by Indiana Wake
“We sure are. But she’s a pretty one, and I can’t help worrying.”
“For goodness sake, Josh Lacey, if you didn’t have something to worry about, you’d worry about not having something to worry about. Just let her be, she’s fine.”
“I reckon sons would be less of a torture to the mind though,” he said with a chuckle.
“Well, maybe we’ll find that out sooner rather than later,” Grace said teasingly.
“Maybe,” he said with a shrug.
While they hadn’t particularly been trying for another child in the last three years, Grace knew that they both felt a little disappointed that it hadn’t happened. And so, when she finally realized she was pregnant, it came as a great surprise.
For the second time in her life, the fact that she was expecting had almost passed her by. Grace realized that almost three months had gone by by the time it occurred to her and she had held onto the information for a week or two longer just to be on the safe side.
“No maybe about it.” She turned to face him, snaking her arms around his neck.
“No maybe? Are you telling me that…?”
“I’m trying to tell you that we are going to have a baby, my love, my Josh.”
“Are you sure?” he asked and looked absolutely amazed. “I mean, really sure?”
“I reckon I’m a few months gone. You know how it is with me, it takes me a while to catch on.”
“So, you really are sure,” Josh said, and his green eyes widened with joy. “I can’t believe it.” He put his arms around her waist and lifted her from the floor, twirling her about the yard.
“You’re pleased then?” she asked when he finally set her back down on her feet.
“I couldn’t be more pleased. And I didn’t really mean what I said. I don’t mind if we have a boy or a girl, just as long as you’re fine and the baby is fine. That’s all I want in the world. You, my girls, and my new baby.” His smile was so broad it looked set to split his face and Grace, with tears of happiness in her eyes, reached up to kiss him.
“I love you so much, Josh.”
“I love you too,” he said, and his eyes seemed to be shining also. “I sure am glad you answered my advertisement in the newspaper. I’d never have thought at the time that it would bring me here to this new life, to so much happiness.”
“I guess that’s life, Josh. I reckon we all have to know sadness at some point, but maybe that’s the thing that makes the happiness so much sweeter, so much more precious. It’s like sunshine after the rain, a new dawn after the long night, you gave me love after the deepest despair. You gave me a second chance and a love to last a lifetime.”
“My sweet Grace. You gave me back my daughter and if that wasn’t enough you showed me what love can be. You have made me the happiest man alive and I love you more than life itself.” He embraced her tightly once more before pulling back and kissing her sweet lips.
Grace melted into his arms as tears of joy flooded her eyes, how could she have been so lucky the second time around?
Christmas Hope and Redemption Preview
Grace’s eyes opened a little wider, and she sat up in bed. Surely that was the sound of a cry out there in the storm. Grace ground her fists into her eyes, then wondered why she had done such a thing. Normally a person would only do that when trying to rub the sleep from their eyes and wake themselves up; yet Grace had, as usual, not been asleep.
The habit of not dropping into slumber before midnight had become ingrained and Grace wished for all the world that she could shake it. By midnight, she was simply exhausted and fell into a horribly deep sleep, night after night. It was the deep sleep of exhaustion which made Grace feel so terribly groggy the next day. Every single day, it took until midday for Grace to fully feel like herself again. By nine o’clock at night, she was wide awake. By midnight, exhaustion would creep in and take her once more.
Every night, Grace tried to get to the root of her restlessness and, every night, found that the very act of searching was making things worse. Top of her list was usually Grace’s new husband, Dempsey. Would they ever find each other... find love in such a marriage as the one they had made for themselves?
Dempsey seemed to Grace to be a perfectly decent man and more than she could ever have hoped for when she answered the matrimonial advertisement in the Montana County Newspaper. Dempsey’s subsequent letters to her led Grace to believe that he was an intelligent, kind and good man, and he had never done anything to persuade her otherwise. And yet, there seemed to be something missing in their marriage, and Grace could not quite put her finger on exactly what that was. As she once again laid in the darkness and watched the fall of moonlight across the blankets on her lonely bed, Grace wondered if she truly had a right to any more than God had already seen fit to provide her with.
