by Lilah Rivers
“Yer right,” Jesse said, “he’s gone mad a bit dog!” Jesse cocked his gun, others doing the same. “Time to put him out of his misery.”
“No, stop,” Josh said. “He has a point, at least about the scripture. But remember the rest.” All eyes fell upon Josh as he recited the passage from memory. “Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.”
Bella looked at Josh with glowing admiration, a look that could only be described as love. The patriarchs and their sons looked on, homesteaders and ranchers silent and somber as the words of the Lord settled into their souls, their consciences.
“You will again have compassion on us,” Josh went on, “you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. You will be faithful to Jacob, and show love to Abraham, as you pledged on oath to our ancestors in days long ago.”
The men’s heads hung low, nobody lurching forward to demand execution, nobody shouting out for Decker’s blood.
Josh and Bella and the others glared at Saul, who seemed to know he was lucky to get away with his life. He staggered away from the burning building, looking around with empty hands. He’d lost even his cigar. His face was wide with fear and confusion. “I … you can’t send me off on foot, I won’t last the night!”
There was some grumbling among the men, but Bella climbed down off her horse and led it to Saul. She handed him the reins. “Go ahead, take them.” Saul was clearly trepidatious and shamed by her grace and generosity. Finally, he took the reins and climbed onto the horse, the men chiding him, hooting and hissing and booing him as he kicked the horse and she rode him off, away from his former ranch, from his place upon the seat of power forever.
The ranchers and homesteaders of Barnock, Nebraska threw up a great cheer, some throwing little rocks at Saul Decker as he rode off, never to return.
Bella turned to walk up to Josh’s horse, Patches. Josh reached down, and Bella took his hand Josh pulled Bella up and onto Patches, sitting in front of her, his strong arms holding her close. They looked up at the former Decker home, a raging inferno.
He looked at her, and she back at him, no words necessary between them. They shared a kiss, their first, lips pressing gently against lips, tongues lightly glancing between them.
The homesteaders and ranchers of Barnock threw up a huge cheer, smiles on their faces, former enemies sharing a mutual happiness which radiated from Josh and Bella’s union, clear to all to be blessed by God, a lesson to all in the stubborn strength of true love in the face of any enemy, any challenge.
A rustling in the bushes got Josh’s attention, and he drew his gun. “You there, in the bushes, come out or be shot!”
After a tense silence, Otis Remington and Turner Moss stumbled out of the bush, his hands raised. Otis said, “Don’t shoot, friends, it’s me … from the Golden Loon.”
“We all know who you are,” Elroy said, “and who you were with.”
“Yes, um, that’s right, I … I came here to correct my mistake … and so many others. But I see you all have seen to it yourselves, and in grand fashion!” An awkward silence followed, everybody sharing a suspicious glance. But it was clear to Josh that the man was fearful, that he presented them no harm, and that whatever he was there for, the point was moot.
Bella said, “Turner, what are you doing here?”
Turner cleared his throat, eyes on the ground, the sky above, anything other than Bella’s gaze. He said, “I … I had the same notion. Remington and I here bumped into each other with an eye toward storming the place. It was a … a gesture of friendship, to free you both up to be together. I know that’s what you want, what God wants. It’s what we all want.”
The crowd tossed up a hearty and happy cheer.
Josh wasn’t sure what to make of it, but their story sounded as reasonable as anything he could imagine. What mattered was that Decker had been expelled, and the homesteaders and the ranchers were once more united and friendly. And there was a wedding to throw; all agreeing that June was the perfect month, leaving little time for planning.
Chapter 64
Pastor Robinson looked over the congregation, filling the sanctuary of the First Baptist Church of Barnock, Nebraska. There had been events there both joyous and sorrowful, but few would be better remembered than the marriage of Joshua Callahan and Bella Archer.
“Husbands,” the pastor read from the Bible in his hands, “love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.”
Bella looked out over the crowd, her family and friends, both new and old. Turner Moss sat with his mother, aging and leaning against him for support.
Turner gave her a little nod from the crowd, showing his respect and his gladness for her union with Josh. All was well with them, and would be for generations to come.
“In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies,” Pastor Robinson went on. “He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church.”
A somber silence fell over the congregation, reverent and respectful.
Pastor Robinson went on, “Do you, Joshua Callahan, take this woman, Bella Archer, to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part, so help you God?”
