Wally’s nerves were on fire as the train pulled up alongside the station platform. He stepped back as the massive iron vessel came to a slow, screeching halt.
Moments later, he heard the doors in front of him open. Small bags in hand, passengers came out one by one, their gazes darting back and forth, looking for whoever was meeting them. Others began to step out to stretch their legs before going on to the next stop.
“The train will depart for Fort Worth in twenty minutes,” a train conductor announced as he strolled up and down the platform.
After several long minutes, Wally caught a glimpse of his mother through a window. Father walked right behind her, looking to be having a conversation with the man behind him. Wally waited near the steps to take his mother’s hand as she disembarked.
“Wallace!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him she kissed him softly on a cheek. Tears glistened in her travel-weary eyes.
“Mother.” Wally held her tight, watching his father step down from the train and walk up to them. “Father, I trust the journey wasn’t too difficult.”
“Wally.” His father grasped his hand, pulling him into his arms. “You have found Thomas?
Wally stepped out of his father’s embrace, glancing down at his mother.
“Let’s get you settled in at the Grand first,” he offered, then gave instructions to have his parents bags brought to the Grand Hotel.
“This seems like a nice town,” Elenore Baldwin remarked as they passed the store fronts. “I can see why Thomas would come here to settle.”
“Humph! There hasn’t been a lawman in town for months until today.” Lee Baldwin pointed toward the tall, lanky man striding quickly toward the sheriff’s office. “I would say the town has been running on borrowed time.”
“Yes, Blessings Valley has been waiting for Owen Rawlings to arrive,” Wally commented, thinking to himself that the sheriff could be his future boss if that’s what the fates decided. “Believe it or not, it is very peaceful here. They take care of each other, Father.”
“A rarity,” Lee answered, strolling alongside his wife.
“Oh my!” Elenore exclaimed as the Grand Hotel came into sight. “Such extravagance for a frontier town. Are you staying there as well, Wally?”
“No, Mother, my tastes are more suited to the boardinghouse just over there.” Wally chuckled. “You’ll find Blessings Valley is anything but a frontier town described in the papers.”
As expected, Willa stood on her porch, her gaze pinning him down. She was just as curious as the others peeking out of windows were as to who the strangers were with the Pinkerton agent who asked too many questions.
“I’ve arranged to have a light lunch ready. I suspected you might be hungry and would need to get your land legs back,” Wally said as they ascended the steps of the hotel.
“Good thinking, son. I’ll check us in, Elle,” Lee instructed, leaving Wally alone for the moment with his mother.
“I know you have questions, Mother.” Wally patted her hand, hoping to chase away the sadness that had been building in her kind eyes. “I will tell you what I know of the accident over lunch.”
“Then can we…” Elle began.
“Yes.” Wally nodded, knowing she longed to say her final goodbyes to her eldest son.
As his father checked them in, Wally escorted his mother through the dining room and out onto the back veranda leading to the Grand’s garden. The gasp of delightful surprise brought a small smile to his face.
“This is lovely, simply lovely,” Elle remarked, holding a hand to her heart. “Who would have thought such beauty would be found west of the Mississippi?”
“I assure you, Mrs. Hamilton and Mr. Raines worked hard to make sure the hotel guests found a serene place to sit while in Blessings Valley. Mrs. Hamilton is one of the widows who lost her husband in the mining accident. She owns the dress shop you saw as we came in, and Mr. Raines, the hotel owner, is her betrothed.” Wally took his mother’s elbow and escorted her to the gazebo where a pitcher of iced tea with lemon already waited for them.
Wally’s father bound down the steps and across the garden lawn as they were taking their seats. His face, although older than Wally last remembered, seemed less strained. Maybe news of Thomas had finally eased some of the guilt he imagined ravaged his father’s soul.
“Now, tell us what news you have of Thomas,” Lee said, taking a chair next to his wife.
