The afternoon brought with it warm rays of sunshine that melted away any reminder of yesterday’s storm. For the first time Hannah could ever remember, her father had instructed the ranch hands to take the day off, with a full day’s pay, and had declared it an official family holiday.
Hannah had donned a simple light blue calico dress with dark piping, white sleeves, and minimal lace—opting for comfort over style. Despite the chillier weather, the men had put together a picnic by the lake. It was not unusual for them as most of her brothers enjoyed one aspect of cooking or another.
As she strolled into the kitchen, the room was already alive with both men and women working together to cook and pack food into several baskets, boxes, and trays. The mixture of smells floating in the air tempted her into snatching a slice of bacon from just under Lottie’s nose.
“I saw that.” Eli’s warm breath on her neck mixed with his rich baritone voice sent gooseflesh down her arms. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell if you won’t.” He leaned onto the counter in front of her, popping a slice of the salted meat into his mouth.
Hannah giggled. “I was hoping you’d returned.” She reached down and slipped her hand in his. “Come on,” she said, “we’re going to need a lot of blankets.” She dragged him into the hallway and opened the two wardrobes. “Make sure you grab the outdoor quilts. My mother would not be very happy with us if we spread her indoor quilts on the ground.”
“And how do I tell the difference?”
Hannah pulled one of the patchwork denim quilts from the wardrobe in front of her and held up the edge.
Eli stood directly behind her and looked over her shoulder.
“See how this one has a simple L-shape sewn into each of the corners?”
“You mean that V there?” He pointed to the same symbol.
She looked up at him, his smile contagious as he teased.
“How many of these blankets will we need?”
Generally, they had three or four people to each one, so she stopped and counted how many people in her family.
“I’d say four, maybe five.”
Eli opened the wardrobe opposite her and began lifting the corners of them for inspection.
“I’ve got one here,” he called out as he draped a green and blue patchwork quilt over his arm. “And another.”
“And, I’ve got two over here,” she said. “And, it’s a race for the last one.”
“Got it, for the victory!” Eli said, spinning around, his eyes barely visible over the pile. “These are deceivingly heavy,” he added.
Hannah hadn’t thought about his shoulder. She set her two blankets down on the back of the couch, then relieved Eli of those in his arms and stacked them on top of hers. It didn’t take long before they all toppled over onto the seat cushions in a misshapen pile.
“Don’t we need to take them out and load them into the wagon?”
She shook her head as she passed him on her way back into the kitchen. “I’ll just get Cole and Alaric to do it. Though, we probably should fold them again first.”
“Come back here,” he said with a laugh, reaching out and capturing her hand in his.
She spun around, her arm twisted behind her back and he pulled her up against him. Hannah’s eyes flitted to his mouth, so dangerously close to hers she could almost taste him as he bent down ever so slowly until his lips finally descended on hers in the sweetest, most delicious kiss.
He broke away, but did not release his grip on her. “I’ve been wanting to do that all afternoon,” he said with another brief peck before he released her with a wink.
Hannah had built up the romanticism of stolen kisses in her head for so long, but none of those dreams could have prepared her for real life.
“Come on,” she said, “help me fold these quilts.”
It didn’t take long to complete their new task. Hannah was impressed at Eli’s folding precision.
“It’s like you’ve done this before,” she said.
“Only a million times. My mother is pretty particular about how she likes things done. Folded quilts are one of those things.”
Hannah stacked the blankets on the couch, but before she could protest, Eli slipped his good arm beneath them all and only supported the load with his injured arm.
“I’ll join you as soon as I get these loaded,” he said, bending down with another quick kiss. “I could get used to that.” He traipsed out toward one of the hitched wagons and Hannah pulled back the curtains on the window to watch as he deposited the blankets neatly in the back.
“Me too,” Hannah whispered, dragging her bottom lip between her teeth.
As she was about to drop the curtain, a buckboard pulled through the drive. She glanced over at the old grandfather clock on the wall in front of the study.
Quarter of one.
Mr. de Clare was expected at any time now, but she had a hard time imagining Maeve’s wealthy father arriving in something so plain. As the driver drew closer, she could make out Mr. Day. She guessed he was here on delivery, but thought it odd when Eli raised a hand in greeting.
As the owner of the General Store pulled through the yard, he pulled the wagon up alongside the one Eli loaded, effectively blocking her view. She shifted her position, but it was to no avail.
The men talked for a few minutes before Mr. Day turned his cart about and drove away.
When an empty-handed Eli glanced toward the house, Hannah quickly dropped the curtain and rushed back into the kitchen where several boxes and baskets were now filled with Lottie’s Tortilla Española, breads and jams, salted meats, cheeses, bottled fruits, and several seasonal vegetables that hadn’t been damaged in last night’s frost.
