A Treasure Brought by Fate: A Historical Western Romance Book

by Lorelei Brogan

  Chapter 14

  “Careful!” Lyla whispered as she fell into her bedroom in a fit of giggles. Her room was on the second floor of their townhouse, and getting in through the window was a difficult feat.

  Frank stood and brushed off the front of his pants, then reached out a hand to help Lyla up.

  “That’s certainly a difficult climb to make,” he said with a grunt.

  “Shhh, you’re going to wake up my parents.” Lyla was still feeling the thrill of leaving her house without anyone noticing and, even bigger, the thrill of making it back in.

  “I don’t understand why you don’t want to introduce me to your parents, Lyla. You’re sixteen, old enough to get married—and don’t you think your parents should meet your future husband?”

  Lyla’s heart felt like it stopped beating for a moment. Had he just said he was going to be her future husband?

  Of course, she had expected from the way that their relationship was going that marriage was the end goal, but it sounded so much better when Frank said it.

  Ever since the gathering at her sister’s home, she and Frank had been spending more and more time together.

  It started with a stolen walk here and there and messages passed back and forth in secret behind church pews.

  But it had slowly turned into long conversations by the rivers and shared moments in her bedroom after dark when her parents were sleeping.

  They always took utmost care to make sure that no one ever spotted them. Her father was the reverend at church, and if he ever found out what she was doing, he would all but disown her.

  “You’re so beautiful in the moonlight.” Frank’s voice was a low, rumbling whisper.

  Lyla gasped and a butterfly jumped around in her stomach as she realized how close she was to him.

  They had never stood this close before. They usually sat on the edge of her bed or on the floor and talked about their dreams or what they’d done in the day.

  “Th-Thank you,” she whispered breathlessly.

  The next thing Lyla knew, Frank was leaning down to kiss her. For a moment, her heart beat faster and she anticipated what it would feel like.

  But just before their lips touched, Lyla turned her cheek and his kiss landed there, far from her lips.

  “What’s wrong?” Frank’s voice sounded hurt, and Lyla couldn’t make out his expression in the dim room.

  “I don’t think we should. Father says that we should wait for marriage to, well, you know.” Lyla shrugged. She couldn’t bring herself to say the words out loud.

  “That’s ridiculous. Don’t you know nearly no one waits anymore? How do you know if you’ll like it if you don’t try it? Don’t you really love me?”

  Frank’s words struck deep within Lyla. “So, if you don’t like it, we won’t be married?” She felt suddenly glad she’d listened to her father.

  “No, of course not. It’s not like that. It’s just…See, the way I see it is, you’re going to be my wife anyway, so what difference does it make if we steal a kiss or if we are together for a night when we’ll be married soon enough? And if you really love me, you should want to be with me as much as I want to be with you.” Frank took her by the shoulders gently and drew her a little closer.

  Lyla nodded. That made sense, in a way. But they weren’t married, and she hadn’t even introduced Frank to her parents yet.

  “I don’t know, Frank. Maybe we should wait just a little longer. We haven’t even known each other that long.”

  Frank nodded and took a step back, then sat down on the floor. “Maybe you’re right. It’s okay, we can wait, but I hope it’s not too long. I know I’m having a hard time waiting.”

  Lyla nodded and gave a small smile before joining him on the floor. She began to tell him a joke she’d heard that afternoon, but her heart was no longer in it. All she could think about was how Frank’s lips would have felt on hers and how maybe if she didn’t give him what he wanted, he might decide to find someone else to marry.

  The doubts and worries filled her mind, pushing her towards an eventuality that she had never imagined.

  “So, brothers and sisters, let’s not let today’s distractions pull us further from God. Look at your wives, your husbands, your children, and your parents. Appreciate every moment that you have before it’s too late.” The reverend’s words filled the one-room church building with their meaning and vibrancy.

  It was a message that Lyla had heard before. She had never missed one of her father’s services—she had been to every single one of her entire life until the day he died.

  Since then, she hadn’t stepped foot into a church. The hard pew felt good underneath her and she’d missed the feeling of people being reverent around her.

  Memories flooded her as she remembered the times that she had passed notes with Frank during the service, not really paying attention to what was said.

  She remembered her friends, who she would gather with after church and share the latest gossip they’d heard while out and about.

