“Then, it was never anything against me personally?”
The question caught her by surprise, and her glance came back up to mesh with his. “Of course not. Is that what you imagined?”
Though he didn’t answer in words, she could see it in his eyes. Just as her past had affected the way she viewed his actions, so too had Josiah’s past influenced his perception of her behavior.
She placed her palm over their linked hands, her gaze steady and direct, so that he might read the truth of her words in her eyes. “I love you because of the man you are, Josiah. Everything that came before—it has all helped to shape you. If even a single aspect was missing or altered, you would be a different person.”
“You don’t know how often I wished for a different life. But not anymore.” A huge grin split his face.
The corners of her mouth curled up in return. “It’s time we both put the past behind us and focus on the future.”
His smile dimmed a bit. “Are you sure you want to build a horse ranch together? We’ll be starting out with very little. After building a small cabin and buying basic necessities, any money left over from the sale of the horses I’ve been training will have to be put straight back into the operation, toward making improvements. There will be several lean years before we’re likely to see a profit.”
Though she didn’t discount the difficulties they would face, none of it troubled her mind. “As long as I have you, nothing else matters.”
“That’s exactly the way I feel about you.” He pulled her close and captured her lips with his.
She could sense the love and emotion behind his kiss, and returned it in equal measure.
Epilogue
Willamette Valley, Oregon Country
Early May, 1846
Mattie paced to the front window for the fifth time in as many minutes, checking for Josiah’s return. She was wearing a path in the wooden floor between the front window and the back in her impatience. He’d left early that morning to deliver a horse to its new owner but had promised to be back for dinner, and it was past noon already.
Looking out from the front of the house, she could see the road leading to town. But from the back window she had a view of the pasture where Josiah had turned out their horses to graze. From which direction would he come?
Josiah was on horseback, so he might not stay on the road when he could just as easily ride through a shallow stream and cut across the pasture in a more direct route, which saved time.
She turned from the window to retrace her steps in the opposite direction, and her gaze landed on the cradle where she’d laid baby Emma down for a nap. She found the infant wide-awake, her blue eyes shifting as if following something on the ceiling. But the moment Mattie entered her field of vision, she cooed and reached out her arms.
Leaning down, Mattie lifted the little girl from her nest of blankets. “Did you have a nice nap, precious?” She kissed the baby’s downy head and inhaled her sweet scent. “Uncle Josiah should be returning soon, and we have the most wonderful secret to share with him. You’re going to have a cousin! Isn’t that exciting?”
Emma grinned as if she understood Mattie’s words and approved.
Perching the little girl on her hip, Mattie ensured all was in readiness for Josiah’s arrival. She had a basket packed with cold chicken, cheese and apples for their picnic dinner. And a folded quilt sat on the table next to the covered wicker basket, in anticipation of finding a shady spot under a tree where they could enjoy the food.
Then she would make her big announcement.
She turned her attention back to Emma. “Do you think it will be a boy or a girl? Now, I know you’d like it to be a girl—that way you’d have a playmate to share secrets with as you get older. But a boy would be just as welcome to Uncle Josiah and I. Either way, we’ll have a child to inherit all we’re working to achieve.”
Emma chewed on her fist, her eyes bright and inquisitive.
Unable to remain still while eagerness bubbled up inside her, Mattie paced around the one-room cabin she’d helped Josiah build before the snow set in last winter. “If we’re going to add another member to our family, we’ll need a bigger home.” She looked down at the child in her arms. “Don’t you agree, Emma? Uncle Josiah will need to add another room. Or two. God willing, this will be the first of many children.
“Auntie Adela can help stitch baby things, like she did for you. Next time we travel to Oregon City, we’ll share the happy news with her. And we’ll tell your papa he’s going to be an uncle when we visit him in town the day after tomorrow.”
Thoughts of Elias dimmed her mood a bit, and she caressed the baby’s soft cheek with one finger. Emma smiled in response, unaware of the dark turn Mattie’s mind had taken.
Elias Dawson hadn’t managed to move past his grief. Moreover, he viewed the loss of his wife as an unpardonable failure as a doctor and hadn’t attended to a patient since. Still, the townspeople had allowed him to move into the house they’d built for him and Rebecca, believing he simply needed a bit more time before opening the clinic.
Heavy snowfall had kept Mattie and Josiah trapped at the ranch for several long stretches the previous winter, unable to reach town and offer him support. He seemed to prefer it that way, however, choosing solitude over their invitation to stay with them at the ranch. He’d claimed he didn’t want to crowd them, but she suspected his true motive was avoiding any situation that had the potential to shake him out of his numbed state.