It would be nice to get away from the house and the ranch. At first, she’d wondered why they didn’t just have the picnic on the other side of their pond, but now, she was grateful for her father’s insight.
“Aunt Hannah,” Lukie called as the back door opened and Grace walked inside with the baby and youngster both in her arms.
Hannah reached out and took the boy from his mother.
Ethan leaned over and kissed her. “Would you like me to take him?” he asked, reaching out for his youngest son.
“Yes, please. I think he needs some Daddy time.” Grace looked relieved to have a change of scenery as she pushed up her sleeves and jumped right in where Ethan had left off wrapping the tray of sliced cheeses in cloth.
Hannah glanced around the room at her family. The only thing that would have made this day more complete would have been if Tag, Levi, Will, and their wives and families could have been there with them.
Raine had gone into town with the undertaker, but promised to join them as soon as he’d spoken with the sheriff. Thoughts of Archie and Mirabelle’s father lying lifeless at the bottom of the tree would be an image forever engraved in her mind, but she pushed all thoughts of yesterday’s unpleasantries aside to make room for whatever today would bring.
After their discussion this morning, Maeve had talked to her husband, and together, they’d decided to adopt Archie and Mirabelle and make them a part of their family. Hannah couldn’t have been more pleased.
Knock. Knock.
That had to be Mr. de Clare.
“I’ll get it,” Hannah said, rushing quickly out of the kitchen and through the living room to open the door.
She wasn’t sure what she had expected of Maeve’s father, but the rather dapper man standing before her was handsome and refined, his face kind, but there was a sadness, an emptiness in his eyes.
“Mr. de Clare, it is a pleasure to meet you, sir,” Hannah said, then took a step away from the threshold. “Won’t you come in.”
“Miss Redbourne, I assume,” he said, removing his topper hat as he entered.
“Yes, sir.”
“Thank you for granting me an audience.”
“Mr. de Clare,” her father said, striding across the room with his hand extended, “Hannah informed us you would be calling this
afternoon. I hope you found your trip to be pleasant.”
“I find that the farther west I travel, the hospitality of my hosts is increased exponentially.”
“One of the many reasons we’ve stayed. Please, won’t you come in and have a seat?”
“May I take your hat, Mr. de Clare?” Hannah asked.
He nodded and handed it to her, then walked around to sit in the overstuffed arm chair at the edge of the room.
Hannah felt a light tug on the back of her skirt, and she smiled, reaching back to find Mirabelle hiding behind her. The little girl slipped her hand into Hannah’s and moved forward enough that she could see the gentleman who’d come to call. She looked up at her, then back at Mr. de Clare.
“Sir,” Hannah said, taking a step toward him, “may I present Miss Mirabelle Lowell.”
To her surprise, the little girl, her hand secured in Hannah’s stepped forward and curtsied.
“Hello,” she said. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Mr. de Clare scooted to the edge of his seat and leaned forward with a smile.
“Hello, Mirabelle,” he said. “And the pleasure is all mine.”
The little girl looked up at Hannah again and smiled.
Archie cleared his throat.
“And this,” Hannah held her other hand behind her, waiting for the boy to take it.
Instead, he stepped around her and stood directly in front of the man.
“My name is Archibald C. Lowell.” He stuck his arm straight out to shake his hand. “Mrs. Stillwell said that you are our grandfather, is that true?”
“Yes, Archibald, I do belie—”
Maeve walked into the room and Mr. de Clare jumped to his feet.
“Maeve?” the man said, a light catch in his voice, and a tear forming in his eye.
“Yes, Father, it’s me.”
He rushed forward and swept an unsuspecting Maeve up into his arms and held on.
“Oh, how I’ve missed you.”
At first, Maeve stood awkwardly with her arms to her sides, but only moments passed before she closed her eyes and fully embraced her father.
“I’ve been so wrong,” he said, pulling back from her, then tilting his head down meet her eyes. “Can you ever forgive an old man his trespasses?”
Tears streamed from Maeve’s eyes. She brushed at her cheeks and nodded.
“Father,” she said, then swallowed, “this is my husband, Brant.”
“Brant,” Mr. de Clare said, reaching down and taking the man’s hand in his. “Thank you for watching over my little girl.”
“You have a lot of catching up to do, so we’ll leave you alone,” Hannah said, releasing the children into their capable care. “You’ll probably be more comfortable in here.” She opened the door to her father’s study and the new little family filed inside.
Mr. de Clare paused at the door and turned to Hannah. “Thank you for making this possible for me, my dear.” He leaned forward and placed a light kiss on her cheek.
