“Well to be blunt, Pastor, your past also has two children you need to see and make apologies.”
“How did you find me?”
“Just by chance. Isaac said you were in jail, awaiting a trial he thought would lead to your hanging. He didn’t check to find out the results, or we would have known you were still alive.”
“The witnesses’ stories contradicted, so I served jail time, instead of swinging from a noose. When I was released from prison, I decided to get on the right track and became a preacher.”
“Your new work is how I found you, by chance. I went to talk to my pastor for advice about the scandal Faye’s arrival caused, and he remembered meeting you about a year ago. He’s Pastor Patrick Reagan of the Clear Creek Community Church. Large man, dark red hair, outspoken…”
“Yes, I remember Pastor Reagan. How did Isaac take all this news?”
“Very poorly, considering he was on ‘bended knee’ asking for my hand in marriage when my sons brought Faye out to his home.”
“Isaac was a sharpshooter…is he hidden nearby to put a bullet in my head?”
“No. Isaac has a large cattle ranch out west in Ellsworth County. He settled near my family’s ranch seven years ago.”
“Because he still loved you,” Longoria shifted his face to look at Cate.
“Yes, but he always respected my marriage and was good friends with my husband. It was Moses who suggested Isaac and I marry when I felt ready.”
“So I sabotaged your life again, besides ruining my two daughters’ lives.”
“Yes, you did. But…in two days I’m traveling back to Clear Creek. Would you like to accompany me? You could start healing your daughters’ hearts and apologize to your stepbrother.”
Pastor Longoria rose from the bench and paused a moment before facing Cate. “First, I must ask for your forgiveness. Being angry and drunk is never an excuse to hurt a woman. I’ll always carry the burden of shame.”
Cate stood to address him. “Hopefully, my nightmares will cease after confronting you, but I will never forget what you did to me.” She stared at the older version of the man who attacked her all those years ago. Even if he was a pastor, she couldn’t forgive him yet. He still had no idea how deeply his act of violence hurt her whole family. And he never would know, unless he came to Clear Creek.
“I’ll see you in two days then?” He nodded once to her before turning away to walk back to the church. Cate felt sad seeing the pastor pause before opening the church door. Did she do right by ripping his heart open with her confrontation? Yes, because now my heart can heal because I faced my fears.
And he had two daughters who he needed to communicate with. It would be Sarah’s and Faye’s decision whether to allow Longoria into their lives, but he had to make the first contact.
Cate was surprised seeing Pastor Longoria looking for her on the depot platform. But she wasn’t surprised he wasn’t carrying a carpet bag to travel with her to Clear Creek.
He reluctantly walked up to her, knowing she would be disappointed in him. “Until I can confess my past to my wife, I can’t…meet my girls. I know they will be fine with you in their lives. I wrote a letter to each of them, and included jewelry from their grandmother in the envelopes. She died two years ago from a stroke.
“This package is for Isaac, which also includes a letter. I stole something from him the night we fought, but I never pawned it as I had planned. He needs it back now.”
“All right, I’ll pass these on for you.” Cate took the package and letters, and in return held out a piece of paper. “Here is the address of the Cross C Ranch, should you decide to visit or write. And I hope you will visit soon, or else you’ll have a daughter or two knocking on your door, and then what will your wife think?”
He shook his head but gave Cate a sad smile. “Isaac is a lucky man to have you in his life. May God be with you and yours, Cate Wilerson.” He didn’t offer his hand to say goodbye, but gave a slight bow before turning and walking away.
Chapter 9
Isaac was still a little upset that Cate took off to who knows where without telling him, but he had to give a nod to her spunk, taking money from his safe and leaving a note in its place.
It was good to see her breeze through the front door, acting like the “mistress of the house” was home. Cate looked refreshed, happy, and the sparkle in her eyes had returned. Oh how he had missed her, and he’d make sure she didn’t take off again—without him.
