They were sure keeping Reverend Gilman busy, he thought with a wry grin. First with the funeral, then with the wedding. The short, squat bulldog of a minister still thought Ben and Willie should put up their dukes—whatever that was supposed to mean—and bring in a bit of money for charity. Maybe someday they’d do it. Crazy as it seemed, people would pay well to see two grown men boxing each other’s ears. A lot of money could be raised to help the families in town.
Yes, indeed, maybe they should do it. Not as adversaries fighting over a pretty girl, but as two good friends stepping up to help the less fortunate. That’s how it had turned out between them now. Hard to imagine that he and Willie Morse were truly friends of the finest sort.
Whether or not Willie bore the responsibility for the death of Ben’s father had become irrelevant. Like Ben had pointed out on that rocky cliff, Willie had saved Emily’s life. That was all that mattered.
Now, he sat at the Red Mule on a barstool next to Willie. Friends, indeed. The sort of friends who could share a drink or two, and somehow know what the other was thinking. Friends who didn’t need to fill every silence with trivial talk and meaningless words.
Willie was hurting. Truth could set people free, all right, but the act of breaking old chains sometimes caused a lot of pain. Learning the truth about his father’s corrupt bargains had weighed Willie down and placed a heavy burden of remorse upon him. The esteemed judge, of course, had packed his bags and high-tailed it out of Sunset as soon as word got around about the shenanigans he’d pulled. Sooner or later, it would all catch up with him.
“I did the right thing, didn’t I, Ben?” Willie looked up from the mug of beer in his hand. “All those years, I thought my father was such a good man, thought he could do no wrong.” After taking another long swallow, he set his mug down on the scarred bar-top. “You knew all along what your old man was. You had your eyes open from the start. I feel like I’ve spent a lot of years stumbling around in the dark like some blind fellow.”
“Must be a hard thing, all right, to realize everything you’ve believed was a lie.”
He remembered Della’s unhappiness, the depth of despair he’d heard in her voice when she’d spoken those same words to him. Must, indeed, be awful to wake up one morning and discover that you’ve lived a lie your whole life without even knowing it.
As he bought another round of drinks, Ben wondered again where Della might be. Like Judge Morse, she’d also disappeared without a trace. But the big, dumb brute—Lennie Smith—hadn’t fared so well. The sheriff and his men found the officer’s tent just as Emily described it. They found Smith, too. He put up no fuss and went willingly to jail, believing he was under arrest for murdering Leland Chappell. He confessed not only to that crime, but to a string of others. When Caleb Bryant made an official inquiry, he did, indeed, find a long criminal history for the man.
Bit by bit, the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. Apparently Della and Lennie had first come to Colorado together in 1876. That was when she met Chappell and visited with him. Although she returned home to Iowa, Lennie stayed behind. In hopes of pleasing Della and winning her favor, he killed Chappell, smothering him in his sleep one winter morning. He never had a chance to tell Della about it, though. A few days later, he got into a brawl, beat a man to death, and spent the next three years in prison. It was only after his release in the summer of 1879 that he finally went back to Iowa to find Della again. Upon learning of Chappell’s death, she came west once more, determined to stake her claim on her father’s gold but found the Henderson family now living on the homestead. She gained their trust, yet all along, she was working with Lennie to drive the family away. Della pulled the strings, and like a clumsy puppet, Lennie obeyed her commands.
Of course, she never gave a damn about the big man. She cared only about herself. Ben liked to think maybe she’d learned a lesson from all of this. Maybe now she’d stay on the right side of the law. Somehow, though, he doubted it would happen.
He’d sure as hell learned a lot. Now, Ben lifted his mug and turned to Willie. When his newfound friend raised his glass in turn, Ben opened his mouth to speak. Nothing came out.
“Can’t think of anything pithy?” Willie asked.
“Nope. Not a thing. How about you?”
Willie shook his head. “Nope. Me neither.”
“Well, then, I reckon there’s nothing more needs to be said.”
They clinked their mugs together, then swallowed the last of their beer.
The ordeal was over. The future lay ahead of them.
Chapter Twenty
Valentine’s Day 1880
Emily lifted the nosegay of white roses, breathing in the heavenly scent of the delicate blooms. Her hands trembled slightly, not from fear but from excitement. The long-awaited day had come at last.
She stood beside her father in the narthex of the church. The double doors leading to the sanctuary were open, and she leaned forward to peer inside. Quite a large crowd had gathered. Tears of happiness filled her eyes.
Emily’s father patted her hand. “Are you ready to do this, sweetheart?” Already the organ music had begun, and it would be only a short walk down the aisle to the new life awaiting her as the wife of Benjamin Brooks.
She sighed, wondering if her father would remind her—yet again—that it was not too late to change her mind. Would he ever fully accept her new husband?
