Remembering the frozen moment of their first encounter, he could only hope she felt the same.
And then he was there, dismounting and hitching Thunderbolt to the rail. Knocking on the door. Gazing into her eyes.
Silently he followed her into the room. The girls had been working on samplers, but seeing him they curtsied and left silently, slipping out the door toward the barn, throwing excited smiles at each other. When they got there, Melody was all for sneaking back and watching through a window, but Harmony shook her head.
“We’ll know soon enough. I think we’d be better off climbing into the loft and praying.”
“But we’re not allowed!”
Surprisingly, breaking the rule, Harmony insisted.
“The loft is closer to heaven,” she claimed, solemnly.
~~~
As soon as the door had clicked shut, Barnabas grasped Dorothy’s hand and bowed low over it, brushing a soft kiss against her knuckles. Still grasping her hand he stood and looked her in the eyes. He could feel the same bolt of lightning that had transfixed him at their first encounter. Slowly dropping to one knee, and never breaking eye contact, he spoke from the heart.
“Dorothy Marie Sevenoaks Cooper, I have been yours, body and soul, from the first moment our eyes met. Your energy fills me and makes me feel whole. I offer you my being into your care and trust as you already have my heart and mind. Won’t you do me the honor of joining our lives and becoming one in heart, but with dual strength of purpose and the freedom to grow into the best versions of ourselves we can be? Please, will you marry me?”
He again brought her knuckles to his lips, gaze never leaving hers, as her own hand clasped his. His other hand had slipped into his vest pocket and slipped out a slim band with an opal reflecting its fire.
“The flame at the heart of this stone reflects the strength of my love for you, true and never-ending. Will you accept my ring and my heart?”
“Barnabas Marion Schuyler, I love you, too, with all my heart. Yes, I will marry you and accept your ring and your heart in exchange for mine.”
Kissing her had a third time, he slipped the ring onto her finger and allowed her to draw him to his feet. Their lips met softly, in a blaze of heat unlike any he’d ever felt. As they drew back and gazed into each other’s eyes they committed their lives to one another.
~~~
“Now to the practical matters,” he teased.
“Well unless you share Charles’ notion that you need to include the entire town, I’d like a small, private, and intimate celebration with just family in attendance. But I would like to follow his example of a wedding trip.
“That sounds about perfect my sweet. And I know just where we should go.”
~~~
Not even aware she had done so, Dorothy had designed her perfect wedding gown when she first had sight of Zeus. Very subtle beading at the collar depicted lightning bolts. Without undo haste, they were married within the month, promising to return in ample time to greet the arriving Orphan Brides.
~~~
Billy had talked about the apple orchards in his hometown, commenting that the local soils would probably grow good apples, too. Barnabas liked the idea of fresh fruit and expanding the variety of crops produced. Dorothy liked the idea of visiting Texas to see her friend. So they planned their wedding trip to visit Abigail and check out the orchards.
~~~
And they lived happily ever after!
The End
AFTERWORD
The author has taken great liberties with history by placing the 1st Kansas at the Battle of Gettysburg. In fact Kansas is one of only four northern states not represented at Gettysburg. The others are Iowa, Kentucky and Missouri. (Source: https://gettysburg.stonesentinels.com/union-monuments/)
Battlefield burials were a nightmare, with body parts strewn about and intermingled, the sheer number of dead, and the fact that in most cases a war was still raging nearby. While some soldiers were buried individually, the majority were handled en masse by burial details which piled bodies into trenches with an effort made to orient all heads in the same direction and separate by army (Army of the Potomac versus Confederate). (For more information: https://gettysburgcompiler.org/2012/08/02/burying-the-dead-by-allie-ward-54463/)
History generally talks of the waves of migration which tend to happen after someone else has smoothed the way. Many of the people settling in the New World were escaping hard times of various sorts in their homelands and were understandably wary of authority. Many of these, arriving in the 1700s, had already moved west of the civilized belt of coastland and slipped into the mountains. Few of these had much regard for national allegiance and, as long as they were left alone, paid little heed to whose king claimed the territory.
