Falls Creek Western Romance Boxed Set: Books 1 - 3

by Woods, Emily

  By midday, it seemed like both Miracle and the other horse were fit to make the trip to Falls Creek Ranch, but first John and Jacob stopped by Mr. Graham’s office to explain what had happened. He, in turn, went to the post office to send a telegram to the supplier, informing him that they expected a discount on another stallion and would wait forty-eight hours for a reply.

  The two-hour ride ended up being three because Jacob didn't want to tire Miracle. They stopped numerous times and allowed the horses to graze and get water.

  “How did you know Elise was the woman you wanted to marry?” Jacob asked suddenly. Even though he'd never had a close relationship with John, he felt that perhaps that might be about to change.

  “Ah, well, that's a story. You see, I didn't look at her as a woman when she first arrived. I mean, she seemed more like a distraction, a threat to the harmony that the men on the ranch enjoyed. Then I was suspicious of her, thinking that she wasn't who she claimed to be. But then, well, let's just say God worked things out between the two of us and leave it at that.”

  “But it wasn't love at first sight, then?” Jacob was surprised to hear that. They were such a devoted couple, he thought they must have always been destined for one another.

  “Not at all, but God can bring together even the most unlikely of people.”

  The ranch was in sight now, and Jacob felt his heart race in excitement. Things may not be exactly how he'd planned them, but his future still shone brightly, now more than ever.

  * * *

  Rosa couldn't believe the story that Thomas was telling her.

  “And I tell you, I've never seen a man so thoroughly convicted. Overnight, his mind was transformed.”

  “Praise the Lord!” Elise exclaimed. “How wonderful!”

  But Rosa couldn't speak. Had it really only been a few days before that she'd told him they could never be? Her heart was still aching from the encounter, but now it swelled with sweet hope and she found her voice.

  “Is true? Really true? You believe this?”

  “I sure do, Miss Rosa. You will too. I'm sure he'll be on his way over just as soon as he gets those horses settled.”

  Nerves competed with joy, but Rosa didn't care. God had heard her desperate plea for happiness and was going to grant her the desires of her heart. Already she could see several children playing at the hearth while she chopped vegetables and smiled down at them.

  Thomas left to return to his own home after telling them the remarkable tale of the horses and Jacob's conversion, leaving the sisters to marvel at God's goodness.

  “Do you think he'll come today?” Rosa asked, her voice fraught with excitement. “Oh, Elise, what will I say to him?”

  Her sister pulled her into a hug and patted her back. “God will give you the words, sister. Don't you worry.”

  She really didn't need to worry because the day drew to a close with no sign of Jacob. And then the next day passed and he still didn't come. Finally, four days later, Rosa couldn't wait any longer.

  “I'm going over there,” she declared the following Monday morning. “It's been a week since I’ve set eyes on him and three days that I've been waiting for him to show up. I don't know why he's avoiding me, but I'll find out before the day is done!”

  Elise couldn't persuade her to wait any longer, and after packing a basket filled with baked goods, Rosa marched the five miles between their house and the barn that sat on Falls Creek Ranch. As she expected, the men were in the paddock with one of the horses, training.

  “I think we can try a saddle on him,” she heard Jacob say. “He's taking that blanket real well.”

  Alex spotted her first, raised his eyebrows, and shot Jacob a warning look. Rosa straightened her shoulders and strode over.

  “Good morning,” she greeted them. “Elise and I baked yesterday, and I think maybe you do not have much food. Unless one of you is good in the kitchen?”

  The other men laughed, but Jacob lowered his gaze to the ground. “Thank you,” he murmured. “It's much appreciated.”

  “I'll bring it to the house and return the basket,” Cole said, taking her load off her arms. “Uh, Alex?”

  “Yeah, I'll help.”

  Then they were alone. Rosa cleared her throat and put out her hand to the horse.

  “Here,” Jacob said, thrusting an apple at her. “Feed him this and you'll have a friend for life.”

  She obliged and the horse lingered near, allowing her to stroke him. “He is a good horse, yes?”

  Jacob nodded. “His name is Miracle. I've decided he'll be my horse. We, uh, went through a lot together.”

  “Yes,” she said with a slight nod. “I heard about your first night in town. It was a shock that your horses arrived sick, but things are well now?”

  “Yeah, they are.” He had yet to look at her, so she tried another tactic.

  “God is good, yes?”

  That comment made him look up with a start. She kept her eyes on him, alert and careful.

  “Uh, yeah, He is.”

  Her heart leaped in her chest.

  “Oh, Jacob. I have waited for you for three days now. Why you did not come to the house to see me? I have prayed for you, asking God to bless you and help you understand His great love.”

  He dropped his eyes again and scuffed the tips of his boots against the dirt.

  “Thank you. I, uh, guess God answered your prayer. I don't know why I couldn't see the truth for so long, but I do now. God is good.”

