Taking a Leap of Love: An Inspirational Historical Western Romance Book

by Lilah Rivers

  Bella had fallen in love with Josh, and she knew in her heart that she’d never marry another man. Josh was the man whom God intended for her, and she knew His great plan would never be thwarted. It wasn’t easy to see how that was going to happen, but Bella knew that plan would come to fruition. She would make it happen; someway, somehow.

  And Bella knew the first step was to tell Turner that, as much as she was glad that they were friends, and as much as she hoped they could go on being friends, there was no chance that they would ever be anything more than that.

  Dean kept glaring at Bella from across the table, and Bella tried to ignore it as much as she could. Does he want to make me feel worse? Does he want me to go ahead and pull the trigger, get it over with, or is he mad that I’m choosing Josh instead of Turner?

  Bella let her eyes shift in Dean’s direction. She instantly regretted it, but it didn’t much clarify what he wasn’t saying to her. And his ire was also drawing Jonah’s attention, the other twin looking at his brother and then sister and back. He said nothing of it, but Bella could feel his suspicions growing.

  After the meal, Bella and Turner took another little stroll around the property, this time without any chaperone at all. She didn’t want to embarrass Turner by giving him the news in front of anybody else.

  They strolled slowly around the backyard, Bella in no hurry to get to her unpleasant chore. She was awkward, stammering and stumbling, not knowing how to handle it. Bella wished that she had Josh’s quick wit and amazing charm. But she’d have to do her best without them.

  “It’s really very nice of you to have us here, Bella.”

  “Oh, um, not at all, Turner, really; our way of thanking you for your hospitality. Your father seems well.”

  “He does, I’m glad to say. My mother’s quite concerned, but I tell her that God is in control of all things, that whatever happens does so because He wants it that way.”

  “Well, that’s … that’s very wise, Turner. I’m quite glad to hear that you understand things that way.”

  “Of course, Bella. I’m no Sunday Christian or backslider.”

  “No, of course not.”

  They strolled on in an awkward silence, Bella searching her imagination for a way to put it that would be both gentle and kind.

  “Now that you’ve come around, we’ll be one of most righteous couples in Barnock. We should sell Bibles at the store, matter of fact; prayer candles too.”

  “That’s … that sounds like a fine idea.”

  “I’d like to marry right away if you don’t mind. With my father not feeling his best, I’d like to give him grandchildren sooner rather than later.”

  Bella looked around as if the perfect words might be written on the grass or in the sky. “My word, Turner, you haven’t even properly proposed.”

  “As I’m well aware. In fact, I thought today might be the perfect occasion.”

  “Oh, Turner, I —” Turner pulled a small ring out of his vest pocket and sank to one knee. “Turner —”

  “Bella, I fell in love with you the moment I saw you. You came into Barnock like an angel descending from heaven. Just the thought of being your husband makes me tingle with excitement.”

  He was sweet and sincere, looking up at Bella with a new and shining hope in his eyes. She almost couldn’t bear to say what she knew she had to say. “Turner, I —”

  “I know, I know, you’re nervous about the matter of this range war. But we must go on and live our lives, through these crises and in spite of them.”

  “Well, I am concerned about that, but … that’s not really what I’m thinking about right now.”

  “No, of course not; not with our future as bright as it will be. So tell me, Bella Archer, would you make me the happiest man in the world, the luckiest and most blessed man in the world, and consent to be my wife?”

  “Turner, you’re a noble and worthy man, and any woman would be lucky to stand with you at the altar, and walk away with your name —”

  But Turner took his attention off Bella. Instead he was looking back at the picnic table where their families had been sitting. And instead of a hopeful smile, his brows were cramped, his mouth bent in a quizzical frown.

  “Pop?”

  Bella looked over to see the table about twenty yards away. Ronald Moss was just falling back, into his wife’s arms, as Elroy and Sybil and the twins gathered around him.

  Turner shouted, “Pop!”

  He stood up and bolted across the yard, Bella right behind him. He ran with incredible speed over the grass and to the picnic table. Elroy and the others backed away to let Turner kneel, taking his hands.

  “Pop, what is it? What’s wrong?”

  Ronald looked up at his son, wincing in pain and clutching his chest. He convulsed a bit, turning to vomit into the grass. Ronald looked up at Elroy and the others. “We need a doctor!”