“Thomas is buried here in the cemetery behind the church just on the outskirts of town.” Wally swallowed back the lump in his throat. “He is buried alongside the other miners who lost their lives that day as well. They were his friends.
“He and…” Wally paused for a moment then quickly decided not to say anything about Vera just yet. “Best I can gather, he arrived here just before Christmas.”
“I need to see him, Wally,” Elle whispered, her eyes pleading with her youngest son.
Wally reached across the table, covering his mother’s shaking hand with his own.
“I knew you would. As soon as we have eaten, I’ll take you both out there,” Wally assured, a soothing tone to his words. “There is more I need to tell you.
“Blessings Valley is very protective of the town’s people. From what I have been told, Thomas was well respected here, even though they only been here for a short time. He worked hard, good at his job and a good provider.”
“Wait! You said ‘they’. What or who are ‘they’?” Lee asked as a plate of finger sandwiches and a small bowl of potato salad was placed on the table.
“Tell Mrs. Hamilton thank you.” Wally smiled, avoiding eye contact with his parents.
“Wallace, who are ‘they?’” his father demanded.
“I’m sure he means the group of miners he came to town with, Lee,” Elle commented, her hands now under the table on her lap.
Taking a deep breath, Wally sat back in his chair. Suddenly the thought of eating didn’t sound like a good idea, to any of them. The plate of sandwiches were untouched, and the glasses sat empty.
He glanced first at his father, surprised by the longing in his eyes and not the anger he’d last seen in them. Then he looked at his mother. Her eyes brimmed with sadness and tears just below the surface. How could he not tell them about Vera and the baby? He’d do anything to see the light of happiness back in his mother’s eyes.
“Thomas,” he began swallowing another lump in his throat. “Thomas left behind a young wife who is with child. Thomas went to his grave not knowing he was going to be a father.”
Vera sat in silence on the grass in front of her late husband’s headstone. She didn’t know how to tell him, the man she’d promised to be faithful to in front of God, that another man had evoked feelings in her. Worse yet, that the other man was his brother, Wally.
Or was her dilemma more with coming to terms at her own realization of her feelings?
In the short time she’d come to know Wally, she found her feelings for him had grown without realizing it. Not seeing his smiling face and kind eyes for days had left her with a sensation something was missing in her life. Could that something be Wally?
Those light blue eyes that at first reminded her of Thomas, when now she saw only Wally in them. A kind and gentle soul of a man who would never be cross or unloving. A man she would always be safe with. A man who would care for her and her baby. How had she been so blind not to see him?
She had no one but herself to blame for his absence. Willa had been right. Wally came here to do a job. He didn’t know Thomas had a wife, any more than she knew of his family.
Not until a few days ago.
“Thomas, what am I to do?” she cried softly. “I fear I have turned family—your brother—away. I took my anger toward you out on Wally.”
Trust in God, Vera. Wally will not be far from you. I know my little brother. Your tears will dry and happiness will live in your heart again.
Vera stilled at the sound of approaching footfalls upon the grass
and whispered words she could barely distinguish.
“Wally, who is that woman?”
“Thomas’s wife, Mother.”
Mother? Vera’s head turned at the woman’s gasp of surprise. Not more than a few steps behind Wally stood a man and woman with disbelief on their faces. The woman held a hanky in her hand. The man gripped her elbow to steady her.
Wally kept walking toward her. His eyes glued to her. His expression full of concern.
“Vera?” Wally’s soothing voice and the touch of his hand on her shoulder drew her half-heartedly to him. “Is everything all right?”
She managed to nod her head, her eyes focused on the couple planted a few yards from her. Wally took her hand, helping her to stand as his companions finally moved closer.
“Vera, these are my parents—Elenore and Lee Baldwin.” Wally’s arm kept her tucked safely beside him. “Mother, Father. This is Thomas’s wife, Vera.”
Vera’s hand instinctively covered her belly. Her baby kicked as if she knew something important was happening.
