To Love a Stranger (Wyoming Series Book 4)

by Colleen Coble

  Her grandmother went to her with soft clucking sounds of comfort, and the little girl held up her arms. She stared at Bessie and Jasper from the sanctuary of her grandmother’s arms soberly.

  Bessie thought her heart would break. How could Ruthie have forgotten them so quickly? It had only been six weeks. “Hello, darling,” she said softly. She touched her soft hair, then patted her cheek. “Have you forgotten me?”

  “Ma-ma-ma,” Ruthie chanted. She reached up a chubby hand and grasped an escaping tendril of Bessie’s hair.

  Tears of relief flooded Bessie’s eyes. Perhaps she hadn’t forgotten them totally. Did she think they had deserted her? She touched her soft cheek again, so engrossed in the baby, she didn’t hear Thomas come in until he spoke.

  “You have come.”

  She and Jasper both turned. Thomas stood in the doorway, his feet apart, his arms crossed on his chest.

  He gave Ruth a fond gaze. “You see she has adjusted well. I wanted to set your minds at ease before we go home.”

  “She looks happy,” Bessie said grudgingly. “She obviously loves her grandmother.”

  Thomas nodded. “She cried the first day, but then no longer. This will be the last time we meet. I wished you to see she was well. You love her and saved her from death. Now you can rest knowing she will be happy.”

  “Where are you going?” Jasper asked.

  “I cannot tell you,” Thomas said. “Wherever the Lord leads.”

  Bessie stared at him in shock. What did he mean? Her heart pounded in sudden hope. Her worst nightmare had been that Ruthie was going into spiritual darkness.

  He smiled at her expression. “I was raised by missionaries near the Colorado border,” he told her. “The Lord called me as His own when I was ten years old. I will do my best to raise my daughter in the ways of Jesus as we travel among my people to tell them of His love.”

  Tears flooded her eyes, and she gave Thomas her hand. “I can go now,” she said softly. “I was wrong to question God’s purposes. My faith was small. May God go with you.”

  He took her hand and pressed her fingers gently. “You allowed the Lord to work a miracle through you,” he said. “I will tell Ruth of the woman with the eyes of love who saved her from the desert. Your reward will be great in heaven.”

  Tears spurted from her eyes at his words. Had God truly used her? Was there some greater purpose in these events? Only God knew, but Bessie thanked Him for allowing her to have the joy of knowing Ruthie just those few short months.

  Jasper put an arm around her and led her from the shanty. They both took one long, last look at Ruth. She stared at them and then smiled at her grandmother.

  “Come, Bessie,” Jasper said softly. “There’s no need for us here.”

  Bessie’s arms were empty, but her heart was full as they rode home. She had been so foolish to doubt God’s provision and to question His will. She cast a sidelong glance at Jasper. The relief was evident on his face, too.

  §

  Although she still missed the baby, after several weeks Bessie was able to finally let go in her heart. She would accept God’s will. The walls came tumbling down in her relationship with Jasper, too, now that they were truly man and wife—more than just in name. The tender light in her husband’s eyes made her forget the disappointment she had seen there the day they met. Then something would remind her of Lenore, and she would still wonder how he would feel when he met her sister for the first time. They were certain to meet someday.

  “I’ll be gone all day,” Jasper told her one morning over breakfast. “We have a lead about Cochise’s whereabouts. There’s a dance at the officer’s quarters tonight. I’ll make sure I’m back to take my best girl out on the town. Such as it is.” He grinned at his own joke.

  “I’ll save every dance for you,” she told him.

  “We can eat at the mess hall tonight.” He kissed her good-bye, and she got up to wash the dishes. A wave of nausea struck her, and she rushed to the bedroom for the chamber pot. She vomited and sat back weakly. What was wrong with her? She felt so lightheaded. A sense of unease struck her, and she went to the kitchen and looked at the cloth calendar hanging on the wall. Counting back, she smiled incredulously. Today was her birthday, and she had forgotten all about it. If what she suspected were true, the Lord had presented them with the most perfect gift she could imagine.

  Doctor Richter confirmed her suspicions. “You’ll probably deliver in late July,” he said. “I want you to get plenty of rest. You don’t look well. Eve will be glad to come more often, I’m sure.”

  In a daze of joy, she hurried back home. For a moment she almost felt guilty. No other child could replace Ruthie; she would always love her, but God had seen fit to fill the empty hole in her heart. She hoped this would heal Jasper’s heart as much as it did hers. He would be a wonderful father to this baby.

  Her heart full of hope, she sat on the cot and waited for Jasper to come home. She would wait until after supper to tell him. The joy of savoring his anticipated reaction was sweet. A baby! It was almost beyond belief.

