by Emma Ashwood
They drove back to the ranch in silence.
Chapter 17
11 July 1882, San Antonio, Texas
Annie stood in front of the church and drew in a deep breath. She wore the white dress Cassidy had helped her sew, and on it was her mother’s brooch and around her neck she wore her mother’s necklace. She hadn’t felt this close to her mother since the morning her mother had gifted her the jewelry on her death bed. Carson and Daphne were already inside the chapel, but Annie waited outside for their signal along with her bridesmaids, Cassidy and Bonnie.
It was the happiest day of her life and yet this morning a dark cloud had settled over her. She had gone to find Cassidy only to find the sisters in deep hushed conversation. It had taken them a moment before they revealed the cause of their worry to Annie.
She had finally found the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Carson was exactly the man she had dreamed of marrying, and she knew she would never regret coming to San Antonio. In fact she had thanked Cassidy and Bonnie for acting on their brother’s behalf numerous times over the last two weeks. They were as happy as could be and today they would be married, but in two weeks they would be homeless.
Annie swallowed past the lump in her throat as the preacher opened the large ornate wooden doors to the chapel. “We’re ready.”
Annie smiled knowing she was doing the right thing, but she couldn’t help but feel that her life was doomed. Why did it seem the bad luck followed her wherever she went? The girls had insisted Carson shouldn’t know they had told her about his financial troubles, but it weighed heavily on her mind.
She reached for the pearl necklace and took a deep breath as she started down the aisle. A quick glance over shoulder at Cassidy and Bonnie warmed her heart. They might have interfered and fooled her by luring her to San Antonio, but she had never been more grateful to them. Cassidy wore a pale purple dress that suited her complexion perfectly. Bonnie wore a light blue dress of the same style which she insisted she would keep forever. Although they weren’t family yet, Cassidy and Bonnie already felt like the sisters she had never had.
Annie turned back and glanced towards the front of the church. Although there was a heavy cloud over the joy of their wedding day, Annie’s heart swelled with love.
Carson stood at the front of the church with the preacher by his side. He had bought a new suit for the occasion and he had never looked more handsome that he did right now. The smile on his face revealed the love he had declared for her that morning in front of the train station. Annie’s heart fluttered in her chest knowing that God would help them find a way, when suddenly a thought occurred to her.
For the first time Annie really smiled on her wedding day, because she had a plan to save the ranch and her future with Carson. The ceremony was short, but so heartfelt that Daphne dabbed at her eyes numerous times as the preacher read words from the scripture about love and two souls becoming one.
By the time the preacher announced them man and wife, Annie was giddy with excitement to share her plan with Carson. They walked out of the church as husband and wife and as soon as they stopped outside, Annie knew it was time to tell her new husband that she could save the ranch.
“I can’t believe we’re married,” Carson said looking at her lovingly.
Annie smiled broadly. “Neither can I. Carson…” Annie glanced at Cassidy and Bonnie who stood beside their mother. “I know you didn’t want me to know, at least not yet, but I know about the bank in Fort Worth calling in their loan.”
Carson’s eyes darkened as he looked to Cassidy. “I asked you not to ruin this day.”
Annie shook her head. “It’s not ruined. In fact, it’s saved.” She undid the clasp on the necklace and took off the brooch before handing them to Carson. “Our future is on the ranch. It’s where your father wanted you to raise your family. Use this to save the ranch.”
Carson took a step back. “Annie, you told me yourself that’s all you have left of your mother.”
Annie smiled and stepped forward, dropping them in his hands. “Carson, my mother wanted me to be happy. You make me happy. I have no doubt that she would have agreed if selling these could secure our future, I should do it.”
Cassidy and Bonnie stepped closer and looked at Annie. “Are you sure?” Cassidy asked.
Annie nodded. “I am.”
“Annie, we can’t expect you to pay our debts,” Daphne said from beside her.
“I agree. We got ourselves into this mess and we’ll find a way out. Even if that means we lose the ranch,” Carson insisted.
Annie shook her head before she stepped forward and framed Carson’s face. “Carson, we’re married now. What’s mine is yours. If you won’t sell them, just point me in the direction of the closest merchant and I’ll sell them myself.”
Carson let out a heavy sigh before giving Annie a smacking kiss. “I knew you were too good to be true.”
Annie laughed. “That might be so, but I promise you I do have my flaws.”
Carson shook his head. “I doubt that very much because right now you’re my hero.”
“Come, let’s take it to old Simon over at the general store. He’ll give us a good price for them,” Bonnie piped up. “He’s been a friend of the family for years.”
Together, the Evans family headed to the general store. Wedding celebrations could wait. Right now they had a ranch to save and a means to do it.
Chapter 18
12 July 1882, San Antonio, Texas
Indeed, old Simon was a very good friend of the family. Good enough to tell Carson that he could not afford jewelry of that caliber. After much debate and back and forth on how they could use the jewels to save the ranch, Simon finally offered up an idea. He had a friend on the East Coast who traded in jewelry of high quality. He promised to send his friend a telegram to ask whether he might be in a position to sell it on their behalf. In the meantime he urged Annie to produce the will as proof that she owned the jewels.
