by Annie Boone
His two helpers were looking a little disinterested in continuing today. “Nice weather out there today!” he called out. “Let’s wrap this up and go home.”
The men scrambled to put their tools away and leave their apron’s next to Caleb’s. It took only a matter of minutes for everything to be put away and everyone ready to go.
“See you Monday!” they all yelled out to each other as they went their separate ways.
They won’t be expecting me back this early. I’ll surprise them, he thought.
He prodded his horse to move and headed home, whistling loudly as he galloped down the road. For some reason, he was in a very jolly mood today and wondered why he was feeling so excited and happy all of a sudden.
Caleb couldn’t think of any reason he would be in such a good mood, so he decided to not worry about it and just enjoy it.
When he reached home, he found the house empty. He went to the back yard and looked out at the pasture that stretched out at the back of the property, but nobody was out there. He missed the sounds that often greeted him. Giggles and laughter from his girls was music to his ears.
He thought they were possibly taking an afternoon nap, so he stepped back inside quietly to keep from disturbing them. Remembering Audrey’s sarcastic admonishment for being loud while people are asleep, he didn’t want to face her ire about that again.
He walked up to Audrey’s room and knocked. There was no response, so he slowly opened the door and peeped inside. He was surprised to find the room completely empty. She wasn’t stretched out on the bed taking a short rest as he’d expected.
“Where could everyone be?” he said to the empty room.
Just as he was about to sit down with the newspaper to wait on them, he heard a carriage pull up. He smiled and went to the back door to meet them. He was confused to see only Kathleen at the door.
“You’re home early!” she called out as she stepped up onto the porch.
“Where is everyone else?” he asked. “Audrey’s room is empty and the girls are nowhere to be found.”
“Oh, they went out for a little picnic. I expect that they’ll be rolling in any time now!” she said in a matter-of-fact tone.
“Picnic? Well, it’s a nice day for it. Last minute plans?”
“Yes, Audrey thought they’d enjoy it. I packed them a lunch and they took the other carriage mid-morning. If you want to catch up with them, they were going to spend the afternoon by the river behind the church. I’m surprised you didn’t see the carriage when you went by there.”
A look of panic spread across his face. “Did you say they’re by the river?” he asked, his body trembling. Kathleen looked at him and realized that he had changed drastically from the relaxed man who was just talking to her.
“Are you all right? What’s wrong, Caleb?” she asked.
Caleb didn’t answer. He may not have even heard her. He was already rushing out the door toward the stable. In a few seconds Kathleen saw him gallop by on his horse. She stared after him, shaking her head in confusion.
He went straight to the church. Sure enough, the carriage was parked on the side of the church. The horse had a bucket of oats and water and he was fine. As Kathleen had said, he wasn’t sure why he didn’t see it when he went by.
His heart was racing and he was truly panicked. The horse and carriage was the least of his worries. He thought he knew where they’d be, so he went there first.
He ran down a path that wound from the back of the church to the bank of the Yellowstone River. He walked quickly a few paces upstream and stopped when he heard voices and laughter.
“Come here, girls, look at these pretty flowers,” Audrey called out to them.
“Let’s pick some to take home,” Daisy said.
“A fish! Did you see it? A fish jumped up high out of the water! It was a big one, too!” squealed Beatrice.
“Where? Tell him to do it again! I want to see!” screamed Daisy.
Audrey’s rich laughter rang out with the girl’s shrieks.
Their voices were coming from behind some bushes a few yards further upstream. He moved closer and parted the bushes to look through. Sure enough, there was Audrey with Beatrice and Daisy. They were picking wildflowers. It looked like they didn’t have a care in the world.
Caleb, on the other hand, did have a few cares. “What do you think you’re doing out here?” he demanded. His voice was angry and the look on his face matched his tone.
Audrey turned around and was surprised to find Caleb bounding out from the bushes. His anger must not have registered with her yet. She was smiling at him with genuine happiness.
“Oh, Caleb! You startled me! We’re just having a picnic. Come join us! There’s plenty left to nibble on,” she said.
“How dare you bring the girls out here without my permission!” he fumed.
Fury flashed in her eyes like lightning. “These girls are as much mine as they are yours. Don’t you ever forget that! And I don’t need your permission to enjoy a picnic on a lovely day.”
“Yes, you do! What if something had happened to Beatrice? Would you have taken responsibility?”
A surprised look spread across her face. “Why would something happen to Beatrice? What are you trying to suggest?”
Caleb turned his back on her and took a few steps away. It seemed like he needed to cool down a little. “No arguments, I just want all of you to come home right now!” he said, and trudged off, pulling Beatrice by the arm as he hurried along.
He put Beatrice on his horse with him and took off without waiting on Audrey and Daisy to get back to the carriage.
Chapter Twenty-six
It took a few minutes longer for her to get to the carriage after packing up the basket. As one final note of defiance, she took the flowers she and the girls picked and took them with her. He wouldn’t get it, but she felt happy to take them so that not everything about the day had been ruined.
