by Kit Morgan
“Not at all,” said Lillie. “Bella and Trent are both asleep. We’ll take them upstairs then see to supper while you rest. You can keep an ear out for them.”
Luella nodded her thanks and headed for the staircase. She might have felt embarrassed at her blatant declaration of love, had Jonas not shown he felt the same. He might not have said he loved her with words, but he certainly made it clear.
She lay on her bed but couldn’t rest, and finally she got up and went to the window, which had a perfect view of the barn. Jonas was nowhere in sight – he must have still been saddling Hamlet, one of Anson’s saddle horses. She watched Doc Rawlings cross the yard and go inside, emerging a minute later leading Hamlet. Then she saw Jonas come out of the barn leading his own horse!
Oh no, he’s leaving! Without another thought, Luella raced downstairs and out the front door, around the house to the barnyard and up to where Jonas stood. Doc Rawlings was already mounted. “What are you doing?”
Jonas looked confused. “I’m escorting the doctor back to town.”
“But that means you’ll be riding home in the dark,” she said, stating the obvious.
Jonas mounted his horse. “I know.”
Luella stood in stunned silence as Doc Rawlings tipped his hat. “Thanks for all your help, Miss Jones. You make a fine nurse.”
She nodded numbly as Jonas kicked his horse and started off, Doc Rawlings close behind. Why had he chosen to accompany the doctor back to Morgan’s Crossing – to avoid her? That’s all she could think. Maybe he thought their kiss was a mistake and wanted to get as far away as he could, even for just a few hours. With a heavy heart, she turned and went back into the house.
Zadie looked up from stirring a pot on the stove. “Where did you come from? I thought you were upstairs lying down?”
“Jonas just left with Dr. Rawlings.”
“He did?”
Luella nodded. “I think it’s my fault.”
Zadie stared at her. “Why would it be your fault?”
Luella shrugged. “I told him I was in love with him.”
Zadie gasped. “Luella, you didn’t!”
“I did.”
“Well?” Zadie prompted. “Did he say anything? Did he tell you he loved you too?”
“Um …” She thought back on the kiss they’d shared. “You could say that.”
Zadie’s hands flew her mouth to stifle an excited shriek. “He did? Oh Luella, that’s wonderful!”
Luella couldn’t even fake a smile. “If it’s so wonderful, why did he leave?”
Supper passed in a fog, as did the rest of the evening. Luella stayed up as long as she could, waiting for Jonas to return. She couldn’t sleep anyway for thinking about him. She tossed and turned, listening for horses entering the barnyard, until exhaustion swept her away.
When she woke up, all the doubts came back. Maybe Jonas decided to stay in town and would return in the morning. Not a problem if he left early enough. Perhaps he wanted to think about how to let her down easy, to tell her he didn’t feel the same way she did. Or maybe he’d bought a ring and was coming back to ask her hand in marriage. It could be either one or anything in between – she didn’t know. She hated not knowing.
“What have I done?” she asked herself in the small mirror above the dresser. “Luella, you silly woman, why can’t you keep your mouth shut?” But then, she’d never had that ability. Besides, it wasn’t her intent to be kissed when she asked him what was wrong – she’d only wanted to help him. Kissing was just an added surprise. She put up her hair, made sure she was as presentable as she could be despite her fitful sleep, and went downstairs to make breakfast.
To her surprise, Jonas was sitting at the kitchen table with Anson and Jess, drinking a cup of coffee. Jess turned to her, holding up the coffee pot. “Good morning. Would you like a cup?”
“What are you three doing here?”
Anson sighed wearily and shook his head. “Jonas called a meeting.”
Luella’s chest tightened. “About what?”
Jonas scooted his chair away from the table and stood. “About why I’m leaving.”
Twelve
Luella stood in open-mouthed shock. “Wha … what? Leaving!”
Jonas looked at her and his face softened. “Yep.”
“But why?!” she said, willing herself not to cry. Why would he do this to her? Was he leaving because of her?
“I was just getting to that part with Anson and Jess, if you don’t mind –”
“I mind very much!”
“Lu, what’s the matter?” Anson asked.
“Yeah,” said Jess. “Why are you so upset?”
“Because he … because … we’d, I mean …”
Jess glanced between his sister and Jonas, his eyes finally settling on the latter. “Would you care to elaborate?”
Jonas chewed on his bottom lip. To Luella, he looked like a man standing on a cliff edge who’d just realized he’d have to jump. He blew out a long breath. “I kissed her.”
“What?!” Jess said in surprise. He smiled and looked at Luella.
She shook her head. “It’s not like that.”
“It had better be,” Jess said as his eyes went back to darting between them.
