Along the Cane River: Books 1-5 in the Inspirational Cane River Romance Series

by Mary Jane Hathaway

  “Hey, don’t touch anything,” an officer called out as Gideon walked toward the far wall.

  “Gideon, wait.” Tom was jogging beside him. He reached out, concern on his face. “Just take a breath. It can really make you feel―” He noticed the writing and stopped short.

  “What is that?” The officer stared at the large, uneven letters and cocked his head. “Gidons inncent? Is this English?”

  “Gideon is innocent. Rick killed Barney.” Gideon read the words in a sort of daze. The message was a crazy jumble of letters that sometimes covered one another, but it had been dark and she must have been scratching the words with something sharp.

  In what Henry believed were the last moments of her life, she had been determined to save his.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  “History, Stephen said, is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake.”

  ― James Joyce

  Henry curled up on the sofa and held a book in her hands. She’d told everyone she was tired and needed a nap. The truth was that she was completely worn out. She’d spent hours down at the police station giving her statement. Patsy was on her way, even though Henry had promised she was fine. Alice had brought over breakfast that morning and given her a thorough look, apparently to make sure she wasn’t falling to pieces. Then Kimberly had arrived and although Henry was deeply thankful for the chance to hug her mother, it had turned into a visit from her grandparents, too. And then Lisette had called. Henry had done her best to assure everyone that she was fine but she was not. She was as far from fine as she could imagine.

  Her dreams had been fragments of her ordeal, interspersed with Gideon’s expression as he confessed his lie. Henry had finally rolled out of bed, exhausted and refusing to spend one more minute reliving it.

  But in the quiet moments between all the interviews and fussing relatives and Alice’s breakfast, Henry started to realize she had been wrong. Not wrong in the way someone is when they park in a towing zone, or even the kind of wrong where a person adds salt instead of sugar to their coffee. She had been horribly, terribly wrong. The kind of wrong Kimberly had been when she left her with Lisette. The kind of wrong that shattered friendships and ended true love.

  Gideon had kept something important from her, but Henry had only seen the lie, and not the man who had always tried to protect those he loved. She understood what it meant to make a bad decision. She wasn’t perfect. Redemption was an ugly, down-in-the-dirt, every single day sort of thing. She wanted nothing more than to accept his apology now. But now it was too late.

  She sat in the corner of the couch, feeling small and completely lost. There wasn’t any way to explain her actions, no way to make it better that she could see.

  A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts and she considered not answering. She sat very still, listening for the visitor to go back down the hallway. Instead, there was another knock, and Gideon’s voice called through the door.

  “Henry, can we talk?”

  She was at the door so fast she didn’t even have time to put down her book. Swinging it open, she was already laughing, crying, reaching out for him.

  “I… well…” He didn’t seem to know what to say and she kissed him, hard.

  He stopped trying to talk and wrapped his arms around her, backing her into the room and closing the door with his foot.

  Henry couldn’t believe he had come back to her. He hadn’t given up on her. She leaned back, putting her hands on his cheeks, touching his hair, sliding one hand toward his heart. “You still love me,” she said.

  “Of course I do. Yes. Of course. Always.” He couldn’t seem to get enough of her, as if she weren’t quite real.

  “I’m sorry. For what I said. You don’t have to be perfect. I’m so far from it. I’m just learning how to love someone. I promise I won’t hold you to some standard that―”

  “Henry,” he said. “I came here to say I was wrong. I lied because I was afraid to lose you. I didn’t trust you enough to tell you the truth.” His words were thick with emotion. “Please don’t give up on me.”

  Henry started to cry but of all the tears in the last few days, these were tears of joy. “Never.”

