“Now you’re my papa.”
Tyler lifted her and rubbed noses with the child. “I will always be your papa.”
Gloria clapped her hands and planted a big kiss on his face. Everyone laughed, and Carissa herself couldn’t help but giggle at the sight of her daughter’s enthusiastic love. She felt the same way, and had protocol allowed for it, Carissa might have clapped her hands and kissed Tyler with the same excitement.
They celebrated with Juanita’s Mexican wedding cake and a luncheon of roasted pork and beef, corn on the cob, fried potatoes, and dozens of other dishes. The hours seemed to fly by, and when Tyler announced that he had a surprise for her, Carissa couldn’t help but be curious.
“Your mother and sister have promised to take good care of Gloria for a few days,” he told her. Leading her out to a waiting carriage, Tyler pulled her close. “We’re going to have some time to ourselves.”
“Truly?” She could scarcely believe it. Since Tyler had rescued her from Herbert Lockhart, time to themselves had been scarce.
Even after she’d left the Barnett ranch to return to Laura and Brandon’s home, it seemed that the events of life and daily affairs had kept each of them busier than they would have liked. Tyler wouldn’t always tell Carissa what he was doing or why he was gone for so long, but she focused on helping Laura to complete improvements to the house. She reminded herself that soon enough Tyler would be with her every evening.
Now as he maneuvered the carriage down the drive, Carissa couldn’t help but wonder what Tyler had in mind. “So where are we going?”
“I thought you might like to see your ranch,” he told her.
“It’s yours now—it’s always been yours,” she said, smiling.
“Ours,” he corrected. “It’s ours, and I intend to make it the best home you and Gloria have ever known.”
Carissa took hold of his arm and put her head on Tyler’s shoulder. She had never known such contentment or peace. She felt she could finally let go of the old and embrace the new. For quite a while neither one said a word.
It wasn’t all that long before they turned down a long, narrow road. The landscape was lovely, with rolling prairie turned brown and yellow. Longhorns grazed, mindless of the carriage traversing their feeding grounds. In the distance, Carissa could see a line of trees. That almost always indicated water—usually a river or creek. As they approached, she could see that a small wooden bridge spanned a narrow stream. The banks weren’t all that high, but the width of the wash was far wider than the little creek needed.
“When it rains this all fills up,” Tyler said as if reading her mind. “Usually the water runs fuller, but we haven’t had much rain.”
“Who built the bridge?” Carissa asked.
“My father,” Tyler replied. “He built it when they first came to take this land. He said he knew it would be almost impossible to accomplish what he wanted unless he secured the bridge first. He and my mother camped on the other side and every day my pa would work on the crossing. He made it to last. He usually made everything that way.”
They passed the line of trees, and that was when Carissa saw the burned remains of the ranch house and outbuildings. The charred pieces of the Atherton family dreams served as a haunting reminder of the inconsistent state of life on the Texas frontier.
“I didn’t know it was . . . like this,” she said, looking at the destruction.
“That’s what you get for buying the place sight unseen,” he teased.
Carissa couldn’t help but imagine that coming back here was hard for Tyler. “We don’t have to be here if it’s too painful.”
“It’s not,” he told her. “I love this place. There are a lot of good memories here, mingled with the bad. I was out here prayin’ one day and it came to me that this ranch is a lot like you and me.”
“Like us?”
“We had tragedy in the past that nearly destroyed us. We’re like these burned-out buildings. We’ve seen death and grief, and we’ve carried those scars all these years. We’ll always have reminders of the past, but if we allow God to work, I think we can make a much better future.”
Carissa met his gaze. “We just need to clear away the debris.”
“Someday we’ll clear all of this out,” he told her. “One day, I’ll build you the most amazing house. But for now, I’m hoping you won’t mind living in this little place.” He brought the carriage around the old ranch house to reveal a pleasant-looking little building about twenty yards away.
Carissa looked from the house back to Tyler. “Did you build this?”
“I helped to enlarge it. It was already here from when Osage and a couple of other men took care of the place during the war. Along with help from William and some of the other men, we managed to extend it a bit. When you delayed marryin’ me until your folks were able to get here, I knew I had to do something to keep myself busy.” He reined back on the horses and set the brake. Throwing her a grin, Tyler jumped down from the carriage. “Come on and let me show you around.”
Carissa moved to accept his help, but instead of letting her step down, Tyler swung her into his arms and held her as he might do with Gloria. She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled.
“You look mighty pleased with yourself, Mrs. Atherton.”
She giggled. “I must say that I am, Mr. Atherton. Mighty pleased indeed.”
He laughed and carried her to the door of the cabin, stopping only to open the door. Carrying her across the threshold, Tyler finally allowed Carissa to touch the ground. She looked around the room in pleasant surprise. It was larger than it had seemed from the outside. A kitchen stood at one end of the long room and a fireplace was positioned at the other. In between were pieces of furniture that gave the place a very homey look.
Carissa moved away from Tyler and went to touch the upholstery of a wing-backed chair that sat on one side of the fireplace. The burgundy and brown material seemed quite fitting for the cabin. On the other side of the hearth was an oak rocker that would serve her well for rocking Gloria and any other babies that might come along. And Carissa silently prayed that there would be many children in their family. She very much enjoyed being a mother.
“Do you like it?” he asked.
