Lessons of Love

by Woods, Emily

  “I have an older brother,” Lucas declared knowingly. “I hope I can meet him one day.”

  Luke’s eyes shone, and Alex wondered if he would burst before he could get the news out.

  “You don’t have to wait anymore,” he exclaimed, looking at Alex. “Everyone, Alex came out here to find me. He’s my son.”

  The room was quiet for a few seconds before the children began to clamor with excitement, even shy Susie clapped her hands, her face lit up with wonder. Marge kept saying, “Well, I’ll be!” and looking at Kate and Maddie.

  Alex’s heart thundered in his chest, but he couldn’t speak. He’d hoped the younger children would be happy, but he didn’t know about Maddie or Kate. They might feel betrayed or angry. After all, he’d lived among them for almost a week under somewhat false pretenses.

  Maddie stood and walked over to where he was sitting. He stood up warily, unsure of her intentions. When she was standing right in front of him, he saw tears in her eyes. She threw her arms around him and hugged him tight.

  “I knew there was a reason I liked you!” she whispered fiercely. “My brother.”

  When she released him, his own eyes were wet, but he turned to focus on Kate. She was the final hurdle. If she didn’t accept him, he would leave, simple as that. However, he could see nothing but kindness in her eyes.

  “Welcome home, Alex,” she said softly, a sweet smile on her face. “I hope you’re here to stay.”

  After that, such a noise raised the roof that Alex was surprised the hands didn’t come running to see what the matter was. When things finally settled down, there were a million questions, but Kate must have seen how overwhelmed he was.

  “Leave him be now, children. Alex, I’d like you to move in here with us whenever you feel comfortable. We have an extra room with a bed and a dresser in it. It’s yours.”

  The lump in his throat grew so large that he was in pain trying to swallow.

  “Thank you,” he whispered. “I—I don’t know what I should do.”

  “First things first,” Aunt Marge declared. “Let’s give thanks to the Lord and ask his direction in all things.”

  Each family member bowed his or her head as Marge led them in a passionate prayer, giving thanks to God for Alex and asking Him to help them navigate the days ahead.

  “We’re delighted to have Alex among us, Lord, but give us Your wisdom to know what to say to those around us, more for his sake than for ours. Thank You, precious Savior, in whose name we pray, Amen!”

  They all echoed the sentiment, even little Jane. When Kate announced it was time for the younger ones to go to bed, they protested, but Kate won out as usual. In less than twenty minutes, there was relative quiet in the house.

  “I’m tired too,” Aunt Marge announced. “I’ll say good night. Welcome to the family, Alex. I’m real glad to have you here.”

  And then there were just the four of them, sitting and looking at one another.

  “How are you feeling, Alex?” Kate asked gently. “Or should I call you Paul?”

  He shook his head. “No, I like Alex. I feel like a different person out here.”

  “It suits you anyway,” Maddie declared staunchly. “Paul sounds old and boring.”

  Luke was mildly offended. “Hey, that was my father’s name, you know.”

  “Sorry, Pa,” she said with a cheeky grin. “But that just proves my point.”

  He hadn’t said much for the entire evening, and he felt they were waiting for him to declare his intentions, but he had no clue.

  “Uh, I think I’ll go to bed now too. It’s been a long day and I didn’t really sleep last night.”

  “Uh, where…?” Luke started to ask, but Kate put a restraining hand on his arm.

  “Good night,” she said. “Sleep well, and tomorrow, we’ll talk more if you want.”

  He nodded and went to the bunkhouse. Kate must have sensed that he needed to be away from them and didn’t want Luke pressuring him. He liked her more and more. She was very considerate and seemed to understand his state better than Luke did. Maddie was easy to like, along with Aunt Marge and the other children, but he still felt torn about his father. He wanted to forgive him, to love him and accept him as a father, but his heart wouldn’t completely allow it.

