by Craig, Emma
“Not at all. Not at all. Come right in, Mr. Horgan. Ye’re most welcome in our house.” Mac ushered the man in, took his overcoat, and Noah saw the distinctive collar he wore. “What’s more, ye’re just in time for Christmas-eve dinner. And ye can perform a great service for three of our little group after supper, if ye’re willin’.”
The minister beamed at Mac, obviously relieved to be welcomed so heartily into this house full of strangers. “I’d be happy to perform any service in my power. And you are?”
“Alexander McMurdo, Mr. Horgan, proprietor of this wagon yard.” Mac performed introductions all around.
Grace was her usual gracious, genteel self. As she shook Mr. Horgan’s hand, she asked, “What denomination is your church, Mr. Horgan?”
“I’m a Presbyterian minister, my dear.”
Grace shot Noah a glance over her shoulder, and he shrugged, as amazed as she. Fancy that: three Presbyterians in the same room in Rio Hondo, in the New Mexico Territory of all places. Right strange coincidence, that.
Mr. Horgan was a friendly looking fellow with rosy cheeks and a well-fleshed-out form. There was something familiar about him. Noah couldn’t decide what it was until the minister sat on the sofa in the parlor, glanced around the room, and suddenly jumped up again as if he’d been goosed.
“Why, isn’t that my sister’s reed organ?”
Noah, Grace, Gus, and Maddie stared at the newcomer as if he’d lost his mind. Then Noah recognized those eyes, those gleaming, black-olive eyes, this time set into the Reverend Mr. Horgan’s plump face and appearing not at all witch-like in the more genial setting.
“Susan Blackworth!” he exclaimed.
Mr. Horgan turned and fairly glowed at him. “Indeed, Mr. Partridge. Susan is my older sister, and she invited me out to her ranch for Christmas. Since I’d never been to the territory before and I’ve read a lot about it, I decided to accept her offer. I must say it’s a vast, rather difficult place to maneuver about in, even with directions and maps. There were times when I was sure the wind would blow me off my horse.”
“I’ll say,” muttered Noah, flabbergasted. This man bore no resemblance whatever, personality-wise, to Susan Blackworth. Why, he seemed like a real nice fellow. Jovial, even. Susan Blackworth might know the meaning of the word, but Noah had a feeling she sooner be caught dead than jovial. This fellow must be a good twenty years younger than she was, too.
“But, that looks like the organ our parents gave to her. Years ago, it must have been.”
“It’s the same organ, Mr. Horgan. I fixed her piano, and she gave me the organ.”
Horgan peered at Noah, an odd light in his friendly eyes. “Partridge,” he said. “Partridge. Say, you aren’t related to—”
Noah nodded. “Yes, sir. The Partridge Piano and Organ Works in Falls Church was established by my grandfather.”
“Well, isn’t that something? It’s a small world, isn’t it?” Horgan seemed extremely happy about it.
Noah guessed the world was mighty small. Inconveniently so at times. Blessedly so at others. He glanced back at Grace, whose smile rained down another blessing upon him.
Grace and Mac went to the kitchen for more eggnog. Since the preacher didn’t look like he was any too familiar with horses and what to do with them, Noah and Gus took care of his horse. They stabled him next to Fargo, who greeted him with a friendly whicker. Neither man spoke a word during the operation.
When they were walking back to the house, Gus spoke. “I’d like to offer my congratulations, Mr. Partridge.” He held out his hand. His voice was gruff.
Noah shook his hand gladly. “Thank you, Mr. Spalding.” He needed to say more. Damn, as much practice as he’d had lately in conversation, he did come up mute at the most inopportune times. Struggling, he finally said, “I’ll treat her as well as any man ever treated a woman, Mr. Spalding.”
Gus looked him straight in the eye for a few seconds. Then he gave him a sharp nod. “I believe you will, Mr. Partridge. I believe you will.”
Noah felt as if he’d passed some kind of test. It made no sense to him, but he returned to the house with a light heart.
