by Jenna Brandt
“Today, the Lord has prompted me to talk about the power in forgiveness. One of the hardest parts about becoming a Christian, is accepting the fact the Lord has forgiven us, not only for the minor iniquities, but for the very worst choices we have made. Not only has He forgiven us, but He sent His Son, Jesus, to bear those sins on the cross. He has taken away all which separates us from God. All we have to do in return is accept the gift and believe in Him. After all these years, it still profoundly amazes me the power of the cross. It is how we are made new. All our pain caused by our bad decisions or by the decisions of others can be cast upon the cross. We no longer have to live under a spirit of condemnation, but are given a spirit of freedom through Christ. We can know a permanent peace which surpasses understanding.”
Pierre heard sniffling next to him. He watched as Amelie handed a handkerchief to Lulu who was crying. Apparently, Pastor McCoy’s words had resonated with her. As Pierre thought about it, he realized the sermon had done the same with him. A deep desire to allow God to enter his heart and change him began to take hold. Pierre knew he wanted to feel the forgiveness God offered.
When Pastor McCoy gave the option to say the prayer of salvation, Pierre prayed along with him. A joy spread through Pierre as he finally felt the peace he had been searching for but had never known.
When they sang the final hymn, Pierre felt the words penetrate his heart. The happiness of his decision was spreading and he could not wait to tell Amelie. Before he could utter the words, Matthew appeared beside them.
“Good morning, Amelie, Pierre.” Matthew glanced at Lulu next to them. He asked with curious expression, “And whom might you be? I don’t think we have ever met, although I think I have seen you around town.”
Lulu smiled at Matthew. “I’m Lucy Rogers.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Rogers.”
Pierre was intrigued by the interaction between the pair. In all the time he had been around Matthew, he had never seen him give another woman attention. Since he laid eyes on Lulu, he seemed to be smitten with her, paying little attention to Amelie.
“Thank you, and I am glad to make your acquaintance.” Lulu seemed to be interested in him as well, as evidenced by her responsive smile.
“May I walk you outside, Miss Rogers?”
She nodded as she extended her arm to Matthew, which he took as he guided her towards the door.
“What was that all about?” Amelie asked.
“It seems Matthew has found a new person on which to land his attention.” Looking at Amelie with an upstretched eyebrow, he probed, “Does it bother you? From what I know, he had been pursuing you for the past couple of months.”
“Just the opposite; it’s a relief. I have never seen a future with Matthew. His interest in me was uncomfortable, to say the least.”
“Well, it appears as if Lulu has taken Matthew off your hands,” he said, as he gestured towards the door. Lulu had her hand on Matthew’s chest and was laughing while gazing up into his eyes.
“Lulu must be truly taken with Matthew to laugh at whatever he said. Matthew has never been described as a funny person.”
Debbey came springing up next to Amelie, pulling William behind her. With skepticism, she asked, “Who is that woman with my brother? I saw her sitting next to you. She seems familiar but I can’t place where I have seen her before.”
“He is talking with Lucy Rogers. She’s my friend from The Trail’s End.”
Debbey’s eyes became saucer-like as she looked from where Lulu stood with her brother to Amelie. “She works at the saloon?”
“She does, and I know what you’re thinking, but she’s a good person.”
“Are you sure about that? I don’t want my brother getting involved with a woman with a scandalous reputation.”
“Just because a woman has to work at a saloon to be able to survive, doesn’t mean she is not respectable. I used to be like everyone else in this town and think the worst of those who work at The Trail’s End. I have come to see the majority are honest and hard-working. Lucy is a good person and she saved my life last night.”
With a shrug, Debbey said, “Alright, if you vouch for her, I know she has to be a good person.”
“We can attest to that as well, can we not, Pierre?” William said, as he slapped his friend on the back.
“William’s right; we have both had encounters with Lulu at The Trail’s End. Although she hides behind flirtation, she is a decent person.”
“Alright, I’m glad to hear it. I have to watch out for my brother because he has no common sense when it comes to women.” Glancing at Amelie, she clarified, “Sorry, Amelie, I wasn’t referring to you.”
Pierre turned his attention back towards Amelie and asked, “Are you ready to leave? I have a reservation at the inn.”
Nodding, Amelie allowed Pierre to take her hand as they made their way out of the church.
Chapter 19
The table in the dining room of the inn was set for only two. Amelie turned to Pierre and asked, “Are we eating alone?”
“I thought it might be nice to have some time for just the two of us, free from any outside interference.”
As Pierre pulled out the chair for Amelie, she thought about how quickly her feelings for Pierre had grown. The previous night, when he told her she looked for reasons to push him away, it became clear to her he was right. She had been afraid to let him in because then he would be able to hurt her. But once she let her defenses down, a floodgate of emotions filled her heart for Pierre. She knew now she was in love with him. She just needed the right moment to tell him.
With an irresistible smile, Pierre said, “Did I mention you look breathtaking today, mon étoile?”
