“You see that?” she said, pointing to the beginnings of a rosebush. The buds were a pale red color, getting ready to flower.
“Yeah,” he said. “It’s lovely.”
“I know it is,” she said. “That’s the flower you gave me.”
He looked at her. Her eyes were wide and glassy, staring lovingly at this little bush that had grown from a single rose, the tiniest little flower turning into something big and beautiful. It had been a while since he’d given her that rose. Back then, he had just been infatuated with her and wanted to get to know her. Then Willard had gotten in the way and almost ruined it all. But she’d kept this flower and she’d planted it here. When it was all going south for them, she could have gotten rid of it, but she didn’t.
She must have believed in us when even I’d lost all hope, he thought.
“Is it really?” he asked. “No fooling?”
Evelyn nodded. “I never thought for a second it would grow like that, but look at it, hmm?”
“I love you, Evelyn,” he said. “I love every little thing about you.”
“I love you too, Lon,” she said. “And this is just the beginning okay, just the start for the two of us. We’re going to grow together, just like that rosebush.”
“Rising from the dirt.”
“Turning into something beautiful.”
He pulled her in close and held her tight, breathing her in, wanting to cherish this moment. He was never going to let her go, not a chance.
Chapter 29
Evelyn and Lonnie spent practically every moment possible together. Lonnie was feeling a little better each day that went by, Evelyn started working at the hardware store again, taking over from Rose who she had been deputizing while she’d been taking care of Lon. Evelyn liked getting back to it, liked being out in the world and seeing people. She never thought in a thousand years she would say that she enjoyed her walk through Kecheetah in the morning, that she liked to stop and chat to the women who waited outside the general store and watched the world go by.
There were times when she would stand in the hardware store, busier than it had ever been in the time she had run it, and she could see the old days once more. There were crowds of people coming not just from Kecheetah but from towns all around because they wanted to thank her for what she had done and support her business. It warmed her heart.
I never thought I’d be happy here, she thought. And here I am and there ain’t a thing in the world that could take the smile off my face.
When Lonnie was up to walking around again, he’d come and meet her when she finished work, a rose in his hand just like old times. They’d walk home together, and they’d have people cooing and smiling at the pair of them as they walked. It was like they’d fallen into some kind of dreamland.
One morning, about two weeks into Lonnie’s recovery, he was finally looking like he would be able to go back to work. His daily walks around the yard had turned into light jogs and he would be fit as a fiddle in no time. He was about to head out to see the sheriff and talk about when he could come back, when there was a knock at the door.
Evelyn got up to get it.
“Well good morning, Mr. Mayor,” she said, opening the door wide and ushering him inside.
“Hello Evelyn, and my! Lonnie Steele, look at you!” the Mayor exclaimed as he saw Lonnie up and about. “So, I guess we’ll be seeing you back in your hat and badge before we know it, huh?”
Lonnie looked a little bashful all of a sudden, like the very fact he was walking around was showing off. Evelyn knew him well enough now to know he didn’t like all of that.
“We’ll have to see what Sheriff Hawker says but hopefully,” Lonnie said. “What can we do for you today, sir?”
“Oh, you’re always so formal,” the Mayor said. “I actually needed to speak with both of you. It’s a very urgent matter, and I’m afraid I will need both of your cooperation if we’re going to make it work.”
Evelyn felt suddenly worried. She was sure that something had happened with Willard, that he’d gotten away, or that she was going to have to go to California and testify. She didn’t want to face him again if she could help it. That chapter of her life was supposed to be over.
“I would like you to be in the town square by noon,” he said. “It’s incredibly important.”
Evelyn blinked and tried to quell the panicked feeling in her stomach. “Of course, sir,” she said. “Anything for you, you know that.”
“Well, that’s just wonderful,” he said, rubbing his hands together gleefully. “Rose will be over to bring you, if that’s alright. I’d do it myself, but I’ve got some business to take care of.”
He scurried out of the door and Evelyn watched him go.
He’s certainly in an odd mood, she thought. She’d never seen him so skittish.
“What do you think that was about?” Evelyn asked.
Lonnie shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe they’re making you the mayor of the town.”
“Stop teasing me!” she groaned.
“Or maybe they’re just changing the name of the town altogether to honor their great hero,” he said. “Welcome to the town of Evelyn. Welcome to Evelynville, Evelyn City, Evelyn Town!”
She picked up a cushion from one of the chairs and threw it at him, knocking him square in the face. It nearly threw him off balance and she couldn’t help but laugh.
“That’s what you get for poking fun!” she said through her laughter.
* * *
A couple of hours later, there was another knock at the door. Evelyn answered it quickly. She’d hardly been able to settle all morning. Every time she thought about going to the town square at noon, her mind began to race about what it could possibly be.
One of these days, she thought to herself, I’m going to have to teach myself not to always assume the worst.
