The morning before her wedding, Aunt Catherine arrived. Jonathan, Logan, and Nathan had gone to the rail at Denton to meet her. Emma waited eagerly on the porch for their approach. When she sighted the buggy, Logan and Nathan riding horseback beside it, Emma ran to meet them.
Aunt Catherine dismounted the buggy before Jonathan could stop completely and ran to embrace Emma.
“My dear Emma.” She hugged her close. “I’ve been so worried for you. Thank goodness you’re alright.” Stepping back, tears streamed down her face.
Her aunt wore fancy traveling clothes and a hat perched on her head, but Emma was struck with how she’d aged. Still, her rosy complexion showed a youthful exuberance.
“I’ve missed you,” Emma said. “I’m sorry I ran off. It was foolish, I know.”
“Well,” Catherine stroked Emma’s cheek, “you’re safe and sound now, and I’ve met your young man.” She glanced back at Nathan, who sat atop his horse watching the reunion. “He’s quite in love with you and from what little I heard of your adventure, he kept a good watch over you.”
Emma knew that Nathan must not have shared the back end of the trip, when they’d been separated. No need to worry her aunt needlessly now.
“Yes, he’s amazing,” Emma replied quietly, not wanting to swell Nathan’s head with compliments. “I’m so glad you’ve come. I know it was a long way. How was your trip?”
“Very good. It’s always nice to get out of the routine and go visiting, and it’s been such a long time since I’ve been to Texas, not since I came to retrieve you and Mary.”
Emma knew she spoke of the death of Robert and Rosemary Hart, Emma’s folks. Rosemary was Catherine’s younger sister. “Let’s get you back to the house,” Emma said.
They linked arms and walked together. Nathan and Logan tended to the horses while Jonathan brought in Catherine’s trunk and satchel. Susanna greeted them in the parlor with tea and cookies.
“It’s so good to see you, Catherine,” Susanna said, hugging her warmly. “It’s been much too long.”
“Yes, it definitely has. Thank you for all you’ve done for Emma. Is there anything I can do to help with the wedding plans?”
“I think we’ve got everything covered. The preacher will be here by two o’clock tomorrow.”
“I can’t believe my Emma will be married.” Catherine smiled and new tears flowed.
“I have something I should tell you,” Emma said.
“I’m going to leave the two of you alone for a bit to catch up.” Susanna departed the room.
“I hope you won’t be angry.” Emma felt uncertain about sharing the news with her aunt but didn’t want her to hear it from someone else. “I’m pregnant.”
Astonishment crossed her aunt’s features. “Oh. My. Well.” She placed a hand to her chest. Then she laughed.
“Are you disappointed?” Emma asked.
“Oh my word, no.” Catherine shook her head to emphasize her words. “A bit shocked, yes, but then I guess I shouldn’t be. You were always such a different child than Mary. Sometimes I worried that I didn’t know how to raise you right. I’d never had children of my own. You always had one foot out the door. When you ran off I was sick with worry, but a part of me wasn’t surprised. I think I always knew you’d go chasing whatever it was that lived inside you. You were such a quiet, serious girl. There were times I honestly didn’t understand you. Is Nathan good to you? Does he want the child?”
“Yes. It was a surprise to both of us, but it’s why he’s adamant we marry so soon. He wants to do right.”
“He’s a Texas Ranger, though. Will he leave you to go back to it?”
She and Nathan had discussed their future, but nothing had been decided. “We’re still planning how to live our lives together.”
“Of course.” Catherine grasped her hand and squeezed it. “I believe I have some news for you as well.”
Emma turned to the tea on the table before them and poured a cup for her aunt then handed it to her.
“I’m not sure how to say this, so I’ll just say it. Maeve was arrested.”
Emma’s gaze flew to her aunt. “What?”
“It seems she was faking some of the work she’d done with police regarding crimes that she helped to solve. I know you were close to her. I’m so sorry. Did you know that anything was amiss?”
It would seem Emma’s involvement with the elderly Irish woman hadn’t been revealed. As far as her aunt knew, all Emma had done was clean and cook for Maeve. Maybe it was just as well.
“No, not really,” she replied.
The ledger Emma had taken from Maeve’s house had been destroyed in the flood in the Grand Canyon, so she no longer had any proof against the woman. Nathan told her he’d found little left of the dory, but he had found her journal—several pages were ripped and some missing, but for the most part it was intact.
“The oddest thing, however, was that those Baxter boys reappeared a few weeks back. They’d left about the same time you did. Maeve said they’d gone off to Denver to look for work, but one of them had been shot in the shoulder. I passed one on the street one afternoon, and he said the strangest thing to me. He said you were a witch now and that I should be glad to be rid of you. I just ignored him and passed on by. I never did care for those boys. They’re rude and bullies, and just between you and me, a little stupid too.”
Emma laughed. “I think you’re right. If you have trouble with them, let me know. I’ll cast a spell on them.”
Catherine considered this. “The next time I see them, maybe I’ll tell them that. They’re strangely superstitious.”
“The fearful usually are.”
