The Shepherd's Betrothal

by Lynn A. Coleman

  “No, but I’ll take it.” He winked. “Can’t have you being responsible for items under my care.”

  Hope smiled. “Of course not.”

  Billy hadn’t returned by the time Mr. Swain was ready to go, so he locked the door behind him. Within minutes they were sitting in front of the sheriff with Mr. Swain. Hope laid out her suspicions and showed the sheriff that the property was sold to the Sanderses on the exact date as their papers stated.

  “And you had no idea Mr. McGrae’s property was being disputed?” the sheriff asked Mr. Swain.

  “No, sir. I’ll be happy to look through all the records in the past year,” Mr. Swain offered.

  The sheriff stood up. “All right, Miss Lang, Mr. McGrae, leave the rest of this investigation in my hands. I’ll keep you informed once I have it all sorted out.”

  “But, Sheriff…” Hope started, but stopped when Ian rested his hands on her shoulders. “Yes, sir.” She amended her response. “Oh, one more thing, Sheriff. A few weeks ago I was in the registrar’s office and some men were talking. And someone, it sounded like Billy Newman, said, ‘I’m tellin’ ya, H.W., you’re askin’ for trouble. You can’t pull this off. The judge has already asked for proof.’ At the time I didn’t think it had anything to do with Mr. McGrae’s problems but now… Of course, he didn’t specifically mention the name S. H. Wilson.”

  “Thank you, Miss Lang. I’ll keep that in mind. You and Mr. McGrae should go now.”

  Hope fought off every desire to run back to the clerk’s office and demand that Billy tell what he knew. Then again, it wasn’t her place. Sheriff Bower was more than capable. Ian extended his elbow. Hope placed her hand in the crook and peace washed over her. It felt right.

  * * *

  “Thank ye, Sheriff. If Billy is involved I believe we may have come to the end of this mystery.”

  “I hope you’re right, Mr. McGrae. However, I suspect you are not the only person to have been targeted. I intend to apprehend those involved and charge them to the full extent of the law.”

  “Thank ye, Sheriff. Mr. Swain, I appreciate yer help.” Ian placed his hand on Hope’s and led her out of the sheriff’s office. “The sheriff is right, this is his matter now. But I do want to thank ye for all yer help, Hope. I don’t know if we’d ever have figured out what was going on.”

  “But we still don’t know what is going on.”

  “We know enough for now. We can assume that Billy Newman is in business with this S. H. Wilson fella.”

  “But why? Why you? What did they hope to gain from all of this?”

  “Money, property, who knows? Does it really matter?”

  “Yes.” She was delightful when flustered.

  Ian smiled.

  “What?”

  “Nothing. You’re adorable.”

  Hope groaned. “Don’t start with that, not now, not after the lecture last night.”

  “What lecture? I thought yer parents were very understanding. Back in Ireland I might find meself at the other end of a shotgun standing before the minister and a bride.”

  Hope giggled. “Father would never do that.”

  “Don’t test him, darlin’. He’s Irish. And we Irish tend to be…”

  “As if I didn’t know about ye Irish?”

  Ian smiled. “No, sweetheart, ye know all too well about the Irish.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Now, why don’t ye show me that storefront where ye are going to be moving into tomorrow.”

  Hope led him through the streets to a building not far from the main business area. She pointed through the windows. “What do you think?”

  “I think ye have a lot of cleanup to do.”

  “The previous tenant hadn’t paid their rent for a couple of months so they didn’t leave under the best of circumstances. Tomorrow I move in and can start to clean and set up the place.”

  “If I can lend ye a hand, I will.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Let’s go to Pedro’s. I want to share with ye something I was thinking about last night.” Ian held out his arm. Hope slid her hand in the crook of his elbow.

  Hope kept pace as he led her toward the old city gates, toward Pedro’s, the small Cuban restaurant. They were seated by Maria, Pedro’s wife. “What may I get you, Miss Lang? Mr. McGrae?”

  “The house special for me,” Ian said.

  “I’ll have the same.” Hope smiled. “And a tall glass of iced tea.”