His smile combined with his compliment, transfixed her. She could feel the warmth inundate her body as her eyes fell to his lips. She wanted him to kiss her again, longer and fuller this time. What would it feel like if she wasn’t timid the next time? If she not only allowed him to kiss her with full passion, but returned the kiss in kind?
Breaking her out of her contemplation, Pierre said, “I want to share with you what I decided today.”
Had he finally decided he wanted to go back to France? Maybe he had decided he no longer wanted to stay in West Linn. If that was the case, was he going to ask her to go with him? If he did, would she? She hated the idea of leaving West Linn, but for the first time, she wanted something more than staying there. She wanted Pierre. If it meant leaving her home forever, she would do it to be with him.
“Are you returning to your home in Paris?”
Furrowing his eyebrows together in confusion, he shook his head. “No, Amelie, I would hope by now you would realize my home is with you. I have no foreseeable plans to return to France. I want to stay here in West Linn where we can build a life together.” Reaching out, Pierre took Amelie’s hand, before continuing, “Which bring me to what I was trying to say. I made the decision to accept Jesus into my life today. I want to be the man you deserve, and I know now I can only do that through Him. I want you to know too, when I made the decision, I did it for myself. I was always searching, moving from one escapade to another, because I was unhappy and lonely, until I met you. You made me realize I needed God.”
Amelie jumped to her feet while she exclaimed, “Oh, Pierre, I’m so excited for you!” Rushing over to his side, she threw her arms around his neck as she added, “Nothing could bring me more joy than to hear such wonderful news.”
While hugging her back, he chuckled. Setting her back a bit, he said, “Believe me, I don’t want to let you go, but if I am to finish everything I want to say to you, I need a bit of distance between us.”
Amelie blushed at the meaning. He was telling her he wanted her as much as she wanted him. Then she realized he didn’t know she wanted him. She hadn’t told him she loved him yet, or he was the man with whom she wanted to spend her life. She needed to tell him before another second passed by.
Before she could utte
r the words, Pierre started speaking. “After I left your house last night, I returned to The Trail’s End to talk to Mr. Buckley. He had approached me when I first got to town to see if I was interested in purchasing the place. At the time, I had told him ‘no.’ Since then, the situation has changed. I made him a generous offer to buy the saloon and he agreed.
“I am making significant changes to The Trail’s End, such as hiring permanent guards to keep an eye on everyone, limiting how much alcohol will be served to each patron and renovating the place to make it pristine. I want to make it a safe place for those who work there as well as for the rest of the townspeople.”
“I cannot believe how wonderful you are, Pierre. Your thoughtfulness is inspiring.”
“You bring it out in me. I want to make what is important to you, important to me.”
“I need to tell you something as well,” Amelie stated, swallowing the lump which had formed in her throat. This was it. This was the right time to tell him. “I love you, Pierre.”
The biggest grin formed on Pierre’s face as he said, “Today is truly the best day of my life.”
Pierre watched as Amelie read over the papers in her hands. She looked up several times at the vacant spot where the bakery used to stand. Pointing to the left edge of the site, she stated, “And the third door will go there for deliveries, keeping the back entrance for family.”
In Amelie’s attempts to make the best bakery in the West, she had revised the plans four times to accommodate the additions she wanted. With each change, she dragged Pierre out to the location to confirm her revisions were going to turn out exactly as she imagined.
“I think this finally is it, Pierre. The sit-in area will be perfect for the café. It will be so nice to have a place where people can come sip coffee and eat pastries,” Amelie said, as she put the papers back in their folder and tucked it safely under her arm. “My parents always hoped they would be able to expand. Now I get to fulfill their dreams.”
“I’m glad you are pleased with the final plans. The construction crew will be happy to know we are still on schedule to break ground tomorrow and there will be no more delays.”
Amelie blushed with embarrassment. “I know I have been demanding. It just means so much to me and I want it to be perfect.”
“You know what is perfect?”
“No, what?” she asked, with an arched eyebrow.
“You,” he answered, as he bent down onto one knee. Drawing from his coat pocket a small blue velvet lined box, he smiled up at Amelie as he opened it up. “Miss Amelie Leclaire, will you do me the greatest honor of my life and agree to marry me?”
Amelie’s hands shot up to cover her mouth, dropping the papers from under her arm. Her eyes widened as she proclaimed, “Yes, yes, of course I will marry you.”
Pulling the ring free from the box, he slid it on Amelie’s finger as he whispered, “I love you so much, mon étoile. I hope this ring does justice to how much.”
The ring had a beautiful square cut diamond in the center, surrounded by sapphires and imbedded in gold. It looked impeccable on Amelie’s delicate hand.
“It’s perfect.” With a soft laugh, she added, “It seems we are saying that word a lot today.”
“I cannot think of a better word.”
After standing up, Pierre pulled Amelie towards him until their bodies touched. He reached out, placing his hand on the side of her face and kissed her.
