Big Sky Homecoming

by Linda Ford

  Rose and Duke held back. Rose, too, had prayed for the day she’d see an end to the land feud. She’d received so much more.

  Or so she hoped. Her nerves twitched as she thought of the card she meant to give to Duke today. Would he receive the message in the way she hoped he would?

  * * *

  Duke sat quietly through the tea. Mrs. Bell served a number of goodies but for some odd reason they all tasted the same. He knew the reason. Even though he was thrilled that his parents were sitting at the Bell table, talking about ordinary things, his mind was on something else.

  Since Mother had pointed out they would be going to the Bells’ on Valentine’s Day, and suggested Duke should keep it in mind, he’d thought of little else. He’d found the perfect valentine to give Rose and he’d added a little surprise.

  He believed she would welcome this card, unlike the way she’d received the special one he’d given her when they were much younger.

  But would she also accept the surprise? Or call him a skunk?

  He grew so impatient he could feel every heartbeat thud inside his head. How long must he sit at the table before he could find an excuse to ask Rose to go walking with him?

  “Duke?” He jerked toward Rose’s ma when she called his name.

  She smiled at him, her eyes full of understanding. “No need for you young folk to stay here. I’m sure Rose is as bored as you are. Why don’t you take her for a walk in the nice sunshine?”

  At that moment he respected Mrs. Bell more than ever. She was astute, kind, generous—no wonder Rose had turned out so well.

  He faced Rose. “Would you like to go for a walk?”

  She was already on her feet. “I’ll be just a moment.” She disappeared inside her bedroom and emerged seconds later, her cheeks flaring pink.

  Billy sat on the cot playing with Patches and showed no sign of wanting to be invited.

  Good. Duke wanted to be alone with Rose.

  They stepped outside and blinked in the brightness. “Where do you want to go?”

  “Down to the river.” She indicated a narrow trail that meant they must walk single-file.

  He didn’t much care for that. He wanted to hold her hand, to pull her to his side. But having asked, he must accept her answer.

  In a few minutes they reached the banks of the river. The wind had swept the ground bare near some trees. He stopped there and held out his hands to her.

  She hesitated just out of reach and fumbled inside her coat. “I have something for you.”

  If he wasn’t mistaken she sounded a tiny bit nervous, which caused him to tense. He loved her and hoped she loved him, but there remained a thread of uncertainty.

  She handed him an envelope.

  He lifted the flap and pulled out a valentine. “It’s beautiful. There’s a lot of red roses.”

  “Read the verse.” Her voice trembled.

  He opened the card and read aloud.

  “My love is like a red, red rose.

  Delicate, fragile, sweet.

  A tender flower requiring

  Gentle care.

  My love is also a like a dandelion

  Tough, enduring, resilient

  Thriving through stormy gales and desert heat

  Cheerful and bright.

  These two flowers portray a lasting and beautiful love.”

  His vision blurred as tears stung his eyes. “It’s beautiful.” His throat clogged and he couldn’t go on.

  Rose twisted her hands together. “I wanted to make up for the nasty card I once sent you.”

  He nodded. “You certainly did.” Was the verse generic or did she mean it from her heart? He knew one way to find out.

  “I’ve got a card for you, too.” He could feel his heartbeat pound as he reached into his inside pocket and withdrew the card. He hoped she wouldn’t notice how his hands trembled as he handed it to her.

  She pulled the card from the envelope.

  He’d chosen one showing a little boy handing a bright red heart to a sweet little girl.

  Rose darted a glance at him. “No roses?”

  “Only one. You.”

  Her cheeks blossomed pink.

  “Open it.”

  She nodded and turned her attention to the card.

  She didn’t read it aloud but she didn’t have to. He knew the words.

  My heart belongs to you, my love.

  He’d tied a ribbon bow beneath his name. “Undo the bow.”

  She did so and gasped as the ring he’d hidden fell into her hands. The valentine fluttered to the ground.

  He caught it, then fell to one knee and took her hands. “Rose Bell, I love you. Will you marry me?”

  He held his breath. He believed she loved him but until she said so, doubts would linger.

  Her eyes flashed as if the sun had filled them. She leaned over to cup her hands around his face. “Yes. Yes. Yes.” She kissed him soundly.

  He got to his feet and pulled her into the circle of his arms. “Does that mean you love me?”

  “With all my heart, tough like a dandelion, sweet like a rose.”

  He slipped the ring on her finger. “You are the sweetest Rose ever created.” He kissed her so soundly he could barely remember his name.

  Epilogue

  They waited until spring to get married. Not that Rose minded. She and Duke had enjoyed getting to know each other better. She’d grown to understand even more why he’d been such a tease in school. Partly because he longed for her friendship and partly because he felt his father thought him useless.