“I do.” She went to the window and fingered the beautiful curtains hanging there.
“Hannah made those for you. She said a place just wasn’t a home without curtains at the windows and rugs on the floor.”
Carissa turned and noticed the homemade rug that stretched in front of the fireplace. “I suppose she made the rug, as well.”
“No, Marietta did that. She also gave us the quilts on the beds. Do you wanna see?”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “Of course.”
“This is Gloria’s room,” he said, opening a door. The small whitewashed room had a bed decorated with a yellow-and-white quilt. Yellow-checked curtains hung at the single window and beneath it was a small dresser.
“It’s perfect,” Carissa said, looking in wonder at the arrangement. She could already imagine Gloria playing on the wooden floor.
“I didn’t go to the trouble of puttin’ up wallpaper, ’cause Hannah told me you’d probably want to pick that out yourself.”
Carissa smiled. “I’m sure anything you would have chosen would have pleased me. I didn’t even know we’d have this beautiful little place. In fact, I wasn’t at all sure what to expect for our future living arrangements.” She shrugged. “I kind of purposefully avoided asking for fear of making you uncomfortable.”
“I hope in the future you won’t keep things like that to yourself. We need to always be free to discuss our concerns. Promise me you will just come to me with your worries.”
She nodded. “I promise I will.”
Tyler took hold of her hand and led her back into the main room. He opened the second of three doors. “This is our bathing room. Your sister told me that you’re quite fond of a hot bath, so Will helped rig a tank on the other side of t
he wall. We’ll keep it filled with water and most days it will warm right up under the sun. Then you can just pump it right into the tub,” he said pointing to the small pump handle. “It’s like having indoor plumbing.”
She laughed and marveled at his thoughtfulness. “You went to so much trouble. Thank you for all of this.”
“But we aren’t done yet,” he said, pulling her back out of the room. He drew her to the last of the doors and opened it. “This is ours.”
Carissa stepped into the bedroom. Great care had been given to this room. There was a large four-poster bed and a matching chest made of cherry wood. A beautiful double-wedding-ring quilt in pale blues, yellows, and greens graced the top of the bed and matching shams trimmed out the pillows. Carissa couldn’t help but run her fingers over the material.
“I got the bed in Dallas. Do you like it?” he asked, coming up behind her. Putting his arms around her, he pulled Carissa back against him. Tyler placed kisses on her neck, causing Carissa to shiver.
“It’s beautiful. I love it,” she said, feeling her emotions starting to get the best of her. “It would seem this house has everything we could ever need.”
Tyler turned her in his arms. “So long as we have each other, we have everything we need. I’m gonna work my best to make you happy here.”
Carissa sighed and placed her head on his shoulder. “You won’t have to work too hard, because I’m already as happy as a girl could ever be. In fact, for the first time in my life, I feel whole.”
He lifted her face to meet his and smiled. “Me too,” he whispered. “Me too.”
Tracie Peterson is the author of more than ninety novels, both historical and contemporary. Her avid research resonates in her stories, as seen in her bestselling HEIRS OF MONTANA and STRIKING A MATCH series. Tracie and her family make their home in Montana.
Visit Tracie’s Web site at www.traciepeterson.com.
Books by Tracie Peterson
* * *
www.traciepeterson.com
House of Secrets • A Slender Thread • Where My Heart Belongs
LAND OF THE LONE STAR
Chasing the Sun
Touching the Sky
Taming the Wind
BRIDAL VEIL ISLAND*
To Have and To Hold
To Love and Cherish
To Honor and Trust
SONG OF ALASKA
Dawn’s Prelude
Morning’s Refrain
Twilight’s Serenade
STRIKING A MATCH
Embers of Love
Hearts Aglow
Hope Rekindled
ALASKAN QUEST
Summer of the Midnight Sun
Under the Northern Lights
Whispers of Winter
Alaskan Quest (3 in 1)
BRIDES OF GALLATIN COUNTY
A Promise to Believe In
A Love to Last Forever
A Dream to Call My Own
THE BROADMOOR LEGACY*
A Daughter’s Inheritance
An Unexpected Love
A Surrendered Heart
BELLS OF LOWELL*
Daughter of the Loom
A Fragile Design
These Tangled Threads
LIGHTS OF LOWELL*
A Tapestry of Hope
A Love Woven True
The Pattern of Her Heart
DESERT ROSES
Shadows of the Canyon
Across the Years
Beneath a Harvest Sky
HEIRS OF MONTANA
Land of My Heart
The Coming Storm
To Dream Anew
The Hope Within
LADIES OF LIBERTY
A Lady of High Regard
A Lady of Hidden Intent
A Lady of Secret Devotion
RIBBONS OF STEEL**
Distant Dreams
A Hope Beyond
A Promise for Tomorrow
RIBBONS WEST**
Westward the Dream
Separate Roads
Ties That Bind
WESTWARD CHRONICLES
A Shelter of Hope
Hidden in a Whisper
A Veiled Reflection
YUKON QUEST
Treasures of the North
Ashes and Ice
Rivers of Gold
* with Judith Miller ** with Judith Pella
Resources: bethanyhouse.com/AnOpenBook
Website: www.bethanyhouse.com
Facebook: Bethany House
Tracie Peterson - [Land of the Lone Star 03] Page 26