  “So, what did you think?” James asked, taking her elbow as they all stood up.

  “I thought it was very…true,” Lyla said with a tight smile. The truth was, she hadn’t been listening until the very end. She had been letting her mind wander, filled with images of the past and a young man named Frank in her bedroom late at night.

  “We always appreciate the reverend’s messages. Sometimes, he has to go to other towns and we don’t have a service for several weeks, so we try to come whenever possible when he is here.”

  “Oh, well, there’s nothing like a good church service to reduce the stress of the week,” Lyla said with a sad smile. “My father was a reverend.”

  “He was? I didn’t know that. You must have spent a lot of your life in a church, then.”

  “I did. I suppose I practically grew up in one.” Lyla said these things almost sadly.

  There had been many times, growing up, when she had wished she could just be like everyone else. She wished that she could stay home because she was sick or not be expected to be perfect all the time, but unfortunately, it hadn’t been the case.

  “I’m really glad you were able to come with us.” James gave her a genuine grin that, for a moment, made Lyla’s face feel a little too hot.

  “It was a pleasure.”

  “Give me a moment,” he said suddenly, looking over her head. “I’ll be right back. I want to say hello to Merrick and Daniel and introduce you to them properly.”

  Lyla scrunched her eyebrows together in confusion. “You did introduce me to them.”

  “Yeah, but that was before…well, that was when they thought you were here to get Joey and just leave straight away.”

  James was off before Lyla could manage to say anything else.

  “That’s still what I plan to do,” Lyla mumbled as she watched him go.

  “Did you enjoy the service?” Bonnie’s kind voice interrupted Lyla’s thoughts and she turned to greet the older woman with a smile.

  “It was truly lovely. Thank you for having me,” she said.

  “Joey follows him everywhere,” Bonnie said with a grin. Lyla followed her gaze to see what she was talking about. Joey was weaving in and out between people, hurrying after James who hadn’t yet noticed the little boy’s intentions.

  “You know, when James first brought Joey to the house, I thought that after a few days, he would give up and beg someone else to take the child.” Bonnie chuckled. “After he started figuring things out, well, he’s the most dedicated parent a child could ask for.”

  Lyla giggled.

  “You probably think I’m just telling you that because he’s my son and because I’ve fallen in love with Joey just as much as he has, but that’s not true.” Bonnie gave her a knowing look and Lyla averted her gaze.

  For some reason, she felt as if Bonnie could see straight through her to her present, past, and future.

  It was an uneasy thought that made Lyla nervous.

 
“James doesn’t have any brothers or sisters?”

  “No, we tried for years before we were able to have James. He was our miracle baby sent from heaven. After that, we tried again and again, but it wasn’t meant to be.”

  Bonnie’s face was full of sadness and Lyla spoke before she could stop herself.

  “My sister couldn’t…I mean she tried for years, as well, before she had Joey.”

  Even as she talked about it, Lyla remembered the day that Mary had held Joey in her arms for the first time. She and Henry had been crying so hard they almost seemed like little children, themselves.

  “There is nothing like the joy of having a child and the devastation of realizing the possibility you may never have one.” Bonnie shook her head. “We always wanted James to have a sibling, but it simply never happened. Still, I think he grew up all right.”

  For a moment, it looked as if Bonnie had disappeared into the past.

  “You know, he was always such a happy boy. Full of life and energy. Then, when he met Alice, I thought for sure that it would be the best thing that ever happened to him.”

  Lyla was surprised to see Bonnie’s eyes fill with tears. “After Alice died, he wasn’t himself anymore. He was sad and depressed and hardly even made it to work for the longest time. Then, slowly, he got better.”

  “How did Alice die?” Lyla felt guilty, learning about James without his knowledge, but after all, his mother had started this line of the conversation.

  “She died of a wasting disease. It was a terrible time. She was a thin girl to begin with, but soon we knew something was wrong. She had fevers and just got thinner and weaker until we could see that she wasn’t going to make tithe doctor tried to find a solution, but there was nothing he could do.

  “James was with Alice every single day and night, taking care of her until she took her last breath. He didn’t worry about himself, not once.”

  Bonnie sighed. “I know that you must be wondering what I’m trying to tell you with all this. When Joey showed up, at first, James didn’t know what to do with him, but as the days passed, I saw a spark return to James that I thought was lost forever.”