  “Tea I have, but the ice delivery has not come yet.” Maria apologized.

  “Water with lime will be fine.” Maria nodded and left their table.

  Ian reached across the table and opened his hand. Hope placed her delicate hand within his. “Hope, I’m going to hire at least one, possibly two people to help me at the ranch.”

  “Can you afford that?”

  He rubbed her silky fingers with his thumb. “It will be hard to do it this year, but I can’t ignore me ranch, and I want to see ye.”

  Maria came up to the table with their beverages. “Miss Lang, I hear you are going to start a dress shop with clothing for the workingwoman in mind.”

  “Yes, I move into the shop tomorrow but it will be next week before I can open for business. Why do you ask?”

  “I’m in need of a new skirt for work.”

  Hope gave Maria the address. She left and Ian recaptured her gaze. “Hope, what happened with Hamilton Scott?”

  “Ian,” Hope whispered. “It is more embarrassing than anything else. As you know, I pride myself on being thorough with regard to numbers and research. While I was working for him, I discovered some forms that had numbers out of order on a customer’s property lot. I fixed them and got fired for doing it without Mr. Hamilton’s permission. I thought I was doing my job. I thought I was being thorough. I did not believe I was interfering with his business…”

  “I’m at a loss as to why this bothered you so.”

  “I was fired immediately. Then he started to ask me to pay for his loss, which he said was substantial. It didn’t make sense. He belittled me, accused me of falsifying records.” Hope shook her head and looked down at her lap.

  Ian caressed the top of her hand with his thumb. “Hope, ye are an incredible woman. Of course ye did the right thing. And Mr. Scott was a fool not to see it. A man would be foolish not to listen to ye in business or in life.” He paused. “I know I said I wasn’t ready but…”

  “Are you suggesting…” Her words trailed off.

  “Yes, can we reactivate our betrothal? Can we get married right away? I don’t want to take weeks, months, or even years to get to know ye before we marry. I want to learn as we make our way through marriage.”

  “What about my work?”

  “Ye can work as long as ye would like. I will do what I can to support ye. I want ye to be happy but I do want a wife who will be willing to sacrifice for me, as well.”

  “What kind of sacrifice?”

  “Time…to spend time together. I’d want ye to cook our meals, although I’ll be happy to cook if I know in advance ye need to work late. I want ye in me life. I want to grow as a man with ye. The Proverbs 31 lady did many wondrous things and her husband and family were proud of her. They felt loved and cherished. That is all I ask, that ye would cherish me as much as I cherish ye.”

  “Oh, Ian, I do love you.” Her brilliant green eyes sparkled and opened her soul down to her heart. He could see the genuine love she had for him. He prayed she could see the same love in his eyes. “Aye, I love ye, too. Shall we do this?”

  Hope looked down at her plate. “It would stop all the problems Father was concerned about if we were married.”

  Ian held down his chuckle. “Sweetheart, if we were married, there would not be any problem with ye spending time alone with yer husband.” He squeezed her hand.

  Maria came up with their plates. “Forgive me.” Maria’s cheeks brightened with a tinge of pink.

  Ian released Hope’s hand and pulled his back.

  Hope gazed at him
but didn’t speak. Maria placed the dishes down on the table and left.

  “Hope?” Fear washed over Ian. Perhaps he shouldn’t have been so open and frank with her. “Sweetheart?”

  “Yes, I think we should reactivate our betrothal.”

  * * *

  Ian’s smile widened. Hope’s fears dissipated. “How do we proceed? I don’t know how all this betrothal stuff works,” she said.

  “I don’t know, either, but we do know who does.”

  Hope’s eyes widened. “Father?”

  “Aye. Has he ever taken ye out to the woodshed? How long before I’ll be able to sit?”

  Hope laughed. She couldn’t help herself. She could picture her father out by the side of the carriage house with a leather belt in hand. She and Gabe had received their fair share of discipline when they were younger. “Well, if he’s as strong as when we were kids, it will be a week at least.”

  Ian chuckled, his dazzling blue eyes catching hers again. “Ye are worth it.” He started to eat. His eyes went wide. He grabbed the linen napkin and wiped his brow. “What is this?”

