by Etta Foster
His feet would hardly support him as he forced himself to head back down the hall. Though he felt satisfied enough with the conversation, his body ached.
All he wanted to do was sit down for the rest of the evening.
Then he glanced up as they entered the parlor.
The lighting was soft as the sun set outside the windows. It was a beautiful evening, a beautiful room, but all he saw was one beautiful woman.
He forgot the exhaustion.
She sat on a large seat beside her sister. There was a hopeful smile on her face as she talked. He could see a sparkle in her eyes and the rest of the world was forgotten.
He couldn’t help it. The words spilled out.
“Louise, will you marry me?”
Chapter 39
When her mother couldn’t comprehend the joys of living the harder life out in the open skies, Louise was grateful when Lorelei changed the subject.
Lorelei was being tutored in song and dance by a very polite Frenchman, but he had never tutored someone with dwarfism.
The physical exercises were more limited, and the man was polite, but there were awkward situations that Lorelei helped her sister and mother to laugh about as they moved to the parlor.
“I wish I was there for that,” Louise shook her head with a chuckle.
All her life she had wanted to protect her little sister. But Lorelei proved herself over and over again to be lighthearted, cheerful, and humorous.
Their mother scoffed. “Pierre is a wonderful dancer, but you complicate the situation by one inch, and he falls apart.”
“Try a few feet,” Lorelei muttered pointedly.
Louise looked over at her sister and they started to giggle.
The stress from earlier had faded and she found herself caught up in the moment. She had forgotten how pleasant things were with Lorelei.
Mrs. Moreau gaped at them. “That isn’t what I meant,” she explained hurriedly.
The girls raised their hands to chorus, “We know!” And they giggled some more.
The conversation soon turned to other recent actions taken by the family for their new garden clubs and charities.
Louise didn’t care for the details so much but was glad everyone was still doing well.
She had put her nerves away about her father and Richard until she heard the familiar thud of the crutches. She hadn’t even had a chance to look up when she heard Richard’s voice.
“Louise, will you marry me?”
Jerking her head up, her lips parted as she tried to understand what was going on. Richard stood in the doorway with her father hovering nearby.
Richard stared right into her soul. His back was straight even as he used the crutches to keep standing. Dressed in his nicest clothes, she remembered his hesitance to come meet her parents.
As she blinked, she registered what he had just said. Louise flew up to her feet as she turned to him. She could feel her heart pounding as a smile spread across her face.
“Yes, Richard.”
He leaned back as an ear-splitting grin spread across his cheeks. Louise wasn’t certain if he had ever looked more handsome than in that very moment.
Richard really meant it. He wanted her.
Louise could feel herself shaking. All this time, she had worried for his health and wondered if he would ever want her.
She had dearly wanted those afternoon strolls and quiet conversations to mean something. That kiss had meant the world to her.
And now she had the proof that he felt the same.
Though Louise wanted to find something more to say, she couldn’t. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. Everything felt so light and bright.
Lorelei squealed beside her.
It was enough to move Louise into action. She inhaled and ran to Richard. Somehow his grin widened, and he dropped a crutch to wrap an arm around her as she reached him.
He held her tight, kissing her head. Then her forehead.
When she turned her face to him, both of them still smiling, he kissed her lips. He tasted salty and sweet all at once.
“You mean it?” he asked her softly.
“I do. Do you mean it?”
His eyes met hers. “With all my heart.”
Behind them, Lorelei squealed loudly again and clapped her hands. “This is wonderful! It’s about time!”
“Lorelei,” Louise rolled her eyes as she glanced back at her family.
Richard didn’t let go. And she didn’t mind. Being in his arms felt so right, that she didn’t want to ever move.
Scooting to his side, she put her shoulder under his armpit to help him stay standing and so that she could look at her family.
There was a blush on her face. She could feel it warm on her face. Every part of her body felt warm as well, hardly able to understand what was happening.
Richard wanted her. He wanted to spend his life with her. He wanted them to have a life together. Her heart pounded in her chest as she tried to remember a time where she had felt so happy.
When she passed a glance at her father as he stepped into the room, he gave her a nod. He wasn’t right about everything. But he was giving her this. And with Richard, she could have all she ever wanted.
“This is wonderful.” Mrs. Moreau took a deep breath. “Why, there is so much to do! We must start planning the wedding immediately.”
Louise felt another flush spread across her face. “Mother!”
“Give them a moment,” Lorelei chuckled. “And then let her plan her wedding.”
