by Anna Zogg
“Shall we?” Pastor Charles stepped closer. “I’d like to get back to my family. Right after Pete and I deliver a bunch of outlaws to the sheriff.”
Pete stepped forward. “And let’s not forget our friend, Mr. Tesley.”
“Right.” Rhett’s jaw tightened. “I’m going with you.”
“Take a few more men with you,” Will ordered.
“Then it’s settled.” Pastor Charles motioned to Pete and the Johnsons. “Gather round.”
Rhett slipped his arm through Ellie’s. As he drew her closer, he murmured, “I can’t promise you a life free of hardship, but I can promise a love for you that is anchored in the Lord above.”
Somehow she managed a tremulous smile. “Your God is my God.”
With a gentle finger, he traced her cheek.
Clearing his throat, Pastor Charles retrieved a small, worn book from his pocket. Face growing solemn, he opened to the first page. “Dearly beloved...”
Epilogue
With care, Ellie straightened, apron full of eggs. After balancing it with one hand, she lifted the basket beside her that was full of more. Who knew chickens could be so productive? Had to be because of Mrs. Johnson’s tender care, which Ellie daily tried to emulate.
A number of hens clucked and scratched about her feet, hoping, no doubt, for the treats she sometimes brought. As she watched their antics, she giggled. “Pecking order” and “henpecked” were phrases she now understood in a whole new way.
Tiptoeing through the brood, she took her haul to the kitchen door. “Here are the eggs,” she called to Mrs. Johnson, who bustled about the kitchen.
Cookie threw her a glance. “I’ll take ’em.”
Earlier he had sent her out to collect some for a delicacy he was baking. He had muttered something about “high time for a proper wedding cake.”
She had to agree that it was. She and her husband had been married for nearly six weeks. Today was the day for a promised feast.
Ellie watched the older couple, considering that someday, she might ask them to teach her to cook. Then she reconsidered. With Cookie’s blessing, she had assumed the medical care of everyone on the ranch. But soon she would have no time to learn any new tasks or take on more responsibilities.
Shouts from the corral drew her attention. Her husband yelled encouragement as Pete clung to a bucking mare. Together they managed to calm the horse. Tripper stood nearby, always the levelheaded gelding who never got excited. Many a time, the men brought him into the corral to help soothe a wild horse. On the other side of the corral stood Pete’s wife, watching. Ellie’s and her eyes briefly met before the woman returned to eyeing her husband.
Ellie did the same, admiring the way Rhett approached the trembling mare.
Some sixth sense must have told him she watched, because he turned and smiled at her.
Overflowing happiness rose at the expression she saw more and more frequently—an expression of unburdened happiness, as though he were slowly shedding the imprisoning secrets of his past. He left Pete in the corral and strode toward her. As she’d noted many times, he seemed to walk without sound. But perhaps that was because he still favored the soft, knee-high boots.
The sun sparked the blue in his eyes. “What are you grinning at, my love?”
“You.” She felt her smile broaden at the endearment he used. Inexplicable tears welled. Mere moments before, she had been brimming with joy. Was it natural for conflicting emotions to both be so intense?
He took her hands, bending his head to peer into her face. “What’s wrong?”
“I...” She couldn’t go on—delighted, terrified and astounded at the same time about what she had begun to suspect. And because she found no way to say it subtly, she blurted the news. “I think I’m going to have a baby.”
His fingers tightened. Then he surprised her by ducking his head and pressing his lips to her hands. When he raised his head, his eyelashes were moist. “I wondered. You’ve looked...different lately.”
Different? The word confused her.
“Better.” He squeezed her fingers before releasing them.
She chuckled at his vehemence.
Gentle fingers cradled her jaw. “And more beautiful than ever.”
She had to ask. “Are you happy with the news?”
“How could I not be?” He drew her closer and kissed her.
Leaning her forehead on his chest, she sniffed loudly. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I feel like crying and laughing. At the same time.”
Rhett tilted her chin up to gaze into her face. “We’ll adjust.”
They would, as they had for the past six weeks. Many things had changed. So many wonderful events had happened—new ranch hands, new stock, new horses. The Double M had a new, but temporary, foreman as Rhett learned the ropes so that he could one day take over.
“Hey.” A yell from across the yard interrupted them. On the porch stood her father, one fist planted at his hip while the other gripped a cane. “How’re men supposed to get any work done if womenfolk constantly distract them?”
Laughing, Ellie retorted, “I don’t think you mind all that much.”
A woman appeared beside him—Rhett’s mother, Lillian. Since her arrival several weeks before, she kept finding reasons to delay her return to Cheyenne. Finally she admitted she wanted to stay. Here was her home. As was their daily habit, she and Will visited every afternoon on the porch.
Rhett leaned closer. “Should we go tell them they’re going to be grandparents?”
“Now?”
“Absolutely. Together?” He held out his arm.
Rather than take it, she slipped under his arm so that it rested across her shoulder. “All I wanted, from the moment we met, was to be with you.”
