by Cyndi Raye
Nora laughed at the way he made his announcement.
The baby gurgled a little bit so Rusty assumed he was just as happy as the rest of them.
Each man shook Rusty’s hand. “Congratulations, Rusty. We hoped someday but now that someday is here, Ma chose the best man for the job.” Luke gave his Ma a hug next.
Nora pushed Luke back and placed a hand on her hip. “You saying it’s going to be a job for Rusty to be married to me?”
Luke flung his head back and laughed. “Oh, Ma! You know what I meant!” He gave her another hug and whispered in her ear. “You know you are my favorite Ma.”
“Do you hear this, Rusty? My own son using my own words back at me.”
Rusty had to speak up. “Well, Nora, I heard you say those same words to him many times. Come to think of it, I heard you say it to Adam and Samuel.”
They all laughed, careful not to be too loud as the little bundle of joy was fast asleep in Abigail’s arms.
Nora called out to the girls. “We best get supper started. I’m sure everyone is famished by now.”
As Nora, Melody and Callie walked through the yard to the main house, Rusty stood outside on the porch feeling like one of the luckiest men alive.
Another tear fell as he looked over to the horizon. No words would ever explain the feeling of total surrender he felt when thinking of his grandson, Russell.
Rusty always thought of the ranch as home. Now, he knew that even though the boy wasn’t blood, the legacy of the White Ranch would go on even after he was gone.
What more could a father ask for?
What more could a grandfather ask?
It was a darn good feeling.
Chapter 10
Nora didn’t want to wait until morning to have a talk with the widow but by the time supper was finished she was entirely too exhausted to ride over to the small farm.
Luke had taken supper to his wife, anxious to get back to his family. Nora gazed at the cabin where one small light glowed through the window like a beacon in the night, so proud of her first born son. She rocked back and forth on her favorite chair on the front porch. “I’m happy now. It’s been over a week and a half since I was able to sit here and look at all God’s glory.”
Rusty sat beside her on his favorite wooden chair. He nodded at first, then began to rock back and forth for some time before the rocker stilled. His eyes were closed, his breathing even. Nora thought it odd that he wasn’t snoring since he always did in church.
The sound of the screen door caused him to jerk awake. He grumbled under his breath and stretched his arms over his head.
“Ma, Rusty. We’re going to head home.” Adam and Melody walked hand in hand across the yard towards their own cabin. Next, Callie came outside to fetch her husband. They were working on a cabin but it wasn’t quite finished yet. Samuel had been sitting on the steps waiting on her to finish the dishes before going upstairs to bed.
“Goodnight.”
“Goodnight Samuel. Callie.”
Rusty yawned. “I must’ve fell asleep. Nora, how long are you going to sit outside staring into the sky?”
She shook her head. “I may sit here all night. It’s gorgeous, isn’t it? I didn’t realize how much I missed this part of the day.”
“Yes, it certainly is but a man’s got to have his sleep. Goodnight, Nora.” He leaned over for a sweet kiss. “I love you.”
“I love you, Rusty.”
She watched as he turned the corner, heading towards the bunk house. Then he turned around and walked back to her, his strides long and full of purpose. His boots clunked on the stairs as he made his way to her side. “I almost forgot.”
Nora giggled as Rusty took her hand, guiding her out on the lawn. The moon peeked out from the dark night, stars sprinkled so far and wide the sky looked never-ending. He placed a hand on her waist and took her other hand in his, holding it close to his chest.
He began to hum first then shuffled his feet, guiding her around in circles and swaying back and forth. Their dance lasted for a long time as it became slower and their bodies melded closer. Before long, they were barely moving their feet, their arms wrapped tight around each other.
“We should go in now,” Nora told him, enjoying being in his arms.
“We should’ve got married in Dallas, Nora. I told you so,” he mumbled.
“Does it matter if we are married or not, Rusty? I love you and as far as I’m concerned you’ve been like a husband to me and a father to the boys. They even recognize it as such.”
He pressed his cheek to hers. “Temptation is trying its hardest to follow you inside, but I’m a man of honor. I already made up my mind you will be romanced and courted like a true queen. And do you know why?”
She shook her head. “Why, Rusty?”
“Because you are a woman who deserves to be treated this way. I won’t damage your honor by sleeping with you before the wedding no matter how old we are.”
Nora smiled. “Don’t you think it’s a little bit silly, considering we are adults well into our middle age?”
“Nope! Let me ask you this, Nora. Did Robert court you? Did he dance with you under the moonlight?”
She looked at him. “Oh, Rusty. You know darn well Robert wasn’t a romantic man. At least not with me. Our marriage was more or less arranged by our parents. He lived on the farm beside ours. We always knew our parents wanted us married so that’s what we did. Then we started this ranch and never had time for anything else. I never thought about romance with him.”
Rusty nodded. “Well, see now, life as you know it is about to change. I am wooing you, Nora, and there won’t be any arguing with me. I plan to show you romance from now on until we are both dead and buried. We’ll sleep together on our wedding night and not one moment before.”