  Hope glanced down at his meal. “Fried, stuffed jalapeño peppers. They’re hot.” Hope bit off half of a pepper and swallowed it.

  Ian grabbed Hope’s water and gulped it down. Then he motioned for Maria. She retreated into the kitchen and came out with a glass of milk. Hope held back her giggles.

  “Can I have something mild, please?” Ian handed his plate back.

  Maria handed him the milk. “Drink, it will cool your mouth.”

  Ian obeyed. He drank half the glass then set it down. “How can ye eat those things?”

  “I’ve grown up with them. Most dishes I don’t like too spicy, but I do love the fried jalapeños. Especially these, when they fill them with cheese before they fry them.”

  Ian wagged his head. “I shall not be eating those again.” His eyes were still watering. “And ye like these?”

  “It’s an acquired taste.”

  “I shall not be acquiring.” He wiped his brow with his cloth napkin then sipped some more milk, moaning in gratitude as it cooled his mouth and throat down.

  “Ian, are we doing the right thing?” Hope asked as she fiddled with her napkin.

  “Hope, I’ve been praying for me spouse, and every time I do I see ye.”

  Hope lifted her gaze and stared into his eyes. Warmth flooded over her as he reached out and held both her hands. “The same happens to me.”

  * * *

  The delicate smile on Hope’s pink lips tickled him deep inside. “Do ye want to wait? Start a formal courtship?”

  “Oh my, no. I mean,” she stammered, “no, I don’t want to start a formal courtship. If you haven’t figured it out by now, I am not what you would call a typical woman of high social standing. I would like to have a church wedding, and I would need to make my gown, but I can sew something together within a week if I have the materials.”

  “A church wedding is most acceptable to me, as well. The Lord should be center in our lives.” Ian reached out both his hands. “Let’s pray.”

  Warmth flowed through her hands to his and traveled up to his heart. Hope was the right woman for him. He was glad they hadn’t gotten married upon his arrival. He wouldn’t have opened his eyes to the possibility of a wife being more than what he had supposed one to be. In Hope he saw the potential to have a real helpmate, someone equal to him. “Ye are going to make a great wife.”

  “And you will make a good husband. A man I can trust. A man who will encourage me and help keep me on the right path. Like earlier in the sheriff’s office. Your hand on my shoulder to calm me down and help me see it was not my job but the sheriff’s to find and apprehend the men involved with this real-estate scam.”

  Ian smiled and caressed the top of her hands with his thumb. He bowed his head. “Father, we are asking Ye to make it clear if we are to marry right away or wait for a season. We thank Ye for being patient with us while we argued and complained about our parents manipulating our lives. We want to make Ye the center of our home, our relationship and our future. Thank Ye for giving each of us the beautiful gift of love for one another. In Jesus’s name, amen.”

  Hope cleared her throat. “And Father—” Ian noticed she continued to bow her head “—I want to thank You for helping us uncover the truth about Ian’s land. And I too want to thank You for Your patience and for guiding us through these difficult days. Even if it was our own folly making them difficult. In Jesus’s name, amen.”

  “Amen.” Ian released Hope and noticed Maria was standing by their table, waiting.

  “I’m sorry I keep interrupting you two while you are having such a private conversation. But here is your meal, Mr. McGrae, and I won’t tell anyone, except Pedro, of course, but congratulations.”

  Hope smiled and put a finger to her lips. “My parents don’t know yet.”

  Maria closed her lips, twisted her fingers in front of her mouth as if she were turning a key. “My lips are sealed.” She winked.

  Ian looked down at his plate. This was more like it. Cuban beef with a side of plantains, black beans and rice. “This is a meal…not those things.”

  Hope laughed and popped another jalapeño into her mouth.

  * * *

  After the meal, they walked toward her house. It was time to consult with her parents, and after last night Hope was not too sure how they would react. “I’m worried about my father.”

  “How so?” Ian snuggled closer as they walked in the traditional way of a gentleman escorting a lady, but anyone on the street could tell they were in love.