  Thankfully, the men didn’t bother him as he headed to his bunk. Charlie and Boone were still up playing cards, and almost seemed to ignore him, but the others were either reading or sleeping.

  “Everything okay?” Cole asked kindly.

  Alex shrugged as he changed into his night clothes. “Hard to tell. I’ll know better in the morning.”

  “Okay, well, you know where I am.”

  “Thank you. Good night.”

  Of course it wasn’t a good night. Despite his fatigue, Alex couldn’t sleep until late. All he could do was think and worry. He sincerely hoped that things would look better in the morning.

  * * *

  As she got ready for bed that night, Christina did something she’d never done before. She prayed on her own. It was awkward and new, but she was determined.

  “Uh, Lord? God? It’s me, Christina. So, I wanted to say thank You for bringing me here. I don’t know if I would have gotten to know You back in New York. Things are different there. You know what I mean. I’m also glad I got to know my sister and her children, and Thomas too. I don’t know what the future holds, but I guess I’d like to go home soon.” However, as soon as the words were out of her mouth, she wasn’t so sure. “Also, I don’t know how to pray for Alex, but I feel sorry for him. Please, uh, help him. In Jesus’s name, Amen.”

  It was a struggle to get all the words out, but when she was done, she felt content. She slid under the covers and thought about her day. It had been such a mix of emotions. First, she’d been so unsure of herself, then overwhelmed and joyful. When Alex returned, there had been a lot of tension and uncertainty.

  Her mind stayed on Alex for a while. Who was he really? Now that she remembered him from the train, she tried to recall what he’d said. She was embarrassed to think about how rude she’d been to him, especially when he’d been so kind to her and…what was her chaperone’s name? Mrs. Norton. She felt doubly bad when she thought about how horrid she’d been to that lady. She really was a spoiled princess, or rather, she had been. She didn’t want to be that woman anymore, and indeed, she didn’t feel like she was.

  Her mind kept returning to Alex. On the train, he’d been such a gentleman, and she confessed to herself that he appealed to her that way, so courteous and well-mannered. The man she’d met on Triple Range was the opposite, gruff and brazen, but now she wondered if that was all an act to throw her off. He was probably worried that she would recognize him. There certainly was a mystery, one she hoped wouldn’t cause any trouble for the family.

  “Help him, Lord,” she prayed again before her eyes finally closed. “Whatever that means.”

  * * *

  Alex woke up to find the others had all gotten up and left, even Cole. How had he slept through their morning noise? Usually, he was the first one up, but he thought perhaps they were being cautious around him now, unsure of what to think given the strange behavior of their boss last night. Already the lines of division had started, and they still didn’t even know who he was.

  “Good morning,” he said when he entered the house to the kitchen full of people. “Sorry I overslept.”

  “That’s quite alright, Alex,” Aunt Marge said. “Still lots of food left.”

  “Sit here by me!” Jane chirped, smiling broadly at him. His eyes flickered toward Kate. Would one of the children give him away? But she managed to indicate with a slight shake of her head that they’d keep his secret.

  Last night, it had been pretty clear to him that they were going to let him decide when and how to break the news to the other hands, and how to go forward in general. He really wanted to tell them all, but he was worried it would affect his relationship with them. Even though he wasn’t on terribly
familiar terms with Boone, Mark or Charlie, he really didn’t want to lose the friendship he had formed with Austin and Cole. Would they resent him for his misrepresentation?

  There was a silence around the table that was only filled by the chatter of the children. Maddie made some quiet comments to Cole, but he didn’t think she was talking about him. Her eyes were too soft for that. More likely, they were just being sweet together.

  “Working on the fence again today, boss?” Charlie finally asked, his voice neutral.

  “Sure. At this rate, we’ll be done before winter, I suspect,” Luke replied, giving them an approving smile. “You’re all doing such good work that I’m going to have to see if there’s enough money for a raise.”

