by Stella Clark
Life, as it is, can be sad enough. How much sadder would it be to lose someone and be left to live the rest of your life tortured by love that was left unspoken? The last time my Alexander kissed me goodbye and went to work, I was sure he’d come home to me. But I was wrong. And I thank God every day that I told him how very much I loved him when we said goodbye for the last time. However Alex feels about you, you owe to him … and you owe it to yourself … to take every opportunity to tell those you love what they mean to you and how much you love them.”
Sadie took Victoria’s words to heart and tiptoed into Maggie’s room to sit nearby as the precious infant slept peacefully. In the quiet of the next few minutes, Sadie prayed, “Jesus, I believe the peace I feel in this moment is because I’ve finally come to love and trust in you. You’ve brought me to this place, to the love of my life and to those who love him. I pray you will keep us safe. And I will forever give you thanks, come what may.”
As she finished, Victoria joined her at Maggie’s bedside and prayed a prayer of her own.
Chapter Eleven
Alex walked quickly up Main Street with the firearm wrapped tightly in the blanket and resting on his shoulder. The box of cartridges was in his free hand. As he walked, the words his mother had spoken to him while Sadie was out echoed in his mind and heart. Alex knew his mother was right. It was undeniable that Sadie would be a wonderful mother to Maggie, just as it was undeniable that Maggie had become attached to Sadie. And it was terribly foolish of him to resist and deny the deepening love he felt for Sadie.
He understood his mother’s point that, as a Christian, his fear of loving and losing another wife made no sense. Alex had to agree with her that in a world where nothing is guaranteed but the unfailing love of Jesus, the wisest thing two people in love can do is love one another unconditionally and trust in the good Lord’s promise that, “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.” In that moment, Alex knew he was prepared to do just that as soon as he returned home to Sadie.
But first, he needed to find Roby Judson and the two men he had with him. He planned to tell them to leave town within five minutes or he would lock them up until they could find another crooked judge to set them free. When Alex reached his office, Henry was gone, along with the rifle he kept locked in the cabinet beside the front door. Certain he would have seen them if they were between the office and his home, Alex unwrapped the firearm, loaded fifteen cartridges into it, and headed up Main Street in the opposite direction from his house.
But at that moment, Henry was following Judson and his companions down back streets and alleys just blocks from Alex’s house. Minutes later, the deputy fired a warning shot into the air as the trio neared Alex’s back porch. Instead of running away, the trio dismounted and rushed in the back door of the house. Sadie and Victoria heard Henry’s gunshot and the racket Judson and his two accomplices made clambering off their horses and running across the back porch, into the house. Sadie quickly scooped up Maggie and led Victoria into her room at the top of the stairs. As the three men crossed the living room in the direction of the staircase, Sadie handed Maggie to Victoria, grabbed the two derringers from her trunk, stuffed them into her boots under her skirt, and whispered to Victoria to stay in the room no matter what and not worry. Sadie stepped out of the room and stood at the top of the stairs.
Henry rushed into the living room close behind the outlaws with the rifle trained on Judson. But Walker had a rifle of his own trained on Sadie.
“Drop the rifle and your gun belt, deputy, or she gets it,” Judson growled at Henry.
Henry quickly dropped his weapons and prayed that Alex had heard his gunshot.
“So who are you, pretty lady?” Judson asked Sadie.
“She must be the sheriff’s woman,” Walker guessed. “You can bet she’d be my woman if she came to my house.”
“You ain’t got a house,” Judson snidely pointed out. “But I believe she could be a great deal of use to us while we’re here. Kind of like an insurance policy to keep us safe and sound until we do what we came here to do. So come on downstairs, you pretty young thing, and make yourself comfortable until the sheriff gets home. Is there anyone else up there with you?”
“N-n-no sir,” Sadie feigned nervousness. “Please don’t hurt me. You’ll be in a terrible lot of trouble if you do.”
Confident he now had everything under control, Judson sat on the sofa and patted the cushion beside him.
“Come sit next to me, sweet thing,” he told Sadie.
“Leave her alone, Judson!” Henry shouted, despite Walker having him in his sights.
“Shut up, or someone’s going to get hurt,” Judson shouted back.
“I’m afraid to sit next to you, sir,” Sadie said as meekly as she could.
“Don’t be afraid of me, honey,” Judson tried to sound smooth. “I’ll treat you real nice.”
“D-do you p-promise?” Sadie stuttered.
“Cross my heart and hope to die,” Judson said while he helped her settle beside him on the sofa and pulled her close to his side.
“I’m warning you one more time to leave her alone, Judson!” Henry shouted.
“Shut up, or someone could get hurt!” Walker shouted back.
While Judson was distracted by the shouting, Sadie silently pulled the derringers out of the tops of her boots and hid one in the folds of her skirt while she pressed the other into Judson’s ribcage.
“Someone could get hurt either way,” Sadie said as ominously as she could.
“She’s bluffin’!” Judson told his partners. “It’s probably a toy gun.”
In an instant, Sadie flipped her wrist in the direction of Walker and fired the single shot it held, knocking the rifle out of his hands. Walker figured she had just used her only shot and bent down to retrieve his rifle. But before he could reach it, Sadie pressed the second pocket pistol into Judson’s ribs.
“This one’s not a toy, either,” she assured everyone. “Now put your hands up and keep them up! Henry, I believe you’re duly authorized to take it from here. You can come out and join us now, Victoria.”
Maggie cooed and laughed loudly as Victoria stepped out of the upstairs room. At the same time, Alex rushed into the rear of the house and through the kitchen, into the living room. The light from the overhead kerosene lamps glinted off the brass work of the firearm, making it look all the more powerful. After carefully scanning everyone in the room, Alex relaxed and lowered the firearm.
“Looks like you have everything under control, Henry,” he said. “Great work!”
“Ah, it was all Sadie’s doin’,” Henry meekly admitted.
“What?! How?” Alex asked, totally confused.
“She’s got some amazing talents that she obviously hasn’t shared with you yet,” Henry said with a smile, while he and Alex handcuffed the three men.
Sadie met Alex’s eyes, flashed him her best smile, and playfully shrugged her shoulders. As she did, she extended her arms and flipped her wrists to make sure he saw both tiny pistols.
“I know about a few other things besides weaving blankets and rugs,” she said simply.
“And you were worried she might not be able to handle the West,” Victoria said with a smile.
Alex’s tone changed as he looked at Judson and his men. “I’ll put you away for good, Judson. You will never see the light of day again.”
“Yeah, we’ll see,” Judson managed to get out before Alex punched him square in the jaw.
“We will, indeed,” Alex spat. “You will finally pay for what you did to my father.”
***
“I guess we still have much to learn about one another,” Alex told Sadie the next morning, holding out his arms, inviting her to step into them.
“And we also have much to tell one another,” Sadie added.
“Now you’re both on the right track!” Victoria called out from the top of the stairs. “Why don’t yo
u start things off with a question?”
“What question?” Alex asked earnestly.
“THE question!” his mother shouted back.
“Oh, THAT question!” Alex said loudly and pulled Sadie even closer. “Will you marry me, my dear, sweet Sadie?”
“You bet I will!” Sadie gushed and accepted the kisses she’d longed for from Alex since his third or fourth letter. Sadie wasn’t sure which one it had been, but that was something she could figure out with Victoria’s help.
“I love you, Sadie. It’s that simple.”
“It is, isn’t it? I love you, too. And thank you, Victoria, for placing the ad. You’ve made all my dreams come true.”
The End
