An Enduring Love to Heal Her: A Historical Western Romance Book

by Lorelei Brogan

  Emilia hid a giggle. “I don’t think so, Derek doesn’t seem like the type of person to be looking for a wife.”

  “You never know. I think he could use a good woman like you.”

  Emilia was surprised at her aunt’s kind words. She had never really had anyone say something like that about her. “Thank you. I don’t know if Derek thinks of me like that, though.”

  “It is tragic, what happened between him and Janie. I knew the story, but I didn’t know who it was until you introduced her to us on Sunday.”

  “The story?” Emilia remembered Derek’s brief mention of his previous engagement. He hadn’t given many details, and she certainly hadn’t been aware that many people knew about it.

  “No one knows exactly what happened between them. It happened before I knew Derek. Apparently, he was quite serious about Janie and they were engaged to be married, and then she left him for another man she thought was more well-off.”

  Emilia’s heart ached for Derek. He didn’t deserve that. No one did, but especially not him. She didn’t know many people who were kinder or had better intentions than Derek. “That’s terrible.”

  “I know. That young woman is one of the worst… to be toying with a man that way.”

  “Poor Derek.”

  “I know. That’s why I say he could use someone loyal like you around him. It would do his soul good.”

  Emilia shook her head once more as she continued to chop vegetables. She still didn’t know exactly how she felt about Derek, and even if she did, she didn’t know how she felt about marriage.

  Would a man love her like that? And would he be kind to her? She had seen her fair share of terrible stories, and she had always promised herself she would never let herself become one of them.

  For now, she was going to see what came of it, but even though she denied it, she had little butterflies in her stomach when she thought of Derek. Maybe she was lying to herself and there were already some deeper feelings for him. She just didn’t know it yet.

  Chapter 21

  Derek stared down at his cup of black coffee. He played his last conversation with Emilia over again in his mind. She had believed him. She hadn’t asked for proof or to see his brother. That, in and of itself, had surprised him.

  She had trusted him. Maybe Emilia was different. Between helping George on his ranch and keeping up with his own, he hadn’t had a chance over the last several days to visit the Carsons’ ranch. He hoped that he’d be able to swing by that night.

  A knock at the door startled him. Who would be calling out here on his ranch? He didn’t get many visitors.

  He set his mug down and hurried to the door. His heart sank when he came face to face with himself.

  “What are you doing here?” Derek didn’t bother to be friendly. He had thought his brother was long gone, and to find out he was still in town was less than pleasant.

  “Just stopping by to visit my brother. Is there a problem with that?” Luke drawled in that sarcastic tone that always caused Derek to bristle. His lips were curled in the typical lazy grin Derek hated.

  Even now, he was tempted to wipe it off of his brother’s face. “You were supposed to go back home. Why are you still in town?”

  “That’s actually what I came to talk to you about. I wanted to make sure that you hadn’t changed your mind before I left.”

  “I haven’t changed my mind, Luke. Why did you really come? You know I’m not going to change my mind.”

  Luke walked across the parlor and pushed his way into the kitchen. He pulled out a chair, grating its feet against the floor and making a sound that made Derek flinch.

  “You know, I think we’ve made some mistakes in the past. We hated each other when we were young and that wasn’t our fault.”

  “Really?” Derek’s tone was sarcastic as he cautiously took a seat across from Luke.

  “Yes, really. I really feel like we were always competing with each other because of father and his expectations.”

  “And what do you propose we do about it now? Let me guess—you want me to come back and help with the railroad business?” Derek knew his brother was manipulative, but usually, it was harder to see through than this.

  “No, actually not. I am heading back home all alone, and I know you will make a great ranch here. All I ask is that maybe one day we can give our relationship a chance again.”

  “What are you after, Luke? I know you never cared about our relationship.” Derek eyed his brother with suspicion. What was Luke up to? He couldn’t possibly mean the words that were coming from his mouth.

  Derek knew that much. His brother wanted him to come home. Did he think that this might guilt-trip Derek into going?

  “I am hurt that you won’t give us a chance, but hopefully, eventually, you’ll come around.”

  “I don’t know what you’re up to, Luke. But whatever it is, I’m not falling for it.”