  She didn't want to push the issue, but he seemed so shy suddenly.

  “When were you going to tell me?” she asked softly, taking a step towards him.

  “Tell you?”

  Boldly, she put her hand next to his on the fence. “Yes, when?”

  Thankfully, he didn't pretend to not understand. “Uh, I don't know. I guess I was waiting for the right time.”

  “Well, I was waiting too, and I say now is the right time.”

  A grin began to spread across his face. “Is it? I didn't realize.”

  “I know. That is why I came to tell you.”

  He moved his hand over a few inches so that it brushed against hers. When she didn't move away, he took it into his own and brought it to his lips.

  “I didn't want to rush into anything,” he murmured. “And I needed time to understand what is happening to me.”

  “I forgive you,” she declared, a smile curving her lips. “But do not do like this again.”

  Laughing, he nodded. “Yes, Miss Rosa. I mean, no, I won't. I promise. From now on, I will tell you everything that is in my heart, okay?”

  “Yes,” she agreed, her smile broadening. “You will.”

  Epilogue

  George understood when Rosa canceled their outing. He wasn't happy about it, but it was clear that Jacob and Rosa only had eyes for each other.

  Over the next few months, they courted in earnest. She explained the Bible to him, and he taught her how to speak English even better. They spent every spare moment together.

  The new stallion arrived and proved to be a fruitful addition to the ranch. Before long, all four mares were pregnant.

  “He looks happy,” Rosa decided when she saw the horse they'd named Red prancing around the paddock.

  “Yes, well, he's got four wives, so to speak, and he's king of the ranch. Miracle knows that too and is submissive to him.”

  “Four wives is all it takes to make a man happy?” Rosa teased. “Is this what you would wish?”

  Jacob's face lost its merriment, and his eyes filled with warmth as he looked at her. Taking her hand, he drew her close. “I only need one. I hope that it's not too early to ask.”

  “Ask what?” She feigned ignorance, wanting him to do it properly.

  “Okay. I see where this is heading.” He got down on one knee while keeping hold of her hand. “Miss Rosa Romano, will you please marry me and make me the happiest man on Earth?”

  She raised her chin a little and pretended to consider. �
��Well, I suppose I could do that, but...”

  She didn't get a chance to finish. He was on his feet so fast and whirling her around in circles that all she could do was laugh.

  “Stop!” she cried out. “Stop!”

  He obliged, but didn't set her down. “But?” he asked, mischief lighting his eyes.

  “I was going to say…but you must do one thing first.”

  Without hesitation, he replied, “Anything.”

  “You must kiss me,” she said boldly, pleased to see a smile stretch across his face.

  “I can do that,” he murmured, pulling her close and lowering his head. “I can do that for the rest of my life.”

  * * *

  Thank You

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  Preview of A Gentle Love

  Bristol, Connecticut, 1887

  Kate Landry trembled as she watched the blazing fire greedily devour her childhood home. She clutched her six-year-old daughter, Maddie, close to her chest. Both faces were streaked with black soot, tears flowing down their cheeks.

  Despite the efforts of the volunteer firefighters, the modest but respectable two-level house was soon engulfed in flames, dashing any hope Kate might have had for salvaging her belongings.

  “Oh, darling girl,” Mrs. Johnston murmured, drawing the two of them into her warm embrace. “What a terrible thing. I’m dreadfully sorry.”

  The words of her kind neighbor didn't penetrate the confusion of her mind. Dazed, she struggled to recount the loss. Both of her beloved parents had perished in the fire. Of that, she had no doubt. She’d tried to save them, but the door to their bedroom had been barred by fallen timber. Not only was she bereft of the last two people who loved her unconditionally, but she’d also lost her home and every possession in the course of a few hours. Although she was grateful that her precious daughter had been spared, her heart ached with knowledge she would never she her parents again. Aside from Maddie, they'd been her whole world. Without them, she was lost.

  Her mind jumped back to their reunion just three years before. Owing to her husband’s job, they’d been separated all that time. But after her husband passed away, they'd taken her in and given her every kind of support: financial, emotional, spiritual. When she'd arrived on their doorstep with bag in hand, they'd enveloped her into a warm embrace and hadn't let go since. Now she was utterly alone and terrified, but she had to at least pretend to be strong for her daughter's sake.

  “We're okay, sweetie,” she whispered into Maddie's hair. The little girl didn't reply, but wrapped her arms around Kate's neck and held on even tighter. “Everything's going to be okay.”

  “Come to my house,” Mrs. Johnston insisted, taking Kate by the arm and compelling her to follow. “I'll find you a bed and you can get cleaned up.”

  “But...I don't have anything to wear,” Kate protested lamely. Of course she didn't have anything. It had all been inside and was now reduced to a pile of ashes.

  “Never mind that. I have Anne's old clothes and some of her daughter’s. We'll find something for the both of you.”