When she reached home, Audrey went immediately into the house and grabbed him by the arm and turned him around. “Please give me an explanation for your inappropriate outburst? What on earth prompted you to shout at me like that?”
“You aren’t supposed to take my daughter anywhere near that river. It’s of great risk!” he said bluntly.
“What risk are you talking about?” she demanded.
The fire she saw in his eyes went out. One minute they were blazing with anger and the next minute they were dull with resignation.
He looked at her and then looked at his boots. “I don’t think our relationship can go any further,” he said. “Please pack up your belongings and go back to Boston. I’ll pay your passage and give you the money you need to start over there. I know you’ve used your savings, but you won’t have to worry about money when you go back. At least for a while, anyway.”
Another woman would possibly have broken down and begged for forgiveness in such a scenario. Audrey wasn’t cut out of the same cloth. She wasn’t going to give in so easily. “I’ll do nothing of the sort. You can’t just toss me aside because it got difficult,” she promptly replied. “That’s not the agreement we had.”
He looked at her in surprise. He stood there saying nothing and she could see he was trying to think of a worthy response. But he remained silent.
This was the very moment that Audrey had been waiting for. She stomped her foot firmly and said, “Now, I want to know why you’re so angry. True, we didn’t tell you anything about the picnic because there had been no such plans when you left here this morning. I can’t think of any reason why a simple, spontaneous picnic with the girls would make you angry. Come on, speak up! I’ll take your answer right now.”
Caleb stood looking at her and still he’d said nothing. She could see that he was on the brink of defeat. Finally, he went into the sitting room and took a spot on the settee. Audrey followed him as she wasn’t going to let him get out of facing the issues.
She saw that he had crumpled on the settee. Her rage
was gone as soon as she saw him crying, and her expression turned to one of concern. “Oh, Caleb, tell me. Please tell me.” she said as she sat beside him and put her arm around him.
He sniffed and pulled himself together a little. “I loved her, I loved her so much,” he finally mumbled.
“Susannah?” Audrey asked.
“Yes, Susannah. She drowned in the river when she was having a picnic with Beatrice. It happened at the same spot where you were today with the girls. I was supposed to be there that day with them. But I got busy at work and didn’t go. Because of me, she’s dead.” His voice cracked when he took responsibility for her death.
Everything cleared up in an instant. It all made sense. Just as she thought, it was guilt that had troubled Caleb all along. He had been holding himself responsible for the death of his wife when it had really just been a terrible accident. Seeing them in the same place Susannah had died was the one thing that made him break.
“I understand, Caleb. You feel guilty about Susannah’s death. You believe you should have been there to prevent it, right?” She nodded her head at him, even though he wasn’t looking at her. “You aren’t to blame. Not even a little bit. It was an accident.”
Caleb finally looked at her. His eyes were dry. He took a deep breath. “Audrey, I hope you’ll listen to me and believe in my sincerity. I have felt guilty because of Susannah’s death. That’s true. But the deeper truth is that I feel more guilt for replacing her. I hope you can accept my apology for how I’ve treated you. I’ve let this whole thing spin my life out of control and I’ve messed yours up, too.”
She sat still and listened. She didn’t try to respond. She sensed that he had more to say. So she waited.
“I don’t really want you to leave. I guess I felt that if you left I could get back to the way things were. It was the easy way out, I guess. I want you to stay. I wouldn’t blame you if you did go, but I hope you won’t.”
She nodded and still remained silent. She felt her emotions start to soften and tears filled her eyes.
“I’m ready to let go of all the guilt and wrath. I don’t know why I couldn’t do it before. I think I was close to letting it go before you came, but when you got here you were so much more than I expected. I allowed the guilt back in, but for another reason. Because I was about to let you in to replace her. I know now that was a silly thing to do.”
She finally found her voice. “It was silly. I never meant to replace her. I just wanted to be your friend. I still do.”
“Well, that’s nice, but that’s probably not going to work now,” he said.
She looked confused. She thought this had turned around, but now she wasn’t so sure.
“I can’t be just your friend, Audrey,” he said. “I love you. I want more than friendship and I think you do, too.”
Then she laughed. “I do want more. Surprising, isn’t it? Neither of us expected this, yet here we are. I love you, too, Caleb.”
He smiled and dropped to one knee in front of her. “I don’t want to waste any more time. No more excuses and no more hiding. So, Audrey Norris, will you marry me?”
“Yes, Caleb Jefferson. I’ll be most happy to be your wife.”
Daisy and Beatrice had been hiding outside the door. They broke out into gleeful giggles, and started jumping up and down.
Kathleen stood wiping away the tears from her eyes. Then she was jumping up and down in joy with her granddaughters.
Chapter Twenty-seven
The little red chapel in Cutter’s Creek, Montana was abuzz with activity. A wedding was always a big event in a small town like this. Caleb had many friends through his work and Audrey had become a favorite in church for her work with the children. Everyone wanted to be part of their wedding celebration.
Inside, the place was packed and there wasn’t an empty pew to be found. Everyone waited in anticipation for the wedding to begin.
The groom appeared and took up his place at the altar with Thad beside him as his best man. The music started and the crowd grew more alert.
