Mountain Rose

by Cheryl St. John

  “Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?” Olivia asked. “You’re not acting like yourself.”

  Emily sat up and glanced toward the stream, where her uncle and grandmother fished.

  “Are you worried about something?” Olivia prompted.

  “I don’t want to leave!” Emily burst into tears.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  The child sobbed brokenheartedly.

  Taken aback by Emily’s uncharacteristic display of emotion, Olivia’s heart leaped. She looked at her helplessly, knowing she needed to do something, but not sure what.

  Remembering Lorena’s loving example, she crawled forward and reached a tentative hand toward Emily. She drew the hand back once, but then scooted right beside her and drew the child onto her lap.

  Emily trembled, but her warm slender body fit right into Olivia’s arms and against her chest. Olivia rocked her gently and threaded her fingers into her dark, silky hair. “Shush, now, dear one. Everything’s going to be just fine.”

  After several minutes, Emily’s tears subsided. Without releasing her, Olivia reached for a napkin and dabbed at the child’s eyes and nose. Emily sat up to look into Olivia’s eyes. “Grandmother is kind, and I like her ever so much, but I want to stay with Uncle Jules. I don’t want to go to Ohio. I like it here.”

  Olivia couldn’t have been more surprised. She found her voice. “Are you certain? Your grandmother has the means to take care of you and buy you things. You’d live in a big city and never want for anything if you went with her.”

  “We lived in the city before,” she answered. “Back in Pennsylvania. It’s better here.”

  “The way we lived wasn’t a good example of living in the city,” Olivia told her. “We didn’t have any interaction with others outside the academy. And we weren’t shown love. Your grandmother loves you.”

  “Uncle Jules loves me, too. And I love him back. I feel safe here. I don’t want to leave.”

  Olivia couldn’t argue with the child wanting to cling to the sense of security she’d experienced with her uncle. She certainly understood. And agreed. “If it’s what you really want, then you have to tell them. Both of them only want your happiness.”

  Emily nodded. “But I don’t want to hurt Grandmother’s feelings.”

  “That’s kind of you. But even if telling the truth hurts her feelings, it’s still the right thing to do. You’re not intending to hurt her. Let’s pray for her first.”

  Emily nodded. Olivia asked God to help Emily be strong and to also be a comfort to Lorena.

  “I’ll tell them at supper,” Emily decided.

  She joined Jules and her grandmother then, taking over a fishing pole and enjoying the rest of her afternoon.

  At supper, Olivia recognized her hesitation and gave her a warm smile of encouragement. “Emily has something to say.”

  Emily hadn’t yet picked up her fork. She sat with her hands folded in her lap, wearing a look of distress.

  “Whatever is it, child?” Lorena asked.

  “I don’t want to go to Ohio.” Her voice trembled. “Not because I don’t love Grandmother, but because I want to stay here with Uncle Jules.” She swallowed, and Olivia felt her fear and hesitation as if it were her own. “Unless you don’t want me.” Her dark pleading gaze lifted to her uncle. “It will be all right if you don’t, though. Then I’ll go with Grandmother.”

  The courage those words took were more rewarding to Olivia than anything she could imagine. She couldn’t have been more proud of Emily if the child was her flesh and blood and had flown to the moon and back.

  Even at the risk of his rejection, Emily had spoken her feelings. If only she had the courage to ask the same thing. But she wasn’t his family. Olivia’s heart pounded in anticipation of his reaction. If he turned her away, Olivia would feel solely responsible for encouraging Emily to do something she hadn’t the daring to do herself.

  Lorena appeared taken aback, but she simply rested her hands on either side of her plate and waited for Jules to reply.

  Jules had raised his eyebrows as though the expression helped him sort out his thinking. He sat like that for a full minute, and then finally cocked his head to the side as if shaking off confusion. “You sure about this, Emily? Your grandmother has a nice house in the city and can afford fancy dresses and the like.”

  “I’m sure,” Emily replied. “If you want me, I’ll stay here and live with you.”