She took a breath and answered the door, happy to see that it was Rose standing there in a gorgeous blue dress that perfectly complimented her bright eyes. She was grinning broadly, which only made Evelyn feel all the more nervous.
“You ready?” Rose asked, hardly able to contain herself.
“Now, you stop all that grinning, you hear me?” Evelyn said sternly. “I’m already feeling nervous and you being all giddy is putting me on edge.”
Rose scoffed. “Now you’re just being silly, did Papa not tell you what this was all about?” she asked.
“No!” Evelyn exclaimed. “He didn’t say a word, he just came over and told me to be in the town square at noon.”
Rose rolled her eyes. “Typical Papa, always one for the dramatics.”
“Well, do you know what it’s for?”
“Of course, I do!” Rose said. “But I can’t tell you if Papa has made a point of not telling you, now can I?”
Evelyn didn’t know how to answer that. She knew that if she pressed Rose hard enough, she might be able to get it out of her, but they were running low on time.
“Rose, I’m being very serious now, I hope you can hear it in my voice,” Evelyn said. “But this is all making me very nervous. I don’t want any trouble, but if you could just tell me—”
“I’m not telling you a thing, Evelyn, and you need to stop asking,” Rose said. “But trust me when I tell you it’s a good thing, okay? You can be happy. Maybe even a little bit excited.”
Excited? Evelyn thought. What on earth was in the town square for her to be excited about?
With Lonnie in tow, Rose took Evelyn through the town and toward the square. It was oddly quiet on the walk. The people that normally hung around outside the general store or outside the tavern were nowhere to be seen, and as they got closer to the square, there was a distinct murmur of chatter.
Now she really started to feel nervous, her heart pounding incredibly hard in her chest, sweat beading on her forehead. It wasn’t even that warm, but she was suddenly very hot and bothered.
They turned the corner into the square and Evelyn saw the crowd. Her stomach
dropped. She looked from left to right, picking out the faces of people she knew, her face twisting in confusion at the ones she didn’t recognize.
This has to be the whole town, she thought, looking about herself. What on Earth is everybody doing here?
There was the sound of a throat clearing somewhere up ahead. Evelyn looked up to see the Mayor standing on a small podium, his smile broad as he waved at people in the crowd. He was wearing a suit and a hat, looking incredibly dapper as he smiled over all of his people. He caught sight of Evelyn and clapped his hands to get everybody’s attention.
“Ladies and Gentlemen of Kecheetah, I want to thank you all for gathering here today at such short notice,” his voice boomed. He really was a commanding presence.
Evelyn turned around, trying to get herself away from the square, but Rose had her tightly by the arm. She wasn’t going anywhere. What was all of this in aid of? Surely, it wasn’t for her.
“I’m sure by now you’ve heard of all the goings on that happened not too far away from here with our ranger, Lonnie Steele,” a cheer went up, “Wild Willard,” the crowd booed, it was like a show. “And our very own Evelyn Pierce.” There was another cheer, louder than Lonnie’s, accompanied by whoops and whistles. “But I want to set a few things straight for anyone who has been in any doubt. We must make sure we treat Evelyn Pierce for the person she is.”
Here it comes, she thought. This is the part where he tells me that I need to pack my things and leave, that I’ve brought too much trouble to this town and he won’t take it anymore.
Evelyn took a deep breath and prepared herself for the onslaught.
“A respectable member of society. While Evelyn and the members of this town have had their differences in the past,” the Mayor started, “there is no denying that the girl is a hero.”
Evelyn could hardly believe her ears.
“She is a Kecheetah girl through and through and she helped our Lonnie vanquish this town of that awful bandit, Wild Willard!” There was an almighty cheer from the crowd. “She put herself in danger and it is because of her hard work and our ranger Lonnie’s bravery that Willard is now behind bars, never to darken this town again. And if that doesn’t happen to be enough for you,” the mayor continued. “Need I remind you of all the things her father has done for this town over the years.”
Just the mention of her father was enough to make Evelyn feel even more overcome with emotion. Tears started to fill her eyes. Lonnie gave her shoulder a squeeze; Rose held her arm a little tighter. Everything was turning around. It was going to be okay.
“He is a fine man who took care of this town like no other, and Evelyn has continued his legacy in the hardware store, and surely made him the proudest father alive by rescuing this town from that villain.” The mayor smiled at Evelyn and she smiled back. “It also gives me great pleasure to let you all know, that Evelyn Pierce will soon be married to our ranger, and I wish them both a lifetime of happiness.”
The crowd erupted into a cheer and Evelyn’s tears let loose, flowing down her face uncontrollably. Before she could even try and get away again, people were coming over to her to congratulate her and Lonnie on their upcoming wedding. There were people asking if they were invited, to which Rose gladly told them that everyone was invited, and it was a celebration for the whole town.
