“What in the name of God have you done, Caleb? If it wasn’t for Ma needing to come in to see old Dr. Jacobs this morning, we wouldn’t have even known Fae was leaving.”
“I’m not in the mood to talk to you, or anyone else for that matter. So turn around and get out of here before I throw you out.”
Colt stormed in and stood in front of him, obviously not afraid of his threat. “Listen, I have no idea what happened between you two, and quite frankly I don’t care. I know you’ve done some things that you seem to think make you some kind of worthless swine, but no matter what you think about yourself, Fae never saw you like that. And I think it’s time you stopped feeling sorry for yourself and blaming your father and brother, and everyone else around you for everything that happens.”
“Colt, you have no idea what’s happened. So, I suggest you head on home before I stand up and show you just how much I appreciate your advice right now.” Caleb looked out the window to the now empty platform, hoping if he ignored his friend long enough, he would finally leave.
“You’re a fool.”
Caleb slowly turned his eyes to look at Colt. “What did you say?” Most men would be shaking in their boots by now at the tone on Caleb’s voice. But Colt leaned closer and looked him straight in the eye.
“I said, you’re a fool.”
Caleb stood up and faced him, but Colt still didn’t back down. “You can keep acting like your worthless, and not need to take any responsibility for anything that happens in your life, or you can get on your horse and go get your wife before it’s too late.”
“She wouldn’t come back with me, even if I did. You don’t know what happened. It can’t be fixed.” He started to turn away, but Colt grabbed his shoulder.
“Listen, I know what it’s like to be left. I know what it feels like to be betrayed. But the thing is, Fae loves you, and it’s as clear as the scowl on your face that you love her too. Don’t throw everything away without at least trying. Trust me, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”
Caleb went to the window and stared over at the boardinghouse. “What if she won’t listen? I already tried to explain it to her.”
“Well then, you make her listen. Fae is a stubborn woman, but she’s got a good heart. Just tell her the truth. Tell her you love her. If she still leaves, at least you know you tried.”
Caleb turned to look at Colt, suddenly feeling like his friend might just be right. “For an ornery old cuss, you’re sure full of advice about love.”
“Never speak of this again. I don’t want anyone to see my softer side.” Colt pushed him toward the door. “My horse is saddled up out front. Hurry up before they get too far ahead.”
Caleb didn’t hesitate as he raced around and threw himself into the saddle. As he kicked in his heels, taking off down the street in a cloud of dust, he sent up a prayer that Fae would listen to him.
He decided then and there, even if she didn’t, he would at least tell her he loved her. And even if she could never forgive him, he wanted her to know that when she left, she would have his heart forever.
Chapter 18
Fae stared out the window toward the schoolhouse in the distance as they made their way down the road out of town. The freshly hung shutters could be seen next to the clear glass of the windows reflecting in the sunlight. She could see the bell tower and wished she could have been here to listen to it ring to announce the first day of school beginning. But she knew Winnie would take care of everything and make sure the school got off to a good start, even without her there.
And she was certain Madam Wigg would still be willing to fund the school once she got back home and explained everything. Fae had done as she’d been told to do and that was to set up a place where every child could receive an education. Wiggie would be happy about that and hopefully, the money she provided would be enough to keep it running for a while anyway. Now that they most likely wouldn’t be getting anything from Caleb, the school might have to rely more on donations from the townsfolk.
As soon as she thought about him, pain shot through her chest. She’d been so happy when he’d offered to help with the school, then saying he’d donate money when he got it from the estate. What a fool she’d been. He’d only been saying what he thought would make him look good in the moment, and he likely never had any intention of following through.
She watched the long prairie grass blow in the breeze of the stagecoach passing and remembered how just a few short weeks ago she’d arrived here so full of hope. Everything was greener now as the season turned into summer and trees that they passed were filled with leaves. It was such a beautiful sight and she wished she could take it all back with her. While she would be happy to be back where she was familiar, with Madam Wigg and the other girls who were still at the orphanage, she wasn’t looking forward to being back in the city. After being in the open prairies with the fresh air and peacefulness surrounding her, it was going to be hard to get used to the noise and dirtiness of New York again.
There was just one other passenger today, an older woman from town who was going to Brookings to visit with family. Fae smiled over at her as she tried to let on her heart wasn’t broken into a thousand pieces.
“The way this coach is bouncing, it’ll be a miracle if my old bones don’t end up breaking before we even make it to Brookings. Honestly, you’d think someone could build a more comfortable way to ride.”
They hit another large hole in the road, causing the stagecoach to lurch to the side, throwing Fae against the wall. She laughed softly and nodded her head. “Well, it’ll be a miracle if both of us don’t end up with serious injury.”
The woman gave her a smile, then tilted her head slightly. “Are you the young lady who came out here to marry Caleb Bailey? I’m sure I remember seeing you in the back of the mercantile when I came in a while back. I’ve heard everyone in town talking about you and how you’ve been getting that school back up and running.”