  “But there’s something else.” He looked as if what he had to say next was going to be harder than telling her about the tickets. “I’m not completely well, Henry. I know have a lot of work to do. Things might get worse before they get better. And if you want to just be friends while I try to sort things out, I’m okay with that. I understand―”

  He broke off whatever he was going to say as she kissed him, giving him her answer with all the love she could show him. After a moment, she looked up into his eyes. “That night in the Finnemore house, I made you some promises. I said I’d always be myself with you, even if I didn’t like who I was. I don’t think I understood what I was promising. Now I do. I’m quick to judge, Gideon. I jump to conclusions. I never want to give someone a second chance.”

  He shook his head just a bit, as if he disagreed. She put a finger to his lips. “I’ll try to do better. Loving you is the best thing that ever happened to me and if you can bear with me while I try to change, I’d be so grateful.”

  Gideon bent his head and kissed her jaw, her temple, her ear. “And for a breath of ecstasy, give all you have been, or could be.”

  Sara Teasdale’s words skipped like stones across her heart, leaving ripples as they went. For one chance at happiness, they were willing to give up everything, including the people they had been. She’d always thought real love meant accepting someone else just as they were. Maybe true love meant letting go of the person you had been, to become the person you were meant to be. Henry looked up into Gideon’s eyes and saw true forgiveness, and a future full of possibilities she never could have imagined.

  Epilogue

  Charlie popped her head in the sacristy door, bright pink hair wrapped in a pretty updo. Tiny daisies dotted the curls. “Father Marcel is asking your phone how far it is to Aruba. Should we be worried?”

  Henry smiled at her reflection in the small mirror. “No, not until they start arguing.” Charlie shrugged and went away again, leaving just Henry and Patsy in the room. “Remind me again why eloping wasn’t a good idea?”

  “Because you’d cheat all of us out of the joy of a fancy party,” Patsy said. “It’s not nice. We needed a fancy party. A low country boil, lots of crawfish, live zydeco music. We need it to get us through the winter.” She looked up from where she was fixing the last pin in Henry’s hair. “Plus, I would have hidden in your trunk. You never would have gotten away with it.”

  “Kimberly has plenty of big parties, almost every month,” Henry said.

  The door opened a crack and Alice poked her head inside. Her pale green bridesmaid dress matched Patsy’s except it had an empire waist, perfect for Alice’s pregnant belly.

  “Almost ready? We’ve got five minutes, which means I better run to the bathroom.” And without waiting for a response, she popped back out.

  “I wish Alice would take a break. She’s been standing all morning,” Henry said. “Paul keeps trying to shove her into a chair but she zips away.”

  Patsy nodded. “Wait until she gets that last little burst of energy before the baby arrives. Nesting is a scary business. I spent two full days just scrubbing down my kitchen before Jack was born. You know me. That was really out of character.”

  Henry stood up, carefully moving the swaths of cream silk to the side. “I never wanted a big wedding,” she said almost to herself. “I never imagined this. Or any wedding, really.”

  “Big wedding. Listen to you,” Patsy said, laughing. “Fifty people in a tiny country church and a reception in the backyard isn’t big.”

  “True. Compared to what Kimberly really wanted, this is closer to that elopement.” She took one more look in the mirror, at the gentle draping over the bodice, the little cap sleeves. Turning, she glanced behind her at the long row of tiny pearl buttons and glimmering silk. She
never could have imagined this, not in a hundred years. But here she was, Henry Byrne, getting married as if it were the most natural step.

  “Hey, don’t cry now. You’ll ruin your make up,” Patsy jumped forward with a tissue. “Take a deep breath. Everybody gets nerves on their big day.”

  “I’m just… so… happy.” Henry’s voice came out in a squeak.

  “Well, be happy without any tears, okay?” Patsy dabbed at the corners of her eyes. “You look gorgeous. Almost as nice as the groom.”

  Henry stopped crying long enough to choke out a laugh. Patsy had been telling her for months that Gideon was too good-looking for a tuxedo and if they didn’t want him to overshadow the rest of the wedding party, Henry would have to make him dress down.

