by Cat Cahill
“No. No, standing is better.” He looked down at her hands as if debating, and then finally reached for one. His warm fingers curled around hers, and Molly felt as if she’d come home.
“I’ve admired you for a long time,” he finally said, looking at their intertwined hands. “And yet each time I wanted to tell you, courage failed me. Molly, you don’t know how happy I was to find you on that train to Denver.” He looked up at her, sending a shiver of giddiness down her spine. “And then how I felt as I saw you with Preston and Emerson and every other man who seemed to fall all over himself to be with you.”
“I have an idea,” she said, remembering what he’d said to her at the church social.
Eli winced. “I am very sorry for how I acted. I let jealousy get the better of me, and I hate that it hurt you. Please know that whatever you decide, I’ll accept it. I will not act that way again.”
It was exactly what she had hoped to hear. “All right,” Molly said, giving him an encouraging smile. “I’ll hold you to that promise.”
That seemed to buoy him, and he straightened his shoulders. “I’m not a wealthy man. I don’t own a company, and I have no need of fancy dinner parties or fine clothing. But Molly Hill—” He raised his other hand and rested it against her cheek, just barely touching her skin. “I love you. With everything I am and everything I have, I love you. I don’t know if that’s enough, but I pray it is.”
A surge of affection flooded Molly from head to toe. She wanted to grab hold of his shoulders and pull him to her and show him how she felt. But she restrained herself with just a smile. His hand grew warmer against her face as she pressed her cheek into his palm. “I thought you’d changed your mind about me. You acted so differently.”
“I will never change my mind about you.” His thumb grazed the corner of her lips, and she wanted to close her eyes and lose herself in his touch.
“I came all the way to Denver to find someone who saw me as more than Jasper’s little sister.”
His thumb stilled. “I understand if you’d prefer the sort of life someone like Emerson could give you.” His words were strained, and Molly could tell it took everything he had to speak them.
She lifted her free hand and pressed it against his. “I spoke with Mr. Emerson this morning and Mr. Preston earlier this afternoon. Aunt Ellen thought I’d lost my mind, requesting a caller after what happened this morning. I informed them both that as kind as they are, I’m no longer interested in their suit.”
Eli stared at her a moment before a smile lifted the corners of his lips. “Might I ask what that means?”
“I believe it means I’m interested in someone else.”
He said nothing, as if he were waiting for her to mention some other man she might be infatuated with.
“You,” she said. “I love you, Eli Jennings.”
Any hesitation he felt disappeared from his expression. He pulled her closer until she was flush against him before letting go of her hand to rest his palm against the other side of her face. Sheer joy radiated from his smile, and Molly thought it might be impossible to be happier than she was now.
Well, unless he kissed her, that was.
He lowered his head, his eyes darting across her face as if he wanted to take in every inch of her expression. Molly’s eyes closed as his lips met hers, softly at first. Her head seemed to spin as his kiss grew more urgent. It was as if he was finally releasing months of feelings into this one kiss. Molly gripped his arm to steady herself, and when he finally pulled away, she could hardly breathe.
“Is it always like that?” she said, her breath coming in wisps as he dropped his hands to her waist.
“I believe it might be.” A wicked grin crossed his face. “Want to find out?”
This time, Molly didn’t wait. She stood on her tiptoes to meet him. The world could fall to pieces around them, and she doubted she’d notice. Everything seemed to stop when she was in Eli’s arms. And as he deepened the kiss, Molly had one more thought before she lost herself entirely.
The Lovelorn had been right. If she hadn’t come to Denver, she never would have found what she’d had all this time at home.
Epilogue
“He doesn’t give me a moment’s rest.” Grace eyed the sweet baby boy who was lying comfortably in Molly’s arms. “I think I could sleep for a month and I’d still awaken tired.”
“I can’t imagine this precious baby keeping you up at night,” Molly said. He was comfortably warm and heavy in her arms. She ran a soft finger over the wisps of dark hair that lay against his head. He’d have his father’s hair, but his bright blue eyes were reminiscent of his mother.