They had returned to the ranch and enjoyed a small wedding feast, but everyone was clearly preoccupied wondering whether Simon would be able to help them sell the jewels that would save the ranch. Cassidy and Bonnie moved Annie’s belongings into Carson’s room, while the newlywed couple watched the sunset from the porch.
“I hope Simon can help us in time,” Annie said with a heavy sigh. “Cassidy said you had two weeks?”
“That’s what Mr. White said. If Simon’s friend can help, we can maybe arrange for the jewels to go East with a mail-rider.”
“Will it get there in time? What if it doesn’t sell in time?” Annie asked.
Carson reached for her hand and squeezed it tightly. “Annie, God always has a plan. I firmly believe that although my sisters played their part, you were sent here by God. I also believe that God will help us find a way out of this mess.”
It was their wedding night but neither felt celebratory as they sat on the porch and worried about the ranch.
“Tomorrow morning we can take the will to Simon. Hopefully he would have heard back from his friend on the East Coast by then,” Carson offered when he realized Annie’s mind was still on saving the ranch.
Annie nodded. “I hope so.”
Bonnie joined them on the porch and handed a jewelry box over to Annie. “Here, I thought you might want to put this away yourself.”
Annie smiled. “Thank you. It seems you’re in a quite a rush to get your room back,” she teased Bonnie.
Bonnie shrugged. “No, but I think moving your things is the least we can do. Especially if you can save the ranch.”
“We’re going to save the ranch together,” Annie said with an encouraging smile as she accepted the jewelry box. She took off the necklace and the brooch that Simon insisted she keep until he heard from his friend on the East Coast, and she opened the jewelry box.
She carefully placed them inside on the velvet innards with a heavy sigh.
Carson turned to her with a curious look. “What’s
that scrap of paper?”
Annie shrugged, taking it out. “It’s just the will confirming the jewels are mine.” She handed it to Carson to read.
“What else was in the box?” Carson asked with a frown when he returned the will to her.
Annie shook her head. “Nothing. Just the brooch and the necklace. Why?”
Carson shrugged. “No reason. It’s just the will states that the contents of the jewelry box belong to you. I just thought there might have been something more.”
Annie frowned and opened the will to read it again. She had never really read it carefully since her mother’s death. Indeed, Carson was right. It stated that the contents of the jewelry box belonged to Annie. “It was only the brooch and the necklace. But maybe Damien…” she trailed off when Carson reached for the box with a curious look.
“Annie, who fixed the box?”
“No one, it was never broken,” Annie said, wondering what Carson was on about. She didn’t care about the few cracks and worn through patches of velvet. It had been the last gft from her mother before her death, and although she couldn’t pass the contents down to her children, she could keep the box for her daughter.
“Look here,” Carson said touched a corner of the box where the velvet and the smooth wood met. “It looks like it’s been glued.”
“It was probably glued,” Annie said a little irritably.
A smile curved Carson’s mouth as he turned the box this way and that before carefully lifting the corner of the velvet.
“Carson, you’re ruining it!” Annie cried out but Carson didn’t stop. He reached underneath the corner and Annie heard a click. “Now you broke it!” Annie’s voice cracked with anger.
Carson shook his head. “I didn’t break it, Annie, I found the latch for the concealed base.”
“There is no concealed base,” Annie insisted when before her very eyes Carson carefully lifted the jewelry box to reveal a hidden compartment which Annie had never known about. “What… I….” Annie fumbled, baffled.
Carson smiled at her. “Here, why don’t you take a look what’s inside?”
Annie reached for the box and very carefully opened the secret compartment. Her breath caught in her throat at the contents. “Carson, look!”
She carefully took out the contents and held them out to Carson.
Carson’s eyes widened with surprise. “Annie, did you know about this money?”
“I didn’t even know about the compartment, never mind the money,” Annie said as Carson began counting. “How much is it?”
Carson laughed, shaking his head. “Annie, there’s more than three times what we have to pay the bank in three weeks.”
Annie frowned. “That can’t be.” She took the money from Carson and began counting. True enough the amount he mentioned was correct. “Thank you, Mother,” she cried out to the starry sky above.
Carson chuckled. “Thank You, Lord.”
“We’ll pay the bank and we can repair the cabin and we can buy you that mare you’ve been talking of to breed with your stallion.”
Carson smiled at her with so much love and relief. “Annie, it’s your money you should keep some of it.”
Annie shook her head. “I have everything I need right here.”
“You know I was watching you that day,” Carson suddenly said with a grin.
“What day?” Annie asked with a frown.
“The day you walked into the bull’s paddock. I was on the ridge and knew you were in trouble. For a moment I considered just letting him get to you but then something changed my mind. I watched you stand in the meadow picking spring blooms and holding your face to the sun as if appreciating every breath you took. I knew then I was in trouble.”
Annie chuckled. “Not as much trouble as I was in when I heard the bull charging at me.”
“Yep, it was a close call. But we made it. I have no doubt we’re going to have more close calls in future, but at least we’ll have each other.” Carson slipped an arm around her shoulder, the jewelry box with its contents nestled in her lap.