Chapter 20
Three days had passed since Pierre proposed to Amelie. Everything was in full swing preparing for their wedding. They didn’t want a long engagement, so when the town found out, everyone decided to help make it happen as quickly as possible.
Pierre had sent word, via telegraph, to his family and friends in Boulder. They informed him they would make the trip to Oregon in order to attend the wedding.
William was standing up for Pierre and Debbey for Amelie, with the agreement they would return the favor at Christmas when they got married. Debbey’s parents insisted on a longer engagement for their only daughter. Amelie suspected they didn’t want to let her go and were dragging it out as long as they could.
When Pierre stopped by the house to check on her, she could tell by the look on his face, something was awry.
“What’s wrong Pierre?”
“I need to speak with you. It is of the upmost importance.”
“Come with me. Let’s go into the parlor.”
When they both were seated on the sofa, Amelie insisted, “Alright Pierre, out with it. What’s going on?”
“When I first met your aunt, something did not set well with me. I was sure I had seen her somewhere before, although she claims to have never socialized in the same circles. This led me to the decision to have my investigators look into her.”
“You what?”
“I was trying to protect you. I have a particularly keen ability to detect falsities. Something about her reasoning for being here did not make sense.”
“I have to admit I don’t like that you did it behind my back. I’m assuming you must have found out something or you wouldn’t be telling me about it now.”
“You are wrong. I was planning to tell you either way. I do not want to ever keep secrets between us, but you are right, in regards to there being some information which has come to light, some particularly pejorative information you need to know.”
Amelie stiffened. Was she finally going to have insight as to what her aunt’s motives were for staying in West Linn all this time?
“She did come here because your grandfather passed away, however, what she failed to disclose was that he passed away over two years ago.”
“What? Why would she lie about that?”
“I am assuming because she did not want anyone to know about the inheritance.”
“What inheritance?”
“As it turns out, your grandfather left a sizable inheritance to be split evenly between your aunt and mother. He had been looking for your mother to reconcile with her when he found out he was passing away from consumption. Your grandfather had finally found where your mother resided; however, he died before he could get word to her.”
Amelie’s heart dropped into her stomach. Her mother had been heartbroken all these years, thinking her father never loved her. It wasn’t true. Her aunt knew their father had been looking for her mother. She knew and never told her, and now, her mother was dead and would never know.
“Why? Why would she do such a thing?”
“From what my investigators could gather, she spent the majority of her half and did not have access to your mother’s portion. She must have come here hoping to somehow get your mother to sign over her rights to it, but your mother died before she could figure out a way.”
“What happens to the money now that my mother is gone?”
“I think that is why your aunt has stayed in West Linn. You and Elise inherit it. It is to be split evenly between you.”
Then it dawned on Amelie, “That’s why she wanted to take control of Elise and get me to return to school. She thought she could control our money if she had Elise under her thumb and me out of the way.”
Pierre nodded. “I am truly sorry about all of this. I wish it had gone another way, but at least now you know the truth.”
Amelie felt numb. What kind of person could be so duplicitous? “I have to confront her. I need to hear it from her myself, look into her eyes as she tries to defend her actions.”
“And I will go with you.”
As Amelie walked into the inn and made her way to her aunt’s suite, she wondered what she was going to say. Her idea had sounded sensible, but now that she was standing outside her door, she wondered if she had the fortitude to follow through with it.
“What is wrong, Amelie?”
“I don’t know if I can confront her, Pierre.”
“You don’t have to. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. I can make sure she leaves town and never returns.”
“No, I am going to do this. I need to do this, for my mother’s sake.”
Amelie raised her hand and wrapped lightly on the center of the door.
A few moments later, she heard shuffling from behind the door and it opened. Her aunt was still in her dinner dress from her evening meal, but she seemed distracted.
“What are you doing here?”
“I need to speak with you, Aunt Marcella.”
“I suppose I should invite you in, but I have to say, I find this rather an imposition for you to show up here at such a late hour.”
Amelie was tired of apologizing to her aunt, and after what she had become aware of, she refused to do it any longer. She could tell her aunt was waiting for her to fumble out an apology. When it didn’t materialize, she made a “humph” sound under breath.
“Sit down. I would offer you something to drink, but I wasn’t expecting any visitors.”
Noticing the pitcher with condensation on it, and the glasses next to it on the table in the corner of the room, Amelie realized her aunt was lying again. She could offer them something to drink but she didn’t want to. How many other times had her aunt lied and she had overlooked it because she had been blind to her manipulations?
“We won’t be here long enough for it to matter.”
Her aunt’s immaculately arched eyebrows rose in astonishment. “My, my, you seem cross this evening.”
“If I do, it’s because some hard facts have been brought to my attention.”
Her aunt clicked her nails against the arm of the chair in which she sat. “And what information, may I ask, might that be?”
“I can give you the chance to tell me first, before I do you the embarrassment of stating it for you.”