  His father had certainly come around on that notion. He’d allowed Duke to find Angus, the former foreman, and hire him again. He’d given Duke authority to make some changes. And recently, Mr. Caldwell had accepted a position in Helena working with the new state legislature. He would be in charge of overseeing land development. Because of that, he’d made Duke a full partner on the ranch. Duke’s parents would be living in Helena for the time being.

  Duke and Rose would have the ranch house to themselves.

  Rose hugged herself with joy. She imagined many a pleasant evening in the sitting room. And she could glance out the kitchen window to watch Duke riding out to tend the cows.

  Mrs. Humphrey had offered to stay on and cook for them, but Rose wanted to manage on her own. At least for the present. Mrs. Humphrey had chuckled and patted her hand.

  “I don’t blame you.”

  Rose turned around to look at the bedroom where she had spent the past nine years of her life. First Cora had married and moved on. Then Lilly. And now Rose. She would worry about leaving Ma and Pa, except Billy had asked to live with them. Billy had proved to be a faithful friend and good worker once he’d learned a job. Both Ma and Pa had the patience to teach him well.

  The wedding dress both her sisters had worn lay on her bed waiting for the moment she would don it. She’d promised Cora and Lilly she’d wait for them to come and help her.

  The sound of an approaching wagon said they were almost there.

  “Your sisters have arrived,” Ma called.

  Rose rushed out to greet them. Only Wyatt was with them. “The others stayed in town taking care of last-minute things,” Cora explained.

  “Besides,” Lilly asked. “I didn’t want to have to bathe Teddy again. You know what he’s like when he’s out here. Running around, getting into every dirty corner.”

  “Come in, girls,” Ma called. “We don’t want to be late.”

  The three of them marched into the bedroom. Rose began to slip out of her garments.

  “Just a minute,” Cora said. “I have something for you.”

  “A gift? But I don’t need anything.”

  Cora sat on the edge of the be
d that had once been hers and patted a spot on either side of her. “Both of you come here.”

  Rose chuckled as the twins sat beside Cora. “Just like old times.” Only she didn’t want to go back to the familiar ways. Duke and their future beckoned.

  “This is a gift we’ve all wanted for a long time.” She lifted her bag to her lap and pulled out a heavy black Bible. “This is our family Bible.”

  Lilly and Rose stared at Cora.

  Rose found her voice first. “What? When? Where?” Surely Cora hadn’t had it all this time and hidden it. That was impossible. She’d been a five-year-old child when they were abandoned.

  “The sheriff gave it to me ten days ago. Some trappers had brought it to him.” She pressed her fingers to the black cover. “They’d found the old wreckage of a wagon that had tumbled down a cliff. No one could see it from above. They’d only found it because they’d been searching for minerals. Of course everything was about gone after all this time...except a strongbox. They’d brought it to the sheriff and he opened it.” She lifted the front cover. “This is a picture of our parents and us.”

  The girls bent over it, greedy to see their parents for the first time.

  They recognized their much younger likenesses.

  “Guess the sheriff would remember us when we weren’t much older than this.”

  Cora nodded. “There was a letter from our maternal grandparents in the Bible and this.” She turned the pages to where the family history was noted. “Our name was Brighton.”

  The news stunned Rose. “All these years I thought it would make a difference but it doesn’t. We’re the Bell sisters and always will be.”

  Cora and Lilly agreed.

  Cora continued. “See the notation on our mother. Died 1874 of a strange fever. The sheriff tried to contact our grandparents but they are deceased and he couldn’t find any family. But he did find people from the group our parents joined in their trek west and learned that when our mother was ill, the others feared it was contagious and asked them to leave the wagon train. They said our father headed off in search of help. He was miles from where he’d left the wagon train. The sheriff thinks he must have suffered from the same fever. I guess more than a dozen who were in the group succumbed to it. So God spared us from that fate.”

  The three of them held hands.

  “Girls,” Ma called, “are you about ready?”

  They each stroked their hands across the cover of the family Bible. Lilly and Rose spoke in unison. “Cora, you should keep it.”

  She nodded, tears clinging to her eyelashes. “I remember our mother looking like this picture.” She tucked it back into the Bible and returned it to her bag. “Now let’s get you ready.”

  Rose allowed her sisters to fuss over her as they pulled the dress over her head and fastened all the satin-covered buttons up her back. Then they arranged her hair around her head and fixed a gossamer veil over it.

  “We’ll have to tidy you when we get to the church.”

  They went outside and Rose was helped onto the wagon seat. In a few minutes the wagon was on its way.

  At the church they slipped in the side door. Rose allowed the others to adjust her veil and smooth her dress, but all she cared about was what awaited her down the aisle.

  The organ music began. She shoved her sisters to the door. “Stop wasting time.”

  Lilly giggled. “My, my, aren’t you in a hurry?”

