Lonnie felt his anxiety fade away as Pops smiled at him. It was a moment of acceptance that he hadn’t been expecting, a moment of pure clarity that told him that he was definitely doing the right thing. He couldn’t wait to start the rest of his life with Evelyn.
“Thank you,” Lonnie said. “Thank you so much. We should probably get going now.”
Lonnie got himself dressed and, with his soon to be father-in-law at his side, he walked to the town square. It had been decorated with flowers and bunting, benches laid out for people to sit on that were already full, people standing around just so they could watch the ceremony. As he walked down the aisle to where the priest was standing at a podium near the front, Lonnie greeted people, trying to make sure his smile didn’t betray the nerves he felt in his stomach.
He stood with the priest and waited, every noise louder than normal, every movement making him turn around to see if it was Evelyn arriving. He could hardly contain himself.
There was an excited murmur from the crowd and Lonnie knew it was time. He took a deep breath and turned slowly to see Evelyn stepping out of a wagon. Her dress was pure white, so white in the sunshine that it looked like she was glowing as she started to walk down the aisle.
Everyone who had congregated turned to look at her. Lonnie was trying to stop himself from bursting into tears.
When she reached him, she smiled and he smiled back.
“Hey there,” she said. “Fancy seeing you here.”
“You look beautiful,” Lonnie said.
“Thank you,” she said. “You don’t look too bad yourself.”
“Please,” Lonnie said. “There isn’t a single person here who is looking at me, today is all about you.”
Evelyn smiled. She was glowing.
The priest started the service, taking them through everything, Lonnie not letting go of Evelyn’s hands the whole way. This was it,; this was the beginning of everything.
“And I understand you have written your own vows,” the priest said. “Mr. Steele, after you.”
Lonnie cleared his throat. He’d thought about what he was going to say and tried to plan it because he wanted it to be perfect, but everything he thought of seemed false and stupid. But when he saw her walking down the aisle, suddenly it became clear to him. He just needed to speak from the heart.
“Evelyn Pierce,” he started. “From the day I first saw you, I was drawn to you, like a moth to a flame. And much like a moth to a flame, I didn’t care that I was almost definitely going to get burned. You’re fiery and passionate, you know what you want, and you don’t let anybody treat you like anything less than royalty. I love you for that, and so much more. So, I’d like to treat you like a queen. And for once, I’m going to put my foot down so you can’t be stubborn on this one. Let me make you happy, Evelyn. Let me bring you all the joy and wonder that you deserve in this life.”
Evelyn smiled and shrugged. Her eyes had gone a little glassy, like she was about to burst into tears. “I suppose I could do that,” she said.
“Now Miss Pierce,” the priest said.
“Lonnie Steele,” Evelyn started. “No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t get rid of you.” The congregation laughed. “I tried to push you away, tried to tell myself that it was for my own good, but whenever things were about to fall apart, you were there to make sure that they didn’t. You saved my life, in ways I can only imagine, and I’ve saved yours for real this time, so don’t you dare go thinking you can hold that over me. I will look after you whenever you’re slow enough to get shot, and I will make you the best coffee in town, and I will always remind you that I am right about everything.” She got a few more laughs, Rose cheered, and Lonnie couldn’t keep the smile off his face.
The riest declared them married and the whole congregation cheered. Lonnie pulled Evelyn into a kiss and suddenly he could see his entire life panning out in front of him. He was happy, happier than he ever thought it was possible to be, and it was all because of her. She truly was incredible.
The people of the town helped clear away the benches and the podium, making way for a band to start playing music and people to start dancing. Food was laid out on tables that had been brought by different townspeople, everyone contributing something to make it an incredible party.
“May I have this dance, Mrs. Steele?” Lonnie asked, holding out his hand to his new wife. Even as he said the words, they sounded alien in his mouth. Mrs. Steele, he thought, I never thought I’d see the day I’d say that.
Evelyn took his hand. “Well that would be an absolute pleasure, my dear husband,” Evelyn said. She followed him to the floor where a space had been cleared for them to dance together.
Lonnie wasn’t much of a dancer and while his leg had healed considerably, it hadn’t healed so well that it had turned him into a first-class dancer. Evelyn tried hard not to laugh.
“Maybe we should have held off on the wedding so I could get you some dance lessons.” She chuckled.
“Hey, I had an injury!” Lonnie protested.
“They shot your leg, Lon, they didn’t shoot your sense of rhythm!” she retorted. “Come here!” She took his hands and pulled him close to her, pressing their bodies together. “Follow me.”
And she took the lead for their first dance, making sure he moved on the right beats, making sure he didn’t embarrass himself, and Lonnie wouldn’t stop smiling.
“You look happy, Lon,” she said. “Are you happy?”