  Jules didn’t know what had prompted his niece’s surprising pronouncement, but his sharp sense of relief told him he’d wished for this all along. He would never have asked her to stay, because he sure didn’t think he was her best option, but he was mighty glad she didn’t agree. “I want you, Emily.”

  She jumped down from her chair and ran around the end of the table to fling herself at him.

  He scooted back his chair in time to envelop her in a hug. She was the sweetest little thing that had ever come along. Knowing his sister’s child—and now making a difference in her life—was going to change everything. He hadn’t thought he was ready for this, but he would never have been ready to say goodbye.

  Over Emily’s shoulder, he looked up to gauge his mother’s reaction and then meet Olivia’s tear-filled eyes.

  Emily extricated herself and turned in his embrace to look at her grandmother. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t you be sorry for a moment, darling. I want you to be happy. And I want your uncle to be happy, too. If the two of you find that together, I won’t feel bad at all. Not at all.”

  Eventually, they dried their eyes and resumed their meal. Emily even asked for second helpings. Olivia served apple cobbler she’d made with the last of the apples.

  She resumed her seat while Lorena poured coffee. The older woman rested her hand on Olivia’s shoulder. “My invitation is still open to you, dear. You are welcome to join me in Ohio.”

  Emily staying did change the situation back to the way it had been before. She needed a job. There was nothing nearby. She could take her chances here in hopes of a marriage proposal, or she could go with Lorena. “Thank you, Lorena.”

  There were drawbacks to all her options. Staying here might reveal no prospects—or an invitation to marry a man she didn’t know or care about just to find a home. Leaving on her own might or might not gain her employment nearby, and she would have to struggle to fend for herself. Leaving with Lorena meant she’d likely never see Emily—or Jules—again, or if she did, the meetings would be seldom. Emily would grow away from her.

  Even if she stayed and married, she wouldn’t be able to be as close. It was time to face facts and decide on the least difficult route. “I’ll pack and join you in the morning.”

  At Emily’s stricken expression, she added, “It’s what we planned, Emily. Ever since we made our plans to come to Montana, we knew that once you found your family, I would have to take a position elsewhere.”

  Emily broke into sobs and threw herself against Jules’s shirtfront. He patted her back helplessly.

  Olivia got up and went out of doors.

  The air flowing down from the mountains was cool this evening, and it felt good against her heated cheeks. She walked all the way out to the hemlock tree and stood with its bark biting through her shirtwaist against her back. An owl hooted, startling her. She glanced upward, her vision blurred with tears. “Thank You, Lord.”

  Two people wanted Emily, and she was counting on God to provide her with that same wonderful acceptance. Perhaps her answers were waiting for her in Cincinnati. She chose to believe that they were.

  * * *

  Jules had never been so confused. His life had been simple, just rolling along smoothly—until all these women had converged and set his well-laid, sensible plans spinning.

  What he knew about kids and women he could store under his hatband. He’d thought Emily had everything all settled in her mind and was pleased as a cat with a fat field mouse to go along with his mother, but apparently that hadn’t been the cas
e.

  He’d never seen so many tears. Didn’t they run out?

  Emily brought him a book from the pile on the shelf he’d made her. He took it and looked at the cover absently. “I’m going to build you a whole case for your books in the new house.”

  She gave him a soft smile, but her eyes were red from crying. She turned around and eased onto his lap. Being an uncle had grown on him. He’d thought about a wife and kids, of course, but children had only been an idea until now. Now that he knew a few, he appreciated their innocence and inquisitiveness. Emily was incredibly bright and obviously sensitive.

  He read aloud. She pointed to a word, spelling and repeating it. “You’re a smart girl,” he said.

  “Miss Rose taught me.”

  “I know.”

  “When we stayed at the hotel in Oregon City, I was scared at night. Our trunks were at the train station, so we didn’t have any books. Miss Rose made up stories at night.” She looked up at him. “Sometimes we heard guns.”