“Imagine it,” Jasper said, as he and Eli entered the front door along with a gust of winter wind. “Sam only sleeps in fits and starts.”
Molly drew her gaze away from the bundle in her arms to look at her husband and brother. They’d gone to escort Mrs. Hill and Mrs. Jennings home after Christmas dinner. Molly smiled, thinking of the two ladies sharing the home where she and Jasper had grown up. It hadn’t taken much convincing on Eli’s part to persuade his mother to move with them to Cañon City. And then it had been Molly’s mother’s idea to ask Mrs. Jennings to stay in her home, now that it would be empty of her grown children. The two ladies were now thick as thieves, and Molly never knew what to expect from them next. This past fall, after Molly and Eli’s wedding, it had been raising funds to purchase primers for the town’s school. And just today, they’d announced plans to gather women to knit blankets for the needy babies in Denver. Molly was certain the latter idea had come with little Sam’s birth at the beginning of the month.
She wondered what they’d plot when she made her own announcement.
Molly glanced up at Eli as he hung his coat on one of the pegs by the door. His face was red from the cold, but his smile was bright. He made her joyously happy every day, and she’d thought she could want for nothing else—until she’d visited Doctor Bradenton yesterday.
Eli sat in the chair next to hers as Jasper settled next to his wife on the settee. “I don’t believe this little fellow is that much of a nuisance. He was quite happy while we ate.”
Jasper and Grace shared a knowing smile. “That’s because it wasn’t the middle of the night,” Jasper said. “This baby keeps the hours of an owl.”
“Would you like to hold him?” Molly asked Eli.
“I’m not—”
She didn’t give him the chance to finish, instead laying the sleeping baby in his arms. Eli held the child awkwardly, as if he were afraid he’d break the baby.
Molly bit her lip to keep from laughing. “You can sit back with him.”
Eli slowly relaxed into his chair. Baby Sam raised a tiny fist above his head, and Eli stroked the baby’s little fingers with his thumb. His face softened as he looked at his nephew, and Molly thought her heart might melt.
“We ought to get another slice of pie,” Grace whispered to Jasper. “Before they give him back.”
Jasper didn’t hesitate. He stood, clasped Grace’s hand, and the two of them darted back to the kitchen in Molly and Eli’s little house.
“He is something amazing, isn’t he?” Eli said, his eyes still on the baby.
“He is.” Molly clasped her hands together. She was more than ready to give him the gift she’d been most excited about. “How might you feel if you were holding one of your own?”
His gaze jerked up from baby Sam to her. He blinked, as if he were trying to understand what she said. “I’d think there isn’t anything I might want more.”
An enormous smile overtook Molly’s face.
“Molly?” he said. “Is there a secret you’ve been keeping from me?”
She covered her mouth with a hand. Now that she could tell him, she didn’t know how to put the wonderful news into words. Eli shifted the baby in his arms and reached over, taking her hand in his.
“It isn’t a secret,” she finally said, relishing the feel of his warm fingers pressed agai
nst her own. “It’s something I learned for certain just yesterday, and I thought it might make a nice Christmas gift.” She paused. “What do you think?”
“Well, I’m not sure what it is yet. I could use a new pair of gloves. Or one of those saddles that just arrived at the saddlery would be nice.”
“Eli Jennings!” Molly exclaimed in annoyance, even though she couldn’t keep from laughing.
He clasped the baby to him as if holding the child was no longer a foreign feeling, and stood, drawing Molly up with him. He wrapped his free arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. “If you’re saying what I think you’re saying, there is nothing I want more.”
She looked up into his eyes and all of the emotion they held. “If Jasper and Grace are right, then plan for many sleepless nights next summer.”
Eli grinned before ducking his head and catching her lips for a kiss. Molly laughed and returned his kiss, wrapping her arms around him. Baby Sam complained with grunts and short little cries, and Eli drew back, looking down at the baby.
“I ought to thank Paul Carter,” Eli said, handing the baby back to Molly.