  In love! It was hard to believe that after all this time she’d finally met someone she loved. Not that twenty-one was that old. And to think it was the very man whom her parents had agreed she would marry one day. “Last night we told them that neither one of us were ready to get married. Now we’re coming to them, less than twenty-four hours later, to tell them we want to get married. I don’t think Father will let us marry as quickly as you would like.”

  “I will do whatever is required, whether it is waiting for a year and enduring a proper courtship or marrying ye tonight. I do love ye, Hope. No matter how foolishly I behaved. But I think it was good that we didn’t get together right away. I wouldn’t have discovered how to encourage ye to be more than a simple shepherd’s wife.”

  “And I do want to be your wife, fully and completely. But you are right, I also want to design clothing. It will add a little income for the family.”

  “I don’t believe we will need the extra…” He caught himself as Hope squared her shoulders. Ian placed his finger on her lips. “Let a man finish. I don’t believe we will need the extra. However, we can use it for vacations, travel, the children, whatever we decide is a good expense for our family.”

  Hope smiled. “You do know how to turn this girl’s heart.”

  Their conversation was broken by the cheerful greeting of a familiar voice. “Hope, Ian!” Grace Arman called out.

  The couple looked down the road to see her walking toward them in slow, measured steps.

  “Grace, what are you doing out here?” Hope asked as she ran to her friend’s side. “Is everything all right?”

  “I’m fine. The baby is fine. I’m starting my fifth month, and Dr. Peck says I’m safe to get up and about, although I can’t exert myself too much.” Grace motioned with her eyes over to Ian, posing a question in the silent language shared between close girlfriends. Hope smiled and nodded. Grace engulfed her in a hug. “I was coming to see your mother for some fresh herbs.”

  “Oh.” Hope glanced over to Ian.

  “Bad timing?” Grace asked.

  Ian came up beside her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Is Mrs. Lang expecting ye?”

  “No.”

  “Then would ye be so kind as to give us thirty minutes with them before ye visit?” Ian pleaded.

  Grace smiled. “Absolutely. I’ll go sit down in Memorial Park.” Then she add
ed, “Congratulations.”

  Hope’s cheeks flamed. Grace chuckled as she crossed the road and headed for the park. “How does she know?” Ian asked.

  “The foolish grin on your face might be a clue,” Hope teased.

  “And what about ye?”

  “I’m an open book. Come, let’s face my parents.”

  “It won’t be that bad.”

  They entered the house and found her father at the counter next to her mother, who was dishing out his lunch. “Mum, Papa,” Hope called out. They turned toward the radiant couple then exchanged glances with one another.

  “How did yer search at the registrar’s office go?” her father asked.

  Ian answered. “Good. We found that Mr. Newman has been conspiring with S. H. Wilson. Sheriff Bower and Mr. Swain will be following up and tracking down any other victims.”

  “Excellent. I’m glad that mess is nearly over.”

  Hope glanced up at Ian. Ian cleared his throat. “Mr. Lang, Hope and I were wondering what it would take to reactivate the betrothal.”

  Before Drake could respond, Hope rushed to explain their sudden decision. “It’s really quite practical…it would solve so many problems…and look how you and Mum…”

  “Let me put ye two out of your misery. Your mother and I discussed it last night and we felt that perhaps ye would come to the same conclusion. However, we did expect it to take another week or two.” Drake Lang crossed his arms over his chest. “When are ye hoping to marry?” Ian looked down at Hope then back to her father. “A couple of weeks. Hope will need that time to sew her bridal gown. We’d like a church wedding,” Ian added.

  Hope reached over and took her father’s hand. “Papa, whenever it is good for you and Mum. We are agreeable to whatever is best for everyone.”

  “What of your parents, Ian? Would they not like to come?” her mother asked.

  “My parents love me very much but they said they would not come to America. Their home is in Ireland and they don’t plan on leaving it, even for a visit.”

  Her mother nodded. Hope knew she’d heard stories from her parents’ own family members who felt the same way. “I understand. Ye must decide, Drake. But do make it soon.” Sally winked at her husband.