The Final Vow (Hearts of Hays Series #2)

by Barbara Goss

  Reverend McCarty stepped forward as the bride joined hands with the groom. Meg and Cassie fell back a few feet, as did Silas. Laura and Jesse repeated their vows, exchanged rings, and were pronounced man and wife. On the minister’s order, Jesse kissed Laura. The onlookers, people from the church, applauded, and that made Laura and Jesse laugh. He picked her up and ran out of the church with her.

  As Jesse ran with her, she whispered in his ear, “I’ve just taken my final vows.”

  Meg invited everyone to the ranch for a light repast. Jesse breathed a sigh of relief that Elizabeth did not attend the wedding.

  The food, set out on tables in the yard, looked festive. Meg made most of it, but some of the closest church friends and neighbors brought something to add to the table. Laura and Jesse greeted everyone as they arrived.

  Everyone enjoyed the food and the opportunity to socialize with friends and neighbors. Social events were few and far between in Hays and so a wedding became the epitome of entertainment.

  Jesse introduced Laura to some of the town’s most well-known people: Margo and Elmer Dutton and their twins; Kate and Josh Redfield and their baby girl, Hannah; Joanna and Phillip Barringer and their daughter; Arthur Redfield; and Lydia and Geoffrey Grandville. Laura knew she would love living in Hays with such warm and friendly people.

  Everything went nicely until the latecomers appeared—Elizabeth Healy and her parents. Jesse had doubted they would miss one of the biggest social events of the year, but had hoped Elizabeth would have stayed home. All eyes riveted on the new arrivals, and the party suddenly became quiet.

  Jesse and Laura rose from their table and made their way to greet the Healy’s as they emerged from their fancy buggy. Joe and Martha Healy congratulated them warmly. Elizabeth stepped up, and Jesse and Laura didn’t know what to expect, but she surprised them. She congratulated them, and even embraced Laura. When the guest’s eyes were back to their plates and not riveted on the newly arrived guests, Elizabeth approached Jesse and Laura.

  “I am sorry for everything. I truly wish you both happiness.” She scurried away before either could reply.

  “Of course, we must forgive her,” Laura told Jesse in a whisper.

  “What?” he whispered back. “No chance!”

  “It’s the Christian way. We don’t have to be close friends with her, but we have to forgive as God forgives us.” Laura patted his hand. “We can do it. Together we can do anything.”

  Jesse kissed her cheek. “I think you’re going to make a better man of me.”

  “Oh look,” Laura pointed. “Another new guest. Come.”

  Jesse looked up. A well-dressed man he didn’t recognize stood at the entrance to the yard. Before they could get to him, Geoffrey Grandville greeted him. Geoffrey, an earl from England, met his wife Lydia soon after he came to this country. He owned land just outside Hays in a town called Victoria. He slapped the guest on the back and then introduced him to Laura and Jesse.

  “I hope you don’t mind, my brother Newell is visiting from England. I invited him to join us so he could meet you and most of the town at the same time.”

  Jesse and Laura welcomed Newell warmly. Newell then joined the table where the Duttons and Redfields sat.

  Silas and Cassie held hands beneath the table and kept giving each other significant looks and smiles. Jesse whispered to Laura, “I think there will be another wedding soon.”

  Laura also glanced at Silas and Cassie. “I agree. I think Silas is a fine man for Cassie.”

  “As do I,” Jesse said.

  “Well, will you look at that?” whispered Laura. “Elizabeth didn’t waste any time; she is flirting with Newell Grandville already.”

  “If she behaves, he would be perfect for her. He’s rich, titled, and quite pampered.”

  “How do you know all that? We just met him,” whispered Laura.

  “I know Geoffrey.”

  “The Duttons seem pleasant.”

  “They own the town bake shop, and they brought us the lovely wedding cake.”

  “It’s gorgeous! I wondered who’d made it. Meg couldn’t have hidden a cake that big.” She looked around, “What about the Redfields? I rather like Kate. She seems down to earth and friendly.”

  “Kate came here from somewhere in the east to teach school and ended up married to Josh. Josh owns the lumberyard.”