He squeezed her shoulder. As they walked toward the house, she rejoiced that they would bring both their parents this blessed news. Not only would this give her father another reason to guard his health and life but would give all glory to their Father in heaven who made it possible.
* * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from Finding a Christmas Home by Lee Tobin McClain.
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Finding a Christmas Home
by Lee Tobin McClain
Chapter One
Hannah Antonicelli walked out of the Rescue Haven Learn-and-Play and flopped down on the bench that ran along the wall of the red barn.
“Cold for sitting outside, isn’t it?” Her friend Gabby wrapped her heavy parka more tightly around herself before sitting beside Hannah. Despite the fact that she and her husband oversaw all Rescue Haven’s programs—the dog rescue, the after-school program for at-risk boys and the childcare center—Gabby always had time to stop and chat.
And Gabby was right: November in rural Ohio wasn’t sit-outside weather. Wind whisked across the neighboring cornfields, rustling the dry, light brown stalks, carrying with it the faint, clean smell of oncoming snow. “I just need a minute before I start with the dogs,” Hannah said.
“Take a minute! Take an hour, or the whole morning off, if you need. It’s a great thing you’re doing, providing a home for Marnie’s girls.”
“The Learn-and-Play is the only possible way I’ll manage, so thank you for accepting the twins on short notice.” And she didn’t want to take advantage of Gabby’s generosity by skimping on her part-time job as the Rescue Haven dog trainer. What with everything that had happened, she’d already taken too much time off. Not to mention the fact that Gabby was pregnant and didn’t need extra stress. “Let me know if they need anything or get upset.”
>
Caring for her sister’s eighteen-month-old twin girls had been the right thing to do when Marnie had died of complications after a drug overdose two weeks ago. The desperate phone call from her estranged older sister had shaken Hannah’s world at its foundation. She and Mom had rushed to Marnie’s side and instantly agreed to care for the twins they barely knew.
Which meant that, for now, Hannah was back in her childhood home. Mom’s house had plenty of space, a big yard with a tire swing and was close to Rescue Haven.
Anyway, until they got the twins’ lives in order and their schedules figured out, it was going to take two of them to manage things. Being in the same house was just easier.
Mom was busy trying to keep her struggling bakery afloat during hard times. She was also grief-stricken and guilt-ridden over Marnie’s death—not in any shape to be a primary caregiver. Whereas Hannah... Hannah was more angry at her sister than anything else. Marnie had neglected her babies. She’d caused terrible pain to their mother. And she’d entrusted Hannah with a secret that wasn’t going to be easy to keep.
The blond, curly-haired twins had instantly become Hannah’s priority in life. She had to raise them right, and she would. She yawned. The twins hadn’t slept well last night—again—and she was just so tired...
She might have actually dozed off for a few seconds, and when she opened her eyes, she felt like she was dreaming. “Who’s that?” she asked Gabby as she stared at the movie-star-handsome, rugged man striding toward them.
“You don’t recognize him? That’s Luke Hutchenson.”
Hannah’s stomach lurched. “When did he come back to town?”
“Gabby, we need you!” The voice from inside the Learn-and-Play was a little frantic, and the sound of a child crying, then another—neither of them the twins, thankfully—galvanized Gabby into action. “He’ll tell you,” she said, waving to Luke and then rushing into the building.
“Hey, Luke,” Hannah said faintly as the man approached. She still felt a little like she was in a dream.
He tilted his head to one side, and then a slow smile crossed his face. “Hannah Antonicelli?”
That smile. Wow. She nodded and stood, hoping to keep their conversation short. And focused on him. “I haven’t seen you for ages.” Should she shake his hand? She brushed her palm down her jeans and then, when he didn’t initiate a handshake, shoved it in her back pocket. No one else in the universe was as awkward with men as she was.
Well, men she found attractive, anyway.
And why was she finding Luke attractive? He was ten years older than her, or close. And the things she knew about his family could fill a soap-opera script. Of course, that meant he was out of reach, which was the kind of man she generally favored. “Um, are you in town for a visit?”
“Of sorts.” He looked out across the fields for a minute, then met her eyes. “Dad’s sick. Needs some pretty serious surgery, and there’s no one but me to take care of him, since Bobby...”
She stared, waiting. Had something more happened to Bobby?
Bobby. A big flirt, cute and fun. Always in trouble, and now, in jail for second-degree murder.
Bobby, the twins’ father. And no one could ever know.
Luke cleared his throat. “You might not have heard, but Bobby’s incarcerated.”
“I, uh, I did hear.” And she hadn’t really thought about how that would feel to his family, but now, seeing Luke’s clenched jaw, she realized how painful Bobby’s situation must be to him. Bobby had been part of a convenience-store robbery that had resulted in a killing. From what she’d heard, he’d gotten belligerent and refused a plea bargain, so there was no telling when he’d get out.
She touched Luke’s arm. “I’m sorry. That must be tough.”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “Thanks. So how about you? What are you doing at Rescue Haven?”
It was an obvious move to change the subject, which was fine with Hannah, mostly. “I’m the dog trainer here,” she said. “I have other clients, too, but Rescue Haven takes up more and more of my time. They’re expanding, taking in more dogs.”
