by Emilia Loft
John looked away, biting his lip, before he turned back and nodded. “I appreciate that, Miss Hooper. I appreciate your understanding. Ian is lucky to have a friend such as yourself.”
Molly grinned and they turned to walk back to the sheriff’s office. They chatted for a little longer, exchanging pleasantries, before John bid her good bye and returned to his office. The spark of hope in his chest grew, warming him to his core.
* * *
The hope flickered slightly over the next two weeks, when John barely saw Ian or Molly. Preparations for the wedding kept them both occupied and John found that he didn’t feel welcome at the ranch with Mrs. Caroline Hooper presiding over the details. He met Molly’s mother that first Sunday when he went to church service. She was a tall, imperious woman who looked down her nose at John and acted as though it was his privilege to shake her hand. John caught Ian’s eye only briefly before Caroline whisked both Molly and Ian away to speak with the preacher about their upcoming service.
John hadn’t expected to receive a wedding invitation, but surprisingly, one showed up at his office a week before the ceremony. Ian’s doing, he was sure. Or perhaps Molly. Either way, John tucked the expensive, creamy paper in his desk drawer, contemplating whether he could watch the man he loved marry another woman - even if it was mostly for show.
Meanwhile, the townspeople remained hostile to John and he found himself longing to escape. Several times he thought he should leave in the night and go to California like he’d told Ian. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it - he wasn’t sure he could break Ian’s heart that way and he knew his own would shatter as well.
* * *
The day of the dawned sunny and warm - a perfect day for a celebration. John woke and stared at his best suit that he’d laid out the night before. Instead of putting it on, however, he rose and donned his work clothes.
I can’t. He thought, going out to the stable to saddle Azure.
He’d go on patrol, instead. Then perhaps work on paperwork at his office. He couldn’t watch Ian marry another. Not when he wanted so badly to be the one slipping a ring on Ian’s finger.
As the morning progressed, John found himself checking his pocket watch. The guests had surely arrived at the church. He knew the entire town had been invited - the occasion of the Mayor’s brother’s wedding was an auspicious one for the small town.
He pressed onward. Now the wedding party would arrive. The ceremony would start soon.
The closer the hour drew, the more desperate John felt. Finally, he could no longer take it. He rose, grabbing his hat and jamming it on his head. He didn’t bother taking Azure. Instead, he walked - and then ran - towards the church. As he approached, he could hear the organ music inside playing the wedding march. Was it too late? He stood outside the doors, torn. He heard the preacher begin inside, talking about love and family and commitment.
John paced outside, unsure of what to do. But as he listened, he heard the preacher say: “If any of you has reasons why these two should not be married, speak now or forever hold your peace.”
Knowing it was now or never, John pushed through the church doors, crashing them open and standing at the end of the aisle.
The entire congregation turned as one. Ian and Molly stood at the front, hands clasped in front of the preacher. Molly wore a simple white gown and veil, while Ian was clad in a light grey morning suit and a neck cloth the exact color his eyes.
The church had gone silent, but for a few gasps from some of the guests. John stood, frozen, unsure of what to say.
“John?” Ian asked, his soft voice easily heard in the silence of the church.
This one utterance broke the silence and Caroline Hooper stood up, face red. “What is the meaning of this? How dare you interrupt the ceremony?”
Mikael stood next, trying to placate Caroline. “I’m sure there’s a simple explanation, Mrs. Hooper. Please, calm yourself.”
Voice came in a flood; the townspeople yelled and jeered at John. “What do you want?” “Come to ruin the day?” “Haven’t you done enough to the poor boy?” “You should be ashamed of yourself, with your unnatural urges!”
John felt panic rise as the taunts and accusations swirled around him. Then, a loud, clear voice dominated the others.
“WILL YOU ALL BE QUIET, FOR GOD’S SAKE?”
Ian stood at the pulpit, having shoved the preacher aside. His face was stormy and he glared at everyone as they fell into a grumbling silence.
“You say that Sheriff Jameson should be ashamed of himself,” he began, his voice hot with anger. “But I say it is all of you who should be ashamed! Has he not been a good citizen of this town?”