  The neighbor's house was similar to their own four-bedroom structure, which was common among the middle class in Connecticut. However, Mrs. Johnston's children had all grown and left, so there was room for them. Still, Kate hated to be an imposition, even at a time like this.

  “Are you sure? I would hate to...” But the words died on her lips. If she couldn't bother Mrs. Johnston, a woman who had watched her grow up and been almost as present in her life as her own mother, who could she bother? Her mother had been an immigrant, so all her family was back in Italy. Kate had some contact with the family, mostly through her cousin, the only one who knew English, but she couldn’t fathom travelling halfway across the world.

  Her father only had one sister, who lived thousands of miles away. Of course she’d had friends, but they'd grown apart after she'd married Roland. The wives of his friends had become hers after that, and she thought they were true friends. She’d been wrong. They'd all but disowned her shortly after Roland had taken his own life, and their savings along with him.

  “Of course you’ll come,” Mrs. Johnston commanded, interrupting her memories. For once, she was thankful of the older woman’s domineering attitude. It was what she needed right then.

  “Th-thank you. Yes, we'll come to your house.”

  She allowed herself to be brought over, washed up, and put to bed like a child. Maddie, still shaking with fear, nestled into her side so closely that they were almost one. Kate struggled to find the words to pray, but none came. Wracked with fear, worry, and grief, she couldn't summon the energy to talk to her Heavenly Father. Indeed, at that very moment, she didn't even want to. After the initial gratitude that she and her daughter had been spared, Kate felt nothing else. Her heart was crippled, incapable of feeling.

  And yet, somehow, she slept.

  * * *

  Rays of soft sunlight caressed her cheek and roused her from her slumber. Giving a luxurious stretch, Kate momentarily forgot the horrors of the previous evening and nearly woke with a smile on her face. But in a flash, everything came back to her, and her heart became like lead.

  Wearily, she sat up and reached over to wake Maddie. The girl opened her eyes but had a frown on her face, her eyes bleary from her broken sleep.

  “Hello, dear one,” Kate murmured, bringing the girl's small form to her own. “Did you sleep well?”

  Maddie shook her head, her silken blond hair whispering over the shoulders of the too-big nightgown.

  “Bad dreams?” Kate asked, but Maddie merely shrugged. She leaned against Kate's side and clutched her doll close to her chest. In all the confusion, Kate hadn't even noticed that Maddie had managed to rescue it.

  Carefully and lovingly sewn together by her own mother's hands, Cindy was now in poor form. Its yellow hair was blackened in places and the red gingham dress was torn.

  “She'll need to be washed,” she told Maddie gently, but the girl frowned and wrapped her arms around it even tighter. “You can have her back this afternoon, but she's very dirty.”

  Maddie refused to give in, her eyes filling with tears. Kate didn't have the strength or the will to argue, so she just sighed.

  “Whenever you're ready then.” Her daughter had lost too much for Kate to be stern with her now. Besides, a little dirt wouldn't hurt her.

  Mrs. Johnston had left out some clothing for both of them, so after washing their faces, they dressed and went down to the kitchen where they were greeted by a cheery face and a hearty breakfast.

  “I won't ask if you slept well because that would be silly, but I hope a big breakfast will give you some energy.”

  On the table, there were large platters
filled with bacon, eggs, pancakes, sausages, and toast. Kate nearly smiled. How much did the woman think that the two of them could eat?

  As though reading her mind, Mrs. Johnston gave a little laugh and shrugged. “I know it's too much, but I couldn't seem to help myself. Please don't feel bad if you can't eat much. My husband will make a significant dent in it when he comes back from his morning stroll.”

  After a quick prayer, said more out of habit than any gratitude or desire for a blessing, Kate put a small spoonful of eggs on her own plate and an even smaller portion on her daughter's. Maddie poked at the yellow mass with her fork, but after one bite, placed the utensil down again.

  “How about some bacon then?” Kate encouraged, taking a few pieces for herself. “Or some toast?”

  Maddie looked at the strawberry jam and then at her mother as though trying to tell her something with her eyes.

  “Alright.” Kate piled the jam on a piece of toast and laid it on her plate. The little girl took a few bites, but then placed it back down. She drank a little of the milk but then just sat swinging her feet under the chair.

  Kate did her best to do justice to her generous neighbor's smorgasbord, but in the end, she couldn't manage more than just half of what she'd taken.

  “I'm so sorry,” she murmured. “But I'm afraid we aren’t very hungry.”

  “Don't worry about it, my dears,” she soothed. “I understand completely, and don’t you worry. I can use a lot of these leftovers. The bacon will do nicely for some sandwiches at lunch.”

  The thought of lunch, still hours away, made Kate think about the passing of time. Although Mrs. Johnston wouldn't be in any rush to throw them out, she needed to make a plan of what they would do and where they would go. But before all that, she had a number of other things to deal with.