by Stacy Henrie
Would she adapt to life up north without her ranch? Caleb couldn’t picture her wearing a dress and apron every day like his mother or sisters. She needed her men’s breeches and old hat, a rope in one hand.
He stared down at her sleeping form again, her beautiful features soft and relaxed. Out of love for him, Jennie would become a freighter’s wife, with some land to farm to get them by. But he knew instinctively how much she’d miss this place. The ranch had been her lifeblood.
Tears formed in his eyes, and Caleb let them leak out as he tightened his arm around her shoulders. He couldn’t give Jennie back her ranch, but he had an idea of what he could do to keep that vibrant light in her eyes.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Four weeks later
Jennie woke to semidarkness outside her window. Sitting up in bed, she stretched and wondered what her grandmother was making for breakfast. Then she remembered. She wasn’t at the ranch; she and Will and Grandma Jones were now living with Caleb’s family. And today she would become Mrs. Caleb Johnson.
The one day I was told I should sleep in, she thought, shaking her head with amusement, and I’m up at dawn as usual.
Hugging her knees to her chest, Jennie smiled as a tremor of excitement ran up her spine. Her life had changed so much in the past four weeks that her memories of the ranch felt as hazy as if months had gone by instead of days.
Of course she’d been too busy to dwell for long on saying goodbye to her home. Gunner had come with the money as promised, and Jennie managed to keep her tears in check as she relinquished the key to the house. By then, she’d learned of the man’s daring visit to warn Caleb about Mr. King’s plot. In gratitude, she told him to take two of her best heifers to start his own herd before she sold the rest.
The trip northward had been long, but thankfully, uneventful. The morning after they stopped in Fillmore—the very day her loan was due—Jennie had insisted on going inside the bank alone to present her money to Mr. Dixon. The man’s balding head and clean-shaven face had paled as he’d listened to Jennie explain about the robberies and the sale of her ranch.
“There’s enough money here to absolve my full debt and repay what was stolen.” She slid the overstuffed bag of money across the tidy desk. “I have a note here outlining the dates of the various robberies and amounts. I also have a letter from the sheriff in Beaver, requesting your help in seeing that this money is returned to its rightful owners.” She handed him both papers. “The sheriff and I agreed this would be a suitable way to redeem yourself, Mr. Dixon, for becoming involved with Mr. King.”
Mr. Dixon wiped away the sweat glistening on his head with a handkerchief, his face turning from white to red. “I...uh...don’t know what to say, Miss Jones. Other than I appreciate your willingness to work with me.” He swallowed, and Jennie couldn’t help a smile.
“It’s all right, Mr. Dixon.” She rose and tugged her hat more securely on her head. She hadn’t bothered to change out of her breeches. “As someone recently informed me, we all have our secrets.”
The bank president was still sputtering for a response as Jennie left the bank, chin held high with real victory this time.
They’d pulled into the Salt Lake Valley a week later, sore and tired. Jennie, Will and Grandma Jones were immediately taken in by the Johnson family with as much warmth and kindness as if they’d known each other for years.
They all attended church together that first Sunday in the valley, with Jennie clutching tightly to Caleb’s hand. After a while she relaxed and even spoke with a few of the neighbors when the services ended. She still feared being accepted into the church community, but she wouldn’t quit going. She knew the price she and her family had paid during their years of absence, and she was determined never to repeat that mistake again. She needed God, and as Caleb kept reminding her, He needed her, too.
A knock on the door scattered Jennie’s thoughts. “Come in.” She pulled the covers up to her chin, though no one could see much of her in the unlit room.
Caleb stuck his head around the door, a lamp in his hand. “I thought you might be up.”
Jennie pretended to scowl at him. “Isn’t it bad luck to see the bride before the wedding?”
He lifted the lamp and scrutinized her. “I think that only applies to seeing your wedding dress. How fast can you get ready?”
She blinked at him. The most important day of their lives and he wanted her to rush? “I didn’t think we had to go for another couple hours. I still need to iron my new dress, and your sisters are coming over to do my hair...” She let her voice fade out when he shook his head.
“No. I meant how quickly can you dress for an outing?”
“An outing? Where are we going?”
He wouldn’t answer her question, and Jennie imagined the playful glint in his eyes. “Ma put together some breakfast for us to take along. Get dressed, and I’ll go hitch up the wagon.”
“All right. Give me five minutes.”
He set the lamp on the bureau and shut the door behind him. Throwing off the covers, Jennie jumped out of bed. She quickly scrubbed her face with the ice-cold water in the washbasin, put on one of her old dresses and pulled a brush through her hair. Though it was now June, the mornings could be cool, so she threw a shawl over her shoulders and blew out the lamp. The house stood quiet around her as she hurried down the stairs.
