by Chloe Carley
“I told you, I have no money.”
“Perhaps his little miss has some coin on her,” the third man leered, nodding to the carriage.
“What little miss?” the first asked curtly.
“He’s got a woman in there,” number three retorted.
Noah backed up, blocking their entrance into the carriage. “She doesn’t have any money, either. None of us do.”
“Maybe we’ll just take her fancy dress, eh?” the fourth man snickered.
“You won’t touch her.”
“Who says?” number one asked.
“I say.”
“And who in the heck are you?”
Noah narrowed his eyes. “That is none of your concern. I suggest you all go back to wherever it is you’ve come from, and let us go on our way.”
“You think you give the orders around here?” number two barked.
“No, but we don’t have any money. You should look elsewhere.”
“Sam, go and look in the carriage,” number one ordered.
Noah blocked the path of the third man who had ragged red hair and a cut across the apple of his stubbled cheek. He did not raise his fists. Instead, he waited for the man to strike, determined not to land the first blow if he could help it.
“Get out of the way!” number three roared, bringing the butt of the musket down on Noah’s head. He ducked, the impact glancing off his shoulder instead. The jarring movement threw the ragged man off-balance, his body lurching forward as Noah spun around and shoved him to the ground, tripping him up. Noah did not want to hurt anyone, but he would defend Rachel in any way that he could.
Using the moment of confusion and realizing he would not easily be able to fight his way out of this, Noah grabbed the driver and hurled him into the carriage. Slamming the door behind him, to stop Dandelion leaping out, he jumped up onto the driver’s box and snapped the reins before the ruffians knew what was going on. The horses reared up before charging on down the road away from the despicable villains. Noah lowered his head as he heard the muskets crack in the distance, fearful of a bullet finding its way into the back of his skull. The roars of the men followed him too, but he could not make out what they were saying. The carriage was moving too fast and too far, the horses thundering along at breakneck speed.
He did not relent until the horses had been cantering for ten minutes, their mouths frothing with the exertion. There, on an open stretch of road outside a small town, he pulled them to a standstill and jumped down from the box.
“Rachel!” he gasped, as he opened the carriage door. There was blood on the floor and her body lay limp on the back squab, Dandelion licking at her face with a sorrowful whine. The driver was crouched by the opposite door, clinging to his knee for dear life. Noah reached for Rachel and pulled her into his arms bringing her out into the dim light of the evening. Her head lolled against his shoulder as he tried to shake her awake, but nothing he did could stir her. “Rachel, please come back to me,” he urged, kissing her forehead.
“Noah?” she mumbled, her eyes blinking slowly open.
“I’m here, Rachel.”
“I must have fainted,” she confessed sheepishly. “All of that blood… I did not realize I was so squeamish.”
A smile broke out across his face. “You fainted because of the blood?”
“I must have done.”
“I thought you were dead. I thought you had been struck by one of those stray bullets,” he chided softly. “You mustn’t frighten me like that.”
She looped her arms about his neck. “I am sorry, Noah. I did not mean to. How is the poor fellow?”
“I must check on him. Do not move from this spot.” Noah set Rachel down on the ground and headed back to the carriage. Peering inside, the driver was heaving out trembling breaths while Dandelion snuffled at his hair. The man had lost a great deal of blood, but he still seemed to be alert.
“Nearest town is the one where Mr. Faulks lives,” the driver rasped. “It’s that one up there—small one called Mariston. Should be a doctor of some kind you can get for me there.”
Noah nodded. “I’ll drive there this instant.”
“Much obliged to you. Should’ve known there’d be ruffians on the road.”
“Hey, don’t speak like that—none of this was your fault. We will get you to a doctor, fear not.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Noah darted back out of the carriage and helped Rachel up onto the driver’s box, to sit at his side. He did not want her fainting again at the sight of all that blood. Snapping the reins, he drove the horses forward into the small town of Mariston. A few people were still wandering about in the low evening light taking in the last of the day’s warmth. They eyed the carriage suspiciously as Noah approached.
“Excuse me, is there a doctor around here?” he asked.
One man frowned and pointed to a house up the road. “That one there.”
“Thank you. Might you also tell me where Mr. Faulks lives?”
“Last house on the right-hand side,” the man replied, before carrying on his merry way.