“What?” Her mother scoffed. “She’s never planned a wedding before. How would she know what to do? Nonsense.
“No, she’ll need her mother for this. Why, the wedding shall be here. Right in this very house. Her father will give her away. Lorelei, you’ll be her bridesmaid. Luanne will need to come home for this.
“She’s been gone much too long. It would be best if we waited until spring, of course. Let’s see, what else?”
“No,” Louise announced. “It will be a winter wedding. Richard will need his brother and Mrs. Pennyworth. Luanne will come with them.”
“Winter?” Lorelei cheered. “That would be beautiful!”
“That’s only months away,” their mother said before muttering something in French.
Her mother always spoke French when she was concerned. She watched her father step closer and the two of them conversed. Though she spoke French as well, Louise tuned them out as she turned back to Richard.
He was still grinning at her.
“Is this all right?” she asked hurriedly. “We could have the wedding back at your ranch, if you want. I could always bring my family there. I only meant that-”
Shaking his head, he kissed her nose. “I don’t care. As long as I marry you, then anything else can happen.”
Louise and Richard didn’t stop holding each other until they had to pull apart for her to hug her family farewell.
Everyone hugged Richard except for Mr. Moreau who gave him a stern nod that seemed to say something that Louise didn’t understand.
But she didn’t mind. Richard was happy. And she was happy.
Looking out the window of the carriage, she sighed at the moonlight. Her heart was still thumping like horses galloping inside her chest.
She swallowed and then glanced up at Richard.
“What is it?” he asked before she could open her mouth.
“I feel like I’m going to wake up,” she admitted slowly. “That in the morning, none of this happened.
“It feels too good to be true. I mean, I hoped. I prayed for this. But… do you mean it? Truly?”
His eyes searched hers before nodding. “Yes.”
Her lips curved upward. “Promise?”
Richard smiled before taking her hand. “Louise, I knew before we came tonight that I would be asking your father to marry you. Though I meant to ask you differently, I couldn’t wait.”
A chuckle escaped her lips.
“I
t was rather surprising,” she admitted. “I was afraid my parents would scare you off. They’re not always very nice. That is, they mean well, but….”
“Cattle are good, but they have horns,” Richard shrugged. “I can do whatever it takes when it comes to keeping you in my life. I… I’ve had a lot of time to consider that,” he added after a pause.
She shifted upon hearing his serious tone. “What do you mean?”
Licking his lips, Richard took her hand in both of his to run his thumbs over her palm.
“I mean that after everything that happened to me, after everything that I’ve done, you’re still here. I don’t deserve you and I hardly deserved your kindness - let alone your love.”
Another blush was flooding to her cheeks. Louise worried if she blushed too much that it would never leave her face. “Oh, Richard…”
“I mean it,” he insisted. “After the accident, after my anger and frustration, you were there. You came here with me. You’ve reminded me what it means to enjoy life and to love. I’m sorry for all those moments I didn’t appreciate you.”
She shook her head. “You don’t need to worry about that.”
“Not anymore,” he corrected her. Pulling up her hand, he kissed her knuckles delicately. “I’m going to spend the rest of our lives making up for it.”
Her breath caught. Louise could see the truth in his eyes. There Richard Hanson was, the wonderful man who had written her all of those playful and sweet letters.
Speechless, she leaned over and kissed Richard. There were no words to explain the swelling within her chest.
He still tasted sweet. There was something comforting and thrilling about the way he held her in his arms. It brought forth feelings she had never experienced.
They rode off to the lodge and stood in the hallway between their rooms for several minutes to whisper sweet nothings to each other.
It made her heart ache to part from Richard. But she retired for the night knowing that soon, they would never need to be parted.
Epilogue
The train whistled.
Jacob didn’t like the high-pitched obnoxious noise. The only good thing about it was that the loud noise jerked Mrs. Pennyworth awake from her nap.
His housekeeper jumped to her feet.
Beside her, Luanne primly stood and brushed her hair back over her shoulders. Though he wasn’t entirely certain how she had accomplished this, Luanne had slowly grown prettier as they neared Louisiana.
“We’re here,” she announced needlessly. “I’m sure the carriage is waiting for us.”
“Carriage?” Mrs. Pennyworth opened her eyes wide as she followed Luanne.
He followed behind, reluctantly making his way out into the new town. The sun was still shining and while not frozen over like home, there was a soft chill.
Indeed, there was a carriage. A carriage with a coachman who led them through a crowded town into what looked like a small castle.