  “I think I will love living here,” Laura whispered.

  Jesse leaned close to her and whispered in her ear, “How soon do you suppose it would be proper to leave?”

  “Leave?” Laura looked at him curiously.

  “I’ve rented a hotel room in Hays for a whole week. I promise; you won’t see the light of day for the whole time.”

  Laura blushed. “How wonderful! I wondered how we would ever get any privacy for our wedding night in there,” she nodded at the house.

  “Exactly.”

  “I think we should at least wait until we cut and serve the cake,” she laughed.

  Jesse pulled her up, and dragged her to the cake, “Let’s get it done.”

  12

  “Jesse, it’s perfect!” exclaimed Laura with a silent clap. “Can we go inside?”

  “Of course, it’s our home… even if it isn’t finished yet.” He led her up the front steps.

  The one-level log cabin stood between two large elder trees. The outside appeared finished but the inside remained rough.

  They walked through what would be the kitchen. Two large windows, over where the sink would be, allowed the sun to brighten the whole room. What would be the living room featured a large field stone fireplace that dominated the room.

  “Jesse, I love how the fireplace turned out.”

  “It looks cozy, doesn’t it?” Jesse pressed on walls and trim. “I’m pleased, it’s very sturdy.”

  “I told Jonas I wanted plenty of windows, and I’m so pleased with the light flowing in.” Laura looked out a back window. “What about a barn and cattle? We don’t have any yet?”

  “Ma’s giving us a third of her cattle, and we’ll build a barn quickly enough. Reverend McCarty said he could get together a crew that can raise one in a weekend.”

  “Everything seems so perfect,” she sighed. “Can we go home…? I mean to Ma and Cassie’s? I’m anxious to see them. It’s been over a week.”

  Jesse pulled her close and kissed her passionately on the lips. “Do we have to?”

  “First kiss in our new home,” she smiled up at him.

  “And not nearly the last.”

  After the greetings, Ma waved a letter in the air. “For you Laura.”

  Laura took the letter and examined the outside. “It’s from Samuel Morgan, Esquire.”

  Jesse looked at the envelope. “The lawyer.”

  Laura ripped it open and scanned the letter. “Oh dear!”

  “What?” Jesse asked, trying to look over her shoulder.

  “He’s coming here! He thinks I’m the one he’s looking for.”

  “How does he know?” Jesse asked.

  “I told him I didn’t have a birth certificate.”

  Jesse put the letter back into the envelope. “Let’s just forget about it. When he gets here, we’ll find out.”

  “I’m frightened, Jesse,” she shivered.

  He wrapped his arms around her. “It will be fine. Let’s not worry and spoil the first weeks of our marriage.”

  She smiled up at him. “All right.”

  Meg said, “I hate to break this up, but I want you to tag the cattle you’ll be taking. My figures say you should take sixty head.”

  “Ma, I’ll take any sixty. They are all good stock. My question to you is who will take care of your herd? I can do both for a while, but…”

  “Cassie will; she’s almost as good as you are with the cattle. I’ll be fine, just finish that fence.”

  “I’m almost finished.” He cuffed Laura on the chin. “Think you can part with me for a few hours while I work on the fence?

  S
he nodded. “But it will feel strange after being with you for so many days. Hurry back.”

  When Jesse left, Laura turned to Meg. “So how is the romance with Cassie and Silas coming along?”

  “He’s here a lot. I like him. And Cassie is happy all the time.” Meg smiled, “We’ll be getting news soon I imagine.”

  Laura smiled. “I’m so happy, and I want her to be as well.”

  A week later, Laura and Jesse prepared to go into town to pick out furniture for their new house when a rented carriage drove up the path. Curious, they approached the vehicle. The man inside struggled to get out of the carriage. Jesse ran to assist him, but the man politely refused his help.

  “I can manage.” The man appeared to be advanced in age, and he walked using a cane.

  “I’m fine. I'm fine,” he kept repeating. “I have a bad leg, and this carriage is much higher than the buggy I use at home.”