Noah edged the carriage further up the road stopping outside the doctor’s house. Leaving Rachel atop the driver’s box, he leaped down and opened the carriage door, helping the poor driver out. The man was limping badly, his face contorted in a mask of pain. Taking the driver’s arm, Noah draped it over his shoulder and helped him to the doctor’s front door. The physician took a moment or two to answer, his eyes flying wide at the sight of the driver.
“Goodness me, whatever happened?” the doctor asked.
“Ruffians on the road,” Noah replied. “They shot him with a musket.”
“Might you bring him inside?”
Noah nodded and helped carry the driver over to a makeshift surgical table that had been set up in the doctor’s back room. How many men like the driver has this man had to contend with? With times as they were, Noah did not like to dwell on the matter too long. Leaving the man in the doctor’s very capable hands, Noah hurried back out and leaped back up onto the driver’s box. Clicking his tongue against his teeth, he urged the horses on, leading them closer to the house of Mr. Faulks. Beside him, he could feel Rachel bristling with nerves. She had not seen her father in many years and her excitement was palpable.
At the very end of the street stood a grand house in the same colonial style as the pretty homes that Rachel had so admired. A whitewashed veranda bordered the house while a balcony perched over the top, looking out on the expansive fields that stretched away into the distance. Even Noah could not help but admire the property for it looked rather quaint and homey. It radiated comfort in a way that he could not describe.
“Are you ready to see him?” Noah asked quietly.
Rachel nodded. “It has been much too long.”
“Do you want me to stay here while you go up to the house?”
“No, I should like it if you were to come with me.”
He frowned. “Are you sure?”
“Quite sure. After what just happened, I am not taking any unnecessary risks.”
“If you are certain?”
“I am.”
With that, he got down from the box and helped Rachel descend. Together, with Peridot on her shoulder and Dandelion, Paws, and Coco at their side, they approached the picturesque house. Walking up the steps to the porch, he let Rachel go slightly ahead, her hand lifting to knock on the door. She rapped twice on the eggshell-painted wood, the sound echoing inside the house. A moment later, the door opened. A graying, middle-aged man stood on the threshold, his glasses perched on the end of his nose, his eyes alert.
For a moment, he said nothing and then the tears began to fall. It was like something from a dream, the recognition drifting across his features, setting them alight with life and renewed vigor. His daughter had come home.
“Can it be you?” he gasped, his hands reaching out for Rachel. “You must be a ghost, for it cannot possibly be you. They told me you were dead�
�� and yet, here you are. Can you really be my Rachel? Can it be possible?” More tears brimmed in his rheumy eyes, his fingertips shaking as Rachel grasped onto his outstretched palms.
“It is me, Papa,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. “I have been lost, but I have come back to you at last.”
“How can this be?”
Rachel glanced up at Noah. “It is possible because of this man here.”
“And who might you be?” Mr. Faulks asked, though not unkindly.
“Sir, my name is Noah Sharpleton and I have had the pleasure of taking care of your daughter all these months she has been away. We have suffered through much, but I have brought her back to you, safe and sound.”
Mr. Faulks frowned. “I do not understand.”
“Then let us inside, where we may tell you the whole tale,” Rachel urged.
“Yes, of course. Come in. I shall send my man to deal with your carriage.”
A few minutes later, they were settled around the fireplace in the living room of the house. Dandelion was lying on the rug, her eyes closed contentedly while Paws and Coco burrowed into her fur. Peridot stayed on Rachel’s shoulder, as ever. Tea had been laid out, and Noah was sipping gingerly from his while Rachel regaled her father with the whole story. She started from the departure in Liverpool and did not stop until she reached this very house. Every detail remained, aside from their secret sleeping situation on the lifeboat. Instead, Rachel explained to him how chivalrous Noah had been in providing two sleeping areas for them. Noah had blushed at that, but the rest had made him feel glad. They were alive today when it had seemed, not so long ago, like they might die. That was something to celebrate.