  Alice opened the door on the other side of the room. “Time to go, ladies! The crowd is getting restless and by the crowd, you know I mean that crowd we have in the front. So, let’s head around the back and come up the front steps. I’ll give Mrs. Bernard a wave and she’ll start the wedding march.”

  “Thank you for all your help.” Giving Alice a quick hug, Henry squeezed through the doorway. “With your tummy and my dress, we might just be stuck here forever.”

  “Well, my tummy is on a deadline so, probably not forever.”

  The sunlight was bright for a December day but the air was crisp and cool. The path around Isle Brevelle seemed to go on forever, but within seconds she was standing at the top of the steps.

  “Ready, Henry?” Without the old straw hat or navy raincoat, Bix almost looked like a different man. He offered his arm and Henry took it, feeling her throat close up with emotion. Kimberly had thought Frank Pascal should walk her down the aisle, and her mamere had been upset that Henry had chosen some “old nobody”, but Henry would not be dissuaded. Bix had helped bring Henry and Gideon together in his own crazy way, and she would forever be grateful to him.

  “My two favorite historians gettin’ married,” he said. “I just wish I hadn’t sold my Caddy. You two woulda looked mighty fine drivin’ away in it.”

  “I agree,” Henry said, imagining the spectacle of a wedding party trundling through town in a bright green Cadillac, probably with cans on long streamers rattling behind.

  The music changed to the somber tones of the march and Henry took a deep breath. She would have been perfectly happy with a private ceremony, just her and Gideon. And Patsy and Denny as witnesses, of course. And Father Tom officiating. But there had been a small problem with that plan.

  As she walked up the aisle, she couldn’t take her eyes from Gideon, standing so tall and handsome at the front. He smiled at her and then rolled his eyes a little to the right. She followed his cue and saw Kimberly weeping, but still as beautiful as ever. Henry started to smile, remembering how they’d joked that Henry was a messy crier.

  But even with that warning, she still felt her eyes burn as she saw Gideon’s parents beaming with love and pride in the front row, Austin next to his mother. Bernice sat behind them, and Blue next to her. Familiar faces turned in her direction and she could hardly see them all through the blur of tears.

  Father Tom stood at the front, Father Marcel on one side looking faintly irritated. Father Toussaint stood on the other, tall and straight. And next to him was Father Luke, Father Pierre, Father Gabriel, and Father Andre. Father Sal was in the front row, his head bowed in what may have been prayer but was probably an early nap.

  As Bix took her hand and placed it in Gideon’s, he whispered, “And don’t forget you can always ask advice from Ruby and me. We’re old hands at this. We’ve been through it all. Why, just yesterday, we―”

  “Thank you,” Henry said and gave him a big hug. “For everything.”

  He made his way to the pew, wiping his eyes. Ruby patted his arm and readjusted her hat.

  As they turned toward the altar, Gideon leaned over and whispered, “Ready?”

  “Ready,” Henry answered and realized she meant it.

  As Father Tom asked the congregation to stand, Henry found the lines of a poem running through her mind. Gideon had read it to her once as they stood in the aisle of By the Book. But what to me are north and south...

  Henry turned to Gideon and smiled. They weren’t wanderers anymore. They had found a home, and it had been in the most unlikely place: each other.

  Dear Reader,

  I hope you enjoyed Henry and Gideon’s story. The idea for this book came one night in late October when I saw a young man sitting alone on a bench in the middle of the night. At first I thought he looked suspicious, and then I wondered, as writers usually do, if there could be another reason for him to be out there. What if he knew he looked like a criminal, but was keeping someone safe? And so arrived the idea of Gideon, a man who was trying to rebuild his life after committing a crime.

  The Cane River Creole National Historical Park is only a few miles from Natchitoches, Louisiana. The history preserved in the outbuildings and the plantation houses is worth a day visit or two. I tried to make Henry’s daily life as accurate as possible, but I did take a few liberties, since the real site doesn’t run large tours and exists mostly as a self-guided park.