“You might as well know he’s leaving because of me,” she said.
Now Jonas and Anson looked at her in surprise. “He’s what?” Anson said.
Jonas shook his head. “No, I’m not?”
But Luella wasn’t listening. “I told him I loved him yesterday.”
Anson and Jess’s heads swung back and forth between the two.
“Then I asked him how he felt about me, and he …” She looked at Jonas as the memory flooded back. “… he kissed me like no one ever has.”
“Well, I should hope not,” Jonas replied.
Anson and Jess stood there in shock.
“That was my first kiss,” she admitted. “Well, I suppose I could say I’ve been kissed twice. Both by you.”
Jonas stared at his boots.
“Wait a minute,” Anson finally focused on Jonas. “You kissed my cousin, so that’s why you’re leaving?”
Luella stiffened in response. Here it comes – he would tell them he didn’t love her.
“No. I kissed her because I do love her. I’m leaving because I’m not the man you think I am.” He turned to Anson and Jess. “You know nothing of my past, only that I hail from Dodge City and worked in Mr. Morgan’s mine for six months.”
“Yeah, and I also know you’re darn good with horses, a hard worker, honest and exactly what we need.” Anson said.
Jonas nodded. “True, except for the honest part.” He glanced at Luella again. “Before I came to Morgan’s Crossing, I spent five years in the Leavenworth prison in Kansas for robbing a stage with my brothers.”
Anson took a breath and held it. Jess just stared. Luella… well, she didn’t realize her hands were covering her mouth until she tried to speak. “Prison?” she squeaked.
“I served my sentence, left Kansas and came west to make a new life for myself.”
Anson and Jess exchanged a quick look.
“But you see, I can’t stay,” Jonas went on. “I’m here under false pretenses, So it’s best I leave for all concerned.” He grabbed his hat off the table. “I thank you for your kindness, and I hope you find a suitable replacement.”
Luella stifled a sob. “So that’s it? That’s what you’ve been hiding all this time?” She clenched her fists, ready to pummel him into staying. “Of all the silly, stupid …”
“Stupid?” he said. “You think robbing a stage and serving a prison sentence is stupid?”
“No! I think not forgiving yourself is stupid!” she shouted.
All three men gaped at her.
Luella brushed the hair out of her eyes, squared her shoulders and let him have it. “Jonas Cummings, I knew something was eating you from the inside out since I got here. I didn’t know what, I just knew it was bad. Then a co
uple of weeks ago, it started to fade – or turn into something else, I’m not sure.”
He stared at her, closed his eyes and turned away. “That’s when I fell in love with you,” he said quietly. “But now you know why I could never … why we …”
“Why not?” she blurted.
He turned to her in shock.
“Don’t look so surprised,” she said, then saw the equally shocked faces of her brother and cousin. “That goes for you too. Why shouldn’t he start a new life? He did his time, he walked away from that life. He hasn’t cheated you out of so much as a piece of straw. And you’ll recall, he’s not the only ex-convict we know.”
Anson and Jess exchanged the same look of confusion.
Luella put her hands on her hips. “The Cooke brothers? Our second cousins, Duncan and Colin?”
“Ohhhh,” Jess said as comprehension dawned. “But they were falsely accused.” He glanced at Jonas. “Long story – our mother’s family.”
“And what about Great Uncle Cutty?” she said. “He didn’t serve a prison sentence, but he was rotten to the core. Yet look at him now.”
Jess and Anson both began to fidget. This time Anson explained. “Another relative, one anyone would think unredeemable. He’s one of the finest men I know.”
“Me too,” Jess said.
Luella gave them a curt nod and turned to Jonas. “So what excuse do you have for leaving? Your real excuse, because this whole business of ‘I was in prison so I’m not fit to mix with polite company, is just a load of manure, as far as I’m concerned.”
Jonas stared at her a moment, whether because of the idea or her earthy language she didn’t know – or care. Finally he said, “Two of my brothers are still in prison, for at least another twenty years. The oldest one … they hanged him.”
Luella swallowed hard and fought to regain her composure. “Well … you are not your brothers, are you?”
Jonas’s eyes skipped between the three. “No.”
Anson sighed. “Jonas, why didn’t you tell us?”
“I wanted to leave it all behind me, make a clean start. I didn’t tell Mr. Rossmore or Mr. Morgan either.”
“And it’s been eating at you ever since,” Jess added.
Jonas met his stare head-on. “Yeah. Falling in love with your sister didn’t help.”
Luella’s hands flew to her mouth again at his words. Yes, he did love her! “This is what you spoke about with the preacher in Sweetwater Springs?”
He nodded. “He only confirmed what I knew was right.”
“Then why not speak up sooner?” Anson asked.
