“Well, I prayed. And prayed some more. I tried to talk to my mother but she would not listen. So, one day, Jim and I eloped. Now, I am not telling you that is what you should do. Jim and I were in agreement that it was the course of action we needed to take, and eventually, we made up with my mother.”
“Were you poor?”
Anna smiled. “In some ways, yes. Oh, when the children came it put a strain on our supply, but the Lord always met us. We had five children. All are grown and scattered across the country.” Her eyes took on a dreamy look.
“You miss them don’t you?”
She nodded. “Yes, along with all my grandchildren. Yet, the Lord has provided for me even in that with the people of this town. I look at you as one of my grandchildren. And I’m so very proud of the fine, young woman you’ve become.”
Amelia shook her head. “So what do I do?”
“If it is not in your heart to do anything right now, then you wait until He puts something there. And that fine young sheriff of ours, pray that the Lord would put the same thing in his heart. When the time comes for you to do something, you will know. So will your mother. She loves you so very much.”
Amelia smiled. “Yes, she does. You’re right. So much of my turmoil is in not knowing what to do. I’ll be content to wait. At least, I’ll try to be content.”
Anna chuckled. “Yes, sometimes that’s all we can do. I hope I’ve helped you dear. Would you like me to get Jim to walk you home?”
“No. I’ll be fine.”
“Well, you’d better leave, because I think that sleet is now snow. I don’t want you to get sick, and I don’t want your mother to worry.” Anna rose and helped tighten the wrap around her. “Would you like a scarf?”
“No, I’ll rush home.” Amelia reveled in the warmth of such love.
Anna walked her to the door. “Remember to always check your actions with the Lord. Then you’ll know if they are the way you should go.”
After one more hug, Amelia went out into a world of swirling white. She loved the snow. It didn’t come often to Bluebonnet, but when it did, she could barely stay inside.
With the wintry wonderland and her resolve that things would work out, she headed back to town and home. All was right, and white, with her world. She hummed “Joy to the World”, her favorite Christmas hymn.
Almost to the post office, Amelia thought she heard someone call for help. She listened but the snow muffled the sound. She stepped off the boardwalk and peeked around the corner. Her breath caught. Yancy was on the ground.
She ran to him. “Yancy, are you hurt?”
He groaned. “My horse, he’s behind the buildings. I tripped over something and wrenched my shoulder. Will you get the paint and bring him to me?”
She nodded and went behind the store. There was his big black and white. She was about to get the reins, when Yancy grabbed her and tossed her onto the saddle. He jumped on behind her and kicked the horse.
“What are you doing?” She thought of screaming, but no one would hear. She twisted and tried to get out of his grasp.
He whispered in her ear. “Take it easy. I won’t hurt you. Just going to take you to a little place I know so we can talk.”
Her heart beat at a gallop. Surely, this was not something the Lord would want to happen. Yancy should be at Reed and Nettie’s ranch. The snow thickened. She prayed her mother wouldn’t be too worried. She hoped Yancy still had some good in him.
Chapter 13
Wills stared at the snowy mixture covering the streets. Yet, all he could think about was Sally. Did he really care for her? He didn’t have to marry her. He knew that. Pastor Jim had shown him that. So what was he feeling? Guilt?
He stared at the desk in his hotel room and the sheet of paper where he’d started to write her a letter. Crumpling up the paper, he threw it in the wastebasket. He needed to give her the same freedom he had.
He grabbed his coat and rushed out the door. The cold wind blew through him, making him feel refreshed and new. Almost to the boarding house, he slowed and prayed that she would forgive him for assuming she would marry him.
Ice glazed the steps making them hazardous. He’d planned to take her to the café, now, he wasn’t so sure. He knocked on Mya’s pink door. He heard footsteps and waited.
The door opened and Mya ushered him in. “Mr. Williams, please come in. Oh, how I love the snow. I just wish it didn’t have to be so cold for it to come.”
“I’d like to see Sally.”
Mya looked at him over her glasses. “Is she expecting you?”