He turned to Sarah, fixing her with a glare. “John Jameson saved the lives of your sister and her family. Without him, they might have died!”
Sarah opened her mouth, but Ian made a slashing motion with his hand and she closed it again. He turned and eyed another man.
“Ezra Cassidy, didn’t Sheriff Jameson help you get your wagon out of the mud during the spring? And Esther Parkhurst, didn’t he help you when your husband was ill?”
Ian gestured to the entire congregation. “Is there one person in this church who hasn’t been helped by John Jameson?”
No one moved or spoke and Ian continued. “John Jameson is a good, kind man, who has done nothing but protect this town, only to have his name dragged through the mud. Over what?”
An old woman with a wizened face piped up, her voice quavering with anger. “Sin, that’s what! The man’s a sinner!”
Ian whirled to point a finger at her. “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone, Mrs. Jeremiah.”
John stepped forward and raised his voice. “It’s okay, Ian. I’ll… I’ll leave.”
“By God, you won’t!” Ian boomed. “I won’t have my friend… no, the man I love, leave because of ignorance.”
There were gasps at this declaration and a murmur ran through the church.
“That’s right.” Ian said, holding his head up proudly. “I say I love him, and I do. Perhaps you all think it a sin. I know that I could be put to death for saying such things, so I ask you all. Will you hang me?”
His question was met with uneasy silence as the crowd shifted in their seats.
“I thought so.” Ian seemed pleased. “I have always been this way. I have always been different. All of you know this, I know that you do. And yet you’ve allowed me to teach your children. Has any harm come to them? Are any of them worse off?”
A few of the congregation muttered “No,” shaking their heads.
“No, they are growing into fine young men and women with proper educations, because of me.” Ian said. “And we live in a town that is safe and protected because of Sheriff Jameson. So I ask all of you, what is so sinful and unnatural, that the two of us should be denied our love?”
Ian turned to Mikael, “I know you’ve tried to protect me, brother. My whole life you have and I thank you for it, but surely you realize now that being different does not mean that I am a lesser man?”
Mikael swallowed, his eyes red-rimmed as he looked directly at Ian. “No, Ian. I see now what mistakes I’ve made in your upbringing. I’m… I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I didn’t know how to do better.”
“I know,” Ian said, softly. “I know you didn’t.”
Ian turned to Molly, who watched him warily. “Molly Hooper, you are my best friend. And while I am so thankful for the sacrifice you’re prepared to make, in order to make me happy, I cannot let you do it. You deserve freedom, just as I do. Surely you understand?”
Molly smiled, sadly, and nodded. “Of course, I do, Ian. Of course.”
He turned once again to face the crowd. “The Bible says that what I feel is a sin. The law says that I should be put to death. And yet I’m asking you, all of you, as a town - what do your hearts say? Tell me truthfully, because if you cannot find it in your hearts to accept John and I as we are, then we shall leave and never ret
urn.”
John moved to protest, but Ian held up a hand, his eyes connecting with John’s. “Trust me, John.” Ian said, calmly. “I know what I’m doing and I know what I want.”
The muttering grew louder and John wished he’d thought to bring his gun. If he had to fight his way out of a church with Ian in tow, he would.
The preacher, who had been hovering, forgotten, stepped forward and laid a hand on Ian’s shoulder. “Folks, I’ve known Ian Lofte for many years. A gentler, more compassionate man couldn’t be found if you tried. I know what he’s asking goes against your beliefs. It goes against my beliefs. But I also know that the good Lord talks about loving your neighbor. Perhaps…
perhaps we could be the first town in the West to embrace that. Perhaps, after all the protection Sheriff Jameson has given us as a town, we could protect both of them from outside harm.”
Sarah Sawyer stood up then, her voice starting out soft and quavering and then growing louder. “I-I’m sorry, Sheriff Jameson, for the gossip I spread about you. It wasn’t right. I’ve hoped to find love my whole life and I let that blind me. But who am I to stand in the way of someone whose found it for themselves?”