The area that encompasses modern Kansas was part of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase. The 1830 Indian Removal Act resulted in Kickapoos being forcibly resettled from Wisconsin in 1832 and numbers of tribes and more than 10,000 people in the following years. Then Kansas became a territory in 1854 and the area was officially opened to white emigration. The 1862 Homestead Act encouraged additional development, and black emigration began numbers after the Civil War. (Source: https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/settlement-in-kansas/14546
Again, liberties have been taken to allow a white settlement to develop along the fictional Green River in southeast Kansas as early as the 1820s, with enough youngsters that the parents sent for a teacher, working with possibility rather than an actual historic area.
~~~
I have tried very hard to use language and manners consistent with those of 150 years ago, going so far as to research individual words for their introduction into the English language. Thus, Barnabas did not get to enjoy brownies, which were not created and known as such until near the end of the 19th century, but did enjoy cookies, which took that name in the 1730s.
However, try as I might, modern words and concepts can creep in. If you spot something you question, feel free to contact me and share your observations!
PLEASE POST A REVIEW
https://www.Amazon.com/review/create-review?&asin=
B08C37QW7G
~~~
Why, you ask, are authors always asking for reviews? Well, mainly because it helps people find our books. You don’t have to say much. “I liked it because . . .” or even just “I liked it!”
Of course I hope you liked it! But do feel free to share with me what I could have done better (you’ll find all sorts of links below), or if you’d like to see someone else get her (or his!) own story.
And, thank you for reading!
CHRISTMAS RESCUE SERIES
My books, so far, in this group of western-themed Christmas novels are Rescuing Christmas (first release group, Christmas 2019) and Rescuing Barnabas (second release group, Christmas in July 2020). Here’s where to find the rest of the series:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08121FXK3
And be sure to look for Abigail’s story (Charles Barnett’s sister) in December: Rescuing Abigail.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The more stories I write, the more I realize that it's not me you're interested in but my friends whose stories I share. A lot of times they are total strangers when they come knocking on my brain, but by the time I've written 20 or 30 thousand words about them, we are pretty close.
So, I have attached a list of places you can find me. Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. Feedback is always welcome--I can't fix it if I don't know about it.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story. I hope to be talking with you soon.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElissaStratiAuthor
Twitter: Betababe [@AvenueAntiques]
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Elissa-Strati/e/B077GLWD94
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17307510.Elissa_Strati
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/elissa-strati
Sweet Promise Press: https://sweetpromisep
ress.com/authors/strati
AllAuthor: https://allauthor.com/author/elissastrati
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
No man is an island. This makes my ninth published work of fiction and the list of folks who’ve helped me along the way continues to grow. I might never even have started this journey without the encouragement and support of author Melissa Storm, founder of Sweet Promise Press. At the time she had been invited by Amazon to create a Kindle World known as First Street Church. I wrote three books for that world, starting with Love’s Odds.
It was among the First Street group of fellow authors that I met Jane Lebak and delved into the world of Gothic Romance—okay, maybe a little bit of Horror (but it shouldn’t keep you up at night!)—and together we wrote Hunger. I hadn’t realized collaboration could be such fun!
~~~
In my earliest days as a published writer, another author, Barbara Goss, also reached out to me on Facebook and has guided me through some of the arcana of (shudder) publicity. You see, we “independent” authors are responsible for the entire process from writing, to editing, to proofreading, to publishing, and then to publicizing! That’s one of the reasons for the “review” plea above, and why we are all so grateful when you share books you like with others.
~~~
Cheryl Wright, when she invited me to write for her Christmas Rescue series (set in the late 1800s in the west), became and remains another major mentor.
Cheryl also introduced me to Virginia McKevitt of Black Widow Books who does all of Cheryl’s covers, and has now done most of mine. Virginia has an uncanny knack for finding exactly the right model to represent the heroine in each book. Dorothy’s inner beauty and strength shines through!
~~~
All of these incredibly talented people, and many others, have provided an amazing amount of backing, ideas, and assistance, helping out with all manner of tricks of the trade. This amazing camaraderie, I have come to find, is not unusual—authors just seem to be warm, creative, and generous folks. Each of you has my undying gratitude.
~~~
Additionally, my friends and family, especially my husband, have continued to abet my desire to pour my thoughts out on paper and its modern substitutes. They have to put up with my everyday whims and requests, so deserve special recognition for their patience and love.
~~~
But most of all, you, the reader, make it worthwhile to share my thoughts and dreams as expressed by the characters who whisper in my ear. Thank you.
Elissa Strati
July 2020
Rescuing Barnabas Page 8