At only twenty-years-old, Grace and her twin sister, Hope, had sworn to their Daddy on his deathbed that they would find men to marry immediately. Both girls, thoroughly heartbroken, had been unable to do anything other than make their solemn vow.
“Tell your Daddy, now, girls,” Jacob Valentine had almost choked out his last few sentences on God’s earth. “Please.”
“Oh, Daddy.” Grace had sobbed, dropping her bright blonde head onto her father’s chest. Hope had begun to weep too, and Grace felt her heart doubly broken. “Don’t go, Daddy. Don’t leave us,” Grace had continued on her knees almost begging their pa not to leave.
“Now you know I cannot do that, child. The Good Lord has seen fit to take me now, and it is not my place to argue with Him... nor is it yours.” Jacob reached out with both hands and laid them weakly on each of his daughters. “But I need to go to my maker knowing that all will be well here with you, my girls. Now you answer those adverts your Daddy circled for you. Do it soon, won’t you? Tell me you will.”
“Yes, Daddy,” They chorused in time.
“Because I had a good feeling about them as I read them. I felt the Lord Himself guiding me to find the right men for my girls.”
“But Daddy…” Grace hadn’t known how she would finish the sentence; she simply had nothing to say.
“No buts, Grace. I haven’t had enough time on this earth. Not enough to earn enough money to keep my daughters safe... not for long enough for you to let love come to you in its own sweet time. You’ll have to do it this way, my children, for the sake of your survival. But if you go into it with open hearts, just like your ma did with me, you’ll find the happiness we had. God didn’t give your ma nor me long on this earth, but he gave us the most precious gifts he can give; love and beautiful children. If you walk through this world with your hearts open, love will come, even where you think it won’t. Even if you can’t see it at first, it’ll be there, waiting in the wings for you.”
“We’ll do it, Daddy,” Hope said, the first of the twins to steal herself for what must surely come.
“That’s my girl.” Jacob’s breath was growing ever shorter. “And you, my dear, sweet Grace? Will you join your sister in sending your Daddy more peacefully on to the next part of his journey?”
“Of course I will, Daddy,” Grace had sobbed.
“Then you know what to do. Take the adverts I have circled in the county papers, and you write to them both. I know you’ll be in different towns, but you’ll still be close enough. Only twelve short miles will separate you. It was as close as I could get you both with the advertisements that stood out as good enough for my girls.” Jacob began to cough again, so loud and dry that it sounded as if his frail chest was being torn in two. Jacob had always been as strong as an ox, but a lifetime down in the mines had seen to it that his lungs and strength went the same way as those of most other miners; and in short time, too.
From that moment on, neither of the Valentine girls left their father’s side until he finally passed, mercifully peacefully, some hours later.
The girls had slept together that night in Grace’s room. The doctor was going to be out to them first thing in the
morning, and the arrangements for burying their father would soon be made.
“We have to do it, Grace. We promised Daddy.” Hope had spoken out in the darkness, whispering, just in case her sister was already asleep.
“I know, Hope,” Grace said, her already sore eyes filling with tears once more. “You know, Daddy always works things out for the best. I don’t want to marry a man I don’t love, or don’t even know, but Daddy knew well that there just isn’t enough money to keep us here while we pray that love comes along.”
“I know. But we’ll always have each other; even twelve miles won’t really separate us... not in our hearts, will it, Grace?”
“Never, sister. One way or the other we will find a way to stay close.”
It had been true; the twelve miles had only separated the sisters in a physical sense. Every day, each sister poured the contents of her day onto cheap writing paper, and every day, a letter was mailed from each to the other. They left nothing out; they were twins and so close to each other that they might just as well have been one person. In the six months since their father had died and they had married the men of his choosing, never a day had gone by in which the sisters had not communicated every minute of their day and every hope and fear for the future.