  That cheered everyone up, and they all but forgot about Alex and his mysterious, temporary disappearance. When it was time to get to work, Alex lingered over his breakfast. He was hoping to get a moment or two with Kate and Luke.

  When the other hands finally went out, he told them his plan.

  “I’d like to tell the men one by one, or something like that. I want to tell Cole and Austin first.”

  Maddie approved of that. “It was hard not telling him,” she admitted. “But it’s your news, so I controlled myself.” She grinned a little and he felt sure that they would become close.

  “Are you sure you want to do it?” Luke asked. “I’m happy to do it for you.”

  Alex shook his head. “I betrayed them, in a way. I mean, I didn’t do it to trick them, but they might feel angry. It’s up to me to take that on myself.”

  He had an opportunity to talk to Cole and Austin an hour later. They were working in tandem on the fence on one part of the ranch. Approaching them slowly, he tried to think of what to say.

  “Um, fellows? Do you have a minute?”

  They shared a quick look before nodding. He wondered if they had been speculating on his news. “What’s on your mind, Alex?” Cole asked, wiping his brow with his forearm.

  “Well, I don’t really know how to tell you this, so I’ll just come out and say it.” He took a big breath to shore up his courage. “I haven’t been entirely truthful with you all. The fact is that I came to the ranch to meet my father. I wasn’t sure if I was going to tell anyone who I am when I arrived, but then I told Luke the day before yesterday.”

  “You’re Luke’s son,” Cole supplied helpfully, not looking overly surprised. “From Philadelphia.”

  Alex felt his eyes go wide. “You guessed?”

  Cole shook his head. “Not right away. I knew you had a secret, but I didn’t have a clue what it was until yesterday when Luke brought you back from town. He was so happy. I just thought maybe it was that.”

  “Well, you could knock me over with a feather,” Austin replied with a grin. “I had no idea, but…what can I say, congratulations?”

  Alex shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t know. It feels different from what I thought it would.”

  They talked a little, and then Alex mounted the horse Luke had given him before and went to find the others. Boone and Charlie acted like they didn’t care much, but Mark seemed somewhat annoyed. He wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was because he had wanted to be part of the family not very long ago. Cole had told him about how he used to have a crush on Maddie. Maybe he was resentful of anyone getting close to the Winstons now.

  “Does that mean you’re the boss of us now?” Charlie wanted to know. “Do we take orders from you?”

  He nearly laughed. “Do you take orders from Maddie?”

  Boone snorted at that. “Not hardly.”

  “Well then, she’s more knowledgeable than I am, so I’m in no place to be giving out any directions. I know I don’t deserve it, but I hope you’ll treat me the same as before.”

  They all either shrugged or grunted a little, so Alex decided to take that as a good sign.

  That was one more burden lifted from his mind at least.

  12

  Alex was about to ride back toward Austin and Cole to help them when he spotted a lone figure in light blue dress walking towards Falls Creek. The sight of the swishing skirts set against the beauty of the waterfall beckoned him, and he allowed the horse to trot towards the picturesque scene. Although he’d never been out this far before, he’d heard of the legendary falls where the family would often take a picnic in the summer. The falls were supposedly most glorious in the springtime when the runoff from the mountains made them rush over the edge of the precipice, but he rather enjoyed the gentle cascade that flowed now. The peaceful scene soothed his tattered nerves.

  Then he recognized that it was Christina walking along the creek in the direction of the falls, but her bowed head and folded hands made her seem like a different person. She looked…vulnerable.

  Putting that together with what he’d noticed about her yesterday, he suddenly felt drawn to her. Yesterday when he’d arrived back at the ranch, she’d been carrying one of the little ones, Amanda’s youngest maybe, and the little boy had been playing with her hair and pulling out the pins. She didn’t seem annoyed at all, but just smiled and talked to him. That didn’t fit with the pretentious princess he had once believed her to be.