“We will. Carson, do you think we can put a roof on the porch?” Annie asked leaning into his embrace.
“A porch roof? What an absurd suggestion. Why would you want a roof, then you can’t see the stars and feel the breeze?” Carson said, clearly baffled.
Annie laughed as she turned to him. “Because then I can sit here, rain or shine and dream about our future together.”
“The porch will have a roof!” Carson announced. “Come on, Mrs. Evans, let’s go see what my sisters have done this time.”
Annie laughed as she followed Carson into the house. Somehow she had just saved the ranch, contributed towards their future and found the love of her life. Even Daphne hadn’t taken to bed in more than a week and although no one mentioned it, it seemed she had made a miraculous recovery.
A contented sigh escaped her as she stepped inside. It was good to know she had found the place where she wanted to spend the rest of her life. The place where she would raise her children, the place where she would grow old with the man she loved. She turned to Carson with a smile. “Should we tell your sisters?”
Carson shook his head as he scooped her up. “No. It’s time we celebrated our wedding and stopped thinking about the ranch.”
Epilogue
4 July 1885, San Antonio, Texas
Annie sat beneath the covered porch, sipping sun tea with Daphne by her side. It was a beautiful summer’s day and what made the day more special was that both Cassidy and Bonnie would soon be coming to visit.
Beside the barn she could see Carson teaching their daughter, Dakota, how to ride and her heart swelled. Dakota had been born a little more than ten months after their wedding day. Annie had been so certain that Carson would be disappointed that their first born wasn’t a little boy, but he had been over the moon to have a little girl. A smile curved Annie’s mouth as she watched her husband and daughter when Daphne suddenly interrupted her thoughts.
“They should be here any moment now. How are you feeling?” Daphne asked. Somehow, not even the doctor was sure how Daphne had made her miraculous recovery. She was in better health than ever before and played an active part in raising her granddaughter.
Annie frowned as she glanced at her mother in law. “What do you mean?”
“I mean,” Daphne began with a cocked brow. “How are you feeling this morning? You might be able to fool Carson, but not me. I know you haven’t been eating in the mornings. I also noticed you’ve been joining Dakota for her afternoon nap.”
Annie gasped. “You know?”
Daphne laughed. “A woman always knows. How far along are you?”
“Not long,” Annie said shaking her head. “A month, maybe more. I haven’t told Carson yet.”
“Why on earth haven’t you told him? That man would be overjoyed to know you’re with child again.”
Annie cocked a brow. “Really, you can’t imagine why I haven’t told him yet? He all but wrapped me up in cotton wool the last time. I was hoping for a few more weeks of being a normal wife and mother before Carson forced me to rest.”
“He cares,” Daphne said with a warm smile. “Do you know what my biggest fear was when they girls told me what they had done?”
“No?” Annie didn’t even notice her hand was now resting on her stomach.
“That Carson couldn’t love. He’d never been an affectionate person, not even as a boy. I was so afraid that he’d never find a wife, a family. But then you came along. He was terrible to be around those first few weeks. I kept wondering if it was because he couldn’t stand you or because he didn’t know how to show you that he cared.”
Annie laughed. “We’ve spoken about it a lot over the years. Luckily he saw the light.”
“You brought him light. You’ve made my son so happy and if it hadn’t been for your encouragement, my girls would both have become spinsters.”
“They wrote to their husbands all on their own,” Annie
clarified.
Daphne nodded. “I know that. But it was your happiness with Carson that made them decide to become mail order brides. I’m just glad they found husbands in Texas. I couldn’t stand not seeing them for long stretches.”
Cassidy had married a merchant in a small town not far from San Antonio and Bonnie had fallen in love with a rancher. Both were married now. Although Cassidy already had her first child, Bonnie was still hoping to be blessed with a baby.
“Everything happens for a reason,” Annie said with a smile. “I still can’t believe that a little more than three years ago I was in Boston, terrified of Damien forcing me to marry him.”
“And now you’ve got a little girl with another babe on the way. I don’t think I ever thanked you.”
Annie clucked her tongue. “Daphne, if you thank me one more time for saving the ranch…”
Daphne laughed. “Not for saving the ranch. For insisting on a covered porch. I always loved the porch. But in summer the sun scalded you and in winter you froze. This is the best thing you’ve done since you arrived on the ranch.”
Just then Dakota rushed up the porch and straight into her grandmother’s waiting arms. “Oh and this, I like what you’ve done with this one as well,” Daphne said winking at Annie who merely smiled.
“Grandma, can we make a cake for when Aunt Bonnie and Aunt Cassidy come?” Dakota asked eagerly.
Daphne stood up and smiled at Annie. “We’re going to bake a cake. Why don’t you tell Carson your news?”
Annie smiled as Daphne led her daughter into the house. Carson was short on Dakota’s heels. He stepped onto the porch and briefly kissed Annie’s cheek before taking a seat beside her. “That filly is going to be my prize mare,” he said glancing at the foal and its mother in the field yonder.
Annie laughed. “You said that with the last filly as well.”