“And his baby,” Wally finished as his mother rushed forward, crushing Vera in her arms.
“Oh my dear, if we had known!” Elle gushed, tears flowing down her cheeks.
Vera intuitively fell into her mother-in-law’s arms. The love pouring out of the woman covered Vera with hope.
Hope for the future.
15
“Vera, why don’t we give them a chance to grieve and say goodbye,” Wally quietly suggested slipping his hand around her elbow.
Vera looked up at him and smiled. “Of course.” She nodded, letting Wally walk her back toward the church.
His heart cracked when the soft weeping of his mother’s sorrow reached his ears. And then the howl of loss from his father broke it completely. Wally’s heart lay in pieces inside his chest. There was nothing he could do to ease the pain his parents were going through. Only time could do that.
“Let’s wait for them inside,” Wally suggested, guiding Vera up the steps and through the church doors. Choosing a pew close to the entrance, he waited as Vera slid in before he took the place next to her.
“How long have they been here?” Vera asked, her voice full of held back tears.
“They arrived this morning,” Wally answered softly. He sat as close to her as he dared without his clothing touching her in any way. “I didn’t tell you they were coming because I didn’t want to upset you any more than I already had.”
“That’s why you stayed away?” Vera asked, her head bowed and hands folded gently over her belly.
He smiled, wondering if the baby was moving. Did he know what was happening in the world he was yet to come into? Did he know that there was endless love waiting for him even now?
Did the baby know Wally wanted nothing more than to be his father?
“Yes.” Taking a deep breath, Wally closed his eyes. “I didn’t want to spring my parents on you like this. I hadn’t expected you to be here today. I thought—”
“I’d be home.” Vera touched his hand and all doubt he had disappeared.
“Yes.” Wally caressed the top of her hand with his thumb. The warmth of her skin and the intimacy of the simple action was oddly soothing. “I had hoped to give them time to grieve and say their piece before telling them about you. But that didn’t happen either. Seems I’ve had a slip of the tongue numerous times since I’ve been in Blessings Valley.”
Vera smiled up at him, and his heart slowly began to piece itself together. How could a woman have such power over a man with the simple act of a smile? Not just any woman; this woman.
The woman he’d give up everything for as long as he lived.
“I think that is why the town is called Blessings Valley,” Vera whispered softly, placing his hand on her belly. “For every tragedym there is a blessing to replace it, Wally. Can you feel her?”
The sensation of movement under the barrier of skin caught him by surprise. His hand flickered a bit, but Vera held it gently in place.
A moment in time that needed no words when silence said mountains of them.
A moment of intimacy shared.
A moment of where two people connected by family felt life.
“I believe you are right,” Wally whispered, searching for words that wouldn’t make him sound like an idiot. “If not for the mining accident, we would not have found you and the baby. If not for Thomas’s death, I would not have—”
The door creaked open. Sunlight brightened the inside of the church.
His parents.
His next words echoed in his mind—fallen in love with you and the baby I’ve just met.
Another blessing?
Lee and Elle Baldwin walked slowly down the aisle to the front of the church then slid into a pew. They sat quietly next to each other, heads bowed in prayer.
Watching Lee and Elle Baldwin, Vera listened to the soft murmurs they made. She could only imagine how they felt. As Thomas’s widow, she knew her loss all too well. But as a parent, she never wanted to find out what that loss felt like.
Wally sat very still beside her. His hand wrapped warmly around hers. Glancing over at him, she saw a tear in the corner of his eye.
As a brother, he’d already felt the grief of losing Thomas. As a son, Vera was sure he was feeling his parents’ grief now.
And although she was yet to know them, Vera felt a great loss as well. The loss of years not having the chance to get to know Thomas’s family.
Elle rose then turned to face Vera. An unspoken understanding formed between them. They needed to get to know each other away from the eyes and ears of Blessings Valley.