“You always did love animals,” he said. “I remember you playing with Old Man Richie’s barn kittens.”
His words brought back a flash of memory. She’d been young, probably six, and she’d tagged after Marnie to Mr. Richie’s barn. Marnie and her friends had promptly climbed up to the hayloft to smoke cigarettes, leaving Hannah to the glorious bounty of a half-dozen kittens, no more than a week old.
Luke and Mr. Richie had burst into the barn at the same time. Mr. Richie had seen her just as he’d smelled the cigarette smoke, and he’d yelled in a scary way, talking about setting fires and burning down barns and destroying people’s livelihoods. Hannah had backed against the wall and cried.
Luke had taken her hand and led her outside, given her an old bandana to dry her tears and reassured her that Mr. Richie wasn’t yelling at her. Sure enough, the old man had emerged from the barn pushing Marnie, Luke’s brother, Bobby, and their other two friends in front of him.
“I probably never said thank you back then, so thanks for saving me from Mr. Richie’s wrath.”
He snorted. “My brother could have used more of Mr. Richie’s kind of direction, but he didn’t get it.”
“Marnie, too. Mom tried her best, but she worked long hours, and Marnie took advantage.”
“How’s Marnie doing?”
Hannah sucked in a breath. Most people in town had heard, via the usual gossip circuit, so she hadn’t been faced with telling people very often. “She actually, um, she passed away. Very recently.” Her throat tightened, but she swallowed her emotions. Marnie didn’t deserve her sadness. “Of a drug overdose,” she said firmly.
“You’re kidding.” His eyebrows drew together and he shook his head. “I’m sorry for your loss, Hannah. Awful, the toll drugs can take. How’s your mom doing?”
“Not well.” She hesitated, debating how much to tell him.
“I’m sure. It’s not right, a child dying before a parent.”
“Mom’s really struggling.” Hannah would have to tell him about Addie and Emmy, especially if he was going to be in town for a couple of weeks. There was no way he wouldn’t hear, and it would seem weird that she hadn’t mentioned them up front. “Marnie, um, she had twins. So Mom and I are taking care of them.”
“How old?”
“Eighteen months.” She nodded sideways toward the Learn-and-Play’s entrance. “Gabby was good enough to accept them at the childcare here, so I can be nearby.” Even just mentioning the girls sent a warm surge of love through Hannah’s chest. She had to raise them well. Had to help them overcome the neglect they’d suffered as her sister had gone downhill.
“Is there a father in the picture?” he asked.
That was a normal question, she told herself as her face, neck and ears went impossibly hot.
And, as much as she didn’t want to admit it, Marnie had been right about keeping the identity of the twins’ father a secret. “No, there isn’t,” she said, and then made a show of checking the time on her phone. “I’d better get to work. Those dogs won’t train themselves.”
She turned toward the barn where the rescue dogs were housed, opening her mouth to say goodbye to Luke.
To her surprise, he fell into step beside her. “Let me know if there’s anything you need for the dogs.”
That was a weird thing for him to say, and for the first time she wondered what he was doing at Rescue Haven. Whatever his errand, she wished he’d finish it up and go away. She lifted her face to the cold breeze and looked up at the low-hanging clouds. Luke had always been popular—good-looking and the type of slightly bad boy all the girls flocked after. The type that awkward, shy girls like Hannah could only ever admire from afar.
“So, how long are you in town?” she asked. “Any plans for your time her
e?”
“Reese has some special projects in the works. Their part-time handyman retired, so I’m working here for a couple of months.”
“Oh, wow.” Hannah gulped. They’d both be working at Rescue Haven. “Well, I should go check on the dogs.”
She scurried away awkwardly, like a frightened mouse. But she was frightened. Because two months was a long time to keep a secret.
* * *
Luke started back toward the supply shed, trying to remember what he’d been doing before he’d run into Hannah.
He’d always liked cute little Hannah—who’d grown up to be way more than cute—but it seemed she didn’t return the feeling. She’d sure acted strange when he’d said he worked here.
A police car pulled into the Rescue Haven driveway, spewing gravel. Luke’s heartbeat escalated, then settled down, as he turned to see what was going on.
Between his father and brother, cops had been a regular part of Luke’s childhood, and their appearance back then had never been a good thing. But he was a law-abiding citizen and an adult. He had no reason to feel guilty around the police.
The officer emerged, then opened the rear door and said something to the person inside. He reached in to help whoever it was.
Luke’s father climbed out, batting away the officer’s hand even though he obviously could have used the support; it took him a couple of tries to get himself upright.
Luke’s jaw tightened. What had Dad done now? At least Hannah had gone inside and wouldn’t witness this.
He strode toward the cop and his father.
Dad was holding on to the roof of the car while the officer reached inside and then emerged with Dad’s tall wooden cane. As Luke reached him, he smelled the whiskey emanating from his dad’s breath. He jammed his hands in his pockets to keep himself from strangling the man. “Are you kidding me, Pop? Drinking at nine a.m.?”
