Bear swallowed hard. He hadn’t considered the fact Sarah may have changed her mind.
Chapter 46
Sarah watched as her whole family filled the room for little Richie’s christening. The church service was lovely but the family gathering at Jo’s house was extra special. It was the first time since she had returned, that the whole family was together. Although she had seen and spoken to everyone individually, this was different. She looked to her ma. Jo was holding the babe in her arms, smiling but her eyes were glistening with tears. Sarah held back a sob. She missed her uncle Rick, the best father anyone could have. She would give almost anything to see him one more time, to apologize and to thank him for taking care of herself and Carrie. But that chance would never come. Instead, there were a room full of people whom she owed an apology.
“Before you all go home, I would like to say something please.” Sarah stood, trying to stop her voice trembling with nerves.
“Oh don’t tell me you are running away again?” Grandma Della asked.
“No Grandma Della although if you keep teasing me like that, I just might.” Everyone laughed including Della. Sarah looked around her, she was so lucky to have all these people in her life. She didn’t deserve any of them yet they loved her and had accepted her back into the family.
“I wanted to say thank you to each and every one of you for your support and help since I came home. Most of all, I wanted to apologize for my thoughtless selfish actions. I was a child when I left. I don’t know how to tell you how sorry I am but believe me I have learned my lesson.”
“We know you have Sarah, and you are back here in the middle of your family. This is your home.”
Sarah sent a look of thanks to Jo before turning to Tilly and Almanzo. “Tilly, thank you for your friendship. You are the ideal woman for my brother. I know you are very happy together and I am truly glad. I am sorry the Morgan family made your arrival in town less than welcoming.”
Tilly smiled but didn’t reply. Almanzo looked as if he was going to speak but she gave him a look so he closed his mouth.
“Carrie, you are the best sister anyone could have. If I could take back the months of worry, I would. I will never knowingly hurt you again. Thank you for forgiving me.”
Carrie rushed to her side and gave her a hug leaving her breathless.
Silence reigned. The family seemed to sense she wasn’t finished.
“Becky, you were one of my harshest critics along with Grandma Della.” Both women looked uncomfortable. She hurried on “I wanted you both to know I have seen the error of my ways and the spoiled little madam you used to know is a thing of the past.”
“We know that darling. You only have to spend five minutes with you to see how much you have matured.”
“Thank you Becky.” Sarah gave her aunt a smile before turning her attention to Bridget. “Bridget, I promise never to ignore your advice again. I should have listened to you when you tried to warn me.”
“Never could put an old head on your shoulders, sweetheart.”
Sarah knew that was true and if she was honest, she couldn’t say she wished she had never left. Then she wouldn’t have met Bear. Where was he? Was he happy? Would she ever see him again? A discrete cough from her grandfather was enough to bring her attention back to her family
“Finally thank you Jo. For not only being the best ma anyone could ask for but for welcoming me back home. You have never once blamed me for what I did. You could have closed the door in my face, you had every right to.” Sarah swallowed hard. She didn’t want to cry. “Especially after what happened to Rick and the hurt I caused him, but you didn’t. I love you Ma, and I will never do anything like that again.”
Jo handed Richie to Becky before taking Sarah in her arms.
“Darling girl, you will always have a place in my family. You are my daughter. Nothing will ever change that. Rick loved you so much and so do I. Now please forget about the past. It is the future we have to look forward to. War or no war, this family is going to stick together and when peace comes, we will all celebrate together.”
“Here, here Jo.” Shouted a number of the men. The women were in tears, even Becky although she was doing her best to hide the fact. Sarah looked into Jo’s face. “I hope Pa knew how much I loved him although I didn’t show it.”
“He did, darling. Rick knew how you felt. He loved you so much. He would have done anything to see you back here, happy and healthy once more.”
Happy? Was she? She guessed she was although she was lonely. But the man of her dreams had made his choice. She had no option but to live with that decision. Walking Tall and his braves would come tomorrow, they may have some information on Bear. At least she would know he was well.
* * *
Sarah tied her hair up a couple of different ways, but it looked wrong.
“I will do it for you,” Carrie said, having noticed her struggle. “Why are your hands shaking?”
Sarah met her sister’s eyes in the mirror. Could she admit to how nervous she was about seeing Walking Tall and the other tribe members? Would they have news of Bear? Maybe he was living with an Indian maiden now.
“You love him don’t you? The Indian man who rescued you.”
“Yes, Carrie, very much.”
“Then you must tell him so. You deserve to find happiness, Sarah.”
Sarah choked up at the look of love on her sister’s face. Carrie didn’t hold any grudge over Sarah running away. “Do you think that’s true? After everything I put this family through?”
“Oh Sarah, don’t let the past ruin your future. You made mistakes but so does everyone. Rick should never have discussed putting us in an orphanage in your hearing. You were a grieving child. Maybe we didn’t need to know the truth about Pa either. You shouldn’t have run off with Edwin, but God knows how that hurt you. You need to live your life now. Jo wants you to be happy and so do I.”
Sarah stared at Carrie. Her little sister was all grown up.
“You love Stephen, don’t you?”