  Cora stepped from the room. Lilly followed. Then Rose stood in the doorway, her eyes finding Duke’s as if drawn by a magnet. Or rather by their love.

  He was resplendent in a black suit with a black tie. His blond hair gleamed. Even from this distance she could feel the power of his blue eyes. She knew Caleb and Wyatt stood at his side, but she barely noticed them.

  Duke smiled.

  Pa pulled her arm through his. “Let’s not keep the man waiting any longer.”

  She held Pa’s arm and walked down the aisle at his side. The church was full. Many of Duke’s family had come from Philadelphia. Rose had met the grandfather—a formidable-appearing man with white whiskers and thinning white hair, but she’d discovered the old man had a dry sense of humor and they’d enjoyed several visits.

  She didn’t look either to the right or the left. Couldn’t have said who filled the pews. She had eyes for one face only—Duke’s. His blue eyes blazed with love so strong that she was grateful her veil hid her face. She knew her cheeks would be a bright pink.

  They reached the front and Pa put her hand on Duke’s arm. “With my blessing,” he said.

  Duke pulled her to his side. “Thank you,” he said to Rose’s pa.

  And before God and man, they exchanged their vows.

  For better, for worse. For richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part.

  He’d told her how he’d thought words similar to their wedding vows shortly before she’d ridden to the ranch to confront her father. Thinking of that, she choked up momentarily, then swallowed and finished in a firm, steady voice.

  They sealed their vows with a kiss.

  “My red, red Rose,” he murmured.

  The way he said it made her proud and glad. She would never again hate her hair.

  “My noble, handsome husband,” she whispered back.

  They smiled at each other, their hearts sharing the secret knowledge that once they got home they would have plenty more sweet things to say to each other.

  And a lifetime to share their love.

  Thanks to their love for each other they would never again feel insignificant or unimportant.

  To God be the glory.

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from THE ENGAGEMENT BARGAIN by Sherri Shackelford.

  Dear Reader,

  Isn’t it amazing how much of life occurs at the kitchen table or while food is being prepared? It certainly proved to be the case in this story. I thought I’d share with you the butterscotch pudding recipe that Rose prepared for Duke while she cared for him at his house.

  I’ve seen many variations of this recipe. In fact, it seems as if a version is found in almost all cookbooks. This one is the one I’ve adjusted for my use.

  BUTTERSCOTCH PUDDING

  1 cup flour

  ½ cup sugar

  2 tsp. baking powder

  ½ cup milk

  2 tbs. oil

  ½ cup raisins (optional)

  Mix together in a bowl. Spread into a greased 8" square pan or casserole. (I use a casserole or deep pan because I like lots of sauce.)

  In same bowl, mix:

  1 cup brown sugar

  2 tbs. flour

  ½ tsp. cinnamon (optional)

  Sprinkle on the batter.

  Pour 2 cups hot water over the contents of the pan.

  Bake uncovered at 350°F about 30 min.

  I hope you enjoy the dessert just as I hope you enjoy the story.

  I love to hear from my readers. You can contact me at www.lindaford.org where you’ll find my email address and where you can find out more about me and my books.

  Blessings,

  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.

  Enjoy four new stories from Love Inspired Historical every month!

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  Chapter One

  Outside the Savoy Hotel, Kansas City, Kansas 1884

  “Remind me again why we’re here.” Caleb McCoy glared at the growing mass of people jostling into his space.

  He didn’t like Kansas City. There were too many people in too little area. A man could hardly breathe. He’d much rather be home. Working. The sooner they were on their way home to Cimarron Springs, the better.

  His sister, JoBeth, flashed a wry grin. “You’re here because my husband obviously forced you.”

  JoBeth’s husband, Garrett, had been unable to accompany his wife to the suffragist rally in support of a sixteenth amendment to the constitution, an amendment for the women’s vote.

  Jo had been adamant on attending.

  Fearing for her safety, Garrett had strong-armed Caleb instead. The opposition to the women’s movement had been disruptive on more than one occasion.

  The buildings surrounding the tiny grassy square loomed over Caleb like brick-and-mortar sentinels. As the time for the suffragist speech neared, the mood of the crowd had shifted from lazy joviality into restless impatience.

  His sister adjusted the gray knit shawl draped around her shoulders against the brittle fall breeze. “As you’re quite well aware, I’m here for Anna Bishop’s speech. This is the closest she’s come in the year since we’ve been corresponding, and the best chance I have to see her in person again. If you’d met her when she traveled through Cimarron Springs last fall, you wouldn’t be so surly.”

  “And yet she never replied to your telegram.”

  Jo pursed her lips. “It’s possible she never received my message. She travels quite a bit.”

  Caleb mumbled a noncommittal response. Having been raised with five younger brothers, Jo was tougher than tanned leather. She was smart and independent, but vulnerable in the relationships in her life. Fiercely loyal, she naturally expected the same in her friends.