* * *
Today was his wedding day. Nathan fumbled with a black tie as he stood before a mirror in the room he’d occupied these past few weeks. The Ryans had been so hospitable, he didn’t think he could ever repay them. Jonathan and Logan had departed for Fort Worth this morning to meet his ma’s train. It was getting late, and he worried they might not make it in time for the ceremony.
He wondered at the sudden change his life had taken in the past several months. He had Emma and their soon-to-be-born babe, treasures he never imagined would be his.
A knock on the door broke the silence. “Come in,” he said, pulling on his boots from the bedside.
Matt appeared, dressed in formal attire for the ceremony as befitted the best man, and leaned against the door jam. “Are you ready?”
Nathan smiled. “I think so.”
“Who’d ever thought we’d be here?”
“Not me, that’s for sure.” Nathan stopped his efforts with the boots. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure, shoot.”
“When Cerrillo had you, did you ever give up hope?” Matt’s incarceration by a Mexican bandit had lasted for months. After Nathan had gotten him out, he’d never spoken much about it.
Matt became pensive. “Yeah, I did.”
Sunlight filtered through the lace-covered windows, casting an intricate pattern across the bed and wooden floor. “When I thought I’d lost Emma…” He stopped, still bothered by how close he’d come to losing her forever. “In all the things we’ve been through, all the petty crimes, the deceptions, the killings, never once did I feel overwhelmed by it. But when I thought I couldn’t find her…when I finally realized she was gone…I considered ending it. I’d never even come close to such a thought in my life, not even after my pa died.”
Silence filled the space in the room, almost sacred in its essence.
“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Matt said. “After Cerrillo, I came back here more broken than I ever realized I was. I wondered if I’d ever come back to myself. I didn’t care about anything. But then I found Molly.” He laughed a little. “I literally found her in that old house of hers where she’d lived as a little girl. It was the beginning of finding my way back. I guess it was God’s way of saying that I deserved a second chance. I don’t take it for granted, not for one day. I kno
w I’m fortunate. We both are.”
Nathan glanced up at his friend. “I think that Molly helped us both.” Without her, Nathan never would have gone searching for Emma. “I’m thinking she’s gonna want to keep Winter for certain now.”
“Well, I hate to break it to you, but she has no intention of giving that horse back to you.”
Nathan smiled. “She’s good with animals. I might even let her have Black.”
“Like hell. She’s getting nowhere near that stallion. Mares and geldings only.”
Nathan nodded. “All right, I get it. Maybe Black can sire a few foals with White.”
“You plannin’ on stayin’ around?”
“I was thinking about it.”
“My pa will wanna talk to you then. He’s always considered you like a son. We’d best get downstairs before you’re late for a wedding.”
* * *
The sky was clear and bright blue, and unseasonably warm for a November day, so Susanna decided to have the ceremony outside, near the main house, adorning an altar with pretty white orchids brought in from Dallas. Nathan stood in the wide hallway of the house.
“Pa’s back,” Matt said.
Nathan went onto the porch just as Jonathan helped his mother from the buggy. Smaller and frailer than he remembered, he suddenly realized he’d been wrong in asking her to come. He took the steps swiftly and was immediately at her side.
She beamed as soon as she saw him, her eyes crinkling at the sides from beneath her yellow bonnet. “Nathan, my boy.”
“Mama.” She clung to him and he gently hugged her back, afraid he might crush her. When had she become so old? “I was wrong to stay away so long. I’m so sorry.”
She disengaged to look at him, her eyes brimming with tears. “It’s so wonderful to see you. I’m so happy to be here at last.”
“It must’ve been a long journey. You should rest.”
“But isn’t the ceremony about to start?” she asked.
“Soon.”
“Then let’s get to it. I can rest later. I was afraid I might have missed it altogether. And where is your girl?”
“Inside,” he replied. “About pa…”
She grasped his hands. “I spoke to him—in a dream.” She laughed. “He told me he’d talked to you as well. I’m sorry about it all. I should’ve told you everything, but even I didn’t know it all. Can you forgive me?”
“Yes.”
“He said your girl is special. He said she’s like me.”
“I think you’ll like her, Ma.”
* * *
And so, at last, Emma, in a pretty lace dress over the softest cloth of satin white and the Hopi turquoise bracelet on her right wrist, walked to Nathan as he waited for her before the preacher. Matt stood to his side. They both looked very handsome in their white shirts, black coats, and ties. Molly preceded her as the matron of honor.
Jonathan escorted her down the short aisle between about twenty chairs, filled mostly with the men and women who worked at the SR, along with Claire, Logan, and Jimmy. Susanna sat beside her husband. Aunt Catherine was beside an elderly woman Emma knew must be Nathan’s mother. Emma smiled at her before taking her place beside him. As she put her hand into the crook of his arm, a slight breeze blew wisps of her pinned hair free as well as the veil that trailed down her back.
She looked into Nathan’s brown eyes and felt a recognition deep in her soul. She’d seen him in visions, long before she’d met him. Had she seen the future? Or were they memories of some other time they’d had together? Such a short courtship, but Emma felt as if she’d always known him. Perhaps souls did meet in other times and places. Perhaps souls continued to find each other no matter where they existed.