Nora was touched, even if his wording was silly. No one wants to be reminded someday they would be dead and buried. Still, she had to give him a chance. “Okay, Rusty. I’ll allow you to romance me. Now if we aren’t going to go any further than a dance, I’ll bid you good night.”
She placed a quick kiss on his cheek and hurried to the front door, waving goodnight as she closed the screen door.
<><>
Nora sat on the hillside, staring at the parcel of land belonging to the Youngs. Acres of farmland and rolling hills covered the area further than the eye could see. Nora was reminded of how Robert would ride here every single afternoon to help a poor widow. Or, so she thought.
Even though bitterness tried to fill her up, she wasn’t going to allow it any longer. If anyone should feel dishonored, it was Widow Young.
Shame fluttered through her blood, knowing it was her husband who had hurt this woman. How awful for a young woman to be treated in such a way. It was almost too much for Nora. She went to turn her horse around, to leave and let things lie but the widow must’ve seen her silhouette from the window and stood outside on the porch, a shotgun resting in her arms.
It was barely daylight. Nora had saddled her mare before breakfast, while the moon was starting to descend into the abyss and before the sun tried to peek its way through the clouds. She started down the hill, determined to say her peace.
It was time.
The widow deserved some peace of her own.
“Nora White, what do you want.”
Nora didn’t blame her for being blunt and to the point. The last time she had spoken to the widow, Nora had told her to never step foot on her land.
“I know what happened.”
Widow Young shifted her stance. She wasn’t quite as stiff as a moment ago. “We had this discussion at your ranch. I don’t ever intend to step foot there again and I ask the same of you. Get off my land.”
“One of your ranch hands told one of ours what really happened. That you weren’t at fault. He saw it happen several times. My dead husband forced you against your will.”
The moment her words were out the widow broke down as if something inside of her burst apart. T
ears streamed down her face. She set the rifle across the wooden chair on the porch and covered her face. “Go on, get out of here!”
Nora slipped from her mare and went to the widow, putting her arms around the smaller lady. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. No one knew.”
“I hated him! I see his face every day because my boys look like him. I want to scream some nights because I had no choice. Back then, I was vulnerable, he took what he wanted and laughed when I said I would tell you.”
“If I’d have known, he’d been dead much earlier than when the cattle rustlers got to him.”
“That’s not what he told me, Nora. He said you knew and didn’t care because you no longer let him in your bed.”
Nora shook with fury. “That was a lie. He was an awful, horrible man. I had no idea just how much. I’m ashamed, Widow Young, so ashamed for what he did to you.”
They spoke for a long time. Widow Young made some coffee and they sat at her kitchen table discussing everything that had happened over the years.
It was like a cleanse in a brook of cooling spring water. Nora reached in her skirt pocket and pulled out a folded letter. Another secret, another lie.
“Is that what I think it is?” the widow asked.
“It is. This is the original loan Robert gave you so long ago when your husband died. A loan I knew nothing about. When he died I put two of his personal boxes in a drawer. I didn’t have the energy or time to go through them, not thinking there was anything of importance in them so I had never looked. If I had, I would’ve known he loaned you the money to save your farm soon after your husband passed away.”
“I’m sorry. I thought you knew.”
Nora shook her head. “I did not. He had a notebook of the money you borrowed and your payments to him. Then the payments stopped. I wasn’t able to understand why until I saw this document.”
Widow Young’s face went white. She stuttered for a moment before hiding her face in her hands. “Oh, God! He lied to me, told me he ripped it up. I have the original deed. He made me think this was my land all along but it wasn’t. I’ve been working this land all these years and it belongs to you!” Widow Young flung her head down, covering her face with her arms sobbing like Nora had never heard a woman cry before.
“Where are your boys?” Nora asked, thinking she may need their help to calm the widow down. This was all new to her, trying to be nice to a woman she had hated for years.
“They’ve gone to Wichita Falls. I’m here alone. Alone. Like always.” She began to sob again.
Nora didn’t know what to do. “Now, stop, Widow Young! You stop right this minute!” She took the widow by the arm and made her stand up. “Follow me!”
When Nora got her outside, she forced the widow to take some deep breaths. When she had calmed, Nora pointed to the chair. “Sit.”
“I guess you can tell me what to do since I don’t own a darn thing any more.” She sat, her shoulders slumped, defeat in her eyes.
Nora sat in the other chair, pulling the widow’s hands into hers. “Now you listen to me. You are a strong woman. How else would you have survived all these years. But you are tired and don’t deserve to suffer so.”
“I have nothing left. How do I tell my boys?”
“You don’t have to.”
“What?” Her tear streaked face stared at Nora hard.
“I don’t want your land. My husband tricked you. As I studied his notes last night, I learned you had been making payments long before he started to demand favors from you. When you failed to make the last few payments, he made you sign over the land to him. But you didn’t sign off on the real deed. You still have it, right?”
Widow Young nodded. “I do. He had a new one made up. I signed it with his promise no one would ever know as long as I -”
“Hush, don’t say it. He said that because he wanted you to believe the land was no longer yours. He wrote up a new one but never had time to get it done properly. Maybe he would have done it but he died before the new deed he showed you was properly executed. Here.” Nora handed her the fake deed.
