At the end of it, locked into the staunch embrace of her husband-to-be, Elizabeth called out to her father. “Propose to Sonsee, Dad. I want to see her as your wife.”
“Oh, hell and damnation,” he grumbled and bumbled. “All right, then. Reckon it’ll bring some peace t’ the place, and make ever’body happy.”
“The frosting on the cake,” murmured Elizabeth. Twining her fingers into Thomas’ curly hair, she dragged him down so that his willing and eager mouth could cover hers for another kiss. “I love you, too, Thomas Yancey,” she whispered, just before the inevitable. “And I will forever.”
This time, however, their audience had seen enough, and they’d scattered.
X
“So the man who planned on never getting married is getting married, after all,” pointed out Frances Goddard, with a little chuckle.
“Oh, they all fall eventually,” said her good friend and sister-in-law, Sarah. “Don’t they, William, my love?”
“You lumpin’ me in with all them other yohos?” The Sheriff wanted to know. “Honey, you sure you’re feelin’ okay? Sure didn’t wanna have you travel this far, but all of us bein’ such good friends of the whole Yancey clan, well—”
Sarah patted her husband’s hand. “Will, I appreciate your worrying so about me, but I’m fine. Really. The baby isn’t due till April, so travel isn’t a problem. Besides, I wouldn’t have missed this for the world.”
The Sheriff craned his neck, looking around the mission church with its simple painted adobe walls and polished wooden floors. “Good t’ see that all the Yanceys made it here, as well.”
Frances smoothed her deep violet silk skirts. “They’re a close-knit family, all right. Matthew and Star are as handsome a couple as ever, aren’t they? And Matt’s son Rob has gotten so tall. How old is he, again?”
“Oh, goodness, he must be all of nine by now. Star looks a mite uncomfortable, doesn’t she?”
“Not surprising,” whispered Frances, “in her condition. I think she’s about ready to give birth to that baby right here and now.”
“Did you see that Jim and Molly brought along that Raquel girl?” asked William. Much as he claimed to abhor women’s gossip, he did enjoy getting in the thick of it sometimes. “Helped Star outa some problems, didn’t she?”
Sarah peered ahead to the pew William had indicated. “Yes, that is her. I didn’t realize she was so pretty, did you, Frances?” She smiled knowingly. “I notice she’s keeping an eye on that half-brother of Elizabeth’s, isn’t she?”
“Well, from what I hear, he has great prospects. Half-owner of the ranch, even if he was born to Drayton’s Apache housekeeper.”
“Shush, Will,” admonished Frances. If she’d been carrying a folded fan, she would have slapped him over the knuckles with it. “Gus and Sonsee are married now; she’s his wife.”
“Now, I do see that John and Cecelia have just arrived,” mentioned Sarah. “Aren’t those the cutest twins you’ve ever seen?”
“I’ve heard her say she’s finished with babies for a while,” was Frances’ contribution, “but her appetite this trip…well, Sadie, some strange food choices. Or none at all. Maybe the babies aren’t finished with her.”
Leaning forward slightly to catch his sister’s attention, Will reminded her that she needn’t be matchmaking for everyone else when she herself was unattached. “I hear Win Carpenter will be here today. I should introduce him to you.”
Frances sniffed. “And why should that concern me?”
“Nice old coot. Used t’ be a sheriff himself, got int’ a ream o’ trouble, and now has worked his way out of it. Back t’ bein’ respectable again. Yep, Frannie, you definitely need t’ meet the man.”
“Oh, Will, don’t be ridiculous.”
From the pew directly behind them, Travis listened to their chatter with a smile and a shake of the head. Damn. Another good brother down and gone into the realms of matrimony. Was there no end in sight?
Enough for him. He’d just gotten a job offer from a place in California.
Life was changing, things were moving on.
Maybe he should be, as well.
The End
Thank You
I hope you enjoyed this story and would love to know what you thought about it. If you have a moment to spare, I would appreciate it if you could leave a review of this book at Amazon. Your opinion goes a long way in helping others decide if a book is for them.
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Morris
About the Author
Morris Fenris was born into a poor family in the Fiji Islands. Thanks to his own grit, determination and the support of his loving parents, he was able to embark on a journey that has seen him attain a good education and work in many parts of the world.
Morris has been writing since childhood, drawing on his experiences in life and emulating the styles of his favorite authors.
Morris enjoys reading and writing in a wide range of genres and has plans for many more books. If you’d like to get in touch with this author, please message him on Twitter at #MorrisFenris or find him on Facebook.
Book List
Links to other books by Morris Fenris:
http://www.amazon.com/Romance-Montana-Christian-Christmas-Fiction-ebook/dp/B00GU2DJBO
http://www.amazon.com/Romance-California-Christian-Christmas-Fiction-ebook/dp/B00MK9UGSA
http://www.amazon.com/Lifetime-Morris-Fenris-ebook/dp/B00FG0WJB2
http://www.amazon.com/Romance-Christmas-Vampires-paranormal-Christian-ebook/dp/B00G7GBIL6
http://www.amazon.com/Romance-Christmas-Heart-Warming-Forgiveness-Togetherness-ebook/dp/B00GHPFYO4
http://www.amazon.com/Family-Life-Heart-Warming-Relationship-Togetherness-ebook/dp/B00GM2Y0TM
http://www.amazon.com/Romance-Heart-Warming-Holidays-Forgiveness-Togetherness-ebook/dp/B00G1XIORG
http://www.amazon.com/Adults-Books-Christmas-Stories-Contemporary-ebook/dp/B00GR0SFOU
http://www.amazon.com/Romance-Fantasy-Adventure-paranormal-Paranormal-ebook/dp/B00IOMHKFE
http://www.amazon.com/Romance-Beginnings-Christian-Christmas-Fiction-ebook/dp/B00OPE4NQE
http://www.amazon.com/Romance-Young-Christian-Christmas-Fiction-ebook/dp/B00PB09BUO
http://www.amazon.com/Romance-Christmas-Reunion-Christian-Fiction-ebook/dp/B00PVCLLT6
http://www.amazon.com/Taking-High-Road-Western-Mystery-ebook/dp/B00QH2FD98
http://www.amazon.com/Taking-High-Road-Book-Matthew-ebook/dp/B00RAT7DYK
http://www.amazon.com/James-Yancey-Western-Mystery-Romance-ebook/dp/B00S3YP280
http://www.amazon.com/Romance-Christian-Christmas-Fiction-Cathedral-ebook/dp/B00RF6UNXG
A Western Romance: Thomas Yancey Taking the High Road (Book 4) (Taking the High Road series) Page 11