  He’d already been mortified at the thought of their journey alone. “What kind of stories?”

  “She told a story about a girl who took a train all by herself. She was scared, but she prayed and God kept her safe. And she told stories from the Bible, like the one about Jonah and the whale.”

  Jules found a marker for the book and tucked Emily into bed. Olivia still hadn’t returned. Lorena joined him then and stood on tiptoe so he’d bend for a peck on the cheek.

  “’Night, Mother.”

  Out of doors, he let his eyes adjust to the dark. He’d taken a few steps when the woman he sought walked toward him on her way to the cabin. “Good night, Jules.”

  She moved past, opening the door and disappearing inside. He looked at the door for a moment, and then headed for the barn.

  * * *

  He didn’t join them for breakfast the following morning. He had a lot to plan and think about. He was going to have to get help to care for Emily. Perhaps Tanis would be willing to have her during the day.

  He hadn’t slept more than an hour or so all night. He was dreading this day. He kept telling himself it was for Emily’s sake that he was fretting about Olivia leaving, but he wasn’t convinced. He didn’t want Olivia to leave any more than he wanted her to marry Marcus or anybody else. But he didn’t want her to feel obligated to stay.

  The time to head out to the train depot drew close, and he walked toward the cabin. Emily waited out front, a bonnet shading her eyes. It was the same one she’d worn the first time he’d seen her. The first time he’d looked into those coffee-dark eyes and recognized his sister’s child. He would be forever grateful to Olivia for risking everything to find him and bring her to Montana. Had he told her how much he appreciated that? He’d neglected to tell her he appreciated everything about her.

  The door opened and she came out, wearing a pale green dress and a straw hat. She took note of him standing there with a nod.

  “Don’t think I ever said how grateful I am that you traveled here to bring Emily to me. It was a brave thing to do.”

  “I’m glad it all worked out,” she replied. She gestured back toward the cabin. “My trunks are still in there.”

  He moved past her and found her trunks and his mother’s satchels inside the doorway. His mother tied the ribbons on one of her sweeping hats and greeted him. “We’re all ready.”

  He loaded their belongings into the back of the wagon, but looking at Olivia’s things gave him a sick feeling in the pit of his belly.

  Climbing up to the seat beside the women, he picked up the reins and sat there.

  He didn’t want her to go.

  A vivid memory of the night before washed over him. Emily hadn’t wanted to leave. Without any assurance that he would accept her, she’d been brave enough to come out and say it. Emily had risked everything to ask him if he wanted her.

  Olivia had risked her life traveling to a strange land so he and Emily could be together. Even his mother had been brave enough to ask his forgiveness.

  He was the only coward on this wagon.

  “Jules?” his mother questioned.

  If Emily could take the risk, he could. He turned to look at the two women.

  “Is everything all right?” his mother asked from beside him.

  “Are we going, Uncle Jules?” Emily questioned from her seat behind him.

  “No.”

  “What?” Lorena asked. “The train leaves in forty-five minutes.”

  “I’m not all right.” He tied the reins to the brake handle, stood and jumped down. Striding around to the other side of the wagon, he extended a hand. “I need to say something.”

  Beneath the brim of her hat and his mother’s lacy parasol, Olivia’s face registered confusion. She glanced at Lorena, but his mother only smiled and waved her forward.

  Olivia reached for his hand, but instead of taking it, he reached up to bracket her waist and lower her to the ground.

  “What are they doing, Grandmother?” Emily asked.

  “I think your uncle is finally coming to his senses.”

  He took Olivia’s white-gloved hand and led her away from the wagon to the shade at the corner of the cabin.

  His behavior had Olivia’s nerves in a frazzle. She barely had control of her emotions and needed to carry on with her plan before they unraveled.

  “I don’t want you to go,” he said.

  Had she heard him correctly? “I beg your pardon?”

  “I don’t want you to leave and live in Ohio. I want you to stay right here.”