As she made her way down the hall, she heard Caleb and his mother, Rachel, in conversation. She didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but their words floated easily through the quiet house.
“You think she’ll like it?” Rachel asked. What could she mean? Jennie wondered, pausing just outside the door in hopes of unearthing the secret behind Caleb’s outing.
“I know she will.”
Jennie heard the rustle of a skirt. “I’m so proud of you, Caleb. Your decisions these last two months have made us so happy. We worried about you when you left here three years ago. We still loved you then and understood your grief, but it pleases me so much to see you finally at peace.”
“You really are proud?” Jennie heard the hope and relief in Caleb’s voice.
“Very much so. Jennie is so good for you and I think you’ll be good for her.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” Footsteps headed for the back door. “I’m gonna hitch up the wagon.”
Jennie remained where she stood a moment more, resisting the urge to run after him and kiss him soundly in front of his mother. The knowledge that she could be a help to him as he had so many times to her made her heart nearly burst with love.
She smoothed the front of her dress and stepped into the kitchen. Warm air wrapped itself around her.
Rachel glanced up and smiled before returning to her task of kneading dough in the light of another lamp. “Your breakfast is in that basket by the door.”
Jennie thanked her as she crossed the room and picked up the basket. With her hand on the doorknob, she turned back to Rachel. “Is this improper, an outing with the bride before the wedding?”
The older woman laughed, reminding Jennie so much of Caleb. “For other grooms perhaps, but not for my Caleb.”
Jennie slipped out the door. She waited as Caleb hooked up the team of horses to the wagon. When he finished, he helped her onto the seat and placed a blanket over her lap. He stowed the breakfast basket beneath their seat.
“Ready?” he asked.
“I suppose,” she said with a laugh.
They drove away from the rising sun, toward the dark sky in the west. Jennie could see a few stars still twinkling above them. Caleb put his arm around her, and she snuggled into his warmth, completely content. They spoke quietly of their plans for the day, and Jennie successfully thwarted Caleb’s attempts to wiggle information out of her about her dress or how she planned to do her hair.
“I have to maintain some surprise,” she teased.
Before long, the sky began to lighten, and soon the chain of western mountains stood out more clearly. Fewer farms occupied
this side of the valley.
“Where are we going?”
“This is it,” Caleb said, pulling on the reins. “We’re here.”
Jennie glanced more closely at the landscape. Sagebrush and wild grass swayed in the breeze, and from a stand of nearby trees, some birds chirped their morning calls. “What is this place?”
Instead of answering, Caleb jumped to the ground and hurried around the wagon to help her down. He kept her hand in his and led her a few yards from the horses. “This,” he said, sweeping his arm in an arc in front of them, “will be our new home.”
“Oh, Caleb, it’s perfect.” This is where we will live and raise our family. She went up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek.
“I bought it two days ago, but I wanted you to see it before the wedding.”
Jennie smiled, the love she felt for him washing over her anew. “We’ll still need to purchase a place in town for your freighting office.”
Caleb led her around, pointing in different directions as they walked. “Here is where I thought we’d build the house, so we’d have a nice view of the mountains to the east and a place for a vegetable garden.”
Jennie found herself growing more excited as he voiced his plans.
“Over there, we can build the barn and an icehouse one day.” Caleb drew her farther away from the wagon. “The property goes all the way to the foothills, so we can plant a few crops and then the rest of the land will be for the cattle.”
She’d been nodding as he inventoried the possibilities, but when she heard him say “cattle,” she stopped bobbing her head. “We won’t need so much space for a milk cow or two.”
“I didn’t say they’d be milk cows.”
“But what kind—”
“I figure if we’re going to have a ranch we better have a lot of range for our cattle.”
“You mean...” She grasped his arm, afraid she hadn’t heard him right. “You mean, you’re not going to be a freighter? We’re going to have a ranch instead?”
At his nod, a lump formed in Jennie’s throat, making any more words impossible. Caleb pulled her into his embrace, and she rested her head against his shirt.
“What is it they say?” he whispered into her ear. “You can take the woman from the ranch, but you can’t take the ranch from the woman?”
Jennie sniffled. “Is that what they say?”
“Whether they do or not, it’s true. You need a ranch, Jennie Jones, and I need you. So I guess my cattle days aren’t numbered.”
Reaching up, Jennie placed a hand against his cheek, loving the smoothness of his freshly shaved jaw. “Thank you, Caleb. Thank you today, and tomorrow and forever. Next to having you as my husband, I can’t think of a better gift.”
“Seeing your smile every day will be thanks enough,” he said as he pressed his forehead to hers.
A new round of tears temporarily blurred her vision. “Are you sure you knew what you were doing that day you accepted my job offer?”
“No, but God did.”