She cuddled Sam close to her and rocked him back and forth against her chest. “Why is that?” She hadn’t thought much about Mr. Carter, not since a judge in Denver sentenced him to repay Mrs. Jennings, with interest, and several months in jail.
“If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have boarded that train for Denver when I did. I might still be visiting you at the store, wishing you’d notice me.”
Molly grinned as the baby made cooing noises. “I ought to be thanking The Lovelorn.”
“The . . . what?” Eli asked.
“Oh, it’s nothing,” Molly said with a secretive grin. “Let’s just say I received some good advice that led me to you.”
“I’m awfully thankful for that advice too.” Eli reached for Molly’s hand.
She shifted the baby to one side and let her husband draw her in close again. He kissed her a second time, and just as it had that afternoon in Aunt Ellen’s parlor, her mind spun and she could think of nothing at all but Eli.
Well, Eli and their soon-to-be new arrival.
THANK YOU FOR READING! I hope you enjoyed Molly and Eli’s story. Be sure to read the next book in the Yours Truly: The Lovelorn series, Alone in Austin by Patricia PacJac Carroll. Turn the page for a list of all the books in the series.
If you enjoyed this book, you might also like my Gilbert Girls series, which is set in the fictional town of Crest Stone, just south of Cañon City. You can find the first book in the series, Building Forever, here: http://bit.ly/BuildingForeverbook (Be sure to watch for Eli to make an appearance in the third book in the series!)
To be alerted about my new books, sign up here: http://bit.ly/catsnewsletter I give subscribers a free download of Forbidden Forever, a Gilbert Girls prequel novella. You’ll also get sneak peeks at upcoming books, insights into the writer life, discounts and deals, inspirations, and so much more. I'd love to have you join the fun!
About this Series
YOURS TRULY: THE LOVELORN, a multi-author sweet historical romance series, puts an old-fashioned spin on the modern-day "Dear Abby"-style newspaper articles. Each story features someone frustrated in love who writes to The Lovelorn. Then the complications set in. Every book stands alone and features its author's unique creative touch. Be sure to read all the books in this series!
Book 1 – Dear Lovelorn - Marie Higgins
Book 2 – Brilliant in Boston - Lynn Donovan
Book 3 – Secretive in Sacramento - Marie Higgins
Book 4 – Lost in Laramie - Margaret Tanner
Book 5 – Confused in Colorado - Cat Cahill
Book 6 – Torn in Toronto - Wendy May Andrews
Book 7 – Deserted in Dodge - Patricia PacJac Carroll
Book 8 – Obsessed in Oregon - Marlene Bierworth
Book 9 – Overwhelmed in Oklahoma - Elissa Strati
Book 10 – Wistful in Wisconsin - Marisa Masterson
Book 11 – Desperate in Delaware - Caroline Clemmons
Book 12 – Vexed in Vermont - Marie Higgins
Book 13 – Kissless in Kansas - Elissa Strati
Book 14 – Dejected in Denver - Cat Cahill
Book 15 – Alone in Austin - Patricia PacJac Carroll
Book 16 – Miserable in Montana - Cheryl Wright
Book 17 – Bewildered in Billings – Lynn Donovan
More Books by Cat Cahill
Books in The Gilbert Girls series
Building Forever
Running From Forever
Wild Forever
Hidden Forever
Forever Christmas
On the Edge of Forever
The Gilbert Girls Book Collection – Books 1-3
Other Sweet Historical Western Romances by Cat
A Bride for Isaac (The Proxy Brides Series, Book 34)
Confused in Colorado (Yours Truly: The Lovelorn, Book 5)
Dejected in Denver (Yours Truly: The Lovelorn, Book 14)
About the Author, Cat Cahill
A sunset. Snow on the mountains. A roaring river in the spring. A man and a woman who can't fight the love that pulls them together. The danger and uncertainty of life in the Old West. This is what inspires me to write. I hope you find an escape in my books!
I live with my family, my hound dog, and a few cats in Kentucky. When I'm not writing, I'm losing myself in a good book, planning my next travel adventure, doing a puzzle, attempting to garden, or wrangling my kids.