Mr. Horgan accepted his cup of eggnog with pleasure. “Thank you very much. I’d begun to think I’d have to spend the night on the prairie out there. I wondered if I’d freeze to death before morning.”
Mac laughed. “Nay, Mr. Horgan, ye won’t have to freeze to death now. We have plenty of room here.”
They did, did they? It would have served Noah better if they’d had a good deal more room. He’d wait for Grace forever—already had, for that matter—but he’d really like her to himself tonight. Mac’s sly grin alerted him.
“In fact, I have the back room behind my store all fixed up for a bedroom. And I think it would be a right good thing if, after Mr. Horgan performs the marriage rites for Noah and Grace here, they were allowed to retire there for their first night together as man and wife.”
Grace blushed adorably. Noah might have blushed too, although he knew that if he did, he looked considerably less adorable than she. Since there weren’t any mirrors handy, he didn’t know. What he did know was that Alexander McMurdo was the smartest man he’d ever met in his entire life.
# # #
Noah helped Gus and Mac put the extra leaf in Mac’s dining room table while Joshua Horgan fluttered around uselessly, picking things up and putting them down where they didn’t belong, and chatting amiably the whole time. He seemed like a very nice, good-natured man, wholly unlike his sister, and as bumbling as Susan was efficient. Grace and Maddie set two more places at the enlarged table. Grace’s heart felt so buoyant, she was surprised her feet even touched the ground as they worked.
Noah had come back. And he loved her. And he wanted to marry her and adopt Maddie.
She watched her daughter skip around the table, setting out the knives, forks, and spoons, and felt truly blessed. She also wondered how she, Grace Baxter Richardson—nobody in particular, really—could have been so fortunate as to have secured the love of two good men in one lifetime. Some—no, most—women, weren’t nearly so lucky. With virtually every breath she took for the rest of the evening, she sent up prayers of thanks.
And to think she’d doubted Noah. She ought to have known better. He might still harbor terrible scars on his body and in his heart, but his goodness remained. Grace kept having to blink to hold back her easy tears.
“I’m real happy, Mommy. I’m glad Mr. Noah is going to be my daddy.”
“I am too, sweetheart.”
“It’s like the best Christmas present of all.”
“It is, isn’t it?”
A pang twisted her heart as Grace thought about Frank. She loved him no less today than she had yesterday or last week or last year. She had told Noah the truth, though. There was enough love in the world for everyone, and she loved Noah Partridge today every bit as much as she’d ever loved Frank.
She hoped Frank, if he was watching her from his new home in heaven, would understand that she still honored his memory. But Mac had been right: It served no purpose to cut herself off from life because the man she’d loved was no longer with her. She’d been given a second chance, one she hadn’t anticipated—hadn’t even believed was possible—when Noah Partridge rode into her life.
Grace and Maddie would be part of a real family again now. And they would be happy. With their love, Grace was sure Noah’s wounds would heal. She knew he’d never forget his horrible experiences during the war, any more than she’d forget her wonderful ones with Frank. But together they could forge an unbreakable bond. They could build a new life, a strong, healthy one, one with deep roots and sturdy branches. If the good Lord blessed them with more children— Grace paused and smiled a secret smile. There would be more children. She knew it already.
If she’d ever been this happy before, Grace couldn’t recall when it was. It wasn’t when she and Frank were together, because she hadn’t been tried back then; she hadn’t understood that jo
y could grow from tragedy, or that deep, painful emotional bruises could mend. The lessons she’d learned seemed miraculous to her this evening. Well, she supposed, if there was a season for miracles, Christmas was it.
Dinner tasted more delicious than any other meal she’d ever eaten. Of course, her life had suddenly been filled with unexpected love. Love added a special spice to everything.
After dinner Maddie distributed the packages. Grace helped her, thinking all the while, Mrs. Noah Partridge. Grace Partridge. She was going to be Noah’s wife. And he’d saved her land. If she hadn’t already lost her heart to him, she’d have loved him forever for that alone.
