by Linda Ford
“I see.”
Dare she tell him why Wyatt had been in prison? But wouldn’t revealing the truth about Lonnie invalidate the year Wyatt had served to protect him? She couldn’t share that bit of information.
“Sheriff, I beg you to get to the bottom of these robberies. If you do, you’ll certainly discover that Wyatt is innocent.” She pushed to her feet. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have someplace I need to be.”
She meant to tell Wyatt she loved him no matter what.
But first she had to find him. Wyatt had said he’d go see Jack Henry. She’d go there in the hopes of finding him.
She strode from the sheriff’s office and was almost trampled by two men dragging a third, who fought and cursed.
She squinted at the man being dragged. She’d seen him before. Where?
What did it matter? She had more important things to be concerned about.
“You got the wrong man,” he shouted. “It’s that jailbird Wyatt Williams you should be dragging here.”
Those words stopped her dead. She knew where she’d seen that man before. By the livery barn. And Wyatt had stared at him as if he recognized him.
Somehow the two were connected, and she meant to find out how. She followed them into the sheriff’s office.
They pushed the struggling man against the desk.
“This fella had all sorts of things stashed under his mattress.” The speaker dumped coins, jewelry and paper money on the sheriff’s desk.
“It’s been planted,” the man insisted. “It wasn’t there when I left this morning.”
“Uh-huh.” The sheriff crossed his arms and gave the man a hard look. “So who would plant it?”
“Wyatt Williams, I’ve no doubt.”
“Who are you and how do you know Wyatt Williams?”
“Name’s Jimmy Stone and I knew Wyatt when he wasn’t pretending to be such an upright citizen.”
“In jail, you mean?”
“That’s right.” Then, realizing he’d put himself where he wanted everyone to believe Wyatt belonged, he hastened to add, “Not that I was there myself, you understand.”
“If you say so.” The sheriff sighed heavily. “Might interest you to know Wyatt couldn’t have planted the evidence.”
“Huh. Suppose he told you some wild story about being innocent and you believed him.”
“I’m inclined to believe his story, seeing as he’s been locked in my jail for the past few hours, and before that he was with Jack Henry. So you see, I have all the evidence I need to believe him.”
Cora was grateful for the chair near the door when her legs started wobbling. She sat down before she fell on the floor.
“He’s here?” she squeaked.
“Yup.” The sheriff drawled the word. He tossed a set of keys to one of the men. “Unlock him and put this man in there. You,” he said to Jimmy Stone, “will be tried. Best you be prepared to return to jail.”
The man struggled all the way through the door at the back of the office.
Cora stared at the cells beyond. Wyatt was there? He’d been there all along? She wanted to run to him, but her legs refused to work.
Before she could even stand, Wyatt came out, followed by the two men who had assisted the sheriff.
“Thanks, boys.” The sheriff waved to them as they went outside.
Sheriff Thomas leaned against the desk. “It appears to me you two have some unfinished business. I’ll leave you to deal with it. Wyatt, when you’re done, your horse is out back.” He headed for the door then paused. “I believe the truth about Wyatt’s innocence has been revealed. I suggest the two of you make the truth about your feelings just as clear.” He slipped out and closed the door quietly behind him.
Cora stared at Wyatt. Did he seem older, more drawn, than when she’d seen him this morning? Then a smile touched the corners of his mouth and he looked just right. She couldn’t ask for better.
His smile didn’t go any further. Was he upset at her for getting involved with Sheriff Thomas?
“I had to come,” she said. “I had to make the sheriff see the truth. Though I guess he was looking for it all along.”
“I heard you.”
For a moment she was confused by his reply, then its meaning hit her. He’d heard her say she loved him? “Every word?” she asked, her mouth suddenly dry.
“Every word.” The smile that toyed with his mouth now filled his eyes, widened his lips and lit his face. “Every sweet, telling word.” He pulled her to her feet.
Her gaze clung to his. Now was her chance to say the words she’d vowed to say, directly to the man himself.
But when she opened her mouth to speak, he pressed a fingertip to her lips.
“I have something to say first.” He studied every feature of her face until she felt as if her skin would bloom like summer flowers.
He brought his gaze back to her eyes. “I couldn’t tell you this before my name was cleared, but, Cora Bell, I love you and I want to share the rest of my life with you. Now, I know there will still be people who judge me because I’ve been in jail, so maybe it’s not fair to ask you to share that—”
She pressed her fingertips to his mouth. “Shh. It’s my turn to speak. Wyatt Williams, I love you now and forever. I don’t care what others say. I know what kind of man you are.”
“What kind is that?” His voice thickened.
“A noble, kind, giving, honorable, loving, protective man. One who I know will never fail me, never abandon me, never intentionally hurt me.”
He swallowed hard. “That’s a lot to live up to. I’m bound to fail.”