Jonas looked at Luella. “Because I just wasn’t ready to say goodbye.”
Her lower lip trembled. “You don’t have to,” came out barely a whisper.
Anson, hands on hips, nodded to himself, then looked at Jonas. “She’s right. You don’t.”
Jonas slowly turned to face him. “What did you say?”
“He said you don’t have to,” Jess repeated. “That’s not how we operate. You’ve already proven yourself to us, Jonas. You’ve never done anything since you arrived that would give us a reason to doubt you. You said you were looking for a fresh start – well, here it is! So why leave?”
Jonas stared at him, dumbstruck. “Folks like you don’t usually want to associate with folks like me.”
“Who told you that?” Anson replied.
Jonas could only stare. Everyone had told him that – his drunken father, his criminal brothers, even his mother, who told him to become respectable or no one would want to have much to do with him. He’d never forgotten her words, some of the last she’d ever said to him. But most of all, he’d heard it in prison, over and over, for five long years: once a criminal, always a criminal and folks’ll always think so.
“You can heal here,” Luella moved toward him. “Become whole again.” She put a hand on his arm. “Don’t leave.”
Jonas gulped. Her eyes held infinite compassion and understanding. But hadn’t that same look brought him to this point? “You’ve given me so much since you arrived. More than I thought I deserved.”
Anson went to the kitchen table, pulled out a chair and motioned Jonas to sit. “Tell us about it. About you.”
“Don’t you think I’ve said enough?”
“Nowhere near. We want to know you, and we want you to know us. After all, we’re family.”
“But I’m not part of your family,” Jonas said.
Jess sighed, glanced at Luella and suppressed a laugh. “Jonas, you don’t know my sister. If she decides something, you might as well set it in stone. And she’s decided on you. So if you’re not family, you’re gonna be pretty soon.”
“I guarantee it,” Luella added. Jonas almost expected her to get her notebook out and write it down.
* * *
Two months later …
“And do you, Jonas Malcolm Cummings, take Luella Anne Jones to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
Jonas could hardly believe he was standing in front of Rev. Norton in Sweetwater Springs, marrying the most beautiful and loving creature imaginable. But here he was, surrounded by the Joneses, the Whites, even Michael Morgan and Prudence. Not bad for an ex-con.
When Jess declared to Jonas at the family’s kitchen table that he didn’t know his sister yet, he wasn’t kidding. And when Luella Jones had told him she loved him, she really wasn’t kidding. The little gifts of love she’d bestowed upon him in the few months he’d known her, he’d accepted without realizing it: understanding, compassion, patience, kindness, joy and most of all, forgiveness.
Over that time he’d learned how to forgive himself, his brothers, his father and all that had happened to him. Since her arrival at the ranch, she’d brought him trays of food from the house, but also brought a lot more. He’d just been too blind at first to see it. But when he did, he fell in love and fell hard.
After he’d confessed his past to his employers they extended the same kindness. They were no strangers to redemption and he thanked God for that. The next two months had been the best of Jonas’s life. Jess insisted he court his sister while Caleb and Viola prepared for their move to California. Now the Whites would leave tomorrow on the afternoon train – first to visit Caleb’s friends, the rest of the Jones family and thier extended relatives in Clear Creek, then south and west to the Golden State.
And that meant that come the next day, Jonas and Luella would be moving into the cabin near the main house to start their new life together. It sure beat sleeping in the barn.
“You may kiss the bride,” Rev. Norton concluded.
Jonas started. He’d been more nervous than his bride. He faced Luella, lifted her veil and gently kissed her. A cheer went up around them.
Luella stepped away from him and laughed. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” he said above the din. He pulled her back into his arms. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For all your gifts of love. You’ve made me whole again, Luella. Maybe whole for the first time.”
She looked into his eyes and smiled warmly. “You’re welcome.” She looked at Rev. Norton. “But I had a little help, so I can’t take all the credit.” She looked up.
Jonas did too. “Yes, I’d say you had help.” He winked at the ceiling of the church, and then kissed his bride again.
The End
About the Author
Kit Morgan, aka Geralyn Beauchamp, loves a good Western. Her father loved them as well and they watched their fair share together over the years. To sign up for Kit’s newsletter and find out about upcoming books and other fun stuff, visit www.authorkitmorgan.com. To check out Kit’s complete collection of stories and to find out more about Anson and Jess’s hometown of Clear Creek (Kit’s Prairie Brides and Prairie Grooms Series) click here. Also be watching for more tales of Mrs. Pettigrew’s Bridal Agency in Kit’s new series Mail-Order Bride Ink. Check out the first book in the series, Dear Mr. Weaver, available now.
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