Jake hugged her close, and nuzzled the nape of her neck. "Thank you, Mrs. Stark, for marrying me. I love you."
She blinked back moisture full of love. "I love you, Jake Stark, and thank you. You have given me joy that I didn't realize I was missing in life until you came along."
"Maxine?" a gruff voice behind her said.
She turned to find an older couple standing off to the side. They were dressed in well-made, expensive-looking city clothes. Something about them seemed very familiar. A memory from long ago flashed through her mind. Although her mind still have to catch up to the conclusion she'd come to, she still said, "Grandma? Grandpa?"
"Yes, munchkin," her grandpa replied, calling her by the familiar endearment that he'd used when she'd been a young girl. "It's us."
Her eyes swelled with moisture. In shock, wonder, she glanced up at Jake.
Her husband hugged her close, his silver eyes shining with love and joy ... for her.
After embracing them both, she returned to Jake's arms, her rock, her stalwart. Swallowing in an attempt to moisten a mouth that had suddenly gone dry, she could only croak out, "How? Why?"
Grandma Sweeten seemed to know what it was she asked. "We thought you had died with your parents. And we knew the terms of their will. That if you survived, you would get their inheritance. If you didn't, your inheritance was supposed to go to charity since we certainly didn't need the monies."
"But Mr. Penham, Da's partner at the magazine, knew I was alive."
Her grandpa's lips pressed together into a thin line. "Yes, he did. This Bad Brad fellow who has been parading as your uncle, bribed him to lie to us and anybody who asked about you. Bicknell gave Penham one third of your inheritance as hush money."
"So how did you find out about me?"
Grandma's eyes shone as bright as Roxanne's chocolate-covered bonbons. "He's over sixty years old now, and said he couldn't keep the secret anymore, especially since you were to be married and would start a family of your own."
Grandpa actually chuckled. "Yes, it was a good thing that you told him of the embezzlement of your inheritance, and that you assured him that you didn't blame him. Too, that you informed him of the wedding."
She tilted her head in confusion.
"In other words," Grandpa continued, "your sweetness and good-heartedness caused Penham such guilt that it drove him to confess everything."
"But I didn't tell him about the wedding. Nor did I tell him that I found out about the theft of my inheritance." Suspicion had her turning her head to look up at Jake.
"Alright, I confess," he said with his hands in the air. "I knew that Penham would have been in contact with somebody from your family. You made me into a better man with your spicy sweetness, so I tried the technique on your father's former partner by pretending to be you when I sent the telegraph."
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, bewildered, awed, and not quite believing any of it.
His brows shot up in worry. "Because I didn't want your heart to be broken all over again if my ruse didn't work."
Grandpa Sweeten cleared his throat. "I'll have you both know that Eugene Penham is willing to face a court of law, but he is hoping you won't press charges since he has fallen ill with tuberculosis and doesn't have much longer to live. In recompense, he has signed over the whole magazine business to you, Maxine."
"He has?" Maxine wasn't sure how she felt about that.
"The degree of your involvement with the magazine is up to you," her grandpa informed her. "However, I think you will like the staff. They are good, artistic people who love their jobs."
Her mind was whirling with possibilities. "Jake and I have been operating the miner hat shop and factory this past month. And we're going to rename it to Stark's Miner Hat Factory and Shop." She glanced up at Jake. "But I would like to contribute an article with pictures of wild animals once or twice a year. We could travel to other parts of America in memory of my father."
"I would like that," Jake simply said.
"What about Whisper Railroad?" Roxanne asked, who had been eavesdropping.
"Oh, that company went defunct," Maxine replied with a chuckle.
Jake stiffened. "When did you find out?"
"Shortly after you brought Varney to me."
"That early?" his tone full of wonder. "Why didn't you confront me?"
She smiled, not knowing how else to explain. "Because deep down I knew you were my soul mate. And, in my heart, I trusted you— although my mind had catch up with the conclusion my heart had made. I wanted to see how everything turned out. And everything turned out just fine."
"Yes, my love. I thank my lucky stars because you have just sweetened a swindler."
ATHERTON WINSLETT WATCHED the newlyweds, satisfied that once again he did well, matching up the perfect couple. Yes, his small town of Blessings was truly blessed.
NOTE: Thank you for purchasing this book. If you enjoyed Maxine and Jake's story, help others find and enjoy this book, too, by doing the following:
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Continue reading in the Brides of Blessings series by purchasing Lynn Winchester's next book. Here is an excerpt: https://www.lynnwinchester.com/coming-soon.html
About the Author
Besides writing, I love exploring historical places, reading old documents/records, visiting cemeteries and historical buildings, and finding unique antique gadgets that never gained popularity with the public, which is all fodder for my stories. There's no better way to explore a countryside, village or city than while gripping the handlebars of a bicycle, in my opinion.
I adore education, and wanted to be a lifetime student—which is evident since I have two Bachelor's degrees and a Master's degree. Even though I had to quit college, I continue to study my fiction-writing craft. Learning enhances my imagination and adds texture and depth to my worlds. My love is writing romance novels or novels with romantic elements. My voice tends to lean toward the sensual side. Too, fantasy world-building is what gets my blood pumping and my creative juices flowing. So, I hope you will follow me into my fantasy romance realms.
I have five fully-written and edited sexy Regency romances which will be published soon: three that are fantasy and two that are straight Regencies.
Spicer Road is a Regency series set in Northern Wales, with a mystery usually involved. The characters are connected by a road that runs through the fictitious village of Fiesting, and other bergs. There is an eccentric character who appears in each book and bridges Spicer Road to my other series called Phase Society, which are Paranormal Regencies with a world full of magical creatures. To find out more, please go to http://dallisadams.com. There you can sign-up for my newsletter. You can also sign up for my blog. Thanks for your support.
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Sweeten the Swindler Page 11