  “It’s twenty minutes into town.”

  “We’ll ride out,” Dean said.

  “Absolutely,” Jonah said. “We’ll unhitch Glory, and I’ll go alone, get there and back faster.”

  “No, boys, no,” Ronald said, “don’t … don’t trouble yourselves.”

  Isla said, “Don’t speak foolishness, Husband.”

  “Isla, my wife, the love of my life, my own heart’s own …”

  Isla stroked his cheeks. “Shshshsh, save your strength.”

  The twins stood and watched, solemn and sad, Sybil in Elroy’s arm, her head resting on his shoulder. Bella looked on, standing alone, tears pushing up and out of her mouth.

  Turner said, “You’re gonna be fine, Pop.”

  “Yeah,” he said, eyes drifting upward, “I will be. I … I’m only worried about you, your mother.”

  “Don’t upset yourself, Pop.”

  “I know you’ll take care of your mother, you’re a … you’re a good son, a good man.”

  “Pop —”

  “And you’ll care for the store, I haven’t a doubt. I know you’ll make it an even greater success. You were right, I was old-fashioned. My way … my way is the old way, that’s over. Do it your way now, my son, go on in peace and know that I’m proud of you, that I love you, that I’ll be watching with every bit of that love, and that pri —” Ronald flinched again, eyes slamming shut, jaw clenched, right hand grabbing his left arm.

  Bella looked at her parents, sadly not close enough to share their embrace.

  “You just relax now, Pop, take it easy.”

  “Yeah,” Ronald said, his body relaxing again. “Relax now,” he said with a softer voice, raspy and breathy. “Easy now … easy … now …” Ronald’s head shifted a bit, resting against Isla’s knee, eyes staring up unblinking.

  “Pop? Pop?” Helen was already crying, and that soft sound became louder and her sorrow spilled over. She leaned forward, pressing her face to his, graying hair falling over him like a funeral shroud. “Pop? Pop!”

  Chapter 34

  Bella was hanging laundry on the clothesline in the back of the house when she realized she wasn’t alone. By the footsteps, and taking into consideration everything that was going on around her, she could guess who it was even before he said, “Bella.”

  “Dean,” she said, still not looking back.

  “Thought I’d give you a little hand.” He walked up from behind her and picked up a wet towel from the basket to hang it on the line.

  “That’s good of you.”

  An awkward moment passed, and Dean said, “It’s a small kindness.” He hung another towel over the line. “You’re in a position to do a much greater kindness.”

  “Dean, I know what you mean, but —”

  “You may know it, but you still need to hear it.” Dean turned from the towel and picked up another. “You’re being reckless, even cruel —”

  “I know, but —”

  “ —with both those men.”

  “I — wait, both? I haven’t done anything to Josh Callahan.”

  “Does he know about T
urner?”

  “Well,” Bella didn’t have to think about it, but she paused anyway before saying, “no, but—”

  “Then you’re not being honest with him; then you’re being reckless … and cruel.”

  Bella wanted to disagree, but she knew that she couldn’t. “I don’t mean to be.”

  “Then do the right thing.” Dean hung the towel and turned to pick up another. “Obviously you used me to get into town; you used Turner as an excuse to meet your boyfriend.”

  “He’s … I wanted to see the pastor, actually. But it doesn’t matter. I bumped into Josh, and what happened, happened. I think it was divine providence.”

  “You still lied to Turner.”

  “I didn’t lie, necessarily. I invited them over, that’s all.”

  “Don’t be coy with me, Bella. You did it knowing how the fellow feels about you. All this just to excuse your way into town.”

  “I … I had to, Father wouldn’t let me ride out to meet him.” Bella picked up another towel from the basket and slung it over the line. “Dean, don’t be like this.”

  “I’m being honest, and you should do the same. You have to tell Turner that you don’t want to marry him.”

  “I can’t, not right now!”

  “When? There’s never going to be a good time. The longer you go on with this, the worse it’s going to be.” Dean hung his towel then stopped and turned, looking Bella squarely in the eye. “‘No one who practices deceit will dwell in My house; no one who speaks falsely will stand in my presence.’ Now you’ve made me lie for you, and the more damage it causes, the more responsible I am for that damage!”

  “What’s going on out here?” Bella and Dean turned to see Jonah approaching, eyes sunken to shrewd slits.