“As am I. But what counts is moving forward. We’ll forgive each other when we fail and we’ll grow better and stronger together.” She ducked her head. Had she rushed him into more than he meant to give? “If you want it that way....”
He tipped her head so they looked full into each other’s eyes. “Cora Bell, would you marry me and make me the happiest man on the face of the earth?”
“Do I have the power to do that?” she asked through her smile. “To make you happy? It seems like a tall order.”
He chuckled. “Your love makes me happy. Like I’ve never been before.”
“Your love makes me so happy I feel as if I’m going to burst. Yes, I’ll marry you.”
“I never knew love could feel this way.” He looked awestruck, then blinked and bent his head to hers.
She wound her arms about his waist, pressed her palms to his back and lifted her face to him. Her heart beat a steady rhythm against her chest. She felt his heart’s answering beat, and then their lips touched and nothing else mattered but this man and their love.
Epilogue
Three weeks later
Cora stood inside the back room of the church and smoothed the front of her ivory-colored wedding dress. At first, she’d demurred at the idea of a new dress that she would only wear once, but the twins had begged her to go ahead.
“We’ll help make it,” Rose had said.
“Maybe someday we’ll wear it.” Lilly had gotten dreamy eyed. “Wouldn’t it be special if we all wore the same dress for our weddings?”
So Cora had agreed. They’d picked a simple style with a full satin skirt, leg-of-mutton sleeves and lacy accents at the shoulders.
Rose arranged the back of the skirt to her liking. “It’s a beautiful gown.”
Cora agreed. “I feel like a princess.”
“About to marry her prince.”
Cora smiled so wide it almost hurt, but there was no room in her heart for anything painful. “I’m so happy.”
Somehow her sisters managed to hug her without mussing her hair or her dress.
“You deserve to be happy,” Rose said.
Cora no
dded. “I’m glad we’ll be living close enough that I can make sure you two are okay.”
The twins exchanged looks and a secret flickered through their eyes.
“What is it you’re not telling me?” Cora asked. She caught each of them by the hand. “I don’t want you to feel like you can’t share all your secrets with me anymore.”
Rose patted Cora’s hand. “We know you feel responsible for us.”
“You don’t need to,” Lilly added.
“We’re grown up now. It’s time for you to move on and think about your own happiness instead of ours.”
“They’re the same thing. My happiness would never be complete if I thought either of you was unhappy.”
“We’re both happy and we don’t want you to worry about us,” Rose said. “Promise us you’ll do that.”
Cora nodded, her throat tight. “I promise.” She leaned over and kissed them each on the cheek. “I’ll miss you.”
Rose chuckled. “We’ll see each other so often you won’t have a chance.”
“If you need any more help getting your place into shape, just let us know and we’ll come,” Lilly offered. She and Rose had accompanied Cora, Wyatt and Lonnie to Jack Henry’s place for several days. They’d helped Jack clean out his things from the house and move them to the little cabin where he and his wife had first lived.
At first, Cora had demurred. “We’ll take the cabin,” she’d said. “I’ve no wish to displace you.”
Jack had chuckled long and hard at that. “You’re doing me a favor. All I need is a bed, a table and a stove. All this—” he’d waved around the room of the house where they stood “—is too much work for me.”
So Cora had continued to clean the house. Her sisters had helped her wash the walls and cupboards. They’d made the wooden floors gleam. Jack had insisted he didn’t need all the kitchen things, so they’d washed every pot, pan and dish, and arranged them in the clean cupboards.
Cora had let the twins help clean the smaller bedroom where Lonnie would sleep, but she’d insisted she alone would arrange the furniture of the bedroom she and Wyatt would share.
As she made the bed and hung new curtains, her heart rejoiced. When the room was done to her satisfaction, awaiting their marriage, she’d knelt by the side of the bed to thank God for their love and for the bright future ahead of them. Bless us with happiness and a large family.
Organ music began to play in the sanctuary of the church, pulling Cora from thoughts of her new home. Anna had insisted on playing for the ceremony.
When wedding plans had been discussed initially, Wyatt had suggested they get married at the farm with just family present. “I’m not sure the community is ready to accept me.”
Cora had, at that moment, decided she wanted a big church wedding. “No more will we hide from what people think. This is our community. There are people here who accept us without reservation. The rest will soon learn that they are wrong.”
Pastor and Mrs. Rawley had been thrilled at their decision to get married in the church.
“May I have the honor of providing tea after the ceremony?” Mrs. Rawley had asked.
Ma had agreed to accept her help.
Cora could hardly wait any longer for her wedding. And she didn’t have to.
“It’s time,” the twins said, taking her hands.
They each kissed her, then slipped through the door.
Cora peeked out to watch her sisters follow each other up the aisle. Then she got her first glimpse of her groom.
