Lone Star Heiress

by Winnie Griggs

  Ivy stepped up and gave her a fierce hug. “Oh, Nana Dovie, I love you so much.”

  The woman waved her away. “Now, you two have important roles to play if we’re going to make this work. First, I’m not certain I’ll be able to get around very well, if at all.”

  “Don’t worry, ma’am, I’ll see that you get where you need to go, with nary a hair out of place.”

  Ivy smiled up at him, remembering the ease with which he’d carried her.

  “And I’ll also need a place to stay when I get there,” Nana Dovie continued. “A nice, quiet room where I can be alone whenever I want to.”

  “I’m sure Eileen Pierce will rent us another room at her place. And if not we can share mine until we can make other arrangements.” Then Ivy looked around. “But this house, all your things...”

  “They’re just things, child. What’s important are the people and the memories—and those we bring with us. We’ll find new things when we settle in this new place.”

  She stood. “I’ll hear no more arguments. Now, you two go to Arnold Hemp’s place. He’ll be willing to take on the animals we’ve got here along with the tools and equipment for a fair price. Tell him he can also have whatever produce from the garden he can cart off, but he has to get it all before noon tomorrow.”

  She walked them to the door. “Don’t spend a lot of time dickering with him, but make sure you get enough to stake us for the next couple of weeks.” She gave Ivy a look that, on a younger woman, would have been called sassy. “After that, I expect you to use that inheritance of yours to take care of my needs.” Then she made shooing motions. “Now off with you. There are preparations to be made.”

  Mitch helped Ivy into the wagon, savoring the luxury of having her beside him again.

  Once she’d given him directions to Mr. Hemp’s farm, he set the wagon in motion, trying to figure out how to say all he was feeling. He didn’t want to mess it up this time.

  “I’m sorry Nana Dovie asked you to come all the way here.” She stared straight ahead.

  “I’m not.”

  She turned to study him.

  He tried for a light tone. “Rufus missed you.”

  She nodded, then faced forward again.

  He cleared his throat. “We both did.”

  This time, when she turned to face him, there was a curious mix of hope and doubt in her expression. But she finally gave him a soft smile. “I missed both of you, too.” She shifted slightly. “I’m sorry for being so rude earlier.”

  “You’ve been carrying a lot on your shoulders the past few days.”

  “Still, I owed you better than that. Thank you for riding to my rescue yet again.”

  “It was my pleasure.” Did she have any idea how deeply he meant those words?

  “I can see Nana Dovie likes you.”

  “The sentiment is returned. She’s quite a lady.”

  “I hope she knows what she’s doing.”

  Mitch placed a hand over hers. “Have faith.”

  Her gaze flew to his. Was it a reaction to the touch or his words? He was pleased when she didn’t pull her hand away. Instead, she repositioned it so that their palms touched and their fingers intertwined.

  At that moment, she could have asked him to carry the world on his shoulders and he would have gladly attempted to do it for her.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  It was difficult to convince Mitch to leave Nettle’s Gap without confronting Lester. But Ivy had finally gotten through to him. She thought, more than anything else, it had been his memory of the consequences of ignoring another woman’s entreaty that finally did the trick.

  To her great relief, the trip to Turnabout went surprisingly well. Nana Dovie slept through most of it.

  There was a bit of trouble at the train station when they tried to board. The conductor suspected the elderly woman was ill and at first refused to allow her on the train. But after a long discussion, and a bit of money changing hands, the man relented and Mitch was allowed to carry the slumbering woman aboard.

  When they arrived in Turnabout, Mitch marched all the way from the train station to Eileen Pierce’s home carrying Nana Dovie. With Ivy and Rufus flanking him on either side, they attracted every bit as much attention as they had when Ivy had first arrived in town beside him on that borrowed buckboard.

  Mrs. Pierce, unruffled by their unannounced appearance on her doorstep, seemed pleased to be able to earn income from a second boarder. Within minutes of their arrival, a slowly awakening Nana Dovie was comfortably ensconced in the room next to Ivy’s.

  Afterward, Ivy walked Mitch as far as Eileen’s front door.

  He took her hand. “I’ll see that your things are delivered from the depot. And I’ll send word to Carter that you’re back and ready to settle your business with him as soon as possible.”

  “Thank you.” She didn’t withdraw her hand, and neither did he.

  “And don’t worry about Rufus, he’s welcome to stay with me again.”

  She grinned. “I’d better watch it or he’ll start thinking he’s your dog.”

  He gave her hand a slight squeeze. “I know this isn’t the right time for a long discussion on the matter, but I hope you’ll reconsider my offer of marriage. Especially now that you’re moving into the community permanently.”

  “Thank you, Mitch. You’ll never know how much it means to me that you care so much.” She gently tugged her hand free. “But as I said before, barring blackmail, I intend to hold out for a love match.”

  Her little attempt at humor didn’t elicit so much as a smile.

  “Aren’t friendship and respect strong enough emotions to base a marriage on?” he asked.

  Was that what he felt for her? “Not for me. Because I know what love feels like. And I want someone to feel that for me.”