Fae looked out the window for a moment, trying to think about what to say. When she looked back, she gave the woman a sad smile. “Yes, I’m Fae Bailey. I might remember you coming into the store, but there have been so many people to meet while I was there, I’m having a hard time recalling people’s names.”
“I’m Widow Perkins. I’m good friends with Winnie Hammond. I noticed you all were saying goodbye at the boardinghouse and Winnie looked positively distraught. She barely even noticed me standing there. Are you not planning on coming back to Promise?”
Fae could see how the two women would be friends. There weren’t many older women who’d trek off on their own like this, so she was obviously just as feisty as Winnie. And the way her eyes were locked on hers, Fae knew she wasn’t one to keep her thoughts to herself.
“Well, no. I’m afraid things haven’t worked out, so I’m moving back to New York.” She didn’t owe this woman any more of an explanation.
“Nonsense, how can you be leaving your husband behind, not to mention a home in Promise? There aren’t many towns around like that one, I can assure you of that.”
“There are some things I’ve found out that lead me to believe my marriage might have been a mistake. It wasn’t ever supposed to be real.” It was going to be a long ride to Brookings if this woman was going to keep prying into her personal life.
“Fiddlesticks. I was only in that store for a brief moment and even I could see the way that young man was looking at you when you weren’t looking. I can’t see how a marriage with two people who love each other could ever be a mistake.”
Fae decided not to answer, hoping the woman would take the hint and stop talking. It really wasn’t any of her business. And Fae was sure if Caleb had been looking at her, it was more likely because he was thinking what a fool she was to have believed he’d actually sent for her and wanted her there.
Suddenly, a loud shout came from behind the stagecoach. Fae had heard stories of robberies out here in the west and immediately her eyes turned to Widow Pe
rkins. “Did you hear something?” She wasn’t sure why she was whispering. It wasn’t like the robbers would be listening anyway.
“I did.” Widow Perkins stuck her head out the window and looked behind the stage since that was the direction she was facing. “It appears to just be one man.” She lifted a pair of spectacles to her eyes and squinted. “And I wouldn’t say it’s a robber. It’s your husband.”
She said it with a nod and sat back into her seat, placing her spectacles back into her little bag on her lap like it was perfectly natural for a woman’s husband to be hollering behind a stagecoach. “I guess he’s not happy about you leaving.”
Fae couldn’t believe this was happening. He’d had all last night and this morning, he could have tried talking to her, but he’d chosen not to. In her eyes, that meant that everything she’d found out about him was true. He must have just realized he wasn’t going to be getting as much money as he’d hoped since she’d taken her half. She didn’t even care. The money the lawyer had given her had been left with Mr. Ferris to put into a trust for the school. Fae had only taken enough to get her back home.
“Driver, stop the coach. I need to speak with a passenger.” Caleb raced his horse alongside the moving stagecoach.
As it started to slow, Fae leaned out her window and called up to the driver. “Keep going. There’s no one in here who wants to talk to him.”
The driver looked at her, then back over to Caleb, before shaking his head in annoyance and looking back ahead. She was glad to see the stagecoach wasn’t slowing down any more.
But apparently Caleb didn’t care. He kept his horse trotting along beside her window, keeping time with the moving coach.
“Fae, you’re going to listen to me one way or another. So if you want everyone else to hear it all, then I’m perfectly find doing it this way. I have nothing more I can say except that I’m sorry, and I love you, and I don’t want you to leave.”
Widow Jenkins’s eyes widened, and a huge grin spread across her face as she looked from Caleb back to Fae. “Oh, my dear, there aren’t many men who’d do something as dashing as this to proclaim their love.”
“Widow Jenkins, I’m afraid you don’t know all the story of what happened. Trust me, it can’t be fixed with a simple declaration of love. Sometimes, it’s too late.” She crossed her arms over her chest and looked out the opposite window, determined to ignore Caleb. Eventually he’d have to give up and realize that she had nothing to say to him.
Instead, he slowed his horse and moved over to the other side. Now if she turned her head again, she was going to look like a petulant child. “Caleb, I don’t know what you want me to say. You lied to me. You never wanted me here. All I ever was to you was something you had to tolerate for six months until you could get your father’s money.”
“I did lie to you, and for that I will apologize for the rest of my days if you want. And at first, I didn’t want you here. I didn’t want any kind of complications in my life. I just wanted the money, so I could go back to being who I was before I met you. But you have to believe me, when I say all that changed the minute you stepped off that stagecoach in Promise. I should have told you the truth or walked away then, because I already knew in the back of my mind that I was in trouble. Once I saw you, I knew I would never be able to let you go.”
She swallowed the lump in her throat and looked down at her hands. Seeing him outside the stagecoach with his black hair messed from riding so hard to catch up was tearing at her heart. She desperately wanted to believe everything he was saying. But she knew she couldn’t risk getting hurt again.
“Fae, I don’t even want any of the money. I’ve already talked to the lawyer and everything I was getting is going to the school. All I want is you.”
She lifted her head slowly and her eyes met Widow Jenkins. The old woman had tears in her eyes and she was dabbing at the corners with her hanky. “Young lady, that man out there loves you. Even an old decrepit thing like me can see that, and I’m half-blind.”