Carrie turned scarlet as Sarah smiled at her.
“I thought that was a secret,” the younger girl blurted out.
“Unless everyone is blind. It’s obvious from the way you two look at each other.” Sarah couldn’t understand why nobody seemed to realize Carrie was madly in love with Jo’s younger brother. Well, everyone apart from Bridget and Jo.
“You should just let it come out in the open. Stop trying to keep it a secret from Grandma Della.”
“We were worried they wouldn’t approve because of the age difference.”
“He’s not that much older than you. Anyway, it’s not like you are the older one. Then they might raise their eyebrows,” Sarah joked making Carrie smile. “Jo thinks Grandma Della will approve.”
“Does she? I have to go tell him. Thank you, Sarah. I am so glad you came back. Love you.”
Sarah watched as Carrie ran off again. Her younger sister had always run everywhere. Sarah couldn’t sit there much longer. She had to go downstairs and greet their guests. She had never thanked Walking Tall for sending Bear to find her and coming to rescue both of them.
She walked slowly down the stairs. The house was empty, the others must already be outside at the picnic. She knew Walking Tall wasn’t keen on sitting inside the house. She had just reached the bottom step when the front door opened and in he walked. Bear looked even more handsome than in her dreams. His smile took her breath away.
“Hello Sarah.”
“Bear. What are you doing here? I thought you never came down from the mountain.”
“I came to see you. Tala wanted to say hello.”
She heard the dog pining at the door. Bear had left him outside. She opened the door and the dog jumped almost into her arms, nearly knocking her over. He licked her all over, barking and running around her. She laughed at his antics. Then Bear held out his hand to help her stand up once more.
“I missed you.”
She held her breath at the lo
ok in his eyes. Was it real or was she hoping too much. “Me too. You look good.”
“Sarah, I have something to tell you.”
At the serious look on his face, she closed her eyes. She didn’t want to hear him tell her he had found another woman.
“Sarah, open your eyes. Please.”
She opened them just in time to see him lean in to kiss her. The feel of his lips against hers was soft like when a butterfly lands on your skin. He seemed to be waiting for a response from her. She moved into his arms, not letting his lips leave hers. It was all he needed as he swept her off her feet, deepening the kiss and making her heart sing.
He kissed her whole face before moving back to her lips.
“I love you, I have always loved you. Will you be my wife?”
She looked into his eyes, hardly believing what she was hearing. “Yes,” she said, then she kissed him as hard as she could, trying to convince herself this was really happening and not another dream.
“If you could put my daughter down for a moment, perhaps she would introduce us?”
Bear dropped her suddenly but, at the last minute, he held onto her arm so she didn’t fall over. She giggled at the look on his face as he stared at Jo. Jo was laughing too.
“Bear, this is Jo. My ma. And Ma, this is Bear. The man I told you about.”
“It is lovely to meet you in person. Thank you for looking after my daughter and returning her safely to us. Now I take it you may be staying too?”
* * *
He couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. The woman was looking at him with such welcome and approval. An expression he had never seen before in a white woman’s face.
“Funny, she didn’t say you were mute,” Jo teased as Sarah laughed.
“Ma, Bear asked me to marry him and I said yes.”
“I should hope so dear. Only a husband should kiss his wife like the way he was kissing you. Isn’t that right Bear?”
“Yes, Ma’am.” He finally found his voice.
“Oh, so you do speak?”
“Yes, Ma’am.” He smiled back at the woman before remembering he should have asked her permission before asking Sarah to marry him. “I would like your approval on our wedding.”
“You have it Bear, but I have one condition.”
Bear looked at Sarah but she was staring at Jo. He held Sarah’s hand tightly as he looked back at Jo.
“I would like you to promise that wherever you two end up living, you will come back to visit us. Having lost my daughter once, I do not wish to lose her again.”
Relieved beyond measure, Bear smiled and shook Jo’s hand. “Yes, ma’am. And thank you.”
“No, thank you Bear for making my daughter’s heart whole again. I wish you and her many years of happiness. Now excuse me. I have guests to attend to and you two, well maybe you should just get back to kissing.”
Sarah giggled as Jo left them. Bear stared after her for a couple of seconds before turning back to Sarah.
“Your mother is an amazing woman.”
“She is.”
Sarah leaned in to kiss him again but this time her kiss was light.
“What is it?” he asked knowing there was something bothering her.
“What made you change your mind? About being with me, I mean.”
“Sarah, I always wanted to be with you. I just needed to be sure you wanted it too. You had to see your family and put that behind you. I had to put my past behind me as well. Walking Tall was right, we both needed to forgive ourselves.” He pulled her closer. “I love you with all my heart and soul. I will live wherever you wish.”
“I will live with you. We can live with Walking Tall and his people.”
“I do not think you are made for living in a teepee.”
“I think you are right on that point Bear, my sister is used to the finer things in life. I think you should build a house on some land Sarah owns. There is a nice spot by the river,” Almanzo said as he walked in.
“Land? I don’t own any land,” Sarah said looking at Almanzo. Bear could see from her face, she was telling the truth.
