Surrender to Love
Page 24
Jordan felt like the luckiest woman alive.
Yet the next afternoon a young man rode up to the property, and her heart lurched in her breast, even though she knew she was beyond her uncle's touch now that she was married. Yet fear for her ranch made her call out to Gray Hawk, who was nearby working on a corral.
"Are you Jordan McGuire?" the young man asked, taking the hat from his head and running a hand through his sweaty hair.
Gray Hawk put his hand out toward the man in greeting. "She is, and I'm her husband, Gray. Can I help you?"
"I've a letter for you."
He handed Jordan the envelope, and instantly her heart sank recognizing her uncle's penmanship. "Thank you," she replied to the young man, who left as quickly as he arrived.
"Are you alright?" Gray Hawk asked, watching her intently.
"It's from my uncle." She took a deep breath and with trembling hands, opened the letter and read it out loud.
"Dearest Jordan, I fear I have done you a great injustice. Not only have I behaved horribly toward you all these years when you needed my love the most, I have also betrayed you to which lengths you cannot imagine. That is why I write this letter to you. Your father was a very wealthy man, and when he died he left you the ranch, and a considerable sum of money which was left in a disclosed location. Your father was never one to trust banks, and therefore, saw to it to hide the money on your land, in your home. He entrusted me with this information, so I in turn would tell you.
In the homestead, at the base of the stove there are bricks lining the floor. Toward the back you will find several that give way. Therein you will find a steel box, which was opened before your arrival--there you will find the deed to your ranch, along with enough money to buy those horses you always talked about as a child. Oh, Jordan, I cannot take back all the years of ill that I caused, but I do hope in my heart that you will one day forgive me. I am on my way back to Virginia, and if God wills it, I shall see you again one day. Until then I remain, your Uncle Frederick.
She looked up at Gray Hawk, whose wide smile mirrored her own feelings. "I don't believe it."
"It's yours, Jordan. No one will take it away."
"I have my ranch," Jordan said, tears stinging her eyes. "And we have money, which means we can buy lots of horses and make this ranch one of the largest in the region."
Gray Hawk pulled her into his arms and kissed her soundly. "I'm so happy for you."
"I'm happy for us. This is our money, Gray Hawk. This is our ranch. And what are we waiting for?" she asked, as she ran for the house, stopping just short of the stove.
She turned to Gray Hawk. "Do you want me to do it?" he asked, motioning toward the stove.
"No, I'll do it," she said, and with shaking hands she unearthed the steel box.
"You open it," she said, trembling with excitement and a sense of fear, as she handed it to Gray Hawk, hoping it wasn't a cruel joke.
Taking his knife, he pried the lock off and opened it up. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight that met her. Never in all her years could she have imagined that this kind of money existed in her family. Hers had been a simple upbringing with little in the way of frivolous things. But her parents had obviously put away for a rainy day, not realizing their own lives would be cut short.
"Do you know what we can do with this money?" she asked, meeting Gray Hawk's stare.
"I have a feeling you're about to tell me."
"We can build onto the house, make more rooms for our children."
"Our children." He smiled. "I like the sound of that." His eyes darkened and he tossed the box aside as though it were loose change.
Jordan laughed, knowing that money was the last thing on his mind.
Epilogue
JORDAN AND Kari sat on the porch swing, watching their husbands as they tried to tame the wild mustang.
Kari laughed under her breath as Shane was thrown yet again. Grimacing, he stood and rubbed his worn-out backside.
Though Jordan was content with the life she and Gray Hawk had made before she'd discovered the money, there was no question it had made a huge difference, enabling them to start their ranch sooner than expected.
Already they had an impressive selection of horseflesh, and they had queries from people in nearby counties who had heard the McGuire Horse Ranch was up and running again.
The only distressing thing for Jordan was that Gray Hawk didn't allow her to lift a finger, afraid that it would harm the baby. So she was resigned to doing the housework and tending the garden, while he and Jake, a young hand from Shane's spread, worked on breaking the wild horses they had acquired.
"He's so happy," Kari said, bringing Jordan out of her revelry.
Kari and Shane had arrived early last evening. They'd spent the entire night catching up on the months that had passed. Jordan squeezed Kari's hand. There was no denying how good it felt to have Kari with her.
Jordan smiled as Shane attempted to mount the spirited mare without success. Her gaze shifted to her husband, who laughed and stepping into the corral, soothed the horse, talking to it in low tones. He moved to its side, then mounted with an ease that surprised all of them. The horse bucked a few times, but Gray Hawk held on, and as though realizing the man on his back wasn't about to give up, it calmed down and pranced around the corral.
"Show off," Shane said with a defeated smirk, while sitting on the rail, shaking his head.
Gray Hawk's grin stole the breath from Jordan's lungs. He winked, and jumped from the horse, laughing at something Shane said.
With a smile Jordan turned to Kari, whose hand rested on her protruding stomach. Though her cousin was due two months after her, she was almost as big. Just last month the doctor had told her he'd heard two heartbeats. Kari at first had been frightened by the news she was having twins, but Shane had been thrilled.
Kari took her hand in hers and squeezed it tight. "We got everything we ever dreamed of it, didn't we?"
Jordan looked from her to Gray Hwak, who was now patting Shane on the back. Her heart filled with love for the man who had stolen her heart. "Yes, we certainly did."
Julia Templeton
An avid reader all her life, Julia discovered historical romance when she was nineteen, and to this day she still gets excited when she walks into a bookstore. She is a member of Romance Writers of America: National, Rose City Writers, and Hearts through History Chapters.
SURRENDER TO LOVE is her second historical romance to be published. Julia loves reading all sub-genres of romance, as well as all time periods.
Julia lives in Brush Prairie, Washington, with her husband and their two teenagers She is currently at work on her next historical romance. She loves to hear from her readers. Please feel free to email her at jtempleton9@attbi.com.