  “Well, now that you mention it, I did want to tell you that when you realize that all these people you seem to care about don’t really care about you, you’re always welcome to come home and help me with the business.”

  “And there it is. I knew there was something that you wanted to come here and say. Please, just go. I have nothing more to say to you.”

  “I don’t mean anything that I said before any less… but, just in case.”

  “Come on, Luke, we all know what you mean. Are you really leaving this time? Or did you just come here to try and trick me?”

  “I am not trying to trick you, brother. I will tell Ma and Pa that you’re not interested.”

  Derek’s heart softened for a moment at the mention of his mother. He knew she didn’t really like the things their family had done, either, but she also did nothing about it.

  He saw her as guilty by supporting his father and brother. She never stood against them in her words or her actions.

  He hated seeing her trapped and unhappy, but he’d offered to take her with him when he’d come west. He knew that it would have been terribly difficult for his mother, but he wished that, for once, she would stand up for herself.

  “I never will be interested in returning. Please tell them that, too.”

  Luke stood up and walked nonchalantly across the cabin, pausing at the front door. “Good luck, brother.”

  Derek watched as his brother left and rode down the driveway. His well wishes sounded so much more like a threat than they should have.

  Derek sat back in his chair. His brother’s words played back in his head. He didn’t believe a single one of them. His brother had never given any good wishes. He had always lied and deceived everyone he had dealings with.

  Emilia floated to mind. He cared for her. He was starting to realize he cared for her more than he should. He might even love her.

  He had a feeling, now that she knew the truth, that she might even give him a chance.

  Derek smiled at the idea. Maybe, just maybe, he would have a chance to love again.

  He only hoped that his brother would go back home as quickly as possible and never come back.

  He would always remember his family and the part they’d had in shaping his life, but he never wanted to be near them again. The past should stay right there—in the past.

  Chapter 22

  “What are you doing?” After looking for quite some time, Emilia finally found Lily. She was sitting in their room with several crates strewn about, with odds and ends strewn on the beds.

  “I was just looking around and I found all these things in Ma’s old trunks. They’re family keepsakes, I think.”

  “Oh,” Emilia quickly glanced over the things. She could tell that they were quite old and well taken care of. “Will Aunt Carolyn care that we look at them?”

  “No, I told her I found them, and she didn’t say anything.”

  “Okay. I’d love to look now, but we should go to town first. I think Aunt Carolyn needs some more flour to make dinner. And I really want to send my letter today.
” Emilia had been thinking about her letter since the day before, when she’d written it.

  “Oh, goodness, the time has gotten away from me. It’s just fascinating. I found this bundle of letters from one of Pa’s sisters. I’ve never read them before. I can’t wait to finish them.” Lily pointed excitedly to a stack of older-looking letters sitting on the bed. “I’m right at the part when Ma and Pa first moved out here.”

  Emilia giggled; she couldn’t blame Lily for being entertained by the letters. She remembered finding some letters relatives had written to her parents and reading through them. It was a wonderful window into the past.

  “I can’t imagine what it must have been like. I heard that the war was pretty bad.”

  “Well, it doesn’t say much about it, maybe they didn’t want to talk about that.” Lily shrugged. “Besides, I don’t like reading about sad things, so it’s all the better.”

  Emilia laughed. “Come on, I think the twins are going to come with us.”

  “They are? Did Ma say that?” Lily looked annoyed. Emilia couldn’t fathom why. She loved the twins, but then, maybe Lily was tired of them since they were her siblings.

  “Don’t worry, I’m sure it will be fine. They’re not that bad, you know.”

  “You say that now—just wait till you’ve lived with us for five years.”

  Emilia giggled and then felt somber. What if she did live with Aunt Carolyn for five more years? What if she never went back to live with her mother and sister? The idea was both terrifying and sad at the same time.

  When she and Lily got out to the barn, the twins had already hooked up the wagon and were waiting, fidgeting in their seats.

  “There’s room up here for you if you want, Emilia.” Eli motioned to the bit of wagon seat that was left beside him and Eddy.

  Emilia exchanged an amused glance with Lily before shaking her head. “Thank you, but I think I’ll ride in the back with Lily this time.”

  “Ma said that we could all get some penny candy at the general store when we’re done with the shopping.”