Wyatt stood at the front, so handsome, so strong and noble that her heart swelled with joy.
Lonnie stood beside him. He pulled at the collar of his shirt and then stood at attention.
Beside Lonnie stood Jack Henry. He cut a striking figure in his suit. She’d grown fond of the old man in the past few weeks.
She glanced around the church, saw a goodly number of people in attendance and smiled. Just as she’d hoped, people were accepting Wyatt. Thank You, God.
“Are you ready?”
She turned to Pa. “I’m ready.” She drank in his familiar, comforting face. “Pa, I owe you a world of thanks. You’ve been the best father I could ever ask for. I love you.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek.
Pa squeezed her shoulder. She understood he would have hugged her, except he didn’t want to disturb her dress. “I love you, too, daughter. You have been a true gift and a blessing from God.” His words grew thick and he swallowed hard. “Best not to keep Wyatt waiting any longer.”
They stepped to the aisle and all faces turned toward her.
Wyatt’s gaze met hers and the rest of the world slipped away. She drew closer to him, feeling as though she was walking on air, and took his arm. As if from a distance, she heard the preacher’s words and repeated her vows as prompted, but the only part of the ceremony that seemed real was Wyatt’s kiss.
“I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Wyatt Williams,” the preacher announced.
They marched down the aisle and outside to where the side yard was festooned with streaming crepe paper and flowers. She ate the tiny sandwiches and cake handed to her, clinging to Wyatt’s hand to keep herself grounded.
Many people from the church and the town filed by to congratulate them and welcome Wyatt to the community. Many brought gifts, and with Wyatt’s help she opened them, almost overcome with emotion at their generosity.
Finally they were able to slip away and head toward their new home, where they could finally be alone.
Lonnie would be staying with Ma and Pa for a few days, and Jack would be camping. He’d said he could hardly wait to ride into the hills without worrying about how things were at home.
Wyatt lifted her from the wagon and carried her into the house. “Here we are.”
Cora clung to his shoulders. “Our future begins now.”
He nodded. “No looking back.” He claimed her mouth in a sweet, gentle kiss, then set her on the floor. “Cora Williams, I love you.”
“I love you.” She wrapped her arms about his neck and kissed him again.
He held her close. “I never thought I’d see the day when I would know such love.”
She laughed with pure joy. “Our love will grow richer and sweeter every day.” She’d do her best to see her words came true.
He kissed her again and she forgot everything but this wonderful man God had brought into her life.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from MARRIED BY CHRISTMAS by Karen Kirst.
Dear Reader,
I love the idea of found families. You know the sort I mean. Families who have come together in ways other than birth. That’s the kind of family Cora comes from. She’s found a set of parents who are everything she needs and wants. Or rather, they found her. Wyatt and his brother, however, come from an entirely different background. Family life as Cora knows it is foreign to them. So I brought Wyatt and his brother to the Bells so they could see what a loving family is all about.
It’s something I feel strongly about—creating family, creating traditions, creating memories that hold us together. Perhaps this little story will help you see the value of these things, too, and if you don’t have it in your birth family, I hope you’ll find it somewhere or else create it.
I love to hear from my readers. You can contact me at www.lindaford.org, where you’ll find my email address and more information about me and my books.
Blessings,
Questions for Discussion
What problems did Wyatt face because of his time in jail? Do you think he’d face some of the same problems in this day and age?
Cora said she no longer cares about her birth father or his reasons for abandoning them. Do you believe she was as over it as she claimed? Why or why not?
Ho
w did she guard her heart? What reasons did she give?
Was Wyatt right to protect Lonnie at the cost of home and belonging? Or could he have had them even if the truth was known about Lonnie?
What things did Wyatt see in the Bell family that he wanted to imitate?
What things did Wyatt do and say that make Cora see beyond his secretiveness?
Do you think the Bar Crossing community will be a good fit for the Williamses?
Was there a spiritual lesson in this story? If so, what was it?
Did you find Mr. and Mrs. Bell’s counseling wise and helpful?
What do you hope for Wyatt and Cora in the future?
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired Historical title.
You find illumination in days gone by. Love Inspired Historical stories lift the spirit as heroines tackle the challenges of life in another era with hope, faith and a focus on family.
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Chapter One
Gatlinburg, Tennessee
December 1881
If the bullet hole in his leg didn’t kill him, the snowstorm would.
Caleb swayed in the saddle, stiff fingers clinging to the horn as Rebel stumbled in a drift. “Easy,” he breathed, the slight sound swallowed up by fat, white tufts dropping in a thick curtain all around him. Ears flicking, Rebel righted himself. Caleb clamped his jaw tight to smother a moan.
He didn’t know which was worse—the incessant pain slowly stealing his consciousness, the bone-numbing cold or the knowledge that he was being hunted.