  The man stood before them, and all Laura and Jesse could do was stare. Jesse wondered if he should know this man. Laura wondered if this was someone from Hays that she hadn’t yet met.

  The mystery man pulled out a pair of wire-rimmed spectacles and put them on. “Of course, you are wondering who I am.” He laughed. “Let me introduce myself. I’m Sam Morgan.”

  “Oh, Mr. Morgan! Do come inside,” welcomed Laura.

  Jesse prepared to help him up the steps, but the man waved his help away and managed just fine leaning heavily on his cane. Jesse thought him to be about sixty.

  Once settled in the living room, Sam said, “I’m Dugan MacDonald’s attorney… or rather I was. He died five years ago and I’m trying to settle his estate. I hope you received my letter.”

  “Just last week,” Laura said.

  “Well, sometimes people travel faster than mail these days.”

  “Dugan?” asked Laura. “Did you say you were Dugan MacDonald’s attorney?”

  “Yes, I believe him to be your father.”

  “But I have no birth records.” She looked at Jesse hesitantly.

  “Not needed,” Morgan said brusquely. “You look too much like Dugan to not be his daughter. Besides in two years no one else has responded to the ad.”

  Laura gasped. “I look like Dugan?”

  “Oh, yes!” replied Morgan. “He had flaming red hair and his wife’s hair, he said, was the color of a canary.”

  “What was her name?” Laura asked excitedly.

  “I have to think… she died in 1864. I’m thinking Mary, Margaret, or Martha.” He put his finger to his chin. “No wait… or was it Mary Margaret? Her last name started with an O’… something or other. An Irish lass, to be sure. I have it written down somewhere.”

  Laura squeezed Jesse’s hand. “This is so exciting. Never having had a family and now hearing I do have one and hearing their names, is astonishing. I want to know as much as you can tell me.”

  “All right. Dugan worked in the Pennsylvania coalmines after arriving from Scotland. He barely escaped a mine accident and was determined to get out of the mines but had no other skills. He met and married his wife, then moved to Boston. He worked for a livery, cleaning up after horses, which was not his idea of a career. That’s when he decided to join a friend and go to California and pan for gold. His wife became pregnant with their first baby, and he had hopes of hitting it rich to support his growing family. As his wife was only two months along, he figured he’d have time to prosper and return before the babe arrived.

  Morgan removed his glasses and cleaned them with his tie. “Well, Dugan’s luck wasn’t good, and he had a hard time finding the money to return to Boston. When he finally got there, his wife and baby were gone. His wife, neighbors informed him, died days after giving birth. The baby was left with a neighbor who had nine children to feed. She pinned a note to a basket, put the baby inside, and left it on some church steps, and by then he couldn’t remember the name of the church. But he claimed he’d know how to get to it. The note had the baby’s name, Laura Ann MacDonald written on it. Dugan had intentions of claiming the baby but thought to himself, ‘What would I do with a child?’ So he decided since he knew the location of the child, he would go back to California and return when he had enough gold to give the baby a good life.”

  He replaced his spectacles. “Well, he finally did hit it rich, and that’s when he hired me to see to his interests. He hit a large mine in the far northwest corner of California. With my help, he filed the claim, and had every intention of returning to Boston and his daughter, until he fell ill with tuberculosis. He made me promise I’d move heaven and earth to find his daughter and give her the money. I had to use quite a bit of the money to find you, of course. However, the rest is yours. I brought a check with me.”

  Laura and Jesse sat speechless.

  “I did, however, take my salary out of the money as he instructed. However, there is still enough to keep you two comfortable for life.” He stood and reached into his inside breast pocket and withdrew an envelope. He handed it to Laura. “I have fulfilled my obligation, and I feel as though a weight has been lifted from my shoulders.” He smiled. “And I know I’ve found the right person.”

  Laura nodded. “I was told I’d been left in a basket with my name pinned to it. You have no idea how thrilling it is to know my full name, Laura Ann and my birthdate is February 10th, 1864. I lived all these years without that knowledge. And now I even know my father’s name and story.”