“I’m just pleased that you’ve found each other again. It was very nice to meet you. I hope we will be seeing a lot more of you.”
He looked over her shoulder at her father. “You might be surprised,” he said with a wink, then closed the door behind him.
Her father stepped forward and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
“You have become quite the lady, little girl.”
She nudged him lightly in the ribs, then winced when he groaned.
“Sorry.”
The front door opened and Eli stepped inside.
“Wagons are hitched, blankets are loaded, now, we’re just waiting on the food and the passengers.”
“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” her father said. “Let’s get going. I don’t know how much longer my stomach can hold out with all the delicious smells coming from the kitchen.”
Hannah laughed, meeting Eli’s eyes.
“I love you,” he mouthed.
She smiled.
Still, she couldn’t quite shake the odd feeling that there was something Eli wasn’t telling her.
Eli couldn’t stand the thought of keeping something from Hannah, but it would only be for a few more minutes, and the anticipation was eating a hole in his gut.
As they approached the sawmill, Mr. Wendell waited by the side of the gate.
“I’ll let you off here,” Ethan said, pulling the wagon to a halt.
Eli jumped down from the bed and turned back to look at Hannah.
“Come with me,” he cooed as he dropped the back gate of the wagon.
Hannah smiled.
He placed his hands around her waist and lifted her down.
She looked up at him, her eyes searching his, questioning him.
“Congratulations, Mr. Whittaker,” Mr. Wendell said, handing Eli a large metal ring with several keys on it. “I think you’ll be very happy here.” Without another word, the man climbed up into a small buggy and drove away.
“Eli, what is going on?”
He collected her hands in his. “I have never been happier in my entire life than I am when I am with you, my love. The last few days have been filled with many difficult choices, but when it came down to it, I knew there was only one choice for me.”
She stared at him, her lips curved slightly upward, but her brows scrunched inwardly.
“I knew I could never ask you to leave Stone Creek and I knew I could never be happy without you, so, I purchased Wendell’s entire estate, including the white farmhouse just at the top of that knoll,” he dropped her hands and placed an arm around her shoulder, “the abandoned Old Town Mill, and this working sawmill with the lake and the creek, several small forests, and all its outbuildings.”
“So..., you’re not leaving?”
“I couldn’t.” He shook his head. “Hannah Redbourne, I’ve come to realize that life is not what happens to you, it’s what you make of it.” He turned her around to face the dock where the majority of her family stood, holding each other, and smiling at them.
She raised her hand to her mouth.
“And I,” he said, reaching into his pocket where the little trinket box Mr. Day had delivered this afternoon sat, and moving in front of her and dropping to one knee as the knights of old, “I want to make a life with you. Here. If you’ll have me.” He opened the box and retrieved the beautifully crafted band set with three centrical pearls in a line surrounded by diamonds. “Marry me, Hannah.”
“I’ll marry you, Eli. Yes,” she said, reaching down, grabbing him by the shirt-collar, pulling him into a standing position as she grazed his lips with hers. “Oh, yes!”
He clenched his hands around the material at her back, pulling her close to him.
“I love you, Eli Whittaker,” she said, biting her lip.
He groaned, then leaned down to kiss her, but stopped just short.
“I love you, Hannah Redbourne.”
With a deep and satisfying breath, he glanced up, scanning their surroundings, excited about the prospect of finally finding the right place to build a life with the woman who held his heart.
“This. You,” he said returning his gaze to meet hers. “I’m home.”
His hands tightened in the folds of her dress, and he pulled her up to meet him as he lowered his head and kissed her. Hard.
I hope you enjoyed Hannah and Eli’s story. Before you go, please return to the book’s product page and leave a quick review. Click on the stars next to “Review this book.” Then, type in a header/title for your review. Below that is the section that says, “Write your review here.” Once you’ve written at least twenty words, click SUBMIT in the gray box at the bottom right.
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KELLI ANN MORGAN is a bestselling author whose western historical romance books have been downloaded over a quarter of a million times and maintain
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Kelli Ann lives in beautiful Northern Utah with her wonderfully creative and witty husband, her fun and imaginative teenage son, and two very playful cats. Before she started writing historical western romance, she worked as a photographer, jewelry designer, motivational speaker, corporate trainer and many other things, but has found fulfillment in living her dream of writing romance and designing book covers for herself and other authors.
She’s passionate about creating stories with handsome, chivalrous men, intelligent, strong women, and in a world where there is always a happily-ever-after. Her novels are highly romantic and on the sensual side of PG—without all the graphic love scenes.
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Watch for the Final Installment
The Lumberjack Page 23