“I’m home!” Cate called to anybody listening, as Adam hauled a trunk into the living room.
“Welcome back, Cate. Looks like you bought a few things on your trip?” Isaac sauntered into the room, hands behind his back and one eyebrow raised.
“Yes, I did. I had so much fun shopping with the money I found,” Cate answered sweetly.
Isaac walked up and boldly locked his arms around her waist and gave her a long kiss, ignoring the screaming kids bouncing up and down around them. “I missed you,” Isaac whispered in her ear before letting her go.
“Good,” she grinned. “That was one of the missions of my trip.”
“Did you bring us any treats, Grandma?”
“Where’d you go?”
“Can I open the trunk?”
Cate got down on her knees, hugging each child as they asked their many questions. And she didn’t bat an eye when one of the puppies jumped up trying to lick her face.
Sarah, with Maisie on her hip and Faye, with Violet, walked into the living room, looking so alike at the moment. They were mad at Cate when she first left, but her leaving had taught the young women to work together. Isaac guessed that was another reason for Cate’s trip.
“If I recall, you only left with your reticule, Momma,” Sarah teased.
“I couldn’t fit all the toys and clothes I bought in it so I had to buy a trunk to get it all home,” Cate laughed as she opened the trunk lid. Maggie, Molly, Marty and Moses fought to get the best position next to Grandma, and Maisie wiggled in Sarah’s arms wanting to be let down to join in the fray, too.
“Now, please let Grandma hand these things out so nothing gets broken, children,” Cate’s words lasted three seconds before the children were hanging on the edges of the trunk again.
“I have books for Marty and Moses,” she handed them to the boys who promptly sat down on the floor to open the covers. “And for my favorite girls…” Cate carefully handed them each their own doll.
The gasps and ahs of the girls were exciting to hear. None of them had ever received such a nice present.
Cate handed Faye a large bundle of folded fabric. “And material and notions to make clothing for Faye and Violet.” Faye fingered the top material in the bundle, the royal blue and maroon plaid silk taffeta, acting as excited as if she had received her first doll, too.
“And besides cotton prints, there is light weight cotton and muslin for drawers and petticoats in the fabric bundle, too.”
“What did you buy for yourself, Momma?” Sarah spied the plum silk cloth, guessing it was material or a gown.
Cate stood up, unfolded a dress wrapped in tissue paper, and held it up against her body. She turned toward Isaac to gauge his reaction. The dress was gorgeous, and he couldn’t wait to see it on her.
“What’s the special occasion for such a pretty dress?” he had to ask.
“I could wear it to church, a dance, a wedding…” Cate smiled as she waltzed around him still holding the dress in front of her.
“Maybe wear it to all three in the near future?” Isaac hinted to see her reaction, which was a broad smile.
“There’s still more stuff in the trunk, Grandma. Who’s they for?”
“They are for the grownups, Marty, I’ll take care of them.” Cate grabbed the two envelopes and package before Marty could jump into the trunk and step on them.
“Marty, please climb out of the trunk. Now, the trunk is empty and the lid is to stay closed. Do not open it again. Understood?” Cate swept a glance to
catch each child’s eye.
Yes, his Cate was back in her realm.
“Isaac, Sarah and Faye? Could you please step into the library for a moment?” The rooms were situated so that the adults could still see the children from this room.
“I had planned to go to Hays for a few days of rest and shopping, but first I stopped to talk to Pastor Reagan. I had talked to him before…for counseling, and he told me news which sent me to Topeka instead.”
“Topeka? You went all the way to Topeka without telling any of us?” Isaac couldn’t believe she’d go so far from home without telling anyone.
“Pastor Reagan knew where I was going, so I was fine,” Cate brushed off his worry.
“I went there because Pastor remembered meeting another pastor at a gathering about a year ago. His name was Felix Longoria,” Cate looked at him first, then met Faye and Sarah’s wide stares.