Wills wondered if the women had talked. Even if they had and ruled him out, he didn’t care. He had to see her. “No. I thought I’d take her to the café. If she wants to that is.”
“Sit here in the parlor, and I’ll see.”
Wills sat on a cushioned chair. The upholstery was made of red and pink roses on a field of blue. Everything about Mya’s boarding house spoke of women. The sweet smell of flowers mixed with the savory aroma of food.
At that moment, Wills realized how much he longed to have a home, and more importantly a woman to come home to. He chuckled to himself. Perhaps his wayward idea to atone for Carly’s death by answering Nettie’s letter wasn’t all his.
Mya came to him. “Sally will be right out. I didn’t see a buggy outside. Would you like to have a private dinner here? I’ve cooked a hearty stew and can serve you in my parlor.”
Wills fumbled with his hat. “I, well, I wouldn’t want to put you to any trouble.”
She patted his arm. “No problem whatsoever. She’ll be out in a few minutes.” She hurried into the kitchen.
Wills paced the small parlor, gazed at a painting of roses, and looked out the window. The snow whirled as if it wanted to hide the world. Surprised that Texas could have so much snow, he was glad he wasn’t outside.
Sally entered the room.
His breath caught. Her soft golden hair shone in the yellow lights. Her face held a mixture of timid fear and hope. He shook his head. It was as if he were seeing her for the first time. He went to her. “I was hoping you would dine with me. Mya said we could have our privacy in her quarters.”
Staring at him with mistrust in her eyes, she slowly nodded. “I would like that.”
He motioned for her to sit on the divan. Thinking she might worry that he’d sit next to her, he sat in the chair.
Looking at his hands, he cleared his throat. When he looked at her, his heart skipped. “I have some things to tell you.”
Fear pinched her face.
“About me. I wasn’t fair to you. I hope we can start over.” The last thing he wanted to do was to cause her any more pain.
She swallowed and clasped her hands. “I would like that.”
“Would you mind getting the letters Nettie sent you?”
Again, her face paled. Not saying anything, she went to her room to get them. Coming out, she walked as if going to a funeral. She handed him the letters. Their hands touched briefly.
Wills shoved the letters in his pocket not understanding the fleeting connection he’d just felt.
Mya came in from the kitchen. “Table is set. Come in.” She held the door to her private quarters.
Wills waited for Sally and followed her in. He held out a chair. She sat, and he scooted it to the table. “Thank you, Mya. Smells and looks wonderful.”
Sally picked up her napkin. “Yes. I didn’t really want to go out into the cold.”
Mya winked and shut her door.
Wills caught Sally’s hand. “I’d like to pray over the meal.”
She blushed but kept her hand in his.
He cleared his throat. “Father, we thank you for this food and the hands that prepared it. Watch over us. Amen.”
He opened his eyes to see her staring at him. “Let’s eat, and then we can talk.”
Sally picked up her spoon. “I won’t kid you. As you know, I’m not a lady. Never heard a prayer before eating until I came to live with My
a. I don’t even know about fancy silverware and why we have two forks.”
Wills grinned. “I’m not here to judge you, just to enjoy your company. One of the forks is for a salad, the other for dinner. But since Mya brought us stew, we’ll use spoons.”
A faint smile played on her lips. “Good. Spoons, I can handle.”
They ate the delicious meal sprinkled in with small samplings of chatter. Wills finished and pushed his chair from the table.
“Would you like to sit in the parlor?”
She let him help her from the chair and escort her to the divan.
Wills stood in front of her and pulled the letters from his pocket. “I want to free you from any obligation you might have because of these letters.” He tore them in two.
She gasped.
He sat down and gazed at her, again noticing how pretty she was. “I had a talk with Pastor Jim. I was wrong about a lot of things.” Seeing her cringe, he added. “You are not one of them.”