But for now, it was enough to be here, with the man she loved, pledging herself to him.
It was enough to simply feel happy.
She and Nathan recited their vows, then he surprised her with a shiny gold band to place upon her third finger.
Man and wife.
Nathan kissed her, sealing a bond set in motion from the moment they met, and long before.
* * *
Two days later Nathan rode with Emma in a buggy. He insisted that she not ride a horse in her condition. It was late in the day, and the sky was filled with vibrant orange and red hues. Emma pulled Nathan’s duster tighter around her. He insisted also that she wear his coat to ward off the November chill.
“Where are we going?” she asked. “We’ll be late for supper.” Nathan’s ma still remained and Emma enjoyed the evenings spent with her. Their relationship had been tentative at first, but had quickly unfolded into their common thread—an ability to see what most others didn’t. Her experiences were similar and yet different than Emma’s. She had much to learn from the woman.
Nathan stopped the buggy at last, climbed down then came to help Emma to the ground. They walked a few feet and Emma paused. Beyond them lay plains, flat but broken with escarpments. The vast sky overwhelmed the scene. Emma felt a rush of energy and she inhaled deeply.
“What is this place?” she asked. “I like it.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.” He stood beside her, hands on his hips. “This is Hart land.”
Her gaze swung to him.
“It’s been in a trust since your folks’ deaths,” he continued. “It’s ours Emma, if you want it.”
“How? What about Molly and Mary?”
“The land can only be deeded to the husbands. When Mary married first, Jonathan Ryan contacted her, but her husband had his sights set on Arizona Territory, so they passed. Matt and Molly are happy with the Ryan land Jonathan has given them. So it’s ours.”
“Is this what you want?” she asked.
He grinned. “Hell yeah. It’s twenty thousand acres.”
She laughed.
“I’m going to quit the Rangers,” he said, becoming serious again. “We’ll raise cattle. We’ll raise our children here.”
Emma contemplated the area, feeling an unyielding connection. She turned her face into the breeze and closed her eyes, feeling the strength of the earth itself in the marrow of her bones.
She was home.
She kissed his cheek. “Thank you,” she whispered.
His lips came to hers. “You’re welcome.”
Lifting his gaze just beyond her shoulder, he froze.
Worried, she turned to look.
“Do you see that?” he asked from behind her.
Warmth filled her. Her connection to Mother Earth must have summoned them. “Yes, but I’m surprised that you do.”
Sparrow and Una stood together, with Riddle’s coiled body beside them.
“Well, the cat I know,” Nathan said. “And I’ve heard rumors of the bird. But the snake is new, and a little unsettling.”
“He only strikes when provoked. Like me.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“I believe they’re giving us their blessing,” Emma said.
Nathan’s arm came around her waist. “Our thanks,” he replied to them.
Emma could hardly believe that Nathan accepted this odd occurrence so easily. “Thank you,” she said to him, “for being open to the possibilities.”
“I don’t think I have a choice. Do they talk?” He nodded toward the animal spirits.
“Oh yes. I can show you a grand time. Let me teach you the ways of my world.”
Supper could wait. Emma would take Nathan on a flight of fancy. Grinning, she grabbed his hand.
The crescent sun shimmered on the horizon as shadows moved along the tan desert landscape. In the distance, a mountain lion ran with speed and dexterity, its movements filled with precision and beauty. When the animal halted, exuberant from his efforts, a black-throated sparrow flew over him, dipping and diving, playing with the air currents like a child playing with butterflies.
And off they went into the night.
The World was all before them, where to choose
Their place of rest, an
d Providence their guide:
They hand in hand with wandering steps and slow,
Through Eden took their solitary way.
~ John Milton, Paradise Lost
THE END
I'm so pleased you chose to read The Sparrow, and it's my sincere hope that you enjoyed the story. I would appreciate if you'd consider posting a review. This can help an author tremendously in obtaining a readership. My many thanks. ~ Kristy
The Legend
The tale was spread first through whispers, out of fear of speaking it then more loudly, for truly those who knew the story were revered and held in awe in their own right. Most couldn’t resist sharing the knowledge, methodically adding to the distortions of who Emma Hart Blackmore was, and exactly what she had done.
She was known as the white woman who faced down the demons of the past, evil that had come through the ages in various forms, manifesting in her time as a man who would steal souls. She was called shaman, medicine woman, healer, speaker to the dead, and for the fearful, witch. She conquered the great canyon, in the lands of the Hopi and the Havasupai, and swam in the swells of the river, emerging whole. She was credited with mastery over nature and its capricious elements, guiding earth, air, water, and fire itself.
In doing battle with the Dark One, he who consumed spirit and flesh alike, she became a shape-shifter, oft morphing into her power animal of Sparrow. It was said she could speak to the birds, to all flying creatures, and command them to her will. She crossed to the immense void to engage in battle with little but her own reckless courage and a purpose to do right. She saved the helpless and fought with bravery, brandishing a sword wielded of fear and might. The stories also told of her companion, a warrior of the white people’s world and a man of the water. He was her grand love and bestowed many sons on her, some who carried her powers as well.
The Sparrow Page 28