northam family.”

Nate held his breath. Every time he’d brought up his father’s inhospitality or his actions against her family during the war, she’d changed the subject. Did she realize how much was riding on her response?

* * *

Susanna’s eyes burned as she blinked away tears. What would Mama have her do? In the past weeks, she’d had more memories of that last fateful day on the plantation. She saw brave Mama facing this same man, who’d never had the courtesy to even dismount from his horse while ordering the livestock killed and the house set on fire. Susanna blinked again, and the tears rushed down her cheeks. She cast a pleading glance at Miss Angela, who tapped her chest above her heart, and the answer came clear and fast. She had to make peace with this man before moving back into his house, this time permanently.

She stepped past Nate and reached up to place a kiss on her father-in-law’s cheek. “Thank you, Father Northam. I’m pleased as punch to be a member of your family.”

Applause erupted from the congregation, along with a few cheers.

“Let’s eat,” somebody called out.

They all adjourned to the field next door, where linen-covered plank tables held a grand wedding feast. For over an hour as folks ate and danced, Susanna and Nate suffered the usual teasing about newlyweds. She overheard Zack and another cowboy whispering about a shivaree, and she cast a worried glance at Nate.

Grabbing her hand, he put one finger to his lips. “Shh. Let’s go.”

He led her around to the back of the church, where Mother Northam’s buggy stood hitched and ready to go. “Let’s hope nobody misses us.”

Taking a long road around the settlement to avoid being seen, Nate drove them at last down the long road to the ranch. But when they came to the stone archway, he kept on going.

“Mr. Nate Northam, just where do you think you’re taking me?”

“Just wait and see.” A quarter mile from the Four Stones archway, he turned down a newly smoothed road and up to a pretty white house with a stone foundation and chimney.

“What do you think?” Filled with a worried look, Nate’s green eyes had never been so appealing. “Would you like to live here?”

For a moment she couldn’t speak. All this time, he hadn’t been neglecting her. He’d been building their own home. She wouldn’t have to live with her in-laws after all. “Oh, Nate, it’s beautiful.”

He jumped down from the buggy, lifted her in his arms and carried her right through the front door. “Welcome home, Mrs. Nate Northam.” He set her down and waved one arm to take in the sizable parlor, a hallway on one side no doubt leading to the bedrooms, and the dining room and kitchen off to the other side. “Make yourself at home.”

“Why,
Mr.
Nate Northam.” She flung herself into his arms. “I believe I’ll do just that.”

* * * * *

Keep reading for an excerpt from THE GIFT OF A CHILD by Laura Abbot.

Dear Reader,

Thank you for choosing
Cowboy to the Rescue,
the first book in my Four Stones Ranch series. I hope you enjoyed the adventures of my heroine, Susanna MacAndrews, and my hero, Nathaniel Northam. For many years I have wanted to write a series of stories set in the beautiful San Luis Valley of Colorado, and now I’m doing just that.

I moved to the Valley as a teenager, graduated from Alamosa High School and attended Adams State College. Later my husband and I settled in Monte Vista, where my parents owned and operated a photography business, Stanger Studios. Three of our children were born in Monte Vista, and one was born in Alamosa. Even though we moved to Florida in 1980, my heart remained attached to my former home in Colorado. Writing this book has been a sweet, nostalgic trip for me.

Those familiar with the history of this area of Colorado may recognize a little bit of Monte Vista in my fictional town, Esperanza. I could have used the real town, but then I would have shortchanged the true pioneers of Monte Vista, who deserve accolades for their courage and foresight in building such a fine community. Any resemblance between my characters and those who actually settled in this area is strictly coincidental.

If you enjoyed Susanna and Nate’s story, I hope you’ll look for Book Two in my series to see whether Rand Northam finds romance in the San Luis Valley. I love to hear from my readers, so if you have a comment, please contact me through my website:
blog.louisemgouge.com
.

Blessings,

Louise M. Gouge