  He went very still. “There’s someone you love?”

  She nodded. Why was it so hard to say the words? “With all my heart. But he doesn’t feel the same for me.” She touched his cheek. “So while I will always cherish his friendship and respect, marrying him would eventually break my heart, knowing he doesn’t return my feelings.”

  And with a quick kiss to his cheek, she turned and raced back up the stairs, feeling a bittersweet triumph.

  She’d just told Mitch Parker that she loved him.

  * * *

  Mitch stood on Eileen Pierce’s front porch, too stunned to move. His heart pounded so hard he could hear it thrumming in his ears. She loved him? For one shining moment, his whole being thrummed with exultation.

  Then he sobered. This changed everything. A businesslike arrangement was one thing. It was safe and practical and had purpose—namely her protection.

  But love—that was messy, complicated. If she loved him then he could disappoint her, fail her. Even if he loved her in return.

  Who was he kidding? There was no if about it—he loved her, had loved her long before he’d allowed himself to admit it.

  But knowing it didn’t give him the right to act on it. Not with his history.

  Perhaps she was right to refuse him.

  * * *

  Over the next few days, Ivy and Carter reached an agreement on how to split the ranch, and in the end, Ivy found herself the recipient of more money than she’d ever thought to see in her lifetime. While it wasn’t a fortune by some standards, and Carter would be paying it off to her over a course of several years, she was confident it was enough to find a place for her and Nana Dovie to start their new lives.

  Word reached them that Lester had not taken their leaving well. He had, in fact, set a torch to their house—his house, she supposed—in a fit of anger.

  Nana Dovie took the news in stride, surprising Ivy with the prediction that he’d probably regret his action
s once his pa returned home.

  And despite Mitch’s fears, mainly due to the support of his circle of friends, Ivy was not ostracized. While there were some who would always give in to the urge to whisper and gossip, for the most part Ivy was made welcome throughout the town.

  But there was one welcoming smile she missed. She’d barely seen Mitch since she’d told him of her feelings four days earlier.

  Had she made a mistake?

  * * *

  “Where is Ivy?” Mitch stood, hat in hand, on Eileen Pierce’s front porch.

  Nana Dovie, who was shelling a bowl of peas, eyed him as if she could read his secrets. “Out back in the garden,” she finally said.

  Of course. Where else would she be? “Thank you.”

  Before he could step away, she spoke up again. “There’s something different about you today. You’re carrying yourself with a sense of purpose. Does this mean you’ve finally come to your senses?”

  He didn’t pretend to misunderstand. “Yes, ma’am. I only hope I’m not too late.”

  She waved him away. “Well, what are you waiting for? Go tell her how you feel.”

  He nodded and jammed his hat back on his head. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Mitch marched around the house, trying to figure out just what he’d say. He still hadn’t settled on the right words when he caught sight of her.

  She spotted him at the same time, and the welcome smile on her face gave him hope.

  “Mitch, hello. Come see the size of these tomatoes.”

  “Very nice. But it’s you I’m here to see.”

  Something flashed in her eyes and he prayed it was love. “Is there something I can do for you?”

  “Yes. You can marry me.”

  She frowned, and this time it was sadness in her eyes. He winced, knowing he was the one who’d put that there.

  She turned away, tugging another tomato from the plant. “Please, I’ve told you how I feel. Let’s not go through it again.”

  “No, we haven’t been through this before. I want to marry you. Not because I feel I have to. Not because I feel responsible for you. But because I love you.”

  She shook her head vehemently, not turning around. “Stop. I know you think this is the right thing to do, but I can’t bear it.” She turned to face him and he was almost undone by the pain glistening in her eyes. “You’re a good man, but you have to accept that you can’t fix every problem—the gossip has all but died down, the inheritance is settled, Nana Dovie and I are happier than we’ve been in a long time. And much of this is thanks to you.”

  She took a deep breath. “As for what I said the other day, I probably shouldn’t have said anything. I’m happy to have you as a dear friend. So please, don’t throw yourself on your sword over this.”

  “You’re not listening.” He took hold of her arms. “I. Love. You.”

  Her eyes searched his face and he hoped she could see what he truly felt.

  “But I thought you never wanted to marry again.”

  “So did I. Then you came into my life, and everything changed. I’ve fought it for as long as I can. I may not deserve you but I’ve finally realized I can’t go on without you.”

  * * *

  Ivy was afraid to believe what she was hearing, though she very much wanted to. This had to be just another way he’d found to help her, whether she wanted that help or not.

  “But I’m not the kind of woman you’re drawn to—I’m not gentle or delicate.”

  “True. In fact, you’re the most stubborn, down-to-earth, speak-your-mind female I’ve ever met. And you’re also strong, generous, spirited, courageous and sensitive to the hurts of others. You’d willingly sacrifice yourself in marriage to a wretchedly cruel and selfish man to save your dear friend’s refuge. And you are quick to extend grace and forgiveness to those who have wronged you.”

  The look in his eyes as he uttered those beautiful words chipped away at her resistance. Could he really mean what he was saying?