  “You’re asking me to leave Joey again, aren’t you?” Lyla should have figured that was the point of this story. While she knew that it was only to keep Joey that James’ family was being so kind, it still hurt whenever she realized it again.

  “I am not asking you to do anything. Of course, if you take Joey back with you to the city, both James and I will be devastated, but we will understand. I simply want you to have an idea of what kind of man James is. He loves that boy, most likely more than he loves his own life.”

  Lyla nodded. She understood that James cared for Joey, but she was no closer to making a decision than she had been before.

  She did have to admit, though, every minute that she stayed with the sheriff’s family made the idea of taking Joey back to the city much harder.

  “It looks like they’re headed this way.” Bonnie nodded in James’ direction, where he had been talking to Merrick and Daniel moments before.“Probably to introduce you.”

  Bonnie took a step away from her. “Do me a favor and don’t mention anything I talked to you about here,” she said in a low voice.

  Lyla nodded in agreement just as James, Merrick, and Daniel approached.

  Somehow, knowing a little bit about James’ past made him seem like more of a relatable person. Maybe they weren’t so different, after all. Lyla was no stranger to loss herself.

  The confusion rising up in her heart was going to drive her crazy. She needed to keep her heart locked away and think with her head only.

  That was the only thing that had never let her down.

  Chapter 15

  “Lyla, I wanted to introduce you properly to my deputies, Merrick and Daniel. I know that you all have already met, but I think I sort of made a mess of it the first time.” James laughed and his friends joined in.

  They all looked as if they were having the time of their lives. The man Lyla knew was Merrick had a young woman beside him. She had dark brown hair that almost looked red and sparkling brown eyes that made Lyla feel at ease immediately.

  “Oh, and this is Karen, Merrick’s fiancé,” James added, motioning towards the young woman.

  Lyla reached out her hand politely. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “So, how has James been treating you on his ranch?” Merrick said with a funny grin and a glance towards James.

  “Very nicely. Everyone has been so kind to me, I couldn’t ask for better.”

  “Well, that’s a surprise. James doesn’t let a lot of people out there, and forget being super nice to them.” Daniel winked and tousled Joey’s hair. “With the exception of this little guy, of course.”

  “Well, Lyla’s special ‘cause she was my mama’s sister. Did you know my mama had a sister?” Joey looked up at Daniel.

  “No, little man, I didn’t. But that certainly does make her special, doesn’t it?”

  Lyla felt herself blushing. It was strange to hear them talking about her as if she wasn’t there.

  “Do you know where brothers and sisters come from? James didn’t want to tell me. I don’t think he knows.” Joey had stated his question loud enough for anyone standing nearby to hear, and hear they did.

  The whole place erupted in laughter. “What’s so funny?” Joey looked confused and a little hurt.

  Lyla knelt down and looked at him in the eyes. “Joey, brothers and sisters come from a very special place that little children can’t know about. It’s kind of a secret until you grow up, and we really can’t tell you, yet.”

  “Why not?” Joey placed his hands on his hips and looked more upset than before.

  “Because, imagine if all little boys and girls knew where to get other little boys and girls from? They might ask for too many and then some families wouldn’t get one, and then that would be a huge mess, wouldn’t it?”

  Joey thought about it for a moment and then nodded. “I guess you’re right. But when I’m a grown up, can I know?”

  Lyla chuckled. “I am very positive that when you are a grown-up, someone will tell you where to get little children and you can have as many as you like.”

  Joey seemed happy with this response and walked over to James. “If grown-ups know where children come from, why didn’t you know, James? Didn’t they tell you? You’re a grown-up.”

  James’s cheeks turned a dark shade of red and he looked as if he wanted the ground to swallow him up.

  “Why didn’t you know that, James?” Daniel teased with a loud laugh, slapping James playfully on the shoulder.

  Karen stepped forward and took Lyla’s elbow, steering her away from the three men who had gotten lost in jokes amongst themselves.

  “How do you like the west so far? James was telling us you’re only here for a short time.”

  Unlike when James had asked her questions, it didn’t bother her or make her feel uncomfortable when Karen did it. Karen seemed genuinely nice, like the kind of girl who was ready to be your lifelong friend from the moment she met you.

  “It’s nice, certainly different from the city. So, you’re going to get married to Merrick?”