He kissed her on the forehead, and they carried on dancing. “Couldn’t be happier,” he replied.
The Extended Epilogue
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A Bride to Melt the Sheriff’s Iron Heart – Preview
Chapter 1
Melanie had suddenly taken ill and decided to head home to rest. At least, that was the excuse she had given to her friends when they’d stopped her as she’d hastily made her way toward the door of the regal mansion. It was another dull affair her aunt had forced her to attend, the older woman doing everything in her power to find Melanie a suitor. She didn’t understand her aunt’s insistence on the matter, and it was insulting that her aunt thought she knew better than Melanie on what was best for the young woman.
The loss of her father a few years back was still very much an open wound. Days would go by where the clouds of sadness would seemingly begin to disperse, only for something to remind her of her father and bring them rolling right back in. When her mother had died, her father had single-handedly taken on the duties of raising her. Even with him being the busy head sheriff of the town where she had grown up in Kansas, he had always made time for her and ensured that she had everything she needed to succeed.
His means of doting on her all her life should have made her spoiled, but her father had been certain to instill discipline as well. As the daughter of the town sheriff, she had been intimately familiar with the laws that her father upheld, and it also kept her somewhat grounded because her actions could negatively affect her father’s station were she to act out. Still, that didn’t mean that her father hadn’t allowed her plenty of freedom, and as an only child, she had enjoyed far more liberties than most women she knew. In some ways, she had been able to become the son her father had never been able to have.
She had not only been taught how to read and write, but she did those things at a near collegiate level thanks to her father’s scholarly interests. Despite his slightly unkempt appearance and mildly dopey expression, her father had been an extensi
vely educated man, and he had been certain to ensure that his daughter was equally educated. He taught her how to ride horses and how to hunt, along with many other life skills that he assured her would serve her well in the future.
She had been in the sitting room with her mother, barely older than the age of seven, when her father had burst through the front door of the small one bedroom home the three of them shared. There was a triumphant gleam in his eye, and his right hand was waving around wildly. “It’s happened, my lovelies! I told you that your old Pop would take care of us!”
His hair was a deep mahogany brown, a perfect match to the warm pools that were his eyes. He wore a plain brown pantsuit that had more than a few stains from its use. However, he never seemed to mind. He said that wearing it kept him humble, though she didn’t understand his reasoning.
“What is it, Papito? What has made you so cheerful?” Isabella, Melanie’s mother, asked as she rose from her chair.
“We’ve finally done it. I won a large sum of money from a man in the tavern in a bet! Our troubles are over! I’ll pay for us to get a bigger house, and I’ll finally be able to buy you all of those beautiful dresses you’ve always told me about. This is our big break!” Manny Thompson was beaming as he scooped up Melanie. “And for you, my dear, all of the books your little heart could desire.”
Melanie’s eyes widened, her heart leaping in joy. “Do you mean it, Papa?”
“Absolutely! Daddy is going to make sure that you are a well-rounded and wise individual by the time you are a grown lady. That way, when there comes a day when Papa and Mama aren’t around, you will be able to take care of yourself.”
“But that won’t be for a long time, right Papa?” Melanie asked, eyes filling with tears at the thought of having to be without her loving Mama and Papa.
“Not for a very long time, Melanie. Not ‘til you are much older,” her father promised, slipping his pinkie finger around hers. “I promise.”
True to his word, her father had not passed away until shortly before her eighteenth birthday. Since she had no other family in the area, she had been left in the hands of her father’s sister. Aunt Victoria had housed and fed Melanie, asking very little of her in return, aside from occasionally attending some parties to help keep up appearances. After all, it wouldn’t be good to have rumors start spreading around town about a reclusive shut-in living with Victoria Thompson.
Melanie held a two-week-old newspaper in her hand, her eyes idly scanning over the article that inspired her trip. Schoolteacher wanted for immediate hire in New Mexico. Small stipend granted each month to assist in living expenses. More can be discussed in your response or upon meeting.
Melanie didn’t have any experience teaching, but she’d had more than her fair share of tutors throughout her young life. She reasoned that being a tutor couldn’t be all that different from being a teacher, so she would just utilize the tricks she had picked up from her own instructors and apply them to her new job. As a fairly educated young woman, she saw no reason as to why she would fail.
She felt the carriage come to a slow halt, which seemed curious as the driver had told her earlier that it was at least another few hours to their destination, the bustling city of Santa Fe. Perhaps more time had passed than she’d previously thought.
“What is going on out there?” she called out the open window, huffing slightly with impatience. “Have we arrived already?”