Fae turned her gaze to Caleb’s and with a sudden jolt she realized he was telling the truth. He wasn’t just giving her lies to ease a guilty conscience. There was only one reason he’d be willing to chase her down and beg her to stay like this.
She stuck her head back out the window. “Driver, please stop. I need to talk to my husband for a moment.”
Before it had even come to a complete stop, Caleb was off his horse and running over to open the door. He reached in and took her hand, helping her step down in front of him. His eyes searched hers, begging for forgiveness.
“I’m so sorry, Fae. But I promise you that none of that other stuff even matters anymore. I may not have been the one who sent for you, but I’m the one who is here now, standing before you and begging you to stay with me. If you go, you’re taking my heart with you.”
Her chest tightened, and tears filled her eyes. “Do you promise to never keep anything from me again?” Her heart desperately wanted to believe in him.
“I promise. From today and for the rest of our lives, there is nothing I would ever do to hurt you.”
His hand came around her waist and pulled her to him, while his other hand wrapped behind her neck. “I love you, Fae. And I know I might not be worthy of a woman like you, but I can’t imagine my life without you. If you’ll have me, I promise to spend the rest of my days making you happy.”
Her hands reached up around his shoulders and she stood on her tiptoes to place a kiss on his lips. Pulling her head back, she smiled up at him. “I love you too, Caleb. And you’ve always been worthy, you just didn’t believe it.”
His head lowered again, and his lips found hers. They were lost in each other’s arms, holding on for dear life, when they heard someone clearing their throat.
“I’m so happy you two have worked things out. But, if you don’t mind, I still need to get to Brookings. And these old bones need to be in bed before dark.”
As they pulled apart, Caleb went up to help the driver get her trunk down. She wasn’t sure how they were going to get that back to town on the back of a horse, but right now she didn’t care. She reached into the open window and took the older woman’s hand in hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. “You were right, Widow Jenkins. When you love someone, it’s never a mistake. It’s a promise for tomorrow.”
The stagecoach lurched forward as Caleb came and took her in his arms again. She could hear the Widow Jenkins laughter as they bounced down the road.
Caleb’s fingers tucked her hair under her bonnet, then slowly moved along her jaw. “I’ve never been the smartest man in the world, but I can’t believe that even I was crazy enough to almost let you go.” As he pulled her against him and lowered his head once more, he stopped and smiled. “I love you, Fae Bailey.”
When he kissed her this time, it was filled with more love than she’d ever believed possible. And maybe something more too.
She was sure it was filled with promise.
Epilogue
Fae laughed as Caleb hit the ball, then tried to run to the base, but ended up falling, so Delia could tag him out. The little girl squealed with excitement as she caught him before he jumped up to grab her and spin her around. Colt was yelling from the outfield that it wasn’t fair and to put the pitcher back down on the ground.
“I’m so glad to see those two getting their friendship back. They used to do everything together, along with another boy named Dixon. I’ve never known where that lad ended up, but somehow just seeing these two acting like little boys again does my heart good. Colt’s been through so much this past year or so, and it’s good to see him laughing.” Winnie was sitting on the blanket beside her under the biggest tree outside the church.
They’d spread their food out around them and many of the other townsfolk had joined them today after church to enjoy the warm weather, placing their own blankets around the grounds. While the men and children played a game of ball, the women visited and relaxed, something that was sometimes hard to
do when living on the frontier.
“And I’m glad to see things have worked out between you and Caleb. I know he’s made mistakes, but I can tell he’s trying to make things right. He wants to be the kind of man you deserve.”
Fae’s eyes stayed on Caleb as he helped Delia hold the bat for her turn. She wondered if there would ever come a time when she could look at him and her heart wouldn’t leap with joy. After Delia hit the ball far into the outfield, he hollered for her to run and turned to grin over at Fae in excitement. As their eyes met, his grin turned into a happy smile and he walked over toward her, plopping down beside her on the blanket. “That girl’s got talent. She’ll have all the boys wanting her on their team.” He took the glass of cold lemonade she handed him and downed it in one swallow. “I’m not in as good of shape as those kids out there. I need to sit and rest for a bit.”
His hair hung around his ears and she laughed and shook her head as he pushed it back out of his eyes. “You should likely have a haircut too. But not too much. I kind of like the wavy look.”
He opened his mouth to argue when Nelson Ferris walked over to them. Caleb shielded his eyes from the sun as he looked up at his father’s lawyer. “I guess since Fae’s already been paid out, the rest of the terms have been met. I’m not going to make you wait the six months to sign over the mercantile and money to you, Caleb. You’ve proven to me that you’re going to make an honest effort.”
He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out an envelope then handed it to Caleb. “This is from your father. I was supposed to give it to you after the six months was up, but I think you’ve earned the chance to read it now. If you come into my office tomorrow, we can sign the papers and finish everything off.”
As he turned to walk away, he looked back at Caleb who was now staring at the envelope in his hands. “Your father would be proud of you, Caleb.”
Fae's Fantasy Page 9