Josh smiled, a face Bella was glad to look into through her white bridal veil. “I do.” Hugh presented the pillow with the two rings, Josh slipping Bella’s over her finger.
“And do you, Bella Archer, take this man, Joshua Callahan, to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in heath, until death do you part, so help you God?”
Bella smiled, a single tear running down her cheek. “I do.” She took the bigger ring from the pillow and slipped it onto Josh’s finger.
“If there is anybody here who knows of any reason why these two should not be wed, let them speak now or forever hold their peace.” Bella looked out over the crowd, her heart racing. She knew nobody among her family and friends would object, the happy ranchers and homesteaders enjoying their newfound friendship. But there was still the question of Saul Decker, of whom nobody had heard or seen a thing since he rode out of Nebraska.
But no objection rose up from the crowd; the church doors did not fly open to reveal their nemesis. Instead, tranquility reined, and both Bella and Josh could refocus on each other, on their love, on their future.
“Then by the power vested in me by the great state of Nebraska, and before the Lord almighty, I now pronounce you husband and wife. And what God has brought together today, let no person turn asunder. You may kiss the bride.”
Bella relished the kiss; strong and gentle, an unspoken promise of love eternal, the next steps on a road that they would walk together for the rest of their lives. They were the first few moments of a new and peaceful era in Barnock, unblemished by feuds or fighting between different groups. Everyone lived in peace, respected one another’s space and place.
Old squabbles were put away and a new future opened up before the entire town. New homesteaders and ranchers and shopkeepers would pour in and through the town in the years to come, bringing good fortune and new family to all. The blessings of the Lord fell in inescapable bounty which none could escape.
All of Barnock would benefit from the new era, bountiful to all the residents. Otis Remington expanded his business holdings to include three hotels, and even then there was reasonable competition. Pastor Robinson presided over so many weddings, baptisms, and funerals, that another church, the Second Baptist Church of Barnock, had to be founded. Two land officers replaced Parker Br
istol, and the iced-cream parlor expanded to a second location on the other side of town.
It was a revolution of a new sort; of economy, of technology, of industry.
And the Callahan/Archer family would lead the revolution that would overtake the town, even the entire country. It would be the American Century, and it would be built on the efforts and faith of people like the Callahans and the Archers and their descendants.
They would bring about new innovations, keep the laws, bring culture and faith to generations of Americans, holding high places in office and never being corrupted by foreign powers. They were blameless and pure, the kind of family for which the American experiment had been intended, for which the human experiment had been intended. And nobody doubted that God looked down upon their clan with divine mercy and blessing, and that He always would.
THE END
Can't get enough of Jodi and Scott? Then make sure to check out the Extended Epilogue to find out…
What happy occasion will bring the Calahhans and the Archers together?
Why will Bella be called to comfort her brother, Jonah?
How will Jonah also get his own happy ending?
Click the link or enter it into your browser
http://lilahrivers.com/bella
(After reading the Extended Epilogue, turn the page to read the first chapters from “A Love to Heal a Broken Heart”, my Amazon Best-Selling novel!)
A Love to Heal a Broken Heart
Introduction
When Jodi’s fiancé leaves her for her cousin, her heart is broken into a million pieces. Needing a new start, she decides to visit her best friend, Amy, in New Mexico and help her through her pregnancy. Her trip to the west turns out to be a healing journey for her, filled with new opportunities, including the affection of the handsome local sheriff. The time she felt she would never feel happiness again seems so far away now. But will she dare to give him her heart after everything she’s been through?
Sheriff Covey was always focused on his job, and kept to himself until a mesmerizing woman arrived in town. To his surprise, Jodi brings out a warmer side of him that he didn’t even know existed. But what he doesn’t realise is that Jodi still carries the wounds from her past. When the past comes knocking at her door, Covey will be called to decide if her heart was ever his in the first place. When all seems to be against his love for her, will he defy everything and follow his heart?
In this story about childhood friends and second chances in love, can faith help two people come together? Twists and turns keep these complex and determined protagonists racing toward their destinies, leaving the most discerning reader on the edge of their seats! Action and emotion comes alive like never before on the page! An intense drama for fans of spiritual love stories.
Chapter 1
Jodi Hoffman couldn’t help thinking about the old days, when she and her best friend Amy Harper were just twelve years old and became fast friends. A little blonde and a matching redhead, they were the princesses of Providence, Rhode Island. They had grown up sheltered by their parents and by each other, playing among the alders and the aspen trees, bright sunshine pouring down over the East Coast.