“Shepherd with a flock of sheep, Missus. I have to pause while they make their way across the road. It will be only about another five minutes or so. Kindly be patient for me,” the driver replied calmly, the older African American’s voice steady and slow. “I promised to take good care of you and take you to your destination, and that is exactly what I plan to do.”
Settling back in her seat and letting out a soft sigh, Melanie could do nothing but lie across the spacious cushioned seat of the carriage and do her best to rest for a bit. As she began to doze off, she thought back on why she had decided to uproot herself from the only place she’d ever lived and undertake this month-and-a-half-long journey to her new life.
She was attending the party of one Jezebel Murphy, a well-known socialite and longtime friend of Melanie’s aunt, Victoria. Melanie felt uneasy about accepting the invitation, especially given who her date was. She’d been convinced to come with Edward Brighton, the man her aunt had been suspiciously eager for Melanie to spend extra time with for the last few months. There was nothing really wrong with him at first glance. He was reasonably handsome and wealthy enough to guarantee a comfortable living. He was a fantastic choice of suitor and would be considered a catch by many women. But Melanie was not hurting for money, and wealth alone was no reason to marry.
As she made her way down the hall toward the privy, she heard the sound of a light giggle coming from further down the hall. It seemed some merry partygoers had decided to sneak away to have a bit of fun in private. Normally, Melanie wouldn’t pay it any attention and simply continue on her way, but there was something familiar about the male voice she heard speak softly in reply. Edward had excused himself earlier, and it seemed she had just discovered why.
Right before she darted into a nearby empty room, she caught sight of Edward standing with a woman Melanie didn’t recognize. It was obvious that the two knew one another, especially given how close they stood. She knew it was Edward because his family insignia was etched on the back of his suit. The crest of the black raven on his back was impossible to confuse with any other family’s marking.
Indignation rose within Melanie, an angry blush beginning to burn her cheeks. He and her aunt had just spent the last week pestering her into coming to this incredibly stuffy party, and the first chance he got to slip away from her, he was getting familiar with another woman. Why even invite her if he could have just come with the other woman and save her the trouble?
“I don’t understand why you had to come with that Thompson girl. She’s been such a stick in the mud. She just stands there sulking while looking like she would rather be anywhere else,” the woman complained, causing Melanie’s cheeks to turn pink with shame.
“You bite your tongue,” Edward barked, the sound cracking through the air like a whip. “That woman is a white rose in the desert. With her family’s money and mine, I could retire early and be left to my favored pursuits. Are you telling me you don’t want to be one of those pursuits when that time comes?”
His voice was like the whisperings of the devil, and Melanie inhaled sharply. If Edward was so keen on this other woman, then she could continue to accompany him. Ducking quickly out of the room and treading as silently as she could, she made her way back toward the front door. Her friends had greeted her cheerfully, though Melanie only gave a hurried excuse of feeling ill before she exited. She needed time to process what she had just managed to overhear. Thankfully, the warm spring weather was pleasant that night, and Melanie spent her entire walk home with what Edward had said spinning in her mind.
Melanie woke with a start when the carriage suddenly lurched forward, peeking her head out the window and glancing around. The silence of the coachmen in front was odd to her since they had kept up a relatively consistent conversation most days. It was enough to cause her to worry.
She caught a brief glimpse of a sign that said Santa Fe in the distance. It was a rather simple sign that was slightly weathered from the constant sand blowing through, but the letters could still be read. It served as a reminder to Melanie that she was truly going along with her plan. She had successfully escaped from Edward, and for the first time in her life, she was on her own. She couldn’t contain her excitement.
Chapter 2
The early morning was not the preferred time of awakening for Peter Matherson. Most would describe the young sheriff as a hard-edged man, and his sharp tongue and firm will were legendary around the town of Santa Fe. Paired with his typically uncombed hair and his stone-gray eyes that seemed to pierce a person’s very soul, he was a recipe
for catching people’s attention. Gray wasn’t a typical eye color, and he’d heard his fair share of whispers about it in public.
His rough demeanor was one of many souvenirs he carried from his ex-outlaw days. Back when he was young and didn’t know any better, he had gotten into trouble running with a group of young men who quickly gained a reputation for being notorious criminals. They’d started with small crimes like picking pockets and occasionally robbing stagecoaches. However, as time had gone on, the scale and severity of their crimes began to grow.
His gang had spent months trying to plan out a bank robbery, and they all would have gotten away had one of his fellow members not been forced to betray them to the police. The memory was still somewhat bitter in his mind, and he’d promised himself that he would kill the man that had sold them out should they ever cross paths again.
The former sheriff, Michael, had taken on a nearly impossible task when he decided to take Peter under his wing. Peter had been just as surprised as everyone else when Michael had named him the new sheriff. His distrust of the law hadn’t abated that much in the time they’d been together.
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