When all the packages had been distributed and opened, and Maddie had finished squealing with delight over the top Mac had given her, and the cradle Noah had built for Priscilla, and the two pretty dresses her mother had sewn for her, and the several books her grandparents had sent her from Chicago, Noah persuaded Grace to play some Christmas carols.
“I think Christmas music is some of the most beautiful ever composed,” he said, and then looked astonished that those words had come out of his mouth.
Grace cocked a questioning eyebrow and was surprised to see his cheeks flush with color. “What is it, Noah?” Because she couldn’t seem to stop herself, she touched his cheek. She loved touching him. He was so very lean and rugged. She hoped one day, she’d be able to help soften him up a little—at least put a bit of flesh on his bones. The poor dear man had been starved for much too long.
“I, ah, didn’t used to like Christmas much.”
“You didn’t like Christmas?” Maddie looked up from her cradle, where she’d just tucked in Priscilla.
Noah shrugged uncomfortably. “I, ah, had some bad experiences at Christmas, Miss Maddie.”
“Oh,” said Maddie. “How sad.” Her expressive face showed her distress. “I’m sorry, Mr. Noah. Mommy told me Christmas should be a happy time, and a time for forgiveness.”
Noah peered at Maddie, an odd light in his eyes. Then he knelt down beside her and gave her a quick hug. “You’re right, Miss Maddie. And if I lost some things in Christmases past, this Christmas I’ve been given my heart’s desire, and that makes up for everything.”
“Good. I’m glad.” Maddie reached up and kissed his cheek. Grace pressed a hand to her own cheek and told herself to stop this foolish crying.
Noah pushed himself up from the floor. “And now I think it’s time your mother took a turn at her Christmas present. Want to sing some carols, Miss Maddie? I brought a book of them from Mrs. Blackworth’s place.”
So for an hour or more, Grace and Noah took turns playing Grace’s wonderful176 176› new reed organ while Mac, Maddie, Gus, and Joshua Horgan joined them in singing Christmas carols. Grace noticed that Noah’s voice, which at first sounded dry and rusty, gained strength the longer he sang. When they finally sang “Silent Night,” his voice had become rich and beautiful, and she loved it as much as she loved him.
After all the presents had been opened and all the carols sung, and right about the time Maddie began rubbing her eyes and yawning, the Reverend Mr. Joshua Horgan performed the ceremony uniting Noah Partridge and Grace Richardson in holy matrimony. From somewhere, Mac produced a bouquet of flowers. Maddie held it as her mother and Noah exchanged vows, and she grinned so hard, Grace wondered if the expression would be permanently plastered to her face. She hoped so.
They both tucked Maddie into bed that night. Then, while Mac, Gus, and Mr. Horgan discreetly chatted in the kitchen, Grace and Noah made their way through the frigid winter wind to the back room in Mac’s mercantile establishment.
Grace gasped when Noah opened the door. “Good heavens! It looks as if he’d anticipated this!”
Chapter Twenty
Noah pushed his hat back and stared at the room. Mac had decorated it for Christmas. There were even red-checked curtains at the windows, a red-and-green-striped bedspread on the small bed, and a fire smoldering in the fireplace. The outdoor chill that had followed them from the house and through the store stayed in the store when they shut the door on it. The bedroom was as warm as toast. As warm as Noah’s heart.
He went over and poked the fire into life. He added another log from the stack waiting in the brass fireplace basket—decorated with a big red bow—standing beside the fireplace. “I wonder how he knew.”
She shook her head, obviously as puzzled as he was. “I don’t know.”
“Well, there’s no point in pondering imponderables, I reckon.”
He took her in his arms, and was sure he’d never be this happy again. He’d sure as the devil never been this happy before. He was also sure he didn’t deserve her—but he’d try his best for the rest of his life to do so.
“I love you, Mrs. Partridge.”
“And I love you, Mr. Partridge.”
He almost believed her.
