When Sheriff Horn returned to his office he called, "Time to go outside.
Miss Adams." His voice was unusually cheerful, and she glanced from him to Thad and then back again.
"What are you up to?"
Thad shrugged.
"I guess the only way to find out is to see for ourselves." With his hand beneath her elbow, he escorted her to the door.
She stared around in surprise. A cluster of wagons and people clogged the dusty road. The town was nearly as crowded as it had been for the town social.
The first person Caroline saw was Ben Meadows, being helped into his wheeled chair by his father. At the boy's request, Ab Meadows rolled his son closer.
"Ma said you're leaving," Ben called.
Caroline stopped beside him and knelt down until their eyes were level.
"Yes. I have to go away."
"But why. Miss Adams? Don't you like being in Hope anymore?"
"Oh, Ben." She put a hand over his.
"I love it here. This is the best town in the world. I guess I'd rather live here in Hope than anywhere I can think of." Her tone lowered.
"It's the first real home I've ever had."
"Then why are you leaving us?" Young Jack walked up to join his friend.
His troubled eyes, so like Thad's, caused her heart to leap.
Caroline looked up and met his gaze without flinching. "Because I lied.
Jack. And the people of this town deserve something better than that. "" What was the lie. Miss Adams? " The high voice belonged to Emma Waverly.
Caroline turned toward her and saw that her arm was around her younger brother, Ethan.
"I never went to a fancy school, Emma. I couldn't even read or write until I was older than you."
"But that's nothing to be ashamed of," Ethan said hotly. "My pa never did learn to read or write. And Ma said he was a man to be proud of."
' "Your mother is right, Ethan. The shame, for me, is that I lied. And now I have to make amends."
"Can't you mend here in town with us?" Lisbeth asked tearfully.
"Amends, Lisbeth," Caroline corrected gently.
"It means to put right. When people do wrong, it isn't enough to admit their mistake. They also have to do something right to make up for the wrong."
"Then why are you leaving?" Runs With The Wind asked with all the logic of his people.
"How can you put something right when you are no longer here with us?"
"You deserve a better teacher," she said simply.
"We've never had a teacher as fine as you," Ben said. "You're the first one who ever bothered to ride all the way out to our ranch and help me read."
"And you're the first one who ever took the time to explain why book learning would help me be a better rancher," Jack said.
"You don't know anything about my background," Caroline protested.
"You once told us," Runs With The Wind said somberly, "that you were not interested in our backgrounds. You said you were far more concerned with what we made of our lives." He shot her a grave look.
"Is that not the same for you?"
Caroline could find no words.
"And you taught me that grownups can be afraid, too,"
Emma cried, "and get tired sometimes, and even make mistakes. And ever since then, Ma and I are closer than we've ever been."
"That's right," came a voice behind Caroline.
"And you taught me that mothers sometimes forget what it's like to be young, and laugh, and have fun."
Caroline turned to find Sara Waverly standing beside Reverend Symes.
"Please forgive me, Caroline," Sara said softly.
"I was so quick to condemn. The sheriff has told us that everything that evil man said about you was a lie."
"Not everything," Caroline admitted.
"Much of what he said was the truth."
Sara waved her words aside and lifted her voice so everyone could hear.
"I
agree with the children. Caroline Adams is the best teacher our town has ever had. And I, for one, would like her to reconsider and stay on." " I agree." Bel va Spears took up a position beside the sheriff.
"The town would miss you, Caroline, even though we would understand if you felt you could no longer stay here with us."
' "Can you ever forgive us for being so quick to condemn you. Miss Adams?"
Reverend Symes asked.
"There's nothing to forgive." Caroline glanced around, seeing for the first time how many of the townspeople had gathered.
"I only hope you can forgive me for the lies."
Reverend Symes dropped his arms around Emma's and Ethan's shoulders and drew them close, the way a father might.
"I believe my sermon for next Sunday will be " Let him who is without sin cast the first stone. "" Caroline glanced around until she located Thad, standing alone, as always.
Catching her gaze, he gave her a mysterious look and motioned for her to follow him to the far side of the jail.
"Well, Teacher," he said when they were alone.
"What do you say?
Think we're enough of a challenge for you? "
" We? "
"The town and me."
It was the first time she'd ever heard Thad Con way link his own name with that of the others. She gave him a timid smile.
"More than enough."
"There's just one problem."
"What's that?"
"You're going to have to get married right away."
"Married?"
"Can't have the schoolmarm living in sin, can we?"