“Longoria is a preacher?! How? He was in jail! Wait…You went to Topeka to talk to him?! Why!” Isaac’s vision narrowed in anger at the thought of the man—and Cate—even being in the same town.
“My Poppa’s alive?” Faye’s whisper brought Isaac’s anger down to a simmer.
“Yes, Faye. He’s been a preacher at a church in Topeka for six years, and was thankful he finally knew where you were. He had no idea what had happened to you, as his mother gave him a different story, I’m sad to say.
“I suggested he travel back with me to see you, Faye, but…he couldn’t at this time, so he sent you a letter instead.”
“Did you tell him about me, Momma?” Sarah’s pale face showed shock that her mother had faced the man who had hurt her.
“Yes. That’s the main reason I went. I needed to face the man who hurt me, but also to tell him he has a beautiful daughter because of it. Here’s his letter to you.” Sarah’s hand shook so badly she almost dropped it when Cate held out the envelope.
“Sounds like there is something in here besides a letter,” Sarah guessed.
“Yes,” Cate replied while looking at Sarah, then to Faye. “Your grandmother died two years ago and your…father said he included some of her jewelry in the envelopes for each of you.”
That remark made both sit down on the settee to open their envelopes. Isaac was worried what the letters would say, but Cate seemed confident it would provide answers to questions both women needed to hear.
“And Felix sent this package for you, Isaac, saying something along the line that he had stolen this from your parents’ house and wanted to return it to you. He added a letter for you also.” Cate pensively held it out to Isaac but he couldn’t touch it. “He was remorseful of his terrible past, and wants to make amends.”
“Cate, I won’t read his sorry apology. He hurt this whole family!” Isaac bluntly said.
“Nevertheless, you need to read it to get over your own anger. Although I can’t forgive him for his violence, it helped me face my own nightmares by meeting with him.”
“Why did you do this alone, Cate? He could have hurt you again!”
“I talked to him twice, but both times outside in public places with people around us. I didn’t even shake his hand. You needn’t have worried. I would have used the derringer in my reticule if I felt in any danger.”
All Isaac could do was shake his head. He’d never known a stronger woman than Cate.
“I believe I have some grandchildren to spoil while you read your letters,” Cate said while backing out of the room and closing the sliding doors of the library. She knew they needed privacy to read Longoria’s words.
***
Isaac was shocked to see a pearl necklace and a set of pearl ear drops nestled in the velvet lined box when he opened the lid. The three–strand necklace looked identical to the one his mother used to wear. In fact, he was sure it was the same, studying the box again. It was his father’s gift to his mother for their wedding. When Isaac went through his parents’ things after his father died, he didn’t see this jewelry case. He assumed his sister, Irene, had it, but apparently Felix took them when he was in the house before his mother moved out. He couldn’t believe Felix had kept the pearls all these years without pawning them.
Isaac stared at the envelope with his name written on it. He’d known Felix growing up, but he had never been a friend. Isaac couldn’t tell the man’s handwriting from another’s. But getting the letter passed through Cate, meant it was from the stepbrother he hadn’t seen in over twenty years. And Isaac wasn’t sure he’d ever want to meet up with him again. If so, he might knock the man on his rear end with one solid punch.
Since Faye couldn’t read very well, Sarah was quietly reading both of the letters aloud. Although Isaac didn’t want to, he knew he needed to read what the man had to say to him, too.
The four–page letter of neatly written words took Isaac by surprise. He was expecting to pull a sheet of paper with something scratched on it along the line of, “You sucker. I’ll never say I’m sorry for anything I ever did.”
Isaac sat down in one of the burgundy velvet, upholstered chairs which sat near the library’s west window. The engrossing letter explained Felix’s dangerous habits which had ruined his life, before turning his life around to become a preacher. There it was again. The feeling of “if only” Isaac had followed through with this person, too, like he should have with Faye, crept into his mind again.