There was a lot to be said for maturity and experience, Noah decided. Grace had obviously learned a lot about giving and receiving marital pleasure from her years with Frank. Noah guessed he owed the poor dead fellow a debt of gratitude.
He was more gentle this time than he had been the first time they made love, out there beside the Pecos River. He marveled at the fine texture of her skin. His hands were rough and callused, and he worried about hurting her, but she didn’t seem to mind.
“You’re so beautiful, Grace.” He gazed at her nakedness, and his heart filled with awe. “I can’t get over your having me.”
Her smile was tender. “I love you, Noah.”
He couldn’t get over that, either.
“And I’m glad you thin I’m beautiful,” she whispered. “You’re beautiful, too, Noah Partridge.”
Her comment caught him off guard, and a harsh, startled laugh escaped his lips.
“Your soul, Noah. Your soul is beautiful.”
His soul. His scarred, battered soul. She loved him, and she thought his soul was beautiful. Noah laid his face against her breasts and breathed in the essence of her.
Great God in heaven, until he met her, he hadn’t believed he still possessed a soul. He’d thought his soul had been starved and beaten out of him in Andersonville. He’d thought his soul had dried up under that relentless Georgia sun when he’d been digging graves for men who, Noah was sure, had deserved to live more than he did.
But he hadn’t died; he’d survived. For this. He knew it in his heart. He’d survived for Grace and Maddie, and he’d never fail either one of them if it was humanly possible.
They made beautiful, sweet love in that little room. He felt Grace stiffen and then seem to shatter in his arms as she reached her climax. Delight filled him, and he joined her in her pleasure. And then, as he lay exhausted beside her, sated and happy for the first time in years, he had an astonishing thought.
His eyes popped open. He might have gasped aloud, because Grace laid her head on his chest, snuggled up closer, and whispered, “What is it, Noah?”
“You know, Grace, everything that’s ever happened to either one of us in our lives, good and bad, has led us to this.”
She didn’t speak for a minute. Then she said, “I do believe you’re right.”
“I mean, if I’d never fought for the Union, if I’d never gone to Andersonville, if my business hadn’t been burned out, if I hadn’t gone crazy—”
“You’re not crazy.”
He smiled and kissed her shoulder. “Well, if none of that had happened, I’d never have come here, and then I’d never have met you.”
“And if Frank and I hadn’t decided to leave Chicago and make our way west, and if Frank hadn’t ridden out in that storm, and if he hadn’t been struck by lightning, I’d never have met you.”
Noah wished she hadn’t brought that up—yet it was true. He cleared his throat. “Do you still miss him, Grace?”
She hesitated. Noah wondered if she was merely gathering her thoughts or if she was thinking up a good lie. He didn’t really care much, although he hoped he knew what her
answer would be.
“You know something?” she said at last. “I don’t think I’ve really missed him for a year or more. I mean, I did love him. Very much. But a body gets used to things, you know, and I got used to living without him. It was so gradual that I didn’t notice when it started to happen. Looking back, I can see that I thought I missed him long after I didn’t any longer. It had just become habit. It’s—it’s funny. I’m not sure I’m explaining it right.”
Noah considered her confession for a minute. “I think you’re explaining it fine. I know what you mean. I had a bad time during the war and afterwards, and I’d come to the conclusion that I didn’t want anything to do with people anymore. The truth was that the people who hurt me didn’t hate me, they hated what I stood for. And I didn’t hate people in general, but only the ones who had used me as a symbol for their hatred.”
Grace didn’t say anything. Noah laughed. “Cripes, I’m getting philosophical in my old age.”
She laughed, too. “So am I.”
Then she told him about the baby, and Noah thought he’d never been given a finer Christmas present. Grace, Maddie, and his own new baby child. If life got any better than this, he wasn’t sure he could stand it.
# # #
Christmas morning dawned bright and cold and white with the magical snow that Mac had produced during the night. He produced a fine breakfast for his guests, as well—without the benefit of magic—and welcomed them all to eat it in his small house at the back of his wagon yard.