She felt her cheeks growing pink and said quickly,
"No. Of course not."
"Then it looks like you'll have to marry a man with a bad reputation."
"Is this a proposal?"
He nodded.
"Better grab it quick."
Her smile grew.
"I guess a bad reputation's not so terrible. Especially since mine isn't very good, either."
"I suppose folks will think we're well matched."
"You'll have to put aside your guns."
"I guess it can be arranged. And you'll have to stop swearing when you lose that temper."
"I don't swear."
"You did say no more lies, didn't you?"
"All right." She blushed again.
"I'll give up swearing,"
"That could be a problem," he said with a frown.
"Why?"
"We won't have any vices left."
"None?"
He grinned.
"Well, maybe one or two. Come here, Teacher."
They both looked up as Lisbeth, who had been spying, clapped her hands in delight.
"I knew it. I knew you were sweet on Miss Adams."
"Little Bit," Thad said.
"I have something here for you." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a coin.
"I'll give you a dollar to go join the rest of the crowd."
"A whole dollar? Thanks, Uncle Thad." The little girl skipped away to announce in a voice that could be heard by everyone in the crowd,
"Looks like you're going to have a pretty exciting service Sunday, Reverend. I just heard my Uncle Thad ask Miss Adams to marry him. And she said yes.
And Uncle Thad just gave me a whole dollar to leave him alone so he can kiss her." The whole town roared its approval.
Sheriff Horn bent his head and whispered something to Bel va, who nodded her head before looking away. Then the sheriff, his neck growing beet red, cleared his throat.
"As long as you're preparing a wedding service, Bel va and I thought, maybe... we could make that a double wedding, Reverend."
The crowd raised their voices in another cheer. But moments later the minister tucked Sara Waverly's hand in the crook of his arm and said,
"Do you think there's room for three weddings?"
Lisbeth linked arms with Emma and little Kate, and the three girls danced around and around, planning the flowers they woul
d toss as they walked up the aisle ahead of the happy couples.
Behind the jail, Thad heard the cheers from the crowd and drew Caroline close. Pressing his lips to her temple, he murmured,
"Looks like Lisbeth has just given away our secret."
As she brought her arms around his waist, he murmured, "I'm not a tender man, Caroline. And the truth is, I'm still not certain I can give up my guns so easily. When I saw Tate's hands at your throat, it took steel bars to keep me from going in and killing him."
' "But look what you accomplished. I think what you did was the bravest thing I've ever seen."
He drew her even closer until she could feel the thundering of his heart inside her own chest.
"I love you, Caroline," he whispered against her hair. "More than my own life."
She touched a hand to his cheek and felt a thrill at the look in his eyes.
A look so tender, so loving, it brought a blur of tears to her own eyes.
"And I love you, my wild Texan. More than I ever dreamed possible."
"Then come back to the ranch with me."
"Now? What about my trunk, and the children, and the townspeople?"
He pulled himself into the saddle and caught her up in his arms. As they raced away from town he said,
"This is more excitement than the town of Hope has had in years. Hell, they'll be so busy talking, they won't even miss us for hours."
He glanced at the fading sunlight.
"And if we're lucky, Manuel and Rosita will sleep late and we'll have the place to ourselves until noon."
He held her tightly against him and for some strange reason found himself thinking about fences. Maybe he'd build a few, just to keep out predators.
And maybe he'd start enlarging the house for the kids they'd be having.
Caroline wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his throat.
Oh, Mama, she thought. If only you could have known a love like this.
She felt her heart swell with happiness. She'd had but one dream--to be a teacher. It had never occurred to her that she might be the one who would be taught. Taught all about love by a gunfighter in the dusty town of Hope, Texas. A love that would fill her heart and soul to overflowing. A love that would last an eternity and beyond.
Epilogue
I had's new piece of furniture, a dining room table, was large enough to accommodate all who had come to supper. On one side sat Jessie and Cole and their offspring, Jack, Lisbeth and Frank.
On the other side were Clan and Mom- ing Light, along with Runs With The Wind, Danny and Kate. At one end sat Rosita and Manuel, who took turns cuddling a chubby infant with dark hair and eyes and a smile that would put angels to shame. Thad and Caroline sat side by side at the head of the table.
"When is the christening of little Esteban?" Jessie asked.
' "Next month. Just before the town social. My family is coming in from Mexico for the event." Rosita glanced shyly at Caroline.
"We would like you and Senor Con way to be the godparents."