“I don't care,” little Amy said to the imaginary husband standing in front of her, pointing and wagging an angry finger. “If you cannot accept my best friend Jodi, here, then you are no kind of man for me!” Amy stood with her head turned, brows high, pretending to listen to her man's pathetic excuse. "That's absurd, her father is a physician! And she’s just about the kindest, most gentle soul you could ever be so lucky to know!”
Jodi had sat watching, impressed and amused with their little game.
Amy had listened to that invisible man’s unheard response and answered, “How can you be so small-minded and ridiculous?”
Jodi remembered staring in awe as Amy set the example of feminine strength and sorority. Amy waited, and Jodi imagined what her pretend fiancé was saying. Jodi had been able to tell by the answers Amy was giving.
“Then you can just shove off, buster,” Amy had said. "Because Jodi and I will be friends forever, friends for life... and you'll just have to go marry somebody else!”
Jodi had laughed and clapped. “We’ll be two old spinsters. Men can have the air!”
“Yeah, we’ll rely on each other! Men don’t bring much more than trouble, anyway.”
“Anyway?” Jodi had repeated. “In every way!” They’d shared a little laughter, and it had lasted longer than either had thought; for years.
But ten years later they were twenty-two, still in Rhode Island, but no longer so ready to refuse the right man. Things had changed over the years, themselves mostly—their bodies, their views of the world, their hopes for the future. Nothing was the same, other than their friendship. That was as strong as ever, even if other attractions and impulses got stronger, too.
But in the front parlor of the Hoffman home, Jodi and Amy sat as young women, sipping real Earl Grey tea from England. Jodi remarked, “We were such silly girls, weren’t we?”
Amy shrugged. “I don’t know. I think we had the right idea. All the boys we’ve known since then, weren't they just one disappointment after the next?”
Jodi smiled and took a polite pause to sip her tea. “I suppose, if you expect too much of them, anybody could disappoint.”
Amy’s green eyes flashed to Jodi’s blue. “Expect too much? I expect to be treated like the free American person that I am, not as a sheep or goat or dog or horse.”
Jodi waved Amy off, but she well understood the reason for her old friend’s dismay. And Jodi felt badly, she felt responsible—because partly, at least, she was.
“I’m not saying you or any woman should be treated that way—”
“Yet it keeps happening. Oh, I know what you intended to say: if I act with such stubbornness, a man may well mistake me for a mule.”
“I’d never say such a thing, Amy, and you know it. Especially… not today.”
An awkward silence filled the parlor, and Amy set a hand on Jodi’s knee. “I really am happy for you, Jodi.”
Jodi looked around, biting her lower lip. “You’re not… disappointed... that we won't be spinsters?”
Amy chuckled. “A little.” They both laughed lightly, but it didn’t last.
“I just mean… you know we’ll still be friends, right?” When Amy didn’t answer, Jodi went on, “Because we’ll always be friends, no matter what!”
Amy rolled her eyes and put her own hand on Jodi’s. “That's sweet, Jodi, but… you know it's not true.”
“Of course, it is!”
“No, Jodi, we’ll… you're getting married, and Giles will be your new best friend. And that’s the way it should be.” After a brief reflective pause, Amy continued, “Giles will be a good husband to you. Your announcement is so exciting. But were it a bell, it would toll in a new day… for both of us.”
Jodi nodded, but she couldn't fight that melancholy feeling. And, as always, Amy seemed able to read her heart and her mind.
“Don’t be that way, Jodi. I… I think it’s a… a good thing. Kind of scary, a little bit, but you don't have to worry about leaving me behind or… or leaving me alone.” She paused dubiously. “You know about that rancher I’ve been in contact with, in New Mexico?”
“Burnett… Carlton Burnett?”
“Clinton,” Amy corrected her, “Clinton Burnett. Anyway, I… I think maybe this is a sign from God that, I dunno, maybe it’s time I thought about a move of my own.”
Jodi took a moment to think about it. “You don’t mean—?”
“Oh, why not? A lot of women do it these days! And it’s perfectly legal.”
Jodi felt overwhelmed, not sure what to think. “Well, I mean… a mail-order bride?”
Amy shrugged, then waved her old friend off. “What’s in a name. If he proposes, what does it matter where I live? Who knows? Perhaps, for all your lovely and sweet and unnecessary guilt and sorrow, you’re actually doing the will of God a
nd putting me on a new and different and even better path.”