  “Oh, which reminds me.” He fished into his briefcase, took out a folded paper and scanned it. “Your mother’s name was Margaret Mary O’Reilly.”

  Laura squeezed Jesse’s hand. “I’m no longer an orphan. I had parents, and our mothers shared the name Margaret.” Laura wondered if they had called her mother Meg too.

  As planned, Jesse and Laura rode into town that afternoon to pick out furniture, but first they deposited the check into their account. They proceeded to the general mercantile owned by a man named Krueger. They’d thought to have to bargain and select basic furnishings; but now they could select whatever they wanted, thanks to Dugan MacDonald.

  Jesse went along with whatever Laura wanted, but he wasn’t happy about her inheritance. He felt it his job to support his wife. He kept silent, but now as she selected one after another expensive and lavish furnishings. He could no longer keep silent.

  He took her by the shoulders and gently turned her to face him. “We need to talk, Laura.”

  “Of course,” she answered. “As soon as we pick out the…”

  “No!” he interrupted. “Now.”

  “You look so serious. Is something wrong?” she asked innocently.

  “Yes, very wrong,” he answered. “Let’s go out to the wagon.”

  “But...”

  “Now, Laura.”

  When they were seated in the wagon, Laura said, “Now we can buy a fancy buggy!”

  Jesse sighed, “Laura I don’t want that money.”

  “What?” she couldn’t believe she’d heard him right.

  “I don’t want the money. I want to provide for my wife and family. I feel emasculated.”

  “Jesse, I don’t even know what that means.”

  “I feel less a man.” He took her face and held it with both hands. “I love you, but I don’t want the money.”

  Laura contemplated his words. “I understand,” she said slowly, “so… what do we do with it?”

  “We could keep it in the bank for our children. Maybe we could send them to college, so they’d have a better life. I’ve worked hard to reach financial security, so I could provide for a family. I want nothing better than to continue working diligently to earn my money. I don’t want brand-new expensive furnishings or buggies.”

  Laura put her arms around Jesse’s neck and kissed him. “I’m sorry, Jesse. I got carried away.”

  He kissed her back. “It’s understandable, I suppose.”

  “I like the idea of saving it for our children.” She smiled. “Thank you for being the sensible one.”
>
  They went back into the store and selected good quality but practical furnishings, and they were happy and proud of what they’d purchased.

  13

  Before church the following Sunday, Reverend McCarty approached Laura and Jesse. “How are the newlyweds?”

  Jesse put his arm around Laura, “We are doing well.”

  “I have twelve men coming to raise your barn next Saturday: Dutton, Grandville, Redfield, Groom, Kessler, Haun, Balcomb, Smith, Martin, Arnold, Downing, and Goodall. And of course, yours truly.”

  “That’s wonderful!” Jesse said, shaking his hand. “Meg, Cassie and Laura will make sure you all have enough to eat.”

  “I also have news for you, Laura. We have an Orphan Train due on Wednesday. Can you see how many families you can find willing to take in orphans?”

  “I will!” Laura’s eyes lit up with excitement. “I’ll start today.”

  “And I will help you by announcing the need after the sermon, and asking anyone interested to contact you. All right?”

  “Wonderful.” She smiled brightly.

  Jesse added, “And I will talk to Charles Miller and place an ad in this week’s newspaper.”

  Laura looked up at Jesse. “What a great idea! I’m so excited. I am thrilled to be able to give orphans a family to grow up in.”

  “Are you wishing you’d had that opportunity?” he asked.

  “I do, but... things worked out more than perfect for me.” She smiled.

  After the service, two people stopped Laura and asked about the Orphan Train. A man named Nellis, and his wife wanted an infant, as they hadn’t been able to have children of their own.

  “We’d give an infant or toddler more than just a home. We'd love him like our own,” Mrs. Nellis said.

  Laura took down the information and promised to see what she could do. Then, a Mr. Schaeffer asked about getting a lad to help on his sheep farm. “I’d give him his own room in the attic and food, in return for help on the farm. We have four daughters all under the age of six. They’d love a big brother.”