Sadly, there hadn’t been much improvement when spring arrived, even though she and Josiah made it a point to stop by his house every few days. On Sundays, they went into town together and visited him after attending church. And Josiah usually checked in with his brother any time the delivery of a horse took him in that direction.
In addition, Mattie had taken to driving the five-mile distance with Emma at last once a week while Josiah was occupied with the horses’ training. Each time, she hoped that seeing the baby, spending time with her, would have a positive effect on Elias. But as of yet, she’d seen few signs indicating any change.
It was now nearing summer. The clinic continued to stand vacant, and Elias was still too grief stricken by the passing of his wife to care for their child. Emma remained a constant reminder of what he’d lost.
Mattie prayed for them both every day. That God would heal Elias’s heart. That he might one day rediscover the peace and happiness he’d once known. That he would find the strength to move past his loss in order to be the loving and attentive father Emma deserved.
The front door swung open, and Mattie turned to see Josiah framed in the doorway, a bouquet of wildflowers clenched in one hand.
Moving forward, he gathered her into his arms and kissed her. “I missed you.”
“You were only gone a few hours.” Laughter tinged her voice.
His eyes caressed her upturned features. “A few minutes are too long to go without seeing your face.”
Her lips stretched into a grin. “I missed you, too.”
He leaned down to give her another quick kiss, then handed the bouquet to her and took Emma in exchange. “And I missed you, Sweet Pea.”
Inhaling the flowers’ sweet fragrance, Mattie moved to the sink and filled a glass jar with water. Once she had the blooms arranged to her satisfaction, she placed the jar on the windowsill and turned back to Josiah.
He was standing beside the table, an indulgent expression on his face. “I see you have a picnic planned.”
“It’s such a nice day I thought we’d eat outside, under the big oak tree out front.”
“I don’t understand your fascination with eating outdoors. Didn’t you get enough of it while we were on the trail?”
“After being cooped up for most of the winter, I like to get out into the fresh air. Besides, it’s a spec
ial occasion.” She picked up the basket and quilt.
“What’s the occasion?”
“It’s a surprise. I’ll tell you once we’re settled outside.”
“Then let’s go.” He wrapped an arm around her waist, guiding her out the door and down the porch steps.
They had chosen a beautiful spot for their horse ranch. A piece of wooded land with a stream running through it and the mountain peaks in the distance. There was something extra special about it this time of year, when the hills were carpeted with a profusion of bright spring flowers.
She couldn’t imagine any place on earth she’d rather be than right here. With Josiah. Her husband, her soul mate, the man she would love for the rest of her days.
She set the basket down and took Emma from him, while he spread the quilt where she directed. Sinking to her knees on the colorful patchwork, she laid Emma beside her.
The baby rolled from her back to her stomach and pushed up on her stubby arms, lifting her torso from the ground and bouncing her legs. Her entire body wiggled with her movements. She gave them a proud grin, displaying two small baby teeth.
“You’re such a clever girl,” Mattie praised, then turned to her husband. “She’s going to be crawling soon.”
Josiah dropped down next to her. “Any day now. Is that what we’re celebrating?”
“No. It’s something even better. I was going to tell you after we finished eating, but I can’t wait that long. We’ll have a new addition to our family just in time for Christmas.”
Josiah’s eyes lit up. “A baby?” At her nod, he gathered her close in his arms and kissed her with all the love in his heart.
He pulled back, his gaze tracing the contours of her face. “I didn’t think it was possible to be any happier than I’ve been with you these past several months, but I am. My joy is overflowing. God has blessed us.”
“Yes, He has.” She thanked God every day for the blessings He had given her.
And for setting her on the path that led her to Josiah.
All she’d gone through had been necessary to reach this point—and this man who loved her deeply, unconditionally, eternally.
If she hadn’t made the mistakes involving her ex-fiancé, she never would have left Saint Louis. Never would have met Josiah.
Though she hadn’t understood God’s plan at the time, had questioned how certain things could be His will, now she could see clearly how He had worked in her life for a purpose.
To bring her and Josiah together.
* * * * *
If you loved this Oregon Trail story,
be sure to pick up the JOURNEY WEST series:
WAGON TRAIN REUNION by Linda Ford
WAGON TRAIN SWEETHEART by Lacy Williams
WAGON TRAIN PROPOSAL by Renee Ryan
Find more great reads at www.LoveInspired.com
Keep reading for an excerpt from PONY EXPRESS CHRISTMAS BRIDE by Rhonda Gibson.