  He wondered if something was going on with her too and decided to stop and talk. It wasn’t that he was abusing his newfound privilege of being the owner’s son, but he really wanted a chance to tell her who he was firsthand.

  “Miss Christina?” he called out, sliding off the horse and approaching her. “Good morning.”

  “Good morning,” she replied demurely. “I hope you’re well today.”

  Who was this fetching woman? Not the same one he’d meet less than a week ago.

  “I’m better, thank you. Yesterday was rather a wild day, I’m afraid. I hope you weren’t too bothered about all the chaos.”

  She looked up at him, tilting her head in what might have been a coy or flirtatious way, but he didn’t get that impression. Instead, she just looked thoughtful. “More than you can guess. I’m sure you have your own story, but yesterday marked a pivotal point in my life.”

  “Oh? Is that so?”

  “Yes.”

  She clearly wasn’t going to give any more away, but it didn’t bother him. He knew that ladies like her were reserved. She would tell him in good time if she had a mind too.

  “Well, I wanted to talk to you now to tell you something that you may have already guessed.”

  “Do tell,” she replied, a small grin peeking out from under her serene expression.

  Her response made him want to smile. Why did his heavy heart feel light suddenly?

  “Well, ahem, Miss Christina, you asked me the other day if we’ve met before. Do you recall?”

  “I believe I can be counted on to remember something I asked only a few days prior,” she replied, the grin spreading into an amused smile. “But go on.”

  “Ah, yes, um, I didn’t confess it at that time, but you were somewhat correct.”

  “Only somewhat?” She raised an eyebrow at him and he felt a blush work its way up his neck. Again, she wasn’t being improper, but even her gaze made him warm.

  “I say that because we weren’t properly introduced at the time. You were traveling west and we met on the train. You were with an elderly woman and I entered your car.”

  She nodded. “I remember.”

  The air went out of his lungs. He thought that she recognized him, but not from where. His blush spread to his cheeks.

  “I’m afraid I was somewhat deceptive…”

  “Somewhat…”

  “Yes, and I’d like to apologize.”

  Now she rewarded him with a dazzling smile that nearly made him forget his own name.

  “Well, I forgive you… Mister Rogers, is it?”

  “Rochester, actually. Paul Alexander Rochester at your service.” He gave a slight bow as he’d been taught to do when meeting lady formally. When she giggled a little, he straightened up and blinked. Then he realized how silly it must seem for a ranch hand to
be bowing like that and he chuckled a little. “That introduction might have been better suited to a different time and place,” he acknowledged. “In any case, I’m delighted that you accept my apology.”

  “I do.”

  For a moment, he seemed to hesitate.

  “If I may have another minute of your time, I would like to confess one more thing.”

  She eyed him curiously. “You may,” she replied.

  Taking a deep breath, he struggled to find the words. “Well, you may have been wondering why I pretended not to know you before now, or why I looked so different on that day.”

  A slight nod from her urged him on.

  “You see, I believed I needed to keep my identity a secret, at least for a time.”

  “But no longer?”

  “No. I have told the people who need to know, and now I’d like to tell you.”

  She nodded again, but kept her calm pose. “If you like.”

  One more deep breath and he declared, “I’m actually the offspring of Luke Winston’s first marriage. He left me in the care of my grandparents when he was in a time of great distress. I came out here to meet him. I was actually meant to be studying business at Stanford currently, but I, ah, took a detour.”

  The laugh that trickled out of her mouth was like a balm to his tattered nerves.

  “That’s rather a significant detour, Mister Rochester.”

  He nodded. “I agree, but it had to be done. You see, I’ve wanted to meet my father since I was very young. I saw the opportunity and took it.”

  “And your grandparents? Do they know where you are?”

  “I’ll be sending them a telegram shortly. Now, I don’t want to keep you from your contemplation or your lovely walk. Please enjoy the rest of your day.”

  She nodded and gave him one more smile. It lifted his whole mood and made him forget all his worries.