The Cripple’s Bride_Family of Love Series_A Western Romance Story
Page 19
He grinned. “No, they will always belong to you. But yeah, I would love to read them.”
“I think Sam has them stored away at the saloon. In a back room. I’ll get him to bring them to the house soon.”
“Are you ready to go through this with me, Rachel?” His deep voice was soft and smooth. He looked at her. “It’s our final obstacle before we can be together. Before we can court and marry.”
“I want to be courted by you. I imagine you are very romantic.”
“How did you know?”
She smiled. “I can tell. Trust me.”
She stayed with him until Esther woke up when the sun broke over the mountains. As soon as it was light, she came through the front opening and put her arms around Daryl. “Good morning. You must be so tired, my love.” She climbed out onto the bench, pushing Rachel to the side.
With a grunt, Rachel manoeuvred herself so she could safely get in the back. She dropped down onto the blankets and looked back at Esther’s head, throwing daggers with her eyes. She noticed how tense Daryl’s shoulders had become. Every time Esther touched him, he would flinch.
She rode in the back for another two hours, jostling from side to side, losing her place in her book and having to reread to find where she was.
“Oh, look.” She looked up when she heard Daryl’s voice call out loudly. She knew he was doing it intentionally so she would hear. “That’s the hotel up ahead. See, Esther? You can see the top of it from here. Rachel, come out and see the hotel.”
She put her head through the opening, looking at him instead of the building. He motioned with his eyes that she should look at the “hotel”. She did so.
“It’s beautiful,” she remarked.
“Don’t you think Esther should look her best when we get there?” he asked. “Why don’t you take her in the back and find the best dress you can for her. I want her to look as beautiful as she can be when we go inside.”
Esther beamed at him and eagerly pushed herself past Rachel and into the back. Rachel and Daryl looked at each other for a moment before Rachel ducked back inside.
The wagon rolled through the entrance to Brooks Mental Institution without Esther seeing the large iron sign out front. There were people walking around the grounds, but Daryl didn’t think they looked like patients. No one was acting strangely. He was glad. He didn’t want Esther to catch on to the plan.
“We’re here.” He looked into the opening and saw that Esther had put on a different dress, and it was very pretty on her. “You look very pretty, Esther.”
She smiled at him. “Thank you, Daryl.”
“Shall we go check in?”
He jumped down from the wagon and helped Esther down from the back, lowering the gate to make it easier for her.
“Don’t forget this.” Rachel handed Daryl the bag of dresses she had supplied for Esther. He took it and looked at her gratefully.
“Thank you, Rachel.”
She stood there, looking down at him. “You’re welcome, Daryl.”
“Come along, Esther. You’re going to love this place. They are so nice.”
“Have you been here before, Daryl?”
“No, but I have heard many good things about it.”
Their voices faded away as he walked her up the steps and into the lobby. Rachel watched them until they were inside the building, hidden behind the closed doors. She went to the front of the wagon and climbed out onto the bench seat to wait.
A few minutes later, Daryl reappeared. Alone.
He walked slowly down the steps, his face down and forlorn.
She said nothing when he climbed up into the seat. She reached over and took his hand. He sighed.
“It’s going to be all right, my love,” she said softly.
“I know. Let’s get out of here before she comes running out screaming my name.”
“Do you think she’ll do that?”
“No they have her distracted right now. They are giving her a tour.”
“She must be wondering where you are though.”
“They told me not to worry about her. They said they will take care of her.”
“I’m sure they will, Daryl.”
He looked up at the building one more time before turning the horses to leave.
EPILOGUE
EPILOGUE
Daryl’s heart was thumping almost as hard as it had the day he’d exchanged vows with Rachel. He sat on the porch step, staring up at the blue sky.
“God, You’ve done a heckuva lot for me. I appreciate it. If you can bring Rachel through this alive and well, it would mean everything to me. I’ve always thought of You as a friend. Well, You’re a pretty powerful friend. Can You do that for me, Lord? Can You keep her safe for me?”
He tried to ignore the screaming coming from the inside of the house.
The door opened, making the sound louder. He put his hands over his ears and lowered his head.
“Mr. Parker.”
He turned to see Johnny come through the door.
“Hello, Johnny. I didn’t know you were still here. Why did you stay?”
“I wanted to keep you company. I know you are worried about Mrs. Parker.”
“I am, Johnny. Come sit next to me.”
Johnny did as he was told, sitting close to Daryl on the same step. His young eyes looked out over the land. “It was nice of you to buy this land and this house, Mr. Parker. Just for us.”
“I wish you would call me something besides Mr. Parker. We’re family. There must be something you can call me that would make you comfortable.”
Johnny looked up at him. “Can I call you Pa?”
Daryl raised his eyebrows. “Do you want to call me that?”