It had beautiful gates and flowers and stones. Jacob had never seen anything like it. Though he could tell that the Moreau sisters had dressed prettily, he had merely assumed that was a fashion considered acceptable in the nearby territory. He hadn’t supposed that it implied wealth.
But over the next couple of hours, he found himself dizzy in the beautiful Moreau house.
Luanne gave them a tour as he was introduced to Mrs. Moreau. The father was still running errands with Richard, though the tailor was to stop by for his suit fitting.
Jacob had supposed he would wear what he had brought, but apparently the Moreaus had another idea in mind.
“Just enjoy it,” Mrs. Pennyworth told him before she trailed off to the kitchen. She was curious about their cooking and wanted to study their recipes. For her part, she didn’t have any other responsibilities for the wedding.
As for Jacob, he wasn’t certain what else to do.
Richard had requested him to be his best man. That role had been accepted, but there had been limited communication since. And even that letter had gone between Richard to Mrs. Pennyworth and back.
He wasn’t certain what he was more nervous about. Attending a fine wedding he did not know how to be a part of or seeing Richard again.
They had left things on a sour and uncomfortable note. Jacob could still feel the tension in his shoulders and shifted uneasily. He didn’t belong there, and he wasn’t certain he belonged near his brother.
Perhaps, Jacob wondered, he didn’t belong anywhere.
“Oh, you know you’re happy to see me!”
He turned to hear Louise just down the hall. He heard her giggle as she grabbed Luanne in a tight hug. The older girl grunted but wrapped her arms around as well.
“It’s not a complete sisters’ hug without me,” another cheerful voice laughed from the parlor.
Jacob watched a short girl, too far off to see too well, with beautiful long hair hurry into the hug. There was laughter in the reunion and he hurriedly turned away so he wouldn’t interrupt.
With nowhere else to turn, he grudgingly trailed off to his room. A guest bedroom with sweet-scented candles and fresh flowers beside a basin of water. Jacob sat down on the edge of the bed.
This was not his home. He could see in the eyes of Mrs. Moreau that he didn’t belong.
Luanne had hardly given him a glance upon her return. And Louise hadn’t noticed him. He drummed his fingers on his knees and considered leaving. Richard wouldn’t notice, let alone care.
There was a knock at his door.
He jerked around. After a moment of hesitation, he climbed to his feet and went to the door. It was probably someone telling him he was in the wrong room.
Louise smiled hopefully at him when he peeked his head out.
“What is it?” he asked her cautiously.
“It’s good to see you again, Jacob,” she offered kindly. There was a light in her eyes and a softness to her lips. She twirled her skirts as she asked, “Do you have a minute?
“Richard is in the study and he would like to talk to you.”
He hesitated. “Now?”
She nodded. “The wedding is first thing in the morning, and he said that he wished to work out some final details with you. I can take you to him,” Louise added when he didn’t say anything.
For a minute, he considered not going.
He’d had nearly a year to plan on what he would say to his brother when they saw each other again. But now, he wasn’t so certain. A lump formed in his throat as he grudgingly stepped out of the room
“Wonderful,” Louise allowed. She gestured down the hall and led the way. “We’re glad you could make it, Jacob.
“I know that our relationship has been complicated, but I look forward to getting to know you better and supporting the ranch. We’ll be taking the train back with you next week, so long as the weather is good.
“Thank you for coming out for the wedding. It really does mean a lot. To myself and to Richard. This year has been complicated to say the least, and we’re glad that it shall end on a hopeful note.
“Have you met all of my family yet?”
He shrugged when she finally quieted for a minute. “No, I suppose not.”
As she talked, Jacob glanced at her again. She was practically another person.
It had been a long year without Richard’s help. But the ranch had continued to thrive. Luanne grew quieter and more cheerful as she made friends with folks in town. Mrs. Pennyworth had stayed the way she always was. Jacob wondered if he looked any different.
“Here we are!” Louise announced before he was ready.
The study had a calming, quieting feel to the room as Jacob stepped in. He looked around curiously as Louise stayed back. Though the door remained open, she was forgotten as his eyes fell upon his brother.
Richard had looked grumpy, thin, and weary when they parted. But now there was something about him that made Jacob stop short.
His brother looked up from the papers on the desk. It looked like he was ab
out to smile, but he didn’t.
Jacob felt his heart hammer in his chest. “Hello,” he managed as his throat grew dry. Putting his hands in his pockets so Richard wouldn’t notice them sweating, he tried to breathe. “It’s been a while.”