He stared at his hands. “I know you were a prostitute in the saloon. You deserve to know my sins. I started drinking in the war. Couldn’t stop. They threw me out of the army, and I went from one saloon to the next. My father had died while I was gone, so I had no one. I honestly can’t remember that year of my life.” He paused. “One night, I had earned enough for a bottle. I drank it all. Wild with drink, I went outside to shoot up the town, the moon, aiming at nothing. I don’t know how many times I fired or even where I aimed. But I heard a scream. Shouts. Men wrestled me into the mud. I had killed a woman.”
Wills looked at her.
Sally gazed at him with tears in her eyes.
Relieved that she didn’t appear to condemn him, he continued. “I spent two years in prison, but learned about the law and became an attorney. I can’t be licensed in Illinois. That was one reason I moved to Texas. The other was Nettie’s letters.”
She fingered the lace around her wrist. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I thought you should know. If we go on together, I wanted you to know. Secrets have a way of coming out at the worst times.”
“So you don’t intend to court me or marry me?” Her voice broke.
“I thought we’d start over. That is if you want to. I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to get up and leave after finding out I was a murderer.”
Her face softened. “What you described to me doesn’t sound like a murder. It wasn’t an act of evil. It was a tragic mistake that cost a young woman her life. I’d say we are even on the scale of undesirables.”
He took her hand in his. “No, Pastor Jim explained how I’m free. I just wanted you to know what I had done.”
Sally stared at him as if trying to look through him. “This woman, who was she?”
“I didn’t know her.” He couldn’t shake the feeling she had figured it out. Hauling in a breath, he clasped his hands together. “She was a saloon girl. Maybe I’d seen her before, but I didn’t know her.”
“So, you thought you’d marry me to make up for what you did to her. Did I get that right?”
“Yes, but it’s all changed now. When I talked to Pastor Jim, he made me see that I’m free. And that’s what I wanted to tell you today. You don’t have to carry the weight of your sin around your neck anymore.”
She shook her head. “You forget I still live in the town where my sins were committed. Men know me. Remember me. If I had the money, I’d leave this town and go somewhere nobody knows me.”
“You would remember.”
She stared at him, shaking her head. “I can never forget. This town won’t let me. I was crazy to accept Nettie’s idea. She’s a good woman, but I’m sure now that you are free from your past, there is no way you want to marry me with mine.” She got up.
Wills stood and went to her. “I thought I could walk away. Maybe you don’t want to marry me, but I’d still like to court you.”
“You are crazy.”
“Maybe.” He pushed a fallen strand of hair behind her ear. “But I see a pretty woman in front of me. I enjoy your company. Shared my deep, dark secret with you. I’m game to give it a chance.” He took her hand. “Tell you what, let me court you until Christmas. If you don’t change your mind about me by then, I’ll give you money to go to another town and start over.”
Her eyes widened. “You’d do that for me? This isn’t because of your guilty feelings, is it?”
“No, it’s time to give us a chance. I think we both could use one.”
She shook his hand. “It’s a deal. You must be sure of yourself. Christmas isn’t that far away.”
“I guess I must be.”
She gently pulled her hand from his. “I have a lot to think about.”
“Tomorrow. I’ll come by for breakfast.”
She laughed. “The snow.”
“I’m from Chicago. This little dusting won’t stop me. I’ll be here at eight.” She was so pretty when she laughed.
“I’ll be ready. Thank you, Wills.”
He could see she wanted to say more. Perhaps tomorrow she would.
###
Justin bowed his head against the driving snow. The way the flakes swirled around him, he hoped he wasn’t going in circles. He prodded the horse on and watched for Reed’s ranch. By the amount of time he’d been riding, he should have been there by now.
He stopped and scanned the horizon. Squinting, he thought he made out a ranch house. He reined the horse toward the shadow. Finally, he made it to the barn, dismounted, and opened the door. It was Misfit Ranch all right. He unsaddled the horse and put him away with an extra scoop of grain.
Justin’s heart sank. Yancy’s big paint wasn’t there.
Bracing for the cold, he left the barn to go to the house. The snow seemed to be letting up, but the wind hadn’t. Eager to feel the warmth of Nettie’s house and some of her food, he knocked on the door.
Reed opened it, surprise registered on his face. “What are you doing out in this weather? Come in.”