  She shook her head to clear it. “I’ve thought it all through. A clean break will be better for Emily.”

  “No. It won’t. Won’t be better for us, either. I’ve just been too pigheaded to see that. I thought I had to follow some sort of logical plan and do everything in order. But love isn’t logical. I was being stubborn and blind, not listening to my heart. Emily showed me how to do that.”

  “Love?” she questioned, singling out that word above all the others. Her heart skittered erratically, and she flattened her palm against her chest. “What is it you’re saying, Jules?”

  “I’m sayin’ I love you. The idea of you with Marcus Stone ate a hole in my gut. I don’t want you to marry anybody else. Ever. Except me. Marry me.”

  He hadn’t said anything about her staying for Emily’s sake or staying to be a teacher. He’d said he loved her. Her pounding heart recognized before her head did just what that meant. “Marry you?”

  “Marry me. I love you.”

  No one had ever spoken those words to her before. “You want me?”

  “If it’s what you want, Olivia.” He ran a hand over his eyes. “I know how Emily felt when she told me she wanted to stay. I feel like I’m standin’ on the edge of a cliff, waiting for the ground to drop out from under me.”

  Olivia took a step back and then another to ground herself in reality. She turned in a circle, taking in the cabin, the wagon, the outbuildings, without really seeing anything. And then she looked back at Jules. “You want me. You want to be together. Make a family.” She gestured toward the new structure. “Live in that house up there. With poppies in the yard.”

  He nodded. “Yes. For goodness’ sake, Olivia, yes!”

  “I just want to hold on to it a minute longer.” She closed her eyes. Took a deep breath. Opened them. And then she crossed the distance between them, without a thought for anything except the sheer joy of his acceptance and love. She threw herself into his arms. He caught her in an embrace, knocking her hat to the ground and kissing her soundly.

  “I love you, too,” she told him between kisses. “I think I fell in love with you the day I met you.”

  “I’ve wasted so much time,” he murmured against her lips.

  “We have plenty left.”

  “I’m going to make you a good husband,” he promised her. “I’ll listen with my heart from now on.”

  “What’s your heart telling you right now?”

&n
bsp; “That I scare you, but you’re brave enough to take a chance on me.”

  She smiled and returned another kiss.

  “What does all this kissing mean?” Lorena called from the wagon.

  They separated, looked into each other’s eyes with their hearts welling, and then grasped hands to walk toward the wagon. “That your son is done being stupid and is going to marry this beautiful woman before she gets away,” he called.

  Olivia shot her gaze to his. “Beautiful?”

  “Forgot that, too, didn’t I? You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, Olivia Rose.”

  “You’re staying?” Emily screeched.

  Lorena leaned forward to protect her ears.

  “I’m staying.”

  Lorena stood. “Well, then I’m staying longer. Come help me down. I’m not going to leave now and miss my son’s wedding.”

  Jules released Olivia’s hand long enough to help his mother and niece to the ground. Lorena hugged both of them, as did Emily.

  Joy filled Olivia to overflowing at their generous acceptance and love. She was indeed special to God. And at long last she was special in the eyes and hearts of people she loved and who loved her in return.

  Jules had shown her that looking forward held more promise than looking back. She was going to be Jules’s wife and Emily’s mother. From here on out, it didn’t matter where’d she’d come from or who she’d been. All that mattered was where she was going and who she’d become.

  “Thank You, Lord, for my family.”

  * * * * *

  Dear Reader,

  I loved every moment writing Mountain Rose. Olivia Rose and young Emily are two characters who deserved to find a home and a family who wanted them. There’s something deeply satisfying about devising ways for story people to find fulfillment in relationships and in their walk with our Heavenly Father.

  Mother’s Day is a special holiday for many of us, a time when we express our appreciation for the women who have shaped our lives and reflect upon those who have loved us and sacrificed on our behalf. I wish those of you with children a lovely Mother’s Day. May you take time to reflect on your blessings and perhaps even indulge in a little chocolate. You are special, after all.