In the end, Grace had found herself in the most stable of the two matches. Hope’s husband’s health had been failing long before he had made his advertisement. A miner, just like their daddy, and several years older than Hope, Grace found the worry of this stranger’s health and with it the security of her sister yet one more thing to keep her awake into the small hours.
Dempsey Fenner, Grace’s own husband, had no such health concerns. He was one of the lucky ones, owning his own ranch and spending every day of his working life in the fresh air; above ground, rather than below it.
On the day that Grace had stepped off the small wagon train which had borne her from the town of Linville, eight miles away, to her new home in Ragged Plains, she had sensed the very freshness of the air. The wagon train had been the cheapest way to travel, and Grace had found a young woman in similar circumstances with whom to share the journey. They had talked shyly at first of their reasons for traveling on the wagon train, but very quickly came to open up to one another. Grace knew it was their shared fear and sadness which had brought the two young women so close, so quickly. When the wagon train had finally arrived in Ragged Plains the following day, Grace had bid a tearful farewell to the young woman, and each had expressed genuine good wishes for the other’s future happiness. How fear made great friends of us all!
Dempsey Fenner had met Grace off the wagon train in the small town of Ragged Plains. As soon as the wagon had drawn to a halt, Grace’s eyes flew to the man she knew in her heart must be Dempsey Fenner. He had been sitting against a wall outside the stagecoach office, and he had a kind of apprehensive look about him; he looked as Grace herself felt.
In truth, when she first looked upon him, Grace had been somewhat relieved. Although she was not a shallow woman, nor did she believe that a handsome face meant kindness and good manners were part of the package, at least Dempsey Fenner was not a man she would struggle to find an attraction to.
As Dempsey had risen to his feet, running his palms on his thighs as he did so, Grace could see that he was tall and strong. He had the typical physique of a well-exercised rancher, and his golden tan and lightened hair spoke much of the time he, no doubt, spent out of doors. Dempsey was a lean man, but broad and muscular, and he seemed to radiate health. Coming from a town where men were mostly sacrificed to mining, Grace could spot good health a mile away.
Once again, Dempsey rubbed his hands on the thick fabric of his trousers, and Grace suddenly realized that he was drying his palms; so, he was as nervous as she was herself. Understandably, she thought, since their very next stop was to be the small chapel which lay somewhere in that tiny town. Grace had been relieved and terrified to think that she would meet and marry Dempsey Fenner all in the one day; probably within a matter of hours, in all likelihood. Of course, that she would not enter her new home until she was a married woman seemed entirely the right thing to Grace and yet, somehow, it made her afraid. If she did not like the man, there would be no second chance. But, of course, there already was no second chance. This was it. Grace no longer had a home or family to whom she could return. She would have to rely on her father’s choice and the good Lord’s will to see herself secure and happy.
Hope had been the first to go. John Cronin had been keen that Hope made her way to him as soon as possible. Hope’s bravery and determined belief in her own future happiness had been a pure and beautiful example to Grace who prayed for her sister's happiness with all her heart and hoped that she herself had acted with the same dignity and fortitude on her own journey.
As Grace had made her way to the door of the wagon, Dempsey had hurried over.
“Miss Valentine?” he ventured, and his hopeful look as he appraised the pretty young Grace was not at all lost on her. It had made her smile and flush a little.
“Yes. Mr. Fenner?” she asked, knowing that it must surely be him.
“It’s nice to finally meet you, ma’am,” he said, slightly lifting the broad-brimmed and rather battered hat. “Here. Take my hand.” He offered the hand and smiled as he helped Grace down from the wagon. Once down, Dempsey took the small wooden trunk which the driver handed down to him, and waited a moment as if he expected more luggage.
“Oh, that is all, Mr. Fenner,” Grace said, a little embarrassed. “Just the trunk and this bag I am carrying. I’m afraid I do not have much by way of possessions.”