He saw tears in Faye’s eyes as she fingered the gold necklace which must have been in her envelope. Faye was remembering the man who she thought wanted her, but couldn’t be with her because of her mother’s and grandmother’s schemes.
Sarah on the other hand was dry–eyed. She had left the settee and was standing by the window, staring at nothing in particular. Isaac wondered what Felix wrote to apologize—or justify—his actions toward Cate and Sarah. While Cate was gone, he and Sarah talked about how it made her feel to find out Moses wasn’t her real father. Isaac advised her to always consider Moses as such, because he was the man who raised her, not the person who attacked her mother and was never seen again. Finally, Sarah knew her father’s name, and knew the face she saw in the mirror everyday matched his.
It would take time for the three of them to come to terms with who Felix Longoria was and is now, but these letters—due to Cate’s courage in confronting him—were a good start. There was no doubt in Isaac’s mind that Sarah and Faye would meet their father in the future, and they’d be ready to handle the meeting because of Cate.
Chapter 10
The next Saturday evening
“I’m ready,” Cate said as she descended the staircase and twirled around in front of Isaac, showing off her new plum–colored satin dress. Isaac had suggest they leave a few hours early before they needed to be in town, so they could tour around the ranch to look at possible sites for their new house.
“I believe you’ll be the ‘belle of the ball’ tonight, Mrs. Wilerson. I’m pleased to be your escort for the first annual Cattleman’s Ball,” Isaac said as he bowed forward, before taking Cate’s hand.
“I can’t believe the Paulson’s named a country dance the Cattleman’s Ball, well, maybe I can because it will bring in business for them. But I love the idea because I get to dress up and dance with a very special man this evening.”
“And it will be wonderful to twirl you around in my arms. Now before we leave, I’d like to give you something special to go with your dress,” Isaac winked at Cate and pulled her down the hall to his office.
Isaac was looking back at Cate and almost stumbled over Molly and Maggie playing with their dolls in the middle of the office doorway.
“Oops, sorry girls, you’re going to have to go into another room to play.”
“Ah, you said you were giving something to Grandma and we want to see what it is,” Maggie whined.
“No. This is private time between Grandma and me, so please go to your room to play.” After the girls moved out of the way, Isaac pulled Cate into the room, then promptly shut and locked the office door.
Isaac gathered Cate in his arms and kissed her cheek. “I’ve learned I have to be creative to get time alone with you. Although all the grandkids are used to finding us stealing kisses and hugs now and then.”
“And I thought you said I was getting something special to go with my dress, or were you using that as an excuse to get me alone so we could kiss?”
“Can it be both?”
Isaac released Cate and walked over to his desk. He pulled open a side desk drawer and took out a flat, velvet box. Isaac looked serious as he said, “I’ve dreamed of giving these to you, and I’m finally getting the opportunity to do so.”
Isaac watched Cate’s eyes widen as he opened the lid to reveal the necklace and matching ear drops nestled in the case. She smiled, but then her eyebrows drew together as she looked up at him.
“Are they your mother’s?”
“Yes, these were her pearls. I figured you’d recognize them as Mother wore them almost every Sunday to church.”
“Yes, I do remember her pearls, but of course it’s been years since I saw them.”
“I’d seen the velvet box in father’s safe over the years so I knew he had kept them. Then they disappeared, and I feared his second wife sold them, although she denied it when I confronted her about it. I never knew what happened to them—until you brought them back to me. You see, Felix had taken them, but I guess his conscience never let him hock them as he’d planned.
“My father gave this pearl necklace and ear drops to my mother on their wedding day. My mother wanted me to give them to a special woman, so if you don’t mind their history, I’d like to give them to you.”
“Oh, Isaac, I’d love to wear your mother’s jewelry. I always admired them when I was young. The three strands of pearls seemed so rich, compared to the single pearl necklace most women wore.” Cate turned her back to Isaac. “Please put them on me, then I’ll change my ear drops.”
Cate Corrals a Cattleman Page 8