  When Jasper came through the front door, she was still smiling. She stood, and he put his arm around her.

  “My sweet Bessie,” he said, kissing her. “I missed seeing your smile today. You hungry?”

  “Starved.”

  He chuckled. “I think it’s beans and salt pork.”

  She smiled and gave a small shrug. “At least I don’t have to cook it.”

  He held her hand as they crossed the parade ground. When they entered the mess hall, a rousing cheer went up.

  “Happy birthday, Bessie!” the assembled soldiers shouted.

  “Bessie!”

  She turned. Was that Lenore’s voice?

  Lenore beamed at her sister’s amazement. “Surprised?”

  As they hugged each other, the gentle fragrance of Lenore’s lilac sachet slipped up Bessie’s nose. “I’m speechless.”

  Lenore giggled. “I wrote Jasper months ago to plan this.”

  The hall was decorated with crudely painted signs, and a birthday cake sat on a center table surrounded with packages. Confetti, obviously hand cut from old newspapers, showered over her. Beaming with pride, Jasper led her to the table and had her open her gifts.

  Rooster gave her a small leather-bound diary. “It was my mother’s,” he told her. “I can’t read, so I’ll never use it. It would make me right proud to know you was writing in it.”

  Some gifts were homemade, like Private Bechtol’s gift of a small dulcimer. Bessie was overwhelmed at the show of love.

  “There’s no gift here from me,” Jasper whispered. “I’ll give it to you at home later.”

  She wondered what it could be. Whatever it was, her gift to him would be even more joyous. She smiled at the thought.

  “What’s that smile about?” he asked while he spun her around the room when the band started playing.

  “I’ll tell you later,” she whispered.

  Jasper refused to let any other soldier cut in, but the high-spirited men didn’t care. They partnered Lenore when they could and danced with each other when they couldn’t.

  Bessie was exhausted by the time Jasper led her and Lenore back across the dark parade ground. He lit the lantern on the mess chest, while Bessie dropped onto the cot in the parlor.

  “I’m just exhausted,” Lenore said. “Can I go to bed? We can talk more tomorrow.”

  “Do you mind sleeping out here?”

  “Of course not.”

  “See you in the morning.” Bessie rose and followed Jasper to their bedroom and shut the door behind them.

  “My feet hurt,” she moaned. “You stepped on them twice.”

  He grinned and slipped her feet out of her boots. “Let me rub them,” he said. “I never claimed to be a dancer.”

  She sighed at the touch of his strong fingers on her sore feet. She gazed at his bent head and savored the news she was about to tell him. They would be a true family now. Nothing cou
ld part them.

  “Better?”

  “Much.” She tucked her bare feet under her skirt and smiled at him. “I have a present for you.”

  He cocked a quizzical eyebrow. “It’s your birthday.”

  “That reminds me. How long have you been planning this party? I don’t even know when your birthday is.”

  “Lenore and I planned it months ago,” he said with a proud grin. He set the lantern on the floor and pulled a letter out of his pocket. Bessie recognized it immediately. It was the letter from Lenore. “She wrote me shortly after you arrived to apologize for her deceit. She wanted me to know what a wonderful wife you would make and told me all kinds of things about you—your birthday, how much you love cats, the way you care for other people, the fact that you hate onions.” He grinned. “She admitted you didn’t know how to cook, but assured me you would soon learn.”

  Bessie’s face flamed. Why had she assumed the worst? She met his gaze shamefacedly. “I saw the letter, but I didn’t read it,” she admitted. She wanted no secrets between them any longer. “I thought you still loved Lenore and were writing to her.” A weight rolled off her heart. She had longed to speak to him of this pain and uncertainty she felt.

  His mouth dropped open. “How could you think that?” he asked incredulously. “We’ve been studying about love, and I thought I was doing a good job of showing you I love you.”

  Did he just say he loved her? Tears flooded her eyes, and she smiled at him tremulously. “You never told me,” she said. “I saw you cared, but you never said you loved me. You said you loved things about me, but you never said you loved me. Lenore is the beauty, and I’ve lived so long in her shadow it’s been hard to stop.” Joy flooded her heart at the love that shone out of his eyes.

  He shook his head. “My silly Bessie.” He knelt beside her and took her hands. “I love you so much it hurts sometimes. I see your spirit, your gentleness, and the way you give of yourself to others, and it humbles me. You are more beautiful than any woman I’ve ever met.”

  “Not more beautiful than Lenore,” she said sadly.

  “All Lenore is to me is your sister. I forgot Lenore when you insisted on keeping Ruthie. I saw your heart that day and couldn’t help but love it. I know I don’t deserve you, but with God’s help, I’ll try my best to make you happy.”