  Angola Prison, where Gideon was an inmate, does have an agreement with small private universities, like New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, to provide college scholarships to a few prisoners. Since a law was passed barring prisoners from qualifying for Pell Grants, these programs are one of the few avenues available to get a higher degree.

  Thank you for spending time with Gideon and Henry. I hope you enjoyed their story as much as I enjoyed writing it! If you enjoyed this story, be sure to leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads. I love visiting with readers on my author page of Mary Jane Hathaway, or on my blog at The Things That Last! The next book in this series is called “Only Through Love” and you can preorder it now, and receive it as soon as it releases on July 20th.

  Blessings,

  Mary Jane

  BIOGRAPHY

  Mary Jane Hathaway is an award-nominated writer of Christian fiction and a home schooling mom of six young children who rarely wear shoes. She holds degrees in Linguistics and Religious Studies from the University of Oregon and lives with her habanero-eating husband, Crusberto, who is her polar opposite in all things except faith. They've learned to speak in short-hand code and look forward to the day they can actually finish a sentence. In the meantime, she thanks God for the laughter and abundance of hugs that fill her day as she plots her next book. She also writes under the pen name of Virginia Carmichael.

  Louisiana Creole glossary

  According to the last census, a quarter of a million people speak French in the home in Louisiana. Most of these speakers use Cajun French, Louisiana Creole, or Creole French. These dialects are similar, but distinct. The Creole people of the Natchitoches region speak Louisiana Creole and that is the dialect that appears in the story.

  Sha, cher = dear, sweetie

  Merci (spelled a variety of ways) = thank you

  Misye = monsieur, sir

  Manzelle = mademoiselle, miss

  Bonswe = good evening

  Donne moi un p'tit bec = give me a kiss

  Mais = well

  Songs, Poems, Poets, Writers, Books, and Stories mentioned in the book

  The Cask of Amontillado ― Edgar Allen Poe

  What Lips My Lips Have Kissed, And Where, And Why ― Edna St. Vincent Millay

  Bluebeard ― Edna St. Vincent Millay

  Like Barley Bending ― Sara Teasdale

  Barter ― Sara Teasdale

  The Wanderer ― Sara Teasdale

  Casablanca, movie starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman

  L’anse aux pailles ― traditional Creole song Gideon remembers his mother singing, you can watch a video of the song here

  Beaux Bridge Waltz ― traditional zydeco waltz Gideon requests at the festival when he dances with Henry, you can hear it here

  OTHER TITLES by Mary Jane Hathaway

  T
he Cane River Romance series

  The Pepper in the Gumbo

  Only Through Love

  These Sheltering Walls

  A Star to Steer By

  The Austen Takes the South series

  Pride, Prejudice and Cheese Grits

  Emma, Mr. Knightley and Chili-Slaw Dogs

  Persuasion, Captain Wentworth and Cracklin’ Cornbread

  OTHER TITLES by Virginia Carmichael

  All The Blue of Heaven

  Purple Like the West

  Leaving Liberty

  Season of Joy

  Season of Hope

  A Home for her Family

  RECIPES

  Some of the dishes mentioned in the book, I discovered on a website called The Cajun Grocer. I could put myself in the poor house by ordering everything that looked delicious on their site. They have an incredible selection of spices and sauces, and even have crawfish! They even have recipes and everything I’ve tried so far has been wonderful. Go head, have a look. You won’t regret it.

  Jambalaya

  Henry and Gideon didn’t get to make their jambalaya together because a lot of drama and chaos happened, but as soon as everything calmed down, they spent a whole Saturday creating this delicious Southern dish together. Well, Gideon cooked and Henry did her best not to burn or break anything. Now, everybody has a favorite jambalaya recipe and this one is from my sweet friend Lorena. She said that a lot of people object to tomatoes in their jambalaya, but a lot more prefer them, so she puts them in. It may not be as traditional with tomatoes, but it sure tastes good!

  Ingredients

  •1 tbsp olive oil

  •1 large onion, chopped finely