  “Just helping our sister out with the chores.”

  “S’that so?” Jonah looked at his twin, long and slow, then looked at Bella. “Shame about your future father-in-law.”

  Bella nodded, trying to refrain from making eye contact with her brother. “It is.”

  “Services are tomorrow,” Jonah said, his siblings only nodding. “Dean, I think we should pay another visit to the new widow’s house, see if we can help. There was still that leak in the roof she mentioned.”

  Dean seemed to give it very little thought before nodding and saying, “Yes, definitely, whenever you suggest.”

  Jonah stood there, staring them down, eyes combing over their faces, clearly searching for a hint of what was really going on. He didn’t seem to find it.

  Yet.

  “What’s going on with you two?”

  Dean asked, “What? No, nothing. I’m helping with the chores.”

  “You said that.”

  Bella asked, “Then why are you asking?”

  “Because you’re both acting very strangely, that’s why! If you weren’t siblings, I’d almost think —”

  “Oh, Jonah, honestly!”

  “If you weren’t siblings,” Jonah repeated. “But something’s going on, I know it. The glances, the weird silences. Dean, you’ve never lied to me; what’s going on?”

  “I … I was talking to Bella about the girl at the iced-cream shop.”

  “Cynthia,” Jonah said.

  “That’s right, Cynthia. I was asking Bella about asking her out.”

  “Bella, but not me?”

  “She’s got a woman’s perspective, Jonah.”

  Jonah was clearly thinking it through, and Bella felt certain that he didn’t believe his brother. But he could clearly not prove otherwise, so he sighed and turned to walk back to the house. Dean glared at Bella, and then turned to leave her with her thoughts, her worries, and her growing sense of guilt.

  Chapter 35

  Ronald Moss’ funeral was held at the First Baptist Church of Barnock. Almost everyone in town was there, with people standing against the walls. Pastor Robinson read a beautiful sermon citing many of King David’s best thoughts on life and death.

  Afterward the pallbearers, including his son Turner, the twins Jonah and Dean, Elroy, and two others carried the coffin to the cemetery, the congregation following behind, singing Nearer my God to Thee.

  Pastor Robinson read again from the Bible, this time from the letters of St. Paul, as they lowered the coffin into the ground and filled it with dirt. Bella stood with her mother while the pallbearers did their sorrowful chore. The widow Isla Moss sat in black, a veil over her face unable to disguise her solemn misery.

  After the funeral, the congregation gathered in fellowship before dispersing and walking back to their homes and farms. Turner walked up to Bella and put his arms around her, hugging her tight. Her family looked on, and while Bella felt it entirely inappropriate, she understood why Turner had thought it reasonable.

  Turner’s father had died before she gave Turner an answer to his proposal. She felt it uncouth to discuss it before the funeral, leaving her little choice but to wait and tell him at another time. Perhaps his father’s death would lead him to reconsider, she thought and hoped.

  But when he pulled her close, hugging her as tight and as long and as publicly as he did, Bella knew that wasn’t the case.

  “Turner,” she said, patting him on the back to encourage him to release her, “I’m so sorry for your loss, Turner.”

  “He was a good man,” Elroy said, Sybil and the twins nodding. “If there’s anything we can do.”

  “I appreciate that, Elroy. I know he died happy that our families would be united.” This earned a glance from Dean to Bella, one that wasn’t lost on Jonah. “That God, it’s such a balm to my soul too, and my mother’s. Instead of losing a father, I am gaining a wife. Perhaps you’d like to come back to the house, Bella? I know it would bring my mother some joy, the beginning of our new life.”

  “Turner —”

  “It would be perfectly chaste, of course.”

  “Well, of course,” Bella repeated, “but —”

  “Good afternoon,” a familiar voice behind Bella said. A chill ran up her spine, hairs standing up on the back of her neck.

  “Josh,” Bella said, “um, hi.”

  “Um, hi,” Josh repeated, extending his hand to Turner. “My condolences.”

  “Good of you, Josh, thank you. Your parents and brother are here?”

  “On the other side of the crowd, but they send their best. So many people paying their respects; your father was a real stalwart of the community. He’ll be sorely missed.”

  Turner nodded again. Bella’s stomach was rolling over in her body, almost ready to push back her meager breakfast.

  Turner said, “You know my fiancée and her family?”