One by one, the townspeople stood in agreement, until John found himself being pushed gently towards the front of the church and Ian. They were surrounded by smiling people offering congratulations, well wishes, and - occasionally - apologies.
John looked around in wonder, before turning to Ian. “W-what just happened?”
Ian, smiling, pressed his lips to John’s and whirled him around in a hug, causing the crowd around them to laugh, albeit a little uncomfortably. Pulling away, Ian said, “You promised me we’d find a way, and we did!”
“But….” John was laughing, breathless, keenly aware they were being watched by the entire
congregation. “I still don’t understand what just happened!”
Ian pulled John to him again, pressing his mouth close to John’s ear. “A miracle, John Jameson. A real, honest-to-God miracle.”
“This is outrageous!” Caroline Hooper cried out, her face red. “Do you all realize how much money this wedding has cost?”
“Oh, mother,” Molly piped up, tugging her mother to her seat. “Do be quiet.”
11
Epilogue
Of course it wasn’t that easy. Over the days to come, the town of Lockwood still had to adjust. John and Ian had to get used to the uncomfortable silences they were met with wherever they went. Or the flinches when strangers saw them holding hands. But slowly, slowly, they were met with acceptance and even friendliness, once the townsfolk became used to the new idea.
Caroline Hooper had to be pacified and convinced to remain silent when she returned to Boston. Mikael paying her for the cost of the wedding, as well as a little extra for her trouble, helped solve that problem. Though she protested mightily when Molly informed her that she was staying Lockwood. She’d taken a shine to Mikael’s man, Gregory, and stated in no uncertain terms that she planned to live at the ranch until she and Gregory could make a home of their own. They were eyeing the old Moran homestead, in fact. A little work and it would be a proper ranch on its own. Molly told her mother that she fancied herself a rancher’s wife and finally, Caroline Hooper acquiesced.
Even with their struggle to adjust and be accepted, John and Ian were ridiculously happy. John made plans - helped by Mikael, who clearly wanted to make amends - to build a grander cabin on his property. For it was his property - Mikael gave it to him as a gift. Ian helped sketch designs for the cabin and John received several offers of help from some of the men in town. He planned to add large stables to the property, for Ian expressed interest in raising horses.
Ian continued to teach. Nearly all of his students returned, though Ian wasn’t sure he’d stay on after he finished out the year. He talked of traveling with John, when they could, and studying more about the flora and fauna of Montana. He even suggested he might use his notebooks to write a book on the subject.
“Whatever your heart desires, love.” John said, whenever Ian talked of his dreams. “I would fetch the moon for you, if it would make you happy.”
Ian would blush at this, his cheeks growing pink in the way John always found alluring. “My heart desires you,” Ian said.
“Then it’s a good thing you have me, isn’t it?” John teased, kissing Ian and leading him to their bed.
John knew, no matter how many hard days were still to come, that he would be happy the rest of his life, with Ian by his side. Together, they could weather any challenge set before them.
This is how the Sheriff of Lockwood, Montana, and a shy schoolteacher came together to change the minds and hearts of a whole town. Through love, they conquered all.
Also by Emilia Loft
Rodeo Passion
‘Father Turner was staring at him again, Evan noticed he did that, locked eyes and didn’t relent as if he was determined to work out what made him tick by look alone. It should be unnerving but the fire it lit in Evan’s belly matched up pretty nice with all the other ways this preacher made him hot. He watched the man take a long pull, throat bobbing tight and a single trail of amber liquid running from the corner of his mouth. He put the flask down and caught the bead with his thumb, dragging it up to suck the whiskey from the pad. Evan’s eyes caught all of it, transfixed, and he had to think fast when the preacher caught him staring.
“So I take it you don’t have too much against the sin of liquor?” His voice sounded strained even to his own ears.
“Sinning makes us human Evan, everything in moderation.”
“I’d be mighty curious to see what other kinds of sinning you got up to then, Reverend.”’
***
Sheriff Evan Parker has been sent to Boston to collect the new preacher for his town of Lawrence. What he finds is a man nothing like what he expected and suddenly the long journey back to Kansas seems a lot more dangerous than he’d previously thought.