“Yeah. I didn’t like my pa. He was mean.”
“You can call me Pa if you want to, Johnny.”
Johnny threw his arms around Daryl’s waist. “Thank you, Pa.”
“Why did you come out here?”
“Oh, the doc told me to tell you the baby is here. It’s a little girl.”
Daryl jumped to his feet. “It’s a girl? You didn’t tell me this right away? You little sprite!” He reached down and scooped the boy up in his arms, throwing him over his shoulder playfully. Johnny screamed with delight. Daryl carried him into the house and dropped him on the couch, where he bounced twice and then sat up, laughing.
Daryl hurried to the back room, where his wife had just given birth to their first child. He hoped many were to follow. He knocked and heard, “Come on in, Daryl,” from the other side.
He pushed open the door. The first thing he saw was his exhausted, sweaty wife leaning back against many pillows, a bundle of blankets in her arms. He went quickly to sit on the side of the bed.
“Oh my goodness,” he breathed, pushing aside the blanket to look at the tiny bunched up face of his daughter. “She is beautiful. She’s going to look like you. I just know it. My beautiful girls.”
“Daryl, did you think of a name for her? We made a pact. If it was a boy, I would name him, and if it was a girl…”
He was nodding. “I remember, dear. I would name her. I haven’t thought of anything perfect. Not yet.”
“I have an idea.”
“You do?”
“Yes. But the name I want to give her is just a nickname.”
“You are being mysterious. Out with it, woman.”
She grinned wide. “I am going to call her our little walnut.”
Daryl cringed and shook his head. “Why would you want to do that?”
“Because I like walnuts. And so do you. It’s a shame that you hold such a resentment toward them.” She smiled at him. “If I call her my little walnut, it will replace that bad memory with something much, much sweeter.” She punctuated the last words by saying them slowly, gazing down at their beautiful daughter.
“Walnut, huh?”
“Yes.”
“Well, that can’t be her real name. She will be laughed out of town. And so would we.�
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Rachel shook her head. “No, of course not, darling. That’s why you need to come up with a name for her.”
Daryl thought about it for a moment. “I like the name Julia. We can call her Julia Rose.”
“Julia Rose Parker.” Rachel looked down at her daughter. “I like that very much, Daryl. I really like that. It’s beautiful.”
“Just like her. Just like her mother.” Daryl leaned toward her and pressed a firm kiss on her forehead. “I’m so happy you are safe and sound, Rachel. I don’t know what I would have done without you. I was such a bad luck kind of man. One thing after another. But this last year with you… it’s been wonderful. I have never been so happy.”
“Is it bliss, Daryl?”
He grinned. “It is bliss, Rachel. I love you more than I can express. And I love little Julia, too.”
“We have a lovely little family now. I would never have thought a few years ago that I would be where I am now. I have a handsome husband, two sweet adopted children and a beautiful little girl who can grow up and live in my cottage until she finds a man to sweep her off her feet.”
Daryl reached out to brush a strand of hair from Rachel’s forehead. “I hope that she has more luck with her man than you did.”
“I am very lucky. I am blessed with you.”
“We didn’t meet under the best of circumstances.”
Rachel shook her head. “We met under the only circumstance we could have met, Daryl. It’s what brought us to this point. I don’t regret it. My only regret is that I couldn’t share the pain you went through.”
“It was worth it.”
“Do you want to hold her?”
Daryl held out his arms. Rachel transferred the tiny baby to his arms. “Take her over to the window, Daryl. Let her see the sky. Let her see the wonderful outside world.”
He did as she asked, walking to the window and pushing aside the curtain. The baby squinted when the light hit her eyes. Daryl touched her cheek, brushing it with one finger. “That world out there is just for you, my precious Julia. My little walnut. I’m going to do everything I can to keep you safe in it.”
He looked back into the room, catching Rachel’s gaze. “I love you.”
She smiled happily. “I love you, too, Daryl.”
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ALSO BY ELLIEE ATKINSON
The Rileys of the Misty Creek
Book 1 Link -> Love’s Battle Won
Family of Love Series
Book 1 Link -> Handsome Widower’s Second Chance
Book 2 Link -> An Uncivilized Romance
Book 3 Link -> Saved By An Angel
Book 4 Link -> Snatching the Bride
Book 5 Link -> The Pursuit
Book 6 Link -> An Unexpected Dilemma Bride
Book 7 Link -> The Cripple’s Bride
Acknowledgement
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Publisher’s Notes
This book is copyright © 2016 - 2018 by ELLIEE ATKINSON & GREEN HOUSE PUBLISHING CO.
This book is a work of fiction. Any similarities to real or dead people, places, or events are not intentional and are the result of coincidence. The characters, places, and events are the product of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. All rights reserved.
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