His Blessing in Disguise: A Western Historical Romance Novel

by Ava Winters

  Tears began to sting her eyes. She hadn’t estimated how difficult it would be to say what she wanted to. “I wasn’t good enough for you,” she said. “I realized that when Jacob told me that we were the same.”

  “You are not the same,” Peter protested. He reached across the space between them and took her hand. “You’re not.”

  Layla shook her head gently. “I knew what they were doing, Peter. I knew what kind of man I was married to. Yes, I found out after, but once I did, I didn’t do anything about what they were up to. I never reported them. It made me as guilty as they were. You didn’t deserve such a person in your life.”

  Peter squeezed her hand gently. “I don’t wanna hear that,” he replied.

  “You have to,” Layla insisted. “Jacob kept reminding me of the truth. Then, when he told me what he was doing to the miners here and he threatened to tell you everything, I got scared. I didn’t want you to hate me for lying to you, for being the kind of person who would sit by and watch others commit a crime and do nothing about it.”

  “I know it wasn’t that simple,” Peter replied.

  “When I ran from Jacob, I never thought to tell anyone. I just wanted to get away from him. I wanted him to change, but he never did—and when I realized he never would, I knew I had to escape but I still couldn’t bring myself to report them. I didn’t want you to think less of me,” she admitted. “I did what Jacob wanted. I left town with him, and I knew almost immediately that I’d made a mistake, but it was too late by then.”

  “I wish you would’ve told me,” Peter stated. “I would’ve helped you.”

  “I know,” Layla told him. “But I didn’t want you to know. I thought you’d see that you made a mistake in loving me, and I couldn’t bear that. I was too scared to face my fears head-on, but being out there with Jacob and his men, I had to, and I realized it wasn’t as frightening as I thought it was. I realized I should have just been honest with you.”

  Peter smiled. “Neither of us was being honest with ourselves. I tried to tell myself that I’d be fine with you gone. I told myself you wanted to go, but I should’ve known better.”

  Layla got to her feet. Her heart felt as if it would burst out of her chest. “I want you to have the very best in life,” she stated. “And I didn’t think that was me. I have made so many mistakes, and I just made all new ones,” she continued, wringing her hands nervously. “I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I want it,” she confessed as she turned back to him. “I need it. I need you in my life, Peter. I just don’t know if I deserve you.”

  Peter was on his feet and moving toward her almost immediately. He took her arms firmly but gently in his hands and smiled at her wryly. “I just rode across an entire state to bring you back home—if that’s doesn’t prove to you that you’re good enough for me, then there’s only one other thing I can think of to do,” Peter replied.

  Layla’s breath was snatched from her lungs as Peter pulled her close and kissed her deeply. Her eyes closed as she leaned into his arms, and he pulled her closer and held her tighter. Layla felt as if he was enveloping her entirely, cocooning her protectively in his arms. This was where she belonged, in his arms, feeling his kiss. There was no other place in the world for her. Finally, it dawned on her what the feeling he gave her was. How she had missed it, she wasn’t sure, but now, she understood.

  Her eyes were glistening with emotion and tears of joy as she and Peter parted. He still held her close and she didn’t want to move away. “Home… I think I get it now,” she whispered breathlessly as her head fell weakly against his chest. “This is home.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  The wind was playing with Layla’s hair, and Peter was doing the same. In the two weeks since he’d brought her home, he’d done everything he could to spend time with her. He didn’t want to waste a moment, and he was happy that Layla felt the same.

  She had wanted to go back to work immediately. Peter had the feeling it was her way of making things up to him again, but he wouldn’t allow it, even though he wanted her to. They spent so much time working and trying to fit time in together, he just wanted time to be with her. Plus, there were some things that needed to be settled with the staff. He wasn’t sure how they would feel about her sudden departure and return. Things like that tended to make people uneasy and suspicious, and Peter wanted to be sure that everyone was settled. Layla had agreed. She wanted people to be comfortable with her, and she understood why they might not be now. Fortunately for them, the people of Richstone were very forgiving.

  Peter ran his fingers through Layla’s dark hair. Annabelle had prepared a picnic for them, and Peter had surprised Layla with a trip to the fields outside of town.

  The lavenders and fuchsias were out in abundance across a sea of green. The treeline was several feet away, a mixture of black walnut trees and Oregon ash. The mountains were to their right. It was a beautiful day to be outside. The sun was bright, there were few clouds, and the wind was blowing gently.

  “I love it here,” Layla said with a sigh. She leaned her head back and Peter massaged her scalp.

  “I’m glad. I hoped you would,” he commented. Her hair was like silk as it moved through his fingers.

  “Why did you never bring me here before?” she questioned.