  She had been so blind. She would never doubt him again. He was a man of integrity, a man who loved and honored her. He would be a wonderful father.

  He pressed his lips against the palm of her hand. “I know it’s been hard lately, Bessie, but we’ll get through it. Someday God will bless us with more children, but until then we have each other.”

  Tears coursed down her cheeks. “I love you so much,” she whispered. “I read your letters and knew you were the man I’d longed for all my life.” She smoothed his hair back from his forehead and gazed into his green eyes. “God has blessed us so much. More than you know.”

  “I know He has,” he said.

  The tenderness in his eyes made her heart sing. Why had she allowed her insecurities to make her doubt him? “You don’t know about this blessing,” she said. “We’re going to have a baby.” She almost hated to tell him. The anticipation had been sweet.

  He stared at her then his eyes widened. “A baby? Us?” He whooped and stood, swinging her up into this arms.

  He whirled around the room with her until she was dizzy and laughing. “Stop or I’ll throw up. And besides, you’ll have Lenore in here any minute.”

  He stopped immediately and stared into her eyes. “I thought I loved you before, Bessie, but it was nothing compared to how I feel right now.” He set her back onto the cot and put his hand in his pocket. Drawing out a small box, he opened it and took out a gold wedding band.

  Bessie caught her breath at the sight of the ring. How did he know she had longed for a tangible sign of his love, a visible announcement to all that she belonged to him?

  He knelt again and took her left hand. “You are my precious treasure, Bessie. I want you to wear this and always remember that I will never leave your side until God takes me home.” He pronounced the words solemnly, his green eyes full of promise and commitment. Slipping the ring on her finger, he pressed his lips to it and sealed it in place.

  Bessie felt she finally saw his heart. He was a stranger no longer and never would be again. She was flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone. He opened his arms, and she went into them with an overwhelming joy in her heart. No matter where the Lord led, she knew her heart was safe with this man, her beloved husband.

  epilogue

  Jasper looked up at the sound of a baby’s cry. Pacing the kitchen floor, he waited for the doctor to announce whether he had a son or a daughter. He didn’t care which it was as long as Bessie and the baby were safe and well. She hadn’t cried out at all but had endured her labor with the same courage he had first loved about her. He heard a murmur, and then the baby cried again.

  A few minutes later the door opened, and a very disheveled Doctor Richter motioned him in. Propped in the bed, Bessie smiled at him wearily. His gaze traveled over her anxiously. She was pale, but she seemed to be all right. Only then did he glance down to see the baby. His jaw dropped. There were two babies. And they both had red hair.

  Bessie chuckled at the expression on his face. “Do you want to hold Cassie or Charles first?”

  Jasper began to laugh. Bessie’s eyes met his, and she joined him in laughter. He knelt beside the bed and kissed his wife, his son, and his daughter. “God said He would give us blessings beyond all we could dream or imagine,” he told her. “I think this is what He meant.”

  If you love historical romance with adventure and mystery, the Mercy Falls Series by Colleen Coble is one you won’t want to miss!

  The Lightkeeper’s Bride is a reader favorite!

  A thrilling romantic mystery set in the lush Victorian age.

  Central Operator Katie Russell’s inquisitive ways have just uncovered her parents’ plan for her marriage to wealthy bachelor Bartholomew Foster. Her heart is unmoved, but she knows the match will bring her family status and respectability. Then Katie overhears a phone conversation that makes her uneasy and asks authorities to investigate. But the caller is nowhere to be found. Mysterious connections arise between the caller and a ship lost at sea.

  “Colleen weaves intrigue and God’s love into a story full of carefully crafted characters. If you’re looking for an awesome writer, I highly recommend her!”—Tracie Peterson, best-selling author of Dawn’s Prelude, Song of Alaska Series

  “Colleen is a master storyteller.”—Karen Kingsbury, best-selling author of Shades of Blue

  Watch for Tidewater Inn—coming in July 2012!

  Welcome to Hope Beach

  Where the sea breeze is fresh, sun sparkles on sand . . . and trouble appears with the force of a hurricane.

  I love to hear from my readers! Drop me an email at colleen@colleencoble.com and visit my website at www.colleencoble.com for more information about my many novels.

  Best-selling author Colleen Coble’s novels have won or finaled in awards ranging from the Best Books of Indiana, the ACFW Carol Award, the Romance Writers of America RITA, the Holt Medallion, the Daphne du Maurier, National Readers’ Choice, and the Booksellers Best. She has nearly 2 million books in print and writes romantic mysteries because she loves to see justice prevail. Colleen is CEO of American Christian Fiction Writers. She lives with her husband Dave in Indiana. Visit her website at www.colleencoble.com.

 

 

 
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