“Well, I do, Miss Valentine, so you will want for nothing.” And curiously, he tipped his hat again. Not knowing how to respond, Grace simply smiled and nodded at him.
“Are you still happy for us to call in on the minister on the way to the ranch?” Dempsey asked, his eyebrows raised in an anxious question.
“Of course, Mr. Fenner.” Grace smiled at him. He really was very handsome, and his manners seemed so very nice. Giving a silent prayer of thanks, Grace added an extra prayer that Dempsey Fenner was all that he so far seemed to be. Linville had been a tough little town to be raised in, and she had seen her fair share of brutal husbands, not to mention brutalized wives. A shudder ran through her.
“You could call me Dempsey, maybe?” he said, a little shyly.
“Of course. Dempsey.” Grace continued to smile, although the thought that she would be married within the hour was making her feel a little dry-mouthed and light-headed. “And you must call me Grace,” she responded in kind.
“Well, shall we, Grace?” Dempsey held out his arm for her to take and walked her the few steps to his own wagon. Once he had helped her into it, Dempsey picked up her small wooden trunk and loaded it onto the back step, strapping it down securely before they set off.
The chapel had been but a few minutes’ drive from where Dempsey had picked her up and when they drew up outside, Grace’s heart was beating so fast that she felt almost too weak to make her way along the aisle. It was all happening too fast. As she walked up the aisle, holding a small posy that Dempsey had handed to her in the wagon, Grace felt almost as if she were in a dream. This was a sweet man, and he had taken such care to make her feel special... but it was only three weeks beforehand, that she had made her dreadful promise to her dying father and now, there she was, seconds away from marrying a stranger.
The ceremony passed by in a daze. Grace could feel the blood rushing in her ears. It was so strong that she hardly heard a word. Occasionally she would wobble on her feet, and for the first time in her life, she wondered if she would swoon. What would her new husband think?
After the ceremony, they had walked out of the near-empty chapel hand in hand. The only people in attendance were curious townsfolk, all keen to get a first look at the out-of-town bride, and a pleasant-faced young man whom Dempsey had introduced as Grant Hawkins. Grace had been barely able to take anything in, fearin
g that she might faint away at any moment. She prayed to God that He would keep her upright until she got back into the wagon; above all things, she did not want to shame herself or her new husband by falling down right there in front of the minister and the gossipers of Ragged Plains.
In any event, she had made it through in once piece and had gratefully retaken her seat in the wagon.
“Are you alright, Grace?” Dempsey had asked, looking into her pale face as he climbed into the wagon beside her.
“Oh yes, thank you, Mr.…I mean, Dempsey. I’m perfectly alright.” But she had known that he realized she was anything but alright. His face dropped a little, almost as if he was somehow disappointed in her reaction to her sudden nuptials.
There seemed to be something between them suddenly, and Grace could not quite make out what that was. Dempsey remained as polite and thoughtful as he had been the very moment he had helped her down from the wagon train, and yet somehow there was a barrier there. Of course, Grace did not really know the man at all, so she reasoned that she could not really have known such a thing; and yet she did. She felt it like an invisible wall that had grown between them.
The road out of Ragged Plains seemed to Grace to be an awfully long one. Clearly, Dempsey’s ranch was a way out of the little town, and Grace felt a sudden sense of isolation dropping onto her shoulders like a shroud. As far as she knew from his letters, only Dempsey lived at the ranch, with his friend Grant being his closest neighbor. If Dempsey was to be out on his ranch most days, Grace could not help but wonder if she might not be lonely. How she longed to see Hope’s face and curl up in one of their little beds together, telling stories and giggling into the late night, their father calling out that they should both be asleep.
By the time they had reached Dempsey’s ranch, Grace was struggling to hide the tears of grief and fear which had begun to fall.
“Well, this is home, Grace,” Dempsey said, his tone bright and hopeful. “I hope you’ll be……” He had turned and, seeing her tear soaked face, his tone had wavered. “Very happy here,” he finished, looking away from her and out sadly towards his home.