Squaring her shoulders, she lifted her chin and nodded. “Yes, Pa, I’m ready.”
A tender smile lit up his face.
“I know I’ve had my doubts about the fellow,” he said in a low voice, nodding almost imperceptibly toward the nervous young man standing at the altar. “And I know I’ve said some things that were probably a bit unkind.” His old eyes glistened. “I was wrong.”
“It’s all right, Pa.” No apologies were needed. His presence beside her spoke eloquently of his thoughts and feelings. Her father had come to see the goodness in Benjamin Brooks and had no qualms now about giving away his little girl.
“Am I forgiven?”
“Of course.” She bent forward and kissed his wrinkled cheek.
As the music swelled, she took a step forward. No qualms. No questions. No uncertainties remained. She loved Benjamin; he loved her. Forever and always.
* * * *
“How did I ever doubt you, Ben?” Emily snuggled up beside her husband. Following their marriage, they’d moved into the little kitchen-cottage where Della had once lived. They’d swept away all the old memories, and thrown out all the doubts and suspicions. Together they had made the place their own, a home filled with love and happiness.
As she lay beside her husband now, his strong arms closed around her. He made her feel safe. He made her feel cherished. He made her feel beautiful.
Yet how close she’d come to losing all that he gave her. How close they’d come to losing each other.
“I can’t believe you ever really thought I was involved in those schemes.” His gentle laughter warmed her heart.
“Well, you could have been more forthright.” She poked him in the ribs, laughing as he squirmed a bit. “After all, you know I have a bad habit of jumping to conclusions. You’ve told me that a few times.” She stopped poking and nestled against him again. “Please, Ben, from here on out, for as long as we live, let’s promise to always be open and honest with one another.”
“Maybe I should have handled things differently,” he admitted, drawing her closer. “I know I hurt you, and I’m sorry for that. It hurt me, too. I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to share all my worries with you, but I was too afraid. You’re my life, Em. I couldn’t risk losing you.”
Emily closed her eyes. “I don’t want to think about it anymore. I want to think about our future instead.”
Moonlight streamed through the window, falling across the bed in silver rays, the light so bright it appeared almost like day. In the light, Emily saw how her husband’s eyes glistened with tears. She loved everything about Ben, but this, above a
ll, she loved…that he was strong enough to show his feelings, man enough to be vulnerable, that he was not ashamed to let tears come.
People made mistakes. Lots of them. They were young, just starting their lives together, and over the years, no doubt they would make many mistakes. But they would go on loving each other.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “Please forgive me.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong.” Emily reached up and pressed the back of her hand against his cheek. “You did what you felt you must. You made choices. That’s what love is really all about.” She sighed. “Yes, my heart got broken, but that was my fault, not yours. Any pain I suffered was because of my own foolish actions.”
Ben chuckled as he reached up and placed his big hand over hers. “You did make a few of those, you know.”
“What?” Pulling her hand away, she drew back. “You’re not supposed to agree with me,” she teased, playfully swatting at him. “You’re supposed to…”
“Supposed to…do what?” he whispered, bending close.
“You’re supposed to…” She frowned and pressed her lips together. What more could she ask of this man than what he’d already given her? His name, his heart, his promise of forever.
“I’m waiting.” He licked at her earlobe, his warm breath sending shivers of excitement and desire through her. “Tell me, Em, what am I supposed to do now?”
“Oh, I’ll think of something.” With a satisfied smile spreading across her face, she leaned back, allowing his hungry lips to graze over her throat and neck…and then, lost in desire, she closed her eyes, unable to think at all.
*The End*
About the Author
As a little girl, Christina Cole loved hearing the tales her grandfather told about his life on the Kansas prairies, the little one-room schoolhouse he attended, and the pranks he and his six brothers used to play. She fell in love with the past and yearned to visit those long-ago times and places. She fell in love, too, with words, and soon began telling stories of her own, letting her imagination carry her back to days gone by.
There, she found romance, discovered old-fashioned values, and learned that true love is a powerful force. She believes love strengthens us, heals us, and makes us better individuals. She hopes to share these beliefs through her writing.
Christina lives in the mid-west – in the “heart” of America – with her husband, a squawky Amazon parrot, and an ever-growing collection of stuffed puppies. She enjoys writing historical romance and looks forward to sharing many more love stories with her readers.
Visit Christina at her website: christinacoleromance.com
Other books by Christina
Irresistible
Happily Ever After
Summertime
The Wrong Woman
“The Sunset Series”
Book 1 – Not the Marrying Kind
Book 2 – Keeping Faith
Secret Cravings Publishing
www.secretcravingspublishing.com
9781631054617HeLovesMeCole Page 31