  His hands slid down her arms, his fingers twining with hers. “What you are is the woman I love. And you’re absolutely right. This community has accepted you so there’s no reason that you have to marry me. Except that I’ll be totally and completely lost without you.”

  He gave a crooked smile. “Marry me so you can bring color and life to my home, which seems so unbearably empty without you. Marry me so you can enjoy that swing in my backyard that seems so forlorn now. Marry me to tend to my garden and decorate my yard with riots of flowers. But most of all, marry me because I love you with all that I am.”

  He traced the line of her jaw with a finger as tears slid down her cheeks.

  “I love you, Ivy Kathleen Feagan. I’ve been every kind of fool and I’m so sorry it took me this long to realize it. But I promise to say those words to you every day for the rest of my life, if you’ll let me.”

  This time there was no doubting the truth. It was there in his words, in the slight tremble of his fingers, in the ragged emotion shining from his eyes.

  She lifted a hand to his cheek. “Oh, Mitch, I love you so much. It would make me very, very happy to spend the rest of my days as your wife.”

  With that, he pulled her into a hug and twirled her around. Then he set her on the ground again and very gently bent down to give her a kiss. A kiss that promised he would love, protect and cherish her, now and forever.

  He was her hero, the man who would fearlessly slay all of her dragons and quietly make all of her dreams come true.

  Epilogue

  Mitch studied his new bride across the expanse of Eileen Pierce’s backyard, not caring if his expression reflected how hopelessly smitten he was. He still couldn’t quite believe Ivy was well and truly his at last.

  The wedding service, which had been held at Mrs. Pierce’s place so Nana Dovie could comfortably attend, had ended nearly an hour ago and it seemed as if he’d barely been able to say two words to Ivy since. He tried to tell himself to be patient—after all, he had the rest of his life to spend with her—but he decided he’d been patient long enough. Excusing himself from the discussion with Dr. Pratt and Sheriff Gleason, he circulated through the crowd with purpose, closing in on his bride.

  After a half dozen stops to accept congratulatory slaps on the back, Mitch finally made it to her side. The warm smile with which she greeted him set his pulse racing. He leaned forward and kissed her cheek, then whispered in her ear, “What do you think, Mrs. Parker—is it too early for us to make our exit?”

  Her low, throaty laugh had him wanting to tug her to him for a proper kiss.

  But before she could give him an answer, Reggie approached. “There you are. I’m ready to take photographs of the happy couple if you’ll spare me a few minutes.”

  Ivy shot him an apologetic look and squeezed his hand before turning to Reggie. “Of course. Just tell us what to do.”

  “I’m set up right over there.” Reggie led the way to the flower-bedecked arch where they’d recited their vows earlier. Along the way, Ivy squeezed his arm and nodded off to her left. “I do believe Mrs. Swenson has found a new object for her affection.”

  Mitch glanced in the direction she’d indicated and smiled. Mrs. Swenson was engaged in conversation with Carter Mosley of all people, and the two seemed to have more than a passing enjoyment of each other’s company.

  A few moments later, Reggie was fussily posing Mitch and Ivy while some of the guests drifted over to watch. At last, Reggie was satisfied and she took two photographs—one with just the two of them, and one with Nana Dovie between them.

  “I wish your sisters could have come,” Ivy said. “Then we could have a true family photograph.”

  “They’re eager to meet you, as well.” Mitch dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “We’ll plan some trips soon.” He knew h
is sisters were going to love Ivy, and she them. But he hadn’t wanted to wait a moment longer than he had to for the wedding.

  His plans to lead his bride away were foiled yet again when Reggie stopped him. “If you don’t mind, there’s one more photograph I’d like to take. And this one’s for me.”

  Mitch raised a brow. “You want a picture of me and Ivy?”

  “Not exactly.” She turned and glanced to the folks gathered behind her. “Adam, Everett, Chance—you three come over here and stand next to Mitch.”

  Adam raised a brow. “What are you up to?”

  Reggie took Adam’s hand, then looked at the four men. “I remember when you all first arrived here two years ago—and I know we didn’t see eye to eye back then. But this town is the better for all of you being here, and I am, too.” She pitched her voice so only they could hear. “I’d like to have a picture of my three would-be grooms, and my one true love, to hang on my wall.”

  As Mitch stood shoulder to shoulder with his friends, he thought again how they’d all set out to find fresh starts here in Turnabout.

  What they’d found was so much more than any of them had ever expected—a community that welcomed them in with open arms. And more importantly, good women to cherish and be cherished by, and to build their lives and futures with.

  He met Ivy’s warm gaze and thanked God again for not giving up on him when he’d given up on himself, for leading him here to Turnabout and for bringing Ivy into his life to show him how to love and laugh again.

  The flash of Reggie’s camera released him from his pose and he marched toward his wife and captured her hand in his. “Time to go,” he said.

  She laughed. “Is everything ready?”

  “The hamper and bags are already in the carriage.”

  “What about the fishing poles?”

  “They’re there, as well.”

  “And you’re sure Reggie doesn’t mind us borrowing her cabin.”

  “She insisted. After all, I never did get in that week I’d planned on.”