by Janis Jakes
Luke stood up. His expression was filled with amazement. “I don’t know what to say.“
“Yes would be a good start,” Uncle Rupert teased.
“A thousand times, yes,” Luke exclaimed.
“Very well. We’ll meet with the attorney and make all the arrangements after the wedding.” Uncle Rupert rose, turning a loving smile to his wife. “Let’s leave these lovebirds alone, my dear. They’ve got much to discuss, and we’ll only be in the way.”
Aunt Matilda rose, bending over to kiss Billie on the top of the head, and then looking her in the eye. “God can turn all things to good, can’t He?”
The heat of tears lingered in her gaze as she bobbed her head. “All things.”
Epilogue
Luke inhaled the scent of spring. Wildflowers and dogwood trees dotted the Arkansas countryside. A copper-haired toddler ran through the tall, feather-like grass, chasing butterflies and laughing at nothing in particular.
He approached Billie Jo with a hammer in his hand and soreness across his shoulders. She stood under the shade of a tree, her eyes upon their daughter.
“I’m done driving fence posts for the day. Freddy and the boys are headed back in to clean up for supper.”
“According to Lilith, we’re having butterfly soup for supper.” Billie looked at their young daughter.
He grinned. “My favorite.”
“Mine, too, Daddy,” Lilith exclaimed as she ran by, leaping and jumping for butterflies but always coming up empty-handed.
In the quiet shade with only a faint breeze, something stirred inside his being that he’d never felt before: contentment. He saw the same reflected upon his wife’s unguarded expression.
The ghosts of his past and the ghost of Billie’s past had laid down together, buried and put to rest. Neither would forget the loved ones they lost, but they no longer shouldered the guilt. The Lord had lifted their burden and poured forth his healing balm—the peace that passes all understanding.
“The boys want to know if they can help your parents with their barn raising.” He propped his foot upon a stump. “They know there’ll be lots of people there—including pretty girls from church.”
She was thankful she’d convinced her parents to join them on the ranch. She was still trying to convince her brothers to join in the work, knowing that would bring joy to her mother and father. Perhaps one day …
“Do you think that’s wise?” Billie asked. “If they start thinking about girls, they won’t think about their studies, or working, or— I’m afraid I’m too hard on them, aren’t I?”
“You expect a lot, but I think we both know they’re fine young men. It’ll be OK if they have a little fun.”
“All right, then. But I insist they wear their Sunday clothes.”
Silence lay between them for several seconds, both lost in the rustling of the tree branches and the beauty of a child’s laughter.
“Think we’ll always be this happy, Luke?”
He lay his hand around her waist. She was already expecting again, and he couldn’t be happier. “We’ll have our ups and downs, but I love you, and we’re right where we’re supposed to be—taking care of these boys and running this ranch.”
They both worked hard, but it was work he’d always wanted to do. His wife flourished as she taught, and the boys learned more than he ever thought possible under her guidance.
Abigail, Henry, Henry, Jr., and the twins—Sarah and May—had visited twice. Walking Stick always journeyed with them. Aunt Louise had only made it down for the wedding, passing away the following year from pneumonia.
He’d not spoken to Theo after picking up his final pay along with a nice bonus from the insurance company. He’d heard his former boss got the promotion he wanted and currently resided in Pennsylvania.
Laurence Magellan wrote him one letter, letting him know that he missed writing stories about him but thanked him for his treatment of prisoners over the years. He even wrote an entire article about his departure from bounty hunting in the El Paso Tribune, recognizing his exploits with more blarney than a leprechaun’s tall tales.
One of the greatest gifts he’d received since his life changed was a box from Mighty Bow. It just appeared on his doorstep one day. The war chief had given him an ornamental knife that once belonged to his grandfather. He knew it was the old chief’s way of making amends.
Though Luke admitted that his life had twisted and turned, sometimes in the wrong direction, the final destination had brought him right where he wanted to be and right where God always intended—with Billie and the fatherless boys he would help parent. His eyes looked toward the heavens and he smiled. “Thank You, Lord.”
Only feet away, his daughter laughed.
Entwined in the laughter, Luke heard the faintest whisper in his heart.
“You’re welcome.”
A Devotional Moment
THOSE WHO WITH A WORD MAKE SOMEONE OUT TO BE GUILTY, WHO ENSNARE THE DEFENDER IN COURT AND WITH FALSE TESTIMONY DEPRIVE THE INNOCENT OF JUSTICE. ~ ISAIAH 29:21
It is not hard to understand why lying is so insidious when people do it all the time. “Little white lies” are considered expedient in our society. People lie about how clothing looks on someone, about where they were at a specific time, about what they were doing in the past. But when we lie habitually, as most of us know, one small lie leads to bigger ones. “False witness” is a lie in which another’s life can be destroyed with one wrong word. We’ve all heard stories of people whose lives were ruined by another’s lie. People go to jail for crimes they didn’t commit, because someone lied. People get out of jail and are unable to get jobs or help, because despite proving innocence, there are those who always have a little niggle of doubt. Justice isn’t served.
In The Bounty Hunter’s Bride, the protagonist is accused of a crime she didn’t commit. She escapes to stay free because it’s the only way she can prove her innocence. But the real criminals and the law are both out to get her. When she has to place her trust in another, God shows a plan that will redeem both her and her own protagonist.
Have you ever been the victim of false witness? If so, you know how harmful it can be, but even more harmful is the tendency to bear a grudge and become hard-hearted and cynical. This is one reason why God tells you to pray for your enemies and to forgive. . .not for them, but for your sake.
If you’ve ever lied about someone else, or allowed a lie to live on so you could protect yourself, it’s time to repent. The damage done by those lies might never be fully rectified, but you can repent and do your best to undo the harm done.
LORD, HELP ME NEVER TO PERPETRATE OR ALLOW LIES AND DECEIT TO BE SPOKEN AGAINST OTHERS. HELP ME ALSO TO FORGIVE THOSE WHO HAVE WRONGED ME. IN JESUS’ NAME I PRAY, AMEN.
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