“Is Yancy here?”
“He’d be in the bunkhouse with Burkett.”
Justin rubbed his hands over the fireplace. “Did you send Yancy to town to get beans?”
Reed straightened. “No. I didn’t. That boy is going to find himself in jail if he doesn’t straighten up.”
“We had a little tussle over Amelia at her store. Then I told Yancy that the new owner to the Box X was at the ranch. I met the man yesterday, and he said he had some of Yancy’s things crated up. Thought I’d take Yancy to meet him and get his things. He got mad and took off. The snow started, and I couldn’t follow his trail.”
Concern erased Reed’s anger. “Let’s check the bunkhouse. Though if the paint isn’t in the barn, I doubt if he’s back.”
Justin followed Reed to the bunkhouse. “Burkett, have you seen Yancy?”
Snarling, the whiskered man sat up, clutching the blanket around him. “No, he lit out of here early this morning. You’re freezing me in here.”
Reed pointed to the potbelly stove. “I told you earlier this week to chop some wood. Maybe you’ll listen next time. Might as well get dressed and come on into the house. Nettie has supper made.”
A grin escaped Burkett’s pout. “Nettie, she can cook. Bet it’s a sight warmer in your house than in this cabin.”
“Yeah, it is. We’re burning the wood Yancy and I cut.”
Reed turned to Justin. “After we eat, we’ll stop by the Clark’s and see if Yancy went back to see Amelia.”
After eating Nettie’s chili and cornbread, Justin hated to drag Reed out on such a cold day. He hated to drag himself out, but no sense letting Yancy get away.
Reed put on his coat, looked at Nettie and then to Burkett. “Burkett, grab some logs and kindling. You’re going back to the bunkhouse. And remember, Nettie can shoot the fly off a frog’s tongue. So don’t get any ideas.”
He kissed his wife and then shoved Burkett to the door. “Lock it after we leave, honey.”
; “Yes, dear.”
Justin sent her a sympathetic nod and followed Burkett out the door. “I’ll saddle your horse. Riding the black?”
“Yeah, Socrates has enjoyed his retirement so much I don’t think the girth will fit him anymore.” Patting his stomach, Reed grinned. “Goes for me, too.”
Justin grinned. “My aunt is one fine cook.”
Reed slapped him on the shoulder. “That she is, boy.” He looked back at the house. “I love that woman.”
Justin wanted the love they had for one another. Someday, he’d have that with Amelia. Someday, soon.
After he saddled Reed’s horse, Justin followed him into town. With all the snow, the normal hour trip took two. The sky had cleared and the snow shone eye-blinding bright. The town was quiet.
Justin dismounted and tied his horse to the post, then held Reed’s prancing black mount while he got down.
“Let’s go see if Yancy is here. I doubt it though. I got a feeling he’s run off. That’s the only reason I can see he’d take that paint horse of his. I told him to rest the animal another week or two. That boy doesn’t listen.”
Justin opened the door and held it for Reed. “Amelia?”
Mrs. Clark, eyes red, came running from the back. “Have you found her?”
Reed took the woman by the shoulders. “Yancy been by here?”
“Only this morning.” She stared at Justin. “I thought you and Amelia had run off.”
“No ma’am.” Justin’s heart was in his throat. If anything had happened to Amelia …
Reed glanced around. “Where’s Gary?”
“He’s gone out looking for Amelia.” Gracy broke down in tears. “We had cross words. She must have gone out this morning.”
Justin tapped Reed. “I’m going to the jail. I can get Spencer to round up some men.”
Hot anger kept Justin from feeling any cold. He threw open the door to the jail, causing Spence to jump out of the chair with gun drawn.
Justin would have laughed if he wasn’t so angry. “Sorry, Yancy and Amelia are missing.”
Spence nodded. “I was about to go look for you, but my horse is gone.”
A Bluebonnet Misfit Christmas: Sweet Historical Christian Western Romance (Mail Order Brides of Misfit Ranch Bluebonnet, Texas Book 2) Page 11