Charlotte's Challenge
Page 14
Looking from one child to another, she forced a smile. “I’m proud of you. Most children would have been crying and carrying on. You were very brave.”
Susie shook her head. “I was too scared to cry.”
Jimmy puffed out his chest. “I knew Bret and Moose would save us.”
Davie ruffled his brother’s hair. “Mama, I knew you had a revolver in your pocket. And I figured Bret and Moose were on the way.”
Moose ducked his head in the back door. “I’ll ride to town with the sheriff and drive the wagon back to the ranch. Anything I need to get from town?”
Charlotte looked at him. “Just come home safe.”
A wide grin split his face. “I intend to. Home sounds real nice to my ears.” He closed the door behind him.
Bret took Charlotte’s hand. “Sounds real nice to me, too.” He looked at the remaining cookies on the sheet then at the children. “Looks like there’re enough left for each of you to have two cookies. Why don’t you take them to your room so I can talk to your mother?”
Charlotte had never seen her three disappear so fast.
Bret led her to the parlor couch. He sat and pulled her beside him. “I know you haven’t known me long but sometimes it only takes an instant to fall in love with someone. I can’t imagine my life without you. Charlotte, will you marry me?”
She gazed into his beautiful eyes. “If you love me, I will.”
He caressed her arms. “I love you more than I knew was possible. I never want to be apart from you. Do you think you can ever love me?”
She hoped her smile conveyed the happiness she felt. “I’ve already fallen in love with you.”
He embraced her. “That’s the best news possible.” He pressed his mouth against hers, gently at first.
She responded to him with all the longing she’d harbored. Not merely since they’d met but as long as she could remember. He was the man she’d always dreamed of marrying. He cradled her as if she were precious.
She hoped he believed her to be as unforgettable as he was to her. His kisses grew more impassioned then he pulled away from her. Immediately, she felt she’d lost a part of herself.
“Sweetheart, I’d love to hold you close forever but I need to explain how I came to have my fortune and the obligation it carries.” His voice was raspy and his breathing ragged. “It’s a crazy tale that sounds impossible. I scoffed at it all my life but I’ve come to believe it may be true.”
He related the story of the Golden Legacy. “My father observed the rules and now I will.”
“You already have by saving this ranch from Winfield.”
“But I have to give away more. I wonder if you’d mind if I bought a home for the sheriff. He and his wife hate living over the jail.”
“They would appreciate that so much. Mabel Haney is a nice woman and I’ve heard her complain about the noise. She also truly believes the place is haunted by the ghosts of men who’ve been hanged there or died there of injuries.”
“Who’s to say she’s not right? In addition I’ll see if I can acquire Winfield’s ranch so there’s enough land for all three children. That’s something permanent for the family.”
“Oh, Bret, that’s would be wonderful.” Charlotte clutched her throat. “I should talk to them about our engagement. I wouldn’t want them to feel threatened.”
He reached for her hand then linked their fingers. “I’ve already asked Davie, as the man of your family, for your hand in marriage should you accept my proposal. He readily agreed.”
“No wonder he’s been sending me secret smiles. Did you swear him to secrecy or are the other two in on it?”
“I talked to them, too, but made them promise to keep our conversation a secret. Did they slip?”
“Almost. Susie asked about when you and I marry. I reminded her you were going to San Francisco. Jimmy said he hoped we would marry because he wanted a father. Davie just smiled.”
“I have a hard time admitting how foolish I was when I left Fort Worth. Don’t know how my sister and aunt put up with me. I know they’ll love you. They gave me a hard time on many occasions and justly so. I was ungrateful and jaded and out of touch with the world. Literally hated the family business that I depend on for income.”
“What is your business?” She didn’t know much about his life and she wanted to learn every detail.
“Metal Works and Foundry. Makes a lot of money but is unbelievably dull. I still don’t want to work there but now I’ll be eternally grateful for the revenue it provides.”
“You mean to live here?”
“If you’ll let me. We can enlarge this house or build a new one to your specifications. I don’t care as long as I’m with you and the children—and the children to come.”
Her heart was so full of love and joy she thought it might burst. “You’ve made me the happiest woman who ever lived. I’m lucky you fell into our lives.”
He caressed her face. “My good fortune, Charlotte my sweetheart.”
“Let’s go tell the children you proposed and I accepted.”
“First let me kiss you again and again.”
***
In Palo Pinto Moose helped the sheriff unload the prisoners. When they were locked up, the sheriff walked outside with him.
Moose climbed up on the wagon seat. “Real nice working with you again, Arvin. Glad to see you’re doing so well.”
“Say, Kid, you gonna tell Bret and the Dunns you’re the Missouri Kid?”
“Naw, they’d be disappointed. I can’t live up to the reputation those Dadburn novels created.”
Sheriff Haney’s shoulders shook with laughter as he turned back toward the jail.
Moose released the brake and snapped the reins. He was headed home, a real home at last.
Try Another Book
If you enjoyed this story, why not try one of Caroline’s other stories, such as one of these:
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When Lydia Wood is left at the altar, she believes something terrible has happened to her groom. Pinkerton Agent Jake Hunter recovers from an attack and coma but realizes Lydia would have been injured had she been with him. After no word for two years Lydia investigates, applying to become an agent. When they are paired to investigate bank robbers they follow the trail to dangerous men on the run. Can the two successfully pull off their charade and capture the robbers or will this trip confirm Jake’s worst fears? http://mybook.to/Wood
Or, check out all of Caroline’s titles at her Amazon Author Page https://amazon.com/Caroline-Clemmons/e/B001K8CXZ6/
About Caroline Clemmons
Through a crazy twist of fate, Caroline Clemmons was born in town instead of on a Texas ranch. To compensate for this illogical error, she writes about handsome cowboys, feisty ranch women, and scheming villains in a tiny office her family calls her pink cave. She and her Hero live in North Central Texas cowboy country where they ride herd on their two rescued indoor cats—Sebastian the tuxedo cat, and Jasmine the shy Balinese—and their Shih Tzu, Chloe, as well as providing nourishment outdoors for a collection of wild critters who stop by to dine.
The books she creates in her pink cave have made her a bestselling and award-winning author. She writes both sweet and sensual romances about the West, both historical and contemporary a
s well as time travel and mystery.
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