Caroline exchanged a long, loving look with Thad before saying,
"We'd be honored."
Young Jack, oblivious to the conversation going on around him, polished off a second helping of peach cobbler. "That was just about the best meal I've ever eaten. Aunt Caroline. I may bid on your basket again at this year's town social."
"Find your own girl," Thad said good-naturedly while the others shared a laugh.
Caroline gave Thad's nephew a fond smile that brought a flush to his cheeks.
"There's another pitcher of lemonade in the kitchen if you think you could manage. Jack."
The boy, who had grown taller than Caroline, leaped up and returned in seconds with the pitcher.
"How's the foal?" Clan asked his brother.
Thad beamed.
"Now that supper's over, why don't we go take a look."
The entire party trooped out to the corral. Lisbeth and Kate sat in the grass taking turns making little Esteban smile while the others, leaning on the rail, watched as the mare and her new foal took the first tentative laps around the circle.
"He's magnificent," Jessie breathed.
Thad watched as the tiny hooves settled into a smooth gait.
"I knew this mare would produce the finest horseflesh in Texas."
"It's in the blood," his brother said.
"You can always tell good bloodlines."
' "And no one is a better judge of that than Senor Con- way," Manuel said with respect.
Thad glanced at his wife, then back to the foal, and said with a trace of awe,
"Looks like I made a good choice all around." His arm encircled Caroline's waist, drawing her firmly against him. Lowering his voice so the others wouldn't hear, he whispered,
"When do you think we should tell them?"
He nuzzled her lips.
"I want to shout it to the hills."
' "And you used to keep everything to yourself." Caroline laughed, a low, intimate sound that would always thrill him. "We'll tell the family in a few weeks, at Sunday supper."
"Tell us what?" Lisbeth looked up from where she was seated, still fondling the baby.
Thad gave a mock moan.
"Little Bit, do you have to listen to everything I say to my wife?"
"If you didn't want me to hear," she said logically, "you shouldn't whisper so loud."
"What did you want to tell us?" Jessie chimed in, as eager as her daughter.
"I think it has to do with bloodlines," Clan said with a smile.
"How did you guess?" Caroline turned to Thad's brother and caught the laughter in his eyes.
"I'm a doctor. I'm supposed to know about such things."
"What things?" Lisbeth demanded.
"Oh!" Morning Light caught Caroline's hand and stared into her eyes.
"Of course. I should have seen it."
' "Seen what?" The children gathered around, hoping for a glimpse of whatever the adults were seeing.
"Oh, Caroline." Jessie hugged her new sister-in-law, then wiped a tear from her eye.
"Mama's crying." Lisbeth was outraged.
"Tell me what's wrong, Uncle Thad."
"Nothing's wrong. Little Bit." Thad picked up his niece and swung her around. Setting her back on her feet, he dropped an arm around Caroline's shoulders and said, "We're going to have a baby."
"Is that all?" Jack turned away, amazed at the transformation in his favorite uncle since his wedding. First Uncle Thad had turned down the sheriffs invitation to accept his badge and take over the job of sheriff, saying he'd hung up his guns for good. Then he'd refused an offer from Don Esteban to travel to Mexico to see his latest prize mare. And now he was hugging his new wife and getting all soft and silly about a baby. Next thing he knew, his uncle would probably become just like his pa, spending his days on boring ranch chores and his nights behind closed doors, whispering secrets and chuckling low and deep in his throat.
"You two look like you're just busting at the seams with happiness. It should have been a dead giveaway," Jessie said with a laugh.
While the men slapped Thad on the back and offered their congratulations, the women hugged Caroline. As she accepted the congratulations of the others, she felt Thad's gaze on her and experienced the sudden rush of heat. For some unexplained reason, her vision became clouded.
He caught her by the shoulders.
"Tears, Teacher?"
She shook her head and wrapped her arms around her husband's waist, pressing her face to his chest.
"I seem to cry so easily these days. But they're happy tears."
He gathered her close and she listened to the steady beating of his heart.
Her own heart was overflowing with love. She was so blessed.
She had come to Texas in search of a dream. But she had found something far better. Love. Real and lasting love. And family. She studied these wonderful people who had become her family. The lonely little girl she had once been was no
w forgotten. She was surrounded by love and laughter and people who filled her days, her life.
"Bloodlines," Thad murmured against her temple, and she felt her blood heat at the promise of what was to come. "I always could pick the best."
Texas Hero Page 25