Jennie smiled, then easing back, she gave him a serious look. “You don’t wish you were marrying someone else? Another girl might cause you a lot less trouble.”
Caleb shook his head, his blue eyes devoid of teasing. “I’ve known for a while that you’re the girl for me. Even with your men’s clothes and your stubborn ways, I love you, Jennie. And I always will.”
Jennie threw her arms around his neck. “Does that mean you won’t mind sleeping next to me and my pistol?”
“As long as you aren’t pointin’ it at me.”
Her heart thudded wildly in her chest as Caleb bent down and kissed her. She felt breathless and filled to bursting with joy. Whatever lay ahead, she and Caleb would face it together.
“You ready to head back?” he asked as they ended their kiss.
Nodding, Jennie reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze. “Let’s go get married, cowboy.”
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt of A Baby Between Them by Winnie Griggs!
Dear Reader,
I’ve always had a great fascination for the pioneers who settled the West. As a kid, I loved exploring abandoned mining towns with my dad and sisters, hoping to uncover an antique artifact. I never tired of hearing pioneer stories and imagining what life was like back then. This captivation spilled over into my writing. If I couldn’t wear a fancy bustle dress or ride in a stagecoach in everyday life, then my characters could.
From this story’s beginning, I wanted a romantic, high-adventure tale. And what’s more romantic in the Old West than a young lady who, in desperation, turns to outlawing to save her ranch?
Western outlaws have long been the stuff of romantic legend, including Utah’s most famous, Butch Cassidy. As I prepared to write this book, I read about his life and those of other outlaws, male and female. Many of these, like Jennie, came from religious homes and were good people at the core, but a desperate need drove them to a life of crime. Unlike most, Jennie eventually chooses the difficult road back to a life of honesty.
While outlaws existed in many parts of the West, I chose to set this story in my home state of Utah. The pioneers who settled here were no strangers to hard work and deprivation. Working together, they turned the desert land into thriving communities. This rugged setting with its civilized towns and regular stage travel became the perfect backdrop for Jennie and Caleb’s love story.
I enjoy hearing from readers. You can contact me through my website at www.stacyhenrie.com.
All the best,
Stacy Henrie
Questions for Discussion
1. Why does Jennie insist on handling the ranch’s financial troubles alone? Why does she keep her robberies a secret from her family?
2. Where is Jennie spiritually at the beginning of the novel? How does she change by the end?
3. Why does Caleb choose to let Nathan go rather than arrest him for his past crimes?
4. What ultimately prompts Caleb to forgive Jennie for her robberies?
5. When can worthy endeavors—like Jennie’s desire to save her ranch or Caleb’s desire to prove himself to his parents—become vices?
6. Caleb finds it challenging at first to learn the skills of ranching. What skills or occupations in your life were most difficult to master?
7. What are the different ways Jennie and Caleb deal with grief at losing loved ones?
8. Caleb and Jennie must both overcome bitterness at the effect other people’s actions have had on their lives. How are their reactions similar? How are they different? How are they able to let go of bitterness and embrace peace?
9. What is the turning point in Caleb’s faith before he meets Jennie? How is he able to help her along her spiritual journey?
10. What was your favorite scene in the book? Why?
11. Did the book fit your idea of life in Utah at that time? Why or why not?
12. Grandma Jones tells Jennie, “You start down one path and realize you should have taken another. The important thing is recognizing when you need to switch.” What paths have you started down in life, only to realize you needed to make a change? What helped you choose to go in a different direction?
13. Jennie has a great love for the ranch—a place she works hard to keep. Is there a particular place or house from your past that holds great significance?
14. Are there ever times, like Jennie helping herself to some of Horace and Clyde’s stolen loot to buy the ranch more time, when the end justifies the means? Why or why not?
15. What sacrifices did Caleb make out of love for Jennie? What sacrifices did Jennie make out of love for Caleb?
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired Historical title.
You find illumination in days gone by. Love Inspired Historical stories lift the spirit as heroines tackle the challenges of life in another era with hope, faith and a focus on family.
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Chapter One
Faith Glen, Massachusetts, August 1850
Nora Murphy looked at her two younger sisters across the room and tamped down the pinprick of jealousy that tried to intrude on her joy at their good fortune.
After all, this was her sister Bridget’s wedding day to Will Black, a good and honorable man who loved her dearly. Everyone in town was gathered to celebrate here at Will’s home—Bridget’s home now, too. It was a joyous occasion and it would be selfish to put her own feelings above her sister’s.
So what if just a scant month ago Maeve, the youngest, had also married a wonderful man? No matter how it felt, Nora assured herself, it wasn’t truly pitiable to be the oldest and the only one still single and with no marriage prospects. After all, at twenty-five she had a few years left to her before she’d have to don her spinster cap.