“Rick left us all some land. You were to get it on your marriage. I think he wouldn’t mind if you got it a little bit early so you could start building.”
“Is this true Almanzo, or are you trying to give us your land?”
“It is true. Rick wanted to always provide for you, even in his absence. What do you think Bear? Could you deal with living this close to Sarah’s family?”
Bear put his arm around Sarah’s shoulders. “As long as my wife is happy, I can deal with anything.”
“Good. Now come on outside. There are lots of people dying to meet you.”
Bear took Sarah’s hand and together they walked outside.
Epilogue
Three months later
The sun shining in the window woke Sarah up. Today was her wedding day. She couldn’t wait to be married to Bear. She just hoped he would be back in time for the wedding. He’d told her he had something urgent to do before they got married and would be gone a week. Almanzo had also disappeared saying he had to go to meet David. But David had returned home last night with lots of stories from Washington. No sign of Almanzo. Her brother wouldn’t miss her big day. She just had to be patient.
A knock on her door alerted her before Bridget entered the room carrying a breakfast tray.
“Good morning love, how are you? I must say I don’t see any sign of wedding nerves.”
“Thank you for breakfast Bridget. I can’t wait to be Bear’s wife. I would have married him the day he met you all for the first time but he wanted to wait until our house was ready.”
“Everyone did a wonderful job on that house. You are a lucky girl moving into such a nice home.”
Sarah had been amazed at how fast her house was built. Bear had thought he would have to do all the work himself but everyone had gathered to help him. Mr and Mrs. Newland gave them a special price on a number of items for the interior of the house so they weren’t starting off with a bare empty dwelling.
Scott had given them a couple of horses to get their ranch going. Everyone had contributed something. They weren’t rich but they were comfortable.
“I know how lucky I am Bridget, not just for the house or the land but for everyone’s love. I am so happy I could burst.”
“Glad to hear that. I would hate to have to tell everyone the wedding is off,” Jo commented as she came into the room.
“Oh Ma. Where are the twins?”
“Downstairs having their breakfast. They both want to put on their little dresses but if they do, they won’t be clean for the ceremony.”
Sarah grinned thinking of how excited Nancy and Lena must be. She had asked them both to carry flowers for her. She wanted to make them part of her wedding.
“What time will the preacher call at?”
“He said about noon. It is a real pity you can’t get married in town but with feelings running high over the war, the reverend said it would be safer to get married here.”
“I would rather get married here anyway. I feel Rick is nearby. Does that sound silly?”
Jo kissed the top of her head. “No darling, it doesn’t. I feel the same way.”
Sarah coughed, trying to get control of her emotions. “Do you think the townsfolk will eventually accept Bear?”
“Some will and some won’t. But either way, we do and that is all that counts. Bear will be so busy running the ranch and helping out with David’s place, he won’t know whether he is coming or going,” Jo said, taking a cup of tea from Bridget’s hands.
“He is wonderful with animals. They trust him.” Sarah bit her lip, her appetite deserting her. Why wasn’t he back yet? Had he changed his mind?
“Bear will be here. Sarah, trust your feelings. He loves you despite your faults as you do him. That is the start of a great marriage.”
Sarah nodded, unable to speak for fear she would cry. Bear knew everything there was to know about
her. He loved her. He would turn up, wouldn’t he?
* * *
Bear hurried knowing if they didn’t make up the time, he would be late for his own wedding. Why hadn’t he gone to collect Sarah’s surprise sooner? He should have known something would happen to make him late. He closed his eyes, wishing he could tell Sarah he was coming. She knew he loved her didn’t she? She wouldn’t think he had deserted her, would he?
“Walking Tall will be wondering where we are. We need to move faster.”
“Never mind Walking Tall. My wife will kill me,” Almanzo said, a frown on his face.
Bear looked at Almanzo and grinned. He had grown close to his wife’s adopted brother over the last few months.
“Being late is not a good start to a wedding day.” Greyhair, the brave Walking Tall had asked to accompany them offered.
“I know that grouchy. But my wife will forgive me,” Bear replied.
The brave didn’t respond. Bear knew he didn’t fully approve of his marriage. Not all of Walking Tall’s braves agreed with the close relationship their leader had with the whites. Paco, Walking Tall’s father and a great Chief had always held the opinion that every man regardless of the color of their skin deserved a chance. Walking Tall continued that belief. Greyhair, despite his name, was young. He was from another tribe but Walking Tall had offered him a home when that tribe was moved to the reservation. Bear wondered if it had been a mistake to let the Brave accompany him. But it was too late for regrets now.
Almanzo burst into a gallop causing Greyhair to look after him.
“My house is the other side of this river, about two miles away. We will get there shortly. Follow me,” Bear explained.
Bear pushed his horse who seemed to recognize he was nearly home. Tala barked with joy as he rushed ahead of Bear. The dog’s barking brought the guests out in to the sunshine looking at them. Bear searched the faces but there was no sign of Sarah. Scott stepped forward to hold his horse as he dismounted. “Where is Sarah?”
‘You are almost three hours late. What kept you?” Scott hissed.
Oregon Disaster: Trail of Hearts book 5 Page 14