  Peter smirked. “There was never enough time, I guess,” he replied. “It’s a lot further out than the places I’ve taken you before, and though it’s worth the time to get here, it often means you don’t get to spend a lot of time once you arrive. You have to make a special plan.”

  “You did that this time?” Layla questioned.

  “Yes. I decided I wanted us to have some time alone. It’s been a long while since we last did that, and there were so many things between us at the time. I thought this might make for a needed break away from all of that.”

  Layla turned briefly to look over her shoulder at him. “I think you made a good choice.”

  Peter leaned forward and touched his forehead to hers. “I do that from time-to-time,” he commented as he closed his eyes and smiled.

  The picnic was a good choice, but what was better was his choice of company. Yes, anyone could appreciate the beauty around them, but it was Layla who he wanted to see it. She had a different take on everything now that she was home. It was as if her eyes had been hidden beneath a veil and now, she was seeing everything with new sight.

  Peter leaned in and kissed her cheek. Layla smiled. “I like that, too,” she told him.

  Peter’s heart began to race. “If you like that, then maybe you wouldn’t have a problem with me doing that for the rest of your life.”

  Layla stilled in her place. Slowly, she turned to look at him. “What?”

  He swallowed. “I was thinking. I don’t want you to ever leave again. I want to hold you in my arms for the rest of my life. We are better together than we are apart. Just look at the saloon. You came in and took it to another place, and allowed me to venture into a new direction in my life. I would never have been brave enough if it wasn’t for you.”

  Layla turned around to face him, her long hair falling over her shoulder. Peter allowed it to slip from his fingers. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

  “That would depend on what you think I’m saying,” Peter replied with a small, nervous laugh. “If you believe that I’m asking you to marry me, then yes, you’d be right. If you think I mean something else, then you’re very wrong.”

  Layla’s hands flew up to her mouth and Peter’s smile grew at the sight. He gently pulled her hands away from her face. She stared at him. Her mouth hung open but no words were coming out.

  “Is that a yes?” he asked with a laugh. “I want to take it as a yes, but I also want to be sure.”

  Layla’s head slowly began to nod. “Are you sure?”

  “After everything, we’ve been through, do you really need to ask that?” he mused.

  She still seemed unable to believe it. Despite the movement of
her lips, Layla had yet to say anything. Peter took her face gently in his hands. Slowly, he pulled her to him and kissed her lightly.

  “Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

  Peter laughed heartily; a moment later, Layla launched herself into his arms as she began to laugh with him. He fell back against the blanket with Layla’s arms wrapped around his neck.

  “I love you, Peter,” she said. “I love you so much.”

  His arms wrapped around her waist and he kissed her cheek. “I love you, too.”

  Layla braced herself on her arms as she looked down at him. Her dark hair fell into his face, but he didn’t care. Looking up at her, with the sun shining behind her head, was the most mesmerizing sight Peter had ever seen in his life.

  “I promise, I’m going to be the best wife to you that I can be,” Layla vowed. “I just want you to be happy.”

  Peter smiled. “That’s all I want for you, too. I’m going to be the best husband I can be. Just wait and see. I’ll be the man you need.”

  Layla smiled sweetly. “You already are.”

  Peter rolled onto his side and took Layla with him until they lay facing each other. He extended his hand beneath Layla’s head to cushion it. His eyes lingered on hers.

  “You planned this from the start, didn’t you?” she pressed.

  He smirked. “Yes.”

  “Miss Annabelle knew, didn’t she?”

  “Don’t tell her,” Peter replied.

  Layla chuckled. “I won’t.”

  “Are you happy?” Peter asked. He began to twirl strands of her hair around his finger.

  “Very happy,” Layla assured him. “Are you?”

  “Very.”

  He lay there, content to stare at Layla for the rest of the day, but slowly, her smile began to fade.

  “What about Jacob?” she asked.

  “We found him,” Peter told her.

  Layla’s eyes opened wide. “Did you? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  Peter smiled. “I wanted to surprise you,” he confessed. “We found him and his boys in Idaho. I sent the papers to him via messenger. I expect them back in a few days.”

  “How can you be sure that he’ll sign them?” Layla asked nervously.

  “The fact that we found him will make him nervous, and if not him, his boys. They’ll know that I meant it when I said I’d find them, and that I’d happily point the authorities in Colorado and every other place they have warrants exactly where to find them. He doesn’t have a choice but to send it back,” Peter explained.

  “What if he still doesn’t?”

  “Then I’ll get on my horse and go make him,” Peter declared. “I don’t care what I have to do. I’m going to make sure he lets you go and that you become my wife.”

  “Peter,” Layla said gently. She brushed his hair from his forehead. “I don’t know how I ever was lucky enough to find someone like you, far less deserve your love.”