  Emilia grinned. She liked the idea of the boys coming, especially because it meant that they could go by wagon and not on horseback.

  The whole ride into town, the boys talked about the chores they’d done that morning and all the things they wanted to get done in town. It was almost amusing to Emilia how excited they were for the trip.

  Back in Ohio, little boys lived right in town, they didn’t see it as special to go to the general store or buy some penny candy. To Emilia, it was nice to see.

  When they pulled into town, Emilia was glad when they stopped in front of the post office first. “Why don’t you send your letter and I’ll get started on the shopping? That way, we’ll save some time,” Lily explained.

  Emilia agreed and hopped down from the wagon. She was fairly certain that if they weren’t so set on the penny candy, the boys would have offered to stay with her.

  That was fine, though. She actually would enjoy sending the letter alone. It made her feel as if she were independent in some way.

  “Howdy, ma’am. How can I help you today?” The older man tending to the post office gave her a strange look.

  “I just need to send this letter to my ma back in Ohio.” Emilia pushed the little letter, along with the money for the fee, over the counter.

  The man paused as he took it. “Why, if it isn’t you, the Carson cousin. You must miss your pa something awful. My condolences.”

  Emilia’s eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. What in the world was the man talking about? How did he know her father died? And that had been a long time ago, not recently. Maybe it was some misunderstanding.

  “I’m not an orphan, my mother just sent me here to be with my aunt for a while.”

  “She must be terribly sad about your pa, I suppose. It isn’t easy having a loved one put in the asylum. I should know. My great uncle Pete… why, he got crazier than a drunken nuthatch. He walked in circles and ran into walls. They finally had to put him away. And then, my great aunt… she was never the same, afterward.”

  Emilia’s heart began to beat faster, and her face heated with shame. How had this man found out about her past? The only person she had told was Derek. She wasn’t even sure that her cousins knew about her father and, if they did, she could hardly imagine they’d be the ones to tell.

  Maybe Derek had just slipped with the information while talking to the postman. Maybe he hadn’t told everyone. Maybe the postman was the only one who knew.

  “I have to go.” Emilia left the post office before the man could say anything else and nearly ran to the general store. She had to ask Lily if she had heard anything.

  “Emilia! We are almost ready to go, the boys are just trying to decide what candy to buy… are you all right?”

  “I’m fine. Have you heard anything… well, anything odd about my father?”

  Lily shook her head. “Should I have?”

  “We’ll take this one,” Eddy said loudly, attracting Emilia’s attention. She needed to go and talk to Derek. She had to make sure he didn’t tell anyone else what she had just heard at the post office. He’d said he wouldn’t tell. Why would he break his promise to her?

  As Emilia walked up to the counter, the man who was about to charge them for their purchase looked at her with a look she knew well—sympathy mixed with fear.

  “I’m really sorry to hear about your father. I never would have known.” The man went on to say other things, but Emilia didn’t hear them and didn’t want to, either.

  “I’ll wait for you guys in the wagon,” she mumbled to Lily.

  She hurried through the shop with her head down, the heat of the day suddenly getting to her.

  As she clambered into the back of the wagon, Emilia was suddenly aware of the stares coming her way from people passing by.

  It wasn’t just the postman. It was everyone in town. Why had he done it? How could he have? Derek had just ruined Texas for her.

  Eddy, Eli, and Lily came out of the store a few moments later with looks of confusion on their faces.

  Emilia glanced up at the sky to find the sun being blocked out by some clouds. It wasn’t any cooler, just musty and hot.

  “Are you all right? Why did you leave so fast? What was that man talking about, anyway?” Lily asked, leaning in.

  “Can you guys drop me off on the path to Derek’s ranch? I need to go talk to him.”

  “Are you sure? It looks like it’s going to rain.”

  “I need to go talk to him, please. I’ll walk there and then he and George can drop me off.”

  “I’ll go with you. Mother would never forgive me if you went alone.”

  “Fine,” Emelia conceded. She needed Lily to let her talk to Derek. It didn’t matter if her cousin came or not, at this point.

  As they rode, Emilia tried to think of what she was going to say. She wrote speeches in her mind and then rejected them and started over because one word didn’t sound right.

  By the time the boys pulled the wagon to a halt, Emilia was positive about what her words would be.