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Dear Reader,
Thank you for choosing to read Wed on the Wagon Train, my first Love Inspired Historical.
I’ve always been fascinated with Oregon Trail history. I’ve traveled to landmarks all along the route, including Scotts Bluff, Independence Rock, and the Blue Mountains. I’ve visited forts, stood on the banks at river crossings and walked in wagon ruts cut several feet into solid stone.
From the 1840s to the 1860s thousands of men, women and children left behind almost everything to embark on the difficult and dangerous two-thousand-mile trek. All for the promise of a better life. I believe there’s a bit of that pioneer spirit in each of us.
I hope you enjoyed reading about Mattie and Josiah’s journey.
Happy Holidays,
Tracy Blalock
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Pony Express Christmas Bride
by Rhonda Gibson
Chapter One
Dove Creek, Wyoming
October 1860
Josephine Dooly lay low over her horse’s back. She whispered soothing words in his ear, even though she felt sure he couldn’t hear them over the yells of the bandits in hot pursuit of her. Her heart raced, adrenaline ran full throttle through her veins and pounding heart.
She doubted the bandits were after her money; they wanted the bags of mail in her possession, but if they stopped her, they’d get both and it wasn’t in her to let them have either. She meant to keep the hard-earned money she had on her person—and her mother’s locket. Josephine had a wedding trousseau to buy and a household to set up. Bandits out for the thrill of the steal were not going to alter her plans one little bit.
“Just a little farther, boy. We’re almost there.” The Pony Express station just ahead was Josephine’s destination. Once she rounded the bend, she knew the men would stop chasing her. Ole Mac, the previous stock tender, had said so when he’d given her instructions about this part of her run.
Thankfully, this was Josephine’s last ride for the Pony Express. She still couldn’t believe that cutting her hair and shortening her name to Jo had gotten her employment with the Pony Express. But she thanked the Lord that it had. There’d been some close calls and a few lonely days, but she’d made it by the grace of God.
As promised, once she rounded the bend, the bandits turned back the way they’d come. She let out several loud whoops of her own and patted the horse’s neck as she sped into the Pony Express station, where another rider waited to take her place.
She handed off the mochila and slid from the pony all in one motion. The other rider raced away, leaving Jo and the station manager standing in the yard in front of a tall barn.
The Pony Express station stock tender turned to look at her. “Boy, you look plum tuckered out.” With a good-humored laugh, he slapped Josephine on the back and only her quick reflexes kept her from flying through the air and falling on her face.
He motioned toward a building a few feet away. “Welcome to the Young family home station. I’m Andrew Young. My brother Philip is in the bunkhouse. Head on over. He’ll make sure you get something to eat and show you to a warm bunk, where you can bed down.”
Josephine nodded. This was her first time at this station, but she knew that in another ten miles she’d be in Dove Creek—and that was her final destination. She’d hired on as a Pony Express rider simply to get here.
She lowered her voice to s
ound like that of a young boy’s. “Thanks, believe I will.” Her legs felt as if she’d marched through mud and it had dried on her boots, weighing them down. She walked to the small bunkhouse, happy for a little time to rest after her last run.
A smile tilted her lips. She’d made it to the Young Home Station. It had taken a couple of weeks, but she was here. And her uncle was none the wiser. She’d managed to escape his plans to marry her off to a distasteful gambler as payment of a large debt he owed. What kind of uncle did that to his niece? Apparently hers, as that was exactly what had happened. But she’d outsmarted him.
Answering Thomas Young’s ad for a mail-order bride had been her saving grace. And the scariest thing she’d ever done in her young life. Well, that and signing on to be a Pony Express rider.
Her forehead puckered in thought. What would Thomas’s brothers Andrew and Philip think when she revealed that she wasn’t a boy but their brother’s mail-order bride?
Josephine hoped Thomas would be as happy to see her as she would be to see him. She’d not had the luxury of time to wait and see if he’d send her money to travel to the West, but had of necessity found her own way to Wyoming.
Josephine knew she’d had no choice. After her mother’s death, her father had become depressed and one day just disappeared. Leaving her behind to fend for herself. At first her uncle had paid little attention to her, but soon he’d realized that she could become profitable to him. To escape her uncle and his plans, she’d signed on with the Pony Express and never looked back.
Josephine pulled her shoulders back and raised her chin, readying herself to meet Philip Young. She touched her hand lightly against her chest, comforted by the warmth of her mother’s locket. The jewelry was the only thing left of her mother, besides Josephine’s memories, and she cherished it above all her possessions. Fortunately, her uncle hadn’t known she possessed it or it would have been long gone.
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