A new hope surged in the widow’s eyes. “Truly?”
Nora grinned. “Yes, let’s burn this one.”
It didn’t take long for the widow to light the document and set it aflame. The two stared at the embers, each having their own thoughts on the matter.
Nora spoke first. “I’m sorry what he did to you, how he lied. He was a disturbed man. I had no idea. We were so busy building the ranch, it had been a shock when he had admitted to have cheated on me. He swore it happened only once and pretended to be so guilt ridden I forgave him. Then I forbid him to ever step foot on your farm again but he did anyway behind my back. We were both fools.”
“Thank you, Nora. We’ve wasted so many years being angry at each other.”
“Well, no longer. Our feud has come to an end. Agreed?”
The widow nodded, wiping her tear streaked face on her sleeve. “Yes, agree.”
“I do wonder about one thing though. Widow Young, why did you accept money from my boys knowing all this? You allowed them to pay you off to keep silent about who the twins father truly was?”
She looked guilty. “I’m sorry. After Robert died, they found out the twins were from their own father. They came to me and offered me money to keep it quiet. They never wanted you to know what he had done. When the boys got older, I told them the truth but I never told anyone else. I took the money because of the deed. I feared someday you would uncover the truth and throw me off this land with nothing to my name. I stashed it away in case. Stay here, I’ll be right back.”
Nora understood now, more so than ever. She probably would’ve done the same thing, maybe even worse.
The widow returned with a bag and handed it to Nora. “I don’t need this any longer. I have my land, it’s all I need.”
Nora peered in the bag. Piles of money from all the years her own boys paid the widow to keep the secret were stuffed in the bag. She was amazed.
“I have an idea.”
“No. The money is yours. I never intended to keep it unless you threw me off the land. Honestly, I was hoping you’d never find out about the deed. You were so busy running your ranch, I prayed every single night you’d never know.”
Nora gave her another hug. “That had to be horrible for you. To have to place your head on your pillow at night, not knowing if you’ll have a home the next morning. My boys all are married now, they found good women and built their own cabins on the ranch. We are all one big happy family.”
The widow stared at her as if Nora’s words meant nothing. “I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything.” She pushed the bag of money her way. “Take this money and have two cabins built. Your boys deserve happy lives. Let’s get the matchmaker Miss Addie to find each one of them a wife of their own. Widow Young, you want to see them married and happy with little children running around on this land, don’t you?”
The widow smiled, her eyes lighting up at the thought of grandchildren. “That would be a dream come true.”
Nora patted her hand. “We can make it happen. Come to my wedding next Sunday at noon. I’ll introduce you to Miss Addie.”
The widow stood. “Your wedding? Nora? You?”
“I met a man that I realized I’ve been in love with all my life.”
A smile splayed across the widow’s cheeks. “Who is it?”
“Rusty the wrangler and ranch hand that I’ve known since we started this ranch. He has been by my side more so than Robert ever was. I’ve enjoyed a grand adventure with him and now he is going to woo me until we are married next Sunday.”
The widow gave her a hug. “Thank you for this talk. Now, go on, get back to your ranch and let that man woo you.”
Nora got on her mare, satisfied their talk ended so well. “I was worried you’d shoot me right off my horse. I’m glad you didn’t.”
“You’re a brave woman, Nora White. I’m
glad I didn’t either.”
Nora turned away and waved as she made her way towards her own land. A lone figure came towards her and she knew right away who it was.
Rusty stopped when she waved. He took his hat off, slapped it against his thigh and wiped the sweat from his brow. The man had known she was going to come here. It was like he read her mind, knew her actions and the way she thought.
He amazed her. Every single day. How had she not seen it years ago?
“Howdy,” he said when she caught up to him.
“Hi,” she told him, a wicked look in her eye.
Rusty sat back in the saddle. “You’ve got that look in your eye, Nora White.”
“What look? The one that says I’m going to win this race?” She started out before he got a chance to follow, racing her mare, heading towards the creek where they often stopped to watch the water gently flow down the stream. She knew her boys had come here too. It was a special place of peace and serenity.
“Yahoo!” Rusty yelled, riding alongside her, looking over with a big grin. “You best giddy on up if you think you can win,” he teased and took off full force.
Nora knew he had the better horse but she tried to keep up anyway. In a moment, he’d slow down and pretend she was going to pass. He always let her win. Always. There wasn’t a time he hadn’t. She knew the routine.
She watched the big stallion slow down a little. It was hardly noticeable but Nora knew. She came up alongside him, nodding and then took off to beat him to the creek.
They sat side by side, holding hands while the water lapped against the rocks and stones, filtering through and making its way downstream.
Rusty squeezed her hand. “Did you get things straight with the widow?”
“She’s actually a nice person. We’ve wasted too many years feuding and becoming bitter enemies. I’ve said my peace and the end result is she is coming to our wedding next Sunday in hopes to speak with Miss Addie about the twins.”
“Interesting. How do you think the boys will react?”
Nora shrugged. “They’ll be happy we made things right. I’m not sure I should give them all the details but it’s time to have a talk with them. They need to get to know their brothers.”