  “I was wondering the same thing myself,” Peter mused. “I didn’t think anyone in the world would love a broken man like me. You… you healed me, and I didn’t even notice when you did it. One day, I woke up and knew I could do anything. And I wanted to. I wanted to do anything I could for you.”

  Layla laughed. “I wasn’t exactly eager for that.”

  “No, you weren’t,” Peter agreed with a smile.

  “I was so determined to prove myself that I didn’t realize how much I really needed help with. I was denying it, fooling myself that I had it all under control.”

  Peter pulled her into his arms again. Her head rested against his chest and Peter stroked her hair. “One day, we will look back at everything and laugh.”

  “We’ll tell our children about it,” Layla agreed.

  Peter suppressed the fluttering of his heart. “Children?”

  “Yes,” Layla said softly. “You do want them, don’t you?”

  Peter felt the lump form in his throat. He hadn’t thought of that possibility in a long time, not since Celia. Despite his desire to marry Layla, he had never considered what that would mean—the possibility of the family that he had always wanted. It brought nervous happiness to his heart. Could he do it? Could he really be there for a wife and children?

  His fears wanted him to believe it wasn’t possible. It brought up the painful memories of Celia’s illness and death, but Peter quickly rebuked them. What had happened to his late wife was beyond his control. It wouldn’t happen again. He would be there for Layla and their children. He could, and would, do it.

  “Yes,” he answered. “I do want children.”

  Layla looked up at him from the comfort of his embrace. “Are you sure? You seem hesitant. If you don’t want them—”

  “I want them,” Peter stopped her. “I want them very much.” He kissed her nose. “A little girl with a nose like yours.” He kissed her forehead. “And with your silky hair.”

  Layla smiled. “A son with your honey eyes and big heart. A son who will grow up and follow in his father’s footsteps,” she continued.

  “I like this game,” Peter mused.

  Layla smiled brighter. “So do I. How long do you think we can play it?”

  “I don’t know,” Peter answered. “How many children do you want to have?”

  Layla laughed heartily. “How many do you want?”

  Peter gazed into her eyes. “It doesn’t matter, as long as they’re with you. Is that alright with you?”

  Layla leaned closer and pressed her lips gently to his before she answered him. “It sounds like a dream.”

  “Not a dream, Layla,” Peter replied. “This is your future. Our future,” he continued. “I can’t think of a better end to our story than a lifetime of love, family, and togetherness.”

  Peter’s eyes were stinging as he spoke, but he did his best to suppress the tears that wanted to fall. He was on the verge of everything he’d ever wanted in his life, the very things he’d told himself for so long that he could never have. It was a little overwhelming.

  “Peter…”

  “Yes?” he asked. His voice cracked as he spoke.

  Layla lay her hand against his cheek and stroked it gently. “I know that you gave up hope of having this,” she said gently. “I know you loved Celia. I can’t be her. I wouldn’t want to be,” Layla clarified. “But I want you to know that you can still have the things you once thought you could with her. It’s alright to be emotional about that. It’s alright to be happy. I certainly am.”

  Peter blinked rapidly as he looked up. He took a deep breath. “I just… I never thought I could love anyone this much again, or even want to. You don’t know how I feel about you, Layla. It was killing me every day you were gone. The thought of never seeing you again… it was eating me alive.”

  “Hush,” Layla whispered. She kissed his lips gently. “Hush.”

  Peter took a deep breath. “You are my heart, Layla McCarthy. My heart beats again because you walked into my life, pierced it and made me dream again. You made me want more again.”

  “You are my dream,” Layla replied. “I wanted a man like you in my life, all of my life. I got fooled by counterfeits, but you are the real thing and I am so glad to finally have you to myself.” Her cheeks turned a rosy pink. “You’re the only man I see.”

  “And you’re the only woman for me,” Peter replied. He kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry if I kiss you too much,” he replied. “I can’t help myself.”

  Layla laughed. “I’m not complaining.”

  “Good, because I don’t plan on stopping. I’m gonna kiss you until I’m old and grey and can’t do anything else,” he mused.

  “Sounds like the perfect way to spend a life,” Layla replied.

  Peter hugged her tight. “To me, too.”

  Epilogue

  A week had passed since Peter’s proposal, and in that time, Layla had spent each day wondering when the documents would come back, and when the judge would arrive. The circuit judge only came to Ri
chstone a few times a year. If the divorce papers didn’t come back in time for his visit, then she’d have to wait several more months before he might return. She did a lot of praying during that week, but by the end of it, the divorce papers were delivered just in time for the circuit judge’s visit.

  Richstone didn’t have a courthouse. The lower floor of the mayor’s office was cleared out and the judge held court there for four days before moving on to the next town. Layla sat with Peter, awaiting her turn. People from neighboring towns came to Richstone to have their matters heard, and there was a long line. Layla had underestimated how long it would be.