Mr. Faulks sighed, his eyes glistening with tears. “You have been through much, my darling Rachel. I should never have allowed you to travel alone. Indeed, I feared each day for your life and when the news came that your ship had sunk… Well, I could only blame myself. You cannot know how difficult life has been. I thought I had lost you. But the Lord has brought you back to me.” He turned to Noah. “And you have been the guiding force. I thank you, Mr. Sharpleton. If it were not for you, then I do not know if I would be sitting here now, without my daughter returned to me. I owe much to you and you shall be suitably recompensed. Indeed, you may have whatever your heart desires, for you have repaired my own broken heart, which I thought beyond fixing.”
Rachel smiled. “Actually, there is something that we both desire.”
“Oh?”
“Noah and I are in love with one another,” she said plainly.
Noah nodded. “We would like your blessing to marry if you will grant me her hand in marriage. I love her dearly and I am grateful for every breath she continues to take. I know that I cannot offer much, but I will swear to love and protect her for the rest of my days as I have done throughout this journey we have endured together.”
For a long time, Mr. Faulks said nothing. Noah’s nerves jangled as he waited for the axe to fall. He knew he was not a suitable match for a woman such as Rachel, and yet he dared to hope that true love would prosper over wealth and fortune. The Lord had carried them this far and He was not cruel. Surely, they would not be torn apart now that everything had been restored?
“You have my blessing,” Mr. Faulks choked, his voice filled with emotion. “As the man who has kept her safe all this time, you are the only person who could stand at her side. If she is with you, I will not fear for her future for I already know that you will keep her from danger. Even this very night, you have proven that.”
Noah’s heart leapt with joy. “Are you certain, Mr. Faulks?”
“I have never been more so. Indeed, this is cause for celebration.” Mr. Faulks rose from his chair and disappeared into the hallway, calling for one of the servants. The moment he left, Noah hurried to Rachel’s side and sank down in front of her. He bent his head and kissed her hands, grasping onto them tightly in case she somehow slipped away.
“I love you, Rachel,” he murmured against her skin as he kissed every inch of her hands, feeling as giddy as a pup.
“And I love you, Noah. More than you can ever know.” She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him gently on the forehead.
Against all odds, they had found their way to the shores of America and made it back to her father’s house. They had battled waves, storms, and vicious brutes of all kinds. They had survived thirst, starvation, and being curled up with one another on the brink of death. They had saved much-beloved animals and brought them to the Americas, sacrificing their food and water so the creatures could live. They had endured intense heat and paradise islands that had sought to tempt them, and they had come out of it with their hearts beating, spurred on by their love for one another. And now, they were to be married, though he had not a penny to his name and she was a woman of means with a father whose wealth would only continue to grow.
Maybe this was a brave New World after all.
THE END?
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Extended Epilogue
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Blurb
Is love forgiving? A heart-warming retelling of the story of persistent Hosea and promiscuous Gomer.
Morgan Sutter, the oldest of three brothers, is headed West to meet his long-lost uncle on his cattle ranch. Morgan is hoping to start a new life, to settle down, and begin a family. What he doesn’t expect is a beaten-up runaway of a woman to stumble upon his camp! Morgan and his brothers resolve to help her in any way they can.
The woman is Brianna Tompkins, an ex-high society woman from the East, who has never faced such adversity before. She grew up privileged with servants to cater to her every whim, but now she is faced with destitution unless she agrees to marry the cruel and lecherous Mr. Percy Smythe. When she meets Morgan, everything changes and she begins to have hope for a future filled with love instead.
But ranch life isn’t everything she imagines and Brianna finds herself struggling. With no one around who understands the riches she was used to, Brianna feels guilty and terribly alone. Though she tries her hardest, Brianna finds herself too delicate in many ways to handle the rough and exhausting life of a pioneer woman. Until, love provides her with the motivation she was lacking.
Wedded bliss leads to an unexpected pregnancy and Brianna finds herself facing her toughest challenges yet. Motherhood, wifely duties, and pioneer life are a heavier burden to bear than she feels like she can manage at times—even with Morgan’s help.
And then a series of misunderstandings takes Brianna away from the ranch and Morgan, without hope but to…
If you like fast-paced clean romance, inspirational and emotion-packed stories, you won't be able to put down this compulsively addictive Novel by Chloe Carley.
"The Cowboy's Redeeming Love" is a stand-alone Inspirational Historical Romance Novel of approximately 400 pages.
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The Cowboy's Redeeming Love
STAND-ALONE NOVEL
A Christian Historical Romance Novel