Wally’s hand was still wrapped around hers when he stood. Together they waited as Elle walked toward them, Lee a step or two behind her.
Dried tears stained a trail over Elle’s cheeks. Her eyes, the same blue as her sons, brimmed with red. Yet she managed a kind smile for Vera.
“Mrs. Baldwin, would you and your husband like to come home with me?” Vera asked surprised at herself. What was it about this family that made her do or say things without thinking them through?
“Please, call me Elle. Yes, I think I’d like that,” Elle nodded as her husband grabbed her elbow and led her out the door.
“Are you sure about this?” Wally asked, stepping aside for her to slide out of the pew.
“Yes, Wally. I believe it is what Thomas would have wanted…if he had the chance,” Vera smiled, then followed her new found family out of the church and onto the path to her home.
They walked the short distance to Vera’s home together in silence. Her mind quickly taking inventory of her pantry. Was there enough food to feed everyone?
Coffee. Canned meat. Flour. Sugar. Apples. Spices.
Yes, she’d be able to make a meal big enough for everyone, if need be. But to begin with, they’d all need plenty of coffee. Vera had a feeling it would be a long afternoon.
“Please, do come in,” Vera opened the door to her small, but functional home. “It isn’t much compared to what you may be used to, but it is home.”
“I am sure it is quite lovely,” Elle assured, squeezing Vera’s hand as she passed over the threshold followed closely by Lee.
“Don’t worry, Vera. Everything’s going to work out just fine, you’ll see,” Wally promised, following her into the house.
Vera nodded, then went straight to the stove and picked up the coffee pot.
“I’ll start the coffee. Please make yourself comfortable,” she said, going to the pantry for her tin of grounds. Reaching for the can, she took a deep breath to steady her pounding heart.
Would she be able to answer all of their questions? Would they answer any she might have about Thomas?
What if after all was said and done, they decided to turn her away? What would happen to her and the baby?
You are worrying for no reason. They love you without knowing you, Vera. They’ll love our child more than you could ever imagine.
“Vera?
” Wally’s voice, so close to her, settled the uncertainty in her mind.
She turned and her gaze met deep concern in his eyes and something else. Something she hadn’t seen in many months. Love? Could it be Wally was in love with her?
“I’m…I’m fine,” she said. With sweaty hands, she handed him the tin.
“Let me make the coffee. You go and talk with my parents,” Wally suggested, leaving her alone in the pantry for a moment.
She had to be imagining what she saw. Wally couldn’t possibly be in love with her. She was his brother’s widow. His sister-in-law.
Remember, we hardly knew each other when we fell in love. Or have you forgotten?
She hadn’t forgotten but was it possible to find love twice in a lifetime, she wondered, as hope seeped into her heart.
Yes, anything is possible. You just need to open your heart, my love.
“I’ll promise to open my heart, Thomas,” Vera whispered, as she turned to leave the privacy of the pantry.
When she came out, Lee was sitting at the table with a faraway expression on his face. Elle stood at the fireplace, holding their framed wedding picture in her hands.
“He looks so happy and full of love,” Elle said, her eyes caressing the photo. “Was he happy, Vera?”
“Yes, we both were,” Vera answered, slowly approaching her mother-in-law. “We loved each other from the moment we first set eyes on one another.”
“Tell us about our son, please, Vera.” Elle held the photograph to her chest as she took a seat at the table, showing it to her husband.
Vera glanced first at Thomas’s parents then at Wally. He nodded then sat in one of two empty chairs at the table. Her heart pounded. Her nerves quaked. But it was the subtle movement of her baby that gave her the courage she needed.
“Alright,” she smiled, sitting down in the chair across from Thomas’s parents. “A few years ago, a tall, dashing man rode onto my father’s ranch…”
For the next few hours, Vera told them everything about her life with Thomas. She answered his mother’s questions. Assured his father Thomas was a successful man.
Vera (Widows of Blessings Valley Book 2) Page 11