Evelyn was surprised to see Sylvia approach her. While there hadn’t been any altercations since Evelyn had come back, they’d not really spoken to each other all that much. It had almost been an unspoken agreement that everything was fine between them, but apparently now that wasn’t enough.
“I suppose an apology is in order,” Miss Sylvia said, reaching a hand out to Evelyn. “I certainly could have been kinder to you, Evelyn. I’m sorry I wasn’t, I was just so—”
“Apology accepted, Sylvia,” Evelyn said, sniffing back her tears. “No hard feelings. New beginnings.”
Miss Sylvia smiled. “New beginnings, I like that.”
Miss Sylvia slipped off through the crowd, back to her friends, and Evelyn watched her go. There were a few more apologies thrown her way as the crowd thinned out and died down, people who had treated her poorly, who had avoided the store, who had always assumed she was as bad as Willard. She accepted them all. There was no use holding grudges against any of them really.
Everything that had happened with Willard had been a chapter in her life, she couldn’t deny it, and it had been a dark time for the town. While she hadn’t done the things he had done or agreed with them, she had been there, she had brought him to Kecheetah. Just like she had already said to Sylvia, now was a time for new beginnings. She had Lonnie at one side, her soon-to-be husband, and her best friend, Rose, at the other. She couldn’t ask for anything more. Everything was going to be fine. And she couldn’t be happier.
Epilogue
It took a little bit of time, a lot of care from Evelyn and even more falling down, but it was only a month later that Lonnie was up and walking around again without any pain whatsoever. Thanks to Evelyn caring for him so well (and stopping him from pushing himself too hard) the wound healed quickly.
The doctor was surprised it had happened so quickly and Lonnie knew that he owed it all to Evelyn. If he’d had it his way, he would have worked a little bit too hard and almost certainly ended up doing more damage to himself.
As he woke up on the morning of his wedding, safe in the knowledge he would be able to walk down the aisle without falling over in front of everybody, he couldn’t keep the smile off his face. His body couldn’t decide what to do, torn between fizzing with excitement and panicking. He was a ball of anxiety and he wouldn’t have it any other way. Today was the first day of the rest of his life with Evelyn.
This must be totally normal, he thought as he sat up in bed. If Evelyn had been there, he would have asked her if she felt the same way, but she was staying at Rose’s as the groom isn’t meant to see the bride before the wedding. If he could know that Evelyn was nervous, then maybe that would have made him less nervous.
He got up and prepared breakfast for himself and Evelyn’s father, who was also staying there for the night. Evelyn hadn’t wanted to move him somewhere else, as putting him in unfamiliar surroundings might have upset him, but Lonnie was more than happy to take care of him. He was pretty easy-going most of the time, and they got on pretty well.
They sat and ate together, Lonnie having to force himself to actually eat something.
“Okay, Pops, about time we got you ready,” Lonnie said when they were done, downing the rest of his coffee. Nowhere near as good as Evelyn’s but it will have to do!
They went to the bathroom and, as Evelyn had asked him, Lonnie helped Pops shave before the big day. He didn’t even mind. Lonnie and Evelyn’s father had become so close while Lonnie had been housebound and injured, it didn’t bother him. So, Lonnie swiped the blade across his face, giving him a clean look for the big day.
“There,” Lonnie said, grateful to have something to do with his hands so he didn’t just sit there feeling like a nervous wreck. “Good as new!”
Pops looked at himself in the mirror, running his hands over his face. He smiled. Clearly Lonnie had done a pretty decent job of it. He turned back to Lonnie and looked at him seriously for a moment, their eyes locking and, not for the first time, Lonnie saw a little spark behind his eyes.
“Can I talk to you for a moment, Lon?” he asked.
Lonnie started. Evelyn had told him that this happened sometimes. Out of nowhere her father would have a moment of clarity and it was like his sickness didn’t even exist. He just had to let it happen, knowing that in a short time it would pass.
“Of course,” Lonnie said.
“I just wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done for my Evelyn,” he said. He wasn’t stumbling over the words; he wasn’t unsure of himself. It was like the clouds had vanished from his sky and he could see everything clearly for a moment. “And I want you to know that I’m very proud of you.”
/> Lonnie could feel himself getting a little choked up. “Thanks, Pops.”
“My daughter has chosen a very good man to take as a husband,” he said. “I’ve never seen her as happy as I have when I’ve seen her with you. And I want to thank you for that.”
“You don’t need to thank me,” Lonnie said, feeling a little uneasy. He’d never really seen Evelyn’s pops like this before, at least not this emotional. “I love her. I’d do anything for her. It’s… it’s wonderful to have your blessing, sir.”
Her father smiled. “Evelyn is a strong woman, Lon, you know that,” he said. “If I didn’t give my blessing, she’d run off and marry you anyway. She knows what she wants, and she wants you. That’s the only blessing you need.”
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