Janine walked down the aisle first and took her place in front. She looked happy and overjoyed to be the matron of honor in this happy union. Then Daisy and Beatrice walked hand in hand down the aisle tossing flower petals around them all the way. The people sitting on the ends were showered with petals, too.
It wasn’t long before the bride appeared in her pale blue wedding dress. She walked alone down the aisle to take her place beside her soon-to-be-husband. Her mother sat in the front beside the woman who would be her mother-in-law in a matter of minutes. She was thankful for them both.
And so the marriage service began. The parson went through their vows and they promised to love, honor, and cherish each other always. And then he declared that Caleb and Audrey were man and wife. “You may kiss your bride!” he announced. With that kiss, their love was confirmed for all to witness.
Caleb looked down into Audrey’s smiling eyes. Their marriage had taken place in the presence of God and nothing could break them apart now. He bent forward and whispered, “I ran from this for too long and for the life of me I don’t know why. I promise to never run from you again.”
“It’s our new beginning. Let’s make the most of it,” she whispered back.
Beatrice and Daisy stood next to them and clapped feverishly. Neither of them understood the things that had happened before today. They both knew that they were loved and that they were part of a family. That was good enough for all of them.
The little red chapel was the perfect place for two broken hearts to be brought together, healed and united. It was the perfect place for a family to be mended. It was the perfect place for this family to worship, grow, and love each other for all the years to come.
Thank you for reading New Beginnings – Book 3 in the Cutter’s Creek Series.
To get a taste of what happens in Book 4, A Lily Blooms, an excerpt is included here. Keep reading to see what it’s all about!
A Lily Blooms
By Kari Trumbo
Cutter’s Creek, Montana 1887
Chapter One
Lily couldn’t take her gaze off his back. Standing in his best black suit, fitted perfectly to his broad shoulders, and a crisp ribbon tie, his head turned to look behind him. In all her seventeen years, she’d never met a man quite like James Cahill. He was kind and respectful to everyone. Even around silly young girls who couldn’t quite do their math problems if he was anywhere nearby. A tough situation, since he’d taught her math this last year to help out the teacher who was elderly and suffering from gout. It had been difficult to concentrate all year.
The music built to a crescendo and everyone in the small red chapel stood. A gasp forced Lily’s eyes from James to the woman standing at the back of the chapel. James’s intended, Gwendolyn Lathrop, entered through the double doors. She wore an intricate tailored gown of ecru lace. Probably the most lavish thing the small town had ever seen, certainly nicer than anything Lily had.
Gwendolyn barely touched her father’s arm with the tips of her fingers, giving the impression to everyone present that she didn’t need the strength of her father to lead her, not even on a day like her wedding day. Gwendolyn stopped next to James and her father took her hand and placed it into James’s. Lily pressed her lips together and squeezed her eyes shut. This couldn’t be happening. He couldn’t really be getting married.
The music went silent and the congregation sat. Lily put her hands underneath her to keep from fidgeting. She’d snuck into the wedding. Her parents didn’t feel they belonged even though the Cahills had invited everyone in town. Her parents never attended weddings or anything else, so they didn’t feel it was their place. Lillian wouldn’t have missed it for the world. It might be her last chance to see James…
The bride and groom turned to one another and took each other’s hands. Lily frowned. Gwendolyn didn’t smile; in fact, her mouth turned down in a dour scowl. She pulled her hands back so that he held only the tips of her f
ingers. Lily glared at her. How could she have everything in this world and not show any gratitude? Why, if she was standing up there…her imagination took her away and suddenly she stood in front in the little red chapel, gazing into James’s eyes. Looking down, she saw her own ecru lace gown. She smiled. In her mind she heard the reverend speak. James repeated the vows and Lily blushed at his heartfelt words.
The reverend started her vows, but it was Gwendolyn’s voice that repeated them. Lily’s eyes flew open and her breath came fast. He couldn’t do this to her. He couldn’t marry Gwendolyn and leave her forever!
The reverend looked at Gwendolyn. “Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
Gwendolyn smiled and opened her mouth to reply.
Lily shot to her feet. “No!” She looked at James, hoping he would realize in the last moment how much he loved her, not Gwendolyn. Instead, his face registered shock, mild recognition, then frustration. Lily looked around the chapel and saw every face she knew glaring at her. To them, she’d ruined something beautiful. Tears spilled over her cheeks and she ran for the door. She couldn’t bear to see James look at her like that for another moment.
…To continue reading A Lily Blooms, get it here:
A Lily Blooms on Amazon
Cutter’s Creek – The Red Chapel
This series began because of an image of a small, red, chapel found on Pinterest. It soon became the foundation of our stories. This chapel could shelter, connect and host weddings for various characters across generations. And so was birthed our beloved Cutter’s Creek – a cozy fictional town on the nineteenth century Montana frontier.
When you study the history of that period in Montana, you find stories of men and women who were tough, vibrant, resilient and passionate. A strikingly beautiful state, it has come to symbolize the pioneering life on the western frontier and everything that represents in the landscape of American history.